Author: Chapter 28. Enjoy. Also, Cole, welcome to the Mercer family.
End of the Road
They had spent the night at the Memorial Park. Dana had kept Cole in a hug the entire time, even as she nodded off into a restless slumber. Alex had gotten more silent as well, had even crouched down and became rather unresponsive and silent. Cole had barely slept himself, just kept holding the young woman while his mind drifted off. Despite the closeness, he didn't feel anything for her. Not like with Trish.
But Trish was dead, and all Cole had left was rage and grief inside. This was why he didn't push Dana away- she and Alex were the only ones left for him. He just wanted to keep both of them as close of possible out of fear of losing everything. Cole didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid to be alone. He wasn't that much of an hard ass as he tried to make others believe, and there was nothing he usually avoided more than direct confrontation.
But he also knew that here and now, there was no other choice. He had fought so many foes already, and as much as it startled him, he was brutally aware that killing whoever opposed him had already become his second nature. He had been murdering scores upon scores of enemies, all without hesitation, without feeling anything. And as cruel as it sounded, it was the only way to prevent them from ever hurting someone again.
He had no regrets about killing them. No, not about that. Trish's death, his failure to catch her, this was what he couldn't stomach. But he had to decide- and the thought of dooming six others, six doctors who would have been able to save so many others, out of his own selfishness, this would have sat forever on his consciousness and would have torn at him until there was nothing left. That was why he couldn't bring himself to hate himself for choosing their lives over Trish's.
Didn't mean it didn't hurt, though.
So Cole just sat there, listening to Dana's breathing and staring at the picture of Trish pinned to the marker. He didn't like having to wait, but his body required rest. And no matter his own opinions in that matter, he knew he couldn't hurry things up. He had nodded half off, still aware of his surroundings, but at an almost meditative state of consciousness. Nobody dared to disturb them here. Fear kept them away from this place.
When dawn came, Alex had woken from his resting state and suggested going back to the Bayview. He mentioned that something did not sit right with him, and they needed Dana in a safe place. Also, John hadn't called again, so he was still busy preparing for locating that damned Ray Sphere. Cole agreed, knowing fully well he needed to do something until that moment came, something to distract his mind from spiraling back into uncontrollable bouts of rage and aggression.
Plus Trish would always smile when he tried to help her with the injured people. And with the First Sons taking over, there were many shooting victims. Fixing them back up was the least he could do for her, for her memories, even though he didn't wanted to do nothing more than murder Kessler, Cole was aware that he had no idea where he was. And unless he wanted to tear the entire city apart, he was forced to wait until either John or Alex had found him- and Cole actually put more faith into the NSA agent, because he had been in the organization long enough to know how they worked.
Though...Cole furrowed his brows as he glanced at Mercer, who was staring into the direction of the Stampton Bridge, eyes narrow and fists clenched at his sides. He seemed distracted by something. Something that made him agitated, if the constant tendrils rolling over his back meant anything. Apparently, his sister caught up on it too.
"Alex? What is it?" Dana asked worried.
"I don't know", the terrorist growled. His fists uncurled and tentacles ran along his arms, like bristling fur on a cat. "It's this...vague feeling", he added with a scowl. "Something that reminds me of Manhattan." His eyes flashed. "I don't like it."
"Oh fuck", Dana moaned. She turned to Cole. "Do you know what this means? This means shit is about to hit the fan, and big time."
"I am aware", the courier hissed. "But not Kessler. Kessler only started it. And now it's going to turn ugly."
A massive explosion erupted at the South End of the Neon, making Dana jerk back startled. Cole and Alex both whipped their heads around, expression equally dark as they stared at several jets roaring across the city out of nowhere.
"Moya lost control", Mercer growled. "Now she has no other choice. Now she has to do this."
Invade the city, he meant to say. But he didn't need to say it. All of them knew.
Cole's eyes narrowed to slits, and lightning started to spark between his fingers. Moya just declared war on them. A war for the Sphere.
He would not let them take it.
But no matter how much he wanted to, he could not stop an entire army. No, he had something else to do. Moya wanted to take the city. He could not allow this. Empire was his.
"Alex", he snarled, part of him surprised by how dark his voice sounded, "Stop these fucks. Stop them dead. I don't want them anywhere in my city." His city. His Empire.
The graphic grin that spread on Mercer's face was more than enough to send pretty much everybody cowering (if there had been people around). "With pleasure."
