Terribly sorry about the lateness of this chapter, life got in the way. I meant to post this all the way back on Monday.
Still, better buckle in - this is where the fun begins!
About half a day had passed since Elijah had met Eugene; the boy was a bit older than he'd expected upon first sight, mid-twenties with a tendency to hide away, either in his basement lair or his hood. Still, Elijah didn't doubt his power; this was one third of the group that had taken down Augustine, and he had the power to call forth a literal army of flying angels and demons to do his bidding.
Honestly, if they were to fight, Elijah is pretty sure it would turn into war of attrition - one he was ill-equipped to handle, considering how more angels could always be summoned... Not that he wanted to fight the gamer, at any rate. This was an ally, someone who could help him become better.
Currently, they were both standing on a rooftop overlooking the Marina.
"So, what's the plan here, Gameboy?" Elijah asked, glancing around. "There, uh, a particular reason we're here?"
"We're waiting for someone to get here; I suspect she'd be able to help you better than me." Eugene stated, keeping an eye on the rooftops.
"Wait, she? You mean-?"
"Alright, 'teen angel', I'm here. What was so important you... uh... hey."
"Fetch, this is Elijah; he wants to see if he can help us out with some of the stuff that's been going on around here recently. He's a Conduit, like us." Eugene introduced, motioning to the dark-skinned man.
Fetch looked him over, taking in his worn-yet-enduring appearance. "Been on the road for a while there, buddy?"
"Since Curdun Cay was dismantled." Elijah answered plainly, hands in his hoodie pockets.
"Over a year ago?" Fetch's eyebrows rose up.
"Yeah, pretty much." Elijah shrugged. "There wasn't anything for me to return to once I got out, so... I just wandered, until I heard about what Seattle had become and wanted to see it for myself."
"Unfortunately, 'what Seattle has become' is a powderkeg waiting to go off." Eugene commented with a sigh, scratching his head. "A lot of Conduits have moved in, yeah, but some of the locals are still a bit leery of them. Not to mention the fact that some of the gang activities are starting to upswing in the harbor and surrounding areas..."
"Speaking of gangs, I was able to get some info out of one of 'em - they got a huge shipment coming in later tonight." Fetch added, clapping her hands as streaks of neon light wafted through the air. "Not entirely sure what's in it, but knowing them, it's probably drugs."
Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Well, sounds like we have a mission, then."
"Hold on, we?" Fetch blinked.
"Fetch, you can't take on gangs by yourself all day." Eugene sighed. "One of these days, they'll get a lucky shot in or something. Not to mention that I think you need to rest; you first texted me this morning at 4 AM."
Fetch crossed her arms and scowled. "And I'm the only one with the info right now, in case you forgot. I'm the only one who can do something about it."
"I'll do it." Elijah offered, stepping forwards a bit. "You get to rest, Eugene can do overwatch and let me know when the shipment is arriving, and you all can see what I can do. How about it?"
The two 'guardian angels' looked at each other for a moment before Fetch encouragingly tapped his shoulder. "Alright then, if you're sure... But keep in mind. We're here to help the people, not rule over them... or whatever Delsin would say about it." She chuckled. "So just keep the casualties to a minimum, alright?"
Elijah hid his flinch behind a smile; minimum casualties would be difficult, but... perhaps he could use some more restraint on his power. Less of a cloud of flaming particles, more of a puff...?
Either way, he'd be able to experiment while doing this.
The trio made their way across the rooftops via different methods; Eugene opted to have one of his Angels carry him, whilst Fetch jumped from building to building with Lightspeed. Elijah, meanwhile, flew through the air in a cloud of fire and smoke, trailing behind them both before joining them on a rooftop overlooking the marina.
"Alright, so these guys have a mark - look for a green snake with a maraca for a tail."
"Taking the name 'rattlesnake' too literally, eh?" Elijah joked, crouching down as he zoomed in with his phone camera, trying to get a clearer picture on some of the boats.
"Yeah, well, don't underestimate these guys - they got cartel ties, from what I've heard." Fetch warned. "Run into them a few times before, so they'll know its me as soon as I show up, let alone start shooting at 'em... but you? You should be able to get in close before they realize you're not a buyer or somethin'."
"Well, that works perfectly for me - my powers work best at close range." The dark-skinned man replied, sighing as he couldn't get a clear picture. "I'll have to get in closer to try and find the right boat, anyways."
"I suggest you get down there then, big man." The former junkie joked, poking him in the shoulder and causing him to stumble a step towards the edge before he turned back.
"What, trying to get rid of me already?" He laughed before tipping backwards off the edge and transforming into... not quite fire. From this close, the two Heroes could see that it was a series of flaming particles, all bunched together in a cloud so tightly it simply looked like a bright red fireball. The bundle of flaming motes streamed down the side of the building before landing on the street corner as Elijah once more, having turned back a few feet above the ground. He glanced around, taking note of a few stares, before opting to go the long way around. Less likely to be seen as a Conduit that way; it was amazing how short the memory of some people could be.
