Chapter 27 – WATER ALWAYS WINS
An hour earlier before The Aqua Virus’s escape, the tour of the company building was beginning to bore Alex out of his mind, listening to this guide going on and on about how great Magna Tech is. It was obvious he was getting paid extra for his over exaggerations of the company’s accomplishments.
Omnius was actually paying attention to the explanations and various holograms displaying footage as he spoke, finding it rather fascinating, if only because he doesn’t often see things like this. He’d been cut off from the rest of the world for so long that the basics of human technology astounded him. He is learning so much about Magna Tech and how much of a role they played in the rebuilding of London after the war.
But even he is aware that most of what the tour guide has been saying is just over exaggeration and singing praise of their arrogant founder. Arrogant for thinking they can contain a creature they don’t understand.
They learn that the four towers surrounding the main building serve a purpose and aren’t there just to look cool or show off the company’s power and wealth. Turns out each one each serves both as a facility and an energy conductor, distributing and receiving electrical energy to power New London, the whole of the UK, and possibly the rest of the world, by providing backup power to the thousands of Magna Tech-owned buildings worldwide.
The north-east tower is the botanic research facility, developing new ways of gardening, farming, etc. Throughout the decades of human evolution, humanity has managed to demolish half of the world’s wildlife. Cutting down forests that provided rich, vital oxygen and homes for many exotic animals, all so they can use the land to build more houses, malls, and much more. Normally it wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the Monster War hadn’t caused even more destruction to the world’s forests and jungles, setting them on fire.
The Botanic Facility was created to help balance out the planet by growing new plant and distributing them to the countries that desperately needed them, as well as gene-splice new cross-species of plants. One example shown in the hologram was a cross pollination between rice plants and corn, creating corn-flavoured rice. “Eh, maybe not the best combination.” Alex thought as the group moved on.
The South-East tower was explained to serve as a research facility for insect species. The purpose of it was to help prevent the extinction of several species, the most important of all being honeybees. Without bees there would be no pollination and all the plant species they’re desperately trying to save will die anyway. The Monster War had claimed the lives of various species on Earth, not just humans. Many animals and especially insects have had a major decline in numbers. Hopefully, this tower will remedy that.
The South-West tower is the Anti-Pollution research facility, dedicated to stopping all forms of pollution occurring in the modern world today. Water pollution, air pollution, land pollution. Before the Monster War each one of them serve as major problems that could lead to severe environmental and climate risks of disaster by 2050. But now the danger has become scarily close to becoming reality faster than before. The planet itself wouldn’t end, but human societies and ecosystems would. So, this tower was constructed to discover efficient ways of dealing with pollution and so far, it seems to be working. The clean water in the once very polluted River Thames serves as an example. But they’re still in the beginning phase of their plans for global cleanup.
And finally, the North-West tower is revealed by the tour guide to be the facility dedicated to preventing the devastating aftereffect of the Monster War. By far one of the biggest problems that threaten human society is still trying to rebuild and readjust from the two whole years of mass death and apocalyptic destruction.
Not only have entire cities and countrysides been burned down, overturned or blasted to pieces, but so have the most vital of humanity’s facilities such as nuclear power plants, large dams and power grids. Even after the war had ended, the surviving humans were forced to live in the dark and the cold without power. Many places that served as their homes have become ashen wastelands just like Reading. Global warming became the least of their problems when they realised that there was a chance of overpopulation threatening what’s left of their society.
To counteract this, Magna Tech and Aegis formed an alliance to clear out the radioactive lands, making them somewhat liveable again. Use their resources to build temporary housing for the survivors, like Hillside House orphanage. And repair and construct new power stations to restore limited power before they can bring back the internet and other such luxuries humans have grown too reliant on.
Global warming was another issue. Each year the planet gets warmer, melting the polar icecaps and even the southern continent of Antartica. The once great and massive ice plateau has melted over 12% of its mass per decade, leading to the danger of rising sea levels that could potentially flood other continents. The solution to this problem? Build special satellites that block out the sun’s heat, allowing the temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctica to drop and allow the ice to start freezing again. But those plans aren’t in fruition yet.
As much as Alex didn’t like Magna Tech, even he had to admit that what they’re doing is actually good for the Earth and all of its inhabitants. Richard certainly meant it when he said he wanted to bring the world back from the brink better than ever. Why couldn’t he and Chaos Man just get along and work together with Aegis? The three of them together could get so much done and do so much good for the world if they can just learn to see eye to eye.
Omnius: Magna Tech is quite fascinating, isn’t it?
Omnius whispers to Alex as they group continued on down another hallway.
Alex: Yeah, I guess so. Shame they’re the enemy of Chaos Man.
Omnius: That may be so, but that does not make them evil. Richard’s intentions are good. I believe the guide when he said he has mankind’s best interests at heart. He simply cannot accept that a being like Chaos Man is also what’s good for them, and any other beings like him.
Alex: You talking about the Elementals?
Omnius: (he nods) Yes. Humans have evolved too far to remember how much good Elementals have done for them in the distant past. They’ve forgotten what Elementals were made for.
Alex: What do you mean “what they’re for?”
Omnius: You know, why Elementals exist?
Alex: Why do any of us exist?
Omnius chuckles at Alex’s remark.
Omnius: Every lifeform has a purpose, Alex. Whether it is good or bad is up to them. But I know that Elementals were brought into this world for a good reason. Humans just won’t let them explain what that reason is.
