Chapter 50: Use and Abuse (Part II)


"Late," the Professor intoned.

The Professor twisted his wrist to glance at his watch. Time was seldom his ally, and when it was in the control of another person, it often became his enemy.

Agent 32453 watched as the scientist's left hand clenched into a fist, black slivers flickering out from beneath his lab coat.

"Perhaps he had a bit of car trouble," 32453 replied hastily, a forced smile on his face. "We can't expect everything to go our way."

"I didn't ask you to humor me with your abject drivel," The Professor snarled. "You know fully well how much I will make you suffer. Not another word."

"Y-yes sir!"

"My quarry is intelligent. He is a survivor, and he is a beast- he can sense the dangers this forest pose. Something has gone horribly wrong. Hmm… which puzzle piece does not belong..."

As The Professor murmured to himself, 32453 stole nervous glances at his surroundings. Five SOLDATs stood guard, enforcing a perimeter around him. Though their backs were turned and their eyes were totally focused on the directions they were ordered to watch, 32453 knew that he had no hope of escaping their cordon alive; they seemed utterly incapable of failure.

The distant crack of gunfire immersed him back into reality. The SOLDATs had already raised their weapons, waiting for their next order.

"You three, head west," The Professor ordered, raising his arms towards one direction. "The rest, follow me. We will surround and converge on the origin point."

"Affirmative," All five soldiers responded as they headed for their ordered positions.

As the SOLDATs dispersed, 32453 spotted an opening in their formation. A glimmer of hope warmed his heart. Escape was a near impossibility, but if there ever was an opportunity...

"Do not think I've forgotten about you, Agent."

32453 mind's flooded with ice water, streaming through his spine, spreading to all of his limbs. He was frozen solid.

"I will be keeping an eye on you, Agent. You deserve to witness the fruits of your efforts in formulating this plan, so you will accompany my group. Now, move!"


"Ah!"

Eli caught Hina just before she hit the ground, on the same spot Aaron had.

"Thanks."

"Forgot how to walk, now?" Nikolai remarked.

"Shut it," Hina snapped, hopping to her feet. "You probably couldn't even walk straight without those Vigorants."

Nikolai chortled.

"Oh, hit a nerve already? Figures, Honeybuns is soft as fresh bread. Hope the AAHW don't eat you up, now."

The veteran moved forward before Hina could retaliate.

"I feel sorry for Hank," She whispered to Eli hotly. "He's insufferable!"

"I'm sure 574's training helped Hank pull through."

"Too bad he didn't teach us how to deal with a total asswipe," Hina said, venting her frustration on a rock in front of her as they moved forward.

The trio easily recognized the unmistakable sounds of gunfire as distant bangs rang throughout the forest.

"That didn't sound far. Come on!" Nikolai's voice, suddenly sharp, reached Hina and Eli just as they got to the top of the small hill they had been climbing.

"Nikolai, wait!"

Hina's words fell on deaf ears as Nikolai charged towards the noise. She unslung her Nemesis Arms Vanquish from behind her back and, after a cursory examination of her surroundings, clambered uphill towards a tangle of fallen branches. Hunkering down under the dense foliage, she reached a hand out to flip the bipod into position as Eli wordlessly crouched adjacent.

Peering through the scope, Hina broke the silence.

"Bastard didn't even wait for me to scout out the area," she whispered, words flush with vitriol.

"We could follow him," Eli suggested.

"As much as I'd love to save Hank sooner, there's no point if we're going to just get ourselves ambushed. See that?"

Hina pointed in the direction of a ring of lights, slowly dispersing through the trees. "Looks like the AAHW already beat us to the punch. We'll need to take care of them before they take care of us."

Eli nodded as Hina explained, watching Nikolai grow smaller and smaller. It didn't take long for him to realize the path the lights were heading down was going to inevitably intersect with the crippled veteran. Eli flicked the safety off on his SG-553 and rose to a crouch.

"Good plan. I'm going in."

"Eli-!"

Her indignation went ignored, as Eli slid his way down the slope. For a second time, Hina was ignored by her squadmates. She allowed herself a frustrated sigh, one eye still trained on what she saw through the scope.

"Dammit, boys."

The lights were now mere meters away from Nikolai's position. Hina adjusted her sights an increment upwards and curled her index finger around the trigger.


SOLDAT 16-010 watched his comrade topple to the ground before him. Moments later, a thunderous roar echoed among the trees.

