Fidgeting.

It was a little habit Jack had long since wished he’d broken; it was one that at a certain point in his life, he’d been certain he had broken. Yet, all the same, he fidgeted as he waited as the Elysian Fields shuttle plunged through the clouds toward him. He’d left nearly everything behind, including all of his weapons, and gold. Blackburn hadn’t exactly given him much time to even leave the base. It had been hard enough avoiding Flitter and the Arms Dealers.

“Chomping at the bit to get my ass back in line.” Jack muttered softly to himself as the shuttle set down, and a young man in a well tailored suit opened the door.

“Mister Kessle!” The young man waved for his attention, as if the black shuttle the size of a chinook helicopter hadn’t gotten his attention well enough. Taking a brief moment to cease his fidgeting, Jack began his short walk to the shuttle. He’d barely had a moment to sit down before the suit smiled brightly, and offered a hand. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Kessle, I’m Ryan Dents. Mr. Blackburn is-”

“Giggling maniacally to himself. There’s somewhere we need to go, before I meet Blackburn up in his tower, or wherever he’s hiding.” Jack had been expecting the long pause, and the brief look of surprise. He also knew what was coming next. “Blackburn can wait a few minutes. Either we-”

“Of course sir, where would you like to go?” Jack had not, been expecting that.

Letting out a mildly annoyed sigh, he slumped back into the luxury crash seat. “Britain. Hereford.”

“Done and done. Mr. Blackburn told me to meet any of your requests.”

Jack’s eyes flicked up to meet the young man’s as the shuttle banked, and stopped gaining altitude. “Really. He told you that.”

“Yes he did.” Ryan’s smile never ceased. “He also told me that you’d threaten dropping contact if we didn’t. Cigarette?”

“That sunova…” Jack took in a breath. “You ever get the feeling you’ve played right into somebody’s hand?”

Chuckling as Jack took the offered cigarette, Ryan engaged the air filtration unit in the cabin. “Quite often, sir. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s in Hereford?”

“A promise.”

Walking along the rows of headstones, Jack slowly chewed on the butt of his unlit cigarette as he scanned the headstones, looking for a name. The old church’s cemetery had long since been renovated after the war, though the coffins that had once been held in the ground were long gone, rows upon rows of self cleaning plaques had taken their places. The removal of the coffins had been a scandal apparently, as Jack had found while undergoing his search, but apparently, the SAS still maintained their plot, and updated it from time to time.

It didn’t take long to find her memorial, resting peacefully among the others.

Jack stared down at the memorial for a long, hard minute, before finally allowing himself to exhale softly, and rest a hand on its surface. “I tried, Ada. I tried to find your folks, but…” He paused for a moment. “Turns out we were a lot more alike than we realized, and I still can’t keep a promise.” Slowly sitting down at it’s base, Jack looked to the sky, and the overcast weather Hereford was suffering from. “You know, the moment I saw you for the first time, my heart fluttered a little. I’d been stuck in Candyland for far too long, and it felt like you were the first breath of saccharin free air I’d gotten. You were… so familiar, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by you, and I guess you ended up drawn in by me.” He cracked a soft smile as he looked down again. “Sometimes I think about you in that dress… That first night we had shared together. Say what you want about galas and magic, but you.. You were magical. Then, you went and cursed yourself… You told me you loved me, and I said it back. I got you killed, Ada, and for that, I’ll never be sorry enough, and now… now it’s happening again with Flitter. I want it, Ada, I want it so bad, but I just… I can’t bring myself to say it. It’s like, if I say those words out loud, that’s it, her days are numbered. Losing you… I think I lost another big piece of my soul, watching you die like that, scared, and… fucking alone…” He let out a soft sigh, before looking over his shoulder, toward the entrance of the cemetery.

Ryan had left Jack alone, as requested, but it was doubtful he wasn’t listening in, and recording everything for Blackburn.

Turning back to the memorial, Jack set the flowers he had been carrying with him, down on the grass before it. “I never got to ask what kinda flowers you liked best, so I bought a whole bunch to hopefully fit the bill. They smell nice, so that’s a plus.” The attempt at shifting the one sided conversation failed, and his mind swiftly fell back to her last moments. Broiling hot anger coursed through his veins, and forced his hand to ball into a fist over the grave stone. “I might be shit with my promises, but I promise you, Ada. I promise you, that I’m going to kill that Rat Bastard. I’m going to end his life, and you’ll be the last thing he thinks about. The last thing he sees. Even if I gotta make a deal with the devil himself, if I gotta cast aside the last raggedy scraps of my wretched fuckin soul, I’ll drag Carolus to hell with me, kicking and screaming the whole way down.” He soon softened his fist, and ran his palm over the top of the marker. “Goodbye, Ada. I hope that wherever you ended up in the end, you’re comfortable. I’ll never forget you, luv.” Standing, Jack saluted the marker, before turning on his heel, and marching back toward the shuttle. He had a Devil to meet, after all, and he could only be so fashionably late.

