CONTAINS CONTENT:
Fighting violence.
{{Unedited}}
“Your move…” Cory taunted, staring down at the chess set. Vincent started to lift a chess piece. “You sure about that, boyo?”
Vincent paused, thinking, and then peering up into Cory’s eyes to try and read him. Cory smirked and sat back against the chair and in that instant, Vincent knew. “Oui, mon amie. I’m sure.”
***
Vincent took a deep breath in and turned; Marielle was looking at him. “You were dreaming I think,” she whispered, reaching over and caressing some of his hair, then slicking it back with the rest.
“I was, yes,” he replied, leaning over her face and kissing her. “You can rest again, love.”
“What were you dreaming?”
“Cory is easy to read sometimes. It might give us an advantage tomorrow; I used to play chess with him.”
She rolled over with him, and nestled against his back, holding him to her. “You used to be good friends, didn’t you?”
“To be honest I don’t know what good friends are, Masin… I’m not sure that I ever had them. But I do know that I don’t want most of the people here in harm’s way.”
She breathed out, and held onto him, twisting her ring with her thumb. “It fits so perfectly.”
“It was made for your hand,” he whispered in the dark.
“Was it?”
“Oui. We had it made. You like things like that, handmade gifts, personal things. Things that no one else has or can touch.”
Her mind drifted to Austin…so did he. She nodded. “I do, yeah.”
He patted her hand on his waist. “Let’s try to rest,” he instructed.
But she couldn’t fall back asleep. She wasn’t sure if he did or not, but he stayed still the rest of the night.
After a tearful shower where Vincent eventually joined her, and helped her scrub her back down, they ate a quick breakfast, checked the time, and rushed to Valorant after feeding Felix. Marielle asked her neighbor to check in on him in a day or two if she wasn’t back, praying that her young neighbor would get word somehow if they had all died or something. She would leave a note for anyone who might be at Valorant to check on Felix. She left a little extra food and water out for him just in case, and found her hand trembling as she set it down. She picked Felix up and held him against her chest. “If I don’t come back, you’ve been a great kitty,” she whispered, kissing his soft head. Then she set him down, and he rubbed against her legs, then happily ate, not a care in the world. Oh, to be a cat… Marielle thought.
Vincent came from the back in the suit that she’d met him in so many months ago in that interrogation room, and smiled at her. Her eyes wandered down his body, and to his feet. “I still hate those shoes,” she grumbled.
He smirked and pulled her to him. “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him, “What?”
“You designed these shoes,” he whispered, kissing her. “They’re made to be flexible so I can move easily in combat. They weren’t made to be pretty. In my world, you also had knowledge of fashion design as it was one of your first choices before you settled on criminology,” he chuckled.
She rolled her eyes and groaned.
He grinned adoringly, and pulled her against him, holding her close, and safe.
Once Vincent and Marielle were in the Valorant building, they went straight to the meeting room and noted everyone already there.
Marielle saw Sabine laying out something that looked like watches on the table; John at her side. She counted fourteen.
Everyone gathered – and maybe it was the task at hand – but Marielle realized that she wasn’t reading everyone as she normally did.
What she did note was that Han squeezed her hand as Vincent strode to the front of the room. This brought her out of her haze a bit, and she turned, noting Austin leaning with the back of his head pressed against the wall. Falk was sitting in front of him at the table, but said nothing. He was a generally silent and observant person.
Everyone was a bit shocked when KAY/O entered the room, walking unaccompanied and went to a corner where he stood, waiting. “Hello all, I am here to be of service,” was all that he said upon entering. Klara fiddled with him for a moment. “That tickles,” he intoned. She turned to the rest of the room and grinned wildly as if waiting for everyone to realize that she’d programmed him to make a joke. There were a few smiles and chuckles before she finished, closed a panel on his back, and went to stand with Tayane, who cradled her in her arms.
Austin flicked his gaze up to Marielle’s when she’d laughed and back down. -I love you. Was all that he said. She didn’t reply.
“Okay, minor briefing,” Vincent began. “These are the teleportation devices. They’re just like watches, you’ll put them on and forget them until you come back through your dimensional scar. I probably don’t need to tell you, but if you come back on accident, or because you’re forced, you’re stuck here for twenty-four hours. These things have a cool down.”
“Why is that?” Austin asked.
Vincent shrugged. “We don’t exactly know why, but… when a human body teleports, doing it again right after comes with added risks, and if you do it twice in a day, or one right after another, you must be forced to take a breather or your atomic structure destabilizes; you risk being torn apart.”
“Okay,” Austin deadpanned, eyes wide.
Hazal approached the table. “What are these?” she asked, pointing to the earpieces. Vincent gave a brief rundown, realizing that Hazal hadn’t been with them in Italy. She picked one up, put it into her ear and stepped back after noting that it was like the training room. Vincent acknowledged that she’d done it right. “Our main objective is to get the spike into the ground, and make sure that no one defuses it. I don’t know who Cory will have with him, but you can be assured that once he realizes that they’re being attacked, he’ll have Wei Ling,-” Vincent gestured, “-Sage,-” he corrected, “-hiding somewhere in case he goes down,” he explained. “So, everyone watch for her, as well.”
Wei Ling swallowed, looking down. “Will he use her revive on anyone else?”
