Chapter 8: Merc With A Heart

As the maze collapsed, Sasuke sealed away Burnscar's corpse. It was standard protocol to destroy corpses before hunters and grave robbers could discover their secrets. Personally, he liked to bury the dead in a proper grave.

The street had returned to normal, taking the trench and Labyrinth's statue with it. Did she pull the statue from another reality, transform the entire street? It was fascinating, and strange how there was no trace that she'd exerted her power: the damage Burnscar inflicted on the surrounding buildings had been erased.

All that was left was the blood that poured from Mimi's heart, and the lingering pools of water. With one hand sign, he swept the blood away. While the sun had dipped below the horizon, the lack of light wouldn't mask the rank smell hanging in the air.

… it shouldn't have ended this way.

Sasuke cleaned his sword and sheathed it, put on his mask. The mission remained the same.

Newter lay on the raised platform, while Gregor sat on one of the metal tables nearby. Faultline was in front of them, shotgun raised. When she saw him, she took her finger off the trigger and lowered her aim, but she didn't relax.

"Where's Burnscar?" she asked.

Sasuke frowned. "Dead."

"And the body?"

"I hid it."

Faultline stared at him for a long moment. Eventually, she handed the shotgun to Shamrock.

"Take a look."

Shamrock did exactly that, and came back thirty seconds later. "Burnscar's gone. Unless she escaped, Sasuke's story checks out."

"Good. We can relax for now, discuss how we'll take care of the body later. Objections?"

"No," Sasuke said. It was a problem he'd soon have to address. "How are Gregor and Newter?"

"Gregor's surviving," Shamrock said, walking towards him. Sasuke followed her. "Newter's stable. Both of them should recover soon."

Good news.

"Let me examine them. I have first aid training."

There was an opportunity waiting to be seized.

"Feel free to inspect them," Faultline said. "You don't mind if we watch."

He shook his head. Faultline wasn't asking, and there was no point aggravating her before their meeting. Since he was closest to Gregor, he decided to examine him first, setting a hand on his bare shoulder.

Years ago, a medic named Sakura taught him how to diagnose and heal other people with chakra. She was very dear to him, and her techniques were very valuable.

Gregor had second-degree burns across his upper-right torso and some internal bruising. His skeleton carried his prodigious girth easily, and both his translucent skin and the spiral growths scattered across his body appeared to be completely natural even though he retained a human-like physiology.

His injuries would recover on their own, but Sasuke used a small amount of his chakra to boost Gregor's natural healing process, cleaning out any swelling and points of infection so he'd breathe easier.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked.

"I am well, considering the circumstances," Gregor said. "Congratulations on your victory."

Sasuke didn't feel like smiling. Even though nobody died and the villain had been defeated, it wasn't much of a victory to him.

"Thank you," he said, because he was sure Gregor was sincere. "You fought hard. Rest well, Gregor."

"I shall."

Next up was Newter, who was in substantially worse condition than his comrade. When Sasuke removed the loose blanket covering the Case 53, Shamrock warned him about touching Newter's sweat, but that ended up not being a factor.

If it wasn't for his scales, claws and tail, Sasuke might have assumed that Newter was only a teenage male who painted himself orange. Second-degree burns covered Newter's upper chest and forearms, he had three broken ribs and other injuries typical from blast trauma. His sharp reflexes had definitely saved him, along with his durable physiology.

Faultline and her crew had done a decent job in treating their comrades, cooling down their burns and keeping them hydrated. It made his job a lot easier. Regardless, he made sure to give Newter a greater boost than he gave Gregor, cleaned out any infection points and healed the internal swelling.

Once he was done, he got off the platform and gave Faultline some instructions for their treatment to ensure a full recovery.

"You learned all of that only from touching them?" Faultilne asked. "Did you map their bodies with electricity?"

No.

"Yes."

Faultline hummed. "Interesting. Let's go upstairs."

Next to the platform was a stairwell leading to the second floor; Faultline and Shamrock entered a room in the middle of the hallway. The room itself was a tale of two halves. One half had a large bookshelf next to a computer with two speakers and stacks of CDs, a plain bed with several posters taped to the wall next to it. The other half was barren except for colourful bedsheets.

Spitfire stood next to a girl laying on a soft reclining chair. Shamrock sat at the girl's side, petting her messy blonde hair. There was no mask covering glazed eyes staring at something that even he couldn't see. She blinked slowly, turning lucid as she gazed at him. Her power connection was alive, much like Spitfire and Faultline's.

This had to be Elle.

"She's coming out of her spell," Shamrock said. When she stood, she moved with the grace of a secret agent, a black widow stretching her limbs.

