Cole was feeling rather giddy, if he was honest with himself. But that had been his first giant monster, so he had every right to to be in high spirits.
More even, they finally located someone in the middle of New Marais who they could actually talk to- somebody who wasn't an idiot like the hicks were, and who wasn't a blind sheep like the remaining population was.

Laroche was currently talking to Colonel Blackwatch- and he didn't even notice how the man drained him of the information he wanted just by asking the right questions. Another note on that, he thought, take care when talking to Blackwatch. Or better, never talk to Blackwatch at all unless he really needed them. The question was, of course, would he even need them? They were perfectly human, and as such vastly inferior to Conduits, weren't they? But then again- he had seen how Colonel Blackwatch took care of the Corrupted, and he knew that back at the public speech the Wisemen had done a much better job than even him- containing the monsters a lot easier than the Militia- and the Militia had the advantage that these things were programmed to not attack them.

So maybe...trust that Blackwatch was capable enough to give them backup?

Cole's brows drew together. "Hey, Cross?"

The Colonel inclined his head, eyes focusing on him. Cole inhaled once. "You think you and your guys are ready to take down the swamp beasts? I mean, you did a pretty good job with the smaller things-"

"Won't be a problem", the man replied. "Now that we have proof that there is some form of infected running amok, we can finally call the shots."

"What?" Laroche's eyes widened. "Infection- what are you talking about?"

"The Swamp Beasts", Alex threw in, "They used to be human. And- but this is only a theory we have- the Militia's captive 'Deviants' are the main stock for these things. Until now, we can't be certain about how exactly the infection process is working, but it probably isn't through simple contact."

"There must be a Hive Queen or something that is responsible for the transformation", Colonel Blackwatch added. "And locating it will be our first priority." He gestured to Alex and Heller. "These two will assist you in fighting the Corrupted themselves, but unless we destroy their Queen, it will only be tackling the symptoms."

"But we can slow it down", Laroche noticed. "If the Militia doesn't get any more 'deviants', they can't turn them into the Swamp Beasts, right?"

"Yes. And that is going to be your job. Keep the civilians away from these things and away from the Militia. However", The man's permanent scowl deepened. "The problem is the people. If they get wind of what we're thinking, they'll turn into a vicious mob, regardless of whether our suspicions are correct or not."

"So lie to the people to protect them", Heller added. "Until we got the proof of what's going on. And by then, we should already have everything under control."

Laroche let out a long and heavy sigh. "I get what you're sayin', but I don't like it a bit." He sighed again. "Fine, I'll do it. Just gonna tell my guys to keep the people away from the swamp beasts and the Militia, get back everyone they kidnapped."

"You need help, contact me", Colonel Blackwatch told him. "My team and I can be boots on the ground anywhere in the city in five."

"I'm in too", Cole threw in. "Give the word and I'll open a can of ass-kicking on whoever you point me at."

"Will do", Laroche agreed, then motioned for his men to leave. The Militia was going to check things up soon enough, so it would be best if they were gone by then. Same for the others. Cole went to walk besides Alex as they too sidled down the street. "Hey, you said there was a Blast Core somewhere around here? You have any idea where?"

"Not really. But I know it'll be closest to a bunch of hicks with guns, so I'd suggest-" He cut himself off when Cole's phone chimed. He answered it.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Cole", Zeke's voice sounded excited. "You'll never guess what happened!"

"You found another Blast Core?"

"Nope, but Kuo's up and about."

Cole blinked. "Already?"

"Yup, and she wanted to meet you at the cemetery."

"Sure?"

"'nother thing", Zeke added. "Alex there?"

"Yeah"

"Good" There was the sound of shuffling on the other side, and Dana's voice pitched in. "You move your ass over here", she huffed out angrily. "Leaving me with this stuff you nicked from Bertrand- I'm not an astrophysicist, Alex!"

Alex snorted amused. "I'll come over." He glanced back at Heller and Colonel Blackwatch. "You can deal?"

"Against a bunch of hicks and a few infected? Please, you're not giving us enough credit."

"All I wanted to hear", Alex turned and left. Cole figured he was excused too and hurried off himself, heading towards the graveyard that made up most of the canal-facing side of the Ascension Parish. He was feeling a bit anxious about meeting Kuo- by all means she should still be recovering (he needed weeks to wake), and he couldn't help but wonder whether she would blame him for what happened. It was a very real possibility, one he didn't want to think about too hard, but he still tried to prepare for it.

On the other hand, he was giddy about the prospect of meeting her and figuring out how she took to her powers. And if his meeting with Nix had been any indication, then it was damn fun to work with a Conduit that didn't try to kill him.

The cemetery was pretty much empty at this time of the night, but as he climbed over the surrounding walls, the scent of decay that hit him was very much overwhelming. He briefly wrinkled his nose, then headed towards an iron gate in the middle of the complex, pushing it open when he saw the lithe figure of Kuo sitting on a grave.

