𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔
🇹🇮🇲🇪: Present Time
🇱🇴🇨🇦🇹🇮🇴🇳: Onboard Innocence
After separating from his brother for each to head to their own preferred amusement area, Maximillian’s footsteps led him to Innocence’s laboratory. Making his way through the automated doors, the sight of the area brought some memories into the Snake’s mind. The place changed a bit, but the overall layout of the area not so much. He could still see his younger self enthusiastically working in this facility as a trainee, testing new toxins and potent substances to handle Rogues with surprising efficiency. At that age, this member of the Predators had already developed a keen mind onto the venomous aspect of his own hunting methods. This specialty brought some ease to his work as his fixation on creating poisons based on existing animal toxins made it relatively simple to synthetize.
That pale Asylum grinned widely, an eerie sight when looking at his bright yellowish-green eyes and one of his prominent canines peeking out from the corner of his mouth. Just like the old days, as a force of habit, Maximillian reached out for the hangers at the entrance of the lab, pulling out one of the white coats and donning it over his shirt. Oh, how that look was reminiscent of his past days as a trainee.
For a while, the Predator lurked around the lab, watching the present trainees work on synthetizing substances from the various test tubes, flasks and cylinder, while the more experimented ones were working with the more dangerous stuff behind a blast-shielded window with overburdening and yet very protective mitts on the other side of the wall. While what was being created in this laboratory was different from the old days, the methods remained pretty much the same, Maximillian figured.
Recalling himself being in a very similar position in his final days as a trainee before starting to get more involved with “on the field” tasks, the Snake took a keen interest in the work of a young man experimenting with the bio-hazard containment area. Watching the trainee working with such focus, Maximillian didn’t dare ruin his experiment by interrupting the boy in the middle of his precise work. When the most brutal part of the work was done, Maximillian cleared his throat as to announce his presence.
“Keen eye you have there. And deft hands too. It takes a lot of skill to operate the containment cell without making a single drop. What are you guys making in there?”"Keep focused," a tanned man barked to the two trainees. "Remember what you are working with. A single drop of is lethal enough to down a full-grown male elephant." Chauhan watched his current apprentices straighten up immediately. White mist started fogging up their face shields, leaving visible droplets against the cooler surface. Their rapid breathing was bound to be accompanied by profuse sweating and many unpleasant physiological symptoms of acute stress. This much he deduced having worked with many other apprentices over his fifteen-year career. Many of whom left their internship in body bags.
"Yes, yes, steady now, Cory," he encouraged. "Make sure you don't prick yourself with the needle! I can't save you this time." The professor waited till the young man stuck the needle through the cap successfully before pulling his gaze away. His almond colored eyes soon found the source of the interruption earlier and his expression changed. The barely noticeable smile crept onto the man's thin lips, leaving him looking just as stern as ever. His hard gaze bore straight into Max's. "Ah, Maxmillian," he greeted in his haughty, clipped British accent. Each syllable pronounced so carefully that he sounded robotic. "We are testing the latest batch of your poison."
Chauhan didn't even bother elaborating, as he waved his brown hand towards the two trainees laboring away with the squirming mice. He had sent Max updates regularly through A-O, so he had every right to assume the Asylum knew the necessary information. Having to explain everything from the beginning would be too much of a bother. One, thankfully, that Max hadn't put him through before. "Modifying then amplifying the genes took awhile, but I'm confident that I can produce enough batches at your request. Procedure aside, the animal tests have produced the desired results, but I need human subjects." He crossed his arms. "I sent my request five times and they kept me waiting for five months! 5 months, Max! I don't believe this! Seems like the Asylums barely have the decency to bring back live rogues these days."
Maximillian smiled back, watching all the trainees working with such ardor reminded him of the old days here. Keeping contact with Chauhan had been most beneficial to him ever since he had left the apprentice seat to become a full-fledged Asylum with his brother. Whenever he had a new idea but couldn't afford to test it out because of his busy schedule, the Snake would send a request to Chauhan to organize a new research. So far, he was all but pleased by the results, even though at sometimes it took a lot of time for that request to finally see the light of day.
