A/N: What's up folks! I bet you weren't expecting this sudden turn of events huh?
Regardless, INFAMOUS VAMPIRE IS BACK! I finally regained my mojo and I'm ready to continue the story like I had intended for so very long. I can only hope that I haven't lost too many of my fans with such a long hiatus, and I hope I can gather more as I keep this fic alive and breathing. But enough talk! You all have waited long enough!
As usual...I own nothing!
Cole pinched the bridge of his nose, standing in the middle of the HQ they had set up as he regarded the sight before him.
On one of the couches sat Mike, blood dripping from his lip and his nose with a bruise forming on his left cheek. Moka was sitting next to him holding an ice pack to his head while Kurumu cleaned the blood off.
On the opposite side of the couch sat Gale, sporting a black eye a cut on his chin and a bit of blood dripping from his nose as well. Yukari was humming a happy tune as she wrapped bandages around his head while Mizore filled a second ice pack for him to use.
"Okay," said the older Conduit after a while of collecting his thoughts. "How exactly did this happen again?"
"It was just a friendly get together, nothing too bad." Mike said with a shrug.
The Irish-Conduit nodded, "Aye, just a pair of ol' pals hangin' out an catchin' up."
Zeke came up from the apartment scratching his head, "Got the rundown. Four parked cars were totaled, all the windows in two buildings were shattered and traffic's backed up for several blocks and had to be detoured since one of the large parking lots close to 8th Street is full of craters. But there aren't any civilians injured."
Cole snapped his eyes to the two teens with a raised eyebrow. "We would have had a winner if the cops didn't show up..." Mike muttered only to get a small glare from Moka that shut him down instantly. Gale chuckled, then yelped when Mizore pulled on his ear with a stony look of her own.
"You two acted like children." the pink-haired vampire admonished while thinking back to the two Conduits fighting each other. Her and the others watching from the sidelines as blasts of wind and electricity went back and forth as the two supposed 'friends' threw attacks at one another. "Someone could have gotten hurt."
"We took the fight to an empty parking lot, no one was around." Mike said removing the ice-pack from his face. "Though we did get a bit carried away."
Gale snorted, "Speak for yer self. Never thought a van could blow up like tha'."
"I thought the same seeing that wind-blast bend that BMW in half." said the electric-Conduit which got a sweatdrop from everyone gathered.
Kurumu sighed and crossed her arms under her breasts, "You better consider yourself lucky we love you so much Michael."
"Believe me, I count my lucky stars every day." replied Mike with a grin which caused the Succubus to roll her eyes, but also causing a blush to form on her cheeks.
The Irish-Conduit looked at all of the girls around him before looking at the younger Macgrath sitting next to him, "How on God's green Earth did ya managed to net yerself such beauties, Macgrath? Did ya visit heaven while you were gone?" he sent a wink at Mizore who sent an ice-stare right back.
"Been going to a school out of town...you do know what that is, right?" asked Mike. "Big building, full of books were you can learn things?"
Gale flipped him the finger, "Ah know wha' school is jackass! Ah just never finished my last couple o' years of high school is all."
Moka leaned close to Cole, "Are you sure they're friends? They're really mean to each other."
Cole chuckled, "It's just how they are, Moka. Zeke and I have a similar relationship once in a while, think of it as a kind of 'love-hate' relationship." he crossed his arms as he watched the younger Conduits get into another argument. "Besides, the two of them are so alike that they can't stand each other at times."
"Both are too stubborn for their own good." stated Zeke from his spot at a nearby bench where he had been working on a busted radio. Yukari walked up beside him and waved her wand causing the lights on the device to come on and music to start playing through the speakers. "Damn, I'm gonna be out of a job with this kid around." said the chubby man ruffling the witch's hair through her hat.
The group sat around the rooftop, talking amongst themselves and just enjoying the warm sun. Mike and Cole went around recharging the large batteries around their headquarters to keep the power flowing. Kurumu laid out on a lawn chair with her eyes closed absorbing the sun into her skin, Mizore not too far away in the shade with a book in hand with a couple of fans keeping her cool. Zeke had started working on a broken tv, Gale was leaning against the workbench shooting the breeze with him while he worked.
