⁕ Faces of Reforged Shards (part 1)

Kadyn's Crimson Vengeance left a mark on Trump City, unnoticeable even to the prying eyes of KD-554, as she spends her time surveying its people. No matter how thoroughly she observes, ideas can't be seen, and hope can't be felt. In a world of denial and suffering, such as the one created by KD-554, people have only ever known despair from the day they are born. Yet, they unexpectedly tasted hope. She was no hero, nor was she a villain, but she was the martyr who proved to the hopeless that KD-554 was no invincible. Her endless armies are finite, just as her fortress can be breached. Her control wasn't absolute, just as those who decided to reject her ideology. 

Kadyn didn't just tear the veil of the city's absolute domination; she also destroyed the infrastructure and men who kept the citizens in check. No more can the White Trident PMC conduct a large-scale massacre against the population. No more can the tech corps create cybernetic abominations to terrorize the streets. No more can the Imperial-era titans arise once again from their tombs to condemn the efforts of the protests. 

The city regained its heart and soul as it began to reject the oppression of its overlords. People spoke of resistance, of hope, of the will to challenge the power that once seemed invincible. If a single young woman can tear down the engine of war, brutalizing the city for nearly a decade, then what are its people waiting for? Why fight each other when both sides can be tearing down the root cause of the problem? 

As another night forced the city to adopt the maddening shade of crimson on every street, people no longer felt the need to lash their anger out on each other. Kadyn killed most radicals as she swept the streets, leaving mostly the smart and moderate citizens alive. With this new composition, hatred opened up to dialogue as even opposing gangs agreed to work together for the greater good of all. It's not to say the people aren't angry anymore, but this anger is instead directed at the Great Unholy One above the government tower. 

With a calm demeanour, a group of hooded citizens moved past the busy streets. For the twins, Ulric and Ella, it was the first time they were allowed to walk while exposed to the rain. Usually, the rain was so acidic, it behaved almost like pure sulfuric acid when falling upon the city. Yet, with the death of so many, the factories operated with such a low capability that the rain managed to return to a bearable PH. 

Following a group of older adults in hoods, the two teenagers can't help but feel a strange soothing feeling as the rain dripped against their hands. Looking around, other people shared their feelings, as many even tore off their shirts and exposed their chests to the rain with cheerful smiles on their faces. In front of the stores, the unholy bright red neon became diluted in colour when reflected in the cloudy rain puddles. 

[Father] - "Move, you two! Stop being distracted. "

Whispered the twins' father as he pulled their hands toward him. 

As the group arrived at an intersection guarded by policemen, the crowd of civilians instinctively shielded them by forming a human wave around them. Faced with so many people at once, the police were forced to let most of them through without checking their documentation. With the street crossing done without much fuss, the group proceeded forward through a food market. 

[Mother] - "It's the final stretch, so stay close. "

Whispered the mother without turning her head around. 

Trailing at the end of the group, the twins admired the relative quiet of the food market. Usually, there will be fights, gang violence, and cries for help around this kind of place. Yet, today, people seem civilized and respectful with even known local criminals on their best behaviour toward others. In front, a group of policemen suddenly pinned a woman against the wall before the other swung his baton at her. 

[police 1] - "Haven't you heard the new rules about hairstyles? Don't you know that haircut is banned as of last week? "

Yelled the policeman as he slammed the woman's head against the concrete. 

The woman, sporting the same bob cut as Kadyn, cried for help, yet no one stood up to aid her. However, unlike before, people took notice of the violence with unsuspecting glances. Ulric could notice the slight gesture of the hand in those with the compassion to act, but at last, lacked the courage to execute. The police served nothing more than the interests of KD-554 and her men, yet the older generation, familiar with the city's brutal repression, were hesitant to act upon their newfound will. 

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew down Ella's hood, exposing her well-styled bob cut right in front of an officer guarding the scene. For a tense moment, Ulric and the group stopped in their track as they stared with dread in their eyes at the terrified Ella. There was an immense level of fear inside her constricted pupil, basked in the golden neon of a nearby store. Meanwhile, the policeman observed her with a stoic look in his eyes as the shine of a sign cast his face in a crimson glow. 

However, in a pure coincidence, the sign powered down just as the clock hit 11 PM. As the red left the officer's face, the man abruptly reached forward and grabbed Ella by the side of the neck. Then, as everyone watched with a held breath, the policeman pulled Ella's hood back onto her head before turning away to pretend he had seen nothing. While Ella remained stunned in place, Ulric quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the formation. 