Vincent shook his head. “The only other person might be his sister and I will add this about Sage; she was never fond of Cory or his methods, I can guarantee you that if she is there and waiting in the wings to revive Cory, she’s being coerced or threatened in some way.”
“You said that you thought that he’d have more doubles again?” Tayane asked, swaying Klara gently.
“It’s a distinct possibility, I don’t know how many worlds he’s gone to or who he’s convinced that we’re the bad guys,” Vincent said. “The Halloween party suggested to me that it was the case.”
Austin nodded, “Yeah, Sova was there, so was another ISO if I can recall correctly.”
“He was,” Chamber said as he settled in next to Austin. Austin gave him a nod, and punched him in his big forearm.
“I don’t know who else he’s convinced, and remember, we still haven’t killed their Erik, that is Breach, or Efia, or I’ll call her Astra to keep minds from exploding,” Vincent reminded.
Jamie made a gesture around his head with his hands that suggested that his mind was exploding anyway.
Then Vincent glanced at Sabine, and she nodded, speaking to the rest of the room. “Also, he has Jeanine,” Sabine said with a heavy sigh.
The room gasped. “Vyse?”
“Yes,” Vincent replied. “So, she will be something else to watch out for. Watch for silver rose trips that will blind you, and everyone make sure that they have their pistols ready. Her ultimate does not work on handguns,” he reminded.
Everyone was looking to one another. “It doesn’t?” “How does it work?” “What do we do if she attacks?” Came from right and left.
“If she attacks, use your handgun, and pray,” Vincent said. Then he straightened his back a little bit. “Her ultimate doesn’t work on me,” he added.
All eyes went to him, glaring wildly.
Hazal broke in. “Do we actually think that Efia will be with them?” she asked, drumming her lip.
“I don’t know. But what I can tell you is that he’ll most definitely have other recruits – er, heavies – from Kingdom and other, less savory corporations.”
“How do you know?” Han questioned, cocking her head at him.
“They’re there working,” Vincent said with a sigh. “They’ll just be there.”
“Again, how do you know?” Jamie asked, suspiciously.
Vincent exhaled, and looked to Chamber. Chamber raised his hand, palm up and dropped it. “Chamber was there a few days ago, spying,” he said, plainly. “They’re planning something. I think they found a plant spot in China, and they’re planning to go in, plant, and then execute the bigger bomb. This is why we must get there and get this done if we want to have any chance of survival here.” Vincent gestured to the table. “Everyone take a watch, an earpiece, and check in.”
The room moved, taking their pieces, and fitting them on before checking in. When they got to Austin – who was last – Austin shook his head. “Austin Rancor, checking in as…” his voice trailed off; he had no name. “Just call me Austin,” he said with a sigh. “Channel twelve,” he added, flatly.
“Are you going to choose a name?” Chamber asked him quietly.
“I have none as of right now,” he whispered.
“Will they know that we’re there?” Han asked, squinting at her watch, and tapping the screen a few times.
“They will quickly, yes, and they’re also expecting it. They don’t know when, but they’re prepared. This is going to be a fight.”
“Yeah, remember the noise that these things made?” Marielle asked.
“I wasn’t here for that,” Han reminded, tossing some of her white hair back from her face. She then proceeded to take a hair tie off her wrist and tie it back so it wouldn’t be in her eyes.
“The truth of the matter is, they’re probably scanning for us the same way that we’re scanning for them,” Klara said. There were nods in response.
“I want everyone to remember one thing, we’ve done this scenario training before, and we got a little in yesterday. We’re a team. Watch each other, guard one another if possible.”
“That won’t be a problem for Austin and Marielle,” Han said under her breath as she crossed her arms.
Everyone ignored that, but there was an awkward pause.
“Remember that it’s me, Austin is your second guy in command,” Vincent said and he threw Austin a glance, and Austin tipped his head forward in response. “Then Sabine,” he gestured to Sabine, who was practically snarling already. “And Wei Ling.”
“Out of curiosity, what happens if all four of you go down? Then who’s in command?” Jamie asked, crossing his arms.
“I’ll set it this way – after Wei Ling, Jamie.” Vincent lifted his hand to him, gesturing.
Jamie raised his brows. “Really, bro?”
Vincent nodded. “Then Klara, Han, after that, just leave.”
“What about Marielle?” Klara asked.
There was a pause and Vincent looked to Marielle, who was sure that her face was showing a twinge of fear. “If Austin and I are down…Marielle will be out of commission. Someone needs to care for her,” he explained, sadly.
The room went silent as if realizing how traumatic that would be for Marielle.
Austin swallowed hard and closed his eyes.
“Being in the middle of such a situation would cause anyone to be unstable,” Sabine sighed.
Vincent put both palms on the table, and leaned toward her. “Your inability to control your tongue, and your tone are the reasons that you are not in control of this team right now. You are compromised, as is Wei Ling.” He gestured with his head to Wei Ling, who was wiping away a tear.
“I understand,” the Chinese woman said softly, with a small bow.
“What about him?” Sabine hissed, glaring at Austin.
Falk looked back at Austin. “He’s one of the U.S. government’s top men,” he said with a strong nod.
“Thank you,” Austin whispered.
