"Ugh, my head and my eyes, what time is it, Bai? Huh" Hei yawned, awakening to the sensation of his hands bound behind his back. He noticed that he was standing and, as he glanced around, he saw that the others were in the same predicament as him. In the center of the lab, they were all bound, at the center of the room was a massive motherworm. This creature was linked to several tubes that intermittently delivered worms to another tube, which then injected them into their Octo host.
"Huh, why isn't this working?" Hei let out a frustrated groan after attempting to use his ability, only to find it ineffective.
"Don't waste your energy trying; those cuffs around your arms and neck are inhibitors for your abilities," Henry's voice floated over to Hei, who only now noticed the restraints binding his neck and arms, holding him in place.
"What is this place? What happened?" Hei inquired, attempting to piece together his hazy recollection of the events that brought them to this moment; all he could recall was being in the hidden room and then, without warning, finding themselves here.
"I extend a warm welcome to everyone. It seems our meeting has been long overdue, haha. It is truly an honor to finally meet you all." A voice echoed as a figure emerged from the shadows and flipped a switch, flooding the lab with light and finally allowing the team to confront the mastermind behind all that had transpired.
"Is this really him? This guy who resembles the robot from Family Guy?" Bai gasped in disbelief upon finally seeing the villain.
A middle-aged man stood with ruffled white Hair, his teeth transformed into sharp jaws, while his eyes emitted a menacing purple glow. He wore the customary white lab coat and bore a remarkable resemblance to the image of Dr. Grey that the team had encountered at the Main mission base. However, Dr. Grey was long gone; in his place stood a frightening monstrosity with a large lump protruding from the back of his head. He wore a monocle that glinted with a dangerous light, and his sinister smirk made him resemble one of the creatures that lurk under children's beds.
"It was an alien, not a robot, and it was in American Dad, not Family Guy. I think his name was Raymond or something," Hei corrected his brother, sizing up Dr. Grey with eyes filled with disgust at the being before him.
"It was Roger, not Raymond. I'm actually surprised that you guys know those two cartoons," Henry mused, a look of astonishment crossing his face as he glanced at the brothers, who scoffed at his words.
"Tsk, American Dad, Family Guy, and South Park—we know the whole gang! We used to love it as kids, especially South Park; it was just so funny," Bai replied with a smirk, his words causing Henry's expression to brighten.
"Yeah, it's one of my favorites too, although I never quite understood why they always killed off Kenny; he seemed so innocent, and cute" Henry added, his eyes failing to notice the look of shock on Dr. Grey's face.
"The creators stated it was due to his poverty, which doesn't make sense. What I didn't understand was what that thing was that always followed Dr. Mephosto; I think Kevin was his name," Hei explained, then frowned at the latter part of his statement.
"Exactly, I was thinking the same thing. I recall Chef once posing this question, and they somewhat dismissed it without providing an explanation. They certainly..." As Bai shared his thoughts, he and the other two were suddenly struck by a powerful surge of electricity coursing through their bodies, prompting them to scream in agony.
"Hey! What gives?" Hei shouted in frustration at Dr. Grey, who had removed his hand from the button on the device he was holding. The sudden outburst startled Racheal awake, her eyes scanning the surroundings in bewilderment. It wasn't until Henry quietly explained their predicament that she turned her gaze to Dr. Grey, who grinned at her with his unsettlingly sharp teeth.
"Do you not understand your situation? You are conversing as if you are in a freaking cinema. Have you forgotten that your purpose here is to save the world? Honestly, you would not have progressed this far without him." Dr. Grey shook his head in disbelief before turning to Michael, who silently stared at the ground. He had awoken before the rest but had remained quiet; throughout the conversation, he had stayed silent.
"Who are you calling fools and idiots? Why don't you take off these cuffs and say that again?" Hei shot at Dr. Grey, who chuckled in response, his eyes betraying a sense of condescension.
"Hei Wang, or should I say Huang Jiahao, always eager to engage in a confrontation, much like your brother. I attribute this to your mother, who couldn't even recognize your true father. Perhaps if she had, there might have been a man in the house to instill some manners in you." Dr. Grey unleashed a relentless stream of unyielding facts at the brothers, whose faces contorted in such a way that they appeared poised to rip off their cuffs and confront Dr. Grey without hesitation.
"If you ever speak ill of my mother again, I don't care if I have to rip off my arms, for the cuffs, I'll beat you to death myself." Hei responded with a tone so chilling that Henry, sitting beside him, shivered involuntarily. He had never witnessed Hei this angry before; it was clear that Dr. Grey's words had hit a sensitive spot.
"Don't you...dare say anything about me; you know nothing about me," Henry threatened after he saw Dr. Grey shift his gaze in his direction.
"Oh, that's where you are mistaken, I know everything about you, Henry. The man himself, moved from one foster home to another after your father took your mother's life in a drunken rage, influenced by his jealous friends. He was imprisoned, and from that point, you were shuffled from one home to the next, searching for the right one. Of course, the reason you struggled to find a suitable home was that no one wanted to take in a baby with... well, your skin color. All these experiences forged you into a resilient individual, and you nearly succumbed to the street life until a retired soldier found you and trained you. This ultimately led you to join the military. Hahaha, how am I doing so far?" Dr. Grey chuckled lightly before he began to speak, and with every fact he revealed, Henry's face transformed further in disbelief.
"How.....how do you know all that?" Henry inquired, his expression one of disbelief, as he struggled to comprehend how Dr. Grey could possess such intricate knowledge about his life. How was it possible for him to know so much?
