Full Circle (Razgriz x Candira)

The researcher switched the viewing cameras to infrared; Harbinger's form came into view. He watched as she rose; the little vixen probably got tired of trying to fake unconsciousness. The way she moved, the researcher could tell that her sensory abilities had become even more elevated. "Simply amazing. But let's try out how well she does. Prepare for round one."

A small hatch opened soundlessly, aiming what appeared to be a small barrel at Harbinger. It tracked her as she moved before giving a small 'Tsh!' as it fired a dart; the sound was too slight for any normal Beastman to hear, but this was to see if Harbinger could pick up on not only the sound, but the barrel aiming at her and the projectile as well. Nothing was in it or on it, but it would hurt like hell if it hit.
 
Harbringer heard the barrel move and spun just as the sound of a launching dart hit her. Instantly her eyes zoomed in on the dart and she spun out of the way just in time. What fresh hell was this? Every last nerve in her body was filling back up with rage and it was like a new personality came over her. When she got out of here, there would be far less beastmen in the world. She would personally see to it.
 
The researcher watched as Subject Harbinger effortlessly dodged the projectile; he mused slightly and said "Very impressive. Now let's up the ante a little." Four barrels joined the first; the targeting computers set to fire in short succession of the previous. That is to say, after she moved to dodge the first dart, the next would fire at her new position before she got any time to rest. He wanted to see how well she could handle multiple targets. This would not only test her senses, but her reflexes as well. The researcher just said as he switched the cameras to night vision, "Let's see how well she does now." And with that, the first dart fired.
 
Heart racing, Harbringer found another dart flying at her. She moved immediately, only to hear another. By the time all the darts had fired it looked like she was dancing as she dodged each one. She took stock of where each dart was coming from and made a note to avoid those areas in the future.
 
"Such elegance" the researcher said with an odd grin on his face; not once was she nicked in the slightest. Her capability and reflex speed was astounding. He then flipped on the two-way microphone as the lights were turned back on, "Well done, Subject Harbinger! You are one fine test subject! Tell me, how do you enjoy your new modifications? Are they to your liking?" He was saying this to observe what her reaction would be.
 
The lights momentarily stunned her--but it was only an instant. She stared at the speaker and glared at it, nearly growling with rage. "Modifications? What the hell did you do to me?" She said it through clenched teeth. She hoped all of these people went to hell. "I never asked to be modified!" At least she didn't think she had. Where was her memory? Anger was present, but so was pain and confusion. She let rage win out though. Harbringer was not one to be toyed with, even before her "modifications." Now she was down right dangerous.

Assuming, of course they stopped gassing and sedating her. Which she highly doubted.
 
The researcher gave a simple chuckle; her anger was understood, but utterly pointless. "Dear Harbinger, don't be upset. We made you better. You could see it, couldn't you? Improved reflexes, enhanced strength, hyper-augmented sensory capacity. And from what I observed, you may even possess night vision to a certain degree."

"And it wasn't a matter of being asked, dear. You were 'selected' to become a new breed of supersoldier. Though your hand-to-hand capacity is lacking, which I must say I'm slightly disappointed in. Nonetheless, a sensory unit always has its uses on the battlefield. Now, Subject Exodus on the other hand, I can tell he is unique. Although it is too early to tell, I think he has the capacity to become a leader. Speaking of which, if you'll excuse me for a second...." the voice on the mike stopped as the researcher looked into the cameras monitoring the station where Exodus and Sovereign were being tortured to be broken. They were in a separate room altogether, so Harbinger couldn't hear or see anything that was going on.

"Come on! Is that really all you can muster? Surely you can do better..." Sovereign growled before electricity flooded his system again, making him howl in agony. His head hung limply from his neck; Sovereign was not dead, but extremely tired. Exodus too was being shocked beyond recognition; each time the voltage was applied, he held back his screams of agony, determined not to give them the satisfaction. He refused to break; his will was stubborn and Sovereign was just too damn crazy.

"You have no chance! You are nothing! You will serve and do as you are told!" a Beastman roared at them. "Fuck you!" was Exodus' response; this was met with an even larger dose of electricity. His face cringed in obvious pain, but still he stopped himself from yelling out. The electricity stopped, but Exodus' nerves were on fire.

