Note: This chapter takes place over the course of the main day events with Carmine. Next chapter should feature all three of the others, but if it gets too long, next chapter may just follow Neo or Neo and Roman.
Chapter Sixty Two: The Good Doctor
Rhythmic clicking of a tongue sounds from the back seat of the van. Carmine drums his hands on his knees, bobbing his head as he views passing buildings. Roman is driving the van, Neo in the passenger seat. Stopped in traffic, Roman sends a glance back through the mirror at the boy. With no warning, Neo hums with Carmine's clicks, her head lightly bobbing in time to the boy's rhythm.
Roman briefly wonders if he should kill himself, listening to two children hum and thrum a simple, dreadful tune. And yet, after getting a green light to continue driving, he finds his hand on the wheel lightly patting the control in time with their beat.
Suppressing a groan, he speaks up into an ear piece. "Barbie, Wattsworth, what's our time table. Traffic is being an unrepentant slog right now."
"That is normal in Malum. Most people walk in this city." Watts' voice rings through all three CRBN member's ears. "Regardless, you are ahead of schedule. You should reach a break in the traffic and arrive within ten minutes."
Blair's voice adds on. "Watts' birds will be acting as outdoor surveillance, so we'll direct you as can be." A second passes before she comes back in. "Roman, Neo, double check your equipment." Neo and Roman share a look before the man nods for her to begin sifting through her bag. "Carmine."
"Already off." Carmine calls out. His armor and gun are removed and placed in the back. "Shame hospitals don't allow hunter weapons."
"So long as you remember to Recall your weapons immediately upon any trouble." Blair adds. "If you let yourself get injected with Nomaura, you'll be in for trouble."
"No shots. Refuse all injections. Nope! No consent." Carmine rattles off flippant before glaring forward. "I still think shooting him in the face would be a neat way to start the conversation. Would solve a lot of problems immediately."
"I assure you that will not work, Fool."
Ignoring Watts, Carmine glances at the other two with a raised brow. Neo smiles and nods back, putting away her small pouch bag. "We got everything, Command." He answers for her as she salutes to no one.
"Please do not start making names for us. Roman alone is terrible." Blair groans in the mic.
Said conman smirks. "I've no idea what you're on about, Hot-line."
"I'm beginning to be skeptical of your team's success in their exploits..." Watts grumbles, Roman's face souring.
"Never mind. Called the Suicide Hot-line." He grumbles, referring to the scientist. He looks to Carmine after. "Once we're a block away from the hospital, Silver Streak will exit the van. Afterwards, I'll park the van nearby, and I will head for the back loading docks to follow Wattsworth's time windows."
"Remember, the automated doors will only allow one person to scan through the hospital's employee entrances at a time. Your mute will not be able to enter in with you, so she will have to enter through the civilian entrances and weave through the building with her disguises."
Neo rolls her eyes. She pulls up a photo of several hospital staff members. All female nurses and low level workers. So long as she cycles through them enough, she shouldn't have any problems getting held up.
On her shoulder, one of Watts' mechanic birds sits, feet clenched on the fabric of her white tail coat. Her illusions will have to account for it, keeping their additional eyes on the situation. Several of the birds will be flying around the hospital to offer intel from different window viewpoints.
Carmine shrugs, pulling out hair product and a gel comb. He eyes it with distaste. "We got this. What could possibly go wrong?"
. . .
One block away, Carmine exits the van onto the sidewalk. Shutting the vehicle, he waves to Neo before continuing on towards the hospital. With no armor, no weapon, but the ability to Recall them at a moment's notice, the only object with him is a single syringe. It contains a small dosage of a particular substance.
A very unusual substance... Grimm venom.
Watts supplied it, and a dosage this low will result in a weakened aura and symptoms of nausea. To create something for the good doctor to actually check.
Hopefully, it should create the illusion that he's mostly gotten over the worst of the venom. Leading to a proper diagnosis of some simple immune support pills. Such an issue will require on site blood work and scans for leftover wounds as Grimm bites would typically leave if venom enters. The absence of which will once again reinforce the idea of getting over the venom and needing only minor support.
The emphasis on these details is to deviate from ANY possible administering of white dust solutions. Something that can still cause damage if done wrong, this situation shouldn't result in any injections of substances into Carmine. Anything to limit the possibility of Nomaura getting sneaked into his system.
Carmine's hair is swept slick back... and is once again quick died silver. He grumbles as Zane Maxwell makes his second appearance to the world. Or, rather, Zane Moriarty.
Coming around the next intersection corner, he spots the entrance. A semi circle valet road loop in front of the entrance. Fountains and well kept with gardening. The labeled building name is displayed high in the air on the side of the upper floors. Ulmus Fields Medical Center.
It's busy!
People file in and out in almost a perfect stream. Everyone in seemed to be on the healthier end of life. Extravagant with smooth looks. Generally young or middle aged. Likely people with careers ahead of them who can afford the top of the top of care. Carmine had to wonder if half these people even needed doctors, though at least a couple people looked pale or ill.
Well, it IS a high end hospital, so perhaps all the people coming in are those with unique conditions requiring such high end treatment? It's not like it's the only hospital in the city, so general care is likely something rare in this hospital.
Then again... it's not like HE'S in particular need of attention. Speaking of which, he follows the signs the move about the wings of the hospital. Like riding a bike, he recalls the procedure from the few times he spent with his Mom at Hallowed Heart.
First and foremost, learn to walk and talk and do not look at the person you talk to.
People bustle about, doctors, nurses, technicians, and other civilians move around him. Those that work here? Perfectly functioning under the prior principle. The civilians? Having to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge around gurneys, other people, signs, and dispensers built into the walls. One poor man's shoulder cranks into a rail meant for others to hold themselves up if needing walking assistance.
Despite how run of the mill it would seem, the dread of what he's here for pounds at him. Quickly, he finds a restroom, looking to relieve himself at least slightly. Inside, he disposes of the now empty needle syringe of the Grimm venom. Maybe the slight nausea can be blamed on the venom.
Letting five minutes set in for the venom to spread, Carmine looks in the public restroom mirror and notices himself paler than before... Fun...
