Cooper soared through the night sky at high speeds towards where they originally split up. He noticed that the hunter was still on his ass, and wondered if he should engage him now or later. Coop figured that fighting him was inevitable and he definitely didn't want to bring him back to Gwen's location. That answered his question. The blonde glanced back to empty space behind him. Did he give up? Cooper thought as he slowed his pace to a hover. His sensors picked up a quickly approaching projectile and the blonde ducked in time to avoid Sevenseven's tackle. Cooper raised his arm and shot off two small rockets in the hunter's direction and 7/7 countered it with a missile of his own.
A fiery explosion lit up the night sky and drew the attention of the people below for a moment. Cooper had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded by the mix of bright colors. He transformed his arm into a heavy barrel that shot off a barrage of 7.62 at his enemy. Sevenseven flew around in zigzags and jagged lines to dodge the bullets, zooming behind a building to take cover from the suppressive fire. Cooper's barrel was smoking when he halted the rain of fire. He landed on the tower that 7/7 hid behind and crossed the rooftop cautiously.
Blue light shined from his hand as Cooper readied his arm cannon to erase this bounty hunter from existence. He slowly glanced over the edge to see nothing. 7/7 pulled the man backwards and forcefully spun him around to deliver a punch to his masked face. The impact sent vibrations through his mask and dazed the young blonde for a moment. Seven took this opportunity to kick his opponent off the edge, but his leg was caught by the suspecting blonde. Cooper was never one for hand to hand combat but that doesn't mean he didn't take a couple kickboxing lessons on his off time. The blonde pulled the hunter forward and aimed his fist for the helmet in a quick motion. 7/7's years of alien martial arts training gave him an edge over the man. He blocked the punch and yanked his leg away from the amatuer; he raised his leg again for a powerful side-kick to Cooper's waist.
Coop was thankful for the armor that Elena created for him or these attacks would be doing some serious damage. Every punch and kick caused little shockwaves through his entire suit. He didn't have time for a Rocky boxing match, the man still had to find Gwen.
"I think I'll just skip throwing hands and just incinerate your ass," Cooper groaned. "Is that cool with you?"
All Cooper got in response is a series of clicks and growls. The thrusters underneath his feet ignited as he started to hover above the rooftop. He shot a metal ball at 7/7's feet and the alien inspected it for a moment before trying to take off as well. It doesn't take a genius for one to recognize a bomb when they see one. Seven glanced down at his suit in confusion when he didn't fly off.
"The EMP comes first then the explosion," Cooper stated.
When Seven glanced back up Cooper was already zooming off in a direction. The blonde chuckled to himself as he saw the fiery light go off in the distance.
"I should have done that sooner."
Now he could focus on finding Gwen and Charmcaster. Which didn't take long. The hero could spot the fight occurring between the redhead and an unknown enemy. It was the only street that was basically empty compared to the rest of the city. Cooper scanned the surrounding area and saw no sign of Charmcaster. Did she abandon Gwen? Cooper shook his head. No, that wouldn't be possible; even if they'd never admit it those two were attached at the hip.
Gwen was struggling against this new foe. It seemed like he had a counter for everything she threw at him. And imagine her surprise when he negated her mana attacks with his bare hands. She's never witnessed someone able to deflect her mana blasts and it gave her the chills. He hasn't even attacked her yet. Crisis has done nothing but play defensive this entire fight. The redhead could feel her blood boiling at the sudden passiveness of the bounty hunter. After he tried to murder Charmcaster right in front of her. It was unacceptable and she will show no mercy to anyone who harms her friends.
The heroine threw a couple more of her signature mana discs at her opponent with ferocious speed and power behind it. Crisis continued to slap away the attacks like they were child's play. Gwen noticed a difference in his defense this time. Before the attack completely dissipated when it came in contact with his hands, but now they were being redirected into a street lamp and car. She found it strange that he didn't negate it as he previously showed. Gwen peered closer and saw white gloves on the man's hands with strange symbols drawn on it, there were light scorch marks and soot around the knuckles.
Gwen assumed that his gloves were unnoticable before because they hadn't taken damage, now that it had a dark color to them, they were clear as day. The sorceress wondered if his gloves were the reason behind his ability. Gwen concentrated as she absorbed a large amount of mana between her hands, creating a basketball sized ball of pink surging energy. The small bomb zoomed towards the hunter with deadly precision. Crisis' eyes widened as the attack closed in on him within seconds. A flash of white hit before an explosion enveloped the hunter and his side of the street.
