Story Notes:
Set 50 years after Strait Jacket movie.Please Review. No flames please.----------------------------------------------------------
Sanity Is Relative
His rest was cut a few hours short by an psychic echo of rage and pain so powerful that it left him cradling his skull in agony, slowly he pulled his hands away from his ears as if afraid that it would come apart like so much broken glass. The relief that this wasn't the case was short-lived due to an immense explosion that he decided was much too close for comfort. Despite the obvious dangers, he hauled himself and started a brisk run towards the source, easily found by the column of thick, black smoke.
Upon reaching the site of the blast, his hopes were dashed by the site of the twisting ruin of what could have once been a building. Five minutes into searching through the rubble he discovered a thick blast door that had been knocked ajar by the explosion. Carefully he squeezed himself through the gap then picked up his sorceric weapon and pulled it inside. Quietly he crept through the now empty corridors of the much larger than expected compound, avoiding damaged areas as he went having already had several close calls. The deeper that he ventured into the now decided research station, the more he wanted to leave because it had too many parallels to Pandora Medical Research Laboratories, something that was supposed to be a simple mop-up operation that he and his team had been contracted for by a government contracted company.
The scientists there had been trying to identify biological triggers for the transformation into the creatures classified as 'demons' and the wastes of humanity were their guinea pigs. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, all had been transported there and experimented upon. The current trials were of a gene therapy the human resistance to corruptive energies created by sorcery. It had worked for a moment, but then it catastrophically backfired as the subjects mutated horrifically turning all one hundred and fifty subjects into demons. Now the demons alone would have been simple enough but because of the therapy, they were now carriers of a fluid-borne catalyst that would trigger an immediate transformation of anyone who had been exposed to sorcery into a demon. This meant that the entire staff of 476 researchers, guards, and support personnel were added to the ranks of the corrupted. Adding to the fact that the brass still wanted the research recovered, they had to go in themselves and search damn near the whole facility instead of just setting off the fifty megaton nuke in the center of the complex. In the end; the nuke was detonated, the research destroyed, and the mission deemed a failure, at least officially. Unofficially, every member of his team was lost merely trying to contain the nightmares-given-flesh. Afterwards, the media had somehow been leaked the researcher's work and the report of the failed mission, prompting a total paradigm shift in the public oversight of government and private corporations.
A shark's grin came upon his face as he remembered how the top leadership behind the mission all met very unfortunate and horrific 'accidents' while he was conveniently out of town,
'send my men on a suicide mission will you,'
he viciously thought growling to himself, he turned his thoughts to the situation at hand,
�I swear if this becomes a 'shades of Pandora' I'm bugging out and using every last round I have to rend this place to ash.�
Walking into the last room, the countless surgical instruments covered with unknown fluids didn't unsettle him in the least but it did bring a feeling of cold fury towards those responsible that promised much pain in their futures if he ever found them. The copious amounts of what could only be blood that was splashed across the walls did not alleviate this feeling in the slightest. At the far side of the room was a blast door that was at least as thick as the one he entered through if not thicker, his approach to this door only made him aware of the weak cries of pain coming from the other side. Shouting, a small explosion and the following subdued whimpers were all he needed to hear for the grim sense of pleasure to rise in him at the thought that one one the perpetrators of this modern day Frankenstein's laboratory would soon be experiencing his tender mercies to gain some small retribution for what atrocities were committed in this place as he leveled his massive weapon at the door. The blast of destructive eldritch energy vaporized the thick metal door with almost no resistance, the small plink of the spent shell hitting the floor was the only sound in the room as the sorcerist stood over the still liquid metal and took in the scene before him.
