Chapter 42: Hell On Earth

"Welcome to the shithouse, Markey." Sasha said aloud as they walked inside the building. It was similar to his own but far bigger; and, therefore, suitable for numerous occupants.

Mark glanced around as the entrance led directly into the lounge area, littered with boxes and wires everywhere. A massive TV was already set up and blaring the news to a silent and sitting black man; whilst he fiddled with one of his dreadlocks. They had three couches, all black leather that exuded luxury – something that wasn't exuded by the occupants.

"Don't mind the mess, Mark." Barak uttered as they walked further into the mess. They clambered over huge and small boxes filled with odds and ends, "Me and Mack have been sorting through all the electronics; don't want anyone spying on us if we can't help it."

"It's fine. Didn't know you were a huge tech enthusiast, though." Mark stated as he laboured over the boxes to seat himself on the sofa, exhaustion beginning to cripple his body.

"Course he is, Markey. I've seen him sit there, masturbating to a computer screen before. What a weirdo." Sasha oddly added with a chuckle, "I reckon he might be one of the techno freaks, yanno what I mean, aye, Markey?"

"..." Stunned for a moment, confusion apparent on his face as Barak sighed to himself, Mark spoke in consternation, "...Yeah... Are you sure he wasn't just, I don't know, masturbating to porn on the screen?"

Barak interrupted them in exasperation, "Can we please stop talking about this. I have no idea what you're talking about, Sash, but I can assure you that never happened."

"Oh, B! Everyone knows ya gotta release yourself sometimes. I sure do." She giggled, "Maybe it was just a dream, who knows. Does that mean you use the hardcore VR shit?"

"What? No. Sash, fuck you. We've got a new guy, and you're being a freak."

She gasped dramatically, "Wow! So rude. I'm just making him feel at home, yanno. Ensuring he knows he can... relieve stress with me if he needs."

Watching the conversation derail from the sidelines, Mark shook his head, "Can we move on, please?"

Barak instantly replied, "Yes. Let's."

Mark glanced at the man with dreadlocks and a handsome and shaved face. He had friendly brown eyes and a toned jawline, complimenting his already good looks. Even sat down, Mark could discern the man was very athletic as the arms of his shirt stretched to fit his limb's muscles.

"Ah, that's Mack, Mark. He's a yank and doesn't speak much, so don't take offence to it. He helps me with the tech side of stuff, likely what we're going to be heavily investing for you." Barak spoke, having seen Mark glancing at the handsome African-American.

He raised an eyebrow at the man's peculiar nature and background. Mark continued listening as the suited man added on, "You've met Sash, and I'll let her give you her expertise and life. As to the rest, there are 4 others, of which 2 won't be here for a few days. The ones that are; are called Becks and Ed-"

Sasha interrupted, gaining a grunt of annoyance from Barak, "You'll be star-struck when you see Becky, Markey. God, she gets me flustered; and I'm not even gay."

"Right... continuing on, Mark. Ed is the youngest and is only 2 years older than you, so you'll probably get along. If you get past his endless enthusiasm and a slightly insane love of guns and explosions, you'll be fine. Becky's pretty chill and, unlike Ed, she is actually awake and should be here in a minute."

"Can't say this was quite what I was expecting." Mark uttered, slightly amused at Sasha's comment, "As long as you trust them and they can help, I'm not enormously concerned with their character traits."

"Awww, Markey!" Sasha grinned, grabbing his arm and futilely trying to bring him towards her, "That's so nice... tsk, why can't I move ya? It's like trying to drag a fuckin tank."

"You've tried that?" Mark amusingly asked, "You need to be far stronger than a human to move me, unfortunately."

She pouted, "Well, that's annoying. Sex must suck."

"Wha-" Mark stuttered.

"I'm just messing with ya, Markey. Welcome to the team!"

He thanked her as he nervously chuckled, her friendly enthusiasm being a nice contrast to the fakeness of Jenny and the seriousness of the military installation.