Under normal circumstances, Ernest Blackburn was at best reserved, and at worst, taciturn. He wore an excellent poker face, as he’d once been told. He rarely showed much to his subordinates, and it never took much effort on his part to maintain the guise he’d carefully crafted over the years. However, there were always a few moments that had his heart beating just a little faster in his chest, moments that had the ghost of a gleeful smile tugging playfully at the knife edges of his lips. One such moment had come upon him as he watched the shuttle set down in the landing bay, and the doors pop open. Ryan Dents was the first to exit the shuttle, as was to be expected. The young man gave Ernest a single nod, and a brief smile, silently informing the older man that all was right with the world.

And, as if on cue, Ryan’s silent statement was proven correct as Jack descended the ramp, his eyes flicking about like a cornered rat’s, searching the environment for exits that didn’t exist. For once in a long time, Ernest smiled, and nearly felt it. As he began to open his mouth to greet his guest, Jack’s eyes locked on to him, and the words caught in Ernest’s throat, dying stillborn as they were. That’s no rat.

Shaking aside his intrusive thoughts, Ernest approached Jack, holding his poker smile in place. “Welcome aboard, Jack. I have to say, your call surprised me. I thought you’d be fucking about Earthside for another week at least.”

Approaching the Doctor, Jack kept his features stoney as he responded. “What can I say, Doc. I missed your company.”

Chuckling softly, Ernest turned on his heels, and began to lead Jack out of the hangar bay, and away from prying eyes. “So, how are you feeling? You took a rather hard fall in Seattle.”

“Those new plasma guns are right fucking cruel, I’ll tell yah that much.” Jack muttered idly as they entered into the sterilized hallways filled with Elysian Fields Ratings and Armsmen. “It was a wakeup call, that’s for sure. Whatever you put in that birthday present had heads rolling.”

Allowing himself an indulging smile, Ernest ushered Jack into an elevator, and pinged his floor. “That was all you, Jack. I have to say, I wasn’t very impressed when I saw you in Yellowstone, but one little ampule of tailored nanites, and you’re tearing back into the fray. I’ve never seen such a quick recovery before, let alone one from death’s door.”

The station was a big one, that was for certain. Following Doctor Blackburn through the large halls of the beast only continued to fill Jack with the feeling of impending doom. “I’ve burned through my nine lives already, so I figure at this point, me and Death have a restraining order.”

“Oh? And just how many lives have you burned by now?” The old doctor tilted his head toward Jack, a small, well calculated smile prying at his lips. A loaded question if there ever was one.

Taking a moment to count on his fingers. “I think… ignoring any minor brushes… Ten? No, wait, fourteen. Ish.”

“Leave it to you to forget how many brushes with death you’ve had. It sounds like you’ve got a story to tell, Jackie boy.” Ernest smiled just a little bit more, intrigued as ever. Opening the door to his office, he waved Jack inside, and closed the door.

“Nope. Not here to trade stories. I’m here to make a deal with you, Sir.”

Turning slowly, as he engaged the privacy field, Blackburn regarding Jack for a long moment. “A deal, you say. And what sort of deal are you looking for, Jack Kessle?” The smile was gone, replaced by another poker mask of curious features. Blackburn sat down in his chair, and leaned back as he regarded the man before him.

“The people I was hiding out with.”

“What about them?”

“You leave them all the hell alone.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because, you’ll get me.” Jack presented his palms as he sat in the chair across from Blackburn. “No sass, no shit, no trouble. You pump me full of whatever you’re feeding your bodyguards, turn me into whatever the hell you want. On two conditions. You let me help people, and you leave my people alone.”