He wandered around a block or two away, pretending to window shop, before making his way back to the pier, starting to stroll out onto the wooden boardwalks. He took his time, hands in his pockets as he looked around, as if admiring the view.
It took a few minutes to find the right boat - and even then, it was less the gang symbol on its side than it was all the guys surrounding it, with guns already drawn and bandanas around their faces. They were talking amongst each other for now, though it didn't take long for one of the to notice Elijah approaching them. A quick tap on the shoulder for the other two, and all three were now facing him, guns held loosely in their hands.
"You should leave, buddy, if you know what's good for you." One threatened, the raised voice getting a bit of attention from the four other guys lounging around on the boat.
Elijah was about to respond before an idea came to him. He pulled his hands free from his pockets, both to show that he was unarmed (he silently considered the thought that a Conduit was never unarmed) and to show the twitching in his hands that he hadn't had a minute prior.
"C-c'mon man... I j-just heard that you had the... the good stuff, you know?" He asked, twitching and stuttering and trying to play up the role of a junkie looking for a fix.
The three looked at each other for a moment and talked while the goons on the boat looked away - and Elijah was nothing if not an opportunist.
He thrust his hands forwards, unleashing a blast wave of flaming particles that burned and lit the clothing of the closest three on fire. Leaving them to stop-drop-and-roll, Elijah Flare Dashed up onto the boat, dodging beneath a wave of bullets before coming up with a haymaker punch that sent the nearest goon - one with a shotgun - sailing backwards, striking the railing before ragdolling off into the shallow water. The Conduit had no time to consider him, as he Flare Dashed once more, streaming past the through another gangbanger, the man screaming as he was also lit on fire. The last two were put down easily, a chunk of flaming rock smashing them in the face was enough to ensure they wouldn't be a threat to him.
As he surveyed his handiwork, his phone rang; answering it, he could hear Fetch on the other side. "Damn man, you're ruthless... don't you think that's a bit far?"
"Fetch... there isn't really a 'stun' option on my powers." Elijah admitted, walking around the side of the houseboat to the door. "I can light stuff on fire, or I can incinerate - and I don't think incinerating all my problems will really help me in the long run."
"You'd need a hell of a lot of fire for that, man." Fetch chuckled.
"I already got it." Elijah replied with a chuckle. "Phosphorus can be found all over the place; even in soil."
"Phosphorus?" He could hear the double-take in her tone. "Not fire?"
"Nah, not fire." He knelt down to try and peek underneath the door, to see if there was anyone inside. "Phosphorus just has this nasty little habit of spontaneously combusting when in contact with air. So, I'm a "burning man" whenever I use my abilities. On the plus side, I could walk through a bonfire without issue - assuming I hold my breath. I'm immune to burns, not smoke inhalation." He added as a joke before turning and mule-kicking the door in, splinters flying every which way.
He immediately flinched as a shotgun blast caught him in the chest, his body being thrown back against the railing, but he caught himself. A moment later, his body broke apart into a cloud of phosphorus particles, Flare Dashing inside the boat.
Fetch watched from the rooftop as the boat slowly burned down to the waterline. After Elijah had done the dirty work (quite a few burns, of course, but surprisingly not that many actual deaths) of raiding the boat and destroying the drugs, he'd simply thrown a Phosphor Grenade into the engine and Flare Dashed back to shore, where he now sat watching the fireworks.
She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the man; he definitely seemed to want to improve himself, but at the same time... something felt off. And she hated that feeling.
Still, she had to admit - as ruthless as Elijah was in a fight, and as lethal as his powers could be... he did a pretty good job destroying the gang and their drugs. And, even if she still had a weird feeling about him... that was always a win in her book.
Glancing down, she tapped away at her phone before shooting off a video message for Eugene to peruse, showcasing Elijah's handiwork and methods. The basement-dweller had asked for it so he could review what had happened after he left, from a different vantage point, and so they could start coming up with ways to improve.
She used Lightspeed to descend the building, only returning to normal once she'd pulled up next to the dark-skinned recruit. "Gotta admit... you did some pretty good work out here, man. I think drug-busting is in your blood~" She joked, punching his shoulder.
Elijah grinned back as he stood up and stretched, his arms popping a few times in stiffness. "Glad you enjoyed the show, m'lady~"
"Right, call me that again and I will punch you for real."
"Alright then, my mistake... m'lady~" Elijah teased, laughing as she punched him in the shoulder again, much harder this time.
He knew that they had just met... but something about her made him feel safe and comfortable. It was almost like... he had his sister back, when he was with her. They had the same energy to them, the same sort of 'abrasive affection' for those they knew.
Still... he could ruminate on his thoughts about Fetch becoming his emotional support Conduit later, because right now, she was telling him to head to Olaf's so they could meet with Eugene.
Fun fact for all those who are wondering: an adult human body contains between 560 and 850 grams of phosphorus. 85% of which concentrated into bones and teeth.
In other news, I've taken to watching playthroughs of the InFamous games to help motivate my writing and try and make it more accurate to what occurs in-game; I find it to be a great source of info and inspiration, as well as a good excuse to watch InFamous 2 again after so many years.