Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The things, the people you have ever loved, they shape you into who you are. The things you take for granted and you believe are eternal.

When those things are taken from you, what do you become?

There was a man living without a home. The word living was used loosely here as he doesn’t consider himself living. He was merely carrying his body towards a destination, the destination we all share. 

This road will never end for him.

He was like your neighbourhood hobo. No one ever asks the person who sleeps on the street, the park, the train what their name is. Or offers help considering the appearance of this man: the long hair, untrimmed beard and heavy worn out jacket. The look in his eyes when he was awake, was as if he was still dreaming. 

If only one could see what he had been through.

It is true that he is a stranger to the city. It was because his true home was in a faraway land. In his dreams, he revisited this place often. He dreamed about the fields of rice that turned into a land of gold and the rising sun that touched his family’s land. And he dreamed of his youth, running, cycling, going to school. He dreamed of his family; the sweet embrace of his parents, as warm as the sunlight of dawn. Despite not having much, his parents gave their son what he needed to flourish. But with every dream, in the end, lies a monster. Soon, one day, the golden fields were ablaze, then turned to black. And everyone he had ever known, his friends, his parents, everyone are now charred corpses. The smell of burnt meat, the nothingness afterwards, he witnessed it all, unable to move, and he could hear that sinister and chilling laugh mocking his failure, even in his dreams.

Since then, man has chosen to sleep as little as possible, and dreams have become indistinguishable from reality. Life has become a living nightmare, not only for him but for everyone in the world. As a new invisible threat loomed over the world, spreading mayhem and destruction like cancer. Many had suffered like this man.

The man planned to drown himself, as he did not want to drown in his sorrow anymore. He loomed over the bridge and stared at the river. His reflection, empty, hollow, his mind wished to be one with the water flowing, shapeless.

His body felt heavier, and his torso hung over the handrail. His head felt like it was on the guillotine, ready to fall off as the blade met his neck. His scarf flowed in the wind.

He closed his eyes.

Any moment now.

Just like falling asleep.

But he was woken up by the sound of car tyres screeching around him and then the sound of people surrounding him. He turned around to see men donning black suits and sunglasses, all of them armed. At the last car, an older man in a white coat stepped out, holding a katana in his hand. The man was completely cornered.

”You were a difficult man to find, Jack.” The man in white asked. His voice exuded a sense of formality and authority even though the words he said were not.

”What do you want?” Jack asked.

”I have been looking for you for a long time,” the tall man continued, ignoring Jack’s question. “And I have an offer to make.” He approached Jack.

”Whatever you are offering, I don’t want it,” Jack  refused bluntly, angered by the lack of a response to a simple question. He began to strut away, and the men around tried to stop him but were stopped by the man in white.

”I have what you need.”

Jack didn’t stop, “then tell me, what do I need?” He exclaimed furiously.

The man in white said firmly and solemnly, “A chance.” 

That offer, though vague and abstract, struck Jack like a lightning bolt. 

The look in Jack’s eyes, fear, confused, but willing to hear him out, was enough to convince the man in white to reach out and hand over the katana to Jack’s hands. Jack was hesitant to unsheath the sword, but the moment it fell into his hands, a mystical energy injected strength into Jack’s every vein. It was arcane, spawned from the dawn of time before there was anything. Holding it reminded Jack of everything good he ever felt, and all the light in the world. The power of the sword consumed Jack. And what he saw, he could not fully explain. The sword concocted a vision of what felt like a lance being hammered into a black mass, being pinned to the ground. Then, after a long time had passed, the nail was violently ripped out from the body. And the mass shook vigorously, weezing, gasping for air. Or was it a laugh? It was difficult to tell for Jack. Then it all turned to black, and he saw a pair of flaming eyes staring back at him.

When the flashes ended, his mind returned to reality, with the man in white still standing in front of him, patiently waiting. Staring into his eyes, ensuring that he has returned.

“You can call me the Professor.”

Chapter Text

After the overly brief salutations from the Professor, they returned to the vehicle they came from, and they opened the door to the last one, waiting for the Professor and Jack to get on. Jack, sword in hand, approached the vehicle with caution, there were still a lot of questions he wanted to ask. But the moment he got on, he got blindfolded, and his hands got tied. He could feel the Professor sitting next to him and the sound of the car door closing. 

“I am sorry, but this is for your own safety.” The Professor told Jack. Jack did not respond.

Jack had no clue where they were heading and felt deeply uncomfortable being transferred from one vehicle to another, and the drives were always long. Eventually, Jack had to get on a plane. It was only when the plane had taken off that they took off Jack’s blindfold and untied his hands. He could finally see again, just to find that he was thousands of feet off the air. There was no turning back now. The professor sat in front of him, facing each other. His hands were loosely clasped together, and he was leaning back. His position felt relaxed yet authoritative. 

The Professor made the first move before Jack could ask his many questions. 

“Do you know how to play chess, Jack? This is going to be quite a long flight.”

“I know the rules,” Jack responded. “Have not played enough to be good at it.”

“That would suffice; it’s an old man’s entertainment anyway.” The Professor brought out a sleek, metal chess set where the pieces are magnetised at the bottom. He quickly set up the game.

“Black or white?” The Professor asked.

“Either is fine.”

“Then I’ll play white.” The Professor moved his pawn to e4.

Jack moved his pawn to e5 in response. “I don’t think I could ask where I am going,” Jack simply stated, and the Professor nodded. “Then can I at least ask what we’re doing?”

The Professor paused for consideration, moved his bishop to c4, then asked, “Jack, how much do you know about what happened 16 years ago?”

Jack looked at the Professor,  squinted a little, and then played knight to c6. “You mean the 9.8 earthquake in Hokkaido, the biggest earthquake Japan has ever seen?”

The Professor sighed, then rubbed his hand against his forehead. “That was not an earthquake.”

Jack looked puzzled, and the Professor continued, playing queen to h5, “16 years ago, a group of researchers and scientists discovered something in a cave north of Hokkaido, closer to Russian territory. The locals were fearful of the discovery, and they called it ”Aku”, the word for “bad” or “evil”. The researcher ignored the locals’ warnings, calling it “superstition” But one day while doing their research, something triggered this “thing” to awaken. And this awakening shook the earth so hard that it greatly terraformed the area. Thousands were killed in the incident.” There was a sense of remorse in the Professor‘s deep, monotone voice. “I know because I was there on the day we released this evil onto this world. And among the rubble, that ancient sword was all we found.”

Jack was in disbelief. For 16 years, the world had been lied to into believing everything was fine. He, too, was part of the ignorant masses that lived their lives as usual, treating it as no more than a national tragedy.

Jack made his move, Knight to f6. His mind was not on the game. His eyes were full of fear as he realised what actually happened to his parents. What he saw in his visions, what the Professor told him, all came together into a nightmarish tapestry.

The Professor moved his queen to f7, taking the pawn. 

Checkmate.

“There was nothing you could have done, Jack.” The Professor assured him. 

“Why did you keep it a secret? The people deserve to know.”

“Imagine if people knew, Jack. The world would become a place of total disarray. People would panic over something they have no comprehension of. Even we barely understood what we were dealing with.”

“So what do you know?”

The Professor repositioned himself, then held up black’s king. “Aku, as far as we’re concerned, is an agent of chaos. It is only motivated by destruction and bringing despair. It is an unstoppable, non-negotiable force. But alone, he is like the king in chess, crucial but surprisingly limited in what it can do.” He placed the black king back on the board. “What he does is puppeteering. He infuses his power into things and turns them into pawns; some are more powerful than others, akin to the rooks, knights and bishops.” 

“Why do you need me?”

The Professor brought the katana out, then unsheathed it, revealing a sharpened and radiant blade. It was as if it was glowing. Jack was surprised that it was in such perfect condition, contrary to the rusted and chipped scabbard. 

“Tell me, what did you see when you held the sword.”

Jack explained that he saw glimpses of the past and the monster at the end. The Professor nodded as he listened to Jack’s description, unphased by the horrors Jack mentioned.

“I think we can help each other.” The Professor looked Jack in the eyes and said solemnly, “That sword is the key, and we need you to use this sword to defeat Aku.” The Professor put down the blade, picked up a white pawn and toppled the black king over. “Then you can have what you want.”

“Why me?”

“Your records are very impressive. Three-time kendo world champion, two-time MMA world champion. You were about to win your third title when you found out your village burned down, killing your parents and everyone in it.” The Professor paused, realising his tone sounded too apathetic. “We are very sorry for your loss. We were not able to stop it in time.”

Jack frowned and turned his gaze at the window. The Professor continued, “But you were not the first choice for this job. There were others before you.” The Professor mirrored Jack and also looked out the window. There was this kid, a fencing champion. He was about 18 and had a dog, I think.” The Professor paused again, longer this time, as thinking about him hurt. 

“He was a good kid, but he died.” Jack menacingly stared at the Professor as he continued to look outside. In the corner of his eye, the wrinkling of crow’s feet, there was a potent sense of guilt and moroseness within it. Behind his rigid, bureaucratic facade, moments like this made one wonder what he had endured. He had seen the event unfold from beginning to end, and every failure, every loss weighed him down. At this moment, Jack realises the tragic situation they are in. He saw what knowing but being unable to act upon the situation does to a person. This observation made him subtly agree with the decision to keep the problem a secret. No one wants to know that the world is at an impasse.

But there were still many things Jack wanted to ask. What exactly do they do? How did the boy die? Who else works for him? But there was one final question he must ask.

Jack picked up the white pawn. “This job, is it worth it?”

“It is, Jack.” The Professor said sincerely. “It was too late for your parents and your village, but it is not too late for others.”

Jack considered, and he looked at his hands. His palms were filled with calluses and small scars from training. He wondered if he could contribute something good to the situation or as much as the Professor hoped he could. But then again, what is there left to lose from trying?

Jack lifted his head and looked at the Professor, waiting for Jack’s response.

“I am doing this, not for you. It’s for those who cannot defend themselves,” Jack told the Professor.

“You should catch some rest, Jack. There is still some time until we reach our destination.” The Professor gave Jack a welcoming smile. “And welcome to The Network.”

Chapter Text

Jack was once again blindfolded by one of the men before the plane had landed, much to his dismay. He was also once again being manhandled to another vehicle. They turned off the engine at some point, and the Professor beside him took off his blindfold. Jack looked around, and it was pitch black outside, with only a few faint lights on the walls. Slowly, the car descended through a tunnel, plummeting into darkness. 

Then, the mechanism stopped, and they were free to leave the vehicle. The driver turned on the lights, leading to another dark tunnel. They had come a long way down, just to go further into the dark. 

Jack looked around; though there was not much to see, he felt the cool air and saw the grey concrete. It felt unnerving to be in.

“This used to be a military bunker,” the Professor told Jack, his voice echoed through the hallway. “Reserved for the most dire of conditions, but still retaining communications through the surface and the seas.”

No further explanation was made after that, and they simply continued forward in silence. Only footsteps were heard in the long corridor. In the end, there was a 4-metre tall, blast-resistant door. The Professor took his identification card out and swiped it. Then, the system requested a palm print scan. He removed his white gloves, revealing his hand covered in burn scars, and then pressed it against the scanner. Then, lastly, it was a retina scan. Only after all of that has been completed will the door open.

This place reeked of paranoia, Jack thought to himself.

The Network was a brutalist-style compound. Upon entering, Jack was on a bridge in a tubular space. There were many bridges above and below, overlapping each other. Connect from one space to another. It was hollow and dark, lit by red signal lights on the walls. Everything was made of concrete, and it was incredibly windy. And even entering indoors, the place was like a labyrinth. Each wall looked the same; the doors looked the same; the corridors looked the same. The walls all had a red horizontal line in the middle that connected throughout the walls, which was not helpful. 

“You would need this,” the Professor said, handing Jack a small handheld device the size of Jack’s palm. It had a small monitor, a speaker, and a microphone. This contains the compound's map, your room's location, and notifications when I’m looking for you. You can also contact me whenever you need to.” Then, he also handed Jack the sword. “And I want you to keep this for me.”

The Professor turned around, “I’ll be going now to take care of some matters. See you later.” He slowly walked away from Jack and his men, leaving Jack alone again in a profoundly unfamiliar space. 

Jack wandered around the compound, trying to navigate through the map on the device. He often got lost in the long halls. The room numbering system made no sense to Jack, and no one helped Jack even when he asked for it. Eventually, he managed to stop someone by standing in front of him, blocking his way.

“Excuse me, where is this place,” Jack asked the blond, taller man and pointed at the location on his device.”

“What the- Why is there some hobo here?” The man rudely responded, and Jack’s face immediately looked annoyed. “Move, you’re in my way.”

‘Please, I need to know where this room is!” Jack insisted.