His claws were formed in an instant, orange spots glowing eerily against the dark of his flesh. He pushed himself off the floor, making both of them stumble from the shockwave, before he vanished across the rooftops. Cole grunted and turned to Dana. "Dana", he ground out, "We have to find Harms. And the others." There was another explosion, drowning out every noise around them. "We have to get the people off the streets", the courier added, "Away from Moya."
"Where to?" Dana asked, "Because the way things look- Alex can not be everywhere!"
"The old Air Raid Tunnels. The sewers." Cole claimed. "The people will be safe down there. Let's hurry." He told himself repeatedly he did not give a single shit about the people, that he had to go after Kessler, but he couldn't bear the idea of forcing the civilians to suffer Moya's army.
As long John didn't contact him, he wouldn't have anything to occupy his rage with. Might as well to the right thing. The thing Trish would want him to do.
The explosions became more frequent the closer Alex came. And the closer he came, the more he became aware of the shouting of the civilians, which, in turn, made his insides boil.
He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He knew that, once he went this step, there would be no turning back. The people of Empire were one thing. Harms and the other cops had seen him, they knew who he was- but once he showed himself to Moya's men, then everything would be revealed.
Just...he gave not a single fuck about this. Not anymore. Let them see him, let them know ZEUS was there. He was through playing nice. If Blackwatch decided to come here, then he would face them, and stop them. Alex had been a coward to hide from them for three years, but now he would keep his ground and face them.
His pulse sped up as he picked up the sounds of people screaming, military boots stomping the ground, UAVs and F-22s patrolling the sky, the scent of gun oil. It had been so long since he maimed soldiers. Too long for his taste. Maybe there was something wrong with him, but he missed the days in Manhattan. Sometimes.
But the soldiers down there weren't Blackwatch. Did they deserve having ZEUS after them?
Yes.
Alex's eyes narrowed as he came closer, watching them from a low roof. The men maybe didn't know why there were sent in to gun down civilians, but they were still doing it without questioning their orders. And that made them viable targets, victims he could take out without feeling guilty afterwards.
His sharp eyes found the building they've blown up when they arrived, and he frowned unhappily. These guys had blown up the telephone main HUB, killing telephones and internet- cutting the city off from the chance to call help. Not the military's radios, though, they worked on a different frequency. Alex would need one of those, to listen in to their chatter. Like he did back in Manhattan.
He snorted and got up, stepping into plain view. The men below stopped immediately and their guns snapped up. He could feel their panic mount- after all, he was back in his 'default' appearance, and had his claws out.
Alex allowed himself to smirk arrogantly into their direction, then easily stepped off the roof. He waited for the dust to settle, and made eye contact with the platoon's leader. He fanned his claws slightly as a silent warning. The men froze and stared at him, eyes blown wide beneath their helmets. This was their only chance to back out- if they did, then Alex would not pursue them.
They didn't. Their captain yelled something unimportant and all of the guys to the front started shooting. High-speed bullets bit into Alex's hardened Biomass, barely even breaking his surface. Alex scoffed. They made their choice.
Now they had to deal with the consequences. He lunged to the front, faster than the men could blink. When he reached them, they were dead.
His talons easily sliced through clothes, skin, muscles, organs and bones, all without even slowing down. Only the occasional clung when he hit a gun barrel was the signal that he lost some momentum. Never mind, it wasn't enough to slow him down at all. A part of him wished that these men would lose their nerve and flee, run away. He would let them, because it wasn't in his nature to strike down opponents that weren't willing to die.
The much larger part of him, the part that was Blacklight, the weapon he was meant to be, just wanted to keep on fighting for ever and ever. Alex allowed himself this primal urge of his, but kept his mind clear to prevent himself from assaulting civilians. This was how he was most comfortable- kill whoever tried to kill him, and avoid everybody who didn't.
This platoon wasn't too large, merely the first shock troop. He knew there were going to be more of them, so he had to make sure his first action was to create a bloody mess that hopefully made the others think twice about trying to engage him. His little way of preventing killing too many of them, no matter what he really wanted.
With a low growl, Alex turned away from the massacre. Several civilians, who had previously been assaulted by these guys, started at him with wide eyes. Alex inclined his head and let his claws hang loosely at his sides. "Take whatever you can carry and get away", he told them in a tone that left no room for arguments. "Away from the Neon- there are going to be more of these guys coming over here, and you need to hide until everything is over."
"But- where to?" Somebody asked.
