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Literature Text
"Augmentation"
Through the Eyes of the Herz Family and Friends within the Agency
In a medical clinic within the Portal Terminal complex. Realm-00 [Main Realm]. Hub Sanctuary.
Five years had already passed since those events and already through those years, Jonatan had proven to be one of the best Agents that the human sector of the Agency had ever dished out. He'd already risen through the ranks among his peers in his performance and experience in field work. Creating a reputation around him to be a very successful and almost "invincible" operative, especially with his abilities that could be described as above-human standards.
As Jonatan edged closer to his 19th birthday, more and more however he was going to the medical clinics. His checkups increasing in number and length.
"Hey Jona? Are you feeling alright?" Ben, one of Jonatan's closer friends and tag-team partner asked him with concern. Along with Hilda, he was one of the first people to befriend the usually quiet and socially awkward Jonatan in the Training Academy. It might have to do with him coming from a long line of diplomats, born in Jordan, moving to Qatar and Turkey before eventually settling down in his parents' home country of Austria.
"J-Ja!" he lied with a weak smile. "I guess it must be the weather. Ja. Gotta be that."
That however did not convince his friend who responded with a frown. "You've been visiting the clinic more than ever! Are you sure you'll be okay? Your um...Herr Herz I mean, will understand if you need to take a break!"
"Nein, I'll be fine so don't worry," Jonatan reassured him. "Guess it's puberty finally catching up to...wait..."
Suddenly, he found it difficult to talk, let alone stand.
Ben rushed over to help his friend to a nearby seat. "I think it'll be best if you take a break for now, Jona'. I'll hate to see you suddenly collapse right in a middle of a mission! So just take it easy. With the many assignments you and I had taken lately, we both need a breather from all that hardwork!"
"Ja," he cringed. "I suppose a break won't hurt..."
. . .
Meanwhile in the HQ Complex.
Sitting in front of her holograhic screen on her desk, the aging British woman's wrinkling face was full of concern as she examined the long line of medical reports on Jonatan's well-being.
"Are you seeing this, Logan?" she asked her old friend via video call.
"Forgive me, Catherine," he sighed. "But even in my age, reading medical data's like reading French!"
She simply rolled her eyes as she flipped through her holographic screen as she tried to explain. "You do know that Jonatan's been visiting the clinics more often than before, complaining about soreness and aches all over his muscles, yes?"
"Tell me what I don't know," he frowned.
"Call this crazy. Or bloody impossible, but it seems like his muscle mass is growing. Exponentially!"
"How sure are you, Catherine? It might just be from stress and prolonged effects from doing so many assignments. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to let him out there."
She leaned closer to the screen. "I've checked these images and figures of the past several hours! So go on. Tell me I'm lying, Logan. Tell me!"
The old British woman showed the images and figures through Logan's end of the call as they popped up on his screen. The images showing sets of diagrams and photos of the muscle growth within Jonatan. Each successive shot growing more and more severe.
"I'm becoming very concerned for the young lad, Logan. And this could get worse if we don't figure out what's going on with him."
There was a pause from the aging Austrian. He then checked the records on where Jonatan and his tag-team partner Ben had gone to on their latest field assignment. And other, more confidential data.
"I'll call you later, Catherine," he said before he hung up the video call.
"Wait-"
As the feed was cut off, Logan sighed. His attention soon turned to the classified documents on his lap. Documents detailing a world now lost forever.
. . .
After finishing yet another successful mission, both Ben and Jonatan were sitting in a small clear amongst the rubble of a run down alien neighbourhood away from the small victory celebration they could hear in the distance.
"Alright, one alien relic retrieved and returned to their original owners. Done!" Ben exclaimed as he stretched out his back. "And I thought that those rebels wouldn't stop until you suddenly flipped a freaking truck at them, Jona!"
The young man managed a smirk even as he wearily sat down on a makeshift bench. "I guess, Ben."
"I didn't know that you could even do that! Almost as if had you had, like a sudden surge of super strength or something. It was rather impressive! You really need to stop showing off," he joked.
Jonatan laughed a bit before he bit back a wince on his shoulder. "S-Schisse, must be the exhaustion again..."
He then felt another shot of pain which caused him to cringe with a more pained look in his face. No matter how much he tried to mask it
"Jona, are you feeling okay?"
"Ja, I'm fine- AARGHH!" The young man suddenly jolted forward by another and more painful episode as he fell onto the ground. His full body curled onto itself, shaking in agony. "GOTT IT HURTS!"
