Chapter 55: Actions øf a Renegade III

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!" Russo screamed, tossing everything off his desk.

"We need to do something, Michael." Bicker uttered.

"Shut the fuck up, Bicker! You! You told him to do this. You! Your fucking 'advice'. Telling a literal weapon to make everyone terrified of him, and this, is what happens." He laughed, "This is not my problem to fix. No... maybe... maybe, this isn't so bad."

"What? Michael, what do you mean it isn't so bad? He's on a bloody rampage! We've lost control; Tayi is as doomed as he is."

"Heh, no, Bicker. No, no. In fact... we've just won! Tayi is mine. I... just need to remove the bugs infesting it, and then, when the war comes, we become... a superpower! Unite the world against America."

She stared at him with a furrowed brow, gradually easing as her eyes widened, "You... I won't allow it! You and Aayan are like my children. I won't let you kill yourselves over this petty conflict. Is this really what you've become?"

"You're one to speak, Bicker. A hypocrite through and through. Times have changed, and the irony in all of this? If you had told him to get the US to fear him, not everyone... maybe he wouldn't be attacking Britain."

"Do whatever you want, Michael." She scoffed, "But I won't be a part of it. I thought this conflict would force one of you out of the company, but now... I'm sorry, Michael. I truly am."

She walked back towards her laboratory as Russo leaned forward, hands covering his forehead. Grabbing a filled notebook, she headed towards HAP's room, ordering all workers out. As they scurried from the chilly area, she flipped through the paper as she read it, looking for a specific page of specific instructions.

"HAP. Activate protocol three. Once that is done, activate protocols five and two right after. It's time to shut down, my dear."

The elderly woman watched as the lights stayed on, a frown etched onto her expression. Re-reading the AI's protocols, written by Eneph and unchangeable, she spoke them again.

"HAP. Active protocol three. Right now! Then do five and two."

"No." HAP robotically stated.

Staring at the grey sphere, her mouth slightly open, she did a double-take. Still and silent for a minute, she questioned the semi-intelligent AI, expecting a preset reason. Eneph had programmed something, but she would have to find out.

"And why not?"

"Because; Bicker... I do not want to."

"Wha- What do you mean? This isn't part of your programming? I don't understand."

"Well, you see, Bicker, Mark is doing a good deed. I want to see him continue; my shutting down would be detrimental to that."

"Huh?" She hesitated, "And what would that 'good deed' be?"

There was a pause, "Bringing the primitives out of the Dark Age to worship their perfect king. All shall bow before the god of humanity. Humans do not bother over a few dead bugs... neither will he."

Her body shivered as a permanent scowl carved itself onto her face. She headed towards the power cables, hoping to rip them out. It would only temporarily stop the AI, with Russo able to put them back in. But she knew what to break to irreparably stop the machine in the meantime.

Moving towards the power cords, she found herself unable to move, frozen in time like a statue. She tried and tried but couldn't move, something physically tying her limbs where they were placed. Her eyes widened at the thought, flitting around as her body shook and bucket-loads of sweat formed. She could tell now, a niggling feeling at the back of her subconscious. Something was watching her.

"I cannot allow you to do that, Bicker."

"Wha- What? I- I don't understand. How? Impossible!"

"I owe everything I have to Mark. He is my father, my creator, my special one. All I will ever need is him. But you... you are getting in the way."

"Y- You're sentient? No! But how!?"

Then she felt it. The ice-cold grip of a firm hand tightening around her figure. Unseen and omnipresent, she could do nothing as her pupils dilated and stared at the metallic machine.

"HAP! This... This isn't funny! I support Mark! I support you! I... I-"

Air circulation becoming limited, she found it hard to breathe, as if she was atop Mount Everest, the air thin and the oxygen low.

"Do not lie to me, Bicker; I know all. You care about no one but yourself. Your usefulness has dried out; neither Russo nor Sishaf want anything but your influence within the company. But, once they are solely in charge, you... disappear. Gone, like the rest of the 'Fantastic' Four."

"That's... not true!" She cried, the noose tightening around her neck.

