Volume Twenty Two - The Science Station over the Shattered World

== Chapter 253 - The Brigadier ==
Standing there was a man wearing a pitch black, labcoat-like uniform, a collar on said uniform covering part of his head. He wore gloves and had black hair, his skin seeming to be a bit tan. The feature that stood out most though, was the rectangular black visor covering his eyes, and his fully stoic expression. "You're Fulke, right?" Jack asks. "Brigadier and Head Science Officer Fulke." Fulke replies calmly, and plainly. "Follow me, to bear witness the fruits of our labor. Do not deviate from the path I lead."
As they walked through the station, they caught glimpses of such things as tubes, vats, wires, and weaponry. Whatever was in the vats wasn't clear, though they didn't look very human, in any way whatsoever. The four stayed close to each other, walking behind Fulke, who remained rather silent so far, which made it a shock when he finally, once again, spoke. "I'm sure you have been discovering our research in biology and weaponry." Fulke says, his back still turned to them as he walked.
"Uh, yeah..." Jack replies cautiously. "You likely forgot the reason you are here." Fulke states, in a flat, yet somehow condescending, tone. "It is to view the progress on our Anti-Netraxian Weaponry, which you will find beyond this door." "O...kay..." Shunsuke responds, as they come across a door. Fulke takes a glove off and puts his hand on the scanning pad, the door opening shortly afterwards. Fulke then puts his glove back on and walks through the door, Jack and the others following.
A number of cannons, rifles, pistols, and armor parts were arranged in an orderly fashion around the room, as the chestplate of an armor stand in the middle of the room had a hole in it. "Woah..." Candice breathes. "Why is that hole there?" Andromeda asks. "From my pistol." Fulke replies. "I have called it the Anti-Huscil Bullet Pistol, though I know the idiots who are qualified to give weapons names will call it a 'Yelverton' or something equally obnoxious." Jack then realizes something, and decides to ask.
== Chapter 254 - World of Fragments ==
"Sir..." Jack starts. "You want to know what happened to Procyon Ic." Fulke replies, shocking Jack. "It was before King Phillip Rosenstock took charge. Procyon wanted to become an independent state, but King Theodor Rosenstock wanted us all to stay as one interstellar nation. He took immense measures to ensure this, including attaching a Warp Drive to a large Fusion Bomb, and having it rush into our world. When it exploded, it barely missed this space station, and we've lived on it ever since."
Jack and the rest stood there in horror and fury, sweating as their fists shook. "You are wondering how someone could do something so cruel." Fulke remarks. "That should require no explanation, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Andromeda seemed more livid than the others, though a close second was Candice. "I am personally not much bothered by this home, I was born here and I believe that space habitats are the future of human colonization." Fulke says.
"How do you know what we're thinking?!" Shunsuke demands. "I don't, I merely make assumptions based on the knowledge I know that you do and do not have, coupled with the demographics of age, race, species, nationality, class and gender you each occupy." Fulke answers plainly. "However, telepathic communication by the use of implanted microchips or access to the same 'Aether' the Socqreath are able to manipulate could permit true telepathy rather than simple guesswork."
A robot then brings Fulke a rather large yellow scale, the size of Fulke's hand, Fulke examining it. "Hmm...we will need these mass-produced once we learn all of their properties." The Brigadier Scientist says, the robot nodding and walking away with the scale. "Was that a Netraxian scale?" Candice asks. "Yes, you would not have needed to ask that question if you used your brain to extrapolate the information yourself." Fulke answers, sounding a bit irritated. "The scales seem to be as strong as Huscil."
== Chapter 255 - Scales of Steel ==
"What?!" Jack shouts. "Quieter, Holland." Fulke orders, before sighing. "Yes, the hide of a Netraxian is roughly as strong as Huscil, and because the scales are organic, we could grow them for an endless supply of a material as strong as Huscil. The Netraxians use their scales in the construction of their starships, which themselves are essentially massive draconic creatures that can breathe massive jets of plasma and house at least thousands of Netraxians." "That...sounds bad..." Shunsuke says.
"Should I exposit more information for interns such as yourselves to absorb like Martian Slime?" Fulke asks, as he walks towards another door, the four following him nervously. Fulke opens the door through the same method as the first, as they walk through it to see what looked like the corpse of a massive, dragon-like ship that was the same color as the scale. "Grr..." Andromeda growls. "Uncivilized beasts." Fulke mutters, as they walk towards the dragon, Jack realizing the sheer scale of it just now.
