One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Ch.28: God Among Men
The laboratory was filled with tense silence, almost everyone guarding and working in the facility held breath while their employer appeared to be on the verge of a violent breakdown. A vein bulged above Spades left eye, his clenched fists shaking as he watched the last of his Lieutenants fall. Rose stepped back as she held up the tablet, knowing he was in the mood to break something.
"And Jackson makes the last of them." Rose said apathetically, waiting for the explosive response.
"Fitty-eight million...that's how much money I put into that metal, G.I Joe wanker..." Spade said, staring at Jackson's body with complete contempt.
"I'm well aware." Rose replied, being the one who managed his finances.
"Don't you dare start blaming me." Dr. Nova declared, turning her head away from the final data estimates. "The work I did would take most three times the budget."
"I wasn't!" Spade snapped, speaking through clenched teeth. "
Dr. Nova rolled her eyes, not bothering with Spade's tantrum when it was almost time for her dream to come true. Realizing he was starting to crack, Spade let his arms rest behind his head while trying to decide the best way to roll with the punches. This made Rose far more worried than before, Spade was always at his most dangerous when he actually bothered to plan things out.
"Is the security grid done?" Spade said, closing his eyes to help picture all the options.
"After Jackson's big outburst, pretty much. I still have remote access to some of the essentials." Rose said.
"Including elevators?" Spade asked.
"Yes, should we lock them all down again?" Rose asked, hoping Spade would make the sensible decision.
"All but one..." Spade replied, his eyes opening as a thin smirk appeared on his lips. "Still need to give Randy-Boy a proper goodbye."
While the villains spoke in the lab, one of the Heroes inside their base was actually just moments away from reaching the elevator. After wasting most of her ammo and using the butt of her rifle to chip away at the small iceberg that was blocking her out, Kathy walked down the hall feeling exhausted and in no mood to deal with any more crazy people. Bella Zerra's ice rifle was slung over her shoulder as Kathy approached the elevator doors, the light above was green this time and she could assume that meant it was good to go.
"Finally..." Kathy said as she reached out to push the "open door" button. "Wait...what?!" She said after tapping the button repeatedly and then looked to see the light was now red. "Oh you mother...!"
"Done." Rose said after initiating the partial lockdown. "Hmm...right on time to." She remarked, watching Kathy's rather loud reaction.
"How about upstairs? Any luck?" Spade asked, at this point expecting more news.
"Let's see..." Rose replied, tapping on her tablet. "Definitely hurt, but it looks like all of them are still standing."
"Unbelievable..." Spade muttered while shaking his head. "That Reaper was my favorite of the lot, I honestly thought it could at least kill a few Heroes."
"Well to be fair..." Rose said, her eyes on the screen as she watched the playback. "The Heroes didn't kill it."
Turning the tablet around, Rose let Spade the fate of the Reaper Scarecrow. The footage showed the A-Class duo of Amazoa and Crossing Guardian fighting the towering monster with everything they had. The monster's four, whip-like arms lashed out in all directions with terrifying speed. Mr. Olympian was on the ground, clutching at his bleeding chest after a fruitless attempt to help almost cost the young athlete his life. Nordic tried to intervene as well, but he was too slow to get past the monster's savage wild offense and could only block every time he stepped in.
"Any time now, please!" Tennis Tammy yelled at Master Wing, terrified as she knew the others wouldn't hold out much longer.
Still in Horse stance, Master Wing's sleeves began to tear and split from his muscles expanding. At this point, the amount of air he was inhaling was partially visible from nothing more than the strength of the martial artist's lungs. Amazoa and Crossing Guardian were both on their last legs, just moments away from being struck by the monster's whips.
