The World of the End

The intense rattling of loose parts rhymed harmoniously with the roaring gear of a truck’s engine. Its driver bluntly shifts gears, promptly followed by a sudden deceleration and sharp acceleration of the entire vehicle. Its trailer carrying a heavy load almost struggled to keep up with the tractor’s speed, threatening to unbuckle itself. But the two men in the truck could not care. If they don’t reach the Tower, they will be killed.

“Can’t you go any faster?” the driver’s companion asked in a hurrying tone. His words also had a mixture of fear, urgency, and impatience.

“The fastest an 18-wheeler could go with a heavy trailer!”

“You know what happens if we don’t arrive in time, right!?”

“I know—I know! So shut up! Besides, it’s all your fault we are in this situation. I warned you how brutal this guy is, yet you took the deal!”

“The money, you know, the money!”

“Right, so shut your whiny mouth or I’ll bring you to hell with me.”

The truck rolled on, almost flying through the empty road. The usually bumpy road seemed to smoothen because of the truck’s speed. The rain had started to fall, and the wheels slightly lost traction. It took some time for that fact to register in the driver’s mind before he activated the windshield.

The driver chortled and looked at his companion, “At this rate, we are arriving barely on time. He’d better keep his end of the deal!”

“Eyes on the road, eyes on the road!” The companion’s eyes concentrated on the driver. Then, he saw a person walking hastily across the street. In alarm, he shouted, “H—hey! There’s a person on the road!!”

The driver quickly swiveled his head, but it was too late. The truck barely adjusted to avoid the unfortunate pedestrian. “Oh shhhh…”

“Look what happened!”

A few moments of silence prevailed as they absorbed what had happened. They could barely accept the truth of their actions. A crime stacking upon another. This has proven to be the most grueling and traumatic job of their lives. They knew there was no turning back.

“It was either that kid or us in the truck!” The driver’s words also struck truth, and neither of them spoke another word. Their eyes were growing bloodshot. Only the strained roar of the engine made known its anguish.

════════════════ Annihilation Armory ════════════════

Thirty minutes earlier, at the topmost floor of a highly-secure complex, a man clothed in pure white stood amongst other white-clad corpses. His bangs barely concealed the excitement in his eyes. The difference between him and them was the bloodstains which were not present on the sole man standing. No one else stood by him. No one else stood with him.

“My family will avenge me—” A shot resounds. The bleeding injured woman has been put to rest.

He has now conquered the entire floor with nothing but his .50 caliber silver handgun. His silky quartz-like hair, flawless but aged, hardened face did not suit his malevolent demeanor, nor did it give an impression of a murderer, except that he did smile. Though he was not smiling because he took the lives of helpless researchers, but because nothing else stood in his way between him and a vault.

It took too long. It almost made it not worth the planning and preparation. Now, it was right in front of me, within arms reach. The catalyst of a global revolution will fall upon me. I will be the one who controls the world. The world will thank me, for it desires justice and order.

The vault finally opened itself for me, and I entered it. Indeed, the rumors were true, and the technology was real. Several different biomechanical arm prostheses have already been developed and are ready for use. Whether those who produced it know or not, this was the most powerful weapon, before the hydrogen bomb, in the world. This was the future of the world.

“Hurry boys, the world awaits.” At my word, the strongest of my crew pillaged everything in the vault, but one weapon caught my eye.

Its appearance seemed like it rusted, but that was only because of its carbon orange color. It looked like it was a part of Mars. I approached it, signaling the others not to take it. I caressed the weapon in the shape of an arm and noticed its rough texture. I was surprised since it looked somewhat smooth. Looking closer, it was made up of tiny prisms. Only then did it glisten like diamonds, the purest, but opaque diamonds I’ve ever seen before.

“NANO¹,” was engraved on it.

Unable to resist the allure, I inserted my right arm into it. At first, it was bigger than my arm’s girth, and the weapon felt quite loose.

“That’s unfortunate. It seems that this is not meant for me.” Then, I felt something slither from underneath my skin. It was not painful, but it was very unpleasant. I looked to my crew with inquisition.

