Post by Nicholas Gray on Aug 11, 2015 19:52:35 GMT -6
He wasn’t recovering like he should.
This realization hadn’t come to Cobalt immediately, but it came nonetheless. He had never suffered a concussion before, but knew that it could easily be something that had lasting effects. And he was sure he was experiencing them.
He couldn’t stand for long. Anytime he got to his feet the dizziness started, and he’d start to fall over.
When he spoke, sometimes he’d just lose track in the middle. Difficulty recalling some things.
He could remember what happened perfectly though. The feeling of the chair, crashing into his skull three times. The feeling of his face going down into the chair, his own finisher used to try and take his career away.
Some things were difficult to recall, but anger wasn’t one of them.
He was angry that he was confined to this hospital room. He was angry that he wasn’t out wrestling. And he was angry that Jennifer was going through this, seeing this. She thought the bad shit was behind them, after getting her knee rebuilt, and now she had to watch him struggle to get back to himself.
At least tonight she’d have some fun, seeing old friends. He was happy for her.
And so he spent his time doing what he did a lot of the past two weeks. Sleep.
He awoke suddenly, some weird feeling prompting his mind to come to. He looked around the room, and realized what it was. His father, Grant, sat in the chair next to his bed. He looked at his son and gave him a small smile.
Grant Protivnik: Anderson.
Anderson Cobalt: ...dad…
Grant Protivnik: I never thought I’d see you in such a state, son.
Anderson Cobalt: I…
Grant shook his head.
Grant Protivnik: If you think I blame you, or am disappointed in you, don’t. It was a force out of your control that did this to you.
Anderson Cobalt: I know. But, still...I was stupid. I get a mystery letter and I just go!
Grant Protivnik: Mistakes, son, are a constant for anyone. Don’t worry. Focus on something better. Tell me, how are you and Jennifer?
Cobalt smiled, thinking of his girlfriend.
Anderson Cobalt: We’re stronger than ever, somehow. Even with...everything that’s happened. We’re happy.
Grant nodded.
Grant Protivnik: I’m glad to hear that son. And...this whole thing isn’t getting in the way?
The smile vanishes from Cobalt’s face.
Anderson Cobalt: It’s...it’s hard. We just got past what happened with Yukiko and now this. It’s unfair. And when I look at her face, I just...I see the worry. And it makes me sick. That she has to be put through that. Because of some...some….
Grant Protivnik: Imperium.
Anderson Cobalt: Thank you. Them. Groups who think they know best, imposing their law on people. What’s the difference between them and any of the shitty people that tried to take over? They still hurt innocent people.
Grant smiled at this, though Cobalt seemed unaware of what was behind the smile.
Grant Protivnik: And what do you want from these people?
Cobalt was silent a moment, before his jaw set.
Anderson Cobalt: Revenge.
Grant grinned.
Grant Protivnik: Good. That’s what I want to hear, son. I want to help you.
Anderson Cobalt: How?
Grant Protivnik: Do you trust me?
Cobalt nodded.
Anderson Cobalt: Of course. Whatever you can do...please.
Grant Protivnik: I will. So why don’t you sleep.
Cobalt suddenly slumped over, out like a light. Grant stood up, and moved over to the bedside, one hand going into his coat. From his pocket he drew what looked similar to a Derringer, though not quite. Instead of a barrel there was a long needle, and there was a slot for a cartridge at the top, with a button to load it into the device. He took out a glass vial and slotted it into the top of it, pressing the button and loading it in. He then took hold of Cobalt’s arm and lifted it up, pressing the needle into the vein of his wrist, pushing it in. A very faint wince came to Cobalt’s face, but he remained silent. Grant pulled the trigger, and the vial began to fill with Cobalt’s blood.
When it was full, it automatically stopped, the slot on top popping back slightly, so the blood vial could be retrieved.
Instead, he pressed the button again, and loaded the vial back in.
