Before I start, I wanted to answer some of the reviewers who had questions or comments since I'm too busy to reply to everyone individually. Rhyolite56 asked if there I had a system for the numbering of the students. I did try to do that at the beginning before I'd published the story, but I'm horrible at math and it was consuming so much of my time that I decided to just randomize it for simplicity's sake. Also I'm sorry I keep you waiting every Monday for an update. I will try to get them posted as quickly as I can so that you don't have to refresh it so often ;)
Lexosaurus I'm replying to you for the simple fact that your reviews always make me so happy and excited to write every day. If you liked Danny's troubles in the last chapter, then you're going to love Part 2. I'm so glad you've been enjoying it and thank you so much for the amazing compliments! They seriously make my day.
Anyway, thank all of you so much. Your comments have been amazing and I'm so glad to see people enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it!
Daniel slept better on the uncomfortable medical table than he had in an entire week in an actual bed. It was something of a comfort to know that someone was watching over him as he slept, making sure that he was not disturbed, which Wachit did. He excused the other scientists and gave Daniel the hour that would have been spent enduring forced hallucinations to have a proper rest.
But eventually, his hour was up and he had to go about his day as usual. Despite Daniel's concerns for Wachit, the lead scientist left him with only reassurances and encouragement and even when Wachit was escorted away by a Warden, the Talent Scout seemed unconcerned.
Daniel spent his Training time feeling guilty, hardly able to focus on the task at hand. He anxiously worried over what the Director would do to Wachit once she had discovered that he had helped Daniel, wondering if he would ever see the Talent Scout again, or if the Director would appoint some other scientist to drug him each day.
The rest of the evening went by slower than usual as he worried himself once again into exhaustion. By the time he had gone to Task, he was simply too distracted and tired to notice the way Wendy and her goons had begun to circle him. It was not until he had moved along to a more secluded section of the engine room that they made their move against him. As Daniel was passing by some pipes to get to the back section, where he had been informed were some faulty wiring, a hand snaked out from behind a wall, grabbing him by the neck and yanking him out of the sight of anyone in the main section of the engine room. He was slammed against a wall, the hand at his throat cutting off any noise he might have made.
The lizard creature of Wendy's group curled its lips at him in a sneer. "Got you."
The mound creature and the boy with the evil grin all stood around the lizard creature, satisfied expressions on their faces as they observed Daniel's useless struggling. The student with the sheet over his body stood by the entrance to the smaller section of the engine room, looking out to make sure that no one would interfere.
Daniel let out a strangled noise as his face started to turn red with strain, hands gripping the clawed grip at his throat as he tried to pry the fingers off of his neck.
Wendy came up beside the lizard creature, regarding Daniel with a scowl. She looked mostly healed, although she had retained a few scarring burns from where Daniel's green bursts of power had touched her. "Did you think you could get away with trying to kill me, you little piece of shit?" she asked, closing the distance between them so that her face was inches from his. She dragged one of her clawed fingers heavily over his cheek, drawing blood. "You're going to pay."
Daniel glanced around, looking for the cameras that Peter had assured him were everywhere. Someone should have noticed. Wardens were always monitoring students wherever they went, so surely the Director-
His heart sank. She was angry with him still and although she might not let Wendy and her cronies kill him, she might allow them to hurt him.
He was pulled from his thoughts when she dug her claws into his side, eliciting a strangled gasp. "What's the matter, runt? You can dish it out but you can't take it?"
His vision started to get blotted by black spots and he felt unconsciousness creeping up on him.
Wendy must have noticed because she ordered the lizard creature to drop him. The creature obeyed, tossing him to the ground carelessly. Daniel fell in a heap, immediately going into a coughing fit as he gasped for air.
Wendy was in no mood to allow him any breaks, however, because she immediately delivered a kick to his abdomen, knocking him over onto his back and expelling the only recently acquired air from his burning lungs.
The dark-skinned boy beside her jumped in as well, kicking Daniel repeatedly in the ribs as he laughed with sadistic glee. "Ha! Look at the twerp squirm!" he exclaimed giddily.
When the boy paused in his kicking spree, Daniel tried to turn over, but Wendy stomped her foot down on his stomach and knelt over him, grabbing a fistful of his hair with her claws and turning his face to her. "Not so all-powerful now, are you? How does it feel? To be helpless."
She looked blurry and Daniel was having difficulty hearing her. He tried to respond, tried to think of something cutting to say, but his mind wouldn't cooperate and all that came out was a small, weak noise that quickly died away into a slow exhale.