The researcher's voice came alive, "Exodus, you really should just stop resisting. It will make things much easier." Exodus looked up lazily;the repeated electrocution had clearly taken its toll. "F...fuck....y...." was all he got out before he was rendered unconscious. "That's enough, take those two back to their cells. We present our preliminary findings to Adiane tomorrow, so we need them rested. And we can't have smelling like burned flesh, or else Adiane will be very unhappy." He was unaware that he had hit a button to re-open the link to Harbinger's area, his voice was still transmitting to where Harbinger was.
 
She said nothing as the bodiless voice spoke to her. She would have her revenge. But now, she was gaining valuable knowledge. Whoever had her altered had done it to make her into a super soldier. And this person's name happened to be Adiane. She said nothing, however, not revealing that she had heard. Better to act confused than to do anything to give her away. Poor Exodus. She had a feeling that her savior was going to be put through much more in the next few days.

For the time being, she kept her anger in check. She would bide her time.
 
The researcher then turned his attention back to Harbinger as Exodus and Sovereign were taken back; he absent-mindedly flicked the switch to re-open the link, unaware that he had done so already. "Well, now dear Harbinger, while normally I would have you brought to be tortured, I will spare you for today. Simply because you have impressed me so." He then flicked another switch, sending more of the colorless gas into the room to knock her once more.
 
"I fucking hate you," she muttered as she passed out. Of course, it wasn't loud enough for the researcher to hear--she barely heard it. She hated his attitude, and she would never forget this. Her eyes closed as she hit the floor with a thud and then she was out like a light.
 
As soon as Harbinger was delivered to her room, the researcher and his assistant compiled the reports to give to Adiane. They had just hoped she would be pleased with the results; the three subjects exhibited the Goldeneye state. Exodus was by far the most impressive; after five days, they had learned much about him. His fellow subjects Harbinger and Sovereign were also impressive, though they seemed to reflect the extremes of the scale of qualities they were looking for. After receiving the blood tests from the samples they had taken while the subjects were unconscious, both before and after modification, they began to finish reports.

He looked over the report summary attached to the front of the bundle of papers which detailed the conditions under which the experiments were run, their results, and any noted inconsistencies. It read:

Subject Sovereign:
Height: 8'10"
Weight: 578.3 lbs
Lifting capacity: 5 tons
Hair Color: Red
Eye color: Green
Noted attributes: Mentally unstable, easy to anger, has almost obsessive need to combat, exhibits bloodlust beyond comparison, extreme brute strength. Blood Rage Effect causes speed and strength to double, if not triple. Weapons choice test revealed preference of high-explosive and heavy ordinance.
Exhibits Blood Rage Effect: Yes
*Researcher's note: Confirmed 'Goldeneye' Super Beastman. No cellular degeneration. Blood Rage seems to diminish intelligence. In addition to effects of Blood Rage, becomes nearly unstoppable killing machine until all hostiles are dead. Would recommend addition to Berserker ranks upon successful indoctrination, but further testing is needed.*

Subject Harbinger:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220.9 lbs (slender figure is misleading, weight is due to increased muscle density)
Hair color: Ash-blonde
Eye color: Navy blue
Noted attributes: Hyper-receptive sensory capability, incredible reflex speed, decent hand-to-hand performance (*note: See Exodus' notes). Reflex speed and reaction time improved 500% when Blood Rage takes hold. Weapons choice test revealed long-range confirmed long-range area of excellence.
Exhibits Blood Rage Effect: Yes
*Researcher's note: Confirmed 'Goldeneye' Super Beastwoman. No cellular degeneration. Front-line seems to be not suited for Harbinger. Would recommend assignment to scout/reconnaissance upon successful indoctrination, but further testing is needed.*

Subject Exodus:
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 347.1 lbs
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Noted attributes: Well-developed hand-to-hand skills, extremely lethal in close-quarters, heightened aggressiveness when confronted, seems to think well on the fly. Precision and lethality augmented when Blood Rage goes into effect. Weapons choice test confirms close-quarters area of excellence.
Exhibits Blood Rage Effect: Yes
*Researcher's notes: Confirmed 'Goldeneye' Super Beastman. Exodus did something unseen in previous 'Goldeneye' test subjects: He willingly came to the aid of another, and successfully deduced how to use the strengths of Subject Sovereign to accomplish his aid. Seems to possess high level of intellect and tactical capability. Would recommend position of lieutenant upon successful indoctrination, however, it is too early to say at this point. Further testing is needed."