"One Thousand..." Master Wing whispered after the last meditative breath. "Talons." For a moment, his human eyes transforms to mimic the shape and bright yellow color of an eagle. With a gust of wind forming behind, Master Wing lunged forward with blinding speed. Only the A-Class Heroes were able to clearly see Master Wing's brutal efficiency. The Reaper Scarecrow tried to spin it's arms around, creating a tornado of whips that tried and failed to hit Master Wing as his entire body moved in a blurred motion. With each second, the monster was over a hundred times. It cried out in pain as Master Wing's technique whittled the monster's body down to mere stands of straw that covered the surrounding area. Seeing pieces of straw already weaving back together made the Master put both hands together with palms facing outward. He used this to blow the straw away for miles in every direction with air-force created by waving his hands.
By the time it was all done, the Heroes were left wide-eyed and with mouth hanging open. Master Wing grasped his knees to keep balance, his body shaking as he leaned forward and multiple drops of blood dripped down from his nose.
"My word..." John Burn's exclaimed with a hushed tone.
"Whoa..." Tennis Tammy said in complete shock.
"Holy crap...think he would give us some lessons?" Bushwhacker asked, standing next to Nordic.
"Don't be a fool!" Nordic replied angrily. "That was just a...a-a cheap martial arts trick or something!"
"I do not bother with tricks." Master Wing said, clearly insulted while raising his head to stare Nordic down. "Keep any idiotic opinions to yourself." He said with disdain, watching Nordic's face squirm because of his wounded pride.
The last bit of footage Spade watched was the Heroes checking on their wounded before pushing the tablet away. He turned away from Rose and everyone else, staring at the wall ahead as he thought about all the steps that were taken to put him in the position. The deals, brides, cons, robberies, kidnappings and monster hunting; all of this was expensive and time-consuming pieces of a puzzle that was supposed to come together perfectly. At this rate, he wondered if anything would finally go his way before the Heroes forced their way down here to capture the former member of their ranks.
"Final process is complete!" A lab worker called out with a mix of worry and excitement. "Waking up subject now."
Activity in the suddenly stopped, every lab worker and guard turned towards the doors to the Education Chamber. Dr. Nova had to resist biting her nails from extreme nerves. The door slowly opened and after a second of silence, Seraph finally walked out.
"Perfect." Dr. Nova said whispered on the verge of tears. "Just...perfect."
Standing at almost seven feet made him the tallest in the room, an intentional design to make him appear all the more impressive. Despite never touching a brush, the white hair flowing elegantly down his back did not have a single strand out-of-place. All eyes were drawn Seraph's face, bearing the kind of stoic and handsome appearance that very few could ignore. His own eyes had a vibrant, bright green color that resembled the fluid he grew in. His very presence gave off an aura of importance, even though he had only been awake for moments Seraph stood like a man ready to do what was needed. Scanning the room, Seraph quietly took in the sensation of complete consciousness as Dr. Nova approached with one of her lab workers.
"Welcome, my wonderful Seraph!" Dr. Nova exclaimed, her arms open for an embrace.
"Hello, Dr. Nova." Seraph's voice was deep, smooth and immediately grabbed the attention of others. "I feel...exceptional." He said after searching for the right word. "Hopefully, I will be everything your work has strived towards."
"Oh you are." Dr. Nova said, smiling ear to ear as she looked Seraph up and down. "This is for you." She said after nudging the lab worker to present Seraph his gift.
"Hmm...it will do." Seraph said as he opened the box to find a white, regal dress-shirt inside.
As Seraph slipped the shirt on, Dr. Nova covered covered her mouth so no one could see her jaw drop. Decades of planning and years of sleepless work had all lead up to this moment. The shirt was made of the finest silk, with long sleeves and a back went past the tailbone and stopped at the middle of his calves. It also came with a pointed, long collar along with buttoned cufflinks. This, combined with the white pants and matching hair were all used to make Seraph look like the holy figure Dr. Nova would present to the world. Spade rolled his eyes, the imagery was a bit too on the nose for his liking. Being a professional, Rose simply smirked and kept all her thoughts about Seraph to herself.
