The beginning of part 2. Yay.
Anyone excited, I know I am. This is where the fun stuff is. Not that this wasn't already fun. Thank you to all who reviewed, it means a lot and will help me get better as an author.
I do not own Ben Ten or Worm, whatever.
Enjoy.
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
Somewhere, drowning beneath the blind maelstrom of wrath and pain, his mind worked tirelessly. Thinking, calculating. He could tell, something wasn't right. For some reason, things were...off.
Before he could try to understand it, they showed up. Those Heroes. They arrived before him; bright and colorful. Gleaming with polish and power. They stood as a united front, united against him. Anyone still standing cheered and cried in relief at their arrival. Their horrified faces brightening, the fear melting away as their defenders stepped forth in all their shimmering glory.
The sight of them made him sick.
One stepped out in front, clad in metallic armor, shining blue and glittering silver, wielding a long halberd, it's blade glowing with energy. He pointed the weapon forward, loudly demanding his surrender. He was past the point of talking by then, so he stood his ground, and met their challenge. Met, and far surpassed.
A slap with his tail sent one crashing painfully into a wall, their chest nearly folding in from the force.
A backhand sent a second spiralling through the air into a pile of rubble.
A river of fire sent another running for cover behind an overturned car.
Again and again, they charged forward, and over and over, he repelled them with ease. He toyed with them, letting their attacks land, and shrugging them off like they were just a minor annoyance. He took his time dismantling them, slowly letting them realize just how much weaker they were than him. Soon, the noble heroes were dragged down from their shiny pedestals and were now feeling as helpless as common citizens. Then, when they were sufficiently drowned in their own dread, he took them down, one after another. They cried when their teammates were put down, then screamed when it was their turn. He enjoyed every second of it. Crushing their bones, slashing their skin, impaling their bodies.
As he was now, they didn't stand a chance. But there in itself was a problem.
He flexed his fingers, marveling in awe and disgust at the power he now wielded at a terrible cost. Jaw clenching, steel like teeth sparked off each other as raw hatred stewed in his stomach.
"But i'm through with you, you're not worth it. You never were."
His fist shattered the wall, dust and debrief launching into the air. That little punk. Thinks he's so much better than him. He'd make him pay, make him wish he was never born.
But not now. Right now he needed to understand what was going on.
Where was he? How did he get here?
This clearly wasn't the same city he had been in before. Something had happened. He needed to lay low, find out all he could, then figure out where to go from there.
Brockton Bay
Friday, April 8th, 2011
4:30 PM EST
(Three Weeks After Chimera's Rampage)
"Last box."Aegis said, handing the large parcel to the soldier. Nodding his thanks, the man turned and went to deliver it with the rest.
Jumping off the back of the FMTV, Aegis closed the trunk and gave the man in the front seat a thumbs up. The driver nodded before starting the engine and driving off to his next destination.
"And that's that." Miss Allen said as she filled out some information on her clipboard."That should be enough food to last us for the next few weeks. So long as nobody gets greedy. Thanks for the help kid."
"No problem,"He replied."Anything else you need me for?"
"Hm?"She pondered, placing her pen against her chin."I don't think so. I put in a notice that we needed more blankets but I don't think the delivery's gonna come today. Damn. Some of the kids might get sick. Who would've thought that Endbringer shelters were so cold."
She muttered something under her breath before turning to him.
"I think we're good. The soldiers can handle it if we need some heavy lifting done."
"Alright,"He nodded,"If something comes up, you can phone in PHQ if you need me later."
"Sheesh,"She smiled,"Take a break kid, you've been here almost more than me. I appreciate the enthusiasm but no need to go overboard, let us handle it, we're not completely helpless without you."
"I didn't mean to imply-"
"Relax kid i'm just messing with ya."She smirked."But seriously, you oughta take a break. I know you had a patrol this morning, now you're here helping us. You gotta be tired by now."
"Not really. My powers make it so I don't really get tired like everyone else."
"No fooling?"She said with raised eyebrows."Damn, I wish I had that. I'm glad to be here but man, these late nights are murderous on a girls schedule. My beauty sleep has been suffering."
He cracked a small smile at her joke.
"Well if that's all for now Miss. Allen-"
"Hey!"She exclaimed, pointing her pen at him,"I told you to cut out that Miss shit. The name's Lacey. Like the underwear, got it?"
"Right, my bad,"He responded sheepishly. He remembered her introducing herself like that before, and he was still a touch embarrassed by it. Being a teenager sucked sometimes.
Lacey smiled,"Good, now shoo, go do superhero stuff and if we need you later, we'll call."
He nodded and lifted off into the air.
As he flew back to PHQ to report in, Aegis let his mind wander to the state of his home.
Three weeks. Three weeks since the night that would scar the city for years to come. The monster responsible was never found, and it had the entire city on edge. Even now, people were still afraid to leave their homes. Scared Chimera was still out there.
New York and Boston were warned that it was possible he might have headed their way and the city's heroes had been on guard ever since. Nothing had happened yet. But still, no one wanted to be caught with their defenses down.
