chAPTER 5

I arrived at the warehouse to find Heller already on the roof, waving me down. I landed on the roof and followed him to the chopper. "How much of a head start does she have?" I asked.

"About an hour," Heller replied. "She'll get there before we do, that's for sure."

"You know she's planning on destroying the notes, right?"

Heller turned to me. "All the more reason to hurry. We don't know the extent of the damage to New Marais, so let's hope we get lucky and the boxcar's a bitch for her to find."

I nodded and followed Heller into the chopper, still a bit uneasy about actually sitting in a vehicle. Over the next couple of hours, we flew in silence, neither one of us really knowing what to say. Finally, I decided to break the silence. "So, uh... How do you know so much about me, anyway?"

"Moya didn't use dead drops all the time," Heller replied. "Especially concerning you."

"What'd she find so special about me?" I asked.

"Something about the Ray Sphere. After the blast, she became obsessed with it. With you. She wanted desperately to get her hands on the Sphere, to hold that kind of power. After you killed Kessler and destroyed the Ray Sphere, she went AWOL. Got a few forces of her own and went after you."

I looked away. "I didn't realize it was that bad," I replied.

"It was worse," Heller said solemnly. "Moya and I... we were close."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Let's just get back to the task at hand," he replied.

I silently agreed and looked out the window of the chopper, trying to prepare for what was ahead. New Marais, destroyed by this new, stronger Beast. All the damage we were passing over wouldn't be able to prepare me for it, so I didn't bother thinking about that. Instead I though of Empire City. Of how I felt when I saw it in ruins by John's hand. Even that was small comfort when New Marais finally came into view.

Much of it was flattened. Ascension Parish was almost unrecognizable, and Flood Town was worse than it had been after the flood five years ago.

Heller saw the destruction as well. "My god," he breathed. I could only agree. "I'll have to drop you off at the edge of Flood Town. Chopper's rotors can't handle the debris.

I moved to the back of the cabin and waited for Heller's signal. When it came, I jumped and used my static thrusters to glide to what was left of a roof. Getting my bearings was tough with all the destruction, but eventually I started making my way to the railroad tracks at the edge of Flood Town. About halfway across the swamp, gunshots caught my attention. Bullets ricocheted at my feet as Heller spoke over the phone. "Heads up! Hostiles moving in from the west!"

"Thanks for the advance warning," I mumbled sarcastically, turning to face these "hostiles" before stopping dead in my tracks.

Jumping from roof to roof, with the aid of their ice powers, was Vermaak 88. During my stay in New Marais, these guys proved to be a particular pain in the ass. Getting their powers through one of Bertrand's sick little experiments, they then proceeded to raid Flood Town, turning the recovering district into a war zone, against the Militia, against me, against anyone who got in their way. They were all Conduits, which explains how they survived the Beast. A better question was what the hell they were still doing here.

Before I could think any further, one of the speedy ones with shotguns ran up to me, aiming its barrel right in my face. I ducked just in time to avoid the shot and threw an uppercut to the Conduit's jaw. More members of 88 started jumping around, trying to flank me. I shot a few bolts at them, but quickly gave up on that idea and ran forward, straight for the guy in front of me.

As I neared him, I drew the Amp and, using the guy's chest as a springboard, launched myself into the air. Spinning around for increased momentum, I brought the Amp down on the soldier's skull and knocked him into the water. I then holstered the Amp and turned around, letting loose a few more bolts to keep the 88 at bay while I ran for some cover. I knew I had to be careful, though. After the Beast ravaged the town, the power had gone out. Just being in New Marais was messing with my head.

I ducked behind a ruined roof and waited for an opportunity. As the soldiers reloaded, I stood and fired a few more bolts in their direction, which they easily avoided. As I crouched back down, I heard a clicking noise next to me. I turned and saw a shotgun right in my face. "Son of a-."

It went off, peppering me with bird shot and sending me into the water. As a Conduit, I'd survive with a couple scratches. But man, did it hurt like hell. The water concerned me more. Every second of being in there was like being stabbed a thousand times over. To make matters worse, the shotgunner continued to fire at me, hoping to finish me off. Angry, I threw a blast at him and as he stumbled back, I focused my energy and ice launched into the air, kicking the shotgunner into the water below and zapping it -and him- to finish the fight. The others had already gone, much to my relief. But my job wasn't over yet.

I ran to where the boxcar was, still untouched by the destruction, and opened it, only to find it empty. To my right, I could see someone standing there, their posture suggesting they were ready for a fight. I turned and faced Kuo, who looked more resolved than when I had seen her that morning. "Turn around, Cole, and walk away!" she shouted.

I shook my head. "That's not going to happen," I replied.

"Dammit, Cole! Don't you understand that this is the only way?!"

I took a step forward. "I need those notes, Kuo," I said calmly.

She shook her head, and it was then I saw the crumpled pieces of paper in her hand. In another moment, they were frozen and crushed, the pieces falling on the tracks.

I reacted immediately, throwing a rocket toward her, which she used her ice to slow down before flying upward and out of the way. She landed on the ground with a thud, and began firing the bolts at me. I returned in kind, managing to knick her a couple times. She flew toward me faster than I expected, and I ice launched into the air to avoid her, making her run square into the pillar I'd just left. As she crashed into the ground, I turned around and glared at her. "Dammit, Kuo!" I yelled. "Stop this and let us talk this out!"