“Austin has proven himself to be capable of getting the job done repeatedly despite whatever is going on with him. He’s heartbroken,” Vincent reminded, his jaw tensing. “Live with it,” he said to Sabine. Sabine sighed, and glanced down. “The moment that Austin is in a position where he can’t perform… you’re in control.” The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. “At least Wei Ling understands where she’s at. You need to learn how to identify your weaknesses, Sabine,” Vincent added.
Sabine took a deep breath in and let it out, slowly. “Yes, sir,” she replied and to everyone’s surprise, it sounded genuine.
“Wei Ling has everyone’s votes, but I want to remind the room – there are no promises on this. If several people go down, Wei Ling will have to make the decision that makes the most sense. If only one does, she’ll have to use her revive on that person if she’s able to. Everyone has to let their emotions go on this one, she’s already under enough pressure. Are we understood on that?” Vincent asked. They all agreed. Vincent eyed Sabine and John curiously, “No protests?” he asked. Sabine shook her head, her expression as if she was tired of fighting altogether. “Then everyone take twenty minutes. Go make calls, get some water, spend a few minutes in each other’s arms, use the bathroom, and meet me back at the training room to get geared up.”
The room dispersed.
Marielle wandered around the fountain outside, sitting on the brim and taking a moment to take in the courtyard.
“Boo,” a soft voice. She looked up and smiled weakly at Austin. “Where’s Vincent?”
“He’s coming in a minute.”
“Then I won’t keep you,” he said. “Just thought that I’d take a moment to say thank you.” He glanced at the table where she’d slid him the queen of hearts card, then back down at her.
“For what?” she asked.
“Giving us a fair shot,” he explained. “I know who I am and what I did, and I understand that you’re not ready to face all of that,” he said with a distant nod. Then he met eyes with her again. “I understand, and it’s okay. I’ll be okay. But you did try,” he said with a warm, thin smile.
-You were worth trying for. She replied.
He gave her a small, crooked smile that was also filled with intense sadness and yearning to say a thousand more things.
“Also, for being my best friend.” He gave her a small smirk. “I’ve never really had one.” He gently tipped her chin, and then removed his hand and started to walk away.
“You’re welcome,” she said. He paused. “Thank you for being mine.” He continued to walk after she said that without stopping this time and he disappeared into the building. Her heart hurt a bit; she wanted to tell him so much more. Would she ever get the chance? Probably not, now. She had made a decision and she planned on seeing it through.
Vincent slid in next to her, and glanced back at the fountain with a smile. “Did you know that we met at this fountain?” he asked.
She glanced back at it. “Really?”
He hummed and dipped the tips of his fingers into the water, gently swirling it around. “I was sitting right here. I was alone. Then the most beautiful woman that I’d ever seen came out from that office building and stood on the other side. She didn’t see me at first, and she was crying. So, I stood up and introduced myself. I didn’t have to read her mind to know that she was attracted to me, and she didn’t have to read mine to know the same,” he said as a twinge of red coated his cheeks. “She was crying and trying to hide it, and I just kept thinking that if I could whisk her away into the offices and make love to her that I could heal her… I didn’t know then how much healing she really needed, because no one knew that she was sick,” he gave a small shrug as it became evident that he was fighting to hold back tears, and slowly failing. “No one knew that we were all sick. But she was dressed in white and she looked like an angel to me.” Now the tears really came, as he gingerly thumbed the silver wing on her right shoulder blade. “To me… a stupid boy who lost his father at a young age, was bullied, and abused and had a rare gift; killing people well. I didn’t deserve her at all. But she still loved me,” he said, his whispering words trembling. She nodded and looked down, losing her own battle with the tears in her eyes. “And I loved her more than I loved anything in any world. We got married after her dickhead of a husband abused her to a point of breaking, we had a lovely wedding; perfect, really… a beautiful wedding night, and three wonderful years together where our lives were at peace.” He finished.
She sniffed and wiped her face. “You know, you never did finish that story, about our wedding night,” she joked.
He chuckled through his wet face and kissed her neck. “You know me well, love. I don’t think that I need to tell you the details. What I will tell you is that you were satisfied, and all that mattered to me was that beautiful curl,-” he used his middle finger to trace that same bit of hair which, ironically, was curling against her face, “-on your cheek and how it kissed your lips when I waited to do so until we were in the room.” He pressed his forehead into her temple, and she smiled. “I love you so much, Masin.”
She was silent, unsure how to answer. All that she said was, “I love you, Vincent.”
There was a pause, and he stirred the water in the fountain again. “It’s Florian,” he whispered, gently shoving her in the forearm with his arm.
“Oh?” she asked knowing that he was repeating their dialogue from the day that they were out on the lawn together for the first time.
“Oui. He’s pouring out a single pitcher of water to stop a whole fire. I don’t believe fires can be quenched with one pitcher of water. Do you?”
“What are we talking about?” She repeated, remembering their conversation.
He opened one hand to suggest a shrug. “The Florian Principle is named after a strange prayer said to Florian. In order for his—that is, the supplicant’s —house to be spared, he had to ask Florian to set fire to another.” Vincent was staring at her, leaning in, slowly. “Interesting, oui? Asking a saint to harm someone else in the same way he would harm you.”
“I know you’re trying to tell me something, I just don’t know what,” she whispered.
