Wincing, Nate groaned as he staggered to his feet. Wrapping an arm around his bleeding side, he worked to pry the hand off his shoulder. Now that he wasn't being dragged, removing the deep steel nails was easier. No less painful though. The hand fell to the floor with a heavy clang, before he looked around for a way out. Matthew had said something about the ball on the very top of the building. He guessed he was one or two floors below. Sighing heavily, he walked toward a door but took a second to touch the broken horse head. It may have been just a machine... but in the short time that he had it... he had bonded with it. Patting the head, he mumbled out loud to himself. "I'll be back for you. I can fix you." Making his way to the door, he kicked it in to reveal the emergency stairway. Taking the stairs up, he tried to get up there quickly. Upon reaching the top floor, he stopped as he heard a loud scream and a crash. Switching his pocket tool to a wire cutting knife, he jimmied the lock until it broke.

Yanking the door open, he took in the scene. The room was almost empty except for a set of three cubicles around a circular holographic platform. Some of the glass from the cubical walls were smashed apart like something or someone had been thrown through it. Laying in a pile of glass was Matthew. He looked beaten and cut up. As Matthew groggily noticed Nate in the doorway, he yelled out to him. "Nate! GO GET MARK!" Nate's eyes drifted to the farthest cubical, where a man in a white uniform was standing with a cold expression. The man was unfazed as he stared Nate down, regaling to him. "Yes, Mongrel. Run back to your precious Slums. This doesn't concern you. It's above you." Nate glared at Matthias, growling out. "Good. Makes you a bigger target." Matthias casually walked around the platform, replying calmly. "What is it with you filthy mutts? Do enjoy picking fights that you can't win? Are you THAT desperate to be something that you aren't?"

Nate shook his head, answering coolly. "Maybe we are just sick of people thinking their better than us. What better way to piss you off than to prove that we CAN survive? That no matter what you do... We will always be here. Cause if this is a heaven... Then there is certainly a hell. And when you fall... We'll be the first thing you see!" Matthias shook his head with a sigh, stating out neutrally. "Why can't you see? You are an infection. All this filth you drag in... You're poisoned words. It all just goes to prove how dangerous the Slums have gotten. You had a chance to better yourselves. Make a community all your own. Instead, as you say... you turned it into a hell on earth. Wasted lives and potential. You are survivors of your own broken flaws and ideals. War is in your blood. Being a murderer is all you will ever know how to be." Nate pointed to Matthew as he bitterly snapped out. "And what you are doing to Matthew? How is that any different?!" Matthias stopped short, retorting darkly. "You murder for selfish reasons. What I am doing IS different. Order has to be restored."

Nate shook his head, snapping back. "No. What you are about to do is chaos!" Matthias sighed heavily, informing him dryly. "You think too small. This has to be done to fix the issues that just refuse to stop being a problem. Mark needs to understand. Valhalla is perfect as long as its leaders are perfect. Chaos is already spreading. To fix it... We need to wipe the slate clean. Start over. Mark was lonely. This time he will have Mother at his side. He doesn't need brothers and he doesn't need the Slum Dogs." Matthew weakly sat up, blood leaking down from his nose as he told Matthias. "She's going to kill you... Don't you care?" Matthias slowly turned his head toward Matthew, answering without any emotion. "I'm not the first to die for the cause. She's made many of us over time. We each knew our place. To keep Mark focused on the task at hand. By killing you and those damn Slum Mongrels... I will have died for the betterment of Valhalla. And the death of you and that other Slum Slut, will push Mark back into being the leader he needs to be."

Matthew shook his head, scooting across the floor as Matthias started toward him again. Nate flipped over the pocket tool knife in his hand, throwing it at Matthias's head. The knife soared through the air, then hit a forcefield and shot off in another direction. Matthias slowly turned to look at Nate, growling out sternly. "That was VERY unwise, Mongrel." Nate dropped his hand from his side, letting his blood drop off his fingers as he snapped out at Matthias. "You want him? You've got to go through me first! Or are you afraid to lose to a Mongrel?" Matthias turned to face Nate, raising his hands to beckon him closer as he said coolly. "By all means. Come at me. I'd love to see you try to get me." Nate scoffed at Matthias, stating out in a challenging tone. "Shall I wait for you to call a Valkyrie then? If you're going to hide behind your fucking shield. Like a scared coward." Matthias rolled his eyes, turning back to Matthew, until Nate piped out sternly. "So, it's true? The Elite of Security can't even fight his way out of a plastic bag?" Matthew swallowed, continuing to scoot across the floor as he said nervously. "Nate? What are you doing?! He'll kill you!"

Nate glared at Matthias, telling Matthew with a smug grin. "No, he won't. I think he's all bark and no bite! Fucking coward! I'm injured and I can still kick your fucking ass!" Matthias turned back to face him, sneering out through his teeth. "You've got a big mouth." Nate let a devilish grin spread over his face as he told him bitterly. "Then come shut me up! If you think you can, Pussy!" Matthias ran toward Nate. Nate stood his ground, shouting out. "I bet you're as weak as your security measures!" Matthias made a wild swing at Nate's face, but Nate ducked it. Matthias's fist burst through the marble doorframe behind Nate. Allowing Nate to grab Matthias's unguarded arm and bite into the flesh of his wrist. Nate tore into his wrist like an animal, clamping his teeth on the thing he wanted. Matthias screamed, removing his wrist from the wall to grab Nate by the scruff of his neck. Nate couldn't block him or defend himself from him. He had his teeth on the prize. Getting a good inhuman grip, Matthias lifted him off the ground and threw him across the room.