"Thanks for the save back there," Spitfire said, surprisingly soft-spoken. Her black boiler outfit was fitted with body armour and gauntlets matching the look of her gas mask.

She hadn't been around when he first met Faultline's crew, so he wasn't sure what to expect from her. This was a good start.

He shot her a short smile. "No problem."

"Did you take care of Burnscar?"

"Apparently, he killed her," Faultline said. "Can't be certain without seeing the body, though."

Spitfire gave him a once-over. "Did she even touch you?"

"No."

"Wow."

Shamrock whistled, while Faultline stared at him, most likely changing her outlook. Sasuke's lips twisted.

"Were there any people around the areas Burnscar attacked?"

"No." Faultline had crouched next to Elle, taking Shamrock's place at her side. "The Palanquin's been closed for a while. The majority of the surrounding buildings have been abandoned. Their owners left Brockton Bay behind after Leviathan's attack."

For once, Leviathan had saved some lives.

Elle sat up, pulling up her orange sleeves to examine her hands. Her face was remarkably stiff, but it was starting to move, like paint slowly filling a bucket of water and giving the liquid substance.

"How are you feeling, Labyrinth?" Faultline asked in a gentle voice.

"Okay," she said, voice quiet. "I feel like... in between."

Faultline clasped Elle's – or rather, Labyrinth's – hand. Slowly, but surely, the girl that could shape reality clasped her fingers around her leader's.

"Follow the sound of my voice. You did great today, and I'm thankful that you could help our new friend."

Labyrinth looked up, past Faultline and at him. "It was you, right?"

"Yes, this is Sasuke."

"Your power was very impressive," Sasuke said.

"It sure is strong, but it comes at a cost," Spitfire said.

"When Labyrinth's power is at its peak, she barely reacts to what's happening in the real world," Shamrock said. "But if she's lucid, her power's pretty much useless."

How... unfortunate.

"Spitfire, go downstairs and watch Newter and Gregor," Faultline said. "I'm leaving them in your care."

"On it, boss," Spitfire said, quickly taking her leave.

"Did you see who our friend was fighting, Labyrinth?"

Labyrinth nodded again.

"You knew her," Sasuke said.

Labyrinth was startled. Faultline squeezed her hand. "It's okay. Say as much as you need."

Seconds passed, and it wasn't because Labyrinth was struggling to find her words. They had just met, and yet he was asking her to reveal some of her secrets.

"We were in the asylum together," Labyrinth said.

He'd seen a couple of these asylums during his travels, and it made sense that they'd meet there. Both Elle and Mimi were mentally affected by their powers, crippled in different respects.

"Were you two friends?"

She frowned. "No. She got... angry, and..." She stopped talking, though this time, it looked like she was gathering her thoughts. "Sorry, I'm trying."

He could wait. Fortunately for Labyrinth, she didn't take long.

"Burnscar, Mimi, she never took responsibility for what she did with her powers. She always made excuses."

A frown crossed his face. "Mimi called you her friend. She came here because of you."

"Relax," Faultine said. "Labyrinth has every right to choose who her friends are."

"Labyrinth can speak for herself."

He glanced at Labyrinth, thankful that his mask hid his judging eyes. There was no need to frighten her.

"I only talked to her so she could co-operate with the doctors," Labyrinth said. Her voice was small, but clear, remorseless.

A spike of anger throttled him, lancing deep through his body. He forced it down, forced himself to maintain his composure.

"Pathetic."

The word slipped out. Shamrock frowned, but Faultline went rigid. He didn't dare take it back.

"Watch yourself, Sasuke," Faultline said. "Labyrinth had her reasons, good ones, and if Burnscar wanted to recruit her out of some delusional –"

"If Burnscar was delusional, it was because your teammate lied to her," Sasuke growled. "What would Burnscar do if she found out her friend was using her?"

"Try and kill her, obviously. Do you seriously think having Labyrinth be friends with a dangerous serial killer is a good idea?"

"Where would Burnscar be if Labyrinth was honest from the start?"

He already knew the answer: she'd still be alive.

"You have no clue what their relationship was like! How can you even act like Burnscar was ever good to Labyrinth?"

Sasuke frowned. "She doesn't need to be perfect to be her friend."

Faultline was about to stand like she wanted to scream in his face, as if anything she could possibly say could ever sway him.

"Hold it!" Shamrock said. "Labyrinth has something to say."

Sasuke balked when he noticed the uneasy frown on Labyrinth's face. She'd shrunk away from him, even as Shamrock whispered sweet encouragements in her ear.

"I don't hate Mimi," Labyrinth said. "But I don't like her. She was... mean when she got angry. And she's... a coward."