A long, quiet moment passed between the pair as Ernest relaxed, and mulled over the offer. “I’ve got to say, Jack. You’ve gotten better at lying. You’ll never be without your trouble, or shit. It’s who you are. However, your promise of cooperation, is more than I could ever ask for. The programme that I’m running currently, is not something for the faint of heart, or uncooperative. It requires the utmost caution and precision, and I cannot allow someone, even you, to fight me on it. You know, I’ve always said that we often shared the same desires, the same drive. I want you to help people, I want you, to help our people. Humanity.” Blackburn sighed, and steepled his fingers together as he turned his chair slightly. “I’m sure. that at this point, everybody has told you how wretched a man I am, how I’m ‘oh so cruel’ to those ‘poor little xenos’. All the people making these claims, didn’t see what we saw, Jack. They’ve grown up in a world knowing only peace, only prosperity. Humanity is growing soft again, and now it won’t just be barbarians at the gate seeking to sack our Rome. It’s hordes of Xenos, pining to see who can wipe us out first. I have hundreds of files, petabytes in size, detailing a dozen separate species that want to take us out; half of which are trying actively to do so as we speak. So what if we spiked a few Corvellan hatchery worlds back in the day? The Corvellans didn’t pay anything back to us, so we took everything from them. We made them pay for what they did, and the supposed peacekeepers of the galaxy had the audacity to threaten us for it. The Council, is a farce. They don’t care about us, they only care for their interests, and their interests, do not lay with humanity. The only people who care about Humanity, are Human. This is a fight for our very survival, as a species.”

“Save me the sales pitch. You agree to my terms, and I’m in.”

“Well then. I’m glad you’re as resolute as you always were.” Blackburn leaned forward, offering his hand. When Jack took it, the old man squeezed, sending a lance of pain through Jack’s hand as he partially crushed it. “Welcome back to the fold, Jack. Hold on tight, and don’t look back.”

When the two men broke the handshake, Jack leaned back in his chair, and let out a petulant huff. “So… Tell me about this project. What can I expect?”

With a smile that told Jack he’d played right into his hands, Ernest stood, and motioned toward the door. “Tell me, Jack. Have you ever wanted to feel like a god?”

Standing to accompany the older man, Jack followed him out of his office. “Not particularly. Me and Gods have had a rougher history than the Kennedy family tree. Do I have to sign anything? Do I get dental?”

“There’s some papers you’ll need to sign, but we can worry about those later. The current project, Thanatos, has hit an evolutionary dead end. Eighty percent washout rate, two percent fatality. Subjects chosen from the best of the best, Special Forces, HRT, Triple S, everybody. The result is a median forty percent increase to body mass, all in lean muscle. Vastly improved land speed, durability, and reflexes. Bone growth, bio-organic flexlar subdermals, and a greatly increased appetite. Thanatos Operators are our best of the best, but they’re not good enough any more. We need something new. Something to give us that bleeding edge. When I saw you last, I had a bit of a eureka moment. We’re returning to the Bezikiner formula, heavily modified, of course; gone are the days of that barbarian steroid.”

Glancing about as they entered another elevator, and immediately began skimming downward, Jack couldn’t help but chime in when Ernest paused for breath. “Glad to hear it. Considering I just had all of my broken bits fixed, I wasn’t keen on melting my brain again on that crap.”

“If I can be painfully frank with you, Jack, you’re one of the best examples of BZ-2 going perfectly right. Thanks to your history of heavy substance abuse, the formula could roam free and do its job, as opposed to giving you a deadly brain hemmorage. However, the new formula is… Well, it’s something special, Jack. It’s currently in it’s prototype stage, and you’ll be joining two other candidates for the test trials. Best case scenario, the three of you will form a special team, delegated to handling situations nobody else can.”

“So, worst case scenario, I pop like a meat balloon. Best case?”

“Power, Jack. Real, tangible power.”

“So… Mind Reading? X-ray Vision?”

Blackburn shot a scalding, sidelong glance toward Jack. “You promised no sass.”

“And you didn’t take that promise.”

Letting out a tired sigh as the elevator dinged, Dr. Blackburn marched passed the sliding doors, and into a hallway passing between laboratories. Inside, several dozen scientists worked away diligently. “Follow me, Jack. And don’t touch anything, unless you want to be thrown into decontamination early.”

“So what do you mean by ‘power’?” Jack glanced side to side as they walked through the labs. He could see armours, weapons, and chemistry labs. Everything else was a mess of computers, white accents, and hyper-space aged tech that made his mind spin. “Everyone seems to have their own definition.” He murmured out as he stared at the working scientists.

