Chapter 12: The Abominable Creature
(Warning! Shields down)
(Warning! Shields down)
(Warning! Shields down)
Ignoring the warning messages from his ECHO, Maxwell felt his head throbbing as he clutched the wound, a warm stream of blood snaking down his face. It drew a bright red line across his forehead, covering his left eye, making depth perception difficult. With a tremendous effort, he stood up, his limbs protesting with a dull ache that echoed through his weakened body.
He turned his gaze to the entrance of the infirmary, or rather what was left of it. The structure lay in ruins, its once grey walls now covered in red—splattered with blood and viscera in a grotesque mural of the aftermath of the explosion.
Maxwell's breath failed him as he watched the scene, an icy fear seeping into his heart.
"Ben..." he muttered, the name stuck in his throat as he imagined his mate caught in the explosion.
With each heavy step toward the infirmary, his eyes traveled wildly over every inch of the scene. The sea in front of him was a chaotic tangle of debris and gentle waves caused by the explosion.
And then he saw Benjamin, floating among the wreckage, he seemed conscious as he was clinging to a board.
Maxwell's advance came to an abrupt halt as an imposing shadow emerged from the twisted wreckage of the infirmary entrance. His blood ran cold at the sight of the colossal figure, a monster he knew all too well.
"Tankenstein." he cursed softly, recognition shining in his eyes. This was one of the opponents he had hoped never to confront.
Standing over two meters tall, Tankenstein was a terrifying sight. His grey body was poorly stitched together in several places. Even its mouth was sealed by crude stitches, silencing any attempt at human speech. Instead, it emitted low, guttural grunts. Its eyes, devoid of iris or pupil, were milky spheres that regarded the world with inhuman coldness.
A massive bolt ran through his head from one side to the other. He wore only the torn remains of trousers that had seen better days, and a solitary boot adorned one foot while the other remained grotesquely exposed. His naked torso was marked by wounds caused by the thick iron chains that adorned it. The chains creaked and twitched with the monster's every move as if even they struggled to contain the brute strength Tankenstein possessed.
The monstrosity seemed to have heard his whisper, and with supernatural force, it ripped a yellow barrel from his back. The monster's veins pulsed and leaped fiercely, standing out against his grey skin as he pulled his arm back, preparing to throw the projectile.
Maxwell's hair stood on end, remembering the explosion that had happened a few moments ago. His shield had absorbed most of the impact and was now exhausted; if he took a direct hit it would be the end of him.
*Vhoooosh*
The sound of the barrel tearing through the air was the only noise in the room, and it flew straight at Maxwell, his eyes widening as the smell of death flooded his senses. But instead of retreating, he advanced as he realized the trajectory.
With an agile leap, he launched himself upwards, spinning his body in the air. Time seemed to drag on, each second stretching into eternity as he watched the barrel whizz by beneath him, so close he could touch it.
As he landed, Maxwell rolled along the ground, dissipating the force of his fall. But he took advantage of it to get to his feet, and his movements were well-executed thanks to his high level of dexterity.
*BOOOM*
The barrel's resounding explosion echoed across the beach, a violent shockwave that threw stone and sand in all directions. Maxwell felt the impact reverberate in his bones as a gale of debris whipped his hair and obscured his vision.
Tankenstein, realizing that his attack had failed, let out a menacing grunt. With heavy footsteps that made the earth tremble, the monster advanced toward Maxwell, determined to finish what he had started.
In a moment of rising panic, Maxwell's hands frantically searched his body for his trusty weapon, Glorious Havoc. His heart sank as the reality hit him like a punch in the gut; the previous explosion had knocked the weapon out of his grasp.
Abandoning his search for Glorious Havoc, his hands instinctively moved to the trusty P2016 at his waist. With the weapon in hand, he quickly positioned himself, aiming with lethal precision.
*Bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*
Maxwell focussed on Tankenstein's head. The shots cut through the air, sinking in and getting stuck in the monster's face. The sound of the shots was a rhythmic counterpoint to the monster's heavy march.
*Bang* *bang* *click* *click*
The sound of gunfire ceased abruptly, replaced by the telltale click of an empty magazine. Without wasting a second, Maxwell ejected the magazine, not bothering to put it away as he dropped it in the sand. With practiced movements, he inserted a new one, his finger a blur as he squeezed the trigger.
The Tankenstein, furious at the shots that were like irritating stings in his face, accelerated his advance. With a guttural roar, he raised his gigantic fist and launched it towards Maxwell with crushing force.
Maxwell, anticipating the telegraphed attack, rolled to the side at the last moment. Tankenstein's fist hit the ground where Maxwell had been standing seconds ago, the force of the impact creating a crater and throwing sand and debris into the air.
Taking advantage of the opening, Maxwell, still kneeling from the roll, resumed firing without hesitation. The bullets penetrated Tankenstein's back, each one sinking into the monster's grey, stitched flesh.
*ROOAR!!!*
"Damn it, I'm only provoking more anger in him!" Maxwell realized, as the P2016 in his hand shook. The projectiles barely penetrated Tankenstein's thick skin, seeming more to irritate him than to hurt him.
*Vhooosh*
With a sudden movement, Tankenstein spun around, his massive arm slicing through the air behind Maxwell. Anticipating the blow, Maxwell crouched down, feeling the wind of the arm pass over his head. He tried to back away, but a gigantic hand grabbed his foot.
"Oh shit!"
As if he were a toy in the hands of a child, Tankenstein spun Maxwell round in the air and flung him away.
*Bam*
Maxwell collided with the log supporting the infirmary sign with such force that the wood cracked and broke under the impact. His body didn't stop there; it continued flying until it hit the infirmary's brick wall with a sickening thud, where it finally came to a halt.
"AH AAHH ARGH! *Cof* *cof* *cof*" The air was expelled from Maxwell's lungs in a violent cough. A metallic taste filled his mouth as he spat out blood and a piece of something, he fervently hoped it wasn't anything vital.
Maxwell's conscience heaved, fighting against the darkness that threatened to engulf him. His eyes blinked stubbornly; he knew he wouldn't wake up again if he closed them. An intense itch invaded his body - the nanites were working desperately to repair it, but it would take time.
When he felt a cold twinge, Maxwell's sleepy eyes widened. Lowering his head, he saw a syringe piercing his chest. Focusing on his gaze, he recognized Benjamin beside him.
"Was I long?" Benjamin emerged, panting, his uniform stained with the bright red of blood.
"Look what I found at the bottom of the water."
Benjamin places Glorious Havoc next to Maxwell, who immediately recognizes it. His body acts instinctively when he sees his only hope of getting out of the confrontation alive and he grabs it firmly, cocking it and aiming, where Tankenstein was already diving.
"HA AHAHAH HAHAH!." Throwing away all discipline, Maxwell pulls the trigger and holds it tight, his maniacal laughter quickly being silenced by the roar of gunfire.
*BBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Glorious Havoc spat out bullet casings in a frenzy, which fell to the ground like rain. The powerful projectiles tore Tankenstein apart, quickly dismantling the abomination into an unrecognizable mass of burnt flesh.
*TIK* *TIK* *TIK*
The gun emptied, but Maxwell's finger remained frozen on the trigger. Benjamin intervened, removing the gun from Maxwell's trembling hands.
"You know, that thing died in the first few shots," Benjamin sighed, standing up with an effort and limping towards the infirmary in search of medical supplies.
Maxwell leaned his head against the cold, damp wall, indifferent to the moss that clung to his hair. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the nanites working efficiently in his body.
"I just wanted to make sure," muttered Maxwell, more to himself than to anyone else.
…
"Hey, Max, I found an ECHO recorder." Benjamin announced as he returned, some bandages covering his body. In his hand was a device that resembled an ECHO.
