"See, now you've got a choice, Michael," William stated to the floating superhuman, ignoring his daughter's cursing. He lifted two fingers.
"One: you get in the Genesis machine, limit how many people get powers, avoid mass casualties from those who go into agony-fueled rampages—and save your sister from bleeding out." He lowered one finger and continued.
"Two: you try to fight me, Elizabeth bleeds out and gets revived when the Genesis machine activates. A lot of people get powers, and those who don't die in the rampage."
William lowered the second finger as his Gearsmith armor began forming around him.
"Which one will you choose?" he asked, just before the armor's visor covered his face.
William and Michael locked eyes for a moment before a glow appeared in Michael's hand, making William tense. Did I overestimate his bleeding heart? he thought, just as Elizabeth coughed up a concerning amount of blood.
The glow in Michael's hand faded as he stared at his sister lying on the ground, bleeding.
Finally, he let out a growl and looked back at William. "Where do I get in the damn thing?"
William internally sighed with relief before pointing at the top of the Genesis machine.
"You go in from there," he stated.
Michael floated above the indicated spot and looked down. "How will I get out?" he asked.
You won't, William thought but didn't say aloud. Instead, he gestured toward Elizabeth bleeding on the floor, signaling Michael to hurry. William was sure his son was scowling as he floated into the machine.
He let out a sigh just as the Genesis machine started. There was no going back now. He glanced at Elizabeth, who was reaching for the machine.
William was confused for a moment before he remembered—she had seen and helped with the blueprints.
She knew how much power it would take to activate it.
Michael would not come out alive.
He glanced at Elizabeth for what would be the last time in a long while and ran out of the lab.
He had another problem to solve.
Floating outside the Afton Industries building, he waited for Cassidy to arrive.
The girl was growing unstable without his other son, Evan, who was in a coma in one of his secret laboratories.
In a test gone wrong, Cassidy had found Evan in one of the medbays and did something.
William had no idea what, but she lost half of her original powers and began to grow mentally unstable.
When he questioned Shatter about it, she explained that Cassidy had given Evan half of her power to fight off death—consequently giving him half of her soul.
In some universes, this was common, and there was a high chance Cassidy would go insane. Even if she found Evan before that, his rejection of her would likely make her snap.
But William had raised Evan and knew his son would never do such a thing. He just hoped Cassidy would listen.
Out of the corner of his eye, William saw something yellow coming toward him fast. He barrel-rolled left just in time as Cassidy flew past him, stopping on a dime and spinning to face him. The glow in both her hands showed she was about to fire deadly energy beams.
"I can give you Evan," he said.
That made Cassidy pause, the energy at her palms flickering.
There was a long silence, and for a moment, William thought the black-haired girl would keep fighting him. Luckily, she seemed to listen.
"Where?" she asked.
William smiled. A portal opened behind him, and he gestured for her to follow. He stepped through, and she did, a scowl on her face.
Back in the lab, Elizabeth started to panic as she realized the Genesis machine couldn't be stopped—it was going to blow.
She scowled, wincing as she aggravated her bullet wounds. She stared at the machine, hearing Michael screaming in pain.
He was going to die. She knew it.
The first time seeing her older brother in nine years, and he was going to die again—this time right in front of her.
Elizabeth sighed and tried to make her way to the exit before the floor gave way beneath her feet and she fell.
She landed with a loud crack, making her eyes water. Tears streamed down her face as she glanced at her leg.
The pain registered tenfold.
The bone was sticking out of her flesh.
There was a flash of something through her body, and her vision blurred out for a moment.
When it refocused, Elizabeth realized she was no longer in pain. Looking down at herself, she saw she had been healed—though her clothes were dirty and torn, both from the fall and getting shot.
She also felt something near or on her rear end. Looking down to see what it was, she muttered, "The fuck… are those feathers?"
She brushed one of them and shivered at the contact.
Looking away from the tail, she put a hand on her head, trying to keep herself from panicking. Just then, more of the upper floor collapsed, nearly smashing her.
Elizabeth looked up one last time and offered a silent prayer for her brother, then started to run in a random direction.