Subject 34's hair had been permanently dyed silver from repeated high doses of Esperin. Not only physical, the chemical left psychological scars that might never be reversed.

A guard approached the cell door and called out.

"Subject 34, please come with me.", the summons was less severe than most.

34 followed the guard into the hallway, who brought him into a large room.

"With hard work will you be set free. Congratulations on yesterday's attack. You have earned the next level of freedom!"

34 was surprised. Up until now, he had been treated like trash, used and abused as a consumable tool of the clan. Was this his break?

"Victory to the clan!", 34 replied, straightening his posture. Maybe this cause wasn't so bad after all.

"That's not all", the main guard went on, as the door to the room opened. Two more guards entered, dragging along two bound and gagged captives. "These are your subordinates."

The two guards pushed the prisoners forward. With chains around their legs, they stumbled forward and fell to the floor as they attempted to catch themselves. Their hands, chained behind their backs, unable to reach the floor and slow their fall. Their chests hit the ground with a thud as they avoided hitting their heads.

With a troubled look on his face, 34 looked at the head guard.

"Subordinates?"

"They're worthless trash," The guard laughed, pushing down one of the captives with his boot as they tried to sit up. "but with a lashing or two, they should get right into shape."

The captive grunted as he hit the floor again. 34 looked on in disbelief.

"Subject 34, tell this one to stay down. I don't want his ugly face on my eye level"

The other guards laughed, backing away from the two tied up men. It wasn't long ago that 34 had been the captive in situations just like this. The clan maintained a pyramid hierarchy of oppression, and the shit always falls down.

"This is for your own good," Subject 34 gritted his teeth, leaned forward and delivered a kick to the side of the captive's head as he struggled to sit up again. The thump reverberated from the walls as the captive writhed in pain, letting out a muffled cry of agony through the fabric gag between his teeth.

"Yeah! Show him who's boss! You're the man!", The guards applauded as they watched 34 continue to beat the men. 34 threw more kicks at the man as he lay with hands tied behind his back. As the kicks were delivered, the captive struggled to turn and distribute the blows evenly.

"The other one, look at his face!", a guard cried out in disgust at the sight of the other captive looking on in anger. "Teach him a lesson! Teach him some loyalty!"

34 was worked up, feeling a different kind of rush. Unlike his Esperin fueled rampage, this was his own doing. These men were helpless before him, and for the first time his own power was both feared and praised. In his cruel, unforgiving world, he was on top.

34 delivered punch after punch to the second captive, knocking him to the floor. "Don't look at me! You are filth! Your eyes disgust me!" the punches kept flying as the captive's face was bloodied. The guards cheered and 34 kept punching until the man stopped defending himself, slipping into unconsciousness.

34 stood up, catching his breath from the violent workout.

"Damn, any more and he'd only have one subordinate." The guards chuckled.

The head guard stood at the side of the room, observing 34 with his hands behind his back.

"Why do you fight?", the guard inquired, stepping forward.

"For the clan.", 34 solemnly replied as a bead of blood dripped from his bruised knuckles.

Weeks had passed, and Subject 34 awoke for the day, alone in his room. Besides his large quarters, his achievements on the battlefield had earned him comforts of home, including a futon.

An expected knock came on his door, and a guard came in.

"It's time.", the guard told 34.

"For the clan!", 34 recited his creed, standing up and following.

The two walked to the laboratory as 34 was briefed.

"The pawns are being sent in as we speak. Most will be killed by the human's defenses, but not before establishing a beach head.", The guard spoke of the lowest ability Espers who would only serve as meat shields. "After that, we're sending you in."

"My subordinates will scout past their barricade", 34 followed suit, intending to place his inferiors in harm's way.

"You've really broken them in. We weren't getting anywhere with those two, but you've turned them into killing machines.", The two captives that had been assigned to 34 had indeed become subservient, enabled by a constant fear of death.

"It's all for the clan. We'll break the humans next, their time is at an end.", 34 spoke his determined words as his silver hair swayed in the air of his quick step.