ECHO recorders are portable audio recording devices with various controls visible on the unit, they have a more compact design than an ECHO. In the game, they served lore and mission delivery purposes.
"Should b— ughhh ahh." Maxwell stood up quickly but froze as his spine ached like a bitch. Breathing deeply, Maxwell speaks between painful breaths, a suspicion forming in his mind about Ned's whereabouts. "It must be some recording that Dr Ned left. Come on, what are you waiting for? Switch it on!"
Pressing the button to start the recording, they both fall silent when Dr Ned's supposedly static-laden voice sounds from the device.
("I think someone must have arrived on the island; yesterday I could have sworn I saw some figures on the beach and today I woke up startled by the sounds of gunfire. It's not the first time I've heard these sounds; I remember the turrets left in the workers' apartment complex to defend the place. I'll be heading back to my house at Hallow's End, as I'm afraid these new visitors won't be prudent and could disrupt my plans.")
The recording stopped abruptly, leaving the serene sound of the sea waves.
"Let's go to Hallow's End."
"Why do you want to go after this Dr Ned, Max, we almost died here and we don't even know if this Ned knows how to get out of here, maybe he's in the same situation as us."
"We already have a way out. Claptrap said there was a Fast Travel on the island, I sent him to check it was working."
"Fast Travel, what are you talking about? The Fast Travel Network on Pandora was disabled by the bandit Mad Mel, Atlas was going to send soldiers to re-establish the connections later." Benjamin's eyebrows jumped, and his friend was hiding information. "If you knew there was a way out, why do you still want to go after Ned?"
"..." Maxwell's face wrinkled, he had forgotten that point.
"*Sigh*" Maxwell gives up wanting to keep secrets and speaks his mind. "I'll be honest with you, Ben. I want samples of the virus, I have plans to sell them to some company."
"Are you mad? Can you imagine a virus like that loose in the Metroplex?" Benjamin's incredulity quickly turned to fury and he punched Maxwell in the face.
[END: 42>43]
Maxwell remained motionless, accepting the blow as a deserved judgment. Deep down he knew he was being selfish and greedy. He could still destroy the samples and complete the second mission, but he wouldn't make any money from it.
"If it's money you need, I can lend it to you. You don't have to risk your life for it." He shook his hand with a grimace; punching Maxwell was like hitting concrete.
"No need, I'll have to stick to my original plan. " Maxwell tried not to laugh at Benjamin, his status was finally reaching the limit, but it would be foolish to increase his G in such a hostile environment. "It'll be more work, but it'll earn me a quick buck, maybe even a hot girlfriend..."
"Now, let's go to Hallow's End."
"MAX!"
"Wow wow don't hit me!" Maxwell raised his hands in surrender. "Let's destroy the samples and talk to Ned. We need to make sure no one uses the virus and find another way out of here."
Benjamin's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Come on, Ben. Do you REALLY think I'd do something so insane?"
"Yes," Benjamin replied dryly. "Changing your mind that quickly is suspicious."
"Ooof!" Maxwell dramatically clutches his heart. "Betrayal! I thought we were brothers, I was already including you in my plan for galactic domination."
"Galactic domination?!?!"
"Nah, my bad, I meant galactic karaoke supremacy."
"Let's go after Ned, you're starting to get delirious."
"Good idea."
Chapter 13: Doctor's Appointment
Maxwell and Benjamin, still panting from the recent skirmish, hurried away from the infirmary, where the sounds of battle had attracted a horde of zombies. They headed back towards the town, seeking refuge and recovery from their injuries. Thanks to the still-functioning turrets, which kept the undead at bay, they were able to get a moment's rest. After a quick medical assessment to make sure they were fit to go on, the pair resumed their mission: to find Dr Ned, destroy the virus samples, and get off the island.
Before going any further, Maxwell made a call to Claptrap.
