And we're back to the toned down, shorter chapters...hurray. I'm joking, these chapters give me some time to focus on individual characters and help give them some depth/padding.
Plus, they're so much easier to write. Not that I don't enjoy long fight scenes, but those require focus. These are more relaxing. I only hope my quality stays the same.
Anyways, Ben Ten, Worm, I own neither, it's all good.
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.
His exuberant laughter reverberates all throughout the air as he watched the last of the defeated gang run away as fast as their legs could carry them. That. Was. Awesome! The look on their faces! Priceless!
He hunched over, guffawing as he repeatedly slapped his knee remembering the way some of them cringed and shivered as he murdered their teammates. And that one guy who cried-actually cried!-when he took that one girl's head off. Perfect, just perfect. Maybe next time they'll think twice about trying to pick a fight with him.
Looking around at the destruction he'd caused filled him with a sense of pride. He'd done this, he took the top dogs on and showed them that he wasn't someone to be messed with. It was like when he first got here when he took on those 'heroes'-feh- how he'd shown them he wasn't someone you could push around. Not anymore. He'd thought everyone else would get the message, but there was always someone who wanted to challenge. But now, after he'd killed a good number of their members, they'd know better, and better yet, they'd tell people. Let everyone else know how much of a threat he was.
'I-I can't change back. I'm stuck like this! Look at what you've done!'
The fingers on his four arms flexed and clenched themselves slowly. As he beheld the strength he now had once more, he began to think. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Being stuck like this sucked, and he was still going to bash that little dweeb's face in when he got his hands on him, but being able to do all this, it was amazing. He was stronger than he's ever been! He was untouchable! Nobody could stand in his way! But to be able to do all this, at the cost of becoming some freak...was it worth it?
The piercing ring of sirens in the distance cut through his thoughts and made him look up. Seems like the good guys were on their way.
A smirk slithered its way across his face.
Brockton Bay
Friday, April 8th, 2011
9:12 PM EST
Even with the sun long down, the April air was warm and comfortable. But for some reason, it couldn't do a thing for the chill he felt slinking up and down his spine.
The sight was uncomfortably familiar. Fires, crumbled buildings, craters and splintered crystal spikes jutting out of the ground. It was like he'd stepped back in time to three weeks ago.
Amidst the destruction, surrounded by briskly working PRT troopers and soldiers from the national guard, Triumph almost felt out of place. Everyone here was moving with a purpose: either establishing the perimeter, setting up lights to better illuminate the area, relaying reports to command, or...making way for the ambulance. Swallowing the burning lump in throat, he watched the paramedics wheel a heavily burned Fog onto the back of an ambulance. From where he stood, he couldn't tell if the guy was even still alive. Seeing the burned flesh and the fabric of his clothes melt into his skin brought back bad memories. But still, it was far more preferable to look at that then what was on the other side of the lot.
"Well,"He overheard someone say behind him with a sarcastic tilt to their voice,"I don't see Chimera anywhere, but it looks like he took down almost half of them. I know you wanted them all to get offed, but hey, Kaiser's dead, does that make you feel better?"
"Studz, now is not the time. Do me a favor and shut the fuck up."Somone replied dryly. He agreed, please Studz, shut the fuck up. God, just thinking about it made his stomach churn. He'd been avoiding even glancing in that general direction since he got here, he was hoping he could avoid it a bit longer, that way he had a better chance of not throwing up his dinner.
His hopes were dashed however when he heard the familiar roar of a particular motorcycle. A heavy feeling fell into his abdomen and he turned to see Armsmaster pull up with Miss Militia right behind him on her own sleek bike. Damn it. He watched them dismount their vehicles and begin to march over to him, sidestepping anyone that stood in their way. He stood a little straighter just as they were about to reach him.
"Sir."He acknowledged. He was a little surprised to see his leader out of the lab, but given the circumstances, it wasn't too unbelievable.
"Triumph."Armsmaster nodded, his mouth set in a firm line,"What've we got?"
He licked his lips."Well sir it's...it's not pretty."He informed his superior cautiously,"We were able to get Fog and Fenja. Both of them are being taken to the hospital for their injuries, and the others…"
"The others?"Armsmaster implored impatiently. A beat passed.
"...I think you should see for yourself. They're over that way."He said gesturing with his head so he wouldn't have to turn to look.
"Show me,"Armsmaster commanded.
'And dinner was so good too, hopefully it'll taste as good a second time.'Triumph thought despairingly.'Fuck my life.'
Outwardly he nodded and turned to lead his superiors to the rest of the Empire capes. He led them over to a circle of light stands illuminating six oddly draped white blankets being closely guarded by a team of PRT troopers. Armsmaster and Miss Militia eyed the crimson splotches on the blankets intently. Triumph gestured for the troopers to take the blankets off, and one after another, they were removed.
