" Here ", Guile muttered extending his hand to Theo.
Theo looked down at it. There was red candy on it. Theo's now massive hands reluctantly grabbed it.
" You will be put in front of a jury and frankly you are going to be sentenced to death there's almost no question about that ".
Guile walked back and sat on the giant bed.
" But I passed the test didn't I ", Theo said in a fearful voice
" Passing the Fiend/Human Test doesn't improve your chances. All it does is earn you a court and lengthen your life. If you failed I would have killed you ".
Theo looked down. He wasn't going to boast that the law couldn't kill an Unkillable man. He knew they could get creative. Maybe invent a machine that kept disintegrating him all day. So he wouldn't exist and would be technically dead.
" Look up at this ".
Guile said pointing to the monitor.
Nothing played.
Baran stood up and walked closer to the glass barricade.
" Their all asleep!".
" What?"
" They lost consciousness!", he screamed louder.
Theo could not stop staring at his brother. It had been so long since they'd met. Then Baran was just an 8 year old. Now he's almost unrecognisable.
' fuck are you staring at you asshole. I'm still going to murder you '.
That was how Baran felt.
" Well are they all asleep ".
Baran looked around the fallen bodies and saw a girl. She was just regaining her consciousness. Clasping her ear.
The Fiendish roar is a technique many Fiends use. The stronger the Fiend the louder their roar.
When a powerful Fiend roars, they release archaic energy in the form of sound waves.
" Hang on ", Baran said walking to her and helped her up. She tried to resist, waving her hands in a frenzy and moaning in fear. She didn't even know where she was because her eyes were still closed shut.
Her brain has been put through way more than it could handle. The coping mechanism is falling asleep but seems she has way too much archaic energy for her coping mechanism to kick in.
That makes it worse. Baran notices her bleeding ears. He puts his large hands on them and heals them.
Calming her mind at the same time.
The girl was a brunette with glasses and for the first time she just opened her eyes. The pain and ringing was gone.
" Are you okay?"
She nods still clasping her head.
Baran turns his body away from her and walks back to his sit.
" We need you to play the London incident. Let this asshole see what he did ".
The woman registered what he asked of her. A few seconds later she wore some gloves, then she raised both her hands to the air.
Then holograms appeared there. She swiped and kept swiping through many hologram files. When she got to the London recording. She held it and threw it to the direction of the glass barricade.
It turned into a giant screen. Theo was made to see exactly what happened. The video recording had good quality but it was much to far from the actual event.
Theo could see shockwaves causes by a hero moving extremely fast.
It was Whirl Woman. Then he saw something that shook his soul. A black silhouette that was in a state of existing and not existing.
It was a monster, it's very being was glitching. He knew that was him.
The light glowed bright. The video went mute and he saw an atomic bomb that destroyed everything.
He could not see the hero anymore. The blast was white and the mushroom cloud rose above the clouds.
The recording stopped.
It was silent.
Everyone wanted to see Theo's reaction.
While Theo could only look down.
" She, She saved everyone right ".
" No ". Guile replied in a serious tone. " Five fatalities and you put a sentinel in a coma ".
" I didn't know ", Theo said falling to the ground.
" Yeah I bet you didn't. Its not about knowing and not knowing. You caused millions of damage in property not to talk about the unimaginable price if putting a sentinel out of the front lines and there's the lives you took_
" I didn't kn_
" It's not about that!", Guile shouts in anger.
It's silent. The scientist can feel the tension from up there.
" Will it happen again?".
" What? "
Guiles eyes narrowed with a precise flare. He's analysing everything that Theo does.
" I'm asking if this will ever happen again. Will you become a monster that destroys everything around ever again?"
Theo makes direct eye contact with the fierce purple eyes of Guile. He knows he can't promise anything. Never had he been in this much non control of his body.
Every day he dreamed of power.
What it would be like to taste the strength of an Endeavour. Or he would even dare to dream of being as strong as a Guardian.
He couldn't even imagine the power of a Sentinel.
Now he's been exposed to more power and destruction than he could handle. He's finally achieved all that power.
And yet here stands a Captain.
Capable of taking on twenty sentinels. All of his power is pointless against a person like Guile.
And that's not even the worst parts.
Abyss class Fiends exist in fact he saw a survey a week ago saying more abyss class Fiends will emerge 2025.
No Captain is strong enough to take on an Abyss and survive.
What type of creature is that powerful. That Guile would lose in fight.
It's all pointless. Man, he's only scratched the surface in our knowledge of the Archaic and in our battle with the Fiends.
Everyone knows this but just keeps shut.
We aren't fighting to win. We're fighting to survive.
" I don't know Captain. I don't know what I am anymore ".
Guile stared at Theo, waiting for him to say anything else. Mean while Baran was checking out the scientist.