Exiting, he continues to the room. Room number 747. He takes a deep breath before entering into a large room. Chairs line the walls with tacky beige paint walls with coffee tables covered in pamphlets and magazines. On the far end of the room is a door, and the side has a slide open window.
Multiple others populate the room, and none of them look less than the top of the one percent. Compared to them, he feels homeless. To be fair, he only sees his home one weekend a month at this point...
He moves to the slide window, finding the clipboard with visitor check-in. He checks his name in under 'Moriarty'. Taking a seat, he does his best to relax. The stinging numb pain in his left side... is that around his kidney?
Grunting, he pulls his scroll out and attempts to look calm. Oh! There was a title change on the last wrestling pay-per-view. Did the Sheik win- Oh! The Python cashed in his free match contract and beat the tired main event winner! He's GOT to let Neo know. She cares a lot more about those plot twists and swerves.
Maybe says more about her love of screwing with people.
"Moriarty?" The nurse calls him back from the far end door. Carmine perks up, blinking blank before rising and approaching. He gets directed onto a scale for his weight and height. Six foot even? Last he'd checked, he was five foot nine. Interesting. Granted, he can't quite decide if that was over a year ago or more recent.
Taking his blood pressure, they note that it's elevated. Byproduct of the venom. Next came describing the symptoms. Finally, she got to the main question.
"Can you recall how long these symptoms started? Any locations you were at when these started?"
Carmine shakes his head. "Weeks? After me and some friends went outside the city for a bit." He grimaces. "Messed with some animals we probably shouldn't have, but heck we always do that."
The nurse looks pensive at that. "... Right... I'll let the doctor know. Just... be ready to subject yourself to tests in that case." She quickly leads him into a single check up room and he sits... Immediately, he eyes every inch of the room...
Come on... An AZRL leader works in this room! There's gotta be something here! He quickly starts rapidly moving through the cabinets and drawers. Come on! Where's the Nomaura?! The Maura?! Some strange whatzit-O-aura..?
Looking more annoyed, he Recalls every piece of the furnishings back into place. It instantly takes more out of him than he expects. So, he keys the hidden earpiece. "Yo. I'm in the hospital room. Like... there's nothing suspicious here. It's too normal."
"That's to be expected. This is his day job." Blair answers. "Just be calm and ready to take as much time as possible. Remember, yes to any test so long as it doesn't involve TAKING a shot."
Carmine grumbles. "Yeah, yeah. Roman and Neo get to have fun. I get to sit here with my gut skydiving... Roman and Neo going smoothly?"
"They've separated to get through some... obstacles... But, everything is still running smoothly."
"For now..." Watts inserts. "If your mute continues having mishaps, your team will be fleeing the city, tails between your legs."
"Do me a favor and never let Captain Positivity chime in. Call ya later." Carmine deactivates the earpiece.
The sound of wheels rolling rattles from the halls outside the room. Dull mutterings are faint behind it. Carmine feels his gut pull at him, but takes a calming breath as the rolling wheels fade away. Man, that was close- The door flies open!
SLAM!
Carmine flinches high off his seat before settling back down, eyes wide as saucers! The rolling sound, unabated, rings in the room as a six wheeled desk chair rattles into the room. Carmine watches, stunned, as the piece of furniture carries a white doctor coat wearing man. The chair spins until perfectly stopping with the man's back bumping the wall to halt.
The boy blinks once... twice...
The man's face is obscure, but his hair is fairly short. Yet somehow unkempt. His build is an odd mix of athletic and lanky. A runner's body perhaps? But hidden under the coat. He has a dark purple under shirt, black pants, and gray shoes. In his pale hands is a paper. One of the papers the nurse earlier was filling out for Carmine's patient information. The white sheets shield his face from Carmine, like a barrier between the two.
So... if he's not going to let Carmine see him eye to eye, Carmine's gaze turns down. His chair seems weird... The back and seat seem made of a flexing metal coated in a dark gray. The spine connecting the back and seat has a shifting hinge. Maybe the chair collapses and folds for transport? Why would a hospital waste money on that?
A black bar holds the seat in place with violet switches on its side. At the bottom of the bar, six legs, each ending in a wheel, extend out. Each wheel seems oddly coated with metal casings. In fact, it's all metal. The fuck?
It then occurs to him that the doctor has yet to speak to him... It's been like a minute!
"Mr Moriarty, how old are you?" A bored, almost monotone voice calls out, hitting Carmine's ears wrong. It's... demeaning.
"S-sixteen?" He can't help but stutter, caught off guard. "Seventeen in just a few months-"
"An age when one's aura, if unlocked, should be flourishing and building. Is your aura unlocked?" The man interrupts Carmine's add on.
The boy purses his lips. Lying time. "It's unlocked, I think, but I haven't been great with-."
"Symptoms for weeks with an unlocked aura would indicate something afflicting your system. The nurse said you and your friends got into a scrap with some animals. Do you get bit often?" The man's bored and lazy tone cuts through Carmine's answer, steamrolling the conversation.
"I-I-." The boy sputters before sighing. "Yeah, it's happened before-"
Steamrolled again. "We should run some quick blood tests. I imagine this will be something of a viral nature. Although, a full scan would be available with our nurses." The man kicks off the wall, his rolling chair skidding and halting directly in front of the boy. Carmine flinches back, spooked. Still, with the freaking paper separating the two. "For a preliminary procedure, I'd like to take a listen."
Carmine's gaze locks in as the man finally pulls down the paper. His face is devoid of emotion, eyes obscured behind the glare of light reflecting off his glasses. No markings or abrasions show on his skin, like he's perfect... if not for the glaringly obvious mute emotion and unkempt hair.
A stethoscope hangs from his ears as his off hand holds the receiver up. With little regard for the boy, he presses the tool against Carmine's chest. Seconds pass as Carmine awkwardly stares at the reflecting glasses. "Are you unable to breath?" The man's bored tone spooks the boy.
Right... he should breath. How did he forget that?
Oh yeah. Because the man who turned a lanky teen into a mechanical monstrosity is listening to his heartbeat and lungs.
He breathes, looking down and feeling his gut turn three or four different ways a second. The doctor listens to the chest, then ribs, then gut. Each action is robotic. Zero humane accommodation. Finally, the doctor rolls back for space and hums. "Scratch the nurse examination. I have a feeling about the diagnosis. You are quite pale. I imagine nausea and headaches?"