“We don’t know yet.” Blackburn answered honestly, immediately drawing Jack’s attention. “As I said, the new program is in its infancy. We don’t know the extents of what it can do. However, with how effective Thanatos was, we’re forecasting incredible things.

Nodding slowly as they continued through the maze of labs, Jack couldn’t keep his mind from wandering about, and coming back with questions. “What’s the project called? More Greek patronage? Is it Kratos?” Jack asked flatly, and earned a sidelong glance from the lithe doctor.

“No. The program has so far been dubbed… Nemesis. Tell me, are you familiar with Nemesis?”

“I know a bit, if we’re speaking on a biblical sense or pop culturally, I can’t say I’m caught up with my greek mythos.”

Failing to hide a mild smile as they entered a decontamination chamber, Blackburn spoke over the quiet hiss of the jets above them. “Nemesis is the Goddess of Retribution, sent out to enact justice upon those who succumb to hubris. Nemesis, is Divine Retribution.”

“I seem to recall a program of the same name failing spectacularly.” Jack muttered as the decontamination process ended, and they entered the lab Blackburn had led him to. Inside were a number of white jacketed scientists busily working on their project.

“Hrn. Well, if it entertains you so, I can see about having your lips peeled back and a trenchcoat being made for you.”

Sucking his teeth momentarily, Jack decided to err on the side of caution, in case Blackburn wasn’t joking. “I’m good. I was always more of a bomber jacket kind of guy anyways.” Glancing over at the various workstations they passed by, Jack found himself unable to make heads or tails of anything he was seeing. “So… Who’re my two new partners?”

Reaching the final door, Ernest paused, and set his hand down on a scanner. He then scanned his eyes, and murmured a phrase into the console. Within moments, the door had popped open, and the final lab was revealed. “Mirio Togata. Ex-Helldiver and current Thanatos Operator. Emanuel Alvarez. Ex-Special Space Service, and Thanatos Operator. You’ll meet them within the week. They’ve already had their first doses of BZX, and have shown improvements across the board.”

“And we’re… we’re not doing my first shots right now, are we?”

“You sound nervous, Jack.” Blackburn didn’t bother looking over as he pulled on a smock, and other scientists entered the lab. “No, we’re not. First, we need to give you a proper medical scan, and fix anything that the nanites got wrong. There’s several days of prep work we need to do to make sure you’re ready for this. After all, we wouldn’t want you exploding like a meat balloon.”

“Yeah. Great.” Sitting on the center table, Jack let out a slow breath. “Good talk.”

“Please strip down and lie on the table. One of my assistants needs to begin your scans. Then, we can begin.”

“Woo…”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘HE’S GONE’!?” Flitter shrilly squawked as she stared at Irving Kleese, who’d had the unfortunate responsibility of breaking the news to her, after she’d realized that Jack hadn’t been spotted in two days. “THAT- GGGRRAAA! That fucking asshole! He didn’t even say goodbye! Gods above and Princesses below, so help me, if he comes sliding back in here, I’m going to beat him within an inch of his life! Never, have I fucking ever! Met a man so utterly incapable of just TALKING about his plans! So fucking incapable of communication!” Flitter was pacing in circles, her hands gesturing wildly in a vain attempt to work off some of the excess emotion she was currently venting.

Irving, who for his part, was doing his best to weather the storm as stoically as possible. “Whatever his plan was, he certainly didn’t seem pleased with it. He wanted to keep you all as separate from it as possible, for safety's sake. He wouldn’t even tell me what it was.”

“Of course it was for our safety!” Flitter snarled out. “But he left you here as a scapegoat for me to chew apart, and I’m sorry!” Yanking her hat off her head, Flitter bit down on it, and began savaging it angrily with her teeth all while cursing Jack’s name through the fabric. Slowly but surely, Flitter composed herself, and fixed her mauled cap back upon her head. Letting out a hot breath through her nose, Flitter fixed Irving with a hard stare. “How are we looking on the training thing? The fucking… what the hell was it called…”

“Holo-trainer?”

“Yeah, that overpriced piece of shit.” Flitter pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes as she forced herself to calm down. “Is it working?”

Irving nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Yes, They got it running last night. It has some basic programs in it already, but they’re rather easy to add in. Some of the volunteers brought out a Bobcat yesterday and helped dig a training course as well. Should be good for testing the new power armour in a more straightforward manner. Have you heard from Miss Voronin on what sort of ship she’s bringing you?”

