AD-345 ran solely off of cold fusion, a phenomenon that was considered false before the uprise of Network-City. This occurrence could happen by fusing atoms together at room temperature and pressure without using heat or energy. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann were intelligent chemists, stating that hydrogen and its isotopes can dissolve into specific solids at elevated concentrations, thus causing the hydrogen nuclei to come closer together than they would in solid hydrogen.
Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) allowed homes to produce their own heat and electricity, empower automobiles, spacecraft, laser guns, and remove the use of power lines, and generators across Network-City. The only known humans with this lost, ancient technology, was Angel-X; a fearsome organization that rebelled against demonkind.
The mechanical drone scouted the area, searching for any passerby, but there wasn't a single soul in sight except for the mutated rats and revolting cockroaches. "See anything yet, boss?" Asked Tommy, preparing his automatic laser rifle.
"Not a damn thing." On Terry's wrist was a device that could control AD-345. It had its own built-in camera system, with X-ray and heat detectors, giving him a clear view of the ruinous landscape. "He's probably hiding somewhere."
The other members of Angel-X were nervous, feeling an acceleration of breathing; none of them had the confidence to take on a hybrid, especially one with killing experience.
"Man... this bounty better be worth it!" Said Brittany, feeling drops of sweat leak from her skin. She could barely stand from the anxiety coursing through her body. "If he doesn't come tonight, then maybe we should go back home and try another time."
"Fuck that, this is some good Culas we are talking about!" Shouted Thane, lifting up his weapon. "Come out you son of a bitch! Face us head-on. Don't be shy, baby, we don't bite, as long as you turn yourself in!" Lifting his laser gun, he shot beams of energy into the sky, lighting up the darkened terrain.
"Thane... cut that out!" Said the perturbed Brittany. "You're attracting too much attention...!"
"What, are you afraid, Brit? The bounty said that this fucker was cold-blooded! He doesn't give a shit about anything else except killing motherfuckers! I know he's waiting to pull up!" Thane positioned his gun atop his shoulder, laughing out loud. "Am I right, or am I right, boss?"
"Yeah, Thane's right." Said Terry, focusing on his camera. "This guy is dangerous. It's not every day you see someone with a bounty; especially in this fucked up world."
"Gyehehehe! This fucked up world is all we know!" Proclaimed Thane with a hint of pride. "We can rape all the women, and have as many kids as we want, that's the beauty of it!" His eyes gazed upon Brittany, predatorily.
"..." Brittany went silent, visibly uncomfortable by her comrade's statement. Now that he mentioned it, she was surrounded by three guys who could easily take advantage of her. "...Thane, enough of that."
Lifting his brow, he faced Brittany. "The fuck you mean, 'enough'? We're the fucking Angel-X, and we can do whatever the fuck we want! We own the world, baby, and soon, those Arch-demons are gonna bend a knee to Lady Mikha'el!"
"Heh, you know, you're actually right, we can do whatever we want..." Tommy smirked, facing Brittany beside him. "It's not bad to take advantage of women; after all, humanity's population is steadily decreasing, and it's wise to make more kids, wouldn't you say, Brit?"
"What are you implying?" She widened her eyes, feeling her heart sink in her chest.
"They're saying you're gonna be our bitch for tonight." Terry was suddenly standing behind Brittany with a predatory glare. "It's hard for men to resist a body like yours, so why not take advantage of you for a bit?"
"Y-You fucking bastards! You brought me all the way out here for this?" She lifted her gun to protect herself, but Terry grabbed it out of her hand, throwing it aside. "Stay away from me!" She was enclosed, unable to escape, "T-This entire bounty was just a ruse?"
"A ruse? Nah, it's just me and the boys decided to take a girl on the trip with us for a specific purpose." Terry grasped her shoulder, pulling her into his body. "Let's get started, shall we? This whole operation has me pent up already."
"Gyehehehe! You couldn't have said it better!" Shouted Thane.
The three wolves in sheep's clothing started unbuckling their belts, prepared to use whatever means necessary to satiate their lust; such was the wicked ways of mankind in this day and age.
"Let... go!!" Brittany struggled in Terry's grasp, but she wasn't strong enough; her voice could only cry out in vain. "Stop it, please!" Tears began swelling up in her eyes, and she lost her strength to resist the brute.
"Aye, Tommy, you take the front while I go for the backside, eh?"
"Good thinking, lad!"
"Hm?" Terry widened his eyes, gazing straight ahead.