("Claptrap, I need the exact coordinates of Dr Ned's house in Hallow's End. Also, how's Fast Travel?")
("Master! I was beginning to think you'd been devoured by hungry zombies! I'm sending you the coordinates now.") Claptrap's familiar voice echoed from the other side.
("As for Fast Travel, I still can't get there, I'm having some problems with stairs.")
'Typical.' Maxwell rolls his eyes.
("Find a way to get there, whatever it takes.") He ordered, before ending the call.
They knew that the road to Hollow's End would be full of zombies, but with heavy weaponry, they could take their chances. Maxwell carried Glorious Havoc and shot at anything that moved, while Benjamin kept a constant watch on his back. They made their way to Hallow's End with surprising ease, although their pulse quickened at every rare appearance of zombie variants, such as the Defilers, whose sticky goo vomit threatened to trap them in their place, and the dreaded Suicide Zombies who pursued relentlessly with their explosive barrels.
After passing through a dark, damp cave, Maxwell and Benjamin emerged at Hollow's End, even more secluded in the bowels of the island. The swampy environment welcomed them with murky water that reached up to their shins, making every step difficult in the soft mud. Voracious mosquitoes and insects buzzed incessantly, a constant reminder of the island's lesser dangers. The colossal trees stood majestic, so wide that it would take a group of fifteen people to fully embrace their imposing trunks.
*Groan*
Maxwell felt his heart freeze as he realized that something was wrong. A cold, clammy hand grabbed his leg under the murky water. He struggled, trying to free himself, but the grip was relentless. The muffled grunting intensified, and bubbles appeared on the surface of the swamp.
*BRRT*
The cold, clammy hand that gripped him lost its strength when Maxwell, in one swift movement, drew his gun and fired. The shot echoed through the swamp, and the hand crumbled to pieces, releasing its grip. Maxwell breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't know how many zombies he had killed, but it seemed that the system had understood his doubts and had brought him good news.
[You've reached a new milestone, 100 enemies killed!]
[Synthetic Nightmare: Kill 50/100/250 Enemies
(X) - Amped Weapons
(X) - Most Wanted List
( ) - ???]
[New System Function: Most Wanted List]
[Most Wanted List: Earn credits, Skills, or Hangar items when you or a subordinate kills a target on the list.]
[Currently wanted:
Name: Dr.Ned {Age: 41} {Sex: Male} {Height: 5'7}
Crimes: Homicide - Illegal experimentation - Bioterrorism - Poison distribution
Reward: $60c + random reward
]
"Max, are you all right?" Benjamin asks, worried by Maxwell's repeated lack of action.
"It's nothing, he didn't even scratch my shield." Awakening from his stupor, Maxwell is brought back to reality. The system's new function would be helping him get credits faster, his anticipation rising about the final reward.
"I think we're almost there, look." Benjamin pointed to a house suspended from a large tree. After passing over a bridge and facing some resistance from the former residents, they arrived at a place surrounded by high concrete walls. An iron cage rose to the top of the tree, serving as a base for the lift.
Maxwell approached the ECHO record camera, the dark lens staring at him. He pressed the button, and the device hummed to life. Dr Ned's voice sounded.
("Sweet, you mate it all the way here alive! I'll get the lift down but it'll probably take a bit to hand crank the bastard all the way to 'ya. Probably wanna shoot any of those skull munchers that traddle in.")
("We thank you, we just want to talk.")
The lift's gears began to turn, descending with a loud creak, creating a sound that reverberated through the tree. The zombies, attracted by the noise, began to swarm around the house.
"Hey, Ben, what are you waiting for? Climb these iron bars, Scorpion will deal with the zombies." Maxwell pulls Scorpion out of his second ECHO before starting to climb the lift's iron base.
"Uh!" Benjamin snapped out of his daze, turning his back on the huge horde of zombies that had emerged from a nearby cave. Fortunately, the zombies couldn't climb, which gave them a chance to defend themselves.
