Chibiyu: And the climax of the story finally begins its approach. It's been long enough, eh?
Nick: Is this your longest story to date?
Chibiyu: No clue. Doubtful, though.
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"So it begins?" he called out to the Normal.
The young man nodded once. "It begins."
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Chaos. That was the only description any hero could give. Bodies surged through the cracking streets to avoid the water which splashed from the busted pipes. Small electronics were forced from pockets and sizzled with sparks in the puddles. Many faces from concrete as laughter sped passed them at an unmatched speed. Few forgot how to run as they tried to gain the attention of a seemingly beautiful girl. Even less found themselves unable to move from the chill that swept through their bones. Heroes. Villains. No one was left alone to this chaos.
Those who could resist were only able to focus on getting out of this madness; on saving themselves so they may eventually save their comrades.
"Ha," came a laugh that no one welcomed. "People are foolish, aren't they?" the youngest asked as she hopped around the fissures with a small smile. "Running to save themselves instead of trying to save potential allies?"
For a moment, time was allowed to slow as the onslaught of powers seized. The little girl had gained all of their attention.
"Allies?" one Hero dared to shout as he pulled himself out of Valenteen's grasp. "How could we be allies with..." his words were lost as he gestured to the lesser known Villains around him.
"Talis thinks it would be easy," the child stated. "If pride is killed."
"That can't happen, Talis." Florice snarled as she walked over to the girl. "You know of their arrogance, and of ours."
Talis only shrugged once. "Talis knows. She knows better than anyone. But she also knows that pride leads to death. Or power struggle. Or something that looks a lot like this."
Florice glanced over her shoulder to catch the gleam in the younger girl's eyes. "Pride is what kept us Villains alive. And what keeps them ignorant."
Talis nodded once. "Pride kills," she summed up before she pointed towards the Heroes. "Heroes will learn this soon enough."
"And why is that?" Joe managed to shout. "Why, Talis?"
Talis turned to him and gave him a sad little smile. "Because Talis feels death."
Joe's eyes widened as the girl gave him a long look. "Death?" he mouthed, unable to catch his breath.
"Talis won't tell which side will suffer the most, but she will say that unity can prevent much of it."
"And why do you care?" Sandy Lucas suddenly shouted. "You don't have anyone to lose! You haven't lost like we have!"
The mother's tearstained voice drew the attention to the child, who shook her head. "Talis cares for many of the people who may die. Talis doesn't want to see them as her puppets. No, Talis doesn't want that kind of pain." The girl sighed once and looked away. "And Talis has felt that pain. She feels it now, just as the Lucas mother feels it. Talis liked Nick."
At those words, the mother's skin bleached and her knees gave away. Her hand found her mouth as she tried to choke back a shuddering sob.
"Talis doesn't want the people who care for her to die." The girl looked to Paragon once and flashed her a rare smile. "Talis likes wearing your sweater." And with that, the girl was gone. Disappeared down a long alley.
There was a silence in the chaos, save for Sandy Lucas's sobs and her family's condolences.
"We can't trust her," Cascadea whispered, but her voice carried well. "That child was never right in the head."
"But she feels death," Kevin exasperated while the Villain scowled. "She can feel when it is going to happen."
"And she hasn't lied before?" Cascadea shook her head. "Talis plays for her own team. I don't buy this; she always wants a larger army. So what if your brother was soft on her? It's not like she actually would care if he died. Hell, it would just be another play thing for her."
Tom Lucas looked Cascadea in her chilly eyes and spoke slowly. "Talis may be deranged, but she is still just a little girl."
Cascadea snorted. "A little girl? She is a demon!"
Stella crossed her arms at this. "Just because she reanimated your little brother during the last fight doesn't make her a demon."
Cascadea rolled her eyes. "No, that is just the curse that is her power. She is a demon because she finds joy in it.; in making everyone suffer from seeing the faces of their loved ones while they try to kill their own families."
"But all of you do that," came a small voice.
Everyone's head whipped around to stare at the petite girl with pigtails in her hair in the mouth of an alley.
"Brianna, stay out of this," Valenteen ordered.
"No!" Brianna defied her sister with a pout. "It's true! You say Talis is a demon because she forces the dead to fight, but that's no different than you all forcing the Normals to do things!"
"We Villains protect our siblings!" Cascadea argued, a glare on her face and ice coating her hands.
"But you put the Hero-born Normals into danger every day!"
"That's different!"
"How?" Brianna demanded. "How is that different?"
"She's right," a new voice entered the fray.
"Eric?" Ray called, shocked at his appearance.
The boy nodded to his sister before he pulled himself onto the hood of a car. "Brianna is right! Talis just makes us remember what we've lost, but it's because of your actions we lost them! You all tear us more apart and hurt the families more than Talis ever could."
