"These bodies were found in locations that law enforcement officers found you at. A man impaled on a statue. A girl's body found in the ocean. Half a man in the forest. The most recent incident was an explosion high above the city a few nights ago. Explain these deaths to me Walker. What's been going on?" The man asked tossing the photographs onto the table.
"John, just tell the truth" Barkhorn whispered to the boy.
"These guys were once part of my old unit, we were sent on secret missions. Just ask Commander Minna! She has the documents!" He shouted at the man. "They came back to kill me! They were brainwashed into thinking I had betrayed them! There was nothing else I could do!" John Continued, the man threw a punch and stopped John from screaming.
"John!" Barhorn shouts attempting to help but being anchored to her chair she is useless.
"No need to raise your voice. Now, explain to me how they got these burns. What happened to their bodies?" The man asked.
Spitting out some blood John begins to respond. "The core, they had some reverse engineered generator on their chest like mine." He said. The man pulls out a knife and cuts John's shirt open before he can continue.
"So this is what it looks like." He said putting the tip of the knife on the metal. "So what does this thing do?" He asked tapping the knife against it. The two start to get even more nervous.
"It's… a magic generator. It's built to keep metal shards from getting into my heart and killing me." John said.
"But that's not all it can be used for… is it" the man smiles. "All the burnt bodies… The power this thing holds…" He begins but then sees the suspicious look Barkhorn is giving him.
"I don't think that the Captain has anything to add to this conversations. Detain her somewhere else for now." He says. The MP's walk over to her and re-cuff her before escorting her out of the room.
"Alright, let's continue." The man begins.
"I think I have heard enough" A voice from the shadows states. The Man spins around looking for where the voice came from. Suddenly his arm is twisted and his knife taken from him. The knife is thrusted into him and he is pressed to the ground. The MP that was still in the room ran over to protect the man but his face was grabbed by an invisible force and he was thrown to the ground. The smell of burning flesh begins to fill the air as a molten arm comes into view. The intense orange heat connects to a hand that is pressing into his face. The man struggles and his muffled screams are barely audible. The arm disappears as the orange glow fades and John believes he is now alone.
"What the fuck is going on" John says to himself but it only comes out as a whisper due to his fear.
"John. You didn't think I was going to let these guys kill you. I just needed to get you alone." A stranger's voice said.
"Who's there" John asked the air and waited on a response. Suddenly a man materialized from the shadows and approached him. The man was muscular and wearing a military uniform. He had medium length silver hair and intense blue eyes.
"Don't you recognize me John? It hasn't been that long" He said pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting it with a flame that materialized from his hand.
"General?... is that you" John asked.
"Ding ding ding. First try. Well done, you always were a smart kid John" The General said.
"What did you do to yourself" John asked.
"Isn't it obvious, I'm reaping the harvest of what I've sown. All the Hounds I created, they were great tests for what was to come. I have transcended and become the ultimate soldier. The Hounds, they were good, you… oh you were very good" The General said grabbing John by the hair and blowing smoke into his face. "But now I'm the best. You had so much trouble trying to fight them… now I'm all of them. Strength of a beast, fire of the gods! And the kicker, Sandman's gas running through my blood not allowing me to feel pain. If only Burn had this stuff, He wouldn't have felt the fire at all." He said as John began to grind his teeth.
"Oh, you probably didn't know that. Burn felt every flame, I have to say he was able to control himself very well. What an intense pain." He said.
"Why are you here? What do you want from me?!" John shouted. The Generals eyes glowed blue and he punched John to silence him.
"Ha ha ha! This is why you're so good! Last time I punched a guy like that I broke his neck! You're a great soldier" He shouted at the boy
"You're… insane" John said spitting out more blood.
"Would an insane man be at the front of a new age of warfare?! I am the new age of warfare! You made the witches obsolete, don't you see. The witches were weak because their magic could not protect them like us. They were limited by their bodies, they were limited to what their bodies could withstand. We reinvented out bodies through technology! We were reborn." He continued, his eyes becoming insane and wide as he spoke.
"Reborn… How were you reborn?! I went through death and earned my new life. I have been put through so much shit. You… what have you done." John questioned the man.