He had known 16-011 well, before they had joined the SOLDAT program. He was always a lethal marksman. He had always been precocious in his studies. He had a fit body and a handsome face. There was not much left of his handsome face, and the remains of his intelligent mind had been unevenly splattered onto the unfeeling bark.

16-011 and 16-010 had worked together in innumerable field ops. They had suffered the grueling training of the mark-16 SOLDAT program. And yet, all those years of training and service had been ended by one moment of carelessness.

Despite his steely facade, at the moment, 16-010 felt many emotions.

He felt fear. It was fear which caused him to immediately dive for cover and shut off his flashlight. But his fear was far from rampant terror; it was a controlled and useful fear which kept him alive.

He felt rage. It was rage which let him prevail over his fears. His anger was not a hot fury which inspired carelessness; it was a frigid and enduring hatred.

He felt excitement. His eagerness to kill balanced out his cold anger, filling his chest with warmth. His surgically augmented adrenal glands flooded his body with epinephrine.

16-010 touched his hand to the side of his head to activate his Omnidirectional Battle and Surveillance Visor. Though the prototype technology embedded into his eye required constant maintenance and afflicted him with dizzying migraines when activated, it would be crucial to success in the upcoming skirmish.

"Switch to thermal," he ordered.


Hina moved to a new position, working the bolt action to send a new round into the chamber. Just as she found a suitable place to shoot from, bullets shredded the shrubbery and trees in the spot where she'd taken her shot.

"I'm compromised!" Hina yelled into her headset. "They found me!"

Had she not taken the advice of her mentors on relocating herself after every sniper shot, she would have undoubtedly been killed. Her hindsight didn't make the situation any better; the gunfire was starting to close in. It seemed as though whoever was shooting back at her wasn't to be satisfied with anything less than spilled blood. An eye for an eye. A life for a life.

"Don't get your frosting in a twist, Honeybuns!" Nikolai responded back, "Daddy's got this all under control!"

Hina's face twisted in frustration. "What the Hell does he plan on-?"

Hostile bullets reminded her of the situation. Whenever the suppressive fire halted, Hina continued to run to her left, sprinting from one tree to the next. Just as how the tree failed to protect the first operative she sniped, Hina knew well enough these woods could not stand up to such sustained fire. If she stood still for too long, she would be perforated in a barrage of bullets and splinters.

A decade of AAHW engineering was enough to trump Mother Nature's millions of years of evolution.

As Hina prepared to sprint to the next piece of cover, however, a bloodcurdling scream fought its way to her ears.

"YAHHHH!"

The gunfire stopped.


"YAHHHH!"

Nikolai followed his war cry with a tackle against one of the soldiers. He flicked open his pocket knife with his only hand and rammed the blade straight towards his target's face.

Much to Nikolai's surprise, his victim shifted his head to the side; the small blade only grazed his cheek. As blood welled from the fresh wound, he shoved Nikolai off of his body and rammed the butt of his weapon towards Nikolai's chest. As the veteran knocked the weapon aside with his shoulder, the soldier took advantage of the added momentum and rolled to the side.

In a flash, Nikolai's pistol was out of its holster. But as fast as he was, he wasn't fast enough to turn the tables on another soldier who already had his sights trained on him.

A volley of gunfire, blood splattered against the tree trunk, a chill through Nikolai's chest.

The soldier before him crumpled to the ground.

Eli lowered his weapon.

"Risking your life in melee was careless," Eli said, terse.

Nikolai slid his pistol back into its holster.

"Think you're smart, yeah? I had him in my sights. All you did was steal my-"

Hina's sniper rifle went off again. The two of them heard a heavy mass fall from a tree a couple of meters away.

"The both of you are fucking idiots!" Hina irritated voice carried through their headsets. "After running off like that, did you forget there were three lights going through the forest instead of two? You nearly got yourselves killed in one go!"

"And who was the one crying, 'Oh I'm pinned, I'm pinned! Help me boys, it's that time of the month again, so I can't handle a couple of bullets?!'" Nikolai teased, in a grating falsetto. "I think we're pretty much even, Honeybu-"

"I swear to God, I'm going to fucking castr-"

Nikolai pressed a switch on the side of his headset.

"You kids," Nikolai said, shaking his head. "Always interrupting your betters."

Eli shot a glare at him through his mask. "You realize she's still screaming at you, right?"

"Why don't you shut it off? Monkey see, monkey do, Gimpchimp."

"I'd rather not do that to my partner, and I would not take advice from you."

