"Please, fight this. You have to fight it. You have to live."
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Never, neverĀ could he have anticipated this. It was somethingĀ completelyĀ unbelievableāor had he just beenĀ blindedĀ by his ownanger, desire for revenge? He couldnāt think, not for a second, that theĀ thingĀ ( he dared not to call him aĀ boy, aĀ human. He was anything but, in Van Helsingās mind.) that had betrayed him soĀ horribly, perhaps hadnāt been the one to betray him atall. Not one moment had been spent considering the possibility that the oneperson heĀ trusted the mostĀ had been the cause of all of it. TheĀ liesĀ he had spoken before, the liesĀ he believed wholeheartedly, stabbed into Van Helsing, making him moreconfused that ever.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā And it was all his plan.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He hadĀ wantedĀ this, heĀ wantedĀ Van Helsing to find out, not right away,but after enough time had passed to make it most effective. All for hisĀ twisted goals, hisĀ experiment, and the hunter had been his bestĀ test subject. A subject soĀ narrow-minded, stubborn, someone who would give upĀ all elseĀ to achieve what he wanted, someone whoalready hadĀ above averageĀ capabilities.Truly, he had needed aĀ Human Weapon,and that was exactly what he found.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Jimmy A. Aleister, theman whoĀ welcomedĀ Van Helsing toTwilight, who became a skilledĀ mentor, who earned theĀ trustĀ of the strict soldier. The man whoĀ endedĀ that soldierās life without him dying.Really, he should have seen this coming, should have realized that Finis wouldnot have let him justĀ walk offĀ from Twilight.He should haveĀ knownĀ there wassomething more to it all, a bigger force beyondĀ oneĀ boy, seemingly immortal. He knew FiniswasĀ cruel, he didnāt doubt thatfor a second, but it begged the question of what that would have accomplishedfor him. Putting Van Helsing through what he had experienced would doĀ nothingĀ to benefit the organizationās leader. SoĀ why?
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā No matter what heĀ shouldĀ have expected,Ā shouldĀ have known,Ā shouldĀ have figured out, it had been too late.In fact, he hadnāt realized until he was told. He hadnāt expected this at all,and he was paying the price. Someone heĀ thoughtĀ he trusted was standing before him,finally admitting to his crimes, though without repentance.Ā Not that it would do him anygood,Ā Van Helsingthought. Even if Aleister had said it all to atone for his sins, there would beno forgiveness found within the heart of the man who had everything taken fromhim. Only rage, a pure, undiluted rage.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Which is what he had been aiming for.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Hidden Strength.Ā There was a terrible process to unlock the human bodyāsmaximum potential by putting it through so muchĀ torment, so muchĀ pain, that it will never forget. One that VanHelsing had seenĀ far too muchĀ inhis life, even when he was sure he hadnāt even seen half of the participants.The fact that it existedĀ at allĀ was too much. Those who were able tolive through the procedure were no longer truly themselves.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Unknowingly, hehimself had been subjected to it. After all that happened, he had to wonderjust how many others had the same thing happen to them. He assumed that theyonly selected those with traumaĀ alreadyĀ in their lives, but it was nowĀ clearĀ to him that part wasnāt necessary intheir endeavors. All of it,Ā forcingĀ his hand, ruining aĀ childāsĀ life, all orchestrated by someone heĀ trusted, if that was necessary for him to reach hisgoal, thatās what he would do. After all, whyĀ waitĀ when you can do something on your own?
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He wasnāt sure when ithad started, but he could no longer tell Aleister heād get him back, no longerfight back against his words. So itās begun. If he had been himself ( or,perhaps not even then ), he would have laughed at just howĀ pitifullyĀ things turned out. All that time spentwas wasted, his will used up, with nothing to show for it than his own loss.Though, he had to say it was surprisingly he could still think rationally, ifonly just a bitā perhaps it was because it wasĀ him, or perhaps it was because ofā¦
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā His thoughts were cutshort when he remembered an unlikely pair that had been behind him the entiretime. Thatās right, they had begun such anĀ oddĀ partnership, much like his own. Hethought about the boy he had sworn loyalty to, the very same he had betrayedbefore. Could this be considered another betrayal? Even if he did make it outof this with some semblance of sanity, could he still work under him the way hehad planned? He wasnāt sure of that, wasnāt sure of much anything anymore, buthe knew that even if he didnāt come back as himself, theĀ vampire kingĀ would be just fine. He was strong, muchstronger than Van Helsing.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā TheĀ master thiefĀ andĀ genius detectiveĀ had already began to take action, intheir own ways. It seemed Sholmes was prepared to defend himself, even againstsomeone who Lupin thought a friend, and he was glad. Ā If there was onething he didnāt want to happen, one thing heĀ couldnātĀ have happen, it was someone he couldcall an ally being hurt ( more likelyĀ killedĀ in this case ) by his own hand. It hadalready happened before, and no matter what was taking him over, he wouldnātlet it happen again.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He wasnāt sure whatwas said, but he had suddenly forgot all else, after all,Ā LupinĀ hadĀ betrayedĀ him. He couldnāt say he was surprised.Van Helsing had originally met them all threatening the life of hisĀ treasure, the girl that seemed to have done exactly ashe had wanted her to. She led him to the man that he wanted toĀ killĀ more than anything, though he neverexpected him to be so close. Close enough toĀ foolĀ him into thinking they were actually onhis side.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā It barely took amoment for shotguns to be drawn and pointed. One should have expected nothingless from him, when he was faced with aĀ threat. He knew the other as heĀ Dashing Gentleman Thief ofJustice, but just how much ofthat could be considered true? How much has Lupin fabricated so that he couldget this result? No matter what code he claimed to have, would he fight back?Ā KillĀ Van Helsing if need be? It seemed he hadno real problem doing it before-- to hisĀ family. Or perhaps the code stayed intact, so longas he got someone else to do it for him. Was that what he was meant to be? No,of course it was. Why else would you need someone like him, or theĀ monsterĀ he was turned into?