"Who would you be without me? Just a nobody farm boy. Without my intervention in your life would be nothing. Another orphan. I am just as much your father-" The General stated as John tried to jump from is chair. The general kicked him in the chest to sit him back down. Coughing even more John tried to continue.
"You… You aren't anyone either. No one knows about what we've done. It's all be under wraps." John said.
"Not yet. But after today everyone will know. It will be a new world order. A world under one ruler." He smiled an evil grin.
"You really think you can unite the world. That's a laugh" John said.
"Not unite. I'm going to end the war… and take over the ashes that remain" He said.
"You really think you can end this war. You really have gone insane. The witches have been fighting for years and haven't been able to turn the tide. What makes you so different? A little fire? A new face?" John asked in a cynical manner.
"I would tell you but that would ruin the surprise. On another subject you did notice my new body. This is my rebirth. Mirage was such a good test." He smiled.
"So you wasted her life to research how to gain a younger body." John said disappointed in what he was hearing.
"Exactly. All tests. They were the final results of so many tests. They all relatively worked, I just needed to field test them." He gloated.
"But they all failed to defeat me" John said.
"Did they? They failed to defeat you but was that their mission? No. they were sent to demoralize you" he said looking at John with a crooked face. " I was able to make you kill all of your old friends. How does that make you feel? Huh… kind of shitty doesn't it?" he asked the boy, john just looked down at the ground. Not wanting to look at the man.
"That's what I thought. You've already lost this war John. I'll be waiting for you at the dawn of my new world. You'll know where to find me." He said as his body began to disappear into the shadows.
A few minutes ago in the hallway the MP had just stepped out with Barkhorn. The cuffs are cold against Barkhorn's wrists. She attempts to pull them apart by grasping on them and pushing her arms away from one another. The officer sees this kicks into the back of her leg to get her to stop.
"Don't tire yourself out, those were built by witches in order to detain witches. You aren't getting out of those without these" he said holding up the keys.
"So your saying I can't use my magical strength to break out of these cuffs?" she questions the MP.
"Exactly" he responds with a smug grin.
"We'll see about that" She whispered to herself as she stopped and the MP bumped into her back.
"Hey what are you-"he began before being kicked in the stomach. Barkhorn had wound up her leg and without looking landed a devastating powerful kick to the MP. He is sent back down the hall and lands on his back. In the haze he reaches for his gun but it is kicked away from him. Looking up he sees Barkhorn's angry face.
"The cuffs weren't the only thing I have to break" Barkhorn said as the man looks at her in terror, she raises her boot and kicks him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Barkhorn bent down and grabbed the dropped keys, using them to unlock herself. Grabbing the MP's gun she made a dash down the hallways back to John so she could rescue him. As she got closer she could smell something burning. Kicking in the door all she could do was gasp at what she saw. John was hunched over in his chair and there were bodies on the ground. One was stabbed and the other was burned. She could only expect the worst.
"John, John please be alright!" She said running over to him, dropping the gun with a hard thud against the wood floor.
"Barkhorn?" he asked in a daze, John felt his bonds being undone.
"God damn it, you're bleeding even more than when I left. What happened?" she asked.
"The General… he came back" John said.
"How did he get in? What the hell's going on?" She asked herself as she helped John get to his feet.
"The Magic… He used it on himself. He used it to sneak into the base. We need to stop him" John said breaking away from the girl.
"Yes. Let's get the others and come up with a plan of attack" Barkhorn said.
"I already have one. I had a feeling a day like this was coming" John said looking over his shoulder at the girl. His blood covered face almost frightened Barkhorn.
In the hanger John pulled a tarp off of a large bulky object. Barkhorn was taken back at the finished project that John had been working on.
"It can't be…" Barkhorn said to herself. The large suite reminded her of the Warlock, it was a black full body striker unit. The armor was a force in itself visually.
"This is the only thing that will be able to stop him. It takes magic from the user and converts it into a shield on its own, strengthening its armor." John said.
"Is it safe?" She asked him.
"I have tested the jets and they do not drain the user. So they are safe. The weapons work well and the strength it enhances in the user is fantastic. The shields work well also… but." John said.
"But what?" Barkhorn asked.