“No…”

“Ah.” Irving clasped his hands behind his back, and considered things. “I know a woman who may be willing to captain the vessel. She’s… shall we say, Sympathetic. And, most importantly, unemployed and shipless. She has her own crew that she can call upon as well.”

Sighing quietly, Flitter nodded and lifted her head. “That’d be great, Irving. If she’s willing to help, we’ll have her. I’m sorry for snapping, I’m just…”

“Stressed out beyond your wits. It’s alright ma’am, it wasn’t even the worst I’ve been subjected to, and you’ve already apologized twice. Would you like to get some air? Clear your head?”

Nodding slowly, Flitter started toward the door. “Let’s take a walk.”

Exiting the barracks, the pair walked out into the airbase, and were welcomed by the sight of people working away diligently on numerous projects. The distant echoes of power-gun fire reached across the tarmac, telling of another live fire exercise with the new weapons. At one end of the runway was a large and growing obstacle course, with people mulling about carrying construction equipment. Heaving a heavy sigh, Flitter continued toward the hangars with Kleese at her side. Pressing inside the hangar to avoid the oppressive cold that was descending upon the base, Flitter found herself pausing momentarily as the new set up met her eyes.

“So… tell me what I’m looking at here.” Flitter stared at the mass of plywood, prefabs, and holographic projections.

Pointing upwards toward the large emitter mounted on the roof, Kleese began to explain. “That’s the emitter, all of this, isn’t real.” To make his point, he put a hand through a metal wall, before waving it about. “With the primary emitter and the networked casters, we can have a large, working hardlight construct that can change to match our needs.” Waving down one of the soldiers working at the computer, he yelled across the way. “Start up one of the sims.”

Rocking on her heels, Flitter watched as the set-up before her faded away, before the new simulation shimmered into view as the hardlight holograms reformed. Within a few minutes, the interior of a ship met her. “This is… good. What can we do?”

“Well, with the VR rigs that came with it, we can run squads of ten through combat simulations that are custom tailored to what we need. Rig can emulate the armour systems, which can let the trainees figure them out before they climb into the real thing. Anything in particular you want to cover?”

Thinking for a long moment, Flitter idly ran her hand over the hardlight. “We need urban combat situations, trenches, plains, and ship combat. Any specialist sims you can think of. We have less than a year to make the most of what we have.”

“Affirmative. I’ll get one of the guys to hunt down specific sims, and I’ll think of a few more specific ones, I- oh.” Kleese paused as Walter and Jessica entered. “Hey guys.”

With a mild wave, Walter looked around at the hangar in surprise, while Jessica made a beeline for Flitter. “Where’s Jack?”

“Off on his own little misadventure. Why?” Flitter tilted her head ever so slightly as she looked to Jessica.

Sharing a look between themselves, Walter was the one to speak next. “Videos from Seattle have started to come up... People recognize him.”

Pushing her phone towards Flitter, Jessica showed her the rough cam shots. “You two are trending on Twatter. Angel of Seattle, and The Martyr Lives.” A video of the gunship firing on a winged Flitter started up, and the chaos that followed. Despite herself, Flitter could feel her blush beginning to burn at her cheeks as she took down the gunship in a dress and heels. As the video stopped, Jessica began scrolling through the feed, showing the pictures, videos, and fan art that was blossoming up across the internet. “Grats, Babe, you’re internet famous.” Jessica said with a grin.

Running her hands down her cheeks, Flitter let out a slow breath. “Well, it could be worse…”

“It could be worse… right?” Jack muttered to himself as he scrolled through the massive legal contract before him. As he plunked down his signature for the Nth time, he couldn’t help but shake his head as just how screwed he was. Blackburn all but legally owned him, for the second time. It was just unfortunate that he had enough of his faculties to realize how screwed he was this time around.

“Jack!” Blackburn strode into the room, his suit freshly pressed. “Are you almost done with that crap?”

“Yeah, almost. Why, what’s up?”

Standing by the door, Blackburn crossed his arms. “It’s time we had you meet Alvarez and Togata. The doctors also tell me you’ve had all your preliminary injections. You know what that means?”

Cringing internally as he set down the last signature, Jack forced a weak smile for his new boss. “It means… we can go for lunch?”

“It means you’re getting the first treatment.”

“Great.” Jack said without any feeling as he pushed himself out of the chair, and closed his omnilink.

Motioning for Jack to follow, Ernest turned on his heels, and started down the hall, finding Jack was quick to follow. “The other two will be observing the initial injections, and if they’re successful, then they will follow suite.”

