Chapter 50: Deterrent II
Underground Morlock Base
Callisto
Their new home, another abandoned train depot, one of countless underground stations lost to time and mind right under the noses of the surface world.
The ceiling rumbled, a new annoyance but a welcomed one. The sound meant activity was above ground, and that meant surface dwellers.
A hushed murmur came from behind her, drawing her from her musing.
"There is no sign of Ape."
"Tar baby," Callisto inquired before pivoting q toward the Morlock, knowing the answer already.
"Missing too." The Morlock replied with a shake of his head.
"Dismissed. Send Leech my way when you return to your post. Thank you for trying, Ash." She said, meaning it.
"Yes, Boss," Ash whispered, afraid his acoustic mutation might go haywire.
Callisto ambled, her mind a whirl of conflicting thoughts. Two more of her people were missing. Half of her fighters joined Masque.
Her loss at the hand of Masque had irked her, and the shame of being afflicted by him had furthered it. She shook her head. Those who left weren't her core group but newer, more progressive mutants who wanted a better sense of normalcy.
Masque was one thing, but the Marauders were existential. If things continued at this rate, the Morlocks would cease to be.
She glanced around. Families moved about, adjusting to their situation; children played with toys, washed down drains, and scavenged from the surface.
Her people bolstered her weaning resolve, her hand clenched, her knuckles creaking and turning white at her subconscious exertion.
She exhaled and closed her one good eye. She did that a lot when she needed to think. A quirk of hers that her people knew to look out for.
Something just hadn't set right with her. She didn't understand how the Maruders got so far into their territory without being spotted.
The tunnel shook as an explosion went off. She jumped up but stopped when the door was slammed open.
"Boss, walking machines have been spotted."
Caliban said in alarm.
"Lots of them, too," Sunder added in a deep baritone.
"Whose fighting them." She asked, rushing toward the sound.
Sunder replied. "Madin engaged one."
"Injury." she queried worriedly.
"Us-" he stopped as another explosion shook the tunnel. "Usual injury Madin suffers from his light spectacle."
Caliban added. "Samson is with him."
"Marauders? This is too soon." she hissed, turning to her gear and ready herself to fight so the women and children could flee.
"Doubtful. Marauders didn't use machines."
"Only one surface dweller is in the tunnels." Said Sunder added.
Caliban quipped. "That one Masque is fighting now."
Callisto strapped her blades on. "Masque is fighting a Marauder? Why wasn't I informed."
Sunder and Caliban exchanged glances before the latter spoke up. "Boss, we knew you would have helped. And, He deserves what he is getting."
She screamed her displeasure at her two lieutenants. Moments later, Callisto found herself in front of six spider-like drones. Madin and Samson were subdued.
"They haven't moved, boss." A teenager, Morlock said, mouth filled suspiciously with something that smelled like chocolate. She scanned around and saw more than the fighters in the opening.
"What happened to the plan."
"They gave us foo-
"Callisto, my name is Firestar. I'm here on behalf of Jeremy York."
The conversation didn't last long, but she had been offered a way to survive. The caveat was this York character needed people.
Having agreed marginally and wanting to speak to the boss, she departed and found herself in front of the supposed Jeremy York.
Her lieutenants had devised a plan, and she hoped it succeeded. Masque had run once the mutant had bested some of his staunch supporters. Unfortunately, Healer wasn't amongst the scattered Morlocks on the ground.
If she wanted to win back her leadership, she had to defeat the mutant that bested Masque. The Morlocks hierarchy had always been the strongest lead.
Calliban would unleash the opening salvo. His mutant fear absorption and projection ability was typically fickle unless under duress. Still, she hoped her being near the man, whom she suspected was a marauder in disguise, would enable him to attack the mutant mind.
Disgusted with the ruse, she had no choice. She looked down at her bandaged arm and felt the writhing mess of tentacles that had been forced upon her by Masque when she was vulnerable after fighting against the Marauders.
She wasn't afraid, especially if she was within reaching distance; even with one arm, she knew she could kill Instantly with her sharp blade and enhanced speed.
"You come offering help but kill us?" She asserted. The man was handsome. No wonder that toad of a man went after him so hard.
He smiled down at her. "I was defending myself. I've only killed one," he paused, eyes going unfocused, "I was wrong, two."
Nonchalance was what she felt from him. He didn't care about the death. He was even smiling as he admitted to casually killing two of them.
Her disgust of the backhanded tactic fled as she sneered at him in her head. Outside her fave was a mask of calm. The signal was her closing her eyes. She didn't want to see the fear on the man's face.
Before she could claim victory, he had spoken.
"It appears I'm not convincing enough." He scolded.
Cole Stephens
He had wondered what would occur when another with his mutant ability attacked him. He shivered as his most hidden, darkest fear manifested briefly.
He did observe the other's ability. Shadows seem to be shared when the fear ability has been unleashed. Cole had no idea Caliban didn't have complete control over him, only able to use two special powers under duress.
Dozen of Morlocks screamed to his pleasure as his shadow stretched outward. He still had no idea how to shadow the Batman logo against the crumpled wall he had exploded earlier.
The ground rumbled. The Morlocks parted, and Sunder's hulking form blitzed toward him. Cole ignored him as his hand bled from the dagger that prorated his hand.
He stared into the crazed eye of Callisto as he focused the brunt of his ability upon her psyche. He wished he knew what she saw, but at least he wasn't there yet with his power.
The system chimed in his mind, anointing him with another mission.
System-generated mission| The Host has discovered another fragment of fear.
Caliban of The Morlocks, lieutenant of the warrior Queen Callisto, is in possession of another fragment.
Choice-Heroic: The fragment is only more power; why must you take from another, potentially weakening your fellow mutant? Abstain from greed and discover how to obtain another fragment.
Reward(s): Unknown. $1,500,000
Choices-Neutral: Already having one fragment in your possession, obtain a second piece by any means necessary and increase your fear-related ability.
Reward(s): Fragment of Fear. $200,000
Oddly, there wasn't an option for villain rewards, just heroic and neutral. He had no qualms about his perception. He didn't want to be a hero. His only reason for amassing power was to safeguard himself and the people in his sphere.
While another battle geared up outside, his partitioned-off thoughts made a decision. Caliban attacked him, hoping to disable him for his leader. He signed his warrant, and the fragment would be his if not his life.
In retrospect, Caliban couldn't control that particular power until Apocalypse upgraded him with celestial technology. His main ability was also quite helpful; he could track and determine the magnitude of mutant power.
He had already made up his mind to obtain the other piece. Caliban was a horseman, and Apocalypse would knock on his door when he awakens.
Bio-electricity coursed throughout his body; the only indicator of his Chi activation was his now electrical irises. He grabbed the warrior Queen's hand, eliciting a pain shriek from her pale lips. Cole's strength had already grown to superhuman levels; he hadn't the strength of Thor, but with his Chi inducement, he had grown another magnitude.
"I didn't come here to fight you rejects, but now all of you are all experience and rewards. Show me this so-called battle cognition on yours." He spat, wrenching her from the ground and throwing her behind him.
He dismissed the routing Morlocks fleeing as his shadow stretched across the ground. He exhaled cold air, his skin growing even paler from his manipulation, and met Sunder's blow with an explosion of ice and bio-electricity.