Warning: this chapter will contain scenes of violence and may be frightening. As well it is very sad at some parts. Reader discretion is advised.
Bang.
"Did I kill anyone?"
Bang.
"I want all of Z and N dead."
Bang.
"Rai, will you help me?"
Bang.
"Yes."
The punching bag I've been mutilating, finally bursts off its chain and hits the wall. Beads flood the floor.
I grumble and grab a new bag to hook to the chain. I take a swig of water before returning to the bag.
"Is he ever going to stop punching those things?" I hear Rai whisper to Charlotte. I knew all four of my friends had been watching me from across Rai's personal gym.
"How long has he been at it?" Jasper whispered.
"I don't know. What time is it?" Charlotte asks.
"4:35." Schwoz replies.
"He got up at eight and he's been at it since 9." Rai adds.
"I've been at it eight hours and 35 minutes. You guys are terrible whisperers." I say from across the room. I hear them jump.
"Sorry Kid, didn't realize you were listening." Rai apologizes.
"It's fine." I reply, throwing another punch at the bag.
"Ok, I'm just gonna ask the obvious, when are you going to stop training?" Charlotte asks.
"When this bag breaks." I reply.
"Henry, you need to stop." Rai states.
"I'll stop once I'm strong enough to kill all of Z and N."
"Henry, we still don't know where Z and N are." Rai says.
"Well, then I'll keep training until we do." I retaliate.
"Henry, maybe you should stop, take a break. Get some supper?" Charlotte offered.
"That sounds like a good plan." Jasper agrees.
"No." I reply, continuously punching my fists into the red bag.
"Henry, you've got to stop." Rai says, calmly but stern.
"I'm good Rai."
"Kid, that's an order."
I sigh before smashing my fist into the bag, effectively bursts, spewing hundreds of beads onto the floor. I hear my friends jump at the sudden bang.
"I'm done." I deadpan.
I unwrap my knuckles and set the robot vacuum cleaner to clean the beads before grabbing my water and following my friends out.
Once we make it to the Man Cave main room I head over to the autosnack and quickly order chai tea, extra milk.
"You guys want anything?" I ask.
"I'll have a mango tea." Charlotte replied.
"Cappuccino." Rai added.
"I'm good." Schwoz says calmly.
"Earl Grey, milk." Jasper piped up.
I order their drinks and hand them over.
I go to walk off but I feel someone grab my wrist.
On instinct I quickly drop mug and launch them over my shoulder into the stairs. I hear the pottery shatter against the ground.
I hear Charlotte gasp in shock of behind me. I quickly turn to see who I hurt.
I look hesitantly only to see Rai sprawled out
on the floor.
"Rai are you ok?" I ask.
"Ya, I'm ok." He says but without his childlike enthusiasm. His voice is laced with worry.
I hold out my hand to help him up but he finches back.
I take back my hand quickly. He was scared of me. I made a indestructible person I'd known for five years scared of me.
"Henry, I-'' Rai starts but I've already found my water bottle and I'm on my way back to the punching bag.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Rai's Point Of View
My heart broke as I saw Henry retreat to the gym. Why did I have to flinch? He didn't mean to react that way.
Charlotte helps me to my feet. I look at the door way Henry had just flew out of.
"Rai, you didn't mean it." Jasper reassures me.
"But I did. When he flipped me over, I was scared. He's not the same anymore. The look in his eyes though, when he saw my fear. He looked so hurt." I admit.
I see Charlotte look at me with sad eyes.
"Well, what can we possibly do?" Jasper asks.
"I think the only thing we can do is help. Charlotte, Schwoz, Jasper, you need to find Z n' N headquarters. I think the only way to help him finally get over this is to destroy the source. I'm gonna go change into workout clothes."
"Why?" Schwoz asks.
"I'm going to train with Henry." I reply.
They nod.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Henry's Point Of View
How could he really be scared of me.
He knows that I can't help it.
Maybe I can help it.
Maybe I could have stopped myself from being thrown over the bridge.
Maybe I should of fighter harder against the currant.
Maybe I could have snapped myself out of the trance.
Maybe I could have stopped myself from killing all those people.
How could I, a crime fighter sworn to protect the innocent, kill the innocent?
Maybe I deserved what happened.
"Henry?" Rai called.
I turn around to see him in sweatpants and a tank top.
"Hi." I mutter.
"So, what are we doing?" He asks.
"What?" I ask.