Nikolai closed the gap between himself and Eli. "At least chimps can follow advice. Looks like I overestimated you. Speaking of chimps..."

Nikolai strode past Eli, stopping next to one of the fallen AAHW soldiers.

"These aren't normal agents. Normal Agents don't dodge that well. And look here. This one's still breathing even after getting nailed in the chest. Tough one, aren'tcha?"

Eli impassively watched Nikolai grind his boot into the dying soldier's throat. Soon, the soldier's gagging quieted to feeble whimpers… then silence.

"Heard some rumors around HQ," Eli started. "Something about AAHW special forces attacking in the East. Gatekeeper called them SOLDATs."

"Who care's what they're called? If they're sending these fuckers to hunt Shithead, he'll die like a bitch."

"Feeling nervous?" Eli asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm feeling like we need to head to where Shithead is right fucking now."


"Aa… ron!"

Hank could barely squeeze the word out of his mouth as Aaron's right hand pressed against his face. Aaron's other hand pinned Hank's shooting arm, while the rest of his body sat low over Hank's torso, immobilizing him. He knew Hank wouldn't have shot him before; Hank's hesitation was the only reason why Aaron wasn't dead.

Hank braced his shoulders against the dirt and bucked upwards. Aaron disentangled his left leg, planting it on the ground to keep Hank from throwing him off balance- an action which freed Hank's previously pinned leg. Aaron raised the arm he had used to press on Hank's face, balling it into a fist. Hank shifted his head, and Aaron's knuckles glanced off his cheek. Aaron attempted to repeat the attack, but Hank was ready to receive it: as Aaron raised his arm, Hank seized Aaron's right shoulder, braced his leg against the dirt, and pushed with every muscle he could.

Aaron struggled to maintain his position, but Hank leveraged himself off of the ground with his right elbow. The tables had turned; it was now Hank who sat atop Aaron.

It was time for him to attack.

Instead of striking at Aaron, Hank sat as straight-backed as he could, shifting his weight upwards, trying to get his weight onto Aaron's chest. Though he attempted to strike Hank, Aaron's punches could not reach Hank's head. Instead, Aaron attacked Hank's stomach and chest with a barrage of blows.

Hank tensed his abdominal muscles, withstanding Aaron's assault. He swung his leg over, preparing to catch Aaron's arm in a kimura lock, but Aaron unexpectedly lifted his head off the ground, catching Hank's leg with the side of his face, wrapping around Hank's ankle with his arm.

Hank realized the fight was not going to be won on the ground. They both had been trained in the same manner; Aaron knew all of the countermoves. The bout could go on for several more minutes, and Hank knew his time was running short.

Kicking his leg to break Aaron's hold, Hank back-rolled over his shoulder, bouncing to his feet.

Aaron pulled his knees to his chest and kicked upwards towards Hank's face. Hank sidestepped to evade the attack, allowing Aaron to plant his feet on the ground and complete his kip up. Just as Aaron raised his face, however, Hank sent a left jab followed by a right hook towards Aaron's exposed head. Both connected, and he followed through with a powerful reverse punch to the stomach.

Aaron doubled over, winded, unable to resist, as Hank grabbed onto Aaron's shoulders and slammed his knee into his face.

Aaron staggered back, his hands flying to his face.

"Mother… fucker!"

The sound of footsteps running in the opposite direction made him pull his hands away. His vision was blurred by reflexive tears, but he could still make out Hank's form getting further and further away as he attempted yet another escape.

Aaron scrambled in blind pursuit. As soon as he felt a rock roughly the size of a baseball in his right hand, he aimed it straight for the back of Hank's head.

WHACK!

"AGH!"

The sound of Hank's wail sounded among the trees. Though Hank didn't stop, the attack had slowed him enough for Aaron to seize the back of his shirt. Hank tripped with the unexpected weight bringing him down, taking Aaron to the ground with him. He flipped over onto his back and began kicking at Aaron's face; with every kick, he felt Aaron's grip grow tighter.

"Let... go!" Hank made no attempt to hide his anger and desperation.

Aaron remained as silent as he was resilient, hugging Hank's leg as if it was the only thing still keeping him alive.

Hank pulled himself up against a nearby tree, trying to gain what little leverage he could in getting Aaron off. Before any ideas could come to mind, something whizzed through the air and into his shoulder.

For a third time, Hank fell to the ground. This time though, it was because his body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, Aaron's pull on his leg notwithstanding. Straining against the sudden, added mass, Hank raised his head towards his shoulder to see what had hit him.

