Chapter 36: Resurrections of Forgiveness

Everyone who was still alive in Nevada sat down in their seats. It was a very large funeral in the local cemetery for the bodies that were identified, as well as for the three heroes that had saved them all.

Hank, Sanford, and Deimos.

Three days had passed since the onslaught that had shook Nevada. News quickly spread about what had happened, including Augustus's real identity and his plans. The Army came in to take down the rest of the A.A.H.W. agents still fighting. The A.A.H.W. were soon outnumbered and eliminated by the large forces against them. As the plan in Nevada failed, so did the attacks on the different states.

The A.A.H.W. facility where the Improbability Drive was being kept at was discovered as well. The Drive had been deactivated by specialists, and normality was restored.

But today, the clouds were dark. This was a day not meant for celebrating.

Cathy was wearing a dark dress for this occasion. She held Hank's bandana tightly in her right hand. No bodies were discovered when a search party was sent to find the three of them at the blast site.

At least they were now commemorated as heroes; something that should've been done so long ago when they were still alive.

...But...

Tears went down her cheeks silently.

...She wanted them back...

...She wanted him back...

'Hank...'

The pastor chosen for this event finally stood up on the podium. He was going to give a speech to the Nevadans. Although his words would be short because he would say whatever comes into his head (since this wasn't obviously scripted before), he had to take care of the community.

Taking a deep breath, he started.

"Today is a dark day for all Nevadans. For all Americans, in fact. We've lost too many close to us on this fight over our land. Was all the violence worth it? Was all the violence worth the lives of so many people? Of course not. Just like the Holocaust, just like on 9/11, this battle was never worth the casualties we suffer in the end. So much has happened to all of us. The pain is agonizing, but as the people of this country, we must move forward. Forward to a better future that we must build. Forward to a better future that awaits us."

The pastor stood a few seconds in silence, letting those listening to him digest what he had just said. After this, he continued.

"There is still a seed of hope that grows in this land of destruction. People have sacrificed their lives for the rest of us to live. That includes the Chief of Police, Ben Harley, as well as the three men we have all seen originally as murderers: Hank, Sanford, and Deimos, and the men and women of the Nevadan Police Force."

More silence. But it wasn't over.

"With this seed they have given us, we will help it grow into the tree of life and civilization. Today was a test from God himself. A test to show mankind that our lives must not be taken for granted. Our losses may be great, but what we shall gain from this day forward will be greater. I will walk this path of change, looking forward, but never forgetting."

"So bear with me, brothers and sisters of this nation. Bear with me and walk down this road for the future that has been given to us. Always remember who you are and your purpose. Never forget that we will stand strong in the end. As the children of God, we must stand strong. All my blessings go out to the families that had lost those near and dear to them and I would like to thank you all for listening."

A large uproar of clapping commenced from the crowd. When it died down, the pastor said his last words to transition to the next person.

"If any one of you would like to say any words of inspiration or any of your thoughts, then please raise your hand. We have enough time to hear one last speech before I call out the names of those who had perished."

Before anyone would say anything, someone at the far back raised their hand, standing. Nobody had realized anyone was there behind them since they were too focused on listening to the pastor or were still crying.

"Yeah, about what you said before on us being dead, you're wrong."

The pastor squint his eyes to see who exactly was talking to him. He gaped as well as the people who had turned to the direction of the voice.

Gasps and words of shock were passed to each other. Cathy, who had her head in her hands, finally lifted herself up, wanting to know what was going on. She turned around and jumped out of her seat.

Hank, Sanford, and Deimos were standing right there. But how?

Cathy, not caring the least, ran up to them. Hank's eyes widened when he saw how fast she was running.

"Crap..." he said to himself.

Sanford and Deimos stepped out of the way when they saw Cathy tackle Hank to the ground, hugging him as tight as she could.

Hank's eyes bulged out of his head. "Cathy...please let go...I really will be dead if you keep that up..."

Cathy let go, shaking her head. Everyone was as stupefied as she was.

"How...how are you guys still alive?"

Hank chuckled, sitting himself back up. Cathy noticed that Hank's cut on his stomach was gone, and he looked as if nothing had even happened to him before.

"Let's just say we got help from some people we knew back then." Hank simply stated.

Cathy was still confused, and even a bit scared. But still, Hank, Sanford, and Deimos had blown up! How did they survive?

Before Hank could go on with his explanation, they heard a bolt of lightning hit the ground followed by a piercing screech from the crowd in front of them. Everybody stood up from their chairs and the officers nearby pulled out their pistols.

One of the bodies that was buried stuck a hand out.

Deimos's eyes widened. He stole a pistol from an officer (who was shocked at how fast Deimos had acted) and aimed it at the body coming out of the dirt. It was an ATP agent with a bullet hole on his mask.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! ZOMBIES! KILL THEM! WITH FIRE!" Deimos screamed.