He brushed his lips against her ear, “I’m trying to tell you… that I came here to find my wife. She died of cancer about three years ago and a little now. I miss her so terribly that I made a lot of very bad decisions and horrible mistakes to find her again. Sadly, what I didn’t realize was that she was not in danger from her ex-husband anywhere else when I left to find her,” he was whispering into her right ear. Marielle closed her eyes as tears poured down her face, and tilted her head back. “I’m a fool, and a stupid person for believing that I could change fate,” he breathed, and he was fingering her engagement ring. “I am so in love with her that it physically hurts… and she is you. I am selfish, and caused everyone pain with my selfishness. Do you forgive me?”
She knew that this wasn’t what he meant to be telling her. What did he really mean? She had to let it go. They didn’t have time. “Yes.” She turned to him and both forced a smile through their tears as he kissed her fully on the mouth. “How does the story end, Vincent?”
“I don’t know yet.”
***
Everyone stood in front of Valorant, shifting awkwardly and looking to one another for assuredness and guidance. Each was equipped with utility belts that contained bandages, and filter masks for Sabine’s gas.
Austin stood beside Vincent and cleared his throat. “I’ll do my best in there,” he whispered.
Vincent shot him a glance. “You’ll be fine.” Then he paused, and reached out his hand. Austin stared at it for a moment like it was something that would try and bite him, then clasped it in his own hand and the two shook. “If I go down… I know that you’ll know what to do,” he whispered.
Austin took a deep breath and nodded.
Vincent addressed the others, “your watches are preset, so when I say so, all you’ll have to do is press the two buttons on the side at the same time, and it’ll open your portal,” he explained, demonstrating. “We all walk through together, and when we get there, quick head count and I’m sending Austin and Hazal straight into those buildings to try and clear them. Chamber will go with them, and split to get to his location. Everyone else with me.” Vincent fiddled with his earpiece for a second, “everyone checked in?”
There were nods and yes’s.
“One more thing so we’re not affected by some of these abilities,” Vincent nodded to KAY/O and Klara. “Our earpieces have been adapted by Klara and I with a special high frequency sound that will prevent things like KAY/O’s pulses and Klara’s ability from affecting those on our side,” he explained. “So, when either of them unleashes their abilities, stay alert, you shouldn’t be affected, so use those openings to your advantage.”
Vincent looked down at Marielle and squeezed her hand. She met eyes with him and he gave her a soft, adoring smile before taking his fingers and running them through her hair, curling it around her chin. She narrowed her eyes at him, curiously. He simply smiled in return. He did this three times before he drew his attention away, lifted his hand, and pressed the buttons. “Everyone else, now,” he said, gesturing, and all followed suit. The pink vortex began to appear before them. “In we go,” he whispered.
In a moment, it vanished, and they were all looking to one another confused and a bit disoriented. “I don’t think we went anywhere,” Sabine said glancing around the street.
Then everyone’s eyes fell on Hazal, who was looking up with wide eyes of horror. “No… we did,” she whispered, drawing the party’s gaze.
Marielle drew her hand to her mouth in disgust and terror as they spotted the body of a tall, lanky man nailed by the wrists to the front of the library – which hung over the steps to Valorant – about twenty feet above in a state of deep decomposition. It was Hazal.
Marielle went to Hazal, and turned her around, breaking her stare from the grotesque vision before them. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
Hazal blinked a few times as if coming out of a dream and looked down at Marielle with a soft smile. “I’m fine. He’s fine, too. Like I said, he’s at peace.”
Vincent looked away, closing his eyes tightly, deep regret crossing his expression. That was when the alarms in Valorant all sounded. The people inside knew that they were here.
He shook his head, and threw his first teleporter down. “Everyone be weary of suppressant. I don’t know if they’re that smart, but be mindful.”
The first three men – obviously Kingdom goons – came bursting through the front doors.
Marielle crossed her wrists, then flung them downward, drawing her pistols. Everyone else lifted their weapons, and the first three were not hard to take out.
Vincent threw a look to Chamber, Hazal, and Austin. “Go!” he cried, gesturing behind them all with his head. “We’ve got it from this angle!” Vincent went to John. “I’m giving you this,” he said, handing him the spike.
John looked down at it, probably in awe; Vincent couldn’t see his face behind the hood. “I’ve seen this in my dreams, Vincent…”
“I know, my friend. I’ve seen it, too,” he replied, patting his back. “We have to get in to assess, but if all goes well, you can teleport to the courtyard to plant the spike, then teleport away.”
John looked to Sabine and Sabine nodded at him; she’d protect him.
Austin, Hazal, and Chamber were off.
Chamber parted from them and dashed into his own lookout building, announcing what he’d done into his earpiece as he found the stairwell and started up.
Austin – Hazal at his side – smashed through the front door of the office building on the other side of the street, gun drawn, badge in hand and fired once into the air to draw everyone’s attention. “Listen up! I’m a police officer!” It was true enough. “There’s a bomb on this block and we’re trying to defuse it, but if it blows, it’ll take out the entire block, everyone out of the building, now!” There was a panicked frenzy as bug eyed faces began to run around him, falling out onto the street in chaos.