Alex shrugged, partly surprised these humans did not run away screaming, even though they had seen what he just did. "The Warren. Get to the Bayview. There are people there who will help you."
His body bristled and he whipped around, staring at three attack choppers flying towards them at full tilt. He turned to the humans for a second. "Go!"
He jumped to the side to avoid a Hellfire Missile into his direction, leaping into the open and into full view. DARPA's own Apaches started to circle into an attack pattern, intending to take him out. The Runner grinned. It had been too long since he flew one of those.
He dashed across the street and quickly sprinted up a wall, going entirely too fast for the gunners to target him. He catapulted himself off the edge of the building, screwing his body skywards and twisting to face the first of the Apaches. His right claw changed, the nails shortening and the Biomass turning into braided coils. Alex shot the Whipfist out and dug his talons into the side of the first helicopter. He let himself pulled along, then reeled in his arm to latch on the side of the chopper, easily ignoring the fact that the pilot started to spin and rise higher in an effort to throw him off.
Alex's teeth were bared in a nightmarish grin as he effortlessly yanked out the door and seized the gunner. Without giving it a second thought, he literally threw the man over his shoulder and to his doom while he pushed inside the cockpit. He easily jumped on top of the now empty seat and faced the pilot, then slammed him against the window, severing spine and shattering his skull to kill him, all while he effortlessly climbed over the backrest to take over the pilot's seat.
Even as he was still seating himself, he already took control of the Apache and swung it back into the right direction. The entire thing was over within a few moments, and much too fast for the other two choppers to realize what had been going on. Alex effortlessly picked those two out of the air with a single Hellfire missile each, and threw a glance up to where the F-22s were patrolling. They didn't worry him too much for now, as their purpose was simply to make room for the ground troops to invade. Well, tough luck, because he was here now. The Runner snorted and pushed the Apache's nose down to circle around the island, to keep an eye for the men Moya send in. He was pretty certain that they would either come from the Stampton Bridge, or the Steel Harbor. He would stop them there, make them see just how he could mess them up.
Plus, he got to fly around in an Apache. Had been entirely too long since he last did this.
The underbelly of the city was dusty, smelly and dark. People whimpered, some squealed every time there was a loud crack from the surface. Dana only huffed out, because her patience was starting to wear thin. She could understand their panic, really- finally when things were starting to look up, the Feds threw the towel and decided to glass everything.
Just like Manhattan, Dana thought irritated. Seriously, those fucks never manage to get anything right.
Maybe it was her frustration and the fact she already experienced shit like that before that she was still able to keep her head in the game, but it definitely looked like she and Cole were about the only ones not freaking out. Well...she glanced at the courier thoughtfully. It did look like he was freaking out, just in a different way. This was more like when Alex flipped the switch actually, and she could see his tense jaw and strained posture only all too well. She knew he was holding back- not for her, but for his own sake, actually. She was aware he wanted to do nothing more than go out there and tear Kessler to shreds- she wanted to do so too, because he murdered her best friend, though she was aware that she wouldn't even get close to that guy. This was Cole's job, and probably Alex's.
Her job was to make damn sure that the civilians were safe. No matter how irritating these idiots or this entire shit situation were.
When the first explosions rocked the city- those in the Neon, Harms and his men had already realized what was going on. When Dana and Cole rushed towards them and barked orders to get all people down into the air raid tunnels, the cops jumped to action immediately.
The first two hours it'd been pretty chaotic- with men and women running everywhere and hurrying to get whatever they could carry. Cole and Harms quickly found a big space just below the streets, and as soon there were directions, the other doctors and nurses finally understood what they were supposed to do. After that, they started moving some beds down there, followed by some necessary tech, then the patients that weren't supposed to leave their beds. As more time passed, more and more people came to the Bayview, all telling horror stories of the soldiers trying to kill them- only to be killed in turn. By a man with claws.
F-22 Raptors circled the sky like especially large buzzards, the roar of their engines creating a threatening echo across the city. But they seemed content with blowing the ever-loving fuck out of the shore line to create a path for the troops to head inside, where they most likely ran into Alex. They didn't come any closer- at the moment.
At one point, Dana's heart nearly stopped when a bunch of drones and three more attack helicopters raced towards the hospital, but then a fourth chopper appeared out of nowhere and made short process with the drones and two of the attacking vehicles. The third picked it out of the air, but not fast enough so an uncanny human shape leapt out of the cockpit and latched onto the helicopter, crossing the distance of nearly half a block in a single bound, before the door was yanked out, the pilots inside killed and the helicopter changed its user in one glorious aerial grand theft auto (or chopper, in this case).
