Project Gospel (Etch x CRiTiCAL ERROR)

[HowlingWoods]

PLOT:


(Inspired by This is Gospel and Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At the Disco.)


Year 2020. United States of America, Virginia.


Project Gospel is humanity's only hope.


It's been 5 years since the first of the experiments escaped and began to wreak havoc on the world. Ever since 2008, the government has been conducting human experimentation in secret in hopes of creating weapons to be used for war. Since then, there have been 103 successful experiments creating powerful war machines, and over five thousand replicas of each experiment. They were nearly invincible, with amazing regenerative powers and frightening strength. Each different experiment had different weaknesses and different strengths, but all of them were powerful and all of their weaknesses were guarded incredibly well.


No normal human could touch them.


So when they all began to rebel against the government, the world was thrown into chaos. Instead of machines used to win wars that had already been started, they began to start wars themselves, killing humans ruthlessly and developing a sense of blood lust. In less than five years after their escape from the labs and military bases they were being held in, they began to spread across the continents, lowering the human population worldwide to two million. Most humans are forced to hide in underground bunkers that the experiments cannot access, but leaving to get food and supplies is dangerous at best. Fighting an experiment is suicide. It's impossible to win, even in large groups with heavy firepower. They were made to take on entire battalions of enemy forces alone. Civilians couldn't even scratch them.


These monsters are not human anymore. They appear human, and are extremely difficult to differentiate between by appearance alone. They're intelligent, and they can imitate human behavior perfectly, making it easy for them to disguise themselves as humans and pretend to be one of them, before annihilating entire populations. The only weakness that they all share is that they cannot go near a holy cross, or else they'll be pushed back like two opposing magnets. This cannot kill them, however, and keeping a holy cross on your body is efficient or driving them back, except the experiments are cunning, and will figure out ways to get the holy cross away from you somehow. Underground bunkers are only safe because they are stocked full of holy crosses. The experiments take joy in killing humans, and may even be known to eat their victims. They've become bloodthirsty monsters.


Project Gospel is all that's left.


Project Gospel: the last human experiment to be created by the government before the escape of the other experiments. No replicas have been created yet, and it takes the appearance of a man in his early 20's. It's the only experiment that hasn't taken a liking to killing humans. It's said to be more powerful than any of the other experiments, capable of killing the other experiments with a cursed katana known as Emperor. He was originally created as a control mechanism for the other experiments, but he was not completed before the escape of the other experiments and therefore he laid in a state of sleep during the escape of the other experiments, deep within a lab. Many want to wake him up and use him to save the rest of humanity after the collapse of the government, but there's only one problem.


No one knows where Project Gospel is.


Until today. While raiding an abandoned lab for supplies in Virginia, a group of scouts from a group of survivors who are studying and gathering intel on the experiments known as 'Survivor's Faith' discovered a wooden crate that had been nailed down. Inside, they found Project Gospel and his sword, Emperor, deep in a state of slumber. The crate also included a needle with a syringe in it, which was assumed to be what woke him up. Taking the crate to their underground base in the middle of a deep wooded area, Survivor's Faith was forced to make an executive decision. There was no proof that Project Gospel would not turn on them if they woke him up, but the alternative was to let humanity fall to the experiments. The experiments do not need food, water, or sleep, nor do they need to breathe. Project Gospel was something new to put their faith in.


Survivor's Faith held a vote among their members to determine if they should wake up Project Gospel or not. You are a member of Survivor's Faith who voted no, and are also one of the scouts who found Project Gospel. However, the majority voted yes, and Project Gospel was woken up with enough tranquilizer guns to bring down an elephant pointed at him during the process, even though it wasn't certain that they'd be effective against him. You are, despite your opposition, assigned to be the one who guards Project Gospel and makes sure he stays under control, as you are well-known as one of Survivor's Faith's best men in both combat and ingenuity.


MY CHARACTER:

Project Gospel

'Jackson'

Waking up with no memories other than his first name, Jackson, and being strangely drawn to a katana which he seems to remember is named Emperor, he is initially confused by his surroundings. He begins to hunt the experiments in hopes of finding out who he really is, and why he was created.

​

STARTER:





"It's moving!"


"Do you think it'll atta--"


"Shh!"


Who....Who am I?





Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, Jackson's finger twitched as he felt something sharp pull out of his arm. A needle..? He heard hushed voices around him, and the nervous shuffling of feet. Where am I? He questioned himself, but he could think of no answer. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting to be blinded by a bright light, but he wasn't sure why he expected that. Instead, he found himself staring up at a dimly lit ceiling, and his gaze stared at the concrete above him for a long moment. Then, he moved his head to the side, towards the voices he had heard. Before him was a large crowd of people, staring at him with a variety of expressions. Some seemed to fear him, while others watched him with hope in their gazes. All of them were holding large metal tubes, which he seemed to remember were something called guns. They were pointed at him. He felt dull, empty. His thoughts were quiet, and he stared for a moment, his gaze blank and confused.


He finally moved his gaze around the area he was contained in, disregarding the things called guns. He was laying on some sort of metal table, and there was a....Yes, that was a needle. There was needle laying on a tray near him. He felt the presence of someone behind him and moved his head to look, slowly. A man was taking off a pair of rubber gloves, stepping back a few steps away from him. He soon immersed himself into the crowd, moving behind the row of people holding guns.


Was he supposed to do something? They all seemed to be waiting for something... Slowly, carefully, he sat up, and the quiet murmurs began to grow louder again, and the points of the guns followed him as the crowd took a few steps back.


"It seems...confused."


"I don't like the look of this."


Jackson looked down at himself, looking at his clothing. He was wearing some sort of blue clothing, a shirt and pants that matched and were made of cotton. Hospital clothes? Yes...that's right. What was a hospital? He reached his hand up to look at it, staring at his large palm.


Who am I?

 

[sorrow made you]

NAME: Leo Giovanni De Luca


Age: 35

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend, right?"


But we don't even KNOW if he's the enemy of our enemy. For all we know, he's the last one of them that hasn't woken up."


"But Leo, the records say--"


"I don't care about the damn records. They could be wrong!"


Leo De Luca, prized member of the Survivor's Faith, was outnumbered. His concerns fell on deaf ears, and for the first time in more than ten years, Leo felt powerless. With the majority vote to wake Project Gospel, there was no arguing. Moreover, whoever decided to pitch the idea that Leo would be the one to monitor it would soon find their head dunked into the nearest cesspool if he had the time and energy. It was like pouring salt and lemon juice on an open wound. Bitter, Leo reluctantly accepted his duties. He had no choice, really. In one way or another, every possible situation would lead him to this conclusion. He had ran every scenario in his head, and knowing his fellow Faith members... this was inevitable. All he could do was give a heavy sigh and light a cigarette.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CURRENT

​

"It's moving!"


"Do you think it'll atta--"


"Shh!"


There were about a dozen figures in the room, and most of them had guns aimed at Project Gospel. Leo, however, stood with a stern expression and hands in pockets. He disregarded any hygiene concern by having a lit cigarette between his lips. Anyone dared take it from him now would get a swift punch in the face as a casual reply. His piercing eyes were locked on the waking experiment. There was nothing that would make him miss even a heartbeat of Project Gospel's awakening.


It was stirring now. Leo, however, remained still. Nothing moving on him except the line of smoke floating up and away from the end of his cigarette. Even his breaths were still. He was waiting. As soon as Project Gospel woke, would it go into a frenzy? Or would it just play the fool? There was a high chance that it would be friendly... but alarms in Leo's head were consuming every inch of him. Even his very profound 'gut feeling' couldn't shake his disdain for the situation at hand. He was, after all, a very stubborn man.


