Well Chapter 3 is done, here's chapter 4 to place the bombs with Hank and little partnership with M's mercenaries.
So yeah…enjoy and I don't own anything.
Chapter 4: Silent deaths and a 'surprise'
(Somewhere in lab 8)
(Valentine)
Staring down at the vast experimental fields within 8 lab. Many varieties of experiments were being tested of their respected sectors.
While not as extreme as lab 0...it still has some benefits for lab 0's research to get some results…albeit much slower and less efficient as Brain Drain wasn't too please of the pace of this lab. They treat their experiments 'too' kind to get any real breakthroughs.
Crouching atop on one of the roof pipes to observe the area and hidden under the darkness so no one can spot of my location. I found Project: Peacocks room...as she's watching her morbidly, bizarre cartoons from her many T.V screens attached to the wall.
Heading towards Project: Blue Arid, where half of the worthless scientists fond of this worthless experiment. I wonder why or what this experiment made them fantasied by it?
Jumping through pipes to pipes undetected beneath the floor, I eavesdropped on couple of scientists. In precise focus.
"Have you heard of Blue Arid? He came out of nowhere in Lab 8."
"Yeah...he's being kept in the west of here, left side of this sector."
Gathering the valid information within my brain. Project: Blue Arid is at west of here of this facility. So I headed west and see what this 'experiment' is.
Getting closer to my location of the Blue Arid room, I spotted a grey automated door and a glass window to the right to observe this being.
The chamber is in the second floor where they all store their experiments in their cells, stack close together so scientists can observe what they're doing and wouldn't scatter them everywhere to make a hassle.
Landed on the metal floor bridge, I got up to my feet and I look up to see the experiments code number above the door with black bold numbers.
'X-0612634656678' Hearing the scientists correctly by its code number of his room location, it's definitely Blue Arid's experiment room and appears there's no sign of scientists nearby me at the moment.
Turning my attention to the glass window if the experiment is there or not, I observe inside to see the experiment's room and it appears to be a teenage adolescent wet dream of. To clarify, the experiment might be 60% chance to be male by his…'punkish' theme he has. By the many rock band posters plastered on the metal walls surrounded him, piles of junk lying on the ground that's on a dark blue carpet...like rotten food that he never throw out as I spotted some molds landing on some of his unused garbage, which sickens me of his unclean habit and many 'other' junk like discs, books scattered in piles which I wouldn't explain at all as you get the idea. Indicating he's not organized at all.
To my left, his normal size bed that the sheets are white while the blanket is dark blue. There's also a computer standing next to the corner of his bed as more junk discs piles spread everywhere with…action figures of Bolverk squad on the computer counter that the show gotten extremely popular with the teens, in return made the author very famous and wealthy from selling his great, worthless toys to the lowlife adolescence who have nothing better to do but sit down and watch television like the worthless nerds they are.
But I'm getting off topic here, I look around and there's no sign of the experiment-"Are you looking for me BITCH!?" What the-?!
Turning around and act fast on grabbing onto to my Bonesaw…but I was too slow.
*SHEEK!*
A blade pierced through at the top, left of my abdomen, almost missing my kidney area where a course of pain surging through my body where I resist the urge to shout in pain.
Retaining my stoic face, not showing emotions coursing through my expression. Bringing my head up to see what the experiment is that somehow spotted me. He's male, wearing cybernetic armor that resembled to the show I wat-I mean, I heard from that looks like the blue assassin when he faced their green Judas friend. Wearing his chromic metal mask have six red glowing slits, a white scarf wrapped around his mouth to his neck, and a cervical armor that has chromic color like his mask but a tint in the center of his abdomen.
That's doesn't matter now. I've been spotted. Carelessly let my guard down by surprise and he looks like he won't give me remorse or quarter as he has extreme intent to stab me to answer him…*sigh* mission objective: failure and time to abort before I bleed too much.
"Time to maim you and strangle to get some answers from you! Now tell me…who the hell send you?"
Hope he enjoys my barrage of blades passing through this pest.
[AT THE ROOFTOPS: 2 miles away from Hank's apartment]
(Hank)
Lying on the A/C air vent at the top of a nearby building that's close to my dead-drop location, I brought the weapons from this unknown stalker who keeps spying on me yet giving me a hand on special occasions, like giving me money or quietly killing these poor saps that they wouldn't even realized they're going to sleep during this midnight.
Looking out from the vent, I spotted two guards hanging near the alleyway of my dead drop location; I pull out my garrote wire from under my right sleeve and step out behind the A/C where I hid. I approach the two oblivious watch guards who are waiting for their deaths in this midnight breeze as they'll not be missed…probably.
Silently walking where there's no sound producing from my boots. I straighten my wire to keep it untangled as the guy to the right will get the worse treatment than the guy to the left as a bullet will passes through his temporal lobe or his brain pan.
That would be a painful experience for them you know...
Placing my garrote in my right hand and gripping my silent AMT baller in my left hand. I walk up to victim number one where he would react violently when the garrote was around his neck.
In a flash, the stainless wire is now wrapped around his neck. How could that happen?
Chocking out his oxygen supply where he drop his Thompson Gun that he was holding, he wants oxygen so bad that he foolishly grabs the wire that he's being strangled with. If I pull it harder, I would snap his neck into tow, but I like the pleasure of strangling someone that I don't know of.
Just like Nevada all over again!
With quick reflexes that I beat victim number two's peon reaction. I pulled out my 45. ACP pistol and fired directly to the guy's skull where it directly hit at his side of head and giving him a quick death.
Falling down onto the ground bleeding and not moving at the slightest bit, I turn to this guy who's struggling for air. So I simply give him mercy when I fired two times at his parietal aka behind his skull where it surely scramble the insides of his head and not getting back up since he's going to hell with his partner I recently murdered.
Letting go off my wire, the two mobsters lie wasted on the ground and I approach at the ledge of this three-floor building to look down to see another alleyway…but with more disguise mobsters holding guns and seemingly prepared to ambush the delivery guy's ass.
Jebus, M is really notorious with this mafia family? They really wanted his weapons this badly as I see twelve of them crowded together, waiting for the poor dead-drop courier to arrive to be ambushed.
Well these guys are in their luck because they are going to meet the courier...which is me.
Pulling out my dual ATM ballers from my holsters like agent 47, (whoever that guy is) I look down again to see how many of them are located at and positioned…feels like the old times when I infiltrated an A.A.H.W and ended up dueling with Jebus.