Moka and Yukari decided to get some snacks and drinks for everyone and went down the stairs to the apartment. Gathering up enough for everyone as they laid it all out on the table. The vampiress had just finished pulling out more soda when Yukari spoke up, "Moka," she looked at the young witch who looked troubled.
"Is something wrong, Yukari?" she asked concerned.
Yukari played with the hem of her shirt before looking up at her, "I've been having bad dreams, very bad dreams. But they were so vivid and real that I almost feel like I'm there and not asleep...it's scary."
This got the pinkette more concerned, "What are they about?"
"...the...the Beast..." said the witch making Moka gasp. Yukari wrapped her arms around herself as she started to shiver, "It was horrible. It just came out of nowhere, destroying everything. I could hear people screaming, begging for help. Then I saw Michael, and Cole, they started fighting it, throwing every attack possible at it. It even looked like they were winning...then..."
Tears began to form in the younger girl's eyes, Moka was there holding her as she cried softly. "It beat them, Moka." she mumbled into the vampiress' shirt. "Crushed them like insects...and we couldn't do anything to help them, it was too strong."
"Shhh, it was just a dream, Yukari." she mumbled comfortingly.
Yukari moved back, "But that's the thing, I don't think it was a dream. I think it might have been a vision. Micheal had been saying he's been having something similar for a while now, and since I'm a witch, there's a chance that I've started seeing things the more I've been here in the city."
The pinkette's eyes widened at the revelation, "Why didn't you say anything to us sooner?"
"Because we were having such a good time." replied the witch looking at the ground ashamed. "I didn't want to bring up bad thoughts about that...monster, when things were going so well. I know how much Micheal and Cole are preparing for it to arrive, I didn't want to cause a panic. And I wasn't too sure of everything at first."
Moka's rosary started glowing, "Regardless, if it involves the being of power that will come to cause chaos to the world it is better to know about it instead of living in ignorance." said Ura from the seal.
Yukari bowed her head more, "I'm sorry...I just..."
Ura sighed, "Do not feel bad, young one. You're still learning your gifts despite your intelligence. But you need to remember that we all have to be there for each other in this matter. Especially Micheal and his brother, considering it is their destiny to face this Beast when it arrives."
The words of the powerful vampire helped ease the young witch just as a knock came to the front door of the apartment. "Who could that be?" wondered Moka as she made her way to answer it.
Pulling the door open, she was surprised to find an older woman standing on the other side. Dressing in a business suit and low heeled shoes, she had dark hair that had a bit of a blue sheen in it. She had fair skin, but her complexion looked like she was of asian descent, her dark eyes locking onto the girl that answered the door with a calculating gaze.
"I'm looking for Cole and Micheal Macgrath, are they here?" she asked, adjusting the large file that was tucked under her arm.
Moka blinked, "Uh, yes, this is there home. What is it you need them for?" she asked back, Yukari coming up to see what was going on.
"I'm afraid that's classified." stated the woman. "But it is of great importance that I meet with them immediately."
Both girls looked at one another a moment, "They're on the roof with our friends. We'll take you to them." said the vampiress as she went inside with the young witch and gathered the snacks before heading up to the headquarters. The woman following behind not saying a word as they went up the stairs.
Upon arrival, everyone looked up. Cole, Mike, Zeke and Gale all becoming tense when they saw the new arrival. "Who the hell are you?" demanded Zeke, his hand hovering close to his revolver holstered on his hip while the three Conduits prepared to use their powers if needed.
The woman held up her hands, "Relax, I'm not a threat. I've come here to offer help."
"Help huh?" asked Cole not backing down, "Help with what, exactly?"
"The arrival of a powerful being that could spell the end of life as we know it." she stated causing everyone to freeze where they were. "Have I garnered your attention?" she asked as she lowered her hands.
Mike straightened up a bit, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled at him, "Lucy Kuo, NSA. And I believe there is much for us to talk about."
X
To say that were were all shocked to the core was an understatement. The last thing any of us were expecting was for someone to literally show up on our doorstep with information that Cole and Zeke had been looking for since the quarantine ended.
Agent Kuo knew everything there was to know about the Ray Sphere, the Conduits...and the Beast. In fact that was the whole reason why she came to Empire City to see Cole and I. She came to help us prepare.