Hank stood up and started running around, waving his hands.

"Wait! Stop! Don't shoot! They're not zombies you idiots!"

Everyone with a firearm in his or her hand lowered it, but stayed on caution if the thing popping out of the ground was going to chomp someone's brains out. People backed away at the ATP agent shaking his head. The agent didn't seem to act like a zombie though...

The ATP agent looked around him, as if he was searching for somebody.

Hank ran up to the podium. After finally making it there, he spoke into the microphone.

"Everyone please! Just listen for a second, will you!?" Hank ordered.

The citizens, still unsure, stayed standing up and gave their attention to Hank.

Hank sighed. "Listen, here's what happened:"

Hank opened his eyes. He felt himself staring at a black ceiling in a pitch-black room.

He stood up and looked around him. Why was this place so familiar? Was he stuck in Jebus's void again?

No.

Jebus's realm was way darker than this. And Hank felt as if he could float during his time there. This was different.

So where the hell was he?

Hank looked down, and realized that the fatal cut Dan had made into his stomach was gone. In fact, Hank felt all the bruises and aches his body suffered vanish.

"It seems as though you've finally woken up, Hank ."

Hank took a step back, trying to find the source of the voice. Was it God? No, it sounded a lot like multiple people saying the same thing at once...or is that how God actually sounds like? But Hank recognized who was talking to him.

Hank looked up. He stared into the faces of his previous leaders. The same people who had denied him death whenever he would ask them for it.

Hank blinked. "Well, I definitely didn't expect seeing you guys again."

The large figures coated in black merely looked back down at Hank.

"It seems as though you still have that same attitude from three years ago, don't you, Hank. After all, you are the only person who would talk to us, The Higher Powers, in such a manner."

Hank chuckled. "Can't change who I am. No matter how many times you resurrect me."

He then started turning his head to all the different angles of the room. Hank knew that he was now in the Anti-A.A.H.W.'s secret base. But that meant he was still alive.

"Oh wow...it's been a while since I've seen this place." Hank said to himself.

The Powers nodded. Hank never really did know where and when they originally came from, but it seemed as though it would stay that way until the end of time.

He finally decided to say what was on his mind.

"Why did you bring me back?"

The Powers narrowed their eyes at him.

"Are you not grateful for what we've given you?"

Hank shook his head. "Of course I appreciate it. I'm just asking why."

The Higher Powers shifted back into their seats. When one of them would make an action, the rest of them would mimic the exact same thing. They were one being, only split into different parts.

"We've decided to be generous and spare your lives after all the torment you had to go through society. Also, it's time for the three of you to finally live normal lives."

Hank speculated on those last two sentences. The Higher Powers said "your lives", which meant that they had saved someone else besides Hank. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out whom.

"What about San-"

"Sanford and Deimos are outside. They are waiting for you when you are done saying your final thoughts to us." They interrupted.

Hank nodded in satisfaction. Okay, so all that was left for him to do was to ask whatever he wanted, right?

"Why did you lie to us? If you knew that there was an underground facility the A.A.H.W. was building, then why didn't you say anything? We could've gone in there and killed the rest of them without going through all this heartache." Hank asked.

"We did not lie to any of you Hank. You know better than that. We knew all this time about the Project, but we merely shrugged it off, thinking that it would crumble along with the fall of The Auditor. Eventually, after our spies had left the Agency and stopped keeping an eye out for it, we lost track of what happened, which ultimately led to this disaster."

Hank understood their answer, but was unhappy with it. They could sense Hank's upset reaction to it, but said nothing to allow him to continue. Hank decided to question the part where they said "normal lives".

"How are we still going to live normal lives? I mean, it was bad enough before, but now, there's no way anyone will forget about this."

"You've asked that same question three years ago Wimbleton. And we will give you the same answer: stay with Sanford and Deimos. The three of you can take care of each other better than any other person can on this planet. As a result for following our advice, your life did get better. You were able to establish a relationship with your comrades as friends instead of acknowledging each other as mere combatants, and you were able to develop a feeling of love towards the woman named Cathy. Very entertaining though, how that turned out." The Higher Powers replied with grins, referring to Hank's night.

Hank turned red and looked down. "Fucking assholes..."

"Be careful what you say in our presence Hank. We have the power to bring you back, and we still have the power to take you away."

"You know that I don't give a shit about whether or not I live."

"Don't think for your own sake Hank, but for those whom you've grown bonds with."

Hank suddenly remembered Sanford, Deimos, and Cathy. Maybe the concept of death to him was nothing, but to the others, it had completely devastated them. Hank sighed, listening to his ex-leaders.

"Hank."

Hank looked back up to them.

