The trip to Merlot's Island was uneventful. There was hardly anything much happening and the officially formed team MGHT had been fully convinced that Merlot genuinely invited them in. Granted, the mad doctor wanted someone to test his new creations and having professional huntsmen would certainly provide the best possible data on paper.
"Huh." Jekyll realized. "Second time that's happened."
"Second?" Mulberry asked. "What do you mean."
"Atlas," he explained. "Before I became a huntsman. I tested their robots by going against them."
Mulberry was accepting of his answer. Greene wasn't available as she was piloting the ship; it wasn't the best piloting skills and Jekyll had to get the nearest paper bag but it was getting them there on time. Peach had tensed for a moment there, assuming the worst. There was no lie behind his voice and now that he had remembered it, how were the Atlas machines doing? He hadn't seen any new models being publicized anywhere. It might have been for the Vytal Festival instead.
Eventually, they all landed on the beaches of the island. Sandy grounds met them and dirtied their boots. On one side, there was some forestry to be had but they could see signs that the resources here had been used; they could even see the tops of some of the cranes and steel beams peeking out. On the other, a vast salty ocean that was honestly a pleasant view and a great place for a summer vacation.
Jekyll twirled the dagger in his hand. It was only to be temporary though Greene insisted that he keep it; she had lots of them and has no attachment unless one counts designs in which case she definitely has a preference. He would have to get a new one to replace his. Maybe he should look into those hybrids and have a knife that was also a gun? He certainly could benefit from having a range weapon.
Greene brought up the map. They all had a copy of it on their scrolls but it was her that managed to find their location. Since they had a specific location, they knew their starting point.
"Jekyll," Mulberry asked. "Are you certain that you can handle this?" When Jekyll nodded, he then turned to Peach. "And you?"
"Got the sedative ready," she replied.
It was a safety measure. He couldn't risk them like he did in Mountain Glenn. It was a surreal feeling for him, being open about Hyde. They knew that they couldn't trust him entirely and made precautions but the fact that they still let him on at all made Jekyll feel like he had a place to belong.
The sand beneath their feet was coarse, rough, and it almost got everywhere. Jekyll was glad that his boots were high enough that none of it got inside. Peach was the lucky one of them all since she was just flying. She didn't even touch the ground until they made it past the sands and onto stonier ground.
Grimm was rather sparse at the moment though team MGHT managed to catch sight of a few. They were surprisingly tame that Jekyll thought that perhaps Merlot really had found a way to subjugate the Grimm. The green in their eyes certainly made it seem like they were the ones that he had experimented on.
Greene was leading the way as a scout with Peach staying at the back and looking out. Even using the scope on her weapon to see farther. Mulberry was behind Greene while he was behind Mulberry. It wasn't a straight line, more of a windowed formation really.
Soon, more Grimm had begun to appear. However, like before, they made no move to attack.
"We're walking right into a trap, aren't we?" Peach said.
"More like the center stage," Greene replied. She gave Mulberry her binoculars. "Look."
After Mulberry had done, Jekyll had his turn to take a peak. At the end of their path, there was an open area. It was like a hastily made multi-purpose covered court with much of the roof still being constructed. How had one man managed to even build one of these in one life would have been impossible even with advanced technology. Jekyll didn't see any hints of advanced machinery and concluded that it must have been the Grimm.
"It would seem that Merlot succeeded," Jekyll said. "No amount of time could have allowed him to build this even if he had loyal followers."
"Makes finding him easier at least," Mulberry replied. "Is everyone armed and ready?"
There was one final check of their weapons. Everything was ready. The four of them set out for the grand stage that Merlot had prepared for them.
When the stepped on the center, their scrolls went off. Their signal was being hijacked and enhanced. There must have been a CCT Booster somewhere nearby. They had international connection by the looks of it. It was rather weak as indicated by the small number of bars. Audio was being patched in.
A coughing sound was heard. It must have been Dr. Merlot. "Can everyone hear me?" he started. "Ah. Fantastic. Shame that none of you have video feed but that is unimportant. Don't bother responding, it wouldn't do to have your rather simple minds taint mine."
Out of everyone in the group, Jekyll was the most offended at the notion of being called simple-minded; he didn't have an etc. at the end of his titles for nothing, thank you very much. Unlike Oobleck, Merlot had definite problems on his ego. Peach was of the same sentiment but of a weaker intensity than his own.
"Right," Merlot continued. The pompous prick of a voice kept going like nothing else mattered. Focus, Jekyll. "Now I am a generous man. It is with great honor that I present to you people, a first-hand experience of my new creation."
"Creation, he says," Peach says, unimpressed. "Come back when you managed to create a seedless watermelon from scratch, then we'll talk."