"It seems...confused."


"I don't like the look of this."


Leo continued to remain silent, waiting for something else. Something. Anything. But what he received was nothing. Project Gospel seemed more like a confused and helpless boy than anything else. Leo didn't like it one bit.


"What's your name?" Leo finally called out. The murmurs from the others ceased so that they could listen. There was a long pause, and Leo decided to repeat himself. "I said... what is your name?" Could Project Gospel understand? Surely he could. But did he remember anything? Well... they would find out soon enough.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson's gaze moved towards the source of the voice, a man in his mid 30's. He moved his hand back to his side and met the man's gaze, searching the man's eyes for something...But he wasn't sure what he was looking for. After a moment, he gave up his search, but he did not break the man's gaze. There was no hostility in Jackson's eyes, but he was beginning to get a reading on his situation. He had woken up somewhere underground, judging by the lack of windows. The men around him, the ones with the guns, were afraid, but they seemed to respect the man who had spoken to him, based on the way they all quieted when he spoke.


How do I know this?





He parted his lips, his tongue moving, but he wasn't sure how he knew to move his tongue in order to replicate the noises the man had made. He also didn't know how he understood the male's question. He just knew.


"My....name?" He verified, thinking on that for a moment. A name....what was that again?


My name is Jackson.





Of course. His name was Jackson. But how did he know that? It just came to him. Why did it come to him? He could go in circles all day, but he wouldn't get anywhere.


"Jackson...." He mumbled, breaking the man's gaze to look around the room again. "..I think..."


His hand felt empty. There was supposed to be something there.


He thought about that. What was supposed to be in his hand?


Emperor.


That's right. He had a sword named Emperor. Where was it?


He lifted up his hand again, staring at it once more. He felt like it was nearby, and like he could summon it to him. How? He closed his eyes, imagining a curved sword in a black sheathe in his hands. When he opened his eyes, the sword was there. In his hand. How had it gotten there? Did he do that?


He held the sword with two hands, his fingers curling around the sheathe. He felt more relaxed now. Like he had regained a piece of himself.


The sword spoke to him, in some way. It didn't actually say anything, but he could hear it. It whispered to him, and he knew what it was saying, even though it wasn't actually making any noise. It was like it was speaking to him in his mind.


You've returned.





I have?


You have. I can see that you are confused now, but it will all come back in time, if you accomplish your goal.





My....Goal?


Yes. Don't you remember? I will assist you to accomplish your goal.





But....What is my goal? ...Who are you?


My name is Emperor. And you must find that out on your own. I can only help you accomplish your goal, but you must find out what your goal is in the first place on your own.





Why can't you just tell me?


Not all things are so simple, Jackson. Have patience. I must go to sleep now, but you may hold my body. Keep me safe; I am vulnerable when I sleep.





Wait! Sleep? What if I need you to wake up?





If you truly need me, you will know how to wake me. It will come to you. I must sleep now, for I cannot stay awake for long. Goodnight, Jackson.





Wait! I'm not ready!





It was no use. There was no response from the sword. The power that he had felt emanating from it before dwindled away, leaving only a fraction of the strength it previously had. He stared at the sword for moments longer, before his gaze lifted to survey the crowd again.

 

[sorrow made you]

Finally the boy spoke. The audience looked at one another. So he could understand. Test one was a pass. Leo shifted slightly to cross his arms over his chest. He continued to watch. Project Gospel… or rather… Jackson, was more interested in his whereabouts rather than the people asking for his name. He didn’t even have any questions in return. Was he going through shock? There were many possibilities for his mild reaction.


However… it all changed when Jackson extended his hand. What was he doing? The whole room shifted. Guns again went at the ready, waiting for the chance to peg down the experiment if he decided to go haywire. Someone gasped, warranting others to look in the direction of the sword. It trembled before it suddenly went from the case it was held in to Jackson’s hand. People jumped out of shock and fear. The circle around Jackson weakened as they backed up. Fingers were ready to pull the trigger.


“Wait.” Leo called, raising a hand, halting the group from unloading on the boy. Leo had noticed it. A small detail that could easily be missed. Yes, Jackson had summoned his weapon… but his movements were so calm, there didn’t seem to be any ill-intent. It was a gamble, letting Jackson sit there with his weapon in hand, but if he was truly the godsend that everyone hoped that he would be, then he wouldn’t attack.


He sat there, sword in hand. What was he doing? He sat unmoving for a couple minutes. Everyone in the room seemed to have been holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. Still nothing. Even when Jackson started to move again, he only looked at his sword, then around the room. What did he just do?


The faces around the room were mixed with fear and confusion. Just being able to automatically bring his weapon to him was enough to scare the group. Leo could feel it too. He felt far too uneasy. But being duty bound, all he could do was hold on tight to his bravado. With a long drag, he took a step forward. Slipping the cigarette from his lips, he tossed it to the ground and stepped on it while he made his way over to the examination table. Smoke barreled out of his nostrils and by the time he stood in front of Jackson, it was dispersed.


“Jackson.” He started with a flat tone. “I’m Leo.” He extended his hand to shake, wondering if the other male would understand. He would fully understand if Jackson didn’t know what to do and wouldn’t put that little mark against him. “Seeing as you didn’t instantly slice us up to bits, we’ve got some things to talk about.”

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson watched as the people around him expressed fear and confusion, uneasy tension filling the room. His gaze centered on the male as he began to step forward, approaching him while breathing out smoke. He tossed something to the ground, which he recognized as a cigarette. He thought. The man stepped on it before coming closer, until he stood directly in front of Jackson.


He heard the male speak his name, blankly watching as the male extended a hand towards him. At first, he expressed confusion, before he noticed the expectant way he just held his hand there and looked to his own hand. He unwrapped his fingers from around the sheath of his sword, holding the sword with only his other hand. He then placed his free hand in that of the man's before the man shook it and let go. A greeting of some sort?


He stated that he was Leo. He logged that name into his memory, as well as the greeting, thinking that it might be important later. The man began to speak again, and he listened, blinking once. Twice.


"My sword sleeps." He stated quietly, "If I wished to attack you with my blade, I must wake Her up." How did he know this? "It would be much more efficient to use other methods and let Her rest. She has earned Her sleep." Somehow, Jackson got the feeling that Emperor had been guarding his body during his sleep, ensuring his safety. "She has not deemed you a threat. I trust Her judgment." His voice was low, flat and had a slight British accent, a sign that the human he had been before he was experimented on was likely British or had spent a lot of time in Britain. He was calm, collected, and his words were direct, and to the point. He spoke nonchalantly, with no hostility in his tone.


As Emperor had promised, it was slowly coming back to him, but he remembered only what he needed to remember to respond to a situation. He remembered nothing of his goal. What was he meant to do?

 

[sorrow made you]

Jackson had hesitated. Maybe he didn’t know what the handshake meant. It made Leo wonder just how much of his humanity remained. But as the other male reached out and took his hand, he felt a small hint of satisfaction. No malice from the touch. He really did seem just like a boy. It was almost saddening. With his hand let go, Leo pulled it back and slipped his hands in his jacket pockets.


What Jackson said in response made Leo’s brow furrow. His sword… sleeps? How he spoke about that sword… made it seem like he thought it was alive. His eyes left Jackson and lingered on the sword. In a way, Leo could understand. But what Jackson was talking about far exceeded Leo’s own sentimental value to his dual ruger revolvers. His girls were important to him. Enough for him to joke about them having their own personalities… but how Jackson spoke about his sword made it seem like he took it on a whole different level.


