" Here ", Guile muttered. He extended his hands to Theo. Offering him something
Theo looked down at the hand. It was candy, covered by a red rapping. It looked good. Theo gladly took it from the captain. Seeing their hands together reminded Theo of just how massive he'd become.
" You will be put in front of a jury ", Guile walked back and sat on the giant bed " Frankly ".
He sucked some more of his sweet and spoke while it was still in his mouth," I don't think you'll be able to escape the death ".
Those were no words Theo liked to hear.
" But I passed the test didn't I?", He said in a fearful voice
" Passing the Fiend/Human Test doesn't improve your chances. All it does is qualify you for a trial and stops me from killing you ", He sighed while scratching his ear, " on the spot ".
Theo looked down. He wasn't going to boast that the law couldn't kill an Unkillable man. He knew they could get creative. Maybe invent a machine that kept disintegrating him all day. So he wouldn't exist and would be technically dead.
' Eiish. The thought of it was so horrifying '.
And when he looked at Captain Guile, he didn't really feel unkillable.
Guile observed Theo. He was scared. Guile's head swung left and right thinking. Then he stopped and pointed to the massive glass screen.
" Look up at this "
Nothing played.
The scientist were all knocked out.
Baran walked to the glass and popped his head within sight.
" Their all asleep!".
Guile couldn't hear.
" What?"
" They lost consciousness!", he screamed louder.
Theo on the other hand could not stop staring at his brother. It had been so long since they'd met. Then Baran was just an 8 year old. Now he's almost unrecognisable.
But Baran did not share us brothers optimism on their meeting after so long. In fact he felt the opposite.
' fuck are you staring at asshole. I'm still going to murder you '.
But his diabolic thoughts were interrupted by his captains voice.
" Well are they ALL asleep?", Guile replied sensing someone was already waking up.
Baran looked around the fallen bodies. His eyes drifting from fallen lab coat to lab coat. All motionless, till he saww a girl. She was just regaining her consciousness and slowly raising herself up, clasping her ear.
The Fiendish roar is a technique many Fiends use. The stronger the Fiend the louder their roar.
Most humans can't handle it.
" Easy ", Baran whispered in a voice filled with sin.
His tone with men and with women couldn't be any more different.
She tried to resist, waving her hands in a frenzy and moaning in fear. She didn't even know where she was because her eyes were still closed shut. Like waking up without leaving a nightmare.
Her brain had been put through way more than it could handle. It helps falling asleep cause then your nervous system and internal orgwns aren't strained. That way nothing gets severely damaged.
But seems she had way too much archaic energy for her to fall asleep
Now she was bleeding from her ears.
Baran noticed. He put his large hands on them, ever gently. He was used to touching women.
Then he healed her. A bright green light that stopped her internal injuries, calming her mind at the same time.
The girl was a brunette with glasses and for the first time she just opened her eyes. The pain and ringing was gone.
" Are you okay?"
She nodded in disbelief. This was The Baran Vaughn Gunes. Seeing his face so close made her uneasy. His smile. But she...she didn't mind.
Baran returned back to his seat.
" We need you to play the London incident. Let this asshole see what he did ".
She wondered how he did that. ' It's amazing how his tone changed from seduct_ I mean caring to a more serious state'.
After a few seconds she registered what he asked of her. She quickly put on gloves, then she raised both her hands to the air.
Holograms appeared just a few inches from her hands.
She swiped and kept swiping through many files. When she got to the London recording. She held it and threw it to the direction of the glass barricade. The video played on the barricade screen itself.
Theo was made to see exactly what happened. The video recording had good quality but it was much too far from the actual event. Theo could see shockwaves caused by a hero moving extremely fast.
It was Whirl Woman. Then he saw something that shook his soul. A black silhouette that was in a state of existing and not existing.
It was a monster, it's very being disrupted the recording causing it to glitch everytime it came in sight. Theo knew that was him. He could feel it
A light glowed bright causing the screen to turn white for a few seconds.The video went mute and he saw an atomic bomb that destroyed everything.
