"Anger ... it's a paralyzing emotion ... you can't get anything done. People sort of think it's an interesting, passionate, and igniting feeling — I don't think it's any of that — it's helpless ... it's absence of control — and I need all of my skills, all of the control, all of my powers ... and anger doesn't provide any of that — I have no use for it whatsoever."
― Toni Morrison

The fluorescent lights hum lowly above his head. The door on the far side of the room remains closed. The rest of the cream-painted walls are bare, and there is nothing other than Techno. He stands with his arms crossed behind his back. He keeps his gaze straight ahead like a soldier in the presence of their commander. Instead of focusing on his commander's words, however, Techno is staring through reinforced, transparent glass that takes up an entire wall. He keeps his gaze locked on the person moving around in the adjoining room. The other person barely acknowledges him even when Techno's shadows begin infiltrating the edges of the room.

Supreme is working on Vendetta. The hero had his costume completely removed. He wears a white gown more akin to something a patient at a hospital would wear. The light clothing reveals the red cracks breaking up his skin. He also doesn't wear his mask and glasses, so Techno can watch those dark eyes staring intently at Supreme.

Vendetta has woken up several moments ago. Techno expected for the hero to lash out, but he remained unnaturally calm. He remained lying down in the hospital bed for a few moments, doing nothing. Supreme- a neutral healer- only noticed because the heart monitor picked up in speed. Techno noticed because he could feel Vendetta's heartbeat stutter. Supreme stayed perfectly still, watching the heart monitor. Techno was ready to move in, and he was about to when Vendetta sat up. He did it in one fluid motion like his body was completely recovered. He looked around absentmindedly with eyes as red as fresh blood. He gave a cursory glance at Techno through the glance before settling on Supreme. There was a moment of silence, and nothing else. Vendetta did not try pulling at his chains. He didn't yell or snarl. He didn't try to kill the person closest to him. He was eerily motionless, blinking slowly at Supreme. The healer, realizing there wasn't a threat to his life, continued moving around. He was even able to put a blood pressure sleeve on Vendetta without the hero lashing out.

Techno remains at the ready in case the situation changes. No one knows too much about the chemical the Red Army is using, but all reports suggest it causes uncontrollable rage in the victims. Their violent impulses become compulsions, and they lose most of their rationality. The Red Army has ways of training their soldiers to control their bloodlust enough to carry out missions, but no one has been able to fully suppress their urge to maim. Not anyone in the streets or any of the soldiers the Syndicate in conjunction with the Aces were able to detain.

Vendetta is an anomaly- one Supreme is taking advantage of. Supreme sits at Vendetta's bedside, getting closer with this patient than any of the others. Supreme says something, raising his hand to Vendetta. The hero glances at the offered hand, but he does nothing about it. Supreme frowns. He cautiously reaches a hand out. Techno tenses, waiting for Vendetta to lash out. Vendetta does nothing. He lets his arm get moved. He does nothing to help Supreme, yes, but he isn't hindering the healer, either. He is, for lack of a better word, docile. Far more docile than he is even when he isn't under the effects of a drug.

Supreme wipes down Vendetta's arm with an alcohol wipe. He ties a piece of rubber around his upper arm. Supreme lifts a needle, and he finds the vein. Techno takes a half-step towards the glass. His shadows flicker restlessly. Vendetta allows Supreme to take his blood without any special attention being given to it. When they are finished, Supreme puts a bandaid over the spot and unties the rubber.

He takes the syringe away to the other side of the room. Supreme has taken to doing a lot of his work in this room because Vendetta was the last person to wake up that was under the effects of the chemical. Even though Vendetta is now awake, Supreme doesn't seem keen on leaving soon. He glances over his shoulder at Vendetta a few times as he prepares his belongings. He frowns to himself, looking back at his desk to write something down on his personal notebook.

While Supreme does that, Vendetta has taken to staring at the glass. He meets Techno's eyes. He is completely apathetic. Techno narrows his eyes at Vendetta. He is tempted to use his fear presence to see if it will cause a reaction, but Supreme is still in the room. Techno's supernatural presence power will subdue Supreme along with Vendetta, if it doesn't set the hero off and make him fight against his restraints to hurt whatever the supposed threat is. At the moment, Vendetta has decided Techno and Supreme aren't worth his time. Techno would like to know by what criterion Vendetta has made that choice. Supreme is a stranger, and Techno- Ravager- is one of Vendetta's enemies. Techno wants to know what Vendetta is looking at right now. Is it Techno that he's looking at, or has the chemical affected his vision?

Supreme steps away from his desk. Techno's eyes remain on Vendetta, but the hero lazily looks away from Techno. He makes eye contact with Supreme. The healer says something, gesturing to the chains keeping Vendetta sitting in place. Vendetta lifts his hands up, staring at the chains around his wrists. Wilbur tried to argue that Vendetta needed some sort of plush, but they couldn't custom-make the chains in time. Wilbur was upset about that, mentioning the scars Vendetta already has. The people in the room who knew couldn't meet Wilbur's eyes, but Techno did unflinchingly. He felt bad for putting Vendetta in chains, but it was necessary. No one had to like it; they just had to look at the facts and comply.