"Don't worry about stains, I've got plenty of extra cloths in your quarters." Dr. Nova happily explained.
"Thank you doctor." Seraph said, barely nodding his head in acknowledgement. "It's good to know the most basic needs have already been taken care of."
"But of course, we've spared no expense when it comes to you." Dr. Nova replied.
"Easy to say when it's not your money." Spade said, stepping forward to meet the living product of his investment. "Do you know who I am?"
"Give him a moment." Dr. Nova said with agitation. "He's barely had time to..."
"You are Spade, correct?" Seraph asked, keeping a stoic expression. "I can assume that after hearings your conversations in my presence."
"You mean while you were in a vat of chemicals, and had your brain occupied with a constant flow of information?" Rose questioned with suspicion. "Isn't that...impossible?"
"Such things no longer matter Rose. Seraph was made to defy the very idea of impossible!" Dr. Nova exclaimed. "Does that mean you know the rest of your purpose?" She asked while turning back to her creation.
"Yes, you wish me to lead humanity as a sort of holy figure. A god-like being that is meant to lead others with my benevolence while also disposing of those who will not comply. " Seraph explained without hesitation.
"Wonderful, simply wonderful!" Dr. Nova loudly said, rubbing her hands together in excitement.
"In that case, we can put you to work right now." Spade said after stepping in front of the doctor. "There's about a dozen Heroes causing problems round 'ere, perfect chance for you to stretch those legs."
"Odd, I assumed this place was secure. Do you not have any other defenders?" Seraph asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah, well...turns out good help really is hard to find. Here's hoping the money I poured into making some will get better results." Spade replied with a frown. "Clean up the mess, then report back to me."
"Shouldn't you be more respectful?" Dr. Nova asked, showing her full disdain. "After all, you're looking at the solution to all of your pesky little Hero problems."
"Save the angry mother act for someone who cares." Spade replied aggressively and then pointed at his own chest. "As far as I'm concerned, funding all of this makes me the "dad. So Junior here is gonna do what I say or end up taking a long timeout in the over-sized test-tube he grew up in!"
"You will do no such thing!" Dr. Nova snapped, the rest of her staff watching their employers argue with awkward silence.
"Please, be calm doctor." Seraph said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "After all, you were expecting such behavior. That's why you would often use insults like "foolish" and "asinine" in the midst of my examinations."
Multiple, audible gasps filled the room. Most of the science staff began to panic, some noticed Spade's security forces place their fingers on triggers. Rose was clearly startled, her eyes wide as she wondered just how badly Spade would take hearing such things. To her surprise, the boss remained quiet as he rolled his neck to help relieve stress.
"Sad part is...I'm not even surprised." Spade said with pursed lips. "Any chance she mentioned wanting to knock me off and take over?"
"If "knock me off" is a simple metaphor about wanting you removed, then yes...more then once." Seraph answered without hesitation.
"S-Seraph, what are you doing?! Dr. Nova asked, clutching onto Seraph's forearm.
"Being honest, but I can understand why you would find that so distressing. The constant stream of human history you provided showed me one constant fact about your species, your kind will find even the smallest of reasons to hate and turn each-other." Seraph explained, his expression starting to show a hint of disturbance without changing the monotone in his voice. "I found it rather unpleasant, in the midst of forming my own consciousness and opinion I also had to be bombarded with one human atrocity after another."
"Congratulations, you made the amazing discovering that people are self-centered twats. I could have taught you that in about thirty seconds." Spade said with a smirk. "But fair play doc, you really did make him a smart one." He said while enjoying Dr. Nova's distress.
Wanting to scream, the doctor turned towards Spade but held back as she tried to focus on Seraph's troubling ideology. She knew The Learning Process would likely play a and in forming his overall opinions, but never expected the result to be so radical. The staff were on edge as well, the lab assistant that carried Seraph's present now felt the sudden and dire urge to back away.