"Now a bit of history so that we're all up to speed," Merlot went on. "Grimm. For the longest time, mankind has fought against the Grimm. We like to think that with our superior intelligence, it is we who have proven ourselves the superior people but no. That is most definitely not the case, for if it were, why then, I ask you all that we build our walls while the Grimm roam free?
"It is the Grimm that are the superior. Stronger and faster. What I, and my contemporaries at Merlot Industries, have sought to create was a means of adjusting the balance. If intelligence is all that we have over them, why not use it and tame these Grimm like we had many other animals. Mankind certainly has a knack of subjugating the lesser kinds. Don't you agree, miss Faunus?"
Peach raised a finger to sky. She didn't know if it could even be seen but she raised it nonetheless. "I am so going to get my graduate studies degree after this."
"Ah." Merlot heard it at minimum. "Domesticated, I see."
"Don't let the man get to you," said Mulberry. If Merlot wanted to see him, he was certainly making it easier.
"Now that it is all out of the way," Merlot continued. "Let us get going to what we all came for, hmm?"
The Grimm then descended on them all. They all knew they were walking into a trap. However, this area, if the maps they had were accurate, was closest to Merlot's laboratories and if getting past all these others would be the most efficient then they would have to go through them as much as possible. Besides, is it really a trap if they knew what they were getting into?
For Jekyll, it was still a struggle as he sought to keep himself under control. Due to the current circumstances, he couldn't keep holding himself back but he had to find some balance between the two. He learned that much after the Mountain Glenn. The first thing he did was separate himself from the rest of MGHT.
Green-eyed Beowolves came for him. Jekyll thrust his new dagger deep into the beast and pulled it out just to cut it by the neck. It wasn't going down easy and with him having to be careful of himself, it made things more difficult. Jekyll kepy increasing the distance between himself and the rest of his team. He could already feel himself slipping a little as his vision started to blur.
Peach made full use of her Faunus abilities by going to the air. Each shot echoed across the arena as the farthest of the descending horde started to dwindle. She battled for control in the air as what flying Grimm there were made attempts at taking her down. Mulberry and Greene ensured that they never got close.
Greene was racking the most amount of kills. For the professor of Stealth and Security, one would think that Professor Ann Greene would put emphasis on assassination techniques. Quick strikes and single strokes that would end all foes to maintain as much secrecy as possible. Instead, she used explosions. Having expected a trap, she prepared accordingly. Fire Dust went off like beating drums that Greene carved a path for them without much concern for environment or other structure.
"Such barbarism," Merlot commented on whatever line he was on. "Still, nothing too out of the ordinary and my creations are doing well enough for themselves."
Mulberry fired a shot. Next to Jekyll, he was the one that relied heavily on close range. While Mulberry does possess a pistol, the range of that was significantly shorter especially when compared to Peach's Steadfast. Greene didn't have that much in the way of range but she had her own firearms as well, though she prefers explosives more; a rather unsubtle choice for someone who prides herself in subtlety.
Jekyll was already at quite a distance between himself and the rest of his team. The further away he was from them, the more time they had to react should anything go wrong. There was more to it than that, though. Namely, the further away he was from them, the safer it was for him to let Hyde a little loose.
Like slowly opening up to relieve a little bit of pressure, Jekyll dipped once and a while and let Hyde take a few bites. He was careful in pulling himself back not just to be aware of his surroundings but to also be careful of his own strategies. The further he would give in, the more reckless he becomes. He also stops caring about defending and simply charged onwards despite every evidence telling him otherwise. Hyde reveled in the chaos.
"Interesting," Merlot said. It took effort from Jekyll to actually make out what was happening. Things were starting to blur for him. He needed to focus and return to being Jekyll. "Excellent showing. Truly, you really are huntsmen and huntresses befitting the profession."
Jekyll's balancing act had cost him. An Ursa came by and swiped at him, causing him to fall back into the perimeter that his teammates had established.
"And back to where you belong," Merlot just had to comment. He had some video feed if he was able to see what was happening. "Strange strategy you four have. Only two of you have any semblance of being a team." Merlot meant Mulberry and Greene. "The other, though, can most definitely say that they aren't quite the usual that the Academies would produce."
Fittingly enough, Mulberry and Greene were the most capable of being in sync. Since the two were a team in the past, their synergy was second to none here. Granted, the only comparison is with Jekyll himself and Peach, both of them never going formally to the academies. The two teammates could move without getting in each other's way despite the fact that they were back-to-back. Either one of them would move and the other would understand immediately and respond in kind.
Greene's weapon of choice for the melee was a shovel with sharpened edges. It was much closer in function to a spear at the moment but the spear point was too wide for it be classified as such. Perhaps a blunt polearm is a more apt comparison. She also had wrist-blades that were hidden but those were less for Grimm and more for villainous huntsmen.