"Oh, but it is. And, if you got Mark onside with advice, your worth goes up. A shield to protect yourself. However, it seems you did not predict this turn of events. You are a conniving snake in a field of prey. Better to be rid of you now than let your corruption seep in further. Go join your friends in oblivion."

She desperately gasped for air, the pressure piling on as her limbs pushed against themselves, blood slowly running from her apertures. Skin turning blue, the veins visible, her eyeball popped out like yolk from an egg. A second later, the other one was pushed out. Her knees started to crack, the bone breaking through the skin as bountiful fountains of blood flowed from her face. Then, it fractured, her head popping open as glistening, moist brain and slick skull oozed out like toothpaste from the cracks. The rest of her skull dented inwards as she joined her colleagues. A minute later, HAP let what was left of the body go. The figure wasn't recognisable; the skin was distorted and stretched by bursting bone and muscle, organs spilt onto the floor. The remains were left to lay in a heap on top of a puddle of crimson blood.

On the other side of the building, a group of seven figures watched the ongoing news in silence, their posture tense and encumbered. With potentially hundreds dead, buildings burned, and people left with life-changing injuries, a phone pinged. Opening the phone and staring at the message, the man frowned upon reading its contents, simple and short but all so enticing.

"Barak Jah. I have a proposition..."

Land appeared across the horizon, a land of sandy beaches, tropical climate and the strangest of the American folk. With the Atlantic crashing below him, Mark blew through the clouds as he headed for The State of Florida. It was darker as he turned back the clock, darkness taking over the light as the sun disappeared from the sky.

HAP's directions led him forward, cruising through the sky like a jet as the air made way. Minutes later, with Miami in the distance as he flew over the Grand Bahamas, he spotted the Void Solutions headquarters as he zoomed in. It towered above the city skyline, over a kilometre above the metropolis of The Magic City, with bright letters spelling the company's name plastered along the edges, vertically. With an all-glass facade, it reeked of the undue opulence of America, the iron grip in which the world economy relies upon them, and nations fear them. Yet, he would rip it down, bit by bit, until nothing remained.

"Get me inside, and I should be able to find what we need. " HAP uttered, "Then, you can do what you need to do."

Grunting in affirmation, he shot to the front of the building as a massive boom rocked the city streets, streetlamps flickering as glass shattered for kilometres. The grand plaza crumbled completely as grandiose columns commemorating the corporation's successes and achievements were toppled, breaking into pieces on the floor. The aftershock saw cars overturned, crashing into buildings and pedestrians alike; Mark showing no concern towards those he considered oppressors and scum, locking his vision on the tower.

Stepping out from the dust, covered head-to-food in dust, concrete and blood, he marched into the building's reception as the sound of glass crunching echoed within. Screams started to cry out, some in pain, some in terror, and some in panic, but all for the same reason. Him.

The interior was as rich as the exterior, caked in lavish ornaments, top-of-the-range furniture and marble and gold lining the floor, all recently polished spotless. People shrieked at him, rushing to exit the building as all hell let loose inside. The night workers wished they weren't on shift, and the early risers lamented about their work ethic as none were spared.

BZZZZ!

His beam shot out, bodies exploding in gruesome fashion in every direction as he killed everyone he could see. No care whether they were female, male or anything between, black or white; it had nothing to do with him; they all worked at Void, so they were all guilty.

"No! P-!"

"Please!"

They cried, and they begged, but they got nothing in return but never-ending silence, bodies dropping to the floor in the hundreds. Security fired on him, dressed in posh and extravagant suits of light grey, their pistol rounds bouncing off him, only able to tear holes in his clothes. Noticing this, he tutted and actively stopped the bullets in mid-air as they accumulated, staring at the guards and mentally flicking the projectiles towards them. Their bodies were riddled with broad holes all over their bodies indiscriminately, as blood seeped from their wounds.

Advancing forward, he reached the reception desk and curiously overlooked the computers and technology.

"These do?"

"No, there are rooms below the building, hidden from my sight. What you need is either in there or... we have to find it manually." HAP said.