“...Right…” Leo muttered and took a step back. If what the boy said was… well, true, then Jackson wouldn’t attack. “So now that we’ve established that we’re not a threat, I’d like to offer you a bit more information.”


The group behind Leo again shuffled uncomfortably. Leo was a gamble when it came to speaking. He never followed a script, and tended to say whatever the hell he wanted, when he wanted.


“Leo…” one of the men called out, taking a step forward.


“I’ve got it from here, Greg.”


The man stopped in his tracks, not liking where this was going already. “Leo, we should go back and discuss this…”


“I said I got it, Greg.” Leo glanced back over his shoulder, green hues landing on the uncomfortable man. Greg let out a sigh and motioned for the others to start filing out of the room.


“Don’t let him leave this room, Leo.” was all Greg responded with, before leaving the two on their own.


Leo waited till everyone was out, door was closed, and the footsteps faded away before letting his shoulders relax and let out a sigh. “Damn stressful.” He hissed under his breath as he rolled a stool from the corner of the room over to sit down. “Let’s talk.” He said, now directing back to Jackson. “How about this. I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of questions. We’ll have a back-and-forth Q and A session. I’ll ask a question, then you give an answer. Then you ask a question, and I’ll give an answer. Sound good?” He paused for a moment, waiting for the idea to sink in.


“Alright, first… do you remember anything besides your name?”

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson watched as Leo and another man, who Leo referred to as Greg, conversed shortly. Greg seemed uneasy but after a while, the others in the room began to leave, and Greg was the last one out. Jackson's gaze watched as the last of the group began to file out, before his gaze turned back to Leo, who brought a stool over and sat in it. His proposition seemed reasonable enough, and Jackson nodded to confirm that he was okay with the deal.


His first question was rather basic. "I do not remember any events, and I remember very little information about myself or my surroundings. Emperor has assured me that I will remember in time, and Her words have been proven true so far. I seem to remember little things as they are needed, such as how to speak, and summon Her. Speaking to Her seems to be different from speaking to you, in some way. Speaking to Her feels more natural; easier to do." He decided to himself that if he was going to answer his questions, he would answer them thoroughly. How else could he expect thorough answers to his own questions?


"Your organization seems to have some awareness of the fact that I am not human. How is this so? You do not appear to be government officials, nor military officers or scientists. You shouldn't be aware of my existence." Again, this was something he remembered as it was needed. Civilians were not aware of the existence of the experiments. Or, that is, how it was meant to be.


Jackson waited for a response, shifting his hands so that they both clasped the sheath of his sword. He could sense Her vulnerability, Her weakness in this state. Right now, she could be easily broken, and he sensed that he must protect Her while she was like this. His gaze suddenly moved from Leo to the sword as he heard Her speak again.


I am awake. I should be able to stay with you for another few hours or so; I feel uneasy leaving you alone with these people. I sense no ill will towards you, but they fear you. Fear can quickly turn humans hostile.





You weren't asleep for long.


I do not require much sleep. I am not fully rested, but I am rested enough. I will sleep again once I am certain you are safe.





Very well. This man and I are exchanging information. We've just started, so you haven't missed much.





Remember, I may have entrusted you to them, but only because I know you are strong enough to defeat them if they turn on us. Even without my power, you have many strengths.





I understand. I will be careful.


Please do. If you die, I will die as well.





He is not powerful enough to defeat me on his own. Granted, he seems to be strong, but he understands the differences in our power.





The strength of humans lies in their numbers and perseverance. Do not underestimate their race.





I see. I will keep that in mind.


Alright. I believe you were in the middle of a conversation; you should return to it. I will aid you if you need help answering his questions. Tell him that he may ask me questions, as well, but that I will ask my own in return.





Alright.





Jackson's attention against switched back to Leo, and he spoke quietly, "She is awake. She has offered to aid me in answering your questions, and would like me to tell you that you may ask her questions, as well, but that you should expect to be asked questions by her, as well." His gaze again moved to his sword as she spoke again.


He may not believe of my existence. Humans often do not believe what they cannot see with their eyes. If he needs proof, I will reveal myself, but it takes a lot of energy for me to take physical form. I'd prefer to avoid it if possible.





I understand.





Jackson again looked back to Leo. This time, he did not translate Her words, waiting for Leo to speak first.

 

[sorrow made you]

Ahh, what a waste of a question. Or… maybe not. Just because he couldn’t recollect anything didn’t mean that it was useless information. Jackson could easily draw back his memories the longer he’s awake. Again, Jackson mentioned this Emperor. He really did believe it was a real living thing, didn’t he? Maybe it was a weird side effect or something.


Jackson’s question was slightly amusing. Leo couldn’t help but scoff slightly when Jackson mentioned that only government and military were supposed to know about him. “Kid, we’ve got a lot to catch you up on.” He started and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he searched his jacket’s breast pocket for his cigarette pack and lighter.


“Little over five years ago now, a bunch of experiments escaped the military’s grasp and went solo.” He began to explain, now pulling the carton from his pocket and pulling out a fresh cigarette. “A ton of them. Thousands or so from what I know.” He slipped the cig between his lips as he fished in a different pocket for his lighter. “Military and government had no way of stopping them and so… they just kind of…” He pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette. “Took over the world.”


He paused to see Jackson’s reaction before continuing. “They went after anyone and anything with no discretion. Men, women, children, abled, disabled, friends and enemies all fell to the same horrible deaths with no way to stop them. It was only a couple years ago did we find one way, through excavation, to stop them.” Leo leaned back and pulled on a thin chain around his neck, lifting up his necklace. Dangling from the chain was two different wedding bands and a cross. “Crosses can repel them. And, well, seeing that you aren’t halfway across the room by now, I can tell you’re not affected by it. Heh. Project Gospel.”


Leo slipped the necklace back into his shirt and continued to answer Jackson’s question. “Topside is nearly unsurvivable now. With those things running around, it’s difficult to maintain our resources. We constantly send teams to sinkholed areas to look for resources. That’s when me and a few others found information about the final experiment. You. We looked for you, in hopes that, well, you’d help us or some shit like that.” The more Leo went on, the more bitter he sounded. Obviously he wasn’t fond of the idea that he was now sitting in front of an experiment that came from the same cloth as those monsters up above.


While Leo had been talking, Jackson went back to looking at his sword. Leo fell silent and watched, again brow furrowing. Really? There was a few minutes of silence as Jackson stared at his sword. Leo wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. But then Jackson looked up again and said the most bizarre thing.


The… sword wanted to ask questions?


Leo simply gave a flat stare. This was a joke, right? “A sword… wants to ask me questions…” His tone was skeptic, almost sarcastic. “A sword. Look, kid. Swords don’t talk. You’ve probably got a few screws loose from being asleep for so long…” He tapped his own head for emphasis. Really, this was laughable. But, Leo wasn’t in a laughing mood. He wanted to get this over with.


“I’ll amuse you. Prove to me this sword can talk and then I’ll believe you.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson's eyes widened slightly at the beginning of Leo's explanation, clearly shocked by the news. And yet, he recovered quickly, processing the information faster than you'd expect with that kind of news. He listened intently to the rest of the explanation, well aware of the seriousness of the news. He stored the information in his mind, making sure to remember every detail. This would be important in the future.