He moved his head slightly, exposing his neck better. He pressed the tip of the needle against a prominent vein, and pushed it in.
He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, and injected Cobalt’s blood into himself.
His vein bulged as the blood made its course, quickly traveling equal parts to his brain and to his heart. When it hit them, he felt that feeling once again. A feeling he’d never be able to properly describe. It was warmth, filling his body. It was his mind, expanding. It was power, taking hold of him.
When his eyes open, they are changed. Now, they glow a bright yellow. These are not the eyes of Grant Protivnik, respected businessman from Yuma, Arizona.
They are the eyes of Doktor Grant Adversary, the one who would reach the “Apex” with the power of Libra.
Cobalt squirmed in his seat, even asleep he could seemingly feel the pain in his head. Grant just smiled down at him.
Doktor Grant Adversary: You just sleep, son. Let me take care of this annoying, persistent woozy state you’ve been put into.
The smile turned into a grin that would worry anyone if they saw it.
Doktor Grant Adversary: And then after that...it’ll finally be time for us to talk about your true purpose...my Harbinger.
--
4 weeks ago…
It was a tense conversation, after they all read that e-mail. Neither of them seemed certain about what to do yet, and Janine, Pond, had little to add. She would defer to higher management. Finally, she was dismissed so the two could focus on discussing it. Fine by her, if she left now, she wouldn’t have to see the giant glaring flaw in their Imperium.
What a bother that mouthy girl was.
Last thing she was told as she walked away was to make sure Jon saw the e-mail, as asked in the e-mail. She could do that. It’d be an excuse to get some baked goods off of him. She was looking forward to that.
She was so busy thinking about food that she didn’t notice the man waiting next to the door of the gym, who stepped in behind her as she walked through the door and into the hallway. And, really, she was never aware of him, as suddenly her mind went blank. She simply stood there, staring forward, no thought coming to her. The man with the glowing yellow eyes smiled, reaching out and taking her tablet into his hand. He swiped a few times, and brought up the email he wanted to see.
Well isn’t that a list of issues to deal with. Cyril would only be a problem if he chose to release his talents again, and he doubted he could bring himself to drop that peaceful facade. The creation of Bruce, though, was certainly a problem, and he would need to draw up plans to deal with her. And Logan….Logan he would have to deal with delicately.
And those were only the issues he already understood, not counting the ones that he did not yet understand. Strike was Chris Strike, surely. He was aware of these powers enough to be mentioned, so he would have to count as an issue. How to approach this would be an interesting challenge.
And, of course, the one that annoyed him the most.
Who the fuck knew about him to make that video that aired during the musical?
He had no reason to make a video detailing the end game, no reason to air it on national TV, no reason to reveal himself like that. He didn’t even like metal. Someone had to know, and made that to alert people covertly. Whoever they were, when he found them, he’d peel them apart.
He sighed, and did his best to place his blood lust in it’s proper compartment. With a few taps on the tablet he deleted the email, and wiped it from the trash, before placing it back into the redhead’s hand. He reached into her head, and spoke in a soothing voice.
Doktor Grant Adversary: You already showed that e-mail to Jon Collins. You deleted it so no one could see it after. Do you understand?
Pond: I understand.
Doktor Grant Adversary: Good. Run along.
Pond blinked a few times, coming out of the stupor she doesn’t remember, and sets off down the hall, ignoring the man behind her. Grant watches her leave, making sure there was no signs of resistance, before turning his attentions. He expanded his “range” and reached out, peering into the thoughts of the two speaking in main gym area. Nothing he saw there gave him reason to think he’d need to do anything. So long as nothing major occurred, they’d do nothing against Cobalt. He expanded more, enough to catch the last person there in it’s field, feeling a bit of pressure in his head as he did, reaching the limits of what he could do himself. He’d need to reinject soon if he kept this up…
When he caught the thoughts of the girl, the red flags began to set off. He realized she had seen the barest parts of that email, and had misinterpreted it massively. Her desires to be recognized, for her talents to be praised, had connected with that to create a plan. She was planning on attacking Cobalt, to put down the threat she saw him to be. Grant’s jaw set in anger, momentarily. She was a threat, now, to the source of his changed world. If this attack happened, she could do permanent damage to his prize.