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āPlease, fight this.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā The plead soundeddesperate, as if he actually cared what happened. He supposed it was plausible.If Van Helsing died, heād lose his best subject. IfĀ heĀ died, well, there would be no one to use theĀ repurposed weapon, no one to continue what he started. He knewthis, heĀ knewĀ that had beenthe only reason, but just a small part of his mind wanted to believe thatĀ LupinĀ wasnāt the one lying to him. He wantedto believe in Lupin, in his acquaintance, his ally, his...Ā friend.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā No matter what Lupinsaid, or what crossed Van Helsingās mind, he did not stop. He wasnāt sure whatwas making him miss so much, though he assumed it was the frenzy he had beenput into --Ā surely it couldnāt be anything elseĀ -- but it didnāt matter. He had noticedSholmes begin to move, soĀ why had Lupin stopped him? Is he testing him,seeing how much he would go through, see if he was truly capable of becomingthe weapon he wanted? Or... could he truly not want to fight Van Helsing, trulywant him toĀ just snap out of it?
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He had gotten close, as Lupin began runningout of space to back up. The moment was finally here, how long heād waited forthis, to finally get revenge. The culprit was standing before him, with what hehad come to believe was a look of feigned despair, one meant to control hisactions, why could he not just convince himself that was it? For as long asheās waited for this moment to happen, it seems, it will take him the sameamount of time to hesitate. To think on everything thatās happened.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Surely, in thebeginning, Van Helsing wasnāt theĀ friendliest. Even in the present, he wouldnāt be calledthat. However, starting out, it was just a bit worse-- a time much like thisone, where he had his guns pointed at anĀ unfortunate thief. Before, he had been bested by that thief,getting his guns successfully disabled. The offer they had made was insane, tosomeone that had beenĀ threateningĀ them,but in the end, it had been theĀ bestĀ thing to happen to Van Helsing in a longtime. Just because he didnāt want to get closer to any of them didnāt mean hehadnāt. If only a little, he could say the time he spent with them all wasprecious, the onlyĀ happyĀ moments he wouldbe able to recall.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Of course, not all of it had been pleasant, thinking back on aĀ certain airship raceĀ and his role. He couldnāt say heparticularly hated those moments, though. After all, they were nothing comparedto what heās gone through previously, and really, they were only jokes, nothinghe could say was truly harmful, not to him. Itād be another thing if he felt asthough he had been in danger any of those times, but he just simply hadnāt. Itwouldnāt be like him to miss a sign of danger.Ā WhyĀ hadnāt he figured this out? Before hemade such memories with them all.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āYou have to fight it.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Another plea was heard,Ā why did he sound so worried,making him falter, if only slightly. Lupin was lying, faking it, testing him,Ā usingĀ him. His words arenāt meant any otherway, yet he still felt himselfĀ trembleĀ just a bit, something he seemed to bedoing much more lately. He was afraid, he didnāt want to hurt Lupin, and heknew, heĀ reallyknewĀ thatif he did this, it would be a mistake. How many times could he be tricked? Itwas easier now, and that had been taken advantage of. Although he was sure thatthis wasnāt who he should be turning against, he wasnāt sure there was any wayto stop himself other than...
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Van Helsing had no shortageof means to defend himself, or to just simply attack. Especially not for whathe had been trying to do today. In fact, today, he had more than only rangedweapons. As much as he could with the state he was in, his free hand traveledto the place that carried the thing that could stop him from hurtingĀ even moreĀ people he cared about. Unfortunately, hehad been noticed.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āVan, stop. You have to live.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā However ironic it was, thatwas what he needed to continue. Just a push to show him that if he didnāt, thiswould never end. His only chance at allowing the rest of them happiness laid inhis hands, in his hand. He never believed that such a thing would come in theform of the dagger he would just to end his own life. It wouldnāt kill himinstantly-- he doubted heād be able to do that with his own power, at least notwith how he was now. Most of him still was trying to take over what remained ofĀ himself. Atthe very least, it would bring him back to his senses for the moments beforethe inevitable.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Being famed for being a Human Weapon means heās certainlysturdier than most. He would have a few minutes conscious, and a few minutesunconscious. Not nearly enough time to get him to someone, and certainly notenough time to save him. He grit his teeth through the pain, almost immediatelylosing his balance,Ā ah,at least he was back, and Lupin wasnāt hurt.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā If he had hit anywhere else,he may have been able to be taken to Fran, or gotten some sort of treatment. Hewas afraid it wouldnāt have worked if it wasnāt as fatal as it was. No matter,he found himself wishing he had tried a non-lethal method first.Ā For amoment, he was able to imagine what would happen if he stayed, with them,allowing himself toĀ trustĀ once more. To put his trust into thosewhoĀ truly deservedĀ it this time. Perhaps, one day, he wouldfind himself happy. It had been a fleeting daydream, though. One that endedwith an encroaching darkness,Ā so dark, that he no longer longed for, and almost...Ā feared. Hedidn't want it to take him, not now, not anymore, as he'd found a reason tolive,Ā peopleĀ to live for.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā No longer could he hear Lupinās pleading, feel the pain he hadinflicted on himself. If he had a few more moments awake, he would want to tellLupin to thank the others for him, for allowing him to live beside them all. Totell Delacroix II he was sorry he couldnāt die by his hand, as he promised. Totell Lupin that he was glad he hadnāt done anything to him.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Despite all that hadhappened, he had a good life in the end.
