"It's over, Zero."
"Over? Why, it's just beginning."
Sand fell and the temple shook as Zero activated the final door. One didn't rush him right then and there only because of Axel next to her. Oh, and Ray she supposed.
"Can you defeat me in time? Clock's ticking."
"Remember why we're here guys," Raymond murmured, attempting to sound confident. Axel squeezed his hand. One locked and loaded. They had their shitty coma upgrades at the ready should Zero grab the Ultimate Power before they could stop him.
Zero teleported behind them, firing bullets. The three did their best to dodge in the close quarters and return fire, with One having the best accuracy.
"What happened to your so-called leader? Did you kill him too, Axe?"
Axel gave a pained gasp and One enjoyed punching Zero in the face right after, even at the cost of getting pushed roughly into the wall for her trouble.
Raymond shot at Zero from a distance while the other two closed back in. When Ray struck Zero directly and cheered, he left his gun open for a sticky bomb. Ray yelped and tossed it in the air as it exploded, as Zero teleported out of One and Axel's bombardment.
Zero cornered Ray and kicked him square across the room away from the door as it finally opened.
"Time's up."
Zero grabbed his sword from the slot and marched in. Ray picked himself up with a wheeze. One inched closer but didn't see anything she'd describe as an 'Ultimate Power'.
"I'm doing this for all of us. The corrupts don't deserve power. I'll restore it to its rightful place. You'll thank me. The galaxy will thank me."
While he gave his own justification pep talk, he reached out to a helmet on a pedestal. Seriously, that's what all this was about? Some dumb pointy gold armor?
One was tempted to laugh at him but her Dad, always the better person, pleaded instead, "Zero, don't. You have no idea what this is or what it's capable of."
Zero fell dead silent. Whatever stupid comeback like "Allow me to show you" she expected didn't come.
When he finally spoke again, it was bitter and broken and gripping the helmet so hard a weaker object would shatter, "You have no idea what I'm capable of".
Then he put it on.
And screamed.
Power. It was electrifying. And…judgemental.
{The power to destroy everything, wasted on your mortal squabble. Worthless.}
Black Lotus, an unwelcome tag-a-long. Is this what Phase put up with all the time?
Hardly mattered. He would kill them all, even with this…parasite.
Shatter Squad glowed as Raymond activated some armor mechanism for the trio. But his gold was brighter.
His sword shot energy beams. His teleportation exploded the areas he landed in. Shatter Squad were the pathetic ones, resorting to cheap tactics and sneak attacks.
They wouldn't lie down and die. Then those Freelancers came to play superhero.
And that annoying key user they kidnapped too, "What the fuck is this Spencer Porkensenson armor shit?" Those failures were supposed to finish him! Useless, all of them.
{The useless one is you. Is this your resolve Zero? You're pathetic.}
"Shut up!" Why why why did everyone doubt him? HE was number ONE so WHY.
He struck harder, faster. Knocked down that pathetic yellow soldier, the weakest of the crew. Would have killed him but-
"The Zero I knew wouldn't take someone out while they're down. You're too cocky for that, right?"
Axel. He hated him. He'd tear him apart. He'd kill One in front of him. Black Lotus laughed and laughed, but not in the crazed way of Diesel. It was as if they were ants burning under a magnifying glass for his amusement. It left him nauseous.
"You should have crawled away and hid under a rock. Maybe then you would have had a chance to make it out of here alive."
And for every bit of him that hated Axel and Lotus, he hated the part wishing Axel ran the most of all. Black Lotus stopped laughing so suddenly it gave him internal whiplash, and what would normally be a weakness he snuffed ached throughout. He groaned and collapsed.
{I cannot comprehend this perverse sentimentality. You are not fit to wield my power.}
"This is the power I need to burn the world down. Be gone!"
He forced himself up. They gossiped about how he couldn't control it. So he slashed struck hit them until they stopped. And then she was there.
Phase.
Where was Diesel? Had she successfully killed West? He felt a bit more of those 'perverse' feelings. Black Lotus' judgment rang like a gong.
"Zero?" She sounded unsure. He was tired of her lack of belief. {Kill her.}
"I think he is struggling to control the power. It's like his connection is unstable," they explained to her.
So he reassured everyone, "This is my power. My will! I will never be anyone's puppet. Not again! I will destroy everything!"
"Zero, let's get out of here and kill those who deserve it."
How could she? "They deserve it. You think only West is guilty on Shatter Squad? Axel shot me. The others are trying to stop us. We will know no peace until everyone who's ever opposed us is dead."
"No, Zero. I tried to kill West. But no matter how much I hurt him, I still hurt. These…heroes are idiots who think they're doing the right thing. But those scientists are cruel. They experiment on vulnerable people for what? For 'science'? We kill them and the people who run the AOD, no one will ever be hurt again."
The Freelancers immediately started lecturing but it was all white noise compared to the smoky leech hissing in his ear, {Time is running out Zero. They'll drag you down. Slaughter them and maybe you'll finally be worthy.}
He raised his sword mechanically and slashed towards Phase.
One gasped and pushed down her frenemy before she was struck by the energy wave. Phase froze under her, too shocked to respond. They needed to end this. Zero clearly lost whatever sanity he had left if he was trying to kill Phase.
If she ever wanted to lead, now was the time to prove it as she rose confidently, "Raymond and Washington, hang back. Give us range support. Create openings. Axel and Tucker, stay close and clean up when we regroup. Carolina, we're on the front lines. Phase…take cover."
Even as a 6v1, it was taking all they had to not get obliterated. Raymond got to shoot a rocket launcher stolen from Diesel that he seemed hyped about. They shot with Battle Rifles and Magnums, threw grenades desperately.
Zero soaked attacks up like a sponge. His retaliation was brutal and radiated powerful energy. If it weren't for the fact he was clearly suffering from that smog…thing she'd worry he was unstoppable.
These awful upgrades though, they drained Axe, Ray, and herself. The others were still sore from Diesel. It didn't matter if Zero was battling his own demons if they couldn't hang on.
As she collapsed to her knees and her vision blurred, she wondered if her parents would be proud of her.
Zero raised his sword to finish her.
But it wasn't her who got stabbed.
Zero gasped, caught off guard by Phase who'd disregarded her instructions as always. Axe pulled her away towards the others and held her close.
As Phase removed the knife, the smoke turned the room an inky black. A..creature glanced down at all of them impassively, {Not bad for a bunch of humans. Of course this is a deeply flawed vessel.}
The being turned back to Zero, running its claws down his armor possessively, {As for you, I am not yet ready to return to another cage. I'll save you this time, but we have a long and painful path ahead of us, if you're going to be of any use to me.}
Zero let out a panicked pained whine before begging to stay and fight. One nor the others weren't sure what to do before just like it started, he screamed.
And he was gone in a flash of lightning.
Phase, who was the closest, collapsed in shuddering silence. Whether that thing did something to her or it was the emotional roller coaster of it all, One had no idea. She did know she was holding up Axel more now than he was her. Raymond laid on the ground trying not to pass out.
Carolina quietly broke the silence first, "We called for support and evac. Diesel was captured, West should be okay after some actual bedrest this time. What..do we do with..her?"
Tucker shrugged, "We kept Wash from the government didn't we?"
One slowly sunk to the ground with Axel. She was too tired to question if forgiving someone who tried to kill them a bit ago was smart. Instead she asked, "What about Zero? We failed, he got away and he has the Ultimate Power."
Axel shook his head defeatedly, "No, the Ultimate Power has him."