"Oi, oi, look who's finally here. The gorgeous bombshell." Sasha whistled as Mark looked at the newcomer. He had to admit, she was indeed particularly good-looking. She was brown-skinned with long black hair reaching halfway down her back. Her hazel eyes suited her looks, and combined with her substantial chest, she was definitely a stunner. She easily blew the rest of the rather average-looking group out of the water.

Her white teeth appeared as she smiled at Sasha before sitting down next to Mack, Barak being the only one to stand, "You really make me blush, Sash. You know I can't take compliments." Becky turned towards Mark, "So, I assume you're Mark, huh? Nice to meet you."

She extended her hand, the nails long and painted purple as they shook hands.

"Well, Ed's in bed, so how about we start getting everything sorted whilst we're all here."

With that said, Becky stood up, with the rest following shortly behind as they walked into an expansive room littered with wires, electronics and screens covering the nearby desks and walls. At the back were two rows of tall servers, inactive and silent but showing the rough level of the group Mark would now be working with.

Becky continued to speak as they walked inside as Mark inspected the equipment, most of the items being things he'd never seen before, "Apologies for the mess, but we've only just got here." She paused as she slightly shook her head, "This will be the most important room once everything is finished. We have the capabilities to track public opinion, disasters and news reports and anything more... unsavoury we might have to deal with."

His eyebrow rose at her comment, but he continued listening as she spoke on, "The rest is all-rounded at everything. Legal and otherwise." She looked at Mark, "Don't get me wrong, we prefer and hope to keep everything as legal as possible; unfortunately, the world doesn't always allow that. Case in point, Aaban has already barred you from interfering in aid work in Africa and the Middle East. As they put it, 'A foreign entity of unknown capability travelling unhindered by international regulations is a recipe for disaster that we will have no part in.' Rather rude, don't you think?"

"It's always politics. I just want to help; I wish they could understand that." Mark uttered as he tiredly rubbed his cheek.

"Well, this is where we come in. I'm Muslim, and my family hails from Pakistan, so over the years, I've gained some, shall we say... contacts. It'll take time, but chances are I can get you clearance to move through the country. There'll be restrictions, but that's the Aaban government for you."

Barak inputted his own thoughts on the matter next; before Mark could speak, "Everyone in the team has their specialities and connections. Becky here has connections all over the world but primarily Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Me and Mack will focus on making sure you get to where you need to be and ensure you don't fuck something up with wrong information. Victor and Eric will be our main connection points with the Western governments. And Ed is mostly a field operative who deals with explosives, and well... you get the point. Sash here is involved in the darker side of the world – the underground to be blunt – because you're going to need it. Information is abound there that will help us do our job immensely. The point I'm making is that this team was originally founded on what you could call 'morally grey' principles."

"And these principles, how exactly do they align with your goal? What is your goal? So far, I get the sense this is more of a squad of soldiers and criminals who want to keep an eye on me." Mark flatly stated.

"Criminals... ouch." Sasha spoke aloud, "If I'm being honest, Mark, I'm not sure what you expect. Everyone you work with will have ulterior motives considering your stature and well... abilities. Even then, anyone you do work with will be bought off by some belligerent entity."

Becky added to Sasha's point, hoping to emphasise their transparency, "She's not wrong, Mark. To make it clear to you, we work for Tayi. Specifically, Russo. The same man who you've made a deal of cooperation with. As to our ulterior motive, well, it's the same as his. We want to unite humanity and better ourselves instead of getting closer and closer to a third world war. Humanity is on the brink of either annihilating itself, America conquering everywhere or the world turning to anarchy from collapsing economies and war."

They stared at him, the quiet palpable as they awaited with bated breath for his response. He sighed before he started, "I suppose this is the trust I have to put into him. And you, Barak. I'll admit; I am way out of my element. I studied politics, yet it feels like it has no bearing on what is happening around me. However, I want everyone to be transparent and on the same page. I'm here to save lives, not take them. There can be no secrets."