Sorting though all the data she had brought, she claimed that a friend of hers, a Dr. Wolfe, had worked on the Ray Sphere prototype along side Kessler for years. And with all the information he had garnered in that time he had learned the secret to amplifying the powers of Conduits.
We were skeptical, at first. But the information looked too good to pass up. Any chance we could get to help take down the Beast when it came was better than nothing at all. And we needed all the help we could get.
Kuo said that her friend was hiding out down in New Marais, and that we needed to head there as soon as possible if we were to get our advantage before the clock ran out.
Naturally, the girls were on board for the trip. Kuo was against it, but I convinced her that I wasn't going anywhere without them. Not that I had any other choice in the matter considering that they already made up their minds about it.
Even Gale was ready to head out, willing to look for a good fight when we headed out. It was a good thing too, the more hands we had to help out the better. And once everything was set, we prepared to head out that same day.
Cole and I, we needed those powers. The Beast could arrive at any time...and we will be ready to face it.
X
Empire City harbor was located a few blocks away from Archer Square, the sun had just barely started setting over the ocean as Cole and Micheal looked out at the city from their place aboard one of the two freight ships that were docked.
After hearing everything from Kuo, as well as seeing the possible timeline for the Beast's arrival given to her by the doctor, they agreed that they should head down to New Marais as quickly as possible.
"Think everything will be alright while we're gone?" asked Mike as he watched cars going back and forth on along the shoreline.
Cole nodded, "Yeah, everything will be alright. The cops can handle things while we're gone."
Both of them heard footsteps approaching as Zeke came up to join them. "Man, I tell you guys, that Agent Kuo? She doesn't mess around, huh. First boat outta the town? Chick's got some connections."
"This is going to be a short term visit, man." said Cole. "We're just gonna get in, Mikey and I are gonna get some new powers, and then we're coming right back."
Zeke tilted his head, "Come on, man! You two deserve to relax a bit. We're going to New Marais!"
"We need to be ready and back here before that damn thing shows up, Zeke." said Mike strongly. "Fun and excitement can take a back seat on this one."
An array of footsteps were heard and the three looked up to see Kuo approaching them. Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari with her as they drew in closer. "Trust me, both of you will be ready, when you're done working with Dr. Wolfe." said the NSA agent.
"Work?" asked the chubby man affronted, "Ha! Easy, Kuo. When we get there, we're gonna be about the 'three Bs.' That's beer...boobs...and mechanical bulls." Zeke felt a chill go up his back and saw the four younger girls burning holes in him with the glares thet were sending his way. "Well...maybe not Mikey...considering." he amended with a drop of sweat dipping down his face.
The two Macgraths chuckled at his situation. Mike looking around for any signs of their other passanger. "Where's Gale?"
Kurumu rolled her eyes, "Lazy ass is sleeping on a lower deck. He said to wake him up when we get there." Yukari giggled at her side considering she had drawn flowers on the wind-Conduit's face with a marker after he had fallen asleep.
Kuo sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose, "I really don't think you guys understand the scope of what's going on here." she said exasperated.
Everything suddenly came to a hault when an explosion rose up somewhere on shore. Everyone on the boat and the docks turned to it as smoke billowed into the sky. "What in the world was that?" asked Mizore as she searched for the cause along with the others.
Another explosion went off, along with people screaming as a speck of light could be seen next to the Archer Square statue. The light growing stronger and brighter as red and black flames extended out of it in all directions.
Then everything started to get sucked into it like a black hole. Including people and anything else that wasn't bolted to the ground. The surrouding buildings started to crack, glass shattering as the anomaly became more erratic. The state in the center of the square groaned before it collasped to the ground.
Cole's eyes widened, as did Mike's as they observed what was happening. "No." Cole whispered shaking his head. "No, no..."
"It can't be...it's too soon!" the younger brother said still in shock. They looked to one another before running to the railing beside them.
"Micheal! Where are you going?!" Moka called down to them when they all ran to the railing as they thunder dropped to the dock below.
"Get everyone on to the ship!" he called back as they ran toward the other end of the pier. Going past frightened civilians along the way as more explosions echoed from the city.
The brothers' radios went off at the same time as they reached a locked gate and blasted it open so that people could get to the ship. "Cole, Micheal, we had a deal? This boat is leaving." came Kuo's voice over the line.
