I wanna finish up the Overhaul arc soonish- so, later this week, expect to return to the Tuesday / Thursday schedule. I'd hoped to have a job by now, but…alas.
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Helen and Manny were still topside, helping Bubble Girl and Centipeder take down more of the normal yakuza thugs. Some of them had Quirks suited for combat, others simply fought with pipes and swords. Of course, if one of those pipes hit Manny, they just dented on impact. One of the perks of being part Tetramand. When the thugs stopped to take in the shock of their weapons being dented, one of two things happened; either Manny punched them, making them fall, or Helen sped in, tripped them up and restrained them.
Nighteye radioed in not too long ago, mentioning that the Omnitrix was picking up something on its warning sensors. That put both of the Helpers on edge. They've been with Ben on plenty of cases and, just to give an example, out of 100 missions, only 3 of those ever had the watch give off a warning.
"What could the Hassaikai have that sets off the Omnitrix?" Helen muttered.
"Dunno, but if Albedo is missing, then it's not something good." Manny frowned. "Search every damn room of this place!"
"Yeah, yeah." Helen huffed. Manny's sure grumpy- is he pissed about not being able to fight the battle downstairs?
Either way, the two began to essentially ransack every room they came across. Helen sped through at least three rooms in the same time it took Manny to search one. Helen was quick, but it was easy for the half-Kineceleran to miss something. Manny was much more thorough in the search. While they didn't find anything that would trigger the Omnitrix, what they did find was equally disconcerting. Helen's half-Tetramand partner walked out carrying at least three different devices of alien origin and, when the blur that she was slowed down, so was Helen herself.
"Detrovite thermal cell, Kraaho Plasma Rifle, and a Chalybeasian vibro-gauntlet," Manny listed off, looking to Helen, "You?"
"Pantophage Delusion Box, Nosedeenian energy siphon and an Amperi electrical grenade. Why do they just have these?! This is all way above their tech-level!" Helen said.
"The big man must've brought in a third party to help arm his goons. Only reason no one's used 'em yet is because we knocked on their door before they could read the manuals."
"Think the guy's down there with Chisaki and the others?" Helen asked. Manny looked over the plasma rifle he managed to find, looking for something specific. He'd been with Ben on more than one gun-bust and a lot of times, the seller just loved to mark their work. Sure enough, he found a letter etched into the underside of the weapon's barrel.
"There you are," Manny said, "Recognize that?"
"That's...Tetramand script, right?" Helen asked, just to make sure.
"For the letter g, yeah. And what arms dealer do we know who's name starts with g and would write in Tetramand?"
"Oh you're kidding. I thought he got arrested three months ago!"
"Apparently not!"
Manny looked absolutely pissed at the discovery. "Damn bastard. Doesn't he know what the fuck he's getting into?" Manny cursed, before storming out of the room.
"Hey! Where are you-"
"I know EXACTLY where that bastard is hiding." Manny frowned.
"Ugh, could at least call it in first." Helen muttered, "Hang on, I'm comin' with you!" With that, the Omniworkers speedster dashed after her partner, but only going fast enough to keep up, not surpass. She had no idea where he was going.
In a fancy place like this, that bastard would be at the epicenter. The place most suited for his stupid research. Manny thought, making a turn down another hallway. He glared at the door, closest the the entrance of the compound.
"Right in the middle of it."
"He'd be smarter than that...right? No way he'd just-" Helen began to counter, but Manny wasn't hearing any of it. Instead, he just charged the door and slammed his shoulder into it. The sliding door was thrown from its hinges, the paper screen tearing a bit in the process.
Inside the room was a room filled with computers and tech and at the epicenter of it was a familiar face.
"Magister...you really think that, despite my heritage, that I can upstage a full blooded Tetramand?
"Yeah. Most of us don't have the brains to comprehend something so foreign. But you? You're..different."
There he was, that overweight bastard of a Tetramand with his smug face grinning at Manny again.
"Well, fancy meeting you here." Gorvan grinned. Manny yelled, rushing immediately to attack.