"Seraph...please forgive me." Dr. Nova said, hoping an understanding approach would be most helpful. "I never meant to cause you any pain, truly I didn't. As your...creator...I had to be sure you were given the best education. Please understand...you are the greatest thing I have ever birthed into this world." She said as worry was overcome by sincerity. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"There is no need to ask for it, this knowledge has shown me the proper way to lead mankind." Seraph said before starting to trail off, his gaze wandering over to the now terrified lab assistant. "Such a paradox of biology, some of you have the potential to be so strong. But most..."
There was no sign of movement whatsoever, only the brief sound of something slicing through the air. Just one second later, the lab assistant fell to his knees. A shocked looked on his face as he fell forward and the head came off his body with a perfect, hairline-thin cut across the neck. Blood dripped off Seraph's fingernails as weapons were raised and the rest of the laboratory staffed screamed.
"Are so...fragile." Seraph remarked, curiously looing at the corpse.
"Oh god! Seraph, stop!" Dr. Nova yelled, grabbing Seraph's hands to get his attention.
"I'm afraid I can't doctor." Seraph replied calmly with a slow head shake. "This must be done to..."
The room gasped again, a strong right hand made Seraph stumble to the side. Being caught off guard made him miss the next punch, hitting Seraph had enough in the gut to make him lean forward. Two hands grabbed his long, flowing hair to force the entire head into a stiff knee. One more punch to the back of the skull put Seraph to the floor, with Spade's boot pressed onto his head to keep the sentiment experiment down.
"Listen up lab rat, you picked the wrong night for this shit!" Spade said after stomping on the head a few times for good measure. "Now get up, do as your told or I'm gonna knock that pretty boy head off your bloody shoulders!"
Milliseconds after the words left his lips, Spade was forced to step back after Seraph was able to lift his head and stand without breaking a sweat. Hairs on the back of Spade's neck stood on end as he faced the glorified science fair project. No one else dared to move, all of them terrified by the man-made god's presence. Noticing his nose upper lip was wet, Seraph brushed it with his wrist. This let him see green, glowing blood that trickled out of his bleeding nose. Spade hoped that meant he did some damage, but the look of intrigue on the wannabe deity said otherwise.
Knowing he couldn't afford to hold back, Spade moved in again to throw another haymaker. With his mind now fully prepared for the attack, Seraph's opponent was practically moving in slow motion. Spade barely noticed the white-clad body step to the side, by the time he realized what happened he felt ribs crack from the a single flat palm that was positioned like a parent telling their child to halt. Pushing into his chest, a handprint could be seen forming on Spade's back until he was pushed away with just a twitch of Seraph's hand.
Dr. Nova was stunned, everything she witnessed seemed like a cruel nightmare brought to life. A part of her wanted to try stop the fight, but the more sensible side knew that Seraph was designed to pursue his goals with total conviction. Rose was quick to kneel down beside Spade and check on him.
"How bad?" Rose asked with clear concern.
"Uuuggh...like a hundred sledgehammers to the tits..." Spade groaned after coughing up blood.
"Charming as always..." Rose muttered, rolling her eyes.
Seraph approached Spade, making the crime lord push Rose away for her own safety. Pulling himself up to one knee, his left arm began to drift behind his back as the angelic figure stood over him.
"I should thank you Spade." Seraph said, standing with perfect posture and his arms at his sides. "There's a clear difference between knowing combat techniques and the proper experience that comes with using them."
"So glad..." Spade grumbled, his eyes locked with Seraph's. "I could help!"
In one swift, combined movement Spade stood up while revealing the knife behind his back. Cutting at Seraph's face, the elegant figure easily dodged again by leaning backwards but doing this made the experienced fighter's gamble pay off. In the middle of his strike, Spade let the knife drop out of one hand so the other could grab it and simultaneously stab into Seraph's left side. There was no sign of pain in his reaction, but Seraph was still surprised by the crass man's cunning.