"Just hold on." Cole said back as an apartment building collapsed in the distance. A flamming tanker truck came flying through the air from the same direction and impacted the other ship that had been docked in the harbor. The following explosion nearly ripping the vessel in half and causing fire to spread along the deck while it started to sink, the people on board leaping overboard into the water as it went down.
X
Back on the freight, the girls looked on in horror at all of the destruction. "What the hell's happening?!" Kurumu shouted over all of the chaos while they helped the terrified people on board to safety. Yukari looked toward the city and gasped, her face paling as she saw something among the flames.
"Yukari? What is it?" asked Moka while she helped a woman and her children. The young witch raised her hand, shaking as she pointed into the distance. They all looked at what she had seen and lost all color as well.
Zeke reached up and removed his sunglasses, eyes wide as he looked on with Kuo at his side looking no better. "Jesus Christ..."
Kuo grabbed her radio and pressed the button on it, "You both have to stop it! Those people don't stand a chance!"
X
Back on the pier, Cole and Mike reached the end after helping a few civilians and saw the same thing the others did. Charging up their powers, they fired a barrage of yellow and blue lightning bolts at the attacking force. Some of them making contact with it's head and getting it's attention as it turned their way.
"That's it! Right over here!" Cole shouted out as they continued blasting at it.
The massive being reached down, ignorant of their attacks as it picked something up and hurled it at the harbor. Both brothers barely had time to register this as the burning top half of the Archer Square Statue slammed into the pier throwing them both back and dazing them.
Mike groaned as he slowly started to get up, his vision hazy as he shook the cobwebs from his head. Barely hearing Zeke over the radio talking to him and his brother as he looked to the side. Seeing Cole staggering back up himself before they heard the sound of metal moving against wood.
The teen turned and saw the large chunk of the old statue raising up before being carelessly tossed to the side, revealing the one that was reeking havoc on Empire. Standing amidst all of the destruction, was a towering being that looked like it was made of living, hardened magma with red-glowing cracks running along its frame. A pair of burning eyes resembling the fires of hell itself leered down at the two Conduits.
"...The Beast..." Mike said in shock and horror as their worst fear had just come alive.
X
On the boat, everyone looked at the monstrosity as it loomed over the pier. Moka's rosary glowed as the gem/eye looked out and widened. "It's here." said Ura through the mental link.
"T-The...The Beast!" Kurumu exclaimed while she held a trembling Yukari. "But I thought we had more time!"
"It appears that time has run out." said Mizore as she tried to control her own emotions as they watched the powerful being create a fireball in it's left hand and throw it downward. A section of the docks obliterated in a blast of burning wood planks. Lightning bolts flew back in retaliation as the Macgraths fought back.
"We have to help them!" Moka shouted as she ran for the gang-plank. Coming to a stop when Zeke reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Moka stop! If you go out there you'll be in the line of fire! Let them handle this!"
The vampiress tried to pull her hand away, wanting to be with her mate and face the Beast instead of being forced on the sidelines. "He's right." said Kurumu coming up and standing in her way. "Moka, I want to be out there helping him too. But we need to have faith in Micheal and his brother. They've been preparing for this, and as much as I hate to say it, we'll only get in the way."
Moka struggled a moment before the succubus' words sank in. She turned her green eyes toward the battle taking place with fear gripping her heart as she prayed for them both to be alright.
X
Another fire blast struck the peir, sending burning debris scattering in all directions and shaking the rest of the docks violently. Mike charged a ion rocket and fired it at the Beast's head, hitting his target and blowing off a small chunk of the monsters hardened flesh in a splash of magma.
A bellow of pain and rage shook the heavens as a salvo of lightning bolts peppered along its torso. Cole charged his own attack and fired a mega-watt hammer straight into the Beast's stomach, creaking more cracks along its frame.
"Kessler told us about you, you son of a bitch!" the older Macgrath shouted out. "We're not gonna let it happen!"
The Beast roared in response as it put its hands together, a large ball of energy forming between its palms before slamming it downward. The resounding shockwave sent everything flying back, including the brothers as they slammed into an abandoned vendor cart.
Ignoring the pain as best they could, both Conduits rolled back to their feet and resumed their attacks. Hitting whatever they could on the towering being and causing as much damage as possible.
Shaking off their hits, the Beast bent down and grabbed the end of the pier. The wood creaking and splintering as it pulled upward. The planks giving way and shattering before exploding upward as it raised its arms in the air.