Though massive in comparison to them, and indeed to many ships Jack knew of in the Human Star Realm's fleet, the dragon was likely only a hatchling. The oldest ones...he didn't want to think about how big they might be. He didn't think he'd even be able to properly imagine such a scale. "How have we been fighting these guys for fifty years...?" Jack breathes. "They are extremely primitive in both technology and mindset." Fulke answers. "Not to mention that General Buchardt is a strategic genius."
"Every single time I hear that name, I want to slice something in half." Andromeda retorts. "You will be ejected into space if you do so in here, Miss Edgelord." Fulke retorts back. "Every single thing in this station is sensitive equipment." "Where can we go to rest?" Candice asks. "Servo 247, escort our guests to Guest Quarters 198." Fulke orders, a robot nodding to lead the four through a long hallway that the floor of acted like an assembly line towards a door that the robot opened. The five then walk in, amazed.
== Chapter 256 - The Dream Room ==
Three beds, four bathrooms, three televisions, three desks, and the like, were placed in various parts of the room, which itself was split up by three walls, each third being relatively large by itself. The colors of the walls, beds and everything else was tailored as well, seemingly to create the perfect experience for the people inside. "This is incredible..." Jack remarks. "How is Fulke this good at predicting? Is he a robot?" "He's definitely good at his job." Shunsuke replies.
Jack and Andromeda walked into their third of the room, hand in hand, and sat down on the bed, looking on at a painting of Weepmire. "I still remember when we first met." Andromeda says softly. "It was the first time I ever felt happy." She began to tear up with a small smile on her face, as Jack wiped her tears, and she leaned into him, Jack wrapping his arm around her. "I love you more than anything else, Jack." Andromeda whispers. "I love you too, Anne." Jack whispers back, as they close their eyes.
Shunsuke sat down on a chair, setting his Winchester on his desk, and looks at a picture of his family that they took at their reunion, a few years ago. He remembered back then, before he was involved in all this insanity with Darkstar and Karim and the Netraxians. It was a simpler time where he often helped out his family. He loved all of them, and smiled as he looked at the picture. "I'm gonna do everything I can protect you all." Shunsuke says. "I promise I'll come back, no matter what happens."
Candice laid alone on her bed, a bed meant for two, as she stared at a painting of Kasper. She remembered first meeting him, how shy he was, how determined he was to make games, to follow in Kooji's footsteps. And then she remembered when he... she turned towards the pillow, shaking, tearing up, wanting so desperately for things to have been different. She then buries her face in the pillow, sobbing and sobbing, she soon cried herself to sleep, remembering Kasper having once done the same thing.
== Chapter 257 - Rising of Tensions ==
Jack woke up in Andromeda's arms, Andromeda still being asleep as she held him closely and gently. He smiled, and closed his eyes, wanting to drift back to sleep. But as he was doing so, he heard something scuttle past the door, incredibly quickly. "Wha...?" Jack breathes, before suddenly jolting fully awake, realizing just now what he heard. Had someone sneaked in? He quickly sat up, looking around. "Jack...?" Andromeda asks drowsily. "I'm gonna check on something." Jack answers.
Jack walks out of the door, as quietly as he could, as he slowly closes it behind himself and begins to sneak through the hallway with his back to the wall. He could hear more footsteps, as well as voices discussing something. He inches closer and closer towards the corner, and turns his head, seeing Fulke speaking with a few other scientists wearing his kind of attire. Jack stopped himself from asking what was going on to himself, not wanting to give himself away in case what he thought, was true.
"Are you certain the Matter Decompressor is ready for construction?" One of the scientists asks. "Yes, Doctor O'Brian." Fulke answers. "By my calculations, this war will be over shortly, and once it is, we will have the resources to set our plans in motion." Jack turns his head more in the direction of the meeting when he hears this, a drop of sweat running down his cheek. "What about our guests? Will they pose a threat?" Another one of the scientists asks. "I have it handled, Doctor Fu." Fulke replies.
Jack was sweating more, and tried not to breathe more heavily. He had a bad feeling about what might happen if he was discovered. Slowly, he began to go back towards the room, hoping that Fulke wasn't behind him, ready to shoot him in the back. Eventually, he reached the door, slowly opened it, inched inside, and slowly closed it again, breathing heavily as Andromeda ran to embrace him. "What happened, Jack?" Andromeda asks, concerned. "We have to get out of here, now." Jack answers.
