Chapter 4: Capture
Empire City, Twenty-four days ago…
Moya and a few troopers were outside a building with tankers, "Shoot him if he tries anything." Moya orders. "Yes, Ma'am." they answer and they followed her into the building. Once they were at the right floor, the men train their guns on Kessler, he slightly turns to them, "Hello, Moya. I was just freshening up." he informs her with a sign of flirting. But she clung her fist, "You're under arrest, Kessler." she snaps at him.
"Ha-hA. I don't think so." he mutters in a insantic voice "I feel sorry for you, Moya. The ground's shifted out from under your feet and you didn't even know it." he laughs and she clutch her fist even tighter. "Do it." he orders her men and they were closing in on Kessler. But he then shot out both of his hands and fired bolts right at them, killing a few on sigh. Moya gasp in shock then pulls out her gun. "What the hell are you?" she questions him and he just smirks as electricity course over his body "You don't want to know. The Ray Sphere isn't here, by the way. A man named John White has it." Kessler informs her and she was confused.
"Who's John White?" she asks him, keeping her gun pointed at him, "An NSA agent sent to infiltrate the First Sons." he informs her and she was shock that someone like him even knows at, "Don't act so surprise. Not everyone in the government shares your enthusiasm for our little project." he informs her and she glares at him again. "I'll deal with him later. But you- you destroyed this city, murdered thousands of civilians. I can't allow that to stand." she reminds him and he laughs yet again. "You think I did this as an act of destruction? No, no, no. It was an act of creation." he tells her as she steps back.
"You're not getting out of this city, Kessler. At least not alive." she tells him and he gave her a bored look, "I haven't planned on it." he tells her and she was gone. He then looks down at the picture in his hand, of his wedding day, with Trish, himself, Zeke and Cassandra all smiling on that day. "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death thou shalt die."
~8~8~8~
Neon District, the Present…
A drone flew out over the area. "Overwatch, this is Talon Four. Primary targets' still in the building." Talon Four informs base. "Roger that Talon Four. Maintain eyes on targets." Base orders them.
Cassandra sat on the bed, in her clothing as she woke up early. She then stood up, and walks up and saw Cole was fast asleep on the couch. She looks at the mess he made and couldn't blame him, so she was over to the photo-book, picks it up and looks through the photos that were inside. Then picks up the picture of Kessler- or Cole wedding where everyone. Even herself were smiling as it was a happy day in the photo.
Bitterness and sadness eats away at her as she wanted to cry, even since the days after the explosion, Trish was like a mother to her, always worrying about her, making sure she was eating properly, ordering to go to bed at a decent time and even taught her about medicine as well.
She then heard Cole let out a groan as he shift in on the couch, she looks at him and knew he was having a nightmare.
~8~8~8~
Cole walks through Empire city as it was in complete ruin, not a person in sight. "It's quite a sight, isn't it?" Kessler asks him as he was standing next to him, "I didn't mean for this to happen." Cole mutters as he looks out that the ruins. "But it did. Let me show you something." Kessler states and the scenery begins to change, "Where are we?" Cole asks him, Kessler just kept walking. "You'll find." he answers and they were in front of four graves. "This is where I buried my girls. I tried so hard to protect them. And the end I failed." Kessler informs him, "It's not my fault." Cole states as he looks away, "Of course it's your fault. You were soft, weak. You ran when you should've fought." Kessler reminds him.
Cole then kneels down in front of one of the graves "I wanted to keep them safe, that's all. They were my daughters, my wife. And I loved them." Cole cries then Kessler looks down at him, "I told you, love is a luxury you can't afford. Not anymore. The beast is coming, and it's ravenous, unstoppable." he states then disappears and the ground under Cole's feet started to shift and crumble "The road ahead is lined with graves, Cole. And if you're going to do what needs to be done, you'll have to ignore those graves. All of them. Regardless of who's bones they hold." Kessler's voices echos and everything went white.