She dug her foot deeper into his stomach and slammed his head down against the floor, making stars dance in his vision and his head explode with pain. Unconsciousness tried to snatch him away, but he fought it off. He didn't want to be completely at their mercy, not that he was being able to do anything at the moment. He quickly regretted his decision however when Wendy slapped a hand over his mouth and then raked her nails across his chest with the other. He screamed behind her palm, which only made her grin. She examined the blood on the tips of her nails and licked them sadistically, locking eyes with Daniel as she did and making him shudder and gag.
Smiling cruelly, she pulled away, gesturing at the mound creature. It bent down, picking Daniel up by his chest and slamming him against the wall, letting his feet dangling several feet off of the floor. He slumped tiredly, hardly able to hold up his own head, much less attempt to free himself from the monster's grip.
"Squeeze him," Wendy ordered the mound creature. "But don't kill him. Don't want to upset the Wardens."
"Yeah! Squish him!" the dark-skinned boy cheered. "Squeeze him like a lemon!"
The mound creature began to tighten its grip, crushing Daniel's chest and making him let out a sharp gasp of pain. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to wriggle free, but the mound creature only squeezed harder, threatening to break the bones in his chest and flatten his organs.
And then, suddenly, the creature stopped seconds before fracturing the first of Daniel's bones. Gasping, Daniel opened his eyes to find that all five of his attackers had suddenly gotten the same far-away looks that Bill had a week ago.
All except the lizard creature, whose eyes had gone an even brighter shade of all-too familiar crimson.
Daniel's eyes widened in alarm, recognizing that blood-red immediately. He squirmed and wriggled for all he was worth, desperate to free himself, but he could barely breathe under the tight grip, much less move to get loose.
The lizard creature, the only one of the five students who had not inexplicably frozen, grinned at him. "My, my..." it said in a voice that was not its own, "What a predicament you've gotten yourself into."
"Leave me alone," Daniel wheezed, chest too tight to speak properly.
"Come, now... Is that really an appropriate way to greet your rescuer?" the voice asked, making the lizard creature step forward, its red eyes gazing at Daniel with a calm, smug look.
"I don't want it," Daniel rasped, straining to get air into his lungs and wincing at the pain speaking was causing his chest. "I don't want to be you. Just leave me alone!"
"Oh, my dear boy, I think you misunderstand my intentions," the voice said and suddenly the mound creature's hold on Daniel's chest loosened enough to allow the boy to take in a much needed breath.
Daniel sucked in air greedily, almost choking himself in his haste. When his lungs were at last full again, he hung his head, and asked through shaking breaths, "What do you want from me?"
"For the moment, I want you to free yourself," the lizard creature said.
Daniel shook his head with frustration. "I can't..."
"You can," the voice informed him.
"No, I can't!" Daniel wailed exasperatedly, voice cracking in despair. "Please, just leave me alone! I don't want to be you. Please... I don't want it. I don't-"
The mound creature's grip tightened again, forcing a pained gurgle to escape his throat. It loosened its grip again a moment later.
The lizard creature looked at him patiently, expression stern. "You can," it said. "Access your powers."
Daniel shook his head back and forth rapidly. "Please... Please, I can't. The suppressor... I can't."
The lizard creature turned its right wrist upward and then reached inside, without ever breaking the skin, to retrieve the metal suppressor that had been implanted there. "This?"
Daniel stared, mouth hung open slightly in amazement. "How... how did you..."
The lizard creature returned it to its wrist with ease. "Your powers cannot be contained by some simple gadget. It is all in your mind. Now do what I told you and access your powers."
Daniel hesitated, gazing at the red-eyed lizard creature doubtfully. "Why?"
The lizard creature tilted its head at him. "Why what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because, dear boy, you are useless to me here," the lizard creature replied, straightening its shoulders. "Now do what I said."
Daniel was trembling with fear and uncertainty, but he knew he could not resist the monster anymore. If he resisted, he would eventually run out of the strength to fight at all, and the monster would take him completely, but if he didn't, then he had a chance (a slim one, but still a chance) to not let the monster overcome him.
This was his last chance.
Seeing the resignation on Daniel's face, the lizard creature grinned at him. "That'a boy," it said, and then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the reds of the lizard creatures eyes faded into yellow and the far-off looks in the faces of the other students dissipated.
