Chapter 25: Miracles and Secrets
"Listen up, and listen very carefully. For those of you who haven't really looked at map the first time around, we've taken the Red Team's side. There are three areas where we can be flanked - from the rooftops, through the opening in the middle of both towers, and down below if someone decides to slip through. Do not go into the open and dash out, especially on your own. We're going to take it slow, and charge in when we see the opportunity." 574 began handing out orders.
Then came the battle plan, 574 looking at each person in turn as he spoke.
"Hina, Eli - you guard the bottom. If we are to leave that part open, we're gonna get raped so hard you'd think you'd dropped the soap. You two are the sharpshooters, so stay sharp. Ryder, DJ - stick with each other as support. You're going to be the first line of assault before Hank and Aaron come in to hold your positions. As for me… well, let's just say I'm going to give Grayson a surprise visit of my own through the platform at the middle. This is one of the best rookie teams in the A.A.H.W., you are by no means to take chances, understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the squad yelled in unison.
574 nodded. "Good. Don't call me sir." He paused for a second, sweeping them all with a look. "We've stood around long enough, let's go and make some bodies."
Not another word was spoken as each member assumed his or her position. While Ryder and DJ went for the elevation pad nearby that would quickly send them up to the roof, Eli and Hina stayed on guard to ensure none of the members from Black Snake would create a surprise attack; 574 went for his infiltration-tactic through the middle, and Hank and Aaron followed Ryder and DJ using the stairs to catch up from behind.
Unlike the majority of their battles, this one had begun an ominous silence. It seemed as though the Black Snake Squadron's top priority was to attack in stealth, and strike when their enemies least expected it.
Just before Hank and Aaron made it up the last flight of stairs, they heard gunfire erupt from the direction 574 had headed to. Wow, their mentor had a knack for getting into shit.
The Madness Combat Squadron paused for a brief moment, but continued with their plans of assault, as they tensely watched the giant red screen above their heads for any updates on the battle. If 574 was to be eliminated so early in the match, then it all would be over for them.
And then, it spoke.
[AGENT 574 ELIMINATED AGENT NICO (SHOTGUN C01-S)]
It was still too early to celebrate, however. The gunfire had not ceased, which meant that there were more hostiles inbound. The good news was, the Madness Combat Squadron now at least knew where the majority of the Black Snake Squadron was located. And the bad news was…
…574 was in the center of it all.
So much for taking it "slow"…
574 jumped off the platform he had ridden that connected the two towers. He was lucky - if he took one bullet before he made it to his destination, the momentum would've been more than enough to knock him into the deep abyss below the towers. That was one fall he was not gonna take.
574 decided that the shotgun, despite his dislike for it, would be the weapon of choice for this part of the battle, what with the likelihood of a bunch of people trying to come at him. As almost always, he was right – with a suppressed 'Chyort!' he fell backwards as Holo-Chamber laser beams flew through where his head had been a second ago.
One burst was all he needed to literally blast away the opposition.
[AGENT 574 ELIMINATED AGENT NICO (SHOTGUN C01-S)]
There was no time to celebrate properly, but 574 grinned to himself anyway as he slapped the backup magazine into his shotgun. Every single round counted.
As expected, more rifle fire followed suit. Retaliating, 574 sent his own bursts out; unfortunately, Grayson had trained his lads well. Eventually, he had no choice but to go further into enemy lines and let his team fend off their foes on their own – a move that had the potential to initiate a massive and devastating domino effect, yet the only one that would keep him alive for now.
Grayson looked from high above to see 574 dashing about in his area. His eyes narrowed.
"They're coming. And we've already got the leader of the fucking rat-pack to deal with from the inside. What's his game anyways, suicide?" Aidan asked his teacher as he watched DJ and Ryder charge.
"I already know that." Grayson replied, voice firm. "574's doing what he's been doing in all those other matches I've watched him fight in - guerilla warfare. He's going to try and pick us off one by one while we're distracted with those teenagers of his, until we're practically ready for the kill."
"Then what do we do? We don't have all day you know!" Aidan asked again, panic discernible in his voice.
Grayson turned to his star pupil; seriousness clear in his eyes.
"… Send in some of your teammates to infiltrate them from the back, while you and someone else stay on guard. As for me, well… let's just say it's time I settled a score I had with that bastard."
There was something dark in those last few words that made even Aidan a bit uneasy. But, having no choice than to follow orders, he nodded and began setting up a counter-strike for the invaders; Grayson, meanwhile, descended to 574's position via the lift.
The man's fists tightened; he pressed a small button on the stick in his hands, and the meter-long sword fizzed out one end.
"Got your shit together?" Hank asked Aaron.
"Yeah. Locked and loaded like a motherfucker. I'm ready to kick some ass." Aaron responded confidently.
Content with this answer, Hank led the way as they climbed the long flights of stairs. A small part of him wished they could've at least taken a faster way up, but the elevator would prove too hazardous, since they could easily get caught in whatever crossfire could possibly happen up top.
Finally reaching the last few steps to the roof, Hank paused momentarily. The roof was the worst place to get shot at, and there was always the chance that you can lose your balance, slip, and fall to your doom, or die and have no possible way for anyone to revive you because your corpse slipped off the edge. And even though they were up one man, Hank knew that Black Snake was not to be underestimated even with those circumstances.
"Get down!" Hank roared, and the two dived under cover to avoid termination.
Poking his head up from the stairwell, Hank saw DJ and Ryder in front of him. Ryder had been crouching as he made sure nobody would pass over the top bridge with his rifle, while DJ readied himself in case if Ryder actually failed his one job.
Then, just when Ryder needed to reload, one of Aidan's friends dashed off towards the squad in a daring move. Like Aidan, his emotions were plaguing his mind, chucking logic out the window and him into temporary virtual oblivion.
Aidan's eyes widened. "Adriel! Get your ass back here, NOW!"
"Like I said, this'll be over in a minute!" Adriel replied, defying orders all the same.
Aidan gritted his teeth. Yes, Adriel was skilled. But after witnessing what the Madness Combat squadron had done to the Hydras, Aidan was sure Adriel's way was not the way to go.
"God damn it… Ivo! Come in as support! If that idiot gets himself killed, maybe we can at least surprise them by charging twice! In the meantime… let's give 'em another special entrance." Aidan ordered, a glint in his eye as he spoke the last order.
Ivo nodded, slipping his assault rifle into position. "Got it!"
While Adriel was already halfway across, Ivo began to follow him. By this time, Ryder had reloaded his weapon and nodded to DJ.
"Let's give 'em Hell."
As they fired, Adriel and Ivo had swerved to their sides to dodge the projectiles coming at them. With such small space, the two fighters had made the virtually impossiblepossible; Adriel and Ivo, however, focused more on their agility rather than using their guns.
Once Adriel had come close enough, DJ pumped up his fist and Ryder summoned his shotgun instead.
"Time to bash you straight into the ground!"
As DJ slammed his fist downwards before Adriel could pull out a sufficient weapon for himself, Adriel had no choice but to jump to his left. Unfortunately for him, his efforts would leave him in vain; as he had left himself open wider than a hobbit's doorway to Ryder.
Ryder released a volley of bursts, knocking his opponent clear off the bridge.
[AGENT RYDER ELIMINATED AGENT ADRIEL (RIFLE C01-R)]
DJ grinned. "All right!"
"DJ! WATCH OUT!" Ryder yelled, his semi-panicked voice throwing the giddy teenager back into his senses.
DJ turned around to see Ivo charging at him with his sword in one hand and the assault rifle in the other. Even though DJ had managed to throw a punch in time, Ivo vaulted over his fist and rammed his sword right into Ryder. DJ was not forgotten – Ivo merely pointed his rifle behind him and floored the trigger.
Hank and Aaron could only watch as Ryder and DJ helplessly fell off the side of the tower, both now impossible to revive back into action.