"I haven't field tested if they all work at the same time… their drain may be a bit too much." John said. Barkhorn looked at it for a moment then looked at John.
"I can't let you pilot that thing. It's too dangerous." She told him.
"No! I need to do this! You need to let me pilot it. People will die!" He screamed at her. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall.
"You will die if you fly that thing! I won't let that happen! There has to be a safer way!" Barkhorn shouted. Tears began to build up in her eyes as she dug her fingers into his shoulders.
"Barkhorn…" John started.
"It's not worth it… you can't just throw your life away in a stupid leap of faith." She said.
"Alright… we'll find the others and get a plan together." He said as they walked back into the hallway. Walking along side Barkhorn he saw a bunch of metal pipes running against the wall. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and Barkhorn stopped in front of him.
"What's wrong?" she asked him. John was silent for a few minutes. It looked to Barkhorn as if he were thinking hard about something.
"Come here Gertrude…" He said hugging her. She thinks that he had gone insane as he pressed her against the wall. Her face turns red as he runs his hand up her side and takes her hand in his.
"John? What are you doing?" She says shocked that he is doing something like this at a time like this. He silences her with a kiss. She is unable to comprehend the situation. She feels him bite down on her bottom lip and clenches her eyes shut. Before she can stop herself she is returning the kiss. Her eyes are closed and the world slips away from her. John presses her arms up against the wall as with a light pant Barkhorn lets herself be taken by him. She doesn't struggle and almost goes limp in his arms. With the sound of a click she snaps back to reality. Looking at her hand she sees that John had handcuffed her to the pole.
"John? John!" Barkhorn shouted at her. He breaks away from her and looks for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry Barkhorn but I have to do this" He said putting the keys down on a table close by but not close enough for Barkhorn to reach. He then made a dash back to the hanger.
"Damn it John come back here! You're crazy!" she shouts at him. She hears the doors close behind him as she attempts to break the hand cuffs but they won't budge.
Running up the steps John walks into the armor. It locks around his legs and works its way up his body. Closing around his arms and engaging into his back the helmet then comes down over his head. With a blue glow the armor kicks on. Gripping his hands and articulating his legs John begins to test the systems.
"Magical output is at 87% and rising. Weapons at the ready. Freedom of motion in all joints." John said to himself as the jets begin to burn. The blue magic blows off the edges as the jets emerge from the backs of his legs. Looking down the runway John lifts off and with a loud roar.
In her room Sanya sleeps gently until the blast of a jet rocks her room. Looking out her window all she sees is the trail of cloud left behind by the takeoff.
"What was that?" she said in a quiet voice. Getting out of bed and quickly getting dressed she soon finds that her door is locked from the outside.
"What… someone help" She says knocking on her door. There is no response. In the hall she hears the sound of wood breaking.
"That doesn't sound good" she says to herself and backs away from the door. She runs towards the door and goes shoulder first into her door. The door gives at the lock and the wood cracks away. The door swings open on its own and Sanya falls to the ground.
"Sanya! Are you alright?" she hears as Erica comes running towards her. She sees that Erica's door is also broken. As Erica helps her to her feet she looks down the hall and sees Shirley Kick down her door as well.
"Something is wrong" Erica says, getting Sanya to her feet.
"We need to find the commander." Shirley said.
"I already tried to find her. There are two bodies in her office and her room is empty" Eila said running down the hall towards them.
"What the hell's going on?" Hartmann said.
"Alright everyone spread out. Hartmann, you wake the others and free them from their rooms. Eila, Sanya, and I will try to find the commander." Shirley said.
"Got it" the others responded. Sanya ran towards the hanger to look for the commander. She had no idea what was going on and why everyone's rooms were locked but she knew that it may have something to do with John as well. John spent a lot of time in the hanger so he may be able to shed some light on the situation. She then sees Barkhorn leaning against the wall on her way.
"Sanya! Grab the keys. You need to help me!" Barkhorn said to her.
"What happened" She asked grabbing the keys off the desk and unlatching her from the pipes.
"It's John, He's gone to fight the General. He's using untested equipment." Barkhorn said grabbing the girl by her arms. "He's going to get himself killed"
Sanya's eyes go wide upon hearing this.