I died off for a bit as you probably noticed, didn't feel like posting.
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Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
Alex stared at the phone, rage and fear mingling inside and rolling in waves of hot and cold through his whole body. ZEUS. The name Blackwatch had given him. A name that usually meant scores upon scores of Blackwatch gunships racing through the sky, tanks rolling through the streets and thousands of soldiers in black gunning down everything in sight.
And that woman just casually mentioned that name.
She knew. She knew he was here.
Alex snarled and stepped back, unsure what to do now. He had fucked up big time, and that meant he had to get Dana and relocate. But the city was in lockdown and there was a powerful weapon just within their reach, a weapon these bastard shouldn't have.
He couldn't just leave, not with everything going to shit. It wasn't his problem, but he couldn't run away like a coward. Not when they already knew.
He growled under his breath, and the courier backed off with a startled expression.
"I don't care what you think", Moya's cold voice cut in. "I know you are there, ZEUS." Alex growled again, back bristling with tendrils, but he didn't move. Ripping apart the phone wouldn't salvage the situation anyways. "I've seen the mess you caused three days ago. Could have been somebody else, I admit, but I was pretty certain. However, until now, it is only I who is aware of your presence", Moya continued with a firm voice. "At the moment, I am also alone, so we can talk without others bothering us."
"What do you want, Moya?" Alex snarled, his voice partially mingled with the voices of several others, but, at the very least, audible through the phone.
"Lose that attitude", the agent ordered coolly. "Unless you want me to get into contact with General Rooks of Blackwatch and summon them on your ass."
"They would glass the city", the Runner snapped, "You know this!"
"I am aware", Moya commented. "Which is why I am not going to do this. However"
MacGrath shuffled his feet, glancing between his phone and the raging viral entity across from him. "If I fail to contact my superiors on a regular interval, the entire data on my computer will be send to them- including what I found about you." She paused for a moment. "Same goes for when any of my men sees you within a three-hundred yard radius around my position. See it as a last-ditch-effort. An insurance."
"What do you want?", Alex repeated, eyes narrow.
"First off- I am not Blackwatch. They want you dead, I see your capabilities if you remain alive, ZEUS." The Runner growled under his breath, but didn't say anything to allow the woman to continue. "I see, you understand." It was easy imagining the smirk on her face. "Now- if you want this to remain that way, you will listen, and you will listen well."
Alex pulled his lips away in an angry snarl. "Just tell me."
"The Ray Sphere", Moya commented dryly. "You will find the Ray Sphere. Help Cole, do it yourself- I don't care. If you find it, and bring it to me, I will make sure Blackwatch won't figure out where you are."
Alex's eyes narrowed. As if. He knew people like Moya. She would use him, then feed him to Blackwatch once she had what she wanted. He had to get to her before that.
"Why should I do this?" He snarled furiously. "You'll let me run into the fire as soon you have that fucking Sphere."
"Well, if there isn't somebody slightly pissed."
"I know about you, Moya. You are with DARPA. You want to make the Sphere into a weapon. Fuck, you want the conduits too."
"You belong to DARPA too, ZEUS", Moya reminded him. "An asset, so to speak."
"Screw you", the Runner snarled hatefully. "I will not help you or anybody else."
"Really?" The woman snorted amused. "Well, in that case I'm going to need having a few words with Ms. Dana Mercer, won't I?"
Alex's back went ramrod straight, and his eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare", he hissed.
"Really?", the woman hummed. "She has blonde hair now, hasn't she?"
"You wouldn't fucking dare!"
"I won't have to resort to this if you play along, ZEUS", Moya claimed. "You get me the Ray Sphere, you can go home without any problems and stay with your sister, and I won't have to call for these bastards either. Every one of us will win."
Alex swore under his breath, switching languages when he ran out of words.
"Well, I don't expect an answer so soon, ZEUS. But remember: I hold all the cards." Moya cut the connection.
"Fuck!" Alex swore, running his hand through his hair while trying very hard not to snap. The courier shuffled his feet again, rubbing the back of his head and looking very awkward. It was clear he never wanted to be around for this particular conversation.
"Uh-" He swallowed, "Sorry about this?" It looked like he didn't know what to say, but felt obliged to say something. Alex's head snapped towards him, eyes narrowing. The courier shrank back. "Hey- don't maim me, okay?"
The Runner inhaled sharply, suppressing the urge to shred something. It wasn't the courier's fault after all- it was his. Damnit. Alex snarled, clenching his fists at his sides.
"Fuck this", he ground out, "How did she know? I was supposed to be dead." During the second outbreak, Blackwatch had learn he had actually survived the nuke, but Cross had always informed him about where they were looking for him if he was seen, so he and Dana could go into the opposite direction. But outside of Blackwatch, nobody knew he was alive. Even the Marines who had been present during the second outbreak as well had no idea. So how in the blazes did that woman figure out it was him? There hadn't been any witnesses around to his normal powers, and he had been careful about who saw him when he was in his usual shape with the hoodie and jacket. He didn't trust what she said. As far as he knew, she was just stalling him to allow Blackwatch getting into position. He had no idea.
"Fuck", he groused again. "I-gotta leave", he snarled. "Have to find Dana."
The courier frowned. "Dana...your sister?"
"Yes. I have to make sure that bitch doesn't get to her." Shit. He needed more information.
"Okay. Uh- see you later?"
He scoffed and pushed off the roof, shooting through the air. He had to get to Dana. There were probably more pressing matters, but this was important now.
Alex had already crossed about four to five blocks, when he skidded to a stop, eyes wide. Shit, how could he forget? Cross! Cross would be able to tell!
He plucked his phone from his Biomass and picked the Specialist's number, and let it ring once. Calling him was too dangerous, but if he just rung him up, he'd know he wanted to talk to him.
The Blackwatch Captain called back almost immediately.
"Mercer? What the fuck do you want?"
"Cross", the Runner replied. "I fucked up. Again."
There was a sharp silence. "How?"
"I don't know! Thought I was careful enough, but this bitch figured me out", Alex exhaled. "Moya Jones, does this mean anything to you?"