[AGENT IVO ELIMINATED AGENT RYDER (LASER-SWORD)]
[AGENT IVO ELIMINATED AGENT DJ (RIFLE CO1-R)]
Letting his body speak for itself, Hank stood up, took aim, and fired. His two teammates were not the only ones who would die without time to assemble an adequate counterattack.
[AGENT HANK ELIMINATED AGENT IVO (RIFLE CO1-R)]
The job done, Hank ducked down again as a burst of laser fire flew at his head. It seemed as though Aidan nor the others had been stunned by their failed attack.
"Aaron!" Hank shouted over the gunfire, "We need to get Eli and Hina up here! Forget the bottom, we're already having enough problems up here!"
"NO!" His teammate defiantly argued as he took cover as well, "You heard what 574 said, we can't break our positions! Otherwise, we'll be open to flanks!"
"FUCK THE POSITIONS! Can't you see we're already being flanked right now?! DJ and Ryder are gone, and we're going to be overrun by Aidan and the rest of his fucking gang! We need to take matters in our own hands! 574 must have miscalculated somewhere!" Hank reasoned frantically.
"NO!" Aaron repeated once more, loyal to his commander's instructions, "If we change our plans, then 574's plans aren't going to work either!"
Hank sighed and shook his head. Of all the days Aaron decided not to be the glorious daredevil-jackass that made his own choices, today just had to be it.
The screen above their heads fizzed again, and Hank experienced a sinking feeling as he read the fresh text.
"Well, it looks like we don't have a choice now, do we?" Hank told Aaron, nodding up wards.
It didn't take Aaron long to realize what had gone wrong. His mouth opened slightly as he gaped upwards.
"Oh, fuck me…"
[AGENT CALIX ELIMINATED AGENT ELI (LASER-SWORD)]
[AGENT CASSIAN ELIMINATED AGENT HINA (SHOTGUN C01-S)]
"You sure we should just stay here and let the others do all the work?"
The sudden question from Eli made Hina jolt. Eli initiating a conversation between the two was a rare occasion.
"We're not 'letting the others do all the work', Eli." Hina argued, "… 574 clearly told us to stay here and guard the others. We're the reason why Hank, DJ, Ryder, and Aaron don't have to worry about turning around every few seconds."
"Yeah, well… I expected this to at least be a bit more exciting. I admit, I was a bit tense about this whole match, but I'd rather be out there to join in on all the fun than sitting here on my ass."
Although Hina could go on with her reasoning, she felt the same way deep down. Their position on the whole match felt undeniably boring. Yes, 574 left them this way for the sake of the whole group, but just like the kids left as benchwarmers in an exciting game, she too was itching to pull the trigger on some enemy heads.
… If only they had gotten a better map…
"I'm assuming from the silence that you agree, don't you?"
Hina blinked as her train of thought was quickly derailed. Since she felt like she was obligated to be as honest to Eli as he was to her, she shrugged.
"… I guess so."
Eli nodded in approval. He then turned around towards the stairs and pulled out his assault rifle. Realizing what Eli was about to do, Hina stepped in front of him.
"W-wait a second! What do you think you're doing!?" Hina stuttered.
"Simple: we go out there, and enjoy the game like it is. I'm done waiting; it's not fair that 574 gets to have all the fun over on Black Snake's side. Besides, I doubt anyone's just gonna come on by here so late into the match." Eli persuaded his partner.
Hina shook her head; a loss of words. This wasn't like the Eli she had known for so long. It was almost as if holding a gun had completely flipped over his personality.
"But…but…"
"Oh come on Hina, you know you want to."
Hina sighed. Probably the biggest thing she hated about herself was the fact that Eli was right, and there was no changing it. That her desires might actually override 574's clear-cut instructions.
"…Okay. But you better not make me regret this Eli, or I promise, you'll never hear the end of it!" Hina warned.
Eli nodded once more and stuck out his hand.
"Shake on it."
At first, Hina was confused by this sudden gesture, but she smiled. Eli was probably just trying to reassure her, that was all.
"Okay."
Hina raised her hand to shake Eli's. But before she could grasp onto it, she suddenly noticed there was a shadow over her.
A growing, black shadow.
Turning around, she squinted her eyes as she saw something flying in from the distance.
"…What the-"
Eli however, who had quickly figured out what was going on, reacted immediately by pulling his partner away from certain virtual death.
"MOVE!" the young trainee hollered as Hina's back hit the stairs behind her from the sudden jerk.
Gasping from shock, Hina flinched as her head had tried to process what exactly happened.
And then laser fire reached her ears.
Opening her eyes in a daze, her heart sank.
One of the Black Snake Squadron's members had dropped down and pierced Eli straight through the chest. A hit Hina herself was supposed to take, had Eli decided not to save her.
"ELI!"
[AGENT CALIX ELIMINATED AGENT ELI (LASER-SWORD)]
The young man who had just taken down the Madness Combat Squadron's main player yanked out the sword from concrete. His partner, who had followed him from behind, also landed right by his side.
"That was one Hell of a landing, Calix." The second agent admitted.
Calix smirked. "I do like making special entrances here and there from time to time, Cas."
Cassian nodded. He then turned to Hina and grinned nastily.
"Well, cupcake, looks like your little boyfriend isn't going to join you and the rest of you preschoolers anytime soon." He said, . Then, just to make sure Eli was definitely out for good, he kicked his deactivated body off the side of the tower.
Somehow, seeing Eli get thrown away like garbage had fired up Hina, as she pulled out her rifle in a blur. Unfortunately, she would only fire three shots before having them deflected right back at her with Cassian's sword. The return-fire had managed to knock the gun out of her hand, but in a last-ditch effort, she pulled out her shotgun. That too, proved to be a futile effort once Cassian had jabbed his sword into her right arm before she could fire. Although it was just a harmless virtual simulation, seeing her arm get severed just like that made Hina sick to the stomach.
"Ooh, she's a feisty one too." Calix continued to tease, "Hope you didn't need that part of your body, by the way." He thought for a moment. "Nah, scratch that. You won't be needing any of it once we're done with you."
With no weapons on her and her right arm decapitated, all the young agent could do was stare, as the cold nozzle of Cassian's shotgun came to a stop as it met her forehead.
Hina closed her eyes in preparation for the-
"Aaron! We need to get Eli and Hina up here! Forget the bottom, we're already having enough problems up here!"
Cassian slowly turned his head to look at Calix. "… You heard that too, didn't you? The sound of roaches ready to die?"
Calix nodded with a grin, checking his own weapons for what they believed would be the final assault.
All Hina could do was feel the guilt of letting her team down.
Putting all his focus back on his prey, Cassian decided to finally put an end to Hina.
"Oh, and don't worry… you'll join your friends down there in that pit, as soon as I blow your brains out."
Hina narrowed her eyes.
"Eat a dick."
This simple response wasn't satisfying for Cassian, as a frown came over his face. At this point, he didn't even bother arguing with the little brat.
A pull of the trigger, a flash of laser, and Hina was gone.
A sense of dread had begun forming in 574. Instead of being spread apart as he saw in the videos that had featured the team, the Black Snake Squadron had focused on one to two points, something that was not part of the plan. 574 had expected to go to each part of the map to take them down one by one – so far, he'd only managed one kill.
He'd left his team for no good reason… and in a death trap, mentally reviewing the positions he had set up for them.
The agent looked around for the screen – it was somewhere in the distance, obscured by the map. Nobody was around, so he allowed himself a stroll up to a position that would allow him to see what had been going on in other sections of the map.
"Blyat." A single word escaped his holographic lips.
In a matter of five minutes, his whole squad - aside from Hank and Aaron - was gone. Now, Grayson had one man over him, plus the fact that Hank and Aaron were still fighting without the help of the man who taught them to.