Then below all that, another section with more notes read:

*Brainwashing so far has failed; all three subjects show higher-than-normal levels of resilience. Unsure why after five days of torture subjects still have not broken. Need to try more extreme methods of persuasion."

The researcher and his assistant finished compiling the report in what seemed like no time flat. "Sir, are you sure Adiane will be pleased with this" his assistant asked timidly; the researcher just laughed, "Trust me, very few of the other stations even managed to produce one successful Goldeneye. The fact that we produced three, and for the most part extremely stable ones, will be great news for Adiane."
The next day, the researcher and his assistant waited eagerly for Adiane's arrival. They were excited and terrified at the same time; they hoped, even though they felt she would be at the very least temporarily satisfied with what they've accomplished. They even went so far as to clean up the Subjects to make them more presentable; though that was just a formality, they weren't sure if Adiane would care or not. "Moment of truth, sir" the assistant said nervously.

All three subjects had been braced in a special portable brace; they were basically hog-tied standing up to a back-board so that they couldn't try anything funny. The bracings too were designed in such a way that it would use their own strength against them. "Whatever or whoever this Adiane person is, don't give her anything. Just keep your mouths shut for now." Exodus had whispered to his two new-found comrades. "No talking!" the researcher yelled; Exodus just thought to himself "You're just lucky I can't move, you bastard."
 
Harbringer had been glad to get some of the filth off of her from the cell she'd been stuck into. Clean clothes--though they were plain and cheaply made--were also an improvement over her current situation. That bath had been kept short, dehumanizing, and harsh, but it was so good to be clean again. She was not, however, pleased with the brace she was placed in. The blonde was glad to see that the other test subjects, Exodus and Sovereign, also seemed to be safe, albeit angry. She knew they'd been tortured yesterday, but today they seemed all right.

She was inspired by Exodus' will to not give anything away--but what would they be giving up? Surely the researchers had found out everything they needed to about their subjects in terms of backgrounds and other information. What more would this Adiane person want?

She turned her head and flinched a little at the harsh sound of the researcher's voice--he happened to be standing right next to her, and her hearing was, sadly, impeccable. She just stayed silent for the time being, preferring to keep her ears in one piece. Whoever this person was, she would find out as much as possible about them, and then kill them.

_____________________________

Adiane was not pleased with the recent meetings she'd had with her labs--a fact evidenced by several corpses and many dead experiments. She had little hope for this particular lab, and wished that this process would go faster. But she kept up a professional appearance. She still looked deranged, but at least she wasn't snapping at anyone.

She was pretty--or would have been if not for a few traits like a scorpion's tale and a face that seemed to reflect disgust for everything around it. When she entered the lab, she turned to the researchers. "Bring the subjects to me. Hand the report to my lieutenant and make the summaries fast." She didn't want to waste any time.
 
"Yes ma'am! You two! Bring them in!" the head researcher barked at two Beastmen, who ran off before shortly returning with the specialized brace containing the three test subjects. He then handed the large-bundled report to Adiane's lieutenant, a rather burly lion-headed Beastman, and started speaking as the brace was set down before Adiane, "These three exhibit all the traits of a Goldeneye, General. We've also been successful in creating a few hundred thousand of the 'normal' Supers, but these three are the true gems of your research." He then pointed to the brown-haired, muscled male. "That is Subject Exodus. A truly magnificent specimen."

