Chapter Text
The storm outside was surprisingly merciless, slamming against the windows of the Blackrock building as if it wanted to crawl right under Medkit’s ribs. With a heavy sigh, he chewed on the end of a ballpoint pen, having first slightly lifted the bandages from his face for convenience. The deer was now racking his brain over one question, how to create a better version of the Biograft? One that would be much stronger, taller, perhaps better at orienting itself and adapting quickly to situations, and yet wouldn’t resemble any of his colleague other designs.
It didn’t hurt to dream, but this version had already taken more than a few failed attempts. Most of the parts had been discarded because, before long, they became unusable for other experiments - they either broke easily or got bent out of shape. What a damn nuisance!
Slamming his fist on the table, making the mug of still-warm coffee rattle sharply and the papers flutter and rustle, Medkit sighed wearily and laid his head down on the rough metal table, rubbing his aching temples. Sleepiness was washing over him, threatening to fully drown the mind of the poor scientist. His eyelids felt as if they were filling with lead, growing heavier and heavier. Maybe taking a short break from endless work wouldn’t be such a bad idea at first glance?… No! He had to finish his creation, even if the uncomfortable table tempted him to use it as a pillow, and even if the crumpled, not-so-soft but warm bed at home drifted through his daydreams. Still, his head stayed on his tired, calloused, gloved hands, and his one good eye gradually closed, slowly but surely.
Trying somehow to fight against his Infernal instincts, all that came out were a few pitiful mutterings under his breath, until at last his body stopped resisting entirely, leaving only the faint movement of his chest as he breathed.
The demon awoke to the sudden tapping of his partner on his back, who gave a quiet snort at the sorry sight of the sleeping scientist.
— “Did you even get anything done after staying here all night? You look worse than a rotten apple.”
Sleepily rubbing his left eye, trying to orient himself, Medkit finally snapped out of his sleep with a grumble of annoyance at the insult and the finger pointed right at the main problem of his night. He lifted his head, wincing slightly from the pain in his stiff neck after sleeping in such an awkward position.
— “Not yet. It just takes a lot of time and-”
— “And money, yeah. Blah blah blah, ‘I’ll do it next week,’ ‘it didn’t work out this week but next time for sure.’ Management isn’t happy that your fruitless experiments are eating up WAY too much of the budget, Meddy.”
Watching Subspace slam a stack of papers down on his desk with irritation before starting to sort through them, Medkit swayed in his chair before carefully standing up.
— “I know it’s expensive, but it’ll be worth it. My invention will justify everything I’m trying to achieve.”
At his words, Subspace responded only with a displeased, almost mocking snort. Medkit clenched his hands into fists so tightly it hurt, glaring at him not like a colleague but like someone who could easily stab his heart with the sharp dagger of criticism.
— “I’m not here for that. I came to give you some unused schematics from earlier Biografts, so that, if necessary, you could work with them and maybe even improve them. I’d never give my sketches to anyone else, especially since they’ve become so popular when done right, but I think it’d be stupid to be stingy with a friend, especially after a direct order from above!”
Seeing Subspace’s eye crinkle with what was clearly a bright, toothy grin hiding under his respirator, a grin that irritated him even more, Medkit only shook his head in displeasure.
— “I appreciate it, but I can handle the design and construction of my personal Biograft myself.”
Catching the sudden predatory glint in Subspace’s eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared, Medkit watched him shrug.
— “Just a warning: if the higher Inphernals don’t see results soon, they’ll cut your funding and make you work off every coin they’ve spent on you. Good luck!”
In shock, Medkit watched Subspace walk out of the room with a playful wave of his hand. Cut his funding? Make him work it all off??? That was definitely not part of the grand scientist image he wanted for himself. He needed to come up with something fast - something effective, something that would impress everyone.
But nothing came to mind, no matter how hard he pressed his palms to his temples or even banged his horns against the wall. Finally deciding that a walk in the now somewhat calmer storm to the Crossroads might clear his head, Medkit grabbed a few sheets of paper - some Biograft sketches, thinking they might still help with his work.
The snow whipped against his face mercilessly. Bundling himself as deep as possible into his many layers of clothing and covering his frozen paws with woolen gloves, the deer trudged silently toward one of the snow-buried bus stops in the Crossroads. Thankfully, he reached it without incident, except for slipping twice on ice hidden under the snow - and stood under the dim light of a lone lamp, where the wind couldn’t knock him over. He waited patiently, hoping the bus would arrive before frostbite could claim him.
Finally arriving at another stop on the far side of a long tunnel, the deer had just started peeling off a couple of layers of clothing when he felt heavy, frequent raindrops pounding on his head. He decided he’d take a taxi home later. He had expected many things, but this kind of awful weather in the Crossroads - a place usually drenched in bright sunlight under a radiant blue sky - wasn’t one of them. The whole scene carried a mournful, almost funereal weight.
Quickly tucking away his important papers, Medkit ran for the nearest shelter. Breathless but arriving just in time at the main square beneath the central tower, he glanced at the strangely gathered crowd. There were many demons - some famous Fighters, others completely unfamiliar. His eyes focused on two brothers standing on stage, Valk and Dom, who looked slightly subdued. Flicking his tail with interest, he waited for them to begin their speech.
Valk spoke first.
— “Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Inpherno, we ask for just a moment of your attention… We are gathered here to honor the memory of a demon who was important to us all. To some, he was an enemy; to others, a partner, a colleague, a son, a cousin… or simply someone whose laws you feared and obeyed…”
After giving the crowd a moment to absorb his words, Dom continued.
—“We ask you to pay your respects to the one who tragically passed into the next inphinity - the ruler of Banlands, Ban Hammer. He did much for all the factions, uniting them under equal laws and fighting crime so that we could sleep peacefully at night without fearing for our horns. So let us honor his death with a moment of silence.”
Almost everyone was silent. Only the unrelenting rain continued to pour, refusing to end. Some demons shed tears; others clearly didn’t care.
It was then that Medkit’s heart skipped an intoxicating beat, and his mind began working at lightning speed. So… the king of Banlands was dead? Wouldn’t they be looking for a replacement? And what if he made that replacement himself - one that looked just as fearsome and acted almost the same?
The idea might have been immoral, breaking every code the Infernals held, but it sprouted in his mind like a seed growing into a great tree. He decided then and there that he would do it. He didn’t care how wrong it was morally. What mattered most was that many people truly needed it - and if there was such a high demand, why not take the chance to profit?
Leaving the main square of the Crossroads quickly and already ordering a taxi, Medkit knew exactly what he’d be building and fine - tuning in the days ahead. He might have been a bad person — but he didn’t wish harm.