~8~8~8~
Cassie jumps, pulling the photo-book to her chest as Cole screams awake and collapse onto the ground. He then quickly pulls himself up, looks around and found himself back in Zeke's apartment. "Cole?" Cassie asks him and he pants, looking at her. He then stops, then exhales and leans back with his arm over his eyes. -Shit. Not sure how more of this I can stomach.- Cole mutters to himself and Cassie places the book down, the picture in her pocket and she scoots over next to him.
'Overwatch, deployment authorized for 09:30.' Talon one informs them, 'Roger that.' Base responses.
~8~8~8~
Evacuation Tunnel 19. between the Warren and Neon District…
Zeke and Harms walk through the tunnel as Zeke looks around at it, "How long has this been down here?" Zeke asks him. "Since the late '40s. After the war, everyone thought the commies were going to nuke us, so the feds built these tunnels. This leads to a big bomb shelter under the prison." Harms informs him and they walk pass a huge ass generator. "I hope Cole and Cass are alright." Zeke mutters to himself. "We'll find them soon enough." Harms assures him.
"It's not like them to leave their phones off." Zeke mutters and Harms can see all of the tension. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened between the three of you?" Harms asks him, "You really want do know?" Zeke asks him, "It's a long walk." Harms reminds him, Zeke sighs as he was ready to confess his truth. "what the hell, I'm tired of running from it." he states as they walk through the tunnel, "Do you know the Ray Sphere?" Zeke asks him, "More or less." Harms answers him, "Week or so ago, Cole finds out that Alden has it up on top of his tower. So the three of us climb up to get it. Alden was waitin' for us, though all hell breaks loose,. Trash monster, baggers, you name it. Then Kessler shows up. I was so damn scared, you know? Terrified. Figured the only way out of this mess was to get powers of my own." he states as they climb over wreckage.
"So you turned it on." Harms sums up and Zeke nods. "Yeah. But I'm not a Conduit, so the Ray Sphere didn't do squat. But that's not the worse of it. After the Ray Sphere frizzed out, Cass took it from me and went to take off away from us, I reacted… and shot her in the shoulder, making her fall off the tower. That must of gain me Kessler's trust. Then he gives me an offer, I help him find the Ray Sphere and he would help me get the powers and that he knew why it didn't work." Zeke said then pulls off his shades and rubs his eyes bridge a little. "Still don't know why I ran off with that maniac. Cole and Cass ain't ever going to forgive me." Zeke mutters as he was loosing hope for redemption.
Then Harms turns to him, "I've learn long ago that until you forgive yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks." Harms tells him and Zeke sighs. "I know I did wrong and I've been tryin' to make it right." Zeke snaps a little as he looks away, "That's not what I'm saying." Harms states, Zeke then places his shades back on. "When I first started working at the prison, I was a total hard-ass. Didn't care about anyone's else feelings, about their peace of mind. Why the well would I? Those people were in prison for a reason." he states and they started to walk again. "But I learn real quick that in order for a place like that to function, the inmates had to be able to live with themselves, had to be able to deal with what they'd done. Basically, they had to forgive themselves." Harms informs him and Zeke looks at him, ""You ain't saying that makes everything they did right." Zeke states and Harms looks away. "Makes a lot of the less likely to ram a sharpened spoon between someone's ribs." Harms states and Zeke looks down in shame, that's exactly what he did to Cole and Cassandra.
"I still need to make things square with Cole and Cass." he said, not wanting to leave things as they are. As they were in front of a door. Zeke leans against it as Harms started to hot-wire the panel. "There's nothing wrong with that. But there's always a chance. They'll never forgive you. And if that's the case, how're you going to live with yourself?" Harms asks him, Zeke said nothing.
~8~8~8~
Neon District…
At the building where David was laying in, he pants as his body started to move, -No, he hasn't beaten me. Of course not I didn't forget. I promise you didn't I?- he whispers as he pulls himself up and the rumble and pebbles fall off him.
-Once I've killed Kessler, I'll come home. And the three of us will be together. Nothing will separate us again.- David promises them and ran off into the streets, looking for Cole.