Blinking caught, Carmine scratches at his head. "Y-you have no idea-"
"I will need a blood sample." He cuts off Carmine again. His hand flicks as, seemingly from his sleeve, he produces a syringe and test tube. Connecting the tube to the syringe, he holds one hand out for Carmine's left arm.
"Uh... I prefer my right." As customary, one would want blood taken from their off arm rather than dominant. Granted, Carmine was ambidextrous. Shoot with left arm typically, write with right. Still, he offers his right arm. He peels the jacket off and stretches his right arm out.
Hey, if it's taking blood, it isn't an opportunity to get injected.
Doctor Near produces a wrap, applying it to Carmine's arm and cutting blood flow. Finding the vein, he draws blood from the boy, the entire time ignoring the blank stare from said boy. Pulling away and taking the wrap off, Carmine pulls his jacket back on. "I will be back momentarily, Mr Moriarty."
With that, Doctor Near leaves the room, Carmine scowling and rubbing his arm. "... Guy's a colossal dick."
. . .
In another area down the halls, Doctor Near rolls into a small work hole for himself. He glances at the vial of blood in his hand, quickly drawing an amount onto a slide under a microscope. The remainder of the tube he locks into a small machine, allowing a device to begin a series of analyses.
Under the microscope, Near looks at the blood for himself rather than simply letting the machine do it. He's a man of curiosity after all...
Immediately upon first sight, he hums. Small black particles sparsely distributed throughout the blood cells. Not all blood cells. In fact, not even a quarter. But those that do have the black substance appear to be weakened, shrunken... shriveled.
No aura-
Wait... There IS aura? What are these pockets of glows in the nuclei...
What is he... looking at?
A man of curiosity...
Near looks to the vial of blood in the machine in thought. Suddenly, a hum comes out.
. . .
"Getting blood taken is better than getting something shot in. He's off testing the blood now." Carmine grumbles. "Guy's a rude asshole too by the way."
"Frank is direct and ill suited to bed side manner in my experience." Watts retorts. "He should find the Grimm venom within ten minutes and will return to you with prescriptions for immune support pills. Likely military grade pain killers in small quantities."
Blair's voice cuts in. "Neo just went off dark in the research center. She should be meeting with Roman soon enough, but Roman himself has reached-"
The voices cut.
Carmine frowns. He clicks the earpiece again. "Yo... You there?" No response... His gut sinks. "Blair? Asshole? You two listening?" No response. Slowly, Carmine sits straight up. Rising from the seat, he tests some movement. He's not overly inhibited. Scowling, he looks over to the door. "Hello?" He tries one more time... nothing.
Shit.
The door opens, Doctor Near slamming through on his chair. This time, when he stops, he's looking the boy dead in the eyes. "Mr Moriarty, we've found some troubling things." He pauses as Carmine gives him a wary glance. "Nothing life threatening, I assure you, but would you please come with me? I can better explain myself with the evidence in front of us both."
Blinking back, Carmine hesitates before muttering. "Uh, sure." He stands as the doctor begins rolling back into the hall. Is that chair controlled? The man is sitting backwards on the seat, body slouched over the back looking bored. Yet, he's not kicking off or controlling movement with his feet. Weird.
Following him through the halls, Carmine checks his corners, staying a healthy distance behind the man. Conveniently, he notices that most of the nurses have moved more to the front areas to interact with the other patients.
His gut sinks. He's getting isolated...
Pft! As if he can be isolated, he thinks to assure himself. He calms as he and Near stop before his test room. The doctor has a capped bottle of four pills. "First and foremost, I discovered Grimm venom inside your blood stream. A very small quantity. It would appear you meddlesome kids got bit by Grimm. Baby Grimm, I would say from the lack of content. You did say it's been weeks."
Hmm. So he's gotten that far. Carmine raises a hand to scratch the back of his head nervously. "O-Oh! Wow, really? That's a good catch, Dr Near." He misses the doctor ever slightly pause at the name. "We'll have to be more care-"
"But I know that staying away from Grimm is not very feasible in your line of activity, Mr Moriarty." Near cuts him off.
What?
"But, what is more concerning to me is that there appears to be an aura like product active within your blood despite being taken from your body." Near states directly. "You said that you've no semblance to speak of, correct?"
Carmine tenses. Aura like substance- Shit. His magic! The same way Blair discovered it! But, that would mean he was viewing his blood himself rather than just running tests. "Nope. That sounds cool. You think you van tell me what my semblance is?" He tries being chipper.
"Time based semblances are a fickle thing, I'm afraid. But even that doesn't explain this phenomenon."
Carmine's heart stops. "W-what?"
"Really. I am most surprised by this development. It is one thing knowing of your activity and history, but I never anticipated a direct confrontation." Near drones on in his bored tone. The two are alone in the testing area. The faint sound of people far, far down the halls are forgotten.
Carmine flinches as the man takes the pill bottle and offers it plainly. The two stare at one another, and finally, Carmine can see the emotionless, toneless hazel eyes with uniform pupils locked on the boy. "Go ahead. It's simple immune support and pain relief to nullify the venom. Nothing more. Even under these circumstances, I've little reason to use any underhanded resources." Near adds on.
The boy's features steel as he stiffly accepts the pills. "I don't have anything to wash it down with."
A tense silence comes between them before Near uses his leg drag out a small calf high cooler. He kicks the door open, showcasing several water bottles, chilled. "I insist. For good health."
Carmine raises a brow. "Shouldn't you be giving me instruction rather than just making me take the dose here?"
Near hums. "We're not exactly standing on ceremony in this situation are we, leader of Team CRBN?"
There it is. His cover is blown already. Carmine holds his gaze on the man as he opens the pill bottle. He takes two blue pills out, popping them in his mouth before placing the bottle in his pocket. He then accepts a bottled water from the cooler and opens it. One drink, and he swallows the pills. "No, we aren't, Doctor Near of AZRL. What gave me away?"
"Your cheek bones and sparse freckles caught my attention first, being identical in geometry and location." The strangeness of the statement disarms the boy. Seeing his confusion, Near elaborates. "Did you believe that I wouldn't have access to any visuals obtained by my previous experiments? I've known your face and skill set from personal intel gathering."
