With three of Rosemarie's four fragments now in my possession, only one step remained before I could reunite the child and keep my promise to Ethan: the piece held by Heisenberg.
I had removed the real fragments from their jars, preserving them in a stabilized medical solution within the factory. They now rested in a biomedical cryogenic chamber, secured by three layers of protection and isolated from the main network — hidden inside a sealed compartment unreachable even to my creatures.
The factory was no longer as reliable for converting intelligent individuals to my service, even though it could still influence their thoughts. And with Miranda's "children" here, I preferred to remain cautious.
So, I had left Ethan the original jars… but with perfect decoys, reproducing even the biometric fluctuations so as not to arouse his suspicion. A necessary deception. An indirect safeguard.
He held one of the jars in his hands, his gaze filled with feverish determination."All that's left is the magnetism-crazed lunatic… and Miranda herself. Do you think you can still help?" I asked in a neutral tone, testing his resolve.
Ethan looked up, visibly uneasy."First… I'm sorry. For earlier. When I tried to strangle you. That… that wasn't me."
I nodded slowly."I know. That hallucinogenic pollen is vicious. Even someone like you, with a reinforced body, couldn't resist it."
He took a deep breath, clenching his fists."I'm ready. Even knowing it won't be easy. Heisenberg is dangerous. His factory is a hell of metal. He can control everything inside. Even the air feels filled with shavings, ready to slice you apart."
I gave a faint smile, placing a hand on his shoulder."You'll go in through the front gate. Make noise. Meanwhile, I'll slip in quietly. Classic diversion, but effective."
Ethan nodded without protest. I triggered an opening in the ceiling of my subspace, and Hermes burst out with a metallic flutter of wings. Moments later, I was airborne above the domain, leaving Ethan two kilometers outside Heisenberg's territory.
From above, Heisenberg's zone looked like a metal anthill — a vast industrial complex shrouded in black smoke and extraction towers, embedded deep into the mountains. The factory blended with the rock, like a geological growth spawned from an industrial nightmare. Ducts, chimneys, hanging cranes, and massive moving chains formed a threatening tangle.
I slipped off Hermes onto a shadowed ledge, moving silently from beam to beam. Inside, the complex was a labyrinth of rusted catwalks, pressurized pipes, and mechanical chambers in perpetual motion. A symphony of machines, punctuated by metallic groans and flashes of welding arcs.
In a massive chamber below, I spotted several assembly lines. Emaciated human bodies, barely recognizable, were suspended, harnessed into automated systems. Mechanical arms, thoracic cabling, titanium plates fused directly into flesh… Heisenberg wasn't building soldiers. He was forging them. Half man, half machine… soulless hybrids.
A cybernetic nightmare straight out of a twisted cross between Umbrella and Skynet.
I remained still, observing the production lines."No wonder he despises Miranda. He's far too ambitious to be just a pawn."
I moved under cover, using steam columns and shadowed corners to blend in. My inventory system allowed me to deploy charges one by one — experimental directed-fusion bombs developed by my company's tech division. A press of my thumb armed them, and I planted them in strategic points: support joints, auxiliary reactors, overpressure pipes, relay terminals.
As a precaution, I also captured several inactive cyborg models. All it took was extending my dorsal tendrils, pulling them into my subspace, and storing them in the factory's special containment cells. A hundred, maybe more. Various models — some still in pre-assembly, others complete but unpowered.
I trapped several assembly lines as well, programming the charges to detonate in cascading sequence when the time came. If I had to bring this factory down, I wanted nothing left standing.
Suddenly, a metallic howl tore through the loudspeakers.
SECURITY ALERT. INTRUSION DETECTED.
Red lights flashed throughout the area, shadows writhing like living serpents. I pressed myself against a steel wall, masking my presence."Is it me… or Winters?" I wondered, watching the patrol movements. Activated cyborgs began patrolling the corridors. Half flesh, half steel, they bore crude implants: red-lensed eyes, metallic jaws bolted to their throats, and one arm replaced by a roaring rotary drill.