The Scorpion Turret fired incessantly, while Maxwell held his Glorious Havoc, ready to act when necessary. When the Tankenstein appeared, threatening to destroy the Scorpion, Benjamin held Maxwell back while he concentrated his shots, preventing the monster from launching an explosive barrel.
Finally, the lift has finished descending, and Maxwell and Benjamin jump out of the iron bars. Picking up the Scorpion, they climbed into the lift, escaping the throng of undead. The sound of the ECHO echoed, and Maxwell swore he heard a dismissive 'tsk'.
Maxwell and Benjamin waited a few seconds until they reached the top, which was strange, as going up should have taken longer than coming down. Dr Ned's tree house revealed itself: a makeshift construction, balanced on the highest branches. The air was full of the smell of aged wood and resin, a characteristic that was also present in Jakobs weapons.
"We'd better put our weapons away, we don't want to scare you." Warns Benjamin.
"Sure, whatever." Maxwell puts the Havoc away in his ECHO, but his hand pats his waist, feeling a slight relief.
Benjamin turned the door handle, revealing the interior. The room was gloomy, not because of the poor lighting, but because there were bloodstains everywhere, rubbish and mess littered the floor. There was a hospital bed in the corner, next to a medical vending machine
As they entered, they saw Dr Ned sitting in a swivel chair with his back to them. A bottle of beer rested in his hand as he muttered things to himself, loud enough for anyone to hear.
"I probably went about this all wrong way. I'm a doctor; I make people better. I just wanted everyone to be okay…" As if he had finally noticed the presence of visitors, Ned swiveled around in his chair, looking at them. "I made the zombies. I was—"
*Bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*
"..." Benjamin stared in astonishment, alternating his gaze between Maxwell firing and Ned's body lying lifeless on the ground. A hole in his head and his torso riddled with bullets. His eyes slowly lost light with each shot he received.
"What? Don't look at me like that, you heard what he said. And you weren't that far behind me," Maxwell says when he sees Benjamin looking questioningly at him, finally realizing that he's already holding a gun too.
Ned's body began to twitch, his eyes rolling back in a frenzy. Maxwell didn't wait for the doctor to enter his second form and pulled out his Glorious Havoc, firing as soon as it had finished digesting.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Dr Ned's body doesn't give up so easily and begins to grow over the constant attacks, but eventually, his flesh begins to fail, unable to flourish beyond its fleeting form.
[Target eliminated, depositing rewards.]
[+$60c]
[The random reward was decided as a skill related to the target shot down]
[Mithridatism Constituion lv.1]
[Mithridatism Constituion: Is that sarin in my coffee?
Immune Adaptability: has a highly adaptable immune system, capable of eventually developing immunity against diseases and poisons affecting the body. The higher the level, the faster your body becomes immune to pathogens and toxins.]
'Sweet! I haven't checked my status in a while. I think my first Regeneration is just around the corner.'
_____
Name: Maxwell Williams
Regeneration: 0
[STR: 32] [END: 43] [DEX: 36] [INT: 28]
Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.15] [Blade Mastery lv.7] [Mithridatism Constitution lv.1]
___
Functions: [Hangar] [Quest Board] [Most Wanted List]
Credits: $82
_____
'Hmm, not much of an increase, but I think I'll be able to change when I get back to the Badlands.'
Benjamin massages his temples, looking at the rest of the people who might have some information about getting off the island. "Max, I hope you can swim."
"Are you sure? Maybe we'll be attacked by shark zombies hehehe." Maxwell joked, replying with a wry smile. Fortunately, Benjamin didn't seem so mad about Ned's death. "Let's search the place, I'm sure we'll find some information about the virus."
They turned the place upside down in search of any documents, books, or notes. It took some time, but they finally found something relevant.
"Hey Max, I think I found what we wanted." Benjamin's voice had returned to its characteristic calm tone.