Carmine scowls at the man, expression sour. "The cameras that replace their eyes."
"Yes. Your hair tone is also the exact same color gradient in that footage as well." Again, he waits for the boy's confusion before answering. "RGB mixture of 227 across the board with high saturation. An off white light silver in your tips. The technical makeup of the coloration is rather unique, especially in young people."
He merely blinks and absorbs this. "You can tell the exact color settings needed to duplicate my hair color? Shall I tell you my personal measurements?" He sarcastically states. Despite the tense situation, he feels instant relief after taking the pills. The resistance to the venom inside him is already making itself known.
"I'll obtain any knowledge I require eventually, I assure you." Near remains relaxed, eyeing the boy like a cat toying with its prey. "AZRL will get everything it wishes out of you.
It makes Carmine nervous... "You're not getting Roman or Neo back. And, YOU will be the ones to lose in the end. I promise that." He musters as much courage as he can, gulping down any fear he'd had.
Near's head cocks, ever so slightly. His expression has yet to shift in the slightest. Uncomfortably so. "1075 and 2814 are of no concern to me, Carmine Uhlric of Sanctuary. I was merely speaking to you."
Carmine recoils at that. "What's special about me?"
"A phenomenon that I now have only the third opportunity in my lifetime to observe first hand." His gaze pierces into the boy. Daring. No, challenging him to try something. "The same power you used to destroy 2002."
. . .
Carmine's mind replays the scene in a flash. Him standing before Professor Ozpin back at Beacon. The last time the two spoke to one another...
"Carmine, the forces at play here are not spoken of lightly."
"As you've no doubt learned, Grimm are not the only threat we face, and I would not characterize them as the most dire at that."
"But your time in Team CRBN has come to an end... before you end up facing something you cannot possibly fathom."
. . .
Carmine sucks in a breath. AZRL is aware of magic? Near has witnessed it twice before him?
He and the doctor stare down for a moment too long. He isn't sure which of them would move first, nor how long they remained still. Doctor Near's cold eyes remain on the boy. Still, one had to break the silence, and it is the doctor to do so. The man's body stiffens as his face turns to the wall. As if... looking at something. Through everything in the way...
"I see. So, you're after my lab. A foolish endeavor."
SHIT!
"Recall, Zero!" Carmine Recalls his armor and gun all the way from the van, wherever Roman may have parked it. The armor layers itself in a flash under his clothes as Carmine's left hand snaps Heulin Noon from the ether. The gun aims at the man point blank! Near's head still turned away.
BOOM!
Near's head tilts, the double shot missing the doctor's head and blasting the far wall behind him! Near's lazy gaze drags back forward.
Carmine is moving, bolting to the exit as he uses his armed left arm to bash the next door open! He sprints into the halls, moving away, away, and away from the area of Near's offices. A panic moves through him.
Up or down?
He can escape if he moves down, but Near is aware of Neo and Roman! Going down to the second sector won't help the two. He finds a stair well, sprinting around several doctors and civilians meandering about. Finally at the stairs, he moves up.
Up is good. He can get to the roof and use Jager to boost himself to the research facility on the top sector of the city. He can get in, find Roman and Neo, and get out. First though... He taps the ear piece. "Blair! I'm compromised. Can you hear me at all?!"
His voice echoes in the stair well beside his stomping sprint. No response...
"Shit! What the hell is going on?" Up and up he goes. Until finally, he reaches the nineteenth floor. He shoulder bashes the door open, meeting fresh air. The cloudy sky above is a welcome sight, putting him in the open as he sprints out onto the roof. Generators, supply towers, and maintenance structures dot around the roof.
He orients himself, facing himself North towards the research facility on the next sector. The height difference between the sectors is perhaps two stories. Being on the nineteenth floor of the hospital puts him even with the seventeenth of the research facility. A good, long set of sky bridges at differing levels connect the two buildings.
Hmm... that's about a hundred yard jump. With Jager, he can maintain height, or maybe control descent to another targeted floor. He lowers himself, ready to move into a track run sprint-
Vision in third person above. Everything pulses a magenta hue before recoloring. A technical readout displays with a magenta circle highlighting the boy.
Aura Development: Medium.
Threat Level: Low.
"A rather treacherous, underhanded sneak attack." Near's voice sends shivers down his spine. "You fight like we do. Interesting."
Carmine stands fully and turns, eyes wide.
The man is standing tall, ten feet higher than Carmine a long distance away. In his right hand is the back of his chair. The rest? He's standing on it. The seat of the chair has transformed down into a small platform for him to stand on. The main support bar, along with all six chair legs and wheels, line with glowing violet and emanate energy around the bottom of the seat platform.
The chair has transformed into a floating platform. He literally floated himself up from the windows of the hospital atop his chair. Dust power chair, he corrects. Is that hard light tech?
The doctor floats down, using controls on the chair back in his right hand. The wheels and legs fold down, touching the ground as he steps off the platform. The device transforms up into a backless chair, then Near locks the chair back into it. He then sits down, leaned over the chair back looking bored.
"I am pleased with the change in venue. It will be far less stressful to explain property damage to the roof rather than the actual inner hospital." He kicks and rolls to the center of the long wide roof as he spins on the seat. Coming to a stop facing Carmine, his gaze locks on the boy. "Yes. Nice and open. Enough factors are controlled."
"The hell are you talking about?" Carmine growls, bringing Heulin Noon up to aim.
"A demonstrative." Near states clearly. Straightening his posture, he stares with his emotionless mask of a face. "I want to observe each and every ability you have to show. But more importantly, I wish to see that power once more." His hazel eyes steel on the boy. "Then, I will know exactly what to take when I dissect you."
Carmine flinches back. Sweat builds and lines down his jaw. That look in his eye... "You-... You're insane!" Taking hesitant steps back, he grits his teeth. Anger. Anger always pushes back the fear. "Just like everyone AZRL has put through their system. You're all broken beyond insanity!"
Near perks slightly, his cold stare quirking. "Oh? Whatever do you mean?" He takes in the boy's accusation as his head cocks to the side. "I believe you are quite mistaken." Then he said something that truly shakes the boy.
"I was never raised through AZRL. Quite the opposite."