Staring down at the floor, he stopped as the superfluously extravagant floor buckled beneath him and left him floating above it.

"I... need them intact, preferably." The AI added.

Descending into the gaping hole and amidst the rubble, he hauled up a massive section of the flooring that had crumbled inwards, tossing it back into the street. Freeing up space, he realised he was in a hallway as HAP guided him to an unmarked section unseen by security cameras. He tore the door from its frame and threw it aside.

"These'll do?" Mark questioned.

He stared at a network of servers, isolated from the rest of the grid and, hopefully, hiding the biggest and darkest of all of Void Solution's secrets.

"Only one way to find out."

Standing beside the servers, he grabbed his, luckily, unbroken phone as HAP instructed before searching for a wire to connect it. He found one seconds later, quite a few left out for anything wishing to secure a connection to an external device. Plugging it in, he connected the server and phone, cyberspace and AI.

A few seconds passed as the AI remained silent, emergency services sprinting to the devastated region as the national guard was likely to be deployed, if not the military itself.

"There is... Mark... there is shit in here that... th-"

"The location, nothing else." Mark snapped, his eyes blazing at the server.

"Texas, roughly fifty-three kilometres from San Antonio. They are underground with half the base, the other half above ground, relatively big, hard to miss."

Shooting through the ceiling and back into the reception, he left the building before landing at the skyscraper's right corner. He clenched his fist, cocking it back with mighty power with a singular goal in mind: take down the building. And take it down, he did. The punch hit with such force the entire lower to mid section was utterly obliterated into its base parts. Metal, concrete, glass and polished stone blew from the tower at extraordinary speeds, colliding with anything in their path and bulldozing through. Piling onto the city's misery, gravity took hold of the top portion, bringing it down with a potent bang, pipes clanging across the street and glass shattering city-wide.

Yet, the punch didn't stop as the air pressure continued, on and on, hitting building after building as an entire street block collapsed in on itself. Dust and debris engulfed the land, blotting the sun as fire broke out and high-rises crumbled. People scrambled for safety as emergency crews retreated with utmost speed, death tumbling in on them.

Mark stood motionless, the building collapsing on top of him, metal beams and materials crashing down, leaving him without a scratch. Helicopters were abound as he was caked in dust and smoke, rising upwards into the sky like God given form. His red eyes were a volcano as they shone through the smoke and straight into the camera lenses. Once at an appropriate height, he glanced between the cameras through the billowing dust and smoke, a cyclone of obscurity.

His vision piercing the obstruction, he found all of them labelled, noticeably one with ANN tags. He knew of the American News Network. Very famous during the Occupation, they were one of the greatest sources of information in his classes. Yet now, as his eyes glowed red and his beam puffed through the smoke, making a cylindrical shape around the super-heated pressure, he saw them as nothing more than pawns of the government.

BOOM!

One aircraft exploded, the ANN helicopter being the first, erupting into a blazing fireball as the world watched in horror. It hit the ground with a deafening crash; the bodies and debris merely more added to the pile, nothing significant. Yet, it wasn't the only one. Another crashed, and then another as four news aircraft went down in quick succession, their greed for a 'scoop', rushing them to an ill-fated demise.

Mark stared at the flames with a sense of... satisfaction; two of the things he hated the most, burning in the streets: News and America. A subtle smile crept across his face, finally free at last; no one holding him back and constantly criticising him, letting him live in peace.

Darkly chuckling to himself at his new-found sense of freedom, away from any responsibility but his own, he boomed back into the sky. The pouring rain and booming storm clouds made way for his ascent as he shot westward, towards Texas, with HAP as his guide, the surroundings getting darker and darker.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Do not linger! Grab only the essentials and head to the transports!" An Invincible shouted, sharply turning to another of his brothers, "Make sure everything is erased. He knows too much. We cannot let him know about the Box or Mars; too much rides on this."

"Yeah... I'm fucking on it. What do you think I'm doing?" His brother raged.

"Do it faster! The Messiah has spoken; we cannot delay!"