"Jonatan!" Ben rushed over to his side, before he took out his communicator. "Operator, Medical emergency. Agent down! Get us out! Now!"
Almost instantly after the call, both young men were taken away by a flash of light before turning up into the portal tranfer platforms. As soon as they appeared, a green glow flashed around Jonatan's agonising body and was immediately taken away into the emergency facility of the Medical Centre.
. . .
"[Mister Logan Herz.]" EVA, the security AI of the Agency's framework appeared in front of Logan's desk. "[Your presence is needed ASAP.]"
The old man shut the classified folder in his hands closed before he turned to the AI's presence.
"What now, you electric secretary? What happened this time?"
"[Jonatan Herz is in serious condition.]"
Without another moment's hesitation, he leaped out from his chair. Grabbing his fedora before he rushed out of his office and made his way towards the teleport pads and to the Medical Centre.
There were loud mutters of groans and painful yelps inside of the emergency ward rooms as soon as Logan arrived, finding Catherine waiting for him.
"There you are!" the British medical officer sighed in relief. She looked like a total mess with her messy hair and stressed wrinkling face.
"Where is he, Cath?!" he demanded. "WHERE?!"
She sighed and turned towards the medical room inside through the window. Inside the room, at the centre, Jonatan's wrecked body was bound onto a medical bed with straps restraining him in place so he would not hurt himself or the team of medical staff trying to aid him as he struggled against his binds. Moaning and twitching in agony from this mysterious but excruciating pain.
"We're putting as many anaesthetics as we could think of, Logan. All for the operation."
The old man flared for a moment before realizing exactly what that meant. "Gott, you're pushing through with it?! We don't even know if those documents are accurate! Those sons of bitches never got THAT far!"
"We do not have much of a choice, do we now?! His condition is much worse than we first thought, Logan!" Catherine argued back to him. "But we can do one better than those buggers though! Trust us!"
Deep down however, Logan was conflicted. For as much as he hated seeing Jonatan in pain, he knew that the operation, codenamed "Twilight Soldier" in the documents, would complete the process those fiends in that God-forsaken world started. If their gambit failed, there would be either a dead kid on that table or a monster that would soon be made dead all the same.
"If we don't do this now, the lad will die a slow death."
"Or make us kill him."
"Logan, I know how you feel about this and Jonatan but we only have a very small window for this augmentation surgery to be successful. It's now or never!" She took a deep breath. "I have the Medical Centre's best doctors, surgeons and most advanced tech equipment ready for this! So please. Give us...give him this chance before it's too late!"
Logan bit his tongue back. The painful screams from Jonatan inside the room degraded down to soft groans of agony as a breathing mask covered his face along with needles of anaesthetic on his arms.
"...Logan..."
Jonatan's pained voice, barely making a whisper, called out to him as he tried to reach out for him with his twitching hand.
Taking a deep breath, Logan clasped his hands onto them. "Don't worry, kid. Stay strong!"
"I-I don't wanna die!"
"Nein, you won't. I promise...you will make it!"
Jonatan stared at his foster carer as he struggled to keep his eyes open any longer. Logan saw a tear forming before young man's eyes closed as the anaesthetics took effect.
Sighing, he turned to the surgeons. "I hope you folks know what the hell you're doing."
With a nod, Logan watched as the medical staff took Jonatan away to the operating room for the young man's augmentation surgery. All to spare him from a horrid and painful fate.
If it actually works.
. . .
In a briefing with the Medical Centre's A.I, MIA. Jonatan's condition was not because of a sudden mass muscle expansion. Rather, his entire body was undergoing a sudden spike of biological growth. Muscle, bones, vital organs, brain development, everything. However it was growing in a rate that Jonatan's physical body could no longer keep up with and risked breaking down, essentially shutting it down under such painful pressures. His thick scars that covered much of his skin-tight body meant that he was being suffocated as his inner growth were being pushed against his skin.
All this had to do with whatever the warlords did to Jonatan's genetics in their experiments. The young man had been a ticking genetic time bomb.
"[There is a 11% of the augmentation procedures being successful without any serious and long-term effects on Jonatan Herz's physical well-being,]" MIA informed both Logan and Catherine as they waited in a private hall, overlooking the operating room.
"11%," Logan repeated with growing concern before slamming his fists on the reinforced glass. "As if numbers will help matters!"
"Damaging property won't help either," Catherine sighed as she put a hand on his shoulder. "It is the best we could do. What happens afterward, well, who knows?"
MIA nodded.