"Training, what are we doing?" He asks again.
I stare at him for a second before replying.
"Punching." I state.
"You've done enough punching, haven't you?" Rai asks.
"Eight hours of it." I reply.
"Then let's do something else." He suggests.
"Like what?" I ask, still crippling the punching bag.
"Like fighting? Sparring?" He names off.
"Ya, sure." I mumble.
I head over to Rai and stand in front of him.
I wait for him to make the first move.
He goes to punch me in the jaw, but I grab his fist and flip him over.
"Damn, Kid," Rai states, "you've gotten fast."
"Four months of non stop training for a agency that will hurt you if you're too slow? Funny enough it works." I joke.
I watch as he throws move after move at me, each one I dodge of course.
"My god, Kid! You are really good at this." Rai compliments me.
"Thanks." I say, grinning a little.
"Kid, you know I'm not scared of you right?" Rai asks.
My slight smile wavers at the question.
"You should be Rai." I admit.
"Henry-'' He starts.
"You flinched back there when I reacted the way I did. You should be scared. I've killed hundreds."
"Not on purpose." Rai persists.
"No, but the fact of the matter is that I killed people. I couldn't fight it. I don't even deserve to be free. I should be locked up in a high security prison." I retaliate.
"Henry, don't say that. You are a good person who was put in a bad situation." Rai said.
I look at him.
"You really mean that?" I ask.
"Of course I do. And I also know that nothing for you, will ever get better until the lives of everyone at Z and N are taken."
"It won't be better until they're all dead." I say calmly.
"So let's keep training." He suggests.
I nod.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"Henry! Rai!" Charlotte yells from the control room.
I dash into the room, Rai following close behind.
"What?" I ask.
"I found them!"
The colour drains from my face in shock.
"You... you found them?" I ask.
She nods excitedly.
"We can finally end this!" Rai announces.
"Let's do this." I say.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I change into my uniform and choose a couple guns.
I set them to kill and strap them to my belt.
Schwoz hands me the voice blocking chips for everyone but Rai, Charlotte, Jasper and Schwoz.
I see Rai and my friends give me a last glance.
"Hen, are you sure you want to do this?" Charlotte asked.
"Ya, Henry, I'm not sure this is a good idea." Jasper added.
"This will have consequences." Schwoz warned me.
"Guys, you don't understand, I have to do this." I explain. "I will never let this go until there's nothing to hold on to."
"Then we'll do it." Rai sighed.
"Wish us luck." I say.
A chorus of 'Good lucks' fill the room as Rai and I zoom up the tube.
-.-.-.-.-
We arrive at the fortress Z and N were hiding in.
My blood boils at the guards around the building.
"You ready Kid?" Rai asks.
"I've never been more ready in my life." I reply.
"Let's go." Rai says.
I cock my gun and shoot.
Bullets rip through the hearts of the guards.
Charlotte, Jasper and Schwoz voice tips and warnings as we fight.
I see Rai shoot a few, but never as many as I did.
I grimly add 8 more people to my list of kills. 245.
I kick open the door too see dozens of guards.
Rai and I plow through them like they were pins and we were the bowling balls.
When I look behind me, I see bloodied bodies littering the floor. Rai gives me an uneasy look.
"How many?" I ask.
He looks down in shame.
"4." He mutters.
I almost laugh.
I've killed 276 people in total, and he's worried about 4 criminals.
"You'll be ok." I say, and even though I wasn't ok with the 237 innocents I've killed. I'm not ashamed of the 39 I've killed today.
He nods before we enter the next floor.
And suddenly all hell broke loose.
They must have heard the uproar downstairs.
They fired at us relentlessly.
I shoot as many as possible before I see a mess of platinum hair, fighting side by side a much taller, red head.
I could easily end it now. It would be so simple. I just needed to aim my gun at them and pull the trigger.
Not yet.
Not yet. They should be saved for the finale.
I burn through the villains with ease.
When I look to Rai. He was fending off the criminals instead of killing them. I guess he just couldn't stand the guilt.
I on the other hand, I don't give a damn.
When everyone was on the ground, mauled and butchered, I looked around for Zoe and Nigel, but they had fled to the next floor up. Cowards.
I looked to Rai. He looked horrified, disgusted and guilty, all at the same time.
I followed his gaze towards me. That's when I realized I was covered in blood. None of it my own.
"We need to continue, Rai." I say. Rai looks from me to his uniform. Droplets of my enemies blood scattered around his front. "Rai, come on."
