[SEQUEL TO GUN FOR HIRE]
Chapter 3: Blood & Wires
"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see this place," Piper mumbled as they stepped foot into the city of Goodneighbor. Right away, she was smacked with the heavy musk of urine, sewage and body odor, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. It would be the last place she'd ever choose to go; a good cover and place to hide from the Institute, especially with Goodneighbor's terrifying reputation of being able to ferret out Institute spies.
"Let's rent out some rooms at the hotel and fix you two up," she spoke over her shoulder, trying not to gawk at Luki's wounds too much. It made her nauseous. Some of his blisters had grown the size of her hand, and she couldn't tune out the poor man's suppressed groans and cusses with every step he took. Leo was surprisingly quiet about his injury, only grumbling about the dreaded moment when he'd have to set his shoulder back in the socket.
"Separate room for me," Luki wheezed quickly. "I want my own bed tonight and privacy while I clean my wounds."
Piper shot a concerned look. "I can help wi-"
"I can handle it, don't worry." The way he had struggled tugging away the waistband of his new cargos - to stop it from chafing molten flesh - was screaming otherwise, and Piper glared at nosy passerbys when they ogled at Luki's bare and burned torso. It was a good call for him not to put on a shirt so it wouldn't stick. She was increasingly worried when Leo never protested. His pompadour had fallen and his blonde bangs glued to his sweaty complexion, kicking urgency back into gear as she led the way to the hotel. She felt utterly useless; the stubborn men refused to accept aid even from each other.
"What the heck is with all you mercenaries and this 'tough guy' act?" Piper grumbled under her breath. "It's dumb, not tough." She patted herself down and looked back when she heard clanks and chimes; Leo bounced a cap sack in his good hand and tossed it over to her.
"Scraped them off the assholes that attacked us. Should be a little over 50 in there."
Well, annoying as he was, at least he was resourceful too.
They head to the hotel and Piper haggled with the old lady, using the mens' injuries to draw sympathy, pleased to have the price knocked down to 5 caps; that should have been the reasonable amount to pay in the first place for a dingy run-down hotel that reeked of chems and refuse. They climbed to the top, waiting on Luki when he'd slowed considerably with every step, but still he denied her help when she tried to force his arm to wrap over her shoulders.
"Ain't no way you'll be able to take my weight," he smiled tiredly, "I'll just kill us both if we fall back and crush our skulls at the bottom."
"Luki..." If only he knew the hell she went to and came back from with Garrett, hauling his heavy arse through a destroyed city.
"I'm fine, Boss. Really. I've survived worse."
Yeah, sure. She believed him. Not. He didn't have the scars to prove it; not like the ones he was going to get with all these burns. Guilt wracked her, but she forced herself to watch every second of agony to engrave this in her mind forever. First Garrett sacrificed himself for her, and now Luki. She swore she would never let anyone do it on her behalf ever again; not that she wasn't grateful, but this price should have been hers to pay.
Everything was gradually weighing down on her, one by one. She knew it was only a matter of time before it would be the smallest thing that would break her back. All she had to hang on to was a thread of hope, and it was dwindling with every hour wasted on everything but the Institute. Hopefully Blue would reach the end of the subway and read their message about Goodneighbor. She didn't know how else to find him on short notice; if only there were a means to communicate via radio, or...
"That's it!" The idea hit her and her heart soared with hope. The men turned and gave her a strange look, but she waved it off. "I've been thinking about how we could get in touch with Nick and Blue if they don't get our messages in the subway. One of us can go back to Diamond City and get Travis to air a message on the radio; or even Nick's secretary - Ellie - to send one on their private channel. Eventually Nick or Blue will hear it, right? It'll be faster than walking around the whole Commonwealth to try to find them, anyways."
They stared at her like she'd grown a second head. Leo hadn't deigned a response and groaned as he twisted back to continue the climb up the stairs, and Luki simply smiled that polite - and strained - smile before he joined his friend. She didn't understand their reactions and chased after them. "Uh, guys? What the heck's up with that? If it's a bad idea then just tell me."
