Skyllian Five Story Arc: 6.5
We were pushing it as we navigated the sewer tunnel that would take us to Faultlines nightclub. It took a while for Sharee to calm down enough for Paige to take over. By that time the guys figured out something was wrong and rose to the occasion trying to make her feel better. By the time I left, Sharee was even laughing.
Similar to how our secret entrance to Skitters was set up, ahead of us was a long ladder that was obviously not part of the original designs for this sewer. Standing at the base of this, was Newter. A wide smile on his face when he noticed us walking toward him.
"My apologies for being a bit late." I greeted him when we got close enough.
"No problem. We know how things can go." He returned still smiling as he extended his hand.
As I took the offered hand he surprised me by bringing the back of my armored glove to his lips. I wouldn't say I froze from the act but I was definitely stunned at the move. It wasn't until I felt Renegades shoulders shaking from the bugs I had on him that I realized my reaction was visible.
Newter had a roguish grin on his orange tinted face when he released my hand. "Sorry to have you have to walk in the back way, but Friday nights are pretty busy. No way we'd get you inside without someone seeing you."
"Not to say we're not always busy, but you tend to catch the eye, Matriarch." With that the orange teen turned around and started climbing the ladder.
I spun on Renegade seeing him still chuckling to himself. "Not one word."
Despite my warning his voice was laced in amusement. "Of course, Matriarch."
"Renegade?"
"Yes?"
"Bees." I practically hissed before I grabbed the ladder to follow Newter. "Lots and lots of bees."
I heard the click that signified he disabled his audio as I started my assent. It wasn't the fact that I was embarrassed about being hit on by a orange skinned teen per se. It was more along the lines I was hit on at all. The fact my boyfriend was standing right there compounded it. As I accepted Newters hand to help me exit, I shook my head at how weird this was. At least Renegade was taking it in good humor. As I cleared the way for the laughing idiot to climb through himself I tried to ignore the way Newter was looking at me.
Inside was about what our secret entrance looked like. A non-descript store room. Judging by how muffled the sounds of the clubs speakers were, I assumed we were pretty well in the back. We followed our guide through a small maze of halls before ascending a staircase. Eventually it brought us to a door Newter walked into without knocking.
There was Faultline, owner of Palanquin and several other cover businesses across Brockton Bay. She was seated at a large oak desk in the midst of ledgers, notebooks and university textbooks. Something that looked similar to a xylophone, a series of rods lined up next to one another, strapped tight to a board sat on a shelf set into the right wall. The rest of the room was about what you would expect from a business owner.
Faultline was in professional clothes; a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks tucked into shiny black riding boots with steel toes. Her wavy black hair was tied back in a ponytail. The only thing that detracted from the image was the mask she wore. As I took the offered seat I thought it was a good bet she didn't usually wear it around here. That spoke a great deal about the loyalty of the people that worked for her. While I didn't think any of the people who worked for me would turn me in, I didn't let them see my face, but maybe that would change in time.
Renegade entered. He wasn't wearing his weapons aside from a sidearm, and thankfully, Faultline took our armored bulk into consideration when she brought chairs for us.
"I'm glad you showed. Wasn't sure you were going to."
I nodded slightly. "A matter of interest arose and it required my personal attention. I apologize for the delay."
Faultline gave me a nod accepting my apology. "Quite the show you put on at the meet."
I remained silent. After a moment I heard Faultline chuckle as we stared each other down. "Cool headed as shit, I'll give it to you. I can appreciate that, prefer it actually. In a business like ours, keeping your head under fire is something of a job requirement if you expect to do the distance."
I nodded to her point but waited silently. Already I was confused by what this was all about. After a moment or two of silence in which case we only regarded each others masked faces, she spoke again. "How much do you remember?"
I blinked not understanding. "Remember?"
"About before you woke up in a strange city."
Beside me Renegade's armored bulk stiffened. Judging by how Faultline's mask moved to him I knew it wasn't missed.
"Ah." I stalled. "That."
Of course I had no idea what 'that' was but I was starting to get the idea as I turned to Newter. Specifically, the tattoo just over his heart. Neither of capes in front of me missed the look. While physical changes were pretty uncommon for most capes, some had them. Like the feathers in Paige's hair or like Newter and Gregor the Snail. Faultline must have thought I was like Newter. One of the capes whose power changed them so badly they couldn't pass for human anymore. Not really surprising considering our ruse but the way she was looking at me made me think there was a lot more to it this than we originally thought.
As I racked my head trying to figure out how I wanted to play this, Newter spoke softly. "Hey, you know, it's alright. We all have stories like it."
I directed my gaze to him but remained silent. After a moment to gather myself I nodded slowly. "Not much."
"Like Newter said, that is pretty common. I take it you recognize this symbol?"
I nodded. "I do. A similar one rests between my shoulder blades directly over my spine."