"Crush him!" the dark-skinned boy continued to cheer, completely oblivious to the time he had spent frozen. None of the others seemed to have noticed, either.
The mound monster continued to constrict its hand around Daniel, eliciting more pained groans, but Daniel ignored his predicament. He had shut his eyes, trying desperately to reach into his core. He brushed against the power that laid dormant inside of him, struggling to release it.
He let out a strangled scream as one of his rib bones broke, but still he focused on his core and the power there that eluded him.
He pinched his eyes open through the haze of pain, looking past the large dirt creature in front of him as something drew his attention to the corner of the room.
A girl stood quietly; small, slender hand outstretched, as though reaching for him.
He stared at her, and she stared back.
He remembered her.
The power surged out of his center in a bursting wave, two white rings spreading from his abdomen over his head and toes, sending strength to every exhausted muscle and aching bone. As the top ring passed over his head, his eyes flashed green.
With little effort and barely aware that he was doing it at all, Daniel fell through the mound creatures tight grasp like smoke, dropping to the floor heavily. A small, metallic clatter followed and Daniel's eyes caught sight of an electronic chip clinking to the floor beside him.
The mound creature blinked once, then slowly pulled its hand to its face to give it a bemused stare.
Although the cronies looked completely bewildered, Wendy had a look of terror spread over her face and, in a panic, began shouting at her group. "Kill him! Kill him! Squash him!"
The mound creature, although responding to the situation slowly, finally registered what Wendy was telling it, and it clenched its hand into a fist and sent it forward to smash Daniel into the floor.
Daniel's hand shot out, stopping the mound creature's fist midair, strength pouring into every limb and every muscle, renewing him with an unnatural energy.
Suddenly three new students rushed into the hidden area, looking as though they were ready to pick a fight, but stopped, frozen, when their eyes fell on Daniel, who was holding firmly to the mound creature's fist, despite the latter's attempts to free itself.
Wendy, eyes wide as she stared at Daniel and the scene unfolding before her, turned and fled, her terror blinding her to anything but escape. Her henchman watched her, disoriented and frightened by the sudden turn of events and followed after her.
The mound creature turned to flee as well, and Daniel let it when his head suddenly seemed to explode in pain. He buried his head into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut as images flashed through his vision. The girl who had been standing in the corner moments ago was gone, but his mind forced her to the forefront of his consciousness. Her ginger red hair and vibrant blue eyes kept dancing in his vision and he realized that he had seen the back of her head earlier that morning. She had been sitting at the table across from him at breakfast. Now he knew her name.
Jazz.
He remembered her name, but there was so much more behind that name; behind her face and her eyes, that was still eluding him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember and at the same time trying to forget. Because he couldn't risk remembering; because he wanted him to.
Then suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder as someone knelt beside him, trying to get his attention.
"Daniel?"
Daniel looked up at one of the boys who had rushed in, trying to banish the visions of the red-headed girl so that he could see the boy.
"It's okay, Daniel," the large teen said, careful not to put too much pressure on Daniel's shoulder, as though concerned to startle him. "I'm not a threat... It's okay... You remember me, don't you? From last week? I told you that I'd follow you. Do you remember that, Daniel?"
Daniel tried to recall the boy, but winced when all that his brain would give him was wave after wave of visions of the red-headed girl. Eventually, he shook his head.
The boy laughed. "It's okay. I didn't think you would. You've had a rough week."
"Kare no nani ga mondai ni natte, Scott-san?" the girl (who, upon further inspection Daniel realized was Noriko) asked the other boy, who was dark-haired and slim with a crooked jaw. She glanced down at the floor, picked up the small metal object that had fallen with Daniel, and held it up to scrutinize it.
"Shiranai," the boy answered her, glancing back, then did a double take to get a good look at what she was holding. "Nanisore?"
"Kore wa, yuka no ue ni ita," she answered, handing it to him.
The boy took it between his fingers and looked it over. "Sore wa, kare no chikara sogai-zaidesu," the boy said, turning to Daniel. "How did you do this?"
Daniel looked at the metal object, realizing quickly that it was the suppressor that had moments ago been implanted firmly in his skin. He shrugged. "I don't know... I just did it."
"Can you do it to us?" the larger boy asked.
Daniel nodded, holding out his hand. The large teen gave him his wrist willingly, watching with fascination as Daniel made the suppressor in the boy's arm fall to the floor like he had dropped it through water. Once he had finished, the boy looked at his wrist in awe, almost bursting into laughter. "Holy fuck... can you do it to them?"