Things in Brockton Bay however, had been hectic. The first few days were chaotic. So much was destroyed, people had died or lost their homes, a few rowdy members of each gang had tried to take advantage of the mayhem and had fought and robbed each other in broad daylight. It was too much for the BBPD, PRT, and Protectorate forces to handle.
New Hampshire had called a state of emergency and the national guard was called into help. Needless to say, the prospect of highly trained soldiers with lethal ammunition coming in high numbers had quieted the louder members of the gangs.
And as for the people whose homes were lost, a tentative solution was put in place. The Endbringer shelters. The city had 8, each one was currently in use. Lacey was one of the supervisors for Shelter 6, on loan from the dockworkers union. The head of hiring-he forgot the man's name-had said she had experience with managing. Thankfully it showed. Lacey did a good job monitoring food and supplies, and with him and a good number of soldiers from the national guard at her command, she managed them well enough to get a lot done in terms of distributing food and setting up tents. She'd done good for the people in her care. But, despite all her efforts, the situation still wasn't ideal. The shelters were made with the prospect of holding people for a few hours at most, just to weather the attack from the Endbringers. They were not made for housing. It was cramped, cold, there weren't any showers or bathrooms. The food they were given had to be rationed and not everyone got enough to satisfy them. It was a very miserable time for the people down there.
He'd be lying if he said seeing his city like this didn't piss him off.
'One cape.'He thought, his mood turning sour.'Just one cape did all this. And we couldn't do anything to stop him.'
He remembered the old man he had saved. How distraught he was. How unhappy he seemed to be alive. He'd never heard or seen him since. Was he okay? Did he bother to get to a shelter? Or did he decide nothing was worth it anymore?
He'd never even gotten his name. Now nobody would remember him.
Aegis felt his jaw clench.
The rest of the flight was spent simmering in his frustrations, when he finally reached HQ, he'd done his best to compose himself, with limited success.
After checking in at the front desk, he made his way to the elevator. He blinked when he noticed Gallant-in his armor-was already there.
"Gallant,"Aegis called. He turned around, his helmets visor meeting his eyes.
"Aegis,"He nodded,"Done already?"
"Yeah,"He answered,"Same to you I see."
"Well,"Gallant began,"Not on purpose, we had an incident. Some guy got caught trying to steal rations from a family. Turned into a big fight. Couple people got hurt. I did what I could, but my powers don't always help. By the time it was over, the soldiers had it under control, they just needed to wait for medics to show up. Markus said I could go, didn't see any need for me to be there anymore."
"Damn."Aegis swore,"People are starting to get stir crazy."
Gallant grunted in agreement.
Soon the door opened and they both stepped into the elevator. When they closed and Aegis hit the button for the Wards floor, he then turned to Gallant.
"I've been meaning to ask, how's New Wave doing?"
At the question Gallant stilled, then his shoulders slumped. Leaning against the wall, he took off his helmet and ran his hand through his short dark blonde hair.
"They're…"Dean started."Well, quite frankly, they're a mess. Losing Lady Photon hit them hard. The Pelhams haven't left their house. And the Dallons aren't doing much better. Victoria…"
Aegis waited for him to continue.
"Victoria,"He sighed, "She needs help. Maybe a counselor or a therapist. Ever since that night, she's changed. She's a lot angier now, before, her aura made people love her unconsciously, now it's making nearly everyone afraid to go near her."
"I took her to get something to eat the other day and she could barely hold a cup of water without her hand shaking. And trying to talk to her barely yielded anything. She was lost in her own head half the time."
"I'm no shrink,"Aegis warily commented,"But that sounds like PTSD."
"If what I felt from her emotions was anything to go on, I think I'll agree to that. That's why I think she needs help. I talked to Amy about it, she said she's been trying, but no luck. I don't blame her. I could tell, she was just as tired and hurt as everyone else. It's just…"
"A mess?"He offered.
"Yeah, a mess."Dean sighed."Vicky always relied on the belief that she was invincible. But Chimera showed her, and everyone else that wasn't true. With that gone, and her aunt dead, it's really taking a toll on her. And I don't know how best to help her. Not with everything going on."
They didn't say anything for a moment, letting the quiet hum of the elevator fill the silence. With a slow movement, Aegis removed his helmet, his long dark hair dropping to frame his face.
"Maybe you can't,"Carlos eventually said,"At least, not now. We probably can't do much until we get everything situated. I'd like to mourn the dead, but I can't focus on that right now."
"Not so easy for them. They lost a part of their family,"Dean replied.
"We lost people too."Carlos said, looking Dean in the eye.
"But not family. You think the pain we'd feel is comparable to anything Jess is feeling? Or Shawn's son?"Dean countered, looking straight back.
Carlos felt his heart lurch as he remembered the look on Jess's face when Assault was wheeled out on the stretcher, a pale cloth covering his entire body. The way her face crumpled into complete despair and choked sobs leaped from her mouth. He was reminded of the old man. The thought made his hands ball into fists.
The elevator dinged.