Adrenaline kicking in, 574 turned around with all the intent of making a dash for it. However, he would only make it a few steps before an awfully familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"Going somewhere?"
574 raised his head and sighed. Oh, for fuck's sake…
"… Grayson! I'm surprised I didn't run into you earlier! Oh well, looks like-"
"Shut up."
574 stopped abruptly. It all began to sink in.
"…Grayson. Why are you doing this? What are you going to prove with all this madness? Neither of our squads are truly enjoying the training we are giving them because you forced it. We could've been friends, not for the sake of all that happy-happy bullshit, but to help each other train the next generations."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Grayson shook his head.
"… No. And as for your question… do I need to give you a reason, Mikhail? Do I really need to remind you what happened… all those years ago?"
The audience, who was anxiously observing the conversation, fell silent. The younger, newer generation of agents was confused as to what Grayson was referring to, but for some reason, the older, experienced ones sat silent with their heads down.
They remembered.
"… Are you serious, Grayson?" 574 began, unable to clear the awe from his voice, "...You still hold a grudge after all these years? What good will that do for you? For everyone, including your squad?"
"…Are you really asking me that?"
A few more seconds of silence passed. 574 held his stare, but this time, it noticeably lightened.
"…Are you really asking me that?" Grayson repeated, only louder, "…Do you have any idea Mikhail… any idea at all what every day feels like to me?"
More silence. 574 still knew Grayson wasn't done.
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT!" Grayson yelled suddenly, and Shane along with his assistants jumped in their seats.
"EVERYDAY IS LIVING HELL FOR ME! A FUCKING LIVING HELL! BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU COULDN'T DO ANYTHING 'THAT' DAY! YOU, THE GREAT MIKHAIL MOTHERFUCKING NIKITIN, FAILED TO SAVE MY FRIENDS, AND HER! THE ONE THING THAT STILL KEPT MY SANITY INTACT! SO YOU TELL ME, MIKHAIL! YOU TELL ME HOW I FEEL ABOUT HOLDING A GRUDGE RIGHT NOW!"
"Grayson, I-"
"That was rhetorical." Grayson interrupted the man in midsentence, "You would never know. Because all life is to you is FUN and GAMES. Because every single motherfucking day, I see you blissfully walk down the hallways of the agency, purposefully ignoring me eye-to-eye, while I SUFFER. Suffer from YOUR mistakes. Suffer, because The Higher Powers had denied my request to atone for YOUR slip-up."
And then, Grayson turned away. 574 could've sworn he heard a sound like… sobbing?
"…We were going to have kids after this War…" Grayson said, his voice a cracked whisper, "…A home. Be married. Watch the kids grow and have their own kids. See our kids' kids grow up. Live LIFE. DIE. BEING HUMAN."
Then, Grayson looked down, with a soft look that 574 remembered he had once upon a time.
"And then…"Grayson began to conclude with a darker tone, "…Because of YOU…In one day, all of that; our hopes…our dreams…our vision…had VANISHED…into vapor."
When Grayson had stopped for a short while later, 574 decided it was safe to speak.
"…Grayson, I grieve your loss as much as you do. They were my brothers too. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there was NOTHING I could do. I tried Grayson, I really did. But destiny had other plans in mind."
"You… you-"
"I understand you're pissed, and I get why, and why it's gonna be that way no matter how much time passes… and I can accept that. But DO NOT let the past jade the future of these agents. What are you trying to go for by dashing my squad's chances? Revenge? What good will that do in the long run?"
Grayson recomposed himself as 574 spoke. Then, glaring, he flipped his sword into position.
"…I'll tell you what I'll do… You're a THREAT, Mikhail - not only to others around you, but to those kids as well. They will die under your training, just like the ones that died on that very day. So I'm going to do them a favor, I'll run you and your 'chances' so far down into the fucking ground you'll be a fossil by the time they dig you up."
574 narrowed his eyes as he slowly pulled out his sword as well. "You know I won't let that happen. I'm not going to lose the top spots on the field for these kids, Grayson. Your proposal will notbe fulfilled so long as I'm standing."
Grayson just continued his heated glare with 574's irritatingly calm look. Then, he finally activated his weapon.
"…It doesn't matter what YOU think, Mikhail. This is an idea that will be FORCED upon you. And it WILL be fulfilled so long as I'M standing. After all, like you said…"
Swinging his weapon back and forth, Grayson flowed into a fighting stance.
"…Destiny has other plans in mind."
574 sighed and positioned himself as well.
"Oh for the love of—"
It wasn't certain by anyone as to who made the first move, but by the time the two instructors had stopped moving in a blur, Grayson had his sword on 574's. Although the both of them were incredibly skilled in the arts of combat, 574 held the speed advantage while Grayson held power and brute strength.
That meant 574 had to be quick on his feet if he wanted to go back and help Hank and Aaron.
Jumping back from an incoming swing, 574 blocked a few of Grayson's easiest tricks. Then, seeing an opening, 574 pounced back in and made a horizontal slice of his own. Although he managed to get Grayson, the damage to the right side of the ribcage was unsubstantial, thanks to thanks to Grayson's quick reaction time.
To Grayson, however, receiving the first hit had only supplied him with another dosage of anger, as he came back in more furiously. 574 had no choice but to walk backwards with every block he made from every violent swing. Without even realizing it, he had begun to climb the stairs behind him. Well, at least he had a height advantage.
It didn't take Grayson long to realize his predicament – going for 574's head was way too dangerous, and going for his legs would earn him nothing short of a decapitation.
After reaching a reasonable conclusion, Grayson backed away from the stairs, hoping 574 would follow.
Admittedly, this move shocked 574 - Grayson was never the type to back away from a fight like that, so it was clear he was up to something. And for 574, it wasn't that hard to guess.
Instead of following Grayson like the mentor of the Black Snake Squadron had originally planned, 574 surprised him by pulling out his laser rifle. Before emptying out the clip, Grayson deflected some of the bullets that were sure to make contact, and dodged the ones he could.
"Argh!" Nevertheless, one round made it past the defense and into his shoulder.
As Grayson felt one arm go numb, he used the other pick up the sword he dropped. 574, on the other hand, had other things in mind - he charged in, thinking that Grayson was off his guard while he tried to obtain his weapon. However, Grayson rolled to his right as 574 jabbed his sword downwards where his opponent's head would have been.
While 574 yanked his sword out of the ground, Grayson managed to retrieve his own, summoning it as soon as he could once he had gotten back up on his feet. He was one arm down, and using the defibrillator at this point would be death at 574's hands.
"Give it up, Grayson. The odds are clearly not in your favor. I haven't even started trying yet." 574 advised.
This however, made Grayson chuckle.
"…Neither have I."
A noticeable shift came from Grayson's figure, but 574 disregarded it. He sighed.
"Words will get you nowhere alone, Grayson. I'll make this quick…"
574 sent a vertical stroke. He knew that his attack was too fast for Grayson to block, and that it would be an easy win. But, there was just one problem:
…Grayson managed to block it.
574's eyes widened. Grayson did not have the speed for that two minutes.
Unless…
"You know Mikhail, it's been… what? Three, five years since we last sparred? Didn't you think I would learn something new since then?" Grayson questioned.
Undeniably, this made 574 a bit nervous. His worst fears seemed to have been realized.
"You're not saying…"
"That's right…" Grayson contradicted with an evil grin on his face, "… I have Bullet-Time too, you know."
Before 574 could formulate a response, Grayson had shoved him off; whizzing his sword in the air with glee. Then, Grayson turned to 574 with an almost sympathetic look.
"Well? Why don't you activate yours? Oh wait, my bad! You can't, even if you tried! After all… you're just a copy."
574's initial plan was to use Grayson's anger against him. Ironically, it had been done to him – tapping into one of the few things that fueled the rage inside of him.
