Shockwave 6-1
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It was raining so hard that the sound of it falling was almost a force in itself. Even here, sheltered from the torrent by the steel and concrete of the bank. The very same bank where I had almost died once before.
I shivered and rubbed at my newly healed knee, curtesy of a visiting cape, Caduceus.
"You okay?" Alice whispered.
I didn't trust my words so I shook my head.
She looked around. "Oh, I guess it is the same one. Just a coincidence. Don't read so much into it."
Footsteps approached behind us and I looked up to find Tori. She looked like I felt.
"No costume?" Alice asked.
Tori folded her legs to sit with us in the corner we had claimed. "I don't think I can go out as Glory Girl anymore. Not without.." she rolled her hand through a 'fill in the gap' gesture.
New Wave was basically gone. With only three members remaining, each still coming to terms with their new circumstances.
Alice nodded. "I get that. What section did you get placed in?"
"S and R. I wanted to go out with the front group but without flying….. "
The wristbands around each of our wrists beeped causing me to jump.
*Leviathan sighted. All capes ready. Good luck*
"Just breathe." Alice squeezed my arm.
I stood shakily. "Okay."
Alice turned to Tori. "I'm with the think tank so will you go with Wisp?"
Tori looked at me.
"I'm in Search and Rescue too." Looking down at my hands I frowned. "I don't think my powers will be any good against Leviathan and I can't do any good at the info center."
Tori bumped my shoulder with a fist. "Join the club."
I gave her a weak attempt at a smile to show that I appreciated the gesture.
*Tidal Wave inbound*
As a group, everyone looked to the windows even though we all knew we were well away from the beach.
Names began to read off from our arm bands.
"Our turn." Tori looked grim. "Give me a ride?"
Alice threw her arms around us. "Good luck."
.
We could hardly see anything beyond the block due to the rain so I had to take it one jump at a time to reach the first of the markers for rescue.
The man was just barely keeping his head above the water that had flooded the streets. "Over here!" He yelled. "My legs are caught!"
I looked at Tori and hugged her to me to teleport us directly to the man and landed in water that was just now approaching waist high.
"My legs are caught." The man panted. "I think one is broken.
Tori pulled her hair back out of her face with one hand and bent down into the water. It wasn't but a moment before she came back up a little wide eyed. "There's a pancaked car on top of your legs."
"Tried to throw it." The man gritted through his teeth. "Leviathan was insanely fast. Stepped on me."
What!
"I think I might be able to get it off." Tori said. "Wisp can you get him to the aid station?"
"I think so."
"Okay let's get this done." She dropped beneath the water and the man started screaming as a crushed car emerged from the water, lifted on one edge by Tori.
On my own edge of a a freakout, I grabbed the man under his shoulders and pulled. He screamed some more but he must have been pushing with his good leg because he pulled free with a sudden jerk of motion. I pulled the cape to me and looked at Tori. "Be right back."
I focused on the aid station and was gone.
.
We rescued four more capes before I saw it in person.
Leviathan.
I had seen images in the briefing. I knew it was big, fast, and just barely on this side of indestructible.
The briefing did not prepare me to see it in person. It did not prepare me for the wrongness of its presence, the impossibility of its speed despite its size. It did not prepare me for the alien way it moved.
It did not prepare me for the soulless things that passed for its eyes.
It did not prepare me for the way it looked at me.
"Shit!" Tori slammed into me, grabbing me around the waist and punching us through the nearest wall. "Teleport us."
"Where." My voice high and threads with panic.
"Anywhere!" She screamed.
I reached for my power and jumped.
We landed down the street.
Through the rain we could make out the blurry silhouette of Leviathan against the flashes of Blaster Capes uselessly hammering at the monster's back.
It jerked to one side and brought its fist down in a striking blow so fast the shockwave of the impact could be seen in the pouring rain.
*Alexandria Down G-3*
I gaped and traded a wide eyed look with Tori.
The light from the Blasters doubled in intensity as they desperately tried to distract Leviathan.
*Notice to all capes. Alexandria is being held underwater by Leviathan. Can anyone get her out?*
Alexandria. The Alexandria. When I was younger I dreamed of having her powers, flying around fighting bad guys. I idolized her.
Could I do it?
I started to reach for my power.
Images flashed through my mind of the wounded capes, Brutes all, that Tori and I had retrieved. Each injured and helpless should Leviathan return to finish them.
My legs shook.
My fingertips felt numb and cold.
My heart pounded in my ears, audible even over the rain.
I let go of my power.
No. I couldn't do it. It was suicide.
The ground shook and the tremors could be felt up through the building Tori and I stood on.
Leviathan was being pushed back and for a brief soaring moment I thought Alexandria was forcing it back.
