Jailbreak
An inFamous Story
By The Enigmatic Man
Rating: (T)
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are from the video game inFamous and therefore they are all owned by Sucker Punch. All other characters belong to me.
Author's Note: Finally completed! I apologize for its ridiculously long delay and I don't want to keep you up with this Note so without anymore delay, here it is!
Cole lay face down on the foggy ground trapped once again in the ethereal realm where the echoing voice of his future self still continues to threaten his sanity.
So, this is how you're going to let it end huh?
"Kessler…" Cole grunted as he slowly placed his hands on the ice cold ground. The lack of electricity left him weaker then he had ever felt before, even crippling his mental state.
Expecting Santa Claus? Sorry to disappoint...
"What do you want now? Haven't you already done enough?" Cole replied as he expended nearly all of his strength to lift his upper body off the ground.
You mean giving you an early start at mastering our powers so you won't have to endure the pain of losing everyone you've ever loved to an unstoppable enemy? Oh I do hope you can forgive me.
"You killed her! You took her away from me! I have nothing else left to lose." Cole exclaimed as his anger gave him the temporary strength to stand on his on his feet.
And you let her die in vein! She was meant to be inspiration, not a distraction. With your powers-
"-I don't care about the powers anymore, look what it's caused. I'm trapped in some lab losing my mind thanks to you and your gift." Cole shouted into the vast abyss of darkness.
You don't have a choice, I never had a choice. Trish never had a choice, Stephanie and Jenna never had a choice.
"…Stephanie and Jenna…?" Cole asked in confusion.
Your daughters Cole…They were so young…That monstrosity attacked the apartment we were staying in at the time. He forced them to watch him kill their mother before destroying the entire building with them in it.
"…T-That still doesn't change anything! You chose for them, you chose to run away like a coward instead of facing that Beast once and for all!" Cole shouted trying to shake off the thought of his would've-been children.
Because I feared for my family's safety! Our family!
"And now you've lost them and you took Trish away from me! All you've done is put your mistakes on my conscious and robbed me of what you failed to protect. If it was me, I never would've let that happen. I would've fought to the last breath for my family!" Cole exclaimed with his fists clenched.
…You're welcome Cole…
Amy stared down at the ocean in an awkward trance as the helicopter made its way to the facility that most don't even know exists.
"Amy, are you alright?" Zeke asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking about everything that's happened, the explosion, Cole, Trish, even the part I played in all of it. It's like one big nightmare that I can't wake up from…What happens once we rescue Cole? Where do we go, what do we do?" Amy says with immense worry in her voice.
"We go home and rebuild our lives one brick at a time…" Zeke replied.
His response was anything but comforting she thought as she returned her gaze to the open water below.
"Alright pumpkins get ready, we're approaching the island." Agent Jones announced in a surprisingly calm tone.
"So what do you plan we do? Ring the doorbell and hope they're home?" Zeke asked with obvious hints of skepticism.
"Unfortunately, they don't expect us to get that far. According to the blueprints for the entire island, they have six main unmanned machine gun turrets at the top of the building facing all three sides and about seven hidden automatic missile launchers under the ground surrounding the building. Thankfully we only have to deal with a third of them." Agent Jones explained.
"Why's that?" Amy asked.
"Because if you notice, the building is in the shape of a T-" Agent Jones answered.
"-I say it looks more like the T-shaped Tetris block." Agent Fitzgerald added.
"Brilliant deduction Sherlock…Anyway, the building takes up most of the island's mass because they expect us to land directly on the top of the building where every turret will have a clear shot. However, we're going to land right on their front door so the only thing we have to worry about is the two machinegun turrets on the roof for that side, and the two missile launchers under the grass since the other turrets won't have a clear shot." Agent Jones continued.
"Sounds good but I don't really see any bazookas or anything on board. How do we take them out before they take us out?" Zeke questioned after taking a quick look around the empty helicopter.
"That's where Alden comes in. He'll handle the turrets and hold down the main lobby to keep the helicopter safe because if anything happens to that, we're stuck. While he's doing that, all of us are going to make our way down to level seven where we believe Cole is somewhere. We're probably going to be taking heavy fire so everyone needs a weapon which I'm sure the kind guards will have no problem doing once we 'persuade' them." Agent Jones stated.
"Wait, you want to run that by me one more time?" Zeke questioned as he removed his glasses and cleaned his ear with his finger.
