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!"