...but…
Grant had struggled recently. He felt the boy pulling away from him, changing into a different person. All the people he had met in San Diego were making him into someone else, someone harder to control. And since falling in love he could feel Cobalt ready to break away entirely. A natural part of growing up, sure, but Grant couldn’t have him away from him for too long. But this girl...Jolyne...if she attacked Cobalt, under the banner of her group...what would that do to Cobalt? Already he could see it, the best case scenario, reachable with just a little prodding. Yes, this would play into his needs perfectly.
So he left her alone, left Jolyne to plan the chair shots that would be heard around the world.
And he smiled, and said a silent thanks to the young woman.
Thanks to her, his grip on his prized possession would be strengthened, to the point he could shape him into the man he needed him to be...
And Jolyne Dysart’s corpse would be the foundation of that new Cobalt.
This realization hadn’t come to Cobalt immediately, but it came nonetheless. He had never suffered a concussion before, but knew that it could easily be something that had lasting effects. And he was sure he was experiencing them.
He couldn’t stand for long. Anytime he got to his feet the dizziness started, and he’d start to fall over.
When he spoke, sometimes he’d just lose track in the middle. Difficulty recalling some things.
He could remember what happened perfectly though. The feeling of the chair, crashing into his skull three times. The feeling of his face going down into the chair, his own finisher used to try and take his career away.
Some things were difficult to recall, but anger wasn’t one of them.
He was angry that he was confined to this hospital room. He was angry that he wasn’t out wrestling. And he was angry that Jennifer was going through this, seeing this. She thought the bad shit was behind them, after getting her knee rebuilt, and now she had to watch him struggle to get back to himself.
At least tonight she’d have some fun, seeing old friends. He was happy for her.
And so he spent his time doing what he did a lot of the past two weeks. Sleep.
He awoke suddenly, some weird feeling prompting his mind to come to. He looked around the room, and realized what it was. His father, Grant, sat in the chair next to his bed. He looked at his son and gave him a small smile.
Grant Protivnik: Anderson.
Anderson Cobalt: ...dad…
Grant Protivnik: I never thought I’d see you in such a state, son.
Anderson Cobalt: I…
Grant shook his head.
Grant Protivnik: If you think I blame you, or am disappointed in you, don’t. It was a force out of your control that did this to you.
Anderson Cobalt: I know. But, still...I was stupid. I get a mystery letter and I just go!
Grant Protivnik: Mistakes, son, are a constant for anyone. Don’t worry. Focus on something better. Tell me, how are you and Jennifer?
Cobalt smiled, thinking of his girlfriend.
Anderson Cobalt: We’re stronger than ever, somehow. Even with...everything that’s happened. We’re happy.
Grant nodded.
Grant Protivnik: I’m glad to hear that son. And...this whole thing isn’t getting in the way?
The smile vanishes from Cobalt’s face.
Anderson Cobalt: It’s...it’s hard. We just got past what happened with Yukiko and now this. It’s unfair. And when I look at her face, I just...I see the worry. And it makes me sick. That she has to be put through that. Because of some...some….
Grant Protivnik: Imperium.
Anderson Cobalt: Thank you. Them. Groups who think they know best, imposing their law on people. What’s the difference between them and any of the shitty people that tried to take over? They still hurt innocent people.
Grant smiled at this, though Cobalt seemed unaware of what was behind the smile.
Grant Protivnik: And what do you want from these people?
Cobalt was silent a moment, before his jaw set.
Anderson Cobalt: Revenge.
Grant grinned.
Grant Protivnik: Good. That’s what I want to hear, son. I want to help you.
Anderson Cobalt: How?
Grant Protivnik: Do you trust me?
