Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The peaceful darkness was abruptly torn apart by a flash of fire and agony. It ate through his eyelids, dug into his skull, clawed into his throat and ripped at his skin. Breathing became impossible to do, each inhalation drawing in ember and ashes, scorching the vulnerable tissues inside of his chest.

He lurched into a standing position with a strangled choke, chest tightening and cutting off his air supply. Vicious bone talons broke skin, scales formed thick plates over soft flesh. His heart thudded against his ribcage, pumping blood and spreading a surge of adrenaline throughout his system.
Panic spiked when his legs tangled with something- he ripped free easily and lurched to the side, his leg hitting and shattering another obstacle. His shoulder made contact with a solid surface- a wall? He whirled around, claws snagging on the material briefly, then threw himself with his back against it. He hated having a wall to his back, but at least it meant his enemies could only attack him from one side.

Something doesn't add up.
He was still burning, but there was no fire. He was all alone in his own dark bedroom, ducked into a corner, claws out like he was going to fight a Hunter. A weak position and a bad way to wake up- He realized that his own pulse was hammering away at the inside of his chest and his breathing irregular- too fast to actually gain oxygen, too shallow to reach his lungs.

He grimaced and had to force himself to slow down, take deep breaths- just like his instructor told him to avoid a panic attack. But this- this wasn't a panic attack, was it? He was still feeling the pain, could still smell the scorched flesh, the ashes and smoke- but he was unharmed. There was no fire, and the only damages he could see were those he caused himself. He had shredded his own blanket, the down feathers were softly drifting through the still air. He had shattered his nightstand, his electronic clock was broken. The wall sported deep gashes that matched his claws. His shirt was torn where his spikes had snagged on the material.

The damage was...neglectable, when compared to his first freak out in Manhattan, when he had taken out two walls and completely thrashed three rooms.

Then he heard steps, and his hackles came back up again. Without a conscious thought, his teeth were bared and a low growl worked itself out of his throat.

“Daddy?”

Heller choked himself off, muscles locking him down like a deer caught in headlights. Maya stood in the doorway, worry on her little face as she twisted her fingers into the hem of her purple pajamas. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

Again , because that wasn't the first time, wasn't the first time she had witnessed it. But it had been a while since his last. He groaned once and ran his paw over his scalp, then dropped heavily on his bed with a fresh shower of down feathers, burying his face in his palms with a huff. Fuck.

Maya eyed him for a moment, then slowly approached him and pulled herself up to sit besides him. “Was it mommy again?”

“Not this time”, he gruffly admitted. Hadn't been Colette for a while now. He dropped his hands on his knees and stared at them, willing them to change back. “Sorry for waking you.”

Maya shrugged and leaned against his side, watching the scales slowly turn back into normal skin. “I was thirsty anyways, so I went to get a glass of water.”

Heller snorted. “Yeah, that is a lie.”

She made a face. “I didn't want you to worry.”

“I always worry about you. That's my job. And I'm afraid I'd hurt you accidentally.”

“You won't”, she told him earnestly. “And I know to leave you alone until you've calmed down again.” Maya cocked her head. “What did you dream about? Uncle Ragland said talking about it might help to deal with it.”

Heller furrowed his brows. What had he been dreaming about? “I think I was burning. No clear pictures, just the feeling of being on fire, of not being able to breathe.” Usually, it were vivid images and memories (often not even his own). “And I think I was fighting something bad. Something that scared me.”

“The big monster that killed mommy?”

“I don't think so”, He didn't like to remember the Supreme Hunter that he had personally taken down, even though it was a big achievement to defeat a thing that was as strong and clever as it had been. “It was just something big, and I was burning.”

It was pretty vivid for a dream, he had to admit.

Maya hummed, then pointed at his hands that were back to normal again. “Does it hurt?”

“Not a lot”, Heller told her. “Just a form of numbness like you've slept on it.” Takes a while to reconnect the nervous tissue that got removed in the transformation anyways. He also lost his fingerprints on his first transformation. Had been kind of informative coming up with some excuse as to why without admitting he was a science experiment. He figured Hetty knew the real reason, though, just played along.

Maya shrugged. “Oh well. I guess you do need someone to look after you.”

“Really?”

“You can lift cars and beat up giant monsters, but you are a mess on your own”, Maya declared, puffing out her chest.

Heller arched one eyebrow. “Did Dana tell you to say that?”

“Yup”, Maya beamed at him. Heller frowned a little, knowing that the thought of Dana triggered something inside his head. He wasn't sure what it was, however, because his head still hurt. With a grunt, he shook himself slightly.

“Since we are at secrets, what are your nightmares about?”

“I'm always alone. Nobody is there. Not you, not mommy, not Uncle Ragland, or Dana or Alex or Uncle Cross. Not even the mean men. And I call and call and nobody answers. And then I wake up.”

“And you come over to steal my blanket.”

“Because you are there and you are warm”, Maya pointed out. Something clicked inside his head.

There , and Alone . Maya had said. Heller realized that he was alone. Inside his head. He shouldn't be, had never been since the last two years. He could always hear the voices of the people inside his head, sometimes even managed to listen and learn from them. A side effect of being infected with Blacklight- he was part of the Hive, could always hear it.

But the Hive wasn't There anymore.

His head was silent, and it scared him. Where did it go? Why couldn't he hear it anymore?
...The fire.
It wasn't a dream.
It were real time experience. From the other end of the Hive Mind. Now there was silence where before had been countless voices. And that was a very bad sign.

His eyes flashed and his world turned muddy, with only him glowing faintly white. He lifted one hand to his head to help him focus, and just spoke one word. “Mercer?”

Maya's head poked up, her eyes settled on his face as he focused. But she didn't say a word. Neither did he.

Heller felt his pulse speed up. “Hey, Mercer. Say something” There was nothing. Not even a growl- and he knew for fact that this guy would have heard him on the first word and would have had a cruel retort.

Shit

That was not good.

Maya was looking at him now, fully alert, and she wordlessly slipped off his bed as he got up and grabbed his phone from the nightstand opposite of his bed, already punching in a number. “C'mon”, he snarled with a slight panic in his voice. “Answer the damn phone.” There was no reply however, only a robotic female voice that told him the number was not accessible.

“They don't answer their phone”, he muttered, eyes narrowing.

“Alex and Dana?” Maya asked with a small gasp. “Are they okay?”

“I don't know.” Heller tried another number and let it ring. This time, it was answered nearly immediately. “Speak”

“Cross”, Heller didn't have time to waste. “Mercer. Something's wrong.”

There was a short pause. Cross knew better than to ignore his gut feeling. “Wrong? How?”

“The Hive Mind. It's gone. Can't get Dana on the phone either.” He grit his teeth. “They're still in Empire, aren't they?”

The Blackwatch soldier didn't reply, but Heller heard muffled voices in the background. “Switch on the news”, he said simply.

“What?”

“Do it. USTV.”

He hurried into the living room, Maya following him close-by, and quickly found the remote control.

“-we're here at Empire City, where just a few minutes before a catastrophe took place.” Heller froze, eyes locking on the woman on the screen. 'Linda Kaufman', her name tag said. “Witness reports are confused as to what happened, though all seem to claim a...burning giant appeared out of nowhere.”

