Super Science

Ch. 120: NIP vs. HAJ

The N.I.P. staff and several dozens of robots raced around the facility at top speed, rushing anything and everything to get ready. Time was of the essence, and two of the three-day windows had ended, and the final day was upon them! The army would be here anytime, and they had to be beyond ready!

Meanwhile, the only one not working at this serious time was Egon, who was stowed away in his office consoling a sobbing Inko, who bawled out tears like two open faucets. The woman was in pieces over the news she was told. Her son was gone, and he probably wouldn't be seen again. Made even worse by her unstable pregnancy hormones.

"My baby!", Inko sobbed into her fiance's shoulder.

"There, there, Inko. It'll be alright," Egon assured her as he stroked her hands.

"How can it be alright!? My baby could be anywhere in the universe, reality, or dead!", Inko freaked out on him before going back into her crying fit.

"If that's the case, we'll find his body to give him a proper burial. But I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen.", Egon promises her.

"Why can't you use all your resources to find him?", Inko half begs him.

Before he can answer, his office door opens, and Cluck pops her head in and, obviously hearing their conversation, butts in her two cents.

"Lady, we are about to be invaded. No sense in looking for your kid if this place and its resources don't exist.", she says with no remorse.

"Cluck, have a heart; the woman lost her son and just became pregnant.", Egon scolds the bird.

Cluck rolled her eyes and said, "That was three days ago. You're thinking she would've gotten a hold of herself." Egon glared at her, but she doubled down when she added, in a snide tone, "Alternately, his very matter could be everywhere, and we'll have to resemble him atom by atom, picking pieces of him from the cosmos and further."

Only for Inko to burst into more tears as Egon screamed, "Cluck!"

"Just saying.", she said with a shrug before walking off.

As Egon helped calm Inko down, his office door opened again, and a new person walked in without making a sound until they were just within talking distance of the two. Once Inko's sobbing had simmered down to a whimper, the person said, "Doctor?"

"Professors and-wow Nagat, you look a hundred times better than you did when we first found you. Chopper and Kureha work wonders!", Egon exclaimed in joy, seeing the fully rejuvenated Lady Nagat standing before him, fully cleaned up and in new clothing similar to her old hero outfit.

"And I feel a hundred times better. Thank you again.", she said with a deep bow.

"What did they say about the splinter you stabbed yourself with?", Egon inquired.

"Apparently, I was in contact with it for so long that I gained the quirk within. They said some other stuff, but I didn't understand any of it, so now I have two quirks. Rifle and Air Walk.", Nagat explained.

"Impressive," Egon replied with a smile. He whispered something to Inmo, making her wipe her face, nod, and kiss his cheek. From there, the man stood up and walked out of the office. Honey Lemon stepped in with Inko. As they walked, Egon inquired, "Was there something else you wanted?"

"I just wanted to thank you, that's all," Nagat said, grabbing her arm and looking at the floor.

"No, there's something else. Let me guess," Egon said, stopping short and expressing a thoughtful expression as he guessed. You're lost. After leaving your post as a hero and breaking ties with the association, you have nothing to fall back on if we survive this."

Nagat sighed and admitted, "You got me."

"Then how about you come to work for us?", Egon offered as she looked in shock at him. But Egon doubled down and told her, "I'm serious. We could use another bodyguard. Plus, a long-ranged sniper would be perfect. We've got way too many brawlers."

Nagat thought it over for a while until she smiled and took his hand, shaking it with enthusiasm, "I accept your offer!"

Suddenly, Otto came up to him in a hurry and told him, "Sir. They're here."

Egon ran to the nearest inner com and shouted through the PA speakers, "Battle stations, people! This is the real deal!", he then rushed down the hallway with Nagat and entered a different room where several people were already waiting for him by a Wrap Pad. He turned to Morgana, who stood before him and instructed her, "Morgana, Josie, you take the Moon Dogs, Eri, and Inko with you to the Warp Pad room. If things go south, wrap over to Pacifica. You'll be safe."

Inko, whom Honey Lemon helped with, approaches him, grabs his face, and says with a serious tone, "Egon, please don't let it come to that."

Egon holds her hands and says in a whisper., "I promise."

The two embrace and then kiss for a moment before a small whimper of a voice calls to him, "Egon."

Egon looked down and saw Eri holding his old cat, Log, in her arms. He kneeled down, kissed her forehead, and told her, "It's okay, Eri. Everything will be fine."

"You said the same about the mean man.", Eri says back with a disheartened expression.

Egon felt his heart drop for a moment and knew she was right. In a way, he did lie to her face, and now things have gone more off the rails than they normally were. He centers himself with a breath and assures her while pulling her into a hug, "This time, it's different. I'll be back, and everything will be alright."

He breaks his hug from the girl who reaches out to him and can only watch as the man confidently walks out of the secured room and into the hallway, where he takes his post in the main control room of the facility. Cameras are all around to show every possible angle of the facility, and panels are used to control every possible part of the building and its defenses. He stands at the front and sees them coming. A veritable army consisting of hired mercenaries, private militias, any members of the Japanese army that could be taken, and a small army of pro heroes, former or current, walking alongside them and several military-grade machines! The real fight was happening now, whether he liked it or not, and they had to be even stronger than ever! He just hoped it was enough.

Hey everyone, I'm back; sorry for the extended leave again. If you haven't noticed, I went through all my stories and put ALL the chapters in the spell checker. So yeah...that was tons of fun. I also got a cover image for this and my other stories! A big thanks to Adalyn Hazelfor for the cover art. If you are looking for a commission, send her a message on Discord at adalynhazel7 or find her Instagram and send her a message there at adalynhazel7. Check out their Instagram or Discord to purchase your own amazing works of art. Now we get into the nitty-gritty of the fight, so the next chapter will wrap up this short arc and then get back to...whatever I decide. Until then, thanks for reading, and have a Plus Ultra day!

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