"[There will be eight different procedures that must take place during the augmentation surgery. The exact time for the surgery's completion is estimated to be between 16-19 hours. However, given that this is an experimental medical surgery, there are many possibilities of error and complications. The patient will be rendered unconscious to ensure that he will not be able to feel pain. However there are chances that he may experience psychological stress.]"
This only added to Logan's stress and worry. "Tell me some good news, damn you!"
There was only a pause from the AI's blank facade. "[If this augmentation does go as planned, it will elevate Jonatan Herz above what he was in all aspects of his abilities and physical capabilities. He will be beyond human, Mister Herz. But will theoretically remain the same person.]"
Logan sighed resignedly. "Theoretically. He wasn't human in the first place. But better he lives than die a monster."
Both he and Catherine turned to the window down to the operating table where the unconscious body of Jonatan was laid for the procedures. His body stripped bare with only his boxer shorts on, revealing the young man's well-built but scarred body. A blue breathing mask was over his face and sedative needles on his arms. They looked on as the augmentation surgery began.
"I swear," he mumbled to himself. "There has to be some twisted comic book with this same premise."
"Or a bloody American propaganda rag," Catherine sighed before frowning. "Never liked comics anyway."
It was painful for Logan to watch the procedures being performed on his young watch. With each surgeon in their special medical gear, each sort of high tech equipment being used to augment the young man's body, each needle injected, he could see Jonatan's limb twitched and jolted. Still, he resisted the urge to look away.
A hour into the surgery, Jonatan suddenly jolted violently against the bindings of the table as the surgeons tried to steady his condition. Only for said bindings to come off, some of the straps causing a whiplash. Logan leaned forward to the reinforced glass and saw that Jonatan was suffering from a seizure, the surgeons in a frenzy to stabilise him. Only for the young man to suddenly stop, as did his heartbeat.
"Nein, nein..." he gasped, his hand gripping tightly on the window railing bar. "DAMMIT, NEIN!"
For what felt like an eternity. A few seconds later, the heart monitor began to beat, much more faint but still beating. The unconscious face of Jonatan did not change as the surgery continued.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Catherine led a hand onto the wrecked Logan. "Perhaps we should go. It will be a while until the procedures are complete-"
"No," he hissed. "I'll stay here. Watch..."
Catherine paused for a moment but nodded silently to her friend before she turned away. "I'll come back to check on you. Just don't do anything bloody foolish," the British woman told him with a soft sigh as she exited the chamber. Leaving only Logan present, still fixated at the operation room beyond the window.
He was tired, weary and ever more frustrated. And yet he refused to allow himself a moment's respite. Not so long as his watch was suffering there.
"Gott. If anything happens to him..."
. . .
Logan lost track of time as the procedures dragged on. Save for coffee and the occasional beer, he took nothing. His attention focused on the operation. Still, he wasn't sure when one procedure stopped and next one started as surgeons and their machines continued to peck and poke needles onto Jonatan's skin. Looking at the monitors, monitoring his heartbeat, brain activity and even an image of the young man's internal skeleton and muscle structure for any changes or problems. Not once had Jonatan gone through an episode without the occasional twitch or jolt. The pained look on his face made it even worse.
Then at some point, he started noticing strange stirrings from his body. As if it was somehow beginning to mutate.
Even the surgeons took notice. The headtbeat monitor started to signal faster as the brain development chart suddenly went off the scale. They all stopped and stepped back from the operating table where, with reinforced bindings, Jonatan laid as his body twitched and thumped with heavy breathing.
With each passing minute, the surgeons and Logan could see change, a transformation, of Jonatan's physical self in real time.
Before his eyes, he saw his arms and legs extend inch by inch. His muscles and bones growing to the point of almost piercing his skin. Whatever was going on, it was as incredible as it was unnatural. It continued so until faint veins starting to appear on Jonatan's skin. The young man's pained face was replaced with one of sweat and exhaustion as his heart rate and brain activities steadily went back to normal.
"Gott..." Logan gasped, as he stood in front of the reinforced window, looking down at the proceedings. Still in shock as his mind riled by what he saw. The documents...the details of what the warlords tried to render Jonatan into. All of it happened before him.
On that operation bed was a figure that just barely resembled the suffering child that was Jonatan. Instead, what they had on that table could only be described as the body of a "super soldier". They completed - and usurped what the cruel men of the young man's dead world started.
Still, he could not be considered a weapon. Not if Logan could help it.
He soon turned his heel from the wall window and rushed out of the audience chamber. He had to know. Would the man soon to awaken really still be Jonatan or the monster those long-dead warlords and their unknown masters sought to create?
