Capsaicin, a compound found within peppers and other food products that gives them the spicy taste when consumed. It tricks one's nerves into believing that the area in contact with the compound is on fire. However, there exists a compound 1000x more powerful than capsaisin named resiniferatoxin (RTX). The compound was so infamously powerful that almost no real-world application could be found for it other than to inflict pain beyond anything imaginable.
With a scalpel stuck within his cheek, Dane desperately looked for something within Cogitatio's laboratory. The doctor fumbled through bottles of chemicals, not caring if they were dangerous or not, breaking many of the containers on the floor as he did so. However, Dane couldn't care less about a few toxic compounds spilled as he was racing against time before he lost his mind to the effects of the drug. Considering how powerful the effects of the drug flowing through his systems are, even the agony of the scalpel stuck to his face couldn't last long against it.
In the previous days, Dane fought against the drug through self-mutilation just so he could maintain his consciousness a little longer. However, infections and blood loss will eventually be the end of him if he continues like this. He couldn't fight the effects of the drug, as it biologically overrides his every wish. A normal man would've simply given himself to the pleasure of the imaginary heaven, but not Dane. Even if it meant he had to experience a level of pain greater than any torture, he knew he must endure in order to escape. For every moment he maintained his consciousness, he must willingly choose to leave behind heaven and plunge his soul into the depths of hell.
Digging the scalpel deeper, Dane wiped the blood flowing from his scarred face before stirring his uncoordinated body toward another row of chemicals. Dane's mind was blurry as even he himself had trouble understanding what he was looking for. Gradually, his vision darkened as he began to succumb to the euphoric effects of the drug alongside its hallucinations. In desperation, Dane slammed forward, breaking the door to one of the glass cabinets with his face, causing glass shards to be stuck to his skin. With this newly introduced shock to his nerves, Dane once more bought himself a few more precious seconds.
Finally, with one pained growl, Dane came face to face with a few bottles which shone white in the light. Pushing away the irrelevant labels, Dane reached deeper into the cabin and extracted a glass container with the resiniferatoxin label on its front. Without further hesitation, Dane reached into the bottle and coated his fingers in a dark yellow substance which glinted against the light. Even as he held it on his fingers, the chemical burned his hand like an invisible flame.
With one final breath, Dane abruptly plunged his chemical-soaked fingers into his exposed facial tissue. In an instant, a hellish agony shot through his body as he gripped his face in pain. Soon, Dane collapsed to the floor, screaming as the compound ravaged his nerves. The pain was palpable, but Dane was at least awake and not falling under the effects of the drugs. Gradually, the agony of his facial nerves clashed with the euphoria of the drug in his bloodstream, creating a numbing effect which cancelled each other out.
For a moment, everything seemed calmer and less chaotic than before. Dane was able to walk while not being controlled by the effects of the drug. At last, the doctor was somewhat victorious while holding in his hand the key to his prison cell. He no longer needed to subject himself to the cycle of mutilations and tortures now that he was finally free. In celebration, Dane began to laugh maniacally out of happiness, but also because of the part of him lost to insanity. The drug had taken its toll on Dane, and it was clear- This victory was but a temporary respite compared to what he had lost and the chains now bound to his soul as a result.
However, for now, Dane has more important matters to attend to. He had lost enough time under the spell of Cogitatio's poison, and it is now time to put the gears in motion. For all he had suffered, his plan was finally ready with every cog set to do its part in the upcoming scheme.
With no time to fix himself up, Dane contended to simply bandage his facial wound with some simple cloth before moving toward one of the workstations. Using the drugs Cogitatio had concocted, Dane used his knowledge of chemistry to mix them together in a deadly cocktail. Then, with a swift motion, Dane threw the deadly concoction onto Cogitatio's table in a syringe. With this, the doctor left the laboratory with a renewed flame in his eyes.
Once back inside his laboratory, Dane exposed a set of three switches to the light, each labelled with the name of the scientist he intended to eliminate. With a cold and disconnected look in his eyes, Dane surgically pushed the first switch without flinching. Though he was not directly making the kill, Dane held the handle as if he were holding a knife.
Meanwhile, in Caecus' laboratory, the biological bomb he and Dane had worked on began to loudly beep on the table. Curiously, Caecus quickly moved to investigate the noise. While he prodded the bomb for any sign of defect, Dane gritted his teeth and pressed on the handle, which immediately ejected the virus from the bomb onto Caecus' face. Almost instantly, Caecus began to scream in pain as the fast-acting pathogen ravaged his visage, causing him to run blindingly through the laboratory like a headless chicken.
