[140]
"So…" Ren looked at the three girls standing across from him in his room. "What uh...What did you all want to talk about?" He had a general idea of what this conversation might be about, after all he had slept with each girl in this room at least once. Ren figured that one of two things was about to happen, either he was about to receive a very difficult ultimatum or he was about to get the beating of a lifetime. He waited in anticipation as he expected his spider sense to go off at any moment indicating danger.
Haru, Makoto, and Ann all turned to one another, then back to Ren, each giving him a smirk before Makoto finally spoke.
"We've been talking, about our relationship that is, and we...we have a proposition for you." Makoto said while blushing.
Ren's eyes widened at that. What was happening right now?
"But before we tell you, I have a question." Ann said, crossing her arms. "Before, you told me that given the choice between us, you couldn't choose. Is that still true?"
"Y-Yeah." Ren replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he recalled the awkward conversation. "I...I don't want anyone to get hurt. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't have strong feelings for each of you."
Haru smiled and blushed as she looked to the other two girls present and back at Ren before skipping over to him and wrapping herself around his arm.
"Well, we've decided-"
"GUYS!" Futaba's voice cried from downstairs, shortly followed by the sound of her running up the stairs. When the orange-haired girl reached the top of the steps, she was panting heavily, a distressed look on her face.
"Futaba!?" Ann looked surprised.
"What is it?" Makoto asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Th-The news! You've gotta see the news!"
A few hours earlier:
As his helicopter approached the landing pad on the man-made island below, an older man in a heavily decorated military uniform hummed softly to himself, much to the annoyance of the younger man in uniform next to him. When they finally touched down and exited the chopper, several men in uniform were waiting outside, each with their arm raised in a salute to their senior.
"Deputy Director!" One of the men approached him, yelling over the whirr of the helicopter. "Right this way!" Nodding affirmatively, the deputy director followed the man inside of the large concrete structure before them.
This was 'The Raft', a man-made island just off the coast of Japan that held some of the world's most dangerous criminals. More specifically, it was meant to contain individuals with superhuman abilities who were classified as too dangerous to be kept in maximum security prisons. Each cell was tailor-made to contain their specific occupant and prevent escape. This was much easier said than done as an untold amount of research and development went into restraining these individuals and nullifying their powers. The amount of government funding that went into this prison was shocking to say the least.
In other words, this was the most secure place on the planet.
"Deputy Director," The man in uniform guiding his senior turned around as they entered the building. "I have to say sir, news of your inspection came as quite a shock. As I recall, this is your first time here in almost 10 years!"
"Yes, yes, it's been quite some time since I've last come by." The older man responded, pushing up his glasses. "But I figured it was high time I did so, especially with all of the reports coming out of Tokyo as of late."
"Of course sir." The man nodded before turning to the younger, scowling man in uniform next to the director. "And might I ask who this is?"
"Just a subordinate of mine." The deputy director responded. "When you get to be my age, you need someone around to carry your things and remind you of upcoming appointments." He chuckled softly. "Don't worry about paying him any mind, he's practically an intern. Can't even make a half decent cup of coffee. Isn't that right Private?"
"Yes. Sir." The private said through gritted teeth.
"Oh. Okay...Anyways, right this way and we'll show you to the top floor." The man guided them through the hall. The ceiling, walls, and floor of the hallway were all made of concrete and had a dull gray color to them which wasn't surprising given that this was a prison after all. At the end of the hallway was a machine with several guards around it and a small archway in the middle. An X-Ray, meant to scan visitors for any concealed weapons or contraband.
"The elevator is just past here, if you'd please remove your shoes and any metallic objects on your person, we may proceed."
"Of course." The director responded, letting out a small groan of discomfort as he sat down on a bench to remove his shoes. The private went through the X-Ray first with no problems followed shortly by the deputy director.
"All clear." The guard stated as he waved them by.
With the security check cleared, the two stepped into the elevator at their guide's behest, assuring them that there would be guards ready to escort them when they reached the top floor. As the elevator doors closed in front of them, leaving the pair alone, the private turned to the director with a look of aggression.
"Practically an intern? I am so kicking your ass after this Sugimura! As if having to put on stupid fucking makeup wasn't bad enough already!" He said, scratching at his face.
