"Great idea." Benjamin's voice was low at first—dangerous. Then it detonated. "Great FUCKING idea, Aya!"
He stormed toward her, boots heavy on the concrete. "So much for saving John, aye?! Didn't I fucking tell you? Didn't I say he's no different than all those other cunts?!"
Aya flinched but held her ground. "He's broken, Benjamin. That's all. Just... broken."
Benjamin's hand shot out. A table flipped—metal screeching, contents scattering. "How about you get the FUCK out of here, ya wanker?!"
"Benjamin!" Hannah's voice cut through like a blade. She grabbed his wrist, fingers digging in hard enough to hurt. "Enough."
He yanked free but didn't advance. His chest heaved. His eyes stayed locked on Aya.
"This plonker kept running her mouth about saving him," he spat. "And now look! The twat nearly killed us all!"
Tears welled in Aya's eyes. Benjamin had never screamed at her like this. Never. "I didn't know he'd—he was never like this before they took him!"
"He's gone insane," Mitch said quietly.
"Hannah, you mentioned John was smart, yes?" Mitch asked.
"Intelligent people are known to have fragile minds, HEX HQ probably tortured John mentally inside that chamber." Mitch said.
"If John really is as Aya said he is, then yes. He's just broken." Mitch said.
Benjamin's jaw tightened. "Don't let her get in your head, mate. Rich is rich. They're all cruel bastards. Every last one."
Emma tilted her head. "Then why do you trust Hannah?"
Benjamin opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
The silence stretched. Grew teeth.
"She saved us," he finally said. "Countless times."
"And John didn't?" Aya's voice was small but steady.
Benjamin recalled that time where John and him got into a fight yet John pushed him out the way before the rich came crashing in, saving Benjamin from being caught by them.
He turned and walked away without a word.
The room exhaled.
"Oh." Hannah's voice cut the silence. "One more thing."
Everyone turned.
"Sovereign's on my trail now."
The air changed. Something cold crawled down spines. The Maggots had heard stories. They'd seen him once—just once—and that single glimpse had taught them why they called him the Strongest. Standing near him felt like death itself breathing down your neck.
Only Benjamin, Mitch, and Emma had never felt it. Not really.
Emma cleared her throat. "Maybe... maybe we could recruit John back? If Sovereign's coming for Hannah, we're all targets anyway. We could fight together."
Hannah's laugh was hollow. "Emma. If you cloned me a hundred times, we'd all lose to Sovereign in under ten seconds. None of you could truly fathom just how strong that man is."
She looked at the floor. "If Sovereign finds me, run. Don't look back. I'd rather die than fight him."
"Wow, he's that strong? But if our entire goal is to take down the empire and remove inequality, we'd need to kill Sovereign, right?" Mitch asked.
"That's the thing. I genuinely have no clue how we could ever kill that monster." Hannah said, her voice low in energy. She could never even imagine Sovereign being killed.
"Let's just discuss this tomorrow, guys. It's been a long day." Alfie Sr said.
"I can't, I'll have to keep my eyes open, Sovereign is probably looking for me right now." Hannah said.
"If that's the case then let's take turns looking out. If anyone comes, then whoever's scouting will wake us up." Milo suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Mitch said.
The rest agreed, Benjamin was in a dark room, staring at...nothing.
"Thank you, seriously. I really appreciate you guys." Hannah said, smiling.
---
John woke up in a medication room, his eyes glazed and unfocused as the heavy fog of anesthesia began to lift.
"Where am I...?" John said.
A man walked in, around 6 feet 8 to 6 foot 10. A body of pure raw muscle. It was Sovereign, he could tell without even looking at the man's face.
"You!" John immediately tried to get up, but his body was far too weak to do anything.
Sovereign grinned, amused at John's behavior. "You're not scared, not even a bit... You're fuming inside, your rage burning hotter than the sun."
"What would there to be afraid of someone like YOU?! You're the most evil human in history! You truly deserve the worst punishment in existence, asshole!" John shouted.
"How did you kill them?" Sovereign asked.
"Kill who?" John said.
"The executives. That time when you escaped, remember?" Sovereign said.
John recalled, "I don't know.."
Sovereign's eyes narrowed, analyzing John, listening to his heartbeat, smelling his emotions. He wasn't lying.
"Oh well, that's not why I'm here anyways." Sovereign grabbed a chair and sat next to John laying down on the bed.
"I want you to come back the empire." Sovereign said.
"I'd rather die." John said immediately.
Sovereign's smile didn't falter. "You know you'll never take down the empire, right? Billions of us, John. And the people you want to help? They can't even look at the sky without trembling. If they fought, it'd be a slaughterhouse. They don't have powers. We do."
"I'm on neither side." John's voice was hollow now. "The poor will always find a reason to betray you. The rich are heartless bastards without a drop of remorse. There's no side worth choosing."
"Then what is your goal, John?"
"Destroy everything." John met his eyes. "No one suffers if there's nothing left to suffer in."
Sovereign considered this. "And how could you destroy everything with nothing?"
John didn't answer.
"Why would I join you?" John asked. "What would you do if I went back to them?"
Sovereign's smile softened—almost gentle. "Nothing. Because you won't go back. You said it yourself—you're on neither side. The poor have nothing to offer you." He spread his hands. "But the empire? No more hunting. No more running. I'll even forgive everything you've done."
The offer hung in the sterile air.
John stared at him. At the hand extended toward him. At the monster offering him a seat at the table.
"What do you say, warrior?"