As he entered inside the operating room, some of the surgeons and doctors present tried to push him back from the operating table.
"Sir, it is not safe for unauthorised persons to be in this room!"
"Let me through!" Logan snapped, already too tired and weary to care much other than his watch who laid on said table.
"We are still in a middle of a procedure! Its unsafe, for the patient's sake!"
"What else IS there?!" he demanded. "That patient is MY boy!"
Just as the old agitated man pushed his way through towards Jonatan's bed in the middle of the surgery ward. He was still unconscious, his heart rate steady along with brain activity. But for Logan, it was still a struggle to convince himself that this muscular soldier-like figure was indeed the young frail-framed boy that he rescued and raise as his own.
"W-What happens to him now? TELL ME, DAMMIT!"
"Sir, please calm down," The head surgeon sighed, "The patient will need time to recover. How long? We are not sure. But we've done what we could. All that remains now would to finalize the process. The last procedure."
Logan stayed silent, giving no response except a frown and looked back to Jonatan's unconscious, near-naked body. Old scars, signs of brutality and harsh punishment from his past, crossed with the fine newly scratched surgery line along the skin of his new body. His number tattoo, "005," now faint, though visible under his left arm.
"Then bitte...please, tell me. What is this finalizing process?"
The chief surgeon shook his head. "We will have to check the patient's current condition, given his new body. To make sure that it won't lead to any complications in the future, sir. After that he'll be bandaged up and be taken away to the recovery wards. It is all that we can do now, sir. So please. Wait outside."
Logan nodded silently before he was escorted away by the security staff. As he did, for a moment he though he heard voices as he passed through the doors.
Mein Gott ... unser Kind wird gerächt werden.
Kérjük fiunk ... erős marad.
Logan gasped at the wispy voices that soon vanished away.
"Sir?" The security guard asked him.
"I'm just fine," he grunted before turning towards the waiting room. "Must be getting tired."
In his mind however, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being followed.
"Gott, I'm fucking losing it..."
. . .
Jonatan was wheeled away to a small recovery room after his augmentation surgery. During the final process in assessing the young man's transformed body, doctors made extraordinary findings. Not that Logan bothered caring at this point. He knew that Catherine would probably give him the final report file sooner or later. All he cared about was Jonatan and what had become of him after his super soldier transformation.
Besides, he saw some of those "extraordinary findings" first hand. At the moment though, he forced himself to keep focused on a new batch of paperwork. Which made even focusing even more difficult given how half of them involved a certain Alexander attempting to con someone named "Revolver Ocelot" after some incident involving Miller.
"Please, Logan. You need to get some rest," Catherine sighed as she entered his office. "I know its been a week. But don't push yourself!"
"I need to find something to keep occupied, Catherine," he sighed before tossing the papers. "I don't even know if that kid's even alive!"
"Logan, please. I know this entire ordeal is torturous but piling up your stress level with work won't do you any good either. And besides, you're not the only one whose worried about Jonatan. His friends, Ben and Hilda and even your own granddaughter Sophia as well as your family haven't received a single word about Jonatan all week."
"I know!" he snapped before forcing himself to calm down. "Bitte, understand. It's been hard on all of us."
Catherine nodded with sympathy. "If this helps ease your worries, I have been told by MIA that Jonatan should be waking up any time now. It'll still take the lad time to adjust to his body though. Still, at least it's a sign that the augmentation process was a success."
. . .
Jonatan couldn't quite figure out where he was. The last thing he remembered was this sharp agonising pain burning through his body. The next thing he knew, he was in medical scrubs inside what looks like a hospital room. His vision were blurry at first as he readjust his eyes to the light. The next thing he knew was this incredible feeling of stiffness and soreness throughout his aching body.
"Aww... Logan..?" He tried to rub his forehead only to feel that there were bandages wrapped around his forehead and half of his face, leaving his eyes and mouth bare. Then he looked at his arm. Both of his arms. One had bandages wrapped around his hand and wrist but it wasn't the bandage that caught his attention or even the radio playing some old British song about a man who sold the world.
It was how different his arms looked. In fact, how his whole body looked.
He wanted to get a better look at himself. When he tried to get out of his bed however, only feel a shot of aching pain all over himself as he wincingly stood up and walked towards where the nearest mirror would be. What he saw made him throw the mirror at the radio.
"Mi...mi..." He gasped in shock. He turned to the reflection of himself on the wall window of his recovery ward. His face was still the same but his body.
"What...happened...to me..."
