The Omega Shuffle Story Arc: 5.3
A ring of swirling black oily smoke materialized around the base of the building before exploding into a column completely enveloping the exterior.
Tattletale turned to her teammate sitting astride the massive dog. "They're too big to be much use inside. Keep watch? Make sure she doesn't try and make a run for it?"
"Fine," Bitch grunted from behind her cheap mask. With a piercing whistle her dogs lunged forward quickly disappearing around the corner of the building.
Tattletale motioned the other two to join her in walking toward the building. "Come on, we don't have much time. The Boss says she managed to get a call out to Renegade. He'll be here soon."
"This is bad idea. That guy's not exactly the poster child for mental stability and seems to have gotten his powers from the same bag of tricks as fucking Eidolon. What's the boss's plan for dealing with him?" Grue asked as he easily matched Tattletale's stride.
"No idea. He's not exactly in the sharing mood right now. We just need to worry about Matriarch and getting the kid."
Grue sighed. "This isn't really sitting well with me, Tattletale."
Slightly frowning at that understatement, Tattletale snorted. "Which part?"
"The kid thing. We're not those kinds of villains, you know?"
"We are today if we want to stay in his good graces. He's invested in us a lot over the last year. We've been successful because of careful planning, but without him, we wouldn't have been able to unload any of our scores. Which, you well know, is where most villains get caught. Besides, you know he's always had plans for us going forward."
"Fine, but what does he want her for anyways?"
"You'll have to ask him that Grue, but she's the mayor's niece," Tattletale stated with an unconcerned shrug. "Ransom or leverage most likely."
"What do you think of this?" Grue asked Regent just before they entered the dark screen encircling the building.
"Sucks to be the kid."
Grue shook his head. "Don't even know why I bothered to ask…"
"Me either," Regent stated chuckling at his friend's unease.
No one spoke until they passed through Grue's darkness and entered the building. "Where is she?"
The hallway was completely blacked out thanks to Grues power cutting off all light from outside. Not that there would have been much from the few street lamps anyways. Tattletale couldn't even see her hand right in front of her face when she raised it. More than the darkness, it was completely silent. Almost unnaturally so and stifling. The click of the flashlight beside her rang like a gunshot in the stillness.
Tattletale added her light to her teammates before leading them forward. "Third floor. She knows we're coming and will be ready for us. Keep an eye out for her bugs and watch each others costume for any she tries to put on us, especially spiders. I don't think she has anything else that's poisonous to work with. She didn't earlier."
"Yeah, cuz that wasn't freaky as shit when she did that to the hostages," Regent muttered as he swung his light around illuminating the walls and ceiling above them.
"Anything else we should know?" Grue asked.
Tattletale's nod was barely visible. "When we met earlier she had the rifle from the bank job. You saw what it did to the boss's guy outside."
Grue turned to the trailing member of the group. "Regent…"
"Sure," He responded easily. "She won't know what hit her."
"Do you know what she did to the other one? The guy that was twitching like he was electrocuted?" Grue asked Tattletale.
"Some kind of overload to their nervous system. No idea how she did it, but it's probably something her tinker came up with."
"Her mysterious tinker. Wish we knew more about what he was capable of. Do we have to worry about that guy showing up too?"
"I don't think so. Just whatever he's already come up with. When Matriarch showed up she really wasn't worried about a double cross. I think she only carried the rifle because someone told her too, Renegade most likely. So I don't think she's loaded down with tinker toys for us to worry about, just the ones she normally carries."
"So, anything then. I fucking hate tinkers. Their powers are such bullshit," Grue groused to himself.
Tattletale's next remark was made confidently as she headed in deeper directly to the staircase. "Yeah. Just keep your eyes open and be ready. She's not going to try anything until we get to the third floor."
The sound of a can rolling along the ground had both male teens jump and turn to the noise. "What was that?" Regent asked as he looked in the room the noise came from.
Tattletale kept walking, completely unconcerned. "She's just messing with you, using her bugs to try and misdirect us or to make us edgy. Ignore it. I told you she's on the third floor. That's where we'll have to worry."