He cleared his throat. "Kuo"

She looked at him surprised. He just arched an eyebrow as she got up to face him. She looked a lot thinner than she'd done before, mostly because she wasn't wearing her jacket anymore. Her heels had been swapped for flat shoes, and she was wearing a sleeveless crop-top with a snowflake imprinted to the lower right side, and a pair of dark slacks. Her hair had a distinct blue shine to it and was styled into a way that looked a lot like Dana's, if a lot less spiky. She also wore blue lipstick and blusher. Her eyes were blue like ice and highlighted with blue eyeshadow. Mist was constantly rising from her blue hands and forearms. Pretty much blue in her overall appearance, and Cole figured that both Dana and Sherry had a hand in it.

Other than that, she seemed to have herself back together. Pretty impressive, considering they pulled her out of that place a scant nine hours ago. He grinned at her. "Well, that is a really new look for you."

She blinked, then glanced down at herself. "You like it?"

Cole critically eyed her, but the grin on his face was enough to tell her he wasn't entirely serious. "You're forgot a cape, but, ah, don't you think it's a little extreme?" Pretty big makeover for somebody who apparently lived in a two-piece suit and heels.

She shrugged. "I'm nearly a hundred percent sure I'm not an agent anymore. So I have to be somebody else, I guess. Plus Zeke thought it was looking good."

"Zeke thinks anything female showing stomach looks good", Cole pointed out. "I think I like the fact more that you are up and about." He eyed her critically. "You alright?"

She grimaced for a very short moment, then instantly tried to play it down. "I'm fine. Fine. It's cute you care-"

"You were tortured", Cole cut her off sternly. "And God knows what else they've done to you. Please don't overexert yourself just because you think you owe me anything."

She swallowed. "I...don't want to do nothing. I don't want to be alone with my thoughts. I want to get back at him just as much as you. I want to look him in the eyes."

He could understand it, just bowed his head slightly. Kuo carefully reached for him, probably to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but accidentally touched his cheek instead-

It burned. It was so cold, it burned. Cole swore and jerked back, and she flinched back violently too, eyes wide. "I'm sorry- I didn't-"

Kuo ducked and wrung her fingers together, eyes darting anywhere but him- Cole grunted and felt his cheek, feeling the tingling sensation slowly fade. "Hey, don't worry. You don't have them under control- I get it."

"You don't get it- you got your powers in an explosion, it was over in a flash! What they did to me was slow, and now you don't understand-"

"I do", he cut her off before she could start a panic attack or something. "When I woke up in that crater, everything hurt, and I was so afraid and I couldn't figure out what had happened- when I dragged myself back to Zeke and Trish, I lost consciousness. When I woke again I caused a blackout in the clinic I was in. I was so afraid of hurting Zeke or Trish, I didn't want to do anything other than making it end." He cocked his head at her defeated expression. "I adapted, had no chance other than to do, it's hard to get these powers under control, but I went through it too. I bet Nix can tell you the same, so you aren't alone in this. And Bertrand will pay for it, believe me- but for that, you have to learn how to control your powers." He noticed her rubbing her upper arms, and arched one eyebrow. "And hey- you're not freezing yourself right now, so you have that going for you. Not like my dumb ass, I zapped myself and knocked out the power when I first tried to shower."

"I'm probably likely to end up freezing the shower and bust a few pipes."

He shrugged. "Happens to the best of us. You can start with a washcloth, until you leave the plumbing alone, okay?"

Kuo exhaled shakily. "Okay. Okay." She swallowed once and glanced at him. "When do we start?" It was more likely that she wasn't really enthused about the idea of having those powers, but understood that she had to exert control instead of letting them run rampant.

Cole inclined his head, letting lightning run over his arms. "We'll start right now. The sooner you get this under control, the better. Let's see what you can do asides from pipe bursting."

Kuo furrowed her brows. "I think I can fly?"

"Fly?" He blinked. "Show me."

Kuo nodded and walked away a few steps, inhaled once- then hopped into the air, curled up- and turned into icy mist that raced several feet across the cemetery where she easily reformed. "That's pretty cool, huh?"

Cole blinked again. "Yeah, and props for that pun too, but if you're trying to make me jealous, it worked." He thought for a moment, then sent out a radar pulse to check whether they were alone. "You know, when Nix and I batted around the hicks, our powers kind of combined. Like, she did her thing and I did mine, and the combined effect was better than what either of us would have managed on their own."

"Combining powers?" She thought about it for a moment. "Sounds useful. We just need someone to...beat up to try it?"

"Or you shoot a few attacks at me, see if something happens." Her expression became startled, and he just shrugged. "Stronger Conduits already attacked me, and no offense or anything, but they've been better than you are now." He spread his arms. "Go on, just go with what feels naturally. Try it."

"I don't-" She cut herself off, eyes narrowing just as Cole felt a tug at the back of his mind. "Militia"

"Yup. So...better targets?"

She made a face. "Cover me."

"With pleasure."

They quickly jogged to where they sensed a couple of guys hanging around. Cole clicked his tongue. "Loitering in a cemetery at night? Tsk."