"Calm yourself Minazuki." The 'deputy director' replied. "Don't break character until the job is done. The makeup was necessary, otherwise the guards would've recognized that stupid scar on your face from a mile away."
Sho merely grumbled in response.
"So, before we begin, you have the stopwatch. Correct? It's imperative that you have it."
"Yes, I have the stupid watch!" Sho replied, holding it up. "Security didn't give it a second glance."
"Good." Sugimura breathed a sigh of relief. "Without it, we'd be screwed."
"You still haven't explained what the hell it's for!"
"Don't worry about it, you'll learn soon. Just be ready, we're nearly there." He stated, adjusting his posture.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So how are the new teeth treating you?"
"Shut up."
As the elevator dinged, the two stepped out into the main control room of the top floor. Another group of guards stood waiting, saluting the deputy director as he passed by. The pair walked until they reached a small room filled with monitors, each displaying live footage from inside of the cells. Inside the room, two guards sat posted in front of the control panel, watching the monitors intently before turning to their guests.
"So as you can see sir, we keep constant tabs on all of the prisoners day in and day out. We monitor their vitals, movements, even body temperatures. And from this control panel, we can deploy any number of safeguards in the unlikely event of an escape. The Raft is in perfect working condition and has never been safer." One of the men at their desks replied.
"Hmm." Sugimura nodded in response before raising a question. "And how safe is this room?"
"The safest room in the facility sir!" The other guard spoke up, clearly proud of his position. "The door is strong enough to withstand any heavy artillery and the room has its own backup generator that can last for days in the event of a power outage."
Smiling as he placed his hands on the shoulders of one of the guards, Sugimura turned to the other. "That is just great boys, what a super job you're all doing. Give yourselves a pat on the back!" He said before giving a hearty laugh.
Exchanging an awkward glance with one another, the two guards joined in on the laughter, trying to appease the higher-up. Just as suddenly as the laughter began, it was cut off by a cracking sound ringing throughout the small room. The young guard turned to his partner only to see his eyes wide with shock and his neck twisted at an odd angle. The private that the director had come in with was standing behind him with a sadistic smile on his face.
"S-Sir?" The guard turned to look at the Deputy Director whose hands were still on his shoulders. A shudder was sent through his spine.
"Shhh, shhhh, it's all right. Don't worry about a thing. You've done a great job young man, you should be proud."
"Wh-" *CRACK* His sentence was cut off as his lifeless body fell to the floor.
"Got his access key." Sho held up the key from the guard's lanyard. "You got your's?"
"Yes, yes I have it." Sugimura replied. "Let's get started."
The two took their keys and inserted them into the control panel before counting down and turning them simultaneously. Immediately, the screen on the control panel went black before a message displayed in green text reading 'PASSWORD:' followed by a series of empty boxes.
Sugimura began typing away, filling the empty boxes with the necessary password while Minazuki leaned against the door, watching him work.
"So uh, how'd you get a full body scan of the Deputy Director anyway?" He asked, trying to pass the time. "I imagine he's a pretty hard guy to reach."
Smirking as he turned back around, Sugimura's face suddenly shifted from the elderly, bespectacled man into an attractive young woman with blue eyes and long brunette hair.
"Wow, your job must be like, super important! Have I mentioned how attractive I find older men?" Sugimura said in a woman's voice.
"Ugh, forget I asked." Sho shook his head, trying to get that image out of his mind.
"Aaand done." Sugimura stated, now back to his usual self as he hit the enter key as the screen changed to display a list of various commands. The commands controlled the prison's security system, activating a wide variety of defense mechanisms used in the case of a prison break, only now they would have a different purpose.
"Seriously? Just like that?"
"Just like that." Sugimura nodded. "These things need to be used on a moment's notice, they can't take too long. And now, the guards are going to have a short nap." He said as he pressed a command on the screen, releasing a powerful gas meant to knock out any prisoners outside of their cells.
As the alarms blared to life across the facility, blinding red lights flashed throughout the halls. A pink mist suddenly shot down from the ceiling, creating a thick mist within seconds.
"Wh-What's going on sir!?" One of the guards turned to the warden.
"Something's wrong." The warden coughed out, pointing to a door. "Th-The gas masks! *cough* Hurry!" The guards tried to reach the armory door, but it was in vain as they quickly lost consciousness before they could reach it.