Exodus couldn't believe what he was hearing. How many people did they torture and fuck with here? And then the researcher started talking about him, like he was some object. Oh, how he wanted to tear their throats out, to make them bleed and die like the vermin they were. But he kept his calm as best he could. Sovereign on the other hand, was more vocal as he roared "HA! YOU ARE ALL BABIES! I CRUSH YOU!" "Sovereign, be quiet!" Exodus shot back. He didn't want to give Adiane any ammunition of any kind, whom he guessed was the woman with the tail. God, she was an ugly fuck. The researcher then said, "The loud one is Sovereign. He's.. a bit unstable, but incredibly strong." He then pointed at the blonde female, "That is Harbinger. Though her physical strength isn't as impressive as the other two, her sensory capacity and reflex speed far outmatch the two of them."

The lieutenant looked at Sovereign curiously, then flipped through the report; he paused as he read the details of all the trials over the past five days. "Says here Subject Exodus came to aid of Subject Harbinger. That's unusual, especially for a Goldeneye. The way he did it, though, very impressive." The researcher nodded in agreement as he stood aside. "You may inspect them at your leisure, General Adiane."
 
"Supers mean little to nothing to me at this point, fool. Your focus is to be the creation of goldeneyes from now on. Your lab has shown the most success in this way. You may relax for the time being--it means I won't be killing you just yet." Clearly Adiane's blood was some mixture of ice and venom.

Curious, she took a step closer to Exodus and watched him. An interesting fellow. Clearly his will had not been broken just yet--the expression on his face screamed quiet defiance. She noted it and smirked as she heard about his potential. The spiral king would be pleased with him. "Excellent." As the researcher went on about the capabilities of Sovereign she raised an eyebrow and came closer as well, unsure where they'd taken this beast from. "My my. Isn't he big? There could be many uses for him. Perhaps a tactical tank." She expected her lieutenant to make notes of her observations as well. Finally, Harbringer caught her eye.

The blonde woman was quite pretty, even by her standards. She found that her abilities were least impressive, though there were many uses for someone with good reflexes and agility. "See to it that subject Harbringer's long range capabilities are tested thoroughly. I'll review the report in more detail later."

Adiane looked at him sharply. "Do not presume to tell me what to do fool. I will inspect them as I see fit." Her patience was running thin with this chatty researcher and lieutenant. "And you do not speak unless you are spoken to," she said, turning on him. She took a few steps closer to Harbinger and looked her over. "Each appears to be stable enough. Sovereign's attitude suits our purposes nicely. Subject Exodus appears to be something of a leader. Test his aptitude for stress. Tell me more about Harbringer's personality," she said, looking the woman over again.

Of the three subjects, Harbringer seemed the least telling in her posture and expression. She seemed obedient, but not entirely so...something about her was...off.
 
The lieutenant took note of Adiane's observations, saying shortly and quietly, "My humblest apologies, General" when she chastised him for speaking out of turn. The researcher also humbly apologized, "A thousand pardons, General. I only wish to serve in the best way possible." Sovereign just stared at Adiane with maniacal eyes

Exodus had to hold himself back from trying to lash out when she came closer to look at him; this...creature....embodied repulsiveness. Her attitude, the way she viewed as nothing more tools to be used. "So you're the mastermind of this whole charade. Well, looks like we just found the head of the snake." he said to himself, his expression one of quiet rage and contemplation. When he got out, he'd come for her, and kill anyone who stood in his way. I'll personally see to it each of them is tested more extensively."

When Adiane started examining Harbinger more closely, Exodus felt his rage build. The researcher then spoke up, "Her personality is very perplexing, General. While I wouldn't classify it as obedience, I believe she's merely keeping her head down to avoid trouble." "You lay a finger on her and I'll fucking break you" Exodus thought to himself. He didn't why he felt so protective of her. Maybe because she was like him, a victim of a dangerous, cruel experiment. Maybe it was because he felt she was too meek. In any case he stared at Adiane as she examined Harbinger.

The researcher saw this and took Exodus' lower jaw in his hand, saying "Attachment is unhealthy, Exodus. As a potential leader, you need to learn to let things go." Exodus responding by biting his hand hard enough to draw blood; the researcher howled in agony as he wrenched his hand away. Exodus' eyes had turned gold again; his rage was extremely apparent now. All reason forgotten, he let a primal, throaty growl, his teeth bared in a menacing snarl. "Don't touch me again, unless you want to lose that hand."
 