"Jonatan!" The young man turned to find Logan along with Catherine and even Sophia rushing into the room.
"Jona'...woah!" Sophia, the 15 year old teen and his adoptive sister paused for a moment with a mixture of shock and surprise and an odd blush when she saw Jonatan, "You've gotta...taller."
"Halihó- I-I mean, G-Guten tag!" he managed to gasp with a forced smile, noticing for a moment how strong he was becoming. Even when his body shook as he tried to hold back his own growing dread.
There was a look of concern from Logan. "How are you feeling now, Jonatan?" He asked him as he tried to approach him. "Something wrong, kid?"
Only to Jonatan to step back before his foster carer could reach out to him. He kept a tight lip as he looked down with a shaking voice. "I-I'm...not sure. I wasn't feeling so good. But now..."
"Feeling stronger, I imagine," Logan mused. "Well, it's a long one, kid. But at least it's over. That you're alive at all is a darn miracle."
Catherine detected the young man's unease. "Sophia, why not you and I give them some privacy?"
The girl nodded as she followed the British woman back towards the door.
Once the two women had left the room, Jonatan felt that he could finally let go of his controlled facade and let out his full shock to Logan. "W-What happened to me, Logan?!" The young man asked loudly. For a moment, he felt a surge of strength and power through his veins. It felt...so wrong to him.
The old man lowered his head.
Jonatan waited for his answer as his breath grew more heavy but shallow at the same time, "What did the people here do to me?!"
"Augmentation, my boy."
"A-Augmentation?"
"Bitte beruhige dich kid. We had to complete the process found from your old world! While undoing the damage-"
"Wait...w-what-?!" Jonatan suddenly gasped before biting his tongue back from cursing as he felt a shot of pain through his body. He had to steady himself so he fell onto one knee onto the floor. "Nem... T-This can't be happening!"
Logan helped him up and onto the young man's hospital bed. He was able to get a feel of not only how firm his new muscular body was but also how heavy the young man had gotten suddenly.
"Whatever those sons of bitches did is all in the past now," the aging man sighed as he made sure that Jonatan was feeling alright as he relaxed. "It's only been a week. But you're still recovering and need time to adjust to your new body. And whatever powers you may hold."
"My powers?" Jonatan looked over to his foster carer.
He nodded. "The procedure's made all that's you stronger. More powerful than ever. It will take time. But you'll eventually learn how to live these new abilities."
Jonatan didn't respond, he didn't know what to say. He looked down at his arm, still so unfamiliar to him. His old faded number tattoo however was still there.
"But you promised me!" he stammered. "YOU PROMISED! I wasn't supposed to be like this!"
"We- I...didn't have much choice, kid," Logan tried to explain in the most calming tone he could maintain.
"You said that you won't let me to turned into a monster!"
"BUT YOU'RE NOT!" he insisted before he cleared his voice to a levelled tone. "What those bastards saw as a weapon, we've turned into something to save your life. Your body, Jonatan, was beginning to break down. It was either we go with the procedure or...you die a slow and agonising death."
Jonatan looked back at Logan before turning his head away. For a moment, the old man saw his face darken but it wasn't out of anger but of sadness and grief.
"Can you give me a moment alone, Herr Herz...bitte?"
For a moment, the old man wanted to refuse. Instead, he smiled sadly. "Of course, Jonatan. I know this new lease on life isn't ideal. But...we're glad you made it, kid. I'm sure somewhere, your parents are too."
Once his foster carer was gone, all that Jonatan wanted to do was curl up and buried his head in his knees. Even now, he wasn't sure if this was some blessing or curse. More so the latter in his mind.
He did not want this. He never wished for this to happen. Since the day he was rescued, he thought that the cruel men who tortured him and ended his world, could not physically harm him anymore. Even if his mind was still haunted by those terrible memories. But here he was, his own body at long last achieving what even those maniacs back there failed to achieve. He could feel these new powers and sense of strength coursing through his veins.
It felt so strange. So...tempting. For a moment, it frightened him.
"If only...if only I could...if I could stop others from suffering like I have!" he snapped loudly, though more to himself. There was no one else in the room. Perhaps in an effort to distract his mind from other thoughts.
"Mama... Papa... I'm not a monster...ja...igen? I can't be...I can't..."
He repeated over and over. His eyes became watery as he broke down in tears.
"Just what am I?!"
For a brief moment, there was a faint gust of wind.
. . .
A week later. In the Simulation Arena Centres.
"Have you heard anything about Jonatan?" Hilda asked Ben as they walked through the hallways of the simulator platform arenas.