"Sorry, but we're already here. You've already crossed the point of no return." Agent Fitzgerald declared as he looked back at Zeke to give him a grin that did anything but reassure him.
Government Facility – Control Room
The sounds of numerous radars, keystrokes and dim glow of security camera monitors filled the Control room as its numerous personnel continued their usual routine.
A young man returned to his seat with his usual cup of coffee in hand. He gently placed it down as he noticed the large illuminated letters on his screen that read "Alert!"
"Uh, sir, I think you should take a look at this." The young man said as he called over his superior officer.
"What is it Thompson?" The officer asked as he approached the man's surveillance panel.
"There seems to be an unscheduled aircraft approaching the island sir. Satellite photos just confirmed that the aircraft is a government helicopter." The young man responded as he handed the officer the satellite image seconds after it was sent to his panel.
"It's government alright…but we're not expecting anymore visitors. Have you tried to communicate with them?" The officer suggested as he examined the image.
The young man's skinny fingers soon went to work entering different keystrokes trying to lock on to the helicopter's frequency. Once acquired, he called out, "Government Aircraft, you are not scheduled to land on this island. State your business here immediately!" After a near minute with no response, the young man looked to his superior and said, "They're not responding sir. What should we do?"
"The president is on this island son; for all we know it could be a terrorist attack. Blast her right out the sky." The officer declared.
"You got it sir! Red Alert! We've got a bogie coming in hot, I want all turrets online and ready to fire!" the young man exclaimed to his fellow men.
"Look, over there. It's Air Force One; I guess the President is still here." Agent Fitzgerald stated as their helicopter continued to close the distance between their position and their target.
"Well that's just great. Now they're going to think we're here to kill the President or something!" Amy exclaimed as she buried her head in her hands.
"No time to back out now, this is it! Let's go!" Agent Jones replied.
The sounds of gears turning from under the artificial grass adjacent to the concrete walkway leading to the building was muffled by the sheer altitude of the helicopter paired with the whirling blades keeping the metal structure above ground. Without warning, the rectangular structures emerged from the ground and quickly fired off four deadly missiles designed to take down any enemy aircraft with ease.
"Our lives are in your hands Alden! Show us what you got!" Agent Jones' shouted.
Alden slowly rose from his seat, clutching firmly to his cane and opened the helicopter's side door as the missiles rapidly made their way closer toward their target. Alden closed his eyes and inhaled deeply while raising his arms out forward. Just before the missiles could make contact, Agent Fitzgerald quickly turned the helicopter to the left giving Alden the perfect positioning in front of the projectiles. Alden's eyes quickly opened and with an immense amount of concentration, he halted the missiles in midair. He then turned the missiles around as that floated near the helicopter and shot the missiles back to their launchers with seemingly no effort.
Agent Fitzgerald struggled to keep the helicopter balanced after its sudden change in direction.
"Not bad old man. I see you still got some skills." Zeke said with a smile and thumbs up.
Alden's plain facial expression conveyed his lack of interest in Zeke's humor as he returned to his seat.
"Status…Status? Tell me something son." The elder officer said as approached the younger officer's panel once more.
The young man's face was frozen in disbelief. He finally closed his hanging jaw and said, "The…the missiles came back. They destroyed the launchers."
"That's impossible! I want men topside on the double! We have to take down that helicopter now!" The superior officer shouted.
"We're not out of the wood yet folks. There are still the turrets to worry about. Once you take care of them, I'll set her down nice and easy." Agent Fitzgerald said as he struggled to keep his tone calm with the helicopter slowly regaining its equilibrium.
Alden looked over to the fearsome double barreled turrets as a sinister grin crept onto his wrinkled face before using his telekinesis to tear the turrets off of the roof.
"Done…" Alden said plainly as if the task could've been done by an infant.
"Uh, alright I'm bringing her in. We've got less than six minutes before they call in the Army, Navy, Marines, Co-"
"-We get it Peter. Let's move!" Agent Jones exclaimed as she unfastened her restraints.
The helicopter dropped to the ground in any matter but gracefully. The group quickly exited the helicopter as Alden slowly made his way off with his cane in hand and mentally holding two enormous turrets above his head. The two agents drew their pistols and shot the glass doors, not wasting anytime. The alarm was initiated much to their expectance but was easily drowned out with the sounds of heavily armed soldiers running toward the main entrance.