[Caecus] - "Oh fuck! Oh fuck! AAAAAAGH! Holy fuck! "
Screamed Caecus as he repeatedly tried to wash his face with water.
However, when he looked up in the mirror, he could only cry in sheer terror at the sight of his rotting face. While he saw the rot on his victims as art, Caecus failed to view his own disfiguration under the same lens. All he could do was scream while his life force drained from his body. Soon, he couldn't even close his eyes anymore as his eyelids rotted away. As the virus now invaded his blood and began shutting down his organs, the doctor could only whimper in the broken noises of his destroyed vocal cords. In the end, he truly wished that he were blind, that he couldn't see the horror before his eyes.
Meanwhile, even as the first of his opponents fell, Dane's face remained unmoving like that of a cold-blooded killer. There was, however, none of the sadistic gleam shown by the other scientist on his face. Dane killed, but not as the monster KD-554 wanted him to be. With the same steady hand, Dane pulled on the second switch as the camera feed changed to show Surdus in her laboratory.
During this time, the torture cages within Surdus' workstation silently unleashed their victims. Now, freed from their cages, these men, driven mad by pain and humiliation, sought only one thing in their bloodstained hands. While many of the crazed madmen screamed and yelled like savages, Surdus remained oblivious to their approach since she was so desensitized to their voices. As Surdus assembled the last piece to another one of her contraptions, she was suddenly struck on the head by a wrench.
As she collapsed to the ground, she remained conscious with only flesh injury to her head. However, before she could react, one of the men slammed a massive metal pipe down onto her leg, breaking it in half. Surdus screamed in pain as the zombified prisoners slowly circled around her with any weapon they could find. However, it was clear many were content with tearing her apart using their bare hands and teeth. The last thing Surdus noticed before the horde descended upon her was the wrench held in one of the prisoners' hands- It was Dane's wrench, left in her workshop as a gift.
As the horde of crazed zombies descended upon her, tearing her apart with savage rage and fury, Surdus could only scream like helpless prey. Though no one would ever know it besides her at that moment, she could hear her own screams loud and clear. Her screams were not the same music she described the screams of others to be; It was horrifying, primal and haunting. She will die, terrorized by the echoes of her own screams.
With an unbothered look in his eyes, Dane steadily moved his hand toward the final switch, pushing it down while the screen once again changed camera feed. This time, Mutus appeared on the footage, clearly showing him hard at work in his laboratory. As Mutus approached his creation in the incubation tube to take some note, the middle section of the humanoid opened up like a mouth. Confused, Mutus leaned in for a better look before a projectile suddenly shot out of the opening, breaking through the glass and allowing the specimen to escape.
Before Mutus could run, the creature latched itself onto him while screaming frantically. This soon caught the attention of the mutated guardians at the door, who immediately became aggravated by the humanoid's screams. With total abandon, the two massive creatures launched themselves at Mutus as his creation, stomping forward with their massive paws, which crushed both the creature's spine and Mutus's arm. With relentless violence, the brutes undiscriminately raised their paws for another attack. At that moment, Mutus could only watch as one of them descended toward his face. In his final moments, even the mute man was compelled to let out a scream of terror before his voice was silenced with one wet crunch.
With the last target eliminated, Dane stood up, grabbed his suitcase and moved out of his laboratory without a word. Dane was quiet as he walked with the same disconnected efficiency as that of a true killer. There was no remorse or satisfaction on his face; he was made here to kill, not to feel. As he walked, he intentionally passed by Cogitatio's laboratory and stepped in to see if she had taken his poison. As Dane stepped out of the shadow into the surgical light of Cogitatio's workstation, the evil doctor was expectantly passed out on the table with the syringe still planted in her arm.
Leaning in close with caution, Dane grabbed some thick gloves and protected his arms and hands from any possible attack by Cogitatio. Then, carefully, Dane checked Cogitatio's neck and noticed that there was no longer a pulse under her pale and cold skin. With this, Dane felt finally safe enough to leave as he grabbed his suitcase. However, just for insurance, Dane suddenly aimed his suitcase at Cogitatio and blasted her corpse with a hail of bullets. As the bloody pulp that used to be his enemy collapsed to the ground, Dane felt finally safe enough to leave.