“Boss, the vein in your face looks like it’s about to pop.”

“For real?” I said unsurprisingly. Suddenly, my head felt like it was throbbing. I thought my skull was exploding. I could only hold my head and collapse to my knees, trying to endure the agony. The pain cannot be explained in words, but it felt like my brain was being weaved into a million threads. All sensation was overwhelmed by this pain, so much so that I did not notice my nose bleeding and my skin oozing with blood mixed with sweat. I did not know if I howled in pain or breathed heavily since all of my senses shut down. All I knew was when it stopped, I felt frigid outside and torrid inside my body.

Perhaps some time has passed since I gained consciousness. My most loyal leeches stood around me, seemingly conspiring against me, but the moment I woke up, they instantly treated me like a god. Now, my long sleeve was drenched with blood. My body armor and leggings as well. It felt disgusting as if I was in a woman’s womb, but I did not show my disgust. I stood up, surprisingly steadily. I felt no pain, only rejuvenation as if I had become more powerful. I felt the sudden urge to punch the steel walls of the vault. Next thing I knew, a hole in the vault appeared to reveal the thunderous sky and the slithering roads below. And, I wasn’t even close to the wall.

Everything gasped in awe. I was surprised at myself for not being impressed. It was as if I knew what would happen. It was like I knew I was capable of a miracle. It was not anything satisfying, not even for my pride. It was another burden of a goal I felt.

With increasing vigor, I bellowed, “Our world is now!” I guffawed, and they joined me. I guffawed even louder, knowing that I was the strongest among them.

════════════════ Annihilation Armory ════════════════

“You are late.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Please don’t kill us!”

The truck finally arrived in front of the tower, not without crashing through the police barricades and being shot multiple times. It was a miracle that the truck was still running.

“There is something you should learn,” I placed my arms on their shoulders as I led them inside the tower. “There once was a factory worker. His job was to produce a certain part of a product and pass it on to the next. He receives an unfinished part for him to add onto, which was also the job of the previous worker before, before him, and before him. Basically, it’s an assembly line.

One day, one of the workers behind him messed up, but no one noticed this error, and that worker continued as usual. Unfortunately for them, what they were assembling was an aircraft engine. A quality assurance checker would have seen this problem, but the company opted for profit. The next thing they knew, the workers all took the blame for murdering two hundred people. All of them were fired and ridiculed by nosy, judgmental strangers. The company somehow lived on, with the mastery of public relations, and quickly replaced those workers. You might have heard of this incident.

Regardless, the lesson is, that mistake burdens others. So, what does relate to you?“ I pointed to the windows. Outside the windows were numerous SWAT vehicles that had surely surrounded the building. Their truck, which was supposed to transport our newly acquired power now was immobile.

“I—I’m truly sorry! It was because of Lenard here—”

“What the hell!? You were the one driving so slow in the first place!”

“Nah! If only you didn’t accept this job—”

“Ay yai yai, now you blame each other?” I laughed. “That is exactly what had happened to those workers. They blamed each other, while others blamed them. The spiraling chain is eternal. I intend to end it.” I outstretched my right ARM which split into two, tightly holding them by their necks. “And I start with you two” With my free hand, I shot them.

I chuckled. I was not quite used to shooting with my weaker arm.

“Boss,” my right-hand man, Chesso, called out to me with worry, “what are we to do now? We cannot transport all of these now.”

I smirked. “It’s simple, no? Wear it. Wear all of them.”

“But boss, some of them might be reluctant, after seeing what happened to you.”

“My man, you already know what to do, right? I don’t have to tell you things all the time, like a robot.”

He nodded and commanded the rest of the crew.

I could not care less if they suffered. If anything, they should be grateful for the gifts I’ve blessed them.

As for me, there was a routine I needed to attend to.

“I want to talk!” a hoarse voice bellowed through a megaphone.

Almost without worry, I casually went outside the glass doors. They could have shot me by now, but every single time, this detective somehow bargains for my life. Not that it was necessary.

