chAPTER 21

Instead of going straight to a rooftop like I normally did, I decided to take to the streets and see what I could decipher from the people on the ground. I pulled the hood in my jacket over my head and put the Amp inside my backpack instead of in the sling, hoping to keep the DUP from noticing me and attacking me on sight. Trish stayed beside me the whole time, not saying a word. It was odd, her being by my side as I walked toward a potentially dangerous situation. Before she... When I first got my powers, she preferred to stay away, even after we'd gotten back together. I wasn't complaining, of course. This was what I wanted; for her to be back with me.

I was still trying to wrap my head around it. I knew what had happened, and how it had happened. What I didn't know was why. Why did it happen the way it did? Why was it Trish who was talking to me? And why didn't I want it to end?

Technically speaking, I was crazy. I was mentally sick. Trish was dead; there was no possible way for me to be able to see her, hear her, feel her. But there she was, taking in the sights of DC alongside me. For whatever reason, she was there. I knew it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, my healing ability would catch up to me and heal the part of my brain that was damaged, that was allowing this to happen. But for now, it was real. It felt real. And I wanted it to stay real for as long as humanly possible.

The people on the street didn't pay me any attention, but there was a definite tension in the air. The increasing presence of Conduits in the area led to a fear of a fight breaking out and these people caught in the middle. I couldn't say I blamed them. If I was in their shoes, I'd be scared to death right alongside them. The thing was, I was in the other side.

I kept out of the way and kept my head down to avoid detection, all the whole scanning for the Ray Sphere. The problem was, the signal I got back from the scans was erratic; it was almost never the same level of strength twice. Almost as if...

Another scan confirmed my suspicion as the signal came from a different direction than before. Humanity had the Ray Sphere on the move. I turned down the nearest alleyway and broke into a full-on sprint before tethering up to the buildings. Scanning again, I picked up the signal and ran after it, using the power lines and my static thrusters to bridge gaps between buildings. Every time I would get from one building to the next, I would scan to make sure I was on the trail, making adjustments when necessary.

I finally got to where the signal was strongest, and looked out over the street, expecting to see a convoy or a diesel truck, or something. But it was empty. There were no cars, no people, no DUP. It was like the whole place was deserted. I frowned and scanned again. The signal was there, but it was coming from a place that had nothing. Just the street.

I almost slapped myself for my stupidity. The Ray Sphere was underground! Humanity was moving it through the sewers. I looked for the nearest manhole cover, but before I could find it, I was thrown off the building by an explosion.

"COLE!" Trish shouted from the building. I landed on the ground with a thud and quickly rolled to my feet. Just as quickly, there seemed to be about fifteen or so Humanity goons trying to surround me, their guns aimed at me with the intent to kill. I reacted first, blasting one of the nearest fighters back before rushing forward, drawing the Amp from inside my backpack (no easy feat, mind you) and swinging for the fences at a few of the others. I caught one in the side of the face and followed the momentum to crash the Amp into the torso of a second. I called down a lightning strike to a small group to my right, taking them out of the game, before charging up and unleashing a crater blast to another group, sending them flying into the nearby building.

I heard the screech of tires coming to a sudden stop. As I turned to see what it was, a machine gun mounted on a trucm opened fire at me, knicking me a couple times before I threw up a frost shield to block them. Using the shield, I ran forward and jumped onto the bed, kicking off the gunner before sending some electricity through the gun itself. I jumped off the truck before the gun exploded, taking the truck and the driver with it. The gunner ran around the side of the ruined truck and open fire at me with a pistol, catching my shoulder and lower back. I've felt worse pain, but being shot still wasn't a pleasant experience. I fired a few lightening bolts at him, which he dodged, before running forward and tackling him, restraining him to the ground.

On the other end of the street, two beefy-looking Humanity punks walked forward slowly. They had pistols on their hips, but were otherwise only armed with two machetes each. They slowly drew the blades, then rushed forward. I drew the Amp and met them in the middle of the street, blocking two swipes before being driven back to avoid two more. They flanked either side of me, not letting up their attack. I had to be completely flawless in my attempts to dodge and block their swipes. The other problem I had to contend with was they were wearing rubber gloves, protecting them from the electricity in the Amp. I tried to fire a couple bolts at them, but with the speed and intensity of their attacks, I didn't have time. There was only one think I could think to do, and it was not my best idea. But in the moment, there really wasn't a better option.

As quickly as I could, I launched a rocket at my feet, the blast catching all three of us. I was thrown off of my feet and clear off the street, landing hard on the sidewalk. The other two weren't so lucky. One ran headfirst into a fire hydrant, killing him instantly, and the other seemed to have broken his back on a nearby street light. I stood up, pain shooting through my body, and held out my hand to a fuse box on the side of the closest building, drawing as much energy as it would allow me to take. I instantly felt better.

Trish apppeared beside me, looking out at my handiwork. "Is this what it's like every time?" she asked.

I nodded slowly. "Usually."

She looked over the scene, with the injured and dead fighters, the destroyed truck, the craters and bullet holes. She shook her head. "My God."

I sighed. "Look, just... don't look at it, okay? It's not exactly something I'm proud of doing." Trish nodded slightly, but didn't take her eyes off the destruction. I reached out to touch her and get her attention, but couldn't quite bring myself to reach her. I sighed again. "Look, I'm gonna try to pick up the signal again, okay? You stay here."

Trish smiled slightly, though her eyes were still full of horror. "I'm not going anywhere."

I nodded and tethered up the building, immediately scanning for the Ray Sphere. The signal was pretty weak. They had moved it rather quickly, which was to be expected with as little resistance as they were bound to have. As I started running toward the signal, I phoned Heller. "I've got a location on the Ray Sphere. Humanity has it in the sewers."

"Shit. Alright. Mendoza's on her way. She'll meet up with you and help you down there."

"No, no," I replied quickly, sending a glance to a suddenly reappearing Trish. "I've got this."

"Look, you can wander around the sewer aimlessly and lose the Sphere, or you can let Mendoza help. Your tracking thing won't help if you're lost in a maze."

I sighed. "Alright. I'll wait for her on Jefferson and Charleston."

"She's on her way now."

Trish raised her eyebrows. "Her?" she asked expectantly.

"Mendoza's coming. She's gonna help out in the sewers."

"Great," Trish replied sarcastically.

"Okay, come on," I said impatiently. "You've got nothing to worry about. We're just working together."

"Keep telling yourself that," Trish muttered as she stepped down the fire escape.

I sighed. "I'm pretty sure that's what I'm doing."

It took about ten minutes for Mendoza to arrive. I dropped down from the building I was on. "Hey, Cole," Nora said.

"Hey," I returned quickly before opening up the manhole cover. "Come on. We've got to catch up before they figure out we're on to them."

Nora chuckled slightly. "Why don't we ever go anywhere nice?" she joked before starting to climb down.

I rolled my eyes as I followed her into the sewer.