Kuo swallowed nervously, then leapt upwards and turned into her misty form, rushing to where the men stood, reformed herself and threw her palm to the front- and generating a cloud of mist that enveloped the guys and instantly took their sight. The men were startled, and Cole could see the grass and stones nearby already crusting over. It was still weak, but ice crystals could generate and conduct electricity, right?

He fired a singular bolt into the cloud, instantly forcing the crystals to condense and turn into large slabs of ice that trapped both guys instantly. Not exactly what he wanted to achieve, but he still took the chance. "Kuo! Look at that! A hickcicle!"

She groaned, he laughed and knocked both guys out with a solid hit of his Amp. "C'mon! Let's see what else you can do!"

She already rushed to the front- her mist form being much more maneuverable than he could ever hope to be, so she managed to catch up to another pair. This time, she flicked her wrist in a sidewards motion, flinging the guys right into the air with a burst of icy mist. Cole threw a shockwave into them, sending them careening through the air and smacking them against the graves.

"Cole", She piped up, freezing another guy solidly against a wall. "There's supposed a Blast Core here. I think I heard someone mention that Wolfe had hidden one here."

"Alex said something similar."

"Then let's find it."

They circled the graveyard, looking for obvious signs that something had been tampered with, and avoiding the few hicks they could sense- but darkness and the maze-like structure hid them well enough. What worried Cole was the overpowering scent of decay, and he when he turned a corner, he noticed covered up corpses. This stuff's spread across the city now. Same effect, if more localized.

He grimaced. "Ray Field victims", he muttered under his breath.

Kuo sighed, materializing momentarily next to him. "Yeah. If it is that bad with only the Blast Cores and Shards out here giving off radiation, imagine what it'll be like if the Beast's cloud sweeps over here."

Millions would die. Were probably already dead, because the East Coast was where the Beast was- and it was the most densely packed part of the continent.

"Wait-" Kuo's head snapped up, eyes narrowing at the sound of shooting. "I'm feeling...I don't know." She instantly rushed into the direction of the shots, and Cole quickly followed after her, trying to catch up to her before she did something reckless- but she stopped atop a small crypt and eyed the scene in front of them. Militia fighting those ice guys.

"They...they've been in that lab, just as I have", she noticed when he caught up to her.

"Alex says that they've been given bootlegs of your powers", Cole explained, "And I guess they weren't too happy about being used as guinea pigs, same as you."

"My powers?" She frowned. "I guess that is why I felt them before I saw them." She shook herself. "At any rate, they're distracting each other. And that crypt down there-" She pointed at the building in question, "Looks like it could have been tampered with."

"Good", Cole swung down and approached the crypt, was about to open it- when the ground shook and he leapt backwards with a swear. A Swamp Beast leapt from the ground- bigger than the normal rhino monsters and equipped with darker plates. Cole paled. Where was heavy support when they needed it?

The monster roared and slammed its claws into the ground, growing weird tentacles with orb-like structures on them-
And Cole swore. He knew this, remembered this from a frantic battle at the bottom of an Empire under-bridge.

"Kuo!" He yelled, "Target these egg things! I try to distract the big guy!"

"On it!" He could hear the nervous tone in her voice, but she still tried to comply. Her ice crusted over the eggs, and when Cole fired at the large thing, he shattered several of them. The big guy wasn't amused and charged them, and a few eggs split open to spawn small crab-like Corrupted. Those definitely were not human-based, and for a short second Cole heard Colonel Blackwatch's voice. There must be a Hive Queen or something.

Was this the source of the Corrupted? But...no. It couldn't be. It couldn't be that easy. That wasn't a Queen, but probably a leader.

"Take it down, Kuo!" He shouted, "We have to stop it before it calls more of its friends!"

"-Or draws attention", the Ice Conduit added when a few high speed bullets dug into Cole's back. He swore, forcing himself to dive behind a gravestone to avoid the fire, but leaving himself wide open for the Corrupted to charge him. It was stopped by a blast of ice and momentarily backed off. Cole dashed to the side, firing a few shockwaves at the hicks and stomping on one of the crab things that tried to bite at his ankles.

"Cole!" Kuo's mist hid his form for a moment so he could get into a better position- but sadly the icy mist was mist, and it didn't give much protection against bullets. One clipped his head and his vision went gray for a moment.

Cole clenched his teeth and pulled himself behind cover to rest for a moment, then blindly threw a grenade at the hicks that tried to approach them. He heard their yells when it went off, but that gave the Corrupted enough time to attack them again. Kuo swore and froze the ground so it slipped and crashed, but it recovered too fast.

He threw himself to the side as it crashed into the crypt besides him, rolled over his shoulder to get back to his feet, but froze when he felt the ground shake again.

Something screamed at the back of his head and he leapt out of the way, frantically waving at Kuo to do the same- when the soil behind him shattered with an ear-splitting screech. He whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of a three-story tall Corrupted rising from the ground. More snake-like than the others, with a thick base and a two-pronged metal beak that split sideways the moment it set eyes (it didn't have eyes!) on the smaller Corrupted.

