Chapter 36: Chapter 36
The moment Yelena struck, the air seemed to crackle. A direct hit landed on Brygo’s lower jaw, a vicious uppercut that sounded sickeningly loud, crushing bone and lifting the Harald a few inches off the ground.
Before the pain could even register in his skull, a second, thunderous punch collided with his chest, the impact sinking slightly into his ribs. This propulsion sent him hurtling directly into the cold, unforgiving wall.
It all happened instantly, with the blinding speed of a blink. Blood erupted from Brygo’s mouth and nostrils as he collided hard against the wall. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, momentarily losing consciousness from the sheer, catastrophic pain.
Fists clenched hard, Yelena stood tall, slowly approaching the downed Brygo. A terrifying, palpable energy radiated from her with every measured step.
Brygo, though battered, could clearly feel the heat and pure killing intent emanating from her. He knew, instinctively, that a head on fight would result in his immediate death, even considering the fact that she was still weakened by the toxic gas he had poisoned her with.
"Hahaha, killing me... changes nothing," Brygo laughed, a harsh, rattling sound interrupted by coughs as he struggled to maintain his footing.
He managed to bring out a small, metallic knife.
"I’d rather die than to submit to the likes of you," he added, stretching the knife out in a desperate attempt to stab himself, choosing suicide over capture.
Before he could land a successful, fatal hit, Yelena lunged. She rushed at him with unnatural speed, grabbing his arm that held the knife and wrenching it away from his body.
Her other hand gripped tightly around his scarred face, pressing him hard against the wall with a loud bang that vibrated the corners of the room.
"You won’t see the next sunrise, that was my promise to you," Yelena’s voice echoed with cold rage, her eyes widened as she stared at Brygo with a terrifying intensity.
CRACK!!!
The sickening sound of dislocating bones instantly erupted as Yelena bent Brygo’s arm against its usual direction, completely inverting the limb at the elbow.
Brygo let out a huge, guttural scream as unimaginable pain enveloped his body. Blood from his mouth splattered onto Yelena’s face, but the splatter gave no reaction. She maintained her deadly stare without blinking, some of the crimson liquid even entering her eyes.
A hand from behind suddenly touched Yelena’s shoulder, a gentle, restraining weight.
"That’s enough," Eric said, bent over and nursing his bruised ribs, but his voice was calm and soft.
"Look, I get it, you’ve got every right to do whatever the hell you want to him, he’s a piece of work, no question."
"But right now? He’s the only shot we’ve got at finding the Nebulux. So, as much as I’d like to see him get his, we need him alive... for now."
Eric continued, his voice steadying
"Let’s not throw away our one bloody chance just so we can do something we’ll be kicking ourselves over later."
Yelena’s gaze remained heavily focused, a huge frown marring her features as she pinned Brygo tightly against the wall, her body tensed, almost prepared to rip off his arm.
After a silent, tense moment, a frustrated frown settled on her face. She abruptly let go of Brygo, causing him to glide down the wall, falling to the ground in a heap of agonized pain.
Dropping him, Yelena looked down on him with silent disgust, her face quickly reverting to an expressionless mask. After a moment, she turned around to leave.
"Thanks for listening," Eric said, a soft, grateful smile on his face as Yelena walked past him.
"When he reveals the location of the Nebulux, I’m taking you both back to Atlas," Yelena replied as she walked past, her gaze facing forward without granting Eric eye contact.
Eric fell silent and watched her pass by before turning to face Brygo, who held his deformed arm and breathed heavily, looking up at Eric with pain and surprise.
Yelena walking away from Eric finally approached Jimmy.
"That was bad ass," Jimmy said to Yelena as she got close to his post. His voice was laced with a mixture of shock, excitement, and disbelief.
Yelena paused slightly at his sudden response. "What?" she questioned, slightly puzzled, her voice cold.
"The whole thing. Seeing you fight like that, walking and sounding very scary, was really cool," Jimmy elaborated, his enthusiasm impossible to hide.
"You find violence really cool?" Yelena replied, her eyes slightly squinted as she stood still and stared at Jimmy.
"Well, no, but I’ll allow it this time... So yeah," Jimmy responded softly, bowing his head slightly, still tied to the pole.
"Both you and Eric are strong, always standing up for yourselves all the time. Then there’s me. A burden to you both. Weak," he added, his tone calm and soft, his expression pitiful.
"Eric was about to get killed right in front of me, and all I could do was watch," he continued, and then a brief, painful silence followed.