‘Ugh, fine!” The rude man snatched the device out of Jack’s hand, looked at it for a second, and then tossed it back. “This is downstairs,” he said as he stormed off.

Jack glared at the man as he became increasingly distant, eventually getting out of sight as he turned the corner. Jack did not have the cleanest appearance, but that was no excuse to be treated disrespectfully. Jack shook his head in disapproval while thinking of that man. But sure enough, Jack’s room was just one floor below.

Jack arrived at his room and swiped his card on the reader. The door slid open, and the interior echoed the minimalist exterior. Most of the furniture was concealed within the walls. His bed was situated in a way that made it flesh to the wall when unused, but with a pull tab under the mattress, it could be at a right angle to the wall when needed. The wardrobe beside the bed was also flesh to the wall, but with a gentle push, the door popped open, revealing the pillows, blanket, bedsheet, and clothes Jack would be wearing. Jack’s first instinct was to touch them, then tear up every inch of the fabric, which was how he remembered it. It was Jack’s keikogi he wore to every competition, of which all of the originals were lost in the fire. He took one set out of the wardrobe and embraced them. He took them with him as he walked to the bathroom in the corner of the room, washing all the dirt and filth from his body. He hasn’t felt this refreshed in a long time. He wiped the fog off the mirror, and he saw himself clean for the first time in a while. He then popped open the mirror and saw a variety of different toiletries in place already. He grabbed the safety razor and began to trim away his beard. Bit by bit, the sink beneath was filled with beard hair. He gave his face one last rinse and wiped off the dripping water. He caressed his cheek, which was smooth, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a year, back when he still had a home.

Everything still reminded him of home.

He put on his keikogi, which was still white as he remembered but felt slightly heavier. He brushed his hair and tied it into a knot like he used to. As he was leaving, he saw the pair of clogs beside the door. He put on the clogs and looked around the empty, off-white, minimalist room. The corner of his mouth twitched a little, then grabbed the sword and left the room.

Jack felt a little peckish after being transferred from one side of the planet to another. So he looked at the map the Professor gave him, and sure enough, on the same floor there was the staff canteen. After swiping his card, the large frosted glass doors were open. And it was pretty vacant, and Jack couldn't quite tell what time it was so he assumed that everyone else was working. Another thing Jack noticed was there was no menu. He walked over to the counter to look for the kitchen staff, but he couldn't see anyone. That's when he heard.

“Hey, mister! What do you want to eat, mister?”

Jack looked down at the counter, only to find a single child managing the kitchen.

“Uhhhh,” Jack didn't know what to tell the child.

“Ooh, ooh, I know just the thing for you! Just hang on a minute, mister!” The child excitedly dashed back into the kitchen to his station. There was a dedicated lowered space for him to work, and it was deeply amusing to see him run around the kitchen with his stubby little leg. But credit is given where credit is due, as it was also a marvel to watch him skillfully slice the salmon and tuna. Every slice was perfectly even. There was also tamagoyaki, octopus and shrimp. He then brought out a wooden pail filled with rice and began to shape the rice into rectangular shapes. He placed the condiments, but not before putting a dab of wasabi in the middle. The sushi was plated, and then the child scooped up some miso soup to pair with it. The child brought the tray of food over to Jack, and the fragrant smell was making Jack's mouth water. 

“Here you go, mister!” The child proudly handed over the food. 

“Chowder, how many times have I told you not to cook alone!” A man's booming voice called out from the back of the kitchen.

“Oops,” Chowder blurted out. “Gotta go. See ya.” He said as he ran back into the kitchen.

Jack held the tray of food and sat down. He took a piece of sushi, sipped the soup, and he tasted perfection. To him, every part of it was on point. Nothing had ever come close to what he tasted. However, midway through, he heard a beeping noise coming from his device. It was a summon from the Professor, with an attachment to a location in the compound. Jack savoured the food, felt thankful for the delicious meal, and returned the tray, leaving the canteen.

Chapter Text

Jack was once again blindfolded by one of the men before the plane had landed, much to his dismay. He was also once again being manhandled to another vehicle. They turned off the engine at some point, and the Professor beside him took off his blindfold. Jack looked around, and it was pitch black outside, with only a few faint lights on the walls. Slowly, the car descended through a tunnel, plummeting into darkness. 

Then, the mechanism stopped, and they were free to leave the vehicle. The driver turned on the lights, leading to another dark tunnel. They had come a long way down, just to go further into the dark. 

Jack looked around; though there was not much to see, he felt the cool air and saw the grey concrete. It felt unnerving to be in.

“This used to be a military bunker,” the Professor told Jack, his voice echoed through the hallway. “Reserved for the most dire of conditions, but still retaining communications through the surface and the seas.”

No further explanation was made after that, and they simply continued forward in silence. Only footsteps were heard in the long corridor. In the end, there was a 4-metre tall, blast-resistant door. The Professor took his identification card out and swiped it. Then, the system requested a palm print scan. He removed his white gloves, revealing his hand covered in burn scars, and then pressed it against the scanner. Then, lastly, it was a retina scan. Only after all of that has been completed will the door open.

This place reeked of paranoia, Jack thought to himself.

The Network was a brutalist-style compound. Upon entering, Jack was on a bridge in a tubular space. There were many bridges above and below, overlapping each other. Connect from one space to another. It was hollow and dark, lit by red signal lights on the walls. Everything was made of concrete, and it was incredibly windy. And even entering indoors, the place was like a labyrinth. Each wall looked the same; the doors looked the same; the corridors looked the same. The walls all had a red horizontal line in the middle that connected throughout the walls, which was not helpful. 

“You would need this,” the Professor said, handing Jack a small handheld device the size of Jack’s palm. It had a small monitor, a speaker, and a microphone. This contains the compound's map, your room's location, and notifications when I’m looking for you. You can also contact me whenever you need to.” Then, he also handed Jack the sword. “And I want you to keep this for me.”

The Professor turned around, “I’ll be going now to take care of some matters. See you later.” He slowly walked away from Jack and his men, leaving Jack alone again in a profoundly unfamiliar space. 

Jack wandered around the compound, trying to navigate through the map on the device. He often got lost in the long halls. The room numbering system made no sense to Jack, and no one helped Jack even when he asked for it. Eventually, he managed to stop someone by standing in front of him, blocking his way.

“Excuse me, where is this place,” Jack asked the blond, taller man and pointed at the location on his device.”

“What the- Why is there some hobo here?” The man rudely responded, and Jack’s face immediately looked annoyed. “Move, you’re in my way.”

‘Please, I need to know where this room is!” Jack insisted.

‘Ugh, fine!” The rude man snatched the device out of Jack’s hand, looked at it for a second, and then tossed it back. “This is downstairs,” he said as he stormed off.

Jack glared at the man as he became increasingly distant, eventually getting out of sight as he turned the corner. Jack did not have the cleanest appearance, but that was no excuse to be treated disrespectfully. Jack shook his head in disapproval while thinking of that man. But sure enough, Jack’s room was just one floor below.

Jack arrived at his room and swiped his card on the reader. The door slid open, and the interior echoed the minimalist exterior. Most of the furniture was concealed within the walls. His bed was situated in a way that made it flesh to the wall when unused, but with a pull tab under the mattress, it could be at a right angle to the wall when needed. The wardrobe beside the bed was also flesh to the wall, but with a gentle push, the door popped open, revealing the pillows, blanket, bedsheet, and clothes Jack would be wearing. Jack’s first instinct was to touch them, then tear up every inch of the fabric, which was how he remembered it. It was Jack’s keikogi he wore to every competition, of which all of the originals were lost in the fire. He took one set out of the wardrobe and embraced them. He took them with him as he walked to the bathroom in the corner of the room, washing all the dirt and filth from his body. He hasn’t felt this refreshed in a long time. He wiped the fog off the mirror, and he saw himself clean for the first time in a while. He then popped open the mirror and saw a variety of different toiletries in place already. He grabbed the safety razor and began to trim away his beard. Bit by bit, the sink beneath was filled with beard hair. He gave his face one last rinse and wiped off the dripping water. He caressed his cheek, which was smooth, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a year, back when he still had a home.

Everything still reminded him of home.

He put on his keikogi, which was still white as he remembered but felt slightly heavier. He brushed his hair and tied it into a knot like he used to. As he was leaving, he saw the pair of clogs beside the door. He put on the clogs and looked around the empty, off-white, minimalist room. The corner of his mouth twitched a little, then grabbed the sword and left the room.

Jack felt a little peckish after being transferred from one side of the planet to another. So he looked at the map the Professor gave him, and sure enough, on the same floor there was the staff canteen. After swiping his card, the large frosted glass doors were open. And it was pretty vacant, and Jack couldn't quite tell what time it was so he assumed that everyone else was working. Another thing Jack noticed was there was no menu. He walked over to the counter to look for the kitchen staff, but he couldn't see anyone. That's when he heard.

“Hey, mister! What do you want to eat, mister?”

Jack looked down at the counter, only to find a single child managing the kitchen.

“Uhhhh,” Jack didn't know what to tell the child.

“Ooh, ooh, I know just the thing for you! Just hang on a minute, mister!” The child excitedly dashed back into the kitchen to his station. There was a dedicated lowered space for him to work, and it was deeply amusing to see him run around the kitchen with his stubby little leg. But credit is given where credit is due, as it was also a marvel to watch him skillfully slice the salmon and tuna. Every slice was perfectly even. There was also tamagoyaki, octopus and shrimp. He then brought out a wooden pail filled with rice and began to shape the rice into rectangular shapes. He placed the condiments, but not before putting a dab of wasabi in the middle. The sushi was plated, and then the child scooped up some miso soup to pair with it. The child brought the tray of food over to Jack, and the fragrant smell was making Jack's mouth water. 

“Here you go, mister!” The child proudly handed over the food. 

“Chowder, how many times have I told you not to cook alone!” A man's booming voice called out from the back of the kitchen.

“Oops,” Chowder blurted out. “Gotta go. See ya.” He said as he ran back into the kitchen.

Jack held the tray of food and sat down. He took a piece of sushi, sipped the soup, and he tasted perfection. To him, every part of it was on point. Nothing had ever come close to what he tasted. However, midway through, he heard a beeping noise coming from his device. It was a summon from the Professor, with an attachment to a location in the compound. Jack savoured the food, felt thankful for the delicious meal, and returned the tray, leaving the canteen.

Chapter Text

After the weird confrontation with Johnny, Jack was left to his own devices and explored more of the complex. There were many rooms that were interesting, such as the surveillance department, the records room, and the laboratory. However, Jack was met with disappointment time and time again as he lacked the clearance for them. He did find a garden in the complex. Even though the garden was several thousand feet underground, it was still extremely well maintained. It was landscaped to have ponds, trees and a wide variety of plantation Jack had never seen. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and peaceful. Jack sat on the bench and meditated. It was a ritual his father taught him before any fight.
“Cleanse your mind, son. You don’t fight with your body. You fight with your mind,” was a thing his father would tell him before every fight. Thinking about his father made Jack’s heart clench. So much so he had to adjust his breathing to soothe the pain. And thinking about him stirred more in Jack.
Anger.
Hate.
Guilt.
Sorrow.
Jack’s mind refused to be calm. Frustrated, Jack stopped meditating. His mind was still troubled by the thought of his father and his mission. The beautiful garden was no help in gaining peace.
Deep inside him, he wished he could not feel a thing. Back to being hollow, and aimlessly wandering the world.
Soon, time was up. So Jack and Johnny met up at the assigned location.

Jack and Johnny got on the helicopter and headed to their destination. On their way, Jack thought about the questions he wanted to ask Johnny, but he didn’t know where to start. Johnny looked at how Jack kept opening and closing his lips.
”What is it?” Johnny was annoyed.
No answer.
”Spit it out, dammit!”
No answer.
“Do you even know what you’re doing?”
No answer, because it had occurred to Jack that he truly did not what he was doing. It hardly mattered to him anyway what would happen.
“Ugh, better prepare a body bag.”

