Greyhound
He felt the eyes trying to burn into him. A meeting with the board, or with any of the people from the business side of things, was something Greyhound had never gotten used to, and he was quite sure he never would. Yet for all his discomfort, Vincent Weiss was the man calling the shots.
The CEO of GenTech was not a young man, though compared to Greyhound almost everyone was. There was an aura of power about the man though, that no one could really deny. It made the older Warslave uncomfortable.
It boiled down to the fact that this was the man he had been made to serve, even if his programming was faulty.
Vincent scraped his throat, taking his eyes off the papers and looking up at the Warslave.
"So, while the mission was a success, your pupils made the usual mess. Have we not ordered you to teach them restraint?"
Greyhound shrugged, pushing down the uneasy feeling in the back of his mind.
"You did, but then you gave me no means to do so. I've had plenty of means to teach them to kill, and they have gotten really good at that."
"So you are blaming us?"
"All I am saying is, you wouldn't think twice about exterminating ants either."
Vincent thought about that for a moment.
"You'll have to explain the analogy to me. You compare us to ants, but humans do not take orders from ants."
"I'm saying that the only interaction they have with the outside world is to go out and kill things. Same as you would with ants, you ignore them unless you kill them. You never bothered to have them learn anything beyond that."
"And how do you suggest we fix that? You want us to send them out on shopping trips? Or send them to amusement parks? Or perhaps you want them to start living in human homes?"
"Not really, the humans wouldn't survive that. For starters, why don't you start thinking about the missions you give them? Especially for Wolf and Viper."
"Who?"
"They're not just numbers."
"Who?"
"47 and 48."
"I'll consider it. Would you say guarding VIP's would constitute a better goal?"
"Depends. Sure, keeping someone alive might be productive for their development, but if the VIP's end up getting on their nerves there are decent odds that they'll off the VIP on their own."
"All I am hearing is that my best products might end up causing trouble for me."
"It's either that, or more massacres. I'll do what I can on my part, but both GenTech and Swordpoint will have to cooperate, even if it hurts the bottom line in the short term."
Vincent smiled for a moment, though it was a cold and joyless expression/
"And how am I to sell that to the shareholders? Or our clients?"
"Call it an investment. After the display of power they put on today, everyone is going to want in on this either way."
"And you know this from your wealth of expertise in the field of economics?"
"I know this from my wealth of expertise in the field of fear and power."
"Like I said: we'll take it under consideration."
"So, what did they say?"
Greyhound hadn't even closed the door before Ashley asked her question.
"Do you have a concept of patience?"
"No, now talk."
"They seemed receptive to the idea. At least Weiss did, which is all we need."
"Good, means we're just a little bit closer."
Greyhound shrugged.
"I think Wolf is going to need a little more than just revised missions."
"Give it time, he'll come around. He learns quickly after all."
"If we want him to ever see humans as anything else than an enemy, he'll need a wake up call. I'm working on it, but... nothing concrete yet."
The Warslaves
"Wolf's late, got any idea what's taking him?"
Spider asked it so casually, as if Viper would know just like that.
"I know he's pissed, which given who we're talking about is no surprise."
"Right, but did he need to call everyone here?"
"Greyhound's still out. So is he. Puts us at just twelve."
"You know what I mean, this is not a debriefing, this-"
"Will you shut up already? He'll tell us when he'll tell us, and that's it."
The others were spread throughout the training facility, each either in conversation with a few others, practising or patiently waiting. Fourteen Warslaves total, or sixteen if Wolf was right about the newcomers, two of which were as of yet absent. It put them, as Viper had so kindly reminded Spider, at twelve Warslaves in the facility, each armed and with access to their amulet.
It was funny, inside this facility, they were simultaneously as powerful as they could be, yet completely powerless. Dampening fields in the walls meant they couldn't use their powers to break out or teleport anywhere outside the facility, yet as long as they remained inside, they were free to use their powers to the fullest extent.
Seeing them all train together never failed to put some ideas in Viper's head. Ideas he would never say out loud, and always push down as soon as they came up. Not today though. Today he thought them over for a bit, weighed them in his mind, even though he did not yet talk about them.