“Fuck”, Heller breathed, echoing what Cross exclaimed at the same time. “We are currently trying to find out what happened, though it seems this...being appeared at Archer Square, before making its way towards the docks and...destroying everything on its way before it...disappeared. We have no information about the amount of casualties but we can be certain-” She swallowed and tried to wipe a tear off her cheek, “We can be certain that this new catastrophe overshadows the explosion that happened a scarce two months ago.”

“Fuck”, Heller snarled, not hearing the voice of the reporter anymore. A giant being? What in the Hell-?!

“It looks like this could be something about this Conduit bullshit from last time.” Cross growled.

Conduits...yeah, he remembered the news report from a month back, from after the situation in Empire boiled over. He also remembered he shouted at Mercer for a good two hours, for blatantly disregarding his cover and going all out, attacking and killing God knew how many Marines to protect the people of Empire from being gunned down.

But now? Now he was worried. An alleged giant had attacked the city Mercer had been in, had caused massive casualties. And the Hive Mind became lost. At the same time, he dreamed of- no, experienced- being burnt alive.

“Fuck”, he growled again.

“Daddy?” Maya tugged at his pant legs, but was still staring at the screen. “Daddy, wasn't that the city where Alex and Dana were?” Her voice was distressed, and tears started forming at her eyes. He quickly picked her up and cradled her against his shoulder while Maya whimpered, pressing her face into his chest. He shut off the television, so she wouldn't be exposed to more bad news. “They should be fine.” He tried to sound convincing, but he could tell that he hardly did. “You remember how he told us he survived a bloody nuke? He's okay. And when he's okay, Dana will be too.”

Maya whimpered, signaling that she didn't believe a single word. Heller didn't, either.

Cross growled. “Whatever this was, it caught us with our pants down. Fuck.” He was yelling something at somebody, then turned back to his phone. “ I'll head over there, check things out.”

“Cross- wasn't there this Electric Man over there too?” He thought he'd heard something of the sort, but wasn't sure. Not anymore.

“MacGrath. I don't know what he is to Mercer, but far I heard, he was the only Conduit in Empire.” Cross muttered under his breath.

“Shit, think that was him, just went nuts?” Heller was told that Conduits were bioweapons, much like D-Codes were. Who knew how stable they were, both physical and mentally?

“That's what I'm going to find out”, Cross scoffed. “I'll keep you in the loop if something comes up.” There was a short pause. “Make sure you are ready to leave at a moment's notice. It is possible HADES is needed in the foreseeable future.”

The connection was cut. Heller scowled at the TV screen, even while rubbing Maya's back. She was crying against his shoulder, clinging to him with all her might. She was scared that she had just lost the remains of her family. And Heller could not tell her that everything was alright, because it was not - some thing just wiped out part of a giant and crowded city. And without any possibility to figure out what the Hell had happened, they were rendered blind and helpless, were forced to wait until something changed.

He was fucking sure that whatever was going to happen, it was going to be way worse than what already had transpired.
At the back of his skull, the Hive remained silent, leaving only the thunder of his own pulse in his ears and the fading taste of ash and copper on his tongue.

Fort Detrick resembled a chicken coop. Everybody and their grandmother were rushing from one end to the other, swearing, arguing, yelling for supplies. Within moments the entire situation had changed, and they were trying to turn things in their favor. Last month they had been forced into a truce when Mercer blackmailed them by blatantly threatening them to air their dirty laundry. While usually an action like that would be quickly silenced, Mercer specifically made it so they couldn't.

There were too many people aware of him since he'd been on national and international television, too many people for Blackwatch to silence- so all they could do was to stare at him and shake their fists in powerless anger. Rooks claimed they were keeping their assets under watch, but he was fooling nobody. In truth, Blackwatch was tearing at their collective hair as they tried to figure out how to deal with the Runner now.

For an entire month, Mercer had been aware of it, had gone to watch their compound at Empire much like they watched him. Neither were willing to make the first move, so all either could do was look for an opening. Something to pry from without the many eyes watching them.

They've been at a stalemate. The appearance of whatever this thing had been took all of them by surprise and turned everything upside-down. Their staring contest forgotten.

ZEUS, gone. Blackwatch thrown into turmoil because something happened and they had no way to react. After the first panicking minutes, reports from their base at Empire came trickling in, and the men demanded orders to follow. Something to do, because they had no idea what they could do themselves. What they reported, however, was more than just worrisome. There had been basically no warning at all when what witnesses described as 'burning giant' suddenly popped into existence and just removed half of Empire's Neon District off the face of earth with the force of a nuclear warhead, before it vanished in a massive plume of smoke and embers near the docks. Thousands dead already.

The first, mad thought most of them at Detrick had was that ZEUS now finally was tired of all of this and just showed them how little they really were. Then realization set in and that truth was a lot harder to swallow.

Mercer was a biological weapon, and should he ever decide to take over, the effect would have been a lot slower and much less destructive than this sudden and abrupt devastation. No, this thing was something else entirely, a living nuclear warhead- and it had just casually wiped half the city off the map.

Nobody in Blackwatch knew what exactly it was, but the possibility it was a repeated performance from two months back was high. Which meant Conduit activity.

According to Moya Jones' researches, Conduits were the newest version of bioweapons. Individuals who possessed powers way superior to any Runner, while at the same time, being capable of creating own drones.

And whatever just happened, Blackwatch was going to want it.

That was why Cross was the first on the first Blackhawk bound for Empire, combat gear already in place with his Wisemen at his back. The other first responders didn't question it, knowing perfectly well that the Wisemen's target had always been ZEUS. Under his orders, his team had spread the rumors that they would hunt that thing down should it ever become necessary. He suspected it weren't very good rumors, though, since there had been several witnesses who saw them working with Mercer during the first and second outbreak, though Rooks didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, even, he'd always given him and his team way more leeway than any other member of Blackwatch had.

It suited him perfectly, because Cross wanted to be the first to get to Mercer anyways, but for a whole different reason than what he pretended. He had to get him out of the city and away from Blackwatch- if he was still alive, that was. Though what Heller said made him concerned. A lost Hive Mind meant that the source was gone. He'd seen it before, when Greene died and her brood lost all control.

And that possibly meant that Mercer was gone for good- though even then Cross had to make sure that Blackwatch wouldn't get any sample of Blacklight into their hands. He held no illusions that, no matter what human catastrophe just happened, his own bosses would only all too gladly take the virus back and continue where they left off, with no concern whatsoever for the souls lost in the process.
No matter the thoughts he himself held. He could have potentially lost his strongest ally, something of a friend, maybe, yet if he came across his remains, he had to make sure they became impossible to be taken. No matter his own feelings.

This whole incident had happened mere half an hour ago, and the reality of it hadn't sunk in yet. But as he and his Wisemen piled into MacAlistair's Blackhawk, the first to leave for Empire, he couldn't stop the bile from rising in his throat. What was he going to find? How many had died already? Would they even know what they were looking for?
Would they even have a chance?

The job was already bad enough, but the realization that even with their watchful eyes shit like that just kept happening sat uncomfortable in his bones. What even was their purpose when the same people he was sworn to protect kept dying left and right? The Red Line was long gone, there was nothing to hold anymore if any body could be a potential weapon of mass destruction.

Runners had been bad enough, creatures twisted by sickness. But they had to obey some rules, which made fighting them easy. They needed bodies to spread, they needed time to set up, they needed enough people to hide behind.