The boy flinches back. "W-what do you-"
Cut off again, Near speaks, dead serious. "In all of AZRL's member history, only three individuals weren't raised from within AZRL's ranks. The first is the organization's founder, who you know."
Aline Zandril...
"The second was his co-founder, though that's a story of the past. However, it was the advent of the third that revolutionized AZRL's revitalization and spread of influence only thirty years ago." Finally, a smile appears. Kind, nostalgic. Proud. "How could I pass the opportunity to have endless subjects to further my research."
Carmine can only stare open mouthed. "You-... You volunteered to be a part of this! To warp children?!" Anger spikes in him. "To make people into numbers on a report paper?!" His voice raises, shouting!
Bored, lifeless, Near drones. "Numbers that eclipse the dry existence they had prior. A man who would have wasted away in a temple in Mistral became the foremost proof of conceptual integration of bionic cyborg technology. Powerful enough to crush the entire bloodline that created him." A dull look meets the boy. "And the next subject will eclipse the last, and 2002 will be a base line-"
"Ray!" Carmine cuts him off snapping! "His name was Ray Mibu! Same as Miguel! Same as every damn person who's come under your knife you sick bastard!"
"Interesting." Near brings a hand to his chin in thought. A silence overcomes them before he meets the boy's gaze once more. "Under your point, do you believe history will actually remember you as Carmine Uhlric?" A faint sheen of violet aura shimmers around the doctor as he allows a ghost of a smirk. "Or will it be whatever number I choose?"
Pin drop.
Carmine's eyes burn gold, magic active! His outline in aqua cyan briefly shimmers before he aims the gun! He fires twice!
Near flicks two switches, his chair humming as it revs and jerks left to dodge one shot. He then spins in the seat, the second shot winding by his unresponsive face. He then uses his legs to kick back, a third shot missing as well. He grinds to a halt. Facing straight.
"Impeccable aim. Would pose an issue if I couldn't read your posture and anticipate your attack angles."
A huff comes from him. This condescending ass. Before taking his words into consideration, Carmine taps into his magic. "Try this then!" From the boy, one version of himself stands in place and fires the last shot before reloading.
A second Carmine sprints forward out of his image, charging after the shot at the man!
Near's gaze eyes the shot as he leans back in his seat. The dust shot whips just over his nose to miss.
The first Carmine huffs. Just like with his battle with Ray. He Recalls the dust shot mid shot, rewinding the shot back before it missed! Near's head comes up from his lean, eyes steeled. He pulls the chair back up! The dust shot strikes the metal chair back.
The first Carmine disappears. The second charging boy has closed the distance. He charges into a superman punch with his armor arm!
Near kicks into a spin on the chair. His left elbow strikes Carmine's punch aside! The boy carries past, twisting to kick back at the man! Near palm parries the kick up, sending Carmine tumbling back. Carmine cartwheels to a crouch and aims Heulin Noon. Snap reload. He pulls the trigger-
The doctor stands, swinging his chair up! The six chair legs forward, they bash the gun up! Double shot into the sky! Near then flicks a switch on the chair back's control panel. The legs rotate, one chair leg striking Carmine across the jaw.
As Carmine rolls back and up to his feet, Near flips the chair back on its wheels and sits. A flush of anger overcomes the boy. He's getting beaten by a guy using an office chair! For the gods' sake!
Once again looking relaxed over his chair, Near hums. "Excellent uses of misdirection and battlefield control. Very willing to take initiative. It's a shame. Aline will be upset since you almost show more promise than Spyyra. Perhaps planning would work better if you relied on a source other than anger."
Carmine's face contorts in embarrassed anger. "Don't. You... mock me!"
Once again, a magenta displayed view over the boy...
Status: Elevated Heart Rate. Blood Pressure Rising. Emotional State Unstable. Threat of attack: .
Threat Level: Medium.
Carmine almost lurches forward, but stops himself.
Near's brow raises. Hmm... the chance won out. Interesting. Even more interesting is when Carmine takes a deep breath. Releasing the breath in a sigh, the boy suddenly smirks. Perhaps this boy has experience being goaded?
The boy stands straighter. Calming himself, Carmine gauges his distance from the man. They're positions... Good.
One second, the boy is there. And then a flash! Recall!
Carmine flashes directly by the doctor! Near's eyes finally widen, realizing his own mistake in positioning! He turns on the chair, only to see the double barrel of Heulin Noon.
BOOM!
A blow of smoke obscures the image of the doctor in front of the boy. However, Carmine was satisfied with the confirmation of a direct point blank hit! He smirks and eases his stance, golden eyes still active. "How's that for your evaluation, Doctor Near?" He drips as much satisfied condescension in as possible.
Then he flinches.
The smoke clears as a sideways palm strikes out, crushing into Carmine's chest. Even the chest armor under his jacket does little to soften the blow as Carmine finds himself thrown soaring over the distance! Carmine bounces along the roof ground before grinding to a halt in a crouch!
The smoke fully clears. Near took the hit, but to say it did much would be a lie. The left side of his glasses is gone, the right glass lens cracked in the middle. His outstretched arm pulls back, removing the destroyed glasses and flicks them aside.
But that isn't what holds Carmine's attention.
A cut. A simple gash on Near's forehead. A two inch cut. A drip of red from it confirms blood. But only the small moist line of red. Carmine's wide eyes lock on the cut. "What... are you?" Reflective gray. The inside of the cut reveals the substance: Metal. A layer of metal under his skin! "Are you some kind of robot?"
Near's violet aura pulses, his hand wiping over the cut. Aura healing, the injury disappears, leaving only a wiped red smear. He wipes his hand on his doctor coat, still stoic. "Unfortunately, such an endeavor has still evaded me. No... I've only made as far as using biology as a base."
The doctor then eyes the boy, continuing. "Did you assume that I would exclude myself from my own work? That would show a lack of confidence in my own abilities. A lacking I refuse to have between my work and my Sound Soul." He mocks as he pats his chair back.
His... was his chair his weapon? Carmine narrows his gaze on the furniture before returning his attention fully on the man.
Carmine stands up in a flinch. Another bead of sweat forms and drips. "You're a cyborg." He summarizes, gaining volume as he asserts. "You've been applying your work to yourself this whole time." Meeting eyes, he focuses on the pupils of the hazel orbs. "Your eyes are cameras. Just like Ray's..."
