Tundra Psycho Meltdown

Episode 34: Instant Breakage

[Two months have passed...]

Marlo hurriedly paced down the hallway, pushing the double doors down to Cassius' office, "Cassius!"

Cassius looked up from his monitor, looking at Marlo with surprise, "Marlo Taft of Akagi."

"What are you doing!?" he yelled, slamming the piece of paper on the desk, "Explain this notice!"

"All the information is present on that piece of paper, Mr. Taft."

"This breaks the very fundamentals of cores!"

"I apologize, but it was truly necessary to speed things up. You cannot deny that the Adam and Eve Project is taking long."

"Did it have to go to these lengths?"

"If you're confident that the psycho you built will survive, then I'm sure Instant Breakage wouldn't be of concern to you."

"Instant Breakage: Psychos no longer need to freeze cores to break them. They'll break instantly upon fatal injury... This gives ambush types the complete advantage!"

"The public are longing to return to Agartha. Unfortunately, we need to satisfy them and pick quick. There hasn't been a death in two months, Mr. Taft."

"And what about the malfunctioning audio? We can no longer hear what the psychos are saying!"

"That one I don't know about. Our electricians are on the case, but it's clear that there are some interferences. It may take a month to fix."

"You may have been a good CEO when you were leading us after the last apocalypse, Cassius, but the pressure has made you weak."

Marlo rushed out of the office in anger, trying to find out where he should place his hands in the fit of rage.

Cassius sighed, "I really do apologize, but this is for the greater good."

—

"Can I join you?" asked Farlane, stepping into the laboratory.

"You already have," glared Charles.

"Then surely, you wouldn't mind."

Farlane turned his head to look at what Charles was setting his attention to. It was Maldego, the psycho that Aeronautica had used back in the last Adam and Eve Project. There were multiple scientists constructing parts of his limbs.

"Any reason why you're rebuilding him again? I know he got so far... but don't you think it's time to retire him?"

"Patent Pending was a failure. I realize now that Aeronautica has to return to its roots to achieve further success."

"Well, I don't think rebuilding him will solve anything. Psychos are always getting stronger and stronger. Can Maldego even keep up with the tim—"

"Battle analyzation. Reflection technology. My engineers have been feeding him information on this year's Adam and Eve Project. It'll serve him well when the time to battle comes."

"For a geezer like you, you'll probably be long dead 'till the next Project happens."

"We can only know when the time comes. It's good to be prepared."

—

"This place has gotten stinkier over time," mentioned Avery, "It's like a dead corpse is in the room."

"Don't be so rude, Avery," said Grandpa Niko, "We must be respectful while we watch."

"Is it even worth watching anymore? Ichiraku's paired up with some really strong people, and he's gotten really strong himself!"

"It is good to support him through everything."

"He's right," said Melinda, "You can't underestimate other teams just because you're in a strong one. Overconfidence usually leads to defeat."

"You guys are lucky you're in such a compatible team too," announced Michael from the other side of the table, "Flashbang doesn't seem to get along with this William guy compared to Pablo."

"That William guy is one of our librarians!" mentioned a man in cloaks, "You will address him properly and with respect."

"My bad, my bad," said Michael as he rolled his eyes, "You guys from his library?"

"Indeed. We've come to support William towards his pursuit of knowledge. Every page he breaks and puts into his index helps us understand more about the world."

"Okay well... tough nuts," mumbled Michael, "He's still not as strong as Flashbang."

"Knowledge is power!"

"Only nerds say that phrase!"

"Even their CEOs don't get along together..." mentioned Avery.

—

"So... who do you think is going to get eliminated this time?"

"This one, and this one," he said as he pointed at the list of psychos, "Definitely this one."

"Why him?"

"Too weak. He won't make it. Besides, he's already on his way to achieve what he's needed to do. Once 'that person' ambushes him... we no longer need to worry."

"And her?"

"Be honest. Do you think she'll make it?"

"No."

"Then don't ask such a stupid question."

"Sorry."

"It is unfortunate though. She's worked so hard to get so far..."

"This Instant Breakage rule will truly set a new course."