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Lord Karl Heisenberg grits his teeth and raises his boot.
With a rough kick, the chair Ethan sits on falls out under him and clatters into the open hatch behind him. Heisenberg quickly grabs the man's wrist before he meets the same fate.
“Last chance. You don't want to find out what's down there”
“I’ll take my chances.” Ethan lets go first, and the Lord is caught off guard for a second, glancing at their hands and then back at man who told him to go fuck himself. “You're funera--KRFF” The Lord's shoulders jerk up as he coughs. Another punches his lungs as Heisenberg uses his other hand to smother his mouth, firm hacks and wheezes escape. Ethan quickly thinks back to his time with Salvatore and worries the Lord holding him above the hatch was going to toss his cookies on him. Please just drop me now!
“Damn it, no--KAUK-- not now!” Instead Karl yanks him back onto solid ground, only to use his now free hand to support himself on a nearby wall, his body shakes with every harsh cough, making him bend over. Despite his better judgment, Ethan reaches out to Karl “What--A-Are you alrig--”
“I’M FINE!” Heisenberg shouts, making him jump, backing off. Staggering, the Lord quickly back tracks where he came from. “Wait a minute!” Ethan protests, only to get a flying knife miss his head and stab the wall behind him. “Stay back!” Karl warns, and then wheezes with a hard hack, spit dribbles down his chin.
Too afraid to move lest he faces another flying sharp object that makes its mark, Ethan stays where he stands as Heisenberg makes it out of the room. Wheezes and coughing get worse by the second. What the hell is wrong with these freaks?!
Ethen strains his ears for the Lords’ return when it suddenly gets quiet, expecting another horrible monster to enter the room, but he only jumps when he hears a loud thud. Finding the will to move again, he quickly leaves the room, gun ready in his hands.
He immediately spots a stray boot just outside the room and its matching counterpart further down the hall. Rounding the corner and entering another room, Ethan raises his gun, expecting something to attack him.
But only an empty room greets him, “What?”
Weapon still raised, he scans the room, nothing out of the… well ordinary… Until movement on the floor makes the man look down. He found Lord Heisenberg, or his clothes at least, splayed out like a starfish. Gun pointed at the pile as Ethan looks around again, half expecting a naked wolfman to jump him. He yelps in surprise when the jacket and hat start to rise, “Cut the crap Heisenberg! I’m not playing games!”
A small figure, wearing Heisenberg clothes turns to Ethan. Lifting the hat that covered half of his face, a thin 10 years old boy with dark hair locked eyes with the man pointing a gun at him. Wait what?
The boy frowned and held his hand out, “I told you to stay back!”
Nothing happens, aside from the light tugging on Ethan's gun, but his grip proved stronger. “Uuh…” The boy tries again, only getting the same results, “UGH! C’mon, this isn't fair! Now it decides to fuck with me?!”
Ethan is dumbfounded. And here I thought my day couldn't get weirder…
“Who… are you?”
The boy stands up, holding his extra large coat and shirt with the hat hanging off the back of his little head, “Who else dumbass?! Aren’t your brain cells starving from lack of use?” No way…
“Heisenberg…?!”
With Ethan waiting outside in the hall, The Lord changes into a more fitting wardrobe, he pulls on the back of his dusty brown overalls as he pulls on his small boots, "God, I hate these things."
Ethan taps his finger on his arm, "Done yet?"
"Hold your horses Winters!"
The man rolls his eyes, and sighs. First deadly little girls, a giant vampire lady, a gross fish man, then a deformed monster fetus and now this, what's next?! Don't jinx it…
Little boots stomp out of the room and Karl looks up at Ethan with a frown. He really did transform into a kid, if he had to guess, 10 years old probably.
"So I have several questions..." Ethan says. Heisenberg crosses his thin arms, "It's a side effect from the Cadou parasite. Started happening five years ago, but if I had to guess Miranda probably suspects me of planning a rebellion and is trying to slow me down."
"Does it happen at random or when you're holding people over open hatches?"
"Tch." The Lord doesn't answer, instead walks back to the room, picking up his trench coat. Searching through the pockets, "Point is! I'm stuck like this for 9 hours! So I need you to be my extra set of hands."
"What?! After the shit you tried to pull? What makes you think I'll agree to that?"
"How does a tank to use on Miranda sound?" Karl bargains, Ethan only frowns at the kid, "Really?"
Karl pulls out one of his cigars from his trench coat, "What, I'm weaker in this state and I can't do shit. But I do have an army that can still listen to me, and you need the firepower to get close to that bitch. The second you face her, she'll tear you apart!"
Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose, his other hand on his hip. "You still want to use my daughter as a weapon, don't you?"
"Obviously, she can bring Miranda down."
A dark part of Ethan whispers in his ear.
Just kill him and take the tank. Heisenberg said so himself, he’s weak, he can’t control metal in this state. You’ll make it quick, won’t you? He won’t feel a thing…
I-I can’t kill a kid…!
Oh, but he isn’t an ordinary child, hurry, Rose is waiting for you!
Ethan stays quiet as he pulls out his gun, the Lord before him tenses up looking at the weapon, "What are you--OW!" He holds his head where Ethan hits him with the butt of his gun.
"My answer is still no, kid."
"Kid?! I'm 83, you son of a--AUGH!" Ethan hits the child again. "If you're clever enough to build a zombie robot army, then you can tweak your maknster plan that doesn't involve my daughter. I don't care how powerful your 'Black God' is, if it bleeds, we can kill it."
"Tch." Heisenberg shoves the butt of the gun out of his face. "Fine! But when this is over and I have my body back, I'm skewering your ass!"
Ethan sighs as he slips his gun away, "Sure kid."
"I'M NOT A KID!" Karl shrieks, stomping his feet, cheeks turning red. The blond chuckles, "I can see why Dimitrescu called you a child--OW!" He holds his shin where Lord Heisenberg kicked him. "You little shit!"
.
.
.
"Karl, get out of the tank."
A small head pops out behind the machine, "You can't tell me what to do, you're not my mother!"
"Get out of the tank! We have to go!"
"Make me! I'm in the tank and you're not!" The head disappears, just like Chris' patience as he pinches his eyebrows. Watching the shit show before him hearing Winters and Heisenberg arguing back and forth.
What is my life…?
Just an hour ago, he was down in the depths of Heisenberg's factory, planting bombs with the intention of destroying the monstrosities that crawl around here, hopefully the metal Lord with him.
Imagine his surprise when he hears the elevator dinging and opening, revealing Ethan and who he thought was a child that somehow survived the purge of the village.
Now said child is pulling a temper tantrum, because he wants to use his metal army but Chris and Ethan are against it.
"I will literally--" Ethan grunts as he steps closer, "Get out of the fucking tank!"
"No!"