Miss Militia inhaled sharply while Armsmaster stoically observed the grizzly scene. Triumph, meanwhile, decided he hated being right. No sooner were the bodies revealed did he promptly turn to the side, hunch over, and violently expel the contents of his stomach onto the asphalt.
This lasted for about a minute before the coughing and gagging subsided and all he was left with was an empty stomach and an acidic taste on his tongue.
'Definitely not as good the second time.'He thought tiredly. He was bemused and very thankful when a random soldier came up to him and waved a compact box of tic-tacs in his face. Standing up straight he accepted the box and shook out a handful before popping the minty candies in his mouth. Nodding his thanks he returned the box then turned back to the bodies. He waved away the concerned glance Miss Militia sent him and addressed Armsmaster.
"Menja was originally impaled on that spike over there,"He explained while pointing to the giant jagged crystal spyre protruding from the ground, the tinted green stained with dry blood."We got here just in time to see her body start to shrink down and well…"
"It bisected her."Armsmaster supplied stiffly. Triumph felt his skin crawl at the memory.
"Yeah."He answered weakly,"I can't properly identify this one but, I think it's Krieg. The jacket alone is the only indication."
"Mhm."Armsmaster verified."Krieg, Menja, Othala, Rune, Hookwolf, and Kaiser himself."
"Six Empire capes dead, two seriously injured, and the rest nowhere to be found."Miss Militia added.
"That about covers it."Triumph sighed. "The Empire took a hard hit today, we're gonna be dealing with the ramifications of this later."
"Once word gets out, the ABB and Merchants will get greedy,"Miss Militia said,"They've been quiet since the national guard is here, but hang bait like this in front of them long enough and they'll be willing to risk it."
"What do you think sir?"Triumph asked Armsmaster. He didn't respond, simply continuing to stand and stare with his arms crossed at the gory mess that was left for them.
"Sir?"He tried again.
"Armsmaster?"Miss Militia called.
He was quiet for a few more seconds before he finally spoke."This was a trap."He said.
"A trap? You think so?"Miss Militia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Has to be."He informed,"Think about it. After weeks of not being seen or heard of, Chimera just randomly shows himself, that doesn't make sense. He's proven elusive enough that he won't be found unless he wants to be. So when he finally did reveal himself, he did so-"
"So that the Empire, and only the Empire would notice."Miss Militia put together,"He wanted to fight them."
"But why?"Armsmaster pondered,"Why stick around the city he'd previously just rampaged in just to fight the Empire? He has to know that if he stays too long he'll be cornered. Either he's really confident, or really stupid."
"Or both."Triumph quipped."So now we know for sure, Chimera never left. What do we do now?"
"We have to be very careful,"Miss Militia said,"The clean-up and housing efforts for the civilians have been taking up all of our attention. But now that we have confirmation that Chimera's still in Brockton Bay, we have to split our priorities. We can't risk another attack from him."
"Agreed,"Armsmaster said,"If we're gonna do this, we need all hands on deck. Miss Militia, do you think you can get Battery on board?"
"I can try. But I won't make any promises."Miss Militia warned.
"Do it. I'm gonna report this to the Director."Armsmaster said before walking off to make the call. Miss Militia and Triumph watched him go.
"It's good to see him with his head back in the game."Triumph commented.
"I wish the circumstances were different but yes, it is good to have him back."Miss Militia agreed. Triumph sighed and rubbed a hand across his mouth.
"And here I thought things were finally starting to settle down."He said tiredly.
"Trust me, I get it. I'm just as tired as you are."Miss Militia concurred,"Everything was starting to become routine, then this happens. My heart nearly stopped when Aegis called this in."
"How's he doing?"Triumph inquired.
"Shaken up, but okay. The Director ordered him back to base, hopefully he's taking some time to unwind, he's had a long day."
Triumph nodded before casting a cautious glance at the broken bodies again.
"I can't help but think,"He began,"That if he really wanted to, Chimera could've killed us instantly. This could've been us, and we wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it. Makes me wonder just how capable we really are."
"We can't think like that."Miss Militia firmly instructed,"If we let him get in our heads, we'll have lost the fight before it even begins. Just focus on the here and now, we have to be strong, for everyone who's counting on us."
She gently patted him on the shoulder as she walked past him to go speak to Armsmaster. Triumph mulled over her words, wondering just how much strength he had left to give. Looking over at his two commanding officers, he saw their determination and resolve as they conversed with one another, trying to figure out their next move. The sight made him feel lacking.
"I don't know if I can keep up."He sighed defeatedly.
"Heh heh heh!"