With a screech, it lashed out its whip-like barbed tongue at it, succeeding in throwing it off balance with a violent swipe.

"Wait-" Cole blinked, "Why are they fighting against each other?"

"No idea", Kuo inhaled sharply, witnessing the snake slamming its considerate mass into the Corrupted hard enough to shatter its body. Then its beak clamped down on it and dragged it back into its hole, silencing its terrified screeches as soon they were out of sight.

For a moment, nothing moved- until a second popped up just behind the Militia members with a loud shriek. The men paled and instantly dove for cover as the snake whipped its body in a half-circle flat over the ground. Cole summoned another grenade into his hand and targeted the men to shut them up- he figured if they didn't move the snake would leave them alone, and the Corrupted really froze for a moment before it slowly turned towards Cole and Kuo.

The Electric Conduit swallowed. "Same plan, Kuo- you distract it and cool it down, I try to blow it up-?" He cut himself off when his partner made a surprised noise.

The snake was...cooing, for a lack of a better work, swaying softly from side to side- before its beak split open to reveal the tell-tale glow of the Blast Core.

The two Conduits just blinked as the snake dropped the Core directly in front of them, then retreated into its lair. Cole briefly toyed with the idea to still follow it, but quickly noticed that the ground was so dug up it collapsed the moment the thing vanished.

"What...was that?" Kuo asked, looking a little disheveled.

"No idea", Cole replied, leaning down to pick up the Core. "But uh, it got a present for us?"

She was still watching the ground warily, but turned to him instead. "What now?"

"Go back?" He suggested after a moment's thought. "Try this thing out and get new powers out of it?"

"Yeah, that sounds...like a plan. But what about this...thing?"

"Hey, you want climb after it into its lair, you are welcome to do so", Cole grimaced. "Plus it kind of helped us, so how about cutting it some slack?"

"Guess so. Not going to try fight a thing that size." She briefly shook her head, then smiled at Cole. "Race you?"

"Sure" He started running, but she was faster. He knew she would be at their roof before him, but that was fine. She would be away from whatever that had been way faster than he would, and she would learn to enjoy her powers.

He still tried to keep up with her and finally arrived at their place completely out of breath. Like predicted, Kuo was already present and perched on the roof. Zeke and Dana were too, as was Alex. The Runner just arched an eyebrow at him, barely even looking up from the computer.

"Took your sweet time."

"Yeah, I went for the scenic route", he replied.

"You got the Core alright?"

"I got it, but listen- we kind of met some sort of Corrupted. Big, snake-like, one of them ate the Swamp Beast we've been fighting and the other scared off the Militia."

Alex snorted. "It was only one and it wasn't a Corrupted", he said simply.

"How would you know-" Cole's brows furrowed. "How do you know?"

"Not important", was the answer. "Go on. Use the Core. We don't have all day."

Cole was still frowning, as was Dana, but Alex just shrugged it off and turned his entire attention back to his work. He wasn't going to get an answer that way, so he dropped it for the time being and walked a few steps away to have some space- and activated the Core.

The discharge sent him straight on his ass and knocked him out cold.

When Cole woke again, it was morning already, and only Alex was there with him on the roof. The Conduit groaned as he dragged himself to his feet, then shook his head.

"You okay?"

"Just give me a moment", he grunted, then blinked and glanced at the other. "Was that concern I heard?"

"Of course it was." Alex scoffed. "You just absorbed your third Blast Core and fucked up your own genetic code again. The last time one Conduit was constantly mutating like you are doing right now, we had to deal with David Warner in the end."

Cole hissed through his teeth, trying not to remember the black-skinned demonic Conduit. "But Wolfe said it's the only way to use the RFI."

"I know", the Runner sighed and rolled the sphere over the table towards him so Cole could put it back into his bag. "And by all means, the effects shouldn't be anywhere near Warner's level since a Core is just the waste product of the Sphere, but you are still constantly forcing your body to adapt and change. It might be wise to take a break every now and then."

"I can't", Cole sighed, "Because the Beast is coming and I want to be finished before that." He frowned briefly. "How far off is it?"

"Roughly seven hundred and thirty miles", Alex answered. "I checked in with Cross, he confirmed it."

"And coming closer fast." Cole dragged his palm down his face. "I'll just have to deal with the Cores then." He exhaled. "Anything on the servers?"

"I worked through most of it. It seems that each Conduit gives off a specific wavelength of Ray Field energy", Alex explained to him. "And this wavelength not only triggers the activation in Lesser Conduits, but also allows humans to gain Conduit Powers when exposed to it correctly."

"Like Bertrand did with Kuo and the Vermaak dudes?"

"Exactly", He stretched his arms and let ripples of Biomass run over them, removing his leather jacket and hoodie and replacing them for the band tee he'd been 'wearing' the day before. "But, to be honest, it's a pretty hard thing to work with and my head hurts from trying to process everything." He snorted. "I didn't even know I could do that."

