Marvel: Neo Journey

Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Price of money



These

last three months

had been the worst terror of Smith's life.

He never wanted any of this.

To begin with, he just thought they were going to receive some injections or something like that.But this isn't for him.

This is too much for me.

Damn, fine, maybe they're not human—or whatever people say.

POV Smith

I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

I feel like a fucking monster.

I helped make these people suffer, and I don't care if they're mutants instead of humans.

Nothing— I mean NOTHING—should go through what these people are going through.I tried to help, even if just a little.

Carina is a 16-year-old girl with the power to absorb and discharge electrical energy, which basically means she's been turned into a goddamn battery.

One time, I tried swapping her out with a battery I created, just to give her a break.

It worked... for 10 minutes.

Damn it, I tried everything to ease these people's pain, but the more I try, the more I realize this isn't how it's going to work.

I even thought about secretly freeing some of them, but that's impossible.

This cursed place is surrounded by every kind of escape and security protocol, and for someone like me—just a regular ex-university student—it's practically suicide.Jofrey is one of the mutants I desperately tried to help.

That poor old man suffers every day because his power makes his skin literally turn into gold.

I don't think I even need to explain what he goes through, and that's just one of many tragic cases where I failed to help, even a little.

Today, I'm going to ask Reiner if it's possible to at least free some of the children—because they're not even dangerous.

I knock on Reiner's door, and after a few seconds, I hear his voice say:

"Come in."And when I step inside, I see something grotesque, to say the least.

End of POV

Reiner looks like a monster, his features deformed and horrific.

His skin is now pale green, with tubes filled with neon green liquid connected to tanks on his back.

He acts as if nothing is happening, even though one of the tubes is leaking the strange green substance.

Reiner: "Oh! Mr. Smith, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Reiner speaks in noble words, but his tone is mocking as he flashes that distorted, monstrous, and twisted smile.

Smith feels the urge to vomit at the grotesque sight, but he swallows his fear and nausea and begins to speak.

Smith: "I-I came here to ask you to free some of the children."

Reiner's smile fades, and his expression twists as if he's starting to get angry, though he still doesn't interrupt Smith.

Smith: "I-I know it might seem like it'll cause problems, but look, they don't even have strong powers, they could just be—"

Reiner: "Enough."

Reiner finally interrupts.

He stands up from where he was sitting, clearly irritated, and starts walking toward Smith.

As he moves, the tubes connected to him detach, leaking their glowing liquid.

When he reaches Smith, he speaks as if barely containing his rage.

Reiner: "Do you have any idea how much I fought for this place, huh?"

Reiner places a hand on Smith's shoulder as he continues.

Reiner: "I needed government permission just to 'research' mutants, so don't come at me with that bullshit idea."

Reiner starts tightening his grip on Smith's shoulder, and Smith begins to panic at the sheer strength of the "being" in front of him, trying to pull away.Unfortunately, at this moment, Reiner was far stronger than Smith.

Reiner: "And then you, a child who hasn't even gotten out of diapers yet, come here and tell me to free these monsters?"

Reiner releases Smith, lifts his arms as if praising himself, and declares:

Reiner: "I AM THE HERO HERE! THE SAINT WHO SAVES THE WORLD FROM THIS PLAGUE CALLED MUTANTS!"

Reiner lowers his arms, looks at Smith as if he were an idiot, and adds:

Reiner: "Don't confuse who the real heroes are here, Smith."He then walks back to his desk, ready to sit down, and finishes:Reiner: "It seems you still don't understand why no one here calls this place a laboratory."

Reiner sits down and stares at Smith, who finally realizes how foolish he has been for not understanding it until now.

This place was never a laboratory.

Smith's eyes widen in realization—this place...

Is a slaughterhouse.

Noticing that Smith has finally understood, Reiner waves a hand, dismissing him.

Smith's POV

No.

No.

NO!

I find myself running down the corridors, tears streaming down my face.

FUCK.What have I done?!

I CONDEMNED THESE PEOPLE.

I...

I THOUGHT THAT...

DAMN IT!

I don't even know how I ended up here—back in my quarters.

I collapse onto the floor.

Damn it, this is all my fault.

If only I hadn't given them that damned technology...

I glance at a radar sitting on my desk, and panic starts creeping in.

I really thought I could make them feel better in this cursed place.

How stupid could I be?

How do you make someone feel better when they're being tortured?

At that moment, I remember all the mutants who have died here, and I realize something.