But these Conduits? Nothing they did followed a logic. There were men who wielded natural powers like an extension of their own bodies, there were bastards capable of lifting metal using nothing more than their minds, people who could control others simply by poisoning their water. There were creatures that could heal by absorbing the bioelectrical signals right out of a human body without even having contact, some could shoot lasers from their eyes or turn invisible or teleport.

And worse, they were alone , but still able to take out hundreds of men at once. Hell, this big thing? It was a Conduit. Must have been. And it alone had managed to devastate most of a city just by appearing.

They made Runners, even such fearsome ones like Greene or Mercer, look completely obsolete , harmless in their limited abilities. They made Blackwatch look obsolete. A relic of a time long past, when war was simple men against men and men against monsters. Now it was men fighting gods.

Whoever had created these human weapons lost control of them the second they had been unleashed.

“Sir?” Cross tilted his head slightly, just enough to eye Fernandez, who sat besides him. “With all due respect, but what is going on? Nobody's telling us anything.”

Cross's lips twitched downwards. This here, this wasn't Blackwatch's usual willful neglect of the need-to-know-basis in their own men. This was just as worse. Because this time, they had no idea.

“I don't know either”, he grit out, “We had some reports, but there's only little consistency.” He had thought it would be a normal day with him training the new recruits. Instead he was now heading into an active disaster area to hunt for a biological weapon who might or might not be already dead.

Across from him, Santos clutched her rifle. “...could this be ZEUS?”

Cross shook his head. “That's a definite No . We know what an outbreak looks like, and that wasn't one. More even, ZEUS had remained docile during the last month, despite knowing fully well where Blackwatch was in Empire- and that's as much as a peace treaty as it gets. Our scanners didn't pick up an increase in Blacklight either, so I'd say that he's out of the woods on that one. This was something else.”

“But what else?”

“You know of Conduits?”

Anders cleared his throat. “Conduits...like the Electric Man?” They had files on that kid, even if they were hilariously thin, just contained a few personal information.

“Yeah, that's one of them”, Cross confirmed. “So here's what we know: We're about to head into Empire City. Just at sun-up it fell victim to an attack of unknown nature. Numbers of casualties are currently unknown. At the same, as we know, Mercer's in that place. This attack, or whatever it was, will have probably gotten his attention, if not outright kicked his ass- and I'm afraid it's the latter actually.”

“'Afraid', sir?” Jackson arched one eyebrow.

“Heller contacted me”, the Specialist grunted. “Said he lost contact to the Hive Mind. So I guess we have to assume the worst. And you know what happens if it is the worst.”

The grim expressions of his team told him enough. If Mercer was injured enough, he wouldn't make a difference between friend and foe. The Specialist cleared his throat. “I know this will get me court-martialed if I tell you that, but any trace you can find of Blacklight you will report to me. We have to prevent another Manhattan from happening, and I certainly don't trust the upper echelons to not fuck it up.”

“Word”, Estoban grunted. “You think they'll continue the viral research?”

“Think? He knows, man”, Redstone scoffed. “You know what kind of assholes we work for.”

“Assholes kept me out of prison and pay well”, the other shrugged. “Just wanting to know where we stand.”

Cross nodded briefly. “Now you do. While we are at it, I want you to keep an eye out for MacGrath. You know, the so-called 'Electric Man'.”

“Fucking dumb name”, Santos muttered under her breath.

“He's a Conduit, in case you didn't know”, Cross continued. “It's almost like a Runner, only without the viral aspect. He's got enhanced strength, durability, regenerative factor- not on the level of our D-Codes, though”, he nodded towards Grayson, who just bowed his head. “However, his additional powers can be best described as comic book”, he winced slightly before continuing. “He can shoot lightning from his hands and drain all kinds of electricity, biological included. If someone knows where Mercer is, it'll be him or Dana, but we know that she won't be out in the open. MacGrath himself will not be not very happy to play ball with us, so we'll need to be convincing. However, I have no fucking clue how he falls into this current situation. If he was the only to blow the city to high Hell, he's going to be even less inclined to help.”

“We'll deal with that if it comes to it, actually”, Anders commented. “So, find ZEUS, or anything left of him. And then?”

“We decide then”, Cross pointed out. “But our job is to stop this entire shit, and that means, we need to be quick about it.”

MacAlistair cleared his throat. “We're approaching Empire. Hold on, ladies.” Cross got up and headed over to him and Estoban, glancing outside and at the city that came up in front of them. He swallowed involuntary, eyes narrowing. There was a giant black hole in the middle of the Neon District, with a long track of rubble and destroyed buildings running in a straight line towards the harbor. Fires were still burning all over the place, spewing black smoke into the rising sun. Cross could see blue lights flashing down there and other helicopters circling the air- rescue teams already at work. He wondered just how many people have been killed in this. He wondered where Mercer was. Down there with MacGrath? Or dead?

Both must have fought the 'burning giant', and Heller had claimed he had lost the Hive Mind connection. But he had to look. Had to see for himself.

He froze out of instinct, head snapping up. They were flying towards the East, directly into the rising sun- but why was there a second sun just North of them?

...It wasn't a sun.

Something else entirely. Like a flat plane of fire in the middle of the old Historic Crater. It was pulsing, wisps of flames surging out and retreating as if it was breathing.

And it was constantly becoming faster.

Cross hissed, then grabbed the MacAlistair's shoulder hard. “Turn around!” He snapped, “And get us down! Now!”

“Boss?” The pilot looked a little bewildered, but then he spotted the pulsing object. Without questioning, he instantly did as he was told, and Cross quickly hurried back to his seat to strap himself in.

When the chopper spun away from the city, the light became brighter, changing into hues of orange and red before it spontaneously turned white. Cross's hands tightened around one of the handles, just seconds before the shockwave hit. The roar was deafening, and the force of the blow just tore the helicopter's rotor clean off. Metal groaned and alerts shrieked at them. The pilot swore under his breaths as the combined momentum of their own motion and the shockwave hurtled the Blackhawk through the air. The trees were coming closer fast, and all Cross could do was try to brace himself for the inevitable crash.

He didn't remember the impact, but when he came to- and that was worrisome in itself, he didn't remember passing out- he was on the ground and his head felt like it was going to split open. Should've worn a helmet

He grunted and attempted to sit up, but a strong pair of hands stopped him. “Sir, you better stay down, you took a nasty hit.”

“Tell me something I don't know”, Cross grumbled, eyes focusing on the face above. Was Anders, and there was red smeared across his forehead and cheek. The Specialist blinked at the sun high above them. “How long was I out?”

“Two hours, sir”, the other said. He grimaced. “Grayson dragged us all out of the wreckage.” He attempted to grin, but it looked painful. “Guess his thick skull is good for something.”

“Har-di-har”, the D-Code snorted. “I'll remember that the next time and will pull you out last, Neil.”

Cross grunted as he tried to sit up. Vertigo hit him like a sledgehammer and he had to lean back against a tree stump next to him. “The others?”

“We're fine, so far”, Estoban commented as he moved into his line of sight. “All a bit shaken, but we got up by ourselves.”

“Maybe you should think about retiring”, Fernandez threw in. “You've been out the longest, Sir. Looks like that's a good sign that you should start taking it easier.”

