From Solider to Cat
"It was 11:50 pm, in the northeast mountains surrounding Cloud Mountain City. There I was, infiltrating an academy research laboratory in the hopes of finding the missing students. I entered the building from the left wing." A man sat at a bar counter late at night with the bartender and a cat at his side. There was a soft, single yellow light that illuminated on them from a glass-covered, pendant light designed as a hanging lantern. The bartender sat behind the counter cleaning some glassware while the man slipped on a glass of whisky staring at the cat beside him.
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"Tch…" A brazen man said while climbing through a small hole in a large tinted window. "Who the hell makes windows that thick?" He brushed the snow covering his body, revealing white a camo military tactical uniform with a heavily modified M1 Carbine rifle, with the same camo, strapped to his back. Despite being an old weapon, the modifications done to it gave it the appearance of a modern weapon. The man looked around the room he had found himself in and found to consider a threat and pulled out a small transmitter. "This is Wildcard to Powerless, come in."
After a few moments, a woman responded, "This is Powerless, what's your status?"
"I have successfully infiltrated the HeroCorporation Academy branch's research laboratory in the northeastern mountains. I will now investigate the whereabouts of the missing children and their link to the Hero project."
"10-4"
Wildcard then placed his transmitter back into his pocket, then pulled out his M1 Carbine. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a large suppressor then attached it to his gun. Once he finished, walked down a large white corridor that connected the wing he was into the main building. Off in the distance, he spotted two men dressed in white lab coats talking outside of a large metal door located on the left side of the corridor. Wildcard then reached into the right pocket on his belt and pulled out two needle-like bullets and loaded them into his gun. He then slowly looked down the iron sights of his weapon and shot two times in rapid succession, causing the two men to fall swiftly to the ground. Wildcard then sprinted to the two downed men and searched their bodies for any type of access card he could get his hands on. After searching both bodies thoroughly, he came up empty and he clicked his teeth in irritation. However, he then noticed a small clipboard roughly 2 meters from where the men fell. He then reached the contents of the clipboard and found only two things worth taking, a small key card and a profile sheet belonging to a teenage girl with blue eyes and silver hair.
"Susana Matthews, Age: 17." Wildcard read through the profile sheet. "Class role: Vice Leader. Special notes: While lacking in strength, she has a strong will that is causing this experiment to hit way too many road bumps. Asked management to use 'other means' to break her; however, they refused because on the off chance she escapes and goes to the police with others' DNA inside her, they would have a hard time covering up the situation." Wildcard looked at the two men sleeping on the ground and a disgusted look, "Maybe I shouldn't have given you two creeps mercy." He then turned towards the large metal door and placed the key card on the scanner next to it.
The scanner then buzzed as the door began to roar a scratching metallic sound as it slowly opened. As the door slowly raised to the top, the lights on the other side lit up one by one until it reached the center of the room and showcased a small girl bound by chains dressed in a small, thin, white one-piece outfit. Once Wildcard stepped into the room, a jarring alarm echoed through the facility, startling him.
"Who are you?" The girl shouted towards him.
"Your hero." Wildcard loaded a long magazine into his M1 and shot the chains that held the girl, freeing her. She slowly got up and then ran towards him. However, to his surprise, instead of hiding behind him in fear, she reached out and grabbed a small pistol that was holster around his waist. "You know how to shoot?" He shouted over the alarm.
"This is my backup," her face darkened a little, "I am an experiment, I have powers they gave me." To demonstrate, she stepped in front of him and raised her right arm and a large, white and blue lily grew from the ground. She then faced Wildcard and stared at him with a determined look as her eyes glowed a beautiful pinkish purple hue as if they were sapphires under a UV light. The large lily then spewed out a wave of blue spores that made Wildcard's body feel light.
Wildcard was in awe of what he saw, however now was not the time nor place to admire the beautiful sight before him. Towards the entrance of the room stood an older teen with blonde, short hair that was gelled so much that his hair looked like it was a light source. He had yellow eyes and was dressed in a flashy outfit which was half blue and red with a generic lightning symbol on his chest.
"Halt in the name of justice--!" Without hesitation, Wildcard shot the teen in the chest. However, to his surprise, the bullet ricocheted off his chest.
"You have to be kidding me." He said in disappointment.
"What was that for!?" The boy shouted. "I was trying to look cool and you just had to ruin it." He stumped his foot as if he was a little boy throwing a tantrum. He then proceeded to complain, even more, however Wildcard and Susana looked at each other, ignoring him.
"Umm…I'll handle him…I guess?" Wildcard looked back at the little boy in a tall body and pulled out a small military knife. "You escape; back in the city, I have a contact waiting in an abandoned orphanage. Tell him this: Stop using a Joker in poker. He will assume I sent you and care for you."
"Okay…but be careful, despite his…appearance, he is quite strong." Susana held the gun with both hands as she waited for an opening.
Wildcard then launched himself at the crybaby and attempted to slash at him with his knife. But to his surprise, a ball of electricity slammed into his back, electrocuting him. Wildcard withstood the attack and wince in pain as Susana ran past.
"Why…why…WHY!?" The boy then snapped, "Why won't anybody listen to the words I have to say?" He then looked at Wildcard with soulless eyes that glowed yellow and the air around him began to feel staticky. He felt a strange sensation in his body as he was unable to move. "Those who don't listen don't deserve to live!" A large ball of electricity then appeared over his head as he shouted his feelings.
"STOP!" A woman dressed in white with long flowing black hair walked into the room with her hands in her pockets. Her presence caused the boy to stop his attack and back down. He then looked around the room and noticed the charred surroundings. He then apologized profusely to the woman as she walked straight towards Wildcard. "So a soldier from a neighboring country I see. By your current looks, I believe you can't move-!" Just before she could finish, Wildcard launched himself at her and stabbed her in her waist.
After stabbing her, Wildcard released the knife from his grip and sprinted out of the room as the electric crybaby chased after him in a frenzy.
"Heh…," The woman's eyes glowed gray as she held the knife inside her with one hand. An empty syringe lay next to her on the ground. "To think someone would be faster than me…but too bad he wasn't fast enough to stop me."
"Damn..it…" Wildcard barely managed to escape the facility and climbed down the mountain. He then lost his grip and fell 20 meters off the mountain and made a man-sized hole in a large snow pile at the bottom.
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"That's great and all…but you didn't answer the question." The man stared at the cat with an impatient look. "How did you become a cat drinking a bowl of alcohol?"
"I'm getting to that part!!" The cat hissed at the man. "Anyway, after sleeping for what felt to be a few hours, I woke up and found myself in the form of a cat. Confused, I grabbed my gun with my teeth and climbed down the mountain, and found myself at this bar. The end."