"It's taking him forever though."
Spider's words made him feel like a child that was caught stealing candy, though he quickly recomposed himself. Not quick enough for Spider to not notice, but quick enough to signal to the pale Warslave that Viper did not want to talk about it.
That was not to say Spider didn't talk about it.
"We've all thought about it."
Viper looked at the other Warslave for a moment.
"About what?"
"You know what." He pointed at the roof, something they usually did to remind the others that there was always someone listening in. "I say it could be done. Quite easily, in fact."
"That's never been any debate. The question is what we would do afterwards. We've no reason to."
Spider grinned, as if he'd lured Viper into a trap.
"You don't really believe that. The entire world at our fingertips, and no one who could possibly stop us?"
"That's not the point. If we started thinking like that, there would quickly be no world left. Besides, the Bureau has a few of their heroes that could put up a pretty good fight, if not outright win."
"Against one of us. We have a full team-"
"Of sixteen at best. Against billions. They may be the same thing to us that ants are to humans, but ants kill humans too, and the numbers are not in our favour, and that is without the superhumans."
"So you think it can't be done?"
"Not your way, at least. You always have to mind the world, as it won't just bend to your will. Not fully at least, in your case."
"I was already going to-... well, well, look who finally showed up."
It took them almost no time to gather together. Well, except for Wildcat, but Wolf knew that wasn't because he couldn't, but rather just that Wildcat was, and he couldn't help but quote the man himself in his head 'an uncooperative asshole'. Partially Wolf's own fault, of course, but also because that was just who Wildcat had been made to be.
"Now that I've got everyone here-"
As usual, Caracal couldn't help but make her presence known, with her one-upmanship on full display.
"We've been here for almost an hour now. The fuck have you been doi-"
"Caracal, you can shut up now. As I was saying, it's time to introduce the new bloods to the family. These are the new kids, play nice. Listed as 95 and 96, but we'll get to naming them in a bit."
They were only twelve years old. Like any Warslave, they could almost pass for humans, if not for the claws, fangs and the unnatural eye colour.
The boy, 95, had lost all pigment in his skin thanks to the procedure he'd undergone to become a Warlsave, much like Spider. Unlike the older Warslave, his hair and eyes still had some form of pigmentation, both being black.
The girl, 96, on the other hand, was dark skinned. Her hair had the same colour as her brother, though her eyes went the opposite again, taking a light blue colour, bordering on white.
Wolf quickly sat them down in front of the others.
"I'll introduce the rest. Now where the fuck is Greyhound?"
Jackal replied. He usually knew where Greyhound was off to, simply by virtue of being the eldest of the lot, after Greyhound himself, of course.
"Went off to talk to the business people. He's not back yet."
"Well, in that case, you're first. That's Jackall. We call him that because... well, because he hides."
"Fuck you too."
"Introduce yourself properly then."
Jackall sighed. He was a head taller than Wolf, though his body language made him seem a lot shorter. Thanks to his shaved skull, the orange of his eyes stood out a lot more.
"Fine. I'm Subject 23, last member of the second generation of the Warslave project. My whole deal is Fear. My personal ability was called Waking Nightmare by this bunch... though Scorpion does most of the naming. That's about it."
A short introduction, more wasn't needed. He gave the children his name and what they would have to work with if they were on missions together, plus the one thing that set his custom moulded personality apart from the others.
Wolf nodded at Jackal, before turning back to the children.
"Going by order of number, I'm 47, the Wolf. I function as the basic genetic template for the rest of the project, and in the field I will take front as your commander. My Core would be Bloodlust, coupled to my personal ability which Scorpion unhelpfully called Bloodsurge. A lot less descriptive than Jackal's power, so I'll explain it in a few words. I control blood, the energy stored in blood and so on and so forth. We'll continue on by number."
Viper looked almost identical to his brother, earning the two the nickname 'the twins'. Same dark brown hair, same facial structure. All that had set the two apart when they were younger was the colour of their eyes. Whereas Wolf's eyes were bloodred, Viper's eyes were a toxic green. Their scars made them easier to distinguish as well. Whereas Viper only had a scar on the left side of his forehead, caused by shrapnel, Wolf had a slash on the right side of his face, leading from just under his eye to his neck, and the claw marks gained on their last mission, which gave him a far less friendly impression than his brother.
