Where the Heart Truly Lies [Pain and Paine only]

Doctor Necrodium sat down within his secret location within the head of the Statue of Liberty, looking onward towards New York City, watching as hero, renegade, and villain alike all try to halt the advance of Doctor Necrodium's unstoppable army, one consisting of monstrous creatures, swarms of robots and undead hordes. With all of his resources pulled for this single event, Necrodium made sure that there was not a single movement wasted, not a single unit or command misplaced, all tied perfectly with advanced synergy, something that was unattainable without Doctor Necrodium's brilliant mind. As he watched, the sounds of explosions, screams of agony, and the pointless retaliations of the heroes brought a strange hum to Doctor Necrodium's mind, one that gave him a sense of peace. Here at the final stretch, Doctor Necrodium was now free to relish in his work, enjoy the last few hours as he finally reached the finish line, finally winning his long battle against all those that attempted to suppress him and his life's work. The Doctor's metallic features could never come close to expressing the joy that he was feeling right now, the utter glee he had now that he met the conditions, and was finally going to get his prize.

As he watched, the unconscious part of his mind, the few last specks of morality and justice clawed at Necrodium's conscience, trying to get his attention, trying to stop the madness that he was creating. However, it was too late to stop, not only for the Assault, but for Doctor Necrodium himself. There could be no redemption for what he had done, there could never be any return from his dark deeds, never could he repay those whose lives he had ruined. He alone was responsible for the deaths of millions, the drying of waterbeds, the enslavement of thousands, all working unwillingly to his dark will, not a single protest able to be said, the destruction of homes, food, wildlife. No mortal man has ever committed as many atrocities as John Vanko has, very few could ever match the evil that he has committed. To top it off, Doctor Necrodium would never had taken a single moment of his dark crusade back, it was the most important thing to him, more important to him than the entire world.

"They can all rot for all I care" Doctor Necrodium said as his inner thoughts left his mind, expelling his last bits of doubt, anything left over from when he confronted his father not so long ago. He was without morals, without justice, every means was worth it, in order to achieve this ending. "Now is the final task, all it takes is for those two to arrive, and then all will be well, and everything will be as it should'

With an exhale of sickly green mist, Doctor Necrodium rose to his feet, looking out through the eyes of the Statue of Liberty, watching through Lady Liberty at the crumbling city, even with all their efforts, the heroes would fail, that was for certain. Their fighting, their pride, their justice, their tears, it would all be in vain, and it would all be fuel in order to appease those that wished of it, and give Necrodium the thing he wanted most. As he looked over the city, giving it one last look, Doctor Necrodium turned to look at two cloth-covered incubator tubes, both large enough to hold the bodies of humans within. Without a single word, nothing but a solemn silence, Doctor Necrodium looked back at New York City and began his final calculations, planning the final course of the Olympus, the events that would cause all the pieces to fall into place.

In the back of his thoughts, Doctor Necrodium thought to himself how life could have been. Could there have been salvation for him somewhere down the road? Or was he destined from the start to commit all the crimes against God and Humanity, not a single say as to what would happen? No one could say, for the past was the past, and no one could change it. In the end, Necrodium allowed himself his final grievances, and did what most would not expect a man so evil to do, Doctor Necrodium prayed. As he looked up at the only light shining in the darkness, he let out his final words.

"God, I know right now I am in no position to be asking you of anything, or to be even talking to you right now. After all, I have done more evil than any of your children before me. However, I would like to spend my last moments as Doctor Necrodium with you, my last moments of my rational, less emotional self. For today, I will die, as I'm sure you already know, and someone who I have trespassed shall come to deliver the final blow. I would like to say that I am sorry for what I have done, that I am sorry for all that I am about to do, the lives I am going to extinguish in my unholy crusade for my own selfish reasons, and those that I have already removed. I am sorry for never giving my father a chance, he is a good man, who learned from the mistakes that he had made, a man yearning for a better future. If it were another time, another life, maybe we could have been close, maybe I could have been close to you too. Finally, I would like you to grant me one thing, the only thing I have ever asked of you, after all this is done, I want you to protect her, prevent anyone from harming her ever again. I want her to be safe, and to have a better life than what I gave her. If you were listening. Thank You. Amen"

With his prayers done, Doctor Necrodium let out a ragged cough, something unheard of when coming from the non-living. However, Doctor Necrodium could see that his time on the Earth was almost through. With a push of a holographic display, Doctor Necrodium set the final orders, the final execution of his plan. Doctor Necrodium then walked over to one of the cylinders, running his hand along the sheet, gripping it as he lay his head against it, peaceful, as if he were embracing someone he loved. In this small moment, Doctor Necrodium's eyes let out streams of green ooze, giving off the impression of crying. However, the Doctor did not weep, he merely rested there, the ooze dripped down from his face as his features remained unlit by the his inner light.