He could not see the hero anymore. The blast was white and the mushroom cloud rose above the clouds.
That was the last image before the recording stopped.
It was silent.
All eyes were on Theodore Vaughn Gunes and everyone wanted to see his reaction.
While Theo on the other hand could only look down.
" She, She saved everyone right?".
Guile took some time before answering. His attention seeming pretty undisturbed by the grim tension growing in the air.
But then he finally answered.
" Sadly no". Guile replied in a voice rid of emotion. " Five fatalities aaaand ", he turned to Theo in a serious expression, " you put a sentinel in a coma ".
" I didn't know ", Theo managed to mutter.
" Yeah I bet you didn't ".
Guiles attention went to his pocket as he brought out yet another sweet. " But see itsnot about knowing and not knowing ".
He unwrapped it easily. No wrapping could escape those sweet loving fingers
" You caused millions of damage in property not to talk about the unimaginable price of putting a sentinel out of the front lines. Then there's the lives you took_
" I didn't kn_
" It's not about that!", Guile raised his voice in fatigue. The stressed kind.
The room was silent again.
The scientist could feel the tension from up there. On the other side.
" Will it happen again?".
" What? "
Guile's eyes narrowed with a precise flare. He's analysing everything that Theo does.
" I'm asking if this will ever happen again ", Angrily or is it more accurate to say in a sulking manner Guile threw the sweet into his mouth. He was sucking it aggressively staring at Theo and speaking at the same time,
" Will you become a monster that destroys everything around you ever again?"
" Are you a danger to human lives hmmm Theodore?"
Theo made direct eye contact with the fierce purple eyes of Guile. He knows he can't promise anything. Never had he been this confused regarding his own mental state.
( Thinks about it for a second )
' Okay I've had worse '.
Everyday Theo had dreamed of power. What it would be like to be able to do such amazing things. Like everyone else around. And look where he was now. Is this a 'be careful what you wish for'. Now he's facing death. Life clearly didn't like him. If it did it must be some sick toxic relationship where it wants him to experience death everytime so he could come back to it. To life.
" I don't know Captain ", he looked up stammering and waving away all the despondent thoughts. " I don't know what I am anymore ".
Contradicting the serious situation in the observatory ( Theo's room ) was Baran.
He was checking out the scientist.
" You're cute "
She turned to Baran in awe of the whole situation. He was oogling her with very fiber of his sight
" Sir?".
" I said ", he came closer and leaned towards her. His hands resting on the rows of buttons, his face mere inches away, " you're cute ".
She looked dumbfounded and then when she's done processing that the Sentinel Baran the scorcher, was hitting on her she loses consciousness again.
" Hahah ", Baran laughed taking pleasure in seeing her slump to the ground.
" Okay ". Guile said massaging his moustache in thought.
" I am going to testify for you. That's only natural since I'm the one who did the Fiend/Human test ".
Before continuing Guile pointed to the window lazily, " Your brother will also testify that you aren't willingly a threat to humanity ".
" What now?", Baran turned looking down at his Captain.
" You heard me. You're a witness ".
" No fucking way I'm defending this disgrace ".
Guile looked back down, hands in pocket. " This is not some personal statement I'm asking you to give ", His voice grew more resolute, filled with authority, " You will stand in his favour and that's an order ".
Baran quietly cursed in annoyance.
He didn't have a choice but to obey his captains commands.
Guile turned his attention away from Baran. He wasn't looking at Theo. He was just staring straight ahead. The way only the most powerful people could. To stare at your goal like it was an inevitable future. " We'll try to squeeze an insanity judgement from the jury ".
Theo looked at the man trying to help him. Yes this was what a hero looked like. Helping a person they don't need too. The kind of man that his brother would be led by.
But he came back to the moment.
" What happens if they find me insane?"
Guile was just putting another lollipop in his mouth. After sucking it like a sweet critic he answered,
" Then they can't sentence you to death or to life. But you will work directly under the government ".
" Well that doesn't sound so bad "
" As a slave " .
Theo scratched his head catching the lollipop that Guile tossed to him. "What?!"