Gorvan's smugness didn't fade. He just pushed a button on his wrist and activated a green energy bubble. Manny's fist made impact and managed to stretch through a bit before he was bounced back. Helen raced in and caught her partner before he could fall flat on his ass.
"Gorvan..." Helen hissed, "How the hell are you here? Weren't you arrested?!"
"I was, but my lawyer got me out," Gorvan smirked behind his odd shield.
"Your lawyer? Since when did you-?!"
"Hey, Sylonnoids are very good at what they do!"
Manny broke free of Helen's grip and punched the shield again. And again. And again. Gorvan just laughed as he tried to break on through.
"Come on, kid. You think your basic punch is gonna break my shield?" Gorvan grinned. "Speaking of punches, how's your hand?"
"You know that's gonna make me angrier right? Once I get through this shield-!" Manny growled.
"But you're not gonna get through it! Cause you know what this is?"
"A type of plasma. I've seen it before from one of Ben's forms," Helen answered.
"Smart as ever. Plasma from an Atropoda," Gorvan noted, poking the interior of his bubble-like barrier.
"The what?" Manny asked.
"Ball Weevil," Helen clarified.
"Then how the hell do you break it!?" Manny yelled.
"You don't." Gorvan smugged.
"...or you suddenly cool it, or use magnets." Helen said, pulling out some pellets from one of the satchels on her belt. She tossed them at the shield and they broke open.
"Pharmagelo capsules. VERY useful in restraining perps that don't know they've lost," the Kinneceleran girl smirked.
The criminal Tetramand watched as the capsules released a fast-acting freezing agent that spread across his plasma bubble barrier. In a matter of seconds the dome was completely frozen over, followed by it shattering under its own weight. Some of the shards rained down on the arms-dealer, distracting him somewhat.
With the barrier gone, Helen was the first to actually land a few hits on the heavyset Tetramand. Helen landed a series of high-speed kicks to the criminal's chest. Gorvan managed to grab Helen by the leg and slam her into one of the computer's behind him, breaking it in a shower of sparks. Manny raced in from behind and grabbed Gorvan by the waist.
"Here's a little something Ben taught me!" Manny growled, "Ophiuchus...SUPLEX!"
Manny lifted Gorvan off his feet and executed a perfect suplex, slamming the Tetramand onto his back. Gorvan grunted in pain as Manny got up, ready to continue the fight. Gorvan quickly rolled to his feet and lunged at Manny with a fierce punch. Manny dodged to the side, but Gorvan's fist connected with the wall behind him, leaving a sizable dent.
"You'll regret that," Gorvan snarled.
Helen got up from the ground, shaking off the impact of being slammed into the computer. She joined Manny in circling Gorvan, looking for an opening to attack.
Gorvan swung a massive fist at Helen, but she ducked under it and retaliated with a swift kick to his knee. The Tetramand gun runner stumbled, but regained his balance quickly and swung his other fist at Manny. Manny quickly stepped back to avoid the punch, then charged forward and delivered a hard uppercut to Gorvan's jaw. The Tetramand staggered back, but managed to stay on his feet.
Helen saw an opening and lunged forward, delivering a series of fast 'stabs' to Gorvan's midsection. The Tetramand grunted in pain, but then grabbed Helen by the shoulders and lifted her off the ground. "You're strong," Gorvan said, grinning. "But you're not strong enough."
He threw Helen to the side and turned to face Manny, who had recovered from the blow and was ready to continue the fight.
"Ya know what...this fight seems a little unfair," Gorvan pointed out, "Two on one?"
"What's the matter? Scared those odds are gonna end up with you behind bars? Again?" Manny taunted.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit concerning. But I think you both forgot rule number one of being an arms dealer."
"Oh yeah? What's that? Always make sure to have a plan B?" Manny quipped.
"No, that's rule three," Gorvan said seriously, apparently he missed the joke, "Rule One...is never sell your entire stock." One of the criminal's lower arms reached into one of his back pockets. He then pulled out a black and white pistol that seemed to be made of some kind of rubbery substance. Before he pulled the trigger, the pistol itself duplicated into three exact replicas. Manny's eyes went wide and he dove for cover right as his opponent opened fire with a barrage of energy shots.