"Ha, we can do that. Welcome aboard, Mark!" Sasha suddenly said, slightly struggling due to her height to put a reassuring arm around his shoulder. Her tone turned serious after she had put it around him, "What you've learned is useless so far. You're a walking, talking nuke. No, a... you're like an orbital laser satellite. You could probably lay waste to continents in weeks. People are afraid, and normal politics aren't going to cut it with you. We'll be transparent as long as you are. You're a bigger concern to the world than we could ever be."

"Psh, thanks, Sasha. I really like being compared to a weapon of mass destruction."

"That's because you are, Markey. Don't forget that. I like you, but I have to be honest; you scare the living shit out of everyone. Even in this room. You are death incarnate, from what Barak says. Skill and experience mean shit when you can just laser me in half."

He grimaced as he listened, looking around at everyone's facial expressions and getting grim smiles, "I suppose I forget myself. I feel like nothing has really changed. Sorry."

Barak shook his head as he spoke, "Don't apologise, Mark. You are what this world needs to unite it. You can be the change that will set humanity onto a path of discovery and communality, not one of death and destruction." He sat down as the computer turned on seemingly automatically as a familiar robotic voice spoke out.

"Good afternoon, Mr Jah. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, HAP. Bring me all available data regarding public opinion, government stance, and any relating miscellaneous data that relate to these." He turned to Mack, who had also sat down on the other side of the L table, "Put them on the screens. We still need to set up the holograms."

The muted man nodded as the screens lit up with varying graphs, plots and numbers.

"HAP is helping us?" Mark expressed, quite surprised. He thought the AI was sparingly used and meant to be kept relatively unknown at the moment.

"Of course. Some of us helped get parts the stuff they needed to build it." Barak declared, before turning around, "Stuff like... that thing in your pocket."

Mark put his hand in his trouser pouch, grabbing it almost protectively, before bringing it out and looking at it. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the crystal, a vibe of mystery and danger pulsing invisibly to all present.

"Do you know what it is, then?" Mark questioned.

"To an extent. You're better off meeting Russo; he knows exactly what it is. However, what I can tell you, is that it's fucking dangerous. And I don't mean that lightly. When we were told to collect it back in the 90s, we were given explicit instructions on its handling. No touching, no letting it out of a biological weapons container. Russo spoke about it once, something called Warping Horror. A... rather horrific effect... that shit is not something you can be careless with, Mark. Even with your uniqueness."

"It... doesn't seem that dangerous. But I'll take your word for it. I'll go see Russo after this." Mark replied with HAP confirming Russo's availability as soon as he was finished in his ear.

"I'd say that takes priority. The world's current crises aren't going anywhere anytime soon. However, before you go, any place you have a preference for? Indonesia got hit by a tropical storm; there was an earthquake in the Caribbean, and an impending tsunami hitting Japan."

"Erm... I just want to save lives. I don't care where. I'll leave that to your judgement."

"I'd recommend the Caribbean. More will speak English, and communication is important here. Japan should be able to handle it." Becky added, "We'll be going over public data for when you get back. Don't want to be sending you to an area of religious extremists, for example."

"Ok, that's fine by me. I'll do what you guys think is best. It was nice meeting everyone; I look forward to working with you."

Getting nods of approval as they all got to work, he exited the building. The sky was clear and the weather calm, but the bitter cold still lingered. Mark couldn't feel it, but judging from the only time he'd seen Barak complain about the cruel cold, he could imagine it was harsh.

"Hey, Mark! Wait a moment." He paused as the French accent resounded behind him, "When you get to Russo, hand him this, please. Please don't open it; only he can see it."

He took a thick envelope, clearly filled with paper or items, before asking what he was being told to deliver.

"The stuff is about Sishaf, that's all. But for him, it's pretty important." She said as she tapped her nose, "I ain't all looks, yanno. I'm pretty good at 'me job."

He laughed, "Alright, thanks, Sasha."

"Just call me Sash. Everyone else does, it's no biggie. Right, it is fuckin freezin, so I'm gonna head inside. HAP will let me know when you've given it."

He watched her go inside before audibly groaning. The fiery fatigue returned as his flight struggled to get going. Forcing himself upwards, he gradually got higher and higher.

"Fuck me." Mark muttered as his body moved sluggishly. Considering himself high enough, he flew southbound towards France, "Where we meeting, HAP?"