Renegade directed his gaze to me but didn't speak. I kept my focus on Faultline as I continued. "I take it you know something of this?"
"Not as much as we would like." She gave as she leaned back into her chair. "No one who has this tattoo remembers anything before they woke up changed. Not their name, their past or anything before that moment, yet they might speak multiple languages just fine. Other things like being able to drive or knowing some skill or another is also usually intact, but nothing specific about them personally. Usually they wake up in a big city dumped in some alley or something. No one recognizes them or knows anything. My crew is actually made mostly of these kinds of capes so you can understand that this is something we're interested in."
"Yes, I can see that." I mumbled. Looking at Faultline I decided to gamble. "My own, arrival you could say, was similar. I too woke up in a strange city with no idea how I got there. Yet, I remembered who I was, my past, everything. Just not how I came to be there or who did this to me."
My admission surprised both of them and caused Faultline to lean forward. "You think this was done to you? Any flashbacks or, I don't know, dreams about what happened?"
I thought carefully as I tried spin what was told to me. "Things were confused. Hazy as if I was intoxicated or drugged. There were people. I could not understand them. Things deteriorate rapidly. I realized I was in a bed but not like one I used to sleep. Then I realized I was not where I should have been. I fought back and managed to escape. I have judged that somewhere between my last clear memory and when I woke up I lost about two weeks worth of time. When I became fully aware, I realized I was in a strange city. I could not go back home like this, so I wandered. That was… some time ago."
As I watched Faultline turned to Newter giving him a significant look before I continued. "If you have information on what happened to me, I would be greatly interested."
Faultline directed her gaze to me before sighing. "I do not know a lot. What I do know is mostly speculation. Pieces of a puzzle that we've been trying to put together for some time."
I nodded hearing what wasn't said. It was expensive and dangerous intelligence gathering meant for private use. I reached into one of my concealed thigh pouches pulling out the object I'd hidden there for situations like this before placing it on the table.
As Faultline slowly picked the object up I made my offer. "I am more than willing to contribute to obtain this information."
"Is this real?"
I nodded firmly. "Twenty four carat gold. No impurities. Black market value roughly eighteen thousand, buyer depending. A...sample to exemplify my seriousness."
Faultline's mask looked directly into mine for a few moments before she nodded. The gold she held was set aside as she stepped her fingers. Newter's eyes had widened and remained locked on the shining object on the desk.
"One million."
"Would gold bullion suffice? I would prefer to not have to exchange that much myself. My contact for such endeavors is not that well connected. While my resources are significant that much untraceable currency would be an issue. I would assume you would prefer untraceable?"
"Indeed. One point three to make up the difference since I'll most likely have to use back channels to liquidate it myself." Faultline countered firmly.
It probably made me look weak but I didn't even try to haggle. "Done. When would you like to do the exchange?"
Faultline shook her head. I figured to how quickly I caved in, but I didn't care. This was the first time we even got a hint of what happened to Sebastian. There was no way I could pass this up.
"Tomorrow night. Location?"
"Jugson point. Midnight." I offered.
Faultline stood extending her hand. I rose as well taking it. I didn't think she'd have a problem with that one. While it was pretty open, that was the point. Jugson Point was north of here, a bit away from the city but most importantly, didn't offer a lot of hiding spots. It was as good a place as any to trade a large amount of money and secret documents.
"Then, shall we continue this tomorrow night?"
XxXExiledXxX
The stillness of the night was broken by a pained gasp. Small hands fisted the bedsheets in a death grip. The body attached to those hands rose slightly. The small girl's head twitched to the visions only she could see.
Pain. Death. Destruction. It was everywhere. The landscape broiled in superheated air. Ashes danced in the sky free of any other objects. Buildings burned. Nothing was untouched.
The sound of people talking brought her to the only living things she had witnessed so far. There, huddled together were many people. Maybe a hundred. All capes. All of them waiting. None of them untouched by the hardships around them. Most were sitting as they waited. Only a few stood looking around. It was one of these that screamed something and pointed. She spun to see what had the poor man so scared when she screamed herself.
Tears fell from her eyes as she looked in horror at someone she knew. Even though he was recognizable, he was also different. He was a lot older and his eyes burned in a baleful red glare. Scars ran through what she could see of his face. Most extremely raw with the skin horribly peeled along them. As disfigured as his face looked, it was his expression that scared her the most. She'd never seen it before but it left her feeling cold and empty. It was as if his mere presence somehow stole all hope from the world. His fancy armor wasn't fancy anymore. It was blistered and broken. Not that it seemed to bother him as he stood watching the crowd, swirled in his powers.
By now the crowd had all jumped to their feet. Many were crying but a few stood at the front as if to shield them. One in particular stood to the very front. When Dinah saw who it was, her tears doubled.