A large, nearly ten foot long serpent was trapped beneath fallen rubble as well as the remains of what used to be a very high-tech cage. Standing opposite was a large, scarred black and gray canine and a shocked but slipping to enraged man in a lab coat holding a red and white ball who was covered in superficial cuts and bruises as well as favoring his right side. The man screamed,
�Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you think you're doing?�
Keeping the cannon between the two unknowns he turned to face the man noting how the canine shifted slightly towards him,
�I saw the smoke and thought I might find somebody. You see, I'm a little lost,�
just barely able to keep his sarcasm out of his voice at the complete understatement of his situation he continued,
�imagine my surprise when I come upon this most interesting facility. Quite the operation you had going on here, that last room was especially interesting,�
�Yes, it was qui-�
�but you were sloppy, you left evidence,�
he continued cutting the man off and ignoring the growing look of rage on his face, �you were a fool for not expecting your prisoners to risk everything for the chance to regain their freedom.�
The scientist finally snapped at the mockery being made of his work,
�Mightyena, Shadow Ball!!�
Not expecting the wolf-like creature to be capable of such abilities he was barely able to dodge the mass of dark energy that hurdled past, and it was only his ingrained paranoia from years of fighting that allowed him to get his cannon between him and the Weighty that almost tore out either his throat or spine. Fighting to hold back the snarling and gnashing maw of the beast before him, he was unable to to do anything while the scientist spoke,
�YES, who's the fool now? You dared to mock me, Dr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi.�
Slowly moving one hand towards his back, Requiem continued to only just hold of the scientist's hound. Mayuri angerly gestured at the pinned serpent,
�and that is my greatest achievement, I altered Rayquaza while it still was in the egg to bring about instances of psychic ability, apparently creating a sixth sense, to be the ultimate tool for Team Galactic. Unfortunately we underestimated how sensitive the sense was, she felt our intent and destroyed all my precious research,�
the doctor took a moment to recompose himself,
�no matter, Rayquaza's body will no doubt prove invaluable in creating the next generation I only regret that a live specimen would be too uncooperative to study.�
Turning towards Requiem his eyes developed a disturbing shine as the doctor examined the still struggling intruder like an interesting new toy,
�and the power your armor and weapons will give us will raise my standing to Dr.Charon and Cyrus�
�Will you SHUT THE FUCK UP!?!�
with that Requiem fired the large handgun having finally got his hand around it while holding off the massive dog. The exclamation coupled with the massive plume of gore of what used to be the head of his Mightyena silenced the doctor. Witnessing the death of his bodyguard and the approach of the armored form responsible must have been the final straw in shattering his already unstable psyche.
�No No No NO!! Stay back you y-you MONSTER!�
Dr.Mayuri barely ran ten feet before a 50.cal high explosive armor piercing round removed his left leg right at the knee. Tears and mucus ran down his terror stricken face as he tried to drag himself away. His futile attempts to escape were brutally ended when three shots rang out in quick succession and removed his remaining leg at the knee and both his arms at the elbow.
Standing over the pathetic, sniveling lump of flesh Requiem allowed the cold fury and immense disgust that he felt not only for the doctor but for those responsible for his past encounter with human experiments to warp his voice into something truly nightmarish, �A monster am I? Then it is with great pleasure that I shall aid one of my fellows and end your pitiful life, after all that is what we monsters do is it not? Just as it is your nature to create monsters, ours is to destroy those foolish enough to create us.� Satisfaction filled his body as he watched the doctor's face contort with the horrific comprehension, and raising the gun slowly to draw the terror out further Requiem spoke once more, �don't worry though you'll have company soon enough, now say hello to OBLIVION!!!� The report of the shot echoed through the chamber as Dr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's brains painted the floor red and grey reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting. Nearly spitting on the corpse before he remembered that he wore a helmet, Requiem settled for kicking the cooling body a couple times before re-holstering the pistol.
Sighing he walked over to the still pinned form beginning to feel body ache all the way to his bones as the adrenaline left his system. Uncaring of the wary serpent's gaze he stowed the cannon onto it's bracket on the small of his back and stood near the edge of the rubble. Keeping his tone neutral he spoke, �can you understand me?�
Receiving a growl and a nod in response he spoke again, �I can get you out of that debris,� he had to wait for the serpent to settle once more this time hope warred with the suspicion, �but only if you don't try anything while I'm working as the process to clear away the debris would cause great harm to you if I were to be interrupted, and as long as you don't attack me afterwards, understand?�
Unflinchingly he met the golden eyes that seemed to measure him and found him satisfactory as the trapped serpent nodded, retrieving his main weapon he leveled it at the pile of rubble ignoring the tensing creature before him he began concentrating on drawing the energies required from the aether as to preserve his precious little ammunition.