“So… why am I going first?”

“Nervous, Jack? Don’t be. Your body is the most acclimated to BZ2, that means it’ll have the most predictable reaction to BZX. You’re our gold standard today, and we’ve already run thousands of simulations.”

Letting the information sink in as they descended down to the laboratories, Jack couldn’t shake the trepidation he felt toward the coming events. “Onwards and offwards… Let’s meet your new boys then.”

Leading him into a small room aside the labs, Ernest stepped in, and cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, your third is joining you today. You may recognize him.” Stepping aside, Blackburn motioned Jack forward.

Stepping around the corner, Jack entered the small breakroom and immediately felt dwarfed by the two giants. The pair of men were seven feet tall, easily, but each of them looked oddly proportionate to their size. Ernest began introductions, introducing the larger of the two as Mirio Togata, a Japanese native with bright eyes and a shock of blonde hair atop his head. Mirio shook Jack’s hand with two of his own, though it was hardly needed when one dwarfed Jack’s entirely. “I’d heard rumors that you were with us, but I never imagined meeting you. It’s an honour, sir.” The brilliant and ernest smile helped to wash away some of his initial worries.

“Likewise. You were a Helldiver, right?”

Smiling even brighter, Mirio nodded. “Yeah man, feet first into hell!”

Emanuel Alvarez stepped up, sizing Jack up as he approached. “I’m Alvarez, but you can call me Manny, Sir.” He offered a large shovelhead shaped hand to Jack, who took it.

Shaking the offered hand, Jack managed to smile momentarily. “You boys can just call me Jack. I haven’t held rank in awhile.”

“Affirmative.” Mirio grinned at Jack, before glancing to Blackburn. “So I guess today is the day, sir?”

“Yes, yes it is, Boys. Follow me, we’ll be beginning the first of the tests today, and Jack has been chosen to go first, as he’s got the body most likely to succeed.”

Manny cast a brief glance over at Jack. “Doesn’t look like it, sir.”

Leading the trio out of the room and toward the lab, Blackburn maintained his poker face. “He may not look it, but you’re walking next to a first gen super soldier.” Entering the large lab, a group of scientists greeted Blackburn, and informed him that everything was ready to go. Pulling on a labcoat, Blackburn motioned the two Thanatos operatives to the viewing area, before guiding Jack into the hands of a young doctor wearing scrubs and a surgical mask.

The woman smiled under her surgical mask, causing it to rise slightly. “I’m Doctor Amanda, and I’ll be with you inside the chamber for the first few minutes. If you would follow follow me, we can get you changed.” Nodding slowly, Jack took a deep breath as he tried to center himself. Following after the doctor, he was brought into a small room, and asked to change into a hospital smock. “Have you had much surgery before, Mister Kessle?” Amanda asked as she averted her eyes.

“More than I’d care to mention.” He admitted quietly as he folded his clothes and set them on the bench. “What can I expect today?”

“Nothing too terribly noticeable, I’d wager. The formula will likely take time to begin changing your body. However, there is a chance you may grow a little taller.”

Chuckling softly, Jack stretched out and groaned. “Right, we’ll see about that.”

Leading him into the surgery theatre, Jack took a moment to look around. The room was roughly circular, with a single full body seat in the center. There were separate sections for each limb, and each section had its own magnetic restraints. A large overhead device sat above it, along with a large collection of tubes and pipes. All together, it looked like a large metal spider

“Please take a seat, Mister Kessle. Remember, the restraints are for your own safety.” Taking a moment to further inspect the metal contraption that sat above above the table, Jack forced himself to hide a small flinch at the sight of the huge needles it was sporting. “Is everything alright, Mister Kessle?” Amanda smiled at him again from behind her mask, though it felt plastic.

“Yeah.” Clambering on to the table, he tried to focus himself, amd calm down. It wasn’t an easy task, as Amanda secured his restraints and brought the multi-limbed machine down close. She then began attaching wireless leads to his body that clamped on with a little electric hum.

Glancing to her boss behind the glass, Amanda received a single nod. “Okay Mister Kessle, you might feel a little pinch. This time, he failed to contain his flinch as a dozen needles slid into his skin, seeking out his veins and target muscles. “Beginning first injection.” Dark red liquid began flowing through the tubes, and down into the needles. Immediately, Jack could feel his muscles contract, and his body attempt to reject the injection.