Doors sliding open, Dean was the first to step out into the long hallway. Carlos was two steps behind him. Feeling a mix or turmoil and frustration spin in his stomach, Carlos followed quietly. When they reached the security door, Dean began to put his passcode into the panel.
"Look,"Carlos started,"I didn't mean-"
"I know what you meant."Dean calmly assured."And you're right in a way. But it's not so simple for everyone. I don't blame you for thinking that way either. It's easy to forget with the costumes and the powers, but we're still just human. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Really? Nothing more? Aren't we supposed to be heroes?"
"Are we really?"Dean pondered."Shawn and Ethan died trying to stop an impossible evil." The door chimed as it accepted his code,"There's hardly anything as heroic as that. But their loved ones are still here, grieving for them. I don't know about you,"He turned to the Wards captain,"But the thought of dying and leaving the people I care about doesn't sit well with me. Even if it would make me a hero."
The door slid open and Dean walked through.
Carlos did not.
The door closed with a silent judgemental thud.
It was funny, no matter where you go, things always stay the same.
He'd spent a good portion of his life on the streets. Lurking in the shadows, crawling amongst people's filth. This city was no different than any other one he'd frequented. He knew what to do, how to adapt, how to learn. So he slithered around town, listening and observing. In just a few weeks time he had some understanding of what was what around here.
He knew the city's name, Brockton Bay-never heard of it-he knew the city was on the east coast, that was surprising. Last he remembered he was on the west coast. Now he's here. There was still no clue about how that happened. And finally, and most importantly, he learned who ran this town.
The three gangs. The Asian Bad Boyz, The Empire 88, and the Merchants.
The Merchants were the losers. Lazy drug addicts. He'd seen more than enough of their type before. They'd roam the streets, pedaling their stuff, but they wouldn't do anything big. Hardly anything to be excited about.
The Empire 88 were more impressive. Unlike the Merchants they had actual motivation to do something. They had the most members and the best guns, which usually meant they had the most territory. Interesting to hear they also had a bone to pick with him. Apparently they didn't take too kindly to some freak coming into their home and destroying everything. Boo hoo, how sad for them. Circling around a few of their territories has shown that they'd start up patrols around town to try and find him. Too bad for them, he was used to evading people. They wouldn't catch him unless he wanted them to.
And the last gang, the Asian Bad Boyz-stupid name-was an all asian gang. Kinda dumb when you saw how outnumbered they were compared to the others, but one thing in particular stood out to him about them. Their leader, Lung. Apparently, he was considered the strongest in this town. And word on the street was, he was on his list too. For apparently no other reason then just to fight him. This guy was either crazy, or just plain stupid. But it did open up an interesting prospect.
What to do now? Two of the major gangs in this city wanted a piece of him.
He smirked predatorily. Sounds like fun.
'96, 97, 98, 99, 100.'Carlos counted internally as he finished his set.
Softly placing the 50 pound dumbbells onto the floor, he started stretching out his arms. He'd learned the hard way that just because he wouldn't feel the pain, didn't mean he shouldn't stretch out his muscles.
'Those were some very awkward bathroom trips.'He thought.
After he was done, he picked up his phone and checked the time. It was almost six. He'd been here for almost an hour. He sighed, running a hand down his face. He still didn't feel better.
'But the thought of dying and leaving the people I care about doesn't sit well with me. Even if it would make me a hero.'
Dean's words had stuck with him. They'd struck something in him he didn't know was there. A feeling, something starved and desperate. It made his heart hurt and his blood thicken. He tried to dismiss it, drown it out with exercise at the gym, hoping it'd clear his head. Really, all it did was distract him. Once he was finished, it all came back.
'Dying...Leaving the people I care about...It would make me a hero.'
His throat clenched and he forced himself to swallow. That's not...that's not what a hero does. Heroes protect and help people. They reassure everyone that things are gonna be alright. They fight villains. They defeat villains. But sometimes they…sometimes they're too late. Sometimes the bad guy gets away. Sometimes they don't save everyone. Sometimes they...
'Sometimes they die.'He thought morosely.
It was always something to be aware of. Capes lead dangerous lives for a living. And while the unwritten rules were there, they didn't always protect you, especially from the ones who don't care about them. But he never really put much thought about it happening to him. Who does? But that's the life he signed up for. Why? Because he wanted to be a hero. But heroes are made to fight and die if necessary. Why did he want that? Maybe because he knew what it was like to be picked on and harassed by people you couldn't fight back. Maybe he wanted to save others from that feeling, or maybe he wanted to feel strong against the kinds of people who tormented him. Make them feel the same helplessness they caused him. His own form of vengeance.
But that wasn't very heroic.
So the question is, why was he a hero? What did he want out of it?
The distraught face of Jess and the old man flashed into his mind.
'I want-'
"Hey!"A voice startled him from behind. Turning around he saw it was Sophia, hands on her hips, and clad in a matching black sports bra and shorts.
"Yeah?"He inquired, doing his best to keep his eyes firmly on her face.
"Spar with me."She said, though the way she said it, it seemed more like a command.