"Yes, it would appear we have our hands full with those Rogues situations, and most don't seem to want to burden themselves with captives because of that. Next time we go on mission, I'll remind my dear brother to not savagely rip one in pieces."The Asylum's gaze wandered to the containment chamber, watching as one of the students was injecting a mouse with a blue-tinted liquid. The small animal seemed to fall into a coma just a few seconds after the injection, which yielded half of Maximillian's expected results. It was good to see it with his own eyes, instead of reading the reports. Apparently, the poison worked well on animals under the effects of Alchemy buffs, dispelling any lingering effects before falling unconscious.
"With this type of poison, it'll be far easier to bring them in alive, depending in whose hands it's used. Think you can ready a few vials for takeout? I'll do some field testing myself, if it is the human material you are lacking of."That wouldn't be necessary, came the telepathetic reply.
There is a reason I assign my most dispensable lackeys these mundane tasks. Chuahan leaned against the wall, looking absolutely bored.
There are bound to be inquiries, of course. A mere formality but I guarantee you that AMRO won't miss these two. He pushed back the right sleeve of his lab coat and glanced at his gold-plated hublot wristwatch.
They sure are taking their time, he added sarcastically.
I thought with their track record one of them would have stuck himself by now. Letting his arm fall to his side, the researcher said out loud, "Sorry, Max. I thought the tests would be faster than this." Without even turning his head, the man produced a capped needle filled with the same poison the students were testing and held it out to Max. "Maybe you'd like to have a closer look before you leave. I'm sure there are enough writhing bodies in there for you to get the general idea."
Make it fast. Professor Death, as he was called among his fellow researchers, snapped while he re-crossed his arms over his chest and watched with the same bored expression he had before.
I would like to finish the accidents report by eight tonight so that I can enjoy a warm bowl of Murg Razala in the canteen, Max. I have been eating at my desk for the past two days and I need some time off. Tomorrow I need to start training my replacement interns, which I can assure you is bothersome. He felt the needle leave his hand and he slipped it back into his pocket.
You know, I am reconsidering your offer. I'm sure any assistant you recommend would be better than the bleeding hearts they have been assigning me. The sides of his mouth twitched with irritation when he recalled the last assistant vaguely.
Let me know once you've talked to him. I hope you make it crystal clear that I won't tolerate any fools. I'll see what I can do, Doc. Maximillian nodded thankfully towards the mentor as he slipped the needle into the pocket of his lab coat.
"No problem, I know how busy you people can be. Sure, I'll check it out, see how things are going." The Snake was no stranger to Professor Death's habits. The both of them shared actually quite a few similarities when it came down to testing on unwilling individuals. The two had a mutual relationship regarding that aspect even. Those kind of deals actually benefit both sides, which was only a winning situation when it came down to it.
Taking Chuahan's proposition into consideration, the Predator crept up to the side of the two students that had been working together into administering poison doses to animal test subjects. Like an animal befit of his title, he stalked the two with his keen, analytic eyes until the right opportunity presented itself.
"Steady now. Stay calm, don't let your stress take over. Animals feel your state of mind. They'll grow agitated if you handle them with shaky hands. Don't want to miss an important artery, or have them bite you, yes?" Maximillian tried to reassure the two trainees. Just as they were to inject the animal with the newly-made toxin, Maximillian stealthily produced the needle from his baggy lab coat and stabbed them with uncanny precision into a vein located somewhere on the body where less nerves pass through. His dexterous hands and expertise allowed him to administer the poison without them feeling any of it but a small itching.
With the deed being done, the Snake took his leave from the trainees' side after watching the various test animals falling one by one unconscious.