A black shard.

"As expected," a familiar voice said, from beyond his sight. "Something has gone wrong, and it falls on me to rectify it."

The speaker walked into the moonlight. Hank's heart sank even further as he realized who had come for him.

The Professor tilted his head to the side, frowning slightly. "Hello, Hank. I had expected more of a struggle."

Aaron rolled away from Hank and scrambled to his feet, hardly able to restrain himself from running towards The Professor. Half of him was relieved to finally see the coat-clad figure; the other was filled with anxiety over the uncertainty of it all.

He hated himself for feeling both.

"Where is he?" Aaron asked, keeping his voice as level as he possibly could.

"Not only were you twenty minutes late from the agreed time we were to meet, you have failed it meet at our rendezvous point. You somehow managed to damage my specimen, even with all the tools I have provided you from the beginning." The Professor's frown morphed, ever so subtly, into a glare. "You have quite the nerve to try and hurry me now, child."

Aaron gritted his teeth, squinting his eyes at the ground. "I just want to see him."

"What you want is irrelevant to me. Was I not clear? Cooperate, and you'll get the carrot. Deviate, you'll get the stick. But that's how you two children always were, ever since I took both of you in. Both spoiled to the core, only caring about what you desired in any given circumstance. It took no time whatsoever for you to forget about your parents and only worry about your own survival. Alas, I am a man of my word. After I have confirmed the identity of the specimen, you be permitted a glimpse of your sibling. You will get your carrot, and I will even spare you the stick. But, just as you forced me to wait, I shall force you to watch."

The Professor turned to the only Agent in his group. "32453. Secure the experiment."

32453 ran past Aaron and towards Hank, who was trying to inch his way out of reach.

As soon as he realized what Hank's eyes were focused on, The Professor kicked Hank's MP5 away into the dark.

"No more chances," The Professor chastised.

32453 grabbed at Hank's wrist. The feeling of his uncomfortable grip brought back all the experiences Hank had as a prisoner. An onerous dread suffused his body.

"Aaron… Aaron, please! You-!"

But the expression on the face of someone he'd thought of as a friend stopped his pleading mid-sentence. It was the same one the girl he saved from the schoolyard brawl with Marvin had worn, when he glanced at her for just an iota of help; a face that made him understand the cold reality of how cruel people could be in a world that seldom gave them any moral choice that would spare them from pain.

To Aaron, what Hank wanted was irrelevant.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The pressure on Hank's hand disappeared almost at the very instant of the gunfire. It took Hank a split second to realize the blood inside the Agent's brains had splattered over him. It took another split second for the Agent's body to crumple to the ground, lifeless.

One of the SOLDATs clutched at his neck, his jugular ruptured by a sniper round. The last of the squad jumped towards a tree for cover, taking bullets to the leg and stomach.

"Damnit, missed your ugly face. You're lucky I'm right handed!"

For the first time in his life, Hank felt like he was going to cry tears of joy hearing another person's words. He looked to his left for the source of the voice.

Nikolai.

"Nikolai!"

Instead of heading straight for Hank, Nikolai aimed his pistol straight for Aaron's head.

"You traitorous son of a bitch," Nikolai's voice was a growl, almost lethal on its own. "You're the piece of shit that led Hank into all this, huh?"

He then addressed Hank, keeping his eyes on Aaron.

"Shithead, When we get back, I'm gonna bash your head in for all this fucking garbage. You tryin' to get a moontan? Get your ass off the ground!"

"I can't! My whole body feels like a bag of lead after that guy hit me with one of those crystal things!"

Nikolai stole a glance towards The Professor.

"You got knocked down by that pile of wrinkled skin and bones?" He scoffed. "Geezer looks like he's lost his way from a nursing home!"

"Tiresome… Obnoxious… Nettling…"

"See?" Nikolai taunted. "Old fart's muttering shit to himself. He's fucking delusional!"

An Entropite barrier hardened itself around the left half of The Professor's head. Sparks exploded from the black wall. Nikolai ducked his head, just dodging the ricocheting projectile.

Hina froze, the first inklings of terror fluttering in her chest.

"He… how could he deflect…."

The pieces dissolved, parting just in time for Hina to see the Professor looking right through her scope. A chill ran through her spine; she held the rifle, but the Professor held the gaze of a hunter, eyes set on his kill.

The moment's hesitation cost her.

