Thanks to EmeraldTulip and Susz for the reviews. Much appreciated, ladies!

Last chapter. Just to warn you, this chapter is very dark. It has several elements that might make you feel uncomfortable, like mentions of alcoholism, adultery, and a short but graphic scene - just to name some. Please be careful.

Notes from us at the end.

Chapter Fourteen.

There was no light in the cell. The only thing signifying anyone was in there was the constant screams and pounding coming from the room.

Krane knew it was hopeless to try and break down the steel door. When he was unconscious, the Davenports removed his bionic chip, so now he was once again just a regular human. The only harm he was probably doing was annoying the guards on the other side of the door.

Finally, exhaustion set in. The madman fell to his knees, giving up for the time being. Growling, he got up and found his cot, before lying down. He almost beat them. Finally, the world was going to feel his wrath. He was going to get the revenge he knew he deserved.

He had taken down all of the Davenports, the only thing between him and world domination a scrawny human who should have known to just give up. And yet, the human was able to defeat him, Victor Krane, the most powerful man in the world. At least, he used to be.

He still couldn't understand how it happened. He had replayed that moment over and over again in his head, and it had yet to make sense. He was sure that that boy was going to be defeated. Though he was weakened by the attack of those three pitiful teenagers, he had enough to end that kid. Yet, when that boy raised his hand, controlling something he couldn't see, he was left watching his own strength vanish in front of him.

It must be a new ability, something that neither Douglas nor Gao was aware of.

He wanted it. Once he got out of that prison and get his bionics back, he would find out more about that ability. He would make sure to have it, too, even if it meant taking that pathetic little child so he could replicate it.

His hands balled into fists as he thought of the things that could have been. That boy, those kids – they all didn't understand. If they had known why the world was so deserving of his anger, why it would have been better if it was under his control, they may have understood. They were still too young, and they still held onto their illusions of a beautiful world where people were not greedy or proud. Where people were not backstabbers and would not crush others underfoot for their own personal gain.

If only they could see the things he had seen, they would know that that beauty was only a mask, designed to hide the decomposing cores of those they wanted to protect.

He guessed he couldn't really blame them for thinking the way they think. Once upon a time, he believed that lie, too. When he was young, he thought he could also change everything. Even if his father loved his company and his other women more than he loved his son and his wife, and even if his mother drank herself half of the time because of a loveless marriage, he held onto the hope that things would get better.

He hoped. That was his first mistake.

However, despite things being difficult at home, he found solace in the things he was learning at the university and the close friends he had made. The latter, especially, because Douglas and Franklin helped him to not feel like a pariah regardless of his social ineptitude. He was always looking forward to being in the company of the two loud, careless, and intelligent students. He had never had any siblings, but he imagined that if he had brothers they would have been like them.

You're still worried about bringing up your new major with your old man? Franklin had asked him one night while they were out on a nearby bar after their midterms senior year.

Yeah, he had answered, deeply troubled by the thought. I think he really wants me to stay in Business Management because of the company.

Do you even want the company?

No.

Have you told him that?

No.

Are you going to tell him that?

Of course not. Once I tell him I don't want to have anything to do with it, he's gonna have a fit.

You know, eventually, he's gonna find out about it.

I doubt it. He's too busy with a couple of acquisitions right now. That, and Veronica. He sighed. I really wish Mom would drop him already. We could just start over somewhere. I don't care if we're broke. I just want her to be happy.

Maybe the reason why your mom hasn't split from your dad is because she's thinking about you. She loves you, and she doesn't want you kicked out to the streets. You don't know. Maybe she's waiting until you finish college.

Which brings me back to the reason why I'm switching my major behind Dad's back.

What are you losers talking about now? Douglas asked as he came back with a drink.

Oh, you know: world problems, current events, the World Series. Usual things that serious college students talk about, Franklin said with a smile.

That's good, except that I know you two are anything but serious college students.

Says the guy holding a bottle of hard lemonade, Franklin quipped.

Ah, leave me alone. I just need something to take the edge off, Douglas said as he sat down.

Franklin quirked his brows. Your brother got on your nerves again?

Again? When has he ever stopped?, Douglas lamented. Ever since we started this little business idea that we've had, he's been demanding more of my time. I'm still in college, for crying out loud! What does he want me to do, drop out? And he never listens to any of my ideas! He says they're ethically wrong!