"Huh?" Suguru Kamoshida looked up to see the guards in the hallway flee in terror before collapsing to the ground. "The hell?" He questioned as he pressed his hand against the reinforced glass of his cell.
Kamoshida's prison cell consisted of a 15' by 15' by 9' glass box complete with a twin sized bed, porcelain toilet, and wooden desk. No metal was allowed anywhere near his cell as a safety precaution given his powers.
Ever since his accident several months ago, the equipment Kamoshida had used in his attack on Shujin had fused with his body (yes, it was as painful as it sounded) and left him with the ability to absorb and send out electricity from his body. This 'gift' came with a heavy price however, the accident having given him third degree burns across his entire body and resulted in him receiving skin grafts to cover the damaged tissue. The once handsome and popular former Olympic athlete was a mere shell of the man he used to be, with a face so badly burned it was nearly unrecognizable.
As Kamoshida looked out into the misty hallway, he was surprised when two silhouettes emerged from the mist, both wearing heavy gas masks across their faces. As they reached the front of his cell, he was able to see the military uniforms the two figures wore, only causing him further confusion. The figures turned and spoke to one another, but Kamoshida couldn't hear what they were saying from his side of the glass.
Finally, after a minute of talking, one of them turned back toward the cell while the other entered a passcode into the console outside. The next thing Kamoshida knew, his cell door came sliding open and for the first time in months, he was allowed outside of his cell. Upon taking his first step out, he was handed a gas mask by the figure nearby and accepted, putting the mask on.
"Suguru Kamoshida." The man next to the console walked back over, clapping the former athlete on the shoulder as if they were old friends. "I hear you can do some pretty amazing things."
"Who the hell are you guys?" Kamoshida asked, his voice distorted by the gas mask.
"Salvation." The man replied. "We were hired to retrieve you amongst a few others in hopes of putting together a team of sorts. Should you accept our offer, our employer can pay you handsomely and give you the one thing you desire even more than freedom. Revenge. So whaddya say?" He asked with an outstretched hand.
Needless to say, Kamoshida was intrigued by the offer. But the thought of being forced to follow someone else's orders still gave him a brief pause.
"And if I don't accept?"
"I'll blow your brains across that glass box." The other man said, placing a gun to Kamoshida's temple. "And don't try to pretend you could use your powers to stop me. We both know you're outta juice."
Glaring at the other man, Kamoshida let out a sigh. It was true, no point in faking it now. Nodding, he accepted the handshake.
"Fantastic!" The man said happily. "We've got two more stops, so let's get a move on kiddos!"
"So who's next?" Sho asked Sugimura as the trio walked through the hall, still not aware of the plan's finer details. "Tombstone? I heard he's locked up in here."
"Nope, boss doesn't have any use for him. He's just a blind fool now. We've got a much bigger fish in mind than him." As they neared another cell block, Sugimura approached another console before speaking in an announcer voice. "In terms of power, he might just be the most dangerous person here, no offense Kamoshida, but I think even you would be afraid to meet him." As he said this, the metal hanger in front of the cell began to rise. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to our next member..."
As the steel cover rose out of sight, another glass container came into view, this one much larger than the previous. However, as the trio looked into the cell, they noticed that there was no one inside. Rather than containing an occupant, the floor of the cell was filled with a layer of sand roughly a foot deep.
"Uh, Sugimura?" Sho raised an eyebrow. "I think he might be gone already."
"Nonsense," The Chameleon smiled as he approached the cell. "He's just sleeping." The villain raised his hand to the glass before knocking on it. "Oh Shinjiro~! You have guests!"
Suddenly, the sand inside of the cell began to stir, swirling around the center of the cell before finally taking the shape of a man. A large man with long brown hair that hung across his face and a large beard to match. He was wearing a burgundy coat, black pants, brown shoes, and a black beanie that concealed most of his head.
"S-Sandman!?" Kamoshida said in surprise. He had, of course, heard of the famous villain that came to blows with Spider-Man, but no one had heard from him in years. At this point, the public had more or less forgotten about him.
"What is it you want?" The man asked, his voice coming over a speaker outside of the cell.
"I want to offer you a job. Your freedom in exchange for-"
"Done." Shinjiro interrupted.
"Wh-Really?" Sugimura said in surprise. "That's it?"
"Yeah. Let me out of here and I'll do whatever job it is you need. But after that, I go free."