As Hina rolled to her left; two shards pierced through her weapon, one digging its way into her right bicep. Hina's scream filled the comms.

"Hina!" Eli yelled.

"Eli? Hina?" Aaron asked.

"Gimpshrimp! Your girlfriend's fine, stay focused-!"

Eli was already off at a run, toward Hina's location.

"Nikolai! He was the one who interrogated us!" Hank shouted, trying to point at the Professor.

At first, the words didn't seem real to the veteran. But once he had registered them fully, every neuron in his brain turned their attention to the elderly man in the labcoat.

"... So you're the one who did this to me?"

The scientist's grim expression melted away. A grin took its place.

"You've lost your arm?" The Professor laughed. "It's like watching a rat without its tail..."

The Professor's barrier recrystallized back in front of him, blocking Nikolai's pistol fire. Once he heard the click of its empty magazine, The Professor returned the Entropite back to its original form, gazing right through Nikolai.

"... squirm."

"The fuck is that black shit made of? It's thicker than your skull, Shithead!"

Nikolai looked at Aaron as he stood frozen solid. Images of Gunner's corpse flooded back into Aaron's mind, immobilizing him.

"I hope you realize that this is all your fault, you little cunt," Nikolai spat, breaking the young man out of his trance. "If you're not dead by the end of this, I'll make sure you are myself."

"Hey, fuck you, alright?" Aaron yelled back, his lower jaw still quivering. "What was fucking wrong about wanting to save my brother?!"

"Tell that to Gunner when you're both rotting in Hell."

"Shut up!" Aaron dropped to his knees, grabbing at the hair on the sides of his head. "I just want my brother. I just want my brother!"

"Don't you realize you're just doing the exact same thing you hated 574 for doing?" Hank asked quietly. "You sold me, the same way he sold Ryder."

Aaron fell silent.

"Good show," The Professor broke the quiet with his applause. "I love a bit of petty drama. 'Gunner,' was it? I presume from all that jabbering that this tailless rat knew him as well?"

Aaron felt too sick to talk. The aggravated expression The Professor had on his face had completely vanished, almost as if it had never been there to begin with. What replaced it now was one of mild amusement; the mask that a child burning ants with a magnifying glass would wear.

"They don't know, do they, child?" .

"Know what?" Nikolai immediately said.

"That he died without a weapon in his hand. That he was conscious, but completely unable to move his body, as his executioner taunted him. That his partner did nothing to stop me as I severed his head from his body with one. Clean. Blow."

The pause that Nikolai took was similar to the first, but the differences were all too clear. His breathing became unsteady, the fingers on his hand contorting awkwardly as he dropped his firearm.

"Nikolai?"

With deaf ears and bloodshot eyes, Nikolai charged straight at The Professor. The berserker pounced and whipped out his knife mid-air.

The Professor blocked the obvious slice aimed for his head with ease and used the same amount of effort to move the Entropite for the next couple of violent, unorganized slashes Nikolai tried following up with.

"My, you are upset! You've even made a few scratches here and there onto my Entropite. I will grant you that small victory."

By the seventh attack, the scientist grew bored. He backhand swung at Nikolai with his crystallized arm, expecting the sheer force to knock the veteran away.

"They are only scratches."

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OPEN!"

It took The Professor a moment to realize that Nikolai had grabbed onto his Entropite. Nikolai's bloodthirsty glare was all he could give to The Professor before he had pulled back his barrier, causing him to fall. Before Nikolai's feet could touch the ground, The Professor morphed his Entropite into a pillar, bashing it straight into Nikolai's chest.

This time Nikolai flew back, rolling in the dirt twice before coming to a full halt on his back. Hank gasped as the crystal embedded into his arm flew into the black mass forming the pillar. His body instantly lightened, and he quickly crawled his way towards Nikolai's supine form. The open wound in his shoulder wept blood.

"You took me by surprise, I must admit. Until now, I had yet to find a fool inane enough to grab onto my Entropite." The Professor changed the form of his Entropite into a collection of different lethal shapes and sizes. "But your strength is laughably lackluster, even in comparison to your dear 'Gunner'."

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" The veteran roared, pushing himself off the floor, his rage blinding him to his failing body's weakness. "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

Blood seeped from the fresh cuts Nikolai suffered, the crimson droplets meeting earth.

"Nikolai, calm down!" Hank's voice rose without him realizing it. "He's messing with your head! If you keep this up, he's gonna be the one killing us, and not the other way around!"

