I just want to take a brief moment to thank everyone who's been reviewing this. I know I can't respond to anonymous reviews anymore (darn FFN "updates"), but I can thank all of you. I also want to apologize for not updating this lately. Writer's block is no fun.
Now, let's look at our featured character. Today we look at one of the Shadowatch team handlers. The only adult female Dreadnok (for the moment), Zarana!
Zarana
Real Name: Unknown
Hair: Pink (dyed, natural hair color unknown)
Eyes: Green
Class: Mutant
Cobra Function: Assassin and Infiltrator
Bio: Like her two brothers, Zarana has the mutant ability to change her skin color to make herself invisible. Zarana is a master of disguise and makeup. However, unlike Zartan, who concentrates on making a disguise physically complete, Zarana likes to take a method actor's approach: She likes to become the character she plays.
Intelligent and cunning, Zarana also bring a level of ambitiousness to the Dreadnoks, having a slight craving for power. Despite her greed, cruel nature and selfishness, Zarana actually has a bit of a good heart hidden. During a mission to spy on the Joes, she posed as an officer and fell in love with the Joe codenamed Mainframe. As a result, her loyalties are torn. As far as anyone knows, only Mainframe and Zanya, Zarana's niece, have ever seen a kinder side of Zarana's personality. She has a very antagonistic relationship with the Baroness. Zarana is also currently the handler of Shadowatch mutants Vampira (Kristen Mortisson) and Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde)
Learning to Breathe
63. Eye of the Swarm
"He's at a warehouse on Pike Street." Vampira's voice crackled over the Cobra-standard com-links. "Virus has the coordinates."
"Isn't an abandoned warehouse a tad cliché?" Lady Mastermind asked. Currently, Zartan, Atlantis, Corona, and herself were crawling into the sewers under Chicago in search of a mutant colony.
"Yes, but it's also convenient." Zartan pointed out. "Now which way do we go?"
"Right." Lady M said without hesitation. "I can sense active minds that direction."
"Lucky you." Corona muttered. "Otherwise we'd be stuck down here."
"Didn't you live down here?" The Italian blond asked. The Latina girl shook her head.
"Hell no. It smells bad and it's always wet. Besides, half the mutants down here are afraid of sunlight."
"If we scare them, will they cooperate?" Regan asked.
"Let's keep that option open." Zartan sighed. "If what Vampira and Thunderbird told us was correct, they won't want to let one of their own go willingly."
"We're being watched." Andi said after another few seconds of walking.
"Good to know I'm not the only one feeling creeped out." Regan shuddered. "Whoever you are, you better get your ass out here in the open before I make you wish you had!"
"You don't have the right." A male voice growled.
"Wanna bet?" Regan asked, her eyes glowing a menacing azure shade.
"Stay out of my head!" The man hissed.
"She will if you take us to Shatter." Corona said. "What'll it be?"
"I will bring him here." The man growled. "Stay."
"You act like we would want to walk farther into a sewer." Lady M grumbled.
"Shut it." Atlantis hissed. "We could really use his help, and they're not going to help us unless we act nice."
"Ought to be a challenge for you then." Zartan muttered under his breath as a figure approached the group.
He was definitely a he, the clothes told them that much. He wore slightly baggy denim pants, tennis shoes, and a red hoodie with the hood pulled over his face. Still, his yellow eyes glowed through the obscuring shadows of the dark sewers. "Why do you keep calling for me?" He asked. "I am not going to join a team or fight in some war."
"You keepin' up with the news?" Atlantis asked.
"Why would I?" He asked.
"There have been a string of murders from here to California." Corona stated. "Vampy sniffed it out. Turns out our old buddy Locust has taken up a new hobby."
The figures' eyes widened momentarily, but then returned to a narrowed state. "What's that got to do with me?"
"Come on, Shatter, he was in your block." Regan huffed. "We need you to help us bring him down. He's kidnapped and killed at least a dozen or so mutants! The one he's holding now is Mason's kid brother!"
"He's broken two out of three rules, Shatter." Andi stated. "He's gone off the deep end and unless we stop him and bury him where the others are, the government will take his body and dissect it to make super-soldiers. Do you really want that?"
Shatter sighed. "Just this once."
"That's all I'm asking for." Andi replied. "Now come on! We don't have much time!"
"This must be the place." Chaos stated, looking at the abandoned building before them. The two teams, now together, were wondering how best to enter.
"Must be." Razor said. "Anyone got any plans?"
"Let us go in first." Lady Mastermind stated. "I can sense the both of them inside. Let the take-down team go in and distract him so you guys can rescue Preston."
"Sounds good to me." Burnout shrugged. "We'll wait for your signal."
"What is it?" Golem scratched his head.
"You'll know it when it goes up." Atlantis said, staring forward.
COMBAT TEAM
The group of five entered as slowly and silently as was possible with such a mismatched team. It didn't take them long to find their quarry.
