Night One Hundred And Forty Three
Age 1991
"Hero Law! Meet Hero Law!"
The large metal doors fully swung open as Shelly, and Ken, jumped away from the door and stared at it. Hero let out a small gulp as he turned away from Newt who ad a smug look on his face as he laughed.
"I've been saving this for a while now." Newt laughed. "This one... Hero he is special."
"Wait..." Hero stopped for a second as he frowned. "Did you say he?"
A quiet pair of foot steps could be heard as something began to step out of the vault. It was a small white dog... The dog was extremely small and covered in thick white fur. He had a small red collar on with the words 'Hero' on the front of it as well as a small key chain. The dog let out a quiet bark as it looked around slowly.
"He's... Adorable! Can we keep him!" Ken asked shooting a look at Hero. Shelly just frowned as she stared at the dog. "Hero?"
Hero wasn't saying anything. He was just staring at the dog. "That's..." Hero's frown grew as he began to remember 'that' vision he saw.
In the flash back he saw them... Mr. Hyde before he had gone crazy, and the first Hero, before she had also gone crazy...
"Oh he's adorable." The scientist said petting the dog. "What's his name."
The girl let out a small snort as she pet the dog. "My dad was kind of lame when picking the name. He called it Hero naming it after me. He has a problem with naming things after me I guess..." She laughed. She turned staring at 'him' for a moment. "Oh Row? Do you want to hold Hero?" She asked slowly handing the small dog down to the little boy with snow white hair and ruby red eyes.
"Thank Ms. Hero!" The boy said happily as he was handed the dog.
Hero shook his head snapping himself out of it when he heard the loud laughter of Newt behind him. "I'll admit it..." Newt said coughing out in pain as he inched back. "My father was smart. And he had so many resources. I don't know how he did it but he did it..."
"Did what?" Ken asked frowning.
"Hero." Newt whistled pulling out a small metal bone and getting the dog to look over to him as he smirked. "Kill."
"Bark."
"He's so cute-" The dog fired forward at an insane speed slamming its head into Ken's stomach so hard she was sent flying back crashing across the floor slamming into the wall. "O... Ow..."
"Bark."
"Ken!" Shelly gave a heavy frown as she slashed her arms out shooting out a blade of pink flame which suddenly was put out when a wave of water rose up from the ground and put the flames out. "What!" She asked in shock. The dog turned to her letting out another bark as the water seemed to form around the dog, forming a massive blue water dog bigger than a car. Hero the mutt rested in the center of this large water dog letting out another loud bark as he somehow controlled it. It slammed its paw out smacking her across the head and sending her tumbling back before its body suddenly glowed and the water dog broke down into a puddle once more.
"Pretty cool right..." Newt asked coughing out in pain. He tossed the bone over to Dog Hero who jumped up catching it in his teeth and began to nibble on it. "I don't know how my father did it but he managed to give this mutt an Equation. A Caster Type who is able to control Water... I found him all alone, at the brink of death in that damn lab... He was so hurt... So I took him in. He's my strongest weapon! Now Hero... Go and eat Hero." The dog looked up staring across at the human Hero who stood there. It cocked its head at the boy as if it was remembering him.
Hero frowned as he stared at the dog. "Do you... Do you remember me?"
"Bark."
"Is that a yes?"
"Bark." The water formed over the dark forming a massive hydro canon which fired out a beam of water so fast it sliced Hero's left shoulder open causing his blood to spill out.
'I don't think he remembers you.'
"Shit!" Hero yelled clutching his bleeding wound. "What the hell!'
"Bark!"
'Don't feel to bad though. After all it was me he met. Not you. I was the one who pet him.'
"Bark!" The water formed into a massive pair of jaws which fired out wrapping around Hero's leg like some kind or iron bear trap. It suddenly raised up and slammed down over, and over again into the ground cracking it, as the dog slammed Hero around. "Bark! Bark! Bark!" The water formed into a large sword which fired out at Hero.
"Enough!" Hero's right arm morphed into its clawed form as he raised it up catching the sword. Or at least he tried to but the blade stabbed right through his palm coming out the other end. He didn't seem to notice, or simply didn't seem to care though as he landed back on the ground snapping the water bear trap out of his leg. The sword was still stabbed in his hand as he wobbled slightly. "Alright puppy... You want to fight... Fine... We'll fight!" Hero yelled charging towards the dog as fast as he could.
'Yeah... No.'
"What-" Hero's right arm shifted back to normal as he fell forward landing flat on his face not moving an inch. His eyes were wide but he didn't seem to be moving any more.
"What just happened?" Newt asked.
"Bark." The dog Hero stared down at the Enforcer for a second before creating a massive water fist and dropping it down. Before it could hit Hero though Ken came flying forward grabbing the boy and dodging the attack as the fist slammed into the ground.
Ken let out a hiss as she set Hero on the ground gently and turned to look back at the dog. Shelly moved past her and placed her hands on Hero healing him but he didn't wake up... "Whatever happened to him is something mental and not physical..." Shelly sighed. "He's out cold."
"Looks like he bailed on us!" Ken sighed pulling out a black spike. "Oh well... We can take down this dog right?"
"Of course we can."
Newt let out a chuckle. "A dog, who can control water, going up against a cat, and fire. This should be good..."
***
"Where am I-" Hero felt someone slam into him as he dropped back into the ocean of red. "Row-" He tried to gasp out but his head was dunked under the red water... "G... Get off of me idiot!" Hero yelled rolling over and throwing Row off of him.
Row tumbled into the water but got back up to his feet sneering as he glared at Hero. "You were actually going to fight and harm that dog..."