"Brittany, southwest of your current location. Dr Russo wishes for you to meet him at a facility there." The female robot responded immediately.

"Oh, Brittany. Good cider and history are what I recall as the biggest attractions there." He said to himself before joking, "Time to meet more baguettes."

Half an hour later, Mark arrived above a fenced facility, following HAP's directions. Spotting Russo standing towards the main entrance, he winced as he descended to the ground, relief rippling through him as he could finally rest.

"Nice to see you again, Mark. And, I must say, but you sure do look exhausted." The handsome man greeted, his dark brown hair waving in the mild wind.

"Ugh, I kinda am." Mark blankly stated, stretching himself. With the package in hand, he gestured for the man to take it, "It's from Sasha. Something about Sishaf, I believe.

"I see, thank you. Shall we go inside? I hear you have something rather interesting to show me. I've taken the liberty to keep myself in the dark, so I am very excited."

They entered the facility, the white tiled walls with bright lights coming from every direction, making it hard to see for the average person. They passed through numerous winding passageways and security doors before placing themselves inside a lab, sitting on two chairs.

Russo was the first to speak, his interest piquing as he smiled, "So, Mark. What gift do you bring for me?"

Mark reached into his pocket, grabbed the shard and placed it on the table. The man's smile abruptly dropped as he suspiciously stared at the crystal.

"Where did you get this? How- How can you handle it? Unless... Hmm, strange." He stood up, inspecting the crystal with the naked eye, yet not getting too close, "When you hold it, Mark. Do you feel anything? Negative effects are what I mean."

Mark frowned at the question, "No? Should I?"

"Ha! Should I? What a silly question, Mark. If you knew what this is, then yes, you should. Suppose it didn't explode and kill you the instant you touched it. In that case, you'd likely be afflicted with some of its unsavoury effects within minutes. Even now, standing here, I'm at a large risk. Unless it's refined?"

'Dangerous? The Void clearly doesn't think so. At least, I presume so.'

"So, what is it? Why has it seemingly got everyone in such a foul state of mind?"

Russo chuckled again before turning serious, "Funny for you to ask more questions when I should be asking how you got it? But I suppose we can exchange answers. It's called a few names: Hellon, The Element, Mars Stone, and Warpstone. If you couldn't tell, Hellon is a play on words with Hell on Earth. Because, well, the effects of it can only be described as hellish. It completely defies all logic. Even the laws of reality just do not apply to it. Its very existence is an... anomaly. Just like something else in this room. Interesting observation, no?" He smiled at Mark.

"So, you're implying I'm related to it? What are its effect-"

"Ah, ah, ahhh. One answer for one question, that was the agreement." Russo casually said before his voice turned grave, "Where'd you get it?"

Mark took a moment to ponder on what to tell the man. Some things he'd kept secret for usage as either a trump card or purely because he didn't know what it was himself. It was a risk, telling the scientist, but alternately could also be a huge benefit to his discovery of what he can do.

"I... stole? It from the US. I'm presuming they were testing a weapon or something similar because when I got there, a massive crater was where I found the shards of this... Hellon. There were quite a lot of smaller pieces, enough to make a fairly large shard if joined together."

"Hmm, I'll follow this up with my next question then. How'd you know it was there? I find it strange that you just so happen to get there after they tested it, and you don't seem to experience any ill effects. Do I presume there is, indeed, some connection? That you are somehow related to the Element?"

Mark frowned as he stared at the table, no doubt already giving an answer to the other in the room. He ticked his tongue before looking back up, "To put it bluntly, yes. I could... I'm not sure how to describe it. But I suppose 'feel' would be the most apt way. It like... called out for me; I sensed it, and well... I followed the feeling."

Russo had a wide smile on his face, his eyes burning brightly as if he had discovered something of an impossibility significant magnitude, "Leave the crystal here, it's the refined version of the Element, so it isn't as dangerous as I first thought." He walked to the door, putting a hand through his quiff, "Come with me, Mark. There's something you should see. You may be the final piece of the puzzle."