" You're cute "
She turns to Baran in awe of the whole situation.
" Sir ".
" I said you're cute ".
She looks dumbfounded and then when she's done processing that the Sentinel Baran the scorcher was hitting on her she loses consciousness again.
" Hahah ".
" Okay ". Guile says massaging his moustache in thought.
" I am going to testify for you. That's only natural since I'm the one who did the Fiend/Human test ".
Before continuing Guile points to the window, " Your brother will also testify that you aren't willingly a threat to humanity "
" What now?", Baran turned said looking down at his Captain.
" You heard me. You're a witness ".
" No fucking way I'm defending this disgrace ".
Guile looks down hands in pocket. " This is not some personal statement I'm asking you to give. You will stand in the podium in his favour and that's an order ".
Baran quietly cursed in annoyance.
Guile turned his attention away from Baran and back to Theo. " We'll try to squeeze an insanity judgement from the jury ".
Theo looked on at a man trying to help him. Yes this was what a hero looked like.
" What happens if they find me insane ".
Guile was just putting a lollipop in his mouth. After sucking it like a sweet critic he answered, " Then they can't sentence you to death or to life. But you will work directly under the government ".
" Well that doesn't sound so bad "
" As a slave " .
Guile scratched his head catching the lollipop that Guile tossed to him. "What?"
" You answer to them 24/7. If they say kill, you kill. If they say never eat candy--god forbid--You don't eat candy and they don't pay you ".
" Well that's not fair ", Theo says looking down.
" Neither is the world and that's not all. You'll work for them till you kick the bucket except if a Hero Cooperation buys you off. Likely none will cause no one wants to hire a slave hero and buying off a slave hero is usually in billions of dollars ".
The room is silent. Baran is laughing while Theo is overcome with despair.
" That is if they don't sentence you to eternal suffering or death which as I said before is way more likely ". Guile looked on at Theo.
Waiting for him to say something.
Theo had nothing to say. He didn't know how to react to the swirl of events that were coming his way. He merely gulped and mustered enough courage to ask," So what happens to me now ". His voice was filled with desperation.
You could see it in his eyes.
Guile ignored the question and simply flew to the glass barricade, weaved through it as he did before.
" Now you stay here till it's time for your sentence ". Guile looked to the fainted flushed body of the four eyed scientist then he shot Baran a death stare.
" Couldn't resist sir ". Baran said with guilt on his face.
Guile massaged his temples then turned his attention back to Theo.
" Don't think of breaking out. I'll send you lollipops whenever I can ". Guile was walking towards the door.
Baran soon followed suit.
A flame portal around 3 metres in length appeared. Theo couldn't see it but he saw the bright orange light.
That was Barans Dominion.
Guile went in first. Baran was about to enter but then he looked back, not at Theo but at the scientist.
He had the devil's smirk on his face. He picked her up gently and with the same diabolical smile he started heading to the portal.
" Drop her ", it was Guiles voice from the other side
Baran groaned in frustration. He laid her down on one of the spinning chairs. Then he repaired her hair and fixed her glasses.
He stood up his androgynous face now an unreadable expression. He was staring at his brother, what Theo had become.
" Survive this ", it was a phrase said with a just a hint of worry.
Theo had a smile on his face and nodded.
Baran looked on in his usual hostel glare.
" Pathetic ". He walked into the portal never looking back before vanishing away.
Theo watched till the last flicker of light went away. He was proud, His younger brother was a bad ass. If humans like Guile still, then humanity has not lost.
Now left alone Theo looked around his white room fully taken in by the size, then he turned his attention to his new body. He raised both his massive hands to his field of view.
It was now that the power he possessed sunk in. He squeezed his fist observing his right arm. Trying to distract himself from thinking about the future.
His arm was bulky and long. Muscles were large and pronounced. Clearly not the physique of a human.
He was so big now it was hard to comprehend.
This new power was somerhing he wanted to test. Yet all the scientists and analysts where asleep.
If he started punching the wall, security measures would be taken so he doesn't escape. He doubts their going to care when he says,' I was just testing my power'.
He let out a tired sigh.
" I need to go pee ".
As if to reassure himself of his predicament, Theo looked around the white room looking for a bathroom, a toilet or a urinal, knowing full well he wouldn't see any.
He's probably supposed to ask the scientists and they'll click a button that made one magically appear from the ground.
" Well it's not my fault their asleep ".
He walks to the corner of the white room like a rascal. He raises his medical gown now realising he's not even wearing pants.
" Oh come on! ", He screams at the direction of the scientists.
When the sparky water flows. Theo lets out a relaxing breath. He'd been holding it through out the test. He pauses for a minute noticing something.
' wait a minute. Why's it so_Nah no way that's my..'
He slowly pulled his gown higher so he could get a view of the giant member he was holding.
" Oh my god ".