3.2
'Stupid,' Samedi berated herself. Her head was pounding from Assaults blow, still she couldn't let it get to her. Standing on shaking legs she looked at the other two figures in the alley. Armsmaster and Velocity. The rest of the Protectorate must be around here waiting. This was a trap. The whole thing must have been set up just to get her. It spoke volumes about the way they saw her. She put it out of her mind. Right now she needed focus.
"Samedi," Armsmaster's voice cut through the night air. "I'm placing you under arrest for murder, I ask that you come with me quietly. There is no reason to escalate the situation."
Samedi didn't even bother responding. She knew she should run. Vite's power could show her the way out, between Ratfink and Rune she could find ways to avoid capture, ensure no one could follow her. Not tonight though. If she escaped they'd only find new ways to interfere. Tonight she needed to make a statement. So she stayed silent.
Armsmaster seemed to take her stillness as surrender, and approached. With one hand on his halberd he reached down to a pair of restraints on his belt. His footsteps were heavy in the night air. Samedi could hear the minute mechanical noises of his suit. To any other it would be impossible to perceive, but Samedi had long stopped being any other. Her power, her true power, told her the workings of the suit like she had built it herself. The little clockwork of the gears and gyros maintain balance. The hydraulics granting him strength. Almost all of it geared toward moving the half ton of metal armor. For anyone trying to imitate such power would need to be housed in a suit another ton heavier. Still it mattered little. Another few steps and he will be right where she needed him. Reaching out with her mind she felt without feeling the cold metal, the texture of the suit almost impossibly smooth. Then at the right moment she struck.
With a quick gesture she pulled the hero off his feet and into the wall of the alley. He hit hard but his experience meant that he barely flinched.
"That was foolish." He chided as he stood. However he almost missed her follow up. The SUV that had been transporting her target slammed toward him. Here all his experience meant little. All the equipment in the world, one of the best minds in history, but still human. Armsmaster had managed to put his hands up in an attempt to stop the 6,000 pounds of steel from crushing him. It was his luck that Samedi didn't want him crushed. They may have misunderstood her, may have seen her as the enemy, but her foes were still heroes. They deserved the respect that title earned them.
Armsmaster didn't take long to realize his predicament however. A suit built to protect his body, with over half it's strength built inwards. Designed to lift and move half a ton of metal. Not three times that. To his credit he struggled valiantly. Another quick gesture on the part of Samedi and the vehicles ties gave a loud popping. Wheals can be made to turn, flats will only hinder that.
A spark of energy in her mind alerted her to Velocity's reaction. He was fast, faster than her. He rushed her, a sharp blow to her stomach kept her on task. Fast, but not strong. He could sacrifice speed for that strength though. Samedi needed to discourage that. His speed meant she couldn't focus on him long enough to get a grip on him with her mind. He was fast, but nothing was faster than lightning.
Tracking his telltale electrical signal she used that to predict his next move. Lashing out with her arm a bolt of lightning arced. It missed but she wasn't expecting a hit. She needed him moving. Another flash, and her attack had learned the need for distance. In this cramped alley she was at the disadvantage. Here he could surround her without having to fear her reaction, and always be in striking range. She bolted toward the street. He followed. His signature giving her warning of his next move. A quick wall of green energy cut him off. Without a seconds hesitation he arced around. Another wall blocked him. She retaliated with another bolt but again hit only brick and mortar.
The two of them both rushed out into the street. Velocity ran in wide circles around her, the dust from his passing kicking up from the cool asphalt slightly.
"Why don't you just give up?" His voice came from everywhere and no where, "you can't beat all of us. You're tough, but we've fought worse. You're just going to get hurt here."
Samedi pushed the taunts out of her mind. They were nothing. Nothing compared to what she'd heard before her life started. Why? That was the question. Did he truly think that such minor thoughts would be enough to force her to give up?
'They're not that stupid. There must be a reason.' She thought to herself. She focused her ears listening. A few heartbeats, from the rapid pounding of her attacker to the slower steady beat of others. A deep breath could be made out by her hearing, a deliberate slowing of the heart rate. Sniper. A muted crack echoed in her ears. Muted but not enough for her ears.
The bullet was easy enough to block with her shield. With a focused eye Samedi traced it's desired path. Low, aiming not for her head or her heart, but her legs. They wanted to wound her. Following it back to the source she could see its path lead up. The roof of a nearby boutique was the source. That explained the taunts. They were a distraction, to stall her while the shooter made the climb into position.
Rapid footsteps and a burst of electrical energy promised another blow. This time she let it connect. Painful but unbeknownst to Velocity it was enough to get a grip on him. She waited though. Waited for the next shot. Her mind was already telling her the next path. The aim, the trajectory. So she waited.
