The ceiling didn't even make it to the floor of the second story before I reversed it. Faultline was confused long enough at the suddenly intact ceiling that I got close and snatched the detonator from her hand, destroying it with a small Cero blast straight into the air.
"You crazy bitch." I said fairly calmly for having just had a building nearly dropped on me.
Faultline didn't say anything, but Gregor reared back to shoot something at me. I stepped forward, slamming my palm into his stomach and sending him flying at the back wall. I heard some of the shells on his back shatter as he bounced off the wall.
I looked back at Faultline, who hadn't moved yet, apparently at a loss for what to do now with no detonator and no way to fight or contain me. I grabbed her by the front of her Kevlar vest.
"I didn't hear anything else explode. You only rigged this building. Why?"
Despite the situation, Faultline was calm as she spoke.
"We're just supposed stall you."
"For wh—." I stopped as the for wall suddenly turned to dust. The outside had twisted into something I couldn't fully comprehend. The world was twisting in on itself and transforming into… something. The longer I looked at the spreading chaos the harder it was to try to comprehend what it was I was looking at. There was just too much chaos, too much movement for my brain to make heads or tails of anything I was seeing and make it coherent enough for me to understand.
I shook my head, ignoring the spreading landscape and looked back to Faultline, who I imagined had a smirk on her face.
"That." She said.
"Sacrosanct! What's going on up there!?" Kaiser called.
"I got Faultline! She was stalling us for Labyrinth to get set up!"
"Well that's not good." Trickster said, suddenly next to me. "What are we supposed to do about that?" He nodded towards the chaos creeping towards us.
"Is Bakuda in that mess?" I asked.
"Somewhere down there, sure." She shrugged.
"You're being a lot more cooperative than I was expecting."
She shrugged. "Only reason I haven't backed out of this contract is Bakuda's threats."
"Threats? Like what?" Trickster asked as Kaiser made it to the top floor leaving Fenja and Menja with Bitch to watch the bottom floor.
"She threatened to bomb my business with my crew inside and Gray Boy it. I don't know you, but the last thing I want is eternal torture. Considering some of the things I've seen her do to underlings who fuck up her coffee, I wasn't taking the chance."
"Why'd you take the job in the first place? You knew what she was doing." I said, shaking her.
"She hired me before she started dropping bombs all over the city. She hadn't even detonated the PRT when we signed the contract. By the time I felt like backing out she was making threats I know she'd be more than happy to follow up on. She also gave us these." Faultline put her wrist out to show what looked like a smart watch. "Said they were communicators. Turns out that was a half truth because they're also fucking bombs. Gave 'em to us when we first started then told us they were bombs when we wanted to back out. Even killed a minion with one just to make sure we knew it wasn't a bluff."
"That's all well and good, but what do we do about that?" Trickster pointed to the spreading chaos that was only a few meters from taking us out.
"We need to get Bakuda tonight." Kaiser said. "She's liable to destroy the entire city if we don't do so."
"Unfortunately, he's correct." I sighed. "The only way out is through. Unless you know a better way?" I asked Faultline.
She shook her head. "I'm not anchored. I'd be in it as much as you are."
"Of course. Well, let's finish this quickly, hopefully."
The distortion spread over us and it took a few seconds to adjust to exactly what I was seeing. We were standing in a a tall Gothic building with winding staircases that branched out like spiderwebs hanging over a deep abyss that seemed to go on forever. Each branching staircase led to a platform with a door that shimmered like a mirror. Everything looked old, like it'd been left to rot for centuries. The place smelled similar to an old library or hospital, the stench of rotting paper and distilled chemicals permeated the air. There was no ambient sounds, just an eerie silence that felt like it absorbed all sound.
"So, Faultline, best guess on how real this is?" I asked, my voice echoing in the empty hall.
"She was pretty bad when I saw her earlier. Best guess, this is basically a different world."
I hummed. "Give me your arm, I want that bomb."
"This thing is basically bolted to my arm." She said, though she still put her arm out. I grab it by the top and pull the rest through her wrist, making her shiver. I drop the bomb down the abyss and watch it fall, listening for it to hit the bottom, but it never does.