"Hmm... seems to be working well. Good job." Walking past a bored-looking Chuahan, Maximillian bade the man farewell with a wave of his hand and a nod. Just as he passed the lab's door, he turned to see the two students he had pricked with the poisoned needle fall on the ground. With the Anti-Alchemy substance mixed as part of this new deadly poison, not even the best Alchemist could save them. Before any alchemical effects could kick in, the anti-alchemy flowing through the victims' veins would negate it.
A wicked smile crept up on the Predator's face before the door closed in front of him, cutting the shouts of panic inside the laboratory. With his courtesy visit over at the Laboratory, Maximillian figured he could use some peace and quiet at the library until he would be called back by either the higher-ups or his brother.
Much akin to his brother, Jonathan was also an innovative guy. Interested however in the making of arms and equipment however was the difference between the man of science Max was and the man of technological weaponry Jon was. Both members of the Predators encompassed innovation in different areas.
Jonathan, being a man of action, was always interested in testing out whatever new babies the guys and gals at the Foundry were developing. From highly-destructive weapons to stealthy tools of assassination, the tall bronze-skinned man was always enthusiastic in providing his self as a tester, which was the joy of many less bold and/or brave weapon designers. Not only was Jonathan a genuine man when it came to conceptualize and make gear, he was also keen on criticizing and giving out opinions in its truest form. To criticize was to make better, bring whatever is being made to near-perfection.
As soon as he entered the industrial area that was the Foundry, the younger member of the Predator was greeted with the mixed smell of heated metal, smoking gunpowder and saturated energy projectors. A truly welcoming scent, the big man thought as he grinned and made his way inside the complex after donning the necessary safety hard hat and pair of googles. Old faces, new faces, Jonathan took a keen interest at who was working on which projects. There were so many being made in here, so many people too, in order to keep the stock full and progress towards making better weaponry for future encounters.
The statuesque man’s presence did not go unnoticed in the area. He was a one-of-a-kind and familiar sight to a lot of the engineers working in the Foundry, who greeted the Bloodhound with a loud call or a wave. Returning their greeting with a wolfish grinning nod, the tattooed Predator made his way into the Foundry until he came into a more open clearing, where the engineers were working on testing weapons in a controlled environment. Stopping short behind a woman dressed in a padded protective jacket and overlooking the tests, the big man smiled and put a heavy hand on her shoulder.
“Hey there, Stella. Looking gorgeous today, as always. What are you and your boys testing this time?”"Paws off, Johnny boy," she growled, slapping away his hand. "Pull that stunt on me again and I'll make sure ya goddamn brother won't recognize you." The sharp inhalation at the end caused her to break into a coughing fit. Recovering swiftly, Stella pulled herself up once more and replaced the cigar back into its former place wedged between her lips. She puffed slowly, watching the grey smoke curl away into nothingness. "You young 'uns sure ain't no gentleman. Not like when I was a wee bird."
Her comment was met with an tensed silence in the group of young men gathered round. All of them kept glancing at each other nervously before they began backing away slowly. "Where're your balls?" she challenged. "I 'membered the time you gave me lip about my age." Her last snarl was greeted with the sound of retreating footsteps, as every last one of them made themselves scarce. This made her sigh deeply. "See that? They don't make them like they use ta."
She shrugged. "One friendly punch and some broken teeth is all it takes for them to run whenever I start joking. Blinkin' cowards the lot of them." Kicking the lid off the box in front of her half in anger and half out of necessity, the sassy dwarf of a woman remained with a foot perched over the edge of the crate. "See this? These beauts were stolen off a bunch of dead 'uns in St. Lucia."
A feral smile graced the aged Asylum's lips, as she leaned forward elbow to knee to stare at the macho half of the Predators. "Waddaya say, boy? Help lil ol' me test them and I'll give you first pick. They are the finest of rogue tech I've seen in awhile." Stella broke into a hacking laugh and brought her foot down. "Dem pirates had a frickin' technopath so they says. One that got his brains splat over the table."
Jonathan laughed at the antics of the woman. He couldn't appreciate this heartfelt honesty more than anyone else. It was a nice change to all the sneaky approaches most Asylums, especially his brother, were using to deceive the normal folks about their existence or simply to engage into friendly and diplomatic discussions.
