Shockwave 6-2
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"Wisp!" hands grabbed me. "Are you okay?"
"Clear them out of here!" A voice commanded.
Tori scrambled from where she had landed underneath me. "She needs help!"
Who did? I was a little sore from the way she had squeezed m-
Laserdream coughed and spit up some water onto the floor.
But. How?
Arms looped under mine and pulled me off to the side. I looked up to see my girlfriend looking grim even behind her mask.
Tori bent over her cousin and listened to her breathing, checked her pulse.
"The armband." I questioned. "It said she was…." Then I saw it.
Laserdream was missing her left arm and the remainder looked to have been crudely cauterized.
"Damn." Alice breathed. "Did it herself before she passed out."
Another cape ran over to look at Laserdream. "She needs help now. We can't do anything for her here."
I struggled to get up, my body feeling heavy.
Alice helped me up but didn't immediately let me go. "Don't push too hard." She looked me in the eye. "You better come back to me."
"Promise." I squeezed her in a hug and staggered over to Tori and Laserdream.
"I don't think I can do both again." I told Tori. "I'll take her over then come back and take you."
Tori nodded and lifted her cousin to place her on my back like before as gently as she could manage while keeping some haste.
I pulled Laserdream's remaining arm over my shoulder to keep her from slipping and pictured the aid station drop off point.
It was loud when we landed. People calling over one another. Others rushing about. The whole place smelled like blood and worse. I stood for about ten seconds before the someone rushed over to take Laserdream from me.
As soon as they had her weight I teleported back to Tori who clamped onto me immediately. "Aide station?" She nodded quickly.
I took her there and left almost before she could let go. It was too much. I had seen too much and this was only the beginning.
I teleported back to Lisa.
"Hey," she gave me the best smile she could manage. "Sorry we are busy trying to get any and all information to the capes fighting."
"How bad is it?" I asked.
"Bad. But it's an Endbringer so it was always going to be bad." She looked up at the map of the bay that was being projected onto the biggest wall available. "It's trying to push inland instead of fighting on the coast where it is strongest. That's good for us, but if it's got a plan we don't want to let it happen." She gestured up to the map and pointed. "The brutes have rallied and are pushing it towards the industrial district. Less populated and uphill away from the water."
She looked away from the map. "We lost a fair few blasters in the trick it pulled, but the damage is starting to accumulate. Right now other than the giant lizard asshole, mobility is our biggest issue. It's just too fast."
I shook my head. "It's crazy fast but it doesn't react to pain. If it even feels pain. Kaiser jammed a bunch of huge spears into it and it used it as a trap." I looked her in the eyes. "How do we stop something that doesn't care if you hurt it?"
*Leviathan targeting Shelter E-3. Any available capes respond*
I looked in horror up at the map. E-3 was firmly in the docks. The closest one to the DWA. The closest to Dad.
I looked at Alic- Lisa. My girlfriend. The one I was truly in love with.
The pain on her face was evident. "Don't forget your promise." She croaked as her throat tightened around her words. "Come back to me."
"I will."
She kissed me, hard and desperately.
.
I arrived to find Leviathan caught out in an industrial lot, the buildings present in only as newly created debris and ruins.
The rain had lessened somewhat and visibility was good enough that flying blasters were able to contribute far more to the fight, while still able to retain reasonable distance.
Leviathan for its part looked torn and brutalized. Much of its torso bore obvious damage and I shivered.
How many capes had sold their lives to get this far.
*Smackdown deceased*
How many more would it take to turn it away?
I put my hands up to face the sky and started building the biggest fireball I could, fighting the steady rain to keep it from bursting.
*Ascendant Down*
I kept feeding the fire.
*Kreig Deceased*
More.
Lasers poured down from above, sliding in and around Leviathan's guard to hammer into the same exact spot. That had to be Legend.
I was able to track how large my fire was by the growing radius of rain that was being shunted away by my power.
*Ballistic Down*
I could feel my arms shaking and a whine in my ears as I started to strain with the amount of power I was forcing into this one blow.