Man, forget the hard lemonade. You should be drinking chamomile tea or something, Franklin said, taken aback by the outburst. Your stress level is off the charts. You need some relaxation time.

There's a lavender field here somewhere. Maybe we should drop him off and let him wander there a bit.

Yeah. Then we'll watch as he gets arrested for trespassing.

Douglas glared at both of them as they laughed. You're supposed to be on my team, Victor. Not Franklin's.

Again, said the guy holding a bottle of hard lemonade and who just blew a gasket, Franklin bantered.

You know, I fear for the world should you have kids one day, Franklin, Douglas said. Your kid's gonna be a smart aleck, like you.

Mm-hm, and he or she is gonna be a good-looking genius, too, Franklin said with a sly smile.

Douglas smirked. You sure you're not drunk? he asked, and it cued another round of banter between the two.

Krane stared at the ceiling above him as that memory faded into the darkness. Everything was so different twenty years ago. He really thought things would change, especially after he finally found the courage to stand up to his father after his mother suddenly died. He was estranged from the only family he had left, but he still had his friends with him so the loss wasn't significant. He worked hard to prove to his father that he didn't need him, and it was paying off.

And even after Douglas gradually drifted away from them after he and Donald had a difference over something he wouldn't reveal then, he and Franklin continued on. Eventually, they came across something innovative, something so earthshattering that they could barely believe that they came up with it.

Ow! Stupid machine, he had growled, fixing the wires in the arm brace.

Hey, in its defense, you are rewiring its motherboard, Franklin said, shrugging a bit, before attaching a few more components to the mask.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You almost done on your part, Groucho Marx?

Yeah, just need to attach this part to the main wires, and— The two college students stepped back from the exoskeleton for a second, seeing if it would work. After a few moments, the head sparked, before the whole thing fell on its side.

Dang it! Franklin then kicked a nearby table, only succeeding in stubbing his toe.

This thing is never going to work! Why didn't we just listen to Dr. Temerson and choose a simple project?

Because, when I said let's just fix a computer, you were all like, 'No that's too easy. Let's pick something nearly impossible and ruin my best friend's GPA.' As Franklin said this, he did a terrible Krane impression, angering the man.

Hey, don't blame this all on me. You were the one who decided to bring biology into this!

Oh that is so not true. As the two former roommates argued, they didn't notice their exoskeleton spark a little more, before the face plate lit up, and it started to power up.

Franklin was the first to hear the suit power on. Hey, Vic? Krane wasn't listening as he was still mad at what his friend had said. Vic, dude, look!

Turning his head, Krane was shocked to see that the exoskeleton was actually powered on, and everything looked like it was working. It's working. Though he said it as a statement, it sounded like a question.

It's working, Franklin repeated, smiling. The two boys then proceeded to dance around, excited their machine worked.

Their expectations for their groundbreaking project did not fail. Not only did the artificial skeletal infrastructure give them the grade they desired, but it also gained them the attention of many interested businessmen due to their professor's referral. Both he and Franklin thought that things were looking up, especially when offers were made to them left and right. It was nearly overwhelming, but they didn't mind. With student loans to pay off and, for Franklin, a young wife to support, it was a windfall.

They selected a well-established research company as their sponsor. Though its mission statement was somewhat complicated and confusing, the company had an impressive facility, a seemingly admirable mode of operation, and a number of good records under its name. What both of them liked the most was the promise made to them that the tech they designed would be studied to help others with damaged spines so they could gain mobility again. That was their purpose in the first place: make something to assist others.

But then, a few months down the line, the owner of the company and the head scientist began to change. They started adding features on the tech behind their backs, features that were dangerous and were out of the conditions they had agreed upon. When the two of them brought it up, they were immediately brushed off, and along with that they were told that volunteers were being drafted to test it out. Both of them were quick to point out that it wouldn't be safe yet. It wasn't ready, and trying it out on human beings would be far too reckless. The men and women didn't listen.

When the two of them threatened to pull out their invention, the president only sneered at them and told them that they signed a contract. Unless they had millions to buy themselves out of it, they would need to do whatever they say. It's just how the real world works, boys, the man had told them.

That weighed down on both of them. They were stuck on a deadly trap, one that could hurt many people, but there was nothing they could do.

A spark of hope came in the form of a bad news. No one wanted to sign up for the test, and the company had a strict deadline to meet. They overheard the president ranting that if their 'backer' didn't get any results, the support given to them would be withdrawn. Eventually, the whole project would be shut down, and they would have no choice but to take a considerable loss.

