Protectors- Consequence

Chapter Twenty Three: The Power of Greiger

Zachary's screams carried into the night as Noctum was slashed brutally in the neck, ripping his airways open and causing him to collapse. Spirit fought valiantly against the remaining monsters, but their numbers and power were too much to handle. That was when the smoke suddenly lifted, a gale force knocking away one of the beasts as the wind blew ribbons of blood from Noctum's wounds. Instinctively, Spirit commanded the skin to heal, to fuse together and to not leave a scar, and somehow, it did. Wraith and Draedon reached the other two as Adam shot bolt upright, feeling more energised than he had in a very long time,

"Let's get Zachary and put an end to this," he said, just as a mechanical whirl sounded behind him, 

Turning, the group came face to face with Greiger, who looked enraged at the sight of the lack of smoke. Calming his rage, he brought his face into a smile, and beckoned, his eyes locked on Noctum's. Knowing what he had to do, Adam Oughton signalled for his friends to leave as he stepped out towards the cyber werewolf, cracking his neck as the power of the Chrysalis flowed through his veins,

"I didn't think you'd realise that the gasses in the area contained the modified Chrysalis particles," Greiger noted, "you've surpassed my expectations, and hell, you even have the same look in your eyes that you had back then, on the day you killed my family,"

Adam tried to force his mind away from the pain he knew he had caused Greiger, but failed miserably. Visions of the dead lingered around him, whispering just out of earshot, but it was his duty to forget the voices, to ignore the agitated whispers, to keep on living for the sake of others. Greiger's scarlet core began to glow and spin as his eyes were obscured by red dots,

"I got upgraded," He stated, "the greatest bioengineer on the planet, Annabelle Stone's plan is coming to an end. Don't try and talk about manipulation to me, because I have only truly begun to understand what it means to work for a cause that you want more than life itself,"

Noctum charged at Greiger, but the man held up a teleporter, and even as the vigilante's fist slammed into his opponent, the two were sent to some place far away, leaving the Protectors alone again,

"We need to find Zachary," Spirit ordered, "Adam's got this fight,"

"Did you see how Greiger was powering up," Shaine countered, "He doesn't have a chance against that guy,"

"Incorrect," Zavant observed from within Draedon, "there is no technology on the planet, not even something I could create that has a chance of defeating Noctum right now. Nothing short of a Thermobaric bomb could even damage him,"

"That's the type of bomb that kills oxygen," Spirit noted, "but how would that work, he created his own oxygen when he and Apis fought in the upper atmosphere that one time,"

"That was different," Draedon took over again, "there was a lack of air, not a total absence of it. It would be like being trapped in a vacuum wave for an extended period of time. He's also nowhere near as powerful as back then-"

"Can we stop talking about ways to kill Noctum like we've thought this out before," Shaine interrupted, "it's making me uncomfortable,"

"Yeah, we've gotta figure out where Zachary is," Niamh added on, turning to Lochlan's robotic drone, "do you have a thermal scanner?"

"Yes ma'am," Lochlan replied, looking around quickly, "He's not in any buildings... Wait! He's underground, just below that area," 

He pointed West, and the group set off at a sprint, making up the distance quickly, reaching Adam's house in less than a minute. They bolted indoors, hearing the familiar screams of terror. Shaine's sword sliced right through the locked basement door, and as the group entered the second, secret basement, a horrible, nightmarish sight met their eyes.