�EXIST,� he incanted and the sorceric array blossomed in front of him an bright electric blue, centered at the point of the cannon. Slowly but quickening, the debris liquefied into a puddle, bit-by-bit, revealing the trapped form within. As the Rayquaza watched amazed he continued, minutes passed as stone and steel sloughed off soon realizing that Rayquaza wasn't a serpent at all but a dragon similar to those of eastern mythology. Quickly he averted his gaze as he saw the reason for Rayquaza being called female, though it was surprising for a dragon to have such a humanoid torso and bust, and kept his focus on clearing the last of the rubble which was especially straining due to keeping the spell from also liquefying the very creature he was trying to save. He cut the spell when the last of the debris joined its fellows in a pool on the floor and as he recovered watched in awe as Rayquaza erupted skyward in a shower of dust, Requiem admiring the gracing twisting flight as she reveled in her freedom before walking over to the doctor's lifeless body and rummaged through his clothes for anything that might be of use or value.
Finding a key-card, several more red and white balls, and what appeared to be a bulky PDA, Requiem was disappointed at how little the late doctor carried on him. Stripping the body down to its underwear, he loaded his findings and the body of the mightyena onto the lab-coat, using it as a pack. Walking back through the maze of corridors he also collected the piles of supplies he left in the main hallway into his improvised bag.
As he walked through the door he could not help but turn and pick up a shard of metal from the ground and gouge a warning to those that would find this place.
'Do Not Meddle In The Affairs Of Dragons, To Them You Are Crunchy And Taste Good With Ketchup'
Smiling at his handiwork, he strode into the forest and paid little mind to his watcher as he made his way through the wood to the place he arrived. Upon reaching the crater he lay down the lab-coat and begin the bloody task of cleaning and gutting it with one of the many scalpels that he took. Only once the cuts of meat had finished roasting over the now much smaller fire did he finally address his observer, �you can come on out, I know you're there and I'm not going to hurt you.�
A moment passed and he received no response, shrugging he turned back and moved the thoroughly cooked meat onto a cooler stone. Removing his helmet, he began to eat one of them when he heard movement in the brush and was surprised to find the Rayquaza staring at him only a foot away from his face, but he hid it well and only raised an eyebrow in response. The rayquaza seemed to be torn between staring at his tattooed skin and the cooked meat to the right.
The tattoos were different from the standard geometric designs that most sorcerers wore, they almost seemed alive in the way they traced his veins, covering his entire body except for his genitals and face where they ended after an inch seeming to frame it. They were also permanently etched onto his body using a special metallic ink that seemed to shift colors depending on the light, from a pitch black to a bloody crimson, enhanced by the flickering firelight.
Though the stare was unnerving and he was uncomfortable with the violation of personal space, he turned and grabbed another hunk of meat and held it out for his guest. As rayquaza took the offered food with one of her three taloned hands Requiem tore a chunk of cooked flesh from his own piece with his sharp, pointed teeth (Alucard w/o fangs) the two ate in relative silence, only broken by the crackling fire. After eating their fill Requiem, who was still being watched, put the extra cooked meat into the lab coat and hauled it up into a tree so it wouldn't get stolen before laying against down next to the fire and closing his eyes to sleep. A few moments passed and the feeling of eyes on him finally got to him and he opened one to see that rayquaza had move closer and was staring at him intently, not really caring one way or the other he spoke, �you can stay if you want the fire's big enough,� his first words spoken since he freed her seemed to get her attention, �I'm not going to hurt you, you really haven't done anything to warrant it and I'll stop anything that tries to hurt you alright?�
The assurance, as expected, didn't stop her slight suspicion but he could she it in her eyes that she was thankful and relieved at it and he watched as she flew over to one side of the fire and coiled up to rest. Noticing that she wasn't opposite him showed that he had earned some amount of trust and felt a small smile on his face before he too drifted off to join his companion in welcomed sleep.
