章 83: [The Last Days As Agent 13] - The Mojave Desert - Where it All Began and Where it Will End
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As the car raced down the winding road, Val's eyes remained fixed on the path ahead. Meanwhile, Peggy sat beside him, gritting her teeth in pain and holding her broken arm close to her chest.
* CRACK *
Peggy didn't even flinch as she set the bone back into its proper place, silently enduring the searing pain that shot through her body.
After taking a deep breath, Peggy let out a frustrated sigh. "All that effort we put in to stop Whitney's plans," she said bitterly, "and in the end, she still got what she wanted."
"We still have one last chance to stop her," Val said, shaking his head, "And it's located in the Mojave Desert."
Peggy looked at him in confusion. "What? Why the Mojave Desert?" she asked, her brow furrowed with uncertainty.
"Because," he explained, "the first rift opened in the Mojave Desert during one of their atomic bomb testings. It's where it all started, and it's where it will end."
Peggy's eyes widened with realization. "Then we need to hurry," she said, her tone firm and resolute.
Val nodded with a grim expression and thought to himself, "According to what I remember, Whitney will lose all of the Zero Matter when the rift opens, and she will lose her sanity during the process." he stepped on the gas pedal, the car lurching forward as he increased its speed.
...
In the barren Mojave Desert, Whitney stood in front of a massive control panel, a look of manic glee on her face. With deft fingers, she typed in a series of codes and flicked a few switches, her eyes alight with anticipation.
Finally, she hovered her finger over a large red button, her heart racing with excitement. "Finally!," she muttered to herself, "More chaos and destruction!" With a wicked smile, she slammed her finger down on the button.
A large rocket launched into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke and fire in its wake. With a deafening roar, it burst into a brilliant explosion of light and sound, sending shockwaves through the air.
* BOOOOM *
Meanwhile, Val and Peggy had just arrived on the scene, pulling their car to a stop a few hundred meters away from Whitney. With grim expressions, they watched as the rocket exploded in the sky above them, a sense of impending doom settling over them like a thick fog.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence - the only sound was the ringing in their ears from the deafening blast. But then, slowly, a low rumble began to build in the distance, growing louder and more ominous with each passing moment.
When the rocket's explosion faded into the distance, something strange began to happen in the sky above. Space itself seemed to distort and twist, forming a large horizontal line that glowed with an otherworldly energy.
The line began to open like a giant eye, revealing a vast expanse of pure darkness within - a darkness that seemed to be alive with malevolent energy.
Whitney's eyes widened with manic delight as she watched the rift open before her. With a triumphant smile, she spread her arms wide, as if welcoming a long-awaited lover.
"Come!," she shouted, her voice echoing across the desert. "Give me your power! Accept me as your queen! I need the power! More chaos! More destruction!"
Suddenly, something strange happened. Instead of the expected surge of Zero Matter energy, two humanoid figures appeared before them.
The figures were entirely black, their forms almost indistinct against the dark backdrop of the rift. Each had a single red eye in the center of their head, which glowed with a sinister light.
Whitney's manic expression quickly turned to confusion as she gazed upon the strange, black figures before her. She furrowed her brow in irritation, demanding answers.
"Who the hell are you?" she spat. "Where is my Zero Matter? Bring me my Zero Matter!"
With lightning-fast reflexes, the Mindless Ones floated towards Whitney, their forms flickering in and out of focus as they moved. Without a word, they reached out and grabbed her arms, holding her in place with a strength that belied their slender frames.
Whitney struggled and writhed, but the Mindless Ones held her fast. She could feel their cold, unyielding grip tightening around her arms, their red eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her skin crawl.
Val's mind raced as he watched the Mindless Ones grab hold of Whitney, their black forms pulsing with a malevolent energy. He couldn't believe what he was seeing - this was not how things were supposed to go.
'What's happening here?', he thought, his mind racing. 'Isn't she supposed to lose her Zero Matter and go insane? Why are the Mindless Ones here? What are they going to do with her?...'
Suddenly, a sickening realization dawned on him, and his heart sank. He knew what was coming next - and it was far worse than anything he had ever imagined.
"Don't tell me--" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of Whitney's screams. "This can't be happening!"
He saw a massive Mindless One emerge from the rift, its armor gleaming in the darkness. It floated towards Whitney, who was still struggling against the other Mindless Ones' grasp. Her screams echoed through the Mojave Desert as she shouted, "Let go of me! I am your queen! I have the power to devour you! I said, let go of me!"
He watched the armoured Mindless One suddenly grab Whitney by the throat. He knew that something terrible was about to happen, and he braced himself for the worst.
A surge of malevolent energy erupted from the creature's body and flowed into Whitney's, causing her to scream in agony. Val watched in horror as her body convulsed and twisted, her features contorting into a grotesque parody of her former self.
When the transformation was complete, Whitney stood before them as a Mindless One. Her eyes were cold and emotionless, and her body radiated a dark energy that seemed to consume everything around her.
Val's heart skipped a beat when the armored Mindless One suddenly locked eyes with him. The creature's single red eye bore into Val's soul, and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine and he muttered, "Oh, fuck!"
Val acted quickly, his mind racing as he processed the horror unfolding before him. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he scooped up Peggy who was frozen in shock, mouth agape and gun in hand. Without a moment's hesitation, he hoisted her onto his shoulders, feeling the weight press down on him. With steely determination, he clenched his teeth and tightened his leg muscles, summoning every ounce of his absolute strength as he began to run. The ground shook and cracked beneath his feet as he sprinted in the opposite direction, his heart pounding in his chest.