"Damn." Tori's awed oath was barely audible over the rain. "Kaiser is a grade A asshole but I had no idea he had that much power."
I squinted through the rain. Leviathan was being pushed back and up by numerous blades of steel longer than a city bus.
A beam of light burst down into the water and shot back up into the sky.
*Alexandria Retrieved*
Leviathan fell still on Kaiser's blades and the Blasters moved in to surround it.
I dared to hope.
The monstrous body of the Endbringer shook and twitched as more and more capes piled on their powers.
I took a step forward, wanting to seize the chance to add whatever damage I could.
Tori grabbed my arm so hard it hurt.
I looked at her and my heart sunk at the horror dawning on her face.
Oh my god.
It was a trap.
Leviathan sprung off the blades holding him up and spun in amongst the blasters and waiting brutes.
*Chuck It Deceased*
*Brigandine Deceased*
*Acoustic Deceased*
*Magnetic Deceased*
*SixPack Deceased*
Names listed off from the armband too fast to provide any location. Then I recognized names.
*Velocity Deceased*
Then another.
*Manpower Deceased*
And another.
*Laserdream Deceased*
Tori fell to her knees beside me.
*Aegis Deceased*
My own legs gave out and I found myself leaning against Tori. As names continued tallying the dead and dying.
Light exploded in the center of Leviathan's chest and the entire monstrous bulk of it was sent bouncing and rolling down the street.
What the hell was that?
A rippling shockwave pushed through the rain and rattled everything nearby.
Holy shit.
The building Tori and I were on continued to shake. I grabbed her and jumped us to another building opposite the direction Leviathan had been sent.
*Emergency Search and Rescue to G-7*
"Tori!" I grabbed her shoulders. "Are you okay."
She was crying, eyes wide and red.
I needed to get her out of here. "Come on I'll take you back."
"No." She blinked rapidly and started wiping her eyes. "No, there's no one to go back to. Let's keep going."
I could feel her body wracking with sobs as she fought herself to stand.
"What's the plan?" I hoped she had one. I didn't. "Same as before." She gritted her teeth in grief and rage. "Save who we can."
Another blinding ray of light blew down one street and followed with a rumbling boom as it hopefully struck Leviathan once more.
"Now's our chance." She grabbed me to her and I teleported us to the slaughter.
Or rather slaughter didn't seem to quite cover the things I saw.
Bodies floating in the thigh deep water. Some missing chunks, limbs or even a head in one case. Some were crushed and just looked wrong, skin purple black of massive trauma and ruptured organs.
I threw up.
I wasn't the only one.
"Quickly bring anyone that could be alive over here!" One of the capes called. "Keep them in a radius of twenty feet of this point."
I grabbed anyone that was whole and teleported them in the area the cape had indicated.
"Wave!" Someone yelled.
I swung my head around. Where?
I didn't see it.
"Tori!" I called. "We got to go!"
I didn't see her either.
Panic rose in my chest and I felt my throat tighten with fear.
*Wave Inbound. 10 seconds*
The cape disappeared taking the assembled survivors and bodies with him.
"Torrriiiii!" I screamed.
I could hear the wave smashing through the buildings down the street. Any second now I would see it through the rain.
"Here!" The voice was faint but unmistakably Tori. "Wisp over here!"
I looked around again and spotted Tori emerging from a hole in a building, carrying an unconscious form over her shoulders as she slogged through the water.
Between me and the oncoming wave.
I teleported to her.
I gasped when I arrived. She was carrying her cousin Laserdream.
The sound of the wave was becoming a roar and I didn't dare waste a moment to look.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
I've never teleported with more than one passenger.
Tori looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened.
Oh shit.
"Put her on my back." I tried to cradle my arms to support the dead girl's weight. "You hold on from the front and squeeze tight."
She hurried to comply.
The water moved around our legs and started to rise.
The wave was on top of us.
She clamped herself to my front, pulling the corpse of her cousin hard against my back.
I thought of the aid station.
And nothing happened.
The wave struck us sending us plunging under the water at the mercy of the current.
Tori squeezed tighter and air was forced from my lungs by the pressure and panic.
I thought of Lisa.
And we landed in a wet, sputtering heap on the marble floor at the feet of my girlfriend.
.
Author's Note: I'm doing my best not to leave a cliffhanger. Hopefully this is better than leaving it at where my notes had it. "Then the wave hits". I can only imagine how many people would have grabbed their pitchfork and torches.
On a much lighter note. I have made the transition to AO3 ! You can find me over there by K_Raiden. I'm reposting this fic there after going through and fixing old errors. The user experience has been much better and I have yet to be slapped around by a horde of ads, like somewhere else I can't say. Cough. Cough.
Love y'all and thanks for reading!