The door swung open with a screeching metal groan. Giving Zion and Zoey a closer look at the person's features in front of them. The man steps inside. His heavy feet make a heavy thud. He fixes his suit, adjusts his collar and blue tie, and clears his throat.
"Greetings. My name is–"
"Frankentard!"
Before the man could finish his introduction, Zion interrupted, jumping up and standing on the bed, desperately trying to break his cuffs.
"Frank. It's just Frank."
Zoey instinctively backed away, heavily breathing, eyes wide. The air around him felt wrong and unnatural. Her hands trembled from something deeper. Fear of whatever unexplainable aura he was radiating. It wasn't just power. It was something worse. Something dead and alive at the same time. The undead.
Meanwhile, Zion remained standing on the bed. His body trembled as well, and with every twitch, the cheap bed frame creaked beneath him, the metal squeals announcing his fear. He was shaking so hard the cuffs rattled.
"Pardon the intrusion, but I do detect a rather pungent scent of fear. Rest assured, my dear girl, I am not here for you. Nor do I seek vengeance, Zion, for your... unfortunate betrayal. No, no. I am merely here to fulfill my assignment. Quite routine, I assure you. Yes?"
Frank puts one of his arms behind and the other in front, gesturing while speaking. His brows lift and lips smirk distinguishably, but his aura is still heavy. The metal rod piercing his ears shimmers along with the other metal decorations on his face.
"A-Assignment?"
Zoey was the first to speak up. Confused and terrified.
"The newborn underling. Forgive my lexicon. Often, I enjoy uttering words with heavy origins. I read classic novels. I am a fan. Can you tell?"
Frank responds. He looks around casually.
"I don't think we have them here…"
"You don't believe me—a wise instinct. Still, no matter. You see, I shall raze this city to ash if that's what it takes to uncover the truth. Surely they'll wonder why you said nothing. Surely, they'll blame you for your silence. Yes?"
"Don't listen to him, Zoey!"
Zion jumps off the bed and gets in between Zoey and Frank.
"Ah, our young traitor. What a pleasure it is to see you again! And in those cuffs, how fitting. Like a collar on a well-trained hound. Now, tell me, have you anything of value to offer as our former scout? Any scraps of information worth carrying home?"
"Yeah, this!"
With pure instinct, Zion didn't hesitate to lunge forward. Launching himself into the air, soaring high above Frank like a plastic bag let loose. With a roar, he brought both cuffed fists down onto Frank's hard skull. The metal struck with a sickening clang before it shattered into pieces. The cuffs split apart, fragments flying everywhere.
Zion flipped midair and landed hard, crouched low. He rose slowly, his eyes gleaming red, muscles twitching.
"Advanced Skill. Second Swell: Featherweight Mode!"
The room shook as red steam exploded throughout the room. With the hot smoke swirling and hissing, Zoey covers herself while the towering Frank doesn't even move.
As the smoke cleared, Zion emerged. His form is different from his first mode. Now he embodies fighting prowess much capable than his first mode. Head full of spiked hair, face expressing an intense grimace. He was equal in height to Frank. Chest, arms, and fists, swelling like a pulsating cyst but sculpted musculously. However, the bottom half of his body is unswelled, untouched, anchoring the grotesque muscles above.
"Most impressive, truly. Alas, in vain."
Frank appears unbothered, but his fists are at the ready.
Zion swings first. He steps closer, swinging straight for Frank's sneering face. The first punch cracked across his jaw with a satisfying thud, twisting Frank's head to the side. Zion didn't let up. A barrage followed. Left and right, then straight to uppercut, back to hook, then a hammering swing.
WHACK. THWACK. THUD.
Each blow thundered with brutal rhythm. Each swing was a blur of speed and fury. He forced Frank back, step by staggering step, until his massive frame crashed into the far wall. Zion pressed on. His fists became bullets, like projectiles firing into Frank's gut.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
A relentless storm of body blows, shaking the room with every hit. The wall behind Frank cracked. Then it caved, the concrete crumbled, followed by the steel beams. Collapsing on top of Frank, while Zion takes a moment to recoup, breathing all the air he needs to recover.
He is as confident as he can be, but he grows weary. After all, his Zystem has its limit, and it's his stamina.
Meanwhile, Zoey watches, slowly approaching the scene of the assault. Hopeful of a favorable result.
"Is it over?"
She gets near Zion.
"I think I got him!"
Zion proudly claims, baring his fangs, forming a thumbs-up with his swelling hands that resemble boxing gloves.
But then a fist wreathed in blue flame came out of the rubble.
WHAM!
It slammed straight into Zion's face, the force snapping his head back with a crack. His nose broke instantly, shattering the rest of his face like glass. Zion fell, slamming down on the floor with a heavy impact.
From the rubble, Frank rises. Posture stiff, straight, arms outstretched forward. He groans in annoyance. His other arm is missing a hand. The flying flaming fist is his. As he achieved a proper stance, he repositioned his misaligned head and produced a crackling sound.