"Oh…"
"That a problem?" Shinjiro raised an eyebrow.
"N-No it's just...I had this whole speech in my head and...I'm just a little disappointed, okay?" Sugimura said as he lowered his head before pressing a key to release the prisoner.
As soon as his cell cracked open the tiniest bit, Sandman dissolved into sand once more and reformed once again on the other side in less than a second. Truly this man's powers were a marvel to behold. If he wanted to, he could kill all three of them before they could even scream. But he didn't, which was at once both relieving and terrifying.
"Great, now we've only got one stop left. Follow me everyone!" Sugimura said cheerfully before walking off.
Minazuki held out a gas mask for their newest member, only for Shinjiro to decline with a shake of his head.
"I'm made of sand." He stated blankly. "I don't have lungs."
"...Right." Sho replied awkwardly before tossing the mask aside. "Makes sense."
The group continued walking before finally coming to a stop in front of the last cell in the hall. Apparently, this was their last stop.
"So, who is it this time? You gonna reveal that Green Goblin's been alive this whole time?" Sho asked sarcastically.
"No, no, he's quite dead. A shame really, considering all the work I had to put into breaking him out last time. No, this last occupant isn't joining the team, but she still has a role to perform in this play. You still have that stopwatch, right?"
"Yeah, wait hold on...She?"
"Yes. She." Sugimura replied, pulling something out from under his suit. A syringe, filled with a strange red liquid that seemed to be glowing.
The final cell door opened to reveal a similar container to the other two, only this one had a female figure sitting on the bed, her black hair was neatly combed and nearly reached her shoulders and a pair of thick glasses sat on her nose.
"You all might want to stay back." Sugimura said, turning to them. "Don't want to spook her after all." As he turned back to face the woman in the cell, his appearance shifted once more. This time into a man around his fifties with glasses, a receding hairline, and a pointed goatee.
Wakaba Isshiki sat in her cell, clutching her pillow in fear as she watched the lights around her flash red and listened to the alarm blare throughout the facility. As she felt her heart rate rise under the stress, she could feel Ms. Negative bubbling back up to the surface.
Since coming here, the scientists had seen her issue with her 'other self' and realized that stress was a major catalyst for her 'changes'. In order to help with this, they began teaching her methods to calm herself when she felt the change coming on.
"Don't change. Don't change. Don'tchangedon'tchangedon'tchangedon'tchange." She repeated as she hugged her pillow.
Suddenly, Wakaba looked up in surprise as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "S-Sojiro!?" She said, her mouth agape.
"Hey there Wakaba." He greeted with his signature smirk.
"Y-You shouldn't be here! You can't be here! This can't be real!"
Sojiro put a finger to his lips and shushed her before holding up a needle containing a red liquid. "This is medicine. It's going to help you. Once I give you this, no more changes. You'll be free. You, me, and Futaba can go wherever we want."
"R-Really?" She asked in disbelief.
"Really. All you have to do is hold still."
And Wakaba did just that, allowing Sojiro to inject her with the syringe, feeling it course through her veins. But...something was wrong.
'What...What's happening?' Wakaba thought as she suddenly felt herself become weaker and her other half begin to take control. More powerful than ever.
"SHO! Start the timer!"
Wakaba looked up to see an unfamiliar young man, standing over her with a maniacal smile. "Wh-Who?" She managed to get out before collapsing onto her bed.
"Sorry about this, it's only business." The man said as he shut the door to her cell, leaving her alone again.
Those were the last words Wakaba heard before blacking out.
"What was that about? And what's this timer for anyway?" Sho asked as he and the others chased after Sugimura who was making a break for the exit.
"Gee, why do you think we're running and I had you start a timer? What could that possibly be for?"
"You...Oh my god." Sho said as realization crossed his face.
"Yeah, now let's hurry. The helicopter's waiting and Tsuda's most likely finishing up his end over at Ryker's."
Without another word, the four of them ran out to the landing pad where their escape awaited. Meanwhile, back in her cell, Wakaba's body began to glow with power, brighter and brighter.
Present time:
On screen was live aerial footage of the ruins of The Raft, which had just been destroyed earlier that morning in a catastrophic explosion. A shocked Futaba looked at the screen with her mouth agape and tears in her eyes. Saddened and shocked by the footage he was seeing, all Ren could do to help was put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"M-Mom…"