"Okay, so don't fall." I said casually.
"If you're quite finished, we need a plan to get through here. And I think it best if we leave Faultline behind. With Labyrinth's power doing whatever this is she won't be of help to us. In fact, if Labyrinth has a bomb like she did, she'll be a liability." Kaiser said.
"Fuck you, Kaiser. You don't get to—." She stopped as a blade shot from the banister and stopped right before her heart, the point poking into her armor. I had my hand on her shoulder to keep him from killing her, but he had more self control than I was expecting.
"No, you are the one who doesn't get to make terms, Faultline. You filthy mercenaries are the reason Bakuda is and has been so difficult to capture before now. You're lucky I allow you to keep your life. You sit here and wait or things get bad for you. Consider it a blessing we don't hand you over to the PRT along with the chink."
"Racism aside, for now, Adolf is right that you're a liability with Bakuda having her hands on Labyrinth. Sit here and wait." I said.
"Fine." Faultline snapped. I could feel the sneer under her mask as she sat on the stairs.
"Now, do we split up or do this together?" I asked.
"I say together." Trickster said. "If we actually find her she'd kill any one of us by ourselves. Chances of beating her are higher if we're together."
"There are too many doors to waste time going together." Kaiser said. "We split up and call out if we find her."
"Even you can't beat her without killing her, Kaiser. She's got bombs for everything. It's safer to stick together."
"You two can waste time searching together if you like, but I will be going alone. If I find her, you will know." And with that Kaiser started down the stairs.
"That man is such a drama queen." Faultline said.
"People like him live for theatrics. I'm taking off. Holler if you find anything, Trickster." I said before using a Sonido to get to a different door. I stepped through to find myself right back where I started. "This is going to be like a Scooby-Doo chase, I just know it." I sighed.
Trickster and I took off down the stairs again. I marked the pathway I already took and we split up. I tried door after door, always ending up at another stair case or someplace I'd been before. I couldn't really tell how much time it was taking to get any of this done, but it felt like hours. I ran through a door after what, in my best guess, must've been five minutes of running around before I got frustrated.
"Mother fucking Non-Euclidean geometry! It's like a god damned M.C. Escher painting! This is bullshit!"
A loud whistle from somewhere beneath me snapped me out of my frustration. It repeated again, then again. I hopped the ledge, the whistling getting louder as I let myself fall before I came up on Bitch and her now less monster sized dogs standing at a doorway and stopped myself.
"This it?" I asked her.
"Think so. Brutus picked up her scent and this is where it's strongest." Bitch said.
"Great. Let's hope the others heard you. How'd you even know to signal if you found her?"
"Ran into that teleporter guy." She shrugged.
"Ah, yeah, okay."
A pole shot past the stairs and I heard the sound of metal scraping metal before Kaiser came sliding down the pole, making a platform to stand on and stepping off onto the stair case. Well, it was an entrance, I guess. Fenja, Menja, and Trickster followed suit.
"I'll take point. Count to… I dunno, thirty then come after me. I can run interference to keep her distracted. Her detonator is in her left shoe, so I'd recommend cutting her feet off. Maybe her hands too just to make sure." I paused in thought. "Probably should have brought a cooler for this."
"Will you get going?" Fenja snapped at me.
"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses, groupie."
"Wha— You—!" I ignored her fumbled screech of offense and stepped through the door way.
I ended up in a short, sterile white hall that led into a larger room with a dome at the center. I could easily see Bakuda standing inside with Labyrinth sitting at her side looking like a doll with cut strings. She was slumped back, propped up against Bakuda's work table. Her mask didn't hide her eyes and they were hollow and dull. I couldn't help but feel bad about how badly her power fucked her up. This was the level she had to fall to in order to use the full potential of her power. A lifeless doll that couldn't do more than sit there and act as a generator to maintain the worlds she built.
"Welcome!" Bakuda tossed her arms in the air in celebration while her voice was flat and mechanical. "I'm glad you could finally make it. It took you quite a while. You're Sacrosanct, right?"