Austin approached a bald man in a suit behind a desk. “You sound the alarm,” he ordered, waving toward the building’s alarm with his gun. The man obeyed fearfully, going to a wall across the room and yanking down a switch on a red box. A blaring sound began overhead. “Do you have contact with these other buildings?” he asked. The man nodded. Austin made a circular motion with the gun over his head. “Give them a call, get them moving. We want everyone safe!”
Hazal lifted her hands, and when she flung them downward deep black clouds of shimmery smoke, and veiny red climbed up the stairwell to their right. Not more than ten seconds later, screams, and wails echoed from there, and people poured out, covering their eyes, and running from the building; looks of bewilderment, terror, or confusion on all their faces.
She looked to Austin and shrugged. They high fived one another.
Once the man had made a shaky call to the next building, Austin gestured him out. “Go, go, I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured, ushering him to the door where the man took off. There were people running frantically down the street left and right, and Austin did the same in the next building, creating the same reaction and result. Hazal repeated her ability as well, and with no time wasted, the building was cleared.
He stumbled out when it was obvious that everyone that they could force was on the run. On his way back toward Valorant – Hazal on his heels – he jerked to a stop when he spotted a little girl with dark curly hair. She throbbed like a sore thumb against the pandemonium of running and screaming as she stood, staring at the building where Hazal’s body was hanging. Tears were running down her pale face.
Both rushed to her and he scooped her up into his arms. Hazal stood, blocking her view so that she couldn’t see the grotesque site. She gently placed a hand on the little girl’s back, removing her fear as best she could. “Where’s your mom?” Austin asked, thinking only of Sophia. The little girl was panicking. “Where’s you mom?” he repeated. A woman parted the chaos, shouting something that sounded like Carrie, and Austin handed her to the woman. “Get as far away from here as possible,” he instructed to the woman. She nodded, squeezed her daughter, and ran.
Austin waited a beat to make sure that she got into her car and drove off before grabbing Hazal’s wrist, and leading back toward Valorant.
They both darted across the street and up Valorant’s steps; he pressed against the wall, gun drawn, listening just outside the familiar doors that lead in.
The alarms were blaring, as were guns; he was uncertain where from. “We’re at the entrance,” he said into his earpiece.
“Austin, we’re in the hall near the kitchen. There’s a standoff. It’s clear through there, you can both come through,” Marielle’s voice replied.
He sighed with relief that she was okay, then jerked to a stop. -Show me, darling.
There was a blurred image and then he saw the men, trying to hold them off in the hallway. They pushed into the familiar foyer, coming from behind, and with a few well-placed shots, he took out the few who were trapping them there.
Then they joined the others. “We have the back!” He cried over his right shoulder, standing at the end of the line and guarding where he’d just come from.
Chamber’s voice broke in, “the courtyard and the streets are thinning out, but there are some men approaching Valorant. Keep alert.”
“You heard him!” Vincent cried back, taking aim and firing.
There was a desk in the foyer and three or four men were squatting behind it, trying to keep Vincent and the others from coming back into the space. They peeked on occasion and fired.
More men poured in as Chamber had said, and Klara threw down one of her alarm bots at the kitchen entrance as KAY/O and Tayane hovered near her.
Tayane looked like she was thinking for a moment, then broke away, rushing the foyer. “No, love!” Klara pleaded, reaching after her, and when she realized that she couldn’t stop Tayanae, she rushed in with her.
“Klara, watch her back!” Vincent cried after her, aiming again and shooting someone. All the men – and the occasional woman – were masked or hooded.
Growling, Han also went after them and Jamie and Hazal followed as Tayane pulled her rocket launcher from her back, and blasted through a second group of men, bodies and body parts flew left and right as Tayane dropped the spent weapon, discarding it entirely, and smirking at the path of destruction she’d left. That weapon could only fire once for a long while. A bullet went whizzing past her head, drawing her attention to a man ducked behind the desk. So, Tayane pulled her satchel off her shoulder and set it down. Marielle smirked, Tayane was always tinkering with things, and had recently figured out how to make herself spring up off the floor with her bag.
Tayane detonated it, launching herself in the air. While she was briefly airborne, she spotted her attacker, and in his confused state; watching a girl briefly soar into the air, she shot him. Klara caught up to her as she landed, and both drew their guns, firing from the other side of the large desk space.
“So much for that,” Austin sighed.
There was awkward odd pause. “I’m not entirely sure what I should be doing right now,” KAY/O said.
Marielle snorted at the stiff, metal man; her gaze fixed on the open space before her as she lifted her gleaming silver guns and took out several of the men pouring in.
Sooner or later, they had to make their way through the building, toward the back, and to the courtyard. “Think you can help them?” Marielle asked, gesturing with her head.
KAY/O seemed to nod once. “If no one objects, I’ll go nix these targets.”
“Let’s go cover them,” Vincent sighed, pulling off the wall and pushing to the foyer, which was now littered with men. Marielle followed, covering him.
KAY/O walked toward the center of the room, ignoring the chaos happened around him, and began his null ability; which was what his duplicate had used on him and Chamber back at Everette Linde. Strong electrical pulses rendered radiants defenseless for a short time; unable to use their abilities. “You…are…powerless…” he cried, taking several bullets that all bounced right off, and with that, he unleased the pulses that caused several of the assailants to collapse, or try to run, revealing who was a radiant, and who wasn’t. Only the pieces in the team’s ear kept them alert, unaffected, and alive, blocking the frequencies that KAY/O put out.
