Well, well. We just hit the 50-chapters/300 pages mark. I need a life O.o
A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net
A/N 2: Rascal: Sorry, babe - the pyrokinetic won't show up again. I have something else planned for Kyle dearest *evil grin*
T'Girl: Aww...it wasn't *their* fault that the FoH decided to play rough *g*. Actually it isn't very tiring to write the chapters - it's a good way to relax and vent some emotions ^^
WritingMoose: Actually we have...what? Some 35 chapters left? *scratches neck* Yeah, something like that, I think. I know it's getting kinda long, but the characters have a story they want to tell, and they don't seem very keen at letting me go until I write it for them...
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
/.../ Indicates Hal's use of her powers
* * *
Chapter Fifty: ...Divided They Shall Fall
* * *
Not surprisingly, the Guardians weren't the only ones who had noticed the sudden increase in the number of FoHs in the area. As Hal and her teammates had driven through the city, it had been impossible to ignore the many uniform-clad people in the streets, and for each new soldier they saw, Hal felt her anxiety kick up a notch.
Being able to influence luck, Hal hadn't really believed in something called 'coincidence' since her mutation had manifested. She had quickly learned that nothing 'just happened', and that if anything seemed too convenient to be a mere coincidence, it usually was. In fact, she had caused more than a few of those 'coincidences' herself, and often found herself amazed at the gullibility of the average human being.
And now, watching the FoHs with a wary look, she hadn't believed that their presence was a coincidence for even a second. The humans were there for a reason, and whatever it was, it was bad news.
Driving down one of the main streets, it turned out that she was right - further ahead, past a large traffic jam that had efficiently blocked the road, a checkpoint appeared, sending a small shiver down Hal's spine. She wasn't stupid, far from, and it didn't take long for her to realize just what all those FoHs were doing.
Damn!
For a moment she considered stopping by the side of the road and talk things over with Zach, but decided against it - two cars, driven by teenagers, and stopping just before a checkpoint raised by an anti-mutant organization...it wouldn't be suspicious, it would practically be a written invitation for someone to keep an eye on them. They needed to discuss what to do, yes, but not in a place as crowded as this.
Hal looked at the checkpoint again and then made a quick decision. She knew how the FoH worked, and she knew that getting through a checkpoint like that would be hard. The FoH weren't driven by money or duty like the cops, but by a deep-running hatred towards mutants. They couldn't be bribed, and used to mutants as they were, it was hard for anyone to get past them without a thorough check.
Hesitating for less than a second, Hal drove around a corner, down one of the smaller streets. In the rear mirror she saw Zach follow her in the other car, and she continued a bit further before she stopped, allowing Zach to drive up beside her.
"What do we do now?" Zach asked after both had rolled down the windows of the cars. "There's no way we'll get past them, not even with our powers to clear the way."
"We'll try the less populated areas, then," Hal said, acting more confident than she felt. She couldn't allow herself to show weakness, not now. "They can't keep the entire city under surveillance, it would take too many men."
Zach frowned, considering her suggestion, then nodded.
"All right. It's the best option we've got, anyway."
"We have to get further away than this," Aaron interjected from his place on the backseat of Hal's car. "They'll probably be watching the areas around the checkpoints, too, just in case someone tries to get around them."
"Probably, yeah," Hal agreed, then smiled faintly as she remembered something. "The industrial part of town, where we met Blade and Jhonen after they left the Guardians. Hardly anyone lives out there - setting up checkpoints there would be a waste of time."
Zach smirked.
"Got it," he replied.
Hal returned his smile, then rolled up the window and drove away, followed by Zach. The meeting had lasted mere minutes, but unknown to the mutants, it was a few minutes too long. Watching from a rooftop, a dark-clad person had followed the entire rendezvous though a pair of binoculars. He frowned, then grabbed the radio that rested by his feet.
"Headquarter? This is lookout delta. We have two cases of possible mutants. Two cars - one black landrover and a dark blue sedan. They're heading south."
"Roger that, delta. We'll send someone to track them. Headquarters out."
The soldier on the rooftop nodded automatically, then grabbed his binoculars again, just in time to see the two cars disappear around a corner. He turned his head and saw two military vehicles drive down the street, following the two cars at a safe distance. He smiled faintly, then returned to watching the checkpoint. The muties could run, but they couldn't hide. Not anymore.