"… You will regret those words, Grayson. You will not advance."
Grayson's little smirk of triumph had faded as he began for Round 2. For some reason, 574 was still cockish enough to let him heal his disabled arm with his defibrillator.
Finishing up quickly, he glared at the only thing standing between his squadron and victory.
"Very well then. Make your move."
"We have to move," Hank turned to Aaron; the sole remaining fighter on the Madness Combat Squadron besides 574, "NOW."
"But where!? 574's still doing… whatever the hell he's aiming for over at Black Snake Squadron's base! Aidan's up there, spamming at us like there's no tomorrow, and we've got two more motherfuckers to worry about down below!" Aaron argued.
"You think I don't realize that!?" Hank yelled back. Then, calming himself down, he rationalized the situation.
"…I'm sorry. We shouldn't be fighting at a time like this. Aaron, I've got a plan. You take on Aidan head-on. Get your revenge for all the times he decided to mess with you and the rest of us, and make sure he knows not to do it again. I'll cover you while you run across, and take on the two sons of bitches trailing us from behind."
Aaron's eyes widened from this tactic. He shook his head.
"Are you serious!? That's suicide! How the Hell am I supposed to take on Aidan alone!? How the Hell are you supposed to take on those two thugs behind us alone!?" Aaron continued to counter.
"Well unless you can come up with a better idea in the next few seconds, we don't exactly have much of a choice! We're wasting too much time; Aidan's buddies are going to be up these stairs before we even realize it!" Hank reasoned.
This managed to silence Aaron. Hank sighed. Maybe he should take a lighter approach. After all, this is a lot to ask for from anybody.
"…Look, if 574 actually taught you anything useful on the weeks you've trained with him, then you should be able to do your part. I'm sure he's prepared you for this, otherwise, what was the point of all of it? Plus, I'll take down these two guys without breaking a sweat. Remember, I did manage to kick all of their asses with my Bullet-Time. So I can just do it again, okay?"
"Hank, I-"
"Oh, shut up, stop doubting yourself, and face your fears head-on! We all have faith in you Aaron; you and I started this whole mess, so it's time we ended it! Even without 574's help!"
Aaron closed his holo-eyes and inhaled deeply. Though he still had his doubts, his squadmate's words were motivating. He nodded slightly.
"…Alright. Let's do this."
There was no time for a response as Aaron hurtled from his hiding place. Seeing this, Aidan stood up and had a go at the younger agent. As planned, Hank fired from behind Aaron at their mutual opponent; being faster than the two of them, Aidan had no choice but to duck from Aaron and Hank's combined firepower.
Once Aaron was three-quarters way through, Hank stopped, reloaded his clip, and turned around.
This was it.
What was going to happen in the next minute would decide the game.
Grayson proved to be more exhausting to handle than 574 anticipated with his Bullet-Time. Now, instead of having the speed advantage, Grayson had both power and agility as overlapping qualities. There was no doubt this wasn't the first time he's used it either; for the past two minutes or so, Grayson had been using this special technique nonstop. Clearly, he'd been training himself to the limit under everyone's noses.
And that was a problem.
574 wasn't tired, but rather overwhelmed. Everything had been going off-course: Grayson's scattered squad formation, the bulk of his team eliminated in a matter of minutes, and now Grayson somehow managing to use Bullet-Time. Because of these unexpected events, he had no choice but to back away as he blocked stroke after stroke.
The two of them had made a full circle around the bottom of Black Snake's Tower, which led to 574 finding himself at where he came in from. Perfect, now all he had to do was ride the platform back to his squad's area and help Hank and Aaron in their own battles.
But unfortunately… there was no platform. Apparently, some smartass had sent it right back to the Madness Combat Squadron's side. And there was no way in Hell he'd be able to bring it towards himself fast enough before Grayson caught up.
574 sighed deeply. If he knew it would be this hard to return back to his students in the first place, he wouldn't have gone solo into enemy lines.
"Dead-end? Sorry to foil your plans yet again, Mikhail."
FUCK.
574 turned around, frustrated beyond his wits.
"I have to say Grayson, you've changed. A lot. You used to be all brawn and no brains, and now you leave me cornered. Tell me, why exactly did you change your battle tactics so quick? Last time I took a look, you were mostly offensive - hit and run, fast and effective. So, why?"
"You answered your own question." Grayson replied, "It was because I knew you were going to analyze my squadron's former battles. So then I thought, why not give the person who had gotten on my nerves something more unique? You do deserve the 'special' treatment after all. As for the platform…well, let's just say I enjoy trapping my prey before killing them."
"Well… you got me. But you may have just trapped yourself. There's nowhere for you to run either; just you and me, old friend." 574 said.
"First of all, we're not 'friends' anymore, Mikhail Nikitin. Whether you're joking or not, I'm going to just lay that obvious fact down in front of you like a landmine. And secondly, you may talk all you want, but I suggest you don't get so ahead of yourself. The grasshopper does not escape the ants' nest so easily. And even if he does, he won't be leaving with all his limbs intact." Grayson stated, voice firm.
Opposed to the normal reaction anyone would have in that situation, 574 released a surprisingly unforced laugh. "We'll see about that Grayson. Nature does work miracles… after all."
Just as 574 finished the sentence, Grayson had charged in, pushing 574 an inch or so backwards from the unexpected attack as he repelled it. Now, the Madness Combat Squadron's last hope was edges away from falling down the deep pit behind him.
"You'll need more than just miracles to save you this match."
With only a few inches to his virtual doom, 574's top priority was to - obviously - push Grayson back to much safer grounds. However, Grayson's top priority being to obliterate all hope of 574's top priority, this wouldn't be the proverbial cakewalk.
When Grayson stepped back and pulled away for another swing, 574 stepped in and went for a long jab. Unfortunately, instead of jumping back, Grayson jumped to his right and pulled out his shotgun with his free hand. Having only a split-second to react, 574 ducked as a burst of bullets flew right above his head. Then, 574 swiped at Grayson's legs, which was dodged with a jump.
Using this sudden lift in altitude to his advantage, Grayson came down like a hawk with his sword aimed straight at 574's head. 574 rolled backwards, now in an even worse fix than he was before.
Again, Grayson fired two more shots at 574 as he was still on the ground, but was pushed back once more by a kick-flip. This was enough to knock out the shotgun in his hand, but it was quickly replaced by his assault rifle. Once more, he spit a volley at 574's feet, forcing the combatant to jump even further.
And then…that's when he fucked up.
In just one short instance, 574 nearly slipped off the edge of the tower. Thanks to Grayson's quick eyes though, that sudden falter was more than enough for him as he charged in with his sword.
In a seemingly last-resort, 574 had pulled out his shotgun. But just as he had his finger on the trigger, he was too little too late.
Grayson had his sword in his sides.
Almost immediately, 574 felt the majority of his body go numb. Strangely enough though, he was still standing.
"Hmph. Seems as though I missed my instant-kill by centimeters. Oh well; it's not like that would change anything anyways. You're still going down." Grayson said; unsurprised that he had won this fight.
But then, to even the audience's shock, 574 broke into chuckling, which evolved into hysterics. Then, a nasty look had washed over his face.
"…Oh Grayson, you try to take me down, you can't expect me not to try and take you with me." He muttered, grabbing onto his opponent's back.
Grayson narrowed his eyes. It was clear that 574 was trying to fall with him to his doom, but he wouldn't fall for such ridiculous tactics.
"I know what you're thinking, Mikhail, and it won't work. You don't have the strength in your digitized body to do what you're planning." Grayson reminded.
574 nodded. "Da."
And then, in his last attempt to protect what shambles remained of his team, he raised his shotgun with what little power he had left behind Grayson's back.
"… But if I've got a shotgun in my hand it's for a reason, right?"