As soon as they entered the facility, dozens of troops charged down the corridor with guns at the ready. The pair of highly trained agents quickly grabbed Amy and Zeke before rolling out of the soldier's line of fire. Alden saw the soldiers in the narrow corridor and stretched his hand out toward them. Before the soldiers could eliminate the elderly terrorist, they watched in horror as their own turret lowered itself in front of him and opened fire. Amy covered her ears as the sounds of guns, screaming, and death echoed through the halls.
Alden looked over to Agent Jones and nodded his head before turning his back toward the facility to stand guard with his floating weapons at the ready.
"Not even a minute in and we almost got blown away!" Zeke shouted with his hands covering his head.
Agent Jones looked down at the frightened man and shouted, "You want to stay here and complain or do you want to grab a gun and find Cole?!"
Everyone but Amy, who nearly vomited at the horrific sight of what used to be whole human beings, picked up one of the soldier's high caliber guns and made their way down the hallway toward the stairs. Although Amy refused to fire a gun, Agent Jones made sure she carry a small black bag on her shoulder that she said would be needed later on.
"What? No elevator?" Agent Fitzgerald commented sarcastically.
"Shut it." Agent Jones replied as the group approached the stairs door.
"Just trying to lighten the mood, jeez." Agent Fitzgerald opened the door and held it open as he said, "Ladies first?"
Agent Jones made a notable facial expression that meant he was going to end up regretting his comment in the not too distant future.
The sound of the explosions accompanied by gunfire caused the President to spill his vodka he had poured seconds ago. Soon after, the United States Secret Service charged through the door and grabbed the startled President before he could even react.
"What's going on?" The president asked as he was pulled by his protective guards down another hallway.
"Sorry Mr. President, this is a code red situation that calls for immediate evacuation. For your safety we need you to come with us to the emergency escape exit where we will escort you to Air Force One." The Secret Service replied as he and the other agents lead the president to a door with a password lock near its handle.
"But wait what about Cole and the other Scientists? We can't let the intruders get their hands on our research!" The President argued as the door opened and he was rushed down the secret hallway.
"You're our priority right now Mr. President, now hurry. This is the safest way out back to Air Force One." Another Agent responded.
The beautiful young scientist rushed into her soon to be husband's room in a frantic state. She searched the room and found her fiance still overlooking his data for Project Prometheus. "Ryan, thank God I found you! We have to get out of here!"
"Candace, what's going on? I heard an explosion then the alarms started blaring." Dr. Alexander asked as he embraced his fiance in his arms.
"Some people infiltrated the facility and are coming after the President. They have the central entrance blocked off so we have to leave before they take over the entire building." Candace explained as she eagerly tried to pull her lover by his arms out of his room.
"They're not here for the President, they're here for Cole. I should've known Cole formed some kind of rebel group in Empire City but I never would've thought they would find him here." Dr. Alexander replied as he pulled his arms back, breaking Candace's hold on him. He cupped his fiance's delicate cheek in his hand and said, "I have to stay here and back up our research or all of our work would have been for nothing."
"I won't go anywhere if you're not with me!" His soon to be wife shouted as she grabbed him by the collar of his white coat.
"This is everything we've worked for Candace and I refuse to let it be destroyed! I promise you I'll meet up with you outside of the west entrance." Dr. Alexander assured her as he gave his love a short kiss to seal his promise.
"Ryan, I-"
"-This isn't a discussion now go!"
She couldn't argue with him when he truly set his mind on something and considering the circumstances, she figured it be better if she let him finish so they could make their escape.
Agent Jones noticed the sounds of elevator doors opening not too far behind the group when she spotted a scientist frantically making his way down the hallway.
"Everyone stay here! I'll find out where Cole is." Agent Jones declared as she followed the direction of the panicked scientist.
"Make it fast Moya!" Agent Fitzgerald shouted as he turned back to his poor excuse of a "team" that was comprised of a heavy set man with no combat experience and a girl trembling at the sight of corpses. "Damn…alright I've got an idea. Amy, you go in this room here and wait. I'll crouch here in the doorway and watch for anyone in this direction while Zeke does the same in the other direction."
"You mean camping out like in Call of Duty or something?" Zeke said as he bent down to crouch at the doorway across from Agent Fitzgerald and Amy.
"Oh God…Yeah like that except there isn't any re-spawns in real life." Agent Fitzgerald said as he rolled his eyes.