Daniel did and Noriko too stared wide-eyed as her suppressor fell harmlessly out of her wrist.
"Sore wa odorokubeki kotoda!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Students! Place your hands above your heads!"
The four students whirled as four Talent Scout Wardens marched up to them. One of the Wardens was pressing a button on the holographic computer band on its wrist, but looked puzzled when nothing happened.
The four suppressors that were now on the floor all buzzed and sparkled.
Daniel's brow narrowed and he raised a hand, a green bolt appeared in between his fingers. He took a moment, letting it build, before unleashing it on the approaching Talent Scouts, knocking all four of them off of their feet and sending them flying all the way back across the room.
The slim boy turned urgently to Noriko. "Noriko-san, Richard-san o sagashi ni iku to, soreha jikanda to kare ni iu," the boy said to the girl, who nodded with a determined expression as she turned and ran off.
Once she had disappeared, the large boy turned to Daniel. "Daniel, we've got to go now. Right now. Can you get up?"
Daniel nodded, letting the boy help him to his feet.
"There ya go. Easy does it," the slim boy said, watching Daniel's progress carefully while also keeping tabs on the slowly recovering Wardens across the room. "I'm Scott, by the way."
"And I'm Malcolm," the larger teen said.
Daniel nodded and then gasped suddenly when a vision of Jazz in a full-body, sleek metal suit suddenly appeared in his mind.
"You okay?" Malcolm asked.
"I'm fine. Where are we going?"
"We need to get to Dick and the others and-" Malcolm began, but stopped and looked up as six new Wardens rushed into the room, this time armed with guns. Scott's eyes immediately flashed red and he bared his teeth, two of the front now sharpened into the fangs as he let out an animalistic snarl.
Malcolm guided Daniel over to the wall and then pulled back his shoulders, making his already broad form look even bigger and more intimidating.
The four other Wardens, who had been knocked off of their feet before, now stood and joined the six new ones. Daniel raised his hands again in front of him, building up a large green ball and, once it was well over the size of a bowling ball, released it at them. For the Wardens in the center, there was nowhere for them to run and the impact of the green orb sent their bodies flying in a brilliant flash of light, but all four managed to duck out of the way and continue racing up towards them. They began to fire at the two teens with laser guns, which would have hit them, as the aims of each of the Wardens was precise, but Daniel grabbed Maclolm's arm and the shots flew right through them harmlessly.
Once the barrage of shots had ended and the Wardens came close, Scott's bones began to shift and in the blink of an eye had turned into an enormous, ratty-furred, black-brown wolf, standing on its muscular back legs like a human. Scott rushed at the first Warden that neared him, digging in his claws and sinking his teeth into thick flesh as he ripped and tore in a violent rush of animalistic rage.
Malcolm followed, taking on the first Warden he spotted with heavy hits. He was surprisingly light on his feet, weaving around the Warden and dodging each attack with ease.
Daniel flew at the other two, phasing through the shots they fired at him and then becoming solid again just as his fists collided with the two Wardens faces on either side of him, driving them both into the ground.
He looked up, seeing Jazz at the other end of the room; staring at him.
"Jazz?" he asked quietly.
She didn't respond, but turned and started walking away down the hall.
"Jazz?" he called after her and as she began disappearing down the hall, he started following after her, calling her name with more urgency as he did so.
Malcolm turned, looking around in confusion as Daniel began wandering off down the halls. "Daniel? Where are you going? Daniel!"
Daniel didn't hear him. He couldn't focus on anything but Jazz, running and rounding the corner to chase after her.
The sound of hissing rang in his ears as he pushed his spent body forward; desperation in every step.
He looked around and found her at the other end of the hall, staring at him again. He stopped, staring back, slowly realizing that something was wrong. He just couldn't figure out what. "… Jazz?"
She looked away from him and walked down the hall.
He chased after her again, running with a sense of urgency as he began calling her name again, more desperately. He didn't hear Malcolm and Scott chasing after him and only acknowledged the Wardens coming to stop him enough to blast them out of his path. He chased her down two more halls, always with her just out of reach, but by the third hall, he stopped in confusion.
Jazz was gone. In her place was a black-skinned boy with glasses and a red cap on backwards.
Daniel's throat constricted at the sight of him, flashes of fire momentarily blinding his vision. More hesitantly now, he started stumbling towards him. "Tucker…"
Tucker, too, ignored him and walked down the hall.