Once more, vision in magenta. Readouts focusing on the boy.
Status: Fear spike. Likelihood of first attack decreasing.
Threat Level: Low.
A small silence passes as Near's lip slowly curls into a smirk. The man stands up from his chair, moving aside. "By the way, it would seem whoever garnered you your false appointment failed to properly provide information about me."
The boy tenses, scowling. "What do you mean?"
Near begins removing his white doctor coat. "You referred to me in the open as 'Doctor Near', an alias that only means something to associates and enemies of AZRL..." He lightly tosses the jacket to the wind, a gust carrying it off the building rooftop. "But that name is merely an off shoot of my middle name."
Carmine scowls. He'd messed up from the start then. What's this pressure? All from a look at this scientist's emotionless presence. "Well, don't leave me hanging. Introduce yourself properly."
The good doctor slaps his right hand onto the back of the chair, right by the switches. Without the jacket, his body is revealed as perfectly lean and athletic. "My full name is Franklyn Naero Stein, though my field name typically reads Dr Frank N. Stein."
He flicks a switch, his chair lighting up with violet dust lining throughout its metal. Doctor Near, or Doctor Stein, maintains his chilling stare at the boy. Slowly, the chair rises. The support bar raises as one of the six legs locks into place under it. Then the wheel locks into the next seat leg. Then the next wheel, the next leg, the next wheel. (Two horn bursts sound before measures of low techno beats)
Each wheel acts as a hinge connecting each of legs as a long weapon pole taller than the doctor himself! Seven feet long! The chair seat twists sideways, the chair back sliding down and merging with the seat. A locking hum rings as the gray metal begins sliding out. (Horns and measures repeat. Light build begins)
Panels of metal with serrated edges begin to slide out to one side in a slight curve. The control panel originally part of the chair back slides to the center bar just under the weapon head. Violet hard light dust pulses from the wheels, making the haft rigid with support. (Horns repeat. Tine between repeats deceases.)
A scythe. His chair has transformed into a scythe, its wheels and legs allowing the long handle flexibility. Stein's right hand twirls the large weapon into a high speed spin! His dexterity shows as he nimbly whirls the large weapon before ending aiming the blade forward. (Build crescendos with drums until all sound pauses.)
Carmine's jaw dropped. "Your chair... is a fucking scythe?"
"Hmph." Stein's eye flashes. In a split second, in a thunderous burst of speed, the doctor closes the distance. All in a blink, twirling the scythe into a slash!
Wide eyed, Carmine barely ducks! Hairs slice off. He brings up Heulin Noon, but can barely use it to deflect and twirling cut! Knocked arms wide, Stein hooks the scythe around Carmine's back. He's wrenched in, Stein digging his knee into Carmine's blocking arm! (First verse bursts in."No bones beneath, no skin! Just a polished exoskeleton.")
Entrapped, Carmine finds himself wrenched into kicks and palm strikes, each able to shatter steel! His armor barely holds as he falls low. The scythe rips by his shoulder, gashing his neck and getting a yelp! "Ah! Schneider!" ("Every game that I'm in, I win! All your best efforts are an imitation!" Music ramps into chorus)
Armor flashing to his arm blades, Carmine slashes back. However, Stein is already pulled out of range! With a violet flash of the hard light enforced handle, Stein deflects one blade with the pole end and counters with the scythe end! His other hand blocks the counter, but it throws Carmine back off balance! ("Product of the digital mind! I'll build the future that I datalized!")
Blocking two more twirls, his blades are knocked high before a low scythe sweep takes his leg out. Carmine drops to a hard knee, then takes a side kick to the chest! The boy's breath is blown out, tumbling back. ("Into a world in my image, perfected! I won't stop until you're all infected!")
On his back, Carmine jerks right as the scythe digs into the roof! The violet hard light dust allows the sections of the scythe haft to separate and extend, connected by violet light. Stein uses the long bending light as a chain, whip swinging the scythe like a kusarigama! It rips right, catching and slicing Carmine from the ground. ("Product of the digital mind! I'll build the future that I datalized!")
Too much range! Schneider can't close in to attack! "Shi- Jager!" Twirls in the air, armor flashing to his legs as he boosts left! The scythe kusarigama lashes by his side by inches! He continues to boost side to side to dodge, not having time to orient a shot back! A final lash knocks him back to ground! ("Into a world in my image, perfected! I won't stop until you're ALL INFECTED!")
Landing, he kicks back to dodge the charging doctor! The hard light retracts, the legs and wheels locking back into a scythe pole. Carmine boosts along the ground to dodge, avoiding getting hooked again! (Music bridges to second verse. "You showed up just to get smacked down. I find you, and I'm deleting you now!")
Activating Overlap, his image split into two Carmines. One round kicks the next scythe slash back, but takes a twirling slash for his trouble. The second Carmine aims. "HA!" He fires a double shot! Stein's weapon haft separates, connected with violet hard light! ("You sit in the ring, but you can't shake the king. You like picking trash and I'm taking you out!" Music ramps into chorus.)
The hard light warps out like a field, blocking the double shot and holding it in the air! Carmine's eyes widen at the blast being contained. Stein throws his arm forward, launching the double shot back at the boy! (Drum beats bridge into next chorus.)
The shot nails Carmine head on, sending him sprawled back. The second Carmine disappears as the prone boy feels the added pain of the earlier strike on him. His aura is tanking from that hit. He opens his eyes as the scythe comes back down. It hooks and sweeps him off the ground! ("Product of the digital mind! I'll build the future that I datalized!")
Stein whips the hard light kusarigama chain, the scythe head dragging the boy at a distance into an industrial generator. He rips Carmine through it and throws him into one of the maintenance storage units with a slam! ("Into a world in my image, perfected! I won't stop until you're ALL INFECTED!")
Stein retracts the scythe head, haft reforming as the storage unit ahead collapses from the prior hit. He brings his free hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm. Reflects are impeccable, as is variety. Subject has many instinctual tactics, but tends to throw his all into it without thinking of alternative outcomes." (Music plays through a full measure until bridging to quiet build.)
