Social Order

Part 52

Wincing, Nate groaned as he staggered to his feet. Wrapping an arm around his bleeding side, he worked to pry the hand off his shoulder. Now that he wasn't being dragged, removing the deep steel nails was easier. No less painful though. The hand fell to the floor with a heavy clang, before he looked around for a way out. Matthew had said something about the ball on the very top of the building. He guessed he was one or two floors below. Sighing heavily, he walked toward a door but took a second to touch the broken horse head. It may have been just a machine... but in the short time that he had it... he had bonded with it. Patting the head, he mumbled out loud to himself. "I'll be back for you. I can fix you." Making his way to the door, he kicked it in to reveal the emergency stairway. Taking the stairs up, he tried to get up there quickly. Upon reaching the top floor, he stopped as he heard a loud scream and a crash. Switching his pocket tool to a wire cutting knife, he jimmied the lock until it broke.

Yanking the door open, he took in the scene. The room was almost empty except for a set of three cubicles around a circular holographic platform. Some of the glass from the cubical walls were smashed apart like something or someone had been thrown through it. Laying in a pile of glass was Matthew. He looked beaten and cut up. As Matthew groggily noticed Nate in the doorway, he yelled out to him. "Nate! GO GET MARK!" Nate's eyes drifted to the farthest cubical, where a man in a white uniform was standing with a cold expression. The man was unfazed as he stared Nate down, regaling to him. "Yes, Mongrel. Run back to your precious Slums. This doesn't concern you. It's above you." Nate glared at Matthias, growling out. "Good. Makes you a bigger target." Matthias casually walked around the platform, replying calmly. "What is it with you filthy mutts? Do enjoy picking fights that you can't win? Are you THAT desperate to be something that you aren't?"

Nate shook his head, answering coolly. "Maybe we are just sick of people thinking their better than us. What better way to piss you off than to prove that we CAN survive? That no matter what you do... We will always be here. Cause if this is a heaven... Then there is certainly a hell. And when you fall... We'll be the first thing you see!" Matthias shook his head with a sigh, stating out neutrally. "Why can't you see? You are an infection. All this filth you drag in... You're poisoned words. It all just goes to prove how dangerous the Slums have gotten. You had a chance to better yourselves. Make a community all your own. Instead, as you say... you turned it into a hell on earth. Wasted lives and potential. You are survivors of your own broken flaws and ideals. War is in your blood. Being a murderer is all you will ever know how to be." Nate pointed to Matthew as he bitterly snapped out. "And what you are doing to Matthew? How is that any different?!" Matthias stopped short, retorting darkly. "You murder for selfish reasons. What I am doing IS different. Order has to be restored."

Nate shook his head, snapping back. "No. What you are about to do is chaos!" Matthias sighed heavily, informing him dryly. "You think too small. This has to be done to fix the issues that just refuse to stop being a problem. Mark needs to understand. Valhalla is perfect as long as its leaders are perfect. Chaos is already spreading. To fix it... We need to wipe the slate clean. Start over. Mark was lonely. This time he will have Mother at his side. He doesn't need brothers and he doesn't need the Slum Dogs." Matthew weakly sat up, blood leaking down from his nose as he told Matthias. "She's going to kill you... Don't you care?" Matthias slowly turned his head toward Matthew, answering without any emotion. "I'm not the first to die for the cause. She's made many of us over time. We each knew our place. To keep Mark focused on the task at hand. By killing you and those damn Slum Mongrels... I will have died for the betterment of Valhalla. And the death of you and that other Slum Slut, will push Mark back into being the leader he needs to be."

Matthew shook his head, scooting across the floor as Matthias started toward him again. Nate flipped over the pocket tool knife in his hand, throwing it at Matthias's head. The knife soared through the air, then hit a forcefield and shot off in another direction. Matthias slowly turned to look at Nate, growling out sternly. "That was VERY unwise, Mongrel." Nate dropped his hand from his side, letting his blood drop off his fingers as he snapped out at Matthias. "You want him? You've got to go through me first! Or are you afraid to lose to a Mongrel?" Matthias turned to face Nate, raising his hands to beckon him closer as he said coolly. "By all means. Come at me. I'd love to see you try to get me." Nate scoffed at Matthias, stating out in a challenging tone. "Shall I wait for you to call a Valkyrie then? If you're going to hide behind your fucking shield. Like a scared coward." Matthias rolled his eyes, turning back to Matthew, until Nate piped out sternly. "So, it's true? The Elite of Security can't even fight his way out of a plastic bag?" Matthew swallowed, continuing to scoot across the floor as he said nervously. "Nate? What are you doing?! He'll kill you!"