Leaping off the two-floor building and dropping onto the concrete ground. Time around me begins to slow down again and my epinephrine glands rush through my bodily system of the urge to kill them fast. Where my visual senses begin to shake uncontrollably everywhere around me as the atmosphere looks hazy and slightly more…shaky.
Surprise of my sudden opening, I open fire of my twin ballers as the .45 ACP bullets penetrated their skulls with extreme precision before all of them can react. Where I saw one got shot right through his heart where he hit the floor, another got capped right in the left eye which slices through his brain inside.
Hearing something click behind me-oh I wouldn't forget about them would I?
Firing my pistols behind my shoulders without looking, my body felt a sudden movement, predicting that four of them are present behind me. I hear the lead breaking through their skulls as they fell onto the ground with a quiet thump, knowing that all of them are lying down.
Finishing at my front and behind surroundings, I heard something to my left ear where I heard a mobster about to talk through his talkie-oh no you don't!
Dropping my pistols on the murky ground, I maliciously charge at him with extreme ferocity like a berserker bull where it first saw its color of blood. I grab onto his jaw as my fingers piercing through his skin to his flesh while blood dripping onto my hands. I tear it right off with ease like tissue paper where more blood went spraying in the air, splattered on my clothing, and saw the man's eyes trembling in unimaginable terror during that time as he can't properly scream in hysteria or in agony when he lose his jaw.
Hearing a click behind me, I immediately grab onto the handle of my blade and throw the Ka-Bar straight out to the source.
Turning my head of where I heard the click, I saw the blade directly landed at the last remaining mobster's throat that was too slow to react fast enough to dodge it. Where his trachea and spinal cord were cut through meaning he wouldn't get up as he dropped the Magnum Revolver he's holding and fell to the ground.
Still holding the victim's jaw, I viscously slam the guy's jaw down at his head where he's down to the ground when his jawbone crack through his skull and the said jawbone is now shattered to pieces in my hand by the savage force I put onto it as it's now a meaty sack.
Seeing the fatality of the man where he lies unconscious on the floor. I stomp down with my boot, crushing the enteritis of his head where his used to be 'head' is now a meaty paste. Not wanting to let survivors witness this or me for that matter.
Taking deep breaths and the adrenaline subsiding. Where that shaky sensation faded, and the slow daze feeling is gone, I look around and all of them lay unmoved. With seven of them having a .45 ACP lead stuck in their heads but one got shot in the heart, one with a knife cutting through his throat, and this guy…faced my brutality.
Walking back to my pistols that I drop previously when I literally ripped the guy's jaw off to make the guy shut up, I picked the Ballers back up from the ground and holstered them back in my belt.
Walking up to the guy that lies decease with the knife poking out at his throat and pool of blood forming around his body. I grab the handle with a swift pull as the open wound squirting out blood from his trachea.
Wiping the bloody knife off with his blue shirt he's wearing, I holstered back to its sheath…now to finish off the job here.
Pulling out the Polaroid picture from my coat, it shows a picture of a boiler room and an x to place it on the center of a huge tank…Hmmm, if I were a boiler room. Where would I be to blow up?
Searching around here to find the door that leads to the boiler room, I conveniently found a basement trapdoor with a lock combination and chains to block my path…oh that's very easy and the wood looks not very sturdy including the hinges a little rusty to hold out long.
Casual strolling towards it, I fiercely stomp on the wooden trapdoor where my inhumane strength broke through the wood as the hinges fell off and the boards fell off.
Going inside the stairs of the basement, only a dim light is glowing here where couple of light-bulbs are on and the inside of this place is the usual basement where bricks walls are everywhere, cobwebs forming, and there are twenty boiler tanks here…yup, definitely a demolition I'm doing.
Pulling the plastic C4 under my coat, I place it in the middle of the tanks. Seeing they'll be a chain reaction and causing a total collapse of this building saloon I'm about to blow up.
We'll that simple-
"YOU! DIE!" My leg immediately instinctively rose up where it ended up hitting the guy's jewels and without thinking, my left arm grabbing his arm that appears he's holding a rusty knife to shank me.
Well looks like I have a camper here and I don't like campers.
The guy spews blood out from his mouth of the intense impact of his precious nut sacks of his from my leg. I grabbed both of his arms, and jumped kicked at his stomach where I felt his arms made a nasty wet*SPLAT!* from being torn by the sheer strength of that kick.
Looking down. He's currently knocked out and he wouldn't see the light of day when he losing this much blood from his messing arms.
Seeing the jobs here is done. I walk back up to the stairs and walk out of the alleyway. I turn around to see the building that's going to collapse is a twelve floor grey building with pink neon lights saying: Gomorrah Steam Hotel…huh, raining Brimstones here aye'?
Surprisingly, this is too simple and very easy…way too easy.
Walking out of the alleyway, I headed towards Mr. M's safe house of what he's doing…including those two odd mercenaries he have.
For some reason…some poor bastard end up walking up and shitting his pants when he witness a scene to another mercenary that I never met to be very morbid and little bit lethal…which I hope I'm joking.
(Somewhere the third dead-drop located at)
(Officer)
Driving on our automobile, we heard gunshots were fired south of this street and an operator on our radio told us of the location of the streets when a nearby neighbor heard the shootout at an alleyway.
So stepping on the gas paddle and my partner in crime near me is getting his revolver ready to arrest the culprit. We possibly might encounter gang violence as the mafia is increasingly high of their activities where no one is safe in the midnight streets.
"So is it another mafia gang activities or another local gang shot outs on the streets?" Don't know. Whatever it is, we will found out sooner or later.
"We'll find out soon, let's just focus on getting to our location so we know what happen." To be honest, I'm sort of panicking right now that we're going to face another shoot out here as I've enough bullet wounds already.
Looking at the sign saying Royal Paganus streets, we stop our car at the side of the walkway where it nears a warehouse full of propane, gasoline, or other flammable stuff and a lit alleyway of here that the operator describe that's the shootout location.
"Here goes nothing." Stopping the car's engine and stepping out in the streets. I pull out my issued .44 magnum colt revolver in my hands, crafted by the Renoir royal craftsmen and police agency to give it a standard norm for regular police officers in self-defense if things went down in a hassle.
"Okay, let's see what happen in the alleyway." Opening up my revolver to check the ammunition where the chamber it is fully loaded, unjammed. I gripped my gun as we hugged to the wall near to the lit crime scene alleyway.
