Chapter 34

Insanity, USA

"So, let me get this straight," Scout said, walking alongside his Epic look-alike, while the rest of the BLUs kept their eyes peeled for any Bugs. "Ya can move so fast, not only can ya dodge freakin' bullets, but also are almost fast enough to outrun the speed of light?" The BLUs and their Freak escort had been wandering about Insanity, USA, for a while, taking in the sights and blasting any Bugs they could find. Luck had been on their side, having taken down over thirty within the first hour alone, and now were just patrolling for any others they missed. In the meantime, Scout had been conversing with Epic Scout, the mute Freak using Engineer as a translator. They had learned that Epic Scout was once a normal Clone, but a glitch in his creation caused him to have heightened senses, reflexes, and intelligence (something Spy ribbed Scout on constantly about), leading him to being one of the few Clones selected to be put through Freak Augmentation. At this point, he was going over his latest accomplishments and boons.

"Exactly." Epic Scout signed, Engineer doing his best to translate for those who can't understand sign language. "I'm one of the fastest Freaks in the entire Project. The only other one I can think is faster is Shriek, who can move at the speed of sound." He made a grunting sound, coming off as a hoarse scoff. "That bastard and his cohorts are nothing but trouble."

"You got a beef with this Shriek Freak?" Scout asked.

Epic Scout nodded, explaining. "Shriek is a Scout Freak, just like me, but is not as forgiving. He's one of the GRY Goons, a group of Freaks who work for a big-time Freak Menace, each sporting a power to manipulate some substance or another."

"Manipulation powers?" Engineer asked, checking his radar for any other Bugs. "Like fire-powers or ice-magic?"

"They all have a form of kinetic control." Epic Scout said, a frown evident on his face. "Shriek has sonokinesis, manipulation of sound itself. That's how he has such great speed, being literally able to run so fast, he can break the sound barrier. He also can cause sonic shockwaves, increase the pitch of his voice to shatter eardrums, and do other annoying things that hurt like hell."

"So… Basically Scout on a load of drugs and caffeine." Sniper quipped, shooting a snide glance at Scout. "So why do ya have something against him?"

"It's not Shriek himself that I can't stand, annoying as he is," Epic Scout admitted. "It's his morals and where he stands." The group walked under an overpass into an open square park, where a few Clones were aimlessly running about and Spycrabs scuttled around. "When Freaks are created, we are put into one of three categories and one of three subcategory." He paused for a moment when Engineer pointed out a blip on the radar. With fluid motion, Epic Scout drew out his pistol and shot at a nearby streetlamp, the Bug dangling from it falling to the ground with a gaping hole running right through it. "The three categories are Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic, with the three subcategories being Good, Neutral, and Evil."

"Neutral is both a category and subcategory?" Medic remarked. "Zat doesn't make a great deal of sense."

"It makes more sense in context, Doc." Epic Scout admitted. "The three base categories are how a Freak tends to act, behaviorally. Lawful Freaks are more likely to follow rules, and tend to be better thinkers than others. Chaotic Freaks are nothing more than rampant monsters who just want to see blood flow. Neutral Freaks ride the border between those two." He paused again, taking a shot at a nearby tree, watching as a spark blue ball fell from the leaves in a heap of scrap. "The subcategories are affiliation. Good Freaks are naturally the good guys, the Evil Freaks are the bad guys, and the Neutral Freaks are in between. The Agents and HECU mix and match the different categories for different results, creating various Freaks with different outlooks and affiliations. For instance," He stopped again, this time walking over to a rock and slamming his foot down hard on it, an audible crunch heard underneath. As soon as he withdrew his foot, Heavy walked over and removed the rock, revealing the crushed Bug beneath, sparking brightly and hissing in electronic pain. "I am a Lawful Good Freak, I follow the rules and fight Evil Freaks. I've got it wired in my head what I can and can't do." He tapped one of his temples to emphasize the point. "A Freak like Painis Cupcake is a Chaotic Neutral Freak, a violent monster that only does as he pleases, only occasionally taking sides."

"And Shriek?" Spy asked, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Lawful Evil, the worst kind." Epic Scout signed, with a scowl. "Evil Freaks are generally a lot of trouble, especially since they cause trouble for the lot of us. Lawful Evil Freaks are the most dangerous because they have more smarts than Chaotic Evil Freaks, who are just rampant menaces." He reloaded his pistol, slinging it back in his pocket. "They plan, they calculate, they strategize, and worst of all…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "They co-operate."

"I'm going to sound stupid for asking this," Scout said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But how is working together a bad thing? We do it all the time, hell, it's our job to!" The group stopped for a moment, Epic Scout sat down on a nearby bench, sighing.

