Heroes: Shadows over Millenium

[Cynical Cat]

"Do so," he said. "Then get him to hospital. This mess is too fucking chaotic." He switched channels. "Base, get me GPS on everybody's headsets."

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost split off from the group, making a sweep back through the now largely empty tunnels. "Well, this was a great trip." He muttered to himself. Ghost's leg was still a little stiff, the new flesh not as in shape as the rest.

[LadyTevar]

"Understood, Blackheart." Argent answered. She looked to Legacies and Sculptor, noting Ghost's disappearance with a frown before speaking. "Sculptor, thank you for your help." She bowed to the Freak respectfully, before turning to Legacies. "I will get Gravitas. I feel Blast down that tunnel, as well as other people who may be hostile Freaks." She indicated the way, relatively sure Legacies would enjoy the fight more than babysitting Gravitas.

She shifted forms, elongating into the obsidian and silver Oriental dragon before vanishing into a nearby shadow, feeling her way between to Gravitas.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot raced down the tunnels, around groups of refugees that had come in late to the evacuation line. Before long, he caught up with the group led by Troll, the group he had dropped off all of the wounded he had found, the group he had left Gravitas with, the group Legacies had left Saibot with. He slid out of his speed, shedding the flaming aura as though he had just stepped out of the flames. "We're going to start extracting our wounded, sir. If you have anyone you think needs to get to a hospital, I'll come back for them as fast as I can...though I'd understand if you said no to be honest."

[SirNitram]

Sculptor just stayed put for now, waiting to follow Ultima and go quietly into custody. They wanted blood, fine.. He would pay for his actions that allowed the madness to continue.

*****

Gravitas was unconscious where he had finally toppled over. The burn damage was extensive, but the ring sat stubbornly on his finger. Most of his bones were broken; not that surprising given what had hit him. Still, it was a deep, empty, silent sleep. His mind was a long way off.

[LadyTevar]

Silver eyes appeared above the column, looking down at the straggling line of Freaks evacuating. Argent could feel their emotions: fear, anger at being forced out. They would be looking for someone to blame, soon enough. Hopefully, it would not be now, when Hotfoot was alone and a very visible target.

"I have been asked to take Gravitas to a medical facility," Argent said, dropping down beside Troll. Troll could not miss the large gash in her suit, nor could he miss the fully healed skin. Before he could think to question, Argent explained, "We met the one called Sculptor. He seems to believe he deserves to be caught."

Even as she spoke, her eyes were wandering the column, looking for any sign that someone had picked up Garth and was taking him with them as well.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot blinked as Argent suddenly appeared. There was fast, and there were was teleportation. He nodded to her quickly, "Got it, I'll get Saibot. Take care of Gravitas." He looked around, slipping into his speed form to get a better idea of where Saibot was. He wasn't far from where he and Argent were standing. He ran up, slowed down, and picked the man up. He got snapped his shield into place around the two bodies, tapping his headset. "I have Saibot, where do you want him Blackheart?"

[Cynical Cat]

This Hotfoot kid is really on the ball, Blackheart thought. "Bring him up to me. I'm the guy flying, you won't miss me."

[LadyTevar]

Lei's eyes widen in shock as Hotfoot picked up Garth. He'd been so close! She should have felt him nearby, even unconscious! She stared at him as Hotfoot spoke to Blackheart on the radio, trying to feel something -- anything -- past the black void where their link was before.

Blackheart wanted Saibot. He'd be taken into custody, tried for his 'crimes', and then thrown under the jail to rot ... despite the fact that it was Portico who had driven him to that point. Any telepath could read what Portico did to him, even if Lei couldn't....

... couldn't feel him. As if he was already gone.

" ... Blackheart .... it's no good." Lei said into the comm, her voice ragged with unshed tears. " ... he's ... gone."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart clamped down on a snarl of irritation. Trust Argent to have her emotional breakdown mid mission, one she had done her feather brained best to help fuck up. She was probably talking about Saibot's mental state, since Hotfoot said he had him, but given her he couldn't be sure. "Hotfoot, bring him in. Argent, if you're up to teleporting start moving people to the rescue crews."

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot blinked as the transmission came in from Argent. Gone? He was warm, and more importantly, breathing, though it was slow in his frame of reference. "Roger that, bringing him to your location." Within a few seconds, he made it to Blackheart, Saibot in tow. He snapped out of his speed form and set the body down gently. He didn't key his communicator, but he looked to Blackheart, "He's still alive as best I can tell, but for all I know he could be braindead or something. Maybe that's what Argent was talking about? Anyway, I'm going to head back and try to help with more evacuation. The evacuation path leads to somewhere on the mainland, far as I can tell."

[LadyTevar]

Hotfoot blurred into motion before she could say a word more. She clamped down hard on her own emotions, as the lash of Blackheart's anger and annoyance ripped down her link to him. Quietly, she reformed as the dragon, wrapping Gravitas in her coils to vanish without another word to anyone, including Troll and his helpers.

Even when she appeared in the medbay, she said nothing to the nurses as she laid Gravitas upon the bed.

Teleport the Freaks to the rescue crews. That's what Blackheart ordered. And then where would they go? Into Ultima's care, where someone might be able to split 'good' from 'bad'? From her own experiences with Ultima, she doubted it would be that simple, or that painless.

Why did she even stay herself?

Oh. Yes.
Because Tarot tried to kill her the last time he thought she was running.
Because Lei couldn't be sure that the Nanites were truly dead.
Because Ultima would see her permanently drugged and impotent, just so they could be sure she'd never leave the jail they bury her inside.

And Blackheart wondered why his team wouldn't follow orders.



