Published at 2nd of May 2026 6:41 am

Chapter 26 Show & Tell

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The metal spike slowly recedes back into Tens foot, but the hole remains. She jumps back as Two falls to the ground, clutching his wounded knee. He lets out a pitiful moan, tears trailing down his face. Ten grabs her broken arm and yanks it back into position, eliciting a gleeful giggle from Kai as a loud pop comes from the joint. She flexes her arm a few times, articulating her wrist and fingers like she's testing if they're still working. What did he do to her? The female Subject doesnt press her advantage, leaving Two to continue to groan and bleed.

My mind is racing, trying to decipher what I just witnessed. One thing thats obvious is that hes outfitted her with the same chemical distribution system that he uses for his own body. The spike that came out of her sole must be one of the preprogrammed shapes, the same as Kais arm. Did he use a localized anesthetic to dull the pain of it piercing through her skin? He mustve. The broken arm fix looks to be in a functional state, and she isnt bleeding from anywhere, so there has to be some form of coagulant present in the distribution system hes given her. But how is she controlling the nanomachines?

Should I continue? Subject Ten asked.

Kai looks to me for my decision. Good. Never forget who is in charge here. While Ten is waiting for Kai's answer, the downed man sneak attacks her. His face is shaking with anger and fury, and he uppercuts her in the back with a blast of kinetic energy, sending her slamming into the ceiling. Subject Tens forehead is split open as he smushes her against the one-way ceiling. Seeing her body being crushed between it and the yellow beam makes Subject Two laugh hatefully. Yikes. I forgot how bad Punchs aggression was. Its no wonder I acted so violently when I was in possession of it.

He cuts the beam, and she starts to fall down through the air. He whips out a right hook, and the accompanying energy attack smashes into her side, sending her crashing into the wall. Hobbling over to her, he closes the space between them to start rapid-firing kinetic blasts into her. Subject Ten stays calm as her opponent screams in rage, crossing her arms to defend against his onslaught. Shes going to die if this keeps up. Punchs kinetic blasts hit with the force of a car. Its amazing that she hasnt already died. The mere fact that she wasnt folded in half by that hook he hit her with is proof that I still havent discovered all the changes hes made to her.

Kai, you do remember that I want her alive, right? I asked.

Yes, yes. I know not to kill her, he responded, a vague bit of irritation seeping into his voice.

I ignore his tone, choosing to not correct him at this moment in time. Hes done well, and Vivienne already taught him a lesson; I can let the disrespect slide.

Alright, because from my point of view it looks like hes going to kill her. And since I dont have the benefit of knowing what improvements youve made to her, you can see why I might not have the same confidence that you do about her survival.

Uhuh, he responded, clearly not listening. Oh. OH. Yes, I can see why youd be confused. While Subject Twos power is formidable, especially in a close-range environment like the cell, Subject Ten is far from the one we need to worry about. Just watch in amazement, Nobody, as my intellect surpasses what you believed possible.

I let Kai enjoy his ego-driven boast. Is it ego if hes correct? The man certainly has a flair for the megalomaniacal villain vibe. Back inside the cell, Subject Ten presses her index and middle fingers to the no longer bleeding wound on her forehead, collecting a small glob of blood which she flicks at Subject Two. Her projectile misses his face, but it makes him jerk out of the way, and that gives her the opening she was apparently waiting for. Pushing off the wall she was up against, she rushes at him, diving behind him while he flails kinetic energy bursts in an attempt to hit her. Theres something different about her now; shes moving with a predatory grace that wasnt there before.

She weaves around him like a professional boxer, and his messed-up knee is only making the difference between their mobility more apparent. She jabs him in the ribs, twisting her fist as she digs into his side. He sucks in a breath, wincing from the pain and swinging his left arm at her. Ten catches his arm with one hand, stopping it completely. Interesting. Her leg slams into the same spot she punched, followed by hitting Subject Twos bleeding knee with her hand. Subject Two crumples like a Push-Up Puppet, falling to the floor. Before he can even register what shes done to him, she slams her open palm into his chest, and something shocking happens. The moment her hand connects to him, he starts to shake, and his limbs spasm and jerk uncontrollably. Subject Ten falls backward onto her butt while Subject Two is completely still, passed out unconscious.

For what must be the fifth time since Kai started this presentation, I find myself trying and failing to figure out what the heck Im seeing. The unbridled happiness radiating from the doctor is like a child showing off a pillow fort they made to their parents. Think, Eryk, what have you seen? The large dark spot on her skull and spine could be the area where the nanomachines are located. Or it could be a different piece of tech hes put there. Ive been too focused on his nanomachines, completely ignoring his ability to shrink anything down to fit in a human body. What else? She was able to put her hand into the ground to anchor herself. A spike came out of the bottom of her foot and then retracted. Unless Two is extremely weak, she was able to completely lock down his arm with a single hand, which does imply Kai did something to increase her strength as well. Her cuts didnt heal, but they did stop bleeding immediately. Then she electrocuted him through touch alone.

Are we done, or do you want me to continue? Subject Ten asked. Because Im feeling drained beyond belief.

No, were done for now. You may walk back to your cell if youre able to. If not, I can transport you, Kai answered after pushing the button on his microphone. And well done, Subject Ten.