"I honestly don't give a fuck anymore," Leo seethed venomously, gripping his elbow tighter. "We're fucked up to hell and back, Boss, probably even worse than your lover boy. You know there's no way we're in any shape to go anywhere or fight anything right now, and to top it all off, this is a fuckin' suicide mission now. Everybody knows that nobody fucks with the Institute. We ain't ever agree to paintin' targets on our backs, especially when we don't even have any fucking leads. The hell are you gonna do with those wires from that bitch's head? Was a mistake leaving the Gunners for this crap. Gonna find myself in a grave at this rate."
Shaken, hope depleted again. Piper bit her tongue before she lashed out. He was just speaking the truth - and out of frustration, rightly so with their injuries. She knew she couldn't expect random strangers to suddenly give up their entire lives for... For what? They were mercenaries only recently turned Minutemen, and there was no knowing what terms they had even negotiated with Blue.
There was no knowing what kind of man 'the General' was too. Why wasn't she allowed to have trustworthy friends in all of this?
Piper still looked to Luki for her last vestiges of hope, but the silent giant never looked back at her. He saved her - he was trustworthy. He bid a good evening before he slipped inside his room, and Leo hoisted off his backpack in the hallway before he left for another room. He berated her - he wasn't trustworthy. She sighed and took the last room, dropping her backpack on the bed before she collected Leo's.
Windows were open to let fresh - or as close as it was to 'fresh' - air in the room, and she observed the nightlife in this city, only somewhat comforted by the bustling sounds of people laughing and arguing. She doffed her trench coat and slung it over the chair, searching the pockets for her notepad as she reviewed the information she had collected so far. Her eyes burned at the keywords she scribbled when she had interviewed Blue.
Kidnapping. Dead mercenary. Family gone. Institute.
It was like staring into a mirror; now the exact same words may very well apply to her life, and she was powerless to stop it. She twisted - startled - at an abrupt knocking at her door and hid her notepad in her jacket. "W-who is it?" Her hand stayed on the hilt of her gun as she slowly approached, ready to snap it out of the holster in a second's notice. She deflated with relief at the familiar voice.
"Luki. May I come in to grab some supplies from your backpack? I lost mine in the fire."
"Yeah, of course." She opened the door and stepped aside for him to come in, and a new wave of guilt gnarled around her guts like barbed wire when she could still smell smoke and fire from his sloughing flesh. She locked the door and noticed his shoulders hike up the moment the click echoed in the room. "Sit on the bed."
"Your assistance isn't necessary; I can handle this on my own."
"It's not a question of handling this on your own." Piper came up and took the backpack out of his hand before he opened the zipper, giving him a stern look. He frowned.
"Then what's the answer?"
"I'm helping you whether you want it or not, and... It's the least I can do. It's what you can do to help me, b-because..." Her gaze roved over his burned torso, a hand with a mind of it's own wandering close to one of the blisters. Luki stepped away and her arm fell. "Just let me help, please. If you're worried about appearing tough, then, well, I don't care about that stuff. The 'Sergeant' shrieked like a girl over needles and bloodbugs and he's still one of the bravest men I've come to know. With you, I'd just be hearing muffled screams across the wall instead of in here, so there's literally no difference, and it won't change how tough you are. If anything you'd be tougher letting me help and-"
"Alright, alright, you've made your point. Points." Luki groaned, slinging off the strap of his laser rifle to prop it against the night table. He carefully worked his way into sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching his right leg straight as he lowered. He gestured for her to come closer. "Let's get this over with, and see if we have a cloth for me to bite down on. First thing I need to do is pop these blisters. Release the pressure."
Piper shuddered at that, utterly repulsed just by the imagery in her head. She forced her mouth to flatten in a thin line before she gagged and gave her inability away, spilling out the contents of both backpacks beside them. They both froze when they heard a sharp thud, followed by Leo's muffled scream. Piper narrowed her eyes at Luki as she thumbed at the wall adjacent to her room. "See? That's what would've happened. Instead of getting this properly taken care of, you both would rather be stupid over this tough guy crap." Another thud, another scream. Piper's blood boiled and she ripped the safety caps off the stimpaks with a vengeance.
Oh, there were so many words for that foolish, foolish man.
"Hey, hey, easy now with those needles. Don't take Leo's stupidity out on me," Luki quipped dryly with a crooked smirk. "I'm getting seen by Doctor Wright now, aren't I?" He unzipped his pants and rolled on his good side as he yanked down the lip of his waistband; her face flushed hot when he exposed his cheek, though his focus was riveted to the blisters on it - rightly so. "Let's get these out the way and treat them first, my pants are killing me."
