CHAPTER 40 : BLACK & WHITE PART 6

The bodies of the Strays were chained to iron beds, and several men attached helmet-like machines to the Strays' heads. Vincent watched them with a smile on his face, as a muscular man entered the underground lab with both hands in his pockets."You look happy, Vincent," the muscular man said. Vincent turned toward him."Oh, it's you? What are you doing here?" Vincent asked."Just wanted to see what you're up to and chat with Nora. Word is we've got a spy from the Special Force who slipped out of our grasp, and it's likely the Special Force is getting ready to attack us. If they're confident enough to fight us, it means they've got weapons and they're ready," the man explained. Vincent exhaled deeply."Sigh... does this mean I'm going to lose my precious things again? What a hassle," Vincent replied."You can still continue your research, don't worry too much. Money or equipment won't be an issue," the man reassured him, standing next to Vincent as he looked at the Strays connected to the machines."Teach me a bit, how do you do it?" the muscular man asked. Vincent adjusted his glasses."Exoskeleton technology, replacing the Strays' bones with exoskeleton metal bones that we can control. Thanks to the healing properties of Mutant Cells, they can survive after we replace their bones with the exoskeleton. The helmet controls their brains," Vincent explained in detail, and the man nodded in understanding."You really are a genius, Vincent. No wonder even White holds you in such high regard," the muscular man praised."This is the new era of crime organizations. If we want to go against the law, we have to be smart. Strength and power alone aren't enough if you're foolish," Vincent remarked.With all of this, what I've dreamed of will be achieved..."Do you think a new armor will change your situation?!" White swung his hand toward Khalid, but Khalid caught his hand.Ali appeared from behind and kicked White backward, and Khalid followed up with a swing of his axe. White blocked it, but Ali landed a punch to White's abdomen, denting the metal."Where is this strength coming from?" White wondered as he glanced at Khalid. Ali didn't give him time to think, but White punched Ali back, hitting his side directly. Khalid then swung his axe, cutting through the iron skin on White's shoulder, causing a bit of blood to flow."You okay, Ali?" Khalid asked."Ah... I'm fine..." Ali groaned, holding his side where White had punched him. White froze, staring at the blood flowing from the wound on his shoulder. Mei stepped forward with Chyou."We can end this fight now... I could change your mind, erase your bad memories, make you someone else, but that won't solve the problem. With everything you have, you and we could protect other Mutants like us," Mei explained, her eyes changing shape as a red aura radiated from her. White wiped the blood from his shoulder, and the metal at the wound reformed."Do you still think I'll change my mind? Naive! Weak!" White shouted. Suddenly, knives emerged from the floor, stabbing Mei's feet and almost striking her eyes."Sister!" Chyou immediately teleported Mei out of the way. In the panic, Khalid lifted his weapon again, but White punched him directly in the chest, sending Khalid flying and crashing through several walls. Ali clenched his fist, but White swung his arm toward him. Ali blocked it, but he was thrown against the wall, the force of the blow causing the bones in his arm to crack."Sister?" Chyou asked, looking at Mei."I'm fine, Chyou. Focus!" Mei replied as knives flew toward them. Chyou teleported to dodge the blades, while Mei used her power to redirect the knives, causing them to clash against the walls and floor."Don't think... you can get rid of me so easily." Alex appeared at the side door of the room, throwing more knives. Mei redirected them again and tried to use her powers on Alex, but White swung his hand toward her. Chyou quickly teleported Mei away."Urgh..." Ali slumped to the ground, his right arm broken, but he forced himself to stand. The veins in his arm glowed blue, and Ali gripped it tightly, forcing the bones back into place.White and Alex focused their attacks on Chyou and Mei, forcing Chyou to teleport repeatedly to avoid the relentless assault. He was growing tired. Eventually, Chyou pushed Mei away from him, causing him to take a punch to the back from White. The sound of cracking bones echoed as Chyou was dragged across the floor."Chyou!" Mei shouted. Chyou lay weakly, gasping for air."A-Argh... Arrrghhh!" Chyou screamed in