************************************
Cassie understood.
Greg and Callum understood later.
The three of them had just been bested in combat against Jacq. It came as a huge blow to them. They had never lost before.
Well, Greg and Callum had lost multiple fights against Cassie, their commander but that was mostly because she had been mutated with special attention and she even has a special skill since she was a commander. She is a great fighter, and it is understandable losing to her.
But, bring trashed hands down against a boy they had tied up and laughed at in their lab some hours ago, was unfathomable. It hurts their pride. Especially the silent blond boy, Callum's.
They started coming to terms with Jacq's strange movements and attitudes, but what was even stranger was the way he ran away down the hall after he had whooped their asses.
Has he run insane? These thoughts bothered Cassie.
She spread the team out in different directions to look for Jacq. She scanned the entire lair with the radar equipped on her suit, yet she couldn't get a precise location where he was.
Yes. Cassie understood the reasons for the sudden change in Jacq. She knew Jacq had been mutated as well but at a more advanced and faster rate than they had been mutated.
She understood the reason for his overabundant rush of power... He mutated without proper attention. It just happened when nobody expected and there was no proper arrangements made to control the orb and gauge the amount of strength that he must have.
The orb had powered up too much and mutated Jacq with too much power... That was the reason he suffered a blast...
These are all the thoughts going on in Cassie's head. Her reasons seemed to be making a lot of sense to her, so she concluded that was the case. I mean, that was the closest explanation you can give for Jacq's erratic behaviour and his insane strength and speed.
And rightly so, she knew nothing about the existence of a system that the one who unlocks the orb's powers will gain if found worthy.
To her best knowledge, the one who possesses the key has unlimited access to make the most advanced technologies and even weapons of mass destruction that can wipe out the world in a single 'poof'.
That was as much as she knew and she held on tightly to this basic knowledge.
*****************
Now, getting back to the business at hand, Cassie scanned the area one more time yet she found no trace of Jacq.
She reached a deserted point of the lairand she could feel some sort of energy radiating right in front of her. Her suit started giving her a warning beep.
She took a step forward, careful as she walked.
An invisible force pushed her back a little as she advanced but she withstood the repelling action. Her whole being was bent on passing through this invisible obstacle, so she concentrated her energy on her legs and on her waist region. She fought back.
A grunt followed each step she took. It was becoming more difficult to move. She another hard step and it became even impossible to move her other leg.
She became stuck.
She cannot move further and the only option left was to move back, yet that was even more dangerous– the invisible barrier had stretched to a limit, encompassing her whole body like a stretched rubber and since she had moved a pretty long distance into the barrier, there was no choice...
The invisible barrier pushed her back at a very high speed. She flew 50 meters into the air before landing on her back with a long bang.
She got up slowly and thought you herself, that was enough trashing for a whole day.. Since she can't break the barrier, she decided go round it.
Then, she set back looking for another door leading to the other side of the hall...
She had went a few distance when she stopped I her tracks. She realized there are other pressing issues to attend to... Her father.
She had forgotten about him. He's no dead yet and he might be up to anything bad at any moment.
Quickly, Cassie communicated to her Greg and Callum to meet her in her father's chamber. She took a left turn from her initial destination and ran with her utmost speed.
Something bad was going to happen, she knew.
*****************************************
"Let's go do my first task," Jacq replied the system.
[Run at your top speed to Jerkins chamber. Your first task starts there]
Jacq obeyed immediately. He ran headfirst along the hall, turning without slowing down at an insane speed with wondrous reflexes.
The metal walls and the smooth floor blurred past his vision as he ran. He was going too fast. He then focused his glinting eyes and he can see everything clearly even as he ran.
He picked up more speed. He was enjoying it.
Ahah... My name is Jacques Albert. I'm the fastest man alive.
[Ugh, I wish you can see me rolling my eyes].
Jacq covered the long hall in 5 seconds, and he nearly crashed into the dead end opposite him.
[Turn left, stupid]
Jacq twisted his upper body and pressed harder on the floor with his right foot. He slides forward a few meters before stopping, then he turned left, running into the fake wall.
He emerged into the light blue room where Professor Jerkins had addressed he and Cassie earlier.
He reduced his speed when he got there and slowed down into a walk. His back emitted blue flame-like energy and his eyes deepened in its blue hue, glinting hard.
Jacq scanned the room with his eyes and saw Professor Jerkins lying awkwardly on the floor.
[Your first task, Jacq, is to eliminate Professor Jerkins. Now.]
The voice sounded as cool as ever in his head. Jacq wouldn't have guessed the system was instructing him about murder if he hadn't heard the voice clearly. It sounded like someone requesting for a cup of coffee, politely... Yet, he had to kill someone as his first task?
Jacq made an awkward laugh.
"No, I'm not killing him. I'm not," he said while shaking his head in disapproval.
[Well, you have no choice. He will only serve as a hindrance in future. You have to do it now.]
Jacq wasn't believing his ears...
"Wait, is this what professor Lambert created? Are you kidding me?" Jacq voiced out, acting shocked. "... And here I am, thinking Prof Lambert is the hero. He created a system that kills a weakling?"
[Professor Lambert created a system that eliminates threats and potential enemies. I am a system of war. There is no room for leniency. Now, get to work. Do it, Jacq. Do it, NOW!!!]
"And what if I turn back?" Jacq asked.
[Try it.]
Jacq weighed his chances of survival if he turned his back. The system is in him now, and he does not know how it works. He might end up dead if he decided to leave. He might as well just kill the evil man and make do with it.
Jacq looked up and saw the old man still lying motionless on the floor. He took the first step towards him and continued on till he got to him.
Jacq raised his right hand and stretched it towards the plasma sword nearby. It flew in safely into Jacq's open hand as if attracted by a magnet.
[Good. You're getting the hang of this]
Shut up!
He raised the sword high above him and a second later, he brought it down forcefully. The sword was halfway from piercing Prof Jerkins' throat when Jacq thought about Cassie.
He stopped the sword midway.
[Don't be a loser. Do it!]
Jacq lost his temper that instant.
"What the fuck?! Get the fuck out of my head. I didn't beg for you to be here! Stop telling me what to do!"
[You brought the key. You brought this upon yourself]
"And the punishment for that is for me to kill someone that has no wronged me?!"
[Aha... You will be surprised how much he has wronged you. Kill him now, Jacq.]
"I don't care if he has wronged me. I don't fucking care. To hell with you," Jacq yelled again and flung the sword away.
He walked away towards the door furiously. He was about to enter the wall when he bumped into Greg. Cassie emerged out of the door as well, with Callum taking the rear. The three of them ran in Prof Jerkins' direction.
The three soldiers stared at him as they walked past. Jacq stared back, expressionless.
His gaze stayed a while on Cassie before he looked away and went out the chamber.
Thanks for bringing me into this, Cassie. Now, I'm leaving. Please, make it easy for me.
Jacq thought bitterly to himself as he got out of the chamber into the long hall.
Just before he ventured out into the hall to search for the portal to get him out, he heard a Cassie's soft sob from Prof Jerkins' chamber, followed by her bitter voice...
"He's dead, Greg... My father is dead... He killed him..."
Jacq was shocked at the revelation that Prof Jerkins was already dead. He continued walking out without looking back though.
I didn't kill him, Cassie. I didn't.
He powered up and his senses peaked... His blue eyes glowed brighter and his body was covered in blue flames.
Farewell, Cassie...
Jacq sped off down the hall into the portal, and disappeared.
[You will regret this, Jacq]... The system warned.