It was infinitely worse that these words were coming out of an innocent mouth without any dirty connotations.
Piper cursed Garrett in her mind for tainting her, and at the same time, asked for forgiveness ahead of time if he ever found out she was within arm's reach of a half-naked man - and about to put her hands on his rump. She kept telling herself that this was the least she could do for a man who readily sacrificed himself for her - without ever expecting anything in return. No flirting. No vulgar jokes.
...Suspicious.
Luki hissed and bit down on his fist as soon as she poked and popped the largest blister just below his hip bone, blood trickling down his knuckles. She took one of her spare shirts from the pile of gear and waved it in his face until he bit down on it without protest. Her eyes frequently wandered back to the necklace where the cross and holotags swung, trying to get a read on the illuminated screen as she worked up his entire side. It was the only way to take her mind off the disgusting stench as the fluid ran down exposed sinews of corded muscles and peeling flesh.
Piper leaned closer than she had to when she palpated healthy tissue around his neck, propping her knee on the edge of the bed as she hovered the stimpak over the last blister. She 'moved' the necklace, palming the holotag as she stole a quick glimpse, but it slipped out of her hands when Luki adjusted until he laid more on his stomach.
That name started with an S, not an L.
"I thought I could do this," he murmured, looking at her pleadingly. "But there's no way I'll be able to clean the wounds and trim off the dead skin on my own." That's what she was trying to tell him! Ugh. Would it kill people to listen to her every now and then? She knew what she was talking about. Sometimes. "I'd hate to ask for more, but any chance we could use those caps to buy as much alcohol as we can afford? Goodneighbor should have it cheap."
"Of course." Piper shivered at the thought of trimming dead skin. Her stomach churned and she smiled at her weak joke. "I'm going to need all the alcohol I can drink for that part."
Breathy laughter was music to her ears, the only vestige of positivity left in the midst of all this clusterfuck. It was a wonder Luki had even been positive at all; he clearly had a lot more to be grouchy about than Leo. She cautiously cupped just under his jawbone as she brought the needle close to the last blister, leaving him no time to look and brace as she popped it to end his nightmare. The bed bucked under his weight and he muffled his scream in her shirt.
"I'm sorry," she chanted, "I'm so sorry... It's over though. I'll go get the alcohol right now. Do you need help sitting up? Do you want Leo in here?"
"No way, he's just going to make fun of me and annoy us, then drink all the booze while I stitch my leg up."
Leg? His leg was fine. "Speaking from personal experience?" It had meant to be just a joke, until Luki nodded fiercely. Her mouth hung agape. "No way. Are you serious?"
"I was even reassuring him and saying he was doing so good, that I was proud of him."
Mirth burst out of her before she thought to tame it, and she wheezed ow's as she hugged her ribs. She caught the dresser to stabilize herself and wiped the tears that squeezed out her eyes. "I know I shouldn't say this, but I hope to see this someday."
"It better be on you instead of me again," Luki teased, and he gradually rolled himself back up into sitting, grimacing along the way. She grabbed all the stimpaks they had left and set it beside him, then opened the cap sack and spilled it out to count exactly what they had on hand; enough for a couple of the strongest bottles - but that was Vadim's price. Hopefully Whitechapel Charlie would have some random defective programming that gave some elbow room for haggling.
"Alright, I'll be back in ten. Don't run away from me, okay?" Piper narrowed her eyes as she walked backwards, and Luki merely smiled innocently. She drew a circle in the air around his mouth, ignoring the immediate memory that fired a lump to choke her at her throat when she remembered Garrett doing this to her. As much as it hurt, she didn't want these memories to stop.
She needed to find him, to create new ones.
"I mean it, Luki." Luki. L. What was his real name, the one that started with an S? A question for another time. "No running. I will find you, okay? Got it? No. Running." Piper slipped around the corner of the door, playfully watching Luki through the sliver of space - like a creep - as she closed it ever slowly, smirking with pride when she walked down the hallway to the sounds of his chuckles. He needed it. She needed it. They all god damn needed something to look forward to and stay afloat in this mess, especially since hope was their shortest supply. She stopped in her tracks when Leo's door opened and he begun to walk out, and he also froze.