Even if Alex had seemingly a hard time trying to pick the fight jets out of the air that ravaged the sky and dropped bombs on the city, he was trying his best to buy the people time. And that meant that he was there for them, and that thought calmed her raging nerves so she could function effectively and figure out what the fuck was there to do.
Ever since Manhattan, she had been the one to work up their plans. Alex wasn't stupid by all means- he was probably the most intelligent person to ever walk the planet- but his strength wasn't thinking. Alex had always been the more direct type, preferring to just go with his instincts and natural abilities. From time to time, he did actually have a brilliant idea of what to do next, though he usually left this to her. He was the big brother whose job it was to remove any and all obstacles, she the little sister whose job it was to make sure he got the right obstacles. In a way, they were inseparable, depending on each other.
But right now, he didn't need her help. No, if she tried to go to him and do something, she would be in the way, and she knew. Instead, she helped him in a different way- by getting the people off the street and out of sight, to allow him free range with his powers.
She made another trip back to the surface, sighing and rolling her shoulders. She noticed Cole nearby, helping several injured civilians with his electric abilities. Ever since that light show on the roof of the Bayview, his powers escalated- and right now, he was seemingly able to heal several people at once. Which increased his speed when dealing with those lesser injuries, and helped conserving the few supplies left.
Speaking of which- Dana furrowed her brows thoughtfully. They would need more food. Not so much water, but it would be better if they could stockpile some of that too. But medical drugs and food were more important- there were no supply drops anymore, and the little they had was starting to decline rapidly. She would need to talk to Alex about it, maybe he could raid DARPA's stores if he had the time.
"Listen, son, I have no idea how you got this frequency-"
Dana blinked, turning to the sound of Harms' voice. She found the warden stalking up and down, gesturing wildly with his police radio against his ear. "But I have no idea who you are, or how to get into contact with Mercer, okay? Haven't seen him since two days before yesterday."
Dana immediately made a bee-line for the warden. "Harms!" She got his attention. "Who's this? Who wants to talk to Alex?"
Harms frowned at her. "Some guy, sounds like military- yes, I am talking to somebody else." The man exhaled. He turned to Dana. "Says his name's Cross."
"Cross?!" Dana blinked once, then set her face into a determined expression. "I'll talk to him."
Harms frowned for a moment. "You sure? He sounds like he's pretty ticked off."
"I am", she confirmed. The warden nodded and handed the radio over. Dana took it. "Cross?"
"Fucking Hell, Dana!", Cross bit out. "The fuck is going on over there? I can't reach Mercer!"
"His phone's dead", the younger sibling told him. "And those bastards have cut the communication."
"Yeah, thought as much", the Specialist groused. "Fucking Hell, my boss is running circles, screaming at everybody."
"Oh shit, why?!" Dana did not like this, because if Blackwatch was panicking, then things were really deep in the shit.
"DARPA's been keeping back information", Cross told her, "But our intelligence says that you guys had a plague over there. Now they suddenly act like it's their damn job to keep it under control?! More even, even my boss got the rumors that Mercer's over there. He's been trying to get a hold of somebody responsible ever since yesterday."
"Fuck. You guys want to march in here?!"
"Not 'want'- but yeah. Blackwatch's trying to strongarm their way inside. However, DARPA's throwing all kinds of spokes in our wheels, and are already doing our thing. Rooks's gonna blow a gasket at that rate."
Dana groaned. "Fuck. Now I gotta thank that Moya bitch for trying to keep everything under cover." She exhaled. "God, Cross, could you do something?"
"What sort of? The way it looks, DARPA's already trying to seize control of Empire. And with Mercer there it will only be a matter of time until someone sees him who's not supposed to."
"I know!", Dana snapped, running her hand through her hair. "But could you at least try?"
"Try what, Dana?"
"You need to get close to those guys of yours that process the information. Make sure no report says anything about Alex. We have some super-powered guys here, they are called 'conduits'. DARPA knows about them."
"You want me to fake the reports, so they only suggest conduit activity?"
"Exactly!"
The Specialist sighed. "I can try. But I have to be careful about this so I don't get summarily executed, damnit."
"I know. If it gets too dangerous, then save your ass", Dana instructed. "But we only need a few days. Can you do that?"