Grayson's eyes widened as he felt 574's body fall back with him. Before he could pull away, 574 fired the last round in his weapon; using the momentum to knock the both of them to the deep chasm below the towers.
As the both of them free-fell downwards, Grayson stretched an arm up to hopefully grab onto a ledge… which wasn't there.
"NO! YOU DIRTY LITTLE-"
Grayson had no time to finish this sentence, as their bodies hit the ground at a stupefying speed.
[AGENT 574 ELIMINATED (SUICIDE)]
[AGENT GRAYSON ELIMINATED (SUICIDE)]
The majority of the crowd jumped out of their seats in awe. Now, things were getting interesting.
He wished he had more time to think.
Hank continued descending down the stairs. In a matter of seconds, he would meet the two infiltrators that had taken out Eli and Hina head on. And assuming from how fast they took out the two strong combatants, this wouldn't prove to be simple to execute.
Checking his weapons for what seemed like the umpteenth time, he made sure all preparations were set. If he could take these bozos down together, then he could definitely take them out if they were separated. And then, 574 could easily take care of Grayson and Aidan.
Hank nodded.
Yes.
That sounded like the perfect idea.
But then, his hopes were dashed, as he looked to his side.
574 had a sword stuck into his right ribcage.
Hank stopped in a dead halt.
No.
This could NOT be happening!
They couldn't lose 574! How are they supposed to win now!?
A few seconds later Hank's heart sank lower.
574 fell down the edge of the tower with Grayson, a sacrifice that now held the game by threads. Hank didn't have to see their bodies hit the floor to know what happened next.
[AGENT 574 ELIMINATED (SUICIDE)]
[AGENT GRAYSON ELIMINATED (SUICIDE)]
With both corpses crushed and splattered, neither side could revive their squadmasters. However, this would obviously prove to be more of a blow to the Madness Combat Squadron's side.
These thoughts though, were quickly interrupted by two unwelcomed guests that were behind Hank.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to stick around for the aftershock."
Cassian and Calix had arrived.
Hank turned around, doing his best to hide the nervousness in his composure and speech as he stepped into a fighting stance.
"I've beaten you two and the rest of your group before, so I'll just do it again." The outnumbered and outmatched trainee said, firmly.
Cassian nodded slowly, somewhat pleased by the fact that Hank was standing his ground instead of running away like a coward.
… Not that it would change anything, anyways.
"We admit, that's true. But…"
Summoning his sword alongside Calix, Cassian too, prepared himself for combat.
"… We have weapons now."
Not another word was spoken as Calix and Cassian charged. As expected, their overwhelming force only pushed Hank away, even as he used his Bullet-Time to help himself stay alive. In fact,only Calix was technically fighting him, since he was taking the lead.
"You're a real… PAIN in the ass, you know that?" Calix muttered, putting emphasis on the word "pain" as he tried to slice at Hank's left leg from the side. Thanks to his increased reaction time, Hank managed to block that attack as well with his sword – barely – which was followed by a sudden dizziness in the head.
"Good to know." Hank responded.
Irritated by his wise-mouthed response, Calix decided to quit playing around. After sending three slashes towards Hank's head, only to be blocked each and every time, Calix fell backwards purposefully. Cassian immediately caught onto his actions, and went in for the surprise attack. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Hank.
Taking three slashes to the chest, Hank grabbed his midsection with his right arm and lowered the sword in his left. His body had begun working against him both physically and mentally, thanks to the automatic numbing-system of the Chamber and the side-effects of Bullet-Time.
Before he could even recollect half of himself, Cassian decided to end it right then and there.
"This is Sparta, motherfucker."
Push-kicking Hank, the teen felt gravity work against him as he fell backwards off the ledge. Once his brain had processed what was going on, it was already too late. Just like 574, he was being pulled down to his death.
Hank's heart sank as his feet left the ground and went into the air. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he awaited virtual-death, knowing that he had failed his part of the plan, and failed at the Madness Combat Squadron's chance at victory.
…But his elimination never came.
Hank slowly opened his eyes. Looking down, he saw there was a sudden rock sticking out of the tower that held him in the air; almost as if the system had miraculously glitched at the perfect moment. But that couldn't be possible - Shane, Darius, and Felix were making sure things were fully-functional and foolproof.
…That is, unless one of them decided to…
Hank disregarded that thought. No; it was too ludicrous. Shane wouldn't cheat for the Madness Combat Squadron, even if 574 was a close friend of his.
But still…that didn't explain this "glitch"…
"Huh, that's weird. That brat's name isn't showing up on the board." Cassian murmured; a bit upset that his "kill" wasn't being counted.
"Must be a glitch. Give it some time." Calix suggested.
Realizing he had only a few seconds until he would be spotted, Hank acted fast. The trainee leaped upwards and outstretched his arm to grab onto the edge. Then, using his stealth and agility, he slipped back onto the tower, stabbed Cassian through the chest with one arm and used the other to pull out his rifle. Before Calix could even turn around, Hank emptied his clip out on his unsuspecting target, knocking him THE FUCK OUT.
[AGENT HANK ELIMINATED AGENT CALIX (RIFLE C01-R)]
"No, Cas… this is madness." Hank whispered into Cassian's ear. He then proceeded to yank on the would-be victor's deactivated body and threw him off the side of the tower, much like how he did with Eli and Hina's bodies.
[AGENT HANK ELIMINATED AGENT CASSIAN (LASER-SWORD)]
Still in disbelief at what he had just done, Hank fell back; calming himself down as his heart raced. The effects of his Bullet-Time were dizzying, but he could manage.
However, before he could sigh in relief, his head conjured up one last dreadful thought.
Aaron.
Back in reality, the crowd roared with awe, while others were struck with confusion. From their angle, they couldn't see the "glitch" the system made that saved the Madness Combat Squadron's chances. So instead, the main question in their heads was, how did Hank manage to get back up after being stabbed and kicked off the side of the tower?
Darius and Felix on the other hand, were silent. They too, were immobilized by shock, but not for the same reasons the crowd was.
It was what Shane had done.
Felix slowly turned his head to his higher-up. He had seen what the lead engineer had done and took no haste as to question him on his forbidden act. Darius on the other hand, seemed calmer than ever.
Felix gulped. Shane's stare on the screen was intense.
"Sir… did you just?"
"Do what?" Shane replied back, only a hint of seriousness in his voice.
Felix stared at him for a few seconds. Then, he turned his head from side to side in a slow shake.
No. This wasn't right.
He had to say something.
"…I… I need to use the restroom." Felix excused himself.
Before he could take two steps in the other direction, something closed around his arm in a viselike grip. He didn't even need to turn around to look to realize it was Shane.
"Felix."
Felix looked behind him; shaking a bit from nervousness. If The Higher Powers knew about this… Shane's title could be on the line. Especially for a game of this magnitude.
It came a surprise to him to see not anger in Shane's eyes, but pity.
Pity mixed with a sense of nervousness and fear.
"…This never happened. Do you understand me?"
Again, Felix gulped. He felt sympathy for his trainer - Shane did what he had to do not because he felt like it, but because he felt it was right. And although it baffled him to see the person who was supposedly his role-model do such an act, he knew he had his reasons.
"Do you understand me?" Shane said, his tone more composed – and stern.
Felix lowered and shook his head. He couldn't believe this.
Was he really going to agree to this? Was he really going to agree with cheating?
Already knowing the answer that would minimize problems for him, Felix sighed.
"…Fine."
Shane let go of Felix's arm as the younger engineer sat down. He loosened up his body, as the thought 'what's done is done' ran through his head.
Then, after a few moments of silence, Shane raised up a question to change the main subject
on the trio's minds.
"…I thought you said you had to use the restroom?"
Felix smirked a bit at this, but looked away, almost as if he was ashamed of himself.
"You're smart enough to know I lied."