"Yeah." I answer, eyes scanning the area.
"Great! Glad I got that right! I've seen videos of you on my short breaks. You're real interesting. Honestly, you're the only one whose powers I haven't been able to replicate as a bomb." She paused. "That's a problem. So, to make sure you aren't a problem, goodbye!"
She didn't make any moves, barely even twitched, and the hallway I was in erupted. Bombs went off for several second, all of their effects washing over my intangible form harmlessly. After it was over I stood there, looking at her rather unimpressed. Especially when I realized the hallway was just a box put in front of the doorway to act as a trap.
"I should probably be mad at that." I drawled. "But, honestly, I was pretty much expecting it. Your bombs might be unpredictable, Bakuda, but you're as predictable as a sunrise. I could see that coming from a mile away." I started walking lazily away from the door around the edge of the room. I made sure to make her spin away from the entrance.
There was a metallic groan that I realized was her growling.
"I am a genius!" Bakuda snapped. "Who are you to insult me! I understand my craft on the same fundamental level you understand fucking breathing! I'll end you, you dumb bitch!"
Well, that was easier than expected. Tattletale had said she was egotistical, but I didn't think she was that egotistical. Who'd have guessed that something as mundane as calling her predictable would set her off so easily. I couldn't think of anyone with an ego that big with buttons so easy to press. They might as well have been the size of doors with big red signs saying "Push Me" right next to them. The others started coming in then starting with Kaiser.
A bomb shot from the wall behind me and I turned to catch it, sending it to Vacio Mundo before it could detonate.
"What did you just do to my bomb?" Bakuda asked, frustration apparent in her voice.
Everyone was inside now and Kaiser was about to make it to the glass when a bomb dropped from the ceiling in front of him. He barely managed to put up a wall before it detonated.
"Oh, you sneaky bastards!" Bakuda laughed, snapping around to face the sound of the explosion. "You really thought that would work? Did you honestly think I wouldn't have traps and fail safes?" She cackled madly, tossing her head back. "If that glass so much as cracks this place goes up like a flaming fireworks factory!"
"You'd die too!" Menja argued.
"Maybe, but not only do I already have a kill order, but if I die, well, you know what happens! The destruction will be my legacy! If I'm going to live my life on the run then I might as well go out in style if I can! No way I'm letting you limp dick fuckers get a win over me!" She laughed.
"Kaiser, get ready!" I called.
"Oh, you think you can—?" By the time Bakuda turned to face me I was through the glass with my hand nearly wrapped around her neck. I grabbed her and pushed forward, phasing us through the glass and slamming her on the floor next to Kaiser, who shot metal through her ankles and wrists.
The metallic drone of her screams was interesting. I couldn't think of any real equivalent for the sound. Her mask made kept emotion out of her voice so it just sounded her screaming sounded flat and monotone. If I had to pick something it might sound like metal scratching against metal. Like two trains were too close to each other and their sides started grinding while they passed.
"Great, we got her. Now how do we stop Labyrinth's power?" Trickster asked.
"We probably need to snap her out of it. I'll try." I said.
"You motherfuckers!" Bakuda screamed. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! I'll send this place up in flames! I'll destroy this entire dumpster fucking city! You think you can treat me like this?! I'm a genius!"
I phased through the glass again and walked over to Labyrinth while Bakuda continued to scream in impotent fury, unable to move since Kaiser had bolted her to the ground. She struggled, to the point I thought she might just be willing to rip her hands open or off just to get out.
"Hey," I kneeled down next to Labyrinth and tapped her. "You're done. You don't have to use your power anymore. It's over. Turn it off so we can get you back to Faultline."
I wasn't sure if she heard me at first, since nothing happened. But the word started to shimmer after a few seconds and things slowly started going back to normal. I pulled off the bomb Bakuda had apparently strapped to her neck at some point and texted Samael and Nihilus that we got her. I noticed the absence of Bakuda's raging after a moment and turned to see her knocked out and her mask slightly dented. For some reason, Bitch was the only person I could see doing that. I shrugged it off and grabbed Labyrinth as the world turned back to normal, though there was still some distortion around her.