Locust stood against a wall, waiting for them. His hair, once a mass of red curls, had been completely shaved off, and he stood several inches taller than the original lab mutants remembered. Everything about him seemed so much more sinister than it should have. "Ah, guests." He grinned. "I'm afraid I have no chairs for you to sit in."
"Cut the crap." Andi glared. "Why have you been killing those kids? What did they do to you?"
"Absolutely nothing." Locust held his arms up. "I was saving them."
"Saving them?" Lady M repeated. "From what?"
"From humans!" Locust hissed. "They would kill them. Use them for spare parts! No one can do that if they die!"
"Humans aren't the threat here, you are." Zartan glared at the younger mutant. "And any threat must be put to an end."
"Not if I make you STOP." The last word was spoken as his eyes glowed. The only one spared the complete effects of his power was Regan, who sensed his plan and jumped into the Astral Plane.
"Need a hand?" Regan's astral self jumped at the sight of a stranger in the psionic wasteland. He had a wild mane of blond hair, blue eyes, and stage clothes and makeup reminiscent of the 1980s. "Hey, don't freak out, kid. I'm here to help."
"Who are you?" She demanded looking around. "How did you get here."
"I'm always here, babe." He smiled. "I'm Ronnie Rocker, Kid Razor's mentor."
"THE Ronnie Rocker?" the Italian asked. "Andi has all of your records. I thought you were dead."
"How do you think I got here?" Ronnie chuckled. "But that's not important right now. Look, you're new to the Astral Plane, and you need to win this fight so I thought I'd offer you a hand."
"Uh, thanks?" She said. "What do I do now? I mean, how do I drag Locust here?"
"Focus on his psyche." The musician stated. "Once you've got a good 'grip' on it, pull him here to you."
Regan closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind. She could feel Locust's thoughts; see his mental image of himself. His mental self didn't see her coming. "You're going down." She said, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him back into the Astral Plane before he could fight back. Once he got his bearings back, he glared at her.
"You witch!" He shouted. "What have you done?"
"I've separated your mind from your body." She replied, her eyes glowing white. "Welcome to the Astral Plane. I hope you enjoy this place, because it's the last thing you'll remember. Period."
"Die!" He screamed, lunging at her. She dodged him easily and sent a vicious psychic attack at him. He moaned in agony.
"That's what you get for killing kids." Ronnie said solemnly. "Fracture his mind, then return it to his body. It will give the others a chance to recover."
She nodded. "I'm sorry it had to end this way." She said softly before continuing her assault.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group were suddenly free from Locust's thrall.
"What was that?" Shatter groaned.
"His power." Andi frowned. "He's gotten stronger since we last met."
"That was two years ago." Rona said. "Most of us have gotten stronger. Why isn't he moving?"
"Wyngard's not moving either." Shatter observed.
"Oh, they're fighting. They're just not doing it here." Zartan stated. The kids looked at him.
"Where would they be?" Andi asked.
"The Astral Plane." He said. "She's given us an opening, though, so let's not waste it."
"We need to muzzle him so he can't talk." Corona observed after sending a burst of rainbow-colored energy out the door and through the main part of the werehouse. "Anyone remember the duct tape?"
RESCUE TEAM
"Never knew an abandoned warehouse was so big on the inside." Leathersuit muttered. "Wonder where the creep stashed the kid?"
"And we left Kris at home why?" Chaos groaned.
"Because you need someone to guide and direct you." The dark-haired girl's perky high-pitched voice floated over the intercom. "Go straight ten feet, then make a left. There should be some kind of door there."
"Will do." Chaos nodded, leading the way. The group of five walked ten feet forward, turned left, and lo and behold, they found a door.
"Right on the money, Vampy." Kid Razor said, before kicking the door open and walking inside the side room. This room was dark, as there were no lights or windows to be seen. Still, one could make out the outlines of a table, a cage, and a terrified little boy.
"No!!" He shrieked, pressing his back as far as it would go against the metal bars of his confined area.
"It's okay, Preston." Razor said, lowering and softening his tone. "We're here to take you home. Your parents are really worried about you, kid."
"Really?" He asked. "You'll take me back to my mom and dad?"
"That's what we came for." Bryan shrugged, then used his superhuman strength to break the lock on the cage and open the door. Preston flew into his arms.
"Wonder how the other team is doing?" Thunderbird wondered. "We haven't heard anything from them."
"Let's not bother them right now." Burnout said. "They're giving us a chance to get him out unnoticed, and we better take it."
"Agreed." Bryan nodded, standing upright and lifting Preston up with ease. "Let's get out of here."
COMBAT TEAM
With Locust effectively restrained from speech and movement, the majority of the group waited around for their resident telepath to finish up her work. Finally, after many long moments, a weary expression crossed the blond's face. She fell to her knees as a glimmer appeared in Locust's eyes.
"Regan!" Corona exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side.
"I'm fine." The older girl said. "Just exhausted." Locust narrowed his eyes.
"Mrrrrrfff!" He growled through his gag.