The dragon vanished back into the shadows, emerging behind Blackheart and Hotfoot without a word.

[Cynical Cat]

"Do that," said Blackheart. "You're doing a good job in a fucked up situation. Keep it up just a while longer. Follow the trail, help with the evac. Need me for anything call. I'll do what I can keep things running as best as they can." He was bone tired. Pull together, he told himself. You're a shitty leader, but you have some good people on your team. There's no one else. Hold it together and get it done. That's all you can do.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot gave a tired smile to Blackheart, the speedster showing signs of fatigue as well, perhaps a bit more visably, since he was only wearing his shoes and jeans at this point. He turned around, getting ready to head back as Argent appeared behind him. He jumped a little, surprised at seeing her so suddenly. "Oh man, didn't expect you there, come on, we've got a lot of people to work with." He smiled the same weak smile at Argent before snapping his sheild back up and running off again. "I'll let you know when I'm in position Argent."

[LadyTevar]

Hotfoot was already a vanishing blur as Argent received his message. She did not reply, but carefully picked her way over to kneel beside Saibot, where he'd been laid on the ground at Blackheart's feet.

The image of a dog fetching the bird to his master came to mind.

"You know I would not have brought him to you," she said softly, one hand reaching out to touch Garth's face. Again, she tried to feel anything from him, any emotion, any connection at all. Again, there was just a black void that seemed to swallow any probe she made.

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost walked down the now empty halls, passing emptied homes. He turned a corner and noticed a door. He cloaked and opened the door, looking into an armory. He stepped inside looking around at the empty racks and thrown open ammo boxes.

Ghost's mind flashed back to his time back after 9/11 hunting down the Black Arion Movenment in that middle eastern shit hole. Back then he had led a team through an empty village, and had found an empty armory just like this. Only that time, the villagers had rigged up a booby trap for anyone that came through their.

He stepped out of the room and tapped his comm. "This is Ghost, I just found a looted armory. I don't think we are going to find anybody else"

[Cynical Cat]

Love. He would never have it. It would turn to ash or just be an emotional manipulation to shape him in a desired direction. It hurt, be had had learned to live with it. To see a self indulgent criminal wallowing in pathos because of it was infuriating. Her choices had been to steal and consort with criminals. He had bled for his country. She had been given a second chance and pissed it away. He had a death sentence that was going to come through in about six months. How dare she complain about where their bad choices had landed them? His good choices hadn't saved him?

He picked up Saibot's body, ignoring the crying woman. Control. He didn't have much time and most of the good he did would be remembered by only a few. That didn't matter. He had done good. That was more than most could say. He wouldn't fall apart now. "He'll be with the med teams. Telepaths, professional mind healers, will see to him. They'll do more good than anything either of us could do."

Which was true enough. Saibot was an arrogant, self indulgent, bigot but he had once fought the good fight. He deserved better than what his foolishness had delivered him into. Living with the knowledge of what he had been made into, that would be the hard part. Blackheart descended by a rescue team. "Keep him secured and get him to Ultima."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart got Ghost's comm. Of course the peace loving, bank robbing, mind raping criminals had an armory. What refugee would be complete without heavy weapons. "Check for booby traps. We don't need any more of the team in the hospital. See if you can find any clues about what they might have stored there." This fucking sucked.

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost poked around, making sure there were no hidden explosives. He looked around, tapping his comm. "No traps, and looks like it was just scrounged weapons. I found a couple cans for AK ammo, some shotgun shells scattered around. I don't think it was anything more than small arms. So, what do you want me to do, I've swept through the area, and there's nobody left."

[Cynical Cat]

"Come back to base, keeping an eye out for any stragglers," said Blackheart. "We've taken enough casualties. We don't need to throw good money after bad."

[LadyTevar]

He picked up Saibot's body, ignoring the crying woman. Control. He didn't have much time and most of the good he did would be remembered by only a few. That didn't matter. He had done good. That was more than most could say. He wouldn't fall apart now. "He'll be with the med teams. Telepaths, professional mind healers, will see to him. They'll do more good than anything either of us could do."

She might have been able to stop him from taking Garth away. Attack Blackheart, escape Between, leave Blackheart and Ultima to rot.

But what would it get her? A painful death as the nanites reawaken and destroy her from the inside? A life of watching over her shoulder as Ultima hunted her across the country? Oh, Ultima would want her back, or better yet, dead. They wouldn't want policy of converting criminals by force to become public knowledge. Problems, like herself, like Garth, were swept under the rug and forgotten. At least with Garth, the cage had been a comfortable one.

She remained kneeling where Blackheart had left her, never even noticing the tears on her face.

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost strode down the halls, a frown on his face. He spoke into his comm. "Roger that, boss." He switched off the comm. "Somedays I wish I hadn't got sent to Ultima."

[Cynical Cat]

"Finish the clean up and get everyone back to base," said Blackheart. The debrief was going to be murder.

[LadyTevar]

Back to base, Blackheart ordered.

It meant she was needed, or at least her talent.

Silently the woman melted into the dragon, then slid into the nearest shadow.


Moments later Ghost was surrounded by shadows and swallowed. Next Blast and Legacies were taken. Then Hotfoot found himself running into blackness that seemed timelessly endless. Finally, the dragon poured out of a shadow next to Blackheart and swallowed him whole. And it was all done in the utmost silence.

But something made the dragon pause and turn back one last time. A twinge, as if she had left something behind.

They emerged into the room they'd left from, back to the seats they'd had at the start ... minus Gravitas, but with the half-melted form of the Sculptor in his place.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart turned to Argent. "Where is Gravitas? Medical?"