Cobalt nodded.
Anderson Cobalt: Of course. Whatever you can do...please.
Grant Protivnik: I will. So why don’t you sleep.
Cobalt suddenly slumped over, out like a light. Grant stood up, and moved over to the bedside, one hand going into his coat. From his pocket he drew what looked similar to a Derringer, though not quite. Instead of a barrel there was a long needle, and there was a slot for a cartridge at the top, with a button to load it into the device. He took out a glass vial and slotted it into the top of it, pressing the button and loading it in. He then took hold of Cobalt’s arm and lifted it up, pressing the needle into the vein of his wrist, pushing it in. A very faint wince came to Cobalt’s face, but he remained silent. Grant pulled the trigger, and the vial began to fill with Cobalt’s blood.
When it was full, it automatically stopped, the slot on top popping back slightly, so the blood vial could be retrieved.
Instead, he pressed the button again, and loaded the vial back in.
He moved his head slightly, exposing his neck better. He pressed the tip of the needle against a prominent vein, and pushed it in.
He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, and injected Cobalt’s blood into himself.
His vein bulged as the blood made its course, quickly traveling equal parts to his brain and to his heart. When it hit them, he felt that feeling once again. A feeling he’d never be able to properly describe. It was warmth, filling his body. It was his mind, expanding. It was power, taking hold of him.
When his eyes open, they are changed. Now, they glow a bright yellow. These are not the eyes of Grant Protivnik, respected businessman from Yuma, Arizona.
They are the eyes of Doktor Grant Adversary, the one who would reach the “Apex” with the power of Libra.
Cobalt squirmed in his seat, even asleep he could seemingly feel the pain in his head. Grant just smiled down at him.
Doktor Grant Adversary: You just sleep, son. Let me take care of this annoying, persistent woozy state you’ve been put into.
The smile turned into a grin that would worry anyone if they saw it.
Doktor Grant Adversary: And then after that...it’ll finally be time for us to talk about your true purpose...my Harbinger.
--
4 weeks ago…
It was a tense conversation, after they all read that e-mail. Neither of them seemed certain about what to do yet, and Janine, Pond, had little to add. She would defer to higher management. Finally, she was dismissed so the two could focus on discussing it. Fine by her, if she left now, she wouldn’t have to see the giant glaring flaw in their Imperium.
What a bother that mouthy girl was.
Last thing she was told as she walked away was to make sure Jon saw the e-mail, as asked in the e-mail. She could do that. It’d be an excuse to get some baked goods off of him. She was looking forward to that.
She was so busy thinking about food that she didn’t notice the man waiting next to the door of the gym, who stepped in behind her as she walked through the door and into the hallway. And, really, she was never aware of him, as suddenly her mind went blank. She simply stood there, staring forward, no thought coming to her. The man with the glowing yellow eyes smiled, reaching out and taking her tablet into his hand. He swiped a few times, and brought up the email he wanted to see.
“Hi, I hope this email finds you well, though since you’re likely really drunk, I expect it will. I have a bizarre request for you, though I guess compared to a lot of things here it’s not that odd! I need you to personally go to Nick & Jon and show them this message in full. I know you might not understand all of it, but they will, and it is URGENT.
I’m asking this from you because I find you to be extremely trustworthy and...well...you’re likely to not be monitored.
Hi Jon, hi Nick. I have a situation you need to be aware of. You might have seen lately that a brother of mine, Logan, has signed with HELL. I can’t go into the full story now, but we’re not a small family. There is 10 total of us brothers, including one deceased, and we’re all varying degrees of...well, of mad scientists. Logan is harmless but, unfortunately, he’s the rare one. Most of us are dangerous. And some are even worse.
And there’s another one of us in EXODUS. And he is one of the worst things to ever have any ties to this place, up there with Hal. He is a danger to everyone.