Gwen was really grateful that bystanders cleared the road when they realized their fight wasn't special effects. She could release some more energy without the worry of unnecessary death. She took a moment to catch her breath as she tried to peer through the black smoke. Gwen chuckled when she saw the hunter walk out of the smoke with relatively zero scratches. That means her hypothesis was correct about his gloves being able to negate a specific amount of mana. He had blocked or deflected all of her previous attacks, and all of sudden he decided to completely avoid the attack altogether. She was slightly nervous about how he managed to escape unscathed but that'll have to come later.
Crisis watched the woman chuckle and he figured that she found out about his gloves. It didn't matter to him, playing defense was getting boring anyway. He noticed a silver suit flying towards them and didn't recognize them as any of the bounty hunters assigned to this mission. An ally? He asked himself as the person landed beside his target. He could hear their conversation clear as day without all the distractions littered around the street.
"Gwen? Who's this chump?" silver suit questioned.
"No clue but I do know that Hope is laying in a pool of her own blood somewhere, can I count on you to find her?" Gwen replied sternly.
Silver suit nodded and took off again without another word. Crisis watched them disappear into the night sky and laughed darkly. Now that her only ally had left, he didn't have to worry about anyone else showing up for a while.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to let your only reinforcement fly off?"
"You've shown me a lot of concern since the start of our fight. Are you trying to tell me something?" Gwen said with a smirk.
"Yeah, that you're about to die."
"You aren't the first to tell me that."
Gwen ran towards Crisis, shooting several powerful mana discs at his feet. The hunter jumped to dodge the series of explosions and Gwen smirked as he jumped right into her trap. She wanted him off the ground so he couldn't dodge the follow-up energy blast. Crisis had no choice but to use his gloves to deflect the attack. Small amounts of mana can be negated by the gloves' abilities, even large amounts could be deflected away depending on the strength of the spell casted on the fabric. The snow haired man felt the gloves burn up when it touched the high-density mana, exposing his scarred hands to the attack. Smoke rose from the hunter's hands indicating that he suffered damage. Crisis smirked as he glanced at Gwen through white strands of hair. This was nothing to him. Pain meant nothing to the young bounty hunter.
Gwen saw that her attack worked on her opponent and took the opportunity to turn the tides. She whispered an incantation and swirling flames appeared before her, the fire raged into a giant ball of intense light. By the time it was finished manifesting into reality, the fireball looked more like a small sun with its destructive intensity. Gwen pointed at Crisis and the miniature sun obeyed her command descending on the unsuspecting hunter within seconds.
Crisis closed his eyes and grabbed a hold of a silver handle that protruded from his hand. He slowly pulled the sword out from his palm and revealed a short silver blade. The weapon extended into a greatsword and he gripped the handle with both hands. His biceps tensed as he thrusted the heavy weapon into the air towards the fireball. As soon as the blade came into contact with Gwen's attack, the menacing sun popped like a balloon. Gwen was beyond shocked to see such a powerful spell be negated. But this was different from all the other times he slapped aside her attacks. The fireball quitely literally disappeared like it was instantly teleported.
Crisis rested the flat side of his weapon on his shoulder. The defiled blade of Anduril came in clutch yet again. He was very fond of this silver sword since it was very similar to his own ability. The long sword has access to a pocket dimension connected through its blade. He had no idea where touching the blade led to exactly, but he doubted it was anywhere good. Crisis had his own pocket dimension located inside his body hence how he keeps all his weapons on his person. He wasn't able to send anything living there nor could he go himself. That was his only ability. He had little access to mana so using magic effectively was out of the question for him. Crisis was envious of those like Gwen who excelled in mana control. He figured that his family wouldn't have abandoned him if he was a strong sorcerer
"Checkmate," Crisis stated.
"Are you underestimating me?"
"Touching this blade means instant death. The fact that I brought out such a weapon means I acknowledge your strength."
"So what you're saying is that until it touches me I can't lose?" Gwen countered.
"You're going to avoid me? That's imposs-"
Crisis was cut off mid-sentence by a powerful kick to his side: the moment of impact sprouted blood from his lips and sent him crashing into the brick wall. He couldn't believe what just occurred, he didn't even see her move. Crisis groaned as he pushed through the pain to remove himself from the cratered wall. Thank God he was able to send his weapon back into his body, or he would've impaled himself on his own sword. Crisis peered back at the spot he was launched from; to see an unfamiliar character standing there.