He didn't speak, waiting for Leo to explain all he had to say. He was interrupted by Emperor and his conversation with Her, and as she had predicted, he doubted Her existence.


It seems I'll have to show him. Unsheathe the sword partially; I cannot leave while the sheathe seals me inside.


Jackson did as he was told, moving one hand to the hilt of the blade and the other to the center of the sheathe. He slowly began to pull the blade out of the sheathe, and the moment that the sheathe began to move away from the blade, a strong force seemed to emanate from the blade that even Leo was sure to feel. It was almost like you could tell it was powerful just by the way the air seemed to grow still and the room grew tense in seconds. Jackson stopped once about six inches of the blade was visible, letting the sheathe continue to cover the rest of the blade.


Black bubbles began to seep up from the blade, boiling on the surface of the steel. The steel was unaffected, but a black smoke-like substance began to rise from the sword, forming into a small cloud. It was like smoke, and yet it was pitch black in color, and the particles were looser, making it easier to see through. It also had no effect on one's lungs or breathing, and it seemed to move on it's own, not affected by the air currents in the room.


"Jackson." The voice seemed to come from everywhere and no where at once, and the small cloud of smoke stopped growing, and the boiling from the sword stopped. Jackson didn't feel surprised in the slightest, and even though he didn't remember it, he felt like he had seen this happen before. He had almost expected it.


The voice that spoke was clearly feminine, and yet it was commanding, but in a gentle way. It spoke as if it had a superiority of sorts, but it also clearly had some sort of respect for Jackson, and some affection, as well. "I must borrow some energy. I will not take much; just enough to sustain myself for a few minutes. Open yourself up to me." Jackson nodded with little hesitation, and the pitch black smoke began to swarm around Jackson, growing larger as it circled around him more, it's speed increasing the larger it grew. Jackson's entire body relaxed, and every muscle in him seemed to be openly accepting the smoke. If you looked closely, you could see that the smoke was entering Jackson's body through his nostrils, and then twice as much exited through the pores of his skin. After seconds of this, the smoke stopped entering through Jackson's nose, and the rest began to flood out of Jackson's pores. The smoke then moved to the side of Jackson's head, and Jackson's guard raised once more as the smoke fled his body, his gaze resting firmly on Leo to see his reaction.


The smoke cloud had grown significantly larger, but it slowly shrunk with every moment that went by. It seemed that it's physical form was very limited. "I can not sustain this form long; I will eventually have to return to my host in this sword." A portion of the smoke moved towards the sword that Jackson still held, almost as if it was gesturing towards it, before the smoke returned to the main cloud. Jackson had hardly even noticed she had taken any of his energy, an indication of just how little she had taken.


"I will make this explanation brief. In all technicality, I am not a sword. I am not a being that can be classified by human words. I am the only one of my kind, as far as I am aware. I cannot survive without an extremely powerful host. This host must have the same basic anatomy and structure as a human being, but any human being I would attempt to use as a host would become overburdened by my power and quickly die. Even Jackson cannot sustain my power alone; he must use this sword as a seal in order to limit my powers. Only an extremely powerful host can maintain the seal. In other words, he is the only one I can use as a host. Without him, I am lost. And without me, he is lost, for I also control his powers, working as a limiter so he does not lose control of himself and succumb to the strength of his own abilities. We are connected, and we work as one." The voice spoke from every corner of the room, echoing off the walls. The smoke was shrinking, and had gotten significantly smaller.


"My time is up. Jackson, I have drained my energy. I must sleep again. I will wake in a few more minutes; I am still weak from guarding you for so many years. Answers will come, I promise, but you must be patient." Jackson nodded, and the remainder of the smoke began to flood back to the sword, slipping in the crack between the blade and the sheathe. As the last of the smoke entered, Jackson instinctively closed the sheathe again, and the powerful aura that had been in the room disappeared, and the air around them began to move again.


"Is that sufficient enough evidence?" Jackson asked, his gaze meeting that of Leo's.

 

[sorrow made you]

Leo didn’t know what to expect when Jackson placed his hands on his sword again. He started to unsheath it, and Leo instantly scooted a bit further away, sitting up straight, and readying his hands to reach into his jacket where he had his twin revolvers securely holstered to his chest. But again, Jackson didn’t attack. Not physically at least.


Sharp eyes caught the change in consistency on the blade. Black swirling smoke. A texture that he couldn’t really describe raising up. And that ominous voice. Chills ran down Leo’s spine. Where had it come from? And who was it? He took a quick glance around. They were still alone.


Borrow energy… what the…?


It was so surreal. Leo didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath until his heart started to pound. The way Jackson looked at him was almost terrifying. The smoke that filled and left the boy… words couldn’t describe what kind of feelings Leo was going through. He was just, for lack of better words, stunned.


The smoke cloud figure stood before Leo, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He was deathly silent. Never before had he seen such a thing. For all he knew, none of this wasn’t even possible unless it was some kind of parlor trick! His silence remained as Emperor began her quick explanation.


So to get things straight...Emperor was a sword, but she wasn’t a sword. She could only be used by Jackson, and in turn, Jackson could only use her. They had some kind of symbiotic relationship in that sense. They both were extremely powerful and both limit each other’s power for, well, for the better.


“...And here I thought I’ve seen everything.” Leo mumbled finally once Emperor was back in her blade and sleeping. “Guess I’m wrong.”


Silence fell in the room again as Leo let it all sink in. It was hard to believe. Did he really just see and hear all of that? Could that even really be viable proof? …. Someone tranqed him, didn’t they? He didn’t answer Jackson’s question. He didn’t need to. Leo simply took a deep breath in, and realized the cigarette was no longer between his lips. At some point during the whole thing, it had fallen to the ground. With a grumble, he moved his foot to step it out.


“So I’ve got one last question. Not sure if you can answer it, with your foggy memory and all…” He looked directly at Jackson, studying him just as intently as when he woke from the examination table. “What is Project Gospel really?”


Eventually his gaze left Jackson and he slowly stood up. He doubted he would get any kind of answer he would want to hear. “Seeing as your sword doesn’t think we’re so much of a threat and you’re not gonna make advances to kill us… I’ll be finding somewhere for you to live. I’ll be damned if you’re staying with me.” He hissed under his breath at the end. Going to the door, he motioned for Jackson to follow. Screw Greg. Leo never listened to him anyways.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson watched as Leo seemed to be stunned by Emperor's true form, only speaking once she was resting inside the blade again. He asked a question, and, as Leo seemed to have suspected, he couldn't answer it. "I am not entirely sure what you mean. I'm afraid I can't answer." He told Leo, and Leo stood, beginning to walk towards the door.


Jackson stood up, his bare feet making silent footsteps against the floor. Strange. There was no sound, and upon closer examination, he was treading lightly, almost as if it was a habit. His feet barely touched the floor at all before he lifted them up again.


He walked towards Leo, stopping beside him. He followed, but his words expressed doubt. "Are you certain that should be our first priority? If the situation above ground is as bad as you say, I believe clearing the area in order to gain better access to supplies and strengthening the base should be our first priority. As we do that, we should gather as much information as we can on the weaknesses of the other experiments, as well as their strengths, and how they have organized any form of society among their ranks, if at all." Again, he found himself questioning how he knew this.


Jackson also found himself itching to test his abilities. Now that he was reunited with Emperor, he wanted to know what they could do together, as well as what he could do alone. He knew Emperor had to rest, but he felt like he had things he could do without relying on Her.