Shane made a small laugh himself, but this small moment of peace didn't last long. He turned his face back to the fight.
"Hank, I swear to God; you and Aaron better win this, or I'll be very, very, pissed off."
The younger sibling of the Walker duo felt his strength and morale slowly diminish with every strike Aidan put onto him. Had it not have been for 574's extra sessions, he would've surely been finished by now.
Aidan on the other hand, was enjoying himself to the fullest. This was too easy, Aaron was pretty much at his mercy. In fact, watching Aaron gain false hope from seeing openings he purposefully left for him, and then swiping all that away again and again proved to be more fun than he expected.
"I have to admit Aaron; you've certainly… changed, ever since Mikhail decided to give you those goddamn lessons of his." Aidan said.
Aaron felt something click in his head. His face must have betrayed his thoughts, because Aidan grinned.
He'd gotten him now.
"Oops. Did I call Mikhail by his name again? Oh well… it's not like you can do anything about it."
All logic in Aaron's head was thrown overboard, replaced by pure anger. He charged in blindly, and of course his moves were even sloppier than before.
First, Aidan blocked a powerful swing to his right ribcage, then towards his head. For Aaron's third attack at the left part of his midsection, Aidan leapt to the side and turned away from the sword. Aaron's long lunge, however, revealed an opening to close in on the seemingly-inferior trainee.
At first, Aaron was doing fine. He managed to block two swipes at his head and one towards his legs, but Aidan had managed pulled off a feint, fooling his unsuspecting opponent completely. Taking advantage of this falter, Aidan proceeded to lash out towards Aaron as fast and hard as he could.
In a matter of three seconds, Aaron had five slashes across his chest. Now, his whole body felt as if it was being held down by weights. Just when all hope seemed lost though, he heard a voice that made his heart leap.
"Aaron!"
In instinct, Aaron turned around, pupils dilating in surprise.
Hank!
He was still in the game!
Aaron stared out into the distance, still too bewildered to give his partner a proper response.
"Hank…?"
"I got them Aaron! Both of the stupid suckers!" Hank shouted in reply.
Aaron took a deep breath and smiled widely. There was still a chance they could win! Now all that was left of the Black Snake Squadron was…
…Aidan.
Almost immediately as the thought had hit him, Aaron spun back around to his enemy. He had completely forgotten about him! But unfortunately, it was too late.
Hank could only watch in awe as Aidan's sword pierced into Aaron's chest and through his back.
"AARON! NO!" Were the only two words that could escape Hank's mouth in the heat of the moment.
Sadly, this did not change things; as Aaron fell to his knees, and lay outstretched on the ground helplessly.
The main screen above their heads fizzed:
[AGENT AIDAN ELIMINATED AGENT AARON (LASER-SWORD)]
Aidan rolled his head around his neck while Hank ran across the bridge towards him. Looking down at Aaron's body momentarily, he glared back up at his final opponent. The fact that the older agent seemed so lax made Hank's blood pressure rise up.
"Hope you didn't need him. Because now, it's just you and me." Aidan teased.
Hank narrowed his eyes as he raised his own sword. Using guns wouldn't be an option: Aidan was too skilled for such simple tactics. It would take speed, all his concentration, and smarter moves to take down the superior without Aaron's help.
Aidan looked upwards and read the lines that stated Hank had eliminated a duo of his teammates from the screen. He shook his head.
"…Well I'll be damned…" he murmured, "Cassian and Calix lost to a wimp like you? I must've overestimated their skills th-"
He spun around quickly, and brought his sword up just in time to block Hank's vicious slash.
"…Oh, you've done it now, you little shit."
Forcing Hank away from him with a shove of his sword, Hank staggered back a few steps. They weren't exactly fighting on a football field, and space was really rather limited.
Irritated from Hank's dirty sneak attack, Aidan moved in first. He started off with a nice swing towards the right side of Hank's head, turned 180 degrees to the right aim for Hank's left side, and a quick jab to the stomach. Both slashes were blocked, and Hank had moved away from the third lunge. The fact that he had managed to do all this in a span of merely two seconds surprised him, considering that he wasn't even using Bullet-Time.
Aidan too, was awestruck as to how Hank had managed to see through his moves. This time, Hank was able to use Aidan's falter against him in retaliation. He rammed himself into Aidan, causing him to flinch and followed up with two swings towards his arm and face.
In response, Aidan moved backwards, but not until receiving a large cut on his arm. Fortunately for Hank, this wound was big enough to actually cause some damage.
Aidan gritted his teeth as he slowly felt the strength loosen up from his injured limb.
"The Accelerants… they're altering his speed." he muttered to himself, in a daze.
Once more, Aidan moved in, however, with only one arm, he proved to be worse at combat. The new feeling of being handicapped on one side of his body was distracting and Hank had the upper hand. A sloppy horizontal slash Aidan made nearly caused him to lose his balance, while the younger trainee ducked and made a deep trench in his virtual stomach.
Aidan was even slower now, and Hank knocked him away with a firm punch to the cheek.
Falling back, Aidan struggled to get back up in his state. Hank just stared at what used to be his biggest threat in the Agency. Then, he looked at himself.
Had he really grown that much stronger?
Meanwhile, Aidan was at his wits' end. To add onto the embarrassment he had experienced from being humiliated by Aaron earlier in the Chamber in front of his friends, now, the audience was about to watch the Rookie of the Year get his ass handed to him by a newcomer.
No.
"THAT'S IT!"
Pushing himself back up, Hank charged in for a final blow. Instead, Aidan had rolled to the side as Hank went in for the kill.
Before he could even yank his sword out, Aidan kick-flipped towards Hank, causing him to fall on top of Aaron's inactive body. Oddly enough, though, Hank laid there longer than he should have, as well as what seemed like whispering, but Aidan took no notice of this.
He was going to end it right then and there.
When Hank finally came to his feet, he realized he had lost his sword. Although he knew his efforts would ultimately fail, he pulled out his assault rifle to randomly fire at Aidan. He was so close to winning, he knew that he'd never forgive himself if he lost.
"…YOU…YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DEFEAT ME!"
Hank fired, but only two bullets escaped from the nozzle while Aidan walked towards him like a zombie. With no time to reload, he tossed the assault rifle aside and instead reached for his shotgun.
Even as the bullets hit Aidan in the shoulder, he merely swung to his side from the momentum and kept trudging forwards with his sword in one arm. 100% zombie material.
The onlookers on the match were now almost standing from their seats as they stared at the screen.
"I… AM AN AGENT! YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING TRAINEE RUNNING ON FALSE HOPE!"
Hank shakily fired from nervousness. Aidan merely turned his body away from his fire before he could pull the trigger.
"You!"
Aidan sliced at Hank's weapon before he could fire again, rendering it useless as the front part was cut cleanly away. Hank took a step back, but accidently tripped over Aaron's body. By instinct, Hank turned around for a split-second.
"Are!"
Aidan raised his sword upwards for the final jab while Hank turned his head back around.
His eyes widened.
"NOTHING!"
Hank couldn't even let a syllable escape his lips before Aidan's struck downwards. There was a large buzz of a laser slicing through a solid…and then…silence.
Hank looked down to observe Aidan's sword, buried up to the hilt into his chest.
[AGENT AIDAN ELIMINATED AGENT HANK (LASER-SWORD)]
The crowd fell back on their seats in disappointment.
It seemed as though this match was destined to be a win for the Black Snake Squadron after all.
"It's over. You've lost." Aidan whispered into Hank's ear as he calmed down from his earlier fit of anger.
Hank felt his head sag onto Aidan's shoulder. He felt himself grin… then chuckle. A moment later, the chuckle had evolved into a full-scale roar of laughter.
The victorious smile slid off Aidan's face.
"What the hell's so funny? You got your asses trashed. I wouldn't be laughing if I were you." He spat.