A deep magenta cloak fluttered in the slight breeze. Gwen felt the immense power flowing through her veins from her magical form. Whenever Gwen was in this form she could sense the presence of every living thing inside a giant bubble. It was an overwhelming experience but she learned to block out the unnecessary parts. Mana normally flowed through her body and every other living thing around her with a distinct attraction towards the redhead. This form turned her life force into a powerful magnet that pulled all mana towards her; which boosted her magical ability tenfold. Mana reinforced her cells to give her immense strength, speed, and durability. Gwen had only used this form a couple of times, but she decided to name it 'Inner Witch Mode'.
IWM brought the woman closer to the roots of magic and her Anodite history. Hope had told her, after they defeated Vilgax, that she felt like she was in the presence of a higher magical being around Gwen's new form. Gwen had never encountered someone who can do damage to her in IWM, so she assumed this would be a good test drive for its limits. The redhead had to admit she was a bit apprehensive, this mode brought out a side of her she never knew. A violent one.
What is this feeling? Crisis asked himself. Fear? Such an emotion has never slithered into his life until right now. He was standing before an almighty presence. An aura that was so immense and overpowering that other auras were mere shadows to it. Was it his imagination or was he in the presence of a god? Crisis' fear and anxiety quickly turned into adrenaline and his lips curled into a wicked smile. Ever since he was a child, there was a hole in his heart that itched for battle. No fight could ever fill that emptiness; no matter how much he searched the galaxy. And now he was graced with a worthy opponent.
"Yes! You'll be my new light, Gwen Tennyson!" Crisis howled crazily.
He drew his silver sword and charged forward with a crazed expression on his face. Crisis swung at the socereress haphazardly. Gwen simply dodged each swing with a side step before erecting a wall of mana between the two. Crisis jumped back and slashed the wall, reducing it to shadows. He widened his eyes to see thick vines approaching him quickly; the hunter was impressed by the silent spell casting. A touch was all he needed to send the vines away; he scoffed at the attempt. Gwen flicked her finger at her opponent and dozens of dark magenta orbs shot forward. Crisis couldn't swing fast enough to erase the orbs and they overwhelmed him in a devastating explosion.
"So even the eternal tower shield stood no chance," Crisis chuckled. "What a monster!"
The hunter stood from his crouched position and tossed the broken shield aside, it looked more like a crumpled slab of metal at this point. Crisis distinctly remembered that same shield tanking a naval laser cannon at point blank and that weapon had city destroying capabilities. He glanced around the destroyed city block. There were chunks blown out of buildings and debris scattered everywhere. It seems like the gloves are finally off, he told himself. Crisis was out of options. No, he had one more trick up his sleeve.
"Alright I surrender," he admitted and held his hands up. "This definitely isn't worth the amount of money being offered."
Gwen held her ground and stared at the bounty hunter like he was crazy. As if she'd ever let him go after all the trouble and damage he caused. She began to glow a deep shade of magenta until she was the brightest thing on that street. This next move would surely vaporize her opponent instantaneously.
"Get me out of here!" Crisis yelled into the sky.
A blue beam engulfed the hunter and zapped him away to an unknown location. Gwen tried to sense his current whereabouts but it was as if he vanished off the face of the planet. The redhead's aura dimmed back to normal and eventually IWM wore off. She took a couple deep breaths to calm her racing heart and glanced around at the damage she caused. Gwen sensed dozens of agonizing souls in the vicinity, most likely caught up in her fight. She didn't have time to rescue strangers. Charmcaster was somewhere on her last legs and bounty hunters were running around. She checked her radio and realized it was jammed. The others could be in danger. Gwen closed her eyes and looked for her friends, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found out everyone was still alive. She couldn't find her aura though. There was a sinister presence in place of Hope's and it was growing by the second.
"This isn't good."
Charmcaster was currently under the spell of Horus's eye of Providence that sent her into a dream-like state of mind.
"HELLO!" Hope screamed into the darkness several times.