Anger boiled underneath the surface when she recalled his painful words, but she slammed a lid on it and jerked her chin to his shoulder. "Is it back in place?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay enough for now." He sloughed his jacket off of him and threw it inside his room, unbuttoning his dress shirt at the top. "Not lifting nothin' for a bit though." He squeezed the junction between his neck and shoulder as he circled it a little bit, grimaces barely contained. She fought not to roll her eyes when he cleared his throat and looked at her door. "I heard you two in there."
"He's okay enough for now, too. I'm going to the bar to get their hardest stuff for him before I clean his wounds."
Leo cast a nervous look at the door, and then marched down the hallway without her. She frowned, unimpressed, until he took out a comb and began fixing his pompadour back up. "I'll handle that. You sit tight with him and make sure he stays okay enough. He ain't a drinker, but there's just one he likes."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Piper smirked as she bounced the cap sack in her hands. She tossed it to him when he twisted and held his hands out, never stopping. She hoped she was doing the right thing, trusting Leo not to just drink all their caps away, as Luki's recently famous story proved. She went back to the room and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Right. A sensible decision in this city. She knocked on the door and called out. "Luki? I'm back."
"That was fast," came the muffled answer, and then a ton of creaks and whining. Just great, exactly what she needed: the creakiest bed in the city. There was no way she was going to get decent sleep tonight. She listened closely for footsteps, wondering what was taking him so long, but reminded herself to be patient for Doctor Wright's new patient. She was stumped when she finally heard him lumber to the door, but he hadn't opened it. "What's the password?"
"What?" Piper blinked, her mind blank over a simple question; a question they never discussed the answer to. "Um... Minutemen. Lucky Charms. Leo's a jerk. L-"
"Nice guess - the Leo one." The door swung open and Luki smiled, borderline smirking. He stepped aside for her to enter, eyeing her hands the same way she eyed the rifle in his. Apprehension tinged his crestfallen look. "They didn't have anything cheap enough?"
"I ran into Leo and he offered to get it, he said you're not a drinker but he knows the one you like." She closed the door and head to the open window to see if she could spot Leo in the city below. She waved Luki over, surprised he'd already followed close behind, and watched his face with nervousness; he'd know his own friend best and if Leo was trustworthy enough to make a booze run. A blonde pompadour and blue dress shirt was easy to spot in a crowd of fedoras and dirty suits. A dark glower swept over Luki's eyes and her stomach sank. "No... He wouldn't, would he?"
"He would. It wouldn't be the first time. I'll be lucky if he brings at least half a bottle and a tray so we can burn the alcohol and sterilize our tools." Luki sighed and dropped his rifle off beside her trench coat, dejected and disappointed when he plopped down on the bed. He set aside the medical tools and she chewed her lip as she alternated between watching him and the pompadour, until it disappeared in the bar. "I'm surprised he even remembers I'm not a drinker."
"Well, he's not getting away with it." Piper grabbed her trench coat, determined to be Leo's helpful reminder of their priorities. "I'm going down to make sure we get what you need." She stormed out, but not before she huffed, "new password: Leo's the worst friend ever." She closed the door and charged down the hotel with a fury burning in her soul. She took out her notepad to scribble and vent some of that anger before she caused a scene, when that jerk would - no doubt - rile her up on purpose.
Wasn't her notepad in the other pocket, though? She slowed down at that thought and looked down, putting the notepad back in the pocket as she tried to recall where she had actually hid it before Luki showed up. She turned and looked at the hotel; the window was closed. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted someone leaning against the panes.
That was no bulky man. That was a slender figure.
Maybe Luki wasn't trustworthy, after all.
x - x - x
Gat awoke with puke rushing up his throat. He barely twisted in time so that it wouldn't be all over him, and vomited beside the bed. Bed? He wiped his mouth with the sparkly white sheet and scanned his surroundings swiftly, his last memories still fresh in his mind. Instead of a cramped pod, he was in a spacious room with a generous amount of furniture and decorations. His clothes hung in the closet across from him; so that's how hangars were meant to be used.
Hesitantly, he scooted out of bed and looked down at himself, running a hand along his skin and pinching it to feel how real it was. There was a fear of what he thought he was.
Nothing was out of place; he'd gone so far as to check his own bits to see if King Arthur was genuine, or just a sorry ass replica that couldn't compare to the real thing. Just summoning an image of Piper, naked and hiding her pretty face in a pillow to moan, had been more than enough to encourage the soldier to twitch and slowly stand at attention.