"48, the Viper. My deal is Pride and my power is called Poison Mixer. Also pretty self explanatory. I'm also perpetually stuck babysitting our commander."
He made way for Spider's pale form. He had the same eyes as Wolf, though there was a glimmer in them that was not present in the eyes of their commander, and that none of the others really liked.
"49, the Spider. I deal in Obsession, and my power is very poorly named. My sister dearest called it the Spider's Web, but what it is is the simple elimination of chance. If I make a plan, and there is an element of randomness in it, that element will automatically go in my favour. As a result, I provide help during our planning phases before operations, if it is required."
Scorpion was next, and except for the fact that she was quite a bit shorter than the twins, she could have easily been their sister, if one discounted the yellow eyes.
"Number 50, and after this you'll notice the project started to up recruitment. My deal is Peace, and I called my power Horde Mode, which is to say I can make kind of a hive mind. I clean up after these idiots."
Wildcat was next, though he needed some prodding from his brother to finally open his mouth. Like Jackal, he had shaved his skull, though his bright purple eyes set him apart without trouble.
"55, Wildcat. Core is Defiance, power was called Storm Brewer, which is exactly what it says on the label."
Bear shook his head as he stepped up. Like his brother, he made sure to keep his head hairless, except for his beard, denoting the fact that he would have been a redhead, though his eyes were black.
"I'm 56, the Bear. My Core is Apathy and my power is Pacification, which makes enemies lose the will and sometimes the skill to fight."
Caracal was next. The blonde had always been a problem child, even when compared to the others, but she cared very little. What she did care about was that her eyes had the same colour as Viper's, even though in her opinion they were less bright.
"61, Caracal, and my Core is Envy, which the others will remind me of on a daily basis. My power is Copycat, and if you need that explained to you, I'm afraid you are a lost cau-"
Wolf shot her a glare that shut her up quickly.
"It means that she can copy a powerset by touching the owner."
Dragon was the only Japanese member of the Warslaves, which had led the others to some second guessing about whether assigning him that name might have been culturally insensitive, until two details had come to light. The first was that he was a massive weeb, and the second was his power. His yellow eyes came to rest on the two children for a bit, before he spoke.
"I'm number 62, the Dragon, and my Core is destruction. The name of my power and my humble being are the same, because I quite literally turn into a dragon."
A European style dragon, much to his own dismay.
Bullshark had been one of the few randomly selected orphans to survive the enhancement process. Taken from Madagascar, his procedure had been a tough one due to genetic deviations from the template. This left him a head taller than even Jackal, though very thin and relatively fragile. The result had also left him blinded, though the purple colour his eyes would have been were still visible. It was ironic then that he was the only one who seemed to care even a little about his appearance, braiding both his hair and his beard.
"67, Bullshark, called that after some deliberation. There's three shark species that are dangerous to humans, and Tiger Shark would be too confusing, while Great White... well, it made everyone chuckle at least. My Core is Care, try saying that a few times in a row without fucking up. My power is simply called Necromancy. Quite an obvious one."
Tiger shrugged. He had come out of the enhancement process a lot better than his brother. He knew he'd been kidnapped from somewhere in Mexico, but if anyone were to ask him where he had come from, he wouldn't be able to say. His eyes had taken the same black colour as Bear's, though as if to annoy everyone else, he dyed his hair a different colour every month, without anyone knowing where he even got the dye from. This month was bright yellow.
"68, Tiger, my thing is Lethargy, though I mostly try to avoid that, so disregard it. My power is Dead Zone, which is to say that I make things stop."
After Tiger was done, the final two stepped up. They were clearly younger than the others, at fifteen years old, meaning they stood out among the adults around them.
Fox was first, and she jumped forward. Unlike Bear, she didn't shave her hair, displaying the fact that she and her brother were redheads to everyone, though the others didn't quite know whether that was vanity or just their rebellious phase. Combined with her orange eyes, she reminded a lot of people of her namesake.