My wards earpiece crackled and I flinched, almost loosing my hold on my power.
"Wisp." It was Armsmaster. "What are you doing?"
"What I can."
He was silent for a moment. "Can you hold it for an opening?"
"I'll try." I poured more into it. It had to be massive. Bigger than anything I had ever even considered making before. "I don't know how big of a hit it's going to be."
"Acknowledged."
Leviathan looked my way.
At me.
And moved. His speed all the more intimidating when directed at me.
"Wisp MOVE!" Armsmaster commanded in my ear.
"Opening." Was all I said before teleporting. Up. Away. High enough that I could swing the massive orb down at the charging Leviathan.
*Keep Clear.* the armband announced.
I brought it down, my timing not perfect but good enough, and teleported away to where the capes had been.
I reappeared in time with the deafening sound and shockwave my explosion caused.
Water, dirt and debris blew everywhere and walls collapsed where they had been too close. Dust billowed up and out from the impact before quickly being smothered by the rain.
Leviathan, visible once more, picked itself up from where it had been smashed flat into the bottom of Brockton Bay's newest crater, looking only slightly worse for wear.
"Was a good try kid." A burly cape patted my shoulder as he jogged past.
Leviathan spun, scything his tail out and sending a surge of water in our direction.
Crystalline forcefields materialized in front of our group to intercept the spray. Water splashed against it in a rush that blocked our vision.
"Shit!" One cape cursed. "Where is it?"
The wall to our right exploded as Leviathan bulled through to get around the crystalline wall that had foiled the wave of water.
The burly cape from before charged one of Leviathan's legs and slammed a fist into its knee , snapping it backwards and bending the leg the wrong way.
In almost horrible slow motion Leviathan grabbed the cape by his head and torso and squeezed. The cape just kind of popped like some macabre tomato.
*Magnum Deceased*
An arm grabbed me around the middle and hauled me backwards to avoid Leviathan's follow up swipe of its claws.
More crystalline forcefields appeared, edges aimed at the towering monster. Then I noticed the edges were IN Leviathan. The monster stopped its forward movement and ripped at the forcefields in its chest, each breaking with a flash of light and sound.
The arm around my middle tightened as Leviathan Looked directly at me, or rather us. Two capes that had fought back.
It charged, tearing through forcefield after forcefield as it drew closer.
The woman who had been holding me to her released me to one side with a push of momentum. "Run!" She bellowed.
Leviathan reached us.
I teleported outside.
*Narwhal Down*
Leviathan's charge continued past where we had been to tear into more capes that had rejoined the fray.
Names drifted up from my armband.
Debaser.
Humble.
Crusader.
Ugly Mug.
Furrow.
More and more names. Dead or down.
I tried to build another fireball again but got slammed in a torrent of water from leviathan's afterimage. Only teleporting saved me from being broken against some obstacle.
I was just so tired.
What could I do?
What could anyone do?
Leviathan reared back from his charge. A single cape clad in blue and white armor standing his ground while others fled for the brief respite that was offered.
Armsmaster, a halberd in each hand faced down the single greatest killer The Bay had ever seen.
They fought. Armsmaster dodging, parrying, and striking back. Moving with such great agility against the monster more than three times his size had to mean he was assisted by his power armor.
The tide, pardon the pun, started to shift in Leviathan's favor.
Armsmaster tossed away one of his weapons in favor of the other and renewed his duel, somehow carving chunks out of Leviathan's flesh.
Armsmaster pushed a thrust and Leviathan caught it. The blade of the weapon pushed through the monsters claw to stick out the back but it held firm on the halberd.
And Armsmaster's arms.
With a twist and a vicious flick of motion, Leviathan ripped the weapon and both arms away from the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate.
"No!" I teleported between them and raised my arms bringing my flames to life at full blast. It was useless. Lung had been able to over power my flames before and Leviathan, even now as damaged as it was, pressed forward with only a slight leaning of its massive frame to indicate any resistance. But I had learned from my encounter with Lung.
I spun, grabbed Armsmaster and teleported.