I decided to test my own creations and summoned plant-zombies — upgraded versions thanks to Alexia's work. She had refined their base zombified forms, enhancing their growth patterns while significantly boosting their intellect. More sophisticated than my earlier prototypes, they were fast, tough, and their botanical abilities had greatly improved.
As the cyborgs passed them, the plants leapt in unison, launching thick vines as tight as mooring ropes.
The machines screamed in mechanical fury, drilling frantically at the air to free themselves. But their legs, tangled in a dense net of roots and thorned stems, couldn't move.Whrrr… THUNK.Whrrr… THUNK.Their drills struck only empty space. The zombies drove their roots into joints, articulated housings, and exposed necks. Slowly, they began digesting the interfaces.
I crossed my arms, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips as the final mechanical rasp died out beneath the crack of tightening roots."Not so dumb, my little ones… you learn fast."
But the fight didn't end there.
A strange vibration ran through the cyborgs' bodies the moment my zombies' roots pierced their metallic ribcages. A blackish heart, still faintly pulsing beneath cables, thrashed — a Cadou fragment, lodged in the center, protected by a biometal shell like an artificial core. The Cadou fought back. An invisible resistance flared inside the invasive vines. The roots quivered, as though battling an active poison.
But my creations were no ordinary plants.
They tightened their hold. Internal thorns shot out in a convulsive burst, piercing the biomechanical heart with surgical precision. The Cadou gave one last spasm, releasing an energy discharge that made the surrounding implants crackle… and then it went still.
Crunch… crunch…
My plant-zombies devoured the remains of the Cadou like silent carnivores. Assimilation was swift and brutal. A greenish mist seeped from gaps in their bodies, and their limbs swelled slightly, as if a surge of enriched sap coursed through their channels. Stems thickened, roots grew more gnarled, and secondary tendrils sprouted from their shoulder blades — extra limbs ready to grip, slash, or drain.
Their torsos broadened, covered in a layer of living bark laced with vein-like metallic patterns. Thorny buds emerged at their shoulders, glowing faintly with a toxic green hue — a sign their physiology had gained new capabilities.
One of the commanders turned toward me, and for an instant, I thought I saw a flicker of intelligence in his misty eyes — a kind of instinctive recognition."You've assimilated… and evolved," I murmured, fascinated."Perfect. The Cadou didn't resist… you made it yours."
I activated my neural link with one of them through subspace, briefly testing their new responsiveness. Transmission speed was smoother, reflexes sharper. And most of all, I could feel a growing will within them — not rebellion, no. More like… an instinct to protect me.
I smiled."Looks like nature's children have just leveled up…" I murmured, arms crossed, watching my mutated plant-zombies scatter through the industrial corridors, their roots snapping against metal, their foliage rustling like a green tide.
Scratching my chin, I mused aloud:"And to think I still have several bulbs of the enhanced Plant 42 in cryo-storage… If I manage to graft a few onto the Megamycete… would it absorb them, or be absorbed? Hm… worth a simulation."
With an amused sigh, I raised a hand and, with a mental command, released almost my entire population of plant-zombies into the factory. Four hundred vegetal creatures poured into the ducts, staircases, and workshops like a disciplined green infestation, crawling over walls, devouring unnecessary metal structures, spreading their underground network, rooting themselves like a natural cancer."Go hunt. Feed. Assimilate," I called out fervently.
The ground vibrated under their steps and roots. Alarms blared again. But I didn't care — this time, the factory belonged to my creatures. The world's system might refuse to grant me new entities for free as it once did… but I had learned to work around it. Production, stabilization, healing — all relied on me. Fortunately, outside combat, the reduced difficulty gave me a considerable edge.
I took flight in a gust, carried by one of my Aquila I had kept in reserve, soaring through a broken stairwell up to the upper levels. I landed before a massive armored door bearing Heisenberg's hammer emblem. It was ajar.
I pushed the groaning steel and stepped into a vast engineer's office. Stacks of scrap metal, shelves sagging under blueprints, humming generators — and at the far end, a silhouette waited for me, leaning on a console.
Clap… Clap… Clap.Slow, mocking applause echoed through the room, cutting through the mechanical groan of the place.
