You all have no idea how long I waited to write this chapter
Daniel shuffled down the corridor, sliding against the wall. Where was he? Why wasn't he strapped down like he had been for the past several days? How did he escape? Oh, that's right; Glas took him in for his 'procedure'. Now he remembered. He remembered being wheeled into a room, hooked up to multiple machines, blood being drawn, and then had scalpel had descended towards his chest. Daniel had felt the blade cut through the first few layers of flesh before it had inexplicably stopped as Professor Glas was distracted by something on the monitors. Someone had broken into the warehouse. Daniel had watched as Professor Glas keyed in several codes as gunfire echoed off in the distance. Daniel had tried to free himself during this time, pulling and wrenching at the straps, rocking the table back and forth until Professor Glas prepared a syringe while muttering about the delays that would be created as the drug was removed from Daniel system. He jabbed the needle into Daniels neck and then,
Nothing
Nothing until suddenly he was shuffling down the corridor, trying to find a way out.
Something was dragging as well. Something metallic was slowly scraping along the concrete floor behind him. Daniel slowly stopped and turned his head to see his sword held loosely in his right hand. He looked slowly at his left hand to see his pistol hanging from equally numb fingers, blood dripping from his wrist down the blade. How he got his weapons, he had no idea. It must've been during the blank period. However he got them didn't matter. What mattered was finding a way out of this mess before something else happened to him.
"This was all going so well until your friends showed up," A voice called ahead of Daniel. Slowly raising his head, Daniel saw the dark blurry form of Professor Glas in the distance.
"They just couldn't have let me have my moment, could they," Professor Glas said with remorse. He raised a shaky hand to remove his glasses from his face. With a crunch, he crushed them in his fist and threw them off to the side in rage. The crushed frame tinkled against the concrete, the bits of glass tinkling in the dim light. "They just had to come in and ruin everything! I put so much effort into tracking you down, so much time creating the perfect plan. Searching all of Vale for the mysterious boy without an Aura, hacking the security cameras when you, a suspect enrolled in Beacon. I spent so much time and effort that's now absolutely worthless! And it was all because of a bunch of stupid children!" With a roar of anger, Professor Glas kicked the wall, putting a foot-sized hole in the plaster. The force from the kick was enough to destabilize Daniel. He stumbled and slid against the wall, nearly falling to the ground.
Just as quickly as Professor Glas' fit of rage began, it ended. He removed his foot from the wall and brushed the bits of dust from his jacket. "We'll have to leave Vale now, you and I. Somewhere friendlier to my work. Vacuo perhaps. Whatever it takes, you and I will finish our research." He looked up at Daniel and through the haze of the drugs, Daniel could see the passion and determination in his eyes. "We are the only hope for humanities survival."
Something sparked deep down in Daniel. It wasn't enough to get him to attack Professor Glas, but it was enough to keep him moving, when all his body wanted to do was listen to Professor Glas and lie down. There were voices now inside Daniel's head. Whispering, keening. Telling him not to stop. To keep going and destroy this man who'd caused Daniel so much pain.
A whistling through the air and the sharp pain of a scalpel slicing through Daniel's right arm removed any of the fog still in his brain. Daniel's head snapped up and he grasped the wound in pain.
"Stop now Mr. Grigio. Consider that your one warning shot," Professor Glas ordered. He had reached into his jacket and was pulling out an entire handful of Dust scalpels.
Daniel gritted his teeth and removed his hand from the wound. Frost had begun spreading, and numbing his skin around the cut. Daniel gripped his pistol tighter and raised it to eye level, aiming at Professor Glas' center mass. "Why Professor? Why did you do this?" he hissed in pain.
"Isn't it true that the lives of countless generations of humans and Faunus alike are worth more than the life of one boy?" Professor Glas asked in return. "This is what I have been telling you all this time. You will die, but others will survive! That is the duty of a Huntsman. A duty you took on when you joined this academy. And yet when push comes to shove, when it's suddenly YOUR life on the line, you shirk your duty. I'm disappointed Daniel. I thought I had taught you better."
Deep inside, voices were growling to Daniel. Take the shot. Kill this man who dares try and hurt you. Something stayed Daniel's hand though. Nothing was staying Professor Glas' hand though.
Professor Glas' hands moved in a blur, and sudden, scalpels were whirling through the air towards Daniel. Daniel fired off a round and sidestepped, only to step right into the path of four of the scalpels. They sunk deep into his bicep and chest, one even hitting his ribcage. Professor Glas simply let the bullet ricochet off his Aura.