As he ran, with Peggy on his shoulders and her gun in hand. "Peggy, shoot those things!" he yelled.
Peggy raised her gun and aimed at the approaching Mindless Ones. "What the hell are those things?" she shouted as she fired off a series of shots.
* BANG *
* BANG *
* BANG *
Val deftly maneuvered around rocks and obstacles as he ran, trying to put some distance between him and the Mindless One. "I don't know! Just keep shooting!" he yelled back to Peggy.
But the bullets had no effect on the Mindless Ones, and Peggy exclaimed, "The bullets aren't working!"
Val gritted his teeth and replied, "Don't stop! Keep on shooting!"
Peggy's eyes widened with terror as she spotted the armoured Mindless One floating behind them in pursuit. It raised its hands and the malevolent energy emanated from its body, ready to strike. "Val! Watch out!" she shouted in alarm.
Val quickly looked back and saw the armored Mindless One aiming a dark energy beam towards him. He leaped to the side to avoid it, but the beam still hit him.
* BOOOOM *
Peggy was sent flying by the impact, tumbling and rolling on the ground. Meanwhile, Val was hit by the dark energy beam and was thrown forward, his body hurtling through the air until he crashed into the desert sand, his body skidding for tens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
Val let out a pained groan as he lay on his stomach, his body aching from the impact of the attack. He gritted his teeth and flipped onto his back, wincing as a searing pain shot through his body. He cursed under his breath, realizing that the wounds on his back were not healing like they normally would. He knew it was because of the destructive energy from the Dark Dimension, which was preventing his body from recovering properly. "Damn it!", he thought, "This Dark Dimension shit is no joke!"
Val struggled to get up but as he finally managed to stand, he coughed up blood and breathed heavily. He was barely able to catch his breath when the armoured Mindless One appeared in front of him and grabbed his throat with a vice-like grip.
Val reacted quickly as he grabbed the armoured Mindless One's arm with a tight grip, twisting it until it snapped with a loud cracking sound. He kicked it away from him as it skidded back a few feet, but his momentary relief was cut short as he watched the broken arm regenerate instantly.
Val and the armoured Mindless One charged at each other, their fists colliding.
* WHAM *
* BANG *
Val's back burned with pain, but he pushed it aside and kept fighting. Punch after punch, kick after kick, they exchanged blows, their movements blurring as they moved at incredible speed. Blood dripped down Val's face from a cut on his eyebrow, but he didn't let it distract him. The malevolent energy from the Dark Dimension made it difficult to focus, but Val gritted his teeth and fought on.
After a grueling battle that felt like an eternity, Val and the armoured Mindless One locked hands, their strength evenly matched. Despite the deep gashes and bruises that adorned Val's body, and the destructive energy from the Dark Dimension gnawing at his every fiber, he refused to yield. Breathing heavily, he met the Mindless One's eyes and spat out the words, "Fuck you, Dormammu! I'll never be your slave or pawn, no matter how hard you try!"
Suddenly, the creature's face began to contort, revealing two glowing purple eyes and a sly grin. Val felt the dark energy emanating from the creature intensify. "Really?", it said in a mocking tone. In an instant, the energy erupted from its body and surged towards Val, threatening to engulf him.
Val howled in agony as the dark energy consumed his entire being, causing him to collapse onto his knees. Despite the excruciating pain, he refused to submit and gritted his teeth while closing his eyes. He uttered a defiant roar, "I-WILL-NEVER-YIELD!!" and in that moment, something inside him snapped.
* BATHUMP *
His heart stopped, and for a moment, it felt like time stood still. Then, his heart was covered in a brown coating and began to beat rapidly, pumping a strange, glowing green energy along with his blood. The energy flowed through his veins, invigorating him with an otherworldly strength.
Val's body was engulfed in a bright green light, and he felt an intense surge of power coursing through his veins, healing all his injuries instantaneously. His eyes snapped open, now glowing with an eerie green light, as he felt his strength increase to levels he had never experienced before. The air around him distorted, crackling with energy, as he looked at the Mindless One and spoke in a hoarse, commanding voice, "Leave now, or face my wrath!"
As Val's power surged, the Mindless One was forcefully dragged away from him, seemingly pulled by an invisible force. It struggled against it, but to no avail, and was sucked into the rift. Whitney Frost, who had been turned into a Mindless One, and the two others, followed suit. As they vanished into the rift, a blinding explosion of energy erupted, causing the ground to shake and rocks to fly. The rift then closed, leaving no trace of the creatures or the portal.
...
Peggy struggled to her feet after the explosion and scanned the area for Val. She had watched the intense battle between him and the Mindless One from a distance, witnessing the sudden transformation of his eyes into an eerie green glow, and the instant healing of his wounds. She found him lying motionless on the ground and rushed to his side. Gently shaking him, she pleaded, "Val! Wake up! Come on, wake up! Val!"
Val coughed and groggily opened his eyes, finding himself lying on Peggy's lap. "Are you okay?" he rasped.
Peggy's relief was palpable. "Are YOU okay? What happened to you? What were those glowing green eyes? Why did that thing attack you?"
Val sighed, breathing heavily. "I don't know. Those things just killed Whitney with ease."
Peggy exhaled slowly, and said, "At least, the case is over now."
Val managed a weak smile. "Look at you, Peggy, finding the bright side of things."
Peggy helped him stand on his feet. "It's all because of you," she said, smiling at him.
Val chuckled but his exhaustion was apparent. "I'm so tired. Let's just go home."
Peggy nodded in agreement, and they both walked away, leaving the scene behind them.
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