“Agents, we’re approaching your destination. Call us when you’re done.”
They landed close to a forest in the mountains.
”Bastards, they left us too far off again.” Johnny looked at his surroundings, then at his communication pad. “Probably too scared to get close.”
Jack looked around the terrain, immersed in nature. Surrounded by the dense forest, he felt minuscule.
”Stop spacing out!” Johnny was already far ahead. “If you don’t walk faster, imma leave you behind. I don’t need you anyway.”
Jack caught up quickly, but still his gaze was on the amber and scarlet leaves on the trees. They trekked along the outskirts of the woodlands, and so far nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing felt threatening to Jack, but Johnny looked cautious.
After walking for an hour, they arrived at a small, modest, abandoned village. One of stone houses, water mills, and farms.
”We’re here,” Johnny stopped Jack from walking further along. “The readings are off the charts- You can read them too on your com-pad, y’know.”
”What’s a com-pad?” Jack asked.
”It’s that thing you have been reading your map of. After all this time, you don’t know what it’s called?” Johnny was certain that Jack came here to die. Jack shrugged. At this point, Johnny realises he is on his own in this mission.
Jack turned on his com-pad and looked at the map. There it was, a large red dot on the map.
And it was moving closer.
They were staring down the com-pad when they heard a menacing growl coming from afar. The low humming of its diaphragm gave away its size, and it echoed through the woods. This thing… Whatever it may be, must be gigantic, but it doesn’t quite make sense. It must be, what, at least 10 feet tall? But that is impossible, no creature on this land could possibly be this big.
But it was coming towards them.
Getting closer by the second.
It was coming to kill them.
The boys were still fixated on the com-pad, there was simply too little time for them to react as the shadow of the beast loomed over them. They turned around to catch a glimpse of the beast’s paws, which were mere inches from their face. Thinking fast, Johnny pushed Jack away from the beast, causing him to fall down.
Jack had never seen a monster like this before. It felt as though he was launched into a whole new reality, a terrifying nightmare he had woken up to.
On the ground, Jack was frozen still, unable to react as the beast towered over him on its hind legs.
“Your sword! Use your sword!” Johnny shouted at Jack, but the words didn’t get to him. The large black hound had found its perfect prey, standing still, and went for the defenceless Jack. Johnny pulled out his gun from his holster in the jacket, and began shooting at the beast. “Bang bang!” Johnny shot twice, It was hit in the leg and in the chest. It began to bleed, but had no signs of stopping.
”Dammit!” Johnny picked up the petrified Jack and began to run away from the injured beast. Though injured, it was still sprinting like a drugged-up leopard, and it was always inches behind the two. Jack’s weight was slowing Johnny down, and he could feel the beast’s breath brushing against his suit.
“Huff, hah,” Johnny was panting. “Do something, samurai!”
No answer.
The beast had caught up and bit into Johnny’s suit jacket with its fangs. It ripped apart the jacket as he swung Johnny across. Losing balance, Johnny tossed Jack to the side and tried to fire back. But when he turned around and pulled his gun, the beast’s snout bashed against Johnny. He dropped his gun, the only thing that even remotely hurt the thing. And in the heat of the moment, Johnny held the beast’s jaw open, his hands bleeding from the sharp fangs.
”If you don’t get your sorry ass up and use that damn sword, we’re both gonna be dog food!” Johnny looked at the motionless Jack on the ground. Though injured, Johnny was no match for the beast in terms of strength. The beast was unstoppable, and the more it pushed forward, the more blood came gushing out of his hands. His legs were weak, moving backwards, getting closer and closer to Jack.
“Dammit, Jack! Help me! I’m too pretty to be eaten alive!” The jaws of the beast began closing in, and Johnny’s fingers were close to being severed.
”Arghhhhh!” Johnny screamed in pain. He couldn’t look anymore, knowing his hand was about to be chomped off.
But suddenly, its jaws stopped closing in. Johnny opened his eyes to see the beast howling in pain. Blood came pouring out of its calves and torso. The beast turned around, and Jack was standing there with the sword, blood trickling down the edge.
Johnny looked at Jack’s expression and stance. Jack was still clearly afraid, but more so, he felt angry. He thought about how he couldn’t save his family, and watch another person die while he didn’t do anything? No, he could not do that, not without a fight.
Jack slid under the beast and slashed its stomach, creating a gash in its gut and a waterfall of blood. The beast howled in pain. As he was watching Jack, Johnny took off his tie to stop the bleeding on one of his hands. He then reached for his gun, hoping to aim for the head. But with Jack dashing around, jumping all over and thrashing the beast, there was no clean shot. Jack dodged the attacks, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He took every opportunity he had to land his attacks, and the beast was getting increasingly worn down. These moves were not the result of his training, no, nothing could have prepared him for this. It was instinct, and the will to protect that drove him. Jack climbed up a watermill and onto the roof of one the houses. Then he launched himself off of it and landed onto the beast and stabbed it in the neck, twisting the blade. The beast howled at the sky, and Johnny finally had a shot.
”Oh yeah, momma,” Johnny said to himself, smiled, then took the shot. The black bullet cleanly pierced the beast’s cranium through the lower jaw.
The gunshot was as loud as day, and the beast finally fell.
Jack climbed off the beast, and except for that he was covered in mud, along with a couple of grazes on his arms and legs, he was mostly fine. He towards the much more seriously injured Johnny, looking at his left hand still bleeding out. Jack frowned, feeling guilty. He cut off a piece of his keikogi with the sword, surprised to find out that there was something woven into the fabric. He tied the fabric around Johnny's palm, putting his attention towards the circular holes and avoidant of Johnny's gaze. He bandaged it as he would a boxer’s hand, firm and secure.
“I don't have anything to disinfect it, this is the best I could do,” Jack glanced at Johnny, and Johnny's eyes bloomed with fury.
Johnny took Jack’s sword and walked over to the beast. He plunged the sword into the beast’s skull, and a black goo came oozing out. And the beast slowly shrank back down to the size of a dog. Johnny took a vial out of his pocket and gathered the liquid.
“Mission’s over. Let's go,” Johnny said firmly and disgruntledly. He got up from the ground and began to walk away. Jack looked at Johnny's back; his jacket and shirt ripped to shreds, and his back was also bleeding. He followed Johnny, but something felt off. Though Jack was inexperienced and felt that his hunch had no basis, there was something that didn't sit right. The village felt well-maintained, and crops were planted and flourishing. But where are the people? Despite the ravaging beast, there was no sign of struggle.
Jack and Johnny headed to the forest, thinking that their way out was in there.

Chapter Text

The walk back to the meet-up point was awkward, there was only the sound of silent reflection. Not a word was exchanged between the two, Jack was trailing behind the visibly fuming Johnny. Despite their lack of exchanges, the place radiated an eerie aura. They were in a village near a forest in the countryside, yet there were no signs of life. No sounds of birds chirping, no rustling bushes, not even a single insect. This was incredibly off-putting for Jack as he had also grown up in a similar environment, but had never seen something so disturbing before. So much so, he decided to break the silence.

“Agent Bravo?” Johnny gave him a familiar cold shoulder.

“Agent Bravo, there is something very wrong about this,” Jack continued, still receiving no response. “Where is the life in this place? Where are the people? They have things to tend to, why would they suddenly abandon this place?”

Johnny ignored his questions, focusing on the map on his com-pad. “This way,” he said as he headed towards the forest. Jack frowned, but still followed him into the forest.

It was a forest of oak trees, and the leaves layered the dirt as autumn came to collect them. The trees stood tall and were clearly maintained by the local woodsman. The question still remained, where is everyone? 

Soon, night fell, and it was getting colder as the sun set. What was anticipated to be an hour walk through the woods became more than that. The agents had to turn on their com-pad’s flashlight function just to see the road ahead. 

“Johnn- Agent Bravo, are you sure this is the way?” Jack asked concerning, as he had asked again before in the past hours.

“Shut up! I know where we are. Just a little more and we’re out of here.” Johnny replied with annoyance. 

Jack stared at his com-pad, and there was no data on where they were nor the meeting-up point. It was as if they had vanished off the planet.

“Are we lost?” Jack asked, and Johnny snapped.

“Yes! No- Ugh, I don’t know! I don’t know where we are! I just know we are in the right direction for the past few hours. If you have a problem with that, then maybe you should have been the one navigating!” Johnny shoved his com-pad onto Jack, then sat down and pouted. 

Jack sat down next to him, and he asked, “should we wait until the sun comes up?” Johnny was still pouting, and Jack just handed his com-pad back at him. “I’ll go collect some firewood.” Jack stood up, and Johnny briefly looked at him before returning to his position.

Jack walked around collecting dry sticks and moss for a campfire. The faint flashlight from the com-pad was getting fainter as the battery was running out. Jack was looking around when he kicked something hard, possibly metal from the sound. He looked down to find an old, rusted metal oil lamp. And surprisingly, it could be turned on. It was much brighter than the flashlight of the com-pad, and now he could see his surroundings better. But the moment he turned it on, he was startled by the faces on the trees. What looked like faces anyway, with black goo oozing out of the eye holes.

“These are not oak, these are Edelwood trees,” Jack thought to himself, he had read about them in books. These trees produce a dark-coloured sap that can be used as fuel, but if mishandled can lead to a forest fire. But they are not native to this region, nor do they grow next to oak trees as the nutrients they need are drastically different. What was weirder than these trees growing here was the fact that despite being in the midst of autumn, it suddenly decided to snow.

Jack, noticing the falling snow, quickly gathered the sticks needed for the fire. He then swiftly returned to where he left Johnny, just to find him missing, and snow slowly piling up on his com-pad.

“Johnny?”

Jack dumped the sticks onto the ground as he ran around looking for Johnny. Where could he possibly go? Jack had no clue. Nonetheless, he searched around for traces of Johnny, hoping that there was something that would help him find his fellow agent. It was snowing heavier and it frosted Jack’s hair. He was shivering from the cold but was not ready to give up. The snow had almost completely covered the ground, but it was then he noticed the red amongst the white. It was blood, quite probably Johnny’s blood. Jack followed it, hoping it would lead him to Johnny’s whereabouts. He trekked along, fighting the blizzard blowing against his face. And the Edelwood tree’s faces contorted, looking more deranged and frightful, as if they were screaming eternally.

Soon, the trail led Jack to the heart of the forest. Where the Edelwood trees were at its densest and no light could slip through. But he saw, he wished he couldn’t see. The light from the lamp carved out the shape of Johnny encased in a sapling, growing unnaturally fast.  Jack turned to see a whole line of the townspeople encased in a similar fashion, but in various stages. The oldest one, you couldn’t tell that there was a person inside if it weren’t for the fact there was an arm sticking out of it. Who would do such a thing? What could do such a thing? 

Jack unsheathed his sword and swung at the sapling, releasing Johnny from his shackles. “Johnny, wake up!” Jack pats him on the cheek, but he was in a deep slumber. He looked pale and weak, his life slowly draining from his body. 

“My little seed,” a thick voice echoed through the heart of the forest. “This is my forest, how dare you destroy my tree?” 

Jack looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Only to find a pair of glowing eyes, similar to ones he saw in the beast, in the depths of the woods. Sword in hand, he was ready to throw-down at whatever came at him. 

“That sword…” The voice approached Jack, revealing that he was more than a pair of eyes. He had horns made of tree branches and a cape made of leaves, though its torso was still mostly in shadow. “The sword, child. Give me the sword.”

“What?”

“I propose a deal,” the thing reached out with its stick like fingers. “The sword, in exchange for your friend’s life. Your friend is too weak in his current condition to leave the forest without my help. Give me the sword, and you two can make it out alive.” 

Jack slowly approached the dark stranger. Sometimes one worries that his nature made him gullible, especially when lives are at stake. Though knowing it could most probably be a trick, he still considered the offer. Not save his partner? He would regret it. Save his partner but forsaken the sword that could potentially end Aku? He would definitely regret that as well. And he would never know what would happen if he chose either option. He despaired over it, fearing that he may kickstart a terrifying motion of events.

There was of course the secret third option, the one where he makes no decision at all. By copping out on life, and escaping its questions in a cowardly fashion. 

“No,” Jack thought to himself. “There are greater things than me out there.”

The question still stands: which option should Jack choose?

Like any choice in life, it is all a “leap of faith” to Jack. The choice was actually quite clear for him. He walked up to the figure after considering his options.

“No,” Jack told the figure. “I will not hand you the sword.”

“Very well, then.” It replied. “I shall make you a part of my forest.”

Chapter Text

The ground began to shake as the roots of the Edelwood trees emerged from the dirt, it began to entangle Jack’s ankles. Jack swung at the roots to free himself, but it was futile as he was soon surrounded by snake-like roots, slithering across the snow. With each thrash, came with a splash of the black sap. Jack tried to run back to Johnny, but trapped in the entanglement, Jack could only helplessly watch as Johnny was once again engulfed by the tree. The roots began to wrap tightly around Jack, as the dark figure came closer and so desperately wanted to pry the sword out of Jack’s hand.

“Yes… This would make my master very pleased,” the figure approached slowly yet menacingly. Suffocating, Jack desperately tried to squirm his way out of the tree, but to no avail. Only his hands were free at this point, and the figure picked his fingers apart to retrieve the sword. That was when Jack remembered what he had in his other hand: the lit oil lamp. In a last ditch effort, he swung the lamp at the figure. The glass shattered, and the light, when met with the figure, immediately burst into a ball of fire.