"Then it's time for a break, huh?" Cole looked around once. "Where are the others?"

"Dunbar's with the Militia. He said that right now, we got them in the ropes and they're going to tell us something we need."

"Fair."

"Dana's with Kuo. They went to look at a few hideouts Wolfe had created all over the city, hoping to find some notes of his. Kuo seems certain he had some of his research logs there. Heller's back with Cross. Since the Corrupted only come out at night, they're preparing to hunt them down."

Alex cleared his throat after a moment. "Also, Nix came by. She asked me to tell you she wants to meet you down by the Swamp Docks."

"Nix?"

"Apparently, she has something to show you." He hummed for a moment. "I'd like to come along too, check things out in the swamp. When we came here, I swear I sensed the Corrupted there. I want to see whether I can find their nest."

"And do what? Kill them?"

"I won't be able to get all of them. But I want to...do something there."

"Like yesterday?" Cole cocked his head. "You have been controlling the snake thing, haven't you? Just like you controlled Heller."

Alex's grin revealed too many and too sharp teeth. "That's where you're mistaken, Cole. I didn't control it. I was it."

He blinked. With him being a shapeshifter, taking another form wouldn't be too hard- he spent a whole lot of time disguising himself as a dog before they met, after all. But then again, Dana would probably have said something if he hadn't been present to help her. "Uh...but you've been here all night?"

"You're forgetting one thing: I'm a virus. A disease. Biologically, it doesn't make sense I just have one host, one main focus. But I guess despite knowing that, I was still thinking too much like a human- and that is risky, as we have learnt."

"The Beast-"

"It could have seriously damaged me. Maybe even killed me." He snorted. "I realized I should have prepared better- and that is what you've seen yesterday."

"Preparation?"

"I shaved off parts of my mass hid them in New Marais's underground. Basically stored bits and pieces of me all over the place." He shrugged. "It's a fail-safe, of sorts, or a storage in case I don't manage to find something to consume. Something that allows me to keep going should this body get destroyed."

Cole blinked. "Like a squirrel hiding nuts?" He grimaced, "Nope, not close enough."

Alex snorted amused. "Squirrels can't grow back from nuts. I can, no matter how tiny the piece is I'm regenerating from. And what I learnt yesterday was that I can easily control even parts not connected to me like they are my main body- shapeshifting and consumption included."

The Conduit paled instantly when realization hit. "Wait- you're meaning to tell me that me just walking over the streets means you could eat me whenever you want to?!"

"No- unless I require the Biomass, it is mostly inactive and perfectly secure. When I need it, it won't turn into a mindless monster- it would just be me remote piloting another body."

"Like yesterday?"

"Exactly. I noticed the Corrupted dig past me- or better, dig past a part of me. I was interested, so I followed it, I watched you fight it, and then I consumed it while working on the decryption here. Wasn't much more complicated than using two computer screens at the same time." He shoved the laptop into a box, locked it and hid the key in a place Cole figured Dana knew about. "Now come, we shouldn't leave Nix waiting."

There were still so many questions Cole had, but he closed his mouth and followed the Runner. In some way, what he just learnt made sense. He knew of the Hive Mind, the telepathic connection between the viral cells that made up the infective tissues- and since he also knew about Heller, he knew perfectly well that the Hive Mind worked on separate entities. Only in this case, they weren't separate entities- just the same guy in different bodies.

Sasha had been similar, if a lot weaker in that aspects, as she had been able to contact him even through an altered version of her tar, though her ability to interact with the surroundings had been limited.

Even he had been similar- when he reactivated those Transformers in Ascension Parish he too had been able to 'see' his surroundings through the energy he'd given off. "Tesla Missile", he said, and Alex stopped briefly, frowning. "The move I used yesterday on Ascension Parish", Cole explained. "I just decided to name it that way."

Alex made a humming noise, then gestured towards the open roofs around them. "Speaking of moves, I'm sure you'd want to test out whatever ability you've gotten from the Core?"

Right. Cole had forgotten about that. He cleared his throat to mask his surprise, then looked around for inspiration. He tried to focus on something that hadn't been there before, like the magnetic lifting or the ash tornado. This time, he didn't feel anything new, though he was pretty sure that some of his abilities were different. So he tried it, simply leapt off the building they were currently on and activated his thrusters- he quickly realized that they were both faster and longer living, with more lifting power. Not as good as Alex's gliding, but still better than the old version. The next he noticed was that his magnetic repulsion also gained in strength and now worked vertically too, not only horizontally as it had done until now, so he could catapult himself straight upwards when standing on a metallic surface. Combined with the better thrusters, he suddenly had a much larger range of action.

He also has gotten his sniper shot back, which was awesome, though he was sadly lacking any larger, flashier moves. Still, it felt good, and he let out a content moan.

Alex appeared besides him with a casual tilt to his body, both hands in his pockets. "You finished then?"