He spun around. Muscles tense, heart pounding heavily in his chest, Triumph frantically looked around the area. Nobody else seemed to have heard it, everyone continued what they were doing, not even casting a glance in his direction. He could've sworn…
Shaking his head, Triumph vehemently disregarded the paranoia that was eating away at him inside.
'Don't let him get in your head.'He thought determinedly.
A sudden chill washed over him and he felt a drop of dread worm its way into his stomach. He continued to oversee the surrounding area, frantically searching for someone he was sure, couldn't be here.
In the Ward's common room, laying across the couch in front of the television, Dennis spoke with his phone pressed between his cheek and shoulder, and the remote in his hand, flipping through channels.
"...so anyway, I got banned for a few months. They put my picture up to know not to let me in and everything."He chuckled at the memory.
"You're crazy."He heard her say.
"Or a genius. There's actually very little difference."He quipped lightly.
"I'm pretty sure you're just crazy."She said tonelessly. He smirked.
"Hey Amy."He chirped.
"What?"
"Laugh."
"Oh my gosh..."She sighed. He smirked harder.
"Laugh."
"Not happening."She responded.
"Pretty please."He begged.
"No.."She said with repressed mirth. Almost there!
"I drew a mustache on my Armsmaster underwear."He blurted out.
She made a brief choking sound before she started laughing outrageously. Dennis felt his chest warm up as he let his smirk relax into a calm smile.
"Hahaha wh-what the fuck! Hahaha, where did that even come from?"She laughed.
"I don't know."He shrugged,"Made you laugh though."
"Only because it was stupidly random."She giggled.
"Like me."He chirped.
"Yeah. Exactly like you."She said with a noticeable smile in her voice.
They both sat in silence for a few seconds, enjoying the quiet before it was broken.
"Hey so…"Amy started cautiously.
"Yeeeah?"He urged coyly.
"So, I did some digging, and with some help from other staff at the hospital I...I was able to find out what that little girl's name was."
His smile dropped, he slowly sat up from the couch and muted the tv.
"I didn't know you were looking for it,"He said slowly.
"Y-yeah, I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I couldn't find anything."She said nervously.
He gulped, his throat suddenly clenching.
"So...what was her name?"He asked with a small tremble in his voice.
"Lily. Her name was Lily Alvarez."
Lily Alvarez. He rolled the name around his head, mouthing it a few times.
"Lily Alvarez, the girl with the purple lion."He whispered softly.
"Yeah. She was 6. Turning 7 sometime in June."Amy informed morosely.
His eyes began to sting. He wiped and blinked his eyes, trying to fight the tears. He'd cried enough already, he didn't wanna do anymore.
"Hey,"Amy softly spoke after his moment of silence,"Are you okay?"
"Hm? Yeah, yeah i'm fine."He assured while wiping his face,"Just a little caught off guard I guess. Heh, now I finally have a name to put to a face to when I go to sleep tonight haha."
"Dennis…"
"It's fine, really. I promise."He guaranteed her. She sighed, recognizing when he wasn't gonna talk more on it.
"Ok."She relented reluctantly.
"Hey, Amy, thank you."He said gratefully.
"You're welcome."She responded kindly.
The door to the commons slid open. Turning around, Dennis blinked in surprise to see Aegis return from his 'punishment' at shelter 4 so early. Aegis walked through the door and headed straight for the kitchenette. Dennis watched as Aegis went right up to the sink before his shaking hands reached up and carefully removed his helmet. Carlos set the helmet aside before slowly reaching up and grabbing a glass from the cabinet. He filled it up halfway in the sink before chugging down the water. When the glass was empty he filled it up again.
"...Dennis?"Amy called. He started in surprise.
"Huh?"He said into the phone.
"You got really quiet. Is everything alright?"Amy inquired concernedly.
'That's what I'm wondering.'He thought as he cast another glance at his 'leader'.
"I'll have to get back to you on that,"Dennis said slowly,"I gotta go, I'll call you back later."
"Oh, okay. Goodnight then."She said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Goodnight."He replied. Hanging up his phone he looked to see Carlos hunched over the sink, his dark hair curtaining his face. Dennis got up and carefully approached the Wards captain. He stopped a few paces behind him.
"Uhh, Carlos,"He began," What's up?"
Carlos didn't respond.
"Carlos? Buddy?"He urged warily.
No answer. A few seconds passed by before Dennis looked off to the side, beginning to feel awkward just standing there waiting. Maybe it was best to leave this alone.
"Sooo...I'll be on the couch if you wanna-"He started.
"...do anything…"Carlos muttered.
"Huh?"Dennis asked.
"I couldn't do anything."Carlos whispered. Dennis blinked.