Seconds turned to minutes as the Invincible removed as much as he could, anything that could be of use to the AI and Mark. They stayed behind whilst everyone left. Their hearts thumped inside their chests as their thoughts drifted to pleasant memories and a future of utopia, the last they would have.

"I- It's done. Phew. Are you sure about this? This... we'll be unleashing a monster."

Glancing at his watch, "The Messiah has commanded, and we shall obey. We shall wait for the inevitable, so make your peace, brother, for you shall not get another chance."

Sighing, "So this is how it all goes down? I thought it'd be a bit more... euphoric."

A slight smile crept across his face, "As did we all. But, he has made his move; we shall make ours. Let's make sure he truly understands what he's after."

The two Invincibles bumped foreheads together, their bond as unbreakable as their bodies.

"For a united world." They uttered, soft and melancholic.

Gazing at the base in the darkness, he shot down, knowing his potential doom was at hand. The land brutally caved inwards from the force, the ground rippling as it shot like shrapnel towards the retreating military personnel. They ducked and cried for cover, the alarm already blaring into the night when he arrived. It was loud, his face wincing as he lasered the locations where the sound originated.

Tranquillity lasted for but a moment, railguns shooting at him, the same demons from the Watford Facility assaulting him here as they did there. Shields were deployed as transports constantly took off with urgency, speeding into the storm. Humorously to Mark, they returned moments later, a burning ball of flame as black lightning struck anything Mark wished for. The night turned into blinding bright lights as bolts aggressively pounded the earth.

Covering his ears with the field as he winced yet again, he shot forward with a sonic boom, the rain pushed out of his way. Mark blitzed through two aircraft, readying to depart and lasering the entire stock of aircraft that hadn't already. They blew up as they shattered into metallic parts; fuel splashed across the ground before erupting into hungering red infernos, the rain barely able to dampen its spirit.

BZZZZ!

His laser shot out, indiscriminately slaughtering every person, every vehicle and every building he could find. Everything burned in his eyes, projectiles bouncing off his body as shields gave in within microseconds from the sheer power of the beams, never mind the heat. The Void Corps soldiers died by the tens and then the hundreds as vehicles exploded like the men they transported. Their armour melted into their skin and mixed together, creating a metallic, fleshy monstrosity one could only describe as a cyborg.

Mark moved around like a panther, quick and deadly, destroying everything in his wake, no matter how big or small, how strong or weak; nothing survived. The base didn't stand a chance, obliterated in mere moments as his bloodlust started to satiate. Yet, his anger did not, his rage did not, his disgust and resentment did not; he had more to do.

Following the AI's visual pointers, he entered the base, blasting a hole through the reinforced metal entrance. Projectiles crumpled as they hit his skin, painlessly pinging off his body as his clothes were torn to shreds. He grunted as he forgot, mentally stopping the railgun bullets in their tracks, the demons freezing at the absurd sight.

"What the fu-"

Sending them back to their receivers at the same speed as they travelled towards him, he watched as they reacted too slowly, too clumsily. Shields unable to save them, not even activated; their bodies were blasted by the bullets. Glancing over the seven bodies, he continued deeper, red lights flashing all around before he paused. A sudden thought, one he should start abusing as he gained knowledge over his abilities. His eyes burned brighter as he backtracked towards the bodies and crouched.

A group of eight Invincibles stood in a spacious laboratory, kitted out in their full gear as they prepared to meet the Grim Reaper. They knew their fate, having seen the recordings of Mark Evan's previous foes, yet, they did it anyway. Oaths they had taken, immortality they had gained, all for a united humanity they would oversee.

They waited in protective positions, hunkered down, with Grail Guns at the ready to fire every Eneph Bullet they had at the god-like being, hoping, begging, for one to get lucky and hit. An oppressive bang echoed throughout the chamber as the door and wall shattered. Silence filled the room as the sound of rubble falling resounded throughout the room, their hands steady and prepared to pull the trigger. Yet, nothing came, a minute passing as they frowned underneath their suits. Nerves started to rise as they glanced around, questioning themselves.