Though he fell silent, Nikolai's breathing remained heavy and unsteady. The Professor withdrew his crystals, staring at his fist as he clenched it.

"I have to thank you for providing me with such entertainment. As a reward..."

The Professor then faced Aaron, his signature grin donned on his face.

"Would you care to see your brother?"

Time stood still, only for the brief moment before The Professor looked behind him and said:

"Come, child."

From the shadows of treelines in the darkness, a figure of familiar height emerged. Along with the truth, the moonlight exposed its identity.

"... Ryder?"

The name felt alien coming out of Aaron's throat, as if he was saying it for the first time all over again. He made no effort concealing the tears that rolled down his cheeks as the corners of his mouth twisted into a smile.

Aaron broke out into a sprint.

"Ryder!"

The rest of the allies he had betrayed watched in awe from the distance as Aaron glomped his brother. The sensation of his arms pressing against his back sent another huge wave of relief. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a lie.

Ryder was alive.

"Ryder! Oh God, Ryder, you're alive!" Aaron burrowed his tear-stained face into Ryder's shirt. "You're alive! You're alive! You're alive…!"

It would have been a heartwarming moment were it not for the circumstances and for Ryder's unusual demeanor to the entire scenario. Hank's heart grew cold as he was the first to realize it.

Ryder's right arm was morphing. Like DJ's, it bulged with muscles and coated with scales.

"Aaron! Get back!"

Though he didn't hear Hank's words, Aaron felt the muscles in Ryder's form shift. By reflex, he pulled back slightly, his eyes trying to meet his sibling's downcast ones.

"Ryder? Is there something-"

Nobody could have warned him a second time as Ryder's arm moved in a blur. Aaron dropped to the ground, clutching at his face, screeching in pain.

The cries of surprise dissolved into a mix of sobs and whimpers. With one hand still on his face, Aaron reached the other for one of Ryder's feet.

"Ryder!" Aaron managed to choke out. "Ryder, why?!"

"Well, child?" The Professor spread his arms, "Give him your answer!"

Ryder kicked back Aaron's hand. As Aaron recoiled from the first blow, Ryder focused his aim on his younger brother's chest and stomach. Even if the bystanders of the attack had put their hands around their ears, the sound of the blunt blows was too loud to deafen out.

"Ryder!" Aaron begged, between the fifth and sixth kick, "Ryder… please! Stop! It hurts!"

The same kind of horror that immobilized Aaron overwhelmed everyone that watched the display. The seventh kick came just as swiftly.

And then the eighth.

The Professor couldn't help but break out in laughter.

The ninth.

And then…

Hank unexpectedly lurched to his feet, his fist making contact with Ryder's face. Hank grabbed onto Aaron's collar, pulling him away from Ryder's next swing. At that moment, Hank was able to clearly see Ryder's arm… or rather, what it had become.

A claw.

More precisely a blade, not unlike a scimitar. Hank's stomach twisted in revulsion as he identified the stringy optical nerves dangling from the tiny white orb skewered on the claw.

Hank found himself staring straight into Aaron's right eye.

Hank forced down his nausea as he sent a kick to the side of Ryder's torso. While Ryder stabilized his footing, Hank dragged Aaron back to where Nikolai lay, unmoving.

"This is unexpected." The Professor said, "You've just activated your Bullet-Time."

Everything Hank saw was beginning to blur as his head started to ache. The rush of adrenaline combined with the extreme emotions he felt at that very instance… he wasn't sure himself, but it was likely The Professor was correct.

"Hank… can use Bullet-Time?" Hina asked, turning to Eli.

"It's how he saved us from the BOTs, apparently," Eli muttered, putting the final touches on the bandage on his partner's arm. "DJ and I weren't allowed to tell anyone else. Cat's out of the bag now."

She looked back at Hank, who's back was slightly more arched than before. "But at that age? He'll…"

"Remarkable! Truly, truly remarkable! The jewel of my studies, in his full glory! It is as beautiful as I had ever hoped. My hypothesis made manifest, Hank J. Wimbleton!"

The Professor raised his hands into the air.

"If destiny truly exists, then this is exactly it. This very moment: the tragic tale of two brothers from days long past; the same rat that foiled my plans all those years ago, squirming with no tail and a broken heart; the child blessed with astronomical power that will determine the future of our species! All converging into this one point, right here, right before me!"

The Professor closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. "Except, only fools would put their faith in something as fickle as destiny. In truth, this is the result of years of planning. Nearly a decade of it!"