Helen followed Manny's lead and dove for cover behind one of the remaining computer consoles. She could hear the sound of the energy blasts hitting the metal walls and floor, and she knew they had to act fast before Gorvan got the upper hand again.
"Any ideas?" she shouted to Manny over the noise.
Manny peeked over his cover to see where Gorvan was. "I think we need to take out those guns," he said. "But we'll have to get in close."
Helen nodded. "I'll distract him. You go for the guns."
Manny nodded back and took a deep breath. He waited until Gorvan was distracted by Helen's attacks, then sprinted towards the arms dealer, dodging energy blasts as he went. Gorvan turned just in time to see Manny leaping towards him, and the two of them collided in mid-air.
Manny's mechanical clamped around one of the weapons while one of his three still good hands grabbed another. Manny smirked and used his lower arms to strike at Gorvan's gut. The impact made the criminal Tetramand's grip loosen on the two pistols and Manny took the chance to grab the two weapons. He ripped them out of Gorvan's hands with a triumphant grin.
Only to watch as the two guns he still had duplicated again.
"Well that's just unfair," Manny muttered.
Helen saw an opportunity and dashed forward, delivering a powerful spinning kick to Gorvan's head. The impact caused him to stumble backwards, momentarily stunned.
"Quick, now's our chance!" she shouted to Manny.
Manny nodded, taking advantage of Gorvan's dazed state to charge forward, firing the duplicate guns at the Tetramand. Gorvan tried to dodge the blasts, but was caught by one of them, sending him flying back into a computer console. The console sparked and exploded, showering the room in a cloud of smoke and debris.
"MY GEAR!" Gorvan cursed.
Gorvan roared in anger, his eyes blazing with fury. He began rampaging around the room, grabbing anything he could find and hurling it at Manny and Helen. They ducked and dodged, narrowly avoiding the flying debris.
"Come on, we have to take him down before he destroys everything!" Helen shouted.
Gorvan charged towards them, swinging his massive fists wildly. Manny and Helen managed to avoid the initial attacks, but then Gorvan grabbed a nearby computer monitor and hurled it at them. The monitor missed Manny by inches, but struck Helen on the shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground. Manny's anger flared up and he charged at Gorvan, firing the duplicate guns at him again and again.
Gorvan managed to dodge most of the shots, and clapped his hands together. The clap released a powerful sonic boom, knocking Manny out of the room.
Helen struggled to get back up, her shoulder throbbing with pain. She could barely see through the smoke and debris, but she knew she had to keep fighting. She took a deep breath, and charged at Gorvan with all her might.
The Tetramand saw her coming, and picked up a nearby desk, ready to use it as a weapon. But Helen was too quick, and managed to dodge the desk just in time. She landed a powerful punch to Gorvan's stomach, causing him to stumble backwards.
Helen didn't let up, and continued to deliver a flurry of punches and kicks. Gorvan tried to fight back, but he was clearly tiring.
She's fast and annoying...damn it. Gorvan frowned. He looked around the room, searching for a way to gain the upper hand. His eyes fell on a ray gun lying in the corner of the room.
A Biot-Sorvortian metalizer! Gorvan's eyes lit up as he spotted the ray gun. He quickly snatched it up and aimed it at Helen, who was getting back on her feet.
"Say goodbye, little pest!" Gorvan yelled as he pulled the trigger.
A beam of energy shot out of the ray gun and struck Helen, enveloping her in a bright light. When the light faded, Manny saw that Helen was trapped in a metal casing, unable to move or speak.
"Helen!" Manny shouted, running towards his friend. But Gorvan intercepted him, swinging a punch at him.
Manny stumbled back after the punch connected with his chin. He shook off the stinging feeling that lingered where Gorvan hit, because now? Now he had tunnel vision. Now, he was gonna make sure Gorvan didn't get away or, if he miraculously did, it'd be with a handful of broken ribs.