Their discreet chat ends there, and their attention returns to the tour. But Alex keeps Omnius’ words fresh in his mind. It was a noble way of thinking that sadly not many people are capable of nowadays. It was further shown how the people at Magna Tech feel about Elementals whenever they were mentioned. The tour guide briefly mentions them only so he can villainise them to make Richard and his company even more to be the heroes in this fabricated story. It angers Alex, but he needed to keep up appearances until Michael can find whatever dirt he can dig up. He wonders if he’s made any progress yet since they split up.
Meanwhile in the stairway, Michael continues his ascent up the main tower, his movements slow and sluggish from the exhaustion of climbing several flights of stairs. He drops his hands onto his knees as he reaches the next exit to the current floor he was on, which was revealed to be Floor 15 according to the sign next to the door.
Michael: Grrrr! Seriously?! I’ve only made up fifteen stories?! There’s like a hundred in total! Fuck this!
He decides to stop climbing and to go through the door in front of him while invisible. Luckily there was nobody around when he exited the staircase and the hallway cameras were aimed away from the door at the current time.
That didn’t mean he could let his guard down. All that can change in an instant and expose him before he gets the chance to learn anything. He must be cautious moving forward. Yet there was something out the corner of his eye that drew his attention. Nailed to the wall was a long list of all one hundred floors in the main building and the seventy floors in the four towers.
Michael: Ah, here we go.
He thought as he gives the board a good look over. Most of the floors housed facilities that served no purpose in his mission. In what universe would accountings, waste management, and employee benefits be useful when it comes to finding incriminating evidence?
His finger then lands on Floor 15 where he currently is and written next to it are the words “Alternative Energy Sources Research labs”. Perhaps there might be something worth investigating. Another floor that caught his interest was Floor 27: Special Projects. That’ll be his next stop once he’s finished on this floor.
Using his cloaking technology and taking very light steps, Michael sneaks past the personal walking around the floor, keeping to the walls to avoid accidental contact with them and raising the alarm.
Coming up on his right he spots a big, metal door locked with a fancy scanning pad next to it, programmed to open to authorised personal. Michael leans against the corner, waiting for someone to come by and unlock the door.
Far down the left hall his ears pick up the faint sound of a security guard limping down the corridor, swinging his arms to the side as he turned the corner. Michael wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, but he thought for a brief moment he saw that man vomiting water as he disappeared from sight.
Michael: The hell?
Computer Voice: Access granted. Welcome, Doctor Piers.
His head quickly darts over to the heavily secured door just in time to catch a scientist unlocking it and heading inside. Michael quickly dashes through the door as it was mere inches away from closing on top of him. Had he been even a second too late he could’ve been cut in half.
He takes a moment to calm himself and keep his breath low so as to not make too much noise. Once he’s recovered, he gently gets back up onto his feet he is able to get a good look at the inside of the room. On first glance there wasn’t much to see. It looked like an ordinary power room full of giant, loud-humming generators. But then he saw something that may be what he was hoping to find. Sitting in the centre of the power room was tall pillar of titanium covered with big, thick cables. In the centre of the pillar is a red chaos emerald encased in a thick glass cylinder.
Michael: A chaos emerald? You’ve gotta be kidding me! Richard had been holding onto one this whole time… That explains why the whole city suddenly has cheap electricity. Omnius mentioned that just one emerald can produce infinite energy far stronger than even a dozen nuclear power plants.
Michael inches closer to the emerald so that he can get a better look at it, confirming that it's definitely a chaos emerald. It is the same shape as the one Alex had and the static energy that caused the hairs on his arms to stand on end felt the same.
He quickly looks around the room for the scientist that walked in and spots him in the far end of the room looking at the readings of the emerald’s energy. It was now or never.
Michael: Guac.
Michael whispers under his breath. Suddenly the lenses in his glasses light up a bright blue colour and a HUD appears on them before his eyes. He the whispers “Camera.” And the camera icon flashes before switching to camera mode. He focuses his eyes on the emerald and blinks once, triggering the built-in camera in his glasses to take a photo of the emerald.
Michael: Send to Alex Laytham.
He whispers again. The interface in his glasses follow his instructions and automatically sends the photo to Alex’s phone along with a text that reads “Magna Tech stole one of your emeralds. Heading to the 27th floor now. Stay with the group until I say otherwise” which Michael whispered to the interface before asking it to hit send. He then deactivates his glasses, returning them to their normal state.
Now he is forced to wait for the scientist to leave the room so he can follow him out or wait for someone else to enter. He can’t afford to wait too long though. His cloaking device has limited power. Once it runs it, he’ll be exposed.
Luckily, he only had to wait ten minutes until the door was opened by the same female scientist who was attacked and contaminated by Alice’s clone. She stumbles into the generator room like a drunk person, water pouring continuously from her mouth. Michael notices her state and was immediately concerned for the woman, not knowing she is no longer herself. His window of escape began to slip away as he focuses on the zombified scientist.
Michael: What’s wrong with this woman? She looks like a zombie.
The woman approaches the other scientist at the computer. The sounds of her wet footsteps draw his eyes away from the screen and in her direction.
Male Scientist: Isabelle? What are you doing in here? This isn’t your field.
The woman who used to be Isabelle says nothing in response and gets up close and personal with the man, who was starting to feel creeped out by the way she’s acting.
Male Scientist: Is-Isabelle? Wh-what are you doing?! You’re scaring me!
Female Scientist: … Join us.
She eerily murmured in a creepy, gargling voice as she slowly lifts her head up to properly face him. Her glowing green eyes fixed on her target, ready to prey upon him as she’d been preyed upon by Alice.