“I'll take it easier once I'm dead”, the Specialist grit out, slowly getting up to stand with the help of Anders. He caught sight of the Blackhawk- a mess of twisted black metal resting over and under broken trees. MacAlistair and Jackson where picking through the wreckage, and he could hear the pilot swear under his breath. “Another chopper down. I lost more choppers in three years than I did in the eight before that.”

Cross approached them. “Radio?”

“Broken”

“Fuck.”

“We retrieved the flares, though”, Jackson pointed out. “Reneé and Dan are heading for some elevated terrain to set them off.”

“We found one”, Santos claimed as she marched out of the underbrush. “And...you might want to see this shit.”

“Lead the way”, Cross grunted. Anders helped to stabilize him as the team abandoned the wreckage and followed after the woman. “Dan's on that hill”, she explained as she led the way. “Trying to get the attention of somebody, but I'm afraid we're shit out of luck on that one.”

“Why?” Fernandez questioned.

“Because”, Santos shoved a few branches to the side to reveal Redstone perched on a small hill, glaring into the distance. And on the other side of the hill- a giant crater, filled with churning sea water. Half-melted roads ran into nothingness, rubble was dotting the edge of the hole or peeking from the choppy water. The remains of ships still bobbed sadly in the waves.

Empire City was gone . Ten million people gone.

“Rescuing us might suddenly not be on top of their priority list.”

Chapter Text

“Mr. Heller, thank you for taking time to come here.”

“Any of Maya's problems is my problem”, he replied smoothly, “And I don't like leaving problems unattended.” They did have the habit to bite him in the ass when he least expected it, so he made a habit of stamping them out whenever he had the chance. And given, this here was a bit less of a problem than having a Hunter charge him, but he treated it with the same seriousness.

“That's commendable”, the woman across from him replied, nodding slowly. “I that case, I won't talk around the trouble either.” She folded her hands. “You see, I called you here because we do have some trouble with Amaya's attention.” The woman sighed. “She's a good student, though her concentration has dropped harshly. My teachers tell me they find her staring into nothing quite more often than not. She won't even leave her seat during recess, doesn't attempt to make contact with the other students, and quite frankly, we are starting to worry.”

Heller inclined his head. “You think that maybe I have an idea what's going on with her.”

The headmistress lifted her hands. “Children are good at keeping secrets, surprisingly. We hoped you could maybe bring some illumination. It would be bad if her grades dropped because we didn't do anything if we could have assisted in some kind.”

He grimaced, leaning back and draping his hands over his face. “I know what's eating her”, he admitted in a low voice. “And it isn't pretty.”

Her eyebrows arched slightly, encouraging him to continue talking. He wondered whether he should, or whether he should start lying. The truth was harsh. Too harsh for anybody who works with children. But at the same time, it was only the truth that could solve problems.

“It's Empire”, Heller said finally, watching how the woman froze. Empire wasn't a pretty topic to talk about. Not as recent as it had been. It was a terror that numbed the entire nation, maybe even the entire world, because it was so sudden and so brutal. “We...had friends there”, he added in a low voice. “Communication's gone. We don't know whether they're still alive.” Since he couldn't hear him anymore, they were most likely dead. However, his guts told him differently, and the constant battle between his head and his stomach left him feeling like shit. He hadn't slept much since waking up from the last scream of the Hive Mind.

That had been four days ago.

Ten million people and the entire city gone within the blink of an eye. Then, just the day before at the crack of dawn, Philadelphia suffered the same fate, along with every town right up to Wilmington. Another two million people dead without any warning at all. It had shaken everybody to the core. The upper echelons were screaming in panic, and that panic was washing into the streets and the daily life of the people. The news relished in telling new horror stories to crank up their ratings.

The woman's face fell. “Oh”, she said, and obviously she was thinking how she could apologize, though he just lifted his hand and cut her off.

“It's not the first time either”, he continued. “Two years ago her mother died, and she had witnessed it.” He was watching the woman calmly. “Colette and her, they had been trapped in Manhattan.” That earned him a startled gasp and a wide-eyed stare. He understood it, could taste the fear. Not many had gotten out of Manhattan. Not many survived the second Outbreak, and those that did were scarred both physically and mentally. To protect both himself and his daughter, he had made sure that nobody knew where they've been in the past. No file said where they came from.

“She's only eight”, he said, and it was a soft thing to admit. “She's tougher than most men I've seen, but she's only eight. This has shaken her badly. I don't know whether she will ever be alright again, but I have to try.” What Maya needed most was most likely what he needed, what everybody needed- good news.

The headmistress was at loss for words, until she forcefully cleared her throat. “Well, what do you suggest then?”

“I have no idea”, he replied in all seriousness. “The only thing that will help is this thing getting taken down and fast.” He had no clue how to do that, however. The military was already trying, and they didn't have a chance. If he had any idea how to take down a walking nuclear explosion, he would do so in a heartbeat. Even if it would cost his life- but right now, it would only be senseless suicide. “As for Maya- I doubt you could do anything. Actually, the best would be to do nothing, if possible. She's suffering from a shock, but so does every other kid here.” Every other person as well. “She just has a different way of showing it, and I don't want to feed her anti-psychotics for the rest of her life.” They caused more harm than good, anyways. He'd seen it often enough.

There was a tense silence, as the woman watched him. “You were soldier, as far as I know, yes?”

“Iraq”, he replied, cutting himself off and adding a few moments later in a slightly lower voice. “Manhattan.” The truth was, when he got to Manhattan, he wasn't a soldier anymore. Had actually asked some of his buddies to cover for him while he jumped on the next flight back into the city. He figured he'd gotten marked as deserter already, and then he ended up a lab rat for Blackwatch anyways.

“Then you know what fear does to a human mind. Especially in children.”

Better than you'd know. He didn't say anything, just hummed in confirmation. The woman leaned back. “I've been teacher and headmistress here for thirty years now, and every child means something to me.” She sighed. “But we have problems now. And I don't mean the problems with naughty children or stubborn parents. I'm meaning- ever since Manhattan we had to realize that we aren't as safe as we thought. Then Empire happened. Now Philadelphia.” She dropped her shoulders. “Sometimes I don't know what to tell them.”

Heller furrowed his brows, glancing at the ceiling. He wondered the same too. He didn't know whether they would find out how to stop this thing. He didn't know whether it had killed everybody who ever meant anything to him. His guts said no , but they had a hard time convincing his head. He grunted. “Just tell them that the military will try to figure something out. They can't let this thing walk around.” Most of all, he put his trust in Blackwatch. Guys who went to fight Mercer would probably find a way to stop the flaming giant.

Hopefully in time.

“Is that really what you think?”

“Not much else to do”, he replied. “However, if anything happens, if this thing makes its way over here, it is your job to close down the school, no matter what the city says.”

Much to his surprise, the headmistress chuckled. “Oh, don't you worry. That is about the only thing I'm sure of.” She patted a stack of papers on her desk. “I already wrote to several parents. Should this... entity... get any closer than a hundred miles, I will close down this school and tell the parents to relocate with their children.”

“That's wise”, Heller commented simply. He hoped it wouldn't come to this, however. If the opportunity presented itself, he would act immediately and try to find a way to stop this catastrophe from continuing.

There was a long stretch of silence, with only the clock ticking away. The headmistress seemed to have more questions, though didn't ask them. Instead, she shifted her posture slightly and got up. “Thanks for your insight, Mr. Heller. As you said, this will hopefully be only temporal.”

“Thank you for having me.” He got up too, shaking her hand. “Maya's over at the after-school care, yes?”