* * *
The area that Hal had chosen was much like she remembered it - numerous large buildings and warehouses; some of them still in use, but most of them old and neglected, abandoned when the economy could no longer support the massive amount of factories in the city. The small core of buildings that were still in use were mainly located closer to the city, and were easily spotted because of the guards and heavy security surrounding them. That made it easy to avoid them, something that Hal was thankful for.
She looked in the rear mirror to check that Zach were still with them, and felt her eyes widen in surprise. She looked over her shoulder, praying that she had been wrong, but found that it was not the case.
Two military vehicles were following them, and judging from Zach's sudden acceleration, he'd spotted them as well.
"Fuck!" Hal cursed, speeding up and earning a confused look from her two teammates.
"What's going on?" Aaron asked, frowning.
"We're being followed," Hal replied, watching their two pursuers warily in the mirrors of the cars. She sped up and took a sharp turn around a corner, followed by Zach.
By now the FoH realized that they had been spotted, and dropped all attempts to appear inconspicuous. They followed the two fleeting cars, and only as they drove around the corner did Hal realize that one of the windows in the first car was rolled down.
The sound of a gun being fired repeatedly tore through the air; the bullets all aimed at Hal's car in an attempt to stop the car and block the road for Zach. One of the bullets hit the window by the driver's seat, and Hal flinched, expecting to feel the pain of a bullet-wound. Instead of blasting through the window, though, the bullet was deflected and Hal felt her eyes widen in surprise.
Bulletproof glass? Shit...what else did you 'forget' to tell us about, Blade?
In the seat beside Hal, Pheonix didn't seem to be the least surprised, and if she were, she hid it well. Like Aaron, her attention was on the road behind them, keeping an eye on their pursuers, as well as the car that Zach was driving.
"Hal, more cars - they must've radioed for backup!" Aaron said frantically, his usual snakelike calmness shattered by the graveness of the situation.
"How many?" Hal snapped.
"At least three - I'm not sure." This time it was Pheonix who replied, her voice betraying the worry she felt. "Fuck! Two of them just disappeared down a side road! We've lost sight of them!"
Three? Not good, Hal decided. Those three, plus the original two, wouldn't be easy to escape, she knew that. Two, yes, they could have handled that, but five...it was bad news. And the worst part was that they didn't know where two of the cars were. Hal looked up, checking the rear mirror, and saw one of the military vehicles speed up, trying to get closer to them.
Oh, no, you don't.
"Pheonix - we have a tail. Get rid of it!" Hal ordered sharply, desperately hoping that there was something - anything - nearby that the younger girl would be able to use against the humans.
Pheonix didn't reply with words, but even through the noise from the car, Hal heard - and felt - the earth rumble. She cast a brief look in the side mirror and saw the ground behind Zach's car explode in a cascade of water and debris.
"Water pipes," Pheonix explained briefly, a drop of sweat rolling down her neck as she fought to keep the water under control.
"I think we lost the first of the cars," Aaron reported as the air cleared up again. "The other two slowed down, but haven't stopped."
The earth rumbled again, sending another cascade of water down on the road, forcing the pursuing cars to slow down.
"Good job," Hal said with a faint smile. Pheonix shrugged, but didn't reply, and Hal turned her attention to the street again. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a metallic glint of something, then felt her eyes widen as she realized what it was. Further down the road, the two missing FoH vehicles drove out from one of the smaller roads, tires screeching as the two cars were brought to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street.
Hal reacted instantly, hitting the breaks, and in the rear mirror she saw Zach do the same thing. She looked around frantically and realized with dawning fear that there were no side roads between them and the makeshift roadblock ahead, only old buildings and warehouses.
"The warehouse on the right!" Pheonix snapped. "The gates are open!"
Hal hit the speeder and drove into the parking lot, then continued into the large building. It was a dead-end, she knew that, but it was their only option. The road was blocked from both sides - the only chance they had of escaping would be by hiding somewhere, and even that was a big maybe.
She brought the car to a screeching halt at the end of the room, and saw Zach stop less than ten feet away from her. It was limited how much cover the two cars would give them, but it would have to do.
Hal got out of the car, followed by Pheonix and Aaron, and found Zach and Jhonen waiting for them outside, hiding behind the two cars.
"What do we do now?" Jhonen said, leaning against the land rover.