'Now!' Her mind shouted. Her second trap was sprung. Pushing the ground with her mind and pulling an unwilling Velocity in the path of the shot. It was dead on, a perfect impact that pierced flesh and blood. Just not the right flesh and blood.
"FUCKING HELL!" Velocity screamed clutching his bleeding calf. The shooter was kind enough to aim for wounding shots. Samedi would repay the kindness.
'Sorry, but it had to be done.' She apologized for the hero's pain silently. Maybe when they stood side by side as allies she could seek his forgiveness out loud. It was just one more sin to remember. Someday she'd let herself count them all, and seek to balance the scales. Not now however. Not until she was strong enough to carry the weight of them all, and to bear the weight of the penance.
Still she was not done yet. The heartbeats of four other heroes meant that she was not done yet. Her shield flared to life, an impenetrable wall of emerald between her and the shooter. Miss Militia, for their was only one hero on the team that would have a gun, hadn't moved. Likely thinking that Samedi was trapped on the ground. A foolish error.
With a moment's thought Samedi could feel her feet leave the ground. Her powers lifted her into the night air. Part of her thought about simple leaving, but something compelled her to stay. She needed to prove that this night could only have ended one way. To whom this lesson was directed Samedi didn't know.
Pulling herself up she went higher then flew straight at the roof top. To her credit Miss Militia reacted quickly. Her rifle morphed and warped. Turning into a large rifle. Samedi's mind rebelled slightly at the sight. The rifle was and wasn't real. There were no parts, the clockwork was nothing more than an imitation. It was like looking at a picture of the gun, pulled out into life. A volley of shots rang out. Impacting harmlessly on the shield. The bullets faded into nothing.
A bolt of lightning lanced out at the firing hero. The woman rolled back out of the way ending the roll in a crouched position opening fire again. Samedi reached out with her mind then. Grabbing the hero she lifted the woman into the air. The hero struggled against the grip. The rifle in her hand was made useless as her arms were pined to her sides
Samedi closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Reopening her eyes her arm lashed out with electrical power again. This time she didn't miss.
"Gaah!" A cry off pain escaped Miss Militia clenched teeth. Her muscles seized and spammed before she fell into unconsciousness. Her body was laid gently onto the rooftop.
As Samedi looked down at the fallen hero a blast of energy took her by surprise, slamming into her back. The blow nearly knocked her out of the air. She whirled around in time to block the follow up with her shield.
"You're not the only one who can play with lightning, you maniac." Dauntless declared as he floated above the street behind her. "You've hurt too many people, too many of my friends. It ends tonight."
At that he aimed his lance at her once more, and once more energy shot forth only to be blocked by her shield. Samedi responded in kind. Lifting his own shield Dauntless formed a barrier of his own, blocking her strike. The circled in the air, like two boxers waiting for the other to make a move.
Samedi forced her heart to slow again. Between their shields it was unlikely that they could win with an exchange of blasts. If she were to end this she'd need to go with another plan. Her mind raced through several different ideas, then a plan formed in her mind. Banshee's Wail would be enough to put him down. Not here though, the fall would be too much to expect survival.
Diving quickly she flew through the air, down towards street level. She aimed for the far street, away from the earlier fight. One of the heartbeats was back where she had left Armsmaster. The second one had disappeared. That was worrisome. It could have been that they had left to seek help. Unlikely though. Samedi couldn't allow for another surprise tonight. She had been getting sloppy. Using Vite's power to find a route she could see the shimmer plot out a path towards a safe place.
"Oh no you don't." Dauntless called after her, "No way I'm letting you escape. Not this time."
He raced after her as she followed the path to freedom. Samedi could hear his heart with every second. He was faster in the air, and soon he was close enough that she could make out the electrical signal of his body as he closed in.
Once they were less than five feet from the ground Samedi spun on a dime, facing her pursuer. His lance struck out colliding with a hastily raised shield. At this distance he wouldn't stand a chance. Taking a deep breath she let loose a screech. Piercing beyond all reason, the screech warped the metal of the nearby street lamps as the steel melted from the sound. Dauntless didn't stand a chance. His mind went blank as his head filled with the awful noise. He fell unconscious to the ground. His armor giving off a clang as it hit the cold concrete.
Samedi herself landed too. She was sweating heavily, her breaths coming in harsh gasps.
"Not a bad set of pipes." A voice said from behind her. Turning she saw the lion shaped mask of the Triumph. "But you're not the only one that can shout."
With a mighty bellow he let out a blast of sound. Samedi's shield flared up again, but it was little protection against the noise. She collapsed onto her knees, ears ringing.
"Yeah that's not going to work." Triumph pointed out, "see your little force field may block out the physical but it's no good against something like noise, and with hearing like yours it must be like having a bomb go off in your head."