"I'm sorry, but it must be done. I know you wouldn't have wanted it this way, but I have to do this, I have to give you this. I have killed millions, enslaved thousands, and ruined the lives of thousands more, all for you. With these last acts I am going to fulfill my service, and give you the only thing I can give. Please live a life in which you can be happy, free from everything, gaining everything you were deprived of. I'll always be here with you, I know you aren't proud of me, but I'll always remember what you did for me, and I will always appreciate those years we had together. I will always regret that I wasn't fast enough to save you, maybe if I had been less obsessed with other things this would have never happened. But here I exchange my life for yours, reset the clock to the time where you were free from everything. I will always be with you, I will always watch over you, even if you don't remember me. Live the life we never got a chance to live... I will never forget you... I'm sorry... I'll always love you... Goodbye... Mother..."

Releasing his grip, Doctor Necrodium turned his back and walked away from his hideaway, walking towards the secret route and began to make his way down the Statue of Liberty. With each step, Doctor Necrodium shed away the sins of his past, letting go of the lives that could have been. Ridding himself of the doubts, the unclean thoughts of vengeance and petty grievances. Forgetting everything that made him what he had become, everything that made him the monster he had become. As he walked down, the metal that covered Doctor Necrodium's body peeled away, the sickly cloak, and disgusting green mist all dissipated into the windless abyss, his staff cast away into the silenced halls. Embracing the sunlight, Doctor Necrodium died away, leaving John Vanko standing at the edge, waiting for his father to arrive.

"Alright big guy, come and get me..."

John looked on towards the city of New York as he waited for his father, the forces he had sent orders to long ago had now advanced far faster than his expectations had predicted. Looking at it now, it was clear that Doctor Necrodium was indeed a far more efficient monster than he could ever be. However, nothing could be done about his past deeds, there was no turning back now. There was only one way to stop Doctor Necrodium now, and that was to carry out his plan now, what he needed was for Pain to come and complete the deed, meet him and finish the job, and stop the madness that was covering his precious city. Despite his jealousy against New York, a collection of rock and metal that received all the love he never had, John knew right from wrong. So until then, he had to wait, see, and hope that his father would come. But what if he is too weak to do it? John thought to himself. What if he can't go through with the horrible deed he must perform in order to stop the chaos that Doctor Necrodium had created? He needed something, something that would get Pain to do anything in order to stop Doctor Necrodium.

It was then, while in deep thought, that a woman arrived in front of him, walking on what seemed to be a bridge made out of ice, someone who managed to find his location amongst the chaos. But who it was came to John quickly, the face, the hair, the eyes. Every little detail was like Pain, everything that showed in front of him showed the visage of the other child of Pain, Rebecca O'Day, John's little sister. Without missing a beat, Rebecca asked John if he was the one named John V, tipping off John on how she knew where to find him, it was all because she found the note left for their father. John himself never knew that they had become so close that she was able to look through his personal effects, a pang of jealousy coming over him as he looked over the facts, she came her to face him herself.

You really know how to pay me back don't you God? John thought to himself, the thought was considering this moment a blessing and a curse. For the fact that someone other than Pain arriving was unexpected, unwanted. However, now in front of John was the one of the best ways to prepare Pain. But the act itself would be the worst thing he had ever done, more than everything else.

"Hello Rebecca, it's a pleasure to see you in person for the first time. I guess Father sent you to do his dirty work without telling you why. Well, since we're already here, and the end has nearly arrived, I might as well tell you the truth. The truth is that I'm your older brother, John Vanko, our father's bastard child. If you've been paying attention to the news lately, I'm also the one called Doctor Necrodium" John said calmly, lacking any sort of emotion other than complete faith in his plan, and despair for what he was about to do. "Since our coward of a father isn't here, it appears I must fight you. I'm sorry Rebecca, but it looks like you're going to have to be the last martyr of the Dark Crusade. It pains me to have to do this, but you must die."

Reaching to the back of his waist, John pulled out a bladeless hilt, one with no guard and a ring at the bottom end. Swinging the hit in front of himself, John’s hilt erupted with a sword of blue light. The weapon was the last scalpel he had, a sword created to save superhumans, now becoming the last of his former life to become a tool for destroying life instead of saving it. A marvel of technology on its own, the energy that formed the blade was so sharp that it could even puncture the skin of incredible superhumans like Pain and Ibis, now with the final upgrade, the Tachyon Sword was more than strong enough. John pointed his sword towards his sister, his eyes narrowing.