"Then why didn't you leave her alone?" he asked, his voice dangerously close to rising.

Labyrinth gulped. Her eyes were shining from fear and her cheeks were a blotchy red. How foolish of him to force her to relive bad memories just to defend someone who didn't want his help.

"Sorry. I'm sorry for getting mad."

"It's okay. I saw you... you tried to talk to her. No one else was there for her. She needed... someone to talk to. That's why I kept on spending time with Mimi."

It was rather fortunate that Mimi wasn't around to hear her friend's real opinion of her, but this was going nowhere fast. Still, there was still one question nagging at him, one that demanded a good answer.

"If Mimi learned to control herself, could you see yourself being real friends with her?"

Labyrinth's head inched down and up. "I could." Her lips twitched. "You killed her?"

"I did. No hard feelings?"

She pulled her mouth wider, in between a smile and a frown. "No. I just wish... Mimi got help."

"Me too."

Faultline wiped Labyrinth's face with a tissue, squeezing her hand once more. "Get some rest, okay? You're doing really well. You've been so brave today."

"Thank you, Faultline."

Faultline looked at Shamrock, the only Case 53 left standing, before she faced Sasuke. "It's time to go."

She ushered him outside Labyrinth's room, and shut the door behind them with a clenched fist. Sasuke stared her down. Faultline hadn't flinched away, but he held his gaze.

"No need to fight, guys," Shamrock said.

Faultline shook her head. "I'll be quick. How dare you talk to Labyrinth like that?"

Sasuke pursed his lips. "She's responsible for her actions. She's not a child."

"She's not an adult, either, Sasuke. She did what she thought was best in a situation she wasn't equipped to handle."

"She lied to Burnscar. Her best wasn't good enough."

Faultline took a step forward, poised to strike. "Your sympathy for Burnscar doesn't justify you lashing out at my friend. She could have lost weeks of progress thanks to you!"

"That's why I apologized."

"And we appreciate that," Shamrock said. "Could've been a bit nicer, but you were coming out of a big fight, your emotions were running high. It happens."

Perhaps. It wasn't the first time Shamrock's intervention forced him to take a second and calm down. It probably wouldn't be the last time she'd interfere at the right time.

At any rate, this argument was a waste of time. He didn't want to hurt Labyrinth's feelings, but he couldn't tolerate her deceit. Good thing she accepted his apology.

"Still up for the meeting, Faultline?" Shamrock asked.

Faultline nodded. "I had half a mind to cancel it altogether, but this is too important to let differences divide us. I'm on board. Are you, Sasuke?"

Did she even need to ask?

Sasuke followed Faultline and Shamrock into a makeshift meeting room. There was a stack of newly printed documents on the big table and a white board with a rainbow of coloured markers placed next to it. Faultline stood next to the white board, while Shamrock took a seat facing Faultline.

"Take out the vials, Sasuke," Faultline said.

Sasuke folded his hand inside of his poncho and pulled out the case, setting it on the table.

"How'd you fit that inside of your cloak?" Shamrock asked. "Tinkertech?"

"In a sense," he said. He wore a bracelet etched with seals connected to his scrolls, allowing him to access his inventory during combat.

Faultline's gaze was fixed on the case of vials as Sasuke revealed its contents. She pulled out the documents first, flicking through each one at a fast pace.

"This is exactly what I wanted to find."

"And the vials?"

"Useful, but not relevant to our search." Faultline finished her quick read. "I'd like to make copies of these. May I?"

"Go ahead."

"I'll return them as soon as possible." She set down the documents on her side of the table, before pointing at the c on the case. "Take a look. This is a c flipped ninety degrees north, like a u or an Omega symbol."

He took the last seat, got comfortable. "Why is this important?"

Shamrock exposed her collarbone, revealing the same 'c' branded on there. Ah.

"You're not the only one who's been branded."

Shamrock winked. "Spot on. Every Case 53's branded with this symbol. It lets Cauldron know who they experimented on."

"Cauldron is responsible for mutating people and taking their memories away," Sasuke said.

"That's right."

He didn't like where this was going, not one bit, but he had already come this far just to back out now.

"How?"

"They take people from different worlds and inject them with the raw substance they use for their vials. I got taken from my temple-school without even realizing it." Shamrock smirked; it lacked any sort of joy. "Why do you think they get away with their crap?"

So, he wasn't the only one from another planet. Revealing this would do him no favours.

If they only operated on Earth Bet, they would have been exposed long before he came around. Then again, they could probably get away with their experiments if they branded themselves as a public corporation. They could also avoid scrutiny if they were capable of crushing any authority that pursued them.

"How did you keep your memories?"