Vendetta doesn't seem as bothered by the chains as he probably should be. He lowers his hands back into his lap, not a flicker of any emotion on his face. Supreme walks away, heading to the door in the corner of the room. Supreme disappears, and Vendetta's eyes meet Techno's stare. They stare at each other for a little while before Supreme enters into the room Techno is standing in. Techno tilts his body, splitting his attention between Vendetta and Supreme. His shadows will keep him well-informed.

"This is very odd," Supreme starts, tapping his pen against the paper of his notepad. He steps up to the glass. Vendetta shifts his attention to meet Supreme's eyes. The healer's brows furrow and there is a contemplative frown on his face. "He is verbally unresponsive. This isn't alarming as most of the others are the same way... but he doesn't make any noises. His breathing is fairly silent. He doesn't growl, hiss, or make other animalistic noises. Even when he moved his body, I couldn't hear much other than the chains or his clothes."

Supreme looks back down at his notepad. He runs his fingers along one of the lines. "He doesn't appear to be physically enhanced. His muscle mass seems the same as it was before he was injected. His reaction time is about the same, as well. Of course, I cannot confirm any of this just by examining him. I will need to see him physically running or lifting."

Supreme sighs, turning his body to directly face Techno. "The biggest oddity is one I am certain you already know about. Vendetta has not tried once since he woke up to break out of his chains or to harm me. He has not shown me any aggression with his facial movements. He is... different from the others. I can't confirm until we get the lab reports back about his blood, but... You told me once that he is able to ignore orders issued to him by Serenade."

It was not a question, but Techno treated it as such. "Yes. Serenade told me about it. I haven't seen it before, but I trust my brother. Not many people can entirely ignore his orders. I can't even ignore them."

"I thought so. And there was that other incident in the subway station. Vendetta recounted that he heard a voice coaxing him forward until Jolt messaged him. The voice disappeared soon after, though Jolt was able to hear it and felt enough negative emotions that he was paralyzed," Supreme says, rubbing his chin with his fingers. He glances sidelong at Techno. "I... have a few thoughts. But we should wait for the lab reports to come back. It is useless to draw baseless conclusions."

"I agree. I believe we should operate under the assumption that whatever happened just now was an isolated anomaly. If anyone requests to visit, they would need the proper clearance, and you should be far more careful interacting with him moving forward," Techno commands Supreme. Vendetta is staring at them. He is as apathetic as he was since he first woke up. Techno wonders what rage would look like painted across Vendetta's face. He seems like a person made from it, who became one with it to hide from something.

"If you think that is best," Supreme conceded. As a neutral healer, he was being contracted by the Syndicate right now. Supreme offered to take the case without any pay, but the Syndicate liked even exchanges. Supreme didn't seem to care either way. He is now working in the Syndicate's base with their resources.  He is also operating under their orders. "I think no one should be allowed-"

Supreme is unable to finish. The door opens. Techno looks over Supreme's head to see Azrael stepping into the room. The villain is wearing his full regalia from his dark cloak to his large ebony wings. Supreme meets Azrael's piercing blue eyes. Supreme steps forward, hands splaying out with his notebook acting like a shield. "Absolutely not. You need to get out of here. If there is anyone Vendetta is going to react to, it would be you and Inchling."

Azrael's stare is deadly and uncompromising. Supreme grits his teeth, undeterred. He continues to lecture the villain, but Techno knows the moment his father stops listening. Instead of leaving the room, Azrael stops at the window. His hands are at his sides. His expression under his crow mask is neutral. There is nothing particular threatening about his body language, but there is an aura his father naturally exudes. At the moment, it does nothing to Techno, but his father was to fully unleash it, even Techno would feel uneasy. Supreme should have shut up already, but the healer has a higher mental fortitude than Techno would have guessed.

There is a moment of stillness and silence as Vendetta's stare starts from Azrael's boots and goes upward. Techno is almost certain Vendetta will have no reaction. He is proven wrong. The exact second Vendetta meets Azrael's eyes, the hero is jerking forward as far as his chains will allow him. All the easy complacency is gone. Vendetta growls and glares, spitting up fuzzy saliva like a rabid dog frothing at the mouth. Vendetta's pupils are pinpricks in his bloody red irises, and the cracks grow even larger across his skin. Although Vendetta is acting like the others now, his reaction is far more extreme than anyone else's. There is genuine hate building up in Vendetta's heart, and the chemical is feeding it.

"Get out of here!" Supreme snaps, daring to touch Azrael's arm to push the villain away. Azrael's wing moves to knock Supreme away. Techno catches Supreme's shoulders before the healer can fall. He watches his father with very careful eyes. He doesn't know what game Azrael is playing right now. Is he trying to ascertain the depth of Vendetta's hatred for him? Techno could have told his father that the hate was real and ran deeper than the soul in Vendetta.