“Precisely. Please do inform her of what we've spoken about.”

Heller left the office, walked down a few stairs and headed down the hall to step out into the recess yard. Across the place was another, two-story building installed for school lunch and after-school care for any student up until the fifth grade to stay until either their bus arrived or their parents would pick them up. Usually, Maya rarely made use of it, he knew, since she mostly caught the first bus towards his work place to wait for him there.

Today, he beat her at it, though when he walked into the building, several children dove to the side, startled by his massive frame and constantly grumpy expression. Colette had once said that he was the softest man she knew and that he loved children- but sadly his face kept scaring them off. Or maybe it was his frame that allowed him to tower over most other people. Dana had once jokingly declared him to be a D-Code out of uniform, and that much was almost true.

Just...Supersoldiers lacked his shape shifting, finesse and stealth.

“Hey baby girl.”

Maya jumped at his approach, having been too focused on her homework to notice him at all. He could hear her pulse slowing down when her face settled into a frown. “Why did you sneak up on me?”

“I didn't sneak”, He pulled one of those small chairs closer and sat down, wincing when it creaked under his weight. “You just didn't notice me.” Technically, that was a lie. He did sneak. Wanted to take her by surprise for a change. “Math, huh?”

“Multiplications”, Maya huffed out. She glanced at her father. “You talked to her, didn't you?”

“Yeah. She said you're being absent-minded. And you don't play with the other kids.”

She puffed up. “Not my fault when the others are stupid and I get bored easily with this easy stuff.”

“C'mon. I know perfectly well that this is not the reason.” He lowered his voice. “You miss them. Alex and Dana, don't you?”

Maya deflated, and she stared pointedly at her pen. “I do”, she whispered. “Because they have been there the last time...the last time there were monsters here.” She glanced at her dad. “They've been there, and the monsters were gone. But now there is a giant monster that killed so many people, and they aren't here anymore. I'm scared.”

Heller huffed out. “I'll tell you a secret. I'm afraid too. Maybe even more.” Because Maya hadn't experienced being burnt alive. “But I also know that I can't give up here. If I do, then we won't have a chance at all. We have to try it, at least.”

“Will you go away?”

He sighed. “Not yet. I'm still waiting for Cross to call me. He promised to keep us in the loop, after all.”

Maya eyed him. “But if he calls, you will go?”

“If he needs me.” He gently squeezed her shoulder. “But you will be fine, you know that. Ragland is here, and the others. They'll look after you for as long I'm gone.”

She still made a face. Heller attempted to grin. “And as far as we know, they could be perfectly okay, right?”

“The city's gone”, Maya replied mournfully. “And you said that you can't hear Alex any more.” That was true, however, it was impossible to kill him as long as Heller was still alive. That was something he realized as the days kept going on and nothing changed with him.

“He's still there- don't forget he's a piece of me now. That's why I know he's still around.” The Blacklight infection inside of him- it was the same Blacklight that made up Mercer's body. As long either of them was still alive, neither could really die. And with Heller on the other side of the continent, Mercer should have been able to resurrect the moment his body got destroyed- using the infection inside the Evolved to take over his body, use him as carrier to infect the closest person with Blacklight so he would be able to grow back. Thing was- it felt like being one of the zombies. Heller had no control over what he did, was only capable of doing what the virus wanted until Mercer had an own body again.

It had happened, once. He was glad it wasn't the case this time.

Maya watched him for a moment, then drew her eyebrows together. “But...when he is alive, then Dana has to too. Why doesn't he call? Why doesn't Dana call?”

He frowned, because that was what he questioned too. Though the solution could have been...more simple. “The net collapsed all over the East Coast. And when they are currently on the run, it is harder to get a hold of a phone.” Also, Mercer was most likely unconscious or something, which meant Dana had to drag his ass across the states. Which only added to the theory that they were in a bit over their heads.

He just hoped they managed to get away and lie low somewhere.

...Screw that. They did manage to get away and lie low. He placed his hand firmly on Maya's shoulder, squeezing slightly. “They got away”, he told her. “Because they are much smarter than I am. If they are hiding for a while, then it is clear why they don't contact us. They don't want to be found.” He grinned at her. “Though, once they turn up, I'll beat Mercer up for making you worry, okay?”

Maya hummed in thought. “Okay. Deal.”

“Then come on. Let's get you home.”

That evening, Baltimore ceased to exist.

Nearly two weeks after the catastrophe that cost Empire, the entire East Coast was in panic. After Philadelphia, Wilmington, every city along the 95 and Baltimore, D.C had been abandoned in blind terror. Several hundred people died in the resulting mass hysteria, however the...creature had continued devastating the towns along the coast, only passing Washington by.

But the death tolls kept climbing, even before the being appeared out of nowhere. Everybody tried to flee, and the terror was sweeping across the country. If cities along the coast were evacuated, then the thing would follow the evacuees and devastate the reception centers with an ever higher body count. If the people stayed, they died along with their cities. Stay and die, or go an die? It was a living nightmare, one that couldn't be waken from.

Nothing the military did stopped this thing. Barely slowed it down, if at all.

If they arrived in time. Because the titan was also fast . It just appeared in the middle of a place, blew it to High Hell- and vanished just as fast. They couldn't even figure out its motion pattern. It remained at the coast, but it did chase after the refugees from towns that it was going to eradicate, appeared somewhere closer to Empire and further inland, or it just skipped a town or two, so its movement was erratic at best.

And they couldn't stop it. Nobody could. Scientists and generals were tearing at their hair. The president declared national catastrophe and asked the other countries for help. Nobody had a plan, nobody was even aware what it was.

After the first week, the witch hunt started. America blamed China. China said it was an American experiment gone wrong. Other voices claimed it was created by Middle Eastern terrorists. The Church claimed it was the Antichrist, cults claimed it was their God destroying the faithless. And several connected it to the events in Empire, to the rise of Conduits.

Heller was pretty sure the latter was actually correct. But it was also the worst conclusion- Conduits were individuals, and their motivations were just as numerous. Which meant they had to calculate in the factor human . And that made predictions near impossible.

To make matters worse, with most governmental agencies looking at the creature and trying to stop it, crime started running rampant. The number of thefts exploded, as did drug and human trafficking. Violence escalated in the streets. Bodily harm and murder became a daily experience. Society decided to just commit suicide along the way. Why follow laws when they were going to die anyways? The East Coast was worse, but the wave already swept over to the West as well.

That meant that police and officials were stretched thin and overworked. And the new casualties numbers kept running across the screens, always being corrected further upwards. As it was, the total amount of deaths already exceeded the amount of bodies from Manhattan by easily five times.

Which crushed any fledgling motivation they might have left and still forced them to work even harder. Heller knew he was easy off, since he had an underage daughter he was allowed to go home every night. Most of his co-workers were not as lucky, and the coffee pot in the communal kitchen was empty more often than full.

After he dropped Maya off at school, he went straight back to work, not wondering about the cars already present in the parking lot. Some hadn't been moved at all since he went home yesterday. He grumbled under his breath and went through the lobby, flashing his ID just so at the guard. Not that he needed , because there weren't many men here that had his size and frame. He did pause, however, at the sight of the other guy that stood in the lobby, the one that towered over him by easily two feet . The black-and-white uniform he was wearing and the two guys in black who flanked the giant were easily recognizable.