Shamrock pulled out a coin from her pants pocket. "I made my own luck." She flipped the coin, and it landed on the side she called heads ten times in a row.

"Nice trick."

"Cauldron taught me how to do a lot more than that. After they realized their injection gave me powers, they forced me to use them. If I made the coin land on heads, I got a shower and food. If I didn't, I got nothing. If I screwed up or rebelled, they punished me. It got to the point where I had to make twelve dice land on a six to pass their tests."

"It's a farce," Faultline said.

What was more disturbing was that this wasn't remotely new to him. It was an unfortunate, disappointing reality no matter where he went.

"When did you escape?" Sasuke asked.

"Around the sixth time I couldn't pass that dice test," Shamrock said. "I found an opening and used my power to find the first portal here to Earth Bet. If I stayed any longer, they'd take my memories and dump me in the middle of nowhere."

Sasuke frowned. "You'd be a liability otherwise."

Faultline barked out a laugh. "That's the way it is with their kind."

"It could've been worse," Shamrock said. "They could have forced me to work for them."

"And stop people from revealing Cauldron's secrets?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe. Maybe I'd have to stop my fellow Case 53's from escaping."

Her smile was becoming increasingly strained. Better to keep her on track.

"Do you have any idea why they conducted these experiments?"

"It makes those vials more effective. That's why I haven't been mutated." Shamrock grimaced. "I hate to say it, but I'm pretty grateful for that."

"Trying to find the silver lining?"

She shook her head. "Not quite. Sure, nobody will know I'm a Case 53 unless I tell them, but that's not a silver lining I can be proud of. Someday, we'll expose Cauldron and make sure they never kidnap or experiment on anyone ever again. That's my silver lining."

"In the meantime, you won't have to suffer the prejudice and scorn Newter and Gregor were forced to endure," Faultine said.

Shamrock's brow furrowed. "That's why I'm grateful, as awful as it sounds. I get to look in the mirror and know that this is who I really am. That was stolen from them, and even if we expose Cauldron, there's no guarantee they'll get their lives back. They're really brave."

Sasuke absorbed every word Shamrock uttered.

"Did you see who was testing you, Shamrock?"

She frowned. "It was a doctor. She didn't give her name, but names weren't her thing. She kept on referring to me by my number until I got good enough to choose my own name."

It was just as he thought: why would the scientist show any form of attachment to the test subject? Cauldron's... callousness was familiar, too familiar, but then not every scientist operated the same way. Orochimaru had given his test subjects one last wish before they were disposed of, and he let them keep their names.

"Did she start calling you Shamrock?"

Shamrock's smile returned. "Yep. That's what kept me going. I forced them to acknowledge me, and I forced my way out. I beat them."

"Yes, you did," Faultline said. "Cauldron is not as invincible as they purport themselves to be. It's only a matter of time until we discover their true agenda."

It couldn't have been a motive as simple as accruing money or power, not with their scope and commitment to secrecy. Nor could it be a goal as banal as mass destruction.

"What's in it for you, Faultline?" Sasuke asked.

Faultline huffed. "Plenty. I'll admit, I was always curious about the Case 53's, but it was Gregor who asked me to learn more about their origins. After a year of searching, I've developed a vested interest in learning everything about Cauldron. I can't rest until I learn why they've sunk to these depths."

"It's personal, now."

Faultline stared at him like she was trying to peer through his mask. "It is."

She didn't elaborate. She didn't need to.

"If we could access one of their portals, we could visit them right now," Sasuke said.

Shamrock snorted. "Good luck with that."

He made eye contact with Shamrock. "Elaborate."

"Sorry, but I only cared about getting out." She sighed. "Even if I did know anything, it's not like Cauldron will just let us waltz in."

So much for the simple option.

"It's never that easy."

"On that note, allow me to thank you for holding your end of the bargain, Sasuke," Faultline said. "If I may, is there a reason behind your search for Cauldron?"

"There is."

After a few seconds of silence, she stood up and raised her hand. "Then I hope we can find them together."

He rose to shake it. "I appreciate that." Once he let go of Faultline's hand, he stared at Shamrock. "Thanks for sharing your story."

Shamrock smiled. "Thanks for listening. By the way, nice job taking out Burnscar."

"Agreed," Faultline said. "I'll admit that I doubted you, but after hearing the conviction with which you speak... there's no way you'd lie about Burnscar's death."

"I'm still surprised you'd show sympathy for Burnscar of all people," Shamrock said. "Not saying it's a bad thing, but trying to help her? Definitely risky."

Faultline nodded. "Be careful on who you extend your hand to, Sasuke. Not everyone will appreciate your empathy, and the worst kind of criminal will take advantage of it."