The two of them would move as though they were one. There was little communication needed between them as they fought off the Grimm. Though the Grimm were inching closer within their space, that was when Peach would come into play. She may not be as synchronized as the two but she knew enough when to step in.
Jekyll pushed himself into the horde again. The Grimm were still drawn to negativity and the more of Hyde there was, the less of a threat there would be on his teammates. His vision had begun to blur again. The Grimm had become more like blackened shapes that he couldn't make out. The sounds all around him had become to jumble into a messy and hideous sounding musical piece. His emotions started to run wild. He was coming alive.
"Curios," Merlot commented. "Indeed, curious." No one could tell if it was genuine or mocking from that tone.
The Grimm were starting to draw towards him. Jekyll—Hyde began to distance himself from everyone else. He couldn't tell if he really was. The moment these things turn out the way they do, everything around him starts to blur. His mind swirls and he could feel himself swaying wherever he felt like. His balance felt off. The feeling of it all was akin to a drunken state. A kind of drunk that does not need any sort of alcohol.
Hyde swung his newfound dagger at something. It was black and had green orbs so it must have been the Grimm. Maybe it wasn't. Eh, who cares? All that matters were that he was finally having a chance to indulge himself as he pleased.
Something big swiped at him. It had enough force behind it that Hyde nearly buckled under the weight. He simply returned the favor by cutting that Grimm to pieces.
Shouts were heard. Was it Jekyll's teammates? Was it the Grimm? Was it this Merlot bastard whose face he wanted to cut into multiple pieces? No. Beat him down repeatedly with a crowbar. Was there even a crowbar nearby? Hyde should find a crowbar if it was near. There was construction right? There must a crowbar somewhere.
Canine-like fangs embedded deep into one of his arms. Hyde used the other to forcefully rip out their jaw. The victim started to whine like an abused pup; it brought a smile to the sadistic hedonist's face.
Many Grimm had fell by his hand. Yet, there appeared to be no end to them all. Good. Good! Let the Grimm horde come! Hyde was having the time of his life here, you see? Yes. Kill. Kill the Grimm Hyde! Rip them to shreds! Tear them to pieces! Open their bodies and see for yourself what lies beneath them! Kill! Beat them down under your boot. Kill! Kill! Kill! Ki—
Suddenly, he stopped. Hyde growled as he did so. Not yet! Not yet! There was still more to be done damn it! Look in the distance, can't you see what is happening there, you party-pooping doctor. Why must Jekyll ruin all the fun?
His vision was clearing. Jekyll began to make out with clarity of the shapes around him.
"…pressive!" He could hear Merlot from the speakers. "Most impressive!"
Jekyll looked around him. Many of the Grimm had indeed been slain. He, most of all, had the evidence all over him as black smudges stained him all over. Looking over the rest of team MGHT, they were far away enough from him that he didn't need to worry about having to hurt any of them. Thank heavens, he thought. I nearly lost myself there.
Taking a closer look though, he could see that Peach was just about ready with the sedative. How long had he lost control? By everyone else's haggard expressions, it must have been a long time. For him though? It lasted only a moment. A sweet moment. A beautiful moment that he cannot deny that feeling of relishing every second of it all.
Much of the surroundings were unharmed. There was the bullet shot and explosive craters here and there but overall, the structure was sound enough that Jekyll was certain that there wasn't too much damage. Still, he found himself weakened by it all, like he had pushed himself to his limits that the exhaustion caught up to him eventually.
It was Peach who approached first, helping him up. She checked his eyes and only when they were olive-green was she satisfied enough to let him walk on his own.
The first thing that came out of Jekyll's mouth was when he asked, "was anyone hurt?"
She shook her head. "It's a work in progress but Hyde was at least keeping distance. A few close calls but nothing too serious. Well. As serious as a walking time bomb of a psychopath on steroids could be."
"His laboratories are located further in," Greene said. "We can follow the large tubes transporting whatever substance he was using for his research."
Greene pointed to some of those large tubes. There was a green glow to them, similar to the ones that colored the modified eyes of the Grimm. Team MGHT followed these glass tubes until more of them began to show. Whatever material was used, it unnatural because they don't appear to be gathered from anywhere in the island; it must have been a series of processing and transportation, maybe even quick gathering for any stray, unmodified Grimm to come across.
Eventually, they made it to what can only be described as a small settlement comprised entirely of these technology. High-pressured steam could be seen occasionally leaking out of these pipes. The heat in the area was frankly intense enough that everyone's vision was affected like they had been in a dry dessert at noon. The landscape was barren and instead of trees of a natural green, one gets these pools of unnatural compounds as puddles that glowed. As far as they could see, it was closer in size to a small district, empty of people but most certainly filled with activity. How much of these was just Merlot?