"You broke the rules." Andi stated. "You killed without just cause, you enslaved fellow mutants, and you attacked Mason's kid brother. These offenses cannot be overlooked."
"rrrf. Mfff. Rrrg!" he muttered.
"He says you don't have the guts." Regan translated.
"You say that, but you're having an awfully hard time breaking loose." The blue-skinned girl said. "Those restraints are crystallized, Locust. There is no fighting back."
"You shall die as those children died." Shatter stated as Andi produced a knife from her coat pocket. She walked closer as Locust's eyes grew wide in fear.
"I want you to remember two things before you cross over, bub." She said, running the knife down his neck. "First, you brought this on yourself. And second? Well, you just shouldn't piss someone like me off." Swiftly, she plunged the knife deep into his chest, then pulled it back out. The motion-controlling mutant let out a noisy gasp, attempting to breathe for a brief moment, before slumping back onto the box-chair he'd been positioned against. A pool of blood ran down his shirtfront as the young shapeshifter backed away. She looked down at the floor and sighed.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder. Glancing up, she found it belonged to her mentor. "You did what you had to do." He said. "Don't let it get to you." She sighed again, looking away.
"It's not that simple and you know it." She said as Shatter walked up to the body.
"What do we do with him?" He asked, regarding the body with a look of disgust.
"Can't run the risk of SHIELD finding the body." Regan shook her head. "Can't bring him home."
"And we can't transport the body to the cemetery, since it's in another state." Corona groaned. "What does that leave us with?"
"Cremation." Shatter shrugged. The others looked at him. "What?'
"Not a bad idea, but how will we do it?" Kristen's voice floated over their com link.
"Not in the back yard." Regan said. "I'm pretty sure bonfires are illegal inside city limits without a permit."
"Virus, you still listening?" Andi asked. He responded immediately.
"Yes, my goddess." She either failed to notice, or chose to ignore it.
"Listen, I need those of you still at the base to round up a box of matches and as much spare gasoline as you can find."
"Why?" He asked.
"Oh." Kris exclaimed. "Okay. We'll bring it to you."
"Thanks."
Ten minutes later…
"Are you sure about this?" Neal asked.
"Like Reg pointed out, we can't take him to a funeral home and we can't let SHIELD find him." Kris shrugged. "It's the only way."
"I'm just glad we got Mason back to his parents safely." Regan said. "Now, who's going to throw the match?"
"I vote Andi." Kristen said, one hand in the air and the other behind her back. "You know, since Torch isn't here to volunteer."
"I vote Neal." Rona shrugged.
"I don't want to." He pouted.
"Guess I should be the one to clean this up." Andi said, taking a match from the box and striking it. "May his tortured soul find the peace in the next life that eluded him in this one." She then tossed the match at a trail of gasoline, which led to the warehouse. The flames snaked along in through the doors before becoming a raging inferno.
"It's like a Viking funeral ceremony, only without the boat." Bryan said.
"Wow, lookit those flames go." Kristen observed.
Meanwhile, off to the side, three of the four adults assigned to the kids watched on. "They shouldn't be doin' this." Gnawgahyde shook his head. "They're just kids."
"Yes, but they act like little adults." Zartan pointed out. "Hell, most of them are more mature than the top brass. They've had to be."
"Just because they had to be doesn't make it right." Burnout said, watching the flames lash out through the windows.
"Come on, Kids." Zartan spoke up, gaining the teens' attention. "We've got to get out of here before the cops show up."
"Anyone else get the feeling that Locust won't be the last of our past demons to resurface?" Rona whispered to Regan and Neal as the team walked away.
"Yes. And something tells me the next one to come calling will be much worse." The blond stated.
LATER, ON a ROOFTOP
"Can't believe they had to roast him." Kid Razor shook his head. Ronnie, now standing beside him in astral form, shrugged.
"Kid, I saw that creep's mind. He was sick." The older rocker said. "One way or another, he had to be put down before he hurt anyone else."
"Those kids—and they are still just kids. They're younger than me!—they didn't stop to think twice about it." The Kid or Rock sighed.
"You never think twice about anything, Bobby." Ronnie shot his protégé a look.
"This is different."
"Not really. Look, you had the benefit of a rather sheltered upbringing. Half of that team came out of an experimentation lab. The rest are either runaways or were thrown out on the street. While you were trying to save the city of Cleveland, they were trying to survive. That's gotta leave a mark on a kid."
"Maybe you're right, but it's still disturbing."
"No matter how 'disturbed' you feel, you still can't leave town yet." Ronnie stated. "That gang war you were brought in to help with has gotten worse because you've spent the last few days with Shadowatch."
Razor groaned. "Yeah. Maybe I can get them to help me out now?" Ronnie chuckled.
"Somehow, I don't think they'd object."
What is this about a gang war? What will Shadowatch do now that Locust is gone? Will Brownie get to help on a mission? Find out in the next chapter of Learning to Breathe.