Jake had no idea how Frank expected him to explain the situation. However, he was growing tired of Frank’s attitude and constant threats. It was time to teach him a lesson.
The group leader may have believed he was moving quickly, but to Jake, it seemed like slow motion. He lunged forward as Frank raised his assault rifle, seizing the weapon before the man could take aim at him. With a firm tug, Jake wrested the firearm from Frank’s grasp, almost breaking his index finger that had gotten caught in the trigger guard, causing the leader to cry out in pain.
Jake rammed into the man, forcefully tackling him to the ground and pressing his fingers tightly around Frank’s throat, restricting his airflow. Fear filled his widened eyes as the realization that he couldn’t breathe sank in. Jake had no intention of taking his life; he only aimed to assert his dominance. However, Frank, unaware of Jake’s intentions and thinking he was being killed, panicked and tried to break free. Despite his efforts, his human body proved no match for Jake’s mutant strength.
In his expanded field of vision, he noticed the other three survivors snapping out of their trances from when he had attacked Frank. Seeing them swing their weapons to point at him, Jake immediately released the group leader. Leaping to his feet, he rushed toward the nearest person, which turned out to be Isra. Yanking the weapon from the woman’s grasp, he tossed it aside almost all the way to the other side of the room. Before Isra could react, he took the handgun from her holster and flung it away too. Giving her a shove in the chest, he caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
Wheeling around, he charged at the next closest opponent, Archie. Despite Archie’s attempt to aim at him, Jake’s agility made it impossible for him to track his movements. Wanting to incapacitate the survivors temporarily so they could reflect on the situation, Jake refrained from causing serious harm. He had morphed his claws back into normal hands to avoid inflicting any significant injuries on them.
After wrenching the weapon from Archie’s grasp and hurling it away, Jake delivered a powerful punch to Archie’s solar plexus. The impact was so forceful that Archie doubled over, his eyes bulging and his mouth gaping as he struggled to catch his breath, gasping futilely. Shoving the man to the ground, Jake swiftly rushed toward the last person remaining standing on his feet—Rick. He had managed to draw a bead on him, but before he could fire, Jake was already upon him. In a matter of seconds, he disarmed Rick and delivered a powerful blow to his chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing to the ground as well.
All four survivors now lay on the floor, struggling to catch their breath, gasping and wheezing. It had taken Jake just a few seconds to neutralize all of them. To them, it must have felt like it all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving them with no opportunity to defend themselves. Isra, being the least injured among them, did not need time to recuperate. However, she remained motionless, seated on the floor, her gaze fixed on Jake. She knew all too well that any attempt to reach for one of the scattered weapons in the expansive room would be futile, as Jake could intercept her long before she could even grab a gun. Recognizing Jake’s lightning-fast speed and agility, Isra understood that she was powerless to take any action against him.
After giving a final glance to the still-recovering survivors, Jake pivoted and raced across the room toward the exit. Navigating through the corridors, he made his way to the entrance of the elevator shaft. Once he reached it, he came to a halt. The platform remained on the eighth floor, patiently waiting for him to step on it to transport him up to the next level. However, he refused to enter the elevator shaft. Instead, he turned back in the direction he had come from, anticipating the arrival of the survivors. He knew they would come.
It wasn’t long before the four of them emerged at the far end of the corridor, whispering among themselves as they made their way toward him. They were undoubtedly discussing the recent events, just as he had expected. The four survivors came to a stop at a distance from him, conversing among themselves while occasionally sneaking glances in his direction. Despite the distance and their hushed voices, Jake’s heightened hearing enabled him to catch their words as clearly as if they were beside him.
“Let’s just ask him,” Isra whispered to her three male companions.
“How will he respond?” Frank grumbled. “He has no mouth, and it takes him ages to write a simple yes or no.”
“Hey, weren’t you the one demanding a full explanation before he attacked you?” Archie attempted to inject some humor into the tense situation.
“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you,” Frank barked at Archie.
“He doesn’t have to speak or write,” Isra interjected. “I can ask him yes or no questions, and he can simply nod or shake his head in response.”
“Okay, go ahead,” Frank said to Isra. “You already know what I think about all of this, but if you want some answers, feel free to ask him. I doubt he’ll be willing to cooperate, though.”
“We’ll see,” Isra replied before turning away from her companions and beginning to walk down the corridor.
She stopped a few paces from him, and Jake took a step back from the entrance to the elevator shaft, motioning with his hand toward it to indicate she could enter, despite being aware that she wanted to speak first.
As expected, she shook her head. “After the incident, we had a discussion and reached a conclusion. We believe we understand the situation here. I would like to ask you a few questions to confirm our thoughts. Will you answer them, Jake?”
Jake made a non-committal gesture and waited for Isra to continue, hoping the questioning wouldn’t take too long.