"Why?"He asked.
"Because you're the only one here, because nobody else will, because I just wanna spar with someone, pick a reason. Now come on."She sneered, turning and marching over to the dark blue mat.
Rolling his eyes, he stood up and followed. He'd long since figured out that with Sophia, it was best to pick your battles. You stand your ground on some, you give in on others. He wasn't in the mood to put up much of a struggle this time, so he'd let her have her way.
She was already doing her stretches by the time he got there. Her body contorting and flexing as she warmed herself up. He turned away from her and did a few more of his own, just in case earlier wasn't enough.
After they were both done, they stood across from each other, each taking a rough stance with their hands up and balled into fists.
"Rules?"He asked.
"No powers, besides that, anything goes. No ring out. Submit only. "She answered, her dark eyes staring intently into his.
He nodded and readied himself. Sophia, like he suspected, struck first.
She lashed out with a jab that he barely blocked with his arm. Only to land the follow up across his left cheek.
'Damn! I forgot how fast she was!'He thought in astonishment.
She continued her assault, but with him a bit more on guard this time, fewer of her shots landed. He wasn't idle in the exchange either. Whenever he saw an opening, he took it, she dodged most of them, but the ones he did land caused her to grunt and stagger.
They kept up their silent exchange for a few minutes. Neither of them really thought much beyond the fight in front of them. They blocked, countered, grappled, and tripped each other countlessly, sweat starting to sprinkle the mat as they both gave it their best, the competitive spirit driving them both to win.
He caught her by the wrist when she overextended, lifted her arm up and landed a hard hook to her kidney. She groaned and fell over when he let her go, cradling her side. He stepped back and let her compose herself. He knew her too well, she'd get back up eventually.
Watching as she took a few deep breaths, he was about to ask if she submits before she slowly stood back up onto her feet, still obviously feeling the pain, but not letting it keep her down. She lifted her arms back up and balled her fists, all the while glaring at him.
"Why are we doing all this crap?"She asked. He blinked, the question catching him off guard. Enough for her to leap forward and sock him right in the lip. He stumbled back more in surprise than anything.
"Why aren't we hunting that bastard down and making him pay?"She continued. He kept his guard up this time as he processed her words. When he understood, he sighed quietly.
"There are other things going on that need our attention right now. Besides, it's not our call."He said.
"The hell it isn't."She snapped, launching a kick that he dodged before following with more punches."That fucker attacked our home, killed some of our people and got away with it. We should be in the streets tracking him down."
Trying to formulate a response while you had punches flying toward you wasn't ideal, so he ducked her next punch, wrapped his arms around her, spun and tossed her to the mat.
"I get it."He replied,"I do. But there are more important things that need our attention."
"Bullshit."She hissed as she rolled to her feet."Nobody's safe with that bastard loose. If we stopped wasting our time on shit that doesn't matter, we could've had him by now."
"You really believe that?"He asked incredulously.
"I know that!"She said,"Instead of preparing and tracking that bastard down, we're stuck here with our thumbs up our asses just waiting for him to show himself again."
"You don't think he could've moved on?"He stressed. She looked at him like he was an idiot.
"It's been three weeks. That's more than enough time for him to make it to either Boston or New York. There's no way we wouldn't have heard anything if he had."She reasoned.
"So what, he's just hiding now?"He asked, feeling a stab of irritation in his stomach grow.
"Yes. And the longer we stay here not doing anything then we're just giving him more time to escape for real or plan his next attack."
"Helping people counts as nothing?"He scoffed.
"Fuck you, that's not what I said."She seethed.
"No, it's what you meant. And forget about that for a second, what would we be able to do if we found him? Newsflash Sophia, he took down every hero in the city. We couldn't do anything to him even if we did find him."
"Fine, if you're too chicken shit to fight then fuck off, nobody needs you here."
"Oh yeah, send the wards captain away, great idea Sophia really,"He clapped,"Maybe you can lead the team while I'm gone then. Order around everyone, it'll be a fun time."
"I could do a better job than you, since you're too much of a coward."She spat. Teeth starting to grind, Carlos growled back,"I doubt that seeing how you're so weak."
Her eyes glinted dangerously."What did you just say?"
"Against Chimera, you're weak Sophia. Nothing you could do to him, would work. We all know it. You talk a big game, but when it came down to it, you'd be worthless in the fight against him."
Sophia took a silent step forward. Eyes blackening with fury.
"I can take the hits, Vista can keep him back, Kid could build something to hit him with, Gallant could disorient him with the right blast, and Clock could freeze him. You? You'd shoot him with a tranq that might not even work and run. Guess who's the coward in that scenario?"
Teeth bared in a wrathful snarl, Sophia coiled herself like a snake, getting ready to spring forward, only needing one last provocation. He gave it.
"Against Chimera, you'd be nothing but a sheep to the slaughter."
It was time.