"Count to three: one, two, and three!" Stepping out at the wall and pointing-oh my holy Trinity's vaginas!
The alleyway I'm now seeing is riddled with utter mutilated corpses that I can't tell its humanoid anymore. Where their limbs were ripped wide open gruesomely, the walls were painted in blood, organs, and some intestines. Crushed heads splattered on the walls with their brain cells dripping. Including one poor victim got ripped wide open from his lower torso where his spine and organs left hanging, and another one got a shotgun sticking out from his lower abdomen through his stomach.
Whoever did this is sadistically brutal and don't want to face whoever this person is because I found these murdered victims were holding guns. Deducing that being very close to the suspect wouldn't be very…safe.
"Trinity's mercy! Who the hell did this?!" Hearing my companion said in fearful aversion of disgust when he saw the horrific murder scene here. I told him to calm down which I don't see the killer anywhere. Probably run away or went in hiding when the culprit heard the sirens from us and the scene here looks entirely fresh.
"Calm down rookie. This scene is fresh, so the suspect might be in hiding or on the streets gone already. Otherwise we are already too late here…" Noticing the suspect's not here, it's better to search for evidence than facing the culprit, seeing how 'creative' that he or she made here.
Walking to the gore slaughterhouse scene to find more evidence of what happened here. I saw on the walls written in blood, taunting and mocking at us in a morbid, juvenile sentence: "I FUCK YOUR MOM'S EYE SOCKET!" Including some nonsensical sentences where it doesn't make any logical sense like "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK NO FUCK BOY!" "SLUT SLUT MCSLUT FUCK YOUR BRAIN! MCSLUT WAZ HER!" Indicating that this culprit has some mental 'issues'…most likely a mental disorder of the frontal lobe degeneration or just fucking with us.
Keep observing around here. I found the warehouse door wide open with the chains were broken to pieces.
"Hey Captain. I found something on the floor…it looks like a slice mushroom." Mushroom? Is that a mushroom narcotic?
Looking at his hand of what he means, he hold a small piece of a mushroom-wait I mean I think I heard reports of these events. There's frequent blood, morbid messages on the walls and some mushrooms lying around in the crime scene from few weeks ago…is this the work of the same serial killer?
I wonder why would a serial murderer wanted to go inside of this three-floor flammable storage warehouse that own by the Medici…could it he or she creating a bomb? Well…time to lock-n-load if the criminal is hiding in there or looking for more clues.
I'm having a bad feeling of entering this warehouse, a real bad feeling. Possibility I need to call back up here before I get myself killed.
(Hank)
(Few minutes)
Walking back to M's shop, I found the pick-up truck and the trailer home as it gave a vibe of redneck hillbilly-…um-ness. It maybe own by those two mercenaries I encounter from the bakery.
Ignoring the pickup truck and the trailer, I saw the disguise trapdoor which camouflages the concrete under me…as someone has opened it.
Got nothing better to lose, I drop down where I saw a narrow tunnel path with red bricks; I saw a single dying light-bulb flashing in this narrow, damp tunnel.
I spotted an automatic door in front of me is opened. Meaning the others finished the two 'dead-drops' they placed.
While getting closer to the door to meet up with M, I heard the guy who named himself 'Postal Dude' chatting with Mr. M with extreme gratitude of their payday.
"Well M, it's nice working with you today as Vince really has a good idea of working with you than the other bullshit that I plan on doing-and are you sure this rookie you hired can handle himself?" Hearing dude's voice echoing inside the chamber, I continue to walk and listen.
"Don't worry about him Mr. Postal Dude. He came from the same place I am from and to be honest…he's a little scary including the A.A.H.W where he made a complete massacre in Nevada. If I call it a 'massacre' it's more like a one-man's genocide." Hearing his compliments of my past, I step in to see Dude's holding a briefcase. More likely their paycheck and in the corner…I spotted a peach skin girl who has red, maroon hair including feline ears that matches her hair color including a tail hanging from her crack. Also she's wearing…well she's a bit revealing like Ms. Fortune I encountered in Little Innsmouth but she's wearing a red latex set including the boots reaching to her knees and gloves reaching to her elbows as it has the same color but has a single stripe line going through them including her red latex top revealing her center of her chest.
Also she's slightly…psychotic by telling her wicked smile forming in her lips and she's really…how do I say this nicely, bloody? that's all I can describe as her body is painted in red. liquid.
She's near to the other Latex guy who I think I remember name himself…Wade I think I remember? They're doing this strange 'game' they're playing.
"Okay Slutty Mcslut…count to two: one, two!" The red humanoid feline then ripped Dead Pool's arms and when she ripped her arms. He simply head butted her where she's on the ground almost having a concussion.
"HA! HA! HA! Two slow!" When he said that, his two arms move wiggling on the floor. But then slowly realized he has a little problem that he can't grab his arms, and I realized he has regeneration power which no big surprise for me because that always happen in Nevada with the Nexus Experiments…or Jebus.
Things get a lot stranger.
"Ah…little help Slut?" Hearing his voice need a little help from her, the guy who keep calling her McSlut got up to her feet and place the left arm to his amputated left limb. When it attached back, his ripped flesh begins to regrow back and his arm is now moving again.
"Thanks, anyways. Are we done here Dude? I think my chimichangas back at the bar you own are being poke around by your penguin things from the 'Punk-O-Matic 1 game' that waddling around like stone dickheads or eating my jack shit which I 'really' want to kick their ass for it if they did eat my chimichagas!" Punk-O-matic one…what the fuck is that and what penguins he meant?
"Would you just shut up about them already, Christ I love to kick them out for you but a certain…'someone' doesn't want them to leave my bar. Also, it's a lot less worse we're dealing with than your retarded campaign war against 4Kidz when you picketed near their headquarters saying nonsense crap like owning, censoring or something like that crap." What the hell did he say again?!
Hearing something mumbled to the right. I turn to the noise to see a huge, beef cake guy wearing a…plastic,' medieval times' red suit and holding a huge, ass sword including covered in blood.
Shoving inside his helmet without taking it off, I saw some kind mushrooms in his left hand and endlessly munching them, starting to speak very unintelligible from consuming them.
…
…screw it; I'll ignore them as possible as this is getting very retarded and I need to get M's attentions I'm done with the dead-drop.