Ignoring the pain emanating from multiple wounds in his body, Daniel began moving as fast as he could, firing his pistol with every step. Pulling out more scalpels, Professor Glas threw them with incredible precision, slicing each bullet in two before they could hit. The two halves would then fly off and ricochet off the walls, floor and ceiling. As he got closer, Daniel raised his sword to strike Professor Glas. Before he could complete the strike, Professor Glas grabbed Daniel's arm and slammed it halfway between the wall and a recessed doorway. Daniel's cries of agony drowned out the sharp crack of bones breaking. His sword slipped from fingers now incapable of functioning and clattered to the ground. It was soon followed by his pistol as Daniel clutched his broken arm in pain.
Professor Glas grabbed Daniel and slowly lowered him to the ground. Daniel moaned in pain as his newly broken limb jostled with the movement. The voice in his head was getting louder, more incessant. They were calling out for Glas' head and right now, Daniel kind of agreed with them.
Professor Glas looked at Daniel's bloody form and tisked, shaking his head in disapointment. "You know something Daniel? All of this could have been avoided if you had just stayed put. You're already going to be in a lot of pain from the procedure. I really don't know why you insisted on causing yourself additional discomfort." Professor Glas then did something that surprised Daniel. He began methodically removing the scalpels from Daniel's body, patching the holes with gauze and medical tape he pulled from his jacket. "Not to worry Daniel, you are in good hands," Professor Glas said in the calm controlled tone he always used in class. "Once I stop the bleeding we'll see to setting your broken arm. I'm afraid I'll have to sedate you after that though. I can't have you struggling to get free."
His heart pounding in his chest at the speed of automatic fire, Daniel began squirming, desperate to free himself from Professor Glas' firm grasp. Professor Glas frowned at his struggles and grasped Daniel's broken arm, applying pressure at the break. Daniel's screams filled the corridor once more. "That's enough Daniel," Professor Glas commanded, releasing the pressure. "Don't make me break the other arm as well."
Daniel ignored him and instead opted to resume struggling, and Professor Glas slammed his fist down on the break. Daniel screamed harder than he had ever done in his life as the pain overwhelmed him. The world went dark and he slumped against the ground, motionless. Professor Glas maintained pressure on the break for several additional seconds after Daniel stopped moving before he finally let go. With the pain gone, Daniel slowly came back to his senses, but this time he remained motionless, too afraid of further pain to retaliate. The voices in his head were roaring in anger, furious that Daniel wouldn't attack. Get up you fool! They cried. Kill him! Kill him and no one else will dare try and hurt you!
Professor Glas reached under Daniel's contorted form and lifted him up, suddenly with the gentle touch of a doctor ministering his patient. "Not to worry Daniel," he said calmly as he rummaged for a syringe, "I'll keep you perfectly safe. You can trust me."
It was with that one sentence, that all hell broke loose.
Daniel couldn't believe the nerve of this man. He had lied to Daniel, kidnapped him, planned out a live dissection of Daniel and his friends, broken his arm, caused Daniel to black out by punching his broken arm; and he had the audacity to tell Daniel he could trust him? It was the last straw. The voices in Daniel's head were a din of voices calling for Glas' death. They swarmed over Daniel's thoughts, mixing into a wave of anger and a lust for vengeance. They and Daniel agreed completely. Professor Glas had to die.
With a roar of anger, Daniel swung his good arm into Professor Glas' face. Professor Glas blocked it with his Aura, but dropped Daniel in surprise. Daniel fell to the ground and scrambled to his feet. Energy coursed through his body, giving him strength he hadn't felt in days. The wounds from the scalpels were still there, but the sharp pain they gave off was completely gone. In fact, all the aches and pains from their fight had all disappeared. He kneeled and grabbed his sword in his left hand, raising it to deliver a vicious swipe at Professor Glas. The blow struck Professor Glas and actually made it through his Aura, delivering a cut into his shoulder.
Professor Glas stepped back in surprise, clutching his bleeding shoulder and stared at Daniel in amazement. "Incredible!" he exclaimed. "Such ferocity, such disregard for injuries. And those eyes! This is an incredible discovery! You are truly a wealth of information Mr. Grigio."