Cole and Mike were caught in the movement and were also sent airborne, preparing for the final fall before a pulse of energy shot out of their opponent which somehow cancelled gravity causing them to float in the air along with anything else that was sent upward.
But the Beast wasn't done. It raised it's hand sending out another pulse of energy, a blackhole-like opening amassing in its palm that began to suck everything into it.
"Mickey! Thrusters!" Cole shouted as he activated his static thrusters, the teen doing the same as they pushed everything they had into fighting against the gravity-well that had opened up.
Debris and a handful of civilians who hadn't gotten away in time flew past them. Their screams being silenced immediately when they made contact with the mass of energy in the Beast's hand and disappeared in a burst of ashes.
Mike gritted his teeth, trying to push out the sounds of the dying as he fought against the force that was trying to pull him and his brother in. Both of them being dragged closer and closer as they continued to push themselves harder.
Then, almost like a switch being flipped, it stopped. The Beast backed off as it started gathering energy to its hands for another attack. The Macgraths used their static thrusters to navigate the gravity-well around the monster, firing bolts at its head as they floated above the pier.
Small explosions popped up all over the Beast's body, the damage the lightning attacks were dealing finally taking their toll. But it just shrugged them off as it shot its arm forward again and summoned another blackhole. Forcing the two Conduits to put more power into their static thrusters in order to escape being sucked into it.
Several tense moments passed before the attack ended, allowing the duo to resume their assault. Neither of them letting up, until one attack struck the Beast in its left eye, blowing out the side of its head exposing the burning interior.
The Beast bellowed in rage, the gravity-well cancelling out dropping the brothers back to the pier as the monster began to force its way forward. Its lower half tearing up the docks as it closed the distance between them.
Both Conduits kept firing, backing up slowly to try and keep out of its reach as the being grabbed the sides of the pier. Using its massive strength to shake the whole structure back and forth, raising the end into the air as the supports shattered beneath it.
"It's taking the whole pier down!" Mike shouted as they tried to keep their footing as everything rocked violently.
Cole gritted his teeth and looked to his little brother, "Combined ion storm! Lets hit it with everything we got!" Mike nodded at him as they started charging their powers. The sky above rumbling loudly as the energy in the air began to reach a peak. The Beast stopped what it was doing and looked up long enough for dozens of volts of blue and yellow lightning to rain down from the heavens. Each one hitting home as it dropped the pier and began to shake from the impact of the powerful element attack.
The side of the monster's head that had already been damaged exploded. Remaining motionless for a breath before it slowly began to sink into the water beneath it, its hand raising into the air as it sank below the crashing waves.
X
"THEY DID IT!" Yukari cheered as they watched the Beast fall. All of them breathing in relief as the monster was taken down by the combined might of the two Conduits.
Zeke picked up his radio grinning, "Good job guys! Now get your asses over here! The pier's breaking up!" The group watched as the brothers ran back toward the boat, all around them the docks shattered and splintered. The supports damaged badly in the fight and wouldn't last long given all of the weight that was now on top of them.
"That...was impressive." said Kuo in awe at what she had witnessed.
"Did you expect anything less?" said Kurumu smugly. "Our man and his brother can take anything that comes their way." The other girls nodding in agreement as they watched the duo get closer to the vessel. Both running up a ramp and leaping up toward the deck.
Just as they were about to touch down, a pulse of energy reverberated through the air and both Conduits froze mid-air. Their arms flailing as they were suddenly pulled back by the same force.
The water behind them exploded upward as the form of the damaged and smoking, but still alive, Beast rose up. Hands outstretched as it grabbed Cole and Mike out of the air and held them in a crushing grip.
Everyone screamed out to them as they started blasting at the monster with lightning. Both of them fighting through pain as it attempted to crush them with its strength.
Mike fired ion rocket after ion rocket, but something was wrong. Each of his attacks started to lose strength and he was beginning to feel his energy bleeding out of him from some unknown source.
"It's...draining us..." he thought as his vision started to darken. Cole looked to be fairing no better as he kept hitting the Beast with what he had.
