[16th September 2010]
[Belle Reve, Terrebone Parish, Louisiana]
"This is...a bit more formal than I expected" was the first thing Artemis had said to me as our merry band had boarded our transportation about an hour ago.
Two black unmarked suburbans that just about screamed FBI to me, though they were actually from the US Marshall's Service I'd discovered after a few words with our escort/driver. Myself, Artemis and her mother had gotten the lead vehicle along with our driver, a friendly enough man named Sandoval, while Jade's two lawyers and Mr. Hennessy from the Department of Foriegn Affairs took up the following suburban with their own armed escort.
I'd shrugged at that as I'd made myself comfortable in the armoured vehicle "Nature of the business I guess. Plus not like all of us can just fly into the place...and I doubt Warden Waller would appreciate us doing that very much even if we could am I correct Marshal Sandoval?"
Our armed driver had smiled at that "No, the Warden isn't much fond of people just popping into the facility let's say..." he chuckled "...unless your bringing in a prisoner of course. She'll merely grumble and glare about that and the like"
Honestly at the time, and most definitely right fucking now considering things, I'd wanted to have gotten to get this sorted a day or two ago. But the defeat of the cartel forces, then the cleanup operations, had been exhausting and diplomatic matters had also delayed Jade Nyugen's final processing. That and we were trying to keep this below the radar somewhat now that we'd managed to get Artemis's sister to start detailing information on League of Shadows hierarchy, criminal activities and things like safe-houses.
Interacting with the US State Department and its Federal courts system was not exactly an easy thing I'd been told, and had found so far myself, from Foreign Affairs representatives. Still progress had been made and once we drove to the facility I'd figured we could start getting everything finalised. So I'd nodded back to Sandoval as I sat in beside him in the front and the two Nyugens took the back for the drive that had consumed a large chunk of the morning.
Something Artemis was regretting I'd thought as we'd travelled along and made small talk. Difficult for her with her mother beside her and a US Marshall she didn't know in the driver's seat. She just wasn't used to the whole formal side of doing things; though that wasn't surprising consider the League's poor views of law enforcement over here. That and she had been going for a very awkward reunion with the sister she was hiding from the Team, beside the mother whose identity she was also hiding.
And awkward it had turned out to be; fucking fun times indeed.So for me the drive had been rather pleasant, with periods of silence as we gazed out at the Louisiana countryside as it grew emptier and emptier the closer we got to Belle Reve. Truthfully I'd been rather fascinated with this Earth's Amanda Waller had built here, though there seemed to be no Suicide Squad as yet thankfully. I'd been rather foolishly encouraged by the fact of the place not being another revolving door like Arkham Asylum, or most us prisons to meta-humans.
Frankly it was shocking to me there weren't more of these facilities and myself and the Marshal talked a little on that subject as we neared. Belle Reve gave me ideas after all. Tropico relevant ideas for now if I could persuade my Bosses in SHIELD to let El Presidente build a supermax prison over that insecure hellhole the island currently had. Even if, well... events have put something a crimp in that plan somewhat. Just a tad lets say.
Amusingly things had gone rather well with our arrival; as in we were actually a little early, and treated like VIP's rather than unwelcome scum barely tolerated. The guards were professional, Waller seemed pleasant enough...well compared to what I'd expected based on my memories she was, and the holding/negotiating room we were sat down in to have our negotiations was comfortable rather a prison cell.
Waller and her aide, a bald glasses dude named Strange my mind faintly recalled as bad thing for some reason, had merely to conclude some business with an inmate and then we could reach an agreement. Even Jade Nyugen's entry had only been mildly awkward as she sat down with our...her...legal team to begin discussing her plea bargain and later incarceration here or elsewhere. Probably elsewhere now considering.
'As I said everything was just going fine and dandy. Which is why you goddamned idiot you should have realised everything was about to go fucking shit!' my mind snarled at me as the alarms began blaring after some very loud shouting from further down the corridor where the Warden's Office was. Shouting and the sounds of a struggle that caused the guards standing at the door, our Marshal escort, to draw their firearms. Bloody hell wasn't I glad right now being classified as the delegation security...
"Sit there. Don't move!" I gestured to Jade who started to move in her shackles. Because this looked very much like a hit right now and I could understand her reasoning...but nervous guards and her looking to move were not good combinations as I turned my voice to them as the rest of the people around me began to react "...What's happening Marshal? Do you require assistance?"
I could guess the obvious but at least he stated for me, and waved at the other two guards not to glare at us in a combination of fear and suspicion "That's the Lockdown Alert! We've an attempted break out in progress..."
In a facility filled with meta-humans wielding powers, and from the sounds of it the breakout/riot attempt was starting only a short distance down the hall. Artemis and her mother were rising from their seats, as were the others. Because of gods-damned course the prison with the impeccable record would have its first fucking disaster now...with me present alongside our diplomatically sensitive deal making. Of course this was when reality decided to throw it at me as I motioned to Mr. Hennessy and the US based Lawyers...while watching they weren't shape shifters or such...
"Please take cover in that corner of the room. Ni...Jade stay in your seat..." I raised my voice slightly "...I intend to summon my combat armour if the situation aris..."
A blast of icy cold whispered past me as one of the armed guards at the door went down screaming in pain. As panic erupted around me, and Marshal Sandoval shouted something before pulling the trigger on his pistol, I dropped the illusion over my standard combat gear. To my side Artemis looked around for a weapon to arm herself, while her mother adopted a fighting stance of some sort as Jade started shouting at us to set her free or something equally silly. After all there was still a small possibility that this a prison break designed to get her out of custody...again...rather than silence her more permanently. For a moment a gun was waved in my direction by a startled guard.