He walks up to me, also with the same familiarity. “I know I’ve said this many times, but you are surrounded. This time, there is no escape.”

I scoffed, “What are you suggesting?”

“To surrender,” he returned with the same pride.

“Don’t you have the balls to kill me?”

“I could say the same to you.”

“Isn’t it a complicated relationship?”

“But I think this is it. It has to end here.”

“Oh Armando, Armando, Armando.”

His face stiffened.

“I know what you’re thinking, ‘Not again! Not when I’m this close, and I have him!’” I laughed. “Something like a divine miracle has happened.”

“Which is?”

“I don’t know, maybe immortality? My men are now unfathomable weapons, but I could restrain them if you agree to my terms.”

He gritted his teeth. “But it looks like you need something this time.”

“Ha! I don’t need anything. I am only pitying you, being in this dead-end job.”

“I won’t hear it. Surrender now or die—final warning. No conditions, no terms. You don’t need me, and I no longer need you.”

“So you weren’t lying, huh? That this is it for your relationship?”

“Yeah, we’re breaking up.”

I laughed again, a little disappointed he wasn’t laughing with me. “I’d better see bullets flying, not blanks!” I turned away from him to return inside when I heard a resounding shot from afar. A sharp impact hit the center of my back, pushing me to the ground, but I knew that I had lost leverage over him after killing his family. So, I have expected something like this. Still, I lay frozen on the ground, an inch away from the glass door. Footsteps approached. Then, a cocking of a gun.

“Just for good measure—”

Quickly, I drove my ARM into his stomach. I did not need to stand up and face him to do that. I was simply controlling it with my mind. My risky guess of his position paid off. Then I faced him with a grin.

“I told you, Armando, it was a dead-end job. You should have killed me when you had the chance!” Again, I laughed. I’ll probably never laugh like this again.

“Mundo… don’t you—!” was what he could muster in his last breath.

As rain fell from the sky, bullets flew toward me. The glass exploded, but I walked through, as my ARM covered me.

It was tested. If this ARM could punch through fifty meters of concrete, through seven meters of steel, and engineering, it can handle mere bullets. These FABIAN engineers were a league of their own, having developed whatever the material was used. Too bad, they died.

════════════════ Annihilation Armory ════════════════

Unfortunately, we did not have enough people to use the ARMs, so some had to carry them. Chesso was able to distinguish the weaker ARMs from the strongest ARMs. The plan was simple. Those with the weaker ARMs would escape with the most ARMs they could carry. Those with the strongest ARMs will distract the surrounding forces below.

Eager to test my new capabilities, I decided I would be with the latter party.

All of them charged forward. I walked behind them. Once outside, I looked up to the sky to observe the flying bodies above. Then, several parachutes appeared. It was not a good plan, but it was a plan we could do with our newfound strength. Hiding was not a necessity anymore; it was an option.

“NANO!” I shouted. Swiftly, I killed more than ten men that surrounded me. I roared as I swung my ARM around like a toddler with a brand-new toy. I simply needed to think to kill them, and it would do it in an instant. Any action I thought, it would do. After all, it was now a part of me.

After plowing through some armored vehicles, I got a little bored. Then, something like a voice from inside my mind spoke to me, “Take anything to make anything.”

I somehow instantly understood and picked up an M240, and my ARM shapeshifted and swallowed it whole before crushing it into pieces seconds later. That same voice spoke again, “Added to memory. Recall to use.”

“NANO, M240.”

My ARM became looked like a swarm of red ants as it slowly took the shape of the gun. I was enthralled, not only because of the ARM’s cloning feature but because it still kept its original rusty appearance. But my joy would be quickly shattered when I found out it needed a magazine. “Could it not copy a magazine… and the bullets?” Instantly, when I thought that, my ARM fulfilled my wish.

“Disposables will consume your NANO quantity.”

“So, NANO is not free.” Reluctantly, I hunted for magazines before I began gleefully spraying everywhere.

The fun chaos ensued all afternoon before all of us could disappear to meet up at an appointed time.

Meanwhile, I went to a distant shore to do my laundry.