Blackwatch .

Heller hissed, instantly looking for cover or something to throw when the two soldiers and the D-Code took notice of him. He knew they would recognize him instantly- not only was his face all over their briefings but also because the D-Codes could scan for the virus and realize what he was. There were only two options, really- fight or flight. And both were out of question right now.

Which meant he had to wait for them to make their first move, and he hated having to wait.

Then suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Heller very nearly took their head off, though luckily he clamped down on that urge the second he recognized the other. The young man beamed at him, luckily oblivious to his very close brush with getting murdered by his own co-worker. “Hey James, good to see you. We might need you today here.”

“Callen”, he ground out, forcing his pulse to relax and his bones to stop shifting under his skin. Once he was certain he had everything back under control, he softly gestured to the three Blackwatch agents. “What's going on here?”

The other grunted, good mood gone instantly. “Some Black Ops guys just marched in here and their boss went up to talk to Hetty. No idea what their deal is.”

Heller growled. “They're Blackwatch”, he muttered, then quickly added to clarify, “They were the guys that burnt the infection in Manhattan.” Were they here for him ? As far as he knew, he shouldn't have any problems with them since he wasn't their primary target- and their general had ordered to leave him alone, but who could tell?

“Blackwatch?” Callen clicked his tongue. “Never heard of them, thought it were always the Marines that stopped the zombie plague in NYC. And what's the deal with the big guy?”

“Blackwatch doesn't like being known, but they do a damn thorough job. They just used the Marines as front, but it was them who fought the outbreak.” He scoffed and glanced at the D-Code. “The big one is what they call D-Code. Supersoldier. It's exactly what it sounds like- human weapons.” Though he always thought they went extinct in Manhattan. Apparently not- or they still had some of the juice to make a few.

“Supersoldiers?” Callen asked startled. “Wait, like Captain America?”

“Sort of. These guys got solid steel under their skin, and they can throw cabs around like they're nothing.”

“Like you when you picked up that GAU?”

“I told you, I was under stress that day.”

“You picked up two tons of weight and waved them towards these guys. That was not 'stress'.”

Heller had stopped listening, was watching the soldiers instead. When one of them listened to something echoing inside their helmet and then suddenly marched towards him, he realized that they were indeed after him. He braced himself, subtly shifting his stance to cover his co-worker should he need to, though he completely faded his words out when the soldier stopped just in front of him. Up close he noticed that this soldier was female- smaller than the other and a different build. She didn't wait for him to say something when she removed her mask and helmet, putting both under her arm. He recognized her quickly.

“Lieutenant Santos”, he grumbled. “From the Wisemen.”

“HADES. Nice to see you still remember me”, she replied coldly. And that drew his attention. Make sure you are ready to leave at a moment's notice. It is possible HADES is needed in the foreseeable future.

“What do you want?” That couldn't have been a coincidence. Wisemen were Cross's personal squad, and Cross had been the one to tell him to stay put by using his old codename.

She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. “The boss wants to see you. Requested you, actually, soon you'd show your face.”

Okay, he didn't expect that. And Blackwatch surely wasn't that stupid or desperate to try something funny with the NCIS on their asses, right? He glanced at Callen, who was more surprised by the 'Hades' part than anything else, then turned to her. “Your boss is where?”

“With your boss. That tough little lady.” She smirked a little. “Would never have thought the mighty HADES would ever settle down into a cushy office job.”

“We all change”, Heller shrugged, already walking up the stairs towards Hetty's office. He ignored Callen's confused “The mighty Hades?” on the way too, just throwing a “I'll tell you later, G” over his shoulder. Wisemen, huh? And there was no chance in Hell they would be present with Rooks. Rooks wasn't exactly a people person, and any uncomfortable encounters he delegated to others so he wouldn't have to do them himself. And that meant-

He knocked at Hetty's door, waited for a moment, and walked in. “Boss” He glanced at the other man. “Cross.”

The freshly appointed Blackwatch Colonel glanced at him from over the rim of a delicate china cup, though the relief was plain on his face. He didn't look like he had slept a lot, either.

“Ah, Jim”, Hetty motioned for him to sit down, and waited for him to actually do so. “You're here, good.” She gestured to the other man. “Colonel Cross assured me you were already acquainted.

“We are”, Heller confirmed, “Though I am afraid I don't understand.” He eyed the other man. “Why are you here?”

Cross set his cup down, expression hardening. “We found them. In New Marais.”

“Where's New Marais anyways?”, Heller questioned, brows drawn together. Since Cross had appeared at his work place, he hadn't said much. He had been hesitating only briefly when Blackwatch offered him to take him with them, had then quickly grabbed one of his co-workers and told them to pick his daughter up from school and look after her until he was back. He figured he already had some heart-to-heart with the girl about exactly that case.

Then he willingly went with them, and for a short moment Cross had toyed with the thought that it would be so easy to re-acquire their lab rat. He hadn't even asked questions, just went along with him. Based on nothing more than a word. But then again, Heller knew exactly who to trust, and Cross was probably the only one who also belonged to Blackwatch on that list. But apparently, trust between soldiers ran very deep. As opposite to that, he just knew that Mercer would be interrogating him first and attempting to find his own answers before deciding to trust him.

Now Heller, the Wisemen, and their last D-Code were piled into a Blackwatch cargo plane and headed to New Marais when the other man asked the question.

“It's south of New Orleans”, Cross explained. “Real shit hole. Got screwed over by Katrina much like New Orleans did, but unlike her, was never rebuild. Half the city's still flooded.” He snorted. “Militia's taken over back in 2005, had helped around the place. Now they got more bold, closed off the city. Pretty efficient lockdown too. They don't want the government to look too closely, but allow supplies to pass through. Still play the good Samaritans though.”

Heller furrowed his brows. “How did you find them?”

“We didn't”, he explained. “Dana got hold of a radio and contacted me. I pulled a few strings.” He snorted partly amused and partly disgusted “Officially, we're only on scouting and recovery, if possible. We weren't allowed any large equipment, nor are we allowed outside of the military compound without the Militia on our asses.”

“Who doesn't allow it?”

“Some guy named Betrand. Owns the Militia.” He scoffed. “Rich too, comes from an old family. Anyways, he greased enough palms and Blackwatch got sidelined.” Not for long though. Blackwatch didn't like sitting on the bench very much. They just needed to find a reason to pry, and then they would be in control again.

Heller frowned deeper. “Any chance with stopping this big thing?”

“No. That's why we're heading over to New Marais. Dana confirmed that Mercer and MacGrath are both alive. She also claimed they might have found something they could use against the thing.” He saw the relief take hold of the Evolved as the tension bled from his body.

“You know what they might have found?”

“No”, Cross shook his head. “She wouldn't tell, was afraid the line might have been tapped.” He paused for a moment, before he added “Also, just that you know, I'm officially not here, but still in Detrick.” Heller's eyebrows shot up, and Cross grinned. “Had been Rooks' idea”, he explained. “He trusts me to retrieve whatever they have found and make it ready to use against this bastard, but also knows I can't act as long I got a tail. Which means, my name won't be on the passenger list. Yours neither, by the way.” Strictly speaking, he was still supposed to be on sick leave too, with his body busted after that helicopter crash and all. Everybody knew he was stubborn like a mule though, and had no chance but let him off- or else he would have escaped the sick bay on his own.