With a sense of urgency, the group moved quickly, arriving inside a barhouse before the owner shut the doors and flipped the sign to closed. After a long descent down a flight of stairs, the group arrived at the underground war room, packed with people and a central map of the city on a round table. Taking place on the center seat, the father unveiled his hood and presented himself before his colleagues. 

[Ludovic] - "Fellow resistance members, welcome to your new home. This is the place where we will fight until we liberate our city. No one leaves, and no one speaks of this place unless given explicit orders from members of the high council to do so. "

As the rest of the hooded people unveiled their faces, there were men and women aged in their 30s, all the way to their 80s. Most particular among them, all women present had their hair styled like Kadyn's bob cut as a gesture of defiance toward KD-554 and respect toward the dark angel. However, the people around the table weren't just some nobodies either. These are the owners of the city's many medium-level businesses, men and women of high status and wealth who weren't a part of KD-554's inner circle. 

These people, some rivals, some brutal gang leaders, some corrupt and dirty businessmen, and some rich opportunists, all came together to resist a common enemy. Under normal circumstances, this group would never be a coherent team, yet they are united by the basic human instincts of fear, anger, and self-preservation. They fight together, knowing that despite their differences, they are all human, unlike the abomination that is their dark overlord. Today, a group tied to the worst of human vices will selflessly offer their power to a cause greater than themselves. 

Meanwhile, below the government tower, Dane wiped the sweat off his forehead as he put the finishing touch on his unglorious work. The woman on the operating table used to have the same face as Kadyn, but she was now nothing more than an unrecognizable corpse still somehow alive. Well, alive wouldn't be the correct term, as she was considered brain-dead a long time ago. 

As Dane finished his grim work by rewiring the nerves inside the poor girl's mind to make her feel and react again, he dropped the scalpel, which stabbed into his left boot. Dane wasn't proud of his work. No man with a hint of morality in his heart would be proud of such work. With shock ascending his spine like a miniature worm in his back, Dane was ready to scream before he held his mouth shut. 

If one has to describe the work of the antichrist, Dane would probably show his work as an example. To bring back the deceased shell of a broken soul just so it could experience the madness which drove it to this fate is an action deserving of Satan's wrath. Yet, Dane complied with the task he was given because he wished to save another. Was it really worth it in the end? To adhere to KD-554's philosophy? To enact the same savage action only possible for a wild beast? To reject your own humanity as an exchange for the life of another?

Suddenly, the girl's left eye darted toward Dane, staring at him with a level of fear and pain impossible to understand for the mortal man. That stare was a flame, burning with accusation and hatred for Dane's despicable action. She could not speak, yet she was yelling at him, cursing him with words inaudible to the flesh, yet hauntingly clear to the soul. 

Terrifyingly, the girl's right eye was but a pasty white ball, clearly damaged by a projectile which penetrated it years ago. Yet, the vengeful soul bound to the broken body made sure to let Dane see her broken eye as she understood his acknowledgement of the truth behind it. One would think KD-554 was the culprit behind the injury, yet the truth was beyond morbid. During Dane's work on her, it was revealed that it was actually Ari herself who had decided to self-lobotomize to escape the hell she was experiencing at the hands of KD-554. 

Dane fell to the floor as he felt the shiver in his spine finally reach his brain. With hate fueling her wounded body, Ari raised her arm and pointed the stump that used to be her hand at Dane before she pulled her broken mouth apart. 

[Ari] - "Y... YOOOOUUUU! "

Yelled Ari in a distorted voice before being silenced by the mucus in her throat. 

Following the single word, Ari gargled in her saliva before falling limp, exhausted by the effort. Yet, as Dane edged on letting out his scream of terror and regret, a set of congratulatory claps echoed inside the laboratory room. 

[KD-554] - "Mister Dane, do you know what you have created? "

Said KD-554 as she intruded into the room. 

[Dane] - "Ab... An ab... An aaaaa... "

Stuttered Dane while trembling, unable to finish his sentence. 

[KD-554] - "Art, my friend! You have created art! An instrument restored to its former glory, a toy repaired with the fine craftsmanship of a visionary, and the breaking of boundaries previously thought impossible. "

Said KD-554 as she effortlessly pulled Dane to his feet.