~8~8~8~
Cole looks inside the fridge as Cassie was brushing her hair, -Lovely. All of the food's rotten.- Cole mutters as Cassie steps out and walks next to him, "All the food far gone?" she asks him, he nods. "Lovely." she mutters then walks over to the cabinet.
Outside of the building troopers were ready "Talon Four, we're in position." Extract informs them. "Copy that, Extract." Talon Four answers and they readied the canisters.
Cole held a cup in his hand and went to get a drink, but the water refuses the come on as he turns the knob. -Can't even get a drink of water.- he mutters and Cassie went over to stand next to him and suddenly a canister was thrown into the room and they both look down at it and shock. And purple smoke comes out of it. "What the hell?" Cole questions.
From outside the room, troopers stood ready. "Canister deployed." extraction team leader informs Talon Four. "Copy that. Hold for three minutes and then breach." Talon Four informs extraction team. "Copy that." the leader answers them.
The two were coughing from the purple smoke that filled the room, Cole falls onto his knees as Cassie covers mouth, trying not to inhale the smoke. "Oh God…" Cole mutters then falls onto the ground, the door was broken in and military troopers invade the apartment, "Trish…" Cole calls out, Cassie looks at then troopers and her vision blurs, then she was in shock as the one person she saw die before her eyes was standing right in front of her. "Trish…?" she mutters taking her hands away and inhales, "You let me die, Cassandra. You did nothing as I fell to my death!" Trish shouts at her, tears collect in her eyes as she shook her head. "That's not true… I held onto you… I was push off and I… I reach for you…" she cries, holding her stomach as pain courses through her then coughs from the smoke. "I… tried…" Cole weeps.
"You killed me! Murder! Failure!" the Trishs' all snap at her, tears stream down her face as she held her head in her arms, "I'm… sorry…" she cries. "…This isn't real…" mutters to himself. As they both step back away from them, trying to run from the Trishs.
~8~8~8~
Harms and Zeke make it out of the sewers and to the apartment building, but they both stop as Zeke's apartment was smoking purple.
"What the Hell?" Zeke questions as he fears for the worse and for his two friends that he know that are still inside as well.
~8~8~8~
"Don't move!" a trooper orders as the two Conduits were surrounded, "Please…" Cole begs as Cassie now covers her ears, "I'm sorry…" she cries as the Trishs kept shouting at her. "This isn't real, Cassandra." a familiar voice calls out and Cassie stops crying. "Sasha?" she asks and saw the Trishes were fading out a little, and Troopers were in front of her "That Bitch is using my gift. Get Cole and get out of there!" Sasha shouts at her as the Trishes stop flicking.
Cassie needed to move, she turns to Cole, ran right at him, rams herself into him and they both crash through the window, electricity courses over them as the Trishes went with them. "They're outside. Go, go!" a trooper orders and they hurried out the door.
Then the two Conduits crash onto the ground and stumble to their feet. "You can't run from me, Cassandra! I loved you like a daughter! You'll never hurt me again!" they snap at her and she shook her head. "Stop!… you're not her…! You're not Trish!" Cassie shouts, covering her ears as her rage boils again. "That's it, Cassandra. Fight it, fight it!" Sasha tells her. "Yo, Cole! Cass! You all right?" Zeke calls out to them as the two were fighting against the illusion. "Get away from me!" they both shout, wanting the torture to stop. Then they fall to their knees, "Stop it…" Cole mutters as Cassie's vision was burring together and she collapse onto the ground as she could hear ringing in her ears. "We got them." one states, "What about the guys down the street?" other asks. "Leave 'em." he orders and someone grabs at Cassie's arms, "I'm so sorry Trish…" Cole mutters as he laies on his side. "I'm sorry… Trish, please… forgive me…" Cassandra mutters and she was out.