There was no answer from the shadows. Her memory was fuzzy and vision blurry. She hated the dark, it reminded the woman of him. That ,somehow, she was still lingering in his shadow. She cursed her uncle for having such a hold on her. His death freed her from his physical abuse, but there were times where she thought about him. The disease he left in her head that continued to attack her to this day. Hope really hated the dark.
Her view changed into an inky version of her childhood home. She gasped at the image of Grace that appeared before her; Hope whimpered at the sight of her foster mom's beautiful smile. The smell of freshly baked cookies filled her nose and her mom's warm touch was felt upon her cheek. She cuddled up against her mother's soft hand and closed her eyes, the witch could stay in this position forever.
A mysterious hand gripped Hope's shoulder and she peeled her eyes open to see Grace's dying body. Terrified purple eyes met the fading brown ones of Grace's crushed and bleeding body. Charmcaster wanted to scream but her voice betrayed her. Grace's warm hand was now cold to the touch and went limp against the woman's cheek. Baked cookies were replaced with the stench of death. Hope turned her head away from the horrible sight and was faced with an even more disturbing image. A dark figure stood in the darkness with only their blood red eyes visible to Hope; his aura whipped wickedly around him. Charmcaster widened her eyes at Hex's devilish figure and experienced pure fear. She didn't understand how he was still alive. Hope had killed him, she saw his life slip away with her own two eyes. How was he able to plague her mind so?
Those two scenes continued to replay in front of her for an eternity. Happiness to miserable from fear to hate in mere seconds. If this continued for any longer, her mind was not going to make it. She'd rather die than experience this torment. Hope's reality was beginning to mend into a dream and soon she wouldn't be able to dictate one from the other.
"Pathetic."
Hope spun her head towards the voice in hopes of someone being trapped in here with her. She didn't care who it was at this point, the witch just didn't want to be alone anymore. Everyone has left her to fend for herself; she was tired of walking the independent path. An orange aura appeared over Hex's figure.
"This is who you're letting hold you back?" Drak boomed in the silent hell.
Her finger twitched at that comment, and she didn't know if it was because of anger or determination. She started to gain control of her muscles again, and simple movements didn't feel impossible anymore. But the fear of standing against her uncle was still there.
"You're scared of a dead man?"
Drak's aura shined brighter until it overtook a part of the darkness that Hex was cloaked in. Charmcaster's eyes widened when his face was exposed to the woman; he was reduced to nothing but the rotting flesh of a corpse. Drak was right, Hex is dead and will always be dead.
"He holds no power over you because you killed him."
Hope gritted her teeth in frustration. Then why am I still unable to move? She couldn't understand what was holding her back.
"This is your chance to destroy all versions of Hex, including the one that plagues your mind."
"Let me borrow your strength, Drak."
"About time."
Hope focused her strength into absorbing Drak's aura; she could feel powerful energy flood her veins within seconds. Everything around her turned into a blur as the void attempted to keep her in the hallucination. It was too late, Hope already broke out of the paralytic state, and stood tall against the figure that resembled Hex. Charmcaster pointed her finger in the air and a tiny fireball appeared at the tip, it grew exponentially until it was the size of a large meteor. Now the entire void was lit up by the sun. Hex's deteriorating skeleton stood in the immense light before dissolving into dust.
"Yeah she's done for, commander," Horus reported to Rick.
"Are you sure about that?"
"What do you mean by that?" the black ops soldier questioned.
"You and Aidan weren't able to defeat this sorceress back at HQ and you expect me to believe that you bested her by yourself?"
"Aidan is an idiot that relies only on strength! I was able to work at my full potential by myself."
Horus hadn't told Rick about using bounty hunters to track down the heroes. He figured that what he didn't know wouldn't kill him, after all he got the job done.
"Oh Horus, how far you've fallen; I told you to kill Gwen and her friends alone to redeem your mistakes."
"I did-"
"You think I wouldn't find out that you were using bounty hunters, some being wanted by the Plumbers themselves, to kill them? Not to mention using Plumber money without permission."
Horus felt his heart sink at his boss' comment. How did he find out? He had planned everything out carefully. This was going to be his redemption arc and he'd be back on top. Now he was in a situation far worse than he was in originally.
"HOW?! HOW DID YOU EXPECT ME TO FIGHT THEM ALONE!" Horus shouted into the radio.
"I thought you, being one of our smartest members, would see that mission as a sign to be gone with the wind. But your greediness for authority blinded you from recognizing an obvious suicide mission. You know better than anyone that the Plumbers don't tolerate failure."