"How many have you killed today?" He asked, with a scared tone.
"77." I say calmly. "Rai, I know this is scary, incredibly scary, but we have to end this. We have to do this or those 4 lives you took, would have been for nothing. We can't let Zoe and Nigel get away, because if they do, they could do the same thing they did to me to others."
Rai nodded.
We head upstairs to find a lot less guards. The final floor, with Zoe and Nigel standing centre.
This ends now.
I cock my gun and shoot blindly, killing everyone but Zoe and Nigel.
When it finally comes time. Rai is panting and trying his best to clean the blood from his uniform.
Zoe and Nigel look at me in fear.
I hear my friends hold their breath through the coms in anticipation.
"You took everything from me." I say, sternly. "You took my sanity, my memories, you made me kill hundreds."
I see Zoe try to say my trigger words, but I couldn't hear them. Not with Schwoz's invention.
"Don't. That's not going to work this time." I calmly say. "Do you really think I'd come here when there was the threat of being turned back into the soldier?"
I watch as the scramble for something to use against me. They spot a gun, but I silently kick it just out of their reach.
"I've been waiting a long time for this." I announce.
I raise my gun and shoot.
Nigel slumps to the ground, blood pooling behind him.
I see Zoe scream as her friend is killed. I never thought she cared for the ginger. By the way she treated him 7 months ago, I thought she didn't like him.
In the corner of my eye, I see Rai grimace at the blood.
I then raise my gun and point it at the blond.
"Goodbye Zoe." I say.
I shoot her in the chest. She screams out in pain.
"You will never hurt anyone again." I state.
I turn to Rai to see how he was doing, and everything slowed down.
When I went to walk to Rai, I accidentally kicked the gun. Zoe grabs the gun and with the last of her strength she shoots. My breath catches in my throat as the bullet shoots through my chest and out of my body.
Time stands still for just a moment. Then I fall to the floor.
"Henry!" Rai screams. My vision blurs but I vaguely see Rai shoot Zoe repeatedly.
I hear my friends yell my name.
He kneels down beside me, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.
"Rai-'' I say, shakily. "Rai it's ok."
"Kid, please, stay with me. Please." Rai begs, but even he can tell it's over. My lungs were punctured in two spots and I had lost too much blood.
"Schwoz- Schwoz I need you to get here right now!" Rai orders, though his voice was cracking with emotion.
"Rai-'' Schwoz starts.
"Schwoz! I need you now!" Rai cries.
"Rai, it's ok, it's ok." I say weakly.
I hear my friends muffled sobs through the coms.
"If I just- if I can- if Schwoz gets here-'' Rai bargained.
"Rai, it's alright. It's over. It's ok. You'll be ok." I say, as I finish the sentence I feel my body grow lighter. As if I was letting go.
"Please, Kid, please don't go. I need you." Rai cries.
"You'll be ok." I reassure him.
Rai's Point Of View
Pure agony gripped my heart.
Henry's normally tanned skin was growing paler and paler. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but funny enough Henry hadn't shed a tear.
"You'll be ok." He reassured me, though his voice was so light, I could barely hear him.
"Henry, please." I beg, but as I finish the light leaves his eyes as his heart stops beating.
I begin to sob as I look into his eyes to see them with no life.
I don't know how long I knelt there, but I knew that Henry Hart was dead.
-.-.-.-
- time skip -
Three weeks had past since Henry had died.
Three weeks since I had to bring his bloodied body back to the Man Cave.
Three weeks since I'd told his family the truth.
Three weeks since his funeral.
Three weeks since the world had been told who he really was.
A memorial had been built in honour of him in Swellview Park.
I sat in my U shaped couch, holding his mask in my hand.
Charlotte and Jasper still came to work. They said that the death of their friend wouldn't stop them from helping to protect the city.
I had folded Henry's uniform up and placed it in my closet. Never to be taken out. Never to be used by anyone ever again.
Henry won his fight against Z and N, but he lost his life in the process.
Henry would always be remembered for being Kid Danger, for ridding the world of Z and N. Though the soldier was in his complex history, he wouldn't be remembered as the Dark Soldier. He'd always be remembered as
Kid Danger.
So, it's over. I'm sorry for how it ended, but for my Watty submission I had it plotted out. Including the ending where Henry is killed.
I'm sorry for those of you who wanted a different ending and the confusion that's gone on throughout the day but that's that.