Michael’s eyes widen with shock as the woman grabs the man’s head and pulls him into an open mouth kiss like how Alice had done to her, force-feeding her dribbling water down his throat, attempting to drown him.
Michael: Holy shit!
He accidentally said aloud without thinking, forcing the water zombie to pull away from her victim and twist her head around almost all the way in the direction of the voice she’d heard. But there was nobody there. The cloaking device was still in operation. But she knew she heard someone. She lets go of the male scientist, letting his body drop to the floor. Water was already leaking out of his mouth, implying it is too late to save him.
Michael remains completely still and covers his mouth as the zombie slowly stumbles around the room, listening for him. Thankfully she cannot see him.
Michael: What happened to that woman?!
He wondered. He took another look at the water pouring out of her mouth and immediately pieces the mystery together.
Michael: The Aqua Virus. Now I get why it’s called that… I gotta warn the others!
Michael slowly but quietly activates his glasses HUD screen again and whispers another quick text message to Alex, warning him and Omnius of what he’d witnessed, and they should evacuate the entire building before the virus spreads.
But he was startled by the loud gurgling shriek of the male scientist who had just risen up as another water zombie and is pointing his finger right at him, alerting the other zombie. The interface in Michael’s glasses warns him that his cloaking device’s power was dangerously low. Before he could respond, the battery had already run out, exposing him to the zombies.
Michael: Damnit! Not now!
The two water zombies suddenly sprint towards Michael, moving faster then the average human, giving Michael little to no time to dodge out of the way, racing down the narrow gap between two of the generators. The male zombie squeezes through, desperately trying to reach out and grab him.
Meanwhile the other zombie picks up a huge metal spanner and uses it to smash the glass containing the chaos emerald. It didn’t break on the first strike, only cracked the surface. However, this triggers the building’s alarm systems to go off, flashing red lights everywhere as the alarm blasts out on full volume.
Everyone in the building immediately stops what they were doing and look up at the spinning red lights, including the intern group Alex and Omnius are with. The tour guide tries to calm the visitors down by reassuring them that this is just a fire drill and nothing to worry about. But Alex and Omnius know that is not true.
Alex soon gets the second text from Michael and opens it on his phone. The wording was misspelled, implying that he’d written it in a hurry. The text reads “ZOBIS! EVACUT NOW!”
Alex: Zobis? … Oh, zombies! Huh? I’m still trying to wrap my head around Magna Tech having one of my emeralds all this time.
Omnius: No time for that, Alex. We must get everyone out.
Omnius calmly explains before pushing past the crowd of youngsters and gathering their attention, completely cutting off the tour guide.
Omnius: Listen to me! This is not a drill! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!
The students all look and murmur at each other, not taking his warnings seriously. “This isn’t helping” Alex thought as he leaves the group and races off to the public men’s bathroom.
Tour Guide: Sir, will you please desist this nonsense and get back in line! You’re scaring the students! There is no danger here! Magna Tech is the most secure company in the world.
Then, to everyone’s complete and utter surprise, Chaos Man emerges from the bathroom and flies over to the group, hovering a few feet off the ground. All the students gasp and excitedly cheer for his appearance.
Student 1: No way! It’s Chaos Man!
Student 2: I can’t believe he’s actually here!
Chaos Man: Everybody listen to this man! He’s right about the danger! You all need to exit the building at once!
And leave is exactly what they do. Omnius can’t help but shake his head at the lack of urgency in this generation of humans. When he warned them of danger nobody took him seriously, yet they were quick to follow Chaos Man’s instructions without question. Even the tour guide was quick to evacuate despite the insulting remarks he’s made about Chaos Man during the tour. He wondered if he really meant those words or was reciting a script possibly written by Richard himself.
Omnius: Good work, Alex. Go to the upper levels and find Michael, I will continue to assist the people downstairs.
Chaos Man nodded in acknowledgement and flies towards the entrance to the staircase Michael took. But rather than waste time walking up them, he just flies straight up through the middle until he finds Floor 15. Hopefully Michael is still there and unharmed.
Several floors up near the top, Richard and Doctor Wasp were sitting and talking in his office. Adrian was updating him on the tests he’d been performing on the clone when the building’s alarm system suddenly goes off. The two of them stood up from their chairs and glanced up the ceiling, watching the lights in the corners flashing red.
Richard: What’s going on?! Matthew, report!
Richard’s own voice echoed through the office as the AI, Matthew, speaks over the intercom rather than display another hologram.
Matthew: An alarm was triggered in the Generator Room. Someone was attempting to steal the Chaos Emerald.
Richard: Pull up security cam footage!
Matthew obeys and displays the live footage from the security cameras on his TV screen, drawing both the human and insect eyes towards it. There they can see Michael Mercer wrestling with one of the zombified scientists, trying desperately push her off whilst covering her mouth with his coat sleeve.
Dr Wasp: It’s Mercer! He’s attacking one of our staff!
The footage wasn’t very clear, and the audio was being drowned out by the loud alarms. They cannot see that the scientist is infected by the Aqua Virus. From their point of view, Michael was attacking a member of staff for no reason.
Then to make matters worse, Chaos Man blasts the metal door down and hovers into the room. He immediately kicks the zombie off of his friend and helps him up.
Richard: Chaos Man?! He’s here?! In MY building?!
They watch Chaos Man and Michael rush over to the centre of the room in the hopes of stealing the emerald back, but they, the CEO and the head scientist, are shocked to find the cylinder empty. The other zombie most likely snatched it in the skirmish and escaped now that Chaos Man had blasted the door down.