Adiane looked at Harbringer curiously. The data on Harbringer's personality did not please her. Still, it made sense that someone like Harbringer wouldn't invite trouble upon herself. People with this mentality usually proved easy enough to break--but she wasn't entirely sure that Harbringer's powers would come out without that little streak of feelings underneath. A careful balance was needed. "You are not to use the mind break on subject Harbringer. Continue to evaluate her psychologically and report your findings to me."

Harbringer merely kept a straight face, though something in her eyes spoke of defiance--possibly danger as well. The blonde looked away from the woman before her--the one upon whom she would exact her revenge someday with the ugly face--to Exodus. She was surprised to see him getting upset at Adiane's closeness to her. Blinking, she wondered why. Surely he knew nothing of her personally. And they'd really only met once. What was his reason?

She watched with growing fear that something would happen to him as he growled with rage and bit the researcher. His eyes were golden again. Just as Adiane turned to deal with him, Harbinger spoke out. "Exodus! Get ahold of yourself." It was all she said, and her navy blue eyes pierced into his. He was giving Adiane exactly the kind of display she wanted.

Adiane was amused at this new development. Would subject Exodus listen to her? And if so, why? Curious...another note to add to her file was the connection between the two subjects.
 
Exodus saw Harbinger staring at him; he knew he reacted the wrong way. But he wouldn't let Adiane try to use his desire to protect against, so he thought of more things to piss him off. Ironically, all he had to do was look at Adiane and his heart rate spiked even higher. "You might want to teach your lap dogs not to fuck with what they don't understand, Adiane. It might come back to bite them." He put as much contempt into his tone as possible when he said her name. Even though he might get hurt for bad-mouthing someone of such importance, he didn't care. Harbinger and Sovereign were his allies in his eyes, and he wouldn't let this bitch harm them. His eyes stayed that same, piercing shade of gold, evidence of his not heeding Harbinger's advice.

The researcher recovered after nursing his bite wound, appalled at Exodus' brashness, "How dare you speak with such contempt! Adiane will be your superior! You would do well to get on her good side early!" Exodus still had a bit of the researcher's blood in his mouth, so he simply spit it in his face. "I bow to no one, you ugly piece of shit!"
 
Was he out of his mind? This was just going to come back to bite them all. She understood his rage, however, and wondered if it was because of her or because of Adiane. She frowned and watched as he continued to spiral out of control.

Adiane laughed as he showed his contempt. "My, my. Temper, Exodus. Tell me, is it because of this woman?" she asked, taking Harbringer's chin into her grasp. There wasn't much Harbringer could do about it at this point. The blonde pleaded with her eyes for him to stop, but he was too far gone. "Is she important to you?"

Harbringer didn't want him to answer the question--but no answer was as good as downright admission of some kind of bond. It would be exploited, and she knew it. Adiane was poking a bear with a stick to see just how powerful it was.
 
Exodus stared at Adiane as she took hold Harbinger's chin; he knew he fucked up. But hopefully, if he could get her angry at him, then she'd leave Harbinger alone. He then gave a wide, somewhat crazy smile "You want to know why I have a temper? It's not because of her, it's because of you. If I seriously have to serve under someone as foul and ugly as you, I may as well kill myself. You are the very definition of repulsive. I bet your own troops laugh at you behind your back because of how disgustingly nasty you are." Though Exodus didn't know it, he was hitting her weak point, her vanity. He just spouted words out of his mouth that he thought would aggravate her enough.
 
Her grip on Harbringer tightened and she was obviously irked. He'd put a chink in her armor. Indignant to such a remark the general yanked at Harbringer. "Oh? Is that so?" her anger was then focused on Harbringer, rather than Exodus. It was pretty clear that even if his temper didn't stem from Harbringer, she had something to do with his current state. And the torture of someone he'd tried to protect might just prove to put him in his place.