They'd been trying to find him for weeks now. Having their people march up and down every dark alley, forgotten building, cratered street they could without arousing suspicion. Meanwhile, he'd kept himself hidden, never staying in one place, yet periodically watching them. Seeing their frustration grow and their desperation push them into making mistakes. Their search became ravenous, careful patrols deteriorating into frantic scrambles for clues. Anything that might lead them to their prey.
Perfect.
Soon, he'd throw them a bone. Let them catch a glimpse, hear a noise, nothing obvious. Just enough to get their attention. Get them sniffing, following a trail. Their eagerness at finally getting a lead would blind them to what was actually happening. He was intentionally leading them. Not that it would matter if someone noticed, he'd waited long enough. They'd wanted to fight him, so they would, and he'd make sure they'd live long enough to regret it.
Director Piggot stared at the two Wards in front of her, her face carefully blank even as a bubbling concoction of irritation and stress stirred in her abdomen. On the left, Carlos stood stoic, back straight and face neutral. The image was somewhat downplayed by the myriad of bruises that covered his face and arms. She was a little annoyed that he didn't feel any of them. To the right, Sophia stood petulantly, arms crossed, a dour expression marring her face. She was less beat up then the Wards captain, but she had still gotten her fair share of punishment. The way she was standing clearly said that she was favoring her right side. Whatever he'd done to her had more than made up for what she put him through
Behind them, Miss Militia stood, arms behind her back as she watched the proceedings.
"So,"The even toned voice of the Director began,"Who wants to explain what happened?"
"It was my fault."Carlos said as he stepped forward.
"Oh?"The Director idly replied,"Well then, please, explain to me how this was your fault."
"I egged her on,"He supplied,"It was just a spar at first, but things got heated. I said some things to push her over the edge and that made things more violent."
"Some things?"She questioned with a raised eyebrow."Care to elaborate?"
"I said she was weak. That she was a liability to the team,"He breathed in and released a breath,"And that if Chimera showed up, then she was gonna die trying to fight him."
"Mhm,"She nodded,"Those first two I can understand, but that last one I don't see as an insult. More of a statement that holds plausible merit. For her and the others."
Sophia glowered.
"Did you hear any of this when you found them?"She asked the heroine in the back.
"No mam,"She shook her head,"I only caught the end of the fight."
The Director turned to the scowling girl.
"Well, Sophia?"She addressed,"Can you verify his words?"
She mumbled something under her breath.
"You'll have to speak up Hess I can't hear when you speak so quietly,"Piggot dryly said.
"Yes."Sophia grumbled.
"Yes, everything he said is true?"
"Yes."
Nodding her head the Director turned back to the Wards captain.
"Now, despite you so nobley trying to take full responsibility, it takes two to tango, so you'll both be punished for this incident. Though you will take the brunt of it. Sophia was supposed to be helping at Shelter 4 later but I'd rather not send an injured Ward out to potentially help with heavy lifting. Luckily I happen to know another Ward who's good for heavy lifting and can do so without getting tired. You don't have any issue with this do you?"
"No mam."He said.
"Good."She nodded. She turned to Sophia."You can go, we'll figure something out for you later, Carlos, stay, I need a word with you."
Sophia cast a poisonous look at Carlos-one he ignored completely-before turning and walking out of the Director's office, Miss Militia right behind her.
When they were both gone, Piggot sighed heavily and began to massage her temples.
"I can't begin to describe how irritated I am right now,"She began."I've been on numerous calls with the Chief Director this past week negotiating for reinforcements, I've had to deal with supervisors of each shelter complaining about lack of PRT teams around the area so I've had to spread my people thin in attempts to pacify everyone. Trying to work with the BBPD, Firefighters, SARS teams, and National Guard all at once is proving slow and tedious. I've lost two of my capes, Armsmaster has locked himself in his lab, Battery is still grief-stricken: I've essentially only got Velocity, Miss Militia and Triumph to fully rely on. And now, I have my Wards captain starting fights with his teammates."
She looked at him, her face holding so much exhaustion it made him wonder how she was still conscious.
"Carlos, I can understand how stressful these few weeks have been. It's difficult enough worrying about if others are doing what needs to be done, but having to worry about my own people starting trouble inside our ranks is something I will not tolerate!"
She leaned forward, her expression turning thunderous,"You are the Wards captain, you are supposed to be setting the example for your teammates. Not antagonizing them!"
"Were the circumstances different, and we were not dealing with this mess, I would've given you a disciplinary review, and had you temporarily taken off the roster. As it stands, I cannot afford to be down on even one person. Count yourself lucky. This will not happen again. Understood?"
"Yes mam."He said stiffly.
"Good. Your shift will be starting in twenty minutes, I suggest you hurry up and change."
He left without a word.
The locker room was empty by the time he got there, the other Wards probably at home or already out working with the other shelters.
'Alone again, naturally.'He thought sardonically. He made his way over to his locker and used his Wards phone to unlock it. When it swung open, he began changing out of his gym clothes, and into his costume.
As he changed, he reflected on the fight itself. Obviously he didn't really mean what he said to her, he was only just saying what he thought would piss her off. Sure, it worked, but maybe a little too well.