"Yup. Not a new move, but I got improvements on a few old ones." He clapped his hands together. "Now, where did Nix want to meet me?"

Alex waved vaguely across the city. "South-Eastern Side, south of Leo Park. And she didn't explicitly tell me to tell you to meet her, she said she 'Had something that'll blow your mind'."

"So, worth to check out."

"She seemed to have put a lot of thought into that one, so yes. It's impolite to leave a lady waiting."

"Problem there", Cole pointed out as he started jogging down the street. "Nix ain't no lady."

Alex's chuckle was all answer he got.

Nix was easy to spot. The Fire Conduit sat on a rickety pier, head propped up with one knee and her back turned to the city. She was very still, far from how she'd been the day before. She didn't acknowledge their presence any more than just a light bob of her head and a "'Ello Cole. 'Ello Alex."

Cole paused for a moment, eyebrows arched up. He didn't know her that silent, and he didn't like it. Anything to try and get her out of the blues, he figured, so he pointed at her foot that was dangling near the water. "Better watch your feet. Gators aren't the worst in the waters these days."

Nix sighed. "Too bad. Nice day for skinny dip."

"Go on right ahead. I'm not stopping you", Cole grinned at her.

"You'll have to factor Cole out, though", Alex threw in, apparently picking up on the mood too. "Water and him don't mix too well." Both were silent for a moment, then the Runner crouched down besides the Fire Conduit who was uncharacteristically forlorn. "What's this about?"

Nix exhaled and pointed at the swamp. "Ya knew, a grew up out dere."

No electricity, no education, no water. He'd seen the slums at the edges of New Marais, and knew perfectly well that she used to live further away where nobody looked after the people. "Must have been rough", the Electric Conduit mumbled sympathetically.

"Is a wole oter world", she confirmed. "Only people a eva knew was tieves an' crazies. An' poor like no tomorrow." She sighed and Cole could hear the crack in her voice. "Mah mamma was all dat. Used to be."

"What happened?" Alex questioned. He even used the same tone of voice he usually used around Dana.

Nix was silent for a moment, then glanced at them. "Das wat a was gonna show ya." She grabbed Alex's wrist and simply pulled herself up, eyes on Cole. "Firs' we gonna get ya a boat."

"Saw some Militia on the way here", Cole mentioned, pointing at another plantation just visible through the trees. "Think they got a nice boat?"

If there was anything Nix loved doing, it was beating up hicks. And a tiny smile was already tugging at her lips. "We'll see"

Alex cracked his knuckles, armor plates swimming upwards and covering his body just as his arms buffed up dramatically. "Allow me." Cole stepped back and just bowed slightly, and the Runner dashed off. Instantly, they heard the yells of the men and the cracks of gunshots.

Nix's eyebrows went up. "'E always dat way?"

"No. Sometimes he leaves the armor off."

"Pretty awesome stuff, man."

"You want to join in?"

"'ell yeah!"

They ran after him, seeing the destruction Alex already wrought in the shape of story-tall black spikes that ripped from the ground. Miraculously, nobody was dead, but badly startled and partly injured. Cole slapped Nix's arm and motioned to the left, while Alex charged around the right side of the building. Nix agreed to his way of thinking and teleported towards a small group of guys, instantly trapping them in tar. Cole zapped the liquid and blew them all up, then spun on his heel and fired off another ash tornado to break their formation.

With the way free, the two Conduits ran to the back of the complex, towards a well-equipped pier and a small trawler docked there.
Alex rushed towards them like a bull- plowing through men, equipment and walls with ease, and waving at them to get into the boat. Cole lunged over, and Nix darted up into the bridge to take control. Alex splashed into the water behind them the moment Cole removed the moorings, seconds before the Runner tackled into the rear of the boat to virtually shove it into the bog and away from the hicks that yelled after them.

The Fire Conduit was laughing when she finally fired up the engine and took control, and Cole grinned as Alex dragged himself out of the swamp, shook himself and pulled back the armor with a satisfied smirk. "Nice work, guys!" She cheered. "Les go for a ride."

The trawler kept moving, swiftly gliding through the bog. Cole inhaled the fresh air deeply, enjoying it until Alex made a noise. The Conduit turned his attention on the surrounding swamps immediately, and noticed the watch towers installed along the waterway. "Nix? Those always been here?"

"No. Dey new", She furrowed her brows.

"Wonder what Bertrand wants out here", Alex muttered, then eyed Cole. "If they see us, they'll blow this ship to pieces."

"Unless we take them out before that", Cole pointed out.

"Yes. And coincidentally, there is ammunition stashed on these things- ammunition and fuel. You said you got your sniper shot back?"

"Oh yeah." Cole turned to face the tower, and let his focus change as he targeted the first tower. One bolt was all that was needed to blow it up. He heard the surprised yells of the men stationed nearby, but only as he took down the second tower they realized that they were under attack.