“So you're going to sneak off base and meet up with them.” Heller concluded. “Good, 'cause we need reliable people on this.” He eyed him, then leaned to the front. “Off the record, why does this interest Blackwatch?”

“We classified this thing as Runner”, Cross answered. “A biological weapon, so the ball's in our court now.”

“Runner?”

“News didn't make the connection, or even know about this. But the thing? Wherever it moves it kills a shitload of people. And amongst the few survivors are always Conduits.”

“Conduits?” The other jerked back. “Like this MacGrath kid?”

“Yes. They are pretty traumatized. Rooks had us round them up.” He scowled. “Most of them are just kids.” He noticed the dark expression skipping over the other man's face and lifted his hand. “We're not killing them. But they are potentially lethal, so we just pull them together and try to keep them under control. We don't need another of them going around and ravaging whatever's left of the coast. We got FEMA and the NSA up or asses on that one, and they make sure we treat them okay.”

Heller growled under his breath, then turned his attention back towards him. “Okay. So the giant creates Conduits. Anything else?”

“People are getting sick”, Cross pointed out. “Super fast growing cancer, located around the lungs. Loads of people kick the bucket even before the big guy rolls in. Official word is that a form of unknown pathogen is going around. And with Conduits popping up, and others dying, we think there's a connection, that's why we try to take control.” He steepled his fingers. “I think it's a repeated performance of Empire.”

“There was a plague too, I think.”

“Exactly. According to sources, it's radiation poisoning. The explosion catapulted this stuff into the atmosphere and the wind spreads it. And the big guy follows the trail.”

Heller was silent. “It's looking for something”, he said slowly. “It was walking along the coast, as if it wants to find something.”

“I thought the same. But we can't know it for sure.” He leaned back. “It's not important right now. Right now, we have to make contact with Mercer and MacGrath. Find out what they figured. If it is something that could help us against the thing, then we have to either acquire it, or help them acquire it.” He sighed, shoulders hunching. “It's all fucked up. We can't stop this thing, can't even predict where it appears. Now we're hunting after ghosts that could or could not be the only chance we have. I don't like it.”

“And every moment we waste looking for answers that maybe aren't there it only gets worse”, Heller added darkly. “But the others could be our only chance. Pretty sure they know more than we do.”

“Let's hope they do”, Cross agreed. “Or the only option we'll have left is going nuclear.” And he really didn't want to use that option. Mostly because he had no intention on using a warhead on American soil- and that would be too close to Randall for his taste- but also because they couldn't tell where the titan was going to appear next, and a preemptive strike wasn't exactly on his mind.

He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. “Why did the thing walk towards the harbor, instead of just blowing the ever-loving crap out of Empire?”

Heller frowned. “It hadn't done so afterwards.”

“Then what was the difference?”

“Mercer and MacGrath were there”, Heller pointed out.

“But why did it walk to the harbor?” Because from what he had pieced together, the giant appeared, was about to devastate the city- and just didn't. Instead, it marched right towards the harbor- where it disappeared for a little while. The few reports they've gotten mentioned a thunderstorm over the area. And MacGrath- his powers were lightning-based.

“It was a challenge”, he muttered when realization settled. Heller must have caught on, because his eyebrows shot up. “It challenged...MacGrath? Or Mercer?”

“I think the first one. I mean if that thing's a Conduit, and MacGrath's the strongest out there, so I guess it went at him for territorial dispute. Mercer was just...there.”

“And now that the kid escaped, it's following after him. Probably figured he'd turn up near the coast again.” Heller finished. “Fuck, you think he knows?”

“Not likely”, Cross scoffed, glancing at the small signal glowing up that told him to fasten his seat belt. “We'll try and find them. Then we can continue.”

“Deal.”

Once the plane had landed, Cross gave Santos a signal, and the captain left the machine first, followed by the Wisemen. Heller and Cross both waited until the last soldier had gone outside before they carefully inched towards the hatch on the other side. Heller inclined his head, listening intently for a moment. Some man was talking, all smooth voice and honeyed words. Must be this Betrand guy, talking to her about not breaking regulation . He could probably listen in, but he saw no need to. Instead, he carefully peeked through the open hatch, noticing that nobody was currently looking in their direction while the captain was assuring some older man that Blackwatch was ready to follow any order, as long as they managed to finish their mission to find and apprehend ZEUS, who was most likely in this city somewhere.

Cross slid the other hatch open and quickly slipped through. Heller followed after him and the two started zig-zagging across the air field to use the upcoming dusk and various crates there as cover, quickly getting distance between themselves and the militia, until they reached the chain link fence that surrounded the compound. Heller easily tore a hole through.

Once they were on the other side they slowed down finally, though didn't stop walking until they reached a certain distance before they finally ceased their movement.

“Where to now?” Heller asked.

“Dana's message didn't say anything. Though I have a good idea. Maps pointed out a Red Light district. I bet they're there”, Cross pointed out, absentmindedly removing his jacket to reveal a simple white t-shirt beneath. Heller arched an eyebrow and stared in confusion, so the Specialist added simply “If you want to get lost, hide where people don't look too closely. That's either in some slum, or in a brothel. And in the latter you have at least running water and electricity.” The Specialist pointed at his army jacket then. “Take that off. We're trying to blend in.”

“I already got that”, Heller muttered, also removing his jacket and stuffing it into his bag. Not that he needed the reminder- he was only all too glad for a little ventilation. With New Marais being further south than Cairo in Egypt, the heat and humidity was stifling. “You know where exactly?”

“No, but that's what you are here for. You can sniff them out.” He turned to go. “Let's go.”

They eventually found 'Ville Cochon' at the central part of the city. It was probably the richest part of this place, with several expensive cars parked along the streets and all kinds of entertainment installed in this place, not just brothels and porn stores. Heller and Cross had avoided the tram and large streets, for there were entirely too many militia members patrolling the streets, and kept to the smaller side streets and alleys. Sometimes they climbed across roofs, and the Specialist managed to keep up with the Evolved, despite the steady heat, the oppressive humidity and the noticeable limp he showed when walking. Heller had asked when the older man had once sworn under his breath at one point, and learnt of the helicopter crash. So Cross had been nearby when Empire was blown to high Hell, which kind of explained the personal interest he had in stopping this big thing.

He also pointed out that personal injuries meant nothing to him and he kept going until he finished his mission. And that attitude made him a very scary person, in Heller's opinion. Not that he would ever admit it, though.

What annoyed him was the steadily growing headache that was clawing at the back of his skull. He blamed the humidity for it, though was fully aware that it wasn't the only reason. He figured there was something else at work, and judging from the soft static that was also starting to take a hold in his brain, he figured it were the remains of the Hive Mind.

And that meant they were getting closer.

Cross was glancing at the rooftops, until he motioned for one overlooking the park. “Up there”, he mouthed, even as they continued to stroll along the street. “Best position. Good defenses. High point.”

“Gotcha” They sidled down the street, only to quickly dive into an alley besides the building as soon they were out of view. A fire escape was attached to the wall- the ladder was pulled up, but that was quickly rectified once Heller had easily jumped on the lowest level and dropped it to allow Cross to climb up. They got to the roof quickly. Heller checked the area- a couch besides the roof exit, a couple of camping chairs placed around a fire pit, several coolers, a fridge, Christmas lights for decoration, fences.