Sophia had attacked him like an animal. Her form lost any and all of its technique, and she sacrificed proficiency for power, had he been anyone else, they might have seriously been hurt. But fortunately, or unfortunately, for Sophia, he could take all that she had to offer.
He started off blocking and deflecting her hits, using his superior size and muscle to his advantage. Eventually he stopped blocking, letting all her attacks land, seeming bored as she tried to indent his face. Soon he started mocking her, weak, weak, weak he said after each hit. Come on, is that it? Hit harder! Come on harder!
So she punched, kicked, elbowed, and kneed him as fast and as hard as she could manage, really doing more damage to herself. When she started to slow was when he went on the offensive. She weathered his assault well enough, making sure to dodge any attacks that seemed too heavy for her, even going as far as using her power to avoid some of them. But on the hits he did land, he made sure to stop holding back, and hit her with force reserved usually for an in costume fight. Seeing her get staggered after each successful hit fueled him to keep going, keep pushing, make her fall.
But before he could, Miss Militia came in and broke up the brawl. Having her come in had snapped him out of whatever trance he had lost himself in and he felt himself start to calm down.
He couldn't remember the last time he was that angry. Wiping a hand down his face, Carlos sighed and looked down at his helmet.
Aegis. A protector. A shield, to safeguard the innocent.
That was the line the PR team had told him when he had first signed up as a Ward. He'd been enthusiastic about it at first, and had happily worn the title with pride. But now, in the wake of all this pain and despair, he felt like a failure. Like nothing he did truly mattered. A shield that couldn't protect anyone was no good at all.
"How am I a hero?"He muttered to the silence.
The flight to Shelter 4 wasn't a long one. Going down main street had taken him most of the way there. And with just enough light left in the pink sunset sky, finding it was no problem. When he came to the large entrance of Shelter 4, he was greeted with the sight of a loaded FMTV with a small group of soldiers standing in front of the truck.
Being sure to fly out in front of them so he was noticed, he softly landed in front of them.
"Hey!"He called out,"What's going on?"
A dark skinned man blinked in confusion.
"Hey, Aegis right?"He asked,"No offense but, I thought Shadow Stalker was supposed to be coming."
"We had a change of shift. Sorry if this is last minute."He answered.
Shrugging his shoulders the man waved away the apology,"Eh, don't worry about it. Better than nobody showing up. And this is nothing major, some idiot just dropped off the wrong supplies. Now we're stuck trying to figure out where they're supposed to go."
"What is it?"He asked walking over to the back of the truck.
"Blankets, mostly."He answered.
Aegis blinked. Blankets? Didn't that mean…
"Shelter 6."He exclaimed."These are supposed to be going to Shelter 6."
"You sure?"The soldier asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah."He nodded,"I was there earlier today and the supervisor said she'd put in a notice that they needed more blankets. But she didn't think they'd be in today."
"Hm, Alex, call Shelter 6 and ask them if they were expecting a shipment of blankets."He said, turning to one of the others.
"Yes sir,"Alex said, pulling out a radio.
Turning back to Aegis, he offered a smile,"This'll save us a lot of trouble, thanks for the help."
"No problem."Aegis replied smiling back.
"Allow me to introduce us. I'm Sergeant Maxwell."He said pointing to himself,"This is Private Neil and Studz."He pointed to the other two soldiers who gave him a wave, before pointing to the man talking over his radio"And over there is Corporal Alex."
"Nice to meet you,"Aegis said.
"Likewise. So, what's going on? You said there was a shift change but then you said you were at Shelter 6 earlier. Unless you're doing a double then something must've happened."Maxwell asked.
Aegis blinked in surprise. This guy was perceptive.
"Just a small incident. Nothing too bad but, Stalker got hurt,"He said glad they couldn't see his wince behind his helmet."My power makes it so I don't get tired like everyone else so I was picked to take her spot."He lied easily enough. Well, it technically wasn't a lie.
"Hope she gets better,"Maxwell said.
"Same here,"Neil said,"Though I wish her a slow recovery."
"Excuse me?"Aegis said in bewilderment.
"Come on man,"Studz admonished as he elbowed Neil,"She's just a kid, no need to hold a grudge."
"Am I missing something?"Aegis inquired.
"Well, in case you didn't know, your teammates a bitch."Neil said unrepentantly. Aegis blinked.
"I'm aware."He heard himself say in astonishment.
"Oh good. Glad to know she's not pulling some two faced shit."Neil chuckled."Got a real attitude problem that one. Makes me wonder how a kid like that got to be a Ward."
"She's a probationary member."He supplied,"Got put in cause she roughed up some guys as a vigilante before she was caught."
"Word?"Neil smirked,"Why am I not surprised?"
"Got confirmation!"Corporal Alex called as he walked back to the group."Shelter 6 was supposed to get these this afternoon. Must've been a mix-up somehow and they ended up with us. They asked us to deliver them."
"Great!"Maxwell clapped,"Any volunteers?"
"I can do it."Studz volunteered,"I just need to know how to get there. With some of the major roads closed I'll need directions."
