Published at 8th of May 2026 7:11 am

Chapter 28 Lesson and a Reminder

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THE BUTCHER WILL GET HIS POUND OF FLESH!

The only thing youre getting is a lesson and a reminder, Hassan growled at the man.

Hassan rushes Thirteen, completely destroying everyones expectations of what his next move would be. He dodges under a knife-hand swipe from Thirteen that mightve killed him if it hit. Sidestepping around the bigger man, he kicks him in the back of his left knee. Thirteen stumbles and then falls to his knees. Hassan rears back a punch and then smashes him in the side of his head, hitting him right in the ear. He winds back his left arm and throws another punch into the back of the giant mans head. On repeat, Hassan slams punch after punch into the side and back of Thirteens head as the only sound coming from the video feed is wet flesh on flesh. He stops and roars in anger, taking a step backward as he lets out heavy breaths. Sweat covers him in a sheen; droplets roll down his face into his eyes, forcing him to blink rapidly just to stop the salty liquid from blocking his vision.

Is that it? Thirteen asked, pushing himself up off his knees. He turns around, facing Hassan and looking down at him. Blood pours from the top of his head, his red hair slick with it and sweat. His right ear is split from all of Hassans punches, but the lipless smile hasnt faded from his face. It was already unsettling before, but now that his white teeth are stained red, he looks even more like the monster he acts like. When he speaks again, its with a quiet and controlled voice. Not enough.

Thirteen swings his metal-coated fist into the other man, but just like before, Hassan destroys our expectations, and he doesnt move an inch as the fist collides with his blocking forearm. An orange line shoots out from his feet, racing across the floor to detonate when it makes contact with Thirteen. Hes blown off his feet, flying over Hassan, and crashing into the wall. He doesnt stop there, walking slowly over to the downed Thirteen, each step sending out an attack with his ability. These explosions are smaller, the lines thinner, about the size of the point on a pen. Instead of blasting him into the air, it just makes the Subject twist and jerk his body around in different directions. Hassan has wiped the smile from Thirteens face; in its place is a mess of bruises, cuts, and swelling.

That was the lesson, Hassan said, spitting at the feet of Thirteen.

If we hadnt already captured him, I would still decide that his power should be stolen. The Security Director is a dangerous, dangerous man. He handily beat Thirteen, a man one and a half times his size. Kais prediction was wrong; his modifications cant quite cross the gap that superpowers give to people. A Neuvohuman whose had years to practice and hone his abilities isnt an easy target. He showed off several interesting applications of his power in that fight. He can fire attacks without moving, and he can make them stronger but slower, or weaker but faster. All of that forms the Caster aspect of his power. Then theres the Bruiser aspect with the force absorption, which was redirected into a more powerful explosion. I do still have questions that can only be solved by taking the ability. Is there a limit to the increase in power? Does the Bruiser aspect have an upper limit for the force it can redirect?

You were wrong, Doctor. I would not call this a good showing by Subject Thirteen. He was utterly trounced by the Security Director. This was not David versus Goliath; this was a housecat versus a snake. And the housecat thought itself immune to poison. I dont want you to misunderstand me. The modifications he showed off were remarkable. Its obvious that your creativity has been ignited and that your ideas are still revolutionary. Your demonstrations have shown me that as long as I give you a long leash and an ample supply of Subjects, you will be able to accomplish everything youve promised. Youve done well, Kai. Youve exceeded my expectations, I said.

Its important to balance out the punishments and rewards. An ego as large as Kais is always lusting for praise. It is easy to praise him when he continues to deliver results. For as brilliant as his mind is, his heart is quite simple.

Thank you, Nobody. Just because I know Im a once-in-a-lifetime luminary doesnt mean I dont want to hear you confirm it. As I said before we started, this is only the alpha trials, it will only get better with time. This is just the beginning of what Im planning for the Apotheosis Engine. But before we do a debrief, Im going to correct you on something. Thirteen wasnt trounced by Hassan because the fight isnt over yet, Kai replied confidently.

I won; now free me as you said you would. I defeated him. You said all I had to do was be victorious by any means, Hassan said.

I look back at the screen to see Hassan with his back turned to the unconscious Subject Thirteen, calling out to Kai. Does he really think that wed let him go? And what is Kai talking about? Thirteen lurches forward suddenly, slashing at Hassan's back with his knife-hand. Hes somehow changed his knife-hand to have an actual sharp edge to it because his uniform is sliced open, blood spraying from the cut. Hassan whips around, stumbling away from Thirteen. His hand goes to the wound, coming back wet and red. Eyes widening in shock, he stomps his foot down, sending an orange line straight for the Thirteen. The red-headed monster dives out of the way toward the bathroom portion of the cell. The line course corrects, following after him, and the ensuing explosion launches him at the other man.

