Despite everything, Cobra went to bed in the midnight hours of the morning, believing the worst of this nightmare was over... but that couldn't have been a thought further from the truth. He'd only slept for about three hours when his secretary, accompanied by others, burst into his room with a data tablet. It became abundantly clear to the Oil Tycoon that his notion of safety was way wrong. The footage of their skirmish, Nobel's declaration of identity, and Nucleon's debut had reached every news outlet possible.
The headlines across newspapers, blogs, online articles, chatrooms, forums, text chains, and emails all read a single damning headline: "Return of the Radioactive Family."
Cobra gritted his teeth as his PR team briefed him on the story they were trying to spin, and he rushed to his office. Everything was unraveling faster than he and his corporate team could handle. As the Sun rose and Innovation City citizens awoke to tune in to the news, things were becoming increasingly more tense. Many of the citizens living within Innovation City remembered both Robert and Marie Fusion, having been customers, friends, and/or acquaintances of the two before Cobra executed them privately. It wasn't until Cobra went live with his broadcasting team that protests began to amass. Things were looking like they were going to calm down, until Cobra's broadcast was overtaken.
Outside, protesters watched on the many holo-screens plastered around the city. Volta grinned as she locked Cobra and his team out of the system and played a video for everyone to see. On the screens, the logo of Fusion Dynamics appeared. It was bodycam footage from Stingray Stull on the day that Robert and Marie Fusion were "tragically lost" in an accident. However, unknown to Stingray at the time, his R.O.H.A suit had captured the Fusions' last moments before Cobra executed them. The footage stopped and was replaced by a live broadcast from Nobel, with Kerosene and the Firefighters joining at his side.
Nobel's lightning-white eyes glared into the camera, "Cobra Standard, founder and CEO of Cobra Petroleum, your age of secrets comes to a close today." Nobel leaned forward, getting closer to the camera. "See, you don't much like it when someone decides to aim guns at you. The only difference between what you did to my parents and what happened last night is that you're still alive. You threatened not only my life, but the lives of my crew, the firefighters, my automaton, and my boyfriend. So allow me to be as blunt and crystal clear here as to avoid any confusion. Any member of the Cobra Petroleum and Ampere Electric found within a 12-mile radius of all Fusion Dynamic property, both commercial and residential, will be treated as enemy combatants and have every weapon within my arsenal used to erase their intrusion."
All of Innovation City was at a standstill. Citizens were enraged to learn that their corporate overlord had killed the two decent scientists who had become CEO and COO. They were at a point of irrational anger, and their protests were escalating into full-blown riots. Cobra promptly dispatched Riot Soldiers, which proved to be a mistake. Cobra assumed the broadcast from Fusion Dynamic was live when, in fact, it had been pre-recorded. As Riot Soldiers arrived on the scene, so too did the Firefighter Militia, Grid Breachers, and now the full weight of Fusion Dynamics. Citizens backed up to allow the armed Firefighters and Kubota in his Humvee to create a pathway for Kerosene, Nucleon, and Nobel to stand toe-to-toe with Cobra Petrol's Riot Soldiers directly. Before the soldiers could raise their weapons, Nucleon had his arsenal locked onto every soldier's heart.
"CLEAR OUT!" Shouted the Officer, "You are obstructing sanctioned Riot Control and will be..." The Officer was loudly cut off by Nucleon as he spoke. The automaton's vocals, which had once been robotically sharp, raspy, and metallic— a voice only fit for such an automaton —now mimicked that of the officer. "Is this... is this my fault?" The Officer took a step back in shock as the Fusion Dynamics line took a unisoned step forward. As a Riot Soldier moved to hit a Firefighter, Nucleon grabbed the soldier's arm and tore it completely off without any effort. As the automaton slowly turned back to the Officer, sending the Riot Soldiers into a terrified panic with his real voice this time, "Inferior combatants... Scanners faulty... All standing before designation; Nucleon... are already corpses."
The Riot Soldiers fled the area, leaving their weapons and gear, as they understood that Nucleon's scanners weren't faulty. The human-sized automaton didn't see them as anything more than stackable obstacles in its way. Meanwhile, many of the citizens were now looking to this young, new CEO for direction... but that's when Cobra Standard emerged to face the crowds. However, he found himself face to face, an inch away from Nobel Fusion. "What do you want from me? Because a fucking apology isn't coming." Nobel said. Nobel laughed a cruel, wicked laugh at Cobra's supposed show of toughness. "If I wanted to, I could avenge my parents without Nucleon, right now. Don't ever puff out your chest when you have nothing to back it with."
Cobra held his poker face as he stared down Nobel. "Boy, I will gut you in front of my daughter..." The older man found he couldn't speak, hell, not even breathe, as Nobel's hand firmly grasped his throat. The younger man's lightning-white glare had become a look of psychotic rage. "That is my boyfriend, your transitioned son, hell, my soon-to-be-fiancé. If you ever threaten him again, I'll make sure my face is the last thing you ever see." However, before either of them could move, Nucleon grabbed Cobra by the face and slammed him up against the concrete walls of the Cobra Petrol Building. "The stronger a man is, the more gentleness he can afford those around him," started Nucleon, "And those adorned with crowns of weakness... become my prey." Nucleon promptly dropped Cobra and began walking away. The last words he spoke that day rang in Cobra's ears, "Choose... wisely."
Cobra's eyes and lips trembled as the automaton returned to Nobel's side. His eyes widened in horror, remembering what Robert Fusion had once told him...
"One day, you'll see what real power is, and it'll be a power no money or greedy soul could ever hope to attain..."