"What do you think?" Zach snapped, small ripples of energy gathering around his hand. "We fight!"
Fight? Hal frowned, concentrating on her powers, and-
/---gun-shots; blood; pain, shoulder hurt awfully; a body hitting the floor, and---/
/---death, dead people everywhere; humans shooting, two of them taken down by a lighting blot, but---/
/---"NO!"; a bullet in the chest, blood everywhere; hurt; never stopping, always---/
/---no escape, only death, and---/
"No!"
Zach's head snapped up at Hal's sharp command, and the others sent the albino a confused look, wondering what she'd seen. At the entrance to the warehouse, the military vehicles arrived, breaks screeching as they stopped just inside the large building.
"What do you mean, 'no'?!" Zach demanded, ignoring the FoHs.
"If we fight, we die!" Hal snapped, refusing to let Zach's threatening attitude get to her. "It's pointless to die now when we might be able to escape later!"
The sound of footsteps against concrete interrupted the argument, causing the teenagers to look up. The FoHs had taken refuge behind their cars, aiming their rather impressive arsenal at the small group of mutants. One of them stood up, motioning for his men to lower their weapons.
"Listen, mutants! Surrender now and you will not get hurt!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty building.
"What?! Is *that* what you're suggesting we do?" Zach demanded, looking at Hal once again. "They're gonna kill us!"
"If they wanted us dead, they would have fired their weapons by now!" Hal retorted. By now their teammates were watching the humans nervously, and both Hal and Zach knew that they had to make a decision soon.
"We can't just surrender without a fight!" Zach growled and sent Hal an angry glare.
"Listen, Zach, I don't care if you play 'suicidal fighter' when you're on your own, but for once could you *please* forget about your damn pride?!" Hal snapped. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we don't have a choice!"
"So we're gonna surrender, just like that?" Zach said disgusted. "I don't know how I ever got the idea that you were a fighter."
"Zach, damnit!" That was probably the first time Zach had ever seen Hal that angry, and he hesitated for a moment, giving the young albino the chance she needed to get him to listen. "If we continue to fight, we'll get ourselves killed! Sure, you'll get your fucking blaze of glory, but what about Jhonen and Aaron? Their powers are short-range - they're virtually defenseless in a situation like this. Do you really want to die with the knowledge that they will get killed because of your goddamn pride?! You're part of a team, Zachary, so start thinking about someone other than yourself for a change!"
Zach clenched his fists tightly, and Hal could see the energy ripple beneath his skin. For a moment the boy looked like he would actually attack her, then he took a deep breath, and sent Hal a cold look.
"All right. Then we do it your way. But if we all get executed like diseased animals by the goddamn flatscans, then the blame lies on *your* shoulders."
"I can accept that," Hal replied softly, then slowly stood up from their hiding place.
The soldiers reacted immediately, aiming their guns at Hal, but didn't fire. The girl walked across the floor and deliberately stopped out in the open, away from any potential places to seek cover.
"Don't shoot," Hal said, holding up her hands to show them that she wasn't going to attack. She ignored the bitter taste of failure, then continued. "We surrender."
The sound of her guns hitting the floor as she tossed them away echoed through the room, leaving a hollow feeling in Hal. She'd made her choice, and now there was no way back. Had she been alone, it would have been easier, but this time her choice would affect her teammates as well.
Again the sound of metal again concrete could be hear as one of the others tossed their weapons away, and Hal looked down briefly, silently praying that she'd made the right choice. The soldiers approached her, watching her carefully, but Hal didn't move. She saw one of them bring out a syringe filled with a clear liquid, and she briefly wondered if it was poison or sedatives. A distant pain followed as the needle pierced her skin, and Hal stopped her speculations. Whatever the liquid was, it didn't matter. It was too late to change anything now. A strange numbness filled her body, making it hard to think straight - death? Unconsciousness? She didn't care.
Her last conscious thought was relief as the darkness finally engulfed her mind.
If she'd made the wrong choice, as least she'd never know.
* * *
Newly constructed and rushed by necessity, the temporary prison facilities in Chicago were far from the epitome of secure. The guards, while not newbies, had only recently been transferred, and the schedule still hadn't been worked out completely. The security system, like so many other newly installed things of that magnitude, still had its problems - camera glitches, less-important areas that had been neglected in favor of the more critical ones, electronic systems that had yet to be checked for potential weaknesses.