Gritting his teeth, Jack almost didn’t notice when a familiar voice chuckled in his ear. ”Well shit, Jack. This is some interesting stuff…”

Closing his eyes as the formula continued to enter his blood stream, Jack responded to the voice in his own head. ”Can it, Mark. I can han-” Jack’s own train of thought was interrupted by the piercing pain in the back of his neck, inside his neural plug. Heat was spreading through his veins, though it was swiftly growing from a warmth to a burning.

”Jack, whatever they accounted for in their formulas, they didn’t do it right. You’ve got, oh, I don’t know… two minutes of consciousness, if that? Your core temperature is rising fast, and not long after you pass out, your organs will melt.”

Doctor Amanda was looking rather frantic as she adjusted some equipment inside the room, though the others inside the observation lab seemed more worried than she. Blackburn was wearing a hard scowl, and yelling at people. The formula was still pumping into his body, and Jack felt like he was boiling alive in his own skin.

”I’m going to interfere. You’re of no use if you just up and die on me again.”

“Dammit Mark-” Jack managed to choke out, before he jerked up against the restraints, a silent cry escaping him as agony laced his bones. A spray of blood flew from his nose, spattering the window. His veins were standing hard against his bright red skin, and were pulsing red-purple. He was burning up, and he had to cool down, now. A lance of pain spread down his left arm, causing him to flex and strain against it. With the sound of shearing metal, the restraint holding his arm broke free, and clattered loudly against the steel floor. Roaring with all his might, Jack pulled against his remaining restraints, and shattered them. Stumbling off the table, he motioned with a wavering arm to Amanda. “GO! Get out of here!”

Fleeing quickly, Doctor Amanda fled the room, leaving Jack alone inside as his own insides boiled. He needed a way to cool down; he could already feel himself losing consciousness.

Up, Jack! UP!”

Jerking his attentions upward, Jack grinned like a manic when his eyes fell on the exposed piping in the ceiling. The one that interested him the most, however, was the four inch pipe with the warning ‘Liquid Nitrogen’ on it. His body was on fire, and twisting under him as the formula did it’s work; he didn’t have any other choice. With black invading his sight rapidly, Jack climbed shakily up on to the table, and leapt off. His hands instantly tensed when he gripped the ice cold pipe, but the heavy thing refused to budge from the ceiling, which left him dangling in the air. With a cry of primal defiance, he swung both of his leaden legs up, bracing them against the ceiling as he wrenched the pipe. Just as his consciousness began to flee him, the pipe burst, sending a torrent of liquid nitrogen into the room, and down on to Jack.

While normally being doused in liquid nitrogen would be unpleasant and painful, Jack could only muster a lurid groan of pleasure as the liquid washed over him, freezing his hair and hospital smock stiff. As the pipe continued to flow, a thick white fog filled the room, thanks to the liquid nitrogen. Despite the small degree of respite he’d found, his ordeal was far from over. He wasn’t certain when he finally lost consciousness, whether it was when his mechanical legs fell off, or when his vertebrae began to elongate; regardless, he did not enjoy waking up on the cold steel floor, in a pool of liquid nitrogen.

“Jack, are you still with us?” Blackburn’s voice was the first thing to greet him back into the land of the conscious.

“Yeah-” Jack paused, and cleared his throat, before repeating himself. His voice sounded off.

“Good, that’s good. Could you stand up for me?”

Slowly pushing himself up off the floor, Jack groaned softly as his sore muscles protested under the workload. Drawing his feet up under himself, Jack hissed as his soles met cold steel, but scant seconds later, he all but fell over in shock. He just felt his feet. Waving some of the smoke away, he found himself staring at two, big, newly formed feet, with five toes each. Despite everything, Jack could feel a ball of happiness welling up brightly inside him. He had legs again, after so many long years, he was whole.

“What’s the hold-up, Jack?” Blackburn’s voice sounded again, breaking Jack’s concentration away from his feet.

“I’m going, I’m going.” Pushing himself up, Jack yelled in surprise as his head rammed into the medical device hanging off the ceiling. “Fuck!” Rubbing his head, Jack found he had to tilt his head slightly to see into the observation room. The entire team was staring at him in awe, save for Blackburn.

“How do you feel, Jack? We almost lost you there.”

“I uh…” He hesitated for a moment, thinking as he tried to get a handle on his surroundings. “I feel… good? Better than I did. I have to say, Ernest... That was fuckin awful.”