"Jones...Moya Jones...", The older man snorted. "Proper bitch. Some of the guys call her the Iron Lady. She got into DARPA a little while back...maybe half a year? Anyways, if she's on your ass, you got to act fast." Good, so he knew about her, saved him time to explain.
"She threatened me, told me she'd get Blackwatch on me."
"Haven't heard anything yet", the Specialist paused. "I'll let you know if something comes up, though I think you're lucky. For now."
"In how far?"
"Jones doesn't like not being in control. She'll do anything to remain the one on top. And that includes avoiding calling her superiors."
"So I still got time?"
"Most likely."
Alex relaxed slightly. "Good to know." His eyes narrowed. "But she threatened Dana's safety. I can't let her get away with that."
"Moya's clever", Cross told him. "She won't let you anywhere near her."
"I am aware." The Runner frowned. "I'll figure something out. Thanks for the quick update, Cross."
"You owe me now."
"Later." Alex switched his phone off. Good. This took some of the weight away from his chest. He still had time. He could still figure out a way to get to that woman. He just didn't know how. Not at the moment.
But he had a little room to breathe. She made a mistake in allowing him to regroup.
He pushed off the roof and headed over to the Neon. Now he had to tell Dana, make sure she was prepared to leave as quickly as possible. She was going to hate this.
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Cole was shaken. Mercer had told him that they would die if anybody knew he was there, and Moya had figured it out. He just wondered how long they had left.
Or if Moya was going to keep her word. He didn't trust her.
But there wasn't anything he could do, right? There was no choice but to sit this one out. He frowned, glancing over the Warren. They couldn't do anything, just wait and see how everything played out. Might as well do something and hope for the best.
Cole decided to head over to Trish, check up on the bus she used to take the people over into the Warren. He was partially angry at her for blatantly risking her life, and partially proud of her to work so hard. He loved this about her, and would always do.
His phone rang, making him stop surprised. Who could that be? The number said 'Zeke'. He picked it up.
"Hey Zeke. I'm just-"
He was cut off by a sharp hiss. "Not your friend!", a voice screeched. Cole froze, eyes widening. The trouble with Moya vanishing in face of the newest development. "You think you can come over here, doing as you please?!" The speaker shouted, sounding enraged. Cole could hear somebody yelling in the background, but his head was spinning too fast for him to pick something up. "You and that other guy! You think you will beat us?! Think again!" It was an old man, Cole figured out while panicking, somebody who was full of rage. "We've got your fat friend"
"Zeke?!" Cole gasped. "No- no!"
"Aw. You're worried. How cute", the speaker spat, "We're going to kill him real slow."
Fear was instantly replaced for white-hot rage that surged through the courier, and lightning lashed out of his skin. "You idiots", he snarled in a tone that would have made Mercer proud, "You just made the biggest mistake in your lives."
"Have we?!", The speaker chuckled. "Or have you? Steel Harbor. Time's running."
The connection was cut. Cole didn't even think, just lunged off the building he was on to hit the train tracks below with a heavy slam. This was a trap. This was a God-damned trap. And he was just running headlong into it.
But Zeke- they had Zeke. He couldn't leave him alone.
What if the guy had been lying?
He ground his molars together. That was impossible- how else would he have gotten Zeke's number? Just in case that if that guy had been lying, then he would torch him enough to fit him into a shoe box for telling lies. If not- then he was going to torch him, his buddies and everybody else to make a statement to never, ever mess with Cole MacGrath.
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Cole remembered Steel Harbor. He had sometimes carried packages over to the docks and shipping offices. It had been a simple industrial area, with giant cranes, shipping containers and huge ships.
But now- now Steel Harbor was Dustmen territory. The containers had been stacked over each other into giant walls, to prevent anyone from getting in. His radar senses told him that there were many foes crawling on the inside, but this didn't stop him.
His rage was too much for him to bear, too much to make him think clear. All he wanted to do was to get in there, kill all of these bastards and get Zeke out.
He found the entrance to the compound- it was nothing more than a gap between several containers- and headed inside a maze of shipping containers, with lightning lashing out of his skin. Screw stealth- this was a declaration of war. A container in front of him popped open, spilling several heavily armed Dustmen. Cole didn't slow down.
"Where is he?!" He roared. He didn't expect an answer anyways, but he had to get his frustration out of his system. The Dustmen didn't have time to react when he collided with them, sending them flying with a powerful shockwave. Cole moved fast, whirling around and unleashing several bolts of lightning to take them out before they even hit the ground. The courier paused just long enough to make sure these guys were sufficiently dead, before he continued his mad rampage. Two guys tried to assault him from a catwalk above- he chucked a grenade towards them and blew them both off, sending both of them hurtling to the ground, where they smacked against the floor with harsh cracks. Neither was moving anymore.
Cold scowled and jumped upwards, latching onto a ladder to pull himself two containers up, to lunge across a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.
"This is my island!", the old man screeched over several speakers hidden on the compound. "My home! Do you know how long I waited for this?! No one, no one will stop me!"
"Just keep on blathering!" Cole shouted enraged, zapping another Dustman who sauntered too close to him, "You'll get yours!" He skidded around a corner, just in time to see another guy high up on another catwalk, aiming his bazooka at him. The rocket raced towards him. Cole snarled and smacked it with a shockwave, sending it back. It exploded in a glorious manner, taking the Dustman with it.
Any other time, Cole would have felt something. Maybe disgust about himself for killing so many people. Maybe childish curiousness about his own powers. Maybe even glee for being unstoppable.
But right now, all he felt was rage searing through his body. Hatred for these people, who murdered innocent civilians and threatened his friends.
"Cole?" Moya's voice chimed in. "Your GPS says you're in the shipyards. What are you doing?"
The courier ground his teeth together, stopping to reply. "Killing the bastards that kidnapped Zeke", he snarled enraged, keeping an eye out for more Dustmen.
"It's his own fault", Moya replied coldly. "You can't run out and rescue him every time he gets into trouble."