Hank smiled widely. "... Heh… Aidan… you underestimate my team too much."
"What do you mean!? I beat you fair and square, not even a miracle can save you now! Your last attack was practically suicide!" Aidan's voice rose to a shout.
Why wasn't the sky melting away? Didn't he win the match?!
Hank shook his head. Just like Aaron's, his smile lit up in a manic glow . "...No… not suicide. Sacrifice!"
Before Aidan could speak, his eyes widened.
A sword had cut through Hank's back and into his own stomach.
But… who-?
The agent looked over Hank's shoulder. As he took in the image, his jaw began to sag.
Aaron stood behind him, sword aloft, digital face devoid of emotion.
Aidan shook his head timidly with a quivering lip.
"No…No that's impossible! I got rid of you! I-"
Quite suddenly, everything clicked into place. While Hank was on the ground, he hadn't been recomposing himself…
He was reviving Aaron.
"You've realized it too, haven't you?"
Hank's voice caused Aidan to look back down at him.
"…You-"
"You're right, Aidan. A normal miracle couldn't have saved us back then. That's why I made my own. After all…"
Hank looked up into his opponent's face, surprising him with the piercing glare that had never been observed on his face before.
"…Miracles don't happen until you MAKE them happen! You of all people should know that, Aidan!"
Aaron pulled back his sword and deactivated it to put on his side. He watched as Hank fell forwards.
Aidan on the other hand, still surprisingly had some juice left in him. He tried keeping his balance by firmly grounding his feet, pulled out his shotgun, leveled it at Aaron, curled his finger around the trigger…
… And the Chamber denied him the last bit of energy he needed to end it all.
Aidan felt the last small piece of strength fade away from him as he unconsciously let his arm fall and dropped the shotgun. Hold the gash on his stomach, his body lost the balance he tried to ensure, and fell backwards off the tower.
[AGENT AARON ELIMINATED AGENT AIDAN (LASER-SWORD)]
[NO OTHER MEMBERS OF BLACK SNAKE SQUADRON REMAIN]
[MADNESS COMBAT SQUADRON WINS]
A brief moment of shocked silence passed through the crowd, almost as if they were expecting some other unbelievable twist to happen. But once the screens had faded, and the match was over, the quiet was replaced by an uproar.
Now that was an unprecedented match.
A familiar sensation came to Hank as his consciousness returned to reality. Taking off his Tesla Helmet and all the other gadgets keeping him in the pod, he exited the container only to see that his teammates were already outside with the once-doubtful audience drowning them with compliments.
"That was FUCKING INCREDIBLE!"
"Holy shit! You guys were awesome!"
"Nice stuff man! Wait till the Powers see this!"
The positive remarks were coming by at such an overwhelming rate that the rest of the squad barely had time to thank everyone. Hank stood to the side of it all, watching with a smile on his face as the rest of his team was showered with praise.
Without even realizing it though, a hand had lightly touched the top of his right shoulder from behind.
"And now, it's my turn to surprise you."
Hank turned around let out a half-laugh of surprise.
Selig.
"I guess it is." Hank admitted.
Selig nodded. "That was some good stuff right there. You did make the miracle happen, after all."
Hank smiled. After one whole hard month of training, the words were gold to him.
"Hey, that last part though… if it wasn't for those pills you gave me, I don't think we would've won." Hank said, pure gratitude residing inside every word.
Selig shook his head. "And it was because of the pills that you were in this mess in the first place."
"Yeah, but still…"
"Listen," Selig interrupted the trainee midway, "I know this might be the last thing you'd want to see right now, but here - take this."
From his sleeve, Selig pulled out something that made Hank gape.
Yet another C-Class container of Accelerants.
"Another one?" Hank whispered to Selig, "Really, Selig? After all we've went through?"
Selig nodded and raised his hands in defeat. "I know, I know, I bet you've had enough of these for once. But I'll have you know that I kept these with me as a gift in case if you guys actually won this match. After all, the Agency's pharmacist doesn't exactly have much to give to someone in celebration."
Hank sighed. The pills were incredible the first time around, and Selig did want him to have it as a congratulatory present…
"Take it or leave it." Selig added. "I'm not forcing you to have this bottle after all."
"Oh alright, I'll take it." Hank muttered in defeat as he pocketed another month's worth of Accelerants.
Selig grinned in content. "Good boy. You still remember that warning I gave you about those things, right?"
"Don't worry Selig, I don't have amnesia."
Selig nodded once more. He then straightened his clothes out.
"Alright. Listen, I gotta get going. Watching that whole game and abandoning my post for almost half an hour can get me into a lot of trouble."
"Sounds good." Hank agreed.
Raising his head to look for the exit, something else caught his attention and made him frown.
"… Speaking of trouble…"
Selig pointed behind Hank. Turning around, the teen's eyes widened.
Aidan had Aaron by the scruff of his collar.
Before Hank was going to run towards them, Selig lowered his head next to his ear.
"Good luck dealing with that problem…" He said, voice hushed, before disappearing through the door.
Hank ran over to Aaron and Aidan, catching the last part of Aidan's ranting as he did so.
"You didn't win NOTHING! If it hadn't been for Hank, you would've lost!"
"Oh really?" Aaron replied calmly, "The cake may be a lie, but the big red screen sure isn't…"
Aidan felt the blood in his head boil. He loathed this newfound stranger Aaron had become.
With nothing else to say, Aidan let the younger agent go and instead sent a fist at his cheek.
Whack.
Aaron fell back, a small bruise forming from where Aidan made impact. The rest of the Madness Combat Squadron walked in to make sure a dirty move like that wouldn't happen again.
Hina helped Aaron up. "Are you okay?"
Aaron nodded. "I'm fine."
"And as for you…" Aaron stepped towards Aidan again. Aidan stared back defiantly, as if daring Aaron to do something, but the latter just finished with a simple "…I'll keep that in mind."
Aidan gritted his teeth. How many times did he have to hit the kid to turn him back to how he was again?
"Why you little-!"
"Aidan."
Aidan froze in place at the sound of the compassionate voice. A hand laid itself onto his shoulder, and he turned to take in the owner.
Grayson? When was the last time he talked in that calm of a tone?
The fact that his mentor's voice was so calm was enough to scare Aidan halfway to death. Was he mad?
"Sir, I-"
"Enough is enough," Grayson interrupted again, "Aaron is right, it's over. They've won and we've lost, no matter how absurd the results may have seemed."
"But… but-"
Grayson sighed, looking downwards and slowly shaking his head. Then, lifting it back up to meet Aidan eye-to-eye, Aidan saw something that scared him even more. It wasn't rage or any form of anger whatsoever.
It was defeat.
"It's over." Grayson repeated once more, "What's done is done, no point crying over spilled milk. Now get your shit together in the locker room. Let's call it a day."
Aidan kept his stare, still expecting a chain of cursing to escape his mentor's mouth to label him and the others failures.
Yet all he heard was...
… Silence.
"… Okay…" Aidan replied in a small whisper. He signaled to the rest of the team, and they all slid away without a second glance and the victors.
Grayson watched as the crowd parted for Aidan and his gang. This was undeniably an embarrassing loss to them, so no witty remarks were let loose upon them.
Then, without even turning around, Grayson said in a clear-cut voice, "You win. Congratulations; now neither I nor my team wants anything to do with you or yours. And you pretty much have a restraining order to ensure that."
Before 574 could formulate a response, Grayson began to walk away.
But the agent just wasn't going to leave this moment in silence.
"I never said I wanted nothing to do with you or your group, Grayson," 574 corrected, "I just wanted your team to stop messing around with mine. You don't have to be so hard on yourself - if it wasn't for your squad, I don't think my squad would be as strong and connected as they are now."
Grayson stopped in his tracks, sighed, and shook his head. Then, turning his head halfway, he spoke the last words that would come out of their conversation.