Daniel didn't know exactly what professor Glas was saying, but right now, he didn't care. He swung at Professor Glas once more, who seemed to move in slow motion compared to how he was moving a minute ago. He twisted to the side as Daniel lunged at him, barely missing the blade as it went cleanly through his jacket. Daniel used the sudden resistance to pull Professor Glas in closer so he could head-butt him, snapping the Professor's head back and sending the two tumbling to the ground. When they hit the ground, Daniel tore his sword free of the jacket and swung it at the Professor's vulnerable neck. He was stopped however by a resistance in his left arm. Daniel looked at his arm to see a scalpel embedded deeply into his forearm, with Professor Glas holding onto it for dear life. The Professor used this hold on Daniel to push Daniel's arm to the ground where he pinned it with both arms. Angry that his one working arm was now pinned, Daniel began kneeing and kicking Professor Glas anywhere he could, trying to get him to let go. He got in a lucky shot and Professor Glas let go immediately, grabbing his wounded organ in pain. Daniel stood back up and bit down on the handle of the scalpel, tearing it from his arm. Blood began pouring freely from the hole, but he paid it little attention.
"Impressive," Professor Glas said as he gingerly got to his knees, his voice several octaves higher than it was before. "Your mannerisms have devolved into a more primal state. I might have to investigate this further before going through with the vivisection."
Any other day, Daniel might've let Professor Glas get back up before attacking, even though he wanted to dissect Daniel. Today however, he would get no such mercy. He kneed Professor Glas in the nose, breaking it and spewing blood everywhere. As his head snapped back, Daniel went once more for his neck. As the blade descended, Daniel saw in the corner of his eye that Professor Glas' right hand now contained three scalpels in between his knuckles. They were rising up to meet his blade, exactly like what Schatten did the last time they spared. They were perfectly presented to catch Daniel's sword and be able to control his movements. Instead of letting this happen, Daniel twisted his sword at the last second, passing beneath the scalpels and scoring a direct hit across Professor Glas' knuckles. He didn't cut through the fingers all the way, but that hand wouldn't be doing anything anytime soon.
Professor Glas' eyes widened as the bloody being on top of him wrenched its sword free of his knuckles and raised it in preparation of delivering a backhand strike. Blood was still pouring from the wounds Professor Glas had inflicted, which was starting to turn his skin pale. What was the most fearsome however, were the eyes. Daniel's eyes were normally somewhere between green and brown. Right now, they were a bright red that glowed in the darkness.
"D-daniel?" Professor Glas managed to get out. For the first time in what felt like years, Professor Arthur Glas was very afraid.
Daniel finally brought the sword down, bashing Professor Glas' mouth with the guard of his sword. It took out several of Professor Glas' teeth, as did the next hit, and the next. Daniel continued to pound on his former professor, letting out a primal grunt with each blow. After nearly a dozen hits, Professor Glas' face barely resembled that of its previous form.
Satisfied with the damage they had created, the voices in Daniel's head made him stop and catch his breath. Things were starting to get a little dizzy, the sounds of blood dripping a bit fainter. It was time to finish this before he no longer had the strength to do so. He reversed the sword in his grip and raised it above Professor Glas' neck. He didn't know it yet, but it was oddly ironic considering what had just happened to one of his friends.
"P-pleshe." Professor Glas croaked through a mouth of broken teeth and blood. The voices in Daniel's head commanded he ignore this plea and kill this man, but enough of Daniel remained in control that he stayed his hand for a moment, opting instead to lower his sword down to rest on Professor Glas' neck in case he tried anything. He wanted to hear what the Professor had to say for himself.
"Pleshe shtahp. Yew dondt unbershtand. I- I wash going to shafe lifes. Your beafth woulb hafe had meaning."
Daniel looked at this broken and battered pulp of a man. He was someone who had wanted with all his heart to save the world. It was something Daniel could sympathize with. On a philosophical level, Daniel completely agreed with Professor Glas; the life of one man was outweighed by the millions that would be saved. Had he approached Daniel about it, Daniel would have seen exactly what Professor Glas wanted to do. He might have even agreed to it. The only problem was, Professor Glas hadn't approached him about it before kidnapping him, and he certainly didn't get permission from Dakota and Velvet.
Daniel raised his sword high once more and opened his mouth to speak the first words he had spoken since they had begun this fight. "You. Had. No. Right."
The sword descended towards Professor Glas' throat as a faraway tinkle of metal on metal was heard in the distance. The instant before it hit home, the tip was violently pushed to the side and embedded into the concrete floor. Daniel looked up in surprise and rage to see Dakota with a piece of machinery in his outstretched hand pushing the sword out of the way. "That, is a very dangerous road you do not want to go down Daniel," Dakota said.