"Of course I can!" The courier barked. "I don't betray my friends! I don't abandon them! And I don't tell them lies, Moya!" Three heavily armored Dustmen came rushing around a corner, though Cole made short process of them. "Do you know what I'm talking about, Moya? I'm talking about you lying to me. Using me."
"Cole-", Moya started with a threat in her voice, but Cole cut her off while vaulting over a guy's head.
"I will still find John White and the Ray Sphere, Moya", he growled, "Keeping my end of the bargain. I just hope for your sake you will keep your end as well."
"That was not-"
"The deal was- I find John and the Ray Sphere, remember? I will find them. And then you will clear my name, or I swear to God I'll do it myself." His voice lowered into a growl. "If you think you can scare me anymore by telling me you'll send in an army- I will take them. I will take all of them and stop them. Stop you. That is a promise."
He cut the connection and zapped three more guys rushing him. He was so through with playing nice.
Moya, Sasha, Alden, Kessler- he was going to make them pay. All of them.
He rushed around a corner, moving too fast for the turret there to target him, and quickly dove behind another container for cover. He created a grenade in his palm and lugged it from behind his hideout, listening how it went up with a tremendous BOOM.
Four guys were dead on the ground in an instant, three squirmed on the floor- injured but still alive.
Cole felt nothing when he aimed his hand at them and zapped them, shutting down their bodies.
He rushed through the maze, stopping momentarily when a chain link fence slammed shut in front of him. But that was easily remedied: He only had to climb up a nearby ladder and use his thrusters to soar over the obstacle, landing smack in another group of Dustmen.
He threw his arms out, creating shockwaves to both sides to make them lose their balance, before he unleashed several powerful bolts to down them. More approached him, only to fall victim to his violent discharges.
The stench of singed flesh stung in his nose as soon none of them were twitching anymore, and Cole slowly lowered his hands, panting. His pulse had sped up, was racing in his chest, his body was on fire and his vision became blurry- a clear sign he was over-using his powers and required some recharge.
He drained two halogen spot lights nearby, then continued his way. He couldn't waste more time than absolutely necessary- he had to find Zeke.
Cole rushed up a ramp, easily throwing his body to the side to avoid another turret, and took out another Dustmen who shot with his bazooka at him. Cole smacked the projectile back, watched how the turret and the two Dustmen nearby went up in a massive ball of fire. The courier scrunched up his nose at the smell of singed hair and trash, and continued onwards.
His way was quickly blocked by another chain link fence, though he simply turned back and scrambled over the shipping containers to assault the bastards from above. He kept off the ground for a while longer, as his senses warned him of a turret aimed just into his direction around the next bend. Hidden behind another fence.
Just bad luck for the Dustmen he was able to create ball lightnings able to pass through them. He lugged one of those ball lightnings and focused on its trajectory, making it slam into the turret's magazine to blow it sky-high.
A single Dustman conduit lunged at him, accompanied by his trash crabs. Cole whirled around and threw his fist out, smacking the guy hard into the jaw. He heard it crack, and his hand felt like it was on fire, but the guy stumbled back with a groan too. The courier lunged at him and buried his knee into the man's stomach to drop him, before he stomped down on the his neck, killing him.
He felt nothing, not even satisfaction as the bastard choked his last. There was only rage, but it was subsiding. He just knew that if he ran out, his fear for Zeke's safety would override his powers and make him weaker. He had to end this as long he was still driven by his hatred for the Dustmen.
He violently battled his way through the maze of shipping containers, fences and Dustmen, blowing up turrets and oil-filled barrels for some extra destruction. These bastards could not own the Warren.
He hurried up a ladder, finally reaching the top of the entire construction. He heard somebody shout for him, and he whipped around. His eyes widened.
There was a large cage in front of him, suspended from a crane. People were inside, screaming for help.
"Zeke?!" Cole shouted, "Can you hear me?!"
The cage exploded in a wordless roar of superheated air. Pieces and bodies rained down across Steel Harbor.
He froze, eyes blown wide in terror. Nononono! Not Zeke! Not Zeke!
Cole shrieked his best friend's name, jumping back down to where the remains crashed into the ground. Please God, don't let him be dead!
He wrenched the shattered wreckage apart, scanning each of the mangled faces. So many dead, so many because he was too slow. Please don't be dead, Zeke- please don't be-
Zeke's not there.
The courier exhaled, sinking to his knees. Zeke wasn't among them. He hadn't failed.
Yet.
The icy dread that had gripped Cole's heart was instantly wiped away by a new surge of rage, and he swung himself back upwards, shooting the guy that had blown up the cage.
His head whipped up, eyes narrowing. Further down the complex was another, smaller cage. And there was only one figure inside.
Zeke.
"Hang in there, buddy", Cole snarled. "I'm coming."
He ran across the containers, swearing because there wasn't enough cover up here. He had no choice but to move fast and take several bullets. Missiles impacted besides him, nearly throwing him off his feet, but Cole pushed through. He fired lightning bolts at the guys with the bazookas, he jumped on other guys with assault rifles, and he violently knocked others off their high perches and to their doom.
He rushed across cat walks and industrial cranes, mind snapping into a frenzy.
"You're a persistent little bastard, aren't you?", The old man screeched through the intercom. "Doesn't matter. It's nearly done. And once it is, all will bow before me. Just as my father wanted!"
"Come and face me, coward!" Cole hollered, "And we'll see who's the stronger of us!"
Of course, the other guy probably couldn't hear him, but every word he said made Cole only angrier. He fried every last Dustman he could see, before his rage had subsided enough for him to think again. He found the controls of the crane that held Zeke's cage, and pressed a few buttons, watching how the cage was lowered to the street outside of the Steel Harbor.
"Whew", he heard Zeke's relieved voice, "There is close, and then there was that."
Cole threw one last glance over his shoulder, checking for any Dustmen left behind with his radar senses. But there weren't any. Only a whole lot of cooling corpses.