At that he let out another yell. The pain of it blurred Samedi's vision. Her hands shot out to keep her from collapsing against the ground.
"If you give up now we-" Triumph suddenly was silent. Every little noise of the city's night was gone as well. The whole area was made mute.
Triumph made another attempt to shout, but there was nothing that could break the unnatural quiet.
Samedi stood, and with a smile tugging at her mouth she raised her finger up to her lips. Understanding his danger the hero lunged at her. His attack was stopped as he found his body held still. With a flick of her fingers Samedi sent Triumph flying down the road. He landed in an uncoordinated pile of limbs.
Turning from him Samedi called up another path of escape. Following the shimmer she started to run away from the two fallen heroes. She got to the end of the block then took a left toward the bay.
She got some distance before another heartbeat flared up into her hearing.
"Eyes sideways," a cocky voice called out as a figure jumped in front of her stopping her run. It was the one that had stopped her from getting her target earlier, Assault.
Raising her hands she prepared to defend herself, but he did something she wasn't expecting. He put his hands up.
"Hey now, let's calm down." He said in a low tone.
"You're...not going to fight me?" Samedi wondered aloud.
"Not if I have to. I have a feeling that it's not going to be a good plan. I'd rather talk."
"Talk?"
"Yeah, talk." He put his hands down as his posture became more relaxed. "We looked into your past. I get the feeling not a lot of people in your life tried to talk to you. Really talk. Not just say things at you and hope that fixed things."
"You don't think I'm a monster?" Hope flared in her chest.
"Kid, I've learned a long time ago that there aren't a lot of monsters out there. Most are people who've been through a lot of shit. Now, you've done things. Bad things, but that doesn't have to be the end of the story. You wouldn't be the first to turn it all around. Trust me."
"I-" Her response was cut off by distant shouts from behind. Turning she saw Armsmaster, Battery, and a recovered Triumph racing towards them.
"Ah hell," Assault muttered. Stepping past Samedi he called out to his comrades. "It's alright, we're okay."
In moments the trio of heroes reached them. Battery and Triumph stayed back, subtlety forming up to be ready in case of attack. Armsmaster approached the two, Assault stepping forward.
"It's alright, I've got it covered." Assault told Armsmaster.
"Get out of the way." Armsmaster ordered harshly.
"What?"
"I said out of my way." Armsmaster growled. When Assault stood his ground the armored hero pushed past him. "Samedi, I am here by placing you under arrest. You have been charged with murder, and with assaulting officers of the law in the course of duty. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to legal counsel, should you be unable to afford counsel it shall be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have given them to you?"
Samedi didn't respond, merely starred passed him seemingly unseeing. Armsmaster fought a frown as he reached out toward her, restraints in hand. When his hand grabbed her shoulder however it went right through, her body fading into nothing.
"Damn it!" Armsmaster ground out in frustration.
"Crusader," Battery muttered.
"Spread out," Armsmaster barked. "She can't have gotten far."
"Spread out? Boss she just took apart six of us. I don't see four of us being better odds." Assault chimed in.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had done your job." Armsmaster said to Assault.
"Excuse me?" He responded, his voice laced with anger
"What were you doing talking to her? She was right there. Had you attacked-"
"Had I attacked I'd be on the ground too. I had this handled. She was talking to me. If you hadn't come storming up here there wouldn't have been an issue." Assault cut him off.
"I was doing my duty. If she hadn't run we wouldn't have resorted to force." Armsmaster explained.
"If she hadn't run? Are you listening to yourself? She's a scared fifteen year old. Of course she ran from you."
"That scared fifteen year old has killed over a dozen people."
"I..." Assault lowered his voice, "I know what she's done, but don't you see this isn't the way to end this? She wants to be better. I know she does, but she won't if we don't give her a chance. If we keep treating her like some monster, that's what she'll be. We need to trust that she can change for the better."
Armsmaster stared at him for a moment. "Do you really believe she is capable of change? Or is your own past blinding you to what she is? And what needs to be done with her?"
Assault opened his mouth to speak, but Battery placed an arm on his shoulder. "That's enough, we can talk more back at base. We need to look to our wounded. Arguing in the street won't solve anything."
Assault nodded and followed his partner back toward the battleground.
"You're still thinking of trying to find her, aren't you sir?" Triumph asked Armsmaster.
"Of course, someone needs to look for her."
"But we need our leader more. You on your own out there is just risking trouble. We'll have another chance. That's the one good thing about villains. They keep giving us a shot at them." Triumph shot him a smile and jogged after the pair.
Armsmaster didn't respond in words but slowly he began to walk after his subordinates.
Unseen by the heroes was a near by storm drain, and from inside watched Samedi. Waiting for their footsteps to fade into the night she pulled herself out of the narrow opening, using her enhanced flexibility to fit, and head off slowly toward the slowly rising sun.