"I can go with you."Aegis offered,"If you don't need my help here, I can show you the way."
"Alright, I'll ask the Supervisor on site to see if they need you for anything."Maxwell said. When the Sergeant left, Neil turned to him with a smirk.
"So kid,"Neil chimed,"You've fought the Empire 88 before right?"
"Yeah."He answered warily.
"Got any good stories?"
"Uhh."
"Don't mind him."Studz drawled as he climbed into the driver's seat of the truck."He just wants to hear about Nazi's getting their teeth kicked in."
"Hey, i'm a proud American, hearing about Nazi's gettin the shit kicked outta them is like drinking a cup of coffee in the morning."Neil smiled crookedly. Turning back to Aegis he confessed,"I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed none of those fuckers have tried anything. Ida loved to say I capped a Nazi in my lifetime. It'd be something I can brag to my grandkids about."
"You don't even have kids."Studz called back.
"It's the principle of the thing!"Neil argued. Aegis meanwhile was looking between the two in bemusement. Glancing over to the corporal, the man rolled his eyes and took out a cigarette.
Maxwell returned soon after.
"You're good to go."He said to Aegis,"Nothing too pressing here it seems."
"Yeah what else is new."Neil grumbled."Mind if I go with them Sergeant?"
"What, we're not exciting enough for you Neil?"The Corporal asked before taking a drag from his cigarette.
"No offense Corporal, but no, you're not."Neil dryly retorted."So, what do you say sergeant? If there's nothing going on here, I can at least give these two an extra pair of eyes."
The Sergeant rubbed his chin and thought about it.
"Alright."He allowed,"But you're helping unload the truck afterwards, you're not just gonna sit on your ass while you're there."
"The thought never even crossed my mind."Neil said with a salute. Turning around, he went to hop in the truck.
Maxwell rolled his eyes before turning to Aegis.
"He's an idiot, but he's reliable. Him and Studz will watch your back if you run into any trouble."
"I'm not worried, but thank you, I'll do my best to look after them too."Aegis said.
"Much appreciated."Maxwell nodded.
Aegis went and climbed in the front seat of the truck and they were off soon after.
The drive was quiet for the most part with Aegis providing directions and Studz asking for verification when it started to get too dark to properly see street signs. Neil, for his part was quiet. Reclining as far as he could in his seat and just relaxing during the night drive.
"What do you think Neil?"Studz prodded, as he made a left turn."Exciting enough for ya?"
"Oh yeah man, having the time of my life."Neil drawled."Throw in some booze and scantily clad woman and I'd think I was in heaven."
"Fresh outta both i'm afraid, guess you're gonna have to deal."Studz smirked.
"Damn. I should put in a request for the next supply run."Neil said,"Now seriously kid, you got any stories about the Empire getting their shit pushed in?"
"Not off the top of my head."Aegis answered."If I think of one I'll let you know."
"Thanks kid, you're a real pal."Neil said as he adjusted himself in his seat,"Must be nice. Going around, saving people, fighting off Nazi's, wish I had powers sometimes. Being a hero looks fun."
Aegis felt his stomach churn. A hero huh…?
"Hey, we've gone around and saved people before."Studz said with a lifted eyebrow.
"But we haven't fought Nazi's."Neil pointed out,"Which is a crying shame I'll admit."
"Well, with how long we might be here, you'll probably get your chance,"Studz assured.
"A man can only hope."Neil whispered dreamily. Studz chuckled quietly as he came to a redlight. Stopping the car, Studz leaned back before looking to the side and suddenly straightening.
"Hey Aegis,"Studz said, his tone firm,"Right side, is that…?"
Turning to look out his window, Aegis saw what he was referring too. A small group of men were loitering in an alley, and by their looks and attire…
"Those are Empire members."He said softly.
"Where?!"Neil exclaimed as he leaned forward to look out the front window.
"Are we in a part of their territory?"Studz inquired while turning back to the road.
"No. No we're not. In fact, their members shouldn't be out this way."Aegis said suspiciously. Something wasn't right. The light changed green and they drove off.
"Should we follow them?"Neil suggested in a dangerously serious voice.
"We're not authorized to act on that,"Studz warned.
"They could be setting a trap for us, trying to steal supplies."
"Why would they steal a bunch of blankets?"
"They don't know what it is, they could think we have something valuable."
"I doubt that."
"What do you think kid?"Neil asked Aegis. He thought about it for a second.
"I don't like it. I'll tail them for a bit, see what they're up to, you guys stay behind."He said.
"Hell no!"Neil exclaimed,"You may have powers but we're not about to let you follow a group of gangsters by yourself."
"I've done this with my team before."He defended.
"With your team."Studz stressed,"They're not here. We're the only backup you have."
"Look, i'm the only one who can fly, I stand the least chance of being seen."He reasoned.
"And if they have one of their capes with them?"Neil asked dryly.
At that Aegis came up short. If Cricket turned out to be among them, then yeah, he'd probably be found out if he wasn't careful. But what would bringing them do? They'd be spotted more easily than him. Remembering Maxwell's words, he figured he could use an extra set of eyes, have them to watch his back.