“Arghhhh!” The figure screamed in pain as the flame consumed his body. Jack was released from his cage, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He returned to Johnny, freeing him once again with the sword. But his body was even colder than before, and his breath was getting lighter. The figure swayed left and right, and even rolled on the ground as he tried to put himself out, but it only caused the fire to spread further. But when Jack was freeing Johnny, he noticed that there were also two boys trapped in the trees. One teen and one child, still visible through the crevices. Jack put Johnny aside temporarily to free the boys, hacking away at the wood. It took significantly more time to free them as the trees grew thicker around them, and he had to take extra care in the removal process to not harm them. But he must hurry, as the fire was quickly spreading. 

“You fool! You will never escape,” the figure chuckled in spite of the fact that he was burning. “I am the forest, I am the darkness, I am the home to the lost. But he, he is the world.” 

Jack was too concentrated on trying to free the boys to listen to the figure’s speech. But he could feel the heat against his back. He turned around to see the fire had him, Johnny, and the boys surrounded. Although the figure was falling apart, ash falling like snow, and charred pieces crumbling off his skin, he was still laughing maniacally, as he understood his demise would be meaningful if he could bring the agents down with him. He found a better way to bring upon darkness, a way to snuff out the light forever. 

The fire had finally cornered Jack and the others, and Jack looked at himself through the reflection of the blade. Face to face with the king of the woods, he wondered if he had made the wrong decision. There was nowhere to run for Jack, and he was ready to accept his fate. He had failed, like his failure to save his parents and his village. Sword held in his hand, he was ready.

But the sword had other ideas.

As Jack closed his eyes, he saw a vision of the first star that was ever born. At first, there was only darkness, and within the darkness bred monsters. Then came the first speck of light, the one thought that rebelled against the dark. And no matter how much dark there was, it could never seem to put out the light. 

At first, there was only dark, but to him, it looked like the light was winning.

“I’ll take it from here,” the vision told him.

The vision possessed Jack, as he picked up his sword and stood straight. He opened his eyes, revealing a beam of light devouring its contents. The figure reached forth, expecting to easily claim Jack’s life. But the moment he laid hands on him, his hand disintegrated in a flash.

“Ugh!” The figure grunted. But what he could not have anticipated was Jack swiftly slashing against him. The movements were clean and determined, even unworldly, inhuman. The figure looked at Jack, no, what stood before him was not Jack, it was something else.

“What? Impossible!” The figure exclaimed. “What are you?”

It responded, “I am what you are not. I am the warmth, I am the light, I am the found.” He held his sword horizontally, delivering a blow, piercing through the figure’s torso. And what came through the other side was a blinding light, obliterating, shattering the figure into charred bits and pieces. 

The monster was destroyed, the fires were extinguished, the snow had ceased, and the Edelwood trees retreated back into the soil. Jack collapsed onto the ground, lying unconsciously, as he and the others laid motionless on the ground, waiting to be found.

Chapter Text

“Another unfamiliar ceiling,” Jack thought to himself as he woke up from what felt like a year long slumber. The sleep had caused his neck to stiffen as he struggled to turn and see his surroundings. It was dreadfully quiet, only the sounds of the whirring lights could be heard. He slowly turned to see he was attached to an IV pole, and the wounds on his body were patched. But there was no one else there except him. 

A moment of solitude for Jack, for him to reflect on the insanity that had happened to him. A moment to take in that this world has monsters, evils beyond his comprehension. The visions kept flashing in his mind when it suddenly occurred to him: where’s Johnny?

Jack got up as quickly as he could, though still aching from the prolonged state of stillness. He held onto the IV pole as support and walked out of his room. There was no way for him to tell where he was, or what time it was. The fluorescent  white light and linoleum floors gave an overly-sanitary, uneasy feeling for Jack. He walked around the corridors, looking at the other rooms to find any other sign of life. It took him a while to find the other person here, a young lady with scarlet hair, piercings on her ears, and hair in a spiky ponytail. Before Jack could ask his question, this young woman had her way at it first.

”What the- What are you doing, walking around here? You should be in bed or you’ll rip out your stitches, no wait, you don’t have any stitches, that was the other patient. Then nevermind, but you should get some rest.”

The young lady’s rapid fire response disabled Jack as he could not find an opening for his questions, but alas he did. “Excuse me, miss? But do you know where agent Johnny Bravo is?”

”Oh, the patient from 210 that got admitted with you? Yeah, he got discharged a few days ago. There are also the two kids that were admitted too.”

”How are they?” Jack was so caught up with the thought of Johnny that forgot about the boys, or more so he wasn’t sure if they made it. 

“They are in stable condition,” she replied.

Jack let out a sigh of relief. “I’m nurse Frankie by the way. You can go back to your room while I get your clothes.” She told Jack as she returned to her post and Jack returned to his room. And sure enough, after waiting for a while, Frankie came back with a clean set of clothes as well as his clogs. 

“Thanks,” Jack said as she handed him his clothes. Just as she was about to leave, Jack asked one more question. “Can you tell me where the two boys are?”

Jack peered into the small window on the door, looking at the boys. Their bodies hooked up heart rate monitors and IV poles. They breathe lightly as they appear to be sleeping. Jack turned his head away, and walked away with a tightness in his chest.

The Professor was away from headquarters, surveying the remnants of the forest fire, the stranger and the large hound (now average dog sized). He had ordered his subordinates in haz-mat suits to collect samples of the area, vials to collect as much of the black liquid. Even scraping off possible remnants off the charred wood. However, there was a clear spot in the shape of a circle that repelled the fires. The Professor investigated what happened, he even took off his white gloves to touch the soil. Not only was it unscorched, but also brimming with life as fresh grass and moss. 

“I want this place decontaminated, leave no traces, no evidence. All the samples be collected back to the labs,” The Professor ordered. He put his gloves back on and rubbed his chin, looking around the aftermath.

And just like that, the knight fell.

Johnny was quick to leave the infirmary. His wounds were not completely healed, but there were things he had to do before the Professor heads back. He heard talk about the Professor personally heading to a site after a mission, which was rare for him to go out to supervise a cleanup. Johnny wasn’t surprised as he knew that the last job was not the usual. His memories were quite blurry, couldn’t remember much except the hound, then getting lost in the forest, then getting lured deeper into the forest by the sounds of singing. A haunting song for those who are lost in the woods, with a promise of a way out. Though armed and prepared (but also fatigued and hungry), he went after the music. Then his memory went mostly blank, but in the blur of it, he heard muffled sounds of Jack trying to wake him up. And the warmth of his body as he was fading in and out of consciousness. 

Johnny put those thoughts aside as he tried to focus on something more urgent and important. He walked back to his quarters as fast as he could without sprinting. After he returned, he immediately climbed onto his bed and reached to open the air vent above. There wasn’t a chair in the room, so even though there was some distance from the vent, the bed was his best option. It took a few attempts but he finally managed to get the vent to open, and inside was a box he had stashed. He opened the cardboard box, and picked up the picture of his mother. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek and his expression saddened, then he put the picture away. There was also a pistol inside and a spare, fully loaded magazine. He wasn’t here for the gun, but was instead here for the communication device, similar to the com-pad, yet noticeably different in terms of colour and dimensions. It was much bulkier than the sleek com-pad. He picked it up and dialed it.

Ringing

…

“Speak.”

“Mission report, Number One, on the development and expansion of The Network.”

“Proceed,” the man replied.

“Details surrounding the material remnants of Aku are still unclear, but evidence that they have found ways to weaponise it have surfaced. It is under the codename ‘chemical X’, maybe Number Two can look into it later. But when this substance is applied on ammo, it can harm Aku’s minions.”

“Are there any other updates in need of reporting?”

“There is a recent encounter with a Knight. And according to intel, it has been vanquished.”

“Were you not the one who vanquished it?”

“No. Additionally, I have been assigned a partner. Further communications, both in-person and through comms may be limited. Thus, I may not be able to send in a sample of the remnants.”

“Noted, goodby-”

“How is my mother by the way-”

Doo doo doo…

Johnny pressed his hands against his forehead as it disconnected. He put the KND branded communication device back in the box, and stashed it back in the vent. He laid back in bed, and took off his sunglasses, idly looking at his white ceiling. Until he closed his eyes, and slipped into a state of dreaming once again.

Chapter Text

Johnny could still remember the rubble that was his home.

He could remember his mother’s touch, and her tight embrace before she hid him in that closet. He could remember the heat from the fire raging outside, and the screams of people getting torched. And ultimately, the fear he felt, hoping whatever that caused the fire would not find him.

Then the screaming stopped, but he was still shaking, struggling to breathe from the smoke. He collapsed in that tiny closet, before waking up in a busy infirmary, in a temporary tent and stretchers laid out for people in various degrees of injury. Most of them sustained some burns, or wheezing through their masks. 

Amongst one of them was his mother, Bunny, barely recognizable through the burns on her. Only identifiable through her purple, tear-drop shaped earrings still hanging on.

Johnny was 11.

When the realisation settled in, he ran towards her stretcher, calling out to her. And she limply lifted up her arm, trying to touch her son’s face. But the medics took her away, and the room was echoing with Johnny’s cries. 

“Help us, and we will keep your mother alive,” the people who ran the camp told him.

Johnny nodded with tears in his eyes, there wasn’t a choice anyway.

Johnny woke up from his slumber and moped for a while before leaving the bed. He put on his uniform: the black suit and red tie, and the final touch of his sunglasses. He gelled up his hair, put it up in his usual pompadour. This is all a guise, a reminder of the role he plays.

He left the room, and he bumped into the samurai, aimlessly wandering around the complex.

“Hey, watch it!” Johnny instinctively gave Jack a light shove, and they both flinched from the wounds they sustained from the mission. They paused as they didn’t know what to say after their first mission together. Johnny’s first thought was to tell him how “thankful” he was for the state of his hands, but then he vaguely recalled that it was Jack who ended up saving him in the frozen forest. 

“So… How are your hands?” Jack asked, just checking on his partner.

“Yeah, they’re…” Johnny turned over his bandaged hands, “healing, I guess.”

Jack nodded awkwardly, still looking for things to say. 

“You?” Asked Johnny. “When I left the med bay- Infirmary. Whatever. You were still there, asleep.”

“Yeah, well. I think I’m ok.” Jack doesn’t really know his condition to be honest, no one told him about anything. He just felt normal.

“Ok then.” Johnny adjusted his pose, his shoulder heavier on one side. His palm dragged along his face and rubbed his chin. He paused again, before continuing, “I heard the Professor’s back, we should go give him a quick report of what happened.”

They walked towards operations together, in silence, with only the sound of their shoes clacking on the floor echoed through the halls.

The Professor was inspecting some samples and files when they came into the room. Vials of “black stuff” and graphs analysing the substance, though it was unclear what the substance actually is to those who were unknowledgeable on the field. He stopped when he noticed the boys entering the room. 

“I’m pleased to see that you two have returned with relatively minimal harm,” he glanced at the parts that the agents had bandaged. 

“Mission report, sir,” Agent Johnny Bravo began. 

“Proceed,” the Professor listened intently.

“Mission status: successful. One class 3 threat eliminated, in the form a frenzied, hound-like creature. One vial was collected successfully. But uh..” Johnny scratched the side of his nose. “Upon returning, we have a run-in, with a class 4 threat, which, as far as I am aware, was also eliminated successfully.” Jack stood to the side, hearing how Johnny spared the details of the encounter, but it didn’t matter anyway. Not to Jack, not to the Professor.

“So I’ve heard,” replied the Professor. “As these samples proved that a class 4 being was in the location where we found you two. Much more powerful, more reactive than class 3 beings are. They honed Aku’s power in ways that supersede the human imagination. Which made them elusive and incredibly dangerous.”

The Professor turned to Jack when addressing the following, “it was incredibly reckless of me, letting you go toe-to-toe with such a powerful adversary. We should have surveyed the area better. But it was truly impressive that you managed to defeat him single-handedly.”

“Thanks,” Jack gave a forced smile, not knowing how he did it.

“These class 4 entities spawned when Aku spawned, and we just got rid of a Knight,” the Professor sounded pleased when he said that. “But I’m afraid by eliminating such an important piece, Aku’s forces have grown agitated, and evil never sleeps. Your next mission arrives anon. Don’t worry, it is mostly dealing with class 1 and 2 threats causing mayhem in small towns. Details and call time will be sent to your com-pad shortly. You are free to go now.”

As Jack was walking out of the room, he suddenly recalled something. “What about the boys?”

“The boys?” The Professor paused to think for a second. “Oh, the boys we found with you. Well,” he paused again, thinking of what to do with them. “They will stay until their conditions have recovered, but after that, I’m afraid they will have to return to where they came from. Letting them stay here has already jeopardized the statue of secrecy for the agency.”

“I understand, sir,” Jack replied solemnly, concerned for the boys’ futures.

“Thank you. And one more thing, please retrieve your sword in the armoury. Just ask for Rex when you’re there.”