Looking around here, this place is entirely made out of bricks but there's many C4s attached to this place, including another door entrance which probably leads to M's other safe house shops he has.
"Sorry to break up the conversation…are you satisfied of your favor Mr. M?" Breaking the conversation between Dude's and Wade's 'past' doings. He heard my voice when I walk silently to them, M then turn his decayed head to me where his sharp toothy grin was showing. Wearing his cloak back on and his stack of weapons behind his back, I notice his piles of weapons behind the bars are gone now which probably been relocated to his new shop.
"Ah! Hank my boy! You are here! Yes I'm satisfied of you and seeing you as a certified legitimate bodyguard to me. Yeah I'm always happy for you to be on board with us since you brought all my mercenaries back. That assignment is little too simple for you…so I'll give you get a more challenging work in the future including my many mercenaries I have in my pockets. Your jobs description will be handled by me while Mr. Postal Dude here will alert you in your little PDA you're going to receive soon. So if you keep working for us, we'll give you more respect and the gears you need. Also, here is your payment. So…welcome to my business as a full member of my many mercenaries." Pulling out a PDA under his left sleeve which the device looks like that Deimos always use. I just shrugged my shoulders and grab the device.
Wait…did he say many mercenaries? Like these four aren't the only ones here?
My train of thought unfortunately interrupted when he pulled out something from his cloak. Where he out a stack of paper Peccas' currency that the Canopy Kingdom uses, where I saw an old man with a menacing umbrella has a number 100 above his head.
"Here's 600,000 Peccas' out of my own generosity since you're new to my operations…to do a little bit of inflation here since the violence in Canopy is a little 'too' high. The 600,000 PEC value is now equivalent to 300,000 U.S dollar's value. So it's a lot of money you got there and Postal Dude over here will alert you when my new shop will be located at along your new job to be assigned from me." Man, this is a lot of money; this will probably keep me alive enough with food or essential needs for three months. Giving me the essentials to live is all I care.
I wonder why he gave me this much money? Is his business really profitable and how the hell he created all the firearms by himself? Someone needs to help him out on crafting those weapons than himself.
"Wait, wait, and wait…-how the hell did you got so many mercenaries here that you mentioned and who the hell is fabricating your weaponry products. You couldn't be the only one who's making them." Trying to point out my reasons that I thought about of how in the world he got this very…influential. Mr. M just shrug his head and still kept his grin at me.
"Oh…you finally notice it. For my mercenaries…well I have associations with them and influence. Mostly with my buying my guns, doing mercenary work, or doing me favors of what I did for them since I'm that…infamous." He kept grinning and spoke in his business like tone like he dealt with many people before who worked for him. But when he empathized 'infamous,' His tone slightly change as if sadistic, knowing if I backstab him. He got many friends that would make my life a living hell and much harder to do my job here.
Yeah…I probably shouldn't mess with this entrepreneur arm merchant.
"And the weaponry part…well that's a secret that I like to be kept alone if you're trustworthy enough." So I must be fully affiliated with him…well I really don't want to bother with that since I don't want to crawl up with his business.
"To continue on, here's a grand finale that'll cause havoc and migraines for those lowlife gangsters!" Pulling out a trigger detonator from under his sleeves, this will cause some chaos above the surface.
(Officer)
As me and Rookie, including a team of police officers behind my back entered this flammable or other explosive related filled warehouse. Our flash lights are searching for the light switch here but it's too damn dark and the switch behind the door isn't there!
Pointing our guns and cautiously not to accidentally fire at this joint or else will be blown to shreds from the propane tanks that are stacked so closed together.
Searching around, I saw a red light and beeping noise-oh no.
Not wanting to think what it is. We pointed our flash lights directly above the highest shelve here and I saw a…plastic C4.
"FU-!"
(Steam Hotel)
"What! Ya' you gotta' be fucking kida' me! Our 20 percent of our profits are gone in the streets and our masses of our gunmen are gone from those two mystery vigilante killers that suddenly roam in the streets and those Egrets top assassin that fucking targeting at us!" Shouting at my piece of shit of phone to my piece of shit Slave Master to talk about our hooker slaves, it didn't go down so well when our shipment got in an ambushed, losing many of our walking profits, and my day just gotten worse from that news.
"Sal ma' man! Just calm the fuck down for a minute, we didn't predict those pricks targeted at us hard and we didn't suspect those assassins came here! So how about beefing the security, not pissing of our gunsmith dealer we force him and-!" Having enough of his crap, I sighed and lay on my leather couch in the suite of this hotel I own. Where I stare at the glass to our piss of crap of a city.
"So we're screwed? No big surprise that the Medici have a lot of enemies swarming on our asses now." Turning my pal Neo who he's a Co-boss like me managing this place. We were in our leather chairs at the top floor of this building, drinking whiskies in our hands and worrying of someone's targeting at us or Medici's having our heads when they hear of these reports we got.
"Yeah, Giovanni is going to get our heads if we keep losing our profits from their new enemies they made-"
(The second dead drop)
"Hey Leo, have you ever heard about these animal mask freaks roaming in our streets? Killing our guys?" While inspecting our firearms that we receive from Mr. M one year ago to check its conditions within the pile of wooden boxes in this secret warehouse. I talk to my co-worker about rumors of animal mask killers assassinating Medici's numbers real fast.
The place we're located at is pretty abandoned in the factory, industrial district but disguises itself of the urban decay around here so no one suspect that this is a weapon storage facility for the family.
Talking to my call worker, there are rumors that animal masks and clown mask assassins appeared two weeks ago and slaughtering our men.
"I don't know Markus. Those are just rumors and don't get me started that they ride a colorful vehicle and-"
(Hank)
*BOOOOOOM!*
Feeling M's underground lair is shaking and hearing a soft boom from the outside. There will be probably a lot of sirens coming out soon and a lot of screaming like this is a terrorist attack.
"Well that's my cue to live here so shoo! Our businesses here are over and just lie low until Postal contacts you on that PDA of yours." As M waving his right hand at us to leave this place as it'll blow up soon. He walks inside that second open door passage as he quietly closed the brick door.
"Well this part of this scene is done. So let's get the hell out of here before the Law gripping on our asses. Red Baron! Mcslut! Get your shit together so we can leave!" Turning to see Postal Dude walking out soon to be blown up safe house, his gang of three weirdoes yet dangerous followed up behind him when they heard his call and the one that Wade called 'Slutty Mcslut' insulted me in a very morbid imagery.