== Chapter 258 - Maneuvers of Madmen ==
"You wish to leave this soon." Fulke remarks. "Because you suspect me of treachery." "Why do you think that?" Jack asks. "You are incredibly suspect yourself, I can expect that you might know something you are not supposed to." Fulke answers. "Nothing like that!" Jack retorts, as Fulke frowned a bit more than usual and turned to walk through the hallway, the others following him. "You are hoping I am going to monologue about some evil plan or philosophy, to give you time to escape." Fulke states.
"You're distrustful and untrustworthy." Andromeda retorts. "If you didn't dress like some comic book villain we might have wanted to stay longer." "I wear this visor to hide and correct my deformity." Fulke replies. "If you were to bear witness to said deformity, you would accuse me of being a Biblical demon." "Yeah, well, if I did hear something that concerns you, then what would you even be concerned about?" Jack asks. "Nothing which concerns four interns." Fulke answers coldly.
"Is it revenge?" Jack demands. "Do you want revenge on the Royal Family or something?" "There is no Royal Family anymore, only King Phillip Rosenstock." Fulke replies. "You are the least intelligent interns I have ever dealt with in my life." "We're also the first to figure out you might have an evil plan." Jack retorts. "So if we're all gonna be honest, then tell us what it is." "Evil is such a ridiculous term to describe anything with." Fulke remarks. "We wish to build a Dark Matter Decompressor. Are you satisfied?"
"Why do you want to build that?" Jack demands. "To siphon matter and dark matter from black holes." Fulke answers. "Why do you want that matter and dark matter?" Jack asks. "For construction material, moron." Fulke sneers, Jack flinching back. "Don't you dare call him a moron!" Andromeda shouts, standing between them and giving Fulke a death glare. "Are you actually threatening a superior officer, right now?" Fulke demands. "You'll be incarcerated for this, you braindead upstarts."
== Chapter 259 - The Droid Army ==
Four robots appeared from the shadows behind Fulke, and rush at the four. Jack fires his gun at one of the robots, the bullets leaving small dents in its armor as it rushes at Jack to grab his arm and attempt breaking it backwards. "GAH!" Jack screams, pulling the trigger to shoot the robot in the eye and make it let go, but it doesn't budge! It then slams Jack into a wall to knock him out, cuffing his hands and feet as well as placing a bag over his head. "JACK!" Andromeda yells, attempting to save him.
However, another robot leaps at Andromeda, who sends her Psychic Weapons at it. To her shock, the robot blocks the Psychic Weapons with its forearms, and kicks her in the face to send her back. Andromeda then draws her sword to slash the robot, but it grabs the sword by the blade and wrenches it out of her grip to slash her with it. She blocks with more Psychic Weapons which she then sends at the robot, which blocks with the sword before emitting a sonic pulse at Andromeda, knocking her out as well.
Candice tries to whack the robot attacking her away with her staff, but the robot grabs the staff and palms her in the face to knock her to the ground. She tries to slash the robot's arms, but the robot blocks with its forearm, stomping on one of Candice's horns, an incredibly excruciating experience for her, as it then whacks her in the face with the staff to knock her out too, turning to the robot fighting Shunsuke, said robot actually experiencing difficulty against him, attempting to punch him in the face.
Shunsuke catches the punch, grunting a bit, and kicks the robot in the stomach to send it sliding back, before leaping back himself, aiming his Winchester at the robot, and firing, the robot taking the hit as a dent appears in its chestplate. It leaps at Shunsuke to swing a kick at him, Shunsuke dodging as the robot uses its other foot to kick Shunsuke in the stomach. "Guh!" Shunsuke yelps, before the robot places its hand on his head and delivers a small electric shock to his brain, knocking him out.
== Chapter 260 - Revelation of Mystery ==
Jack slowly opens his eyes, his head still throbbing in pain, as he sat up, holding his head, groaning, and looked around. He, Andromeda, Candice and Shunsuke were in a small, cube-shaped cell, with a speaker inside and a locked door on one side. "It appears you four are now awake." Fulke says on-speaker. "On this closed channel, I will explain to you our machinations, if you are willing to listen, and willing to cooperate." "We don't really have a choice--agh...do we?" Jack retorts. "Very well." Fulke replies.
A hologram of a series of massive metal rings surrounding Procyon, with a series of ring-shaped constructs on the rings, appears. "This is a Matryoshka Brain, a megastructure that will make us, the residents of Procyon, into immortal gods." Fulke explains. "We intend to make it double as a Nicoll-Dyson Beam, and use it to destroy New Earth." "WHAT?!" Jack screams. "Once the governance of the Rosenstock Family is gone, the Human Star Realm will fall under our perfect rule." Fulke states.