"Mr. King…" a deep, drawling voice said, dripping with cynicism. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."
I raised an eyebrow. It was him — a massive man in a long black leather coat, welding goggles over his eyes, a lit cigar stubbornly burning despite the steam-saturated air.
"Heisenberg, I presume?" I said, stepping forward cautiously.
He grinned, showing his yellowed teeth, then tapped the screen behind him. It lit up, displaying the silhouette of a humanoid cyborg, its face warped but familiar.
For a brief moment, my blood ran cold.
The Wesker clone. A prototype bioweapon originally designed to serve as a major antagonist to my network. Now, its body was riddled with metal plates, its arms replaced by rotary drills and spinning blades. Its skull was reinforced by a cybernetic crown, and its eyes glowed with a crimson light.
Heisenberg chuckled."This man… well, your charming little rebel… had ambitions far too big for his own frame," he sneered, tapping the control panel. "He tried to double-cross me, so I fixed his… attitude. Now he obeys my every command. A fine beast. Very useful. Very docile."
I narrowed my eyes, a mix of satisfaction and suspicion crossing my face. I'd been waiting for this moment — the chance to reclaim that unstable Wesker clone. But something felt… off.
"You betrayed him?" I asked in a calm, almost detached tone.
Heisenberg shrugged lazily, cracking his neck."He betrayed himself. Wanted to be a king when he wasn't even a solid pawn. But between us… you didn't like him much either, did you? He caused you enough trouble. Consider this a little favor between master manipulators."
I stepped forward slowly, my boots ringing against the metal floor."So what is it? You want a fight? Or… an ally?"
His grin widened, turning darker."An ally. Sounds good. But… I need to see if you're worth my help."
I smirked back, my gaze glinting with amusement."I never turn down a good fight. And you're the last of the four lords. Might as well end in style, right?"
Heisenberg rubbed his hands together, the rough leather of his gloves rasping softly."Glad to hear it. But if you think I'm like the others…" He leaned toward me slightly, the red glow of his machines reflecting in his lenses. "…you'll soon find out I'm more than just chains and metal."
I tilted my head, feigning curiosity."Speaking of lords… want to see something interesting? A revelation."
His smirk faltered into a raised eyebrow."Go on, I'm watching. Impress me."
I lifted my hand and summoned Donna. She stepped into the room wearing a deep navy dress, a far cry from her old mourning attire. Her dark hair was neatly combed, her face serene and perfectly restored. In her arms, Angie — freshly restored herself — tilted her head up and squeaked in her raspy, mocking voice:"Hey there, you rusty old nail."
The shock hit Heisenberg so hard he dropped the remote he was holding. He approached slowly, almost dazed, as if seeing a ghost. His hand reached out, brushing Donna's face, disbelief etched in every motion at her smooth features, her gentle gaze, and the complete absence of the Cadou that had once disfigured her.
"That's… impossible. You were…" He stopped, pressing a hand to his forehead. "You got yourself a new face?"
Donna smiled shyly, while Angie chimed in:"And not just from anyone! You're looking at our new boss."
Then… pfffff. A fine mist spread out just as Heisenberg stood within inches of Donna. He didn't even have time to react. One breath… and the pollen slipped into his lungs.
His muscles slackened. His legs buckled. He staggered like a drunk before collapsing to his knees.
I leaned over him with a small smile."You wanted to test my abilities. Consider this your sample," I chuckled.
With a snap of my fingers, I pulled him into my subspace, sending him straight to the factory. I didn't even break a sweat in the process.
But as I turned to leave, something caught my eye. On the screen, the Wesker clone… wasn't the same anymore. The metal plates covering his body were slowly falling away, as if detaching on their own.
Then, abruptly, his crimson gaze locked straight onto the camera as he tore out the Cadou core meant to serve as his heart in his cyborg form.
He smiled before smashing open his cell door.
And in the next instant, he vanished from the feed entirely — having gotten exactly what he came for.
I froze, frowning."You're getting tiresome, Wesker…"
(Author's note: If that surprised you, good ^^)