The thundering sound of a motorcycle reverberated across the empty wasteland of a forgotten civilization formed by unity. It continued to get louder, piercing their eardrums until Terry was forced to let Brittany go and cover his ears.
"What the fuck is that?!" Shouted the men, falling to their knees.
Brittany took the chance to escape as they were unable to stop her from running for the hills, and luckily, she managed to get away from her wicked comrades.
"Shit! Is that the fucking hybrid?!" Yelled Tommy. "What's with this loud ass noise? It sounds like screaming people!"
In comparison, there were enough sonic frequencies to produce a volume of sound going up to at least 200 decibels, and only they could hear it.
"Fuck! Aaaghhhh!!" Thane screamed in pain, feeling his ears start to bleed.
"I can't hear, I can't hear!!" Tommy tried standing on his feet as he covered his ears in vain.
"Damnit...!" Terry closed his eyes, pushing his palms into his ears, but nothing worked.
The three wolves in sheep's clothing could do nothing but scream in agony as they fell to their knees, surrendering to the copious amount of noise. The revving of the motorcycle got closer, revealing its dark, elongated craft, and a man/woman riding atop, coming to a halt.
Kick-standing their motorcycle, they stepped off, approaching the screaming men. With dark skin, long black hair, a broad traveler's hat, a black long coat, and an eyepatch on their right eye, they fit the description of their bounty.
"S-Son of a bitch!! I knew it was you!" Yelled Thane, unable to hear his own voice.
"Screams of the Damned." The motorcyclist spoke, approaching the three members of Angel-X. Their voice was feminine, as was their overall physique, however, it had bits of masculinity to it as well. "Only those who enact sin in my presence are able to hear the screams of hell."
"Make it stop! Gaaaahhh!" Thane went deaf, unable to endure the screams of tortured souls. He fell to his side, going into a coma.
"Thane!" Tommy tried reaching for his friend, but he too fell victim to the screaming souls, thus falling to his frontside.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! You have to forgive me, I didn't mean it!" Yelled Terry. "I-I know I fucked up, just spare me!" The screaming souls slowly vanished in his head, leaving his ears ringing and his heart pumping with adrenaline. "Huh?" His face contorted into confusion. "It stopped?"
"Those who aren't sorry for their sins will have their souls banished into the depths of hell." They turned to face Terry's comrades. "Your friends are gone. They felt no remorse for their actions."
"You must be Ishmael." Said Terry, able to hear again.
"You were sent here to kill me, weren't you?"
"Right." Terry nodded, slowly standing back to his feet. He glanced at his dead friends, clenching his hand into a fist. "I brought them with me to hunt you down, it was some good Culas on the bounty."
"The bounty was sent out by a powerful Arch Demon." Said Ishmael, gazing at the guilty bounty hunter. "You knew this, but you pretended like you didn't, and now your friends are dead."
"I didn't mean any of it." Muttered Terry, closing his eyes in shame. "I was only trying to pay back the debt I owed someone, so I risked the lives of my friends to save my own ass!"
Ishmael lowered his brows, turning to face their armored van, and lifting his hand. A convergence of flames gathered at his palm, launching a wave of inferno to detonate the automobile; metal, engines, and armored pieces of the van scattered across the wastelands, shocking Terry to his core.
"Y-You bastard!! Are you mad?! That was my only ride!"
"You asked for forgiveness, which is commendable." Ishmael turned away, walking away from the mercenary. "But it's not enough. You still have to pay for your sins, one way or another." Ishmael approached his motorcycle, but the bounty hunter lifted their gun, aiming it from behind.
"I'm not gonna let you just walk away!" With his finger on the trigger, he took aim and fired.
By using electricity to generate light particles, they can be focused into a beam that reached well over a hundred million degrees of heat. Such energy traveled at the speed of light, plunging through Ishmael's backside.
"Gotcha!" So he thought - but in reality, the hybrid evaded the beam of light. "What?!" Terry shot nothing more than an afterimage. "Your grave has already been dug," Ishmael said, appearing atop his motorcycle.
"Damnit!!"
They drove off, leaving Terry by himself. The ghoulish sounds of demons appeared in the far distance, hungry for their prey.
Terry was all alone.
His only option? Suicide...
"Damnit... I'm fucking screwed!"
Ishmael drove across the empty wastelands, hearing the sound of a gunshot in the far distance. It was safe to say that Terry took his own life before the demons could get hold of him. "A wise decision." Muttered the hybrid.
If one were to die by the hands of a demon, their soul would inevitably corrupt and be sent into the pits of hell to rot for all eternity.
It was safer to kill yourself than be killed by the hands of evil.