The two of them were very pleased to hear that. Not only would that buy them time to get a good lawyer to rescue them out of the hole they were stuffed in, but it would also mean that their hands would not be dirtied by the selfish pursuit of the company.

The deadline was just two days away when they received an unusual call one night. The head scientist, in a cold tone, asked them to come to the laboratory because something in the infrastructure malfunctioned. Franklin, once the message was relayed to him, told his friend that coming wasn't a good idea. I have a bad feeling about this, Vic, he said. I don't like the way he's trying to approach us.

I don't either, but what are we going to say?

Don't worry, I had you covered. I told him something came up, and we can't make it.

They bought into that?

I said it was a family emergency. What are they gonna do, bust through our doors? That's trespassing. Plus, you live on campus, and we live near the fire department. They can't try anything funny without calling attention to themselves. They'd have no choice but to let us be.

Though he was still worried, that night passed by safely for both of them. The feeling didn't really ease out until the night of the deadline. Feeling triumphant, both of them decided to visit the bar they used to frequent with Douglas two years prior. They talked extensively regarding many things – the tech, their last year in school, their missing friend. When they ventured out into the topic of Franklin's new life as a husband, it was then that the good news came up. Seriously? A baby? he had asked with a grin. That's great news! Why didn't you tell me about this?

Because we didn't find out until a few days ago. I figured I'll tell you once we get over this whole monster corp thing.

He had chuckled before saying, I wish Douglas was here. His nightmare just came true.

Franklin laughed. Hey, you wanna come over at our house? My wife's cooking dinner. I mentioned you might come by. She said she doesn't mind.

He smirked. 'My wife,' huh? You really love saying that, don't you?

'Course I do. Got the smartest, prettiest chick on campus. Why wouldn't I? He nudged him. One day, when you get married, you'd understand what I mean.

He chuckled at that as they exited the bar.

They were on their way to Franklin's car when, in the middle of a short discussion, a van skidded into the parking lot. Men in dark clothing jumped out then took both of them by force. Franklin tried to fight them off, and so did he, but there were too many of them. They were thrown into the back of the vehicle then hauled away to an unknown location.

Their multitude of questions were immediately answered when they saw the head scientist, a small number of his team, two metallic tables with restraints and two of the skeletal infrastructure they had made. The head scientist was quick in explaining why they were there – not that he felt any inclination to. They had a deadline to meet, that was all he said. He gave an insincere apology before both of them were tied down on each of the tables despite their struggling.

He remembered the restraints being very cold. He remembered begging them to let them go, and he could hear Franklin doing the same. He remembered the sound and the feel of the scissors cutting through the back of his shirt as the scientists prepared to attach their own invention to him.

He clearly recalled the pain that came once the infrastructure was activated. It latched onto his spine like a leech, its hundreds of pins sinking down to the marrows of his bones. His lungs burned as he screamed. The last he remembered was the feeling of wires crawling up from behind his neck and slinking their way up to his eyes before he blacked out.

When he came to hours later, it was obvious to him that he had barely escaped death. He was so weak, and the lower half of his body was numb. Looking around, he saw that they had been abandoned. All the equipment that was there were gone, and the people from the research company and their hired men were nowhere to be found. He concluded then that something had gone wrong, and those people fled because of it.

It was then that he remembered he wasn't alone. Turning his head, he saw Franklin also lying on his stomach on the table. His hands, now free from any restraints, were hanging by the sides. He was too still.

Terrified of the thought coming into his head, he fought to make his way over to him. With everything from his waist down paralyzed, he had to roll over then brace himself as he fell to the ground. It took him a while to recover from the pain that hit him, but eventually he was able to crawl towards his friend. Frank – Franklin…, he tried to call him despite his voice being hoarse. Franklin.

Nothing.

He reached for Franklin's wrist to check his pulse, but he knew from the rigidity of his hand that he wouldn't find any life there anymore. He kept searching for it anyway, holding onto the wish that he was wrong, but soon he was forced to admit what he didn't want to admit: his best friend – his brother – was dead.

He cried, and the tears didn't stop even days after they were rescued. His father had scolded him a few times when he was younger for crying, saying that only the weak cries, but the loss of both his mother and his closest friend tore him apart so much that he had no choice but to be weak. Burying the only people that mattered to him destroyed him.