[Dane] - "Yet, what purpose does this... unholy work accomplish? "

Said Dane as he looked away in shame and pain. 

With deadly speed, KD-554 moved behind Dane and forcefully turned his regard toward the fruit of his work. 

[KD-554] - "You do not understand, mister Dane. One who indulges in their own twisted savagery without a barrier is one who is truly human. To be a true human is to embrace the true side of your soul. You want to deny it, but you embraced it, and it felt good. That dread in you is truly pride and pleasure. "

Whispered KD-554 with her mouth pressed closely against Dane's ear. 

With every word, Dane's body screamed with fear as even the hair on his arm stood up. She was speaking to him, yet there was no warmth inside her breath aside from the cold feel of soulless exhalation. Due to the dim light in the room, Dane was even able to catch the red glow of KD-554's irises from the corner of his eye. Through the lens of ignorance, anyone in Dane's position would've believed in the presence of a demon beside them. 

[KD-554] - "You have done the deed, mister Dane. There is no coming back from such unholy actions. For you, there is only the path forward. A path of unrestrained depravity fueled by your hunger for science. Because the fact remains before you. I understand you might reject me, yet looking at your work, what makes you better than me? "

Dane shed a few tears of regret before closing his eyes. 

[KD-554] - "Now... "

Said KD-554 as she let go of Dane. 

[KD-554] - "... KD-552, we meet once again. "

Said KD-554 as she leaned her face mere millimetres away from Ari's face. 

There was an existential level of fear on Ari's scarred face as her eyeball trembled out of pure terror. 

[Ari] - "M... Mmmm.... Meeee... "

Struggled Ari to get a word out of her mouth. 

[KD-554] - "Oh, such a beautiful sight. Looks like big baby sis is about to say her first word. "

Said KD-554 as she grinned while showing her pointy metal teeth. 

[Ari] - "Meee... Mer... Mercy! "

[KD-554] - "Tch! How lame! I thought you were the fighter, the one who isn't afraid of pain. Didn't think you'd wake up a crybaby like our dumbass little sister. "

Said KD-554 in a spiteful voice. 

[Dane] - "Say... Did I get the job? Am I allowed to... "

Said Dane with a defeated look in his eyes.

[KD-554] - "Ahaha! Eh... No. You are simply not up to the task. Look at you, you really need to work on your true side, my dear friend. "

Said KD-554 in a cruel, mocking voice.

The words suddenly triggered the repressed emotions inside Dane's heart like a firework. 

[Dane] - "I sacrificed everything! I DID WHAT YOU ASKED FOR! You fucking prick, piece of shit, maggot son of a bitch liar! "

Yelled Dane suddenly in a burst of emotion. 

As Dane grabbed a power tool and charged at KD-554 in a fit of blind rage, she abruptly extended her finger into a fine needle before stabbing it through Dane's neck at a distance. The sudden pain paralyzed Dane as he dropped his power tool before collapsing against the operating table.

[KD-554] - "You have potential, my friend. Yet, some men had worked for me just as you did for decades. Now, it wouldn't be fair to give you the honours just for one job well done. "

Said KD-554 before retracting her finger from Dane's neck. 

As soon as the pressure on his spine was relieved, Dane regained his mobility as he slowly struggled to push himself up. 

[KD-554] - "I still have six... no, five, after Deltazar had failed me, scientists just like you working in my facility. These men are so hungry that they will eat their own creation, literally, if I so command it. Now, if you really want that position as my main butcher, then you'll have to prove to me that you are worth more than these five men in your savagery. "

Said KD-554 as she lifted Ari and carried her on her shoulder like a soaked sack of bandages. 

[Dane] - "You! You promised! Also... on my gosh darn head... I swear, I'm ready to be your main butcher! I trust in the savagery in me! I delivered what others couldn't after all. "

Pleaded Dane with despair in his eyes. 

[KD-554] - "Cogitas, ergo non es; You think, but you are not! I'm no fool, Dane. I know if someone is ready. The day when you can create pieces of art for me without showing this... PITIFUL drama show, will be the day I take your application for the position seriously. "

Said KD-554 in a mocking to spiteful tone. 

With a single kick, KD-554 opened the doors to the laboratory and carried Ari out of the room with her like a captured prey. 

[Dane] - "Damn you! DAMN YOU, YOU STUPID COCKSUCKER! "

Yelled Dane in rage as he tried to rush after KD-554. 