Furious that he had been foiled, Daniel dropped the sword and lunged at his teammate, the voices in his head calling for death. Professor Glas' death, Dakota's death, everyone's death. He didn't get very far though. While his wounds didn't trouble him in the least, blood loss was something he simply couldn't get past. He stumbled and fell, narrowly being caught by Dakota. He thrashed and writhed in an attempt to get at him, but Dakota held him fast, refusing to let go. "Dammit Daniel, listen to me! Glas is a piece of crap and needs to pay! But you do NOT want to be the one to kill him!"
Daniel continued struggling, but his actions slowed. As his heart rate slowed, the voices in his head, still calling out for blood, faded away into indistinct growls before disappearing altogether. And with their disappearance, came the pain once more. It was all over him. It was like they had never left. Rather, they had gotten stronger the more he exerted himself. Daniel bent over in agony, screaming his head off. As if noticing the blood for the first time, Dakota swore and called out. "Lunare, he's hurt bad! You got anything in that magic satchel you call a jacket?"
Lunare, who Daniel hadn't noticed before, pulled open his torn jacket and began rummaging through it. He eventually came up with a thin roll of duct tape, but nothing to put behind it. Glancing at Professor Glas, he pressed a button on his right wrist, releasing a thick blade from his forearm, extending towards his elbow. He then bent down over Professor Glas and used it to awkwardly slice a large portion of his bright blue jacket from the rest of his suit. As he did, a syringe fell out of a pocket and rolled across the floor. Ignoring it, he handed the duct tape and the cloth to Dakota and together they began bandaging Daniel's wounds; some of which were already bandaged, but had come loose during the battle. They managed to get the bleeding stopped, but Daniel was still crying in pain.
"Dammit, we got to get him calmed down," Dakota said. "He could go into shock, which at this stage could kill him."
"If Lewis were here, he would have something," Lunare mused. "Unfortunately, my supplies are rather limited when it comes to first aide."
A feeble hand tapped Lunare's foot. He turned in surprise to see Professor Glas offering Lunare the syringe that had fallen out of his coat. "Anesthetic," he said slowly, careful not to warp any of the syllables. "For Daniel."
Dakota went to hit Professor Glas in the head, but Lunare stayed his hand, frowning at the Professor. "Why should we trust you to give Daniel anesthesia instead of something else?"
In spite of the situation, Professor Glas managed to crack a bloody, nearly toothless smile. "I'm the Doctah," he said.
Dakota looked at Lunare, who was seriously considering whether or not to trust Professor Glas. Another moan from Daniel decided things for him. Lunare took a step back and brought Nieh Mehr to bear. "Arthur Glas," he recited in a monotone voice. "You are hereby under arrest for kidnapping and attempted manslaughter. The single guarantee that you have is that I currently have several cracked ribs because of your turrets. If you attempt to harm Daniel or anyone else before you are released to the proper authorities, I will not hesitate to remove you from the equation. Do I make myself clear?"
Professor Glas nodded and firmly grasped Daniel's arm. He jabbed the needle in and depressed the plunger. Daniel's world instantly went to black as his consciousness faded away.
I wasn't kidding when I said I waited forever to write this, although it took on several forms before it came to how it is now. It was something I always knew was going to happen sooner or later. Things didn't really start becoming concrete as to where and how it occurred until I came up with the idea of the mini arc where they have to infiltrate Daniel's father's house to get his thumbprint (that itself went through several iterations, one of which had Velvet tagging along). But even back then, I still had Professor Glas as a black and white bad guy. It wasn't until I actually began work on the infiltration arc that I began to think about how it would play out when it occurred to me that Glas wasn't a 2-d bad guy.
Here was a doctor and a Huntsman, that had dedicated his life to serving and saving others. It was never possible to save everyone however, and he eventually came to the conclusion that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. This realization came around the same time that he heard rumors of a boy that was incapable of generating an Aura. Realizing that this could lead to massive breakthroughs in understanding Grimm, and possibly even finding a way to finally push the Grimm away, he decided that this boy would be the sacrificial lamb to save millions. As a doctor and a Huntsman, he hated sacrificing someone in the way he decided was necessary. but he kept thinking about that ratio; millions of lives saved by one person.
So in actuality, I don't feel comfortable calling Glas a bad guy. he's an antagonist to be sure, but he's really just a man trying to do what he sees as necessary to save the world. That of course raises a really big question. Was DDLN and LSTR right in stopping Glas? And in doing so, have they damned Remnant?
I'll see you all in two weeks for the stunning conclusion of To Be Human, Book 1.
I almost forgot. I'm considering making a writing blog where I talk about my writing, and suggestions of things that I've realized throughout my time as an author. Would any of you be interested in reading something like that? Please let me know by sending me a PM, or mentioning it in a comment.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