Agent Moya ran down the hallway and closed in on the scientist who was fully aware that he was in a pursuit. Once close enough, Agent Jones tackled the fleeing scientist just before he could turn the corner.
"You're a fast one, huh? Well I'll make this quick since I'm in a hurry, where can I find the Electric Man?" Agent Jones said as she held the scientist at gunpoint.
"Your not getting anything out of me terrorist! Go ahead and shoot me!" The scientist exclaimed.
"Listen, I'm trying to make this easier for you so why don't you just-"
Before Agent Jones could finish, the scientist knocked the gun out of her hand and punched her square in the jaw hoping to distract her long enough to reach the gun.
"Not so fast Rambo!" Agent Jones shouted as she kicked the scientist's reaching hand with a quick strike followed by a roundhouse kick. The scientist dodged the kicked by ducking underneath before countering with a series of wild punches that failed to make contact due to the ever agile Agent Jones. After the last punch went over Agent Jones' head, she rolled across the floor and over to the machinegun sitting on the floor and aimed it directly at the scientists head.
"Alright, alright! Please don't shoot me!" the scientist shouted as he raised his hands in the air.
"I should shoot you just for hitting a lady but I'll ignore your lack of manners if you tell me where Cole is."
"He's in the basement, room 315C, I swear!"
"See, now was that so hard? Get out of here."
The scientist nodded and was about to run off before Agent Jones pulled him back by the shoulder forcing him to turn around. Before the man could respond, a fierce left hook knocked him clear out onto the floor.
"Now we're even!" Agent Jones said with a smile before running back to where she left the group. The first thing she noticed when turning the corner to where she left her comrades was the pile of bodies on the floor in the pool of blood which she casually stepped over.
"Camping out Peter?" Agent Jones asked with a grin on her face as the others slowly exited their rooms.
"Yeah, too bad I forgot the s'mores huh?" Agent Fitzgerald said with his own matching grin.
"Did you find out where they're keeping Cole?" Zeke asked.
"Basement, room 315C. We better get a move on. I don't know how long Alden can keep our exit clear." Agent Jones replied.
"Ah, he's probably having a ball out there. Like a kid in a sandbox or something." Agent Fitzgerald commented.
"C'mon we have to help Cole!" Amy shouted.
"Enough said, let's move." Agent Jones agreed.
The hallways were not as wide in the basement as they were on the first floor which worked to their benefit. Agent Fitzgerald and Agent Jones lead the team in the front picking off any guards they spotted while Zeke covered the rear. Amy, being the only one not willing to kill, made her way cautiously in between as she checked every room for her long lost friend. She forced herself to hold it together every time they turned a corner and few more guards were laid down by the expert marksman skills of Agent Fitzgerald along with Agent Jones' pinpoint accuracy. Zeke's inexperience showed greatly as he was often caught firing off a lot more than necessary at anything that appeared to be a soldier.
They raced down the narrow hallway while the irritating panic alarm blared from every corridor and came to a complete halt when they finally reached the door they had been searching for. There were several different keypad locks sealing the door off from anyone not authorized to enter.
"Peter, I need you to hack the codes while Zeke and I give you cover fire." Agent Jones shouted as she opened the large black bag she had given Amy earlier to reveal an odd looking box with multiple color coded buttons, multiple dangling wires and a large screen.
"No problem but this is a pretty clear hallway you know. We need some kind of barricade." Agent Fitzgerald replied as he began connecting random wires to different areas on the security panels.
"Don't worry about that, we'll handle it. Just make sure you get that door open fast!" Agent Jones exclaimed.
Agent Jones ran to the first door near Cole's room and thanked God that it opened. She quickly called Zeke over to help her move the table that was inside. Once it was out of the room, she quickly flipped the steel table on its side and crouched behind it while waiting for more guards to arrive.
Cole's room was at the end of the corridor which meant that all Zeke had to do was help Agent Jones hold down their position and pray that they could get Cole awake before the guards could strategize.
"How much longer is it going to take Peter?" Amy asked as she constantly looked over to Zeke who gave her a reassuring nod.
"Any second now Ms. Dailey don't you worry you're pretty little--there done. Moya we're in!" Agent Fitzgerald shouted as he placed the device back into its bag and opened the door.
"Go get Cole, we've got company!" Agent Jones shouted before poking her out of the corridor to spot soldiers putting on bulletproof riot shields. "Let's make it fast you two!"