"I can try", Cross replied with a little moan. "But you have to try to get Mercer in line."
"I can't reach him, and at the moment we're a bit busy preventing DARPA from killing the citizens." Dana sighed. "Just a few days, Cross. Okay?"
"I'll fucking try", the Specialist replied with a biting tone. "Now both of you owe me."
"Hey, look at it that way- you are the only guy from Blackwatch who gets to tell ZEUS what he has to do."
"Fat good's it's been doing me." Cross groaned. "Keep that radio close to your person, in case there are new developments."
"I will."
"Good. Cross out." The Specialist cut the connection. Dana exhaled with a long moan. It was just one problem after the other, wasn't it? Shit, things looked really bad. However, Cross was going to have their backs. He always did.
But they couldn't just leave it to him. If Blackwatch came in- and they would, given time- then they needed to be prepared. They needed to be ready, to keep them out of Empire. And away from Alex.
Dana furrowed her brows. There would be a way to do exactly that. And she had everything she needed here. In the people of Empire.
"Dana!" She turned at the sound of Cole's voice, watching the courier jog towards her with a grim expression. "John called", he told her without her asking. "He found the Ray Sphere."
Voices. So many voices. So many faces. So many people. Cole scowled on the inside. Here he was, helping people with their injuries or taking them away from the surface to hide them. But those were only the symptoms. He couldn't win this by trying to soothe the symptoms, damnit. They had to get to the root of the problems and tear it out.
But that root was hidden. Kessler.
Alone the thought of the man that killed Trish angered Cole so much, lightning snapped out of his skin and slowly changed its color to crimson.
Don't lose your cool. Don't lose your cool. Don't lose your cool.
He exhaled and forced himself back under control. He couldn't face Kessler when he couldn't think clearly- it was too dangerous if he lost his head. No, he had to focus all his burning hot hatred into a cold rage, into a concentrated fury that would stop his human mind and made him into a weapon. The weapon Moya wanted to have. Only he would use his powers for himself. He wasn't anybody's puppet.
He was going to find Kessler and murder him, then he would end the quarantine and Moya's hold over Empire. He would avenge anybody who died- not only Trish, but also those that got shot down at Stampton Bridge.
That was why he was still here at the Bayview. He had no desire to fight the endless hordes of foes Moya was throwing at the city. Let Alex do this, he was a much more lethal weapon after all, one that couldn't tire and healed itself with the bodies of his foes. His job was more important- find the Ray Sphere. Find Kessler. And kill him.
He grunted and walked out of the Air Raid tunnels. They were too crowded for his taste- after all, they weren't designed for ten million people in mind, and even though there were still hundred thousands on the surface, they had already reached their capacity with just the injured and the children of Empire. Still, it was much more silent out there than it was below the streets.
Up here, he could think, at least.
He saw Dana stalk the streets, arguing agitated with someone over radio. It didn't sound too good, but it seemed she had everything under control, so he wasn't too concerned. His own phone chimed, taking his attention.
"Cole?"
"John?" The courier furrowed his brows. "Anything?"
"Yeah. Had a hard time refiguring my radio to a frequency that wasn't blocked. Heh." The man cleared his throat. "Anyways, good news, I know where Kessler is holed up. Or at least, where he hid the Ray Sphere."
Cole did a double-take, his eyes narrow as he repeated the words in his head to make sure he heard what he thought he did. John found the Ray Sphere?
Yes. John found the Ray Sphere!
"Where?" His pulse jumped up, eyes widening.
"The old Examiner building", John told him. "Going to be a bitch getting to it, though."
"So, what's the plan?"
"I got a canister of Fentanyl rigged to the bottom of the chopper", he explained. "Should incapacitate everybody inside."
Fentanyl? It was a pain med, wasn't it? Cole puzzled for a moment, before he realized what John was planning. Fentanyl in high doses was lethal, killing through apnea. John didn't want to knock these fucks out- he wanted to kill them. And Cole realized that he was actually fine with it. He was going to help him do that- saved a lot of time, after all.
John sighed, and Cole just knew that there was more trouble brewing. "Unfortunately, Kessler got anti-air guns on the surrounding buildings and they'll tear me apart long before I get into position."
Cole furrowed his brows. "So, let me get this straight: I take out the guns, you gas these bastards, and we go in and get the Sphere?"