He knew he should feel guilty, should feel remorse about having taken so many lives, but he just couldn't find it in himself. These bastards had dared to attack his friend- his family- and they paid dearly for it. Cole snorted, then jumped off the crane and dropped to the street nearly eight stories beneath, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. He went to the cage Zeke was in and wrenched it open.
Zeke seemed unharmed- shaken, yes, but fine otherwise. Relief flooded through Cole's body, and he was in the process of simply hugging his best friend, when a tiny spark of anger reared its ugly head and took over.
"What the Hell were you doing down here?" He bit out. He didn't mean for it to sound like that, wanted to ask how he was doing, but his head had other plans.
Zeke rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "Jus' tryin' to help out, man", he explained, "Wanted to sneak in and see what the trash-baggers were up to."
Cole's eyes widened, before they narrowed. Really? Really?! It had been tough for him, and he had frickin' Superpowers. But Zeke? Zeke didn't have anything!
"Are you insane?!" He snapped angrily, "You're lucky they didn't kill you!" Shit, he had been so close to losing his friend. When that other cage exploded- his heart nearly stopped. If that had been Zeke- if Zeke would now be lying in pieces all over the Steel Harbor- Cole didn't know what he would have done.
Zeke bristled at the tone of his voice. "What are you sayin'?" He demanded to know. "That old Zeke needs to go back to his roof and just chill? That he's only good for a laugh and a beer, but when it's go-time he ain't worth a damn?" He crossed his arms, looking defiant. "That what you're sayin', Cole?"
Yes, damnit. I nearly lost you! He wanted to say. He really wanted to tell him how worried he'd been, how angry at those Dustmen, how panicking when he saw him in that cage. He had seen these other guys die, just in front of his eyes. It could have been Zeke all too easily. But he couldn't get his tongue to form these words.
"This isn't a game, Zeke", he bit out instead, mentally kicking himself. "Not anymore."
Zeke frowned. "Jus' because you got powers doesn't make you better than everyone else", he snapped, "Not by a long shot!" He whirled around and marched off, not even looking back.
Cole didn't stop him, but all that rage, all that irritation quickly bled away and turned into bone-deep weariness.
He didn't want to argue with Zeke. He was still his best friend- but he could have died here all too easily. Cole had the blood of many innocents on his hands already- Stampton Bridge, the Reapers that had been normal people before, the guys here- but if it had been Zeke... He didn't want to think of it. It made his stomach roll unpleasantly and bile crept into his throat. No, if Zeke had died through his own stupidity, then Cole would never forgive himself. He just wanted to protect him and Trish, make sure they were okay.
Why couldn't he understand this?
He groaned and sat down at the curb, burrowing his face behind his hands. His body was trembling- all the adrenaline was gone, and the fear about what could have been settled in, locking his system down. He could have lost his best friend. It had been too close to home.
The pedestrians passing by didn't approach him, luckily, and left him to wallow in his own misery.
It changed when his phone rang. It wasn't Moya, though.
"Cole?"
It was Trish. The courier exhaled shakily and pressed the reply button. "Trish?"
"Listen, I've got the last of my gear loaded onto the bus, but there are Reapers blocking the way to the hospital." She sighed. "Can you help me getting past them?"
"Once we get over there", he replied, "Maybe we can have that talk?"
"We will", Trish assured him. "But at the moment the sick people have priority."
"Of course they do", Cole agreed. He pulled himself upright. "Hey, uh- you have any idea where they came from? You made it sound like they didn't bother you the first time."
"Like Hell I do", Trish answered tired. "Maybe they finally realized what we're doing, or something." She paused for a moment. "Also, could you maybe hurry? We got this scary guy here, says he wants to help, but he also seriously looks like he wants to tear the Neon apart looking for Reapers. I don't want to be blamed when he gets himself killed."
Cole blinked for a moment. "Don't worry", he promised. "I'll be there."
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Dana was easy to find. Alex knew where she would most likely be; and he would never, ever forget her scent. Even in a city of millions of humans, her smell was what he instinctively prioritized and followed. After all, she was family. Not in blood, but in mind. And that was enough for him to go wherever she was.
Only this time the reason he looked for her wasn't as pleasant as a simple brother-sister-bonding. This time the reason was a threat to her safety.
The Blacklight Runner grit his teeth in an enraged snarl and jumped off a low building, shattering the derelict-looking satellite dish with a simple brush of his elbow. How was this possible?
He had been so certain that he was being careful enough. He cleaned up after every massacre, he rarely used his more obvious powers and even had civilians for back-up in case a larger group of Reapers attacked, so how in God's name did this Moya become aware of him being in Empire City?! Not even Blackwatch knew, and they had the technology to sniff him out.
And more even, what was her plan?
She had claimed she wanted him alive to help find the Ray Sphere. No question she was also aware of his way of finding information- after all, no-one else could get anything they wanted right out of somebody's brain.
His brow furrowed. Maybe that was her whole agenda? Since he could get information so easily, maybe she wanted to blackmail him into consuming whoever made that Sphere...to make a new one? In that case, she wouldn't dare letting Blackwatch know, unless she wanted to lose her sole source of data.
Alex didn't like it one bit- the mighty ZEUS, at the mercy of a complete stranger, of somebody who could easily betray him without him ever having a chance to fight back. He didn't like it, but had no idea how to remedy it. The only thing that came to mind was to kick his last bit of cover and go all out, ravage his way across Stampton Bridge to find that bitch. But this was dangerous, too dangerous for Dana. Moya was aware of her, and if he ever attempted to take her life, she would, in return, take Dana. Alex couldn't allow it. Dana was everything to him.
And for her sake, he had to work out a strategy to take out Moya without her ever having a chance to cause damage. But for this, he needed Dana's help. Dana was smart, smarter than most humans he had ever seen, and certainly smarter than him. It was contradictory, really. He was a collection of the greatest minds, every victim he consumed with their brain intact only added to his overall intelligence. Over the years he had learnt so many new abilities, abilities that allowed him to adapt to nearly every situation, while she only had her simple human brain. And still, she more often than not gave hints for the correct course of action. Her, not him.
Maybe it was because Dana only had one mind, not thousands like him. It was easier for her to figure something out, because there weren't any other voices inside her head.