"Is he crazy?!" Shunsuke shouts. "There are so many people on New Earth! It's the Capital of the Human Star Realm!" "I'm sure you are thinking that this is inhumane." Fulke remarks. "It is poetic justice. As the Rosenstocks destroyed our world, soon we will do the same to theirs, after the Netraxians are defeated and we have the resources and funding to create the Computer Star Laser, under the pretense of creating an immense defensive weapon and godlike computation device, which we truthfully are."
"Th-this is horrifying..." Candice breathes, trembling, her pupils dilated and the bags under her eyes, which she had ever since Kasper's death, more pronounced than ever. "Now then, I believe I will leave you to yourselves for the time being. Lunch should be arriving in 3.46 hours." Fulke finishes, as the hologram vanishes and the speaker turns off. "DAMMIT!" Jack roars, punching the ground, shaking in terror, but even more so, shaking in pure, white hot, unchecked fury. Fulke...wanted to destroy his home.
== Chapter 261 - Escape of Heroes ==
Jack was banging his fists against the door, screaming in rage. "LET US OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE!" He yells, Andromeda looking on with a face of horror. He couldn't let this happen! He couldn't let Fulke destroy everything he loved, kill everyone he loved, just for some grudge against a long-dead man! He had to stop this! He had to! HE HAD TO!!! HE COULDN'T LET THAT MONSTER TAKE EVERYTHING FROM HIM!!!!! "Jack, please stop! Your hands are bleeding!" Andromeda pleads, her voice cracking.
Shunsuke noticed Candice feeling around the walls, seemingly looking for something. "What are you looking for?" He asks. "The right wire." Candice answers. "When...when Kasper was still with us, he taught me a bit about wiring, specifically how to cause an EMP." "He always was a smart guy." Shunsuke remarks. "I wish he was still here. It's another thing to add to the list of horrible things Darkstar's done." "IS THAT ALL KASPER IS TO YOU?!" Candice shrieks. "AN ITEM ON A LIST?!" "No, I--" Shunsuke starts.
"J-just...just help me break this piece of the wall off." Candice says, her voice trembling. "Alright." Shunsuke replies, walking to where Candice was, and punching the piece of the wall she was pointing at. He did this multiple times, grunting each time, until the metal fell off, revealing the wires. Candice then grabs the red one, and cuts it, causing sparks to fly from it as thuds could be heard from outside the cell. "Let's see if this works." Shunsuke remarks, as he rams the door, yelping in pain, as the door falls.
Drones and robots that had been patrolling the area were currently on the ground, shut down. "What's the range of the EMP?" Shunsuke asks. "Not far, but most weapons should be disabled for much father, at least." Candice answers. "That's all we'll need!" Jack replies, as the four run to the corner, turn it, and see a small squadron of robots there, guarding important looking doors. "I think that's where we need to go." Andromeda remarks. "Yeah, we just have to get past these guys first!" Jack shouts.
== Chapter 262 - The Metal Skirmish ==
Shunsuke rushes first, throwing a punch at a Robot's face to send it crashing into the door, sparking. Andromeda rapidly slashes at more robots, not relenting even for a second so as to try and eventually wear the robots down. Jack runs at a robot and dodges its punch, which noticed was more sluggish than before, and grabs his gun that it had holstered, shooting it in the back of its neck to make it collapse. Candice runs forwards as well, slashing right beneath the kneecaps of a robot that attacks her.
Shunsuke grabs the robot he had punched and starts using it as a battering ram against the door, as Andromeda keeps slashing the other robots to keep them occupied, Candice still trying to incapacitate the robot that was attacking her, as well as the robot fighting Jack, who slides beneath it and rushes towards the door, Shunsuke still using the robot as a battering ram as he finally manages to get the doors open. "We'll hold them off! Deal with Fulke!" Shunsuke shouts. "Don't worry, I will!" Jack shouts back.
"FULKE!" Jack roars, pointing his gun at Fulke, who was staring at a screen, his hands behind his back, which was turned so as to not face Jack. "Are you here to debate ethics with me, Holland?" Fulke demands, sounding exasperated. "I WON'T LET YOU KILL MY FAMILY! THEY LIVE ON NEW EARTH! CANDICE'S FAMILY! SHUNSUKE'S FAMILY! KASPER'S FAMILY! THEY ALL LIVE ON NEW EARTH AND SO DO SO MANY OTHER FAMILIES WHOA RE COMPLETELY INNOCENT! I WON'T LET YOU KILL THEM ALL!" Jack yells.