pain. White approached him, but a red psychic wave from Mei's powers pushed both White and Alex's knives far away from Chyou."We've tried... not to kill you!" Mei declared, unleashing her full power. White and Alex looked at her in shock. Suddenly, they found themselves inside the Mind Dimension."In my view... changing your mind completely is like killing you. I kill your old self and replace it with a new one. It's cruel... everything you knew about your life disappears, and your old self ceases to exist. But I consider it mercy too. What you've experienced in life must have been so painful that you ended up hurting others," Mei explained, now a giant in the Mind Dimension, while White and Alex stood on a crumbling platform of earth."We... have to become better than what we have suffered," Mei continued before the platform beneath White and Alex's feet completely broke, causing them both to fall."Y-You!" White shouted as many hands tried to grab him and Alex, gripping them, pulling them deeper."Stop it!" Alex yelled, trying to reach out, but more hands emerged, pulling him back.Half of White's body was submerged in the hands, his eyes locked onto Mei's cold, red gaze."N-No way... I'm dying... like this..." White muttered as several hands covered his face."Raaahhh!" Two Strays leapt from a helicopter and smashed through the side windows of the building where Mei and the others were. The two Strays kicked Mei aside, breaking her connection to the Mind Dimension."S-Sis..." Chyou muttered, lying on the floor, while Ali, who had just realized what had happened, rushed toward the two Strays."Right on time..." said the muscular man inside the helicopter. White and Alex regained consciousness, with White glancing to the side, noticing the presence of the White Tigers' helicopter."Arrghhh!" Ali punched one Stray directly in the chest, crushing its heart, while the other Stray attempted to attack Mei. Khalid finally reappeared and decapitated the Stray with his War Axe."Here, Mei!" Khalid immediately grabbed Mei's hand, and Ali retrieved Chyou as they quickly regrouped. Khalid's chest armor was cracked, and both he and Ali placed Mei and Chyou behind them as White faced them again, with Alex grabbing some knives scattered on the floor."Khalid... Chyou can't move," Mei muttered as Chyou lay weakly on her lap. Khalid turned back with Ali."Even my punch didn't hurt him much..." Ali complained."His metal is tougher than my armor," Khalid responded, glancing sideways at the White Tigers' helicopter, still hovering there."I'm going to destroy you all here... You won't bring me down!" White said, stepping forward as Khalid raised his axe and Ali clenched his fist again. Mei stood behind them, her eyes glowing red once more."Don't waste more time, boss," said the muscular man observing from the helicopter."Is he seriously going to keep fighting? Ugh..." Vincent sighed.Suddenly, black liquid clung to the White Tigers' helicopter. The muscular man looked down and saw Mikael, carrying the bound Rubber Man behind him, approaching them. Mikael created a large scythe and struck the helicopter's main rotor."Who is that!?" Vincent yelled as their helicopter spun out of control in the air, gripping tightly to the helicopter's railings."Crash into the building!" Vincent ordered in a panic. The Stray piloting the helicopter crashed into the top floor of the White Tigers' base, hitting several walls and producing thick black smoke."What?" White froze for a moment, realizing what had happened. Mikael swung himself into the building, pushing White with a black ring. The ring morphed into a hook, trapping White completely as Mikael forced him to the floor."Sit down," Mikael ordered."Mikael..." Khalid sounded relieved."A-Argh... You... Let me go! I!" White struggled to free himself, but Mikael's shadow powers kept him immobile. Several knives flew rapidly toward Mikael, but a black wall formed, blocking them. Mikael quickly captured Alex as well, forcing him to sit, bound like White."Sorry I'm a bit late," Mikael said, turning to his team."No... Thank you, Nightshade," Khalid replied."Nightshade? Oh... Ah... Okay," Mikael realized 'Nightshade' was his codename."Got you now... No more places to run, no more underlings to help you," Ali said, standing in front of White."Ah, that's right, so... uh... surrender now," Mikael added, placing the Rubber Man trapped in the black stone on the floor."Wow... he's trying to talk like a superhero character..." Khalid monologued as he watched Mikael."You think... you can kill him just like that? That