That was why he never decided on matters concerning her without her consent. Alone, he was a force of nature, together, they were unstoppable.
From afar, he could see the bus they used. He remembered it well. It had been Dana's idea to reinforce it, after he brought it to the clinic (carrying it across the roofs in the dead of the night, only she was there to witness it). The two engineers from the night before, Roger and Lou, had taken great pains in armoring the vehicle with metal sheets he salvaged. There was an emergency generator on its roof, to power the systems within in case the engine died. He was aware Dana and a few of the others had moved the bus from the Neon over to the Bayview hospital at a large personal risk. Alex had headed back to them a few times, before he met up with the courier, to make sure the way was secure.
Of course, he had been utterly terrified when Dana had told him of their plan, he tried to stop her, but she was too stubborn. In the end, he couldn't prevent her from getting on that bus to bring the sick people over to the larger Bayview Hospital. At least, he got her to carry a large rifle. He knew she could shoot pretty well, and it eased his mind a bit. Not enough, though, because he was her big brother and it was his job to worry about her.
He exhaled and dropped to the ground in an alley to stay unnoticed, before he made his way over to the bus. The few armed guards knew him as the guy bringing them weapons and ammunition. But he had no desire to talk to them, so Alex approached them from a blind angle, the men and women too busy loading sick people and supplies into the bus to pay him any attention. Good enough.
He made his way over to Dana, who was standing aside and checking things off on a checklist she had. "Dana", he whispered with a hoarse hiss, making her shudder involuntarily. Nearly three years knowing what he really was, and she was still scared when he sneaked up on her.
"Jesus!" She snapped, hushing her voice, "Don't do that, Alex." He dutifully stepped back, but the need to talk to her thrummed through his body. And she knew too. There were only a few instances in which he used her real name in public. And none of these instances were favorable.
She glanced over to her colleague and made a wordless gesture. The other woman nodded and took over for her, so Dana could drag Alex away.
"What is going on?" She asked, and there was anxiousness in her voice. She glanced back over her shoulder, as if expecting someone to barge in on them, or a Hunter lurking behind them. She never got away from this. Nightmares woke her in the middle of the night. Alex knew.
He sighed, hand brushing through his short curly hair. "I fucked up", he said. "I fucked up big time."
Dana groaned. "How?"
"I don't know", Alex admitted, "I thought I was being careful enough...but Jones..." He trailed off.
"She figured it out?" Dana hissed. "Fuck. That woman's a bloodhound."
The Runner snorted. "She contacted me, through MacGrath's phone." He exhaled. "She told me to work for her, or she'll summon Blackwatch on my ass."
"She's stalling you"
"Surprisingly, she's not", Alex replied. "I called Cross, and he told me they have nothing."
"Why?" Dana's brows were furrowed.
"Because she wants to blackmail me", the Runner replied coldly. "Imagine this. A mere human blackmailing ZEUS." He stalked up and down, fists clenching and unclenching. "She knows what I can do- what I was made to do. And she tries to capitalize on that."
"Holy shit", Dana realized.
"Dana", Alex said. "If you have the time- hack into their servers. Get everything you know about DARPA and the First Sons. I believe Jones has something to do with the explosion, knowingly or not. I want you to get as much as possible. And- if anything happens- release the data. Make sure the world knows what's going on. Screw the consequences." He scowled. "I will not let that bitch control me." The tension left him quickly, and his shoulders slumped. "Don't know how, though. She's clever, hiding even from her own people."
Dana exhaled. "Shit. It's always one problem after the other, isn't it?"
"Don't worry", Alex growled. "I will figure a way. Just make sure you're ready to haul ass if things go south."
"I will"
Alex wanted to say something to ease the situation, when his back went ramrod straight. He whipped around, eyes narrowing.
Reapers.
Not very many, but at any rate dangerous.
"We'll talk this out later", he snarled, pushing to the front. The guards and the other doctors and nurses have already noticed the approaching gang members. Alex was faster. He growled, and stalked to the front, with the Reapers recognizing him and stopping in their tracks. Lou and Roger spotted him and relaxed slightly. They knew how devastating he was. And Moya already knew he was there- so there was no reason to continue fooling around.
With a snarl, he sped up, going just a bit too fast to be entirely human, before he bodily tackled into the first guys. They didn't survive the contact, bones snapped like twigs and organs ruptured as the viral mass collided with them. Alex's denser mass serving as a perfect battering ram.
Before anybody could even move, Alex had already whirled around and punched his fist straight through a Heavy Reaper's chest, then pulled the body back and threw it with all his might into another Reaper, killing him as well.
Bullets impacted into his chest. The Runner snorted in annoyance, then kicked off the ground, jumping about one or two stories up, before coming back down, foot first. He easily dispatched of the last Reapers in vicinity, while the others fled in terror.
He casually dusted off his hands and turned back to head to the bus. Most of the people present swallowed nervously. Except for Dana, who just exhaled in defeat. Nice fucking job, Alex.
He cleared his throat. "So? We go over to the Bayview now?"
Dailey was the first to work her tongue. "Uhm...not right now. We are still waiting for Cole." Right. The guy with the superpowers. The guy everybody knew had powers. What he just displayed was consistent with what the other conduits around here showed- superhuman strength and durability. At this rate, they probably believed he was just another conduit. He left them in this belief, even when it meant he couldn't pull out his claws anymore.
He was aware he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer. Dana was in danger, and that made all his other fears pale in comparison. If it came to it, he would not hesitate. He would kill whoever threatened Dana in whatever way he could.
Consequences be damned.
-----------------------
Getting back into the Neon had been surprisingly calm. Cole could see the Dustmen peek out from the dark alleys and cluttered streets, he's seen their weapons tremble in poorly contained rage, he saw their eyes narrow behind their masks. Those that had dogs held the leashes in white-knuckled hands, with the beasts snarling openly at him.
But none of them were even trying to attack him. Instead they watched.