The sounds of machine gun fire from Agent Jones and Zeke echoed through the evacuated halls as Agent Fitzgerald and Amy rushed into the room where they found exactly what they were looking for.
"Oh my God…" Amy said quietly as she saw one of her closest friends entangled in countless cords while floating in a liquid filled container.
"Cole…what've they done to you?" Agent Fitzgerald said as he matched Amy's shock.
Amy slowly approached the large container where Cole's seemingly lifeless body floated. She placed her hand on the container and held back her tears as the idea of losing the one man she fought so hard to rescue crept into her mind. Agent Fitzgerald looked around the room and began to try to find a way to safely get Cole out of the tank. He rushed to the nearby computer and began entering different keys that showed an analysis of his current state.
"According to this Cole's still alive but he's in a sort of catatonic state but he should be fine if we get him out. Now how-"
Without a moment's hesitation, Amy grabbed Agent Fitzgerald's pistol from its holster and fire three rounds at the corner of the container trying to avoided accidentally hitting Cole. The glass shattered remarkably quickly and Cole's heavy body fell to the ground with the liquid material flowing out as well.
Amy threw the gun aside before rushing over to Cole's body and began carefully removing the oxygen mask from his face while frantically trying to call out to him.
Cole…Cole…Time to rise and shine my love…
"…S-Sasha? First Kessler decides to pop in and out of my mind and now you? What the hell is going on here?"
Don't act like you forgot about me already Cole. After everything we've been through I think I deserve a 'hello'.
"You're off your rocker lady. Just get the hell out of my head."
Oh come now, don't be afraid of me my love. I only want to help you…
"Help me? Last time I checked you tried to brainwash me into one of your little Reaper thugs and when I didn't cave you tried to kill me."
I wanted to make sure you had what it took to kill Kessler…which you obviously succeeded in…
"I hate to burst your toxic bubble but I didn't do it for you, I killed him because of what he did to Trish."
Don't get me started on her…I'm here to help you my sweet. I know what's been going on, what they've done to you…their experiments…and I'm here to make sure those bastards pay…
"My memory is so hazy, what the hell happened to me?"
They tried to use you as their weapon but you refused and for that they decided to experiment on you to see if they could create others like you…They're the ones responsible for all the pain you've been suffering.
"You're lying. You're just trying to mess with my head."
Tsk tsk tsk…Why would I go and do that my beloved? I'm simply trying to take care of you like how you did for…Trish…
"Trish…Trish!"
"Cole? Can you hear me Cole? Please wake up!"
Cole's eyes slowly opened and focused in on Amy's angelic face with her tears slowly running down her cheeks. She couldn't describe her feelings in that moment but Cole didn't share in her joy for being alive or free.
No. Cole couldn't feel anything anymore. Only rage…
"Cole what's wrong? Why are your eyes…red?" Amy asked as she tried to help Cole up on his feet but he quickly swatted her hand away.
"Stand back…" Cole said gravely as he slowly stood up.
Cole lifted his arms outward facing the broken container and the large computer monitor. He inhaled deeply and with almost no effort, the electricity from both machines leaped out and grabbed Cole's hands. The electricity danced around his hand like an animal warming up to its new master. In seconds the bright blue electricity began to alter in color. What were once bright blue bursts of electricity suddenly became deep black and red bolts of crackling power.
In an instant the electricity lit Cole's body like a Christmas decoration and Cole finally felt the relief he was aching for. When all of the electricity was drained from the machine, he looked down at his hands to notice the dark and twisted alteration of the lightning in his body. With a sinister grin on his now discolored face, the human light socket left the room without any acknowledgement to Amy or the agent accompanying her.
Cole exited the room with his most painful memories flowing through his brain. Cole saw the Ray sphere radiating with energy in between his hands just before it detonated. He saw Trish's disgusted look on her face after he was blamed for the explosion by the "Voice of Survival" despite having defeated the Reapers attempting to steal their food. Suddenly he saw a vision of Alden, Kessler, and Zeke atop Alden's mighty tower and only one thought crossed his mind.
Betrayal.
At that very moment he turned to see the familiar faces of Moya Jones and Zeke taking cover behind a table flipped adjacent to a wall as the sound of machine gun fire continued to echo through the deserted facility.