“Don’t make me do this Rebecca, I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want to kill you” John said to his sister, giving her one last chance. “I’m giving you a chance to leave, leave all of this behind, let father and I finish this business between us. I don’t want to have to kill you on your birthday”

(John is in final boss mode for the NYCA, so he's got a full 24 point grid. [As opposed to something like that Prince of Darkness character before him. Nothing too overpowered here] So John's powergrid is STR: 4 SPD: 4 DUR: 4 INT: 7 EP: 0 FS: 7 In addition, his 7 INT items are his Tachyon blades, which are essentially Light Manipulation devices.)

John knew that his sister wouldn't listen to him, she was just as stubborn as their father when it came to things that she thought was right, but he still held onto the false hope that she would stop and leave. However, he would be proven wrong, as Rebecca came at him with full force, attempting to generate a joint attack that would trick him into an unfavorable position. But John knew better than that, with his enlightened sense back to his full extent and the power of his body healed without the suit, he was more than a match for his little sister. But still, John himself didn't want to kill Rebecca, as Rebecca came towards him, John saw how many flaws were in her attack, how many places he could maim her in an instant.

Instead of that, John chose the opposite route, thinking it was possible he could tire her out instead of killing her. As the attacks came towards him, John moved to the side, completely avoiding the kick towards his head. In the same movement, John moved his blade to block hers, gracefully bouncing it to the side as he danced around her attack. All of his skills had returned to him in full force, and due to his time limited as Doctor Necrodium, John understood how to react even better than before. Within a span of milliseconds, John avoided the attack with almost no effort at all.

"Rebecca..." John began as he looked back at her when she landed, his eyes filled with what some would call empathy, others would consider it pity. His blade in his hands, his pale skin glowing with the sun. Glancing over his shoulder, John kept his eye out. "I've killed beings mightier than you when I was human, even more so as Doctor Necrodium. Now I stand before you better than either of them. As repentance for what I have done to our Father, I don't want to have to kill you here. I implore you to stop where you are now, and leave. I will not think of you any less, just leave..."

Now turning to face her, John's face became emotionless, devoid of any compassion that he once had. He was at his peak. "I will not ask a third time"

This is essentially what John looks like:

Even in the face of her brother's obviously superior skills, Rebecca still refused to back down and leave the island. Even though John thought his sister a fool, he had to admire her determination, very similar to his own and their father's. She wasn't going to back down like a beaten dog, she wasn't going to turn tail and run, she was going to die like the prideful, stubborn bitch she was, and John was going to give her that fate. Looking down at his last Tachyon blade, a creation he designed to save the lives of people like Rebecca and Brock, those who couldn't be saved by the devices of man. Gripping his blade intensely, John looked to his sister again, listening to her speak, reminding himself that this is what she was going to remember him by, now and in the after life, a monster. Moving his blade into position, John's stare intensified, proving he was now resolute in bringing the fight to an end.

"Oh? You are doing this for a reason? And what is that reason? Showing off your useless pride? Trying to win Daddy's favour? Nothing will result from this fight other than your death, and a pathetic display of human recklessness and pride. You're nothing, not even worth mentioning by the tongues of the people of New York! Your father didn't know of you, and your mother abandoned you, I pity you Rebecca, at least I had a mother's love" John said again, watching his sister move, even with her resolve and his own, John knew that sooner or later his talking would get to her, cause her to make more mistakes than she was already making. She was trying to beat John with her superior power, trying to cover all areas, none of which would work. "I guess you did get Dad's recognition, but that isn't going to get you anywhere, other than the title of bastard! I've fought beings beyond the boundaries of nature and dimension, you think I can't handle a neanderthal's interspecies bastard child?!"

As the strikes came, elbow, sword, leg, John jumped. He was well aware of his sister's street fighting style, nothing elegant, clumsy and flashy, nothing like John's fluid and precise movements. Twirling in the air, John avoided all attacks, slipping in between them. John then landed in front of his sister, looking at her face to face, his cold stare showing his only sibling no remorse.