Horus' entire body was shaking in anger. How dare they betray me? This was a setup from the start! He balled his fists and gritted his teeth. The soldier was entirely crushed by his commander's words. Rick had wanted him dead after the trainwreck of his original mission on the SuperNova 2.
"You fucking pile of garbage! I'll make sure you suffer the most! Because your dysfunctional blacks ops team is next on my list," Horus threatened.
"It seems that you still don't understand; you're going to die on that planet."
Horus laughed, "It seems that you're just as dumb as I am! I already dealt with the silver-haired witch and the others will be joining her soon-".
Horus was cut off by a pool of blood pouring out of his mouth. He glanced down at his chest to see a hand, shrouded in purple aura, had impaled him. What? Horus' eyes slowly moved to the side to see silver hair. How did she wake up from the dream? That's impossible! Hope slowly pulled her hand out and kicked the dying man onto his knees. No… I can't be… Charmcaster's hand turned scaly and leathery with five razor sharp claws. A quick slash of the dragon hand detached Horus' head from his shoulders. His decapitated body tumbled onto the floor with a thud and Hope reverted her hand to normal.
It's not over yet! Drak shouted in her mind. Hope glanced behind to see Horus leaning against a pillar. He was breathing heavily but not a scratch appeared on his body. Horus escaped death and Hope did not know how. She wondered if he was able to do that repeatedly or rather indefinitely. Hope would be in trouble if the man was able to run away from fate forever. His heavy breathing told her that this power was limited. She'd only have to tire him out.
"You don't know how to stay down, do you?" Horus stated in an annoyed tone.
Charmcaster's purple orbs melted into fiery orange slits as Drak's aura whipped around her wildly. Horus's eyes had a red shine to it unlike ever before, a cross pattern appeared in the center of his irises. His brain struggled to digest the immense information that his new eyes were feeding him. Horus drew a wickedly sharp knife from inside his coat. He would have to finish this fight quickly. The vibrations around her body told him she was planning to move soon. Horus got his wish as the silver haired witch vanished in a blur, only to reappear inches away from him. Providence's eye caught her movement and Horus was able to hastily dodge in time. A large crater formed in the place he previously was, scattering pulverized debris in every direction. He was smart enough to know that it meant 'game over' if he got hit by one of these attacks. Horus' eyes warned him of incoming projectiles and his body instinctively ducked and dived. His body was on autopilot, it was like his eyes were commanding his responses. He flipped backwards into the air as the last attack decimated the pillar in front of him. Horus used his blade to deflect the slash, an airborne Hope, aimed at his head. She moved her hands at inhuman speeds to deliver devastating swipes and punches with her deadly claws. Normally any person, mutated or not, would be overwhelmed by her extreme speed and diced to bits. Horus' awakened eyes showed him the present and future in 4K, it was no longer a sixth sense for him. That was the only reason why he was able to block her attacks, he knew what she was going to do before she even did it. He was only limited to defense; Horus saw no time to counter-attack.
The impact of their clash sent them in opposite directions. Horus' back hit the wall sliding down with a groan. Hope caught herself on a pillar and used her legs to launch herself towards the injured Horus. She conjured a mass of mana in the palm of her hand. He jumped onto his feet and sprinted for cover. This is the end Horus told himself. She was just too fast. The black ops soldier felt intense heat at his back as Hope's mana ball engulfed him in unstable magical energy.
Horus whistled at the scene from his new location. That attack had vaporized half of the factory. He could see the city lights from the massive hole in the wall. It seemed that her attacks were becoming more powerful. He had again escaped death in a split second. Horus was starting to understand his new ability. His power activated at the exact second his eyes saw death for him. A rewrite would occur in the moment that cut the death from his fated timeline. An ability that was able to weave fate on it's own spool. Horus' visibility in one eye lessened considerably, and now he understood the consequences as well. It seemed that he was starting to go blind in his right eye.
Horus wouldn't be able to spam this power repeatedly; since the battle was lost once he went blind. Hope growled at the man's ability to escape death by her hands. What was the point if he was going to keep avoiding her fatal blows. Hope would have to force him to run out of uses. She charged forward to close the distance between the two. Blade and claws clashed again in an intense hand to hand battle. Faster! Faster! Faster! Charmcaster kept the pressure on Horus, striking like lightning. He sucked his teeth in frustration; at the end of the day he was slower than her. Cuts appeared along his body where Hope slipped past his defense. She was getting faster and soon it wouldn't even matter if his eyes saw the attack; his body wouldn't be able to react in time.