After taking an elevator up to the higher levels, Dane waited patiently in the cabin while aware that Tango was probably observing him through the camera in the corner. However, Dane was not worried as he remained stoic and swept everything he felt under his monotone expression. After all, there is nothing to be felt when putting down a bunch of sick animals out of their misery. At the reception area of Tango's laboratory, the secretary prepared her rifle before immediately blasting away the moment the door slid open. However, she did not expect Dane to be on his floor as he immediately returned fire and reduced the woman to a red mist.
With complete abandon, Dane kicked the door open, but was immediately met with the sight of several guns all pointed at him from every corner of the room. Tango had the time to prepare, knowing he would be arriving shortly.
[Tango] - "Doctor Dane, did you seriously think you could surprise me like this? "
Said Tango as he aimed his gun at Dane from behind.
[Dane] - "I reckon I could. However, it depends on how much you understand me. "
Said Dane calmly as he slowly lowered his suitcase.
[Tango] - "Oh, why would I need to understand you, you poor idiot? You are foolish enough to kill all the bastards in the basement levels before you get to me, meaning I have no reason to hold myself back from putting a bullet in your head now. "
Said Tango as he knocked the suitcase out of Dane's hand without any resistance.
[Dane] - "Well, if you are so confident I'd die by your hand here and now, then at least let the dead man enjoy one last cigarette before ya shoot him. "
Tango grunted with frustration, but he ultimately agreed to the request as he signalled for one of the men to give him a cigarette. With a nod, one of the guards moved up and stuffed a single cigarette in Dane's bloodied mouth before lighting it for him. Slowly, Dane moved to the window and took a seat which faced the window.
[Tango] - "I really don't understand why the actual fuck would you hesitate killing two fucking children while mercilessly murdering all these other human filth in the basement. Humanity sure harbours some incomprehensible freaks such as you, Dane. "
Said Tango as he and his men circled around Dane, all their guns still pointed at him.
[Dane] - "You don't understand, because you chose to reject that part of you that do. You spend ya damn time high up here, in your ivory tower, never bothering to understand the world below. I've been down there, seen every good, evil and ugly. Humans are... "
Dane paused, his gaze landing on the endless needle holes on his arm before moving to stare at his own scarred face in the window. With a few gentle taps, Dane dropped a few specks of ash on the floor, still stained with the dead children's dried blood. In his mind, the horror of everything he had experienced threatened to haunt him, yet Dane remained unwavering. At that moment, Dane swallowed a puff of smoke and fortified his mind with everything he had learned.
He will not see the horrors, he will not hear the screams, he will not speak of his pain, he will not feel his scars, and he will not think of his experience. These memories are now a part of him, but as stated by Cogitas, Ergo Non Es; he thinks, but he is not. KD-554 called for the shedding of one's mask to expose the monster underneath, but Dane had broken her spell. Instead of shedding his humanity, he will protect himself using a mask of savagery and violence. With one final thought, Dane asked himself: Is he still Dane after all this?
[Dane] - "Humans are... More than the black and white pictures you see them as. There is not only good and evil, but also the ugly. The world is not just a battle between savagery and civility, but a mix of more than these primary concepts. Humans are complex and cannot be defined by a single concept, just as they could not simply be deemed purely evil or good. "
Tango looked at Dane with a confused look as he viewed his words as pure nonsense. Now, with his cigarette finished, Dane threw away the filter and touched the cushion to his seat.
[Dane] - "Ya know why I sat here, in this seat, instead of the ones that had a better view of the city in this room? "
[Tango] - "Who cares? It's not like you'd escape death either way. "
Finally, Dane let himself smile, knowing he had won. Every action he took until now, every small gesture, they were a part of who he is. He had not been consumed by his actions; he was owning up to them.
[Tango] - "Any last word, you foolish moron? "
Said Tango as he prepared to fire upon Dane.
[Dane] - "Yeah! Ya know why I was always carrying around a suitcase everywhere I went this whole time? "
[Tango] - "Heh! Why? "
Said Tango mockingly.
[Dane] - "Because with so many similar suitcases, how would you know which one I brought with me today? After all, ya do realize I'm an engineer, and not an assassin, right? "
Suddenly, the suitcase popped open on the ground before a turret emerged from it. Before Tango and his men could react, the sentry gun sprayed the men with a rain of bullets, reducing almost all of them instantly to mist with a single pass. The massive panoramic window burst apart as the hail of rounds smashed through the room. As the turret emptied its last round, Dane felt a weight on his shoulder as Tango's mangled corpse collapsed against him. With a disgusted grimace, Dane slowly pushed the headless body off his shoulder.