"See yeah penis head fuck nut! I'll rape your two bitch friends of yours if they're alive!"
…
…How the fuck she knows that Sanford and Deimos are dead?
I really want to interrogate this cat who presumed have mental issues but she 'really' has a bad vibe around her, like a real bad vibe like she can literally take on Taliban Terrorist alone and having a terrible vibe from her if I pissed her off enough.
"Oh and Hank," While walking and climbing out of M's safe house with Postal Dude where his head turn to me and twirling a pair of scissors in his fingers tips which is covered in blood. He told me where they usual hang out.
"If you want to see us…personally, come at our bar at west, north of here. 1 mile away in Loyal Atlantis Street, the boozes are free since you're now working with him. Just don't mind the penguins waddling around in there, the Irish bartender who's always drunk, and that yellow prick spraying at my place that asshole Michael letting him running free in the streets for the shits of it. So see yeah and hope you enjoy punk music when you get there because my place is blaring with punk music." Spotting the Dude's is not into his joyful mood he's in for some reason. He and Wade just walk inside the truck as we're outside this murky alleyway and the other two walk inside the beat-up trailer home.
When the door opened in the driver seat, a pit-bull terrier ravenously, aggressively bark at me where it restrained by a leashed tied by the stirring wheel like he wants to bite my legs off like he has rabies in him.
"Wow Champ! Settle down boy…you can bite his ass until he decided to be a fucking dick. So calm your ass down." Grabbing the dog's collar what I deduce that this is Postal Dude's dog, the dog name Champ then suddenly went calm when he heard his voice along threatening me if I pissed him off enough.
Getting on the Driver's sit and closing the door, the truck's engine humming to life where Dude's turn his head to me one last time before he leaves.
"Remember, my bar-west, north-Loyal Atlantis Street, with the usual asshole who keeps vandalizing my bar or call us if you need help on that PDA...just Roy doesn't drink all the damn booze." When he repeat his location of his place he owns, he drove away where I only hear him whispering at the last sentence which been blocked by the screaming and sirens filling the air around this alleyway with the ambulance, fire-trucks, and police cars rushing through the streets including the screams of hysteria drumming my ears.
What odd people I met…this trend I'm having never ends doesn't it?
Well it likes time to go home and get some rest of new part-time job here, finish my contract with Marie, and having this new PDA and money from Mr. M.
The Highers' and my luck is probably doing me some favors…for now.
Walking out the ally and now strolling to the sidewalks that I'm few yards away from M's safe house. I then heard a boom and the ground shake including with more panic but I just casual strolling on like I don't give a damn at all.
Ignoring the rush of people who are now outside to witness the destruction of the buildings, I finally reach to my apartment complex.
Home sweet home, now to watch the news of this event, eat some pie, clean myself, and sleep for tomorrow.
Walking up the stairs and going to my apartment room number. I notice Jolly Matt's room is empty…probably he vacated this place like a pussy he is. But for some reason, I don't see fear in his eyes. I mean it; he doesn't authentically feel intimidated of my actions.
Also two, he has a gang of people inside his apartment but they disappeared like thin air when I first look inside his room when I unhinged his wooden door down. Including the room inside is only dust, darkness, and utter decay as bugs squirming inside there like this room never been owned at all or the owner never acknowledge this apartment room number.
Finally third, the wooden door is now fixed and a note attached…with some blood. Whoever this is, probably someone hates Matt like me since he is a complete douche to me for some reason that I don't know why?
Decided to open and have some laughs of whose targeting Matt, the laughter just died down for me when I read the letter.
"So enjoyed your fucking good day you have here with your new job, your new shitty PDA, or your butt load of cash asshole? You really pissed me now, I did this out of my kindness of those stuff you got but you fuck yourself up real hard son, you selfish ignorant asshole. Next time you threaten me in this room. Oh you are so screwed and I'm going to make your day worse where everyone's hunting your ass down simultaneously and see you constantly getting resurrected and dying, over and over again.
So one more warning…piss me off, your day wouldn't be so pleasant for you or us of what you are thinking as you're going to take the hard route with us Hank. So if you want to make this smooth for your jackass adventure, just bear with me since I'm fucking bored out of my mind of this place.
Again dickhead dipshit, this is your last warning-by Jolly Matt.
P.S
I'm dealing with she-bitches, discussing our 'contract' with them of our game as I'm more somber now. So don't piss me off when I come back because I'm not in a good mood when I deal with those jackasses.
For a second, I thought this punk is making a goddamn bluff but seeing the seriousness and a bad vibe in my spine. I think he isn't joking and the random, odd sensation of that pacifism I had before giving me a clue that he isn't the usual punk ass I perceived, something more devious than that.
For the second I thought his one of the Highers who ambiguously resurrects me and giving me notes of advice that save my ass back in Nevada. Could he?
Nah…he's not one of the Highers', also probably not the Krinkels who always stalking me and this is definitely a bluff he made.
For some reason again, I'm feeling I'm eating my own words when I said that.
Shrugging that terrible feeling of reading that 'bloody' note, I walk inside and calm myself down by eating some leftover dark chocolate pie in the fridge including some Milk I bought while walking in the afternoon.
Dropping my belt in the floor and hanging my coat in the hanger to reveal my bandages and my brace, I walk over the fridge and opening the door up to see the whiskies I placed, I grabbed the pie container to get myself a slice and pouring the cardboard carton of milk on a cup of glass on the kitchen counter, where this apartment have kitchen wares inside the dishwasher, saving me some time of not going out to buy myself kitchen stuff from a local store which I careless.
Sitting down and eating my midnight snack on the table. I drank the milk to wash the sweet, bitterness of the pie in my mouth. After that, I got up and washing the dishes in the sink so I wouldn't clean them up when I wake up in the morning.
Casual moving to my bedroom to wash myself up, the wooden closet I had which I broke it to set free Mr. M inside, the closet is sort of my improvise weapon storage arsenal. Where I put my Katana, Sanford's hook, the Micro-Uzis, and the AA-12 so I wouldn't carry all my crap and weighing me down by the weight.
Removing my mask, my goggles to place it on the wooden drawers near the T.V, I stretched and yawned out to wake myself up to shower and watch some T.V.
Highers, I'm tired.
(Valentine)
Feeling the world around me turning bleak, my vision begin to blur to do the damn blood-lost I'm dealing with when I got stabbed by that Blue Arid project when my guard is down. I need medical attention STAT!