Upon reaching the site of the blast, his hopes were dashed by the site of the twisting ruin of what could have once been a building. Five minutes into searching through the rubble he discovered a thick blast door that had been knocked ajar by the explosion. Carefully he squeezed himself through the gap then picked up his sorceric weapon and pulled it inside. Quietly he crept through the now empty corridors of the much larger than expected compound, avoiding damaged areas as he went having already had several close calls. The deeper that he ventured into the now decided research station, the more he wanted to leave because it had too many parallels to Pandora Medical Research Laboratories, something that was supposed to be a simple mop-up operation that he and his team had been contracted for by a government contracted company.
The scientists there had been trying to identify biological triggers for the transformation into the creatures classified as 'demons' and the wastes of humanity were their guinea pigs. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, all had been transported there and experimented upon. The current trials were of a gene therapy the human resistance to corruptive energies created by sorcery. It had worked for a moment, but then it catastrophically backfired as the subjects mutated horrifically turning all one hundred and fifty subjects into demons. Now the demons alone would have been simple enough but because of the therapy, they were now carriers of a fluid-borne catalyst that would trigger an immediate transformation of anyone who had been exposed to sorcery into a demon. This meant that the entire staff of 476 researchers, guards, and support personnel were added to the ranks of the corrupted. Adding to the fact that the brass still wanted the research recovered, they had to go in themselves and search damn near the whole facility instead of just setting off the fifty megaton nuke in the center of the complex. In the end; the nuke was detonated, the research destroyed, and the mission deemed a failure, at least officially. Unofficially, every member of his team was lost merely trying to contain the nightmares-given-flesh. Afterwards, the media had somehow been leaked the researcher's work and the report of the failed mission, prompting a total paradigm shift in the public oversight of government and private corporations.
A shark's grin came upon his face as he remembered how the top leadership behind the mission all met very unfortunate and horrific 'accidents' while he was conveniently out of town,
'send my men on a suicide mission will you,'
he viciously thought growling to himself, he turned his thoughts to the situation at hand,
�I swear if this becomes a 'shades of Pandora' I'm bugging out and using every last round I have to rend this place to ash.�
Walking into the last room, the countless surgical instruments covered with unknown fluids didn't unsettle him in the least but it did bring a feeling of cold fury towards those responsible that promised much pain in their futures if he ever found them. The copious amounts of what could only be blood that was splashed across the walls did not alleviate this feeling in the slightest. At the far side of the room was a blast door that was at least as thick as the one he entered through if not thicker, his approach to this door only made him aware of the weak cries of pain coming from the other side. Shouting, a small explosion and the following subdued whimpers were all he needed to hear for the grim sense of pleasure to rise in him at the thought that one one the perpetrators of this modern day Frankenstein's laboratory would soon be experiencing his tender mercies to gain some small retribution for what atrocities were committed in this place as he leveled his massive weapon at the door. The blast of destructive eldritch energy vaporized the thick metal door with almost no resistance, the small plink of the spent shell hitting the floor was the only sound in the room as the sorcerist stood over the still liquid metal and took in the scene before him.