Then, he opened them, focusing his gaze onto Hank.

"Don't you understand by now, child? Yes, of course you do. You're a very smart young man. An IQ of 200… oh, if only you had devoted your mind to science, to me! How much we could have achieved together… we would have created another scientific revolution, you and I!"

"Ryder… Ryder…"

For a brief moment, Aaron's whimpers took Hank's attention. He clenched his fists, looking back at The Professor.

"I would never donate a single cell in my body to your fucked up experiments."

The Professor shook his head. "Of course you wouldn't. People are seldom willing. People rarely look beyond whatever immediately benefits themselves. Your stubbornness will be the very thing that leads to your downfall. Take a look at everything around you. Do you truly believe this was all by fate? All of these events, happening one after the other by mere chance?"

The Professor raised his hands back into the air. "Child, you must understand that the minds of men and this world… all of it was built by science. Everything here, all of it, was created by the cosmic truths entailed by mathematics. And you see, I can control them all! No matter what variables you throw at me, I will solve the equation and reign supreme. Because that's all this reality is. It is an illusion, a series of mathematical problems waiting to be solved, unlocking the potential man has within. So, for the love of humanity, don't make this harder on yourself. Submit. Submit, so that you may allow me to evolve this pitiful species!"

A rock flew towards The Professor's head, and his Entropite formed around him again in a defensive barrier. The rock smashed against the barrier, splitting into pieces as it fell back to the ground. Hank looked behind him, the name of the person who threw the rock leaving his lips.

"Nikolai?"

"When my partner said 'no,' he meant no, you… old fucking perv." Nikolai grunted, pushing himself back on his feet. "Pah! I don't know what makes me sicker to my stomach. The pills I took just now, your raging boner for cutting people open, or hearing you spew that bullshit of yours about 'perfection' and 'potential'."

"Oh? This impertinent savage wants to debate science and philosophy?"

"God, will you just shut the fuck up about that garbage? Your head's so full of shit that you make Shithead over here look like a goddamn genius! And the faces you make when all that garbage comes running out… I'd rather plaster a picture of Fuckface's mug onto the inside of my eyelids than have to watch you talk for another damn minute!"

Though he wobbled slightly, Nikolai finally made himself stand straight.

"Ya keep telling yourself that you know it better than anyone else. As if someone like you would know what the hell people would want, forget need. News flash, motherfucker: trying to cut open babies to 'evolve' doesn't make you a scientist, or even a millionth of a decent human being. It just makes you a fucking psychopath. And I don't need a goddamn degree from whatever bullshit little college you learned all this shit from to know that. The fact that I have to tell ya that should make you feel embarrassed."

"It's for the betterment of humankind, even if-"

"No it's not, you old tard!" Nikolai roared. "Ya keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night, but everyone else who has a brain cell knows that you're not doing this for anyone 'sides yourself! You really just wanna become some sort of ripoff God, probably because all those corpses you kept playing around with made you scared of dying, didn't they? All those people who YOU forced into your shitty little games probably made ya feel guilty and scared, some point down the line, but ya fucked yourself so hard, you translated all those feelings of being human into fuel for making yourself into a monster too stupid to remember what the fuck he was killing everyone for in the first place!"

The crystals of Entropite on The Professor's arm sharpened. He narrowed his eyes.

"And, I'm curious to ask, on what ethos do you stand to be able to make such far-fetched claims about my life's work?"

"I don't know what 'ethos' means, but I'll tell you why I know this shit." Nikolai pressed his thumb against his chest. "Because I lived it and I still do. And all it took for me to realize it was for Fuckface to get his head torn off his shoulders."

"A monster lecturing a monster, then?" The Professor smirked. "Adorable. Truly a line of logic only a simian could ramble on about with confidence."

The Entropite on The Professor's arm jutted outwards. He swung his crystallized limb outwards, sending five fragments flying towards Hank, Aaron, and Nikolai's direction. Nikolai was able to quickly dodge away from its range.

"Shithead, move!"

If Hank did, then Aaron would be the one impaled by the projectiles. It wasn't coincidence; The Professor was probably counting on exactly that to kill one of them. Hank's heart rate quickened.

Time began to slow down again. If they couldn't move, then in that case...

There!

In a split-second decision Hank raised the nearby corpse of the Agent as a body shield. The crystals pierced it in the back as time resumed its normal flow, and it was enough to save Hank and Aaron.