Nodding slowly, Ernest glanced over to one of the technicians working next to him, and said something away from the mic. When he spoke again, Jack was leaning against the table, marvelling at his long, beefy legs. “We need to get some scans on you, Jack, but it seems a little hazardous for Doctor Miller to enter. Do you think you can help us on your end?”

Hopping down with a splash, Jack shivered slightly at the chill of the liquid nitrogen. “I have to say, I’m a little worried about how little this hurts right now. Doesn’t nitrogen run around minus four hundred?”

“Something like that, Jack. Just help us get some scans. Pull the Myer’s shackle down from the ceiling.”

A few minutes later, after following all of Blackburn’s instructions, Jack was allowed to exit the wrecked room, and pull some clothes back on. Ducking under the doorway, he muttered softly as he tried, and failed to fit into his old clothes. Reduced to wearing his pants like a pair of shorts and throwing the rest of his clothes over his shoulder, Jack treaded out into the observation room. As everyone turned to look at him, he couldn’t help but stand there awkwardly, softly patting his new feet against the cold steel.

Clearing his throat, Blackburn nodded slowly. “Good… this is… better than we anticipated.” Lacing his fingers together, the older man managed a short sigh as the doctors and technicians all filed out. When they were gone, he spoke again. “Jack, we detected some… disturbing signatures when you underwent initial injection. I have to ask, have you… done anything that would result in your body producing miniscule amounts of dark energy?”

“Producing small amounts of what?”Jack leaned forward slightly, before correcting himself so he was no longer looming over the Doctor. Mirio and Emanuel stood nearby, watching him closely.

“Nevermind, it’s just… odd. What happened was an outcome that had been only a fraction of a percentage of possibility. It simply… shouldn’t have. This injection was supposed to implement minimal changes to your body, not…” Ernest sighed, and for once, looked at a loss for words. “I’m shocked you survived at all. Pulling that pipe down likely saved your life.”

Mirio nodded in agreement, before speaking. “Pretty quick thinking for someone running a fever of one hundred and sixty.” The blonde man glanced to Emanuel, as if to hear his agreement, but the shorter operative said nothing as he watched Jack closely.

“Indeed.” Ernest tapped at his tablet. “I’ll have one of the doctors retrieve you some clothes, but for now we’re going to have you under close observation.”

Jack nodded lightly as he reached up and touched the ceiling. “So, what changes happened?”

“Well, you grew taller, for one. Seventeen centimeters. You have… also regrown your legs, which is rather shocking.”

“What about my ribs? I felt them… moving. Just a smidge.”

With a nod, Blackburn swiped the page on his notepad. “It seems each rib expanded, and as they are now, have nearly formed a complete plate over your internal organs. Bone density increase of fifteen percent across the board, and eighteen point two percent lean muscle growth. Are you hungry, Jack?”

Looking up in mild surprise, Jack took a moment to answer as he realized just how hungry he was. “Yeah… I could eat.” The tense gnawing in his guts agreed.

“What would you like? Whatever you want, I’ll have it flown up from the best places on earth, if our cooks can’t do it.” Blackburn laced his hands behind his back, and found himself looking up to meet Jack’s gaze.

With his eyes flicking to the other two operatives, Jack thought. “Sushi. Gimme a fuckload of sushi.”

With a single nod, Blackburn sent the message, and began gathering his lab coat, which he had discarded at some point. “Will you be needing a wheelchair to get to your room?”

“Blackburn-” Jack started as he flexed his feet. “I don’t think you could make me sit down right now.”

Cracking a rare smile, Ernest chuckled softly. “Good. That’s what I like to hear. Tomorrow will be a busy day for you, so get some rest. You’re free to move around, but do not stray from your room without a medical escort. Mister Togata, Mister Alvarez, if you would accompany me?” The pair responded with a curt ‘yes sir’ in near unison, and soon Jack was left alone in the observation unit, before Doctor Amanda came to retrieve him. The next few days were going to be busy, as Ernest had said, but Jack had a feeling that whatever the old man had planned, would be nothing compared to what Jack was going to achieve. For once as he walked to his room, chatting idly with Amanda, He felt confident, and in control.

You and me, Mark. We’re going to make the most of this, and we’re gonna turn Jalgromak inside out.

Author's Notes:

Well, I'm fairly certain this chapter is aids, but we'll see where it goes. I'm back to work, so updates may be a bit more common for a little while. Have hope, gentle readers. I've been pulling myself out of a slump, and finishing Ballad is one of my goals.