Harbringer shot him a warning look before she felt Adiane grab her chin and yank her up. The position was painful and it was clear that Adiane's goal was to exploit Exodus' rage. Adiane focused her stinger right on the girl in her hands and planned on delivering a painful blow.

Despite all the hurt she was inviting on herself for her act of rebellion, Harbringer chose to fight back. Though she didn't break free of her restraints, she did break free of Adiane's grip and then bit the tip of her finger, hard before turning to Exodus with rage of her own, her eyes becoming golden as well. "ENOUGH!" Her voice was harsh and demanding, and full of rage at her situation, her treatment, and Exodus' behavior.
 
Exodus was startled at Harbinger's reaction; even Sovereign, who ironically had stayed quiet to watch the spectacle, had a look of amazement on his face. "Get a hold of yourself, Exodus. She's trying to manipulate you, and you're letting her." At this, Exodus managed to calm himself down; he tried to think of ways to get Harbinger out of the hurt she was about to encounter.

It then crossed his mind; this was the gamble of the century, but he had to not show Adiane further that he was trying to protect her. He just had to shut his mouth, and pray that Adiane wouldn't kill her. Harbinger was vital to his still-forming plans; based on what the researcher had told him, Harbinger had hyper-enhanced sensory capability.

Then, the researcher seemed to step in for Harbinger's defense; a move that would surprise everyone "General, I think it would be unwise to continue this further. Harbinger is a very valuable test subject, and I would hate to lose her. She is unique, and I doubt we could replicate someone of her ability in a feasible time-frame."
 
Her golden eyes stayed locked on Exodus for a long moment, even after he appeared to calm down. She glared at him for a moment to allow him to fully take in the consequences of his foolish actions. Her body trembled with both rage and fear and as Adiane gasped and growled in anger and shock, Harbringer brought a level gaze to the general. Her eyes were still golden, but she appeared to be calm. It was one thing to punish her for her own actions, but the deeds of others? That was a step too far.

The general, however, headed the words of the researcher. "Very well. Get her out of my sight. And I want a word with you immediately." With that, she turned and stormed out, her unhappy lieutenant in tow.

Once her presence was gone, Harbringer calmed and sank back down to a more comfortable position. She looked at Exodus again and shook her head.

"Idiot." Still. She understood his motives and was still quite grateful for his help. Her expression softened considerably and she quietly apologized before she was promptly silenced in a rough manner. No need to shout. Though the guard was a bit frightened of her now that she'd shown her anger, he was still crass enough to yell at her.
 
Exodus was led away along with Harbinger and Sovereign; he'd need to tread more carefully if he was going to save Harbinger from having to go through that again. Obviously, trying to use himself as bait had failed; he needed a strategy to get Adiane focused on him. He knew what he had to do, but that didn't mean he liked doing it. But still, why was he trying so hard to help her? He didn't understand why he acted that way.

He quickly realized that in order to erase all suspicion of having a connection with Harbinger or even Sovereign, he was going to have to let her take a few beatings, that is to say, cut his emotions out of the equation. It would hurt in the immediate future, but it would save them all a headache. Still, he knew that there were hundreds more of these 'normal Supers'; maybe he could use them. But he had to work with the assumption that they were already tampered with; still, if he could resist long enough, he might have a chance to turn them against his captors.

The researcher meanwhile followed Adiane to a secluded space; he then asked her in his usual voice "General, is everything alright?"
 
Harbringer knew that she wasn't going to have pleasant times ahead of her--at least not in the near future. Exodus had only been trying to help her, but he'd done just what he'd warned the two of them not to do, hadn't he? When she was finally untied, she was back in her cell. Sighing she lay on the thing that served as her bed and wondered if there was a way for her to talk to Exodus. She was sorry.

Thankfully, the guards left them all alone once they were locked up. "Exodus," she called softly. "Can you hear me?"

Meanwhile, Adiane was furious with the outcome of the visit. "I want you to punish Exodus. It's clear he thinks Harbringer is important in some way. She is an impressive specimen, but she must be handled carefully. I want you to put her in many training sessions with Exodus this week. Focus all enemy attack on her. Make him suffer by watching her be targeted. He may try to ignore her. Good. I want a wedge between them. They are not to have a connection with one another."