And all Hell broke loose. Alex cocked his head, grabbed a fist full of his own shirt and literally yanked out a piece of his own stomach- the damage healed up instantly as he threw the piece over to the left side like a grenade. Upon making contact with the floor, it erupted into a cluster of spikes and tentacles that drew attention by forcing the men to back off in terror. Cole leapt over the railing and hovered over to solid ground, firing a shockwave at the closest guys to keep them down the moment he had the soft muddy ground under his feet- and the tentacles receded to instantly turn into a large black dog that lunged growling at another guy.

He still heard Nix's surprised yelp, even over the shouts and cracks of shots. "'oly Shit man, das sick! An' awesome!"

The dog charged the turrets, leapt upwards to slam into the ground and burrow into it as squirming tendrils- erupting just behind the men to take them down. By then, Cole had arrived and swung himself clear over the shields to fire lightning at those that tried to hide behind.

Something snarled suddenly, and a Swamp Beast, a normal one, leapt at him. The dog was faster, tearing into it and melting it into wriggling tentacles. I can easily control even parts not connected to me like they are my main body- shapeshifting and consumption included.

He risked a glance back to the boat, and sure enough, Alex was grinning. Holy shit.

Cole grimaced briefly, then whistled and pointed at another group of hicks. The dog (Alex? Dog Alex?) changed course and headed for them, charging straight through solid obstacles, then through the water separating this island from another.

Cole lugged a grenade towards the water's edge, stood on top of it- and let the following explosion catapult him high off the ground so he could hover over the bog and assault the guys.

They were already thrown in turmoil- Corrupted were using the fog rising from the swamp as cover to attack them. It made Cole pause briefly- these guys should have been able to control these things, if they were really on their side, no?

But this didn't look like they had anything under control.

The dog barked once, and leapt at another Corrupted to consume it. Cole fired at the hicks to take them down. They would wake up sooner or later with a massive headache, but they would live.

"Cole!" Nix yelled, and the Conduit wasted no time leaping back on board. Alex eyed him briefly, and his dog-self crashed back into the floor, dissipating. "Those swamp things are pissed", Cole felt he needed to point that out.

"Dey jus' defend deir territory, man", Nix gave back, then hissed between her teeth when tentacles erupted on the island to throw the Militia hicks around and knock them out, and consume the Corrupted. "Man, ya a real monster, ain' ya?"

"This is my territory now", Alex said simply. A group of three Swamp beasts suddenly leapt out of the mist and landed on deck, and the Runner summarily greeted them with a pair of claws to the face and tentacles to the chests. He shook one wrist. "I don't like them invading it either."

Somewhere, something big roared, then was cut off with a fleshy squelch. Cole grimaced. "Holy shit, you're not doing anything half-assed."

"Damn, man", Nix whistled. "Dey got more monsters dan moustique." She hummed for a moment with a frown. "Maybe das why dese guys dig in?"

"Maybe", Cole also furrowed his brows. "But until now we thought that the Militia had something to do with these things, trains them maybe, though this doesn't look like it."

"Or maybe they need to be constantly trained in order to be useable as tools", Alex suggested. "Otherwise they just go feral."

Cole snorted as he noticed a Militia camp- abandoned and torn apart. "Can only be positive for us- if these hicks are too busy trying to hold their own pets back, then they won't be able to stop us." He spat into the bog. "They kidnap people and turn them into those things- they kidnapped Kuo and tortured her. I say they get what they deserved."

Alex nodded briefly as his eyes went distant for a second. Then Cole saw another cluster of tentacles rise from the soil and turn into the same giant snake monster he'd seen on the cemetery- and the snake slammed into the ground again to drive another Large Corrupted from its hideout. Once it was out there, Alex made short work with it, ripping it apart and consuming it without actually moving his ass off the boat.

His attention shifted briefly, turning to the other side- where dozens of these things emerged from the soil. All screeching, and spitting globs of acid at the boat when they couldn't reach it with their claws or fangs.

Alex scoffed, and armor grew back over his shape. "Keep going", he told them as he fashioned his blade, "I'll take care of them quickly."

"Meet you at the end?"

"Definitely." He lunged off the boat, catapulting himself directly between the Corrupted- seconds before he exploded into a cluster of spikes and tentacles. Cole could only see the trees collapsing as the boat continued gliding through the fog around them. He could hear the screeches of the Swamp Beast, and grimaced.

"Is 'e gonna be okay?" Nix demanded to know, "Dere are a lot of dese tings."

"Your concern is appreciated", Cole replied, "But not warranted in this case. These things won't stand a chance- you've seen how easily he could take one of them apart."

"Dey ain' de only tings out here", the Fire Conduit gave back. "Dere are big ones too- 'cause we close now."

"Won't be alive much longer", he still sent out a radar pulse to map the area, and surely, he could sense most of the things simply ceasing to exist. Was probably not enough left of their nervous systems once Alex was through with them- Cole shuddered at the thought, though couldn't help but be grateful that it wasn't his job to deal with these things now. He just hoped the Runner knew what he was doing, or else they would be screwed.