“Alright, thank you, sir.”

Meanwhile, for the past few days, Rex had been toying with the sword. He never had the chance to tinker with it as it is usually sealed away until a worthy candidate has been found. However, when he was trying to analyze the material constructs of it through the nanites, he couldn’t. The nanites were repelled by the sword, like white blood cells fighting an infection. No matter how hard he tried, it just could not be done. For Rex, the thought of a puzzle actively fighting back was both intriguing and infuriating.

“We’re just getting started,” Rex cracked his knuckles, with a smile of thrill and excitement.

Chapter Text

Jack went to the armoury as he was told and asked for Rex. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Rex,” Jack peered left and right into the chaotic laboratory. 

“You’re looking right at him, pal,” Rex stood proudly before him with an appropriate amount of grease smeared on his face. “The man, the legend, the genius himself.” He continued flexing his nanite gauntlets, then retracting them back to his hands. 

Jack chuckled and amazed at what the young man could do. “So what’cha got for me? What’cha need? If you can think of it, I can build it.” Rex said confidently. 

“Well, I think you have my sword,” Jack replied simply.

“You’re here for that thing? Oh man, I thought I could play with it a little longer. Quite the enigma you got there,” Rex turned to fetch the sword for Jack.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Jack didn’t let that thread go.

“You know, this sword isn’t like anything I have ever seen. And I’m already quite the anomaly myself. From the surface, it’s just like any ordinary sword. But when I do this,” Rex reached out, letting the nanites flow onto the sword. When it suddenly caused sparks to fly off the blade. The minor explosion caused Jack and Rex to flinch a little.

“Usually, my nanites would bind with metal and make it malleable like clay. But in this case, not only did it do nothing, but it was repelled off. This thing,” Rex looked at the glint in the sword and frowned, confused as to why it caused such a reaction. “Is not what it seems to be.”

Rex sighed, “look, this is beyond my field. Like, I’m good at making things that destroy, not whatever this magic stuff is. I’m kinda stuck here, maybe you’ll figure it out,” he said as he handed back the sword.

“Thank you.” Jack fastened the sword on his belt. “Hey, if you need anything, weapons, that is, you can just hit me up and we’ll figure something out.”

Jack thought about it for something he could possibly want, then he did. “You got something with range?”

“You mean like a gun?”

“No, no guns. Something like a bow and arrow.”

“Uh… Yeah, I think so.” Rex went back to retrieve something tucked away at the back. He came back with a long black case, and popped open the case to reveal a matte black, carbon fibre 120 lb recurve bow. Jack ran his fingers over it and picked it up, drawing the string and feeling it bounce back put a smile on his face. 

“Don’t forget the arrows, coated of course. Is 30 enough?” Rex handed over a quiver of arrows.

“Yes- What do you mean coated?” The keen samurai did not let go of that thread. 

Rex looked at him, slightly shocked. “You mean you don’t know? That normal weapons don’t work on Aku’s minions? Dude, how do you not know that?” Jack shrugged, he didn’t know that he was supposed to know, though it made it more apparent of the things he didn’t know. “To effectively harm Aku’s minions, we need to use bits of him to fight him. In a modified form that is, and we apply it to ammo and weapons and stuff. But we’re in a pretty short supply of it, so after each mission, the guys go and harvest it off the minions with the vials. Here,” Rex took some vials under his desk. “It would help if you could collect it for us, it’s a little under your pay grade, but we need all the help we need. Oh, and yeah, in case you don’t know already, that sword is the only exception to this.” Rex pointed at the sword. “Take good care of it, never let it fall into the wrong hands.

“That information would have been very helpful for my last mission,” Jack stared at Rex with his tired smile. 

“Yeah, well. Better late than never, amirite?” Rex replied playfully. “Welp, better be on your way. And try not to break anything on your next mission.”

“Understood, thank you,” Jack gave a small bow before leaving with his shiny new equipment.

Johnny was standing outside, eavesdropping on their conversation. Though it was a coincidence that he was there, he just wanted to get some new stuff from Rex. So when Jack walked out and saw Johnny again, he had a suspicion that Johnny was stalking him.

“You again?”

“What? I’m here for my stuff, it’s not like I’m stalking you or something.”

Jack squinted at Johnny before leaving to attend to whatever next item he has on the agenda. And Johnny did as he said he was and entered the armoury. He was there to get something new, like something semi-automatic, or something explosive like a grenade. Rex got him some, that and the usual talk of “don’t break the equipment”. But holding the guns in his hand and testing them out reminded Johnny of his training. 

When he agreed to join the KND, they promised to keep his mother alive if he accepted the training to become a spy. The KND wasn’t as extensive as the Network is in terms of organisation size. They were a militia that formed when threats arose and they had to fend for themselves, or at least take care of the population affected. They kept Johnny fed and provided him with shelter. His home was gone, his life was gone, and this was the only chance he got. His new life consisted mostly of combat training, getting ridiculously jacked, and becoming an expert in guns, boxing and the ability to be inconspicuous (it’s still a work in progress). 

So when he came of age, he was sent on the assignment to infiltrate the Network and collect intelligence on his target, the man known only as “The Professor”. And find out how to stop this never ending nightmare.

Johnny put down the rifle in his hands, and he told Rex, “thanks. ‘preciate it.” And put his new guns and grenades in a duffle bag, getting ready for his mission.

Chapter Text

The compound of the Network seemed vast and complex, yet these two cannot seem to shake eachother off. That was what both of them thought when they ran into each other again in the canteen. They immediately spotted each other in the semi-crowded space, and Jack was already chowing down on some beef udon. Johnny ordered a bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon, along with a soda. In Johnny’s opinion, Chowder makes the best burgers, hands down. It’s the lightly toasted bun, the mix of 3 kinds of cheeses, the medium-rare beef patty seared to perfection, and the crispiest bacon to have ever baconed. Every bite reminded Johnny of his home. It is the one and only comfort food for him. 

He sat down opposite to Jack, and began digging in on his burger sloppy style. He was trained to demolish his meal within minutes, but to others, especially Jack, it was disgusting. And Jack watched as Johnny licked and suckled on his fingers after devouring the burger, and he put down his chopsticks as he lost his appetite. 

“Could you…” Jack wanted to say something, but the words won’t come out.

“What?” Johnny looked at him, not caring how poor his table manners were. “It’s a bacon cheeseburger, this is how you’re supposed to eat it.”

“I see…” He doesn't, he was replying out of politeness. There was another of those awkward pauses, and Jack had to think of a way to carry on the conversation, he was the one who ended it.

“So, uh, nice sunglasses?” That was the best Jack could come up with.

“Thanks,” Johnny wasn’t super fond of the topic.

“So, uhh why do you wear them? We’re indoors, and I have never seen you take them off.” 

Johnny didn’t quite know how to respond to that, as he thought his look of being a “secret agent” granted him the authority to wear sunglasses indoors, but apparently not. “Well, They can block flash-bangs flashes, as well as serve as a sick awesome disguise.”

That answer wasn’t what Jack expected. “Sunglasses cannot block flash-bangs, Johnny. You know that. And a pair of sunglasses is hardly a disguise with that hair of yours-”

“FINE THEY'RE JUST COOL, OK?”

Johnny sat with his arms crossed and pouted with barbeque sauce lining his mouth. Johnny wore his hair and sunglasses like that to look like his favourite childhood hero, Major Man. It made him feel just a little bit more brave, thinking about what the spandex-wearing superhero would do in dire situations. It was the belief that he could potentially be like his superhero and defend the people that he loved that got him through years of gruelling training. So, he was quite defensive of his look, despite how many people called it stupid.

“Well, they do look cool. You could have just said that.” Jack wiped his mouth with a paper napkin before returning his food tray and leaving. “See you on call time.”

After years of being ridiculed by everyone of his appearance, Jack might actually be the first one who complimented it. Johnny definitely felt some heat under his cheeks as he watched Jack leave the canteen.

Call time arrived, and they got on the helicopter that carried them to their destination. But before they landed, they could already see the thick smoke rising from the ground. And the pilot noticed too and told them they had to land somewhere further. When they got there, they could see fires engulfing a suburban town. 

Memories of fires seemed to always trail behind the agents. Haunting their past and present, locking them in this heated deja vu chamber. The fires brushed against Jack’s face, reminding of his past pains and the charred grass from his home. Johnny’s past was also haunted by flames, but regardless, he dove headfirst into the fiery oceans, because that was what Major Man would have done. 

“Johnny, wait!” Jack tried to stop his partner from doing anything rash. But it was too late as he watched Johnny disappear into the fire. Jack sighed, readied himself as he leaped into the fiery scene.

Unlike their last mission, this was no mere village and this was no regular fire. Jack quickly surveyed the area from a water tower, and realised the spread of the damage and what he was dealing with. To his horror, not only was half of the town in flames, but what the fire did to the people. Jack watched as the people lit up in flames, their skins burned to a crisp but they couldn't die, not until they spread the fire onto another person. The fire in this town was alive, spreading its trauma and terror from one memory to another. From Johnny, to Jack, to many more.

What kind of monster would create such an abomination?

Every window in town was shattered, the townspeople were being consumed by the fire, screams and cries filled every air molecule. Johnny was caught in the heat of it all, trying to save the people from the burning men. Carrying the children who could not run fast and tried to stash them away.

“I got’cha, baby. Don’t come out until I say so, ok?” Johnny tried to give an assuring smile, but his shaded eyes said otherwise. Memories of his past resurfaced, but his tears and sweat evaporated in the heated environment. 

This back and forth continued as he tried to save as many as possible, all while trying to shake off these flame fanatics. Shooting at them seemed to have some effect as it seemed to reduce the flames on them. Though he did feel conflicted shooting at something that was once human, and each pull of the trigger made his heart ache. It was the torment of feeling like shooting his mother.

Soon, his body grew tired and his mind weary. The heat made his vision hazy and he could feel the flames catching up. It was mostly adrenaline that kept him going. He laid down the wounded in a basement nearby, told the others to look after them, then swiftly returned to look for survivors. 

He stepped out, and he could only hear his heart pounding. He looked at the number of these burning zombies outside, and checked his guns and how much ammo he had. No escape plan, but there were the maimed and wounded behind him, and he was just one man. He gulped, then went and felt the grenade in his coat pocket. 

Exhausted, his eyes blurry again, but from tears this time. 

He stood in front of his enemies, grenade in hand. He didn’t think of Major Man, he thought of his mother.

And he was just… one man, to potentially save another.

He waited until there were more surrounding him so he could take them all down in one fell swoop. His finger on the ring, standing at the edge of the future, and let his dreams all fade away.

Chapter Text

When you are alone for too long, sometimes you forget about the people around you. The KND wasn’t the loving type, but loved to pile their hopes and dreams onto Johnny. Missions could only be successful or don’t bother returning. He could feel the disappointment from his superiors, from his mother. It was worthlessness he felt. “Maybe my death could make me worth something in this life.”

Then an arrow brushed against his face. This snapped Johnny out, and he flinched at this sudden attack that seemingly aimed to take his life. 

“What the hell was that!?”

“Ah, apologies,” Jack emerged from the back, still holding his bow. “The arrow pierced through, sorry!”

Johnny was stunned, never in a million years would he thought Jack would (once again) save him. The thought of Jack being his partner never truly solidified in his mind, still thinking he would leave him like all the others. But at that moment, he felt it deep in his heart. That feeling of as if many years ago, somebody was there to save that small, scared and helpless little boy. 

“What took you so long!” His tone suggested he was mad, but Jack could see through his sunglasses that there was the glint of a teardrop in Johnny’s eyes. Johnny put his grenade back and picked up his rifle. Jack was quick on his feet, and took down several of those abominations that were no longer human.

“Do you have a plan?” Though Jack was taking them down quite efficiently, he too was soon overwhelmed by the number. They were getting close enough for Jack to draw his sword, and there weren’t many arrows left.

“No, well.” Johnny wouldn’t call “gunning everyone in sight” a plan. But then Jack remembered the water tower across the street. “Yeah, I have an idea. Follow me!”

Jack trailed ahead, and the hoard came after him with thirst in their ember eyes. Their jaws unhinged as they pursued him relentlessly. 

“We’re going to the water tower. And we need to split up, there’s too many of these… What do you call them, Johnny?”

“I dunno, charrbies? Grillbies? Fire-starters? Can’t think, it’s the first time I have seen these things.”

“Anyway, just lead them west, I’ll head east,” Jack pointed towards both directions. “Trust me on this.”

Johnny nodded, and ran west, circling around the block to shake some of them off, and shooting only when they got too close. Most of the townsfolk have either been converted, or were hiding somewhere safe. The fire-starters were fixated on Jack and Johnny, leaking black goo out of their mouths as if they were salivating. 