Cole swallowed nervously, because this only meant that shit was going to hit the fan big time in the near future. He could guess. Alden seemed to know Zeke was his friend (if that old coot that had been talking to him back at Steel Harbor was Alden Tate), so he wouldn't put it past him if he knew his girlfriend was the one getting injured and sick people to Bayview. Especially if she'd done so the entire morning already.
He really hoped Mercer would be present and willing to help him get the bus to the hospital. He was not keen on fighting another wave of Dustmen on his own. The Steel Harbor had been enough- and induced by rage and madness. Now his head was clear again, and he realized how easy he could have kicked the bucket. He had been shot at multiple times, had nearly been blown up, and had a whole lot of pissed-off dudes on his ass. Those guys were all dead now, but their buddies were very much alive and not too pleased with his rampage. So having someone who could apparently sponge damage as much as that guy would be a valuable ally, he realized. If only to draw attention away from him and Trish.
Subconsciously, Cole hurried up to get away from the Warren. He hopped back on the wire and ground along it, flitting past the bridge on his side. He could hear the people whisper among themselves, and he felt confused that he didn't hear any hateful words anymore.
His phone rang again.
"Hey, brother?" Cole arched his eyebrow. Zeke? "Sorry I was such a prick at the shipyards. Uh...really screwed the pooch on that one."
The courier exhaled. "I know you mean well, Zeke", he told him in all honesty. "But the world is changing and it's changing too fast. You make a mistake now, and you're as good as dead." He sighed. "There was another cage, full of people." Cole swallowed. "I-I couldn't save them. And for a moment I thought you were in that cage too, and I just-" He trailed off, unwilling to face that possibility. "I don't want to lose you", he added silently.
"I know that", Zeke admitted, "But you know how it's been to me: No family, broke all the damn time." He sighed. "When this quarantine went up, I thought it'd give me a fresh start. Let me really be something."
"I know where you're coming from", Cole replied. "I'm not angry at you" Not anymore, at any rate. "But we have to be careful now. All of us."
"Yeah. I get it." Zeke exhaled in defeat. "But I do want to be more than just your buddy."
"Maybe you could be my information broker? I could need someone to check out things for me."
"Maybe. Guess I'll see you around?"
"Yeah. Later."
He had been a real ass to his best friend, but he just wanted the best for him. That's what friends are for, yes?
He shook his head. He had to focus on something more important: Getting to Trish and the bus and get them safely over to the hospital. He jogged through several back alleys and parking lots, short-cutting across buildings and ground along wires, and reached the clinic they wanted to start from.
From afar he could already see the remains of a few Reapers, and the people milling about and fussing over the stuff and sick civilians that were put into an heavily armored bus. He also saw Mercer at the vehicle, together with the engineer from the night before (Roger, that was his name), fiddling with the massive grate installed at the roof.
Cole dropped to the ground, then strolled towards them. He saw Trish and immediately made a bee-line for her.
"Cole!"
"As promised, here I am", he claimed with a smile. "So, we ready to get this show on the road?"
"I hope you are up to it", Trish replied with a sigh. "On my last trip, the Reapers seemed to have noticed me, and a short while ago we got attacked- that scary guy over there mashed them before they got close, though."
"The Reapers?" Cole frowned. They shouldn't be able to work properly anymore.
"Guess they were thinking I worked with the Dustmen or something", Trish shrugged.
"Dustmen, yeah", the courier scowled. "Listen, I just pissed them off, and I'm pretty sure they're out for my blood, so it is possible we'll run into trouble on the way there."
Trish nodded. "Our resident meat mincer and Christine thought the same." Cole turned slightly to see the blonde nurse ushering some children into the bus, before giving a thumbs-up into their direction as Trish continued. "Roger, Lou and him rigged the roof with a mesh and a generator. It should provide with an non-stop source of energy for you."
Cole grinned. "Wow. That's really smart."
Trish smiled, crossing her arms. "They don't let dumb-asses into med school." She paused. "Your job is to stick around, best on top of the bus, and we'll head out. If you need to jump down, I'll stop the bus and wait for you." She turned and walked to the vehicle, getting in along with a few other nurses and one doctor.
Cole inhaled sharply and readied himself, just in time for Mercer to approach him. "I'll stay nearby", he supplied, "Follow the bus."
"Everything okay with you?"
"Not really", the terrorist admitted, "Moya knows me, tries to use me. She's doing exactly what I have prevented for years now- I don't like it."
"Yeah, but there's not much we can do at the moment."
"No. No there isn't." He shook his head. "This has to be done in small steps. Let's get the bus over to the hospital."
"Gotcha", Cole latched onto the steel grate atop the bus and pulled himself up. The vehicle started moving. It went slow because of the additional weight on it, but still too fast for a human to follow at a comfortable pace. Didn't bother Mercer though, as he easily jogged alongside the bus, going fifteen miles per hour.
Lightning was surging through the courier. What would be deadly to everybody else merely tickled him, and fed him power. Power he wouldn't relinquish for anything in the world. Not anymore.
A small group of Reapers thought to intercept them, but Cole easily zapped them before they even got close.
There was a disgruntled snarl, seconds before Mercer sped up and tackled into a Heavy Reaper, throwing him off the street and shattering the bazooka he held. Cole furrowed his brow, sending out a radar pulse. He paled almost instantly by the sheer amount of Reapers rushing towards them. It must have been every single remaining Reaper that tried to take them out.
"Uh-" he began lamely, "Shitload of dudes coming here?"
"Already noticed them", Mercer grunted.
"Shit, man!" Cole snapped as the first few rounded the corner. "Didn't you say they'll degenerate without Sasha?" He lugged several grenades towards them, taking them out.
"I did!" Mercer replied irritated, aiming a rifle he'd taken off the Reapers at them to shoot them. "But it seems they still have some sort of basic programming. Or..." His eyes narrowed. "Or Sasha is still controlling them."
"Shit. You say she's still alive?"
"She's precious- the tar she produces could be useful to the First Sons." The Reapers were upon them. Cole couldn't reply, just focused on frying these guys. His brow creased.