Like the scary man before them, this woman's armor was also heavily damaged. She cried too but her face held a resolve to it that spoke of her commitment to those she guarded. Dinah easily recognized her as well, and like the scary man, she was also older than she should have been.
If how the man looked was scary, it was nothing to his voice. It sounded like hundreds of people talking in sync all at once. "Stand aside, Taylor."
"Not this time, Sebastian." The woman stated firmly.
"You know what has to be done. You know this is the only way."
Taylor shook her head. "We are not the enemy…"
"They are!" Sebastian screamed as he stepped forward. The crowd as a group all matched his step, only going back. Everyone but Taylor. "All of them, every last augment…"
"They're gone Sebastian! Cauldron, the Reapers, all of them are DEAD! It's over!"
Sebastian stumbled slightly shaking his head. "No, not yet. But they will be. These are the last… Can't, can't let it continue. No more cycles, no more entities… only way to make sure. No choice. Have to kill them all. No more..."
Taylor's tears continued even as a similar nimbus formed around her. Dinah eyes widened as its intensity matched Sebastian's. Several capes broke from the crowd to stand next to her but they didn't glow. The words she spoke next seemed almost to be carried away by the harsh wind, but everyone still heard them.
"I love you, Sebastian, but so help me if you take one more step forward, I will kill you."
"I hope so," Sebastian whispered back. Bloody tears fell from his own eyes as he did exactly what Taylor told him not too. His face firming as he continued his slow advance. "One way or another, this ends today..."
As if it was a signal, like the chime of the clock that must never be allowed to tick, both screamed as they raced toward each other. Faces tear stained and snarling in lethal intent. The impact of them colliding against each other was so blinding, Dinah screamed herself.
87.458245678522% probability...
"Oh god no…" Dinah begged even as her body jerked to the next vision.
It was another scene of destruction, but different. Dinah half recognized the area but couldn't be sure. It looked like Brockton Bay, but didn't. Ruined bodies were strewn about everywhere. Some looked to have simply given up leaning against buildings, most appeared to have been killed running away from something.
However, the most horrible aspect of the scene was the bugs. They were everywhere, over everything. Flying so thickly it was hard to see very far. In the midst of the insect storm walked a group of people but one person immediately caught her eye. She looked so different than before. She wasn't dressed in her armor, but something more like her old costume. Close beside her seamlessly matching her stride, walked many others in a circle. Expressionless faces looked where she looked and moved exactly how she moved.
They only moved a short distance when they came across someone. He was kind of familiar but Dinah didn't recognize him. He was hurt badly leaning up against a building. One eye closed and bloody as he watched the group approach. His power armor scorched and broken as blood leaked from various places.
"So. This is how it will end."
The group parted allowing the woman to move to the front. The woman remained quiet for several moments before she knelt next to him, pulling out a huge knife. Dinah gasped when she plunged the blade into the man's armored side cutting the straps that held it in place.
For his part, he only grunted but didn't resist. Once she had his chest exposed she turned to look him in the eye. "It wasn't enough to just take Sebastian from me. No, that wasn't nearly enough. One by one you took everyone else. Dad, Paige, Steve, Greg, Sharee, Dinah, everyone. You heroes took from me everything I have ever loved. You made me what I am, Legend. Forced me to do this by hunting me. When you get to hell, tell Armsmaster that even all these years later, I think fondly of his time with me. I still get shivers remembering his screams… But don't worry, I'm almost done now. Only three more to go… "
Dinah screamed when Taylor savagely began stabbing the prone man.
78.158734268927% probability…
It went on and on and on. For over an hour Dinah's small body jerked to one horrible possible future to another until the final one seemed to release her from her stasis. She curled into herself as her unending tears continued to pour from her. She shook her head in denial, not wanting to believe any of them. Trying to convince herself none of it was true.
But she knew better.
Despite the time Dinah pulled her small body, which was still shaking uncontrollably, out of bed. She opened the big door of her bedroom quietly making her way to a door just down from hers. She quickly opened it peering inside. Unlike most of their rooms, this one was fairly spartan. Not much was in here except for the bed she focused on. Still shaking from her experience she looked at the person in it.
Taylor's head lifted from her pillow looking back sleepily. "Dinah? You okay?"
"Can, can I sleep with you tonight?"
Her savior blinked before she pulled up the covers. Dinah wasted no time diving into the warm bed and burrowing into Tayor as much as possible. She felt the covers drape over her as Taylor tucked her in. Not even how cold Taylor's arm was bothered Dinah as she tried to get control of herself. She was safe here, she told herself. Safe and snuggled into the one person she owed so much too. Taylor whispered calm reassurances as she continued to cry and shake. It was sometime before sleep found either again.
She didn't want to do what the visions said. She couldn't. But if it was the only way...
Long into the night Dinah cursed her power and cried, undecided as to what she was going to do with the devils choice her power was forcing on her.