With the situation looked worse and worse by the second, the two Conduits channeled what little power they had left for one last combined attack. Cole raised his arms and initiated another ion storm that rained down on the Beast's head and shoulders. Mike threw both his hands forward, yellow lightning gathering in his palms as he fired a volt-beam straight into the broken section of the monster's skull.
The two forms of energy crossed when they hit their target and exploded in a bright flash. The Beast's entire head blew apart in a burst of magma and stone, releasing its grip on the Macgraths as it was thrown back from the force.
"COLE!" "MICHEAL!" Everyone screamed as all three forms crashed into the water below.
X
...The Beast had drained us...broken our powers...it felt like the end of the road...
With what happened next, Cole and I almost wished that it had been...
X
Everything hurt, that much was apparent as Mike slowly opened his eyes and squinted against the bright lights hanging above him.
Blinking a couple of times, he regained his vision as he looked at the metal lined walls around him. He was laid up in a cot with bandages wrapped around his exposed midsection and arms with an oxygen mask laid over his face. A nearby heart-monitor beeping softly in tendam with his pulse.
Sitting up slowly, the teen groaned from the pain that echoed through his frame as he tried to get his barings. The room he was in looked like an infirmary, a handful of other beds were set up, a couple of them having people in them, including the one next to him where his brother laid in a similar state to him still unconscious.
Mike reached up and removed the oxygen mask, coughing a couple of times because of his dry throat as he looked around again. Finding Zeke asleep in a chair beside Cole's bed, feet up on a nearby desk as he snored softly. The young Conduit turned to the opposite side of his own bed and found the girls there as well.
Moka and Yukari were curled up on the cot that was there while Mizore and Kurumu took the two chairs that were beside his bed against the wall. All of them asleep with blankets drapped over them.
"Both o' ya gave them all quite a scare." Mike snapped his attention to the doorway where Gale was leaning against the frame. "All the fightin' woke me up and ah came to lend a hand. By the time ah got to the upper deck, I watched tha' thing and the two o' you fall into the ocean. Yer lucky ah was able to pull ya out before ya died of exposure."
The younger Macgrath blinked as the memories of the fight against the Beast came back to him. "Thanks." he said, his voice raspy and still dry.
Gale pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to him. "Mah pleasure. Despite all the fightin' we do, ah consider ya a friend. Don't let it get to yer head though."
"Agreed." said Mike after gulping down half the bottle in one go. "How long have we been out?"
"Few hours. Docs all said they weren't sure you were gonna pull through. But tha' little friend of yers with the hat waved some weird stick and muttered some gibberish and yer injuries healed right up." replied the Irishman as he looked at the sleeping Yukari. "Don't know what the lass did, but it tired her out when she was done."
Mike looked at the little witch and smiled, "Thanks, little sis." he said smiling before he saw Moka started to stur. Her green eyes opening slowly and blinking a few times before widening when she saw him sitting up in bed.
"Micheal! You're awake!" she shouted which jolted Yukari, Kurumu, Mizore and even Zeke awake fromt the volume.
Before any of them could repremand her, they all saw the young Conduit awake and converged on his cot. The girls all bringing him into a group hug while crying tears of joy. "We feared the worst when you didn't wake up." Kurumu said through her tears. "Yukari had to use magic to heal your injuries when the doctors couldn't do anything more."
Yukari nodded with pride, "It was a good thing we got them to leave the room long enough for me to do it. Of course, I would have performed the spells whether or not they were there."
"I'm glad you were here to help Cole and I." said Mike hugging her before looking at everyone else. "What's the situation right now?"
Zeke took it from there, "Kuo's up on the bridge providing navigation. We're headin' to New Marais as we speak. After what happened back an Empire, we had to get the hell out of there."
"And the Beast?" he asked, noticing the slight shiver from the girls and the faint glow from Moka's rosary at the mention of the monster.
"Dunno, the bastard vanished below the surf after you and Cole took it down." replied the man putting a hand through his hair. "Who knows, maybe you guys managed to take it down."
Mike shook his head, "Not a chance. That thing was a powerhouse. Cole and I threw everything we had at it and it still kept coming." he held up his hand and channeled his powers. All he managed were some sparks given his weakened condition, but something else seemed to be off.
"It drained us...I don't feel as strong as I did when I came back from school. And chances are Cole's going to feel the same when he wakes up. That thing was something else, it made Kessler and Kuyou look weak in comparison."