Oddly, he looks like that cartoon character from that animated show I occasionally wa- I mean, I heard from and he looks really resemble to that character, but in a unpleasant manner.
Now I'm forgetting myself, I'm bleeding to death, let my guard down where I failed my assignment, I don't have enough time to reach Dr. Angela and Medic (which are my former suppliers that I visit them a lot before my squad got killed by those two abominations) pharmacy clinic to patch me up before I go out-cold. Now my only option is…to go to the 'candidate' Hank's apartment which got Marie's interest on him that's not too far here.
I would be scolding myself of that decision, but I'm bleeding to death…just hope he knows his medical 101 before I start regretting of coming to his home.
(Hank)
Lying on the bed and in my boxer since no one is in my apartment. I watch some television channels to drain my energy to let me sleep.
"We have major reports that multiple bombing destroyed several Medici properties as these are terrorist attack-"
I watched the news where the reporter Rachel Wong calling out this a 'terrorist' attack...but it isn't more than to harassed the Medici and destroying their private properties.
*buzz!*
"Annie and the star-" No, I'm not into that kid show.
*buzz!*
"So that's the news of your horny entertainment-and order yourself your Shadman weekly magazines of your twisted sexual urges and pin-ups today, so furthermore. We watch you fap…also Dave, how's Lemming treating you?" A purple haired girl who's in a strangely modern News room of hers which consist of a blue urban city background behind her, a wide television screen that set near right above her head. Inside the screen, an edgy drawn magazine with a wicked illustrated skull covered in the front page and big, bold words written in blood above it called the 'Shadbase weekly.'
Bottom of the screen to the left side is the News Channel's name, ZTV news. As the girl with a curl pony tail hair, a cartoon skull on her left side of her head hanging with a blue color carve atop of it, and a purple sweater coat to reveal her shoulder and slightly close to her chest.
She's pale and have blue eyes, including a cocky, bitch personality when she 'torture' her cameraman name Dave by this Lemming where I heard…gurgling sounds and monster sounds, including hearing…slimy tentacles.
…this is getting disturbing real fast and I don't even want to know what happens next.
"FUCK YOU ZONE-TAN *MURRPH!*" Not knowing what happen, I just change the channel.
*buzz!*
"XERO! KARY! Cover Askad's back while he hacks at the mainframe of the terrorist networks!" The Bolverk squad show is up, the-wait; did that red guy say Xero to that blue guy? Is that a coincidence?
When the illustration pop-up in red telling me this is the start of the episode, I saw the 'author's' name which is Xero with a (Xionco) besides it…so that blue punk is the creator of this show. Is he really that egoistic as he name himself of one of the character to show off? But again, something tells there's a deep meaning in this show that Xero I encounter never told me about since I never asked him?
Wanting to watch of his anime like show he made, the story got interesting as the green girl name Kary holding many green hot orbs around her when she killed someone as she blasted away the many masked criminals and the Xero which that douche name that character of himself (oddly enough, they sort of look and act similar) but less of a prick since this is a aim to teens.
Watching this show which is really interesting as the art style and the story really grips me. Not realizing that time had passed by, no wonder that this show got so popular when I heard chatter from the many teens on the streets. Like wow, Xero really outdone his show as I'm really engaged since that's rare for me since the special effects, the quirky characters, and the style really made me-
*Tap!* *tap!* who the hell is tapping on my window-holy fucking Christoff!
Turning to my window, is that Nurse again from the church where she tried to manipulate me! But she's bleeding out as hell where I saw her gripping her left side of her nurse dress which stained of her own blood.
Making a decision if I help her or leave her to die since she tried manipulated me, but seeing she's with Marie and the only person who's going to help out my assignments from her. It's the best decision to help her out of my own circumstance.
Sliding the window wide open, she fell on the bed, out-cold to do the lack of blood in her systems which I must act fast before she dies on me.
Thank God I took on Krinkels' warning and advised.
Properly placing her on my bed, I quickly grab the alcohol in the fridge to clean the wound and the bandages to block the bleeding in the bathroom. Including found some wire threads and a needle that somehow conveniently stored in the bedroom cabinet. Time to have some medical procedure here!
Feeling this will get a little perverted and she probably going to kick my ass for it if she's awake and know about it. I open her gown to see the wounds in her torso including her…chest-which she isn't wearing a goddamn bra! As they bounce-okay, now my mind is getting off track and getting straight up juvenile here.
Ignoring her chest before I get a hard on and trying not to stare at them as she'll probably going to die if I'm not focus, I saw three laceration wounds stabbed in her upper torso and blood gushing out real fast from her wounds.
Placing the sewing needle at her open flesh, I snitch up the wounds very carefully and tediously so I wouldn't rip her skin and accidental misplace the needle; I then applied the whiskey on her wounds to disinfect any pathogen cells so she wouldn't die from infection where I rub her upper stomach (this getting awkward for me) to spread the alcohol and little bit…erotic.
Resisting the bullshit hormones running rampant in my mind and focusing on treating her wounds, I then applied the bandage rolls where I pick her up and start wrapping around her upper abdomen and her back so the sewn wound wouldn't spill blood.
Tightening the bandage, now she's fully patched up but still out cold from the blood lost while travelling.
She really fucked up her assignment real bad ah? By telling she got stabbed three times…I taught she's a complete badass in my eyes but now that respect just died when she failed on one job, on one simple job!
Laying her on my bed where her blood staining on my red bed sheet, she's completely nude expect for her black panties making this a really awkward scenario. I wonder how the hell she knows where I live...or a second thought, maybe that monster nun thing just told her where I live which that's a high likelihood that would happen.
Now where the hell I'm going to sleep on-
*BEEP!* BEEP!* Turning around to see my alarm clock beeping, I then realized I stayed up of my entire sleep where I didn't realized that time passed by me when I'm doing my improvise surgery on her.
And the time is 6:50 AM, God damn it. Now I'm going to be tired as hell when I'm working!
Before I can shower, wash Valentine's outfit before she wakes or else she's really going to kick my ass thinking I raped her, get my trench coat from the hanger to head outside, I heard knocking from the door-and who the hell is calling me during this morning?
Walking out my bedroom with the hospitalized nurse in my bed that's completely nude and only wearing black panties, I hope the visitors don't come inside my bedroom or things will get…weird.