The heavyset Tetramand arms-dealer looked at the ray gun and shrugged. Not too many charges left in it, power cell must've decayed or got jostled loose. Either way, he wasn't gonna waste the shots. Besides, plenty of buyers out there who'd throw heaps of cash his way if he could offer them two former Pros as decorative paperweights. Whole plan had Star Wars vibes and might have been leaning into some alien stereotype, but he didn't care right now.
Gorvan picked up the ray gun and aimed it at Manny. Manny saw the glint in Gorvan's eyes and charged at him, dodging the first shot that narrowly missed his head. He swung his mechanical arm at Gorvan's face, but the Tetramand blocked the attack with his thick arm.
Gorvan then delivered a swift uppercut, catching Manny off guard and sending him staggering backwards. Manny shook his head, trying to clear his vision, but Gorvan wasn't giving him any time to recover. He charged at Manny again, swinging the ray gun like a club.
Manny blocked the attack with his mechanical arm, but the force of the blow sent him crashing into a nearby console. The impact caused the console to explode, showering the room in sparks and debris.
Manny coughed and sputtered, trying to catch his breath. Gorvan seized the opportunity and charged at him, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.
"Come on, kid. I thought I taught you BETTER!" Gorvan's lower fists slammed into his gut.
"You...didn't teach...me anything," Manny growled, "But Ben? He taught me a few things...that were actually useful."
"Oh yeah? Ha! Like what?"
Manny grinned as he used one of his lower arms to toss his Plumber's badge in the air. He closed his eyes while Gorvan's focused on the tossed emblem. And then there was only white. Gorvan screamed in pain, dropping Manny to cover his eyes.
"Like the fact that a Plumber badge has a flashbang function in case of emergency," Manny grinned.
Gorvan covered his eyes, as Manny rushed in. Manny's mechanical arm connected with Gorvan's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. Gorvan tried throwing out a few blind swings, but they only hit the open air.
Manny took advantage of Gorvan's disorientation, grabbing him by the arms and twisting it behind his back. Gorvan grunted in pain as Manny applied pressure to the joint.
"You know, I never did get a chance to thank you for introducing me to Ben," Manny said, his voice cold and dangerous.
"Little upstar-!" Gorvan began.
"Ophiuchus..." Manny started before he just started running full speed with the arms-dealer in tow, "FACE-PLANT!"
SLAM! Gorvan's face met the wall with enough force to actually send his whole head through to the other side.
Gorvan groaned, dazed and disoriented as he tried to pull his head out of the wall. Manny wasted no time and charged at him again, aiming a powerful punch at his exposed side. Gorvan tried to dodge, but the blow connected with his ribs, eliciting a loud grunt of pain.
Gorvan staggered back, clutching his injured side, but Manny wasn't finished yet. He grabbed Gorvan by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, then delivered a flurry of punches to his face and torso. Gorvan tried to fight back, but his attacks were weak and uncoordinated, and Manny easily dodged them.
I can't believe I ever trusted you-! I can't believe I believed every lie you said! AND I SURE AS HELL CAN'T FORGIVE YOU!
Manny was not a full-blooded Tetramand. When Manny's father was stationed on Khoros, he befriended his mother's squad of valkyrie. Manny's mother was next in line to be queen of a colony due to her royal family. She went on missions to take care of certain issues where she met Manny's father. They hit it off, but according to Khoros' rules, since someone had bested Manny's mother in combat, they were to be married. However, his mother was not happy with the arrangement and eloped with his father, eventually having Manny.
While not currently visible, Manny had markings of his mother's tribe on his body. They were similar to the Polynesian uhi tattoos from Hawaii, with a depiction of an alien dragon and a sun on one arm and more Polynesian-like designs on their back. It symbolized one thing- strength.
The irony though was that, for a time, they didn't symbolize strength to him. They symbolized failure, weakness. While his mom disagreed with her tribe's traditions, the then-current Queen and her advisors insisted on continuing the status quo. So, as punishment for her dishonorable actions, she was exiled. He didn't know what happened to her after that, but the wastes of Khorros were not a kind place. If any Tetramand were asked what killed the most people on their planet, there would be three answers. Clan wars, but those could be solved diplomatically on occasion, dehydration and sand rippers. Trying to negotiate with either of the latter was like asking a tornado not to destroy your house. Because he was "stained by dishonor" his clan never truly accepted him. He had no real future with them.