"You're weak, and no one is going to save you now"

John watched as his sister manipulated the very elements around her, trying to form an unfavorable battle ground for John, make him lose his footing. However, Rebecca would never know of John's experience in battle, he had fought in every battlefield known to man. From the tundras of the Arctic to the depths of a volcano, there was nowhere that John hadn't fought in, he knew how to adjust himself to any sort of battlefield and Rebecca would soon learn just how much stronger John was compared to her, combat wise at least. The only thing John really had to worry about was her strength, but without the skill to use it, Rebecca might as well be a rolling rock for John. Moving back, John kept his balance skillfully, with his superhuman strength, and his natural reflexes, balance of any kind was second nature to him. With sufficient distance between himself and Rebecca, mainly a good five meters.

"I know our father loves you, you're the only child he ever knew, after all he left my mother behind with an unborn child. He learned from his mistakes, and I admit him for that. But not for the pain my mother felt. In the end, she's going to be the reason for my birth and my death, ironic, seeing as she's the only person in my life I ever deemed important" John began talking, he cared not for his little sister's idle opinions, her infantile threats, nothing she could say would ever phase him. "You think that I know nothing, I know everything about you, from the way you move to your deepest feelings. Maybe once I'm done with you, I'll find your fiancee, His name was Rey wasn't it? He's in Queens after all, fighting for his life against one of my greatest allies. Maybe I'll let him watch you die as a special treat, I owe him that much"

John knew that Rebecca was trying to goad him into attacking, but John knew more about psychological warfare, he was no stranger to her attempts. But John assumed that Rebecca knew his influence, he had kidnapped heroes from their very homes, that which they considered secret. If Rebecca knew anything, John would have found him, and he would have suffered greatly. But John was only aiming for Rebecca, and if she hadn't changed, she would likely attack him.

John looked at his sister with mild admiration, it was good that she had a strong sense of self, a solid foundation to which she built herself up from. It would have pained John endlessly if is little sister hadn't grown up at least a little bit from her original self, to kill her when she wouldn't discover her own personal identity. It didn't change the fact that John now had to kill her, and if he didn't want his plan to be hindered any longer, he would have to embrace everything that he had.

"Heh, it is unfortunate that we had to meet under these circumstances Rebecca, it would have been an honor to be your big brother, you truly have grown up, I'm proud of you for that." John said, the kind look returning to his face. Then reaching behind his back, John pulled out a small rod, one that extended fully to become Doctor Necrodium's staff, John may have shed his skin, but Doctor Necrodium's work was all John's, and he would use it as it was intended to. "With your powers, it would be disadvantageous for me to face you with only one half of myself. To honor you, myself, and our father, I will destroy you with all of my power"

With a tap of his staff, John caused the immediate area around himself to electrify, melting away the ice that surrounded him with the intense heat of the electric field. John took another deep breath, made another tap of his staff, and began to levitate a small chunk of metal in front of his face.

"Tell me Rebecca, have you ever heard of a 'railgun'?" John asked inquisitively, the chunk of metal, only the size of a dollar coin circling around him, soon joined by similar chunks of metal. "It is a rather interesting concept, it makes use of induction rails along the barrel and uses electromagnetic propulsion to fire rounds at incredible speeds, some exceeding the speed of sound to the point of being seven times faster, similar to modern weaponry. But do you know what the most incredible thing about it is? It turns these tiny little coins..." Just as John finished, he tapped his staff again, causing a flash of electricity to light the air as he caused the chunks of metal to shoot out towards Rebecca at incredible speeds. As the shots propelled themselves, the sheer speed caused them to burn the air as they passed, causing a streak of blue to follow each shot. "Into weapons of mass destruction"

(To clarify, John is using another custom weapon, which is Doctor Necrodium's staff. It makes use of Doctor Necrodium's magnetic powers in order to create powerful magnetic influences, as well as uses electricity through magnetic friction. Both uses are lvl 6 in power)

Her eyes softened at his compliment, but that didn't change her mind. She wasn't going to die for nothing, and she wasn't dying without taking him down with her. She clenched her jaw and watched as he pulled out a staff. The next thing made her jaw nearly slack with awe. Her ice had melted. "Impossible.." she muttered passed clenched teeth. She, however, was still encased in a thick shell; her sword was still in tact, and razor sharp on both sides. She sighed and watched him, keeping eyes on the electricity.

She listened very carefully to what he explained, her eyes flicking from John's fucked up face, to the spinning coins. "No, but you'll explain it anyway.." She was then startled with the rounds being fired at her. With great effort, and focus, the bullets zoomed through her, cutting holes within her icelike form. The better part of this, was that in this super-alien type form, she could regenerate, much faster. The holes patched up and she smirked. The only draw back, was, she'd be feeling the pain if she was ever "knocked out" of this form, and then she wouldn't be as durable against the bullets. She dodged a few more, allowing herself to bow and then darted forward, leaping into the air.