Silence.
"That was why Necrophere took the Normals, isn't it?" Kevin breathed as he looked towards the children in realization. "To take away the one thing that kept us from tearing each other apart."
"But it also created his downfall," Eric nodded. "If both sides, Heroes and Villains, work together, then you all can beat him."
Many of the Villains looked thoughtful, but most the Heroes shook their heads.
"The scars run too deep for that," Stella's father voiced for those who could not. "It's the Villains fault that Stella is now an only child."
"And the Heroes fault," Florice fired back. "That I live in the sewers, where my plants cannot easily grow."
Brianna and Eric shared a sad look. "Isn't this more important than all of that?" the young boy questioned.
"I'm sorry, kids," Macy's mom sincerely said. "But something's just can't happen."
"BULLSHIT!"
"Eric!"
"Well it is!" the boy yelled as Brianna managed to pull him away from the crowd. "So the lives of your siblings, of your children, aren't enough to work together?! No wonder Necrophere hates you!"
"No wonder Nick hated us," Joe added as he watched the two walk away with shoulders that shook.
"Hates," Kevin corrected.
"What?"
"Hates us. He isn't gone. He can't be."
"What do you mean?" Sandy asked, hope in her voice.
Kevin pursed his lips. "Talis lied. He's alive, for now."
"What?!"
Kevin nodded, but it was Joe who spoke next.
"It doesn't matter," his tone was set with self-hate and determination. "We need to beat Necrophere, then get to him. He will be untouchable with the Four still in play. And besides," Joe paused to look over at the faces which surrounded him. "None of them know that the Bane is gone. We have to keep up the act that Nick still has it. Keep up the hope. If we charge in now to save Nick and they all see that he doesn't have the Bane, Necrophere wins."
"Hope?" Sandy's voice was filled with raw disbelief. "Hope is more important than your brother's safety?"
Joe looked to his feet, unable to meet his mother's accusing gaze. "Yes. It's what Nick would want us to do. Keep hope alive. Keep the anger alive. Keep fighting."
"It's true," Frankie offered. "Nick said that himself."
Their parents shook their heads. "Is there anything that boy doesn't know?"
How to stop this, Joe added silently, aware that his mother would be listening. But he can sure as hell try.
"If Nick's on the inside," Kevin offered. "Then we can be sure that he is giving them Hell."
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"Welcome back, Nicholas," Necrophere hissed as the Normal walked fearlessly up to him. "Tell me, why are you here?"
Nick rolled his eyes once and took his hand out of his pocket. "Because I figured it out."
"Have you? And what, may I ask, did you figure out?"
"Everything. The reason the Four took my memories. The reason it chose me."
Necrophere fully turned to face the Normal. "I'm impressed."
"Did you think I would fail?"
The masked man laughed. "I had hoped that you wouldn't. The Four talks about you more than I like, but it has me convinced. We need you, Nicholas. And you need us."
Nick chuckled darkly. "I need the Four much more than I need you, Necrophere."
"And you will get it, Nicholas. In time."
Nick scowled. "How can I trust you?"
Necrophere laughed, the sound filling the old cavern. "You can't."
NIck smirked at this. "And you cannot trust me."
"This is true," the Villain laughed. "Your little tricks could cost me dearly."
Nick waved this off. "It's not I who has the power to trick you."
"I never know with you," Necrophere muttered before he spread his arms wide. "But enough; you came here for a grander conversation."
Nick nodded once, but offered no words.
"You came here for the rest of your memories, the Four, and to finish your plan."
Again, another nod.
"There is more?"
Nick cocked his head, amused. "You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
"Enlighten me."
"I didn't come here because I wanted to come here." Nick pointed to the Four. "But because it wanted me here. "
"And why would it want that?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Are you really that ignorant? The Four wanted me here because I am its master, not you."
Necrophere let out an echoing laugh, however his audience was unfazed.
"You're just another puppet, Necrophere. The Four's puppet. My puppet."
"Is that so?"
Nick nodded once. "You wouldn't even be standing here if the Four hadn't liked my original plan so much."
"Explain."
Nick shrugged. "Why should I?"
"Because I am in control of your life."
Nick sighed. "No, you're really not."
Necrophere lowered his head to stare into the teen's confident features. "Without the Bane, you're nothing. I can stop your heart with only a thought."
"I doubt it."
Necrophere stepped back at the challenge. "You think the Four won't let me?"
"I know it won't."
"Why do you think this?"
Nick straightened his posture and stared directly into the masked man's eyes. "Because the Four needs me more than it needs you."
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Chibiyu: I keep changing this story's direction; I know how to end it, but I can't agree on how to get it there. And this is my last pre-written chapter! Everything after this point will be written just before I post it. Until Next Update!
Written 1/15/13