Hank gasped as he dropped the dead Agent back down. The ground seemed to rise and fall with each heartbeat. His nausea from earlier had become worse; the costs of forcing his Bullet-Time had become clearer than ever.


"If you pressure yourself hard enough like before, you will break. If not physically, then psychologically for certain. By that point, no level of medical technology on the planet would be capable of repairing the neurological damage."


Lars' warning to him after the fight with the BOTs echoed in his head. But this raised a further question: what was more important?

His sanity, or survival?

"If you haven't realized it by now, I've grown tired of these antics," The Professor said. "My Entropite is now at peak efficiency, and there is one more experiment I must execute here, in the battlefield. But first, a quick inspection of our experiment before we start it."

The Entropite merged into The Professor's arm into a more organized shape.

"Required materials: One serving of refined Entropite. Malleable."

A droplet of Aaron's blood fell from Ryder's claw.

"Required materials: Ryder Walker. Malleable."

Hina racked a bolt into her rifle. Eli levelled his rifle at the Professor's chest.

"Required materials: Five terrorist swine, prepared for slaughter. Disposable."

Hank and Nikolai readied themselves in fighting stances, while Aaron remained on the ground, shaking. The Professor's face split into a savage grin.

"Begin."


A/N: Right, so as you could tell, this chapter was meant to come out two weeks ago originally. My apologies on that; I've been set on overtime in working at Staples (since it's back to school season) which has pretty much drained the majority of my though, this second part was worth the wait!

Before anything else, let's respond to some reviews!


Reviewers' Credits:

One Eye Demon (Chapter 48): Glad you've enjoyed them so far! It's really awesome giving context to the characters in the story so they feel more lifelike. As for that person of interest in your review… we might have something in mind in her. ;)

One Eye Demon (Chapter 49): After reading this chapter, I wonder how your sentiments of Aaron have changed, haha. Though I'll admit, a fight between Aaron and Hank (in their current states) would certainly be an interesting one to watch.

Regarding Nikolai vs. Hank, honestly, I'd have to put my money on Hank. Nikolai's got nothing on future Hank in my honest opinion.

(Alias Maxima: Agreed, future Hank would easily kick Nikolai's ass. But don't tell that to Nikolai.)

Thanks for the awesome reviews! :D


Guest (Chapter 48): While I'd love to say yes, not quite! The professor in Kelzad's animations has a robotic arm whereas ours has the "Entropite" getup. Also, I'd have to say our Professor here is a bit too sadistic in comparison, lol.

(Side-note, we're not really sure if Kelzad's animations will be included in our canon, considering the difficulty in merging timelines).

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


Cherokee rememberer gamer 98: Haha, I'm not running off anywhere (yet)! We're still here bro, no worries.

Though I haven't thought of it before, you've caught my attention now! Maybe I will; sounds like a pretty fun idea to me!

Not gonna say anything about the pairings other than that I'm glad you're enjoying the character relations right now. And #FreeHector.

Thanks for the review man!


Now, OC Credits (for both this chapter and the last):


OC Credits:

Shane Augustine by DodgeStreaker

Nikolai Khruschev (birthed by Nikolai247, adopted by Alias-Maxima)

Recko R. Sunbur by SamuraiDancer

Eli and Hina by Kagami13

Lars Ehrlichmann by Alias-Maxima


And that's all folks (for the Credits, that is)! So here's my progress report:

School just started last Friday for me. I doubt it'll make too much of an impact on my schedule (aside from testing seasons, but that shouldn't be too much of a deterrent).

As I did mention before however, I'm currently working part-time at Staples, where my shifts have pretty much been nothing short of nightmarish. Thus far, I've been made to work 5 days a week, 8 hours per day (usually from 4 PM to 12 AM). Suffice to say, working 36 hours a week has certainly taken a toll on the creative process in this story.

Thankfully though, this isn't a permanent change (if it was, I would have quit by now). This is only due to back to school season, which ends by mid-September where I'm at. So by then, it's just work, work, work…

Moving away from the real world, a friendly reminder that the Hank's Legacy Manga is online! Though only a couple of pages have been released, it's good to keep a tab on it so when it hopefully gets updated, you'll be the first to know! If you don't know where it is, search up "Hank's Legacy Smackjeeves" and you should be able to find it!

That's all to say for now. Season III is coming to a near end, so hopefully all of you here will still be riding along to see it's closure. We can guarantee you this: the consequences will never be the same after it.

We hoped you've enjoyed this chapter of Hank's Legacy! Thanks for reading and see you next time! :D

~Spirit