"Name's Fox, number 89. They all say my thing is greed, but they haven't been able to catch me stealing so far, so don't let em get to you. My power was rudely labelled Thief, but I really just steal energy and redistribute it at my leisure."
Lion was a little shorter than his sister, standing as one of the shortest Warslaves. In fact, he would have been the shortest if not for Scorpion, a fact the older Warslave had lamented as Lion grew up. His eyes would have been red, if not for the flakes of gold sprinkled through, a sign that of all of them, he was the only one that wasn't truly absorbed by his Core.
"Name's Lion, and my deal is Happiness. Oh, and my number is 90, but I think you got that by now. My power is Catalyst, meaning I can make the others stronger, which includes you two."
Wolf took a look around the room.
"Well, and given that Greyhound is still out, that's everyone. How about you two?"
The boy spoke first, jumping up at attention.
"95, Core is Obedience. My power is to not be noticed-"
He was interrupted by Caracal groaning.
"Kid, we can all do... kid?"
He'd disappeared in front of her eyes, leaving her to look around in confusion. The others could still see him though, still standing at attention.
"To not be noticed by any form of surveillance, senses, scrying magic or anything else. Even our own kind."
Wolf looked at Caracal, as she was searching around.
"Impressive. And fun for pranks, but mostly very useful. Bit of training and you might replace Wildcat on the main team."
Scorpion piped up immediately.
"So we're calling the kid Stormcrow, aye?"
"... Alright, you've got one chance to justify that."
"The yellow-billed cuckoo, otherwise called storm crow or rain crow, is often heard before a storm. Which'll refer to the fact that people are only going to notice the boy when he kills them. Yellow-billed cuckoo would be a dumb name, so Stormcrow."
Wolf shrugged, looking back at the boy.
"What do you think?"
"Anything is fine, sir."
"No need to say sir, you're one of us, that's all that matters."
"Yes si-..."
"Wolf is fine."
"Yes Wolf."
Wolf nodded, turning to the girl.
"Now that your brother has a name, what about you?"
She spoke a lot softer than her brother, and they could all tell she was rather nervous.
"96, my Core is Hope. My power is... my power is healing people..."
She obviously expected them to load on the critique. Her power was ill suited for killing people, and she knew it. Given that it was their only purpose, the staff that had trained her so far had never let her forget how useless she was for it.
The reaction from the other Warslaves was different.
"Fucking finally."
They all made their approval heard one way or another.
Wolf turned to her, smiling to try and put her at ease.
"You say healing. To what extent?"
"As long as the patient isn't dead, I can heal them, though regrowing limbs has to be started within thirty seconds. You are... you are not going to yell at me?"
Wolf was half surprised by the question, then took off his gloves to show his metal hands.
"Both arms, and the ribs, neck, leg and part of my hip bone on the right side of my body are metal. Same goes for Wildcat's left leg, both Bullshark's legs and Fox' left arm. We do stupid shit... lemme rephrase that: we do a lot of stupid shit. We desperately need a healer, so you're not useless, got that? And like I told your brother, you're one of us, we're not going to yell at you."
It seemed to cheer her up a little, though she still avoided eye contact with the others. Something Wolf was certain she would grow out of eventually.
"I trust both of you are at least adept in the general skillset we all have access to?"
Stormcrow nodded.
"Yes. The full list: teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, cryomancy, pyromancy and shadowmancy."
"Nice to see that you memorised it all, but I asked for skillset, not powerset."
"Oh... yeah we can kill people."
"Can you stop going unnoticed by Caracal, she might be losing her shit."
"Oh... sorry."
There was nothing to signify his power turning off or on. In Caracal's eyes, he was gone one moment, and there when she blinked.
"That's weird. That's really weird."
Wolf ignored her and handed the children a clipboard each.
"Jackal and Lion will run you through basic training. Once Greyhound gets here, he'll introduce himself and personalise your schedules."
He turned back to the group.
"Introductions over, I want Viper, Spider, Scorpion, Wildcat and Bear on me, the rest get to training."
The Wolf
"Well, I'll start off with the good parts. Scorpion, Bear: immaculate work. Keep doing what you're doing."