Grue only responded with a grunt. He tapped Regent on the shoulder nodding his head toward Tattletale. They navigated the rest of the halls and stairs to the third floor in silence. Occasionally they heard the sound of a bugs skittering in the darkness but they never saw a single one. Sometimes a can would roll in a room they passed or they would hear the sound of a glass falling to shatter behind them. Half way up the staircase they even heard a coffee can fall down the stairs toward them from the floor above. Never once though, did any of them actually see any of it happen.
Overall, all three villains were on edge when they finally made the landing at the top floor. As Tattletale looked to Grue she had to admit she was impressed by Matriarch's tactics. Grue wasn't easily spooked.
"End of the hall? That's where I would be," He whispered to her.
"Yeah. That's where the room she's in is at," She replied.
Grue took a quick look around the corner of the stairwell door frame ducking back just as quickly. "The hall bends just ahead. She's somehow set up a light in the ceiling so that corner is well lit."
"To kill our night vision," Tattletale confirmed. "So she can see us before we can see her."
Grue grunted at the twist. "I'll use my power to block the light and screen off the hall. Regent, you'll go into the room across the hall. Tattletale and I will stand just behind the corner. Once Regent gets her to drop the rifle we'll rush in. Her costume looked pretty tough but she's not very big. I'll hold her down with Regent while you get the kid. Then we'll get the fuck out of here. Hopefully before Renegade shows up."
Before Grue could use his power, Tattletale put her hand on his shoulder. "Wait, let me try and talk to her."
Grue turned sharply to the blond. "That's the most dumbass thing you've ever suggested. Do you really think you can convince her to give us the kid? She didn't strike me as the type to give up easily."
"Maybe," Tattletale evaded.
Grue growled. "Tattletale…"
"Look, if she attacks me you two can come to my rescue but let me try this. Matriarch's smart and the odds are not in her favor. We can take her, yeah, but I'd rather do it and not have to deal with her bugs or having my nerves fired."
Grue nodded to her points but didn't appear convinced. "And if she decides to shoot you the second you walk around that corner?"
"She won't," Tattletale stated easily.
"I really don't like this."
"Trust me; this is the best way."
It took several moments before Grue slumped slightly. "Alright, but I hope you know what you're doing, Tattletale."
"I do."
The young woman confidently walked down the hall not even bothering with stealth. When she got closer, she examined the device. The light source came from a disk Matriarch fixed to the ceiling. She was sure it didn't contain any kind of explosive, which was her main concern when she first saw it. It was just what it looked like, a self-contained light fixture.
Just like her power told her, what little ability she had to see in the dark was lost the second she stepped into the light. Tattletale stood there for a moment completely highlighted by the shaft of light trying to see past it down the hallway. She couldn't see anything until she stepped to the edge of the light. She could just barely see a very shadowy figure at the end of the hallway. "Matriarch?"
Regents sudden gasp drew her attention from the vague shape ahead of her. He looked frozen where he stood a few feet away. A nasty looking spider clutching to his neck. Tattletale could clearly see the line of spider silk leading into the darkness at an angle.
"That is a brown recluse spider," Matriarch's voice stated from the darkness ahead of her. "Feel that Regent? That would be my little friend's fangs ticking your jugular vein. Did you know that the toxicity of the brown recluse venom, is so potent it can rot human flesh? Just thought I would throw that out there. Wouldn't it be interesting to find out what would happen if it releases that same venom into that particular vein? I ask, because if you try to remove it, or if Grue so much as twitches, you're going to find out."
Grue's curse was only barely loud enough for Tattletale to hear before he raised his voice. "Hostages only work if the other side actually gives a shit, Matriarch."
Tattletale had to fight the urge to grin when she heard Regent quiet reply as he stood very, very still. "Dude, you are such a dick…"
"Then, I guess it sucks to be Regent," Matriarch blandly stated, unknowingly echoing Regent's thoughts on the matter.
Tattletale turned her attention away from her teammate's predicament. "Can we talk?"
"After Regent and Grue walk to the end of the hall. There's a room there they can wait in," Matriarch replied.