They were mostly ignoring Mercer...and were instead heading for him. He coiled his legs and jumped off the bus, using his thrusters to get some distance- and the Reapers immediately changed course.
So they were after him. Not Mercer, and thankfully not Trish. Okay, he could deal with that (though a part of his mind wished they were after the virtually indestructible conduit with a preference for sharp things), so he lunged across the street, luring the Reapers away from the bus. A few bullets did manage to bite into his shoulder, but he could ignore them. Every single transformer he put back increased his overall power, strength, endurance and pain threshold, so bullets no longer hurt that much anymore.
Cole threw out his arms, creating a shockwave that slammed most of the guys off their feet. The others, which had tried to assault him from behind, didn't get very far when Mercer pounced at them, cracking spines and shattering skulls with frightening ease. Cole paid him no mind though and send powerful discharges into the guys he'd downed. To each their own, and despite these Reapers being probably civilian (or used to, before the tar got to them), he didn't feel anything killing them. He knew he should. He was killing people, after all, but he just couldn't find a single damn. It was wrong, or it should be wrong, but right now, it didn't matter. He had a job to do, had to make sure Trish could reach the hospital in one piece, and everyone who thought they could stop him was an obstacle that had to be removed. Permanently.
At least he didn't make it as permanently as Mercer did. He grimaced at the broken figures on the ground behind him. The terrorist didn't have a shred of mercy, and the strength to back that up. He could casually throw around air conditioners, and that kind of power was too much for the human body, Reaper or not.
"Are you finished?" He asked slightly choked. Mercer shrugged. "For the moment."
"For the moment?!" the courier managed to press out. "Didn't you maul enough of these guys?"
"Reapers, yes. Dustmen- no", he arched his eyebrow. "Or what was that with this ' I just pissed them off, and I'm pretty sure they're out for my blood' deal?"
He frowned heavily. "Just what are you?"
The terrorist glanced at him, blue eyes without any emotions. "A monster", he said, turning to head back to the bus.
Cole blinked in confusion. Zeke called him a freak, a lot of the people actually did. It was something he called the other conduits too, but monster was a bit harsh. Okay, so Mercer was scary as Hell, but to go so far...He shook his head. He could worry about that later on. They had to get to the Bayview.
He climbed the bus, giving the signal to start again. There were no other Reapers coming at them, except for one or two who tried to take them by surprise. Mercer dealt with them faster than Cole could, plainly raising his rifle to gun them down. Cole wondered why he didn't use the gun back when the Reapers swarmed them, but the guy probably liked close up and personal better. Would explain the claws.
Speaking of which- he was surprised he didn't pull them out. It definitely wasn't a night-only deal, he'd seen them at day too.
But then again, that guy was wanted, and Cole figured that the claws were probably part of the description, as was the leather jacket and the hoodie- all of which he didn't have on him now. Or any time during the day.
Both of them whipped around at the same moment, two sets of eyes narrowing on the turret truck that raced towards them to cut them off.
"Got it", both exclaimed at the same time, but Mercer was a tad faster. He shot to the front, going way too fast to be a human being (leaving craters in the street). The terrorist easily flipped over the driver's cab and slammed hard into the truck bed, instantly killing the Reaper at the turret, before he plucked the turret out and chucked it with extreme force into the cab, murdering the driver as well. The truck veered to the side and collided with the parked cars before it crashed into an abandoned store, reeling over and dropping on its side. Mercer had stepped off before the truck went out of control, and was now casually strolling back towards their bus, brushing off his shoulder.
Cole rolled his tongue around in his mouth, then set his face into a frown. "I would have had it too."
"You weren't fast enough."
"Really?" The courier arched an eyebrow, then simply flipped his hand to the side, creating a lightning bolt and throwing a grenade at the second turret truck that just came around a corner. Unlike his lightning bolts, his grenades didn't get conducted off, as they were more or less energy in a still form- which was suitable to him in this case when the grenade bounced off the truck's cabin and landed near the ammunition belt for the turret. When the grenade exploded, it caused a violent chain reaction that tore apart the turret, the Reapers and the truck's gas tank, blowing the entire thing sky-high.
"One to one, jackass."
After that, there were no more Reapers coming after them, but they both heard explosions coming from the direction of the Stone Canal Bridge. When the bus pulled up, Cole hopped off it to signal the driver to stop, and hurried up to the bridge. Charred Reapers and burnt car wreckages littered the street. "Holy shit", He grunted. "What happened?"
"Explosives", Mercer muttered, "Lots of them." He glanced at the other end. "Dustmen", he added.
"Ah shit", Cole groaned.
"You take the cars", the terrorist instructed, cracking his knuckles. "I take these fucks."
Cole immediately headed to the side, focusing on the cars instead to shove them away with his shockwaves to clear the path, while ignoring the shots and screams from the other end. After what they had done, after they were trying to do, killing them was the only option they had left to get them to back off.
He finished with the obstacles just in time for the last Dustmen to croak, and headed back to the bus to pull himself topside. The bus started moving again, slwoly going across the bridge, then turning left to head down the street. Mercer was plainly visible, jogging in front of the bus to periodically dive to the side and either shoot at the lurking Dustmen, or assault them close up. Cole just crouched on top of the bus, watching with sharp eyes for any Dustmen trying to sneak up on them.
But the Dustmen were more stubborn than the Reapers were, and much more violent. They tried everything to stop the bus- and kill Cole. He knew they were out for him. He murdered their friends at Steel Harbor, after all.
"Don't stop!" Cole barked, loud enough so the bus driver heard him. "Keep moving!"
Several Trash Crabs suddenly popped into existence in front of them, but Cole made short process of them with a single shockwave. The two conduits trying to assault them were a bit tougher, though. And they did have rocket launchers.