"When people of like-minds work together, they can do anything." Epic Scout sagely signed. "The dangers of allowing Lawful Evil Freaks to work together is too great, especially when almost all their sights are on mass domination and destruction." Everyone gulped at the notion of super-human versions of themselves becoming real-life supervillains. "Dr. Schadenfreude, Shriek's boss, believes that the world is one big operating table and he can do with it as he pleases. Cybor Spy is a crime lord that wants control of the world, its money, and as much Australium he can get his hands on. Lord DeGroot wants to start a literal zombie apocalypse. The Demonic Freaks want to cause the end of the world. All of them are bad news." He sat up in his seat, looking at the BLUs with an extremely serious gaze. "HECU and the Agents are trying their damn hardest to keep the Lawful Evils under control, and for the most part have succeeded, but with the Containment Breach and Doppelganger's second rampage, I think they're planning something big." He stood up, tightening the gauze wrap on his right hand while his left hand was closed around something. "I don't know what, HECU don't know what, the Agents don't know, not even that old bitch, the Administrator, knows anything. What matters is that when it happens," He held up his left hand, holding a robotic Bug tightly in his hands, fingers clenched tightly around it. "We'll be ready." He threw the Bug at a nearby wall, the small machine exploding in a show of sparks. "Let's move." Epic Scout began to move away, with the BLUs reluctantly following, the recent information weighing heavily on their minds.

"Pretty nice speech you gave, ES." Chided a familiar voice. The BLUs and Epic Scout whirled around, weapons drawn, and saw three newcomers standing behind them: a Sniper, Heavy, and Scout Freak dressed in grey, none other than the GRY Goons. Razor was standing idly on the side, clutching an ingot of iron in his hand, carefully watching the BLUs with studious intent. Golem was cracking his knuckles, glaring at the mercenaries with murderous intent. Shriek was crouched on the ground, clapping sarcastically and sporting an obnoxious smirk "Glad ya know who the real speedster Freak is 'round here."

"Is that the Shriek guy y'all were talking about?" Engineer asked, peering down the sights of his Lugermorph pistol. Epic Scout simply nodded, drawing both his pistols and starting daggers at the GRY Goons.

"Took us long enough to hunt you down." Razor grumbled, casually tossing and catching his iron in his hand. "Now we get to the fun part." The Sniper Freak grasped the ingot tightly in his hand, slowly forming it into another shape. In an instant, the ingot had warped into a Widowmaker-Model shotgun, sans the tan paint. "Golem, Shriek, do your things." Golem and Shriek grinned, each taking up combat positions. The muscular Russian Freak raised one of his legs in the air, Sumo style, and brought it down HARD onto the cement road, causing a large boulder to shoot up from the ground.

The GRY Goons vs. Epic Scout

FIGHT!

"SCATTER!" Soldier barked, diving out of the way as Golem kicked the boulder towards the BLUs. The mercenaries and Epic Scout were able to dodge the attack, but noticed that Shriek had completely vanished from sight. The rest of the mercenaries were scattered, getting behind cover from Razor's gunfire and Golem pelting them with sharpened rocks, while Demoman warily looked around, clutching his Loose Cannon launcher tightly in one hand and his Ullapool Caber in the other. He felt a tapping on his right shoulder, the drunken Scotsman whirling around to find Shriek grinning at him, a few inches away from his face.

"'Hey, you keepin' up since depth perception dumped ya?" Shriek teased. Demoman snarled, holstering his grenade launcher and taking a swing at Shriek with the explosive caber, but the GRY Freak was already gone. "Wow, one eye really ain't helpin' ya spot me, ain't it?" Shriek popped up on the other side, Demoman taking another swing and missing again. "Too slow, pal! Lay off the drinks, will ya?" Enraged, Demoman began wildly flinging his arms around, trying to hit the speedster Freak, but the little twerp just kept on zipping around him with the speed of a mosquito. Eventually, Demoman was winded beyond belief, panting like a dog in summer heat, while Shriek simply stood in front of him, sporting a stupid smug look on his face. "Never underestimate da speed of sound, cyclopes." Using one last bit of energy, Demoman swung his caber right towards Shriek, but unfortunately, his target ducked out of the way and the dark-skinned bombardier got a mouthful of explosive baton. The rest is self-explanatory.

Sniper watched Demoman soar over their heads, flailing his arms wildly as smoke trailed from his mouth, before ultimately crashing into a tree. The Australian huntsman shook his head, peering down the sights of his standard rifle, getting a good look at Razor shooting at his comrades under fire. The grey garbed look-alike had been taking a few potshots at the others, seeming more like he was just shooting for fun than to actually kill. He was right in Sniper's line of sight, all he needed was to pull the trigger.

"GET DOWN!" Engineer shouted, shoving Sniper to the ground as another wave of rocks shot over their heads. Sniper accidentally pulled the trigger, letting a bullet fly wildly in the air, accidentally shooting a Pootis Bird that had been flying overhead. Sniper growled to himself, crouching low to avoid the bullets and the rock fragments whizzed above his head. Golem had been a pain the entire fight, yanking rocks out of the ground, crushing them into rubble and flinging them at the BLUs with the speed and precision of actual bullets. These guys were smart, nothing like Captain Demo and his clueless crew.