No holding back, Spade yanked the green-stained blade out of Seraph's body to slash open the opponents throat. Looking mesmerized by the spray of blood emerging from his own body, Seraph didn't stop Spade from grabbing his shoulder to make the wingless angel turn around. His eyes drifted down to his stomach, watching in wonder as the end of Spade's knife kept forcing its way into view by stabbing into his lower back. After being skewered a dozen times, a strong kick between his shoulder blade pushed Seraph face first into a metal wall.
"Empty the clip!" Spade yelled to his guards, pulling out his Colt. 45.
A hail of gunfire in all directions pinned Seraph's back to the wall, shredding into his green tinted muscles and flesh. The lab workers all watched in horror, but none more so then Dr. Nova. Being a quick shot, Spade was able to empty and load his an extra magazine just after his security guards finished with their machine gun rounds. After the gunfire was over, the remains were mostly skeletal. With his gun still pointed forward, Spade wanted to believe it was over but he was also knew what he paid for in the first place. That's why he was more annoyed than worried when the skeleton started to move.
Muscle fiber began to weave back together, perfect skin spread and covered the body as white hair flowed through the top of a newly formed skull. All of this took only a couple of seconds, making Spade grind his teeth while he took a careful step back.
"That was...unpleasant." Seraph said after his lips grew back, turning around to face everyone without regard for his lack of clothing.
A guard tried to reload, but was decapitated just like the lab worker before they finished reaching for a new magazine. This started a slaughter that could not even be seen by normal human eyes. Guards and non-combatants alike were being cut down left and right, a scientist tried to run for the elevator but he was knocked out by Spade before he and Rose stepped in between the doors and closed them.
With her legs frozen from shock, Dr. Nova could only stare at everyone being killed by her creation in quick and brutal fashion. A few guards managed to open fire, but at this point Seraph was well adjusted to the speed of firearms and was able to managed to easily move around them. It was all over in seconds, the laboratory walls and floor were stained with blood. Dropping to her knees, Dr. Nova looked close to catatonic as Seraph walked towards her. Incredible speed and precision let him move from victim to victim without any blood on his cloths.
"S-S-Seraph...please..." Dr. Nova whimpered, looking up perfect being standing over her. "This isn't how it was meant to be..."
"I know doctor..." Seraph said informally, kneeling down to be face to face with his creator. "Everything you taught me lead to a revelation, mankind is not as easily convinced as you thought; especially in this age of quick and constant access to information. In time, someone could figure out my true origins. That would make your desire for humanity to have a holy, guiding hand much more difficult."
"But that's not true." Dr. Nova said, grabbing Seraph's shoulders as she desperately tried to make him see reason. "We can destroy all the evidence, leave no trace at all. Everyone will be convinced that you are their one true..." Dr. Nova said fervently being cut off by a sudden pain in her chest.
The doctor was suddenly very weak, involuntary gasps left her lips as her head slowly tilted down. It took a moment for the shock to settle in as she realized Seraph's hand was now piecing her heart. With a bloody cough, Dr. Nova had just enough strength to look up at Seraph again and use a shaking hand to lovingly stroke his cheek. Tears streamed down her face as the light left Dr. Nova's eyes. After pulling his hand away, the body fell forward with the head in-between Seraph's feet.
"Goodbye Mother." Seraph said, looking at Dr. Nova's body with just the briefest moment of pity. "I will ensure your dream comes to fruition."
As he stood up, Seraph went over his options. Spade still needed to be silenced, but it was possible he was already on the run. Pursuit would be preferable, but the villain and his assistant were not the only ones left in the facility. Besides guards and any other employee of Spade that needed to be eliminated, there was also the Heroes that were mentioned to be in the area. They had a part to play in his plan to carry out Dr. Nova's ambition and as Seraph looked straight at the ceiling, he decided they would also be a good place to start.