"It works," he murmured, flicking the tip of his penis. He wasn't totally convinced yet - maybe synths could still get down and do the rumpy pumpy. He glided his hands down his chest again; it was such a strange feeling to be this clean. When the gripping nausea gradually faded away, he noticed that he had felt stronger. Healthier. Lighter.
Gat purged the pictures from his mind before he got carried away, not wanting to give the Institute a free show if they had cameras or some sort of recording device in here. He made no overt moves to look, stealing glances as he inspected different objects in the room as an excuse to turn in another direction. Half of the gadgets he played with, he couldn't deduce what they could be for. He dressed in his clothes, brushing the fabric with his hands the same way he did with himself; it felt so different now that it was clean. All the stains - blood and dirt - were gone. He traced an invisible line under the RobCo insignia on his green shirt.
Knocks alerted him, and he navigated around a bloody privacy wall - a joke; there was no way he actually had any privacy in here. The Institute would be dumb as bricks to just let him off his leash that quickly... But he'd have to be dumb as a sack of shite to betray that risky trust, with his family in their hands.
"Mr. Butler?" Came a voice - not monotone like the negotiator's - on the other side of the door. "Are you unwell, may I enter?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Gat opened the door, arching his brow as he took stock of the incredibly short and thin young man. His hair was messily spiked, an illusion adding a couple inches to his height, and his lab coat hung on his willowy frame as if it was clinging for dear life. "Jesus, do they feed you at all here?"
On that note: what do they even eat? Knowing them, after what he'd seen so far, it was probably some sort of disgusting synthetic - but 'nutritious' - chalky paste.
"A pleasure to meet you as well. I'm your handler, Adam." There was an almost aggravating nasally quality in this little man's voice, and he was awfully perky. Gat didn't do perky. He shot perky. His face fell flat and he struggled not to bang his head against the wall when Adam invited himself inside. "I trust you've found your new accommodations far more pleasing than... Whatever garbage you sleep in, on the surface?"
Great. Chirpy and cocky. Gat didn't do cocky, unless he was the one being cocky. Especially with Piper.
...She must never know he was still having inappropriate thoughts of her, even in captivity; she would likely shoot off his cock and bring a permanent end to them otherwise.
"Yeah, real spiffy, mate. Just woke up and gettin' the hang of them now. Got one question though: where's the water closet?"
"Water... Closet...?"
"You know. Washroom? Toilet? I'm sure y'think I'm a right wanker after our lovely chat, but contrary to what y'think, I still respect your privacy."
God. If he knew this was going to happen to him when he first spoke with Piper...
"Forget it," Gat leaned back as he looked down the opposite hallway. "Think I just found it. Gimme a minute, I needa use the loo." He needed to make sure every part of him was working, and then try to trip up that little cocky man to see if Gat was made of blood or wires. He peed well enough, experimentally pushing down the handle of the toilet when he was done. His eyes widened when it actually flushed - and it was powerful. "So that's how that shite is s'pose to work..."
"Mr. Butler?" Adam called outside the bathroom. "If I'm not mistaken, you're in something of a time crunch - and so am I. I have gear and instructions that will prove useful."
Reluctantly, Gat cleaned up and returned to his animated 'handler'. He was smacked with confusion when there were a whole bunch of folders on the coffee table, and Adam made himself comfortable on a couch. He gestured to the other one beside him, and Gat chanted to stay calm as he neared the man he would sooner choke.
Chris'sakes, the fucking things he did for the ones he loved...
"Instructions?" Gat echoed as he opened a folder. It seemed to be more of a blueprint instead, and a lump surged to his throat when he read the title: Cybernetics Division.
He wasn't a synth. He was something much worse than a synth.
"Yes!" The abnormally cheerful man leaned over, shoulders brushing, pointing at the title. "Thankfully, it's come to my attention that you've actually educated yourself to read. It's such a depressing fact to know most surface dwellers don't; no wonder most of you have succumbed to idiocy and violence up there."
Surface dwellers. That was the second time he heard it - was he in some sort of massive underground bunker? A vault?
"I've personally worked on you and upgraded many of the features myself, but a lot of it is still experimental; it would greatly aid my research if you pay attention and report back to me on a daily basis to fix any issues that may arise."