34 and the guard reached the laboratory, it's restraining chair in view. The observation window was blacked out. The masked Esper and a woman wearing a white jacket stood along side it. Next to the woman, a rolling cart full of syringes containing blue fluid. The observation window was blacked out, with no sign of the experimentation staff.

"Please sit in the chair." The guard spoke. "We need to get you in the field as fast as possible."

34 sat down, and began fastening the restraints.

"There's no need", the woman stopped 34, cleaning his arm with a alcohol wipe before promptly injecting the blue goo.

"55,000 Units of Esperin.", She said as she plunged the liquid into 34's arm.

"55,000 Units? I'm not going to have any hair left after this!", 34 thought back to the 50,000U that was enough to turn his hair silver.

"The body builds up a tolerance.", she explained as she finished dispensing the blue toxin. "You need more than last time."

The syringe was withdrawn, and a bandage applied to the wound. The woman discarded the syringe into a container, marked a sheet of paper, turned her back to 34, and donned a pair of large headphones. The guard turned away as well, holding his ears.

Waves of blue came over 34's consciousness, striking him like bursts of cool air from an industrial sized ventilation fan. The masked Esper raised his palm towards 34, projecting a large summoning circle and spinning it rapidly. A loud blowing noise filled the room, emanating from the spinning summoning circle. The guard held his ears tightly while wrenching his face. With eyes gently closed, the woman nodded her head to the sound of her music within her noise cancelling headphones.

Silence met the room as the masked Esper relaxed his hands. The guard let go of his ears and turned to see the empty chair.

"Next Subject, bring 'em in!", the guard yelled towards the hallway.

34 caught himself as the chair disappeared from the normalizing scenery before him. Being physically translated by an Esper while high on Esperin was becoming routine to him, and he wasn't about to fall on his hindside again. The piercing wail of the Esperin had him on edge, reflexes at the ready.

"I'm in control! This feels amazing!", 34 laughed hysterically, with his mind and his heart racing faster than ever. Looking down the road with empowered vision, 34 spotted fire, smoke and gunfire from the breached stone wall of the human's stronghold.

A few moments passed and 34's subordinates were transported behind him. 34 turned to see them fall on their butts one after another. The battered road they were on was surrounded on three sides by crumbled buildings, the one free side leading up to the human's stronghold.

"The human's inner sanctum will be ours!", 34 encouraged his platoon.

"Kill the humans!", one of his inferiors yelled out. He had messy hair tone body, and would be completely naked if not for cloth wrapped around his wrists and his tight blue pants.

The other stood and shook silently, glaring at the fortress up the road. He wore a bandana around his head, and sported a dirty shirt without sleeves.

"With hard work will you be set free. Earn your freedom right here and now!" 34 yelled at his inferiors once more.

"For the clan!", the two yelled in unison before charging ahead of 34 towards the site.

34 knew they wouldn't last long. Their Esper abilities were poor, but their strength brought on by the Esperin should buy some time.

This wasn't a surprise attack like before. The humans were ready, and aware of the clan's aim to eradicate those who lacked or opposed Esper abilities.

The three ran towards the broken wall as the sounds of gunshots and explosions continued on. The outer defenses had been eliminated, as a few clan Espers brought the fight inside.

34's lackeys climbed up the rubble that was the human's wall, jumping down to the fortress's interior. Looking around, they saw hundreds of dead bodies from either side. Dirtied, malnourished Espers lay alongside bulletproof vest wearing, automatic rifle toting men.

"Filthy low levels. As weak as humans." 34 looked at the carnage in disgust. "Blue jeans, Bandana, seek and destroy!"

The two inferiers looked back at 34, confirming his orders.

"Yes master.", the blue jeaned man said, as the bandana wearer nodded. They ran for the interior buildings, searching for their prey.

34 was becoming impatient and the Esperin withim him kindled a raging fury.

"I'm going to snuff out every last one of the weak! For the clan!" 34 yelled at the top of his lungs before sprinting after his subordinates.