"I don’t want that anymore, Yelena. I want to be strong. I want to know how to defend myself and others, you," he continued, his voice now serious and optimistic.
His reply stunned Yelena for a brief moment. Jimmy mentioning the need to defend her was totally unexpected. She understood where he was coming from in all his words, but deep down, the mention of her really touched her slightly, a warmth in a place she thought long frozen.
"Ever since I left Atlas, I’ve seen the outside world for what it is. It’s a constant struggle for survival, day after day. And you have to fight to survive," Jimmy spoke with genuine conviction.
"I’ve come to realize intelligence isn’t everything, and I’m tired of being weak. Teach me to be strong, Yelena." His voice and look were filled with determination as he lifted his face to meet her gaze.
Yelena watched him silently, conflicted. The boy’s earnestness was undeniable, a raw desire for purpose beyond the lab. She was a soldier, not a mentor, yet his plea resonated with the fundamental principle of her existence, survival through strength.
"Hmmm," Yelena hummed softly, a non committal sound as she walked up to Jimmy. She produced a small, sharp instrument, the knife Brygo had thrown earlier, which Eric had dodged, and with a swift, clean motion, cut the thick cords holding him tightly to the pole, finally breaking him free.
"Ah, finally," Jimmy exhaled in relief, stretching out his body to freedom, rubbing the raw marks on his wrists.
After freeing him, Yelena walked a few feet away to a corner of the room, picked up a long, sheathed weapon, and then walked back to him.
"Hold on to this for me," Yelena said, stretching out a sleek, polished katana to Jimmy, her voice and face devoid of expression.
Jimmy was stunned, unable to fully understand why she would hand him such a weapon. He stretched out his hands to receive it, feeling the weight and coldness of the steel.
"What exactly is this for?" Jimmy questioned, his tone laced with confusion and curiosity.
"It’s your first lesson to becoming strong," Yelena said to Jimmy.
Her words completely surprised and thrilled Jimmy. He lifted up his face in excitement and gratitude to gaze at Yelena.
In that very moment, he noticed a soft, almost imperceptible smile gracing her lips. But at the same time, he also noticed something wrong and wholly unexpected.
A faint trickle of blood was slowly crawling out of her nostrils.
"Your nose... you’re bleeding," Jimmy said to Yelena, shocked, the katana momentarily forgotten.
His sudden response made Yelena touch her hand to her nose to check. To her surprise, Jimmy was telling the truth.
As she did, a striking, agonizing headache punched through her skull, causing her to fall onto her knees and hands as the bleeding from her nostrils increased, a steady, crimson flow.
"Yelena!" Jimmy yelled, dropping the katana and rushing to her side to help her up.
"Yelena! Yelena! Are you okay?" Jimmy called out, wrapping his arms around Yelena’s shoulder and arm to keep her upright.
"I’m fi... I’m fine," Yelena replied, her breathing intensely ragged as she struggled to keep herself conscious and upright.
Brygo, who had now been dragged to a chair and tied securely, noticed the ongoing situation with Yelena. A sinister giggle started silently, soon escalating into loud, maniacal laughter that echoed throughout the room.
"A prototype, yes... But imagine what the real product will do when it’s finally done," Brygo said loudly, setting his gaze, which was still alight with feverish madness, on Yelena.
"I’d like to know what you did to her! What in the hell did you poison her with!" Eric said loudly, his voice raw with concern. He grabbed Brygo’s collar and pulled it aggressively towards himself.
"Flowing through her veins is a product that’ll reshape the future ahead, a divine intervention, if I must say," Brygo said, a mocking smile on his face as he turned to Eric.
"Enough with the bloody bullshit, start talking!" Eric shot back, shoving Brygo away from his face.
A huge burst of mocking laughter erupted from Brygo, causing the chair to rock backward. He continued to laugh, mocking the predicament of the three allies.
"Don’t worry, it’ll eat her up... but its effect, temporary. Thank your lucky stars," Brygo added, a cruel smile etched on his face.
Yelena slowly gained control of her breathing, and with Jimmy’s help, she stood up, staggering slightly as her head felt dizzy.
"I can handle myself. What we need now is Intel on the Nebulux," Yelena said, walking to a wall and leaning on it to relax herself as Jimmy stayed close, offering his support.
Hearing that the effects were temporary and seeing Yelena finally standing, Eric pulled the table from the floor and brought it closer to Brygo. He sat on it, facing Brygo with a serious, menacing look.
"I’ll admit, you did me pretty dirty back there. Bloody messed up face, that’s for sure." Eric said, his voice flat, but his eyes promised retribution.