"For the pain and suffering we may have caused upon you, we will grant you one wish. Anything you like will be in your hands if you just ask."

Hank was shocked that they were giving him the power to choose what he wanted. Usually, they would just toss their rewards to whomever they believed deserved them without asking first. But this time, Hank could get whatever he desires.

"Choose wisely." They informed him.

Hank bit his lip, thinking. What would a man want in his life? Riches beyond his wildest dreams? No...money was useless if you don't spend it, and Hank doesn't really need to buy anything. What about women? Pfft, yeah right. He could barely handle taking care of Cathy, so why would he want those? Maybe immortality? Sounds good at first, but he was clever enough to know that living forever is eventually a boring and dull thing since everyone else around you dies.

His final choice hit him in the head sharply like a dagger. Hank knew what he wanted.

"Hey!" Hank yelled out for attention.

The Higher Powers glared at Hank, annoyed at the lack of respect Hank had put into their titles.

"I've finally got it." Hank continued, ignoring their looks.

Now, The Powers were interested.

"What is it that you wish for?"

Hank said his answer out loud, making sure that they had clearly heard him.

"I wish that everyone who had been killed in the war between the Anti-A.A.H.W. and the A.A.H.W. would be revived, as well as those who were unfortunate enough to lose their lives in the past day or so."

For probably the first and only time in his natural life, Hank saw their eyes widen.

"Hank...what you ask for is massive. To execute such an action would be-"

"What? Impossible? You're THE Higher Powers for God's sake! In fact, you guys ARE GODS. So why can't you do this one thing for me? For any of us? After all, it was your fault that people had to die today. So why can't you make this up for us?"

They shook their heads.

"We're sorry Hank, but we cannot fiddle with nature so drastically. Bringing only ONE person back from the dead is risky, so we just can't comply to your- "

"Please," Hank said, prostrating to them. The Higher Powers were left in shock from what was happening. Here was the man who had questioned everything they did, and even spat at some of their doings, submitting to their will.

"Please, just this one thing. I swear on my life I will never ask for anything else other than this. Torture me if you'd like, but please. Just give me a break. Give us all a break. You guys know damn well that everything in the past wasn't meant to happen because of the Improbability Drives. So fix it. Fix the damage already done to all of us." Hank begged, his head still touching the floor.

The Higher Powers sat there, completely blown away. Was Hank willing to go that far to get what he wanted? Still...he did make a good point...

They sighed, raising up their hands.

"Very well then. We do not know what this means for the future, however, we will do what you wish. But mark our words Hank: you will never see our faces again after this. Humanity must take its own course of life and death without the tampering of outside forces. Never again, shall we give anything to the mortals."

Hank nodded. He was willing to go by those terms.

"Thank you..."

"Go Hank, before we change our minds. Your life is waiting for you. Live it to the fullest you can, and never forget the second chance we've given you."

"-and that's that." Hank finished. Sanford and Deimos knew about the part where they were resurrected by The Higher Powers, but it would've made things A LOT easier to handle if Hank could've just told them about the wish too...

Sanford, Deimos, and Cathy ran up the podium with Hank. Nobody could believe what they were hearing, but still, there really was no other explanation for the phenomenon happening right before their eyes.

The ATP agent also listened carefully to Hank, still struggling to find what he lost.

One red-haired woman from the crowd suddenly recognized his face. She walked out of the bunch of people around her.

"M-Michael? Is that you?"

The agent turned to her, his eyes widening.

"Jennifer!"

He threw down his mask, ran towards her, and gave her a bear hug.

The woman started crying. "My God...it's been three whole years since you were dead...What's going on?"

The agent looked at her and pointed at Hank. "It was him. He brought me back to life. Somehow, I still remember everything that happened afterwards with the A.A.H.W. even after I died. How's the family?"

Hank smirked. It seemed as though The Higher Powers were smart enough to give those returning from the dead knowledge of the world around them after their deaths.

The woman laughed from joy and disbelief. "It's a long story..."

As more bolts of lightning hit the ground with more bodies, one by one, agents of all different kinds came out of the dirt, each of them confused as hell, but overjoyed to see those they loved return back to their arms. Hank, Sanford, Deimos, and Cathy watched the hug-and-kiss fest go on nearby.

"Looks like the local condom factory is gonna make some BIG business tonight..." Deimos whispered quietly into Sanford's ear.

"Amen to that..." Sanford told him back.

Cathy suddenly realized her father was among the dead, and was being returned to life. He was buried in a cemetery not so far from where they were right now. She turned to Hank.

"I have to go see my father!"

Before Hank could stop her, Cathy ran off, along with other people who had figured the same thing she did.

Hank shook his head and sighed.

