Jerome stood in front of the sink looking at himself in the mirror. On the outside he looked absolutely fine, there was nothing wrong but every step he took sent him to hell and then brought him back. His body had never hurt so much before in his life. He was standing absolutely still and not moving. Yesterday was something amazing, he had killed five professional killers and absorbed them, the only thing is today his body hurt like it had never before. He had asked Eckhard what the problem was…thinking back to the conversation he had this morning when he awakened.

***

As Jerome opened his eyes in the morning he felt as though something heavy had been sitting on his chest for the entire night. He could not move at least not without hurting more than it was worth to move.
"Ow…ow, Eckhard what happened?" he asked slightly worried.
<<You absorbed five humans yesterday, each of them qualitatively above you>>
"Gee, you don't mince words do you," said Jerome with snort but he quickly stopped as his stomach hurt. "What does that even do, sure I absorbed them and took their skills like you told me."
<<Yes Mr. Hall and as a result your body went through a change, human body is not designed to be changed in such a short manner and as a result of the sudden qualitative change in your body, there are numerous pains within your musculature and general structure because you are still adapting>>
"Can't you just shut off the pain?" asked Jerome groaning as he twisted around on the bed to get a better position.
<<Unfortunately my creator Dr. Eckhard Ingrid Naumann has not permitted me to shut off pain receptors except on rare few occasions and this is not one of those occasions, you will be glad to know however I can shut off your primary senses anytime you wish me to>>
"I want my pain receptors shut off not my other senses," said Jerome gritting his teeth then groaning again as the pain came shooting through. "What good would it do if you killed an ant when the elephant was planning on trampling you?"
<<I apologize, I do not get the reference>>
Jerome looked wordlessly up at the ceiling partially trying to bear with the pain and partially because he had no reply to Eckhard.
"You know Eckhard," said Jerome sliding off the bed. "You're a real sadist."
Jerome flopped his leg over the bed and landed on it and the effect was almost instantaneous. It was as if someone had stabbed him in the foot with a knife and the knife had travelled up through his leg all the way to his head, he dropped one knee and similar feeling of pain shot up, this time from his knee and he dropped to the floor with a groan, entirely in pain.
"Ho ho ho," Jerome laughed madly, delirious of what was happening.
<<Mr. Hall, perhaps you would like me to play some soothing music, I have information that it helps with mortal pain>>
"So you know, Eckhard," said Jerome gritting his teeth as he struggled to sit up, leaning against his bedpost. "That I'm in mortal pain."
<<All indicators point to such a pain rating>>
"Well then Eckhard, if you play any sort of music for this situation I will try my darnedest to kill myself," said Jerome as he gritted his teeth again to get up but fell onto his butt and experienced agony.
<<Understood Mr. Hall, removing such a preference>>
"If I'm burning, might as well burn all the way through," he muttered as he made to get up again, this time succeeding, before he hit his toe on the bed leg and seeing stars as he fell back onto the bed.
"You…will…not…defeat…me!" cried out Jerome as he stood up again, this time rigidly standing up on his own two feet like a statue, when he saw that he succeeded he let out a laugh which made pain shoot up from his belly. "When…will…this…END!"
<<Do you want me to give an estimated for integration completion>>
"Yes!" Jerome spoke through gritted teeth.
<<Five hours>>
"Five…hours…" he said faintly, he had fears that he would die before then. "No sooner?"
<<I cannot tamper with integration time Mr. Hall>>
"No," Jerome agreed and tried to take a step before stopping because of the pain that jolted out like an electric bolt.
It took him time, around a minute to make the short distance to the bathroom.