Wolf took a look around the group that was left around him, noticing both Wildcat and Spider avoiding his gaze, already having their expectations for what he was going to tell them.
"Wildcat, I want to hear your own opinion on your work first."
"Probably not good enough for the higher ups. Or for you, whichever one calls the shots today."
"While there is still room for improvement, I checked footage from your optics and your killcounter. You're improving, keep it up and you'll be exempt from these aftertalks soon."
It caught him by surprise. Wolf didn't usually have much praise for him, preferring to instead keep the others to the same standards as he would hold himself, which was to say they had to be flawless.
"Thanks..."
Wolf left him to think over the words as he turned to Spider.
"And you... I'll be honest, Scorpion almost had you getting away with it completely, and I'll not say anything to the handlers about it, but if I notice one more art project during a next mission, there will be repercussions."
Spider just smiled, before shrugging it off.
"Like what?"
Wolf had to turn back to him, making great effort to hide his anger at the question.
"I might tear your spine out. Or maybe you'll just listen before I lose composure and decide this team does not need you. No more artworks. That is an order, and you will follow it."
It could even make a Warslave feel small, when the Wolf let his anger seep through. It was a stark reminder that even if Pride or Obsession had their limits, due to observations or possibility, his Bloodlust was only limited insofar as he was not agitated.
That was exactly why Spider antagonised him, of course. It gave him something to strive for, someone to live up to. He wanted the reminder of what he wanted to be. Wolf knew that much, which was exactly why he took the effort to conceal it. He just wasn't any good at it.
Viper put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
Ignore him.
He turned away, turning to his brother.
"The higher ups are pissed at us, for good reason. We ignored a direct order and they are discussing punitive measures. Expect something in the vein of a few weeks of isolation."
"And you?"
"I told them it was my call. We'll see if that makes a difference, but probably not. Moving past that, you and I both seem to have some self control issues in the field."
"Guilty as charged, I'd say. So, what about it?"
Wolf shrugged.
"No idea, Greyhound and the board of directors would be sorting that out somehow."
Viper went silent, instead deciding to ask the question in silence.
And we were the only problem cases?
No, but Greyhound said the others will follow after us.
The green eyed Warslave had to actively hold his laughter at the old man's optimism, which Wildcat noticed.
"Anything you want to share with the rest of us?"
Wolf replied, confirming that they had indeed been conversing.
"Not really. If it was, we would have said it out loud."
"Oh well, you're the boss."
Wildcat motioned his brother over to start their training, leaving the other four to exchange looks. Scorpion broke the silence after a while.
"So... we'll not be seeing the two of you for a while then?"
Both Wolf and Viper shrugged her concern off, before Wolf replied.
"Keep the others in line while I'm gone, will you? Especially Spider, I don't want him doing anything to the new bloods."
"He wouldn't go that far-"
Spider chuckled, interrupting his sister.
"Nono, I would. I totally would. No maiming on my part, honest promise."
A stern expression came over their commander as he addressed the pale man.
"And no killing either. Light scarring is fine, they're probably used to it, and if not they better get used to it before it starts becoming too bad."
"As you wish."
The problem Wolf had with that statement was that trusting the man was like tossing a coin. Sometimes he'd be true to his word, sometimes he wouldn't. It was one of the reasons he couldn't really say he liked Spider, even if he was one of their own.
Scorpion on the other hand had more than earned his trust.
"If he breaks his word, I trust you to take punitive action. Anything he inflicts on the children is to be mirrored on him, after which the punitive actions follow."
Scorpion nodded, thinking it over.
"Harsh, but it should keep him in line. I'll inform the others as well."
"Tell them the same goes for anyone else. And make sure Caracal and Jackal are reminded of this as well, from time to time."
Wolf and Viper did not get a lot of training done before they were summoned.
Wolf had helped instruct the newcomers when he got the message, while Viper was going over basic forms. Both had expected this, knowing full well why they would have to face the board.
A punitive hearing.
A dozen people made up the board, each kept out of their view, with two exceptions. Vincent Weiss would never accept to hide away, nor would it help. Both Warslaves knew him, what he looked like and where to find him most of the time, given the fact that he was in essence their boss, or rather their owner.