Cole swore and lunged off the bus, lightning flashing around him to present himself as their target. The two swung their weapons down, trying to aim at him, when Cole unleashed his lightning, shooting each of them in the chest. The men stumbled back, swearing, just in time for the courier to pounce on them. He swung his knee into the first one's throat, utterly crushing his voice box and dropping him back. Being a conduit, he would probably recover. Cole didn't give him a chance to do so when he zapped him once in the head, killing him. The other had caught himself and tried to swing the blade attached to the muzzle of his bazooka at his foe. Cole couldn't side-step fast enough, so he allowed the blade to hit him, but went lax at the same time to drop to the side and avoid most damage. Instead, he used the momentum from the Dustman's swing to roll behind the guy, then jumped back to his feet and latched on his back, fingers digging into his skull. He charged up and sent enough voltage through the man's brain to cook it, killing him as well.
Mercer had finished with his group, and started to move back to them. Cole too hurried back to the bus and climbed on top.
More Dustmen seemed to crawl from every alley. Cole ground his teeth together. "Floor it!"
The bus sped up, putting another ten miles of speed on the speedometer.
He heard something hiss, and turned, just in time to see a missile head straight towards him. With a swear, he tried to knock it back, but it was too close. The explosion shook the entire bus and threw him clear off, making him squirm and groan in pain.
He shook his head to clear it, noting the shadow flitting over him. Mercer.
Cole blinked, realizing that the terrorist was trailing fiery red lines after him as he soared over his head to, presumably, murder the guy who just shot him. He groaned and struggled upright, climbing back on top of the bus. He drained some of the energy to fix himself, when he noticed Mercer carving a bloody swathe into a group of Dustmen on a roof.
He had the claws out.
Cole's eyebrows shot up as he stared at the fiery orange glowing spots at the joints and shoulders. Those were definitely new.
Mercer snarled when more Dustmen shot down the street towards the bus. He leapt off the roof, claws blazing as he shredded the guys, blending them into a fine paste.
"Hurry!" He snapped, dismissing his talons, before he rushed to the front. The bus followed after him, and Cole cleared out any cars that might act as a blockade.
Bayview Hospital appeared in front of them, and the courier exhaled in relief. The building stood as a huge monument in front of them, two massive side wings jutting out on either side with a shorter building just between them, acting as the main entrance.
"We made it", Trish huffed out, clearly audible through the open window.
Yeah. Thank God.
He wanted to relax, when he suddenly noticed something. There were two men on top of the main building, just above the entrance. One of them was a normal Dustman, the other...an old man.
Cole swallowed, staring at the old man. Something was not right here. His back bristled and cold sweat ran down his brow. That old coot was dangerous.
Mercer snarled, voice barely above a whisper, but so clear in Cole's ears. "Alden Tate"
Cole's eyes widened. The leader of the Dustmen? Alden Tate?! The guy that had Zeke kidnapped?!
The courier stared at the old man, watching from the corner of his eyes how Mercer's arms twisted and changed into those massive claws again, fiery areas glowing eerily.
He neglected to notice the rocket launcher the other guy had.
Cole heard the roar of superheated air as the missile shot towards him, and feebly threw his arms up, his powers momentarily forgotten.
Mercer suddenly shot upwards, taking the missile right to the face while shielding him. The force of the impact threw both off the bus and flung them to the ground. Mercer's weight dropped on Cole, knocking out all breath from his lungs. Seriously, that guy probably weighed a ton!
The terrorist hissed and rolled over, scrambling to his hands and knees, while Cole pulled himself upwards, moaning in pain.
Trish screamed.
Both men's heads whipped up, eyes blown wide when the bus was encased in a sort of barely visible yellow aura, floating several feet off the ground. The metal groaned.
Alden Tate.
He was lifting the bus with his mind. Cole stared transfixed at the floating vehicle, he barely heard the screams and shocked yells from inside, before he turned to glare at the old, grizzled man.
Alden didn't even move, just barely flicked his wrist- flinging the bus on top of one of the side wings, where it slammed into the roof, then skidded across to teeter at the edge.
Easily twelve stories off the ground.
"DANA!" Mercer howled, already pushing off the ground. His eyes were widened in panic- and he didn't even pay any attention to the old man on the roof. No, his entire focus was on the bus hanging precariously from the roof.
"TRISH!"
Cole lunged to his feet, following after the terrorist. Trish was still in that thing!
He threw a glance to the side, noting that Alden was gone, but right now his brain was too preoccupied screaming and running in circles.
Mercer smashed through any and all Dustman opposition on his way to the smooth building facade. Cole chased after him, watching how the guy jumped against the wall and stuck there, then rushed upwards like gravity didn't even exist.
The courier latched at the potholes the other left and pulled himself up.
"Hold on Trish, I'm coming!" Half his mind was panicking, fearing for his love, when the other half began to get consumed by white hot wrath.
This-this just signed these guy's death warrants. All of them. Cole would wipe them out without mercy.
Mercer already swung his body across the edge, followed by the short shriek of metal. Cole's head snapped up, witnessing in horror how the bus started slipping off the roof.
It stopped its decent hanging halfway off, but even down here he could hear the panicked screams. Icy fear gripped his chest and Cole lunged upwards, hoping to reach them in time.
The bus was pulled back, metal grating against concrete, and when the courier finally hauled himself on the roof, he saw Mercer digging his long metallic claws into the hind axle of the bus and just dragged the entire thing to safety.
Cole exhaled once, nodded at the other, before he rushed to the door to blast it open. The doctors, nurses, the driver and some of the sick people stumbled out, dropping to their knees in relief.
He saw Mercer head towards them, stopping just in front of them, when Christine flung her body at him, hugging him fiercly like he didn't have machetes for fingers. She was crying, sobbing in panic, Cole noticed.
There was a soft moan that snapped his attention away. Trish staggered towards him, swaying and pressing her hand against her temple, where blood trickled from a deep cut.
"Trish!" Cole hurried towards her, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and placing the other against her head. "Hold still", he murmured, sending charges into her skin with far more care than he displayed back when he fixed the sick people, to knit the wound shut.
"I've never been so scared", Trish whimpered, hugging him. "He just-just threw the bus up here."
Cole felt her shudder against him. He simply acted, drawing her closer and kissed her. He just had to make sure she was okay.
When Cole pulled away, he looked her right into the eyes. "I would never let anything happen to you, Trish."