'I did this.'

When it finally sinks in that everything happening here is because of my damned invention, I break.

I rush to the bathroom and empty the rest of my lunch into the toilet.

When I come back out, I crawl onto my bed, curling up in a fetal position—trying to escape the harsh reality

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I don't know how long I've been in this position or what I've missed outside.

But I know one thing—I can't change what I've already done, and that, I am certain of.

But I know what I can do.

I'm just trying to gather the courage to do it.

End of POV

Smith stood in front of a steel door with a small plaque that read "Surveillance Room."

He stared at the door with a look of sadness, knowing exactly what he was about to do. He knew this would make him hated by everyone, but he didn't regret it. After standing there for about twenty seconds, he finally spoke.

Smith: "My father once told me that freedom always comes at a cost..."

He paused, took a deep breath, then continued as he opened the door.

Smith: "How I wish he had been wrong."

Inside, a massive computer dominated the room, displaying hundreds of screens, each with numbered panels. Three chairs sat on either side of the console.

As soon as he opened the door, the men monitoring the screens turned to see who had entered. But before they could fully turn around, they were met with a barrage of gunfire.

A storm of bullets tore through the three men, instantly killing one and gravely wounding the other two.

The one holding the smoking M4 was none other than Smith. He had abandoned the side of humanity—now, he stood with the mutants.

Without even glancing at the bodies, he walked straight to the computer.

One of the men's corpses had slumped over the control panel, blocking the buttons. Smith shoved the lifeless body aside, revealing the controls.

For a moment, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of buttons—until he spotted a red one labeled "ALARM."

Without hesitation, he pressed it, triggering the facility's alarms. The deafening wail of sirens filled the halls.

Then, Smith began pressing every button he could find, desperately trying to cause as much chaos as possible. After about two minutes of frantic button-mashing, frustration got the better of him.

He had an idea.

Dashing out of the surveillance room, Smith sprinted toward his destination.

As he ran, he passed dozens of scientists and guards, all scrambling in confusion, trying to figure out what was happening.

After two minutes of sprinting, he arrived, breathless, at his target. With one final push, he shoved the door open, revealing massive generators.

Seeing that no one else had arrived yet, Smith pulled out his mutant identification device. But instead of the usual satellite dish on top, this one had a large aluminum sphere.

Gripping it tightly, he muttered to himself.

Smith: "I really hope this works... or I'm dead."

Sweating nervously, he pulled out some duct tape and began securing the device to the generators.

Three minutes passed as he fastened the contraption in place. Once satisfied, he turned it on.

Nothing.

Smith: "WHAT THE HELL?! WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!"

Panicked, he started frantically pressing buttons, trying to troubleshoot the problem.

Finally, in sheer frustration, he slammed the butt of his gun against the device.

A burst of electricity sparked from it, and then—

THE ENTIRE SLAUGHTERHOUSE WENT DARK. EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN.

Smith: "YESSSSSSSSSSS! LET'S GO!"

Checking his phone, he realized it wasn't working either. The blackout had killed every powered device in the facility.

He opened the generator room door and peeked outside—no one was there.

Smith took off, carefully navigating the facility to avoid drawing attention.

For fifteen minutes, he crept through the hallways.

Then—

A massive explosion shook the entire building.

Realizing stealth was no longer an option, he broke into a full sprint toward the exit.

But as he rounded the next corner, he stopped dead in his tracks.

A scene straight out of a horror movie unfolded before him.

Dozens of bodies—shredded into countless pieces. Blood splattered the walls, even the ceiling.

The sight alone was enough to make him freeze, but what truly terrified him wasn't the massacre—it was the figure standing in the center of the carnage.

A child, seemingly around fifteen years old, stood there, drenched in blood. His eyes glowed an unnatural, vibrant red, and his lips curled into a wicked grin—revealing abnormally sharp, vampiric canines.

In one hand, he gripped a trident. In the other, a strange dagger.

Neo.

The boy's crimson gaze locked onto Smith as he spoke, his voice dripping with eerie excitement.

Neo: "Finally... someone else to add to the pile."

__________________________________________________________________________

Hey guys, I finally know what Power Stones are for! From what I've learned, they help boost my fic. So if you're enjoying Neo's adventures, send some Power Stones my way!

Also, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone reading or even leaving a comment—it helps a lot! And as always, if you have any suggestions on how I can improve my writing, feel free to share!


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