Zeke growls as he went to go help them, but Harms holds him back, "We got to so something!" Zeke shouts as he struggles in Harms' grip. "They'll kill us, Zeke." he reminds him, "Who gives a rip?!" Zeke shouts as he refused to abandon his friends once more. But Harms pulls him back and held his arms in from of him. "If they come after us, we're screwed. All of us. The only way we can save them is if they ignore us, let us go." Harms informs him.
The chopper comes and lowers lift to the ground, then the trooper drag Cole and Cassandra to the lift, "So… sorry…" Cole mumbles, tears steam down Cassie's face as she was screaming inside her head, begging for forgiveness. They were then place inside the lift and the door slammed then the chopper lifts the lift off the ground. "We'll find them, Zeke. I promise." Harms assure him, "Shouldn't of given him to keys to my place." Zeke mumbles as he realizes his mistake. "Take it easy." Harms said and places his hand on Zeke's shoulder. Zeke watches as Cole and Cassandra were taken away and out of the Neon District.
On the roof not too far from Zeke's apartment, David watches from a roof as the chopper leaves the Neon District, with Cole and Cassandra in tow. -Kessler…-
~8~8~8~
Neon District…
Out by the docks, the two reports pulled the raft onto the shore as they weren't going to left Moya stops them from getting the truth. "If we get caught, they're going to arrest us." Linda informs Troy. He just scoffs "Actually, they'll probably just kill us." he states then Linda turn to the city and looks at the damage that was gone as Troy uses wreckage to cover the raft. He then walks up next to her. "Look at this place." she mutters, he nods. "Yeah, it bad." he agrees. She then looks over and saw someone sitting by the docks, "Maybe that guy will talk to us." she states and they both walk over to him.
"Excuse me sir, I'm Linda Kaufman with USTV…" she states as places her hand on his shoulder. But as she touches her shoulder his shoulder, he falls over and collapses onto the ground. They both gasp as they realized that the man was dead as his flesh was rotted then a girl walks over to them, "He died a week or so ago. Got tired of the smell." she said, "You just left him here?" Linda questions her as the girl then took a hold of the body and drags it back up. "What else were we suppose to do? Do you see any hospitals? Morgues?" the girl questions her. "That's no reason to do this, what about his family-?" Linda asks. "I'm his daughter." the girl informs her and places the body back in the chair. "Who the hell are you?" she questions the two. "We're reporters for USTV." Troy answers her. She looks at them in shock and dis-belief.
"You're kidding me?" she states and Linda shook her head, "We snuck in, wanted to see what really was happening." Linda informs her and an idea hits the girl. "IS this right?" she states then looks around, "Follow me, we got to get off the streets. The military's till rounding people up." she informs them and they quickly left the streets.
~8~8~8~
Cassie could see nothing but darkness, but could still hear voices, "This way… mind her head." a man states. -Trish…- Cassie mutters as she felt her tear slide down her face. "Get that IV in her arm." another orders. "There, there, my child. I'm here." a voices echos in her mind. Making her twitch a little and move her head. -Where am I? Where's Cole?- Cassie asks the voice.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Cole." the voices promises her, -Trish… I'm so sorry…- Cassie cries as she slowly flutters her eyes open. "…Please… forgive… me…" she mutters as her vision was white. "She's starting to wake up. Everything connected?" Moya asks, "Yeah, we're good." another answers her. Then the face leans in close, "Can you hear me, Cassandra? Hello?" Moya asks.
Cassandra just exhales and turns her head over a little. "You should've just gave up, make this easier for everyone else." Moya tells her "She thinks I'm beaten, but she's wrong. I will see her dead." the voice promises her. "I think she blackout." a doctor states.
The next few words blurred to her, but she could care less. Then started to tug at her restrains, her breath quickens and her rage boils inside her, but then she gasp as she felt a cold needle pierce her skin, "There, that should do it." Moya states and Cassie started to relax again, "Her vitals are stabilizing." a doctor states, "Good." Moya states and Cassie could now only heat her breathing as she rolls her eyes to the back of her head and was out once more.
She was locked up against a machine, her arms were in chains as wires were places on her body and breathes normally, then Moya leans in close to her. "Because she and I need to have a long talk."