"Are you sure you're alright? You appear as though you might faint at any time." Henry observed with a hint of worry as he noticed the way Micheal walked; he understood that Micheal shouldn't have been able to walk at all, yet he moved as if everything was perfectly fine.
"I'm okay, just a bit roughed up." Michael dismissed it with a smile; however, his smile only helped to emphasize his injuries, making them appear even more severe than they were.
"Is this what you refer to as 'a little roughed up'? I still can't comprehend how you're able to walk in this state." Bai shook his head in shock at Micheal's words.
"No need to be so worried; it's a flesh wound, and weren't you the one who often mentioned how we lack time and all that?" Michael responded with a smirk that left Bai utterly speechless.
"A flesh wound? You are either the toughest person I've ever seen or the craziest person I've encountered," Henry remarked, laughing heartily. Yoshi beside him couldn't suppress a chuckle at the remark as well.
"Tsk, whatever," Bai scoffed, rolling his eyes.
The team moved ahead along the route assigned by Ron, adopting a standard turtleback military formation that provided visibility on all sides, a strategy designed to thwart potential ambushes. Fortunately, they did not come across any Reapers, a fact that brought them both a sense of relief and a twinge of worry simultaneously.
"Would you be open to switching positions?" Bai, positioned at the center of their formation, inquired of Racheal, who was stationed at the rear alongside Hei.
"Yeah sure," Racheal shrugged and replied, prompting a smile from Bai before they switched places.
"Hei," Bai whispered as he approached his brother.
"What?" His brother responded, his gaze sweeping over the blood-splattered walls; it was evident that a genocide had taken place here, and only God knew how many lives had been lost in this place.
"Isn't it weird?" Bai inquired, lowering his voice to ensure only his brother could hear.
"What's weird?" Hei inquired, intrigued by his brother's words.
"Isn't it strange that we've been here for some time and none of us has died?" Bai responded in a quieter voice, yet his words resonated more powerfully with his brother than he anticipated.
"What do you mean that none of us are dead?" Hei asked in shock, his tone slightly elevated, aware that his brother often made foolish remarks, but this was on an entirely different level.
"What's happening at the back over there?" Yoshi inquired, prompting the brothers to face him, their faces marked by frowns.
"Just keep walking, Robocop; it's none of your business," Bai replied with a sneer, prompting a sigh from Yoshi, who was reluctant to enter into a verbal confrontation with this punk.
"Lower your voice; what is wrong with you?" Bai remarked, giving the back of his brother's head a gentle slap.
"What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you? How could you possibly pray for one of us to die, you fool?" Hei facepalmed, astonished by the sheer foolishness of his brother.
"What? It's not as if I'm wrong; in the majority of horror films, at least one of the central characters typically meets their demise," Bai responded, attempting to justify his point, and it appeared to be effective as his brother's expression shifted to one of contemplation.
"Indeed, that's usually the case." Hei nodded in agreement, recognizing the logic in his brother's words.
"Consider this: there are six of us, and it's unlikely that we would be among the first to be eliminated; we're too smart." Bai whispered as they moved, his eyes shimmering with pride.
"Hmm, yes, we understand the norms of horror films, so it's unlikely that we would be the ones to perish. Additionally, there's typically a female character who makes it to the end, which rules out Racheal. Yoshi is too foolish to be the one, and while Micheal might be a candidate, having survived an explosion suggests he'll probably die later on. That leaves us with the black guy." Hei analyzed with a contemplative expression, his words earning a series of nods from his brother who concurred with everything he said.
"Indeed, it's a common trope that a black character often meets an unfortunate end in horror films, so perhaps Henry could be the one." Bai remarked just as he and his brother observed that the group had paused and turned to face them.
"Excuse me, 'the black guy who dies in every horror movie'? What kind of sick racists are you guys?" Henry asked in disbelief, staring at the brothers in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"What? How did you—" Before Hei had the chance to pose his question, Yoshi provided an answer.