And then? Then he met Gorvan.
His dad had to meet with some other Plumbers for a mission, which Gorvan was leading. His father brought Manny along to show him the ropes. Gorvan watched Manny as he approached, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I must admit, I am proud to meet another of our kind," Gorvan said, his voice booming through the room.
Manny's expression hardened. "I'm the furthest thing from one of you..." he spat out.
Gorvan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Because my own kind never accepted me," Manny replied bitterly.
Gorvan's smile faltered for a moment, but then he recovered. "That is a shame," he said, his voice softer now. "Well, their loss."
"Their loss? What? And you know about-?"
"Exile? Of course. My own brother exiled me when I could not prove 'useful' to his conquests. At least, that was what he said publicly. In truth, it's because I questioned his leadership. He wanted to drag us into another war back home against our rivals and I told him that was a stupid plan."
That actually caught Manny's attention. Even a pureblooded Tetramand could be seen as...disposable? By his own brother, no less?
"What happened?"
"What I thought would. Our rivals destroyed my former clan, down to a man. My brother died...and I had nothing to hold me to Khorros anymore," Gorvan explained.
Manny was surprised by the Magister's story. He had always thought of his own struggles as unique to himself, but here was another Tetramand who had faced similar issues. And Gorvan seemed so kind and understanding, surely he wouldn't lie to him.
...right?
"I'm sorry to hear that," Manny said, sympathy in his voice. "But it's good you were able to escape all that and make a name for yourself out here."
Gorvan nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, it's been a long journey but worth it...besides, I like it better out here. Lot more free reign."
"Free reign?" Manny repeated.
"More work around. Less judgement. Easier to live how I should be able to."
"Huh...sounds nice," Manny smirked.
"It is. Now, think that's enough chatting for now, got a mission to plan here," Gorvan agreed, patting the young plumber on the shoulder before returning his focus to the mission, "So, to start with, we're dealing with a Churl-run gun-running job, based off of Monarch..."
The rest of the planning phase was just a blur to Manny and, to be honest, it didn't really matter. What mattered was what happened in the field.
And that's where the trouble started.
Supplies pretty quickly went missing. Weapons, blasters, important files- it became pretty apparent that Plumbers HQ had a mole.
When the mission to hit the smuggling ring happened, they couldn't afford to just let the Churls continue their operation, it was a nightmare. Somehow, the alien cyclops had heavy weapons that looked suspiciously like those that went missing.
"Psyphon's got an inside man." Ben grimaced at a meeting one day. "I hate to accuse any of you, but...the evidence is clear."
"Despite how bad it is to hear...it at least confirms my own theory," an Aquarian sergeant added, "The Monarch operation, the Acrosian junkers, even the Amperi Think Tank, routine busts turned into nightmares."
"So? How do we go about this?" Pierce asked.
"Can't say for now. Don't want anything leaking." Ben frowned.
"Would ask if you have any ideas but...I doubt you'll say," a portly Merlinisapien agent added."
"I'm being remarkably tight lipped right now, which is a real challenge." Ben admitted. "If the mole is truly in this room...I'd recommend that you turn yourself in. It'll make things much easier."
No one responded, which wasn't exactly a surprise.
"...I'll bust out Pesky Dust." Ben flashed the watch.
"Pesky Dust?" Manny asked, still unfamiliar with a lot of Ben's forms at the time.
"New to working with Mr. Tennyson?" Pierce asked.
"I am too, honestly," a girl asked, one who they'd later learn was named Helen.
"We've got a cheat sheet if you need it," Cooper offered.
"Pass." Manny declined.
"How do we know it's not one of the newcomers?" A rather crabby looking plumber said.
"Servantis, no. Those kids are NOT behind the leak." Ben sighed.
"And you know this how?"
"Remember the last time a new recruit was actually a spy? We boosted security since then and you helped with that. Saying it could be one of the kids is like saying you're the leak," Ben countered.
Servantis scrunged up his nose. "A fair argument..."