A large, nearly ten foot long serpent was trapped beneath fallen rubble as well as the remains of what used to be a very high-tech cage. Standing opposite was a large, scarred black and gray canine and a shocked but slipping to enraged man in a lab coat holding a red and white ball who was covered in superficial cuts and bruises as well as favoring his right side. The man screamed,
�Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you think you're doing?�
Keeping the cannon between the two unknowns he turned to face the man noting how the canine shifted slightly towards him,
�I saw the smoke and thought I might find somebody. You see, I'm a little lost,�
just barely able to keep his sarcasm out of his voice at the complete understatement of his situation he continued,
�imagine my surprise when I come upon this most interesting facility. Quite the operation you had going on here, that last room was especially interesting,�
�Yes, it was qui-�
�but you were sloppy, you left evidence,�
he continued cutting the man off and ignoring the growing look of rage on his face, �you were a fool for not expecting your prisoners to risk everything for the chance to regain their freedom.�
The scientist finally snapped at the mockery being made of his work,
�Mightyena, Shadow Ball!!�
Not expecting the wolf-like creature to be capable of such abilities he was barely able to dodge the mass of dark energy that hurdled past, and it was only his ingrained paranoia from years of fighting that allowed him to get his cannon between him and the Weighty that almost tore out either his throat or spine. Fighting to hold back the snarling and gnashing maw of the beast before him, he was unable to to do anything while the scientist spoke,
�YES, who's the fool now? You dared to mock me, Dr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi.�
Slowly moving one hand towards his back, Requiem continued to only just hold of the scientist's hound. Mayuri angerly gestured at the pinned serpent,
�and that is my greatest achievement, I altered Rayquaza while it still was in the egg to bring about instances of psychic ability, apparently creating a sixth sense, to be the ultimate tool for Team Galactic. Unfortunately we underestimated how sensitive the sense was, she felt our intent and destroyed all my precious research,�
the doctor took a moment to recompose himself,
�no matter, Rayquaza's body will no doubt prove invaluable in creating the next generation I only regret that a live specimen would be too uncooperative to study.�
Turning towards Requiem his eyes developed a disturbing shine as the doctor examined the still struggling intruder like an interesting new toy,
�and the power your armor and weapons will give us will raise my standing to Dr.Charon and Cyrus�
�Will you SHUT THE FUCK UP!?!�
with that Requiem fired the large handgun having finally got his hand around it while holding off the massive dog. The exclamation coupled with the massive plume of gore of what used to be the head of his Mightyena silenced the doctor. Witnessing the death of his bodyguard and the approach of the armored form responsible must have been the final straw in shattering his already unstable psyche.
�No No No NO!! Stay back you y-you MONSTER!�
Dr.Mayuri barely ran ten feet before a 50.cal high explosive armor piercing round removed his left leg right at the knee. Tears and mucus ran down his terror stricken face as he tried to drag himself away. His futile attempts to escape were brutally ended when three shots rang out in quick succession and removed his remaining leg at the knee and both his arms at the elbow.
Standing over the pathetic, sniveling lump of flesh Requiem allowed the cold fury and immense disgust that he felt not only for the doctor but for those responsible for his past encounter with human experiments to warp his voice into something truly nightmarish, �A monster am I? Then it is with great pleasure that I shall aid one of my fellows and end your pitiful life, after all that is what we monsters do is it not? Just as it is your nature to create monsters, ours is to destroy those foolish enough to create us.� Satisfaction filled his body as he watched the doctor's face contort with the horrific comprehension, and raising the gun slowly to draw the terror out further Requiem spoke once more, �don't worry though you'll have company soon enough, now say hello to OBLIVION!!!� The report of the shot echoed through the chamber as Dr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's brains painted the floor red and grey reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting. Nearly spitting on the corpse before he remembered that he wore a helmet, Requiem settled for kicking the cooling body a couple times before re-holstering the pistol.
Sighing he walked over to the still pinned form beginning to feel body ache all the way to his bones as the adrenaline left his system. Uncaring of the wary serpent's gaze he stowed the cannon onto it's bracket on the small of his back and stood near the edge of the rubble. Keeping his tone neutral he spoke, �can you understand me?�
Receiving a growl and a nod in response he spoke again, �I can get you out of that debris,� he had to wait for the serpent to settle once more this time hope warred with the suspicion, �but only if you don't try anything while I'm working as the process to clear away the debris would cause great harm to you if I were to be interrupted, and as long as you don't attack me afterwards, understand?�
Unflinchingly he met the golden eyes that seemed to measure him and found him satisfactory as the trapped serpent nodded, retrieving his main weapon he leveled it at the pile of rubble ignoring the tensing creature before him he began concentrating on drawing the energies required from the aether as to preserve his precious little ammunition.