He shrugged. "Heard rumors that he had some big operation. Poor soul."
"That must have been something major though if it's being hushed up."
Ben sighed. It had been weeks since he last saw his friend and tag-team partner suddenly break down and be teleported away to the Medical Centre in pain before his eyes. Since then, he had not heard a single thing about Jonatan and how he was doing.
"Whatever it is," Hilda assured him. "It's not your fault."
"I'm sure that he's doing fine hopefully," Ben nodded. But noticing someone as they turned a corner. "Hey, is that Jonatan's sister there?"
He pointed down the hallway to a young teenager girl with long braided blonde hair who had the same facial appearance as her grandfather, looking out from one of the viewing platforms. She turned around to the pair as they approached her. "Oh hey! Ben and Hilda right? You're both Jonatan's friends, ja?"
The two managed to grin despite their concern. "That's right! We're just...well, worried about him, Sophia."
Sophia returned the smile. "Well, its great to know that he has good friends!" However that was soon replaced by a more unreadable frown. "If you're looking for Jonatan, though there's something that you both need to see." She gestured them to follow her through the arena complex towards the more exclusive sectors of the simulation platforms. "They're running trial test with him right now."
"Trials? Isn't he in a hospital room?"
There was a shifting uncomfortable look from the young Herz teenager as she tried to think of an answer before shaking her head. "It's best if you both see it yourselves."
The two followed her towards the glass. And what they saw stunned them both.
"But that's a SPARTAN!" Ben gasped out in shock at what he and Hilda were seeing.
Inside the simulation arena below, they saw Jonatan in his grey training gear engaged in what looked like a hand-to-hand combat duel with a simulated image of an armoured super soldier. What shocked them even more was how...large and different he seemed.
"That is Jonatan, right? He looks so much more...muscular than before!" Hilda gasped.
"Jona's had a few...adjustments," Sophia explained. "But at least he's alive!"
"Alive?!" both Ben and Hilda said simultaneously at the young teen.
In the simulation platform, armoured soldiers armed with an energy swords swung in for an attack towards Jonatan. With incredible speed, he managed to dodge them with little effort before Jonatan was able to disarm one of the armoured soldiers off his energy sword and with it, slashed all of simulated persons before they disintegrated into pixels. More simulated figures appeared around him as they began to attack him from all directions.
"This is insane!" Ben gasped.
In a quick pace that was difficult for anyone of them to follow, Jonatan was able to flawlessly dodge, kick and destroy each simulated soldier. With a swing of his energy sword, he parried and counter-attacked each soldier's strike until one last stab through the remaining one from behind caused it to disappear in a flash of pixels around him. Jonatan was virtually unchallenged. Focused like any soldier would be. Which shocked the duo even more. This was so unlike him.
They along with Sophia rushed down towards the operator room once the simulation ended.
On the floor, doctors as well as instructors spoke with Logan briefly about the results of the young man's trial run. There were comments of praise and amazement by how far Jonatan's augmented abilities can reach.
The Austrian man himself found it hard to believe.
"Well now," he smiled. "This is a record-breaker, kid! Reaction times at 0.6 milliseconds. Eye vision are the sharpest in the charts. Muscle reflexes, power strengths, agility, even memory and mental activities...all have greatly improved even beyond that of the standard human super soldiers we get here!"
"Super soldier," Jonatan frowned. "That's great and all. But this is all for self-defence, remember?"
"Of course, kid," Logan sighed. "Perhaps the special training program the docs and instructors recommend, would be good for you to learn and train with your new body. It can be customised to suit your capabilities and potential so you should be fine. After all nothing helps like a good exercise."
"You call that exercise?!" Hilda gasped loudly down the hallway.
The Bavarian girl along with Ben and Sophia rushed over to the Herz pair. Both of Jonatan's friends panting before gasping when they saw his new physical appearance up close. Before Jonatan was just about the same height as Ben, Hilda being the tallest by one inch. But now the young Herz man was even taller than the Bavarian by a few centimetres, not to mention how large and wider he looked with his new muscular body.
"Mein Gott! What happened to you?!"
Jonatan managed a weak chuckle. "Call it a very painful growth spurt."
There were looks of dumbstruck shock from both Ben and Sophia as they stared at their friend, looking down and then back up as they got a better look of him.
"That incredibly...AWESOME!" Ben managed to smirk while Hilda was still trying to comprehend by Jonatan's new change, "That's one heck of a growth spurt."
"Ja. Not to mention the way you moved at the platform when you took down all those armoured soldiers without breaking a sweat!" Ben continued on.