"Christ! They've got us pinned down like-" Zeke said before doing a double take. Zeke dropped his gun and his jaw at the sight of his old friend. The sounds of speeding bullets seemed to have silenced to Zeke as he slowly approached the newly freed hero. "Cole, are you alright man? I can't believe-"
Without words Cole grabbed Zeke by the collar and threw him against the wall with seemingly no effort despite Zeke's large size.
"Cole I came here to help break you out of here man!" Zeke shouted as he threw his hands in the air knowing that there was no point in retaliating, not that he actually could with his already guilty conscious.
"Trying to make up for Trish's death? Well sorry but you're too late for that gesture." Cole said with a dark tone.
"Enough Cole, we have to get out of here before they decide to just pull back and blow us sky high. They probably completely evacuated everyone already." Agent Jones exclaimed as she put her hand on Cole's shoulder.
Cole wrapped his pale hand around Agent Jones' throat as he ignited his other hand with a burst of crimson electric current. "And why on earth should I help you? You're the one who lied to me, used me, and played with me like your little errand boy making me follow orders without question."
"Who do you…hate more…me…or the people responsible…for trapping…you here?" Agent Jones said as she struggled to breathe with Cole's powerful hands chocking her windpipe.
Leave her be my love. We'll tend the traitors later…We must punish those who want you dead first…the very one who tried to bend you to their whim.
Cole's face remained unchanged as he slowly released his grip on Agent Jones' throat. He looked back to see Agent Fitzgerald and Amy looking on in horror. Before anything could be said, Agent Fitzgerald shouted, "Riot shields! Get down!"
"Electric Man is out of his containment unit! Blow him away!" One of the soldiers said holding a protective riot shield.
Agent Jones and Zeke quickly made their way into the room with Agent Fitzgerald and Amy while Cole remained still in the hallway where the sharp sting of fast flying bullets shot through his charged tissue.
Cole's inner electric current compensated for the blood that was spilling onto the floor but the pain was still the same. To counter the endless barrage of bullets, he raised his hand to quickly form a large wall of polarized energy. Cole wanted to ensure that his enemies realized that they're weapons no longer could harm him before he showed them his true capabilities. Using his free hand, he charged a massive bundle of electricity. With a smile on his face he quickly moved the force field protecting him to launch almost a dozen small electric charges at the ceiling above the soldiers that split from its single form upon impact. Within seconds, a devastating explosion sent all of the soldiers hurdling through the air.
Cole did not wait for his "team" to follow as he continued on searching for anyone foolish enough to stand in his way. He proceeded up a flight of stairs, meeting a pair of armed guards who were hoping to avoid the immensely powerful being.
Utilizing both hands, Cole shot a pair of burning red lightning bolts directly at the hearts of his opponents. Instead of shooting short quick bursts of lightning to stun his foes, Cole didn't cease his attack's duration until he knew he gave them more than enough current to stop their hearts.
With the soldiers spread out along the floor, the group quickly exited the room.
"Cole, what did they do to him?" Amy asked as she shook her head.
"I don't know Amy but he just doesn't seem like Cole anymore." Zeke replied as he placed his arm over her shoulder.
"Look, whatever's messing with Cole is making him go berserk but he's clearing a path for us that I think we should follow if we want to get out of here alive." Agent Jones said as she rubbed her neck.
"We're right behind you Moya." Agent Fitzgerald said as he reloaded a new magazine into his gun.
"I guess-" Zeke said before being cut off by the sounds of lightning and screams which now replaced the empty facility as Cole continued his onslaught.
The emergency helicopter began to prepare for lift off as the last of the scientists were escorted onto the aircraft.
"Mrs. Alexander I'm sorry but we've got to get out of here now. This is the last helicopter on the island and if we're going to get out of here safely we better get a move on right this minute!" The panicked guard shouted as the sound of whirling blades began to spin.
"I can't leave without Ryan, please just wait a few more minutes. I'm sure he's going to show up any minute now!" Candace responded as she looked around hoping with every fiber of her being that he would walk out of the door.
"I'm sure he already left thinking you were on one of the other helicopters so would you please get onboard."
"No, we promised to meet here. He wouldn't leave without me and I can't leave without him!" Mrs. Alexander exclaimed before running back into the facility.
"Now what could ever make her go back I wonder?" Alden asked himself as he watched from a distance. The helicopter began to lift off of the ground when someone pointed to the old man standing around casually with his cane in hand. "Last one left…" Alden said coldly as he lifted both of his hands into the air toward the airborne helicopter.
"We're not moving! The controls aren't responding!" the pilot exclaimed.