He hoped that his eagerness to test himself did not show, but it likely did. He knew he was powerful, but just how powerful was he? He wanted to push himself to his limits, and the only way to do that was if he could be given a space where he could train himself without worrying about the safety of those around him, or damaging the structure that he was in. He had to be above ground to do this.


Still, he kept to himself, for while he was aware that if he wished, he could likely dominate this base easily, he also felt as if it was a better course of action to attempt to gain the trust of those around him, and build upon that trust so that he could reap the benefits of having an ally.


It seemed, however, that the trust of these people would be hard to earn.

 

[sorrow made you]

Ahh, of course he didn’t know what Leo meant. And at that point, Leo didn’t feel like explaining. It would be a conversation for another time. For now.. To sneak Jackson out to get somewhere less… hostile. He didn’t even hear the boy get up, let alone walk beside him. Leo instinctively blinked, slightly surprised that Jackson was now there. That would be something he would have to look out for.


“See, that’s what a weapon would say.” Leo grumbled and pushed open the door. He peeked his head out first, then opened the door for him to go through, holding it so Jackson could follow. “But remember, you just woke up. Unless your body doesn’t work like anything else in the world, you’ve gotta rev up. Can’t go zero to one hundred in a second.”


He paused and leaned forward, looking down the hall to see if he could see anyone else. They were probably guarding the known entrances to the area. “We’ve been excavating this area for a week now. We’ll get our supplies soon enough, now that you’re here. But my top priority, unfortunately, is to play babysitter to you.” That included seeing how Jackson would react in any kind of situation. Including social ones.


“Besides…” Leo started to walk again, quieting his tone as he went along down the hall. He made the sign for Jackson to quiet down as well.


“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. We’ve spent almost five years trying to figure all that out. We’ve got a little bit, but… seeing as they look so human, they can blend right in. Don’t rush it, kid. You’ll get your chance to prove your worth soon enough.” Leo sure did hope Jackson could prove his worth. If Leo was right on this… and all of this was one big mistake, none of them would hear the end of the hell Leo would raise up.


Leo kept onward, sneaking through halls, turning this way and that and waiting at corners to listen for sounds. It was strange. The halls were far too empty than they should have been. The closer they got to the entrance, the more Leo understood why.


Cries of fear and gunshots.


The monsters found them.


“Dammit.” Leo hissed and reached into his jacket to pull out one of his silver revolvers. “Scratch my idea, then.” He grumbled, obviously not happy. “Looks like you get to gung-ho anyways.” He looked back to Jackson, looking him over. “You think you can handle it, Sleeping Beauty?”

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson's eyes grew sharp, focused. Every muscle in his body prepared for battle, and he hardly heard Leo's question. Either way, it was clear. He was more ready than anything in the world. His fingers curled around Emperor's sword. She was weak right now; not fit for battle. He was on his own.


Somehow, the idea didn't intimidate him at all.


Instead, it was like every emotion he had was shut off, and all that was left was a strong desire to destroy his target.


He pressed himself against the wall, assessing the situation. He could sense the presence of the other experiments around them, almost as if he was looking at a radar map. "I sense three....no, four." He mumbled, his words quiet and yet confident. "Two B-34 types near the stairs, accompanying an A-12. There's an A-2 by the exit." Whatever system of classification he was using, it was unlike that of anything Survivor's Faith had ever used. Knowledge about what these numbers and letters meant flooded into his brain, telling him exactly how to deal with the situation.


There are three classifications of experiments: A, B, and C. There are 52 A experiments, and 48 B experiments. There are only 3 C experiments, and he is one of them. The A experiments were the earlier experiments that the government had made, and were significantly weaker than B experiments. They often had less noticeable weaknesses, but once you knew their weakness, they were unguarded and lacked a lot of defense. After a scientific breakthrough, B experiments began to be made. B experiments were mass-produced more widely than the A experiments and were stronger, more resilient. They often had more noticeable weaknesses than A experiments, but these weaknesses were guarded so well that it was nearly impossible to take advantage of them. C experiments, however, were on a completely different level.


The C experiments were never mass produced; there is only one of each of them. Jackson was the C-3, the last C experiment. They were created after the discovery of how to create creatures such as Emperor. The first two C experiments were initially successful, but when put into a state of slumber, they were accidentally killed. Jackson was the only C experiment left.


Of course, only Jackson could know this information. He wasn't sure how he knew it; he just knew.


There was an unusually large amount of experiments considering that they were on a hunting mission for so few humans. Were they aware that he had awoken, and come to take him down? No, if that had been the case, they wouldn't have sent an A-2. It's too weak to be of any use. Then again, they could be using it as a decoy, attempting to make Jackson take out the weakest of the group in an attempt to get it out of the way so the others could charge in while he was doing that. It seemed liable, especially considering that it was positioned separately from the other three.


He turned to Leo. "The one by the exit is likely being used as a decoy; ignore it until we've successfully eliminated the ones by the staircase. What are the bullets in that gun made of?" He asked. It seemed like a strange question, but it was important. B-34s were susceptible to silver, and having silver bullets could be helpful, supposing they could get a bullet to hit them. They were fast and had an extremely good defense. They guarded themselves by turning their skin into a nearly invincible substance, making it impossible to break through their armor. If you could get a shot somewhere where they had no skin to protect them, however, such as through the mouth, or directly in the eyes, any bullet made of anything other than silver would be stopped as they had an acid covering the entire inner portions of their body that could nearly instantaneously destroy anything...except silver. Silver was the one thing that the scientists couldn't get the acid to destroy.


"An A-12 and an A-2 aren't too much of a threat on their own, but we must eliminate both B-34s simultaneously in order to pull this off. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if Emperor wasn't so weak right now, but she needs to recover. How confident are you that you can hit a moving target directly in the eye?"

 

[sorrow made you]

It seemed Jackson really was ready to take on the experiments outside. Whether Leo was excited about that or not, he wasn’t too sure. He remained against the wall, waiting on a response from Project Gospel. But when Jackson started to spew some kind of unit code, Leo just gave him a bizarre look. What the hell was he talking about? All Leo understood was that there were four of them out there. They were all along the stairs and the exit. Whatever those numbers meant, Leo could only assume were types or strength levels. Something of the sort.


He didn’t know what to say that wasn’t some kind of unnecessary sarcastic remark, so he simply didn’t say anything. Jackson turned to him, and Leo narrowed his eyes. “Decoy, huh?” He echoed, thinking the situation over by the layout Jackson had painted a mental image of. He knew these things were smart. They'd been human once, right? And if they could blend so easily into the human population, there was no doubt they would be laying traps for them. So ignore the one and go after the two. Got it. Being asked what his bullets were made of, Leo smirked slightly. “Silver. We found out real quick silver is a weakness.”


Jackson continued explaining the situation, and Leo nodded. “Kid, I always hit my mark.” Marksmanship was one of Leo’s greatest strengths that he greatly prided himself in. None seemed to match his precision. “You just tell me which one to shoot.” A-whatevers and B-whatevers, he didn’t know what the difference between them were. It was definitely a question to ask Jackson later on when they and Leo’s allies weren’t under attack. It would definitely give some kind of advantage to the remaining human race.

 

[HowlingWoods]

"Good." Was Jackson's only reply to Leo's remark. His gaze scanned the objects around them for something useful. He found a section of rope in a wooden crate against the wall, and a crowbar. He picked up the crowbar. In and of itself, the weapon would be useless against the experiments. And yet, Jackson found that he could use it to his advantage never the less.


