Heller hadn't gotten too far, Cole found him sitting on the step at the entrance of the HQ. He took a seat beside him.
"I'm sorry" Heller rubbed his eyes "I just… I can't lose Maya again."
"James," Cole began "I may be able to see if Maya's infected. I was able to see victims of the plague in the past."
Heller had no idea of the extent of Cole's abilities. Heller's pulse was different in nature and had never shown him victims of the virus, however maybe he could use his pulse to learn the location of Mercer "I want you to show me," Heller agreed.
"Are you sure?" Cole asked.
Heller nodded and the two stood. They went straight to Maya who had fallen back asleep. Cole looked toward Heller as if to silently ask for permission, he simply nodded. Cole gave several sharp blinks whilst he switched his sights in order to attune himself into her neuro-electric aura. It wasn't the same as when he saw the plague, but after several attempts he was able to see something unusual. A very small something lodging at the base of her brain, he had never seen anything like it.
"What do you see?" Heller asked.
"I'm not sure," let me try something. Cole raised his hands above the girl and allowed static to flow between his fingertips to allow himself to generate just enough of a charge so as not to cause her any harm. He attempted his pulse heal.
Maya briefly jolted upwards before falling back onto the bed, she hadn't woken. Cole tried again, but to no avail. He could see the growth remained untouched.
"What the hell are you doing?" Heller pushed Cole away.
"I was trying to heal her," Cole grumbled unhappy with his lack of gratitude "it's not working, I can't."
"Is she infected, or not?" Heller yelled.
Cole nodded "yeah," he paused reluctantly "I think so."
Heller's eyes weld up but he managed to retract his tears quickly "get out," he said "I want some time alone with my daughter."
Cole nodded sympathetically and left the room.
Zeke peered from behind the monitor "You okay?" he asked Cole.
He nodded "we need a cure for Maya, have you two found anything?"
"Nothing," Dana sighed.
"Blackwatch have got to know something right?" Zeke asked "If we could listen in to their communications…"
"And how we going to do that?" Dana asked.
"Simple we just need a radio tuned to the right frequency" he said "there's gotta be something lying around somewhere."
"If I can get the attention of a strike team, we could steal one" Cole said.
"It's too risky," Dana replied.
"Hmmm," Cole looked up towards the CCTV "What about that?"
Zeke approached the screens.
"I mean that helicopter has been sitting there for days, it's not far from the base where they had Heller," Cole announced.
"It looks undamaged, I reckon we could salvage a radio from there," Zeke said.
"Well spotted, Cole," Dana said.
"Hey, it was my idea."
"Good job, Zeke." Dana humoured him.
"Come on, let's go." Zeke said.
Cole nodded, "keep an eye out" he called to Dana as they left.
The two walked the infected streets and the nature of the infection had dramatically increased. Whole buildings were blanketed in pulsing growths and stretches of flesh hung from rooftops. The two hadn't spoken much on the way but now the helicopter was in sight. Unbeknownst to Cole and Zeke, this was actually the helicopter that Mercer had piloted Dr Grey in; it had been untouched ever since.
"It just looks abandoned" Cole announced "I can't see any damage."
"Wait here," Zeke instructed "I'll go inside, see what I can find."
The inside of the copter was perfectly preserved. Zeke noticed a small bag on the backseat, there wasn't time to check its contents but he placed it over his shoulder to check out later. Zeke popped his head out from the driver's seat to yell over to Cole.
"There's a radio in here," he said "Ya know something? I think I can get this thing working."
"Have you ever piloted a helicopter before, Zeke?" Cole folded his arms.
"You remember that time I drove that thermonuclear missile on a big-assed truck?" Zeke asked, he often referred to this story as a means to demonstrate his heroics.
Cole rolled his eyes "Fine, I hope you know what you're doing!"
"Here," Zeke threw a rope for Cole to catch, it was firmly attached to the outside of the helicopter "tie that round yourself and you can come along for the ride."
Cole created a slipknot at the end of the rope in which he allowed enough of an opening to place he right foot inside, he grabbed the rope and waited for Zeke. The rotors began to spin but there was a bit of a delay before the helicopter began to elevate. Cole readied himself, clinging onto the rope as it lifted him a small distance below the helicopter. Zeke's piloting skills were not the best; Cole was repeatedly subject to the prospect of hitting buildings that were too close.
"Damn it, Zeke!" Cole shouted up, he used a gentle push of electricity to prevent himself colliding into a wall and was swung outwards trying not to hit another oncoming wall "move away from the buildings!"
In the helicopter cockpit, Zeke was blissfully unaware of his friends turmoil below, he was enjoying the ride. The HQ was in sight, he thought about how Dana would react, surely she'd be impressed that he'd come back with a chopper. Everything was going well, a little too well.
Mercer leapt up from nowhere and balanced himself on the front of the helicopter, he squatted before Zeke and allowed a callous smirk to ride up his face "You've disappointed me, Dunbar" Mercer yelled.
Zeke desperately jolted the helicopter about in an attempt to throw Mercer away, Cole hung helplessly below. He peered up trying to establish the issue when he spotted Mercer clinging to the front of the chopper. Cole clenched his teeth he was powerless to do anything, if he fired a bolt of electricity he could hurt Zeke. Zeke steadied the chopper when he realised his plight, of losing Mercer, was futile.
"We had an agreement" Mercer said as he dropped his smirk an adopted an aggressive stance.
Cole could not hear the conversation that was taking place above, the choppers blades were far too loud. Cole released his foot from the rope and whilst clinging on tightly he looked below, he was a long way up but the drop wouldn't harm him, he let go.
"The deals off, However," Mercer raised his hands and looked below "I'll take the conduit in exchange." He flashed a cruel smirk before leaping from the helicopter and landing with his fists onto the ground below.
The ground shook from underneath Cole, he fell but quickly got to his feet and darted his sights about, Mercer was nowhere to be seen. He looked up toward Zeke whom looked as if he was landing the helicopter atop a nearby rooftop and in this moment of distraction, one of Mercer's tendrils weaved it's way around Cole's neck tightly and lifted him from the floor. Cole couldn't breathe he pelted the tendril with his fists before expelling a large blast of electricity. Mercer didn't wait around, the electricity travelled down his tendril and burned him but he didn't let this prevent him. He'd tire Cole out and then consume him. Mercer leapt from building to building, enduring the continuous wave of electrocutions. Cole was pulled behind him clenched within the tendril like a ragdoll, he was fading fast but he had one more trick up his sleeve.
Cole halted his outward assault and instead brought all of his energy inward, he began bioleaching Mercer from his tendril. It provided Cole continuous healing and managed to keep him afloat in consciousness. Mercer was feeling the strain whilst he dashed about, he could feel his energy rapidly leaving his body. Mercer couldn't take anymore, he accepted that he couldn't consume the conduit.
Mercer released Cole with a violent swing of his tendril and Cole landed on a heap on a rooftop. Mercer settled beside him with a look of fury. Cole took several disturbed deep breaths whilst he choked and spluttered for oxygen. Mercer couldn't allow him to recover, he spotted an nearby water tower not too far from the two and assumed the water would certainly have fatal effects. He pulled Cole up from the floor by his throat once more which immediately caused the bioleach to continue but it wouldn't matter if Mercer was fast.
Mercer pounced over and ripped the lid from the water tower, "If I can't have your power, no one can!" he yelled within his enraged state and he violently threw Cole inside.
Cole caught a glimpse of the water the moment before he landed into it and as he made contact with it he let out an excruciating scream. Mercer gave a callous laugh as he slammed the lid down so hard into the water tower it became lodged and stuck trapping Cole within his watery prison.