The Industrialist

Twenty dead in less than two minutes. Mathew had been energized by slaughtering human beings for sport. Perhaps, Mathew's thirst for a kill was his core definition of a monster. It completed him, like passion, or a motivation to live.

The Queen had always given Mathew and his Battalion the kill missions. They loved to hunt for Outsiders. With Mathew in their ranks, the human race stood no chance.

Nathan was rather an artistic killer. He wanted his kills to be smooth and swift. The station's condition, and the chaotic way how his comrade had killed their prey, somehow provided disgust to Nathan.

More police officers went out to the other offices with their rifles. Having people witnessed the mess Mathew created, it certainly raised the need for heavy-powered rifles. The laser rifles.

'This is what I am talking about. If I killed them smoothly, others won't be engaged this much.' Nathan thought.

Lasers could hurt them, or perhaps, could kill them. With ten more officers with their rifles, the situation was raised to a challenge.

Nathan busted the lights of the precinct 13 by severing the light switches and everything inside the station was dark, perfect for their hiding place. He could not locate Mathew. Probably, was also hiding somewhere upon witnessing the laser-powered rifles carried by their enemies. The remaining police officers scattered with their flashlights on their rifles, scanning every inch of the room.

"Who did this?" One police officer was heard asking.

"They are monsters!" The other said, casting fear onto his comrades.

"Don't let fear misguide you of your alertness. We are facing different species here, boys." A calmer voice urged his comrades.

Even though all their comrades died, the ten other policemen persisted in revenge.

Fortunately, Abominants could move in the dark almost like it was well-lighted. Their retinas were adjusted so that they could see darkness, even in pitch black. Nathan hid behind a desk, his back leaning against the metallic surface of the table. The beams of flashlights moved in different directions, and certainly, the officers were closing into his location.

A metallic clank was heard at the far end which disoriented the police officers, allowing Nathan to bolt out from his hiding place and clasp the closest man's throat with his bare hands. He died instantly, almost without a sound. Nathan disallowed the body to fall so suddenly to the ground, making the kill more subtle.

That's how he wanted to kill – with precision and grace.

The disembodied sound continued to rattle the remaining officers then Nathan sneaked onto their backs one-by-one, without making so much sound. He delivered instant kill to the officers without allowing them to scream in pain.

Eventually, one of them noticed that his comrades were gone, and he squeezed the trigger aimlessly toward the dark of the room. Laser light illuminated the place and scarred the furniture inside the station. His comrades did the same, as only five of them were left.

"Let's get outta here!" One officer suggested. As soon as they ran out of the place, they were butchered by Mathew's swift crouching attacks. He moved and crawled fast at the same time, attacking below the remaining men. Five of them instantly died, for less than four heartbeats with their bellies opened.

"It's done!" Mathew said, flicking flesh remnants on his fingers.

They were the only ones alive inside the station. They proceeded to the interrogation room and found out that it was empty. However, the scent still lingered stronger inside the room.

"He was here," Nathan said. "We just missed him for a few hours."

"Where did he go?" Mathew had a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Let's follow the scent. It's not yet far. We can get to him as long as he does not move." Nathan responded.

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Hypervista Condominium, Hypervista Sector
Explore more at empire

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Lance thought about Chester's words. Even with the confrontation with his invention, his punishment opened to possibilities. Monetizing it to the Outsiders could be out of the picture. However, possible commissions in the weapon division could garner him better rewards.

It had been two days since the attack and the News had praised his name once again. 'The Saviour of Steelpoint!' The headlines said.

There was something about famous, your name being praised by the media and the people who witnessed the attack. Somehow, it gave Lance a sense of invulnerability. It was unquestionable that his fame could unlock leverages in society. It could raise him to the ranks a little bit faster.

Damian was released from the radars of the CBD and the police department, luckily, Lance's reputation saved both of them. Despite everything else, the need to build the Ultragenerator was still a necessity.

Lance had a cold shower inside his condominium. He let the water flow against his hair and let time drift endlessly inside his imagination.

He would not worry about water wastage as what he had was the ShowerSmart technology. The one that recycles water back to its chamber for another round of baths after a quick filtration process. He thought about Jaqi whenever he showered, not because he was cleaning himself, it's because Jaqi invented the ShowerSmart.

After an hour of continuous shower, the dryer activated inside the shower enclosure and finished with a towel that covered his body.

The hologram showed the news about the attack two days ago. His portrait appearing in the News had given him the chills, the excitement, the rarity of the feeling of being famous.

'Saviour of Steelpoint,' Lance thought about it.

He glanced at his fabrication table again. Fame could distract him from his true purpose or fuel his motivation. He had hoped it was the latter, but undisputedly, it was the former. He wanted to rest for weeks and think about his own survival, without the regard of others.

With utmost laziness fueling his motivation, he went near his fabrication table.

"Jasper, can I make the Ultragenerator without further education? Did Doctor Adamson give the references enough for me to build it?" Lance asked as he placed all the requirements on top.

He had the Obsidian Exoskeleton on one side, impure gold on the other, and at the center of his fabrication table was the infused electromagnetic battery and the Energy Accelerator. Some of the minor components were placed on the table as well.

"The assembly is tricky, Master. Ultragenerators are not produced nowadays because of the existence of the walls and the windmill turbines that power the city. The Ultragenerators are used as backup alternative power sources if ever the walls fail. But the walls are designed not to fail." Jasper responded. "Hence, the need for Ultragenerators is scarce."

"Then, I will try building it even without the proper knowledge."

"Just some precautions, Master. The Ultragenerator supplies large amounts of energy that can power villages, in the case of the size of an Energy Accelerator and Electromagnetic battery. However, when constructed wrongly, it could explode like an atomic bomb." Jasper said.

"Bomb? Really, now. So, what is your suggestion?"

"What's intricate based on your references gathered is the accommodation of amperage coursing through the wires that travel from component to component. Without the proper capability of those wires, it would heat up and create static heat energy in the system, disrupting the thermodynamics of the whole system.

Energy Accelerators are sensitive to the temperature, so, yeah, let's make the design right the first time."

"Ok, Jasper. I got it. If I fail, there will be an explosion."

The room bell rang.

"Are you expecting someone, Master?" Jasper asked.

"Probably the agents from CBD. They are going to get the schematics of my poison bombs. Surrender it to them as promised."

As Lance opened the door, he was surprised by whom he saw.