Closing my bedroom door so the visitors wouldn't see the Nurse Assassin that's technically nude at the moment, I grabbed my coat from the hanger so they wouldn't entirely see my bandaged body. I turn the door knob of who's knocking at my door…with a Silenced Baller pistol under my coat if they're assassins.
Opening the entrance up to see who's the stranger knocking my room. There are not one but three anonymous visitors at my door that I never encountered along having some…unique individual qualities of each of them.
One in the left has blonde hair, a gray trench coat, and a voice that sounds overly laid backed tone he made when he spoke.
"Hi there…Um, I'm Sean. Do you know where's Jolly Matt and Michael is? We're about to do an interview about their game. But they don't seem to be here." When this guy spoke, other strangers whom I presumed are interviewers for Matt's game has…no eyeballs are present, only a scorched burn.
"Yeah we got their address here but where are they...oh and I'm 'Smith' by the way." Turning to the guy name Smith, another one spoke but…he has walrus face. I mean it literally, he really 'has' a walrus face with goggles and a top hat to make him look very goofy. By the way, he spoke in a British accent (..or was it Australian, I can't tell?) making him a lot strange as ever.
"Yeah, we're going to talk about their game mechanics and gameplay this day of their new alpha build. But can you tell us where are they and what are they doing lad?" Oh jeez, how the hell I'm going to explain to these odd fuckers. Like what, they're dealing with someone that I have no clue of whatsoever. Do I think I know where they are or what they're doing?
"Look...guys. I don't where the hell are they but they mentioned they're dealing with someone that I don't know-" Before I can speak any further, the guy name Smith suddenly thanks me.
"Got it, I know where they're going when you said 'dealing' with those girls…so let's go guys." When I about to ask how the hell they know so suddenly, the Walrus guy then throw something on the floor which a bright light came and stinging sound came to my ears!
Fucking Christoff, why the hell they throw a Flash Grenade!?
When my senses return to normal and came back where the light faded away, they were gone.
Jebus fucking Christoff! I'm really dealing with weirdoes every!
(Lab 8)
(Peacock)
"AHHH! FUCK ME!" Opening my multiple 'eyes' in my metal arms, I heard that prick screaming at top of his lungs.
Arghhh! What the hell is that blue headed douche screaming in six in the morning! My parasite buddy Avery who was sleeping in my hat, woke up where my green cartoony companion open the hatch of my purple top hat lying next to the wooden counter near to my cloth hammock.
"*SQUAK!* what the hell is that asshole screaming?! He knows he's ruining my damn beauty sleep of our day off!" Yeah Avery! Why the hell is he yelling in the middle of morning!
"*arggh* Trinity's damn, what the hell is that damn blue cartoonist screaming about!?" Hearing Andy yawning and stretching his arms, his anvil body gets a morning wake up this early.
"Whatever he's in…it's probably not good boss." Jeez Tim, you really sympathized for that blue ninja prick?
Ignoring all of them complaining this early, I removed all my blindfolds on my robotic arms (Which the eyes attached to it that resembled to peacock feathers which are literally my vision since I don't have eyeballs) and check on whatever the fuck is he complaining as I stretched my back and yawn to wake myself up in this early of the morning.
Getting out my sleeping quarters in my room, I step out in my light-purple pajamas with my Annie with the Stars' Sagan Slippers which I'm a huge fan of that show than Xero's badass cartoon that's sort of overrated for me.
Hearing the noise coming from the medical quarter far left here in this hallways, I go to see the asshole yelling about which giving me a migraine and a bad mood!
As the automated door lifted, I hear tons of screaming which really fucking hurting my ears!
Inside the Medical quarters is your typical, generic clinic and emergency room if you need surgery. As tons of bed stack in rows which are currently empty, white walls everywhere with posters saying optimistic, propaganda stuff which they are they're in fact lies, white tile floors including some blood stains, and other bunch medical mumbo jumbo that I careless to explain.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH ALL THE SCREAMING YOU DOUCHE!" Checking on Xero's ruckus what made him cry like a bitch in pain, I then found out why he's crying like a bitch out in the halls.
There's Xero. sitting on a chair in his armor, (which the anime cartoon he made is real and a goddamn biography of his life that really surprises me) and he's riddled with bunch of scalpels in his entire body as Lleum (which here limbs made out of those weird pink appendage things on her body, a white face mask with a red cross on her forehead, green long hair, and bunch other weird crap that I don't want to explain) pulling out the sharp medical knives riddled every on him while Stanley the Talking Shark Scientist, discussing to the blue prick of what happened but was interrupted by me.
"Ah! Peacock! Good morning to you and we're discussing what happen-" But the blue shark just got interrupted by that asshole, yelling in anger of my sight here…since we sort have a rivalry of who's the best killer and who can be the fucking boss, and I don't like it that he's taking my spot!
"What the fuck are you doing here you ginger day walker!" Oh that insult again you always use. Oh I'm really going to enjoy kicking your ninja ass after this!
"Shut the fuck up you Weaboo asshole! I'm just having a fucking conversation with Stanley here for once but you just ruin the mood!" When I said that, Avery helped along with me to taunt and piss off this prick.
"Fuck you of ruining our happy moment you nerd! How about you crawl back to your computer and being the nerd you are!" Yeah! Like the nerdy asshole you are!
"THE FUCK YOU SAY BITCH!?" Getting up from his chair and twitching in pain of the scalpels on him, his nerd rage is rising and I'm going to show him how I'm the best along beating the crap out of him!
"That's right! We said you are a nerd and-" Before I can continue taunting and marching to Xero to shove my supremacy over him. Two hands appeared between us as Ileum pink appendages stretched to shove our chest away from each other and spoke to her usual, monotone yet tick tone because of our usual daily hatred between us.
"Peacock…Xero. We don't have time of your petty squabble, strife and your superiority between you two that I don't understand why of all the fuss? We have an infiltrator within our facility as she injured Xero and we must know what happen so we can report to Dr. Avian to alert the entire staff in lab 8." Wait we have a spy enter our home? Well that's not good and why didn't you say so? We can kick some ass and chew bubblegum as we get ready of whomever this assassin' friends come to our turf!
"Why didn't you say so!? Go ahead Nerd! I want to know that scumbag looks like so we can kick some ass!" Getting excited to get some action here. Stanley and Lleum shook their heads in disagreement as they want a more 'smarter' plan than mine which they're being bunch of pussies.
