The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

The Ultimatum

After a walk across the compound, mostly in silence, Jason and Hiroshi returned to the military facility. Wandering back through the hallways, they returned to the cell, where they found the door half-open. Inside, Jason saw Laureen and Tuatara seated near Audrey's still unmoving body. James's sleeping form had finally been moved, now lying propped against the wall, his head lolling to the side, making his curly hair bounce slightly with each breath he took.

"Ey, you guys are back," Laureen said as they came inside. Jason smiled and raised his hand in greeting, Hiroshi doing likewise. "Anything interesting out there? Besides a bunch of assholes exercising and shit."

"The mountains were pretty," Hiroshi said, his voice slightly nasally as a side effect of his recent crying. He sniffed and rubbed at his nose, probably to make it go away. "It...it was...nice."

Jason nodded. He decided not to mention Hiroshi's slight breakdown and the talk they had. If the teen wanted to say something to others, that was his choice. It was right too if he wanted to keep it quiet, just between them. He smirked. "Yeah, pretty mountains. It was kinda boring in my eyes but the walk itself was nice. Fresh air sorta cleared my head, even if I'm not the biggest fan of it."

Laureen snorted. "Well that's good. I'm with you there about mountains though. Nature ain't never did shit for me. Fresh air just makes me feel dizzy and weird. Might be crazy to say but I prefer good old fashioned smog."

Jason laughed and grinned, folding his arms. Before he could reply, there was a cough behind them. He and the others turned, seeing a soldier standing in the open doorway. The man had a bag in one hand and he nodded to Tuatara.

"Got something for you," He grunted. He tossed it, Tuatara catching it easily in his claws. "Clothes. Now you can ah..." He bit his lip. "Well, be normal, without having to strut around in your birthday suit."

Tuatara's forked tongue flicked out. "Thanks." He said in a hiss, tailing flicking as he held the bag against his scaly chest. The soldier nodded and turned on one heel, departing quickly, perhaps too quickly. Tuatara leaned over the bag, setting it down and looked at the group.

"I'm gonna turn back," He growled. "You all don't want to see any naughty stuff, just look away." Hiroshi flushed and quickly turned his back, facing the wall. Jason shrugged, having seen Max naked tons of times. Laureen also didn't avert her eyes and waved at him to get on with it.

Tuatara sucked in his breath and closed his eye. His body deflated, scales peeling off and replaced by his brown skin. His mane of unkempt hair burst free from the back of his scalp, his reptilian features morphing back into those of a human. Now Max, he sighed, shivering slightly but shook his head, hair ruffling.

"You alright man?" Laureen asked, leaning forward. Max inhaled deeply before looking at her, his single eye blinking. Then he nodded, forcing a smirk that nonetheless had a genuine quality to it.

"Yeah," He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "The mere fact that I can change again...well...it's a liberating feeling. I really did miss it."

With that said, he unzipped the bag and dumped the contents onto the floor. A pile of clothes slipped free, flopping onto the floor. Jason noticed a green leather jacket, camouflage pants, a generic white t-shirt, and some ankle-high boots. Max dressed himself slowly, standing and slipping on the jacket last. He traced a line around the perimeter of his eyepatch, before looking down at himself. He nodded, seeming pleased, and took a step forward.

Or he tried, anyway. He stumbled slightly and tripped. Jason caught him and pushed Max back up, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Max said slightly, licking his lips. He shakily stood up straight, gripping the lapels of his jacket tightly. "Moved too fast. I felt more confident all of a sudden but I can't forget this..." He pointed at his eyepatch. "...ain't gonna go away just cause of that. Gotta still take it slowly. Gotta still be careful."