Dr Wasp: Matthew, turn up the audio for security cam 64.
Matthew obeys and increases the volume. They only just catch the end of the conversation between Chaos Man and Michael.
Chaos Man: …then we better move and find it before The Aqua Virus does.
Michael: It’s not just the monster we gotta worry about. It’s turning people into zombies! We can’t let the disease get out and infect more people. We need to… to kill them!
Chaos Man, Richard and Adrian: WHAT?!
Chaos Man: Y-you want me to kill people?!
Michael: They’re not people! Not anymore… Best to end them now before they infect anyone else. It would’ve infected me if you hadn’t shown up when you did. More importantly we need to-
His voice was cut off when he and Chaos Man exited the room. Adrian was at a loss for words. Zombies? Do they think this is some kind of horror movie? There’s no such thing as zombies, he thought. It’s just ludicrous.
Richard, however, was infuriated with Micheal to the point his cybernetic hand crushes the mouse connected to his laptop, catching Adrian off guard.
Richard: That traitorous little- Chase told me he wanted to come here to learn more about what we do here at Magna Tech. I was quick to think he could be trusted because he’s my best friend’s son. But he’s been planning to steal our emerald from the very start! And now he’s planning to kill my employees?!
Dr Wasp: He said they were… infected? But infected with what?
As if fate itself was willing to answer that question, the doors to Richard’s office burst open, startling the both of them. Standing on the other side was the clone of Alice Magna zombified. Her skin is pale, her veins are visibly blue, and her eyes are glowing bright green. Adrian and Richard know now what they meant by “infected”.
Richard: Alice? Wh-what happened to you?! Answer me!
Alice just stands there motionless, staring menacingly at her stunned father and his mutated second in command. Without looking away from her, Richard demands an explanation from Adrian.
Richard: Adrian, explain this to me at once!
Adrian: I-I… I don’t know! I’ve never seen anything like this before!
Alice’s mouth slowly opens, letting all the water building up inside her body trickle down her chin and onto the floor. This is beyond any disease known to man. It looked like she was drowning on dry land. Then it hit Adrian like a bullet to the brain.
Dr Wasp: It-it could be possible that… that Alice has been infected by The Aqua Virus.
Richard: What?! You said it was safe to use that thing’s DNA!
Dr Wasp: I said in theory! I’ve run multiple tests on her, multiple times! I didn’t detect anything abnormal in her DNA patterns. I was certain she was clean.
Alice: … You lied.
The clone gurgled eerily with a mouthful of water, cutting off Adrian’s explanation and slowly drawing their attention back towards her. They quickly notice a handgun in her right hand was pointed right at them. Adrian instinctively steps forward and puts his arms out, trying to calm her down.
Dr Wasp: Alice, easy now. Just put the gun down and let me explain.
Alice: Explain what? That I’m not the real Alice?! That I actually died in Reading that day and you made a cheap copy using a monster’s DNA?!
Richard: It’s not like that! You are Alice! You are everything she is and more!
The clone growls and spits droplets of water everywhere like a rabid dog. That answer only ended up pissing her off more and confirming what she’d been told.
Alice: Lying is like breathing for you humans. You just do it without realising how much its hurting everyone around you!
Dr Wasp: What do you mean by “you humans”? You’re human too.
Alice: No, I’m not… I’m an abomination! He helped me see that.
Richard: He? Who’s he?
Suddenly, the entire building’s sprinkler systems activate and spray huge quantities of water everywhere, drenching everyone inside. All the electronics in Richard’s office spark and short circuit before shutting down, followed by the alarm and the building’s lights, leaving the office dimly lit with only the partial sunlight seeping through the tiny gaps in the grey clouds to provide them with light.
Alice: Like me, he was a mistake that should’ve never existed in the first place. He didn’t ask for this existence, and neither did I! It’s all because of people like you! You did this, Daddy! And now, you must die!
Without warning or the slightest hint of hesitation, Alice unloads the entire clip of the handgun at Richard. However, Adrian’s enhanced senses trigger before she could pull the trigger and gets in front of Richard, pushing him down as the bullets fly into his chest. Doctor Wasp coughs up blood and struggles to breathe as he drops down on one knee, clutching his chest, covering up some of the holes but to no avail. He collapses onto the floor with a deafening thud, laying just a few inches away from a very shocked and shaken Richard Magna.
Alice didn’t react. She just kept on instinctively pulling the trigger until the gun was empty. She just stood there frozen in place, continually pulling the trigger as if it would somehow magically fire more bullets that will reach Richard. It’s as if she was waiting for her new orders to come through before she was permitted to make a move.
Richard: A-Alice, please! Everything I’ve done, I have done to save you! I love you!
Alice still remains frozen on the spot, forbidden to move until the Aqua Virus ordered her so. But she did hear him. She just decided not to care. It felt easier not to.
Her possessed eyes were focused entirely on Richard that she doesn’t notice Doctor Wasp crawling over to her and stabbing her ankle with a needle, forcing out a pain-filled cry. Her grip on the handgun loosens and drops to the ground.
Adrian slowly picks himself up, grunting with discomfort. The bullet holes in his body were healing, pushing the bullets out of him. He is back on his feet again completely healed, whilst Alice suddenly starts to feel tired. The injection Adrian just gave her was a strong sedative that he kept on him at all times in case of an emergency such as this. He felt he may need it given the latest blood tests he’d gotten back from the Alice clone.
Richard: Adrian… What did you-
Adrian: She’s not dead, sir, just unconscious. But we must get out of the building immediately! I fear the Aqua Virus has escaped.