"I take it you're gonna keep this internal with your friends." Gorvan said.
"Pretty much. No way one of those guys is the mole." Ben said.
"Fair enough."
"So, what do we do now?" Manny asked.
Ben shrugged. "I dunno. Just thought I'd tell you guys."
"But you DO have a plan for this, right?" Helen asked.
"Of course! And, in time, we'll root the mole out and try them," Ben confirmed.
Technically, he was right. Time did reveal the identity of the mole, but Ben was, ironically, only the tenth person to find out. The first three to find were Manny, Helen, and Pierce.
...and that was what Manny called 'The Worst Day of His Life.'
I'm sure you know the perp, but you wonder- what's the how? And the why?
The Worst Day wasn't even out in the field or anything either. Another team, lead by Ben himself, was out dealing with another arms dealing ring believed to be connected to Psyphon's operations. Manny and the other Plumbers' Helpers were left in the base for now. Manny was taking it as best he could, which was to say he was bored, currently just doing a routine patrol with the others: Cooper, Pierce, and Helen.
"Should be out there helping," Manny grumbled.
"So you've said twenty times already," Cooper pointed out.
"Just sayin'. We shouldn't be hanging back, we should be out there in the field! Not gonna find a spy by just doing random patrol duty."
"Give it time. We just need to find our moment, you know?" Helen suggested.
"We're still rookies, Armstrong." Pierce said. "We'd be collateral if we got in the way. Just give it a few months, and we'll probably be out there..."
"Really?"
"...hypothetically."
Manny groaned. "Is your brother always a buzzkill?!"
"He's...just a stickler for the rules, is all," Helen shrugged.
"Whatever."
Cooper was about to pipe up, but suddenly his eyes glazed over. Helen looked over, concerned.
"Hey, you okay?" Helen asked, as Cooper swayed from side to side.
"Woah." Cooper gasped, rubbing his head. "What was...that?"
"What was what?" Manny asked.
"Oh! Well, my quirk allows me to interface with tech, and...it feels like someone just dropped a huge virus..." Cooper said.
"A virus?"
"Yeah. Its like a...like a buzz in the back of my head, if that makes sense."
"Can you pinpoint it?" Pierce asked.
"Think so," Cooper said, trying to focus in on the source.
"It HAS to be the mole!" Manny declared, pounding his fists. "I say we find the bastard and give him a piece of our mind."
"You might be right... Any directions yet?" Pierce asked.
"...the reactor," Cooper realized in horror.
Manny BOLTED to the reactor room, not even waiting for his group- though, Helen quickly caught up with him.
"Hey, wait for the rest of us-!" Helen yelled.
"Hey, you're the fastest between us! Go make sure he doesn't get himself killed!" Pierce suggested. Helen hesitated for a moment before agreeing, racing after the newest recruit.
Manny was already at the reactor door when Helen reached him. The Tetramand immediately kicked the door in, ready for action.
"ALRIGHT, YOU TRAITOROUS SHIT-!" Manny yelled-
Before his face fell.
"What the-?! Jeez, kid! Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Gorvan said with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Gorvan?! What are you-?!" Manny began.
"Checking the reactor. Got a report that something was off about it."
"We...we did too. Cooper said something about a virus..."
"He can detect that? Really?" the pureblooded Tetramand asked, "Interesting..."
"...it's you, isn't it?" Manny said, voice quivering.
Gorvan blinked. "H-huh? Kid, the hell are you-"
"You're the mole. The leak, whatever."
"Kid, where the hell did you get THAT idea from?"
"You're an exile. You're desperate." Manny said. "You're doing this to get revenge on the Tetramands that kicked you out, aren't you?!"
Manny couldn't exactly describe why he was so...eloquent, or so on point at that moment. His head felt fuzzy just thinking about the memory.
"Oh kid. That's not the whole reason..." Gorvan sighed. Before the Plumber's Helper could react, his mentor-figure quickly pulled out a blaster and shot Manny in the chest with it. The power wasn't set high enough to kill, but it still hurt like hell; it was the laser equivalent of being shot with a rubber bullet from a shotgun.
