Monster's Reception

Caption (to assist readers):

- Everything is good. - = speech of the character

"All good." = character thoughts (during certain scenes)

*boom* = ambient or scenery sounds (similar to using other types of comic fonts)

This chapter is told from James Heller's point of view.

I amplify my hearing to hear what they are talking about:

- Don't forget to check if the Colonel is infected or not, be discreet. - Says the soldier on the left.

- I still can't believe that Colonel Rooks could have changed sides, but orders are orders... - Complains the soldier on the right.

Looks like the disguise is gone, time to ignore my human behavior and go back to being the most powerful Monster they never imagined came from so far away.

3... 2... 1... Let's go!

I shoot myself at full speed still in Rooks form, I come between the two, they can't react to my speed, I grab each one by their face at the same time, squeezing their skulls hard enough to lift them off the ground. Before they can scream, I crush their heads and absorb them still running towards my goal, returning to my original form.

I access the Web of Intrigues as fast as I can, slowing down, but without stopping running, I just need confirmation that he's here... Yes, he is, nothing else matters, I'm going in while kicking the fucking door!

More soldiers, they're still slower than me, I don't need to absorb these and I rip them apart with both my whip-like form arms with a simple whirl.

A laboratory disguised as a Hangar, what a predictable place Blackwatch.

8 seconds for me to enter the Hangar and the siren goes off, it doesn't matter, nobody here matters but him.

I run towards the elevator, more soldiers start to appear, their bullets can't even penetrate my skin, they are completely unprepared.

The elevator doesn't need to be open, I stick my right arm in blade shape in the middle of the door, I stick both my human hands again in the gap I created, if they don't want to open the door I can open it myself with my hands using force.

- Look, the elevator is going down and they forgot to wait for me! - I exclaim as I jump into the elevator pit, if the elevator doesn't come to me, I go down destroying whatever is in the way.

I smash the ceiling of the elevator using both my hands in the form of a hammer, now the trip will be one way for those inside, because the elevator managed to withstand the impact, but the cable that held it did not.

First underground floor, second, and third, that's mine!

I jump towards the floor door, punching both parts of the door at the same time, throwing what's left of it forward. Two impacts strong enough to make a huge noise, my punch on the door and the elevator behind me that if it didn't have a fourth floor, they just created one with their corpses and the force of the descent.

I look at the corridor I'm in, now I seem to be in a secret underground laboratory, even if they renovated it, I can see that the walls of the corridor are much more resistant than the elevator, I look at the ceiling, it must be more that 3 meters high, this place must have been an old nuclear shelter from the Second War, really a good containment option for Blacklight virus level threats.

The sound of the siren still bothers me as I walk down the corridor, I decide to stop running while I analyze my surroundings carefully, it's very different to fight underground, apart from that this floor is a laboratory. They could have more viruses and lethal substances to unprepared humans, he is a few meters ahead, I can feel his presence without using my skill, not his only, theirs too.

I see two monstrous figures in front of me when arriving at the center of the laboratory, its a widest and highest place compared to the connecting corridors and the idiot scientists who freed them all brutaly dead, probably thinking they could save themselves with these incomplete projects.

*loud growling noise*

- You must have been guinea pigs for so long that you couldn't even see the light of day again, I could let you both go, but you're going to attack me anyway, aren't you? – I question both infected, who continue to emit hostile instinct towards me, I can't communicate with them even using the skills I inherited from Mercer.

They both look like a Super Soldier side project gone wrong, disfiguring them and making them look more like Hunters, no, I've seen something similar in Mercer's memories, they look like the Supreme Hunter. The most powerful creature Mercer faced at the end of the First Contagion, recreated by Blackwatch in a smaller form, if I can call a 3 meters tall Monster small.

They still look confused, other than this must be their first contact, the original Supreme Hunter was only one, I feel undecided, I feel like my rational side wants me to wait with caution, but the voice inside my head is screaming:

"Kill them! Threat! Kill and Consume!"

My whole body shakes, I can't go against my instinct, if the virus itself considers them dangerous enough to react this way, I need to attack them with everything.

My body increases in height, I'm taller than when I faced Mercer the last time, it's not enough to be taller and stronger, I also reveal my two spare arms, yes now I feel like I can attack both. Monster against Monsters.

As soon as I finish transforming into my new most powerful combat form, both Hunters look at me, yes I can feel your instincts... I've become the biggest threat now, both of you now focus on me.

*Screams from Heller and both Hunters together*

I advance forward, both advance towards me, our combat begins!

"Hunter One's attack from the left, 10 o'clock! Hunter Two's attacks from the right, at 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock!" – I manage to anticipate attacks, countering Hunter One with a powerful punch to my left and blocking Hunter Two's attacks by my right side.

"Chance!" – By counterattacking Hunter One, I manage to push him away a few meters, my opportunity to attack the closer Hunter Two alone.

I transform both of my right arms that managed to block his attacks in the form of whips, immobilizing both of his arms, he reacts by advancing towards me to bite, but I won't let this chance pass.

My upper left arm hits his jaw with a powerful hook, half a second later my lower left arm turned into a blade hits his abdomen, he tries to recover, but I have the numerical advantage in arms, holding his head with my upper left arm while my lower left arm continues a serial blade attack.

5 seconds, enough time for the other Hunter to attack me again, I interrupt everything and convert all my arms in my new strongest shield to defend myself from his powerful attack due to his dash. The bastard hits me so hard that even defending he pushes me back.

I open my guard that completely blocked my vision and I see something I feared, the Hunter that hit me is trying to consume what I was almost killing.

- Never! - I scream as I merge both my right arms into a larger arm, turning the new created arm into a powerful whip shotting like a cannon, hitting the damn opportunistic Hunter in the middle of the body with the whip blade.

My left arms merge as I shoot myself towards both Hunters, I feel like I'm losing control, but I can't let another one like Mercer arise!

*James screams loudly*

- No! No! No! No! No! – I scream as I tear apart both hunters with my new huge claws using my enlarged arms, fuck consume, fuck internal voice, I'm going to make sure they die first!

Finally the Hunters stop resisting, I feel that they are still alive, but from the state of their bodies it's just futile resistance because of the virus. I feel calmer and more in control, enough to absorb them easily.

"Powerful! More powerful!" - I hear the inner voice screaming after absorbing both monsters, I really feel more powerful, but I fear I'm losing my humanity more and more...

I no longer feel any other presence close to me, I believe that Blackwatch must have decided to wait for my return, even with me destroying the elevator, that was still the only way to access and exit this location.

I still have hope, Pariah is meters away, I can feel he's alive. It's time to meet him.