The rubble of the ruined storage unit rumbles ahead of him. Stein looks at it, bored, but then realizes. "Boy's semblance is complex, but predictable once understood." He suddenly, back kicks! Instantly, Carmine materializes in a Recall, the heel cracking into his jaw and sending him rolling on the roof. (Quiet build sounds with double horns before bridging to final verse.)
Carmine flips to his feet, avoiding another scythe slash. Stein whips the scythe out, the hard light kusarigama whipping the sickle end into and ripping up a section of the roof up! ("These bots that I employ. Be consumed or be destroyed.")
He cracks the whip motion, sling throwing the hunk of debris into the boy! Carmine sucks in a breath, barely leaping up and over the debris! Soon as it's cleared, Stein is there, kicking up and cracking Carmine in the gut. He's thrown back. ("Submit to the hate! Admit it's your fate! Try to get free, but you'll never escape!")
Carmine skids to a halt, doubled over holding his gut. Growling in anger. "Taking mental notes mid battle?! Am I a joke to you?!" (Music plays out for a building measure.)
"Obviously." Stein drones back, maintaining eye contact. Carmine flinches, then scowls. (Music continues.)
"Tch! Panzer!" The armor flashes from his legs to his gun, forming his cannon! He aims it up at the doctor! (Music bridges to final chorus)
The Magenta readout of Stein's vision highlights the boy, focusing on the gun.
Dust Load: 10 charges per shot.
Threat Level: High.
Stein's gaze narrows. His off hand raises, palm forward in a stop signal. Shifting his dominant hand's grip to the head of his scythe, the rest of the haft lights in the violet field of hard light. The pieces shift out in the air, directing themselves in front of the doctor. The hard light forms a directed shield. ("Product of the digital mind! I'll build the future that I datalized!")
Seeing the challenge, Carmine's eyes steel. He tightens his grip before firing Panzer. BOOM! ("Into a world in my image, perfected! I won't stop until you're ALL INFECTED!")
The blast rattles the roofing, crossing the distance in an instant before crashing into the shield! Stein disappears in the flash of the explosion as much of the force warps around the shape of the hard light shield! (Music plays before cutting at last horn)
Carmine lowers his smoking gun, breathing heavily. His glowing golden eyes slowly dim back to blue. Stein surely took the hit head on. That was a shot that could blow a Nelo away. Even Killian had to dodge it, not take it.
But neither of those threats had hard light shields...
The smoke clears, a ripped line in the roofing along the line of fire directly at the point of impact... "Impressive." Stein's voice calls out, still emotionless. The clearing view reveals the man still standing. Albeit with a substantial change.
His left arm that had been raised is erased to the bicep. The nub drips a mixture of red blood and teal fluid. His violet shirt's left shoulder is ripped off, revealing his left upper chest with bruises and marks. Metal is visible from the clear open wounds.
The pieces of his weapon's haft are scattered about, some of the rods broken and shattered. Three of the wheels also litter the ground, snapped. The remaining three chair legs and wheels link with hard light dust and lock back into place under the scythe head in his right hand. Now, it's an unwieldy sickle with bizarre proportions.
Carmine gulps. His armor's dust is used up, so he can't use Jager's booster anymore. "Z-Zero!" He forms his base armor under his jacket, followed with snap reloading!
Stein uses the control in the head handle of the scythe, triggering the remaining pieces of the hard light haft to burst out at the boy. Simultaneous to the boy's snap reload, the hard light spreads around him, restricting his movements just as his gun trains on the doctor!
Bound, Carmine cries out as the hard light tightens on him. He's drops to his knees, grunting in pain as Stein walks leisurely towards him. "So it would seem this extra power of yours allows you to overlap two different actions, two different realities of yourself, within our own real space. Injuries taken by these alternate selves also condenses on yourself, which is quite an inconvenience."
He takes a moment to collect his thoughts, looking down at the boy despite currently missing one arm! Carmine at least sees that his Panzer shot wasn't nothing. It nearly made the man's weapon useless. Carmine takes a calming breath.
His aura is running low. A danger of using his magic to empower himself and use Overlap twice. He could Recall out of the hard light... but then what? If he's to get away, he needs to restrict Stein in turn...
Yeah... He might have enough aura for that.
Stein hums. "Yes. Far less impressive than the last subject with these 'second powers'."
Carmine blinks. "What?" He looks at the man, confused. A thought occurs to him that this is a chance at information. He may as well take it. "You said you'd seen people with my powers before? Explain yourself. You called me the third you've seen like this."
"Hmm? Oh." The man sounds bored, yet slightly lifts his tone. "Yes, you are the third person with this phenomena potentially known as 'Magic' that I've had personal experience meeting, though there are others."
Carmine struggles with the restraint. "What others? Who else has magic?!"
The soulless hazel holds his focus as Stein answers clearly. "I was under the assumption that there were only six in all the world, but you lack the correct anatomy. Four of them can only be female as I was led to believe. The next female is most meddlesome witch and is incomprehensible in the scale of her abilities. The last is a particular man I'm certain you know. The only man with magic, far as I was aware until observing you."
Ozpin. He was talking about his father. Carmine blinks confused. A meddlesome witch? Four females-
His heart skips a beat... "Wait..."
The statue in front of the Malum... Mirai the Architect.
"The maidens are real?" Carmine whispers out, eyes wide.
Stein nods. "Meddlesome to be rid of, but they're mostly harmless, sticking to their own business between the King and Queen." He crouches by the boy, both at eye level.
Carmine flinches as the man begins hovering the scythe blade over different areas of his torso. "W-what are you doing?!"
"Planning incisions." Stein answers surprisingly honest. "To more precisely answer your prior question, there's supposedly a fluctuating extra one or two others who use magic in the eyes, but that power hasn't appeared in over a decade. And still, they are always female. The damnedest thing."
Silver eyes. Carmine grimaces. His memory recalling Summer. The light at the docks and the light she'd used against the Nelo... "Who are they? I need their names. Please- AH!"
He tilts his head up as the scythe angles its point under his chin. Stein looks the boy over. "A pointless conversation to speak of people you will never meet. Explaining their existence is relevant enough for explaining the concept. Anything further won't be of any use."
Bzzt. Bzzt.
A scroll begins to buzz in one of their pockets. Stein is stiff as he throws the scythe head to stick into the roof. He draws a scroll out from his pocket, answering the phone call. "Yes?"