One goldeneye with attitude was dangerous. Two that were working together was game over.

"Reward Sovereign."
 
The researcher nodded; however, he would secretly focus all attacks on Exodus. Harbinger was a perfect specimen, and he didn't want her beauty marred in any way. However, his status as one of the top researchers in Adiane's labs would not give Adiane any reason to suspect him. "Of course, General. Harbinger will be beaten senseless right in front of him. I will see to it that it gets done." he answered in his usual tone. "Well, good day to you, General. I have some punishment to plan." he then turned and made his way.

Exodus lay in his cell; damn it, what the hell happened? He had everything going well, then something inside of him snapped. It all happened when he saw Adiane for the first time; maybe it was the knowledge that she had masterminded these screwed-up trials that made him snap. Well, shit. Now he had to think of a way to deceive the researchers, while keeping his allies safe. He couldn't bust out of here alone, he needed their help. Sovereign wasn't an issue; it was obvious to Exodus that his extreme durability and sheer brute strength would power him through any obstacle. He was mad at himself; why did he do exactly what he told his comrades not to do?

He was so deep in thought he barely heard Harbinger's voice echo down the hallway; even then he chose to ignore her. He figured Adiane might know what he was going to do; however, she seemed to only communicate with her researchers He had a few ideas in mind, but he couldn't tell Harbinger any of them. That would only serve to heighten suspicion, and he couldn't have that. "Forgive for I will be forced to do, Harbinger" he said to himself.


Over the next week, Exodus found that he and Harbinger were paired together in many exercises. However, Exodus found that most of them were survival brawls; the researcher had strapped Harbinger into an electric chair for each of these. The challenge was to defeat increasingly large waves of Beastmen opponents within a given time limit.

For each Beastman left alive or undefeated, Harbinger would receive ten seconds of high-voltage shocks. This way, Exodus was tormented and Harbinger's physical perfection would be left unharmed for the most part. She'd be tired as all hell, but Adiane would be none the wiser and the researcher could continue to 'observe' Harbinger's perfection. He also did this to better confirm Exodus' endurance and close-range capabilities. As the week progressed, the researcher noticed a rift growing between Harbinger and Exodus; during some of the exercises, Exodus had even obeyed orders to attack Harbinger directly during one of their exercises; the poor woman stood no chance.

By the end of the week, the researcher decided to put forth a rather interesting ultimatum, for it seemed that he had succeeded in separating them. He also noticed that Exodus' fighting skills, endurance and speed had since doubled. Exodus had just finished, and surprisingly only three Beastmen remained. That meant thirty seconds of electricity; however, the researcher noticed Exodus wasn't even paying attention; he was looking around, as if waiting for more opponents. "Exodus, your little girlfriend is hurting quite badly up here. Aren't you going to threaten to break me? Punch me through a wall? Anything at all?" Exodus just looked back and said with a smile, "I think someone as weak as her deserves more punishment. Teach her to get stronger, not sit idly by and let others try to finish her problems for her."

The researcher grinned; now came the ultimate test. "Well, well, well. This is a pleasant change. But now, I have something better for you. Since you're already been strapped into your explosive vest, I figure it's time to see how well you do on a real mission. Your task is to go to a nearby village that has come up, and lead an extermination unit. This will also give you some time to become familiarized with Gunmen." "And if I should refuse?"

The researcher pulled out a pistol and held it to Harbinger's head; unbeknownst to either of them, it was unloaded but had a magazine in it to make it look loaded. "Then I'm afraid Harbinger's brains are going to paint the wall. Is that what you really want? You're so uncaring." Exodus just looked back up and said coldly, "She shouldn't have been so weak, then. What happens to her is none of my concern." The researcher just smiled and said, "Well, Harbinger. I guess Exodus really doesn't give two shits about you." He then slowly increased the pressure on the trigger, watching Exodus to see his reaction. Exodus just kept a straight face and even smiled a bit. Finally, the trigger was pulled and the hammer fell; no gunshot though. "My, my, you were going to let her die, weren't you? What a bastard you are! Oh, Adiane will love this!"
 
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