The water tower was in arms reach, but so were the fire-starters. Johnny could hear Jack’s cries, telling him to hurry. Johnny’s pistols and rifle were clicking due to the lack of ammo. 

“What’s your plan exactly, smartass?” Johnny yelled.

“Grenade,” was all Jack said while being out of breath.

“Don’t tell me your plan is to kamikaze at a different spot. We could have done it earlier! Here, I could give you one or two-”

“AT THE TOWER,” Jack replied in frustration.

“Oh…” It suddenly made a lot more sense to Johnny. He then pulled the rings off several grenades and threw them at the base of the tower. One went off after the other, and one of the legs bent down and broke off. The tower immediately came crashing down and unleashed a tidal upon meeting the ground. Jack and Johnny were caught in the flood, and were swept by the tide. Struggling to breathe, Johnny bopped up and down, unable to swim with his suit on. He looked around, and the fire-starters turned to ash the moment it was put out. The fire set on the town was mostly put out as well, but Jack, where was Jack?

“Jack!” Johnny called out to him while trying to keep afloat. He took off his jacket, ditched his weapons and his sunglasses to see better in the water. He cleared away the floating rubble and debris in his path, desperately trying to locate the samurai. He took a quick gasp of air before diving back down again, one more sweep, and there he was, being caught by a piece of steel bar. Johnny swam with all his might, momentarily forgetting his fatigue, and dashed towards his partner. He pushed the steel bar away and lifted Jack away from the water. He dragged the unresponsive Jack onto the pathment.

“Jack!” Johnny slapped Jack across the face to get a response, but nothing. Johnny was trained on various types of combat, but was never proficient in CPR. He picked Jack up and shook him up and down, sloshed him left and right, and screamed in his face for a response. But Jack had no reaction, so Johnny slowly lowered him down on the pathment, and his eyes started to overflow with tears. His face began to heat up and his nose became runny. He clenched his teeth, not being able to say a word.

He hugged his cold partner, heaving, shuddering, while apologizing under his breath. When suddenly, Jack began to cough the water out of his lungs, choking while gasping for air. Johnny’s eyes beamed with joy as he watched Jack regain consciousness.

Jack’s mind was still blurry as his breathing steadied, looked at Johnny and smiled. “You have such nice eyes.”

Johnny rubbed against his face as he realised he had lost his sunglasses in the flood, as well as his jacket that got washed away to god knows where. Then his face, down to his neck was flushed with red. He wanted to make some kind of response, but it didn’t matter since Jack fell back asleep in his arms.

The searchlights from above shined on Jack and Johnny, and a rope ladder descended to remove them from the scene. Johnny held Jack tight in his arm as he was pulled into the helicopter.

The Professor sighed at the sight of the damage caused by those two, though it became a reminder that you can’t be disappointed if you don’t have expectations in the first place.

“Alright, people gather ‘round here,” he herded surviving residents to the town square. And everyone was ready, he pulled out a white, gun shaped invention made by the previous head of weapons development.

“Yes, please look over here,” the Professor said before pulling the trigger, creating a blank space where pain escapes the mind. The Professsor, after all this time, was still impressed by this simple invention, created by such a brilliant young man. Shame that he had to walk away after what happened to his parents and his sister, so much so he used the device on himself. 

Before arriving, the Professor had his subordinates dressed up as firefighters. And the area had multiple fire trucks. But other than pretending to put out the fire, they were also there to clean up the scene and gather any remnants, even if it was just a slither or a millilitre. Even a drop of it left on the scene could be disastrous. 

“Unfortunately, the wild fires blew towards your town due to unforeseen circumstances. For damages that could not be covered by your insurance, please contact the number on the card,” the Professor continued while having his men hand out cards to the crowd. Then quickly removing himself from the scene.

They are, were and will be nothing but deja vu to the rest of the world.

Chapter Text

Jack woke up from what felt like an unintended nap, and looked at that slightly more familiar ceiling. There was nothing hooked onto him this time, just a bit of pain in his lungs and chest areas. When his vision cleared up, he was surprised to see Johnny sitting by his bed.

“You’ve been out for 12 hours, you gotta learn how to swim if you want to stay,” Johnny said light-heartedly, knowing that if this situation happened again, he was prepared.

“I used to live in the mountains, so I didn’t have the opportunity,” Jack responded while being self-conscious.

Johnny noticed how upset Jack was with his remark, then quickly tried to convert it into something positive. “No- I mean, you can fight. Not saying that the only thing you know is to fight, you’re smart too. And handsome-” Jack’s eyebrow raised, but not in a questioning way. “Uh, uh, uh, but not as pretty as me! Gotta go!” Johnny immediately fled to the door, face tomato-fied. 

Frankie was walking by and saw the flustered hunk dash out of the room. She visually “assessed” Johnny, and asked, “you didn’t do anything to, or with my patient, right?”

“What? No!” Johnny’s burning face and awkward smile wasn’t super convincing, so Frankie took one look through the small window, and was relieved to see things were relatively in place. She gave a side eye stare, giving the “never let me catch you doing ANYTHING in her infirmary” look. Johnny gulped as he felt it pierce through his head. 

“One thing, um…” Johnny didn’t know who to ask, certainly not the Professor, not anyone from the KND, certainly not Rex and absolutely, never in a million years Chowder. Frankie was his best option, she was the closest to his age, and maybe a girl could give the best advice in that area.

“Yes?” Frankie turned around impatiently.

“How do you know if you like, ‘like’ someone?” Johnny avoided her eyes, his face somehow getting redder than it was.

Frankie crossed her arms, annoyed but yet extremely intrigued. “What, have you not felt butterflies in your stomach before?”

“To like a person, you have to eat butterflies?” Johnny was shocked to find that out.

“No, you knucklehead! It’s a feeling, like when you feel almost sick looking at that person because their smile makes you see the stars. Or that talking to them makes you forget how to speak, because you’re scared to say the wrong thing and ruin your chances. Or you’ll spend your time daydreaming about a future together. But most of all, you see them, and like them no matter what they do. Heck, even for things you don’t like. Like I don’t like lazy people, they seriously piss me off. Hey, where’d you go?” Before Frankie could finish her speech on the beauty of falling in love, Johnny had already run off on this realisation. “Holy crap…” He muttered to himself, his hand covering his mouth.

Frankie resumed her work by checking in Jack, asking how he’s feeling, is there any weird pains in his body etc. Frankie was pleased to find her patient to be in pretty good condition. 

“How were the boys?” Jack asked. And Frankie was surprised that Jack remembered them.

“Oh, yeah. They left a while ago, they couldn’t stay, obviously.” To be fair, that’s all she knew. She knew nothing of the mind wipe, nor where they went afterwards. “But they did leave this for you,” she reached into her pocket and gave Jack a rock. One side was painted with a silly face, and on the other it had “You rock! And that’s a rock fact” written on it. Jack smiled while holding it in his hand. “Yeah don’t ask how long I had that in my pocket. Was waiting for you to wake up.”

“Thank you, I will cherish it.” Jack gently caressed the smooth cobblestone, thinking about the boys. He left the infirmary soon after, wondering what he should do during his downtime. “Is there a gym here?” He thought to himself. “Or maybe a library…” He then felt a buzz from the com-pad. He opened, thinking it was a new assignment, but instead he saw a ping from somewhere else.

“Training room, huh?” 

Jack wondered what occasion would warrant a meeting in the training room, heck he didn’t even know a training room existed. When the sleek white doors panned open, he was surprised to see an empty white room with a padded floor, with Johnny in the middle doing stretches while wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of blue joggers, though still donning his signature eyewear. 

“Ah, there you are. Was wondering if you got lost or something,” Johnny grunted. “Can you, uh, do some sparring with me?”
“Sparring?”

“Yeah, like play-fighting with a partner.” Jack nodded, but still raised an eyebrow at the offer. “Here, let me show you. First, pick a weapon.” Johnny poked at the tablet on the wall, and a panel of the wall flipped over, revealing racks of weapons from a wide variety. From the long ranged, like sniper rifles, to the medium range, like your pistols and bows. To the melee/close ranged, which included every kind of bladed weapon, staffs, batons, nunchucks. If you could name it, you could find it. But every weapon had been rendered to be non-lethal, bullets were replaced with rubber ones, blades have no edge. Though it should be said that danger lies not within the weapon, but within the wielder, for anything could be lethal when used appropriately.

Johnny looked for something he wouldn’t normally get to use, mostly to show off his sick skills. This “sparring session” was Johnny’s idea of a date, and to be honest, there wasn’t much of a choice. He just chose the thing he was most confident in. After browsing for a bit, he decided to pick the nunchucks, and immediately began swinging them around and doing tricks. He turned to see if Jack was impressed, but was disappointed when Jack was still looking at the wall of weapons. His eyes glistened as he marvelled at weapons he could never dream of owning. But eventually, after assessing Johnny’s choice, he chose what could have been the most mundane option possible, the Ba Gwa staff. 

“Really, out of all the weapons you could have chosen, you chose a wooden stick?” Johnny crossed his arms, nunchucks in hand. Jack shrugged as he didn’t feel the need to justify his choice.

“Fine, then let us begin.” Johnny prepared his stance, and Jack lifted up his staff. Ready to cause sparks to fly in this training room. 

Chapter Text

The two circled around each other like vultures, ready to throw down at the right moment. Johnny flipped his nunchucks multiple times, adjusting his beginning move, and Jack situated his staff onto a lower level. This stand-off lasted for a whole minute before Johnny leaped forward, swinging his nunchucks in an attempt to lock the staff in between the chain. This would have worked if Jack didn’t see through it. Instead, Jack shifted his staff out of the way, and tilted it downwards, planning to perform a leg sweep. His moves were like a surging river, swift yet powerful, and would sweep you away if you weren’t paying attention. But Johnny did, and used this opportunity to launch himself in the air again for an attack from above. His moves were aggressive, and the nunchucks danced like a viper going in for a venomous bite. Jack’s hand got struck while trying to defend his torso. But Johnny’s attack left an opening in the waist for Jack to slam his staff into. This dealt a serious blow to Johnny as he fell onto the ground, and let out a grunt. 

“Ugh!” Johnny felt the concentrated strike on his waist, and was confident that it left a horizontal bruise. Since this was a sparring session, Jack came forward and helped Johnny get up. He reached out and lent him a hand, and the way he was backlit made Johnny stir up a storm in his heart. And he was pulled up.

“Are you ok?” Jack asked with a concerned look. 

“Yeah,” Johnny brushed off his knees. “How about your hand?” Gave you a pretty good whack there.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jack replied while feeling his hand throbbing at the back. “Shall we continue?”

Johnny nodded as he resumed position, but with a more defensive stance. His arms were straight as he held the nunchucks horizontally and in parallel to his chest. Jack in turn lifted his staff up, aiming for Johnny’s chest. Their staredown was much shorter this time as Jack did not hesitate to lunge forward for his attack. But he was surprised to see Johnny slide down and snuck behind Jack, and stealthily struck him in the back with a smooth, back-handed whack, dead centre on the spine. Jack stumbled forward and dropped his staff, pleasantly surprised by Johnny’s swift thinking. Jack spared no time as he regained his step. Johnny did the “bring it on” gesture, and Jack smirked at his opponent.

To Jack, this was barely a warm-up.

Jack had his own tricks up his sleeves. He kicked the staff up and caught it, then repositioned. Johnny charged forward, feeling more confident in seeing through Jack’s next move. But when Jack’s staff tilted from horizontal to vertical, Johnny realised he might be mistaken. The last thing Johnny saw was the shadow from Jack’s kick as he used the staff as a pole, and used it to anchor himself mid-air to deliver a roundhouse kick, right at Johnny’s ear. His vision faded to black, his sunglasses knocked away, and his ear ringing as he hit the floor. Jack immediately threw away his staff and ran towards Johnny, realising he had gone too far.

Johnny was motionless but not unconscious, and Jack checked on his injuries. His face was quickly developing a bruise, and Johnny was barely able to open his eye. Jack was frantically trying to find something to soothe Johnny’s pain, running around trying to find a med kit. But then he heard Johnny laugh. He turned to see him stretched out and lying on the padded floor.

“Oh, mamma. It’s been a good while since I had a good sparring,” he chuckled to himself, though occasionally wincing due to his injuries. Jack managed to get a med kit by accessing the tablet on the wall. But he felt something in his heart, it was like an itch, a tingle in the aorta. He couldn’t say it out loud, but he opened the med kit and looked for the instant ice pack. He gently placed the ice pack onto the left side of Johnny’s face, he flinched when it came in contact.

“Sorry!” Jack detached himself from Johnny. “I- I shouldn’t have gone so hard…”

“No, it’s fine.” Johnny continued to lie on the floor. He gestured to Jack to hand him the ice pack. “It was…” He struggled to put it into words. It was somewhere between starstruck and respect, and maybe a bit more was blossoming within. “Fun.” He laughed at himself for the stupid response.