Somewhere, something big was moving about, shattering trees and shaking the ground- and the ground was soft and spongy, so there was a lot of Corrupted moving. "What is that thing?"

"Dunno. Never stuck around to find out", Nix admitted. "'Cause dese tings- dey scare me. A can deal wit' de small ones. Or de Militia. But not dis." She killed the engine, so the boat slowly started to lose momentum as it gently drifted through the bog. "We dere", she pointed out as she brought the trawler long side to the muddy shoreline. "Now we gotta walk."

"How far?" Cole hopped onto the drier ground, grimacing briefly when he accidentally got into too much contact with the water, and tied the boat up.

"A 'our", Nix pointed out with a bitter tone, "No more. Is a bit away. Nobody eva looked."

Something snapped, and she whirled in place with flames dancing along her arms. Alex just cocked his head. "Sorry for startling you."

Nix huffed out, dropped her arms and motioned at them to follow her. She was silent, jaw set and teeth grit. Neither Alex nor Cole dared say anything as she led the way away from the waterway and into the trees, so all they could hear were a few birds tweeting, frogs croak and the mosquitoes buzz about. From time to time they heard some animal in the underbrush, but they didn't encounter any Militia or Corrupted.

When they climbed up a hillside, Alex stopped briefly, eyes narrow. "No birds", he said. "No insects. Nothing."

Cole too noticed it- it was dead silent around them.

Nix scoffed- the first thing she said in an hour. "Dey all afraid", she pointed out. "Noting comes here."

"Why?"

She didn't answer, just brushed asides a few branches of the thicket, revealing a massive clearing.

Cole choked briefly, forgetting how to breathe for a moment, and he heard Alex shift his weight too. What he initially thought to be a clearing was a gigantic crater. It was easily three of four blocks wide, with mowed-down trees around its edges. The bottom was filled with water, but there were barely any plants growing on the ground- likely because it had been melted by extreme heat and turned into glass. In the middle was a small mound, untouched by the devastation around it. He slid down the crater's edge and closed in on the mound, noticing the pedestal in the direct center of the mound- in the direct center of the crater.

Exactly like Empire.

Exactly like Empire, where he had been the center of the crater- just a little burnt up while everything else had been melted.

"Ya know dis", Nix noticed as she closed in, eyes narrow.

"I've been in a place like this before", Cole admitted. "It was the same in Empire. But this..." He looked around. The ground was slowly starting to grow over again- moss, lichen, creeping vines and the occasional weed were sprouting all over the place. "This is older." He turned to her. "This is where you got your powers."

"Few years ago", Nix confirmed. "After Katrina. After de storm. Militia rolled in, dragged all 'omeless people in wit' promises of food." She spat on the ground with a vicious snarl. "But it was jus' show for public. Bertrand took 'em all 'ere. Chained togeter like slaves. People nobody was goin' to miss. Poor, tieves, wores. And 'e was dere, in de middle. Wit' a large orb in 'is 'ands."

"The Ray Sphere", Cole hissed. He knew perfectly well what had happened after that, didn't need Nix's words to realize what had happened.

"Mah mamma was dere too", Nix said with a small voice. "An' mah sistas and brotas. A wasn', 'cause a 'ave argued wit 'er. Said nasty tings. Ah came back to say sorry, but dey was gone. So a looked for dem, snuck in- an' found dem 'ere. Mamma- she noticed mah, tol' mah to run."

Nix swallowed thickly, wiping her wrist over her eyes once, then continued. "Bertrand did someting wit' de orb, because is started glowin'. Den a woke up, an' evabody was dead. Burnt, most of 'em dust. Only dose away from de middle were still dere- burnt bodies, fallin' apart at touch. Sometimes a can still 'ear dem scream." Nix sniffed and clenched her fists. "An' Bertrand- 'e stood in de middle. Laffin'."

Alex managed to catch Cole's attention, expression pulled into a scowl. Was probably thinking the same- Bertrand knew he had the gene, and out of pure hubris, activated himself by sacrificing hundreds of people- and accidentally activating Nix too since she coincidentally had the gene herself.

"Goddamn purist asshole", Cole spat. "Preaching everybody that Conduits are the devil's work, while he's one himself." But it worried him. Nix had been at the edge of the Blast, was a real powerhouse- but what about Bertrand? He stood at the center, so by all logic, he should be something really fearful.

"'e walked away", Nix explained, "A was too scared. Didn' know wat happened, didn' wan' to leave mah mamma. And den de oter man appeared."

"What other man?" Alex questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

"De man in de wite coat", Nix pointed out. "A was scared, hid, but a tink 'e knew a was dere. 'E took de orb Bertrand left be'ind, cursin' under 'is breat'- an' den 'e looked at were a was." She shook herself. "'Is eyes were blue. Like ligtnin'."

Hey, we finished the loyalty missions for both Kuo and Nix. Though, I had to fix their graveyard meeting, because in-Game Cole was a dick back then- which doesn't fit for the mental image I have of him, and since this is my story, I can do whatever I want.