�EXIST,� he incanted and the sorceric array blossomed in front of him an bright electric blue, centered at the point of the cannon. Slowly but quickening, the debris liquefied into a puddle, bit-by-bit, revealing the trapped form within. As the Rayquaza watched amazed he continued, minutes passed as stone and steel sloughed off soon realizing that Rayquaza wasn't a serpent at all but a dragon similar to those of eastern mythology. Quickly he averted his gaze as he saw the reason for Rayquaza being called female, though it was surprising for a dragon to have such a humanoid torso and bust, and kept his focus on clearing the last of the rubble which was especially straining due to keeping the spell from also liquefying the very creature he was trying to save. He cut the spell when the last of the debris joined its fellows in a pool on the floor and as he recovered watched in awe as Rayquaza erupted skyward in a shower of dust, Requiem admiring the gracing twisting flight as she reveled in her freedom before walking over to the doctor's lifeless body and rummaged through his clothes for anything that might be of use or value.
Finding a key-card, several more red and white balls, and what appeared to be a bulky PDA, Requiem was disappointed at how little the late doctor carried on him. Stripping the body down to its underwear, he loaded his findings and the body of the mightyena onto the lab-coat, using it as a pack. Walking back through the maze of corridors he also collected the piles of supplies he left in the main hallway into his improvised bag.
As he walked through the door he could not help but turn and pick up a shard of metal from the ground and gouge a warning to those that would find this place.
'Do Not Meddle In The Affairs Of Dragons, To Them You Are Crunchy And Taste Good With Ketchup'
Smiling at his handiwork, he strode into the forest and paid little mind to his watcher as he made his way through the wood to the place he arrived. Upon reaching the crater he lay down the lab-coat and begin the bloody task of cleaning and gutting it with one of the many scalpels that he took. Only once the cuts of meat had finished roasting over the now much smaller fire did he finally address his observer, �you can come on out, I know you're there and I'm not going to hurt you.�
A moment passed and he received no response, shrugging he turned back and moved the thoroughly cooked meat onto a cooler stone. Removing his helmet, he began to eat one of them when he heard movement in the brush and was surprised to find the Rayquaza staring at him only a foot away from his face, but he hid it well and only raised an eyebrow in response. The rayquaza seemed to be torn between staring at his tattooed skin and the cooked meat to the right.
The tattoos were different from the standard geometric designs that most sorcerers wore, they almost seemed alive in the way they traced his veins, covering his entire body except for his genitals and face where they ended after an inch seeming to frame it. They were also permanently etched onto his body using a special metallic ink that seemed to shift colors depending on the light, from a pitch black to a bloody crimson, enhanced by the flickering firelight.
Though the stare was unnerving and he was uncomfortable with the violation of personal space, he turned and grabbed another hunk of meat and held it out for his guest. As rayquaza took the offered food with one of her three taloned hands Requiem tore a chunk of cooked flesh from his own piece with his sharp, pointed teeth (Alucard w/o fangs) the two ate in relative silence, only broken by the crackling fire. After eating their fill Requiem, who was still being watched, put the extra cooked meat into the lab coat and hauled it up into a tree so it wouldn't get stolen before laying against down next to the fire and closing his eyes to sleep. A few moments passed and the feeling of eyes on him finally got to him and he opened one to see that rayquaza had move closer and was staring at him intently, not really caring one way or the other he spoke, �you can stay if you want the fire's big enough,� his first words spoken since he freed her seemed to get her attention, �I'm not going to hurt you, you really haven't done anything to warrant it and I'll stop anything that tries to hurt you alright?�
The assurance, as expected, didn't stop her slight suspicion but he could she it in her eyes that she was thankful and relieved at it and he watched as she flew over to one side of the fire and coiled up to rest. Noticing that she wasn't opposite him showed that he had earned some amount of trust and felt a small smile on his face before he too drifted off to join his companion in welcomed sleep.