"Exactly. But we only get one shot at this. Get over there and destroy these guns. I doubt we'll have to worry about those other bastards trying to pick us out of the air- your friend seems to have everything under control." He scoffed once. "I'm listening to their radio chatter, and it's...disturbing."
"I'm on my way." Cole swung around and headed to Dana first. "Dana!" He shouted, getting her attention. "John called. He found the Ray Sphere." He didn't even wait for her reply, but rather already ran off. He had to take out those guns. For the first time since Alden's Tower he was so close to the Ray Sphere, he could almost taste it. This time, he would make sure that damn thing got destroyed.
He found the first gun easily enough. The old Examiner Building was in the Warren, after all. Right smack inside a war zone. Made him wonder what the Hell Kessler's agenda was- after all, he was literally presenting the thing on a silver platter. But there was no time for this now- Cole mounted the first tall building besides it, where he saw the massive barrel of the first cannon. Half a dozen First Sons waited for him on the roof. Cole knew no mercy. He threw several shockwaves into the men and catapulted them off the building to their doom, before he turned to glare at the anti-air gun. He lifted one hand, lightning arching out of it while the sky darkened. His fist clenched and he yanked it down, and a single lightning bolt slammed into the cannon and utterly eradicated it.
He easily leapt off the building and headed over to where the second weapon was. He was mindful to keep below the roof edge to avoid being shot at, while keeping his attention to his senses to avoid a surprise like those invisible conduits. Those guys sucked big time.
Luckily, there weren't any, so he could continue his way without any larger problems. His rage was back, but this time he managed to direct it, use it to increase his strength and heighten his awareness. He blew up the second anti-air cannon, then rushed across the roof and leapt off without slowing down. He heard the roar of the jets above him, swearing inwardly at their blatant disregard for human life. He could deal with killing those assholes, but murdering innocent civilians? These bastards didn't deserve any mercy, so he took a moment to angle his body once he reached a roof just across from the next cannon, and summoned a powerful lightning storm. Within moments, he destroyed every single jet he could see, dozens of First Sons, and the cannon. All with only one blow.
The sky was rumbling above him, and the air smelled of ozone. He enjoyed it, especially as he watched the few remaining jets turn and fly off, out of the storm he summoned.
"Good job", John praised. "That was the last of them. Now get away from the building- I don't want you breathing in any of this crap."
"Understood", Cole lunged off the roof and headed away from the Examiner building and against the wind. He just hoped that there would be no civilians caught in the crossfire, but then again, the Warren was pretty empty already.
He pulled himself on top of a four-story apartment building, and turned to watch. The police helicopter from the day before just pulled upwards, and disengaged a man-sized canister. The thing hit the derelict roof hard, and easily broke through. Within moments, the entire building was flooded with gas, and Cole allowed himself to grin when his radar senses picked up several alarmed heartbeats going silent. Now they just had to wait until the gas cleared before-
His eyes narrowed at the sight of a trailer truck pulling away. He could sense it. The Ray Sphere, inside of the thing.
"Damnit!", John swore, "We weren't fast enough."
"They loaded it on that truck, didn't they?" Cole growled.
"Yes. I'm going to keep it in my sight, you follow as quickly as you can."
Cole immediately ran towards the high-voltage wire suspended between this building and the next one, and ground along it as fast as he could. The speed carried into a powerful momentum as he hopped off on the other side, so he crossed the roof it was attached to without even touching it, and landed on the next wire on the other side.
He crossed the train tracks, found another wire and ground along this one to cross the 19th Street Drawbridge, then jumped off and continued along the train tracks. His heart was slamming against his ribs, and his eyes narrowed from the sharp wind blowing into his face. The Ray Sphere was just within his grasp, and he was going to get it. Once it was gone, he would find Kessler.
And he would kill him.
The truck suddenly pulled to the side, and Cole swore as he jumped off the tracks, hitting the floor below in a roll. They were heading to the Long Pier. It had been, at a time, the location of an amusement park, but after recession hit, the people moved away and took their stuff with it. After it, the Long Pier was mostly for cruisers and cargo ships to dock.
"They've got a boat inbound", John warned him. "Probably trying to take advantage of the fact that water will kill you."
"I'll go", Cole growled enraged. They were so close- they couldn't let them escape. Not now. "I'll stop them!"
"Yeah, but you're on your own", John lamented. "Listen- you've got to hurry. I'm leaking fuel all over the place, so I'll look for a place to land, then catch up with you."