The other face out in the open belonged to Anna Roberts, the current CEO of Swordpoint, who was just as easy to identify and find, though she had always insisted the subjects held considerably less ill will towards her than towards Weiss. She wasn't completely wrong in that regard, if only because she was not holding their leash. When it came to dominance in the project, Swordpoint had lost out, simply because the importance of genetic manipulation had outweighed Swordpoint's technological expertise in importance. That had not sat well with Swordpoint's previous CEO, so now Anna was in charge.
Wolf took the initiative as soon as he entered, leaving no room for any member in the board to speak.
"This is about those documents, right? Let's get that over with, it was my call. I told Viper to cut loose with no restrictions, so I would very much like to know why the both of us are here."
The very fact that one of their subjects would speak out of turn made some of the board members quite nervous. Vincent simply let him, not humouring him with a response, and in the process not allowing him to guide the conversation.
"For all the little mistakes, you have not seen the impact your debut has had. You'll be delighted to know that people are talking about the footage that was released to the public. Quite a lot, in fact. The Bureau is even getting nervous as politicians are growing somewhat bolder, which brings us to why the two of you are here."
"Cut the shit, this is a punitive hearing. Politics and public outcry have fuck all to do with that."
"I am getting to that, so if you would shut up for a moment, then I do not have to take even further measures. I am talking about one politician in particular that has announced his intention to file a motion to the UN, which would lead to a set of laws that will govern the rights and privileges of superhumans and similar creatures on an international scale."
"And you want him dead-"
"One more word and there will be measures. We don't want him dead. In fact, the project would highly benefit from these rules, as they would muzzle the Bureau, while providing us with plenty of business, given how nations would come to us for the means to enforce these rules. You two are to keep the target alive at any cost. At any cost. Now you may speak, but keep it respectful."
Wolf and Viper exchanged a look, deliberating what to say in silence. It took a few minutes for Wolf to speak.
"Why?"
"To keep him alive-"
"Not that, why the fuck did you pick us for this?"
"I told you to keep it respectful."
Wolf rolled his eyes.
"Been through it all already, so-"
"The measures will not be carried out against you. As I've heard it, there's two newcomers in your little group. What'd you call them? Stormcrow and Swallow, right? They are young, not yet used to the pain. They will incur any punishment that would otherwise be dealt to you or your brother. Do I make myself clear?"
It took everything he had for Wolf not to show the hate on his face, and even then he failed, the mask of confidence and indifference breaking for a single moment to show his absolute hatred for the man he was speaking to.
"Yes."
Vincent knew he had won. It may have been a short moment, but Weiss had seen it all the same. On top of that, he was far better at reading people, even Warslaves, than Wolf had ever been, meaning he could see the discomfort Wolf was feeling as if it was written all over his face.
"Yes?"
"Yes sir."
"Now there's a good weapon. You'll do as you are told, simply because that is what you are told to do, understood? The man in question, Ahad Faheem, is not to die until his motion is heard and passed in another three weeks, understood?"
"Yes sir."
"Any threat to his person is to be disposed of with the utmost prejudice, understood?"
"Yes sir."
"And you are to do so dis-"
Anna cut in before he could finish.
"I think they got the point. Their handlers can brief them on the rest, wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh, very well. Dismissed."
When they were out of earshot, Wolf let his control slip a little, whispering to his brother, just to let his frustration out in some form.
"I will kill him some day."
Viper looked at his brother for a moment, before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"One day."
The red eyed Warslave quickly recovered, though the hungry look in his eyes remained.
"It doesn't matter. We have a mission. Though what they're thinking on this, I can't quite tell."
"It's a punitive action. How do you punish Bloodlust?"
"Well, they're just setting the whole operation up for failure, if you ask me."
"I didn't, and obviously they didn't either."
"Smartass."
"Hey, I'm not the one whining about all this."
"There is an essential difference between whining and giving valid criticism."
"Oh? Do tell..."
"Whining is when you do it, while I only ever give valid criticism."
"Heh, fuck you too."