[Dane] - "Welcome to the law of the jungle, ya uncivilized monkey. "
Said Dane with a spiteful grimace.
Since the turret was equipped with a basic AI system onboard, the sentry gun turned around and stared at Dane as if asking him what's the next step.
[Dane] - "I just gotta wait. She's going to notice eventually, considering she will see everything soon enough. "
Said Dane as he stared at the red glowing lens of the camera in the room.
As Dane had expected, soon, KD-554 burst through the door to the room with visible anger on her face. Without looking, the mistress of malice crushed the sentry gun under her foot while advancing toward Dane with incredible speed. Before Dane could react, she grabbed Dane by the collar and lifted him in the air like a puppet. To Dane, KD-554 looked like a giant as her tall, inhuman body towered over his small stature.
[KD-554] - "So you murdered my most trusted scientists for what reason exactly, mister Dane? "
Said KD-554 in a surprisingly calm voice, considering her gesture.
[Dane] - "I did this to secure my position as your next Butcher, my lord. "
Said Dane in a neutral voice, unfazed by KD-554's threat.
At that moment, KD-554's crimson eyes burned through Dane's soul, trying to find the doubt and fear in him. Suddenly, her face deformed into a massive metallic mouth with teeth as long as an arm each, slowly extending out to encircle Dane's face. Yet, Dane remained strong, not taking account of the horror before his eyes, nor the sound of metal scraping around his head.
[KD-554] - "You sure are daring for a man such as yourself, Dane! Last time I saw you, you were shrinking like a little bitch into your corner while crying for your action. What happened to you in my absence? Was there something more that motivated you to want to be my Butcher? "
Said KD-554 as her metallic teeth settled like spider legs on Dane's face.
Yet, even despite her questioning, Dane didn't say more than what needed to be said.
[Dane] - "You value savagery and violence, and I delivered just that. I'm willing to kill for my ambition, just as you had intended for me to do. I wish to break KD-555 for what she did to my father, and that's all there is. "
With a sadistic laugh, KD-554 dug her teeth into Dane's flesh, causing immense pain. Yet, Dane didn't even so much as flinch, considering the way more potent resiniferatoxin he managed to endure. With still not a single reaction from Dane, KD-554 then stepped forward and dangled Dane outside the broken window, with certain death awaiting him below.
[KD-554] - "You are playing a dangerous game, mister Dane. Do you realize what kind of man could obtain the position of my personal butcher? "
Said KD-554 as her face reverted back to her normal visage.
Dane remained silent, reducing his cognition to a level where he refused to acknowledge KD-554 or the void below his feet. As a final test, KD-554 dropped Dane into the void before catching him with incredible speed, before he fell out of her reach. Any normal man would've had a moment of scare, but Dane was so used to such sensations through his drug-fueled episodes that he managed to stay perfectly unwavering through the ordeal.
Impressed by Dane's lack of fear or reaction, KD-554 pulled the doctor back into the room before gently putting him down on his feet. After analyzing his face for the last time to see if there was a crack in his character, KD-554 was finally convinced of Dane's convictions. Not only had he fully accepted her ideology, but he had also demonstrated such an affinity for violence, which caused the death of her most devoted followers.
Slowly, KD-554 slipped her hands around Dane's face and embraced his cheeks in her freezing metallic hands. Then, with a psychotic gleam in her eyes, she pressed her head against Dane's forehead while casting her crimson glow on his face.
[KD-554] - "You had ambition, and you played the right cards to achieve them. Congratulations, Doctor Dane! The job is yours. Take some time to make yourself presentable, and then you shall start. I expect some ground-breaking result from a man of your calibre, so do impress me with your work, doctor! "
Said KD-554 as she smiled approvingly.
As KD-554 let go of Dane, she did so with so much strength, it sent the doctor crashing onto one of the seats near the window.
[KD-554] - "Astroboy, remember to show this man some respect. He's one of us now, after all. "
Said KD-554 as she walked past Astroboy at the door.
[Astroboy] - "Of course, my lady. "
Said Astroboy while throwing a contemptuous glance at Dane.
As the pair left the room, Dane was finally left in real quiet and peace for the first time. Even though this peace was temporary, Dane nonetheless allowed himself to collapse against the seat and take a deep breath. He deserved this rest after all the things he went through.
To be continued...