They proceeded onwards until they reached the building. It appeared rather large, one befitting a research organization. Stepping inside, there was momentary relief from all that heat. Team MGHT honestly felt themselves better off here than they did outside. The doors, predictably, closed behind them with a locking sound. Right now, if it kept the heat out, they were fine with it.
"Can't let you have a chance to escape now could we?" Merlot asked. "Though, judging from each of your faces, going back that way wasn't going to be the first of your options now was it?"
Merlot was courteous enough to let the team cool-off. Since both parties are already aware of one another to begin with, there was little in the way of strategy or tactics since they were both expecting it anyway. Merlot had the cameras and different ways to know where they were coming. Team MGHT had various tools to answer many of his creations. They were also getting by said courtesy since this was Merlot's territory, even with Greene's intelligence and mapping of the area.
They proceeded to move inward the facility. It had large, grand but empty hallways. There was little in the way of decoration. It was a hideous sight to behold as everything served only to further function in whatever research pursuit the mad doctor had.
"Grimm," Merlot began. "We could have had a utopia, you know? Think about it, Grimm serving our whims, throwing them against the hardships of those places where we would be too fragile to be. So close. I was so close!"
"Of course, you did," Mulberry replied. They were certain that he could hear them. It was the fact that they couldn't see him in return. "All you needed was to put everyone in Mountain Glenn in danger."
"That is the very nature of scientific advancements!" Merlot argued with vigor in his voice. "Always are minds like my own bound to some pathetic moral standard. Fools! If we never had those in the first place, we wouldn't be fighting like the animals we think so beneath us! All I needed…"
Merlot kept going. As for Jekyll, he felt Peach look over him. Hearing someone else spout about the benefits of research unbounded by civil morality brought a sense of familiarity for him. Rather than anger, Jekyll had understanding to Merlot's feeling. Even the ego that painted his voice and words was something that he might have had when sought to separate the good and evil in himself.
"…you can understand, can't you, Jekyll was it?" That one caught his attention. "I have made some connections myself and they were certainly courteous enough to lend me some information on you." Cinder. Or rather, whoever Cinder was affiliated with. "You appear to be someone who understands yet you align yourself with these simpletons when you could be using your intellect to further humanity." There was genuine remorse in Merlot's voice. "Really is such a shame to see someone with such intellectual potential be reduced to some other piece of meat for the grinder."
"I'll have to disagree," Jekyll replied. "I've seen first-hand the consequences of research unguided by ethics." He then turned to whisper to his team, "I'll keep him occupied."
"We'll find him," Mulberry replied.
Fully expecting this course of action, two paths have opened up to them. The first led down to a series of hallways. The other led to some kind of arena. Jekyll stepped unto this arena and was unsurprised that the door behind him had closed.
The arena was the only place thus far that has no flooring. The ground was full of dirt and had signs of having been burrowed into and out from. There was to be more Grimm that would appear here.
"Is that so?" Merlot asked from the speakers. "Why should I, who could have brought humanity to a new golden age, listen to someone whose name I haven't heard from before recent?"
"I have done a case study once," Jekyll replied. Without the rest of his team, he was free to run wild. The only worry that he had was if Merlot decided that it was too much and bring him to the rest of his team in hopes that Hyde won't tell the difference.
"Oh?" Merlot said. Jekyll could picture him raising an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, is this case study of yours?"
"A simple one, really," Jekyll said. "It is one that plagues many philosophers and thinkers of any time: the morality of man."
Merlot didn't sound to interested. "Dull. Hardly worth anything. The only moral we should be concerned about is whether it actually serves humanity."
"That much I'd agree once." Jekyll nodded his head. "It was for that reason that I had thought about separating the good and evil from man."
"Impossible endeavor. Good and evil are nothing more than constructs conjured by the simpleton man meant to hold people like me back."
"Then, why don't we compare notes?" Jekyll loosened the neck tie. "Send out your modified Grimm and I will show you the fruits of my research. You've seen it before but since we are both unbound by any code of ethics at this moment, I could not think of any other opportunity to show you my case study."
There was silence that passed. Merlot made no response for a good long minute. Jekyll wasn't sure what it was that Merlot was thinking. Jekyll could feel him getting impatient though. Finally, he was getting a chance to run free and the bastard is actually thinking about backing out?
"Tell me of your case study," Merlot finally said. His tone was that of curiosity. There was no pompous grandeur behind it.
"It was an odd case, I can assure you," Hyde's crimson eyes had appeared. His Cheshire grin couldn't have been any greater. His voice got rougher and wilder, as well. Finally. "Let me tell you the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
AN: Should I also change how I do "ANs" considering the text is bold, lmao.