The room we were in was apparently just some warehouse basement outfitted to work as a workshop. Bakuda had her minions go all out with the outfitting. Work tables were everywhere and each was covered in materials to the point where you could barely see the actual top of the desk. I'd heard Tinkers could be messy, but this was chaos.
We got back to Faultline and Gregor, who had apparently woken up at some point, and I handed off Labyrinth while the others discussed how to get Bakuda to the PRT.
"You know you guys should probably skip town for a while." I suggested.
"What?" Faultline asked, turning her attention from Labyrinth.
"I said you should probably skip town. No way people don't hear about this. Threats or not you guys aren't gonna have a lot of goodwill towards you after signing on with Bakuda. Should probably take a vacation for a few weeks. Let the heat die down."
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. Not really." I shrugged. "But considering all that's Bakuda's done and that you're technically accomplices, it's probably you get out of dodge. I have no real problems with you, which is why I'm giving you advice."
She stared at me for a moment, I imagined a blank look on her face and maybe a blink thrown in for good measure, before sighing.
"Yeah, thanks."
"Sacrosanct! We're leaving!" Trickster called.
"Gotta go. But seriously, take a vacation. And I'll take the bombs off everyone before you leave if you want." I said, grabbing the one on Gregor's wrist and taking it.
I walked back over to the others. I didn't trust Kaiser to take Bakuda to the PRT but he was smarter than to try anything, and Trickster went with him leaving me to meet up with my team.
I made it to Las Noches to find the others pretty much already waiting for me at the table. Theo had his mask off and he looked upset while Madison had a contemplative look on her face.
"So, how'd it go?" I asked as I sat down.
"Terrible. It took basically all we had to avoid a fight with the Empire members. Hookwolf even tried to stray hit me a few times thinking I wouldn't see it coming." Theo said.
"He's always been pretty vindictive." Purity sighed.
"Luckily nothing happened because that situation was basically a giant powder keg ready to go off at a moments notice."
"Well, I'm glad you guys managed to avoid a fight. How about you, Madison?"
"Oni Lee killed Victor and Othala, then accidentally killed himself. I'm trying to process if and how I feel about indirectly killing him." She said.
"Oni Lee is dead?" Purity asked.
"We'd gotten into a game of cat and mouse. He was teleporting too fast for me to hit, but I was too fast for his clones to use explosives. So he started dropping grenades before teleporting. After he killed Victor and Othala everyone started using their powers like pissed off third graders, so I shut it down. Oni Lee saw his chance to kill Rune and tried to teleport to her, dropping grenades to keep me busy. Then he went up in an inferno from the grenades." She explained.
"Damn. That's a hell of a way to go." Theo sighed.
"Yeah."
"I hope Rune's okay." Purity said.
"Huh?" I asked.
"She was actually family with Othala and Victor. Othala was her second cousin. She was living with them." Purity explained.
"Oh. Damn."
"Fuck, I couldn't imagine seeing my family die like that." Madison said.
It was silent for a second before I decided to give my update.
"Well, things on my end were interesting. Faultline tried to drop a roof on us, we had to run a maze made from Labyrinth's full power, and Bakuda showed the depth of her insanity when we caught her. Kaiser nailed her to the floor, which was interesting to see. He and Trickster are dropping her with the PRT."
"You know, this feels kinda anti climactic." Theo said.
"For you." I snorted.
"Definitely only you." Madison nodded.
"Alright, I guess that's it. I'll get Lisa's story tonight or tomorrow." I said, standing up to stretch. The others did the same, all ready to leave when a Garganta opened and a familiar girl in a red and white robe stumbled through.
AN: So, quick update. Expect updates early morning PST instead of midnight that same time. I managed to get into a normal sleep schedule so I'm not usually up at midnight anymore. Earliest I'll upload is like 5 am my time. Also there were some things that I wanted to happen this chapter but didn't because I couldn't see Taylor not ending that fight asap, and the scenes would've required her to sit back and let the others plan around Bakuda instead of just grabbing her. I can probably use them later though, so that's nice.