Carmine tries to pick up on the conversation, but unfortunately, something else pulls his attention.
BOOM!
An explosion in the next sector, in the research compound, pulls his and Stein's attention. Carmine sucks in a breath. Shit... Neo and Roman are in trouble. He needs to get away. He'll have to take this information out of Stein another day...
Stein's attention likewise is pulled to it. "Yes, I've noticed. You've the go ahead. We'll simply control what the military has reported to it. Just make sure they don't get away with my blueprints. Spares aside, we don't need the attention."
Carmine smirks. "RECALL!"
A bright flash bursts in front of him! The extra mass warps the hard light tools around him. Extra mass? Yes, Fluorescent Finish warps into his hand from his last point holding it, two hours ago. Carmine slips under the hard light field, rolling close to the unsuspecting doctor.
He activates the sheathed weapon's trigger, breaking Blair's contained blood capsule over the blade! He lashes in a drawing cut, the crimson blade whipping out at Stein!
Stein, with his scythe weapon on the ground, is forced to block the blade with his open palm! The clang of the sword hitting the metal layer under his skin rattles his hand in pain! Stein's hand clenches the blade as his eyes cut on the boy.
"Speaking of attention." Carmine quips before activating the blood. Blair's semblance warps from the blade, shrouding over the doctor before him in a faint haze!
Stein finally looks shocked. "What?" He winces in pain, finally! Of course it takes Blair's semblance to bring it out! He tries to move, only for his limbs to be restricted by control. Control Carmine wields through Blair's weapon.
No time to chit chat. Carmine needs distance, NOW! He wrenches the sword out of Stein's hand, leaving a slice along the palm. "Hey Doc. It hurts when I do this-" He then activates the dust inside the hilt! In a flash, the blade shifts from crimson to golden yellow to icy azure. Ice dust. He slashes, sending out ice over Stein!
In a burst of power, the ice washes over and acts as a second layer freezing Stein in place... and the surrounding ten foot diameter of his person. Carmine pulls the now golden blade back, sheathing it and sprinting for the roof ledge.
"This is gonna hurt... No Jager boosters to soften it, but... Here we go!" He leaps from the roof with as much power he can muster! He crosses a great portion of the gap between the hospital and the research facility grounds...
No Jager... No controlled descent... He's not making this jump...
"SHIT!" He yelps as he plants into the metal wall between the fourth and fifth floors of the research facility! He bangs off the structure, just BARELY jumping too short for one of the windows, he falls into a dead drop. "Frick, frick, FUCK!"
He hits the ground flat on his back. His voice coughs out, lungs empty as his vocals go hoarse. Bad move... Bad move! AH! He rolls onto his front, sure he'd just lost nearly all of his remaining aura. But worth it to get away from Near or Stein or whatever the hell...
The boy staggers to his feet, walking like he'd had a rod shoved up in him, awkward and pained. "Ow." His hoarse voice groans out. "Pain... GAH!" He moves, slowly but builds pace.
He once again tries his earpiece. "Hello? Anyone, please?!"
Finally, a voice responds, a frantic Blair. "Carmine! Are you alright?! We lost contact with you! What happened?"
"Ah... Got my ass kicked... Doctor said I'm good and healthy... The fuck happened with you guys?!" Carmine growls out as he finds one of the facility entrances. Since cover is already blown, he double blasts the door open with Heulin Noon, getting into the hall. "Never mind. Where the hell are Roman and Neo?"
"We're still trying to locate them... Ah. Neo and Roman are at one of the helipads on the North side, third floor. They have unfortunate company."
Carmine works out a kink in his shoulder mid running stride as he moves to sprint. "Why wouldn't they? It's just our damn luck!"
"Indeed..." Watts' dour tone comes dripping with annoyance.
"Not in the mood for that tone!" Carmine snaps as he continues on.
. . .
Atop the hospital roof, the solid iceberg atop the structure cracks and splinters down the middle. Violently, it shatters apart! From within, Stein steps forward. He imagined he would be more angry, but learning something new always brought out a prospective side. He takes a few steps, using his one hand to wrench his scythe head from the ground.
Controlling the remaining hard light emitters, the three functional legs and wheels retract to the weapon head as it transforms. The blades retract, back of the chair folding back out. Switching shape, the support bar extends down as the three legs and wheels attach at the bottom.
The chair now only has three legs as opposed to sit, but more than two still functions as a suitable seat. Stein peels his doctor coat from the ground, whirling and sliding his one arm in to wear it as properly as he can. Relaxed, he sits backwards in the damaged chair and hums to himself.
"Update... Subject can retrieve objects from a substantial time lapse prior to current events. More than initially expected. Must include notion that truly anything can come from him if he's allowed preparation. Will require testing once he's captured, but must be sure next meeting occurs without the subject being allowed prep time."
He tilts his head up in thought. "Til then, I shall observe the results from the experiment on Number 3672. Perhaps it's time for clinical trial thirteen."
He wheels away towards the entry into the building from the roof. Already with his mind on future experiments. Already at work...
FINALLY! I've had this moment since before the fic began! Revealing Doctor Near as cyborg Stein. Freaking. Finally. Oh, also, Carmine gets his ass handed to him again. Because why not?
Next chapter will cover this similar time frame for the others, but depending on length, it could be just Neo, Neo and Roman, or hopefully include all three of the others. Either way, we get what Neo's been up to next time for sure!
References:
Doctor Franklyn Naero Stein, or Frank N Stein, is based off the Soul Eater variation of the character Franken Stein. Yes, his chair turns into his scythe, which has a shaft powered by lavender hard light dust emitted from hinges in the grip made from the chair wheels. It can curve or extend to act as a chain sickle, or coil/project to block and reflect projectiles. He's a cyborg as well, which I think is fun. For all intents and purposes, he is AZRL's second in command as nearly everything they accomplish can trace back in some way to his support or direct work. His weapon's name is Sound Soul.
Song this time was Infection Perfection by Brandon Yates (Death Battle Arrangement). Specifically, if interested, find the version that is re ordered and edited. It has sound clips in it from other things unfortunately, but it's the best version. Just like Live In Fear is Spyyra's theme, this to me is Stein's theme.
Join next time in chapter Sixty Three: Encounter! Curious Puppet!