man?" White asked with a sly grin, leaving them all momentarily silent."Man?" Ali asked, confused."I'm... the head of the White Tigers, but the heart of this organization isn't me," White said."Huh?" Everyone grew even more confused as White turned toward Ali."You can't defeat me... You think you can defeat him?" White asked."You're just wasting our time, trying to scare us," Ali replied."You're the one wasting time... not killing me now," White countered.They all heard clapping, and everyone turned toward the long corridor on the side of the room. The muscular man emerged from the darkness, and Ali, who had been clenching his fists, immediately opened them, visibly frightened behind his mask."Quite the show, heroes. But I think it's time I close the curtain," the man said as Ali turned his body toward him."D-Danielle..." Ali muttered softly. Danielle opened both his hands, red-black aura surrounding his left hand while his right hand emitted a bright blue aura."Chaos, Entropy." Danielle directed his left hand forward, sending the red-black aura toward everyone in front of him. The room shook violently, the floor cracked and crumbled, and so did the ceiling. Mikael's shadow powers scattered everywhere, Khalid's Sentinel shield further fractured and broke, Mei's powers activated on their own, Ali's veins emitted blue light, White's metal body dented and rusted, and the knives scattered wildly in every direction."Arghhhh!""W-What's this?! Kiyaarghhh!""What are you doing, Danielle?! I'm h-here too!"Everyone within Danielle's attack range suffered damage and chaos. Danielle halted his power, causing Mikael to release his shadows, freeing White and Alex from their bonds. The members of HOPE slumped weakly to the ground, Khalid's armor fully destroyed, Ali gasping for breath, Mei burning up, and Chyou remained unconscious."Sorry, White. I can't control the magnitude of my power yet..." Danielle sighed, directing his right hand toward White and Alex."Order, Restore." A bright blue light illuminated White and Alex, fully healing their injuries."Whatever," White stood up, straightening his clothes."Everyone else is waiting for you. Move now, White," said Danielle."Before that, kill them all," replied White, and Danielle smiled."Alright. You go ahead with Alex. I want to have a little chat with these so-called heroes," Danielle smiled, and White let out a small sigh."They're still dangerous..." warned White, as Danielle glanced at the members of HOPE, all fallen and weak."I don't think they're dangerous anymore. Don't worry, no one can defeat me anyway..." said Danielle confidently."Make sure you kill them," White relented, and he and Alex began to walk away. Ali turned towards them."Oi-oi!" shouted Ali, but White and Alex ignored him. Mikael tried to reach them with his shadow powers, but Danielle caught the shadow with her left hand. The aura from her hand flowed into the shadowy substance, causing spikes to emerge from Mikael's palm, stabbing into his body."Arrgh!" Mikael cried out in pain."Don't try to fight. You've already lost," said Danielle, and Mikael only glared at him. Danielle stood in front of Ali and crouched down."I'm curious... who is behind this mask?" Danielle's hand moved towards Ali's mask, but Ali did not stop him. Danielle removed the mask, and the sinister smile on his face quickly disappeared.Meanwhile, White and Alex had already reached the rooftop, where Vincent, Nora, and Eric—who still lacked an arm—were waiting for them."Where's Danielle?" asked Vincent."He's got his own business. We'll move ahead. He'll find his way later," replied Alex."Are you sure?" Vincent groaned."Yes... Let's not waste our time," said Alex, as he and White walked towards the helicopter."Star Beam!" Suddenly, a blast of Star Beam hit the helicopter behind them, causing it to explode. Vincent, Nora, and Eric were thrown forward from the force."What? They're here?" groaned Nora, looking up at the sky. White glared at Nasuha, who was flying above their building. Nasuha glared back, her eyes glowing.Khairul landed in front of them, immediately drawing two blades from his arms. Kyoko appeared next, with a massive purple lightning strike crashing behind her, the stab wound in her thigh now bandaged.The military helicopter aimed its spotlight at White and his White Tigers members, while two members of the Special Forces—one with a sniper and another with an RPG launcher—pointed their weapons at them. Syafiq also clung to the railing of the helicopter."How did you do it? Bring the Special Forces to your side?!"