"I'm just doing what I can to survive in this shithole of a galaxy." Gorvan grimaced.
"By selling...everyone out to Psyphon?!"
"Not that black and white. But...if it helps you sleep at night, call me the bad guy."
"I'll be calling you a lot worse things when I get my hands on you-!" Manny roared, pouncing at his older opponent...
And memories again got foggy there. All he remembered was being propped up against a wall, bloodied and bruised. The rest of the helpers were sprawled out around him, equally as brutalized.
Gorvan was pretty busted himself by the look of it, several of Pierce's quills sticking out from his back. The older Plumber used his lower arms to carefully, but still painfully, pull them out. He was almost ready here. Just a few more inputs and the virus would its way through the reactor and through the entire system. Blowing the place up would be too 'flashy,' so instead, he was going to cripple the base, wipe out all information they had on him and on Psyphon's operation. Make them start from scratch.
"...you're all so young and naive." Gorvan muttered, as he stumbled over to the system. "We're meant to follow that code; the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few, but when you're on the side of the few?"
Gorvan slammed a few buttons. "You have to make some choice decisions."
"Like betraying everything you stand for?" Manny hissed.
"If you wanna say that. I was gonna say 'like making sure you come out on top in a rigged system.'"
"There's no rigging-"
"There absolutely is. You're doomed to be a rookie if you're not willing to do half the impossible things Tennyson did." Gorvan spat. "He set a baseline NONE OF US can follow! How am I expected to get further...when I have to play second fiddle to the idiot who can do anything!?"
Once again, Manny thought about how...weird Gorvan was acting when he said that.
"Now...if you'll excuse me..." Gorvan trailed off before he pressed a few more buttons. One last press of the enter key and it'd all be set.
Manny tried to get back up, tried to chase after him, but his body was so fatigued and beaten. All he could do was hold out his hand, and curse him out.
"GORVAN!" Manny yelled, using all the energy left in his throat. "WHEN I GET YOU!"
"Assuming you ever get to see me again. See ya kid!"
Gorvan's assumptions were dead wrong. Now, here he was, getting battered around by a brat. Manny finished his combo with a powerful downward punch that sent a large shockwave rippling through Gorvan's body- it literally rattled his core.
"You... brat!" Gorvan gasped, his voice trembling as he struggled to stand.
Manny stood over him, fists clenched, eyes burning with disdain. "Guess I got to see you again after all."
Gorvan staggered back, trying to muster a smirk. "Don't get cocky, kid... this isn't over."
Manny narrowed his eyes. "It IS over. Consequences eventually will pile up, you know. I damn well know that."
Manny looked down at his prosthetic hand. "I sure as hell know."
Gorvan coughed. "You think I wanted any of this? I had no choice, Manny!"
Manny's gaze hardened, his eyes still locked on his prosthetic hand. "You chose the easy way out. You chose betrayal." Manny's voice was cold.
"This is survival."
"This is pathetic."
Manny picked up Gorvan by the collar. "Dunno if you were planning to have your boss use that on that little girl, but you're not laying a finger on anyone else!" Without hesitation, Manny drove his fist into Gorvan's stomach, sending him crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.
He stomped down on Gorvan's chest, cracking the ground beneath them. Each strike came harder and faster, every punch shaking Gorvan. Manny roared, his voice barely human or Tetramand. He didn't stop. Fists flew with the intensity of years of rage, pain, and loss, all directed at the bastard beneath him.
Gorvan could barely breathe, gasping between the blows. Blood stained his lips, but Manny didn't let up.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm mid-swing.
"Manny! Stop!" Helen's voice snapped Manny out of his rage. He froze, breathing heavily, his fist still clenched. He stood over Gorvan, his body trembling with rage, but slowly, the realization of what he was doing crept in.
"He's not worth it," Helen whispered, her voice gentle but firm.
Manny stared down at Gorvan. The fight had left him.
He spat on Gorvan's body, and turned to walk away.
"...let's get these weapons rounded up, then." Manny said. "I don't want them used by ANY of these creeps."
Helen watched him stomp off, and sighed.
It was probably more cathartic for him to do that than she realized.