The woman inside the cell slowly gets up and starts to make her way back. Once she leaves the cell, the wall shuts behind her, and purple gas starts filling Subject Twos room. Shes moving sluggishly, and her gait is off. Its almost as if her body weighs a ton. I hadnt noticed it because I was so focused on the demonstration, but the display showing Subject Tens vitals has completely changed. The heatmap that was on the screen that previously showed white hot areas are all dark now. The graphs showing heart rate and bodily processes have all slowed down. I spot a line showing an abnormal amount of iron in her blood, and that has to be a result of Kais meddling with her physiology.

Any questions, Nobody? Or do you want to move on to the second demonstration? Kai asked me, rocking a Cheshire grin.

Subject Two is in no condition for another round. How long will it take for him to be ready for the next one?

I am aware, but I dont want to test Subject Thirteen against him. I want Thirteen to fight the Security Director from StarGaze. Itll be a much better showcase for my modifications to show how they hold up versus a natural Neuvohuman, especially such a dangerous one like him, Kai replied.

Have you already discovered what the mans power is?

It appears like he has a minor Bruiser ability, and then a Caster power involving vibrational force transmitted through solid objects. Thats just my theory, but we obviously wont know until you take it from him, Kai answered.

And you think that Thirteen can put up a good showing against him?

No, Kai answered bluntly. I know that he will. I wouldnt be surprised if Thirteen wins. My need fo answers and for phenomena to be explained and quantified is directly in opposition to your gut feeling about their specialness, but I cannot deny that you were correct. Thirteen and Ten are very special. I dislike speculation, but I wouldnt be surprised if they were able to bypass the two power limit of your ability.

It depends on their mental stability, but if they can accept more powers than two, then I can either use them to bolster our forces or make use of them in another way, like Six and Zero. Im still not sure what exactly about the two of them caught my eye; I just had the sense that I had picked up a treasure. I didnt feel anything from Six or Zero that clued me into them being special. In fact, the only person that Ive felt this about is Vivienne. Rorschach, Isaiah, Tuesday, Miles, and even Kai did not give me the same feeling as the other three. My subordinates have all risen above what I expected; in truth, I got lucky to be able to pick up such capable individuals. It isnt that Im being humble either; Im being realistic about them. Everything that weve accomplished as a group is because of my leadership and how Ive made use of these pieces.

It sounds like youve grown attached to the two Subjects. I didnt take you for the fatherly type, I joked dryly.

Im not interested in being anyones daddy. The two of them have very interesting psychological profiles. And unlike the other cattle, who cry and whine about pain and wanting to go home, these two have been enthusiastic about the trials and experiments. They understand the importance of transhumanism and the Apotheosis Engine, Kai exclaimed excitedly. Dont worry, I havent spoken to them about the project or what were up to; I just mean that theyve been eager to test out the modifications Ive made on them.

Lets move on to the second demonstration, please. I do have other things to do today.

Did your professors give you a lot of homework? If you need a tutor, I can help. Ill warn you, Im not cheap, though, Kai joked.

Hilarious, Doctor. But the role for the unfunny comedic relief character has already been filled by Tuesday, and she at least isnt prone to monlogueing about how great she is. Show me what Thirteen can do, I commanded.

Fine, but I resent the comparison to that woman. Forget having a few screws loose; Ive seen bipolar schizophrenics in the midst of a dissociative episode who are more cognizant of their surroundings than she is. Give me a few minutes to get things set up, and then we can begin, Kai said.

Kai turns back to his monitor and begins typing away. Closing the screens showing Ten back in her cell, and Two unconscious, he pulls up the feed from Thirteens cell and of the Security Director from StarGaze Dynamics. The mid-forties Middle Eastern man is still wearing his uniform, the dried bloodstains and tears making him look even more worse for wear. A large cut across his forehead has been sewn shut, Kai's stitchwork on display. After being kept here for over a week, his face is covered in a thick layer of black stubble. Still, his eyes remain fiercely defiant despite his situation. Thats the look of a man who hasnt given up on escaping. He thinks he can get out of here. He isnt aware that todays the day he will die.

In the other cell, wearing the brown uniform that all of Kais Subjects do, is the giant mountain of a man that is Subject Thirteen. He is wider and taller than Isaiah is, and Isaiah is 68. It might be better to think of him in terms of Viviennes Shifter form. The man looks like the textbook definition of a lumberjack. Like Subject Ten, hes covered in freshly healed scars. Hulking, burly, with a thick red beard and his long hair tied back in a braid. Forget lumberjack, hes more like a ginger viking out of a Norse fairytale. The bed in his room is straining under his weight, the metal frame bending downwards. All four walls in his cell are covered in reddish, dark chocolate-colored splatter patterns. It only takes a second of observation to see that his hands are the same color. Hes been punching the walls so often and so hard that hes split open his knuckles over and over again. What kind of man did we capture?

Subject Thirteen, in a few minutes, I will be connecting your room to another mans. You are going to fight him. Do not kill him, or your stay here will end. Permanently, Kai spoke into the microphone.

The sleeping giants eyes snap open, and a sinister smile splits his face in half.

FINALLY! FRESH MEAT FOR THE BUTCHER, He yelled out in a booming, deep voice. I cant promise I wont break him, but Ill leave him alive.

Where the fuck did they find this monster

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