"Fuck th-" Grue started to say before he was interrupted.
"Okay."
"What the fuck Tattletale?"
"Do what Matriarch says," She said before lowering her voice so only he could hear it. "Let me handle this, Grue. She will hurt Regent if we push too far. As far as she's concerned, there's only a few ways out of this and most of them are not good for us."
Grue growled in frustration before he and Regent backed down the hall. Tattletale waited until both were in the last room before stepping back to the edge of the light where she finally spotted Matriarch. She was kneeling in the doorway of the room she was holding up in. As Tattletale watched, Matriarch adjusted the rifle barrel so it pointed directly at her head.
"You don't want to shoot me."
"Not entirely."
"You're not the killer type, Matriarch."
"I'm sure you'll give me a reason to change that."
Tattletale couldn't help but chuckle at the cape in front of her. "I hope not. I actually hoped to give you a reason not to shoot me. You're not as alone as you might think you are, but there are things going on you know nothing about."
"By all means, tell me. I have time. You, not so much."
"Shooting me won't do you any good you know," She assured the armed cape. "Grue's power stops all forms of communication signals from getting through. Even if you manage to knock him unconscious, it still takes a long time to fade. This stalemate can't last forever. I'm sure you know this already, but Bitch is outside. If by some chance you actually make it that far, her dogs will tear you apart. I doubt that gun, or your bugs, will do much against them. I mean, you might get one, maybe even two, but not all three and Bitch."
Tattletale continued when Matriarch didn't respond to her statement. "You do not understand what you are up against. Our boss is unrelenting and ruthless. He's extremely well connected on every level you can imagine. His people can be anyone, anywhere. From common thugs to other villains. I know he has cops in his pocket and it wouldn't even surprise me if he had hero's on his payroll.
"He's been at this for years. Putting the right people in the right place. Integrating himself into the inner workings of whatever group would push his plans forward. In both his cape guise, and his civilian one. Do you understand that? He even brought the Undersiders together to help in some of his long range plans. Not all of us willingly..."
"Your point?" Matriarch finally responded evenly.
"My point is that right now our boss thinks you are an obstacle to his plans. He doesn't like obstacles and I've never seen one last long when he doesn't want it too. Even if you made it out of here, there's no where you can hide he can't eventually find you. You could easily change his mind about you though. The Boss makes a better friend than enemy."
Matriarch snorted. "So I should hand over the girl to save myself? Did you really think your little speech would convince me to do that?"
Tattletale sighed. "No, but I had to try. I know you think you can win against him, but you are wrong. No one's managed to pull a decisive victory against him since I've been working for him. He's not someone you can take head on. Not with his power. The only way to win against him, is to so surprise him, he never sees it coming. That practically requires you to play the game the same way, if not better than he does. Best place to do that is inside his guard. However, there's only one way to get there."
"I'm not handing over the girl. Not to you. Not to your 'boss'."
"That doesn't leave us many options," Tattletale replied sadly. "So, what now?"
"Now," Matriarch began while tilting her head slightly over the weapon in her hands. Tattletale's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. "…I am going to shoot you."
The sound of the gunshot was almost more jarring for the thinker, than the actual impact.
XxXExiledXxX
The sound reached him where he stood watching the building his minion ensnared in his power. It was easily recognizable by its unique sound as a motorcycle. The man turned his masked face. "Captain."
"Everyone's in position, sir. They are waiting your word to begin."
Far down the street the bike appeared from a side street. It could only be Renegade. The figure narrowed his eyes. He gave Tattletale her chance to bring the cape into his circle. Now it was time to end this farce. It was proving to be too annoying. "The word is given, Captain."
He watched as the troops he staged in the area readied themselves. When the bike entered the engagement zone, they opened fire.
The first shot came from the sniper on the building above him. Several slow steady shots rained down on the approaching figure. Two others carrying RPG's opened fire along with several others using small arms. The effect was graphic as well as immediate. The two wheeled vehicle exploded into a flaming fireball careening off the road before burrowing into a small house.