***

Jerome shuddered on the experience and then gasped as the pain came spiraling back from the shudder. He clutched the side of the sink to stabilize himself and nearly slipped when his shoulders felt a rending pain. It was beyond common sense how every part of him hurt like this. If this was integration he would have to seriously consider absorbing more bodies in the future. He went to the toilet closed the lid and sat on it gently, gasping every now and then as pain came shooting through he then leaned back against the flush and decided to take a small nap there. He would ideally have liked to reach his bed but he didn't want to risk it.
"Eckhard, tell me," he said. "Why didn't you warn me about the pain?"
<<I took some simple precaution to ensure your evolution>>
Jerome narrowed his eyes, "You mean, you thought I would chicken out if you told me about this rending, hellish pain."
He heard no reply from the sadistic AI and he tried to grit his teeth but abandoned the thought when he felt the build up of pain.
"Eckhard do you ever deliberately choose not to answer me?" asked Jerome.
<<Yes>>
"Ha!" exclaimed Jerome excitedly moving off the flush before screaming and leaning back against it and breathing heavily, he saw the white lights with that, Jerome gritting his teeth said. "Put me to sleep Eckhard, wake me up five hours after."
<<Very well Mr. Hall inducing sleep procedures, heightening production of melatonin>>
Suddenly Jerome's eyes blurred as all of a sudden he was overcome by great fatigue. He slid sideways on the toilet seat and slowly fell off. He out like a light before he even hit the floor, where he proceeded to snooze for the next five hours.
***
Bishop's Bar, West Wing, Trade City East
The man in the monocle had awoken from his night of sleep. He had once again made himself impeccable and went down via the lift to his neon-lit bar. As he walked in he spotted a lady sitting all by her lonesome on a stool at the bar counter, she wore a designer dress and her hair was styled platinum blonde. She turned to look at him, her eyes a beautiful green color. Just a look could be said to be enough to raise the libido of any man, the man in the monocle however just nodded at her.
"Hector," she said getting off the stool walking up to kiss the man on the cheek, despite the english she spoke her french accent occasionally slipped through. "How haf' you been?"
"Roselyne, I apologize for my manners but I called you here on urgent to clarify some matters," man in the monocle, Hector spoke, showing utmost urgency to his matters.
Platinum blonde bombshell stepped back looking neutrally at Hector, "What iz it?"
Jerome reached into his coat and pulled out a picture, one bearing the portrait of Jerome Elliot Hall and he placed it on the counter.
"This man here," he said. "Do you have any information on him?"
Frowning she picked up the picture, "I've never seen this man, what's his name?"
"Jerome Elliot Hall," replied Hector. "Constable at Trade City East Police Station, east circle."
"A law enforcer?" she asked. "What has you worried?"
"I sent my boys out to kill him," he said sitting down for the explanation, on a bar stool. "They killed him at Viewbridge Cemetery, the day before yesterday, night, stabbed him multiple times."
"So he's dead," said Roselyne frowning as she took the seat opposite Hector.
"No," said Hector with a wry smile. "I he was dead, now…well now he's alive."
Roselyne's eyes narrowed, "A necromancer?"
"That's the strangest thing," said Hector. "I sense nothing of the sort from him, so I was asking you, have you heard of his name, anything like this?"
"Revival, it's a very rare occurrence, only powerful necromancers and lumomancers can do it," said Roselyne. "I've not heard of Jerome Elliot Hall in our circle.
"The man was stabbed with a hunting knife right to his heart," said Hector. "The next day he turned up for work, like it was an injury he walked off."
"That's…not normal," said Roselyne and Hector snorted.
"What makes you so worried?" she asked. "Has he found out you sent the men?"
"No…" said Hector. "Yesterday the contractor of this particular work came to my bar and made a scene and I decided to sent my men again."
"You killed him again," she guessed but he gave another wry smile and shook his head.
"I've lost my connection with them," he said and her eyes widened in surprise.
"They're dead?" she asked.
"No…if they were dead I'd be able to feel it," said Hector. "They all died, I admit it but then something happened, I can't feel them at all, it's like they were erased from existence."
"That…that does sound like necromancy," she said frowning. "Very powerful necromancy."
"You tell me?" he said shaking his head. "Have I stuck my head in something I might live to regret."
"If it is as we suspect, then yes," she said sternly. "You should have held off after he came back to life, investigated further."
"I know," he said sighing. "I let my anger take advantage of me at that moment."
Roselyne looked down at the floor thoughtfully, "I'll see if I can find something Hector, no promises but until then stay out of trouble, this man, he might not know you are behind this but if he does and he's waiting for something then be very wary."
Hector nodded, "Not like I can do anything else, I could try to attack him myself but I might go the same way as my men."
Roselyne put a hand on his shoulder, "Do you have his address?"
Hector's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, "You're not planning on paying him a visit are you…that is not safe."
"Hector…please," she said her eyes going cold. "Safety is in short supply in my circles, besides I want to know if a new powerhouse has appeared here, he might be an ally or I could make him one, we all need powers with us."
"I had him killed," Hector said weakly. "I don't think he would be too amicable to us."
"He got back up again like it was nothing," said Roselyne with a smile. "He might not find an assassination all that hateful."
Hector simply nodded at the logic, what else could he do? Roselyne left the bar in long strides as a blue Rolls Royce Phantom rolled to a stop outside the Bishop's Bar. The driver that looked like a tame version of the hulk with a bald head came out and opened the door to the car.
"Good morning madam," he greeted her.
"A very good morning to you too Gustave," she said with a smile.
"How has Hector been?" he asked.
"In a tense mood," she said as she got into the car.
Gustave graciously tucked her overflowing dress in after her and closed the door. He then came around to driver's seat. After getting in the man turned around.
"Is there problem you wish for me to take care of madam?" he asked.
"No Gustave," she said smiling which slowly slid into a frown. "Not yet I don't think."
Gustave nodded and started the car, speeding off down the road. Back at the bar Hector let out a long sigh. He had landed himself in hot water, extremely hot water. The terrifying that had erased his men from existence, he feared it. He shouldn't risen to that contractor's bait and now he had lost five of his good men, men he could find again but there were enemies he couldn't unmake. He went around the counter initially reaching for the spirits but then he thought better of it and instead reached out for the bottle of high quality orange juice. Sighing again he opened the bottle and proceeded to sip at it halfheartedly, like a wounded puppy.