The bolts falling from the sky were coming at an uncountable rate, but it was obvious why. More than two-thousand people were being resurrected from the deceased, so it would take The Higher Powers forever to bring back everyone if they did it at a slow pace.

The last ray that fell from the sky was a bit later than the rest of them. When it hit the dirt and somebody crawled out, everyone stopped their cheering and joyful reunions.

Dan was the last corpse to come back to life.

Dan stared at his hands and felt his face.

"What the hell!?" he yelled out.

Before he could stand, somebody had tackled him from behind.

This man was no other than Chief Harley himself.

Harley whispered into Dan's ear. "You're fucked kid."

Dan gritted his teeth, looking around him. Everyone had stared at the person who brought back their worst nightmare: the A.A.H.W.

Sanford walked up to Harley and smiled. "Glad to have you back Chief."

Harley nodded, pinning down Dan to the ground, and restraining his hands with cuffs. He then pulled him back up to meet Hank face-to-face.

With the knowledge of what happened after death, Dan already knew what was going on and why his plan failed. He turned and growled at Hank.

"Why the fuck did you bring me back...?"

Hank stared back at him. "The only reason I let The Higher Powers resurrect you was because I felt bad for Cathy. In fact, if it wasn't for her, you'd be the one who's rotting in Hell you sadistic bastard."

Dan laughed. "Ha! Her? You think I'll become a goody-two shoes just because you brought me back!? Didn't I ever tell you that compassion gets you nowhere!? You're so fucking stupid!"

Dan turned to one 1337 agent watching him from the distance. "YOU! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

The agent pulled off his red glasses and threw them down to the ground, smashing it with his feet.

"No." he firmly rejected.

"WHAT!?"

"You think I'm going to attack the person who brought me back from the dead? Fat chance. You're on your own." the 1337 agent spat back.

Dan twitched. He saw every other agent throw down their glasses or their masks. It seemed as though his army had turned against him.

Dan turned back at Hank, enraged beyond his limits. Hank stared emotionlessly at his distress.

"You...I'll never forgive you for what you've done! NEVER! I'll always hate you from the bottom of my heart. I'll destroy this whole planet myself if I have to! I'll-!"

"Daniel." A voice said calmly behind Hank.

Hank let the man walking with Cathy pass by him. Dan's hateful look had melted away as soon as he saw the man's face. His throat went dry and his jaw opened wide.

"D-dad?"

The man nodded. Ah, so this was the man Hank had killed. He was an ATP agent who had lifted up his mask up to meet his son after so long.

Dan merely stared. "My God..."

Cathy and Dan's father went down on one knee. His face showed pain and utter sadness from his eyes.

"I know what you're doing, but I want you to stop. This is wrong. All of it is. I know Hank had killed me before, but he was doing it for the sake of Nevada, and he even cared enough to bring me back."

Dan shook his head wildly. The whole purpose of this fight was because of Hank killing his father. But now, he had no idea what to do because his purpose is deemed meaningless now.

"No...what about all those years!? All those years that you were gone, huh!? Can I just forgive him for that!?" Dan countered.

His father sighed. "Daniel. I'm sorry for every second I wasn't with you. But you have to realize it's over. Stop fighting against it and accept reality. It's all over. You've lost."

Hearing that from his father, Dan's fell to the ground, head sinking. Tears began to hit the floor silently, and Hank could hear Dan's light sobbing.

"...Fuck you Hank J. Wimbleton. I hate you SO much...You brought me back to torture me like this. Screw you. Screw everyone here..."

Hank said nothing as Harley picked the young man up from his knees.

"Come on." Harley told him. He forced Dan to the local prison nearby, where he would be sentenced later by court. But by now, Dan had lost the will to live.

When nobody was looking, he glared at the road in front of him.

'I swear that I WILL MAKE YOU PAY HANK. THIS ISN'T THE LAST YOU'LL SEE OF ME.' Dan thought, chuckling silently to himself.

Dan had gone insane with revenge...

Hank sadly watched Dan get dragged away by Harley. Of course, Dan brought this to himself, but Hank knew that he was the cause for what he became today.

Sighing, he turned his head to his friends. Sanford smirked while Deimos lit a cigarette, this time with both hands thanks to The Higher Powers healing his wound.

Then, Hank turned to Cathy. She smiled and hugged him again.

"Thank you so much Hank. I forgive you too..."

Hank nodded, pulling her away. He didn't honestly care if her father was watching him, knowing that he had forgiven Hank as well.

Hank stared at her. "So-ooooooo...Does that mean we're even?"

Cathy rolled her eyes. "Just kiss me you moron." she said, as she mashed her lips into his.

Deimos grinned at the whole event. He saw a small ray of light expanding on the floor. Deimos looked up.

The clouds were clearing up.

And the sun was shining with the blue sky again.