"Now, where was I?"
Without thinking twice, Zoey immediately charges. Sending a combination of her martial arts prowess and pummeling the enemy underling with punches and kicks.
But Frank easily parried with only one arm. He is almost impressed, sneaking a sly smile as Zoey does her best.
"You are as determined as one can be!"
He chuckles faintly, voice laced with both admiration and condescension.
Then, without warning, the flaming fist darted through the air, leaving a streak of blue fire, screaming straight for Zoey's face. It slammed into her cheek, the force snapping her head sideways and interrupting her combination.
Before she could recover, the fist turned around and swung back at her again. Back and forth it flew, like a possessed wrecking ball— striking, turning, striking again.
Each hit sent Zoey stumbling with every bone-rattling blow as the flaming fist delivered its relentless assault.
Until Zoey finally faints and falls on the floor beside the now-inflating and unconscious Zion.
"Without a Zystem, you're weak."
Frank condescendingly huffs.
"I ain't!"
At his flank, Zephyr's voice suddenly announces her arrival thunderously as she sends a roundhouse kick behind Frank.
When the kick made contact, the back of Frank's suit shredded into textile pieces. The strike sent shockwaves, but Frank is not amused.
Frank's ruined suit reveals his hardened back. The surface is dried, flaky skin on top of the muscle. Prominently, his back is embedded with six thick coils along his spine, three on each side of the lungs, pulsing faintly with blue light, like dormant engines.
"What in the hell!?"
Zephyr was shocked, her eyes in disbelief as she stared at the metal apparatuses. She thought to retreat, but she didn't get to land.
While she's mid-air, Frank's severed flying fist clamped her already injured leg. The fist combusted with blue flame, and she screamed in agony.
Frank hoists her up as the flames dissipate.
Suspended in the air upside down, Zephyr used her Meltdown to stab Frank in the abdomen. But the sharp end of the metal fans splintered into fragments, almost destroying the weapons entirely.
"It is no use. I am beyond flesh and metal."
"What the hell are you!?"
"I, my dear, am far from comprehension. I was humanity's attempt at harnessing death itself. At least, that's what my creator told me."
"Bullshit. Whatever your threat level is, I bet the Force can take you down!"
Zephyr continues to struggle. She attempts to break free.
"I care not for your classifications. But I do care for my assignment. You see, the longer we stay here, the more difficult our situation gets. The more we linger, the more this city burns. There's more of us coming."
"Fuck your assignment! Fuck all of you! Burns and the other cities can take you all down!"
"I doubt that. Nobody cares about this city. The other seven great cities don't care."
Frank smirks mockingly.
"Burns is part of the great cities, you moron!"
"Ah. But you forgot to account for one. Necrocity."
"W-What?!"
Zephyr was caught by surprise. She had heard about the Necrocity more than once in stories told by past generations, especially from Ali Alister.
"Yes. Like the undead. The great Necrocity will rise again!"
"The kidnappings? That's all, Necrocity?!"
"Spot on! Now, please. Let's not waste time sharing old lore. Tell me, where is the newborn?"
Frank excitedly said, finally getting through to Zephyr.
But the Zoldier only grins and stops flailing her arms around to attempt escape.
"Heh. We don't have a newborn!"
Zephyr chuckles, but it soon grows to a burst of taunting laughter.
"And we have a secret weapon! All of this shit you did is all for nothing!"
Zephyr continues to test Frank's patience. She lets out an exaggerated laugh.
Disappointed, but Frank did expect non-compliance. He sighs and shakes his head.
"Very well. I must shut you down now."
"Huh?"
"Behold my Zystem's advanced power. Lightspark."
"Heh! You underlings and your names for your powers are so corn–"
BOOM!
A violent burst of electricity erupted from his spine. Raw lightning spewed out from the six embedded coils, crackling loudly. The coils whined, glowing brighter as arcs of blue energy surged outward.
The floor blackened instantly, a vein-like mark burned beneath where Frank stood. The burst was not just lightning—it was light, and death, and life. It lit up the room, the shockwave snapping through the air.
Zephyr's eyes rolling back before going full limp. Ultimately, it renders her unconscious.
Satisfied. Frank tossed her aside like a doll. Bored with the trouble that occurred so far.
But before she could hit the ground, an overwhelming force struck Frank effectively, launching his towering frame off and crashing towards the walls and vacant rooms of the building. The debris of concrete and steel piled on top of him once more.
When the dust finally settled and the smoke had faded. It reveals a silhouette of an absolute figure behind the curtain of haze.
Hannibal Max emerged.
In his massive arms are Zephyr, Zoey, and Zion, cradled like children. His eyes burned gold and silver, sparkling intensely.
"I am Hannibal Max."
His voice rumbled as he handed the three to a clone. Then he steps closer, approaching Frank.
"I will be your judge, jury, and executioner."