Jack laughed and laid next to him, also sore from the hits he took. It was definitely quite the workout, especially right after a mission. He was sweating buckets under his gi, so he unravelled his belt to air out his chest. It was inevitable for Johnny to not take a peek at his pecs. And Johnny took off his shirt as well, and took another ice pack for the bruise on his waist. Johnny’s hand lightly brushed against Jack’s, and placed it, but only touching slightly. Jack didn’t move his hand away, just let it happen. And they just laid there, thinking about each other through every inhale and exhale.

Given their upbringing, they thought nobody could really understand them. But they found a way to connect, through a stranger, even a fight can feel like a dance. 

They must have laid there for at least 20 minutes, occasionally randomly chuckling to themselves. Johnny wanted to say something, but struggled to find the right words to say. By the time he managed to muster up the courage, he heard buzzing from the com-pad. He turned it over.

“Who the hell- Oh crap!” Johnny smacked Jack’s arm to get his attention. The com-pad had 12 missed summons from the Professor, and he showed Jack. Jack’s eyes widened, knowing he got the same notifications. Panicking, they dressed themselves at the speed of sound and ran out the door, and headed straight to Operations.

Chapter Text

The Professor tapped his finger on the desk impatiently, occasionally checking his wristwatch and sighing. “Where on Earth are they?” He mumbled to himself like a father with children not yet home after curfew.

Eventually, the door slid open, and the two agents were huffing and puffing while desperately trying to look presentable. Jack fixing his loosened belt and Johnny combing up his hair. 

“Agents, I expected to see you 30 minutes ago. Where have you been?” The Professor said with that firm but not quite angry tone again, which was by far the most terrifying thing Jack and Johnny faced.

“The infirmary sir!” Johnny replied. And the Professor squinted, because through the dim lighting, he could tell that Johnny was not wearing his suit, and had a bruise too fresh to be from the mission. The two of them were definitely together, and were sweating too much for it to be from running. But no matter what they were doing, he would find out.

“Mission report.” The Professor leaned back. He will find out, despite the fact that Johnny just lied to his face.

“Right, um,” Johnny stuttered as he was grossly under-prepared. “Mission status: success, mostly. During our mission, we encounter class 2 entities using flames as a means of infection. But compared to past class 2 entities, these ones were…complicated.”

“They were on fire but couldn’t die unless we put them out completely!” Jack said with disbelief.

“What he said,” Johnny nodded at his partner. “So we blew up the water tower.”

The Professor raised his eyebrows, not surprised or shocked. “Sir, it seems that the enemy is evolving.” The Professor listened intently. Johnny continued, “Before, class 2 entities mainly used vermin and insects as hosts. But ever since the Knight was defeated, it seemed to cause class 2 entities to power up.” 

The Professor wrote something down on his notepad and nodded. “Noted. I would advise you two to take extra caution confronting foes in upcoming missions. And please devise less destructive plans in the future. Speaking of which, your next assignment is here.”

The Professor briefed them on the next mission, which was not much different than their last one. They grabbed a quick bite and equipped their weapons before leaving. The agents have learned their lesson: survey the area first, form a plan and always stick together. And their next few missions went much smoother, and they grew closer with each one, and every time they saved each other. Even during down time, they were virtually inseparable. Often seen training, eating and hanging out together. But Johnny could never find the right timing, but mostly the lack of courage to ask Jack “will you go out with me?” But there were more pressing questions looming over Johnny, such as his true identity and ties to the KND. When taken into consideration, these factors encouraged him to continue to bottle up his feelings.

The missions only got more frequent, and the agents could not catch a break. Jack learned to survive on power naps and dry rations to nibble on during flights. But found it more bearable with Johnny as his partner, and the missions became easier. However, he couldn't help but observe how Johnny sometimes disappeared at the end of the mission. At first, he thought it was just Johnny trying to catch some fresh air, away from the smoke and fumes. But one time, when Jack was also trying to take a walk, he saw Johnny nervously stuck something under a mailbox. Jack thought he was mistaken the first time, but then he saw Johnny burying something in the ground. Jack didn't feel comfortable suspecting his partner, so he just took it as observations he made.

After the fifth or sixth mission of the week, Jack was exhausted. But not exhausted enough to ignore a ping from the Professor. He arrived at Operations, but was surprised that Johnny wasn't there. It was just the Professor, barely visible, backlit from the monitor behind him.

“Please sit. Didn't ask agent Bravo to join us today. It's just the two of us,” the Professor said in a casual tone. Jack moved the cold steel chair in front of him, and shuttered when he sat down. The Professor brought out a familiar chess set from his desk drawer. “Remember when we first met?”

“Yes, you checkmated me in four moves.” 

The Professor gave a soft laugh. “That's right! Sorry to go so hard on you on our first meeting.” He set up the board. “I can't help it, it's simply a fascinating game. From the first three moves, there are nine million possible variations. And the number of possible chess games after 40 moves is more than the electrons of the universe.” He finished setting up.

“But you don't have to know what happens in those millions of games. You just have to see ahead of your opponent.” Jack looked at the Professor instead of the board.

“That's true, but with every good move, you should look for a better one.” The Professor smiled. “But when your opponent makes a mistake, you let them. We can't control the choices of others, only our own. We are all responsible for the choices we make.”

What the Professor said made sense to Jack, but it was phrased in a way that stressed him out. They played, and Jack survived longer this time, but still suffered a brutal defeat in the end.

“See, you learned to make better choices this time.” The Professor smirked, “unlike agent Bravo.”

“What do you mean?” Jack became alert at the sound of his partner's name.

“Let's say he was never very good at making decisions. So I need you to keep a closer eye on him.” 

Jack immediately understood the implications of this order. It aligns with the strange behaviour he saw from Johnny. But he didn't want to tell the Professor yet, perhaps in his mind there was a possibility that it was just one of many weird things about Johnny. And it would be better if Johnny could explain them himself.

“Yes, sir. I’ll inform you if anything happens.”

“Good. As always, I could put my faith in you. You're free to go, though the brief for your next mission should come soon.”

Jack gave a small bow before leaving. And he returned to his room to lie down a bit. He thought about the game, what the Professor asked of him, and why he was so willing to cover for Johnny. He thought it over again and again, until his eyes closed and fell into an accidental slumber.

Chapter Text

Minutes in, Jack was woken up by the blaring alarms of a “black alert” and repeated loud knocking on his door. He opened to see a frantic and underslept Johnny. “Come on, let's go!” He said as he pulled Jack out of his room.

“What's going on?” Jack was barely able to walk with Johnny pulling him. 

“Black alert. It means a class 4 entity has appeared,” Johnny replied with legitimate concern in his voice.

They rushed to Operations, and the Professor skipped his salutations and cut straight to the chase. “The time has come, the Bishop has appeared, in Aron city.”

Johnny gulped, feeling slightly sick from hearing its name, and Jack couldn’t help but notice. “Intel confirms that this class 4 entity is linked to your previous missions. Your mission is to find the Bishop and terminate him. You two must leave as soon as possible. Good luck, and may you two make the best decisions.” 

The agents left with heavy hearts, Jack especially. Last time was a total fluke, he couldn’t remember how he defeated it. Johnny didn’t anticipate it coming so soon. 

Rex tossed them a duffle bag before they left. “Here! I made you guys some new toys! Haven't tested them yet but go nuts anyway. Have fun with them!” Jack nodded gratefully and waved towards Rex, then climbed into the plane. Johnny asked what was in the bag, and Jack opened it.

“Woah!” Johnny was like a kid on Christmas unwrapping his presents and playing with toys. Inside the bag of a variety of different sized weapons, most of which were familiar to Jack and Johnny. But with those that were not came up hastily drawn up instructions, barely understandable. Johnny was tempted to test them on the plane, but even a fool would know that it would be a bad idea. Unable to sleep, they waited patiently until they made it to their destination.

When they got off, there were already other agents there to control the crowd and fight the fire. Johnny felt conflicted seeing his home town in flames, but despite not being home for a decade or more, most of the landmark was still familiar to him.

“Agent Bravo, agent Samurai?” One of the other agents on the field asked to confirm. The agents nodded. “Status report: the outer rim is currently managed, but in the centre of the city currently surrounded by an impenetrable ring of fire. We have sent men in firefighter gear to investigate it, but none have returned so far.”

Another one chimed in. “The wall is expanding about one feet per minute, if we weren’t able to stop it in time, then the whole city and others nearby will be engulfed in flames.”

“We have heard about your previous successes, agents. We have faith you’ll succeed this time. Good luck.” The agent saluted and bowed before Jack and Johnny.

The agents immediately investigated the area post haste. “What’s the plan?” Johnny asked upon seeing the 10 feet tall wall of fire, inching towards him as he spoke.

Jack rummaged through the duffle bag and picked up one of the grenades. He noticed that the tag attached said “extinguisher grenade”. He showed Johnny and the instructions.

“How much time do we have for the opening?”

“About 2 to 5 seconds.”

“That’s more than enough,” Johnny said confidently.

Jack held the grenade in his hand, but with a loose grip. He pulled the pin and threw it, and the agents chased after it. It hit the ground and exploded, releasing the supercritical carbon dioxide. It created a pocket within the wall, only about 3 feet wide and 6 feet tall but rapidly shrinking. The agents ran with all their might, Johnny jumped through the hole first, but Jack was behind. The pocket was getting smaller by the second, and Jack had no choice but to throw the duffle bag before him. The hole was barely bigger than the bag, and Jack slid through the narrowing gap. The heat was surrounding Jack and he covered his eyes when he felt the fire before him. He felt the fire lightly grazing his arms as he slid through, and Johnny pulled him out just in time to escape the wall.

“You alright-” Johnny noticed the grazed hands. He reached for the duffle bag and took his water bottle out. He then poured it onto Jack’s hands.

“Thanks,” Jack said as he looked into Johnny’s eyes.

“You’re welcome,” Johnny blushed a little and averted his gaze. “What’s the next step in the plan?”

“Find the Bishop, do you have any ideas on where he could be?” 

Unlike the Knight, the Bishop wasn’t an ominous being, living in the shadows. But one could feel the fire being almost alive. It was erratic, agitated, having sudden bursts even though there wasn’t any wind or new fuel being added. Jack considered the possibility of the Bishop spying at them through the fire.

Johnny was still scanning through his memories of his hometown when he heard a loud explosion of glass shattering and buildings crumbling. It shook the ground so hard the agents were barely able to stand up straight. They turned around, and saw a hoard of fire-starters gushing out from the collapsed mall. Jack unzipped the bag and grabbed some of the extinguisher grenades. He tossed Johnny some, and handed him this oversized, pressurised water gun, knowing he would enjoy it. 

“Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!” Johnny flipped the hefty gun around. It was basically an oversized toy, but powered by chemical X, it could generate up to 4000 PSI. Was it overkill? Maybe. But Johnny wouldn’t get angry over a weapon being “overly-effective”.

Jack picked up the water whip and read the instructions. Rex noted “With its ability to deal damage with range, it is the perfect weapon to control crowds”. It dispensed water with each crack through the microfibre valves and kinetic energy. Jack gave the whip one crack to familiar himself, then picked up the bag.

“Are you ready, Jack?” Johnny said with certainty.

“Ready.” Jack replied with a lethal stare at his foes.

Jack then tossed the extinguisher grenades with the precision and velocity of a pitcher in a baseball league. The grenade exploded the charred fire-starters to pieces, and those that were not blown apart were put out with CO2. But with the first wave down swiftly came the second wave.

“Rah!!!!!!” Jack and Johnny let out a loud war cry. They held their weapons proud and high, determined to break through and terminate the Bishop, and put out the flames once and for all.

Chapter Text

The hoard raged on wave after wave. Rex’s new weapons really proved their use as Johnny’s “shiny new toy” pierced through the fire-starter cleanly, though it felt a little overkill as it bore through it like it was a brittle piece of wood. With each shot, he managed to take 3-4 of them at once. Jack whip was very effective against the hoard as each crack managed to sweep a line of fire-starters down. Those that were missed were shot down by Johnny. Together, they inched forward, clearing wave after wave. Hundreds they took down, and they got each other’s back every single time.

And there it was, the final frontier. The last wave stopping them from meeting the being that brought them pain all these years ago. Eager to see what kind of monster could cause such destruction.

Just one line of fire-starters left, and Jack could easily sweep them with the whip.

Just one more line between them and that door.

One breath, one miss will be your doom.

And with one fell swoop, Jack’s whip cut them in half.

And they just fell down with a thump.

And now there was nothing standing between them.

Compared to the heat the collapsing mall was radiating, the hate and anger burned hotter within the agents. There was a fire burning behind their eyes. Jack tucked his whip back into his belt as he approached the mall, switching to his sword as they entered hell’s gates.