He picked up the rope, as well, glancing at the two items and thinking. The crowbar was rusty, with blue paint that was chipping off to show unpolished iron. The rope was at least twenty feet, tan in color and frayed at the ends. It wasn't very durable and was in bad shape. His eyes lit up with an idea.


Jackson knew what he had to do.


Jackson explained quickly, "The experiments seem to be waiting for us to make the first move. They won't wait forever, though; we need to make this quick."


He set the rope aside, holding the crowbar with two hands. He had to infuse his energy into the crowbar through his fingers.


The crowbar suddenly began to go back in time. The paint that had peeled away began to reappear, and the rust began to fade. He was repairing it by sending it to a state before now. And yet, Jackson seemed to be incredibly focused, as if doing this took a lot of energy. He stopped once the crowbar was in full repair, taking a moment to assess the situation again, making sure the experiments hadn't gotten any closer. He couldn't do both at the same time.


The experiments hadn't moved. Now came the hard part.


He placed one hand at each end of the crowbar and smashed the crowbar between his hands. And yet, it didn't seem like he just had incredible strength. It seemed more like he had changed the molecular density of the iron in the crowbar, making it into a gooey liquid. He began to shape it into something else, like playdough. The iron was completely submissive to his touch, changing at his will. He was incredibly focused, his gaze not leaving the iron for even a millisecond. He was forming the iron into a narrow string, stretching a little over twenty feet long. When he was done, he breathed out a sigh of relief, clearly exhausted. He couldn't work with rusty metal, thus why he had to repair it. He leaned against the wall, taking in two deep breaths before his gaze moved to Leo and he finally began to explain.


"A-12s are fast, and hitting them with a bullet is nearly impossible, no matter who you are, unless you can slow them down. This rope won't hold them for long, but it's long enough to get a bullet in them. The problem is getting the rope around the A-12 in the first place." He held up the iron string he had just made, and it flopped around in much the same way as a normal piece of string. "If I put this in the center of the rope, I can control the string's movements, and thus the rope will follow it. With more versatile control over the rope, it will be easier to restrain the A-12, as long as I can catch it off-guard. You use two guns, yes? Once everything is ready, timing will be everything. I will require you to make a distraction; you'll need to trust me. Facing them head-on is important. You'll need to make sure they see you. If you can shoot the two B-34s in the eye at the same time, I can restrain the A-12 just long enough for you to land the third bullet on them. Aim for the heart, if you can, but if you can't, shoot at any vital organ you can get a read on. The B-34s will not die immediately, but they will be incapacitated for a period of time. The A-2 will likely sense that the others have fallen, and either run, realizing that they cannot face the enemy alone, and bring backup, or charge us. Should they charge us, I will handle it. I seriously doubt they will, but if they do, it will take time for them to reach our location. They aren't as fast as the A-12 and B-34s. That should be enough time to take out the A-12 and incapacitate the B-34's. Once the B-34s are incapacitated and the A-12 is confirmed dead, we need to shoot the B-34's through the eye again before they can recover. Two bullets should be enough silver to kill them. If not, shoot again until they are dead."


"The A-2 is more likely to attempt to escape and bring back-up to this location. If they succeed in escaping, we will need to leave as soon as possible. Ideally, we will be able to follow them and eliminate them before they can make contact with any other experiments. We should still be prepared to leave when we can, just in case we are unable to follow them." Jackson picked up the rope, holding it along with the iron string. "If anything goes wrong, we meet up in front of the room we just came out of. We need to account for the possibility that things will not go to plan." As he finished speaking, Jackson's full attention shifted to the rope and the string as he began to infuse the string into the rope, somehow entwining it into the rope's own threads. When he was finished, he again checked his surroundings. No movement from the experiments.


Good.

 

[sorrow made you]

Leo couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The comment settled on deaf ears as Leo watched Jackson completely change the state of the iron crowbar and manipulate it like some kind of metallic goo. He shouldn’t have been able to do that. Logic by every sense of the word dictated that he shouldn’t be able to do that. Yet, there he was, making thin wire out of a crowbar. That in itself blew Leo’s mind. But now was not the time to sit there stupefied over yet again something that couldn’t be explained.


A quick glance over to the hall made Leo jump back into gear.


So the A-12’s were the little ones. The quick ones that seemed to disorientate and rally people up to funnel them to the bigger ones. Or at least, that’s what he could remember from dozens of stories and a first hand encounter. So, the plan was to restrain it and catch it off guard. Great. Sounds good. Second part was to make a distraction. Great. Sounds good. Make sure they see him. Great. Sounds good--wait a minute! No! Doesn’t sound good!


Leo gave Jackson a flat stare. “You want me to be a decoy.” He said bluntly, obviously not happy with that idea in the least. And here he thought Project Gospel was there to actually help them, not tie them to the stake for the other little cretins to come and devour for brunch. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”


But as Jackson continued on describing the plan, Leo glanced away. “You’re not kidding me.” He muttered under his breath and let out a huff. Really, it seemed like there was no other option. If either of them screwed up, they would be dead. Or rather, Leo would be dead. If he did die, he would sure as hell haunt Jackson beyond the grave. With a dissatisfied growl, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his second gun. “Yeah, yeah.”


As Jackson continued on about the possibility of failure, Leo mumbled something to his guns and kissed each barrel before looking back with a very very annoyed expression. “You better be goddamn right. You’re lucky I’ve got some friends that owe me out there that need saving right about now.”


The rope was infused with the metal string and Leo checked his revolvers. Six shots each chamber, and he had reloads prepared in his waist pack. He was hoping that if everything went as planned, twelve shots would be more than plenty.


“Shoot the B-34’s in the eyes, shoot the A-12 in the chest, shoot the B-34’s in the eyes again, mow down the A-2. Am I right?” Bobbing his head slightly, he pushed off of the wall and held both guns up shoulder height. “Then let’s get the ball rolling.” He was ready to act as soon as Jackson was.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson glanced at Leo when he asked if he was to be a decoy. He responded, deadpan, "If it makes you feel any better, I've died before. The experiments require dead subjects in order to eliminate the need for nutrients and rest. So you won't be alone." Again, he was uncertain how he knew that, but it didn't matter. A little humor kept spirits up on the battlefield... Or so he believed.


He dropped the rope to the ground, and it began to move like a snake towards the corner. It stopped before it went around the corner. "I'm ready when you are." He said, waiting for Leo to begin the operation.

 

[sorrow made you]

“No, it doesn’t make me feel any better.” Leo grumbled. How the hell was that supposed to make him feel better?! Was he proposing to turn the gunslinger into one of those things too? Of course not.


Hearing Jackson was ready, Leo nodded and took a quick breath before stepping forward, turning on his heel and facing the open hallway. “Show time.” He said almost nonchalantly as he stepped forward, then sped into a run. The gun in his right hand was up and aimed, ready to protect himself if need be.


It didn’t take more than a few seconds to see the first target. The A-12 was right there, gripping onto a lifeless body of one of his comrades. One of the people that had been in the room when Jackson woke. Leo didn’t even bat an eye at the sight. Instead, his focus deviated from the humanoid beast before him to the pair that were slightly farther behind it. Bringing his left hand (gun still in grasp) up to his lips, he made a loud whistling noise that filled the hall.


“Ey!” He called, lowering his hand from his mouth and outstretched it to the side of him. “So the Three Stooges decided to come to the party. Looks like I’m all outta party favors. But how would some new pretty littles holes in your jack-ugly faces do, hm?” He gave a cocky laugh and tilted his head arrogantly. “What’re ya waitin’ for, uh? Line up, boys.” There. How was that for a distraction?