Han dashed into the air, floating high above ground and sent a hail of knives at several of the attackers, specifically those still on their feet and unaffected by KAY/O’s abilities. The loud gong of Chamber’s Tour De Force rocketed overhead, and Chamber announced in their ears that he was doing his best to keep whoever he could away or distracted.
Jamie had set down his walk it back ability and was busying himself throwing pools of fire at a group of people in the right corner of the room who were trying to hide. They all fell down, burning and rolling as they tried to extinguish the flames and during this time Jamie was taking careful aim and finishing them. But a stray bullet struck him, he was hit, and he fell, dead.
“Jamie!” Han cried, falling to the floor, and throwing herself over his broken body – as everyone who was aware of the situation – held their breath.
Jamie’s body began to glow a brilliant gold, and disappeared in a puff of smoke and flame, and Han sighed with relief as she realized that he’d be back in a moment. Her attention was drawn, however as a blur of white and black darted toward the back of the building. “Jeanine,” she whispered, trying to spot her again. Unfortunately, this moment gave another shooter and opening, and Han took a bullet to the side of her head, and went down as well.
“Han!” Marielle screamed coming around the corner.
“No,” Austin whispered, closing his eyes for a moment.
Wei Ling had been leaning against a wall, blasting nearby attackers with her shotgun when she saw Han go down. She waved her hands putting a wall up in front of Han’s body, and waving everyone forward, firing.
The party crowded the wall, using it as cover, and Wei Ling knelt by Han’s body, grabbing her wrist. “You will not kill my allies!” Wei Ling cried at the top of her voice, tears filling her eyes. Her hands shook as a green glow emanated from them and she returned the life that was hanging just above them back to Han.
Han sat up, drawing in a deep breath. “Cool,” Han said with a shrug as Marielle fell into her arms.
“Don’t do that,” Marielle growled at her.
“Die? I’ll try not to,” Han replied with a small chuckle, squeezing her tightly. Sabine flashed them both a look that said that she was relieved to say the least.
“Okay, that’s it, everyone,” Vincent said into the earpiece with a heavy sigh. “Wei Ling just revived Han… she won’t be able to do that again for a long while. So, no one else get dead.”
Jamie ran up to them, and bent to Han. “I can revive myself, you can’t… don’t do that, yeah?” he whispered, drawing her against him, and when he pulled back, despite the noise, the bullets, and the craziness surrounding them, he leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. Han accepted, generously, putting her arms around his neck.
It was obvious to Marielle that this was their first kiss, and she gave them both a soft smile as she pressed her back to Wei Ling’s wall, waiting for a moment before popping out, aiming, and firing.
That was when John teleported to the opposite side of the room into a wall of toxic green smoke that Sabine had thrown, dividing the space so no one dared cross it.
No one could see what was happening, but when Sabine’s smoke had dropped, five guys were on the ground and Sabine was taking a step back as John was finishing his teleport where she bumped into him. They both whirled, and realized that it was each other with a small smile. Wei Ling’s wall began to disintegrate.
“Vincent!” A voice from above. Everyone looked up to see Cory on the second floor looking over the railing down at them.
“Why don’t you come down here and fight?” Vincent shouted up.
“I plan on it,” Cory cried, vaulting the railing. Marielle had never seen anyone do that back in their home world.
The moment that he landed it was like the earth suddenly destabilized, and everyone in the party – except Austin, who was still back and pressed against the wall at the entrance – fell back; making it clear that Breach was nearby.
Austin’s position was still partly behind the entryway wall, and as the earth rumbled, splitting down the middle of the foyer, leaving a gash of broken tile, he maintained his footing. Concussion waves pulsing in the room caused everyone to fall to their knees, and a black clad thug from Kingdom bolted across the room and grabbed Tayane’s wrist watch, opening a portal against the wall behind Cory as he landed. The moment Cory stood, a large, twinkling purple bubble engulfed him, making him disappear in the smoke.
“They’re trying to do what we did to them on Halloween!” Austin cried into the earpiece, and he took aim and killed the guy who had rushed in to activate the watch portal. Tayane had been trying to fight him off, but he’d had her in a choke hold and Klara had been desperately trying to help, but was dealing with another man who had come up behind her simultaneously. Once that goon was down, Tayane killed the man trying to hurt her girlfriend and the two smiled at one another.
“Cory’s not even here,” Vincent growled, trying to back up.
“Look out!” Someone wailed in team’s ears.
“Well, we just confirmed that Efia is in fact here,” Sabine growled.
But it was too late, several of the members of the party were being dragged across the floor toward Efia’s activated star; Gravity Well.
Wei Ling moved to create a wall again, keeping Marielle, Sabine, Klara, Vincent, and Austin – although he didn’t need the help from his position – back.
They all watched in terror, however, as John, Hazal, Tayane, KAY/O, Han, and Jamie were sucked in, and sent back home.
“No!” Sabine cried, reaching for her husband.
“He’s home… he’s home, that’s all. He’s okay,” Marielle said, tugging at her friend’s shoulder. Sabine let out a sigh of relief, obviously trying to recollect herself. Her husband was gone, but he was safe.
