I Visit a Military Base… And Snap a Neck

Chapter 6 - I Visit a Military Base… And Snap a Neck

After wrapping up his conversation with Cooper, Han returned to his car, sliding into the driver's seat. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Carn sitting quietly in the back with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating. 

Wong, Carn's mother, had finally stopped her scolding barrage and leaned back in her seat, exhaling in frustration. 

Without a word, Han started the car, pulling away from the flashing police lights and the chaotic scene at the gas station. The silence hung in the air until Han finally broke it with his controlled low voice.

"I heard you killed someone," he said, not looking back but watching Carn through the mirror.

Carn's eyes fluttered open, meeting his father's gaze through the reflection. There was no point in hiding what had happened, except for the part about the thousand-year experience. 

"Yes, I did."

Han's knuckles whitened slightly as his grip on the steering wheel tightened, though his face remained calm. "Have you gotten an illegal augmentation from somewhere?" 

Carn raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. "Augment... what? What's that?" 

Han sighed deeply. "Stretch your arms out. Let your mother check."

Still puzzled, Carn complied, extending his arms forward.

Wong, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and pulled out a small blue laser pointer from her coat. She methodically scanned Carn's forearms and hands, looking for signs of cybernetic implants or artificial modifications. After a few tense moments, she flicked off the light, shaking her head. 

"Clean," she confirmed, though there was a note of relief in her voice like she'd been expecting something worse.

Han exhaled deeply, his body relaxing slightly as the tension eased. "For a second, I thought you'd gone to the black market and gotten yourself augmented."

Carn pulled his arms back, tilting his head in confusion. "What's this augmentation you keep talking about?" 

Wong gave him an incredulous look, her accent thickening with disbelief. "Yu really don't know 'auk-men-ta-tion'?!"

Carn shook his head. "Not a clue."

Han exchanged a glance with Wong, then explained in a serious tone. "Augmentation is when someone enhances their body—strength, reflexes, durability—using either cybernetics or mana-cell implants. It's highly regulated. Only government agents like me or licensed explorers can legally get the surgery. It's not something civilians can just access. And it's dangerous."

Han paused and studied his son's face. "So, where did you learn to fight like that?"

Carn leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and frowning slightly as he tried to gather his thoughts. Augmentation, cybernetics—these were terms that seemed straight out of a science fiction movie. Yet, here in this world, it appeared to be normal. But none of that explained how he had fought the way he did tonight. 

"I didn't learn to fight," Carn muttered, turning his gaze to the passing streetlights outside the window. "It just happened. Adrenaline rush, I guess."

Han's frown deepened, his hands gripping the wheel tighter. "Carn, no one can simply twist a human neck 360 degrees out of impulse or instinct. You almost tore a person's neck off his shoulders! That's not something a 16-year-old can do without some serious training—or something else. What aren't you telling us?"

Wong leaned further over the seat, "Yu hiding someting, ah? How yu break someone's neck wit bare hands?"

Carn's jaw tightened, and he struggled to find an excuse. 

Should he tell them the truth? 

Could he explain the thousands of years of combat, the magic, and the wars he had fought in another world? 

Who would believe in such a story?! His mother would have sent him straight to the psych ward or disowned him!

Lie to them? Impossible. His father, Han, was a special agent who specialized in uncovering lies. Any attempt to feign innocence would likely only raise more suspicion. 

With no real options left, Carn let out a slow breath and decided to stick as close to the truth as he dared. "I... had a dream."

"A dream?" Han's interest piqued, his eyes narrowing in the rearview mirror.

Carn forced a dry laugh, trying to make light of it. He chuckled awkwardly, hoping to deflect the weight of the conversation. 

"Yeah, I dreamed I was some kind of monster. You know, big and scary. I just... mimicked the moves I saw in the dream." 

But neither of his parents laughed. They just stared at him, and silence settled in the car.

Han exhaled slowly, shaking his head in disbelief, while Wong crossed her arms and frowned. The tension in the car didn't dissipate. If anything, it grew heavier. 

Carn could tell they weren't buying it—not entirely, anyway. Whatever was happening to him, they knew there was more he wasn't telling them.

The silence stretched until Han finally snorted, breaking the uneasy quiet. "Well, it doesn't matter. Skip school tomorrow. I'm taking you somewhere."

Carn's heart sank. He raised an eyebrow, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach. "Where?"

"You'll see," Han muttered, his tone leaving no room for debate.

Carn couldn't shake the bad feeling creeping up on him. He knew his father well enough to recognize when he had a plan in motion. Whatever was coming next, it wasn't going to be pleasant. And somehow, deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.

…

The next morning, Han drove for three hours, bringing Carn to a barren land where a military base stood. Tall metal fences with barbed wire on top protected the perimeter. Soldiers carrying AR-15 rifles patrolled the area, and in the center of the base, a massive dome loomed suspiciously, drawing Carn's gaze.

As their vehicle approached the entrance, Han flashed his badge to the guards. The soldiers saluted and waved them through, allowing the car to roll past the heavily secured gate. 

Carn glanced out the window, taking in the sight of a runway, a hangar with military planes, and a few tanks parked in the distance. His frown deepened, and he turned to his father with growing unease.

"What are we doing here?" 

Han smirked, "First time at a rift site, huh?"

Carn blinked, confused. "Rift site?"

Han gestured toward the giant dome at the heart of the facility. "This is where the government protects a dimensional rift. Only authorized explorers and federal agents like me are allowed inside that dome."

Carn stared at the dome. A thousand questions swirled in his mind. "A rift? Like... a tear between dimensions?"