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson frowned as he heard Leo's words, controlling the rope from his position around the corner. There was no point in anything he had said after the word 'Ey'. Riling the experiments up was impossible; they had no human emotions. Jackson was the first experiment to not have their emotions removed, although his emotions had been dulled so that they wouldn't prevent him from accomplishing his task. If anything, Leo's words only made it obvious that they were attempting to distract the experiments. Although, it wouldn't matter if they noticed, because he only needed a split second to act.


The rope began to coil up the leg of the A-12, working to restrain both of it's legs. Before the A-12 could act, the rope was coiled around both of his legs, and it was unable to move. Knowing it's situation, it didn't attempt to walk, knowing that if it did it would only fall to the ground. Instead, it immediately began using its hands to unfasten the rope around its legs, it's hands becoming a blur of movement as they worked. It was fast. Hyperfast. Leo would only have a moment to shoot all three targets, while the A-2 was beginning to flee, hearing the commotion. Jackson had to put all his focus into controlling the rope in order to keep the A-12 restrained, and couldn't act in order to follow the A-2 until the other three were dead.

 

[sorrow made you]

Maybe it was Leo’s sardonic disposition on the matter of being a decoy, or he really just didn’t care. But the experiments didn’t seem to pay him much mind at first. Regardless, it made Leo feel somewhat better, at least. With a huff he bent his right arm so that his gun was facing toward the ceiling. “No? Fine then.” In a swift movement, he brought the gun back to aim and began stepping forward.


The rope snaked it’s way around experiment A-12. Instantly he began to struggle. Leo knew this was his opportune moment. In a flash, his left hand came up, aimed, and shot both guns simultaneously. The two bullets whizzed passed the ensnared experiment, lodging themselves in the eyes of the two B-34’s. Both of them paused, clawing at their eyes as the silver made contact with their weak point. Leo didn’t hesitate in moving just a couple centimeters and shooting again before the echo of the first shots could deafen out.


Three shots hit their marks. They staggered, and Leo continued to advance. “Don’t make me haunt you, kid.” he called, not caring if the experiments ahead of him heard. He shot the A-12 again in the chest to make sure it was down. By then, the B-34’s were moving again. There was a flicker in Leo’s eye just before the two got face full of silver. Again, simultaneous shots were given. Three shots each were enough to make sure they were down.


In total, all twelve bullets were used. Leo was forced to pause and quickly reload. From his hip pouch, he pulled out a loading mechanism and jammed it into the empty chamber, allowing a quicker reload time. The mechanism was shoved back into his pouch, and Leo prepared for another shot.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jackson breathed out a sigh of relief as he was able to release his control of the rope, and it fell limp, the iron thread unraveling itself from the rope on its own and falling beside it, but the thread did not convert back to a crowbar. That state was permanent.


The A-2 was growing further away and had retreated through the exit into the woods. Jackson immediately began to pursue it, stepping out of the corner. "The A-2 is leaving. Check for survivors and then follow me." He called over to Leo, moving at a pace just above that of the A-2 in order to prevent using more energy than he needed to. He was already tired as it was from his fiddling with the crowbar.


Soon, Jackson left Leo's sight, turning the corner and barreling out the exit door. He moved up into the trees, knowing that having a height advantage would help him restrain the A-2 when he approached her. He moved just as swiftly in the treetops as he did on the ground, and he didn't need to go very far before the A-2 came in sight. It took the appearance of a 10-year-old girl, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Jackson was unaffected by the appearance of the experiment; he was certain she was not human any longer. He knew because he could sense it. He knew who was an experiment and who wasn't. She was definitely an experiment.


He approached her from the branches, leaping down in perfect timing with her movements, landing directly behind her. In seconds, he grabbed her shoulder and her arm, forcing her arm out and slamming her to the ground with his force on her shoulder, causing her to gasp from the impact. He held her arm behind her back in an armlock, prepared to break it. A-2's weakness was their tolerance for pain. Putting them through enough pain eventually caused their minds to shut down and they would die. Without a weapon, the best way to put an A-2 through a lot of pain was to break enough bones. Four or five should be enough.


Immediately, A-2 resorted to tears. It knew that manipulating Jackson's heart was impossible, as while some of his emotions had been switched on, other, such as pity and regret, had been left off. If it was trying to manipulate someone's emotions, it would be that of Leo, for when he arrived. The A-2 thrashed in his grip, screaming, "Let me go! Who are you? What are you doing!?" Of course, it wouldn't start claiming she was human just yet, but Jackson knew it was coming. Only when she was told that she was suspected of being an experiment would it claim to be human, otherwise, what reason would she supposedly have for thinking she needed to convince them she was human? She was crafty, and Jackson knew that if Leo came, this would almost certainly spiral downward.


(I can't really describe how Jackson is holding A-2's arm very well, so just imagine the way Hanzo held Gon's arm during their fight at the Hunter Exam in Hunter x Hunter. If you don't know what that looks like, below is a link for reference. Time period 11:34 to 11:37. Sorry, I couldn't find a very good picture. ^.^)


Hanzo Vs Gon (Final Exam) 1

 

[sorrow made you]

Leo had done his end of the plan. He hoped that Jackson would keep up his end. Seeing as it was going swimmingly so far, Leo felt somewhat more confident that they would make it out alive. He hadn’t seen the A-2, and didn’t know where it was running. Fortunately, Jackson came barreling from the corner and gave him some direction. He nodded and dashed off to find the rest of his people.


Hearing the silence after the commotion, some of the group poked their heads out, guns at the ready just in case there was an ambush. “Derrek! Greg!” Leo called, trotting now with both guns still in hand. Upon hearing his name, Greg appeared from one of the halls.


“Leo, what happened?”


“They’re dead, one’s being chased down. We’ve gotta find the others and get out of here. Fast. Come on.”


There wasn’t time for Leo to explain. Greg understood this, and nodded. He went back the way he came and called for the rest to come out. The two started to search the building, collecting everyone they could find. Fortunately, casualties were the lowest they’ve seen in a while, with only two deaths in total. It was a relief, and Leo couldn’t help but to feel somewhat satisfied with the result. But the battle wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.


“We’ve gotta find Jackson.” Leo called, looking back to three individuals that walked closely with him. Two men, Derrek and Greg, and a woman, Sophia.


“Wait,” Sophia blurted. “He ran off on his own? Leo!”


“Look, he’s the reason we’re not wall paint right now. He’s tracking down the last one that ran off. We’ve gotta hurry.”


It didn’t take long for the group to get a move on. Firearms still at the ready, they moved strategically. They couldn’t afford a potential ambush. The further the group traveled with no sign of Project Gospel, the more weary they felt. What if this was all a trick? Maybe Leo was right about waking him up.


But then… they could hear a little girl’s crying. Screaming.


“Take cover.” Greg told the group, whom instantly started to fade into the treeline, picking different trees to stick close to. The quartet though, decided to advance. Not too far ahead, they saw Jackson’s form pinning something on the ground. Leo’s stomach turned as he saw a crying little girl under the supposed ally. This couldn’t be the A-2 he had chased after. It had to have been some kind of mistake.


Leo slowly made his way forward, pulling back the hammers on both guns. Derrek and Greg followed pursuit, while Sophia remained frozen in place. She didn’t know what to think, having lost her own child to these monsters. Leo didn’t know what to say. War wasn’t pretty. This kind of thing happened all the time in war. Women and children being used as weapons. But it was rare to see or even hear about a child among the experiments. This… this had to have been a mistake.