However, a sharp pain in his foot suddenly dropped Dane onto the floor. As he looked down at his legs, he noticed that the scalpel lodged inside his boot was pushed into his foot through all his struggles. With an angry shout, Dane leaned down and pulled the blade out in a single dry yank. Blood splattered everywhere as Dane held the bloodied scalpel in his palm with a murderous intent in his heart. 

[Dane] - "Heh... Hehehe... You want me to be more mad than five of your most deranged slaves? What a joke... What a fuckin' joke that is, damn it. "

Whispered Dane while a look of madness invaded his face. 

How many souls does Dane still have to condemn to eternal damnation to please the dark Goddess? How many lives is Kadyn's worth? How many cuts does it take to completely erode the humanity of a sane man? By the time Dane reaches his goal, will he still be there to free Kadyn, or to peel her skin to satiate the bloodlust of his madness? 

[Dane] - "Oh... My... God... What have you come to, Dane? Dad died so you could flay random people alive and see how long it takes for them to die of infection? "

Spoke Dane to himself in a trembling voice. 

As Dane gripped the scalpel in his hand harder, the sharp blade began to cut into his flesh. Yet, Dane, in his stupor, didn't feel the pain or notice the dripping of blood on the floor. 

[Dane] - "Maybe I am a deranged son of a bitch! Hehe... Maybe the nature of humans is that of unrestricted violence after all. Jagger, Dunkel, KD-554... *Breathe.* Is there anyone left who isn't fueled by the massacre of others? "

Said Dane as he brought the scalpel's blade to his eye level. 

Suddenly, as if driven by instinct, Dane brought the blade toward his throat before his other hand intercepted the strike. As he collapsed to the floor while resisting his own assault on himself, the blood from his wounded palm dripped onto the right side of his face. There was almost a split on Dane's facial expression as his right eye bulged with blood vessels while his blood gradually painted his right side red. Meanwhile, the left side of his face remained untainted while tears leaked incessantly from his left eye. 

[Dane] - "I will not allow myself to become her! I'd rather die a man than live as a monster! "

Screamed Dane as the crimson in his right eye burned with the same madness as KD-554. 

As his left arm slowly lost the battle against his armed right hand, Dane began to feel the cold steel of the blade whispering the grim chant of death at his throat. Yet, as if driven by the instinct to survive, his mind reacted by playing a moment which mirrored this situation. Suddenly, Dane saw Kadyn as she was about to plunge her blade into his throat. Yet, she was hesitant with a trembling hand before ultimately uttering: "I am not a killer, I'm Kadyn. ", and dropping her weapon. 

It was this exact memory that gave Dane to strength to pull the blade away from his already wounded neck. With a violent jerk, Dane threw the scalpel away before breathing a huge sigh of relief. After rolling around, Dane stared at his reflection in a puddle of his own blood. 

[Dane] - "No, you're better than this, Dane. I'm Dane, damn it, I'm a God damn scientist. I find solutions to problems, not bring a blade to a throat. "

Cursed Dane while rubbing his swollen eye with his arm. 

Suddenly, an idea passed through Dane's mind as he stared at the small cut on his neck. 

[Dane] - "Cogitas, ergo non es... I think, but I am not. Damn right, I am not. But what I am is a man of science and logic. I will not lose myself to your little game; I will play around it. "

Dane slowly got up and limped to the bathroom before collapsing against the sink in exhaustion. Looking at himself in the mirror, Dane smiled proudly while thinking about the idea he had come up with. 

[Dane] - "What if you are the only one, Dane? She's right, you have a pair of dirty hands you can't clean and a pair of canines you can't hide. However, predators in nature aren't a bunch of unhinged mongoloids. "

Said Dane before leaning in and pointing at his reflection with his finger. 

[Dane] - "She will have no choice if you are the only top-shelf bastard she has left. You want my violent side? Then have it, you accursed bitch! I will hunt down these bastards like the beast you claimed I am. Enjoy the damn show, cause I ain't got no mercy for people like these. "

Said Dane in a cold voice with murderous intent in his eyes. 

Without even a flinch, Dane grabbed a medical stapler out of the first aid cabinet and began to stitch his many wounds across the hands and throat. He is determined to make KD-554 pay while beating her at her own game. For the first time in his life, Dane proceeded with a level of determination as unbreakable as diamond. Those who stand in his way will perish, and he will serve justice to the damned of the facility even if it takes his last drop of blood. 

To be continued...