***

The first thing Jerome tasted in his half sleep as he slowly came back around was the toilet floor which tasted like any other floor except when he realized what he was licking. He recoiled in disgust as his eyes shot open. Last he remember was sitting on the toilet sleep and telling Eckhard to put him to sleep, now he was lying next to the toilet face down, licking the floor. Disgusted he jumped up and rushed to the sink thoroughly cleaning his mouth out. After he did that he froze, he looked at himself in the mirror, he was a right and proper mess, his hair shooting off all ways, like a porcupine's needles. That however wasn't the reason he stopped, there was no more pain in his body, sure a few of his muscles were stiff but there was no jolting pain, nothing that pulled him to hell.
"Eckhard!" he called out. "Is the integration done?"
<<Perfectly Mr. Hall>>
"Oh thank the lords," he said leaning against a wall in relief.
He wondered to himself as he pulled himself up, had he got stronger? He too a general boxing stance, much better than what he had learned from Jerome's body, he felt sharper as his eyes narrowed. He breathed in as suddenly time slowed down and he threw jab, just a light normal jab to him but as it pushed through the air, the air itself exploded around his fist creating a sharp twang. He was stronger, not just a little stronger than last time, he had made a leaping progress. In all sense, he had stepped far past the boundary of humanity at this point, no olympic athlete, people regarded at the peak of humanity, no one should be able to go toe to toe with him.
"Eckhard, I've gotten stronger," said Jerome with glee.
<<You have Mr. Hall as should be the nubots' purpose>>
"Yes Eckhard, I'm thankful to you as well as Dr. Naumann, I will finally be able to get my revenge," he said with a cold smile.
He had no evidence, no links to anything, right now he was searching in the dark in amongst a pile of hay for the so called 'needle' in the haystack. He had however achieved immense power, something that would no doubt make it easier to pull off what he was to do. Beheading a family, framing an innocent man and finally killing that man's mother who had done nothing wrong, someone who was unable to even go to the toilets without help. His first stop, what should his first stop be, yesterday he had taken care of the assassins that had come to attack Jerome Hall and he had learned Jerome Hall was looking into his case, therefore it made sense to assume that this might be connected. His first stop then naturally should Bishop's Bar, those dead men's instinct, their apparent home. He was a police officer now so should he do it via legal means...he thought about it for a moment and then laughed. No, no reason to do this legally. He should pay the bar a visit with the hunting knives he collected from the assassins, whoever ran this organization, they'd be thankful he brought the knives, back...so very thankful. So thankful in fact that they might share a lot of information with him, everything to do with what he needed to know. He smiled wild, giddy with joy, he felt the power and whoever was behind these assassins, they would feel it too.