"Captain, take five men. Confirm the kill. Once you find the body, make sure he's dead."
The man next to him snorted at the likelihood that anyone would have survived the attack. "Any trophies from the corpse, sir?"
"His head will suffice."
"Understood, sir," The man stated before saluting. He ran to the wreckage at a steady jog. The four in the street were joined by another he called to as they went to follow their orders.
He turned back to the building where his Undersiders were dealing with Matriarch. It was annoying to have had to move so openly but the alternative would have had his pet escaping. Even now he couldn't predict the outcome.
He waited impatiently. He stacked the deck in his favor as much as he could. From every aspect he spun this situation with his power; this one that had the best chances for success as far as he could tell. This, he grudgingly admitted, was not much. Not since he first gained his power five years ago did he have so little control over a situation and he did not enjoy renewing the experience. Nor was he ready to so test the Undersiders. He had hoped for them to grow a bit more, maybe even add a new member or two to increase their effectiveness before doing this.
Still, if they passed the test they would be truly invaluable in his coming plans. If not…
Well, there were other villains in the city who would appreciate, if not be outright eager, for his patronage.
He tried once again to use his power. Suddenly everything was gone. All his senses hindered by pure unrelenting blackness. He knew his power was working. Knew that he created the alternate timeline. In one, he did nothing, in the other he ordered his people to storm the building where Matriarch was hiding.
Only, he couldn't see any of it. He couldn't hear anything and didn't know what was happening in either. He wanted to scream into the ether which he tred. How could he choose which one offered the best outcome if he didn't know what was happening in either!
He collapsed the timeline where he ordered his people into the building and suddenly found his sight and hearing returned.
Automatic gunfire blared from the building Renegade crashed into mingling with the curses and screams of his people. Three extremely loud blasts rang from the building cutting off the weapons fire before one figure ran from the building.
It was one of his corporals trying to make a dash back to the line. He managed to get half way across the street before something picked him up mid stride and jerked him back into the house as like a bungee cord snapping back. The man flew into the house through the large broken window, screaming the entire way. A single flash of light and blast, silenced him.
He heard a crackle of the radios his people used. However, the voice that spoke wasn't one of them.
"So, you want to play 'Who's the better villain?"
He growled in frustration turning to climb back into the Humvee. He grabbed the radio sitting on the seat. Before he could say anything though, Renegade spoke again.
"Alright…"
XxXExiledXxX
Renegade looked down at the body that his shotgun almost cut in half. Light body armor meant to stop standard rounds did absolutely nothing to stop mass accelerated ones. Not at the point blank range the man was at after he lashed him back into the house.
"Best place to do that is inside his guard. However, there's only one way to get there."
He rolled his neck he listening to the com line he had opened with Taylor before he spotted a bulky com clipped to one of the corpse waist. He knelt down running his omni tool over it acquiring the channel. No reason to waste any advantage they could get.
"I'm not handing over the girl. Not to you. Not to your 'boss'."
"I'm ready," he stated to the empty room.
The volume of Taylor's response was far lower than when she replied to him directly. "Are you sure you can get out once this starts?"
He smirked at Taylor's question. "Trust me. Go when you're ready. Let me know when you're clear."
"Copy. Sebastian… please be careful…"
Still kneeling he looked to the wet patch of blood at his side. Without medi gel there really was only one way to patch it, and that was to cauterize it. As he put his omni tool to work he clenched his teeth as he replied. "I will."
"That doesn't leave us many options," Tattletale replied sadly. "So, what now?"
Renegade looked out the broken window the man's body flew through a moment ago. By now the enemy should be redeploying to open up on his position. From where he stood he had a fairly good idea on where they'd set themselves. As he watched he saw one taking aim at him from across the street.
He chuckled as tapped into the signal they were using to communicate. "So, you want to play 'Who's the better villain'?"
His barrier was more than strong enough for the next part. He cocked the shotgun as he began building up his power.
"Now, I am going to shoot you." He heard Taylor state to Tattletale. It was both a statement, and a signal.
He heard the gunshot just as his power peaked. He stepped out of the building.
"Alright...
"Game on."