The information was grim to everyone in the room, even though Gale didn't know who Kuyou was he could only assume that it was someone tough from the school he had gone to.
A groan from the other side of the room grabbed their attention as they saw Cole start to come around. "How ya feelin', brother?" asked Zeke.
"Like I went on a bender, then got my ass kicked by Tyson." replied the older Macgrath as he sat up and rubbed his head. "Anyone wanna fill me in?" he asked as he was handed a bottle of water and drank it down.
After getting him up to speed, they all sat around and tried to figure out what their next move was going to be when they reached their destination. But during their discussion, Mizore suddenly spoke up.
"Uh, guys." she said pointing at a tv that had been set up in the corner that had a news broadcast playing.
They all moved to stand by it, Kurumu turning up the volume while an anchor-woman stood in the middle of a ruined street. "If you are all just tuning in, I'm reporting to you live from Empire City where a massive attack has just taken place. Local military officals have already moved in to secure the city given the quarantine incident that happened several months ago."
"The death-toll from the incident is still unknown, but dozens of people have flooded the hospitals with injuries ranging from moderate and mortal. Several having died already from what they had sustained."
"Although the reason behind the attack remains unknown, local citizens are currently in the process of evacuation in the event that the same catastrophy that had closed off the city from the rest of the country might happen again. The US government wants to ensure the people that they are doing everything in their power to ensure that they are safe and-"
The woman stopped as she looked at something off to the side. "There...There seems to be something happening. Joseph! Turn the camera!" the camera angle turned and zoomed in on the street beside where the woman was standing.
Everyone watching felt their breath stolen from them when they saw an enormous ball of red, orange and black energy start to grow and expand in the air above. The wind all around picking up as it gained more and more strength while expanding in size. Nearby people screamed in fear as they ran away, the buildings around them cracked and their windows shattered as the anomaly pulsed, sending everyone and everything close to it hurling back.
The camera was knocked to the side, the lense cracking as the man holding it picked it back up and looked back in the direction it had been aiming in. Only to find something else standing where the anomaly had been.
"...No..." Mike said in horror, Cole's eyes widened and mouth fell open while everyone else's faces frozen in fear as they saw the Beast standing tall on the screen. It's body looking the way it did when it first rose up without so much as a scratch on it.
"I...I'm not sure what I'm seeing here...but there appears to be some kind of monster standing before us..." said the woman with her voice shaking. The Beast let loose a bellowing roar that echoed througout the city as it raised its arms, energy gathering along its frame and forming in its palms as it started to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second until it was almost glowing like the sun itself.
The two Conduits watching felt like their hearts had stopped, the memories Kessler had given them coming back full force when they realized what was about to happen. "NO!" they both screamed just before a bright flash filled the screen and everything went black. Both brothers sprinted from the room, staggering hard and forced to use the walls and railings to support them as they tried to reach the upper deck.
Hearing the others calling after them in alarm and following after them as they burst through the door at the top of a set of stairs out into the top of the ship. The skies darkening with the coming night. But neither Cole or Mike cared as they stumbled toward the stern of the large boat and looked back toward where Empire City was...
...Only to find a massive mushroom cloud stretching into the sky in the distance. The echo of the massive blast reaching them from across the water, but the vessel was far enough away to avoid the shockwave that most likely followed.
Neither of them said a word as they looked on, Mike falling to his knees while Cole gripped the railing tight enough to whiten his knuckles. This is what the others found when they managed to reach them. Their expressions morphing into ones of sheer terror as they saw what the Conduits had seen.
"My god..." said Moka covering her mouth with tears in her eyes. "All those people...the city..." she couldn't finish as her knees buckled from the sheer force of what had just happened. No one else could speak, Gale and Zeke unable to form a thought as they witnessed their home obliterated in an instant.
As the black cloud continued to expand into the heavens, Cole and Micheal Macgrath realized three things; The Beast was still alive, they were completely and horrendously out matched...
...And Empire City...was dead...
A/N: A powerful restart to the series, but one that was needed to get things rolling again. We'll be going into Infamous 2 from here on out, and yes, The Festival of Blood DLC will be included, but I still have to figure out where to place it so that it all rolls together smoothly.
Send me your love, and verbal bitchslaps for taking so long, and I'll update again soon. (And this time, I mean it!)