"It can't be…that old man is…" the guard said to himself before the entire helicopter and its passengers felt the massive structure being lifted and turned vertically with its nose facing down toward the water. With a grin and a grunt, Alden slammed the helicopter into the depths of the ocean. The glass cracking upon impact and Alden's telepathic grip on the helicopter made a safe escape impossible. Alden dropped his hands back to his side and slowly made his way back to the main entrance.
Dr. Alexander frantically entered lightning fast keystrokes as explosions, screams, crackling electricity, and a blaring alarm constantly tried to break his concentration. He was working diligently until he heard his door open.
"Ryan!" Candace shouted as she ran up to her fiancé and wrapped her arms around him.
"Candace! What are you doing here, I thought I told you to wait for me outside where it's safe!" he shouted as he grabbed her arms and held her at arms length.
"The last helicopter just left and there's no way I'm leaving you behind." She said as she placed her soft hand on his face. He placed his hand over hers and nodded as he realized that there were more important things than data. Such things include what waits to be either his son or daughter inside of his lovely Candace.
The doors leading to the stairs explode in a beautiful yet terrifying eruption of black and crimson electricity which instantly signal the guards to come running. Cole slowly made his way through where used to be solid steel doors and cracked his knuckles while electricity crackled around his hands.
"There he is! It's Electric Man, light 'em up!" One of the guards shouted as he and the other dozen guards readied their guns before opening fire on their slow moving target.
Cole quickly lifted his glowing red arms above his head to gather all the electric power flowing within his body to manipulate the electricity in the sky above the facility. The sound of crackling thunder boomed through the sky with such ferocity that everyone inside and outside of the building felt its presence but only Cole knew exactly what was about to happen.
With a yell that could easily strike fear into the most intimidating of foes, Cole forced his electrified arms back down and with their descent came a single enormous column of twisted black and red lightning that easily incinerated the ceilings and floors of the entire building. The foolish bullets fired by the now petrified guards were easily lost into the blackness of the immense lightning bolt's dark core before it could ever reach Cole. With another barbaric shriek, Cole forced the hallway wide column of horrific crackling energy forward to where its targets stood in disbelief at the idea of one man commanding such power.
When the lightning returned to the sky, words couldn't describe the horrific scene that lay before the man Empire City had been proud to call their savior. With most of his energy drained, Cole made sure to recharge some of his spent energy by draining the electricity of the exposed wires that danced wildly where the ceiling once was.
"What was that!? It felt like an earthquake!" Candace said as she continued running down the corridors with her husband a little ahead of her.
"Cole…I knew something like this would've happened if he escaped." He replied.
"I guess that doesn't really matter now. What does matter is how you plan to get us off of this island!" Candace exclaimed as she awaited a reassuring answer from her fiancé.
"Well Cole's friends probably got here by air so I'm shooting for stealing whatever they came here on." He responded as he looked back at her and smiled.
As the pair ran through the deserted corridors and came closer to one of the exits, they heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the hallway where the door was.
"Looks like Cole found us…" Candace said as she looked over toward her beloved.
"I say we let the guards handle him while we run by. We'll just take the other exit instead. Make sure you stay behind me just incase honey." Dr. Alexander said as he quickly came closer to the source of the echoing gunfire.
The pair of guards made sure to keep their shields up as they continued firing their weapons hoping to finally put an end to Electric man. They knew if they couldn't take him down in time that they could always flee out the door not far behind them.
"Shields again? You guys never learn." Cole said as he dropped his shielding energized wall to open out both of his hands with his palms facing upward. He smiled as the electricity dancing around his arm made its way to the palm of his hands and began forming a large ball of concentrated electricity in each hand. "Here, catch!" Cole shouted as he threw the two electrified energy grenades up at the ceiling above the guards. The guards watched in awe as the two electric spheres instantly split into fourteen smaller individual shards behind them.
At that moment, Cole turned down the nearby corridor searching for more victims just before he could notice the pair of scientists running past where the small electric pieces had landed.
"Ah, what the hell are those giant sparks all over!?" Dr. Alexander shouted as he covered his head and quickly made his way past the stunned guards. When he turned back to make sure the sparks didn't hurt his fiancé, he felt the force of the explosions which catapulted him further down the hallway. The sounds of both male and female outcries accompanied by shattered glass filled the building.