"I just...stood there. He had her, in his hand, helpless, and all I could do was just watch."
The hand holding the glass started to tighten.
"When did I become such a coward? I'm a hero aren't I? So why did I just let her die? Why didn't I try to do anything?! Why am I so damn useless?!"
The glass shattered. Some pieces clattered into the sink while the rest were held tightly in his trembling fist. Dennis stared at him with a wide eyed look of confusion.
Carlos took a few deep breaths before releasing a heavy sigh, opening his hand and dropping the rest of the broken glass into the sink. The glove and palm of his hand were heavily cut up, a miniscule amount of blood staining his skin.
"I'm gonna go lay down for a while."Carlos said quietly. He stood up, turned and walked off to his room, leaving Dennis standing there alone.
"...Good talk?"Dennis said unsurely after a few quiet moments.
Gently, he lowered the sleeping infant into her crib. Her light pink onesie kept her warm enough so he only pulled her blanket up to her legs before he quietly made his way out of the nursery.
When he came into the kitchen, he jumped slightly to see Kayden there, sitting on a stool at the island, her costume still on. An uneasy feeling crept into his stomach as he saw the tear-streaks going down her cheeks.
"Kayden?"He called quietly.
Slowly she turned to him, and he was able to see just how red her eyes were.
He saw her swallow before she got up and walked over to stand in front of him. She regarded him silently for a few seconds before she stepped forward and tightly wrapped her arms around him.
Eyes going wide, he stiffened under her touch. Regardless of whether she felt his resistance, she kept holding on, burying her face into his shoulder. Quiet sobs hiccuped from her mouth as she tightened her hold on him.
Theo felt his heart beat heavily in his chest as he failed to comprehend what was going on. As long as he had known her, Kayden had never touched him. Let alone hug him. What exactly was going on? He couldn't bring himself to push her away and ask.
They stayed like that for two minutes before Kayden released him and stepped back, wiping at her eyes. Theo just stared at her in astonishment.
"I-I'm sorry,"She apologized,"It's just...bad things happened tonight and…"
She took a few calming breaths before she suddenly looked up.
"Where's Aster?"She asked intently.
"She's sleeping."He responded after a stunned silence.
Before he knew it, she passed him and walked into the nursery. He blinked in astonishment at her speed. Following her he stopped in the doorway to see Kayden standing over the crib, looking over Aster with a serene expression on her face.
"Kayden, what happened?"He asked her.
She ignored him for a second, continuing to watch over her daughter. When she finally tore her gaze away from her, she looked at him strangely, as if she didn't know what to say, or more specifically, how to say something.
"I...I'm really tired. How about we talk in the morning instead?"She offered.
He wanted to deny her and keep asking, but the look in her eyes seemed to be almost begging him to not push for anything right now. So, he nodded his head and turned to leave to his room with a wayward goodnight.
When she heard his door close, Kayden sighed.
'Thank you Theo.'She thought gratefully.
Everything was still so fresh, she wasn't ready to speak about it. And she didn't even know how. How do you tell a young man that his father is dead? Granted, Max was far from being a good man, let alone father, but still…she didn't want to have to burden Theo with this just yet. The more she thought about it, the more disturbed it made her.
How could it all go so wrong?
'If you help us take down Chimera, I'll officially renounce you as a member of the Empire. I'll cut ties with you completely, giving you all the freedom you want as an independent. And I'll even sign full custody of Aster over to you.'
'And Theo!' She demanded.
'...And Theo too.'
It was everything she had ever wanted. She jumped straight in, not fully comprehending what she was signing herself up for. Never in a thousand years would she think that something as horrific as this could've happened. She got away, miraculously without any injuries. But the others…
Brad, James, Nessa, Tammi...Marie.
She clamped her lips shut tightly so she wouldn't start sobbing and wake Aster. Though the tears still fell. Through her blurry vision she gazed upon her daughter, her sweet innocent little Aster and wondered what would've happened to her if she had died tonight. If it was her that was murdered instead of her father. What kind of future would that give her?
The very thought sent her to her knees. Clasping her hands across her mouth she began to sob once more.
At the base of her daughter's crib she cried. She cried for her friends and the happier times they had shared, she cried for the helplessness she felt as she watched them be slaughtered like animals, and she cried for her children's future should anything ever happen to her.
In her heart she knew, she couldn't keep doing this, she had too much to lose. So she made a decision.
On this night; Purity died with the other Empire members. And Kayden lived now, only for her children.
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X
Short and sweet. Just how it's supposed to be. I'll keep telling myself that til I believe it.
Though to be honest, I'm not too sure how i feel about it. You let me know what you thought.
Anyways, thanks for reading, please leave a review, and like always;
Stay safe and have a good night.