And that was exactly what had happened. One of the water zombies created by the creature had opened its cage, allowing it to stretch its elongated arms and tail after being locked in that small, cramped box for days. The water from the sprinklers allowed it to regain its strength at a much faster rate than before. The beast unleashes a glass-shattering roar before morphing into a huge wave that came crashing out of the Special Project’s lab and flooding the 27th floor.
Any personnel on that level try to make a run for the staircase since the elevators are currently shut down from the power cut. With the red emerald removed, the entire building had switched to auxiliary power. Enough to keep the building’s defences up, but not enough to get the lifts working.
Those who weren’t fast enough get swept up by the indoor current and forced under. They can feel the living water forcing its way into their mouths and down their throats, adding them to the creature’s growing army of possessed water zombies.
The Aqua Virus current pours itself down the middle of the stairs like a waterfall, pulling its victims with it. The possessed scientists, security guards and other staff are killed on impact the instant they hit the hard ground. The water slowly morphs into a huge, closed fist and lunges at the locked door, punching it off its hinges. It is free to roam about the lobby, destroying everything in its path before bursting out through the revolving doors and the large glass windows, finally washing out into the open world once more.
Omnius was outside helping the students, their teachers, and everyone else in the building get clear of the area as the Aqua Virus raged outside. All the water circles around the entrance, forming a massive water tornado that stretched fifteen feet up into the air.
Squads of Magna Tech Police and SWAT robots arrive on the scene and form a perimeter around the Aqua Virus. From the air a large flock of Magna Tech Helidrones surround the tornado from above and deploy their miniguns from their undersides.
MT Robot: Switching to plasma shots.
The robots all switch the settings on their weapons from their primary mode of fire to their secondary plasma shots, learning from their from their first encounter with the beast recorded off the drives of the machines before them. Bullets do nothing to harm it, but a couple shots of plasma can do some damage. If they can get enough of them pumped into that cyclone of destruction they can kill it.
MT Robot: All units, open fire!
The robots all fire upon the tornado simultaneously. The plasma shots all slam into the cyclone from all sides in various heights and it did not cease for a second. A low growl echoed from within the tornado and a large pair of glowing green eyes appears on the surface. The tornado had a face and it was angry.
Dozens of large tentacles burst out of the cyclone and hung in the air for a second before slamming down hard on the concrete it cracked, crushing some of the robots closest to it. Those it missed it started swatting them away like a swarm of insects.
Omnius then joins in the fight and dashes toward the raging tornado. His suit magically changes back into his original clothes, and his cane transforms not back into his staff, but straight to his Aura Blade, Elohim. He didn’t care about the destruction of the robots or care if the civilians nearby were watching. Saving lives is all that matters to him. He throws Elohim at the tornado. The rapidly spinning double-bladed scythe severs the tentacles – causing them to splash down onto the tarmac – travelling around the cyclone until it flew back to his hand.
Chaos Man: Omnius!
At his point, Chaos Man flies out of the building while carrying Michael in his arms. Alex gently sets Michael down on his feet first before joining Omnius’s side.
Chaos Man: That was awesome!
Omnius: Did you and Michael get everyone out?
Chaos Man: Almost everyone. The Aqua Virus flooded the building before we could get everyone out… Some of them have… I-I couldn’t-
Omnius, sensing Alex’s fears and helplessness, gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Michael stays where he is a few feet away from them and holds his right arm out to the side.
Omnius: No hero is capable of saving everyone at once. Not even Chaos Man. But I need you to focus on the lives in this vicinity. They’re the ones that need saving right now, from that.
Chaos Man turns his head towards the left and sees that The Aqua Virus tornado is starting to shrink down to its regular size and start morphing back into its secondary form.
Chaos Man: Understood. I- Whoa!
Chaos Man’s was just about ready to make a cool speech until he was rudely interrupted by Frost Fang zooming past his face before its handle slammed right into Michael’s waiting hand. Mercer was surprised to see that the summoning motion Omnius mentioned earlier actually worked. At least in the future he won’t have to worry about forgetting Frost Fang. He can just summon her to his hand whenever he needs her.
Michael: Sweet, it worked!
Chaos Man: Damnit, Michael! I was just about to say something really cool, and you totally ruined the moment!
Michael: Sorry, how was I supposed to know? Th-that doesn’t matter right now! We still need to find that red emerald.
Omnius: You did not retrieve it?
Chaos Man: No. It got lost during the flooding. All I know is that the Aqua Virus doesn’t have it.
Michael: Then let's make sure it stays that way. C’mon!
The newly reformed Aqua Virus directs its attention away from the downed robots and in the direction of two familiar foes it remembers well, narrowing its reptilian eyes at them, holding a grudge for last time. But now its bigger, badder and determined to kill them this time.
The monster roars and brings its left arm forward. A big jet-stream of high-pressure water blasts out of its palm. But Michael was prepared and plunges Frost Fang into the ground, kicking up a blizzard so cold it instantly freezes the water blast. That was Chaos Man’s cue to charge in, flying circles around the frozen pillar, up its arm, and blasting through the monster’s head like a human-sized bullet.
But he didn’t stop there. Knowing this thing can easily reform itself, he continues the strike by flying through the creature’s body, circling back around and repeating the process over and over until there was hardly anything left but blasted chunks that instantly melted into a large puddle.