Panic started to set in. He wanted to end this melee battle, it would only slim his chances of winning. Horus was making a mistake of using his brain for alternative thoughts. One second of emergency planning caused the soldier to step back a little too late. Hope detached the man's arm at the shoulder and was about to head in for the killing blow. Horus disappeared from the witch's view yet again.
He didn't know how but his eye rewrote fate again. Horus assumed his arm being cut off led to his death in the near future. So mortal wounds that didn't result in immediate death were also changed. Horus winced in pain as his vision got even darker. He probably had one more use in his right eye. The soldier couldn't focus on anything else while fighting her, his body needed all hands on deck. He wasn't winning this fight, so his only other option was escaping. Horus made a mad dash for the hole in the wall in a suicidal attempt to retreat. What a night this has been for him: betrayed by his family and doomed to fight a fated battle.
Charmcaster summoned hands made of mana to chase the man down. She'll stare into his eyes as she crushed the life out of him. Horus sensed the approaching attack but had no time to look back. His sights were set on the escape route in front of him. A figure levitated in the entranceway with a menacing glare. How? Horus was baffled that he wasn't able to sense the witch appear in front of him. The attack from behind was a feint for her real goal of beating him to the hole. He was damned by the witch's teleportation abilities. No, it was his own mind. That overwhelming feeling of freedom was actually his eyes telling him that Hope had teleported in front of him. His mind mistook it for freedom. The freedom that death brings the soul. After this betrayal: the only escape he wanted was to the afterlife. He shoved the blade into his eye to activate the last use of his ability. Pain stabbed his brain as he reappeared even closer to the hole. Ironic that an ability that escaped death put him closer to it.
Hope smiled when her plan worked out. She beat him to his escape route and now he would have nowhere to go. Hope was forcing him to fight until he ran out of energy. What she didn't expect was for him to inflict harm upon himself. No matter, he was still in her path with an even lesser chance of escape. Charmcaster placed her hands together and began to charge up a frightening amount of mana. An orb of purple with an orange core appeared between her hands, growing at an immense rate.
To Horus it looked like a unique star that's traveled lightyears to greet him. His one eye squinted underneath the intense brightness as he tried to peek at it's beauty. Face to face with this giant ball of energy and yet he felt a state of tranquility enter him. At that moment he bore no ill will towards his enemies or traitors. Soon he would know the sweet release of death; the escape that he's been searching for stood before him. Horus' lips curled into a smile as the bright light approached him. I'm okay with how things went. Horus closed his eye, the brightness embraced him in a warm hug, and he was at peace.
Charmcaster sucked air in and out of her nose. That last attack took a lot out of her. She watched the ball of crackling energy swallow Horus along with everything in its path as it ate through the factory. The attack that she named Supernova would disperse after traveling 100 meters. Chunks were missing from everything it touched, not even the factory concrete floor was there anymore, being replaced with charred soil. Horus was on the tougher side of enemies she faced. No damage occurred to the witch but his ability was one to respect.
Hope leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She didn't want to risk Drak taking over and wrecking havoc. Charmcaster was surprised that he even helped pull her out of the dream; when he could've waited for her mind to break, so he can control her without worry of resistance. That didn't mean she trusted him; in fact it made her wonder what he was up to. He was strangely quiet during the fight. For now she was grateful for his help in this battle.
"You can come out now," Hope called out. "I'll decide whether or not to kill you once I've seen your face."
A silver figure walked out from behind a broken pillar; their steps were cautious as they approached Hope. Cooper's face was exposed in his suit but he still felt the need to introduce himself.
"You're not gonna freak out on me, are you?" he asked hesitantly.
"Nah."
"That was some fight. He didn't stand a chance against you."
"You saw? Then why didn't you help me?"
"It didn't look like you needed help, plus I'd only get in the way at that point. I was actually gonna fly back to Gwen."
Hope's eyes widened at the mention of her red-headed friend. She had completely forgotten about the sorceress during her fight. The witch tried to remember what happened before the factory fight, but everything was still fuzzy. Hope was nervous at the possibility of Gwen fighting alone. She knew the woman was more than capable of fighting by herself but still.