"Why the hell do you care? You didn't even care about your own little brother but your care about that dog-"
"Vil's a failure!" Row yelled. "Not only is he weak, he went and had to go become evil."
"He went evil because we weren't there for him-"
"Don't say we!" Row hissed grabbing Hero by the front of his jacket and slamming his head forward in a powerful headbutt. "I was asleep for years. I'm still asleep on the verge of waking up. It's your job to deal with it while you're awake. But what have you actually done huh? When I wake up some serious changes will be brought forth."
Hero glared at Row. "You're not waking up. This is my body."
Row's sneer grew larger as he looked down his nose at Hero. "Hero... Are you afraid of me?" He had asked that question before. Hero hadn't answered then. He still didn't answer staying silent as he glared at Row. "I'm going to wake up one day. I get closer and closer. And when I do you'll be put in the same state I was. Nothing. No void, no heat, no light, no sound. Just darkness. No... Not even darkness... It was horrible you know. Being asleep for so long like that. I couldn't event think or feel. I was just the bases of instincts, and knew somehow, something was wrong. Imagine feeling nothing but fear, but you can't actually feel anything. Imagine knowing you need to get out, but you can't actually form thoughts. When I was asleep I wasn't Row Law. I was just a concept of pure agony remembering every bad thing that ever happened in my life, but unable to actually know what those memories were. It was pure hell, being asleep so you could exist. I refuse to go back to that state of existence! The same existence you'll face!" His foot flew out slamming it down into Hero's head.
Hero hit the water face first as he stared down at his reflection not meeting Row's gaze. "I'll... I'll find a way to stop you... I can't go away... I'm real... I'm..."
"You're my dreams. A naive child thought you up, thinking that he could save this world. Everything you are, everything you will be is because I thought you up. It's just a shame that boy who created you, didn't know he only dreamed of nightmares."
Hero slowly stood up glaring back at Row now. "No... I'm real. I might not have been when you first created me. Maybe I was just your reflection. But I'm not you. And you aren't me."
"Well accept it or not." Row sneered folding his arms. "I'm growing in power. Pretty soon I'll start to be able to take you over again... For now though you're gonna stay put. I'm not going to let you hurt Hero." Visions of that dog slowly crept up to his mind.
"Why do you care! It's a dog?" Hero stopped as he stared at Row for a moment. "Wait... Row... Did... You never named me after Ms. Hero Law did you... You named me after the dog..."
Row took a deep breath as he looked up to the black sky that was the void they rested at. "I never had much you know. I was made in a lab with the only goal being to kill God, and take his job over, so I could keep this world safe. I barley even got to see my brother. But Piero, Ms. Hero, Mr. Hyde, they were sort of nice to me. But I knew that they didn't really care. I was just a sword to them. Something to be pointed at the enemy. As long as I could kill for them, they would keep me around. But that damn mutt... Now he was something else. I think... I think he might have been my friend."
Hero stopped as he shook his head slowly getting some of the memories that went through Row's head. "So... Your own brother you could care less about, but that dog..." Hero frowned as he saw them all.
"All of this because of a dog..."
"What?" Hero asked looking up at Row.
Row frowned. "I didn't say that?" He shrugged.
"Wait... But then..."
The entire void began to shake and ripple as Row, and Hero stared with wide eyes as something began to rise out of the red lake... It was covered in so much red they couldn't make any of it out. But they could feel it. The primal energy that was rolling off of him. That crackling power. If Master Storm was like staring down an on coming train, than this man, no, this thing, was like watching the very universe come to life. It wasn't actually moving. Everything else was simply bending around it allowing it to get to where it needed. This whole void, of infinity was nothing but this things way to move.
"I was confused..." It's voice was so loud... Like hearing a trillion exploding stars, all detonate billions of times over... He wasn't light, darkness, sound, solid, liquid, or gas. He just was. "When I felt the Dream Crest be activated once more I figured something was wrong... So... You're the one who wants to kill me? How many programs have they made so far... Still... I suppose using my DNA for this one was a smart idea..."
"Oh my God..." Hero said with wide eyes when he realized who was currently standing in his mind.
"We might be in trouble..." Row said shrinking down. It was the first time he had even showed a small bit of fear.
The... God? Thing slowly morphed to void down as it bent over and stared at Hero, and Row... "Hmm... Yes... I suppose that could be a fun... Hmm... Oh? Interesting... You've mastered the Crest beyond even the previous owner... Creating a whole personality with hopes and dreams... Yes... I think this might be a little fun. So you wish to slay me Row? Than... Come get me... I'll be waiting. Or... Perhaps one day I'll come to you..."
And just like that Hero was sitting back up in the stone building with wide eyes. He couldn't stop his body from shaking, and he was sure he likely wet himself. "What... What the... What was that..."
'I... I think that was our father... So... That's the one I have to kill...'
"You... You were made to kill that..." Hero asked his teeth clattering.
"What are you talking about?" Hero jumped and turned seeing Newt was standing next to him. "Hey by the way your friends aren't doing to good."
"What..." Hero turned seeing the Dog Hero was currently standing on Ken, and Shelly, who were both down. "Oh..." Hero slowly stood up wobbling slightly. He felt sick at his stomach but he pushed it down. Row seemed to have gone silent to no longer saying anything.
"You're gonna fight him now?"
"No..."
"What?"
Hero stepped forward as the dog growled and jumped at him only to suddenly land in Hero's arms. Hero held the dog in a tight hug as he slowly began to pet it making its tail wag as it let out a loud happy bark and began to lick him.
"I don't think I want to fight anymore today..."