Once airborn, she split into four versions of herself, side by side by side. The split was so quick, the real version of Paine was lost in the chaos. All four came down, landing all around of John. Each version of Paine then attacked at different angles. The 'true' Paine was behind of John, making sure she wasn't hurt any more than she had to be. "Tricky tricky.. but still going to die." she said, well, all four of her said, angrily slashing toward John's form.

(Paine, in her ice form, can regenerate, but once back in her "human" appearance, her body reflects all the damage taken. Right now, if she were to return to her human self, she'd have a good puncture wound on her abdomen, and a nice gash in her arm, but she'd be okay.. still hurt, but alive. Get it?)

John looked around at all sides, admiring his sister's power, as well as her quick thinking. Were John an ordinary opponent, he would have easily been caught off guard by Rebecca's ingenuity and talent in using her powers to its fullest. However, John was not an ordinary opponent, quite the contrary. In terms of skill and knowledge, John was the worst opponent that Rebecca could ever face. John knew everything about his little sister, he knew her strengths, her weaknesses, her strategies, her habits, her behavior. His knowledge on her alone was as equal to his knowledge about their father, and John was more than willing to take advantage of that. But in the case of being surrounded from all sides, John didn't need to think much of it, as the reply to the attack was simple.

"Always so stubborn, I wonder where that came from" John sighed to himself as he observed the oncoming attack.

Instead of trying to guess which of the constructs was indeed his sister, John instead used his staff as leverage to kick off into the air, using his staff as a shield as well in order to avoid all of the reaching blows. Using his own superhuman physique in order to create some distance, John landed a good ten meters away from Rebecca, and instantly replied with an attack of his own. Ripping concrete from the ground via the metal bars supporting them, John began to charge them with electrical and magnetic energy, and unleashed a devastating barrage of molten rock and railgun projectiles.

"Why do you keep fighting Rebecca? Can't you see the reality of things?" John began to talk as his barrage continued, his supply of metal and concrete on Staten Island was enormous, as most of the island was made with the artificial materials he required for his own attacks. "New York City is in ruins because of me. The World's heroes could not stop my minions, they couldn't stop me from killing their peers while I executed them in front of the entire city. No one has been able to stop my plans, not our father, not the laws of the world, not even the gods themselves. What makes you think that YOU, a young, stupid, insignificant brat, has what it takes to stop ME?!!!"

Once his scream had reached his throat, John unleashed a massive chunk of concrete and metal to fling towards his sister. The piece was so large and so fast, that John was practically out of sight. But John knew the calculations, he knew that vision would be minimal with all the debris and the oncoming projectile. Using his other hand, John extended his Tachyon blade to a length long enough to pierce right through the middle of the oncoming boulder, and hopefully skewer his little sister.

John watched his sister's resolve as if it were a physical entity, showing that she didn't care that John was better than she was, more than capable of killing her. It was clear now that Rebecca didn't care about her own life, her loved ones were in New York, their father had made the city his charge and was just as important to her as it was to Pain. It didn't matter who John was, a murderer, a monster, a brother, he was a threat to everything she loved and everything she believed in, and until she drew her last breath, she would never give up. John's eyes flashed his inner sadness as his sister stood defiantly at him with her arm wounded, her clothes drenched with her blood, looking at him with a drive that reminded him of his own. When Rebecca charged, John's face sunk, and he tossed his Tachyon Blade aside and braced himself with his staff ready.

When Rebecca's blade came down, her strength brought John to his knees from the force. It was foolish for him to actually try and absorbed the blow directly, but now was his chance, and if he wanted to finish this, he had to do it right. Using the other side of his staff, John moved the blade away from himself and returned with his own attack with his staff's wicked blade. Rebecca reacted with her own parry, and made her own in return. The two traded blows, and despite his greater experience, John didn't seem to be able to make his attacks connect. With a powerful slash of her blade, the force sent John flying. Direct confrontation was obviously suicide, Rebecca was stronger and the lack of range made it ill advised to use his devices.

When he finally made contact with the ground, John landed on his back, his body surrounded by broken up earth. Looking up at his sister, John's scarred face looked sad and happy at the same time. His happiness stemming from how powerful and amazing his sister was, his sadness for the fact of what her fate was to be. Despite the blood now popping from John's veins, dripping down his cheek, his expression showed no pain, no anger, only a lukewarm feeling.

"You got me there." John chuckled to himself, but soon his smiled turned into a remorseful sigh "I truly am sorry Rebecca..."