This environment made him feel somewhat like an artificial home. It wouldn't beat living in the wilderness, but it was good to be here still. His eyebrow perked up in interest as he heard Stella talk about some high-tech weaponry they had retrieved from Rogues pirates.
Lighting up a cigarette himself, Jonathan nodded in agreement.
"Dear, you know how to please a man!" he roared in laughter.
"You got yourself a deal. Toss me anything you need tested, I'll gladly provide."With the two on the same page, the Bloodhound soon found himself into the testing area while carrying a crate of weapons thanks to his alchemy-enhanced muscles, with Stella riding on top of that crate. Setting themselves up far from the targets, Jon greedily opened the container and inspected the weapons inside. Like the aged woman said, it sure was impressive how technological-advanced those weapons were, considering those were found on Rogues. Without a doubt, there was bound to be some organization behind the development of these. Maybe there was more to simply one technopath.
"The fuck is that?" Jonathan said with surprise as he pulled out a gigantic tube of metal, akin to a rocket launcher. That kind of thing was made for more than guerilla warfare, more like an assault on a base. Even for the man's size, this thing was practically unwieldy for most, taking at least two individuals to operate.
For about a hour, the tall man tested out the stolen goods, most which proved to be quite efficient, although some actually needed improvement. Throughout the testing, Jonathan would criticize the weapons, tell how some felt needlessly heavy onto the arms and needed to be made from lighter materials, how some barrels were misaligned and made the shots go awry, how some magazine sizes weren't large enough for the lack of stopping power. In the end, it would appear the large weapon he had produce wasn't working at all, but it seemed like to be a prototype of sorts. The interior revealed to be something capable of producing high-density energy charges, either functioning like an EMP generating gun, or laser-producing cannon in the most far-fetched theory. Either way, this thing was too advanced for a simple band of ragtag Rogues.
After all that testing, Jonathan had some fun, but was left on an empty stomach.
"That was one heck of a haul your boys got their hands on, Stella. It's a pity the big fella wouldn't work, but I trust you can manage to get it functional." the tattooed man laughed confidently.
"I'll see you around soon. Gotta get ready for this assignment soon."Stella jumped and wrapped an arm round Jon's neck in a tight headlock. "You ain't going nowhere till I get ma beer. You know the drill - you owe me a beer when you take ma gun." She chuckled, as she dangled from behind with her two feet barely reaching the Bloodhound's knees. Each raspy wheezy punctuating her laughter dispersed a nauseating scent of stale cigar smoke and unbrushed teeth throughout their shared breathing space. "I bet you have time for a round or two."
"I was thinking of grabbing a bite, but sure, that we can do." The big man said with a wolfish grin.
"To the bar!" Even though there was actually no real bar inside the Innocence, the cafeteria offered some alcohol for those who didn't want any juice or soft drinks, something to spice up their day.
Hey brother, I'm heading to the cafeteria for a drink. Want to join us?Now that you mention it, we haven't had the chance to eat dinner with our cancelled game. I'll be there, but you can enjoy your drink with whoever you are right now.Taking different paths to reach the cafeteria, Jonathan was the first to arrive, being the faster of the two brothers despite carrying an unexpected load onto his shoulders. After ordering a few drinks, which Jonathan gladly paid for, he settled down at a table near the entrance.
Maximillian shortly after entered, his eyes scanning for the folks already sitting there. He rose an eyebrow in curiosity as he recognized two notable duos speaking to each other. Ange Mortem and the Banshees.
What a deathly combo we have here. The Angels of Death with the Deathly Apparitions. Sounds like a band's name.Shrugging mentally at this curious meeting, the Snake went to the counter and ordered some food to grab and eat at the back-end of the cafeteria. Usually he would've taken a seat next to his brother and eat together, but the lad was already enjoying company with someone else and both were being noisy as their usual selves.