Michael then jumps in and once again plunges his aura blade into the centre of the puddle, instantly freezing it solid. The finisher is Chaos Man flying upwards and flying back down at high speed, slamming both feet down hard onto the giant frozen puddle – once Michael had gotten himself and Frost Fang out of the way – whilst channeling chaos energy into his feet, and shattering the whole thing into a huge misty fog that covers the whole area outside Magna Tech.
The remaining robots that still function do not react to the fog. They remain still and scan the area for any life signs that don’t register as human.
A proud smile forms on Omnius’s face after witnessing the incredible teamwork and communication between his pupils. They’re learning to depend on one another. Even Michael’s training with Frost Fang has yielded results. B=Both approach Omnius as soon as they’ve recovered. Elohim transforms back into its staff form.
Omnius: Well done, you two. I am most impressed with your performance in battle.
Chaos Man and Michael: You are?
Omnius: Of course. You have learned from your first encounter with the creature and immediately came to the conclusion that working off each other’s strengths is the way to go.
Michael: Thanks, Omnius. But until this fog clears, we won’t know for sure if we’ve killed it this time.
Richard: You!
The group’s buoyant moment of victory was sadly ruined by the unexpected appearance of Richard Magna and Doctor Wasp who had his arm around the mildly injured founder, helping him walk through the fog and approach the trio of heroes. This is the first time they’ve ever seen each other in person, except Michael who had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting Mister Magna at Alice’s funeral, though he’d never seen Adrian before, as expected of the secretive head scientist. They reacted in mild surprise at Adrian’s appearance, but Omnius didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow at him, like it was a perfectly normal thing to see.
Chaos Man: I’d ask what happened to that guy, but something tells me I don’t wanna know.
This was also their first time interacting with the famed hero himself. He looked exactly as he does on TV, Richard thought. Though he never would’ve expected Chaos Man to be shorter than him by a few inches. He remembers Michael from the funeral. As for Omnius, he had never seen a man like him before. He stands out way too much to be an ordinary citizen of Great Britain. He didn’t look Japanese either despite his attire. Just who is this strange man, he wondered.
Chaos Man: Richard Magna, we meet at last… I’ve always wanted to say that.
He whispered that last part to Michael. Richard was a little caught off guard by the sound of his voice and the way he was being giddy to Michael, acting like an immature child. It infuriated the CEO even more, confirming that Chaos Man is just some goofy kid with powers equal to ten nuclear bombs, and that’s just at his current level.
Richard: How dare you break into my company and make a mess of things!
Michael: Are you fucking serious?! He was saving people! The Aqua Virus – whom you thought you could easily contain – is the one that caused all this, not him!
Richard: …And you, Michael. You lied about that internship for your friend. You just wanted to steal the emerald we acquired… I really had faith in you, boy. But it’s clear to me where your allegiances lie.
Michael: They lie with what’s best to protect the people of Britain and the world, and what’s best for the world is Chaos Man! You’re just too blinded by your own pride to see it.
Richard: How dare you!
Michael: I respect you for what you’ve done for the UK in the past, but you need to allow others to stand up for themselves. You need to let Chaos Man help in his own way.
Richard: Never! Beings like him will always be a threat to us. He may play the hero now, but what’s to stop him from one day deciding its easier to be the villain?
Omnius: Nothing. But if that day ever were to occur, it is because people like you choose to brand him as such out of fear. Hate is easier to feel then trust.
Richard: And who the hell are you?!
Omnius: Omnius. I am Chaos Man and Michael Mercer’s teacher and guardian.
Richard: Oh, so you’re to blame for allowing this doomsday weapon to roam free in our country?!
Chaos Man: Hey, I’m still here, y’know.
Omnius: You are so narrow sighted on Chaos Man being a danger to the United Kingdom that you are failing to realise that the only danger being unleashed on us came from your own laboratories. You are tampering with forces you do not fully understand nor can control.
Richard: I don’t need a lecture from someone like you!
Dr Wasp: Mister Magna, I don’t mean to agree with this man, but currently he is in the right. Look!
All eyes dart in the direction Adrian is pointing which was towards the entrance to Magna Tech. The fog has almost completely cleared enough to reveal that a large group of people are standing at the bottom of the stairs, a few meters away from where the Aqua Virus once stood.
It takes only a few more seconds for the fog to completely clear out, revealing the identities of the group. Everyone who knew what had transpired inside the building are shocked to see that everyone in the group was a possessed water zombie. Something was off though. Instead of screeching and going after the first person they see, they instead are just standing still, blankly looking forward.
Chaos Man: Oh no. More of those zombie things. Bu-but if we killed the Aqua Virus, its control over them must be severed-
Michael: Unless we didn’t kill it.
Dr Wasp: Wait… what are they doing?
Suddenly, all the possessed drop to their knees and tilt their heads up, aiming at the sky. The others all gasp with shock when large quantities of water bursted out of their mouths in a violet spray that all gathers together into a ball of still water that grows with every drop poured into it.
Michael: They’re resurrecting it!
Michael’s military instincts kick in, telling him to draw his custom handguns, Duty and Sacrifice, and take aim at the possessed Magna Tech personal and a few poor students that didn’t make it out in time and got caught up in the flooding. But Chaos Man grabs his wrist, stopping him from taking aim at their heads.
Chaos Man: No, Michael! Despite being infected by the Aqua Virus, they’re still innocent people. You can’t kill them!
Michael: We’ve been over this, Chaos Man. They’re not people anymore. They’re a danger to us all!
Omnius: Chaos Man is correct. These are not undead creatures as you’ve seen in fiction. These people have a disease, and any disease can be cured.