She was right. It was still worth the attempt.

"Do me a favour: don't tell anyone I fought Burnscar."

Faultline hummed. "You're certain you want to keep that secret? You could collect the bounty on her head."

"From who?"

"The government. The bounty's an incentive for anyone to take the kill order, and it's for that precise reason that it's a last resort."

No government worth its salt would let the people carry out justice on their behalf. Even back home, bounties were only placed on deserters and terrorists. The gravity of what he offered Burnscar hit him, then, nearly toppling him over. But he held steady. Burnscar deserved that chance.

"The bounty isn't worth the scrutiny."

Faultline nodded. "There is value in a strong reputation, but only thing you can control is your actions, and even that isn't guaranteed."

"What about sharing the credit?" Shamrock asked. "Labyrinth did help you, you know."

She had given him an out, plain as day. However, he couldn't take it. Sharing the credit would only invite a response that he was better equipped to handle on his own, on his terms.

"I'd rather not."

Shamrock whistled. "I wouldn't want that heat, either. Although, it'd be really nice to have all that money."

"Not if it costs you your life," Faultline said. "I can respect wanting to fly under the radar, Sasuke. Your secret's safe with me."

Sasuke took hold of the case. Even though he couldn't reach them, this meeting was still a success.

"What are you gonna do with Burnscar's corpse?"

He felt his blood boil.

"Let me take care of it."

A dark green utility vehicle barrelled down the street, grinding to a halt near Burnscar's prone form. The driver jumped out of her car and approached the body, accompanied by three EMTs. She was dressed in a dark green jacket that matched the colour of her pants.

"Are you Ben?" she asked, loud and clear. A bandanna designed like the American flag was wrapped around the bottom half of her light brown face.

"Yep," he said, blue eyes darting all around, falling on the pistol holstered on her waist. It shivered, teleporting to her hand in a shimmer of black and green energy. "Are you police?"

"I'm a hero. My name is Miss Militia. Can you tell me how you found Burnscar?"

He gulped, shaking his scruffy blonde hair. With his damaged maroon sweater, worn-out blue jeans and beaten-up cellphone, he was as out of sorts as he looked.

"I was looking for a place to stay before it went dark, 'cuz the last place I was at got burned down. I saw her laying there when I came through the alley."

"Was she still alive when you discovered her body?"

Ben winced. "No. She was already dead. I swear, I didn't do nothin'!"

Miss Militia's brown eyes softened. "You have nothing to be afraid of, Ben. You won't be held liable for Burnscar's death, even if you were responsible. If there's anything else you know about what happened, we would be incredibly grateful if you share it with us."

Ben looked down at his soaked sneakers. "Sorry. It's just, I didn't think I'd find a dead body, y'know? It's messed up."

"It's not an experience I'd wish on anyone."

He took a few short breaths.

"Was anyone else around when you arrived?"

"No, no one. Just me."

"Did you see anyone running away from this place?"

"Nope. I walked past someone, I think, but they weren't running."

"Did you touch any part of Burnscar's body before you called us?"

"I checked her pulse, but that was it. She was pretty cold."

Miss Militia nodded. "Thank you, Ben. Not everyone would do what you did today."

Ben turned away, hiding a blush. "Just helping out where I can."

Miss Militia put away her gun and looked at every part of the area. He heard her bark orders to the EMTs, saw them zip up Burnscar's corpse in a black body bag.

"Uh, can I go now?"

Her eyes lit up, as if she was smiling. "You may. I hope you find a good place to stay, Ben, but if you can't, there's room for you at the PRT's headquarters."

Ben smiled. "Thanks for the offer, ma'am, believe it!"

He walked away from the hero and her allies, out of their sight... and on the other side of Lord Street, Sasuke emerged.

Burnscar's corpse had been cleaned of any electrical damage and associated bruising, along with his fingerprints. It was also completely dry. In the process, he learned that Burnscar's body was augmented by a metallic mesh covering her organs and steel wire fortifying her skeleton, especially around the spine.

There were also two nodes in her brain that correlated with her power's connection to its source, but that connection was as dead as Burnscar, so he couldn't learn more about it. Unfortunate, but in the end, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Thanks to transforming into Ben, Sasuke handed Burnscar's corpse to the authorities without getting Faultline's crew or himself involved. To the PRT, it would seem like she was stabbed through her heart after being kicked in the stomach. He took no joy in it, but there was no way he'd let them even think he had any ulterior motives.

It was growing more and more likely that Cauldron had the answers he was looking for. Since Shamrock didn't know how to reach them, it seemed that there was only one way forward: through Battery.