"COME OUT AND FIGHT LIKE MEN!" Golem roared, crushing another boulder between his hands. Just as the geokinetic Freak was about to hurl another mass of bullet rubble, a blue blur appeared in his vision, jumping about and strafing back and forth, gradually making its way towards him until he saw the soles of two shoes come straight at his face. Epic Scout landed both his feet on Golem's jaw, knocking the stone man down and catching Razor off guard.

"Bugger!" Razor swore, pointing his shotgun at the attacker. In the instant Razor pulled the trigger, time itself seemed to slow down for Epic Scout, allowing his inner speed demon to take hold. Landing on the ground, Epic Scout saw everything at less than a snail's pace, from Golem hitting the ground to the very fire of the shotgun. Gotta love Freak Augmentations. In what seemed like an instant, Epic Scout bolted over to Razor and knocked the gun out of his hand, dealing several rapid blows to the GRY Sniper Freak's torso. Razor collapsed on the ground, wheezing from the punches, but just as Epic Scout moved to shoot him while he was down, an ear-rupturing soundwave emitted from a distant source, forcing the BLUs and Epic Scout to cover their ears from the violent assault. After everyone checked if blood leaked from their ears, they all turned angrily towards the source: Shriek.

"Ya might wanna see a doctah if ya still hear a ringing in ya ears." Shriek teased, idly picking his own ear with his pinkie finger. "Then again, when has a little tinnitus hurt anyone?" Epic Scout scowled, drawing his pistols and sprinting towards Shriek as the speedy GRY twit sped away himself. To everyone else, it appeared that a pair of blue and grey blurs were flying about, colliding with each other at speeds no human could properly manage on their own. For Shriek and Epic Scout, time was moving at a snail pace as the two duked it out, with everything else seemingly frozen in place while the two ran at Mach 15.

"Can't catch me!" Shriek teased as he sprinted up the side of a building. Epic Scout followed after him, firing both of his pistols wildly, but Shriek managed to evade every single one of them. Well, actually, Epic Scout outran his own bullets, having simply traveled alongside the Augmented Freak the instant he fired them. Shriek had seen his opponent's folly, and paused to laugh. Bad move, sport. Epic Scout finally had an opening, plucking his own bullets midair betwixt his fingers and flinging them like one would throw knives right at Shriek, the bullets now moving even faster than before and striking the Freak in the legs. Shriek yelped in pain, his two most important parts of his body (next to his hmm, hrr, hmm) now out of commission, he was now aware his momentum had suddenly stopped. Epic Scout reeled back a punch and slammed his fist right in Shriek's torso, delivering a blow that, at normal speeds, would hurt like hell. In this situation, Epic Scout was moving so fast, the single punch went clean through skin, muscle, bone, some fleshy organ, muscle, bone, and finally skin on the other side. Epic Scout finally came to a stop atop the building, allowing Shriek's body (now sporting a new cavity right where the left lung formerly was) to slip off his now bloody hand and fall with a thud onto the rooftop. Epic Scout looked over at his latest kill, the blood leaking from his mouth and the gaping wound, yet the GRY Freak still sported the same smug grin on his face. Spitting onto the building, Epic Scout began his descent down the building to finish off Razor and Golem before the BLUs could bite it. One sweet montage of parkour later, and Epic Scout was on the ground, surprised to see the two other Freaks dead on the ground, sporting sizeable wounds on their bodies. The BLUs were off to the side, hiding behind cover right where he left them.

"Nice work taking care of the GRY Goons." Epic Scout signed his thanks. "Didn't know ya had it in ya to take on Freaks that strong."

"Hate to burst yer bubble," Engineer said, helping Sniper onto his feet. "But we didn't take 'em out." Epic Scout furrowed his brow, not liking the notion one bit.

"Before ya ask," Said a familiar Australian. "I did." Epic Scout whirled around to where the two corpses lay, and saw a rather unwelcome sight slink out of the shadows. A familiar Freak garbed in black, wielding a Tribalman's Shiv in one hand and a Cladheim Mor in the other, both stained in blood, idly stabbing at the two corpses with maniacal glee. Christian Brutal smirked as Epic Scout reloaded his pistols, drawing his own weapon in turn. "You better get ready to die." With one swing, he flung the blade directly at Epic Scout's head…


Author's Note: Well, took us long enough to push this chapter out. But, after a lot of heartache and pushing ourselves forward, we finally did it! We got a couple fights out of the way, some info on how Freak society works, and an introduction to a new arc! What will happen next? And is Christian Brutal Sniper on the side of good this time? Only time will tell! Oh, and one more thing: We love the suggestions for Freaks to be included, but the IDA already has a set list of who will show, so from now on, every time a review involves solely on a certain Freak being requested, they will be BLACKLISTED until further notice. We don't want to do this, but seriously, it's gone past the point of annoyance.

~IDA Official, Head Writer Mask

P.S. Check out Guide to the Multiverse to learn an interesting bit of trivia about Agent Cinder, and keep an eye out for future updates to the IDA's lore and guides


Creative Consultant's Note: We based Golem's fighting style mostly on Earthbending from the TV animated series Avatar. Why? Because we thought it was cool.