Michael: Not all diseases can be cured, Omnius. Sometimes to stop a plague from spreading, you have to terminate the patients- … What? I-impossible!
Chaos Man: What?
Chaos Man asked, confused by Michael’s immediate shift in tone and expression. He went from ready to kill the infected to showing disbelief and empathy for them. And Richard and Adrian knew why.
Among the infected people, one particular person stands out among the crowd. The only person who isn’t on their knees and is slowly approaching the underside of the growing water ball. It was…
Richard and Michael: Alice!
Michael: She’s alive?! B-but how?!
Richard: I thought you said the sedative would keep her unconscious for at least an hour!
He quietly uttered to Doctor Wasp.
Dr Wasp: It should’ve. She might’ve been playing possum this whole time until the Aqua Virus gave her new orders.
Michael: Hold up. You two knew?! And you never told me or Dad?!
Chaos Man: She’s got the red Chaos Emerald!
Chaos Man blurted out in a panicked tone, automatically cutting off whatever slurs Michael was ready to unload onto the CEO and his second in command. Alice did indeed have the red emerald secured in both her hands as she now stood directly underneath the Aqua Virus ball.
Instead of standing around and doing nothing, Chaos Man quickly blasts off towards Alice, determined to snatch the emerald back. “Stay away from my daughter!” He hears Richard angrily shout. But he ignores him and keeps going.
Though he isn’t quick enough to close the distance and sees Alice throwing the emerald into the ball of aqua. A violent shockwave of red chaos energy shoots out in all directions, knocking Chaos Man back and sending him tumbling backwards through the air until he rights himself. They were too late.
Alice then joins the others and sacrifices all the altered water she’s been carrying in her body to the Aqua Virus, giving it the mass it needed to reform itself whilst absorbing the new emerald’s power.
Chaos Man: We’re too late! It’s getting bigger and stronger than before!
As soon as all the water from its victims had been fully drained, Alice and all the other infected people collapse onto the ground and pass out. While the water ball above them shook and groaned as it began to morph into a brand-new form. Sparks of red chaos energy shoot out everywhere, striking the ground around it, preventing anyone from getting close. The robots that got struck by it instantly malfunction and collapse while the heli-drones fall out of the sky and explode on contact with the ground.
The ball slowly shrinks down until it forms the Aqua Virus’s new body curled up in a foetal position, like baby bird ready to burst out of its egg and stretch its wings.
The Aqua Virus’s eyes suddenly open and its body unfurls, revealing its new form. It’s grown from 14 feet to 17 feet long. Its elongated tail had changed from a shark’s tail into a whale’s with a larger than normal tail fin. Its neck has grown longer and a mohawk of fins runs down from the tip of its head to its shoulder blades. It now possesses a secondary dorsal fin that was smaller than its main one. But the biggest change was its large pair of wings spread out to the sides. They are a large pair of bat-like wings, completely see through like the rest of its body with its long claws perched at the top like the fingers of a bat.
The Aqua Virus opens it’s stretched out mouth filled with two layers of sharp green teeth, reels its long neck back, and unleashes a powerful, triumphant roar that shook the ground under them. It had finally acquired the great source of power that was strong enough to lure it from the Scottish coast where those fishermen first found it, all the way to Magna Tech HQ in the heart of New London. Its initial goal is complete. Now it is free to decide what it must do next.
Michael: Oh, now it can fly! Fan-fuckin-tastic!
Omnius: Enough with the language, Michael. We must take it down before more people get hurt.
Chaos Man: He’s right! C’mon, Michael, let’s just do what we did last time.
Michael nods and charges in first like before. A great buildup of frost covers his blue blade as he held it to the side before swinging forwards and letting it loose in a wave of ice. The Aqua Virus closes its wings around itself to block the icy wind strike.
But to everyone’s shocking surprise, the Aqua Virus’s wings didn’t freeze like they expected it to. It just tanked the attack and shook it off like it was nothing before spinning around and swatting Michael away with its huge tail.
Chaos Man immediately flies into his trajectory and catches him. The Aqua Virus opens its mouth wide once more, this time charging up a big bright ball of red chaos energy and taking aim at the group of annoying pests that have caused nothing but misery for it, determined to blast them into oblivion.
Omnius: EVERYBODY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!
Omnius shouted before tackling Richard and Adrian and leaping them to safety towards the entrance to Magna Tech while Chaos Man flew Michael in the opposite direction moments before the blast impacted the ground where they once stood. The blast erupted into a huge explosion that consumed much of the courtyard, obliterating the big, fancy fountain with another statue of Richard holding an orb up high where the water poured from.
Richard and Adrian narrowly escape its range thanks to Omnius who tossed them into the bushes lined up against the walls of the main building, keeping them out of reach of the blast’s shockwave. Chaos Man and Michael simply flew up and forward until it stopped chasing them. The blast soon dissipates and from above they get a good look at the devastation it caused below. The whole courtyard has been reduced to scorched rubble, broken brick paths and a large crater formed where the fountain once stood.
Although they weren’t their biggest fans, the two friends are still relieved to see that Richard and Doctor Wasp have survived the blast, and that nobody else got caught up in it. Except for…
Michael: Shit! Alice is still down there!
Chaos Man: So are those infected people!
Panicked, Chaos Man rushes back down to the ground, with Michael secured on his back with his arms wrapped around his waist, to see what happened to them, stopping just inches away from the ground. The G-force of his sudden halt blows away the dust kicked up from the blast, revealing something extraordinary.
