I didn’t have much time. I armed all of the weapons and fired. My mobile battle station, which is far more than just a tank, unleashed holy hell on the penitentiary. Canons roared, destroying the brick walls. Lasers fired, cutting through the chain link fence like paper. Hundreds of RPGs fired and landed in the yard, shredding the poor inmates and guards alike.

I advanced steadily. The heavy threads of the battle station sinking into the dirt and crushing any soul unfortunate to be in my path.

Multiple automated machine guns targeted and shot anyone left moving, all headshots. Any one not moving, head shots too, just to be sure. We had to be sure. This was too big to not be sure.

I pushed through the walls, making it to the centre of the building. Getting into the sub levels is going to suck, but I planned for it. Canons positioned around the battle station, and conspicuously pointed down, began firing. Blowing a hole through the concrete floor, dropping the battle station with the grace of a brick to the lower floor.

Lower and lower I dropped into the structure. 15 minutes had passed since I started the assault. I was about out of time. I couldn’t go any faster though. So many people that have to be killed and I can only go so fast. I should have brought more bombs.

“Stop right there Dr. Mechano!”, yelled a booming voice. Mr. Stupendous was right on time. 15 minutes and 23 seconds since the beginning of the assault, damn he can fly fast. Mr. Stupendous started beating on the tank. I launched a pair of missiles straight up, both programmed to go up almost a mile and then go in opposite directions towards heavily populated cities. He will be able to stop them, but it should buy me a few minutes.

He took off after the missiles like I knew he would. Two more levels to go. I kept on blasting through the floor until I crushed a lab. This was it. The automated machine guns tried to kill the prisoners but they were behind some serious bullet proof glass. The prisoners has ripped jump suits and hobbled about aimlessly, completely ignoring me. I brought the main canon around to blast through the glass.

The battle station’s alarms started going off. I had incoming. Too late to set off counter measures, my own missiles slammed into the top of the battle station.

“Have a taste of your own medicine, villain!”, the view screens were down but I knew without looking that Mr. Stupendous was standing there with his hands on his hips doing his best heroic pose. That man is such a cartoon character.

Systems not responding. Weapons are down. Damn, my missiles really did a number on the battle station. Time for the stalling tactics and the Hail Mary. I lifted the flap on a big red button, man I do love buttons with flaps, and pushed it.

“You got me Stupendous.” I said as I crawled out the hatch on the side of the battle station. “You need to listen to me.”, he won’t but I need the time, “these prisoners are infected. They have been experimenting on the prisoners. Look at them! Just look at them Steve.”

That got the reaction I was hoping for.

“Who…. Who is this Steve?”, he said weakly.

“You are. I have known forever. I don’t mess with your family or your personal life. I respect you and what you do.”, I paused to let that sink in, “I do need you to listen Steve, for the sake of your wife and children, just listen. Those prisoners behind you have to die. Everyone in this facility has to die. The doctor here has been trying to make super soldiers and things have gone very wron….”

“You can’t expect me to let everyone just die because you say so.”, everything this guy says sounds like it is narrated by a cartoon caricature.

“Just look behind you.”

“Like I am going to fall for that.”, he said incredulously.

“There are some God damn zombies behind you. Everyone in this facility could be infected. It is 100% contagious. If it gets out it will wipe out humanity in a few weeks, month or two tops.”, I think I might be getting to him, “come on man, just look behind you and tell me I am wrong.”

He took a look, he actually looked. “We can save them. It isn’t too late.”

“They are dead. The virus animates their bodies and drives them to kill. There is no one left to sav”, in an instant his hand was around my throat.

“We. Will. Save. Them.”, he said in his most serious tone. This Boy Scout can’t see that killing then is for the better good. My watched beeped twice. “What is that? Back up plan? You got some other tricks?”

“I am all out of tricks and all out of time.”, at that his eyes opened wide and I closed mine. I made my peace with dying when I lifted the flap on that button. My Hail Mary was a medium sized nuclear bomb, it won’t kill Stupendous over here, but it should vaporize these bad guys. I am hoping we are far enough down that they will be able to fill in the hole to contain the radiation.

!!BOOM!!

He arrived, just as he had threatened. There was a reason--well, 19 reasons, specifically--he was willing to kill her.

She arrived, just as she had promised. There was a dozen reasons--well, one reason, honestly--she wasn't going to kill him.

"You really came," she said, amused. "I almost thought this was a diversion."

"I came," he agreed, angry. "I almost wish it was."

He unslung his weapon from among the rolled furs on his back: great, blood-stained, the chipped edge still mortally dangerous. He flexed his hands, rolled his shoulders, and hefted the mighty axe.

She mirrored him, unsheathing her own: delicate, gleaming, the razor-fine estoc reflecting what little sunlight could be seen through the smoke-filled skies. She didn't even adjust her gloves, merely stood like a shining sentinel and raised her blade in salute.

"For crimes against the Empire and her people, for the murder of our holy emissaries under banner of peace, I stand in judgment against you, Edulf." She whipped her sword across the ashes, scoring the earth. "This day is your penance."

He huffed, drawing back his weapon, and roared defiance.

"Crimes!? You came to us! You came under banner of peace! We killed your missionaries because we caught them licking the blood of our children from their knives! Our only crime was letting some escape!"

She shrugged, dismissively. Her armor rattled with the motion, and dazzled with a hundred points of faint sunlight.

"Our God demands tribute. It is the Law," she recited. "Your children were... a tribute of opportunity. But you will be taken alive to be made an example of, for sake of others who would blaspheme. The Law demands it."

She smirked, and behind the helmet, beneath the aura of smug righteousness, he saw her. He recognized her voice.

"You... you were among them." His breathing grew heavy, his eyes bloodshot, as rage boiled within.

"Edulf, you disgusting villain: I led them." Her voice grew cold, her gaze icy, and the Heatless Fire of God blazed from the Empereal Crest on her breast.

"For the blood! For the dead!" he screamed, feeling the murder frenzy twisting in his guts. He charged, berzerker.

She smiled as he howled, knowing exactly whose blood he meant. Sometimes, being a hero of the Empire was fun.

"Fires will engulf their cities while earthquakes drain their rivers. Pestilence and starvation will finish most of the remainder with ease."

"Look, I know they have destroyed their planet with the type of recklessness that neither of us could have anticipated, but just destroying them all in an explosive inferno is not the answer. I know it's what they deserve, but it just isn't right. Forgiveness is called for."

"Well, I'm not saying kill all of them. Ninety-nine percent will do. They must learn their lesson though. If we continue to let them act with impunity then the whole experiment is over. Haven't you given them enough chances at forgiveness already?"

"I will give them infinite chances at forgiveness, for they are weak. There just has to be another solution here."

"There's none, I assure you. Another fifty years and the planet is toast. The time to act is now. A mass extinction event is the only way and you know it."

"But-"

"Come on here, you're no stranger to wiping out massive groups of people. A certain flood comes to mind."

"But I promised I wouldn't do that again."

"Look, I'm not going to stand by and watch you let them do this. You should be prepared for a fight."

"Anytime."

"Wait, which of us is supposed to be the good one? It can't be you, for you've doomed them to a certain destruction by their own hand, and it can't be me, as I want to destroy most of them now."

God shrugged.

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