He sighed.
"Alright."He agreed,"We'll find somewhere to park the truck, and follow them from there. If you have to radio in anything, do it now, one of their capes, Cricket has enhanced hearing. Until we confirm she's not there, we'll have to be as quiet as possible."
Studz turned down a side street and parked the truck. Aegis climbed out of the truck and put a hand to his helmet, activating his headpiece.
"Aegis to console."He spoke.
"Console here, go ahead."The voice of Kid Win responded.
"Unknown Empire activity near the docks. Going to investigate. Will be maintaining radio silence incase Cricket is on site."
"Acknowledged. Be careful boss."Kid Win said. The voice cut out.
Turning back to Neil and Studz, the men had both loaded their M4's and grabbed any other equipment they might need and were waiting for his go ahead.
"Lets go,"He said.
Together, the three rushed back to where they saw the group of men. When they found the alley, it was empty, but aerial assistance from Aegis helped to find them again. The group was pushing into the abandoned warehouse area.
They kept their distance, Studz and Neil carefully sneaking through the alleys and Aegis keeping low with his flight. Only flying higher when they almost lost sight of the group. Soon it wasn't long before Aegis noticed that more and more non powered members were showing up. Each one carrying a large rifle . He would've reported this but as he looked among the group he saw her. Cricket.
Marching alongside Stormtiger and Hookwolf.
Looking at Studz and Neil he put a finger to his lips then mouthed 'Cricket'. They nodded, their expressions turning grim.
The situation only got worse from there. Soon, a good portion of their roster showed up.
Crusader, Alabaster, Victor, Othala, and Rune. That made eight members.
This wasn't good. Whatever they were planning, it was big. He thought about retreating and radioing in the situation but soon the large group stopped outside a warehouse.
He softly floated down to the ground next to the two men behind an old garage. He gestured to the warehouse behind the corner and they nodded.
Carefully poking their heads around they saw Hookwolf step forward, blades spinning and twisting out from his body til he was in his metal wolf form.
Aegis noticed Neil's jaw drop out of the corner of his eye.
Cricket drew her kamas, Stormtiger summoned swirling vortexes of wind to form claws around his hands, Alabaster pulled out a large pistol and a combat knife, Victor put a clip into his M16 while Othala laid her hand on him, probably imbuing him with a power, Rune levitated a few manhole covers around her, and Crusader summoned a dozen of his specters. Hookwolf cast a look to his fellow members and got a nod back from each of them. Turning back to the warehouse, he bared his teeth.
With a feral roar, Hookwolf burst through the large doors of the warehouse, the others quickly following in after him.
They watched with bated breath. Waiting. Ten seconds, twenty, thirty, a whole minute. Two.
Suddenly, a yell. Loud and piercing echoed through the air, and right after, a cacophonous choir of gunfire rippled in the night, the warehouse lighting up from muzzle flashes. Then, the screaming started. One after another, men started howling in agony, their cries causing shivers to race up the spines of the three listening.
Aegis gulped as a deeply unsettling feeling started to creep into his stomach. Studz and Neil were in the same position as they listened to the absolute carnage happening behind the metal walls.
Soon, the gunfire stopped. The air was silent again. The three felt their ears ringing from the loud gunshots.
Then, a brilliant light illuminated from inside the warehouse. And suddenly, the entire front was blown off in a loud explosion that made the two soldiers wince and cover their ears. Aegis however, kept his eyes on the scene in front of him.
The Empire capes had been launched out during the explosion. They laid, groaning and squirming on the ground from the fire and force of the explosion. Only Alabaster was able to stand up immediately. Soon however, the others stood up too, a few of them unsteady on their feet. But they stood determined and faced the now burning warehouse.
Aegis squinted as he saw something move in the fire.
A giant silhouette slowly stomped towards the entrance, its form concealed by the ravenous flames. With every lumbering step, the Empire capes tensed. Eventually, the figure became clear, and the sight drove a spike of dread through the hearts of everyone present.
Aegis felt his blood turn to ice, his eyes started to widen and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.
"Oh shit…"Neil swore with a tremble to his voice. Studz traced a cross over his body.
From the roaring fire and twisted metal he emerged, his huge amalgamous body just as horrific and disgusting as it was three weeks ago. Casting a deranged look at all those present, the scourge of Brockton Bay smiled.
"All this, just for me. I'm touched."He chuckled sinisterly,"But ,since you went through all this trouble, I guess I have no choice."
He opened up his four arms, welcoming their challenge.
"You want a piece of me?"Chimera growled menacingly,"Come and take it!"
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
-Chimera Tentative Power Classification: Mover 6, Breaker 2, Shaker 4, Brute 7, Blaster 9, Changer (?), Trump 6-Status Pending...
The lights are set. The camera is rolling. And all that is left, is action. Which you will get in the next part. Yep, this is a two parter. Good thing too, this was long enough.
Anyways, thanks for reading, you know the drill, tell me what you think in the reviews. Stay safe and have a good night.