"The door you idiot! I'm on your side" I snarled back and opening my hands in a 'peaceful' gesture as the sounds of footsteps echoed down the hallway as the a faint white mist erupted through the doorway. With Marshal Sandoval now down in clear pain, the arm holding his gun covered in thick ice. Right...spells of protection brain?
"Flame Shield of Winter!" I snapped out drawing the power to me and unleashing as whatever cold based prisoner escapee, or assassin, made their way towards us. To kill us or take us hostage most likely, but even as the spectral blue-white flame of cold erupted over my armoured body I triggered the 'Panic Button' indicate things had gone very wrong here. Fireshield (Blue) was my best bet at resisting an ice based foe...hopefully.
'Now or never' I told myself striding forward, drawing power for the next spell into myself as Artemis had seemingly chosen a chair as her weapon of choice for the moment. If we could just stall the approaching enemy, barricade ourselves here a few moments, then I could arm up and teleport out the others as under the contingency plans for just such an occasion.
Oh fuck...Misbegotten Victor Fucking Fries. or Freeze or whatever...
I brought my hand down, pointing at man in the orange jumpsuit and bubble head thing, unleashing the arcane power I'd draw upon with the last words of the incantation. Aganazzar's Scorcher erupted in a beam of molten red-orange fury from my hand at the approaching enemy. For a split second I thought I had had him, but like lightning his own hands flew up, surprise written on his face, and powered out a beam of white-blue energy that collided with my magic in a shrieking, roaring scream of steam that blasted out over the corridor. I brought my other hand, bracing and throwing more power into the attack. But it was being pushed back I had...
"SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM NOW!" I shouted to the terrified looking woman in prison guard's uniform as she stood waving her gun in the general direction of the door. The spell was working, but probably wasn't as long lasting as Freeze's beams...really should have fucking considered that before trying a beam-of-war with the icy fucker...idiot!
"NOW GODS DAMN IT!"
Crackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrack
The echo of gunshots, followed by a snarl of pain and the collapse of the icy energy beam alerted me to current unknown guard's success in marksmanship. Then a screaming snarl of sorts as my own magics lashed out at the falling figure and set his clothing ablaze for a brief moment. A brief moment that I wasn't let up as I pulled out my shock baton from its bag of holding and dashed towards the ice wielding man as he trashed about on the floor facing away from us and trying to put own the flames.
With his own ice powers I idly noted, somehow, as I got within striking distance and jammed by stun weapon into the enemies back encasing him in a crackling and dancing lightning for a moment. Then faded as the screaming ended, leaving the blue skinned man in his helmet unconscious as he bleed from two bullet wounds to the right shoulder. Worrying about his medical needs came later of course as I dashed back and moved to help the two fallen agents.
"Skulls what's happening? That's Mister Freeze! We've killed him!" Artemis half-shouted dashing over to me as I knelt to the clearly in pain Marshals and tried to heal/clear away the mad science created ice damage. I shook my head not even looking up as I cleared away the damage enough so that both of them would be combat ready again. I glanced towards the still armed and uninjured guard.
"You! Cover the door a moment!" I ordered as I reached into my jacket, pulling out a scroll case and tossing it to my teammate "Artemis, get your mother, Jade and the others to hold this and stand together! I'm evacing them with my magic when I've done this...quickly!"
"On it Skulls" at least someone was listening amidst the panicking sounds behind me as I moved from Marshal Sandoval to the one I didn't know by name due to driving the other vehicle on the way here. Still it was but a few moments, an eternity when another foe could be coming, before I was finished at both and standing again grabbing my emergency phone into hand. Click, click, beep...
"Emergency Teleportation required. Prison Break in progress. Sending delegation, will attempt to aid local forces. Confirm"
"Confirm...Transferring" for a second there was nothing as I turned and the lawyers and the diplomat were herded around the still securely shackled Jade in her chair. Then Brendan Finn's voice came over the secure line to my ears "Shit lad, is shit goin' down?"
"Yes. Casting on my mark"
"Roit. On yer mark" came back as I motioned at the group and intoned a single word causing the scroll case to glow, and a circle of silver light to erupt around those holding it. Combining modern twenty-first century communications technology with magical rituals worked wonders...or at least it let you coordinate so easily over distance where before it was so bloody complicated. Hopefully other me would get a proper system established on my home dimension rather than this ad-hoc learn as you went one...
"Do not step outside the circle!" I ordered calmly as I could "We're getting you out of here in...3...2...1...Mark!"
Words tumbled out of my mouth, as they did from Brendan's a great distance away, and magic manifested both here and there as a conduit was established. Power flowed, and linked, then blazed in a bar of shimmering white light before vanishing just as suddenly. Where Jade had stood surround by her legal team was now an empty space with Artemis and her mother still standing to the side. Dammit...I'd preferred they'd have gone as well...but they'd be a real help here...grrr..it was the pragmatic thing...
"We gott'em mate! Everyone safe if panickin' abit" came over the phone. I nodded. Good that was one concern out of the way before summon reinforcements.
"Good. Contact the Americans on the agreed upon line: Prison Break in Progress Belle Reve. Then contact the Justice League. Warn them we're on site and attempting to aid their onsite forces"
"Copy lad, onnit!"
I looked around at the others pulling out my magic-murder-bag. It was time to get everyone armed from my weapons store, check if Freeze was alive and if so secure him, and then see what the situation was in the Warden's Office. And more importantly how bad this situation was, because the longer it went on the worse it was going to get. Our best bet was to see if it could be contained before a horde of super-powered lunatics charged out into the Louisiana countryside...
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