Nate was forcefully pried from Matthias's arm and sent crashing into a cubical glass. Hitting the console, Nate's body locked up in pain, before rolling off and landing on the broken glass. Matthias screamed in distressed pain of his own, before yelling out bitterly. "What did you do, you filthy mutt?!" Nate slowly rose up to his feet, his whole body wincing and aching. Looking directly at Matthias though, Nate opened his mouth to let a mix of his blood and Matthias's pour down the sides of his lips as he spit out the metal implant chip. Spitting blood, Nate chuckled out a bit weakly. "Try and use your shield now, Bitch." Matthias yelled angrily, then ran after him with a speed that Nate could barely keep track of in his weakened state. Matthias punched Nate across the face, knocking him easily to the floor. Nate landed back across the glass, before Matthias grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground. Holding him up, Matthias hissed close to his face. "I'm going to kill you so slowly that you'll feel ever fucking bone break!"

Nate gathered a mouthful of his blood, then spit it into Matthias's eyes. Matthias jerked and Nate lifted his legs to brace on Matthias's shoulders to push away from him. Matthias lost his grip on him, but Nate landed back to the ground on his stomach. Nate's wounds flared and for a moment he couldn't move. His pain was becoming unbearable. Matthias kicked him in the ribs, causing Nate to scream. Matthias followed him, kicking him again. Tears were starting to run down Nate's eyes as the pain caused his body to seize up. Matthias kneeled beside him, smugly telling him now. "Huh... I thought you'd be a challenge. But you are pathetic. And any minute now. Mother is going to press the button and both me and your friend... will die." Matthias grabbed Nate's neck, starting to squeeze as he called out. "Matthew! Come here! You don't want to miss this! I'm about to put you dog down... permanently!" Nate tried to force his body to defend itself, but he was losing too much blood. Nate's vision was starting to blur when he saw Matthew approaching Matthias.

Matthias laughed, teasing out to Matthew. "What? Are you gonna cry?! You are such a-" Matthew suddenly jammed something into Matthias's neck, then staggered back. Nate saw the piece of cubical glass sticking from Matthias's neck as Matthew shakily mumbled out. "I'm sorry... But I won't let you take him too." Matthias wheezed, pulling the glass from his neck and causing more blood to rush from the wound over his white uniform. Scowling, Matthias realized that he'd let go of Nate and tried to grab his neck again. Matthew rushed over to grab Nate's arm, dragging him away from Matthias. Matthias glared at them, then told him. "Doesn't matter. I'll still detonate when Mother hits the button. You'll have to choose. Him or yourself." Matthias fell down, blood pooling around him. Nate grabbed Matthew's wrist, telling him seriously. "He's right. Go." Matthew huffed, stubbornly saying under his breath. "No. Just help me. I can still save you."

Nate shook his head, but Matthew was already dragging him over to a machine in the back corner. It looked like a torture chair with mechanical arms around it. Nate shook his head, but Matthew told him seriously. "It's alright. It's a doctor... Well, sort of..." Nate groaned as Matthew hefted him up into the chair. Weakly laying back, Nate told Matthew. "It won't work... Powers gone..." Matthew chuckled, answering as he raced around the chair. "Ya. I know. I did it. Mark used to run these emergency drills throughout the city. Knocks out the power to keep the city from being targeted by electrical seeking weapons from some other planet that I never remember... He rambles. Point is..." Matthew flipped a switch on the chair and the arms booted up. Giving him a warm smile, Matthew told him with a blush. "Everything except teleporters and medical devices are offline. You know... Trying to think of the people still in the hospital and stuff... These run off shielded lines."

Nate stared in awe at Matthew, chuckling out weakly as he watched him type something on the machine. "I told you." Matthew paused a second, asking curiously. "Told me what?" Nate smirked, answering warmly. "You're stronger than you think. You saved my life twice... I owe you." Matthew rolled his eyes, pressing a button and causing the arms to grab medical tools. Matthew grabbed Nate's hand, watching the arms get to work to access the damage. Coughing a little, Nate pulled Matthew closer, telling him seriously. "You can't stay here. If he's a bomb... You'll die here with me... You need to go save your brother." Matthew shook his head, but Nate cut in quickly. "Matthew, please? I've done all I can... I need you to save Sean for me... Do that... and I'll stay." Matthew's eyes teared up a bit, before he leaned over him to kiss him. Nate savored the kiss; despite the pain he was getting from the machines prodding at his wounds. Gently pushing Matthew away to break the kiss, he told him to go. Matthew kissed Nate's wrist, then stepped back.

Matthew started to head toward the teleporter, only to stagger to a stop. Rushing over to pick up something, Matthew ran back to Matthias's body. Nate winced and yelped as the machines worked, but asked Matthew with concern. "What are you doing?!" Matthew held up the pocket tool, answering as he cut open Matthias's shirt. "I just thought of something. Mother lured Mark away so that he wouldn't get hurt in either explosion, right? Well, if Matthias is a bomb... She won't want that anywhere near him, right?" Nate chuckled to himself. Matthew was clever in his own way. Risky even... and he liked that. Cutting open Matthias's chest, Matthew tried not to throw up as he reached in to carefully remove a robotic heart. Holding it up, he told Nate uneasily. "Got it. Just hang on. I'll be back." Nate nodded to him, watching him wrap up the heart in strips from Matthias's shirt before rushing to the teleporter. Once Matthew was gone, Nate relaxed and let the machines start hooking up blood bags with Matthew's name on them. He wished he could be there to see their faces when Matthew came strolling in with that... but for now. He could only hope that Matthew made it in time. To Be Continued...