"Tucker, please," Daniel called out, blasting another pair of Wardens trying to stop him out of his path.
He clenched the thermos in his fists as he fought off exhaustion.
Memories flashed in his vision, making him feel like something inside his head was pressing against his skull. His vision swam and all that was clear was Tucker and the memories flooding his mind. Amity Park. He remembered where he lived. He remembered Tucker was his best friend. What was he doing there? What had Jazz been doing there? It didn't matter. He just needed to get to Jazz and Tucker.
Another hall, but twelve Wardens stood in his path. Twelve Wardens with blood-red eyes. At the sight of their eyes, Daniel felt a rage boil in his stomach. Power coursed through his limbs as he approached, phasing through the blasts they fired at him, then caught a glimpse of someone behind them. It was his father. His father was behind those creatures.
The rage and urgency grew and he swiped his hand at the Wardens, releasing a wave of green energy at the line of Wardens blocking him, keeping him from his father. "Dad! Dad!" He started running again, punching down a Warden that tried to get up to stop him as he passed.
Alarms were blaring, but he hardly noticed. He turned down another hall, but his father was gone. In his place, his mother stood, beckoning for him to follow.
He ran, his legs burning, body aching from the battle, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep going. He had to make it in time.
"Mom, wait! Please! Stop!" he yelled at her, but she didn't listen.
"Daniel, stop!" Malcolm called after him, reaching out to grab him. His fingers brushed Daniel's shirt, but just missed as Daniel began running off again. "Stop! We have to go, Daniel!"
"Daniel, wait!" Scott called as well.
He reached for his core, but he had nothing left. He couldn't transform.
He skidded down the hall, almost falling over, but caught himself with a hand on the floor. He raced down the hall, watching his mother disappear behind a door.
"Daniel, stop!" Malcolm shouted after him again, grabbing Daniel's shoulder.
Daniel shrugged him off roughly, pushing him away with his other hand. "Get off! She's here! I have to get to her!"
"Who's here?" Scott asked as he caught up to them, looking around anxiously. He then became alert when he noticed more Wardens coming down the hall, weapons raised. "Daniel, we've gotta go. Right now."
Daniel didn't even bother looking at the Wardens, but simply raised his hand and fired off an enormous green blast down the hall, the power of it enough to knock both Malcolm and Scott off of their feet. Without a word, Daniel started towards the door he had seen his mother go through, phasing through it with ease.
He tripped.
The room was huge and circular, with control panels lining the walls and screens monitoring all of the student sections of the facility. On the screens, fights had broken out in different sections of the facility, both between students and students and Wardens. The Wardens were quickly getting things under control, however, although Noriko, at one of the top screens, was still managing to elude them.
Daniel didn't see any of this. His focus was on the black-haired girl standing in the middle of the room, her violet eyes boring into him.
He stopped at the door, frozen in place at the sight of her.
He tripped. His family stared at him, their eyes both mourning and forgiving, and then they were gone in a blast of red fire and smoke, their last screams echoing painfully in his eardrums until they abruptly ended.
Sam gave him a small smile.
His legs almost gave out and he stumbled backwards into the door, breathing heavily from the rush of memories. "No… god, no…" he muttered, limbs shaking and head reeling from the dizziness that suddenly came over him. He looked up at her again. She had not moved. She just stared at him.
He pushed himself off the door, slowly walking towards her. "Sam…" he reached out tentatively, needing to touch her; to see if she was real. He walked right up to her, but all she did was give him another sad smile.
He reached out, fingers outstretched to touch her shoulder, but his hand sunk through. His heart stopped and a heavy tremble took over his body as his eyes fell.
They were gone. He'd failed them.
The fire blazed and danced in his vision as he knelt in front of the smoldering remains of the burning building. Smoke burned his eyes, but he couldn't find the strength to move. He just stared; dead inside. He had killed them… he'd killed them…
When the spaceship appeared overhead and shone a light down on top of him, he didn't do anything. He didn't stop them when they brought him limply aboard. It didn't matter, anyway. His family was gone because of him; because of the monster he had become.
If you aren't aware, that language Noriko is speaking is Japanese. Now I'm pretty sure Noriko in the comics could speak English, but I used to live in Japan and when I found that Noriko was Japanese I just couldn't resist.
Next chapter gets even more intense and may possibly be the end of Part 1. I will try my best to get it up by Monday as usual. See you then.