The mall was littered with small flames, but was shockingly empty. Not more adversaries to greet them. As much as they wanted to take a break, every neuron told them to stay alert. This felt very off, and they decided to explore the mall a bit. Chills ran down Johnny's spine as he saw the mannequins in the boutiques contort into wicked poses. Their faces melted into expressions of pain and terror. Black burned edges laced their eternally screaming mouths. All the male and female mannequins suffered the same fate, all except the children's mannequins, who remained in their pristine condition. Johnny gulped and signalled Jack to look at this sickening artistic masterpiece. Jack felt sick to his stomach, barely holding it in from the toxic smell of burnt plastic and the twisted sight.

“He's close, Jack. We should keep moving,” Johnny said with a slight tremble in his voice.

The halls became warmer, charr marks lined the floor. Johnny ran out of drinking water a long time ago, and resorted to drinking the water from the water gun. Same with Jack, who could not see straight from the heat and dehydration. But they must keep moving.

At the end of the mall, they saw a glowing object, blinding as if they were staring into a supernova. 

“What is that?” Jack found it impossible to look at the source.

Johnny, with the sunglasses minimising the brightness, replied, “it looks like a guy sitting on a chair?”

Through the sliver of Jack's eye, he saw the silhouette of a thin man hunched over while sitting on a chair. WIth no other weapons remaining in their duffle bag, Johnny took one of the few remaining grenades from his pocket and threw it from a distance. It travelled in the air for a little while before melting and disintegrating, rendering it completely useless. In fact, the heat was so extreme that the sprinklers installed had melted, which explained why the fire didn’t get put out.

The figure turned slowly and looked at the agents.

“Why can't you see me, father?” He mumbled under his breath.

Johnny was ready to do whatever it takes to complete his mission, planning to get closer so the remaining grenades get a chance to detonate, even if it meant getting burnt, or dying whilst trying. But Jack immediately sensed something was off and stopped Johnny. It was something in the man’s voice. The subtle sadness that reminded him of himself, and the fact that it was clear that the figure wasn't talking to them.

“Wait, Johnny!” Jack pulled his arm to stop him.

“WHAT!” Johnny replied with anger in his tone.

Jack frowned, but continued. “We cannot do it the usual way this time.”

“Why not, he seems killable.”

“With what exactly? The grenade clearly didn't work, and whatever you have planned will get you killed.”

“Oh yeah? What's your great idea?”

“...I want to talk to him,” Jack replied, in total seriousness. Even though it was against his fighter’s instinct, he just felt that this wasn’t an issue violence was meant to solve.

“What? Are you out of your mind?”

“Just trust me on this.” Jack looked into Johnny's eyes. And something in his eyes stopped Johnny from being angry at anything. Instead, a sense of worry flooded his heart.

“Fine. But please take these with you,” Johnny handed the two remaining grenades to Jack. “And use the sword when you get close enough.”

“I will.” Was the last thing Jack said to Johnny before heading out. He lied.

Jack stepped forward despite the intense heat. “My name is Jack, what's your name?”

“I did everything you asked of me, father. I am your perfect son! Not Monty!” The man’s outburst caused a heat blast, blowing Jack back. The floor was caving in from the force.

“Jack!” Johnny cried.

“I’m fine.” Jack was on the ground, his clothes had holes from the flares. “I have to try again. I just have to.”

Jack stood back up, raised his hands and reapproached the man. “I understand how you feel, the feeling of never being good enough for someone else.” As Jack walked forward, Johnny took out his pistol, and pointed it at the man.

The man stood up and coldly said “how could you possibly know how I feel?” And readied himself for another heat wave.

“You're right!” Jack immediately backtracked. “But can you tell me more? I would like to try and understand.”

The man paused his attack. “All my life, I am but a shadow to my brother. It wasn't even a rivalry at this point, it's just an announcement that he's the winner over and over again from my dad.” The fire retracted, sorrow bled from the man’s eyes. He paused again, “I have never heard anyone saying how proud of me they are.”

The fires weakened, and Jack managed to step forward. He didn't say anything, instead he chose to listen. He watched as this man switched from having pure hatred fuel him to becoming mellow.

“Nobody has ever seen me for who I was. Only what I could do relative to my brother. I am nothing. They treat me as if I was invisible, or worse when they do see me. Why do I even exist if nobody wants me to be here? Why am I still here when all I feel is pain.” The fires surrounding him dimmed, and tear tracks sizzled down his face. From afar, Johnny heard him, and deep down he could relate to that as well.

“My existence is a mistake, I have failed everyone.”

Jack approached him, with each step, he was getting closer. The man stopped talking, but there was still a layer of fire on him. Slowly, Jack, though hesitant at the sight of fire, reached out and hugged him. He lied about using the sword the moment he got close enough. The man was startled by this gesture and the fire on him was swifty put out. For the first time in eternity, the man felt warmth instead of burning hatred.

“You are not defined by what you can and cannot do for others. You are not your pain. And even though you don't really know who I am, I just wanna say I’m proud of you. I’m proud that you are here, and want to tell you that you are loved.” Even though Jack was burned quite severely from the initial contact, still chose to hug the man tightly. The man began to cry, and between each sob he apologised for all the destruction he had caused. Jack patted him on the back, feeling bittersweet inside. But with each pat, Jack felt the black surface that was covering the man melting off. He recognised the substance immediately, but still held on. 

Eventually, the black goo wore off, and revealed the man to be just some slender guy with glasses. Jack let go when all the black goo had departed. The man looked worn, with deep dark circles under his eyes.

“I’m sorry for all of this. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right, I’ll turn myself in! Man, I’m sorry, I let the anger and hate take control of me for a sec. What year is it again?” The man nervously rambled on. “Oh, I'm so rude. I haven't introduced myself yet. I’m Benedict, but you can call me Ben.” He reached his hand out for a handshake.

Jack shook his hand, but Ben's hand broke off. They looked at the broken hand, shocked and petrified. Then the other parts began to break off and shatter as well. The legs went out, and Ben fell onto the ground, his torso barely in one piece. Jack held him in his arms, and could only watch as the rest began to fall apart. 

“I…It’s good to know I have a friend.” Ben’s every word caused his face to crack even more, every inhale and exhale caused his body to shatter and turn to dust. “Even if it was at the end of the line.”

The wind blew gently through the shattered windows, and the silence was the loudest thing in the room. The wind carried the dust that was once Benedict away from the earthly realm that had caused him much pain and despair. And in mere moments Jack was no longer holding him. Yet Jack was solidified in that pose, as if Ben was still there in his arms. Johnny ran forward to check on his partner, not knowing about the conversation in the end nor able to see what happened.

“Wow! That was really impressive Jack, I could never have done-“ He stopped when he noticed Jack wasn’t responding. He kneeled down to look at Jack, and saw tears streaming down his face while being motionless. His expression fixed on being distraught, eyes widened just to let tears flow, mouth opened slightly for air to travel through. His knees soaked in the puddle of black goo, his body covered in burns but he could not feel them. Johnny hugged Jack from the back and told him “it’s ok, it’s ok” repeatedly. Jack began to cry properly and sobbing into Johnny’s arms.

They remained like this until search and rescue found them, and had to pull them away from the collapsing mall. But even then, they were intertwined, refusing to separate until they fell asleep on the way back.

Chapter Text

Jack had to be heavily bandaged from the neck down to his waist due to his second degree burns. Johnny had significantly less injuries, but he stayed to take care of Jack. But Jack’s eyes were hollow, unresponsive. They came to this mission thinking they would fight the pyromaniac that burned down homes and slaughtered families. But in the end, they didn’t find the resolve they were looking for. Instead, they experienced the complexities of human nature, how our behaviour changes based on how we were taught. How simple it was to forget about others in favour of a more binary approach to life. 

Jack was no longer interested in feeling, his systems had shut down and had not spoken since his return. Nonetheless, Johnny tried talking to him with a variety of different topics, trying to garner his attention, but nothing. The Professor did tell them to take the time off, no more missions until Jack’s full recovery. So on most days, they were at the infirmary, days passed with Johnny spoon feeding Jack, bathing him and giving him company. He even helped brush his teeth and comb his hair. Frankie would sometimes find Johnny sleeping on the chair while holding Jack’s bandaged hand. 

“Scoot, I have to change his gauze.” Frankie made him move out of the way, and Johnny had to let go of Jack temporarily. This also woke Jack up, though he didn’t say anything about it.

“Say, do you want a wheelchair? You could bring him out every so often, so you guys don’t have to get cooped up here all the time,” she suggested while changing Jack’s bandages.

“That would be dandy if it doesn’t trouble you,” Johnny replied, still having a nasally tone from being sleepy.

“No, not at all.” Frankie was about to finish up. “I’ll get you one later.”

Johnny carried Jack onto the wheelchair and brought him around different areas of the compound. They first stopped by the indoor garden, admiring the beautifully curated selection of exotic flowers and vegetation. 

“Hold on! Let me get you something.” Johnny leaped over the fence in search of some nice flowers. When he found the ones he thought were pretty, he took out his pocket knife and cut them out. He tied them up to form a bouquet.

“I got you these.” Johnny handed Jack a bouquet of multicoloured hydrangeas. His suit and knees were covered in mud as he wiped his brow. under Jack’s soulless eyes laid the faintest smile, a response to stimulation more than an actual smile. Johnny was distraught, but they had one more place to go. So, Johnny continued to wheel Jack, while trying his best to hold his tears in.

On the edge of the compound, several thousand feet underground, there was a clear glass wall serving as the only window connecting the outside. What was outside was the vast ocean, the serene big blue. The light from inside would attract the fish to take a look before swimming away. Johnny stopped there and set the wheelchair so Jack could look at the fish. The hydrangeas were still on his lap, but he wasn’t holding them. 

“I found this place once after a long mission,” Johnny told Jack. “Nobody really knows about this place since it’s not on the map.”

He then knelt beside Jack and watched the fish with him. “I used to wish to become a fish, y’know? No thoughts, no training, no responsibilities, just an endless ocean for me to swim in.” He laughed to himself. “But then something happened to me, that made me feel glad that I get to feel. I-“ Johnny began to weep.

“It just hurts to see you like this. You mean too much to me and it hurts to see you in such a state.” Johnny continued to sob through his words, and Jack remained unresponsive, and looked at the fish idly.

“I should have- I- I could have-“ Johnny thought about how he could have joined Jack during the negotiation and ease his burdens. The thoughts of “what if” rushed through his mind, and he struggled to breathe. Under his breath, he said “I love you. Please…” 

Johnny clinged onto the wheelchair, weak on his knees. He cried so hard his sunglasses fogged up and his eyes swelled up. The only sound was from Johnny’s hyperventilation and sobbing.

Then Johnny heard the smallest creak from the wheelchair, then felt the rough gauze against land on his hand. He looked up to see Jack looking at him, and saw him let out the words.

“Thank you, don't cry, I love you too.”

Johnny’s eyes lit up, and bounced back up to hug Jack. Jack gave him two re-assuring pats as he let Johnny cry onto his shoulder.

11:54 p.m., the Professor entered the laboratory where they housed the black substance they had collected, known internally as “chemical X”. Only a selection of personnel are allowed in this facility. He held a piece of paper, a drawing of 3 girls, done in crayon. He took one final look at it before folding it and tucking it into his coat pocket.

“Utonium, it's ready.”

The Professor stood before three large vats, big enough to put three teenage girls in suspended animation. Tubes ran down the girls’ esophagus and airways, as well as attached to various parts of the body. “Are you sure, Courage? You of all people should know how important this is to me.

“Yes, I am certain we have reached the required amount.” A man with a dog’s face replied.

The Professor assessed the vats, did a final check himself before walking to the control panel. He flicked the switches, engines and pistons began to start. He watched as chemical X pumped through the tubes, and the girls awakened from their slumber. Their instincts rushed in, and violently ripped the tubes from their body. They then started choking on the fluids inside the tube. The Professor reacted quickly, pulling the emergency fire axe off the wall and smashed the glass tube open. The fluids flooded the laboratory but freed the girls. However, upon being freed, the girls hissed at the Professor with aggression, and rushed to tackle the Professor. Their fingers grew claws and were about to slit his throat open when Courage came in and sedated them. He pulled the girls away from the Professor and noticed him bleeding from the scratch.

“Are you ok, Professor?”

“Yes, I'm alright.” He touched his neck, then took out his handkerchief from his pocket, and pressed against his wound. “I’d do anything for my perfect little girl.”

Operation: Powerpuff would be revolutionary if it succeeds. It could replace “unreliable agents”, or eliminate the need for them at all. The Professor remarked in his notes, then added, “testing will begin formally during agent S and agent B’s downtime.”