chAPTER 6

The DARPA warehouse was more solemn than it was when I'd previously been in there. Heller had radioed ahead and told the group the news: there would be no RFI, no cure. Even Nix looked a little bummed out by it.

Heller kept his hands on a table, hanging his head as though accepting defeat. I stepped over to him. "So... what's the plan?" I asked.

"There is no plan," Heller replied. "The RFI was our best shot. It was the only plan we had, the only way to stop the Beast." He closed his eyes. "And now we're all going to die."

I sighed and looked away. "Look, I know things could've gone a hell of a lot better in New Marais. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there's always gotta be a plan b. If we're gonna stop the Beast, we're gonna need that plan b."

Heller shook his head. "You saw New Marais. You saw what that bastard did. How are we supposed to fight something like that?"

I looked away. "I don't know," I admitted. "I don't know."

Zeke walked over to the two of us. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We're trying to think of a plan b. The RFI can't be fixed."

He turned away. "Damn!" he muttered.

I sighed. "Sorry, Zeke."

"What now? That guys probably out there building an army to bring this way."

The realization hit me as soon as he said it. An army. "Then that's what we have to do," I said after a moment.

Heller looked over at me in surprise. "What?" he asked.

"Build an army. Get Conduits, humans, anyone willing to help out to stand against the Beast."

Heller shook his head. "MacGrath, I hate to break it to you, but D.C. isn't all government agencies and military bases. There are civilians here, too, a lot of them. Some of which have never held a gun in their life. And you want them to go against the Beast?"

"No, of course not," I replied. I wasn't a monster. "But there is a group out there with no love for Conduits. Maybe I can convince them to help."

Zeke spoke up. "Uh, Cole? You're kind of a Conduit, too. How do you know they'll listen to you?"

"I don't. But it's the best option we have right now."

Heller thought for a moment and nodded. "There are probably other Conduits scattered D.C. I'll have our teams start looking for them. When we find anything, we'll let you know."

I nodded to him gratefully. This could work. If we all threw everything we had at the Beast together, well... a small chance was better than none at all. "Guess I better get started."

Zeke nodded and left, coughing as he went. I was really starting to wish I shocked Kuo in the face the moment I saw her. Now the RFI was nothing more than a complicated piece of junk.

I stepped over to Heller. "Any leads on Conduits yet?" I asked.

"Nothing yet," Heller replied. "I'll let you know when I find anything."

I nodded and walked away, finding Nix on a catwalk above. Tethering up there, I sat next to her. "Nice view," I commented.

"If you like that sort of thing," Nix quipped. A moment passed where we just sat there, watching the bustle of the DARPA warehouse. "So," she finally spoke up. "Snow White finally turned tail and flipped on us, huh?"

"Yeah," I replied, not really wanting to talk about it.

"I told you that bitch was crazy, man."

I smiled slightly at the irony. "You sure did."

"So... what now?"

I sighed and stood up. "Now, we stop her. And the Beast."

She nodded. "Well, when you need some asses whipped, call me."

"Will do."

I dropped from the catwalk, startling a few people, and walked over to the medical wing. Zeke was sitting on the side of the bed, coughing. "Hey, man," I said.

"Hey," he replied before breaking out in a fit of coughs. "Damn. You'd think I was sick or something."

I smiled slightly, but it quickly faded. "I'm sorry, Zeke," I said. "Really. I am."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault, Brother. Kuo chose her side."

"Yeah," I replied. "She did."

"How long do ya think we've got?" he asked. I knew what he meant. How long before the Beast got here.

"If we're lucky? A few months. The U.S. is a pretty big place."

"Should be plenty of time to mount up a defense, right?"

I nodded. "That's the hope."

"You don't seem all that convinced."

"I just don't like the idea of taking this thing on. You didn't see what it did to New Marais. The rest of what we saw was child's play compared to this."

"So it's definitely not your buddy?"

"No," I replied. The other me had said as much before he died. "This one's much worse."

He nodded. "Well, you'll figure out a way to beat it," he said confidently. "You always do."

"Thanks, man," I replied before leaving. I walked toward the front door when I spotted Agent Mendoza in the lounge. Changing course, I walked over to her instead. "Hey," I said.

She looked over at me and flashed a smile. "Hey, MacGrath, good to see you. I was hoping to catch you before you left."

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

"Just figured I'd let you know that two more civilians just joined the Electric Man Fan Club. That couple that you saved? They're singing your praises all through town."

"Nice to know," I replied. Though I never really asked for anyone to "sing my praises", it always felt good to be treated like a hero. Then I remembered who'd been marching the woman. My gut told me it was the same group who almost sharded that woman in front of the capital building. "Got any intel on the guys doing this?" I asked.

"From what I gather, they're a group of disgruntled civilians taking Justice into their own hands," she replied. "Most of them lost people when the Beast came through their area. They have a reason to be angry, misguided as they may be."

"Well, be that as it may, they're rounding up innocent people. Someone almost got stabbed with a blast shard." She looked at me quizzically. "Uh, radiated debris," I simplified. She nodded her acceptance of the explanation. "They don't seem like the type to have a good side to get on."

"Well, that's where you come in, MacGrath. You're the one wanting them on a good side. I guess you'll have to think of something."

I nodded. "I guess I better go introduce myself," I said, turning to walk away.

"Hey, Cole?" I turned around, surprised to hear my first name. "Be careful out there. These guys... they've got nothing left to lose."

I paused for a moment before replying. "Guess we've got something in common, then," I replied.

She didn't have anything to say to that. No doubt she'd been briefed on me, on the things I'd gone through, the things I'd done. With the conversation effectively finished, I headed for the door, out to Washington D.C. Time to go make some friends.

Author's Note: If that was too short for you, I apologize, but it made little sense to do both a warehouse sequence followed by an actual mission. The warehouse sequences will be common, but not overdone, at least that's the hope.

Also, for those who don't already know, I've uploaded a separate story of sorts, with the dead drops inside. I guess it made more sense to me to do it that way. I'm going to update it alongside inFAMOUS 3, though the dead drops will be completed sooner. Hope you all enjoy!

Lastly, please don't forget to review. I welcome all feedback, and I'd rather have it to know what I'm doing right and what I can improve on. Thanks to everyone who's taking the time to read.