Han nodded casually. "Exactly. But don't worry, we're not going in there today. I'm just visiting another facility in the base. You can ignore the dome for now."

Carn's frown only deepened. "Ignore the giant dome? Seriously?"

Han chuckled, giving his son a knowing look. "I know it sounds strange, but trust me. Today's visit isn't about the rift. You'll learn more about that later. For now, just follow my lead."

Carn sat back in his seat, unease creeping through him. Just yesterday, his teacher had given a brief lecture on these "rifts," but seeing the military-grade security surrounding one now made the danger and mystery of it all feel real. Whatever his father had planned for him today, this was no casual trip.

As Carn scanned the area, something unusual caught his attention at the edge of his vision. A thick crimson haze hovered around one of the giant warehouses in the distance, while another trail of black smog seeped ominously from the dome's entrance.

Aether! 

So many sources of Aether!

The red one should be at least three marks or higher!

But there was a black one!

HERO-GRADE AETHER!

Which motherf-cker had committed genocide here?! Only those who murdered a thousand could have that presence!

Carn's mouth watered. An almost primal hunger rose inside him. He instinctively wanted to leap out of the car and chase down whoever—or whatever—was producing those rich Aether signatures. 

Unfortunately, Han drove the vehicle farther away, toward another part of the base. Carn's excitement dulled into frustration, but he made a mental note to return later. 

'Maybe when I've got at least ten marks to spare. I don't have enough Aether for a long-distance teleportation yet. Just you wait. I've remembered your scent! AW BE BUCK!'

…

The black sedan finally pulled up in front of a massive hangar with closed shutters. Han parked the car and got out, motioning for Carn to do the same.

"We're here," Han said. A glint of anticipation sparked in his eyes.

Carn stepped out, squinting up at the towering building in front of him. 

As they approached, he kept glancing around, hoping to catch sight of someone emanating that Aether haze again. But the air around this place was clear. Disappointment set in as Carn smacked his lips in frustration and followed his father to a door on the side of the hangar.

Han opened the door, leading Carn inside. The moment they stepped in, a blinding burst of light from rows of ceiling LEDs hit Carn's eyes, making him squint. 

As his vision adjusted, he saw what could only be described as a mechanical wonderland. Lining the walls of the massive hangar were hundreds of exoskeleton suits, each more exotic than the last. 

Messy tables cluttered with mechanical parts were scattered across the floor, where technicians in lab coats tinkered away, adjusting gears and wiring. The clanging of metal and the hum of machines echoed through the space.

Carn was stunned. Though he had battled monsters, mages, and dragons in a world far beyond this one, this was something else. His eyes wandered over to a metallic suit displayed in a glass case—it looked eerily like something out of a superhero movie.

'Iron**n? What is this place?! Bat Cave? Stark Industry?' Carn thought. 

"Like what you see?" Han smirked, glancing back at him.

Carn chuckled dryly. "This is wild."

Han led him deeper into the hangar, toward a more secluded area where rows of lifelike silicone torsos lined up in front of a thick metal wall. Each torso was modeled after a bodybuilder, with skin so realistic it almost seemed alive. The translucent material revealed a network of simulated organs and bones inside, making the whole setup feel eerily lifelike.

"We're here," Han announced with a grin, pointing at one of the silicone mannequins.

Carn tilted his head, walking closer to inspect the torso. The texture felt unsettlingly real beneath his fingers, and the sight of the pseudo-human organs inside sent a chill down his spine.

There was a label on the mannequin's chest — Level 2.

"What are we doing here?" Carn asked, confused.

Han, however, seemed almost excited as he whispered something to one of the nearby workers. The worker, clad in a white lab coat, nodded and walked over to a table filled with laptops, pressing a few buttons before shouting to the others.

"STARTING LEVEL 2 PHYSICAL DAMAGE TEST NUMBER 19! READY THE CAMERA!"

A rush of activity followed as five agents hurried over, adjusting several cameras to point directly at Carn and the simulation torso. When the setup was complete, one of them gave Han a thumbs-up.

Han smiled, returning the gesture before turning to Carn. "All right, son. Can you twist that doll's neck 180 degrees like you did yesterday?"

"Huh?" Carn blinked, caught off guard. "You're… testing me?"

Han crossed his arms, "Just do it."

"…"

Carn shrugged, accepting the challenge. Standing behind the mannequin, he leisurely grabbed the silicone mannequin's neck with one hand and placed his other hand on its forehead. Without much effort, he twisted. The neck turned with a sticky crack, and the pseudo-spinal bones inside snapped audibly as if mimicking real bones.

Carn let go, and the doll's head remained grotesquely twisted, the neck contorted in an unnatural position. The temple areas sunk, leaving a hole that reached the skull. 

Whether it was silicone or flesh, he got to break something and relished his addiction. He exhaled through his mouth, intoxicated. 

He almost came. 

He turned back to his father, who stood there smiling, clearly pleased with what he had just witnessed.

The room fell into a brief, stunned silence as the technicians stared at the twisted mannequin, its head grotesquely rotated 360 degrees, and the neck skin detached from the shoulders. The tomato sauce that had been injected into the arteries before the test dripped on the floor. 

They exchanged nervous glances, unsure whether to be impressed or alarmed by what they had just witnessed. After a beat, they snapped back into action, rushing to collect the footage and data from the cameras, speaking in hurried, low voices as they analyzed the results.

Han, however, remained completely unfazed, his smile widening in quiet satisfaction. He didn't flinch at the sight of the broken neck. 

"Well done," Han slightly shook his head as he noticed Carn's psychopath-like expression, "Better than I expected. We've got a lot to discuss."