The spike dropped to the floor, laying out in the middle of the destroyed space. “Spike down, foyer,” the pleasant female voice in their ears said.
And each member of the party glanced to one another, as if trying to see who was closest now that they were alone, afraid to move an inch for fear of who was watching and what they’d do.
“Hold position?” Austin asked, still pressed against the hallway wall that led to the kitchen and library. He had a clear view to his left of the front doors in case anyone tried to enter that way.
“You hold, let me think,” Vincent whispered, as dust was still settling. Klara was rubbing her arms, saddened, but relieved that her girlfriend was home and safe. “Okay, there won’t be any more of that any time soon,” Vincent sighed, standing and glancing around the mess of a foyer which was littered with bodies and broken floor.
“Where do we think they are?” Austin pressed.
“They’re hiding,” Marielle insisted, and she and Vincent exchanged looks, neither of them wanting to make a move toward the spike.
-Show me, darling.
Marielle looked around the room at all possible entrances and exits and mentally pressed the image to Austin. “There,” he whispered. Then shook his head, she couldn’t hear him out loud, he wasn’t close enough. -There. He mentally gestured upward and to the right. There was the slightest bit of movement near the hall on the second floor. -It’s Erik, er- Breach.
Marielle raised her gleaming silver pistol from her left hand and fired at Erik’s poorly hidden metal forearm. She hit it, and heard him jerk back, a spark flying.
Austin darted for the stairwell. “Watch the spike, I’m going for the Swede!”
Marielle took a stance, her back against Vincent. “We’re down a few,” she said over her left shoulder.
“Oh, you noticed that?”
“At least they’re safe,” she whispered.
Vincent nodded. He was gently inching both toward the spike. “Cover me, and I’ll cover you, love. They can’t have you.”
“They’re not getting me…” Marielle whispered, seeing the tip of a gun poking around the hall that led to the back of the building where they needed to go. She raised her right-hand pistol, and fired.
Austin burst through the stairwell door and immediately dodged the butt of a rifle, grabbing the end and pulling Breach – along with the weapon – forward, whirling, and relieving him of it. He tossed it over the stairs, leaving Breach weaponless, and the larger man stood back, cracking his mechanical knuckles. “I always hated you.”
“That’s not surprising, I heard that I was a real dick here,” Austin quipped and Breach approached, throwing a powerful swing that Austin ducked.
“Flash out!” Breach cried, lifting his arm and Austin stumbled back, blinded, and grunting as he covered his eyes from the bright flash that Breach flung. He threw himself back into the stairs, mentally calculating his distance, but still took a heavy blow to the side from Breach’s metal arm. His rib might have been broken; he wasn’t sure. He stood, eyes clearing and beginning to turn their burning electric blue. “Do you like it hot… or cold?” At this, Austin filled the space with winter air so cold that Breach went to his knees, unable to move. Austin continued the onslaught, bringing the temperature down until frost, then ice, lined the walls. Breach became nothing more than a frozen block of flesh. Austin smirked when he threw his hands out, dissipating all of it and glared down at the frozen, dead man. “So long, tin man,” he whispered, tapping one of Breach’s frozen metal arms.
He went back down the stairs to rejoin the others.
Vincent waved a hand, urging everyone past him, and down the hall that led to the courtyard. Austin brought up the tail, and Vincent paused to gesture him forward as well. With Sabine at the front, they all pushed through, guns at the ready, to the exit. “Are we clear?” Vincent asked Chamber.
“From my point of view, yes, but remember that I can’t see everything. I would advise caution.”
Everyone went through the door, one at a time, but when it was time for Vincent to go through, a wall of silver lifted, blocking him from exiting with them.
“No!” Marielle cried, whirling. Then she glanced around, “Jeanine,” she whispered. “Where are you?”
Austin wrapped an arm around her middle. “Vincent?” He asked into the earpiece.
“Get the spike in the ground and get out of there,” he sighed, staring down the hall at Cory casually approaching him from the other end. Vincent prepared for the inevitable fight.
Austin gestured with his head, taking only a moment to notice that they were standing where he and Marielle had realized their connection meant reading one another’s thoughts. He pushed the rest of that conversation away from his mind.
Austin – now in charge for the moment – commanded each of them to different places.
Sabine near the cobblestone area that led to the pool as she kept her hand up and ready to release her snake pit if necessary; firing just in time to stop a man from running into the space.
Klara near the statue of the maiden taking flight, putting down a turret.
Tour De Force shot overhead, striking someone out of sight. “I’ve got you guys,” Chamber said.
Wei Ling took a stance near the arbor, watching that space for anyone who might emerge from the offices.
Marielle bent and was about to plant the spike when an arc of electricity pulled it from her hands, bringing it straight into the arms of none other than Finola.
She tossed her red curls and grinned salaciously at Austin. “Oh no,” Austin growled, understanding that particular look. Finola set the spike at her left foot and pulled her whips from her hands, whirling and keeping everyone back and away.
***
Cory stopped in his tracks, staring Vincent down. Vincent straightened, and glared back. “Put yer’ gun away… let’s use our words, yeah?”
Vincent sucked Headhunter back into his arm and sauntered to Cory. “Are you here this time? Or is this another misdirect?”