“Jackson.” Leo said in a low, yet threatening tone. “It’s a child.” He had both guns aimed, trained on the both of them on the ground. And sudden movements, and maybe one or both of them would have the same fate as those experiments in the laboratory halls.

 

[HowlingWoods]

This was bad.



Leo had arrived, and following him were two men, and standing a distance away was a woman frozen in shock. Any trust that Leo may have had in Jackson disappeared in an instant, and he stood, pointing his twin pistols at the pair on the ground. The A-2 played her part perfectly, freezing up at the sight of the gun, tears streaming down her face. Jackson was still, well aware that any moves he made would be closely watched by Leo and the others. 



Jackson's only movement was that of his eyes, instinctively scanning his surroundings for a way out and processing the possible outcomes of this situation. His had several options, but none of them were optimal. He was fast enough that he could dodge one or two bullets with ease, although after seeing Leo's marksmanship first-hand he doubted he could dodge from this distance without at least being grazed. Besides that, he was exhausted already. He knew he was supposed to have more stamina than this; it must be because he was still incomplete. Even if he managed to dodge one or two, he'd be so exhausted that he wouldn't be able to dodge the next. 



Also, he still saw Leo and the group behind him as valuable allies. Preferably, this could be solved without conflict. He doubted the possibilities of that, though. He knew that if he freed the A-2, she would take the first chance she got to either strike or escape, most likely the former as she knows her previous attempt at escape was not successful and would need to prevent them from following her before trying to escape. In other words, she would try to injure one of them so that they could not walk, and try to escape. Whether he gave in to Leo's demands or not, it would not turn out well.



He was cornered.



His best chance would be to try to convince Leo that he still wasn't a threat, something he sensed he was not good at. Persuasion was not his forte. Still, he had to try. It was either that, or die by the hands of either Leo or the A-2. While it took him less than a second to process all this information, Jackson knew Leo wouldn't wait for very long. His gaze met Leo's, his eyes void of all emotion but that of a fierce dedication to his task. He held the frozen A-2 in place as she shook in a rather convincing display of fear, but he did not move an inch. He hardly even twitched, his eyes solely focused on Leo. His focus was almost frightening.



"It's not human." He stated boldly, facing the gun head-on. He was not afraid of dying. That much was clear. However, he imagined it wouldn't be optimal if he died and failed to complete his task. The A-2's gaze moved ever-so-slowly to Jackson, still acting as if she was in shock. Her words stumbled out of her mouth, quiet and filled with fear.



"I-I....I am.....H-Human...." She swore, before repeating, more bravely, "I am human!" She insisted, still acting as if her body was frozen from fear.



Jackson ignored A-2's pleas, his focus still undividedly on Leo. His stare wasn't threatening, but attentive and bold. He was letting Leo know that he didn't intend to back down. "I have one sole mission: to eliminate any haywire experiments. I was created for that purpose and that purpose alone. Should I fall now, any chance humanity would have at defeating the experiments would be crushed. I urge you not to allow emotions to blind you and make a decision you will regret later." His words were spoken calmly, almost as if he had practiced saying them all his life. He knew he was cornered, and yet there was no sign of fear in him at all. 



It was incredible.

 

[sorrow made you]

Leo could feel his pulse in his ears, pounding away, making his head throb with tension. Greg and Derrek moved in closer to where they were now on each side of Leo. They stared hard at Jackson and the little girl. Everything about her told them that she was human. She didn’t look any different from their children. Yet, here Jackson was, the experiment that was meant to kill other experiments, pinning the little girl down, claiming she was one of those monsters. It betrayed the heart, and Leo was conflicted to whether to listen to his eyes and mind… or his instincts.


“Leo, this can’t be right. We haven’t seen any of the experiments have children.”


“Call him off, Leo.”


“Leo!”


Leo wasn’t listening to the others. His eyes locked with Jacksons, and for a moment, there was nothing else in the world. Even Jackson’s words didn’t reach his ears. The only thing that mattered was that piercing stare.It was like staring into the eyes of a wolf.  It pissed him off. It pissed him off to no end.


“It’s a child.” Leo said again, anger starting to build into his quivering voice. “It’s a goddamn child!” His voice raised, louder and harsher than he’d used since Jackson’s awakening. Sound came back to him, and all he could hear were screams of his name. Cries of pleas to do the right thing.


His finger twitched on the trigger.


And then…


BANG!


Leo lowered his guns and started to walk toward Jackson. Project Gospel was unharmed. The little girl, however, had a nice shot between the eyes. The man continued to walk, eventually hesitating at Jackson, and stepping over the child’s body. Though his vision was sharp, he felt like he couldn’t really see anything. Emerald hues locked onto jackson in the corner of his eye. He contemplated for a moment to say something, but left it as is. Surely, they would talk later. He kept moving onward.


At first, the others were silenced by the sound. Silence filled and mixed with the void that was already occupied with anger and confusion. Sophia was near hysterics, and Derrek had to step back to console her. Greg was furious, already screaming. He screamed at Leo, calling for the man to come back. Leo didn’t bother to acknowledge. He needed to cool off before he completely lost it.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Admittedly, Jackson had not expected Leo to react the way he did. He noted to himself that he needed to be more careful when calculating the human variable. Things could always take an unexpected turn.


Jackson processed his surroundings quickly, without fail. Leo had shot the A-2 directly between the eyes, and her body fell limp beneath him. Cautiously, he backed away from her corpse, knowing he was still on thin ice. Leo began to walk away, turning his back on the fallen A-2. For a moment, Jackson lowered his vigilant guard as he realized the weight of his actions.


And that's when it happened.


It happened in a fraction of a second. 


It was foolish of him to think one bullet would stop the A-2. Their only weakness was their sensitivity to pain, and one bullet wasn't enough to cross the threshold.


The A-2 darted up, it's movements almost instantaneous. Before anyone had time to react, it made it moved to attack Leo from behind, extending the fingernails on it's left hand into sharp claws. 


Jackson didn't think. With an urgent speed, he felt the power of Emperor rush through him as he unsheathed his katana, releasing a black smoke as he woke Her up. He stepped between Leo and the A-2, thrusting the blade into the A-2's chest, the smoke entering the A-2's body through its mouth, but unlike with Jackson, it did not leave through its pores. Instead, it remained inside, and the A-2's body swelled up as it became overburdened by Emperor's power. And then, the A-2 imploded.


Blood splattered over the trees and remnants of entrails flew to the grass. There was nothing left but blood and guts; there was no way it survived that.


This victory did not come without a cost, however. 


In the moments before the A-2's death, the strike that was meant for Leo landed on Jackson's side, the transformed fingernails of the A-2 piercing his skin and slicing its way through his muscle to reach his stomach, grazing at his stomach lining and inducing internal bleeding.


Jackson had saved Leo; there was no possible way the Leo could have dodged the A-2's strike without Jackson's interference, even if his emotions weren't dulling his senses. For some inexplainable reason, Project Gospel had saved the life of a human.


Jackson stumbled on his feet, blood already soaking his hospital shirt from the wound in his side. His vision grew hazy, and when he blinked, he had somehow landed on the ground, He instinctively placed a hand on his wound, and it began to glow an eerie blue, and the blood started to retreat back into the wound, but the light flickered out after only seconds and any progress he had made at healing himself was lost. He began to feel numb, and cold, and he hardly registered the things happening around him. The smoke cloud hovered above him, and because Emperor was in Her physical form, everyone nearby could hear Her voice echo off the trees.


"JACKSON!"