Techno opens his mouth to ask his father when he hears a distinct snapping noise. Supreme stops yelling at Azrael, and the villain's wing drops immediately. Vendetta stands at the foot of his bed. Blood pours from cuts on his wrist. The shackles are still on his wrists, but the chain attached to those shackles is noticeably snapped. The implications become a lot more terrifying when Techno remembers they used Netherite chains. Vendetta has broken through Netherite chains, something no one else has been able to do- not even the ones under Crimson's mind-control instead of the chemical.

"Azrael," Techno cuts out, a warning to his father. Vendetta bounds across the room in less time than it takes to Techno to utter that title. Vendetta slams his fists against the glass. Blood splatters across the surface. Vendetta's eyes are wide, and Techno can hear words mixed in with his growling. He is gaining enough rationality to speak, but it isn't enough to remind him that attacking Azrael here and now is not the best idea. Techno sicks his shadows on Vendetta. The shadows wrap around his legs, but they are unable to climb up his body because of the light glowing from the cracks along his skin. They hover around his skin, antsy and violent.

"You need to leave," Supreme says once more, but his voice this time is as cold as a graveyard. There is a single fact echoing in all of their minds. Vendetta broke Netherite chains. The glass was reinforced with Netherite. It is only a matter of time before Vendetta breaks the glass, and if Azrael isn't gone in time...

"Give- them- back... I'll fucking kill you!" Vendetta hisses, unleashing a large swath of killing intent. All of it is directed at one man like a spotlight on the main performer. Azrael's expression has not shifted, but he does turn away from Vendetta. This makes Vendetta even angrier. He shouts Azrael's name several times like a mantra, his voice rising and falling in pitch and often breaking. Azrael doesn't glance over his shoulder as he leaves the room.

His disappearance does not discourage Vendetta. It spurs him on. It makes his eyes wilder and the blood gush out like geysers along his wrist. Supreme runs out of the room, muttering something about a tranquilizer. Techno doubts anything could knock Vendetta out right now. He lets Supreme leave, however, because he knows the healer doesn't stand a chance against Vendetta, especially not a version of the hero who is enhanced enough to break Netherite.

He is able to break Netherite glass, as well. Techno jumps back as the glass falls to the ground like a curtain. Some of the pieces cut into Vendetta as they fall. The hero doesn't bother glancing at his freshly opened wounds. He jerks forward, but the shadows trip him up. He nearly falls flat on the ground. He manages to pick himself up in the time it takes Techno to react. The villain wraps his arms around Vendetta to hold him back. The hero is violent and crazed, but Techno's firm is unyielding. He slowly descends onto his knees, bringing Vendetta down with him. The hero fights him at every turn. Despite this, Techno gets Vendetta to sit in his lap. He is completely surrounded by Techno without any room to escape. Techno considers waiting for Supreme to get back with the tranquilizer. Deciding that it will take too long, Techno moves his hand up to place it over Vendetta's eyes. The hero seethes and tries biting Techno. The villain keeps his wrist out of Vendetta's way. "Calm down, Theseus. Deep breathes. Everything is okay. It's just you and me. No one else is here. You don't have to be angry. There is no need to be violent. Focus on me, only me. Don't think about anything else. Listen to my voice. I'm here... no one else is."

Techno keeps repeating those phrases in Vendetta's ear. He was beginning to doubt it would work, but all of a sudden, Vendetta deflates in Techno's arms, completely boneless. Techno breathes a sigh of relief. He lifts his hand away from Vendetta's eyes. He is surprised to see those bright red eyes wide open. He thought Vendetta had fallen unconscious. Vendetta glares at the roof. He begins trembling in Techno's arms. He hisses, "I'm so fucking pissed. I'm angry."

"Why are you angry?" Techno asks softly. For some reason, this situation reminds him of his early days with his father and brother. Techno would get angry a lot. Wilbur was able to command Techno to stop, and he would soothe Techno's anger afterwards. Philza did not have that luxury. He would hold Techno, though. He would hold him no matter how much Techno fought against it. He would patiently ask where the anger came from. After years of this, Techno was able to control his anger. Techno uses the same tactics now.

"I don't know," Vendetta mutters. There is something other than rage in his tone. It is a very painful and frustrating confusion, like an amnesiac slamming their head against the wall to remember their past. Vendetta reaches a hand out, his fingers closing into a fist. "I think it was because I saw Azrael. I fucking hate that guy. But now I hate everything. I want to slaughter Supreme. I want to bash your head in."

"Why don't you?" Techno continues asking questions. Vendetta is docile in his arms. If he wants to hurt Techno, he can continue trying. But he has stopped for some reason. Techno wants to know the answer.

Vendetta laughs, bitter and sad, like he's hiding a sob. "I know this isn't me. My whole fucking brand is killing two people, not everyone else." Vendetta makes a depressing noise, and he sinks down in Techno's hold. "I want to calm down."

The cracks around his body are glowing. His eyes are redder than the canyons of the Badlands. He is bleeding profusely, and Techno stifles a disgusted noise when the slobber touches his arm. But Vendetta is trying, so Techno asks, "What can I do to help?"

"This," Vendetta murmurs, a touch too soft to be anything other than vulnerability. He grabs Techno's arm, pulling it close like a child hugging a stuffed animal. "I'm not angry about this."