Omnius was standing tall and firm in the middle of the crowd of sleeping people with his hands stretched out to the sides. Hovering in front of his open palms are two golden magic circles with strange symbols all around the edges and a hexagram in the middle with a sun symbol at its centre. These circles have produced a golden forcefield around all the downed people and Omnius, protecting them from the blast. Chaos Man and Michael were yet again stunned by this man’s mysterious abilities.
Chaos Man: Is… is that…?
Michael: Magic? So it really does still exist!
Richard and Adrian soon emerge from the bushes and are just as shocked by the mystical bubble in the ruins of their company’s courtyard. They cannot believe their eyes, even while they’re looking right at it. A man was conjuring actual magic before their very eyes. Until recently, they believed that magic was an art that had died out centuries ago and everyone who was gifted with magic faded into myth.
He knew it. Richard felt there was something about Omnius that he didn’t trust. But this discovery was far worse than anything he could’ve possible imagined. If there was anything he considered more dangerous than Elementals, it was magic.
Richard: He- He’s a… Sorcerer!
Dr Wasp: But that’s impossible! Magic barely exists anymore! It’s rarely been seen since the medieval era!
Everyone was so shocked and focused on Omnius’s magic that they didn’t realise until it was too late that the Aqua Virus had fled after discharging its new attack. The heroes take a good look around, but it was nowhere in sight. It had escaped them once again. Omnius eventually deactivates the forcefield and approaches Alex and Michael.
Chaos Man: Omnius, you can do-
Omnius: Not here, Alex, Michael. Let us return to the monastery first. We are attracting some unwanted attention.
He points over towards the remaining Magna Tech robots that have their visual sensors, and their guns, trained on them. Richard had ordered them to surround and capture them. Now that they know Omnius is a sorcerer, they couldn’t let him escape.
Omnius: Both of you stay close to me.
Chaos Man and Michael move in closer to Omnius so he can put his arms around their shoulders and begins chanting another spell, muttering in a different language that is unknown to them. While he was at Aegis, Michael studied other languages. His father told him it was a necessity for when he would be sent to other countries for specific missions. But he could not understand a single word coming from the older man’s mouth.
A ring of golden magical energy appears around the three of them and starts spinning. It’s speed increasing with every repeat of the spell chant Omnius uttered.
Richard: Hold it! You’re not going anywhere! Take aim!
Richard bellowed. All the robots obey and aim their weapons at the trio. Doctor Wasp stands beside Richard. After everything he’d just witnessed today, he had so many questions and knew Omnius was the man who had all the answers.
Dr Wasp: Wait, Richard! Omnius, was it? You clearly know more about this creature than we do! While I also have questions about your “capabilities” the Aqua Virus is more important! Tell me, what is it?
Omnius: …I tried to warn you both. I told you that you were tampering with forces that you couldn’t full understand. You think you had that creature contained, but you never did. It could’ve escaped at any time.
Dr Wasp: Then why didn’t it?
Omnius: Water is patient, Doctor. Water can wait until the right moment to make its move, because that is what it does. It covers 71% of the Earth. It is strong enough to wear down cliffs, carve through stone. It will always find a way. To challenge it, you are perpetually fighting a losing battle. In the end… water always wins.
Once it had reached its top speed, the ring rises up to their heads. A bright light envelops the trio as the ring lowers itself back down. Richard and Adrian blinked and they were gone. Chaos Man, Michael and Omnius had literally vanished in a flash of light. Even the robots were drastically scanning the area for them, but their programming cannot process what had happened right in front of them.
But Richard didn’t care about them anymore. His focus was back on his daughter lying in the middle of the only patch of the courtyard left untouched thanks to Omnius’s magic bubble. He races to her side and holds Alice in his arms.
Richard: Alice! Alice, honey! Please! Please don’t do this to me! Adrian! Help me!
Doctor Wasp hurries over to Richard’s side and presses two yellow fingers against Alice’s neck to check for a pulse.
Dr Wasp: She’s alive, but she’s unconscious. We must get her back to the special lab at once.
Richard: Go, take her there! I need to make a quick phone call.
Dr Wasp: Sir?
Richard: Chase needs to know right away what happened here!
Adrian nodded rapidly in acknowledgement, understanding the seriousness of the situation. He picks Alice up with no problems, showing that he is much stronger than he looks, and carries Alice back into the building.
As soon as he was gone from sight, Richard urgently pulls his phone from his trouser pocket and dials Chase’s number, muttering “Pick up, pick up” under his breath until he answers.
Chase: Richard, I was just about to call you! I’ve had a report that the Aqua Virus creature appeared again and has attacked Magna Tech. I’ve already dispatched Lion squad to aid you in-
Richard: It’s too late for that, Chase! The Aqua Virus is long gone. It has absorbed another one of Chaos Man’s emeralds and destroyed my courtyard!
Chase: Have you sustained any fatalities?
Richard: We don’t know yet, but the situation has escalated from bad to worse! That creature can infect people! We may need to call in a citywide lockdown in case it spreads!
Chase: What?! What are you saying?
Richard: I’m saying The Aqua Virus is living up to its name and is proving to be more than just another simple monster. Urgent action must be taken.
Chase: Okay okay, calm down. I hear you. I’ll report this to the King and Prime Minister and see what they think… Everything is going to be fine, old friend. I’ll also call Michael and ask him to get Chaos Man to help us track and destroy that monster.
Richard: Chase… I’m afraid Michael and Chaos Man have been keeping something very dire from us.
Chase: What do you mean?
Richard: I have just met the man responsible for creating Chaos Man in the first place. And hear this… He is a Sorcerer!
To Be Continued