"You are wearing the helmet, your mics were on the whole time, we heard everything," Yoshi replied with a sigh. Even he was taken aback by what he had just heard; how could his teammates be so foolish as to compare their current situation to a horror movie? Not only that, but they were actively speculating on which teammate would meet their demise.
"Some smart guys you are," Michael remarked with a chuckle, finding the situation more amusing than irritating.
"What? It's not like we were lying," Bai said, opting to defend his stance rather than offer an apology. "Henry is the best possible choice for this situation; that's simply the truth."
"I'm one step away from snapping your neck, you white-haired punk," Henry said, stepping forward to confront Bai after that statement, but Yoshi quickly held him back.
"I'd love to see you try" Hei stepped forward to defend his brother, his hand radiating a dark hue that enveloped his entire fist.
"Hey, let's keep our focus; we have a mission to complete. This isn't the time for fighting among ourselves," Yoshi interjected, positioning himself between the two groups in an effort to diffuse the escalating tension.
"Hey, be quiet, buckethead, or I'll be more than ready to teach you a lesson as well," Hei retorted, casting a fierce glare at Yoshi, who paused and turned to him with a serious expression.
"I dare you to say that again," Yoshi said, his voice laced with fury. He had restrained himself for far too long, and it had allowed Hei to believe he could act without consequence.
"Alright, everyone, let's take a step back. It seems we've gotten a bit carried away. How about we take a moment to calm ourselves?" Racheal, noticing that Yoshi, who typically managed situations like this, was also upset, chose to intervene and attempt to ease the tensions between both parties.
"Not this time, honey. These fools need to be put in their place," Henry replied calmly, his body taking on a silvery hue.
"Mike, umm, I really need your help here, Mike..." Racheal swiftly turned to their Captain, seeking his intervention to prevent the looming conflict, but she froze at the sight before her. The others also glanced over to understand what had prompted Racheal's shift in expression.
"Huh, it's happening again," Yoshi remarked, his eyes fixed on the motionless figure of Micheal, whose gaze was locked ahead into the darkness where a lightbulb flickered on and off. However, what captured their attention the most was the lightning that continuously danced across his hair and body. Unlike previous occurrences, the intensity of the lightning this time was so intense that the group felt a twinge of fear at the thought of approaching.
"Liam..." A solitary name slipped from Micheal's lips, capturing the attention of his teammates.
"Who is Liam?" Bai inquired with a hint of perplexity, his gaze scanning Micheal's peculiar behaviour, much like the rest of the team.
"Mike...Mike, are you okay?" Yoshi said cautiously, inching closer to Michael, who remained stationary, his eyes fixed on the darkness.
"Tsk, just stop being such a scared kitty and snap him out of his trance," Hei said, impatient and arrogant as ever, shoving Yoshi to the side and striding over to Micheal.
"Wait, stop!" Yoshi called out, but it was too late. As soon as Hei placed a hand on Michael's shoulder, a sharp bolt of lightning shot through his body, sending him crashing backwards into the wall.
"You'll regret this!" Bai, observing his brother sprawled weakly on the ground, radiated with intensity, his body shimmering with light as he turned his gaze toward Micheal, who was gradually regaining his awareness.
"Hei, stop!" Yoshi shouted assertively, drawing his sword and pointing it at the furious Bai, whose expression shifted as he turned to face him.
"Would you like some as well?" Bai inquired, his expression brimming with anger, ready to strike when a voice caused him to pause.
"What is happening? What is this all about? What happened to Hei?" Micheal hurriedly moved forward, positioning himself between Bai and Yoshi, whose faces shifted to a mix of confusion and shock.
"Mike, are you alright? Do you feel odd?" Yoshi inquired with a furrowed brow, his luminous blue eyes examining Micheal as if attempting to delve into the depths of his soul.
"I'm fine, why?" Micheal responded with a puzzled expression, reflecting the bewildered looks he was getting from his teammates.
"Wait—Your injuries," Henry exclaimed in disbelief, his gaze locked onto Micheal's body, which had miraculously healed.
"Yeah, I usually heal faster than normal," Michael responded, treating this occurrence as something routine, but to the others, it was quite shocking.