"I have a good understanding of each of you, including you, Racheal?" Dr. Grey hesitated, caught off guard by Racheal's piercing glare. With a grin, he approached her and tried to caress her face, only to be met with a sharp spit landing on his cheek. Rather than expressing anger, he let out a chuckle and brushed it away before making his way back.
"Such a beauty; you've always been a wild cat since childhood. Unlike others, you grew up with both parents who, unfortunately like Kenny, were poor. However, they worked overtime to ensure you had everything you needed. The only mistake they made was not giving you enough attention as a child. In their effort to provide you with the best childhood despite their circumstances, they overlooked the most crucial aspect for a growing child: parental attention. Parents live to make their children happy, at least good parents, and children long for their parents' attention."
"Indeed, this is a fundamental characteristic of humans: the perpetual desire for attention. When not enough is given, they strive to obtain it, and when too much is offered, they often take it for granted. It's quite amusing how perplexing humans can be, and children, in particular, exhibit even greater confusion than adults. A child deprived of parental attention yearns for that love, and in the absence of it, may resort to disruptive behavior. This mirrors your experience; you sought more time with your parents and, in response, acted out in school, hoping to be punished so that they would be called in to address the situation. Those interactions likely held significant meaning for you."
"With time, you grew to understand life a little better. By then, the constant late-night shifts undertaken by your parents took a toll on them; they grew weak, and your mother developed multiple sclerosis, while your dad was struck with muscular dystrophy. A family like yours could never cover the costs needed to manage these two incurable diseases; it was simply too much. For you, studying to become a doctor, it crushed your dreams. For some time, everything seemed bleak, until suddenly, a renowned doctor took note of your skills and sharp mind and offered a fully paid scholarship. This was a ray of light in the darkness that threatened to consume your family. Obviously, that doctor chose to remain anonymous, only leaving behind one name. Do you remember what it was?" Dr. Grey narrated, his words piercing Racheal's heart and mind; by the time he reached the latter part, Racheal's body trembled with a whirlwind of emotions.
"...Grey..." A word slipped from her lips, prompting a smirk from Dr. Grey, who knew that he had
accomplished his goal.
"I made each of you, shaping you into the individuals you have become, including you, Michael, the man himself," Dr. Grey stated, directing his attention to the quietly observing Michael, whose eyes held a steady and composed gaze on Dr. Grey.
"I transformed the selfish boy, who lashed out at his father who was silently grappling with the loss of his beloved wife, into the man he is today. You took your mother's death as if it were the end of the world, neglecting the fact that you were not the only one in pain. Did you ever consider what your brother was experiencing or the grief your father was enduring? No, you didn't. Instead, you opted for the very opposite of what your mother would have wished." Dr. Grey let out a sick chuckle as he spoke to Michael, whose expression shifted upon hearing about his mother.
"Don't you dare bring my mother into this. You don't know anything about my family," Michael threatened through gritted teeth, his anger simmering just beneath the surface.
"Your brother bore the weight of your actions, deceiving your father into believing he was the one who pushed you to do those things. Do you understand why he was sent to the military? Your father cared for both of you and thought your brother was a negative influence, so he made that choice to help you grow up differently. He was honoring your mother's last wishes. Yet, you perceived his actions as harsh and felt resentment towards him. Your father understood that military life would keep your brother occupied, and he wanted to ensure he could still look out for you. Despite all that your father provided, it never seemed to be enough for you. Are you aware of the reasons behind your brother's imprisonment? Naturally, you don't. Someone remarked about his younger brother, claiming you were a selfish useless brat who hid behind your father's power. Can you guess who became so enraged that he severely assaulted a senior officer?" Dr. Grey approached Michael and spoke, his words piercing Michael's heart like a spear, revealing truths he had not known before.
"Liam..." Micheal murmured, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Bingo, the military couldn't afford a scandal like this getting out, so they covered the whole thing and sent him off to prison. Imagine how broken your father was, but he was powerless against the victim's father, who held a higher rank in the military than him. He didn't have a choice; he had to miss most of his son's school meetings to visit his other son in prison. What a sad life that man lived." Dr. Grey sighed before returning to his previous position.
"What is your reason for sharing all this with me?" Micheal asked, his eyes filled with such fury that it appeared he was poised to confront Dr. Grey at that very moment.
"Because you needed to know." A calm voice emerged as a figure stepped out from behind them, wearing a smile. Upon seeing this individual, the team's eyes widened to such an extent that it appeared their eyeballs might burst from their sockets.
"It's great to see you all again!" With a smirk, the individual addressed the astonished team, who gazed back with wide eyes.
"This is... impossible...you're alive...Yoshi..." Bai exclaimed in disbelief, his mind racing as if struck by a surge of electricity; he could hardly comprehend what he was seeing—Yoshi, who was thought to be dead, stood right before them. Just when they believed the surprises had come to an end, Yoshi's face emitted a faint steam as the covering enveloping it appeared to protrude forward. He then grasped it with both hands and removed it, unveiling a human face beneath. This new occurrence landed yet another blow onto the team but the one who appeared most astonished upon encountering this new face was none other than Micheal; his expression contorted into a profound level of disbelief, as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Hello Mikey, it's been a while" Yoshi said, his words causing Michael's entire body to tremble. The shock displayed in his eyes was so vivid that it made Yoshi chuckle.
"No...this can't be happening...you're Liam..." Micheal murmured, acknowledging the visage of his brother who had passed away long ago.