"Oh...y-you both saw that?"
"He's had quite some time to get used to his new body," Logan explained approvingly.
Sophia nodded before she turned to her adopted brother. "And your new strength and urges. But I'm sure you will eventually pull through, Jona."
Jonatan returned the gesture to her. But at the back of his mind, he was still unsure and uneasy with his new transformation even as he looked at his friends and adoptive family. ...I have to do this for them... They need me... I can't fail them... His conscience told him.
"You can count on me!" he grinned to everyone.
Logan was a little surprised by Jonatan's sudden change of mood. But nevertheless he smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, my boy. Now then. How about some strudel?"
Before anyone else could respond however, everyone heard a sudden loud thump rock through the walls of the complex as they saw a bunch of security Agents running towards one of the larger platforms within the Arena facility.
"What the heck was that?!" Sophia gasped out.
Jonatan sighed. "Another of those Space Marines off their meds. It happens every other week, apparently."
"You know about that?" Hilda raised an eyebrow to him.
"Had to deal with one of 'em last week," he shrugged before stretching his arms. "And it looks like I have to do it again."
"Wait...what?!"
But before they could get an answer, Jonatan was already off. Running towards where the commotion was.
"Jona, wait for us!"
Both he and Hilda tried to keep up after him. Sophia however sighed softly before looking over to her grandfather.
"Why not you go after them, my dear?" Logan told his grandfather after softly sighing and a frown. "I have to talk with the instructors and medical staff about Jonatan's new augmented powers. So please be careful."
The girl nodded as she rushed away through the hallways.
. . .
In a large sector of the complex were some of its biggest simulation platforms. The smallest was about the size of a small football field and at the moment was occupied by a group from the Agency's Space Marines with one of its enormous two metre tall armoured men experiencing a psychological breakdown.
"Please calm down. The Emperor is not dead!"
"LIAR!" the figure bellowed. "HEATHEN! HERETIC!"
"Brother-comrade! There are no Daemons here! You're safe in sanctuary away from-" One of the Legion men tried to calm him down before being smacked down.
"NO! HAVE YOU TOO FALLEN TO CHAOS?!"
Jonatan stormed his way in as the Space Marines tried to restrain their comrade. Security Agents and A.I tried to secure the area and keep the crowd of curious onlookers from getting too close to what was happening. He could see that the deranged man so happened to be the largest of the group managed to throw two of his comrades restraining him onto the walls before he set his crazed eyes onto the rest of his brothers. Jonatan wasted no time as he grab a couple of sedatives from a medical bag and barged his way towards the platform.
Despite the tense atmosphere, he still managed to feign a smile. Better to get on their good side than pick fights with such warriors after all. Not to mention keep myself in check...
"What is it now, Space Marine?"
"YOU DARE DEFY THE EMPEROR'S WILL?!"
That immediately caused Jonatan to frown. "'Will' you say, ja?" With his hand gripping tightly on a sedative, he focused his mind until it almost snaps.
"WHAT SORCERY IS T-"
Then out of nowhere, the crazed Space Marine was suddenly pushed back, Jonatan jumping so high and kicking the Marine by his armour chest plate, causing him to be knocked back onto the hard floor. Using much raw strength, it was enough to leave a dent on the Space Marine's thick armour.
"I'd like you to keep quiet and take your medicine. Now, hold still!" Jonatan sneered at the Space Marine in a rather cold tone. If anyone else saw the young man then, his eyes had sharpened and darkened a bit as he stared down at the Marine.
Even in his crazed state, the downed Space Marine was frozen in shock. "N-NO! T-THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!"
The Marine ceased his screams when Jonatan jabbed a sedative on his neck, and eventually falling unconscious.
"What did you do to our brother?" one of the other Marines bellowed.
"Gave him some rest. Best get your 'comrade-brother' to the Medical Centre for his sake," he replied to the bewilderment of the remaining Space Marines as he walked out of the platform arena.
Behind his grin however, he was relieved. The sooner he dealt with such problems, the sooner those dark urges would subside. Once he was out into a quiet hallway, Jonatan found a bench for him to sit on and let out a heavy sigh of relief. Just as his two friends and adoptive sister rushed over to him.
"Jona', dude." Ben gasped with a gobsmacked tone, "W-What did you do back there? I mean...that was a TANK-SIZED GIANT that you managed to tackled down! And in one kick too!"
"It's nothing, really," he smiled. "Just calming him down."
"That was some way to calm that things down," Hilda cracked a laugh.