I can’t understate this. He is a monster, he is a killer, he is cruel, and he is powerful. His area of focus was cultivating mental powers. But he could never do the things I’ve seen him do in the past while. His powers have increased, exponentially, and I’m sorry to say I realized why several months ago and didn’t say anything. I’m so sorry, but I needed to try and find out the hidden meanings before going to someone about this. I wanted to try and understand what his purpose here was. I still don’t, but with Logan’s help I know what his connection is. And I’m so sorry.
If you think back to the EXODUS show where everyone felt compelled to sing, I’m sure you’ll remember that horrific video. The one showing the (R)Evolution Dojo destroyed, everyone murdered by some unseen figure with glowing yellow eyes. I know many were scared of it, but me more than anyone else. Because I know those eyes. I had seen them before, when they crushed my brother. And with the end of the video, I knew what had led to this power increase.
My brother Grant is the bearer of the Libra constellation.
But what it was another part of that video that kept me from speaking up about it. The other person in the figure, the one being led around by my brother. He had to have some connection to RW, clearly, but I wanted to know who it was. Unfortunately I couldn’t work that out myself, until Logan and his...dragon...satan...showed up. And they figured out who it was.
Jon, I know you care a lot about Ginny. And I know her best friend’s the fanfic writer, Jennifer. You need to look into Jennifer’s boyfriend. Go look at his employment papers. Look at his real name. Look up what Protivnik means.
I don’t know how he fits into it, yet, but Anderson Cobalt is connected to Libra, to my brother.
Please keep on an eye on him, observe him, but nothing beyond that, don’t let Strike know yet. I know this thing is his area of expertise now, but with the Pantheon and all, I don’t know if I trust him with this until I know more. I still want to understand what Cobalt’s purpose is in this. I made a rash judgment about Eve, and I refuse to do that again. We’re going to be working on this, me and Logan, along with Eve. We are going to figure out what’s going on. And then we’ll decide what needs to be done, together with you two.
I’m sorry for delivering this message like this, but I can’t trust calling right now, considering who we’re dealing with. And I’m sorry again for not letting you all know about this sooner. Please take care.
I’m asking this from you because I find you to be extremely trustworthy and...well...you’re likely to not be monitored.
Hi Jon, hi Nick. I have a situation you need to be aware of. You might have seen lately that a brother of mine, Logan, has signed with HELL. I can’t go into the full story now, but we’re not a small family. There is 10 total of us brothers, including one deceased, and we’re all varying degrees of...well, of mad scientists. Logan is harmless but, unfortunately, he’s the rare one. Most of us are dangerous. And some are even worse.
And there’s another one of us in EXODUS. And he is one of the worst things to ever have any ties to this place, up there with Hal. He is a danger to everyone.
I can’t understate this. He is a monster, he is a killer, he is cruel, and he is powerful. His area of focus was cultivating mental powers. But he could never do the things I’ve seen him do in the past while. His powers have increased, exponentially, and I’m sorry to say I realized why several months ago and didn’t say anything. I’m so sorry, but I needed to try and find out the hidden meanings before going to someone about this. I wanted to try and understand what his purpose here was. I still don’t, but with Logan’s help I know what his connection is. And I’m so sorry.
If you think back to the EXODUS show where everyone felt compelled to sing, I’m sure you’ll remember that horrific video. The one showing the (R)Evolution Dojo destroyed, everyone murdered by some unseen figure with glowing yellow eyes. I know many were scared of it, but me more than anyone else. Because I know those eyes. I had seen them before, when they crushed my brother. And with the end of the video, I knew what had led to this power increase.
My brother Grant is the bearer of the Libra constellation.
But what it was another part of that video that kept me from speaking up about it. The other person in the figure, the one being led around by my brother. He had to have some connection to RW, clearly, but I wanted to know who it was. Unfortunately I couldn’t work that out myself, until Logan and his...dragon...satan...showed up. And they figured out who it was.