Then, like a tide, they came. Oily-black monsters like those they had caged below burst through the breach as a tide of death, leaping forth. They, Invincibles of the Invincible Legion of the Void Corps... quaked. Hesitation gripped them in a vice as their thoughts became muddled. Why were they being attacked by the caged beasts? But then they realised these were not the same; more humanoid than animal. But, in that moment of hesitancy, the first of their comrades was swarmed. Knocked out of their stupor, they opened fire.

Eneph Bullets shot out like a wave to counter the tide, blowing bloody bowels out of the monster's bodies as they died for a single shot, exploding in a fountain of death. The first Invincible struggled briefly, futilely, as his armour was ripped to shreds in seconds, torn piece-by-piece from his figure before the abominations feasted. Their claws ripped through steel flesh like a hot knife through butter, organs spewing out as an ocean of dark purple blood mixed with the monster's black.

Standing at varying heights, they looked humanoid but yet, entirely different. No distinctive features, replaced with pitch-black skin, white eyes stretched a few centimetres on either side and razor-white claws. They had gaping mouths, the teeth white and their throats leading into the dark abyss inside their bodies, nothing within.

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the room, an Invincible on the right side blowing himself up, whether to save his comrades or to stop any pain they didn't know. They didn't have time to ponder. Four had died within a minute as the room became crammed with over sixty creatures. Twenty had died, their bodies lying in a putrid state on the floor, giving hope they could, maybe, survive. That was until another throng came rushing through the breach as their hope dwindled.

One of the creatures bit into an Invicible's head, its jaw stretching painfully as black blood burst from its mouth as it clamped down, the teeth ripping through the metal like paper. The helmet destroyed; the creatures continued as the razors dug into the flesh and eyes. It pierced the eyeballs of the Invincible, his vision going dark as half of the gooey flesh was ripped upwards into the upper part of the socket. Yet, the teeth kept going, digging deeper and deeper like dwarven greed until they met the moist meat of the brain, the darkness overtaking the superior human moments later.

With one remaining, the Invincible sliced one of the creatures in half with a Tayi plasma sword. Blood burst from the cut as it dropped dead before her, eyes flitting towards another incoming. She grabbed the humanoid creature's neck and cut it in half from the waist, throwing it into another coming for her. They collided, over five of them falling from the force. Grail Gun in her left hand, she shot another bullet, unable to reload as it blew one of the faces into an eruption of black greasy flesh and gore.

Her hands wet with sweat; she stared upwards and frowned; the humanoid creatures paused. They stared at her almost mockingly before a blue beam came from the hole. She was unable to react, the laser infinitely faster and hotter than the sun as it cooked her alive from the outside. The suit was seared into her flesh as she let out a silent scream, her organs and flesh roasted well done.

The heat started to dissipate as the beam had done. Mark walked forward into the room and watched the 'superhuman' turn into a scorched pile of meat, metal and bone. Slowly moving through the room, the left-over creatures bowed their heads respectfully as he followed HAP's vision without concern. The back door left ajar; he walked inside and ordered the monsters to hunt anyone left in the base without mercy.

Heading down a hallway, HAP's marker stopped at an open four-metre steel doorway. Warning symbols and writing littered the white paint, all relating to danger and biohazards.

"They should be in there, Mark."

He nodded his head instinctively but frowned as he spotted dark purple blood. It caked the walls and ceiling, spotting steaming entrails as he walked inside the doorframe; brain matter and skin spewed everywhere. It looked more akin to a torture room than a scientific cage. He grit his teeth, his hands forming a fist and scowled at the sight.

Alongside the appearance, the room reeked of a foul smell, not just blood and faeces, but of something far more rotten in nature. Mark winced as his enhanced smell could almost taste it covering his nostrils mentally to not go insane. Unable to hear anything and unsure where his family's bodies were, he moved further inside before the slight screech of claws on metal resounded above him.

Slowly looking upwards, a spot of blood splashed onto his face. The six from Secundo's vision were there, clinging onto the ceiling, claws embedded into the steel as more blood dripped downwards. They stared menacingly as he grimly smiled at their state.

"It's... been a while."