“I think my fists will show you,” Cory said pumping his arms and going in low, sending a blow into Vincent’s side.
Vincent took the punch well, and pressed back, with a blow of his own to the side of Cory’s fair face. Cory could affect things in his mirror image state, but generally it was slow, small movements; he was definitely there.
The two danced around one another for a moment. “So, what’s the plan?” Cory asked, his chest heaving. “Did you come back for that information that you stole and hid? Or are you just here to kill me?”
“Kill you…”
“Do.” Cory kicked his leg out, and Vincent blocked it. Cory whirled, and threw a kick, which Vincent caught. In response, Cory dropped to his side, and wrapped his left leg behind Vincent’s, knocking him on his back, then sitting up and wrapping Vincent in a headlock from behind. Vincent tore at Cory’s arm, but Cory clamped down more tightly. “Maybe…I’ll make you sleepwalk,” he seethed into Vincent’s ear, his teeth beginning to elongate. “It’d be a real treat to see what you do to Marielle.”
Vincent flung his body forward, taking the other man with him. Cory rolled away, and led Vincent back into the foyer, but vanished the moment he crossed the threshold.
“Guys, plant, and get out of the blast radius,” he growled, darting after Cory as he streaked through the space and back into the hall with the kitchen.
“We’re a little busy, here,” Sabine hissed back. She ducked away from an electric arc that shot her way, but it grabbed her pistol and tore it from her hand, throwing it a few feet away. Sabine couldn’t go after it, as every time she moved, she got tapped with the end of Finola’s whips, and jolted.
Marielle shot at Finola, and Finola made a motion that briefly put up an electrical field around her, stopping the bullets dead in their tracks.
Marielle sucked her guns back into her arms. “Okay… now what?” she growled under her breath, throwing Austin a hard look.
Finola grinned manically as she whipped one of her arcs back, whirled it overhead, and elegantly sent it soaring toward Austin and Marielle. Austin grabbed Marielle and pulled her back against some of the cement blocks near the fountain. “We have to get that back,” Austin said, chest rising and falling.
Marielle nodded, but shrugged as if she didn’t know how. She looked to Wei Ling who was standing at the arbor and the other woman shook her head, unable to create anymore walls; she had nothing left.
Sabine was seething, and she raised her arm, shooting a poison orb at Finola. Finola did a no handed cartwheel – whips and all – away from the splash and giggled, tucking her chin at Sabine, as she whirled her whip and struck Sabine in the side. Sabine went to her knees, groaning.
Austin looked like he would start toward Finola, but as he was about to move, Finola raised both hands and whispered, “Goodnight…” it echoed, and plunged everyone into blackness.
All that Marielle could hear was the sound of her pounding heart and her erratic breathing as she recalled that day in training when Vincent had repeatedly shown them this attack. Listen… feel your surroundings…
A gunshot cracked the silence, startling her. She had no idea who’d shot and where it had come from or gone. It was now or never.
Deploying her guns, Marielle pointed one left, took a deep breath in, and the moment that she heard movement, she fired as close to face level as she could judge with no visual.
The blackness cleared, and once her vision returned, Marielle saw Finola looking down at her chest as blood poured from an open wound near her heart. Her eyes met Marielle’s in shock. Then she fell to the ground, dead.
Cory darted around the cobblestone arch, and with a rage filled growl, he grabbed Sabine from behind and sunk his teeth into her neck, whispered something, then vanished again. But, not before Klara got a shot off. She hit him; she saw the blood spurt but where? She didn’t know. He was gone.
Sabine’s eyes blackened, and she mechanically lifted her pistol.
“No!” Austin cried, grabbing Marielle, and whirling her away from the bullets just in time to… POP… POP… POP… POP… POP… POP… POP… Sabine fired until the clip was empty, and then some.
The world was frozen for a moment as Marielle pulled away from Austin, and turned to him, her eyes wide with terror.
Shocked, he looked up at her and touched his chest where spots of red were appearing, then growing larger. He looked down at what was happening, then he collapsed. She went to her knees after him, cradling his head.
Sabine jerked back, her eyes returning to normal as she stared, wide eyed at what she’d just done.
For a moment, all that Marielle did was shake and look down at him and his growing wounds as he blinked a few times, in obvious shock. Then the world started to speed up again as something felt like it punctured Marielle’s insides, and was slowly dripping out of her.
She cupped his face and he shakily threaded his bloodied fingers with his wedding ring with hers. A pool of bright red was forming around him and she was looking around unsure of what she needed to find or do. –Hey… he whispered. No one breathed. -Hey. He repeated, forcing her to focus on his face; she did, shaking. –It’s okay. he assured. Then he reached up with a bloodied hand and cupped her cheek. “I- I’m with you…” he whispered, a sad smile coming through exhausted, tear rimmed eyes. He forced a grin through his grimace, but it quickly turned to pain, then emptiness. Then his eyes fixed on nothing, glazed, his head rolled, and a long breath escaped his lips and kept coming until it stopped. She shook and reached into his chest to find his heart, but it had already stopped. He was gone.
Staring, Sabine began to speak in a daze. “Pe- P…” She shook her head, coming back from the training room a few months ago. “Austin Rancor down.”