Thirteen uses the concussive force to whip his knife-hand even harder at the Neuvohuman, the sound of his blade splitting the air audible through the video feed. Hassan narrowly ducks down out of the way of Subject Thirteens swing. It continues, destroying the sink and embedding his hand into the wall behind it. Water sprays out of the open pipe into Thirteens face, slowly flooding the room. The power behind his swing is nearly superhuman. The human mountain tries to yank his arm out, but it's stuck in there. Frustrated, he tries placing a foot against the wall, but his foot slips off due to the moisture. Hassan doesnt wait for him to free himself, grabbing a chunk of the broken sink and slamming it into Thirteens neck. Hassan screams in rage and brings it back down onto Thirteens head, shattering the chunk he was holding. This seems like it's gone past the parameters that Kai laid out to both of them. It seems like theyre trying to kill each other.

Fucking die, you monster! Hassan shouted.

Both mens blood mixes with the water on the floor, slowly making it change to a murky pink color. Thirteens wrenches his arm free, and the busted pipe sprays Hassan, causing him to fall backward into the toilet. Thirteen grins and resumes trying to cut the smaller man into pieces. Hassan gets up quickly and begins to bob and weave out of the way of the slashes and swipes coming at him, each one capable of cleaving through a limb. The two men continue their deadly game of tag through the room, with Hassan narrowly avoiding being sliced again.

The water level has risen to calf height, and both men are slowing down. Hassan hasnt used his ability once since the room began to flood and is entirely focused on dodging. Can his ability not work underwater? That is an odd limitation if true. It would explain why he hasnt used it; even if he touched a wall, it wouldnt be able to go to the floor to hit Thirteen. I look to my right, and Kai looks entirely too pleased with himself. If Hassan cannot use his ability anymore, then he will lose to Subject Thirteen. Kai was right. He is going to be even more insufferable. Because of the water and blood mixing, Hassan cant see the broken rods from Thirteens bed and trips over one of them. Falling face down into the red water, he sputters as he scramles to stand up. Thirteens foot stomps into his back, pushing him back down.

I told you it was not enough, Thirteen said calmly. The manic look from before is gone, replaced by serenity and thoughtfulness. He doesnt raise his foot as he crouches down to get closer to Hassan. Bubbles rise up from underneath the water as Hassan struggles beneath him, fighting not to drown. Kai hasnt stopped this yet, but I dont know what makes him believe the Subject wont just kill the other man. If I lose out on a power because of this gamble, Ill kill Thirteen and have Vivienne beat some sense into Kai. No, he knows what is at stake. I need to trust that he knows what hes doing.

After a few minutes, the bubbles are becoming less frequent and smaller. Finally, just as Im about to intervene, Thirteen steps off of Hassans back. Bursting out above the water, gasping, the Security Director gulps down air. Thirteen stands there, letting his opponent catch his breath in a rare moment of honor or chivalry. But then his face splits open, showing off that violent grin of his, and he brings his knife-hand down like an executioners blade. Straight through skin, tendons, muscles, nerves, and bone, Hassans right arm plops into the red depths.

THE BUTCHER ALWAYS GETS HIS POUND OF FLESH! WHERE IS YOUR LESSON NOW?

Hassan is on his knees, stammering as his brain catches up to what just happened to him. Kais already typing away at the monitor, a blaring alarm sounding in the cell. The one-armed mans mouth quivers, half open as he tries to muster the words for the situation. Thirteen, or maybe its The Butcher, continues gloating in his opponents face. He reaches down and grabs the severed arm, waving it in front of Hassan mockingly. Hes so close to him that he cant move away when Hassan lunges for him. Grabbing Thirteens ankle, he activates his ability, and I watch as the orange glow moves up the leg, stopping at the knee and exploding. His kneecap is blown off; I can see what remains of his tibia and fibula sticking out from the top of his calf.

Kai finishes typing and executes the lockdown program. Gas begins to fill the cell as the water starts to drain. Thirteen falls onto his back as his sole leg buckles under his weight. But Hassan isnt done with the other man. He crawls over to him, touching him and sending three orange lines one after the other through the man. The first goes down and detonates his other knee, while the other two blow open the part of his shoulders that arent covered in metal. Thirteen grunts in pain as Hassans ability ravages his body. With the last bit of his strength, as the gas finishes filling the room, and spider drones come through the walls with their syringe tails full of blood-clotting substances, he slams his hand down on Thirteens chest, sending his final attack. Its like the world slows down in that moment, the noise fading as I watch that pencil-thick line race up to the Subjects face, right below his left eye, and explode half his face off. You certainly left a reminder, Security Director Hassan.

Considering no one died, Id call that a success, Kai said to me.

Looking over the unconscious forms of Thirteen and Hassan, both heavily injured and being currently worked on by a team of specialized drones. Tubes of different fluids are inserted intravenously in both men: blood, drugs, and saline. Crab-like drones the size of baseballs climb all over both of them. Their pincer claws replaced by needles and spools of Vicryl threads, sewing open wounds shut, and applying disinfecting sprays. Hassans stump has been cauterized shut, but hes only being given life-saving treatment. Shimmering dust covers Thirteen, hundreds of thousands of nanomachines 3d printing skin, bone, and meat to replace all that he lost.

You let it get out of hand; dont do that again. After I remove Hassans ability, you are free to do whatever you want with him," I said coldly. I briefly pause, waiting to see if he has an excuse or argument. "Is he stable enough for me to steal it?

Hes out of the danger zone; you can take it whenever you want to, Kai answered.

Perfect.

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