Blue didn't need coffee to stay awake as Plisskin's chopper hovered over the ruins of the heart of D.C. The sun was setting over the horizon, casting the ruined city in a haze of blood-red scarlet light.
The White House was coated in a layer of dirt and blood, whether from humans or Evils, Blue didn't want to know.
Angel was beside her, gazing at the destruction with nothing in her eyes. Blue didn't have to take a wild guess to know this didn't faze her. She'd probably been forced to do worse things while under the Superior's watch. Angel curled her hand into a fist. "I can get inside. He doesn't know that I have my memories back. I can trick him, I can-"
"Angel, you can't do this alone." Nox said bluntly, baffled. Months ago, she'd been trying to keep Angel from the violence and fighting. And now, she was running into the danger by herself.
Angel whirled around and faced the team with a fire in her eyes they hadn't seen before. And Blue didn't create it. "I am a hardcore fighting war machine. I can do this!"
Lloyd shut his eyes and grimaced. "The Superior turned you into this."
Angel ground her teeth, struggling to draw breath through her anger. Realizing she was enacting Lloyd's words, she forced herself to relax. "It doesn't matter. His creation will be his downfall. Besides, I'm still myself. Nothing's changed. I'll do anything to get rid of the Superior! Look what he did to us!" Her words lingered in the chopper, but nobody responded.
Blue gripped her shoulder, then exchanged glances with Nox. "You're both right. Angel can deliver the final blow, but you need us all to get you inside. No doubt the place is crawling with Evils. Besides," She glanced at the team with a sly smile. "It'll be awesome to kill some freaks with the team."
"This is where you guys get off," Plisskin spoke up, hovering above the courtyard near the building. It was the only area not infested with evils. "Go kick some ass."
Beecher kicked down a rope, and the team slid down until touched earth soil. Beecher unhooked his sniper from his back strap, holding it in front of his chest as he followed Etrius, wielding two of his own Uzis. Blue couldn't help but notice how different they looked in this world. Their metal has a more sheen reflective surface, emitting a red-ish hue in the sunlight.
Boomer took down the few evils guarding the entrance of the white-house, empty shells raining from his shotgun, ringing in Blue's ears. He kicked down the door, and the team hurried inside.
It was dark. The lights flickered, and the growls of evils resonated through the darkness. Blue gagged at the stench. She'd never smelled so much blood. If Etrius was fazed by it, he didn't show it. The light of his firing guns ignited the darkness, claws and teeth flashing out.
Soon, the evils were dead... Mostly in limbo. And the team was running through empty, blood and gore stained hallways. Blue tried numbing herself to everything around her, but she just wanted all of this to be over. Then, she heard it.
Shouts. Coming from another hallway. The team stopped and exchanged glances.
Etrius frowned. "We have to keep moving. Whoever's still alive has to wait until we fix this."
"There won't be anyone left alive when - if we come back!" Beecher dejected.
"Blue will fix this, and everyone will be alive again. End of story." Boomer finalized.
Blue tried listening to the shouts, but she could barely make out the words over the team's arguing. "Everyone, shut up!" She listened closer. "I recognize that voice...! Guys, let's go." She began down the hallway she heard the shouting from. The team stood still in confusion before following her quickly.
Blue pushed past a door hanging on it's hinges, revealing a spiral staircase leading down into the dark. Quickly, she descended the steps two at a time. Beecher's grumbling echoes behind her, letting her know the team was closeby. It eased her racing heart.
Soon, the staircase ended in a vast series of prison cells and isolation chambers. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. "What the hell is this?"
"Hello!?" The voice shouted again. Blue knew exactly who it was. There was no mistaking it. She quickened her pace, coming to a stop at a final corridor with a lone isolation chamber. Six people remained still inside.
The one who had shouted was pacing the length of the chamber, restless.
"Jeise." Blue whispered. She recognized the rest of them. Astron, Karly, Leo, Brad, and Halley. Her breath was stolen from her. She'd finally seen her online friends in front of her, and she couldn't have been more angry. The Superior had taken anyone who had ever touched the Castle universe. Whether he was planning on execution, or using their dormant power, she didn't know. And she didn't care. Because right now, they were busting out of here.
"Guys?" Blue approached the chamber, gripping one of the bars.
Jeise froze at the sight of Blue. Then, she unleashed a joyful squeal. "Tell me this isn't really happening!"
Karly unpeeled herself from the wall, her eyes staring at Blue. "Blue? I thought he killed you..."
Blue ground her teeth. She couldn't stand to see artists locked away like this. She turned to Etrius. "Can you pick the lock?"
Wordlessly, Etrius knelt down and began working through the lock. Halley stared in wonder as the rest of the team arrived. "Woah... They're real."
Blue embraced and counted each one of them. They were short on people. "Someone's missing..." She felt a sinking feeling inside her. "Where's Oscar?"
A tense silence fell in the space between them. Etrius frowned, his eyes scanning the floor. "That name sounds familiar."
When nobody answered, Blue filled in the blank. "He's dead..." She whispered.
"He's the first one the Superior got rid of." Leo sighed.
Brad curled his hands into fists. "Blue, he's gone insane. He never stops eating power!"
Blue felt her heart plummet to her feet at the realization. She shut her eyes and ground her teeth together, forcing herself to hide any remorse with determination. With her eyes in shadow, she swore, "I'll stop him. I promise. He's not going to live without paying for this."
Feeling an overwhelming rage, and without knowing it's origin, Beecher demanded, "Where is he?"
"Upstairs," Astron breathed. "Oval Office." Astron turned to Blue, eyes stirring with something undecipherable. "Blue, let them go on their own." She gestured to the team. "He'll kill you on sight when he sees you!"
Blue bit her lip, shaking her head. "I have to stay with them. I'm the only one who can stop him. His evil was my creation. I can undo his existence." Her eyes met Nox's. "And I made a promise. One that I will never break."