Deep within the tunnel, Infinity was sprinting at a phenomenal velocity, maintaining a lead of barely two meters over the STGV screeching right behind him. He held that hellish pace for several minutes, tearing through the illuminated stations like an arrow, never once slowing down.
In the distance, a glimmer of light finally surfaced: the end of the tunnel. Showing zero signs of fatigue, Infinity stayed the course and burst into the open air, emerging into the heart of a vast valley. He immediately banked right to lose himself in the hills. Once safely out of sight, he progressively dialed back his speed, stabilizing at around 60 km/h.
Roughly a minute later, Rider finally regained consciousness. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He then caught the sound of a steady respiration right behind his back:
« Oh, you're finally awake. »
Still completely dazed, Rider murmured:
« Why… why did I black out? What happened? »
Infinity, without breaking his stride, gave him the answer point-blank:
« You pulled 90 Gs. When I slammed into you to snatch you off the tracks, if you hadn't been a Sigma, you'd be dead by now. And to dull the agony from the impact damage, I pumped you with a shot of adrenaline. But I'm warning you right now: when the effects wear off, you are going to suffer absolute martyrdom. »
Rider cast a blurred glance around him and realized they were rapidly leaving the city borders behind.
« And how did you manage to find me? » he asked, his voice weak. « That was a bit too precise. »
« Oh, that? When you snapped your fingers seven times, it triggered your emergency GPS transmitter. It sends a direct ping of your position to HQ and all field operators. Since I'm the fastest, I came to scoop you up. »
Infinity veered sharply to the left, clearing a wooden fence in one prodigious leap. He tore through a farmland at maximum speed, leaving the local cows staring after him with the exact same bewilderment as if a train had just roared past on tracks. He vaulted a second barrier at the far end of the property before merging onto an asphalt road that snaked toward the mountains.
The moment his feet gripped the tarmac, his running technique shifted entirely. In the lowlands, he moved with the fluid grace of a predator, adapting his strides to the terrain like a leopard. But on the bitumen, he transformed into a pure athlete: his strides became metronomically regular, each step anchoring powerfully into the ground every single time he struck the asphalt.
He quickly reached the foothills of a ridge nestled against the mountain, where a large estate stood surrounded by planted trees. Arriving at the main entrance, Infinity decelerated fluidly until coming to a complete halt.
He slid Rider off his back, then hooked an arm under his shoulder to support his staggering gait. They pushed the door open and stepped inside. The residence looked like a standard house, featuring a large living room, a dining area, a kitchen, and a staircase leading to the upper level. In the living room, Adriana was settled in, deeply absorbed in a book. The sound of their entrance immediately broke her concentration.
« Oh, you found him? » she asked, setting her book down.
« Yep. I tried the main access first, but the entrance was crawling with Armored forces, so I doubled back to Madri station, slipped into the tunnel, and found them. »
She evaluated Techno Rider's physical state before asking:
« Is he hurt? »
« Yeah, his arm is broken », Infinity replied while steering the injured man toward the kitchen. « And he absorbed 90 Gs when I saved him. The pain's been masked thanks to the adrenaline I gave him. »
Adriana stood up the very instant she heard the word "adrenaline." To her ears, it resonated like a sweet, angelic calling.
« Aaah, he's on adrenaline! I am absolutely not missing the part where he wakes up. »
Infinity guided Rider into the kitchen and clapped his hands in a highly specific rhythm. A section of the wall slid open to reveal an elevator. He gently ushered Techno Rider inside, while Adriana followed in their tracks, happily chanting:
« Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! »
The doors sealed shut on the trio. Inside, Adriana looked Techno Rider up and down with a smirk:
« So, buddy, how are you feeling? »
Rider stared at his valid hand before responding:
« Uh, pretty good, actually, but I've got this tingling sensation in my right arm and through the rest of my body. »
Adriana chuckled, glancing to her right:
« Aah, this promises to be fun. »
« What do you mean, promises? » he asked, looking at her.
« Oh no, you'll see… or rather, you'll feel. »
A chime echoed and the doors parted. They had arrived in a wide white corridor accented with red lines. The corner stretched past several doors and large glass observation windows.
They ducked through one of the doors, which led into a massive infirmary packed with machinery. Several white gurneys were lined up at the back of the room, while a large metallic bed sat in the center of the hall, looking more like an exhibition pedestal.
Infinity guided him over to the bed, setting him down.
« Lie down on the bed », he said, removing his mask.
« Okay… » Horace answered, lying flat and staring at the ceiling.
At that exact microsecond, mechanical arms extended from both sides of the bed. They grabbed his upper garments and shredded them without the slightest effort. They ripped the sleeves off in one clean jerk, leaving his arms completely exposed.
The sight of his left arm belonged in a horror movie: his forearm was snapped, and the bone from the lower section had pierced clean through his skin.
Curiously, the spectacle brought a smile to Adriana's face. She didn't look bothered or disgusted; she just smiled as if the situation were thoroughly entertaining.
The robotic arms removed his helmet, exposing his face. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and his entire right cheek was coated in blood. Lowering his eyes toward his arm, he was struck with shock by its condition:
« I… is that my arm? W… w… but why doesn't it hurt? »
Infinity, checking his watch, replied:
« Don't worry, pretty soon you're going to suffer so bad you'll beg God for the sweet release of death. »
Horace didn't immediately grasp the end of the sentence:
« The sweet release of what? »
No sooner had he finished his phrase than a set of restraints deployed from the table, clamping down tightly over his arms, feet, and torso.
« What is this? » Horace yelled, panicking as he watched the brackets lock his limbs down.
Infinity, on his end, was counting down while staring at his watch:
« 19… 18… 17… 16… 15… »
Horace was completely lost. Panic started to set in:
« Wait, why are you counting? What's the point of this? »
« It's the countdown before the adrenaline wears off. It's going to stop working in… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… »
When Infinity hit « zero », the world seemed to violently shift colors for Horace. He felt as though his entire body were trapped inside a vice while simultaneously being pulverized.
« Aaaaaaah! »
He screamed in agony, at the top of his lungs, thrashing with all his might. A robotic arm snapped forward with a strip of heavy tape and slapped it over his mouth to muffle his cries.
Infinity averted his eyes. He couldn't watch this; it was too horrific for him to witness and listen to. He pointed a finger toward the bed, then turned to Adriana:
« Go ahead, you do it. Go pop his arm back into place. I can't do this. »
Adriana, without a shred of hesitation, stepped up to the bed:
« Oh, with pleasure. »
She delicately took hold of his hand. Horace, seeing her touch his hand, began shaking his head frantically to say "no." Adriana looked at him for a moment, then, like a demon straight out of the underworld, she let out a slight smile, gripped his hand, and pulled with a sharp, violent jerk.
CRACK!
« Hmmmm! »
Horace's muffled voice choked out despite the heavy tape. His eyes turned completely bloodshot. He thrashed even harder, but the bed didn't even vibrate, as if it had seen far worse.
Adriana, still holding the arm, jammed it forward before twisting it with a blunt, snapping sound.
SNAP!
This time, Horace didn't even scream. He let out a whimper of sheer despair. Tears slowly leaked from his eyes. The pain was unendurable.