Jon, I know you care a lot about Ginny. And I know her best friend’s the fanfic writer, Jennifer. You need to look into Jennifer’s boyfriend. Go look at his employment papers. Look at his real name. Look up what Protivnik means.
I don’t know how he fits into it, yet, but Anderson Cobalt is connected to Libra, to my brother.
Please keep on an eye on him, observe him, but nothing beyond that, don’t let Strike know yet. I know this thing is his area of expertise now, but with the Pantheon and all, I don’t know if I trust him with this until I know more. I still want to understand what Cobalt’s purpose is in this. I made a rash judgment about Eve, and I refuse to do that again. We’re going to be working on this, me and Logan, along with Eve. We are going to figure out what’s going on. And then we’ll decide what needs to be done, together with you two.
I’m sorry for delivering this message like this, but I can’t trust calling right now, considering who we’re dealing with. And I’m sorry again for not letting you all know about this sooner. Please take care.
-Dr. Cyril Kuller”
Well isn’t that a list of issues to deal with. Cyril would only be a problem if he chose to release his talents again, and he doubted he could bring himself to drop that peaceful facade. The creation of Bruce, though, was certainly a problem, and he would need to draw up plans to deal with her. And Logan….Logan he would have to deal with delicately.
And those were only the issues he already understood, not counting the ones that he did not yet understand. Strike was Chris Strike, surely. He was aware of these powers enough to be mentioned, so he would have to count as an issue. How to approach this would be an interesting challenge.
And, of course, the one that annoyed him the most.
Who the fuck knew about him to make that video that aired during the musical?
He had no reason to make a video detailing the end game, no reason to air it on national TV, no reason to reveal himself like that. He didn’t even like metal. Someone had to know, and made that to alert people covertly. Whoever they were, when he found them, he’d peel them apart.
He sighed, and did his best to place his blood lust in it’s proper compartment. With a few taps on the tablet he deleted the email, and wiped it from the trash, before placing it back into the redhead’s hand. He reached into her head, and spoke in a soothing voice.
Doktor Grant Adversary: You already showed that e-mail to Jon Collins. You deleted it so no one could see it after. Do you understand?
Pond: I understand.
Doktor Grant Adversary: Good. Run along.
Pond blinked a few times, coming out of the stupor she doesn’t remember, and sets off down the hall, ignoring the man behind her. Grant watches her leave, making sure there was no signs of resistance, before turning his attentions. He expanded his “range” and reached out, peering into the thoughts of the two speaking in main gym area. Nothing he saw there gave him reason to think he’d need to do anything. So long as nothing major occurred, they’d do nothing against Cobalt. He expanded more, enough to catch the last person there in it’s field, feeling a bit of pressure in his head as he did, reaching the limits of what he could do himself. He’d need to reinject soon if he kept this up…
When he caught the thoughts of the girl, the red flags began to set off. He realized she had seen the barest parts of that email, and had misinterpreted it massively. Her desires to be recognized, for her talents to be praised, had connected with that to create a plan. She was planning on attacking Cobalt, to put down the threat she saw him to be. Grant’s jaw set in anger, momentarily. She was a threat, now, to the source of his changed world. If this attack happened, she could do permanent damage to his prize.
...but…
Grant had struggled recently. He felt the boy pulling away from him, changing into a different person. All the people he had met in San Diego were making him into someone else, someone harder to control. And since falling in love he could feel Cobalt ready to break away entirely. A natural part of growing up, sure, but Grant couldn’t have him away from him for too long. But this girl...Jolyne...if she attacked Cobalt, under the banner of her group...what would that do to Cobalt? Already he could see it, the best case scenario, reachable with just a little prodding. Yes, this would play into his needs perfectly.
So he left her alone, left Jolyne to plan the chair shots that would be heard around the world.
And he smiled, and said a silent thanks to the young woman.
Thanks to her, his grip on his prized possession would be strengthened, to the point he could shape him into the man he needed him to be...
And Jolyne Dysart’s corpse would be the foundation of that new Cobalt.