We didn't get very far. I was totally winded when we reappeared on a rooftop. I pressed the call button on my wristband. "Armsmaster down, uh my location, needs emergency pick up."
"I got him." The voice came from my arm and and right behind me.
I whirled on the newcomer to see the man that had been teleporting groups around. One side of his suit was covered in blood and I don't think it was his.
"Easy, easy." He spoke like I was a skittish animal. "I'm going to take him for help. Are you coming too?"
The unmistakable sounds of terror pierced the rain and up the street.
I couldn't see but the new comer did. He spoke into his armband. "Emergency! Leviathan just entered the shelter!"
What?
I scrambled to my feet, feeling light headed. Squinting I could just barely make out capes running through the rain to the same point.
"Hey wait!" The cape tried to stop me but I teleported.
I collapsed onto my hands and knees behind the group that was charging the stairs. My body shaking with exhaustion.
*Snowflake Deceased*
There was fighting ahead.
*Vixen Down*
I reached the edge of where Leviathan had crashed and clawed his way through the entrance to the shelter. Water was pouring down the stairs into the dark barely lit passage.
*Oaf Down.*
A flash of light ahead.
*Oaf Deceased*
There was a horrible smear of blood along the wall.
A boot stuck out from a chunk of wall that had caved in.
*Frenetic Deceased*
The water was up to my knees and rising as I sloshed down the hall.
The flashes more frequent ahead around the corner.
A scream.
*Cloister Deceased*
A body slammed into the wall at the corner and didn't rise.
Ahead something stuck up out of the water, hissing as it turned the water around it to steam.
It was Armsmaster's halberd. The one he had used to injure Leviathan. I grabbed it and tugged it free from, oh god, where the blunt end stuck out from a cape's chest.
"Need emergency support at the shelter!" The voice was deep and filled with resignation. "I'm the last one left. There's still civilians trapped ins-"
The floor shook.
*Chubster Deceased*
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
People were screaming.
I had to go.
My legs felt like jelly.
The screams were intertwined with sounds of death and splashes of horrible red tinged water.
I was crying as I clutched at the halberd.
The rapid fire of someone panic shooting as if bullets could help them now.
"Go!" A voice bellowed above the rest. "Just Run!"
Dad.
Oh god. Dad was here.
I couldn't breathe.
I took a step.
Then another.
Another.
And another until I was shuffling as fast as I could. I rounded the corner where a hole had been torn through the wall of the passage to the the shelter.
Leviathan stood amongst fleeing civilians, casually picking off one at a time as if waiting to see the reactions of the survivors.
I thrust my left hand forward and blew a gout of flames at Leviathan.
He spun on me, his tail whipping through civilians on its path to me. I tried blocking with the blade of the halberd.
A shriek like nails on a chalkboard came from the the blade as it turned Leviathan's tail to dust where it made contact.
Leviathan reared.
I teleported underneath and took a swipe up between its legs and teleported again to swipe at its 'face'. And again to bring the blade sliding down its back and through the base of its tail severing it.
My body seized from overusing my power and water slammed me before I could teleport again. I crashed up against one of the pillars as the water rushed past.
I couldn't move.
It felt like I wasn't getting enough air.
Everything was spinning.
"Taylor!"
Someone grabbed the halberd from my hands and with a yell charged Leviathan.
Leviathan grabbed the man, ignoring the damage the man's flailing was doing with the halberd.
And squeezed.
The head of the man splashed into the water next to me and I could just barely make out his face in the dim emergency lights.
Dad?
No.
It couldn't be.
But it was.
Leviathan tossed the remains of my father aside, already forgotten as it stepped towards me.
Killer.
Murderer.
My father.
Friends.
Heroes and Villains alike.
Me.
I felt like I was on fire. I grabbed at my power with everything I had left, and screamed my rage as I opened myself to the fire and pain and directed it all at the monster before me.
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Author's Note: I mean, come on, I had to.
Don't look at me like that. I can't help it alright? I neeeeed the cliffhanger. Need it!
Love you all!
K. Raiden.