Benjamin found a dusty diary hidden in a rotten wooden drawer. The yellowed pages revealed meticulous notes, handwritten in faded ink. The title on the first page read: "Record of Experiments."
"Read it, let's see what we can find out." Taking the bottle of beer from Ned's hand, Maxwell sat down in the chair, making himself comfortable as he took a few sips.
[Mithridatism Constituion lv.1>2]
Nodding, Benjamin's fingers turned the leather cover, his eyes roaming over the paper, while his mouth transmitted the information to Maxwell.
"Day 1. Today, I received an assignment from the Jakobs, one of whose members approached me about needing my services on Pandora, on an island that had recently started sawmill operations. I thought at first that I would just be there to take care of some unfortunate worker who ended up suffering dismemberment, but he whispered something about a virus that Jakobs had recently been researching, promising to bring immortality. Bullshit, but the pay was too good to turn down."
"Day 3. I've finally arrived on Pandora, the planet hasn't changed a bit in all these years. I wonder if my brother is still living in Fyrestone, or has finally realized that living in Pandora has no future."
"Day 5. I was introduced to my place of work, and I have nothing to complain about. It was an infirmary on the docks, near the apartment complex."
"Day 19. I was required at the General Hospital, some idiot had lost his little finger to a saw. I had to pass a beautiful beach, heading to the eastern end of the island, and passing through a natural cave. Very interesting how the water managed to do such damage to the rocks."
"Day 32. It looks like the effects of the virus are finally starting to show, which is good, it was almost contaminating the water too. Yesterday I walked the corridors of the General Hospital, observing the patients in their beds. Some were moaning in pain, others were catatonic. I don't know if this was the Jakobs' intention, but if creating a virus resistant to all conventional treatments was the idea, then they've hit the nail on the head."
"Day 40. Things went south very quickly, I thought the virus had been a failure, as the only results were mutations, cellular degeneration, and death. All a long way from the promised immortality, until, well, someone saying that a corpse had disappeared from a hospital bed, and oh boy! no one was prepared for the subsequent shit."
"Day 42. The island has fallen into pandemonium. I don't know what's going on because I've locked myself in a house built into a tree, but the screams and occasional gunshots told me everything I needed to know. Some survivors shouted at me to lower the lift, but I refused. More people meant more food and water consumption."
"Day 62. Thoughts of suicide invaded my mind, my fear of being eaten alive was greater than blowing my brains out. Fortunately, Jakobs sent his soldiers, but to my disappointment, they didn't come to my rescue. I ended up being taken 'voluntarily' to the General Hospital again, in order to create an antidote or at least an immunizing vaccine."
"Day 69. After several days without a proper night's sleep, I discovered a solution; the skags! Disgusting creatures, getting bitten by this thing would be worse than sleeping with a disease-ridden prostitute, but the funny thing was that these creatures never died of disease. I asked them to get some for me and my deductions proved correct when one of the Skags was bitten by a zombie... the zombie died of infection."
"Day 80. I managed to create my first version of the vaccine, the volunteer was called Hank Reiss. He had a funny hat, he said it was his daughter who made it."
"Day 81. I guess Hank won't have to pay alimony anymore. He turned into a bloody hell Skagman and killed the Jakobs soldiers, a good thing, I was getting annoyed with their subtle threats against me. Anyway, I'm on ladder zero again."
"Day 106. I managed to create a new vaccine, I used the data acquired with the skag samples and I used some samples collected from the zombies. There are no other survivors on the island, so the test subject will be me, wish me luck."
"Day 170. I've finally woken up from my coma, which is a good sign, it looks like my vaccine worked. I've noticed an increase in my appetite but nothing harmful, in fact, I feel much more alive and energized."
"Day 171. I'M IMMORTAL! HAHAHAAH."
Benjamin turned the last page, sighing heavily.
"The notes are finished."
"General Hospital, that's where we're going."
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
164 Power
stone 
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