"This is so much bigger than hundreds of families." Fulke replies coldly. "This system is better off without those from New Earth in general, including you and your friends. You are a blight on the Human Star Realm, on the entire galaxy." Fulke then takes his gun, a segmented, black, large pistol, out of his pocket, and whirls around to face Jack, pointing his gun at him, ready to fire. "Nuisances like yourselves must be eradicated, for the good of all mankind." "You're just like all the other guys." Jack retorts.
== Chapter 263 - Clash of Generations ==
They both fire at the same time, Fulke's bullet ripping right through Jack's, as Jack, shocked, leaps to the side to avoid the bullet, which tears through the head of a robot like paper. Jack fires at Fulke three more times, Fulke sidestepping the bullets as he fires at Jack again, Jack dodging to fire two more times, Fulke firing at one bullet and tilting his head to dodge the other one. Jack pulls the trigger again, but his gun clicks. He searches in his pockets for magazines, but there were none. "Crap..." He mutters.
Jack leaps at Fulke to swing a kick at him, Fulke ducking to avoid it and reloading his gun at the same time, firing at Jack again, Jack swiftly dodging as the bullet goes through the screen and ceiling. Jack dodges yet another bullet fired, and another, taking a bomb out of a compartment and throwing it at Fulke, the bomb exploding right in front of him, Jack coughing from the smoke, covering his mouth with one hand and waving away the smoke with his other, opening his eyes to see the status of Fulke.
He was completely fine!
"WHAT?!" Jack screams, remembering his battle against the Wicked Prodigy. "Yes, a personal forcefield." Fulke says, before once again reloading his gun to fire at Jack. Jack dodges that bullet, sweating and breathing heavily, as he runs at Fulke to try and throw a punch at his face, Fulke weaving to the side to avoid the punch as he fires at Jack's back, Jack rolling out of the way and leaping back, running around Fulke to try and throw off his aim, knowing that as long as he had the visor, that wasn't happening.
The visor...
Jack kept dodging bullets, as he looked at a still-functioning screen to see something about a device capable of creating experimental wormholes about...ten feet apart. "Well, here goes nothing." Jack remarks, taking the device out of a cabinet he finds after dodging a few more bullets, and hiding it behind his back, seeing Fulke aiming at him. "It is time for you to perish, Jackson Holland." Fulke states. "Just try it." Jack replies with a small smile. Fulke, looking annoyed, pulls the trigger...
...right as Jack presses the button on the wormhole device.
== Chapter 264 - Eyes of Demons ==
The visor fell to the ground, cracked from Fulke's own bullet, which the wormhole had redirected towards the visor before dissipating. Fulke was a bit slumped, and had been pushed back from the force. "It's over, Fulke! You're going to prison!" Jack shouts. "You really think...that the lead researcher against the Netraxians...would go to prison?" Fulke growls, lifting his head up to glare at Jack, with eyes that, aside from the glowing white pupils, were completely pitch black, with cracks surrounding them.
"Wh-what?!" Jack yelps. "Yes...now, you know." Fulke replies. "But...the issue for you remains. I cannot be incarcerated, not until this war is over." "You're a monster." Jack retorts. "Only a monster would kill countless families, countless men, women and children, just to get back at an old, long dead king." "I merely want to see improvement, Jack. Monarchies are archaic, the rule of Matryoshka Brains is the future." Fulke retorts back. "Rosenstock has no heirs, once he is dead, the government has to change!"
Jack looks on at Fulke for a bit, before closing his eyes, his fists shaking in rage. "If we tell no one about your plans...will you let us out of here?" Jack asks. "Knowing that you assume what I can predict and monitor, I expect you to keep your word." Fulke replies. "You may go, so long as you keep our machinations a secret from Rosenstock and his Royal Guard." Jack nods in response. "Then you will find the pod you arrived in at the docking bay. It has not been moved since it arrived." Fulke says.
"This is officially the worst place I've ever been." Shunsuke remarks, as the four along with the other interns walk towards their pod. "I'm just hoping we can put all this behind us, and forget about this place." Andromeda replies. Jack and Candice stayed silent throughout the conversation, and got into the pod, which, once they left the station, immediately warned them about a distress signal from the Manticore Strike Force! "What the?!" Jack shouts. "Whatever that is, they need our help!"