"… If it's worth anything, then I'll just say you've proven me wrong back there. You taught those kids well. And I suppose I can respect you for that… 574."
The silence was deafening as Grayson headed out and 574 pondered the words. Though they had an unmistakable air of sincerity to them, he could still sense the notes of sadness that resided inside the man.
Because as hard as Grayson tried, the hole in his heart would never fill.
That was the deepest scar war could possibly give to any man.
While 574 was mostly silent in the remainder of the time the audience conversed with the group, the others had mixed feelings of relief, pride, and fear. Fear, mainly because they had no idea what was coming next. After all, their main goal the whole month was to prepare and win this one battle.
And after climbing that mountain, there was nowhere else to go.
Once the last few members of the audience were satisfied and gone, and once only the Madness Combat Squadron remained with Shane and the other two engineers, only then did Aaron look to their leader and ask the question that was on everyone's minds.
"What now?"
Even 574 wondered himself all this time. But it only took him a few seconds to come up with an answer.
"Now… we train. Fantastic work, comrades. You have no idea how proud I am of you today. Get to the shower rooms and clean yourselves up. The rest of the day is yours."
Complying, the squadron went off. None of them questioned why 574 seemed so gloomy – the reason was right up there along with everything else.
Then, when 574 stood alone, staring at the pathway in front of him to the exit, Shane walked over to say his own few words.
The truth.
"…Mikhail… there's something I have to tell-"
"Just drop it Shane." 574 cut him off; he probably knew what was coming, and he really didn't need it right now.
"No, Mikhail! You don't understa-"
"Shane, drop it."
These four simple, stone-cold words were enough to tell Shane there was no point in trying; 574 had other things on his mind.
The engineer watched as the agent slipped his hands into his trench coat and walked away, looking as he always did but with a note of sadness within him as well… just like Grayson.
"You didn't tell him."
Felix's voice broke through Shane's train of thought. The lead engineer sighed.
"He doesn't have to know. Not him, not Hank, none of them. Let them enjoy their moments while they still have them."
Felix nodded curtly in understanding and returned to his spot next to Darius.
"Now then," Shane said as he clasped his hands, "Let's get back to work. We've got a lot to deal with on our schedule."
Shane walked over to the work Felix and Darius were wrapping up. Not another word was spoken amongst the trio as the serene hum of machinery filled the room.
A/N (Sacrom574): Hello again, my dear readers. I hope you enjoyed what terrible, terrible horrors I have bestowed upon this chapter... nah, I'm just being stupid. But seriously, I hope you guys enjoyed the story. I should have been done, like, a week ago, but then school and stuff got in the way. Hope you guys still love me. See you next chapter!
~Sacrom574
A/N (Spirit9871): 11,466 words, and counting. This chapter was originally going to be HALF of this length, but fuck it; it's a big chapter, so I'mma make it big. I hope you guys realize that I'm now working for more quality with quantity to balance it out, so it'll explain why each chapter is later than before. :P
But anyways, how you guys been? School's…not THAT bad for me so far in the first month, but I dread it will get worse. After all; four weeks isn't exactly the best first overview to rely on with anything.
Aside from that, let's get to Reviewers' Credits:
Reviewers' Credits:
DodgeStreaker: Hehe, thanks! You know I can't miss a great holiday like that. ;)
Kagami: Thanks for the review man and I'm glad you thought so! Although Eli and Hina didn't exactly have their moment now, trust me; they will. I am currently focusing on Hank, DJ, Aaron, and 574 only for reasons that I can't explain otherwise I would spoil the story.
As of Selig or any of the other characters, I can't reveal their relevance to the plot. Otherwise, it'll be the same thing like Krinkels popping out of nowhere and yelling: "SANFORD IS GOING TO DIE IN EPISODE 11!" Spoiling parts for readers is an unprofessional tactic I hope I don't have to resort to.
P.S.S. Thanks dude. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. :)
Just a Normal Reader: Hey, thanks for the compliment! And heh, it's what I do best man. Otherwise, my readers are just gonna get bored, you know. ;)
SirPolarBear:Aww man Billy; that really hits me to the core, you know? Seriously; I'm so honored to have inspired a writer like you to join the Revolution's cause, as well as for so many of our newer writers as well!
Heh, thanks for understanding, but I've got a lot of work ahead of me, so taking breaks is something I gotta limit myself on. Can't leave the fans hungry!
Glad to hear you're happy about it! Yeah; I have a HUGE series planned out, and just to be realistic, May 1st, 2014 isn't just gonna cut it. I don't know WHEN I'll resign, but one thing's for sure:I WILL finish my series by then.
Lol, I'm proud of Aaron too actually! The kid's really grown up, you know? Brings tears to my eyes. :')
Daww, shucks, thank you! I love your reviews as well; they're so motivating and well-thought out! I hope you stick around for the ride! :D
Former Emo: lol, I find it odd that you decided to post your personal profile in a review, but whatever. I don't really mind.
I'll see what I can do about Sebastian. I need to work out a lot of O.C.'s here and there, so it might be a bit hard organizing everything into place. As for the Holo-Chamber, anything is possible there like in real life. But I doubt that information will be of use as of now; if there's one thing I WILL spoil, it's that I'm moving away from the Holo-Chamber concept for a while. Story needs to progress with a wider variety of ideas after all.
As for the personal things; sure. But first, I need to see if Sebastian even has an open spot somewhere in the story.
And now, the O.C. Credits...
O.C. Credits:
Agent 574/Mikhail Nikitin by Sacrom574
Shane by DodgeStreaker
Eli and Hina by Kagami
DJ Anderson by The Dark Madness Dragon
And that is all! Thank you so much for reading this chapter and for being so patient; chapters will increase in quality, but will obviously take more time to execute from here on out. Also, school can be a bit of a pain in the ass, so that's something else to keep in mind.
But before I make my leave, there's one last great achievement I wanted to give a shout-out about, SO DON'T GO ANYWHERE JUST YET!
As you may all know; Final Salvation was my first fanfic, which totaled up to about 130,000 words. This story was 37 chapters in length; approximately 3,000 to 5,000 words per chapter. It was something I'm proud of (although I do admit, will go through future revisions with Sacrom and I later on, considering the fact that my writing stamina and quality had changed from then to now). It is currently known as the largest Madness Combat Fanfiction TO DATE.
…Or should I say…was the largest Madness Combat Fanfiction to date.
The last chapter I uploaded for Hank's Legacy had made the word count total up to a stunningly close 129,000 words. Obviously, after this chapter is to be uploaded, that number will hit somewhere between 140,000 to 150,000 words (I'm not honestly sure, since word counts do tend to change after they are edited before I submit them on the site).
So I would like to commemorate this chapter to all of my current fans! Now, Final Salvation is officially the SECOND longest fanfic behind Hank's Legacy! In fact, the only two things Final Salvation has over Hank's Legacy is the view-count (which is obvious since it's clearly older than Hank's Legacy), as well as for the number of chapters (which really doesn't matter, since length varies)!
*In Billy Mays voice* BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Hank's Legacy is going to hit another milestone in the Madness Combat fanfictional universe as well; to be the first Madness Combat story to hit 100 reviews! Really you guys, I cannot express my gratitude to all of you! Obviously, none of this would be possible without the support of each and every single one of my readers! We've come a long way, but like I said before: it's just the beginning! Hank's Legacy is only the first of many stories to come, so stick around! Because you're gonna be the first to witness something amazing.
So...that's pretty much it! Special thanks once more to Sacrom574, who worked his ass off to clear out this 11k chapter! Really; this guy's just something else; you want someone to gratify for the great quality of this fic, you go to HIM. I just come up with the story and write it out. ;)
Once again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Hank's Legacy, and stay tuned! This is where the story really begins!
Later!
~Spirit9871