"What made you stop?" Hope asked curiously.
"Gwen was worried about you. I couldn't go back to her without knowing the outcome of the battle."
"And the others?"
"I left them with some creepy looking bounty hunter, but I'm not too worried about them either."
"Let's go round up our friends," Hope insisted as she stood up.
Charmcaster was grateful that Drak's powers imbued her with the ability to fly. The two teammates soared through the night sky towards city lights. The mission was compromised; they needed to get off the planet. Cooper hoped that the rest of the gang beat their opponents without too much effort. He monitored the skies for any sign of other bounty hunters, as well as keeping an eye on Charmcaster. He didn't want her turning on him in the middle of flight.
"That's where I left her!" he shouted.
There was no sign of Gwen on the street, or rather what was left of the street. Everything on the block was either destroyed or about to fall apart. It was evident that a battle took place here: buildings had chunks missing, street lamps were tossed aside, fires tore through small businesses, and there was not a soul in sight. The duo began searching through the rubble, and Hope felt a pang of worry enter her mind. Security forces were evacuating people while emergency services helped the injured and put out fires. Cooper was the first to notice that the security forces were getting suspicious of them. It was time for them to disappear before people started asking questions.
"I think we gotta leave, Charm," Cooper said quickly.
The silver haired witch ignored him and continued to search through the debris.
"Hope, we seriously need to-"
"I'M NOT LEAVING GWEN!" Hope shouted, pulling her arm away from the blonde.
"We're not leaving her! But if we stay here then she'll be the least of our problems!" Cooper snapped.
Hope glanced at the approaching law officers and sucked her teeth in frustration. The man was right, if they got caught here then things would get even worse. They'd have to search for Gwen somewhere else. Security forces closed in on the duo slowly yelling commands for them to put their hands up. The duo booked it to a nearby alley and took off into the sky using their respective abilities.
Rojo chuckled as she noticed the looming shadow above her; she glanced up at a pissed off Gwen Tennyson floating near the edge of the skyscraper's rooftop. The female bounty hunter couldn't contain her laughter in front of the redhead. Gwen only narrowed her eyes in response, she had no time for anyone's bullshit. Rojo's sister hunters kept their weapons pointed at the sorceress.
"I knew that kid wouldn't be able to do it," Rojo stated, turning serious.
"Are you behind this?" Gwen asked impatiently.
"Me? Absolutely not. I couldn't care less about your 'revolution' or whatever it is. The only reason why I took this job was to satisfy my curiosity about how they were gonna take you down."
"Then WHO?!" Gwen shouted, glowing brightly.
Rojo's guards' hands tensed on their weapons as they stepped in front of her. Rojo waved for them to lower their weapons.
"Some black ops soldier. He called himself Horus. He rallied a bunch of us together and offered a million per body. Some accepted it because of their vendetta and others refused to tangle with anything Tennyson related, I don't blame them. I suspect that he was doing this under the table and didn't involve the rest of the Plumbers."
Gwen was dumbfounded to hear that a member of the black ops squad had found out their location. She wondered if the Plumbers found out about this rogue agent's plans, that could mean that more troops could be on their way. To think their plan to spring Ben had already been foiled before they even reached the planet. This new information changed everything, she needed to get to the others before the Plumbers arrived.
"The look on your face tells me that this is news to you."
Gwen avoided eye contact and stayed silent.
"It sounds like you didn't come to this planet randomly and the Plumbers knowing where you are puts a thorn in things. Am I getting close?" Rojo continued.
"You need to leave. Now." Gwen growled.
The sorceress's hands glowed a deep pink as she conjured one of her mana blasts. She had enough of the games. Gwen planned to blow this hunter off the face of the planet along with her lackeys. It was cold-blooded murder, sure, but their situation just got a whole lot riskier. If the Plumbers find out that they were going to break Ben out, then they might just execute him on the spot. That was a chance she couldn't afford to take.
Rojo reached into her back pocket. Gwen was on edge and prepared herself for one of Rojo's tricks. The tall woman pulled out a walkie talkie and pressed the button to call. The redhead raised an eyebrow at her actions.
"Hello? Is this Rojo?" a stoic voice asked, he sounded familiar.
Gwen's eyes widened when she realized who it was.
"Yes. Is this Commander Rick?" Rojo replied with a smirk on her face.
"Yes."