Cole continued walking as the sounds of the explosions put a grin on his face. He came to an immediate halt when the voice of Agent Jones shouted, "We finally found you Cole. We have to get out of here while we still can."
"I don't need your help Moya." Cole said as he kept his back facing the others.
"Listen Cole, we never met but believe me when I say we all went through a lot to rescue you." Agent Fitzgerald said.
"If you're with Moya and Jedediah then I can't trust you either. Sorry pal." Cole said as he continued down the corridor.
"And what about me Cole?" Amy said softly.
Cole stopped where he stood and quickly turned around. "Amy…Look, I-"
"-Cole, I know we haven't seen each other in so long and I know about the whole Kessler thing. I know he's supposed to be you from the future or something but I don't care." Amy said as she stepped closer to Cole without fear. "I know you did everything you could to keep her safe and you shouldn't feel guilty for it. Trish loves you Cole. She always has and always will. I love you too, so does Zeke, and believe it or not so does Moya and Peter here. We all risked our lives to save you Cole. Now please, let's go home, to Empire City."
Cole, do not forget how they betrayed you. You must make them pay… do it…now!
Cole shook his head as the electricity surging through his body began to erupt out of his fingers and eyes as well as other parts of his body. Amy stepped back unsure of what was going on until she noticed Cole's new black lightning returning to its lighter blue tinted glow. His skin as well began to return to its normal complexion as he continued to fight his dark influences inside of his mind. As if shedding his old skin, he exploded with bright blue electricity after finally returning to what he considered to be normal.
Welcome back Cole…
"…Kessler…"
"Cole! You're back to normal!" Amy shouted in excitement as she hugged him tightly.
"Don't go breaking my bones now Amy." He replied with a smile as he looked up at the other three still cautious individuals. "I'm sorry Moya, and Zeke, oh and you too Peter."
"You didn't attack me so we were always cool man." Agent Fitzgerald said jokingly.
"Moya-"
"Now that that's settled, how about we leave?" Moya said abruptly.
"…Lead the way Moya." Cole responded.
The group approached the doorway they had entered from and noticed the monstrous battle field with countless wrecked helicopters, submarines, and jet remains scattered along the shore of the island with Alden standing alone in the middle of the wreckage.
"Well look who finally decided to show up. Wow, you actually managed to bust him out without dying. Not bad…" Alden said as he watched the group run out of the entrance door.
"Alden!? You teamed up with Alden!? You guys must've been desperate." Cole said as he gave his old foe a confused look.
"We'll explain it all on the way back…" Agent Fitzgerald said as he noticed the helicopter was not where he had originally landed it. "Alden, where the hell is the helicopter?"
"Don't get all worked up, I moved it to make sure it remained unharmed." With almost no effort, Alden lifted the helicopter from atop the building's roof and placed it gently on the ground before them.
"All aboard! Next stop, Empire City!" Agent Fitzgerald said as he ran over to the helicopter.
Dr. Alexander's head was ringing louder than the alarm was and then suddenly he remembered what had happened. He remembered the apparent shriek of his wife right after the explosions. He slowly got up, head still spinning from his hard fall. He used the nearby wall to support his weight until he saw the horrific sight.
His wife wasn't as lucky as he to make it past the grenades. The force of the explosion sent her through the thick layered glass door with almost no effort. There was no question of whether or not she still lived and he knew that despite his efforts to call out to her hoping she would open her eyes. Those beautiful eyes that remained opened, that captured his soul the moment his met hers. Once a window for him to stare at for hours when they were together was now filled with shards of broken glass. He placed his hand on her stomach, the stomach that never grew with the development of their child, the child that would never be, the family he would never have.
The tears slowly running down his cheeks dropped ever so on what used to be his fiancé. With fists clenched tighter than ever before, he rushed to where his research was. Mumbling words to himself as he passed the countless other corpses around him. "To hell with the President, to hell with Cole MacGrath, to hell with anyone who dares to stand against me. Project Prometheus will be completed and then they will all pay. Every last one of them…"
END
Author's Note II: Hmm…A lot of things left up in the air huh? What's in store for Cole's future if he can't keep his inner demons at bay? What's the President's next move now that the "secret" facility was raided? What's to happen to Moya and Peter after their involvement gets back to their agency? Can Alden really be trusted? What part does Dr. Alexander play in Cole's life now that he's thirsty for revenge? I'll leave you to speculate while I work on the next chapter. Thanks again for being so patient with me.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!