" You answer to them 24/7. If they say kill, you kill ",
Guile paused sighing in fatigue. He looked sleepy
" If they say never eat candy--god forbid--You don't eat candy. Also they don't pay you ".
" Well that's not fair ", Theo said looking down.
" Neither is the world and that's not all. You'll work for them till you kick the bucket except if a Hero Cooperation buys you off. Likely none will, cause no one wants to hire a slave hero and buying off a slave hero is usually in billions of dollars ".
" Can't a House buy me off?"
" Sureee buuut chances are almost zero ".
" Can the house of nemesis buy me off ".
" No we don't have that kind of money and even if we did
Baran was laughing as he watched Theo get overwhelmed with despair.
" This is all assuming they don't sentence you to eternal suffering or death which as I said before, is way more likely ". Guile continued without pity.
Waiting for him to say something.
But theo had nothing to say. He didn't know how to react to the swirl of events that were coming his way. He merely gulped and mustered enough courage to ask," So what happens to me now ". His voice was filled with desperation.
You could see it in his eyes.
Guile ignored the question and simply flew to the glass barricade, weaved through it as he did before.
" Now you stay here till it's time for your sentence ". Guile looked to the fainted flushed body of the four eyed scientist then he shot Baran a death stare.
" Couldn't resist sir ". Baran said with guilt on his face.
Guile massaged his temples then turned his attention back to Theo.
" Don't think of breaking out. I'll send you lollipops whenever I can ". Guile was walking towards the door.
Baran soon followed suit.
A flame portal around 3 metres in length appeared. Theo couldn't see it but he saw the bright orange light.
That was Barans Dominion. He'd gotten so much more powerful.
Guile went in first. Baran was about to enter but then he looked back, not at Theo but at the scientist.
He had the devil's smirk on his face. He picked her up gently and with the same diabolical smile he started heading to the portal.
" Drop her ", it was Guiles voice from the other side
Baran groaned in frustration. He laid her down on one of the spinning chairs. Then he repaired her hair and fixed her glasses.
" Hmm to bad. I would have loved to have your four eyes around ".
" Baraaaan!", Guile urged again from the other side.
Baran stood up quickly, his handsome face now an unreadable expression. He was staring at his brother, what Theo had become.
" Survive this ", it sounded like a command mle than anything. But it was said with just a hint of worry.
Theo had a smile on his face and nodded in optimism.
Baran looked on in his usual hostel glare.
" Pathetic ". He walked into the portal never looking back before vanishing away.
Theo watched till the last flicker of light vanished to thin air. He was proud, His younger brother was a bad ass. If humans like Guile still existed, then humanity has not lost.
( If only he knew the Fiends in this world )
Now left alone Theo looked around his white room, fully taken in by the size. He turned his attention to his new body. He raised both his massive hands to his field of view.
It was now that the power he possessed sunk in. He squeezed his fist observing his right arm. Trying to distract himself from thinking about the future.
His arm was bulky and long. Muscles were large and pronounced. Clearly not the physique of a human.
He was so big now it was hard to comprehend.
This new power was something he wanted to test. Yet all the scientists and analysts were asleep.
If he started punching the wall, security measures would be taken so he doesn't escape. He doubts their going to care when he says,' I was just testing my power'.
He let out a tired sigh.
" I need to go pee ".
As if to reassure himself of his predicament, Theo looked around the white room looking for a bathroom, a toilet or a urinal, knowing full well he wouldn't see any.
He's probably supposed to ask the scientists and they'll click a button that made one magically appear from the ground.
" Well it's not my fault they're asleep ".
He walks to the corner of the white room like a rascal. He raises his medical gown. He realises he wasn't wearing any pants " Oh come on! ".
When the sparky water flows. Theo lets out a relaxing breath. He'd been holding it in through out the test. He pauses for a minute noticing something.
' wait a minute '. He felt it some more. ' Why's it so_Nah no way that's my..'
.... He knew now he had to look.
But the fear was certainly there. Theo slowly lookedat what lies beneath his gown. What he saw terrified him.
" Oh my god ".