"I think you need to see a doctor" Hei said as he weakly rose to his feet. The battle suit he wore had minimized the damage from Michael's attack, which was the only reason he had escaped with minimal injuries. Bai quickly rushed over to assist him in getting up.
"Can you recall what occurred prior to this?" Racheal inquired, also attempting to connect the dots for a clearer grasp of the situation.
"I don't remember much; my memory feels quite blurry. Did something happen?" Micheal was increasingly perplexed by all that he was hearing.
"Who is Liam?" Bai inquired with curiosity, having seemingly regained his composure from the earlier outburst.
"Liam? How do you know my brother?" Micheal exclaimed in disbelief, his expression shifting immediately; he realized that he had never disclosed any information about his brother to his teammates.
"Your brother? You have a brother?" The entire team, with the exception of Michael, inquired in unison, prompting a chuckle from Michael, who was still attempting to grasp the situation.
"Guys, we don't have time for this. Can someone please explain what's happening? I'm completely in the dark here," Michael said, finally expressing his frustration to the group, who exchanged glances with one another.
"Just a moment ago, the same thing occurred; your body began to pulse with lightning, when Hei attempted to assist you....well, that happened. It was as if you were in a trance, and the only word you uttered was Liam." Yoshi, noticing the conversation was at a standstill, elaborated to Michael, who stood frozen, trying to recall if anything similar had ever taken place.
"Is there anything you're not telling us? If there's something we need to know, now's the time," Henry said, his expression serious. He wasn't naive enough to believe that Michael was unaware of what was happening.
"Henry makes a valid point. We must determine whether you will be a valuable ally or a potential danger," Bai added, supporting his brother to stand, his gaze fixed on Micheal with caution.
"Mike, as much as I hate to agree with Bai, he has a point. Whatever is happening with you, you need to find a way to manage it, or we will have to..." Yoshi paused, unable to continue, yet his eyes conveyed his intentions unmistakably.
"We must subdue you; we cannot allow you to lose control during battle and jeopardize the lives of your teammates. You will need to step down from your position as Captain, at least until we can understand what is happening." Yoshi spoke, letting out a heavy sigh. He was reluctant to take this step, but he couldn't afford to let Micheal jeopardize the safety of the others. With the threat of the unknown enemy, Reapers, and the octo-worms looming, they simply couldn't spare the energy to deal with Micheal's situation. Racheal just quietly stood to the side; she clearly wasn't happy with this decision but she knew they were right.
"Everyone... I..." Micheal found himself at a loss for words in reaction to his teammates' remarks directed at him, but he had little time to ponder as the situation quickly escalated.
BEEP
BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
All of a sudden, a single enemy appeared on the team's radar, followed by two more. What came next was an overwhelming surge of enemies, more than the team had ever faced in one location; it felt as though hordes had converged at this single spot.
"What is this?" Bai's pupils contracted in fear, and the others mirrored similar expressions; despite their strength, there was no way they could fend off such a large number, even with their abilities at their disposal.
"They are coming from both directions!" Henry exclaimed, prompting the others to notice the shift. At that moment, they found themselves sandwiched, with enemies flanking them on both sides; there was no escape.
"RAWWRRRR!" Echoes of numerous roars reverberated through the dark tunnels, where lights flickered incessantly on and off.
"Yoshi, what should we do?" With Micheal demoted from his role as the leader, all eyes turned to Yoshi, whose expression revealed uncertainty about the next step. He glanced at Micheal, who stood silently, deep in analysis.
"Mike, what should we do?" Yoshi inquired, despite the extensive information programmed into his mind designed to present solutions for every scenario, he found himself unable to offer a resolution for this specific situation. Thus, he turned to the only individual with the depth of experience necessary to assist them out of this predicament.
As their new leader glanced at the former leader, the group quietly shifted their attention to Micheal, the individual they had all criticized. With adversaries approaching and uncertainty hanging in the air, their eyes were fixed on Micheal, who hesitated for a moment before speaking with calm assurance.