However, once the tears stopped, they never came back. The night of Franklin's funeral, he realized how animalistic people truly were. They were destructive in essence. They would crush anything and everything that didn't fit into their food chain.

Elimination is the game of the living, and he resolved then that he was going to be a better player than all of them would ever be.

So he devised, just like his father and those men had shown him how to. He came back to his father's company, playing the part of his little pet son while secretly wheedling his way into power. When the old man got sick, he outdid his new stepmother in feigning affection for him. When the old man died, it was only to his greatest content to watch his family's fortune land rightfully into his hands while the woman who caused his mother so much grief got nothing.

Later on, he found Douglas despite the rumor of an apparent death following his expulsion from Davenport Industries. Along with him was his research of bionics. It was just what he needed to throw off the balance in the playing field, so he made an offer he couldn't refuse. Eighty million dollars for your research.

Douglas, who hadn't seen him in years, was taken aback when he saw the changes in him, both on the outside and the inside. Victor. What happened to you?

Krane. And the topic we're discussing here is your research, he said, undeterred. Eighty million dollars, and if you need more, you can have more. Do we have a deal?

Cautiously, Douglas asked, Why are you so interested in it?

He tried not to lose his temper. Does it really matter?

Douglas hesitated.

You have nothing now, Douglas. No money, no career. No place to go to. I'm offering you a new start.

What's in this for you?

The benefits of everything. I want all the abilities.

All? It could kill you.

It won't be the first time someone tried, he said, thinking that at least that time he was giving consent. He smiled coldly. Eighty million. Do we have a deal?

Douglas was reluctant, but he agreed soon enough.

He wasn't surprised. His old friend had been taught to become greedy, just like he had been.

Krane sneered. Years of research. Millions of dollars spent. Numerous operations to make him powerful. And now he was as weak and pathetic as he was back then.

He reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a picture. Though he couldn't see anything, he had memorized what was shown. The picture causing his anger to return, he dropped it and proceeded to continue pounding on the steel door, leaving the photograph on the floor of the dark room.

If one could see it, it showed Krane and Franklin at the old bar. It was the last day everything was truly normal.

The soft click of the camera confirmed the picture was ready. Franklin looked at the picture on the screen then smiled. "Yep, that's a keeper."

Krane smiled after they both took a swig of their drinks. He then suddenly grew a little sad. "Not the same without Douglas though, is it?"

Franklin groaned. "Come on, man. We spent half the summer being sad about Douglas. We need to chill out; he's with his brother. It's not like he's going to die." The two friends then laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Another swig. "So, how was that date with that girl last night?"

"Really great, actually. She's smart, funny, and nice, and she really liked ol' Frank," Franklin smiled, pointing at himself.

"Then you forgot to add crazy." Krane laughed as Franklin gently punched him.

"Yeah, yeah. Only bummer of the night was when I walked her home." Krane looked confused, so Franklin elaborated. "Apparently, a friend of theirs just got back from overseas and lost partial control of his legs. He can still walk and stuff, but he'll need crutches the rest of his life."

"Oh man, that sucks. Tell her I'm sorry," Krane said, looking sympathetic.

"Yeah, I will. She didn't really want to talk about it anyway. Only thing she said is that she wished there was some way he could regain control of his muscles."

While Franklin stared at his drink a bit sadly, Krane sat up in alert. "Dude." Franklin looked over and saw Krane smiling like a maniac. "Dude."

"What's wrong with you? You didn't have too much to drink already, did you?"

"What if we can make something that allows motion for the paralyzed?"

Franklin scoffed. "Yeah right. How would we ever build that?"

"I don't know, man. Maybe like a video game. But, just imagine what we could do. We could give people back their lives."

Franklin smiled. "I wish. But we're just two college students."

"Correction: two college students with a science project due at the end of the year. This could be our project."

"What about fixing that computer in my garage?" Krane just gave him a 'really?' look. "Fine, we'll work on it. But if this whole thing backfires on us, it's on you."

Krane did a fist pump. "Yes! You won't regret this. Now you really have to thank your girlfriend."

Franklin chuckled. "First off, she's not my girlfriend yet. And secondly, she has a name. It's Tasha, Tasha Dooley."

AlienGhostWizard14's notes: Thanks to everyone who read. I hope you enjoy the next story.

musicnotes093's notes: Yep. Hopefully the sequel will be up in a few weeks' time. Until then, enjoy the weekend and the warm-ish weather, guys!