"Um Peacock? There are a lot of scientists here that aren't combat ready. We need to discuss safety and report to Avian first so we can evacuate all the scientists before mayhem will rain here." Ah come on that's not fun at all! Where's the gun blazing?! Where's the action!? Like what the point of thinking around then take arms-
"Master Xero? I got take out from Mr. Yu-Wan's restaurant and it's your favorite dish that you always like. Also why are you screaming-oh no, MASTER XERO! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Knowing too well who's behind me of that familiar voice who always visit our lab to meet this blue headed douchebag and calling him 'master' which is awkward like she's into those 'BDSM' things that would rub the wrong way to certain people.
If you don't get it, it's Enid. In which Xero is her legal guardian slash mentor thing. As she kept her same hair style as her bangs covered one of her ember, orange eyes. Have that white scarf wrapped around her neck, purple shirt, jeans…and all that which she's all casual.
Oddly, we get along pretty well as she stays away from my business and not into fighting which makes her really boring. She sometimes be very passive about us but if it's something that irks her, she'll be bat shit aggressive.
"Oh hey Enid, you stumble at our home at a very bad moment…so, what's up Enid?" Grabbing a carrot that I randomly pull out under my hat for the shits n' giggles to empathize the situation here while she's worried for Xero, I-
"Oh sweet Trinity's fucking sake, why the fuck are you making that cartoon parody you watch as you realized we're in deep shit that someone's targeting at us!" Oh for fuck sake Xero! You really don't have any damn sense of humor in you! What are you, a crusty ass geezer?
(Xero)
Ah Jesus Christ, Enid visited me at a bad time where she holds a paper bag containing my breakfast dropped on the floor and rush at me in complete wariness of me. I don't blame, I raised her up and she's more of my child then a student pupil where she's sees me as a father to her.
"Master! Who did this to you?" Please don't say master in front of my associates that I'm living with…they think we have a 'really' strange relationship between us.
And no-I'm not that fifty shades bullshit.
"Enid can you please don't say 'master' in front of these people. It makes it awkward for us as they still think in a wrong way." Pointing my finger at these odd fucks I always deal with in this lab. They know the word master 'means' which I'm her teacher. But it still makes them uncomfortable.
"And the wounds I got? Well…we have an infiltration spying on us. I found that Nurse that's not-fuck how to say this? Well…not modest in slightest ways. Where she spying at my room, grab her and stabbed her. Then tried to squeeze any information out of her but she throw a fucking barrage of knifes at me and she escaped!" Calmly explaining this to my pupil of explaining of what happen here. Stanley then jolted of what I said and fear ring in his mouth.
"Uh…what hair color is this nurse?" What is he being a perverted when I describe her? But hearing his serious, dreaded tone. He's not joking about of what her description is to jackoff.
"Well she has blue hair. What's this about Stanley?" When I said blue haired, he just panicked more like he knew this would happen.
"Oh no, no, no…how could a Last Hope member spying in our lab since we're working for lab 0 unless…Trinity's salvation! I think lab 0 defecting on us and label our lab as liability!" What the fuck is he talking about now?
"Stanley…would you say it slowly and explain it in more simplified English? Because I don't even understand half shit what you said!" What Lab 0 defecting on you and what liability you meant?
As the giant blue shark calm his balls down before he starts jittering in fear of this news I mentioned. He explained more intelligible to us.
"Well hearing you mentioned a nurse and who has blue hair that infiltrated our lab you described. It could be a Last Hope member which they're elite agents, scientists, and assassins who are working under lab 0's rules as their elite black operatives. Although I never seen and heard one of them…only rumors they're bunch of nurses working for Brain Drain. But seeing they infiltrated lab 8. That means we're targeted as liability where we'll be executed seeing Brain Drain lost his patience with us!"
Hold up a sec…you're telling me that your boss and the lab 0 whatever are targeting at us? That's bullshit! Why the hell they're executed their own researchers for a main purpose!?
"Are you shitting me?! Why the fuck they decided to kill us off as we have a same common ground to kill the Skullgirl!?" Wanting more answers of this shark that's being a complete pussy. He just thinks of some theories of why they're pre-planning to attack us.
"Well seeing we're the only lab that uses the Hippocratic Oath and slightly gentle with our experiments. Lab Drains seems upset of our slow progress. So he may decide to kill us off for the lack of patience or something went terribly wrong with the Last Hope as one is being defected or don't like us at all. That's some ideas I got!" Stanley raising his hands in defense that he's not a defected spy or a reason not to beat the crap out of him. I hear the logic out of his words that something is up with the 'Last Hope' crew that the Anti-Skullgirls lab that the workers whisper about being elite assassins.
"It seems you're trouble Master. I might as well help you out of your crises that the lab is facing as I'll assist of your troubles of the turmoil you're in." Enid, are you really being serious about helping me out!? You have a job during the week days!
"Enid you have a life here. Don't waste that precious normality that this world has. Like will the workers be suspicious that you're missing out work and who's going to watch along having security of that sweet shop you been hired?" When I made that comment that made me worried of her including her safety since she's the only who's close to me as a relative. She countered my grievance of her joining alongside with me of our conflict that this lab is facing.
"Well don't worry, I'll call out I have a 'issue' back home including put up my vacation weeks if this get longer of what I expected. Also for the cashier and security position, I know someone will substitute my role. And do be honest, the guy who's looking for work…is really, how do I say…really attractive. He might as well attract a lot of female customers of his presents." So the guy's hot, no big surprise. Just hope he doesn't get close to Enid or else I'll rip his balls off if he harms her!
"Also don't mine my safety. Remember you train me in combat Master. Including the knowledge of your passed away Bolverk Squad." Yeah that's kind of true…well you convince me of both of those problems. You might as well join in.
"Oh Enid, you said about my breakfast? Where's it though?" When I said about my breakfast, Enid just both of her hands over her mouth and looking behind that she realized…she dropped my food and it's leaking out from the paper bag.
*Sigh* this is going to be a rough day for me…
(To be continued)
Well that's the end of the chapter…so see yeah later.
Here's the people I mention that came from their respected series.
Postal Dude-Postal
Slutty McSlut-Sex kitten Adventure
Red Baron-by Mindchamber and FrostedMuffins.
Dead-you know Marvel right?
Also I might lay off this story for now as I'll be little more focus on writing the other stories I have. I think i'm losing my interest in this story since I have no self-restrained here.