"For what?!" she yelled. "For you to get that thing operational again and kill us all?! Go to hell!"

She looked as though she was concentrating, and suddenly she was standing on a rising glacier, towering over me and raining down ice attacks. I dodged what I could, but I was running low on options fast. Thinking quickly, I ice launched and landed on the glacier with her and grabbed her arm as she swung at me. Then she grabbed mine.

We struggled for a moment, but I was able to overpower her and deliver a shock to her head, stunning her. In reaction, she blasted me off the glacier and flew straight into me, carrying me over the ocean.

Struggling to regain some control over myself after literally being knocked off my feet, I concentrated and let loose an ionic freeze that turned the ocean solid for half a mile. Satisfied we'd be safe from the water, I grabbed Kuo's shoulders and yanked downward.

We landed hard, sliding and rolling across the sheet of ice. I stood slowly, seriously wishing there was a working fuse box near me. Kuo was also rising to her feet, and I knew I had to end this soon. I ran over to her and tackled her, hoping to pin her to the ground. Instead, she blasted my face with ice and roundhouse kicked me across the sheet. I slammed the Amp into the ice to stop me, and stood to face Kuo again. She was once again flying at me, but I swung the Amp at the exact right time to send her flying backwards.

As she stood, she let out a angry shout. "I am NOT going to die, Cole! I have to do this!"

I sighed. So much for talking her down. "Then I don't have much of a choice," I replied. I then focused more energy into my arms and turned in a 360, sending an ionic vortex in her direction. The half-mile of ice was sucked into the vortex, and when it vanished, Kuo had too. I knew she wasn't dead. She was out there somewhere, probably about to plan revenge. This was definitely not over.

I placed a call to Heller. "The notes are gone, Heller," I said exasperatedly. "She destroyed them."

"Son of a-," Heller muttered. "Alright, we'll figure something out. Get back to the LZ and let's get-." He stopped suddenly, as though becoming aware of something. A moment later, he spoke up again. "MacGrath, I'm reading a strange energy signature coming from the St. Ignatius cathedral."

My nerves flared at the news. More Conduits? "All the more reason to get the hell out of Dodge," I replied.

"Maybe," Heller replied. "I'm gonna swing by there and check it out."

I rolled my eyes. Damn government boys and their curiosity. I tethered to a roof and carefully made my way back through Flood Town and to the bulk of New Marais. Sticking to the high ground as much as possible, I eventually was able to catch up to the chopper. "See anything?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied, confused. "See what you can find."

I rolled my eyes again and looked around, not sure if I was hoping I'd find something or hoping I didn't. I did a scan and saw the echo of a figure standing nearby. On the ground where it was standing was a pile of ashes. I bent down and touched them, and suddenly it was like I wasn't in New Marais, or anywhere, anymore. I looked up and almost fell to the ground in shock.

It was the other me.

"Good," he said. "You found it."

"I thought you were dead," I replied, dumbfounded.

"I am. This is just an echo of who I was. A precaution, in case the Beast killed me before we could stop him."

I frowned. "How the hell did you have time to set this up?" I asked.

"It's amazing how much time you have when you're dead," he replied sardonically. Then he grew serious. "What I'm about to tell you is extremely important. You need to listen, and make sure you understand. You can't repeat my mistakes.

"I used the RFI. I sacrificed myself and all others like me to make sure the Beast didn't win. That humanity could survive. I fought the Beast. I fought Kuo. Laroche, the rebels, Nix... they were all killed defending me. They bought me the time I needed to stop the Beast. To use the RFI. So I did.

"I knew what would happen if I used it, just like you do. I knew it would target the Conduit gene... and it's host. I basically damned an entire race so another could live. And then... I woke up.

"A fisherman said he found me in the water, so close to death he called the coroner on the way to shore. I couldn't believe I had survived. I though the RFI hadn't gone off. The truth was far worse.

"The Beast still rampaged across the United States, activating Conduits and killing innocents. I went back to New Marais, hoping to find the RFI and try again. But when I found it, it had been smashed into pieces, right here. Someone had destroyed the RFI, somehow, while I was firing it off. Kuo. It had to be. I made a promise to hunt her down and make her pay. But I had other problems. The Beast was still out there. And he had to be stopped."

The other me finished his story, leaving me with a lot to think about. Kuo had stopped him from using the RFI? Would she have done the same to me?

Suddenly, the echo's hand was on my head, and I saw a vision. It was me, holding the Amp, calling down a lightning storm. Or at least, I thought it was. My movement was much quicker, and I only used one hand. The effect was much quicker, too. A single bolt flashed downward and connected with one of the pro-humans in D.C.

When the echo removed its hand, it nodded at me. "That power will help in the fights to come," it said. "Remember it, and do what I couldn't."

With that, it was gone. Heller's voice rang in my ear. "MacGrath! Come on, dammit!"

"I hear you."

"Good. Because there's a group of ice Conduits headed your way, and they don't look too happy to see you."

I saw the Conduits and turned to face them as Heller brought the helicopter near. Focusing my energy, I let off a lightning strike, blasting a small group of the 88 and dispersing the rest. Yeah. This would do.

On the way back to D.C., I ran the echo's words through my mind. The Beast would have survived. The RFI wouldn't have worked. Kuo would have betrayed me. It was a very similar situation to the one I was in now.

I just hoped that this one would have a better end.