"I'm barely human anymore..." Gat murmured in horror, tuning out Adam when he flipped the pages and zipped through the 'instructions'. Gat's blood boiled and he snapped up into standing as he ripped away from Adam. "What the fuck is this?!" His fingers itched to squeeze a trigger and end this nightmare, but what was terrifying was that he hadn't known who to aim at. "I was only supposed to bring in Piper; I never agreed to be part of your fucked up experiments!" He jabbed a threatening finger in Adam's chest, who smiled as if there was nothing fucked up about any of this. Make no mistake, that cheerfulness was just a cover up for the maliciousness underneath.
"You're not in a position to agree or disagree, Mr. Butler. And, might I point out, you had - in fact - given permission when you agreed to work for the Institute. That means you're our property. Now, I have two different opportunities for you to choose from. From what our investigation into you has turned up, you sometimes display intelligence, and - however rare the occasion - I have confidence you'll do so now. Listen carefully." Adam lifted his forearm and pressed a button on something that appeared to be some sort of watch, to which two guards immediately responded and came in. Adam calmly gestured to them.
"We can do this the hard way where I incapacitate you, strip freewill away by planting a chip in your brain, and turn you into a mindless robot like those inferior and bug-riddled synths... Or the easy and sensible way. Work with me and help me improve cybernetics, which is far more superior and reflects the Institute's motto best: mankind, redefined. As it stands, I am the last scientist as my division and project is in danger of being shut down, in order to redirect resources to the robotics division and synth retention bureau. You are my last chance, so I promise you will receive nothing but the best care and attention. I assure you, you will find your upgrades nothing short of useful. I have only enhanced your combat abilities; your humanity has not changed... Fundamentally."
"Easy for you to say," Gat growled, waving dismissively at the two guards. "How the fuck am I supposed to know I'm not just going to turn into them?"
"You would know if you would just sit back down and allow me to explain everything as I was trying to do," Adam sighed as if he was slighted and annoyed; the fucking nerve these eggheads had. They weren't used to being told 'no', were they? Not if they were just kidnapping people as they very well pleased and pulled bullshit like this without consent, thinking that it was just better because it was smarter.
"Every change I've ever made is displayed in my design. I'm not hiding anything - I cannot afford to if I must present accurate and consistent results in order to ensure my research deserves a place in the Institute." Adam's cheerfulness abruptly faded in place of a darker and serious look. He looked at the two guards. "You are dismissed. Mr. Butler no longer poses any threat."
How cocky was this guy? Those were some hefty words.
When the guards left, Adam relaxed in his chair. A thin and smug smile dimpled his clean-shaven cheek. "I plan to prove the Director wrong and show my division is the true path to securing the Institute's future." If he felt comfortable saying something like this with no guards in the vicinity, then maybe there weren't any recording devices planted in here. Duly noted. Idiots. "My subjects have produced no flaws, compared to the boundless errors the robotics division has repeatedly manufactured with all their generations of synths. Meanwhile, I am able to genetically enhance every aspect and break the limitations placed on us - from combat to intelligence to lifespan. Cybernetics will not only free humanity and secure both reproduction and evolution, but also efficiently eradicate the filth responsible for our devolution."
"Enhancements, huh? What about compassion? You fuckers need that too - and if you live even longer, y'won't be any different than the fuckers I kill in the wasteland."
"We will always be different than surface dwellers. We actually possess humanity, something in short supply in the wasteland, as you've experienced yourself."
"Humanity? You guys? Hell no," Gat hissed, "because from where I'm standing: here ain't no different than 'there'."
Powerful laughter exploded from the tiny man, and Adam kicked up his leg over his knee as he opened up a new folder and patted the empty chair beside him. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Mr. Butler. It's refreshing to finally have someone to debate and deliberate with me again. I'll make a note about your observation on the side-effects of longevity."
"Here's another observation to make: I'm not giving you ideas to help you, asshole."
"You don't have to. I'm exercising my compassion-"
"Y'don't fucking have compassion."
"And the definition is: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. You, my friend-"
"I'm not yer fuckin' friend."
"Have been suffering for too long, held back by your limitations. I will rectify that."
"You're not fucking god, either!"
Instinct screamed danger when a cold glint illuminated Adam's eyes. His 'innocent' smile was ripped from the pages of a horror novel. "I don't aim to be. I aim to surpass god."