All in all, it shouldn't have been very surprising that three mutants - all of them professionals - had managed to sneak their way inside undetected. No prison was completely secure, especially not when it came to people breaking *in* instead of out.
So why did Laetitia still have the bad feeling that *something* was wrong?
She didn't know exactly what it was that bothered her, but something felt wrong. The whole mission in itself had been suspect and most likely a trap of some sort, but she couldn't quite shake off the feeling that something else was wrong.
In front of her Blade and Jordane looked just as edgy as Laetitia herself felt. It wasn't obvious, but when you knew what to look for, it was easy to see - guns held tightly, muscles tense, and eyes constantly searching the surrounding.
They didn't feel any more comfortable in the prison than Laetitia did, and somehow that only served to heighten her uneasiness.
"'Cellblock D'," Blade noted, motioning towards one of the large signs on the wall. "Now we only have to find cell eleven."
"Good," Jordane mumbled. "The faster we get out, the better. This place gives me the creeps."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Blade smiled faintly before checking the map in his hand. That map - or actually, the blueprints to the prison - hadn't been cheap, but it had been worth the price: after hours of hard work they had managed to map out the security system and in particular its weaknesses. And the few places where there hadn't been a weakness to exploit, cutting a few key wires had proven to be enough.
Of course there was always the chance of being spotted, but hopefully they would be out again before anyone realized what was going on.
They headed down the hallway, their footsteps echoing through the building. A few of the cells were occupied, but most of them were still waiting for their future residents. Half-empty as the prison was, though, it wouldn't last long before it was full - a week or two at the most, by Laetitia's estimates. The all-out hunt for mutants had resulted in a sudden need for new prisons and internment camps, and there were more than enough mutants out there to fill the cells.
The trio finally reached the cell they were looking for, and Laetitia dismissed her gloomy thoughts. She had been trained to focus completely on her assignment, and that was exactly what she intended to do.
A long minute of work on the lock, and the cell-door opened with a soft click and a faint, electric hum. The trio stepped into the room, Blade and Laetitia waiting by the door with their guns ready, while Jordane approached the unmoving girl who rested on the small bed in the cell.
"Rina?" Jordane asked and touched the girl's shoulder, watching for even the slightest reaction. The girl mumbled something, then finally realized that she wasn't alone, and sat up with a wary look.
Laetitia watched the girl carefully. Yes, she'd met her before - she rarely forgot a face, even if she'd only seen the person once. She tried to remember what the girl's mutation was, but the thought kept eluding her.
"What are you-?" Rina began, but Blade interrupted her.
"Explanations can wait. We're leaving - now," he said and took a step closer to the girl.
"No!" the girl snapped. "I'm not going anywhere with someone I don't even know."
"Listen, girl," Blade said coldly. "You're coming with us whether you like it or not. We don't intend to hurt you, but you *will* come with us, understand?"
Rina seemed to falter for a moment, and Laetitia turned her attention from the hallway to the younger mutant. They had to get out as fast as possible, and arguing with Rina hadn't been in their plans. What was that girl's problem, anyway? Was she really so stupid that she *wanted* to stay in prison?
"Let's go!" Laetitia snapped. "We don't have time to argue with you, Rina. We were told to get you out of here, and that is exactly what we intend to do."
She had expected that those words would either piss Rina off, or finally get through to the girl, but neither happened. Instead Rina just smiled slowly, confidently, and looked Blade straight in the eyes.
"Drop the gun."
The order was quiet, barely a whisper, but it was enough. Laetitia's eyes widened as Blade's gun dropped to the floor, and the man clutched his head tightly, seemingly trying to fight some invisible foe.
"Get the fuck out of my head!" he snapped and finally managed to break Rina's intense stare.
"What the hell did you do to him?!" Jordane demanded angrily, closing in on Rina. The younger girl focused on the new threat, and Laetitia snapped into action, raising her gun-
- And felt the sharp pain of a needle in her shoulder. She spun around, and too late she realized what had happened. They had allowed themselves to be distracted by Rina, leaving the door completely unguarded. She aimed her gun at the guards, but it was too late. Her body was losing its strength too quickly, and she felt the gun drop out of her hand, landing on the floor with a metallic clang. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was one of the guards helping Rina up from the bed.
Then there was only darkness.
* * *