Even Sophia was surprised when she saw the effortless act that Jonatan did back there. And she was in-the-know about Jonatan's new condition, which made her more concerned for him than pleased.
"Jonatan, can I talk with you for a moment? Privately?"
"Of course!" he smiled before standing up.
Walking away from Ben and Hilda, around to a quiet corner by the windows, Sophia sighed softly as she turned toward her adopted brother.
"Are...are you sure that you'll be okay with your new...assets? I know how proudOpa may seem but he's worried. We're all worried for you. Ever since you came out of your surgery."
He frowned. "Honestly, it'll take some getting used to. But I'm not sure if I'll really be ok with all this."
Sophia nodded, "I can only imagine how conflicted you must be feeling right now. You told me yourself when we were kids about your memories and nightmares."
"I know," he nodded. "They never go away. And sometimes, they seem to be getting even worse. It's something that after a while, I should be getting used to. Yet..."
"They're still painful to remember," Sophia finished his sentence. After a moment, she then brought her arms around him into a hug which Jonatan returned. "You'll be okay. And it's alright to talk with others about it, ja?"
The young man smiled rather soberly. "I guess, Sophia..."
As they parted, they exchanged a smile before returning back to both of Jonatan's friends.
"Opa is at the moment busy with a meeting somewhere else. Why not we go get something to eat?" The young teenage told them before glancing over to Jonatan. "You must be famished after all you've been through, hm?"
"I guess," Hilda mused. "Besides, I think Jona' here deserves it!"
Jonatan let out a brief laugh, "Hmm...why not we go to that cafe around the corner instead?"
"Still craving for strudels huh, Jona?"
"I never get tired of 'em!"
All four, Jonatan, Ben, Hilda and Sophia walked down the hallways as they shared a laugh. As they did, for a moment Sophia stopped when she felt a light gust of wind pass by her and thought she heard soft whispers.
"Hey Sophia, are you coming?"
The girl nodded with a warm if knowing smile. "Ja! Wait for me!"
Unknown to the group and to anyone else in the building, two wispy ghosts watched as their son walked away with his friends and adoptive sister.
That's our son... Elizaveta whispered.
Her husband, Roderich nodded with a unreadable frown. I hope those people know what they have done...
The ghosts of Elizaveta Hedervary and Roderich Edelstein soon vanished away as they glanced one last time at their son who had grown to be a strong young man. How strong exactly was still the question.
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To make up for my sadly long hiatus, here's another collaboration with 
for a RP that's since grown into a continuing Hetalia RP combining my old but still ongoing RDNA-verse AU ( mdc01957.deviantart.com/galler… )and her multiverse Agency.
This one though, while it could be a one-shot on its own, focuses on one particular OC from the RP with some rather peculiar origins, painful as they are. At the same time, there's a reason why it's mostly given that Austria and Hungary play an even larger role here. Not to mention that it' s something of a "sequel" to a "Sins of the Past," a previous fic set in the same RP ( fav.me/d9ejp4x ). Nonetheless, we made a point to make this as accessible as possible!
Still, I hope you enjoy this return to fanfic-writing and part-apology!
----
And just to be on the safe side, I don't own Hetalia. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Same goes for Warhammer 40000 and a certain comic involving one Steve Rogers, as you'll find out...
----
You can find out more about Jonatan here: aufigirl.deviantart.com/art/Jo…
As well as the RP he and Logan came from: rpdiscussionroom.chatango.com/
for a RP that's since grown into a continuing Hetalia RP combining my old but still ongoing RDNA-verse AU ( mdc01957.deviantart.com/galler… )and her multiverse Agency. This one though, while it could be a one-shot on its own, focuses on one particular OC from the RP with some rather peculiar origins, painful as they are. At the same time, there's a reason why it's mostly given that Austria and Hungary play an even larger role here. Not to mention that it' s something of a "sequel" to a "Sins of the Past," a previous fic set in the same RP ( fav.me/d9ejp4x ). Nonetheless, we made a point to make this as accessible as possible!
Still, I hope you enjoy this return to fanfic-writing and part-apology!
----
And just to be on the safe side, I don't own Hetalia. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Same goes for Warhammer 40000 and a certain comic involving one Steve Rogers, as you'll find out...
----
You can find out more about Jonatan here: aufigirl.deviantart.com/art/Jo…
As well as the RP he and Logan came from: rpdiscussionroom.chatango.com/
© 2015 - 2024 mdc01957
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It's okay, mdc. Even I'm under an Artist/Writer's Block if not for the RPG.