"See you at the Sphere", Cole replied, already rushing towards the cargo area. His senses blared in warning, and he stopped just in time to see a single Son in front of him. The man sneered at him from behind his mask, and swiftly turned invisible.
Cole's eyes narrowed, not going to give up. Instead, he kept his radar senses going the entire time, and once he had pinged the First Son's location, he lunged at him and smashed his fist into what he hoped was his face. There was a surprised gasp, and the crack of Cole's bones, and the guy swayed back, turning visible for a short second. A second that was more than enough for the courier to jump at him and leech the electricity out of his body, fixing his busted hand in the process. Before the Son hit the ground, Cole had already vaulted across a shipping container. He stayed off the ground and zapped the mines that had been placed on the ground. He avoided two First Sons shooting grenades at him by smacking the grenades back at them to blow them up.
Gas erupted from the point of impact, forcing Cole to hold his breath. Damn gas grenades!
The low visibility did not keep the Sons from rushing him. The courier summoned several lightning strikes from the dark clouds overhead to simply fry everything in his vicinity, the Sons included.
He continued running across the Long Pier, seeing the blue glow of the Sphere even from a distance. He also saw the turrets that swung into his direction, and he heard the shriek of one of the drones. The UAV was the larger threat. Cole angled his arm and zapped the thing repeatedly, then, once it came down, smacked a shockwave into it and catapulted it into the direction of the turret. The drone and the turret exploded in a brilliant ball of fire, killing another First Son conduit. Another drone tried to assault him. Cole lunged at it with lightning blades attached to his wrists. Within moments, he had it dismantled.
He continued onwards, finding himself in a large 'courtyard', surrounded by containers all around him. His brows drew together as his guts coiled inside. It was quiet...too quiet.
Out of instinct, he created lightning all around his body. Just in time for several of the containers to burst open and reveal dozens of First Sons. Bullets flew all around him, and Cole ducked behind his shield, swearing. He really had no time for this shit.
"Get him!" Someone yelled, and the courier felt the Sons approach. He threw his body to the side, keeping his shield between himself and the guns, and managed to roll behind some cover. The sky was still black, and thunder rolled overhead. Cole yanked his fists down, summoning pillars of lightning to fry these bastards. Moments later, only the heavy smell of ozone and the stench of singed flesh was left. The courier panted and send out another pulse to make sure he got all of the guys. None were left, so he turned his attention to a fuse box to drain it.
He heard steps behind his body and turned his head to glance over his shoulder. It was John who approached him, holding his gun ready. "Good work", the agent said, "Thought I'd be fast enough to help you, but it looks like you had everything under control."
"Yeah", Cole huffed, stepping back to drop his arms by his sides. "Now come. The Sphere's over there. We gotta figure out how to destroy it."
"Good idea", John agreed. The two men made their way over to the elevated platform, where a single machine containing the damned Sphere stood. They approached it carefully, bathing in the blue glow of the thing.
John huffed out. "You know, I had that thing in my hands once", he told Cole. "Kessler asked me to hold it while he adjusted some cables during a test." He sighed. "I could feel it pulsing, like something was inside of it, trying to get out." He glanced at Cole. "It's not right."
"And everyone wants it", the courier ended darkly. They couldn't allow this. This thing wasn't supposed to exist any longer.
"That big lightning strike of yours should crack the protective container", John assumed, "Then we can blow it sky-high."
Cole's expression darkened some more. Destroy it. It was the only way. How many lives had it destroyed? Everybody wanted it, and it attracted all sorts of sick people.
But on the other hand, something in his head whispered, it gave him powers before. If he would use it again, it could increase his abilities, make him stronger. Worked with the Blast Shards, after all.
He instantly smothered that voice with a low growl. He didn't need it. He didn't need that damned Sphere. He was strong enough even without it, and he didn't want anybody to have it. Plus, destroying it would take everything Moya worked for. A wonderful, giant middle finger pointed into her direction.
"Stand clear", the courier snarled, "I'm going to blast this piece of shit." Trish's crumbled body flashed through his mind, and his lightning snapped out of his skin as his anger mounted. This thing was part of the reason she was dead. This thing killed Amy and thousand others, took Zeke, drove the Dustmen to murder innocent civilians...
He threw his arms to the front, hitting the Ray Sphere with every ounce of his power. Thunder drowned out every other noise, the roar of it echoing loudly across the Warren. Just a little longer, and that thing would be history.
Something went wrong.
Cole's eyes widened as the Sphere started to suck in the energy surging through it, its blue glow increasing instantly. It was no longer washing over them in soothing waves, but rather assaulted their eyes, blinding them.
The protective container shattered, seconds before cracks appeared all over the Sphere.
"Cole!" John barked. "Stop it! Something's wrong!"
Cole swore and jerked back, halting his attack, but the damage was done.
The Ray Sphere broke into thousand tiny pieces, but they simply kept suspended in mid-air. Blue energy was swirling where the sphere had been, first slowly circling its center, before it pulsed once- and started to suck everything inside, like somebody pulled a plug from thin air.
"COLE!" John barked, just as he whipped around and tried to make a run for it. Cole was faster, already several steps away when he heard a blood-curling scream. He whirled back, watching in horror how John's body was shattered, torn apart. Cole screamed his name in panic, knowing fully well that he couldn't help him. The Sphere had pulled him apart. Cole ran as fast as he could while behind him a giant dome of light rose, blinding him even though he had his back to it.
The Long Pier shook violently as the light ate its way through its foundation and churned up the water below. Cole just ran faster, praying to whatever god was up there for his foothold to keep in one piece.
He made it halfway down the pier when the dome stopped growing, and just sat there.
Then it collapsed, pulled everything into itself, seconds before the energy raced outwards in a massive blast. Cole swore and curled up his body, throwing his arms in front of his face to protect himself as the shockwave grabbed him and threw him across the Long Pier, along with some of the shipping containers. He hit the ground again as the roar of the explosion deafened him momentarily, and dust coated him.
He could hear his blood rush through his body, could hear a sharp ringing in his ears as his powers fixed his busted ear drums. He was panting in panic and shock, remaining curled up between some broken cargo containers until he no longer felt the tremors running through the ground.
Cole carefully lifted himself off the pier and slowly turned around, staring wide-eyed at the churning waters and the scorched edge where the part of the pier containing the Ray Sphere had been. Most of the Long Pier, the Ray Sphere, John- they were simply gone.
He saw the remains of the vortex blinking out of existence, vanishing without a trace, leaving behind rubble and broken metal.
Cole stared at it for another long moment, just stood there, blinking, as the waters slowly calmed down again. Then he abruptly sat down with a heart-broken moan. John was dead. John was dead.
Fuck. Another ally down. Cole couldn't say he had known the man for long, but the time he did, he found him to be a decent human. And now he was gone, just like that.
Nothing had gone according to plan. At least the Ray Sphere's out of the picture, a voice inside his head whispered. Yeah, maybe.
But at what price?
John was dead, torn apart by the Ray Sphere. Cole hoped it was a swift end. But there was nothing he could have done for him. On the contrary, if he went back for him, the chance would have been he'd be dead now too. And as much it hurt, Cole knew that he was more important than John. Hell, he was an Agent, so death in the line of duty was probably expected from them. It was possible he had been prepared for this outcome.
He groaned again and pulled himself to his feet to turn around and walk off the remaining side of the pier. The Ray Sphere was gone, and nobody would ever be able to use it again. John's sacrifice was not in vain.
Cole grunted once as he slowly marched towards the street, ignoring the chaos the Sphere's explosion had caused. Nobody had been hurt, and that was good.
John would have been proud, he thought.
"I'm disappointed in you, Cole" His back went ramrod straight, and his eyes flew wide open. His head snapped down to his phone. Kessler. Kessler called him.
"The Ray Sphere was the catalyst of your powers", the old man sneered angrily, "It could've strengthened you even more. But you rejected it." Cole's expression melted into an angry snarl, each of Kessler's words driving another spike of fiery hot rage through his body. "I, for one, wouldn't have done the same thing."
Cole grit his teeth and mashed the reply button. "Yeah, but I am not you!" He snarled hatefully. "We are nothing alike, Kessler. I will kill you, and I will make sure you will not hurt anybody again." Keep the city safe, prevent another tragedy like Trish from ever happening.
Kessler laughed slowly, chuckling darkly that sent all sorts of icy rivers running along Cole's spine. "That remains to be seen", the old man commented darkly. "Meet me at the Staton Building."
He cut the connection. Cole stared at his phone for another moment before his lips peeled away from his teeth in a growl. Kessler was there. Waiting for him at the Staton Building. He finally stopped hiding. Had stepped out to face him.
Cole would not let this chance waste away. Kessler was his. He was going to murder him. Was going to kill him for what he'd done. Nobody was going to take this away from him.