And a fat man standing at the edge of the roof, peering down with a pair of binoculars. He had short cargo pants, shirt, vest, ridiculous sideburns, an even more ridiculous pair of sunglasses, an hair style reminding him of the Greaser motion- and a revolver in its holster. Not a threat though, not even to a rookie- he'd have no chance against The Specialist or an Evolved.

Cross cocked his head, then glanced at Heller. He lifted two fingers, pointing at the man, who still hadn't noticed them. Must be him , he motioned. Heller frowned, eyed the guy, then the Specialist. Who?

Informant. Was Cross's only answer. The Evolved furrowed his brows. Informant? What did he- Then he paused. Dana told them to meet them here. This was the best position in the entire area. This guy was watching the place, was armed.

A watchdog of their hideout, or sorts of at least? Not sure in how far this fat guy would even begin to register on the radar of men like Cross, though it appeared they had the correct address then.

Check it , Cross motioned again. Heller just nodded, lifting his head and taking a cursory sniff. He didn't like being treated as dog, but he couldn't deny that it was pretty handy most of the time. Unless he walked into a place doused with ammonium- which had happened once during his job and he ended up benched for the remainder of its course. In comparison, the faint scent of decay coupled with the ever-present whispering in his head growing stronger when around Mercer was more comfortable.

His brain started hurting, and his skin shivered briefly. “Oh yeah”, he muttered. “He's been here.”

“Good”, Cross cleared his throat just loud enough to draw attention, and the man whirled around, eyes blown wide. “Holy shit!” He yelped, then quickly tried to mask his panic. “Uh, we are supposed to be here, officer.”

Cross scoffed. “We aren't with the police”, he replied, folding his arms. “We're here for MacGrath and Mercer, and we don't have much time.”

The man gaped, then drew himself to his full height in an attempt to look intimidating. “Sorry man, never heard of those names.”

“No?” Heller snorted. “I find that a little hard to believe, since they've been on television not too long ago. Also”, he sniffed audibly and as mockingly as he could. “You're reeking of Mercer.”

The fat man was at loss for words for a moment, then forcefully cleared his throat. “Man, that's just my body spray. I might be overdoing it though-”

“Zeke, calm down. I called for them. Well, one of them anyways” Cross and Heller both turned slightly when the roof entrance slid open, revealing one exhausted-looking Dana Mercer with her arms full of snack bags. Her expression however quickly changed into a wide, if weary, smile, and she dropped the bags onto the couch before latching on Heller and hugging him with all her might. “Hey James” She glanced at the other. “Hey Cross. It's good to see you again.”

“I can guess”, the Specialist huffed out. “What happened?”

“A lot”, she replied and stepped back, shoving the snacks off the couch and into a cardboard box. “Thanks for getting here so soon. I can imagine it wasn't so easy with these hicks running around town.”

“We managed”, Heller shrugged. “Where are Mercer and MacGrath?”

“Still trekking through the city with that NSA chick. Some stuff came up and they had to look into it first.”

“NSA chick?” Cross arched his eyebrows. “How does the NSA play into this?”

“Beats me. But she was the reason we got out of Empire, so I'm going to give her that.”

“That's what we wanted to know, actually”, Heller folded his arms. “How did you get out?”

“Luck, mostly”, Dana waved him off. “But you know what? We'd rather wait for Alex and Cole to come back here. Then we can compare notes.”

“Yes please”, this Zeke person piped up. “You never told me you were expecting visitors. Who are they? Why do I get the feeling they're black ops military types?”

“Because we are”, Cross deadpanned. “I'm Blackwatch, he's my associate.”

The man jumped back, eyes blown wide. “Black- Holy Hell! You're the guys that tried to blow up Manhattan!”

“We are also the guys whose job it is to stop this giant flaming bastard from turning our state to ash”, the Specialist finished.

“That's why we need Mercer and MacGrath”, Heller added. “I'm sure you guys have some information on this thing. We think we have some too, so pooling them together might be the more intelligent choice.”

“Good idea, thought just the same”, Dana agreed. She dug through her pocket and pulled a rather beat-up looking phone and a small slip of paper from it. A telephone number, Heller noticed. Mercer's phone? Or MacGrath's?

It was the high pitch of a woman he could hear from the other end, though it was too faint for him to listen in. “Hey Kuo”, Dana greeted. Kuo? Possibly this NSA agent, especially considering she should be with the other two. “Yeah, so my contact just arrived. They got some information on the Beast, would you maybe get Alex and Cole to get here to the Smut Triangle? I think we may need to do some talking about how to proceed from here on.”

Chapter Text

Zeke always called the Warren 'Nightmare Central'. Cole felt inclined to agree, though in previous times he only found it unsettling.

Of course, after the Blast, after the criminals escaped from Eagle Point, after the Dustmen rose under Alden, the Warren became a lot more dangerous. He remembered the first panicky night he spent in this place, running around, trying not to get shot and attempting to get the electricity back online so the drawbridge could be repaired and he could finally leave the place.

But even after that the Warren always remained dark. Not only because of the slum construction, the giant industrial cranes or the prison complex, but also because of the memories. The Neon had always been to him his home, was the place he spent a lot of time in, and even fighting the Reapers had more of a fun brawling character. The Historic, while his girlfriend was murdered there, didn't contain so many bad memories. He got his abilities there, and he beat him there. The Warren was worse however, because he had no happy memories there. It had always been running, being shot at, Zeke betraying him , and Alden .

Now, a month after that, he still didn't like entering the Warren. Too much was in disrepair, and even though he and the others tried to tidy up, the Warren was stubbornly clinging to its image of a criminal slum. That was probably the reason it was like it was- put up one graffiti in a good neighborhood, and the social virtues collapse near instantly. Have people live in a shit heap, and they instantly become idiots- though that was actually unfair to think. There were actually a lot of good people here, but the sheer numbers of scumbags easily overshadowed them and made him feel like he was overstepping his boundaries.

However, the amount of people huddling in corners also offered a very good hiding place. Which was, in hindsight, the whole reason he was here.

Cole was on the hunt- for one of the most lethal beings in the world. He could take him. He was sure of it. The tricky part was finding him- the Warren was large and he was fast, and his internal radar only had a secure distance of two blocks or so- and was mostly aiming at electrical sources anyways. It did, however, give him the advantage of sussing him out- after all, his system was radically different from humans, so once he was close, he could tell him apart from others.

Something tickled at the back of his neck, and he instinctively released a singular electromagnetic impulse. It radiated away from him, bouncing off objects and stimulating electrical outlets of any kind to glow up briefly so he could map his surroundings and find sources of electricity for usage- or other organisms nearby.

And there was one , at the very edge of his range, that was not like any of the people he could sense- there was no fixed nervous system, no order or symmetry, just an endless amount of charges firing at random, appearing and disappearing.

He grinned. “Gotcha”

There was a crack , and the presence vanished. “Oh no, you won't!” Cole set after it, running as fast as he could on the cobblestone, but he knew that the other was way too fast for him to catch him. He grunted and latched onto a metal rainwater pipe, charged up briefly- and fired his own body off the ground as if the pipe was a rail-gun. The impulse carried him way over the roof too, so he was airborne for a few moments. Not willing to drop down, he generated his thrusters to hover across the building and land on the next roof in a roll to avoid losing his momentum. Then he was running again, launching himself over low walls and fences as he attempted to catch up with the figure ahead of him. He could see him- barely, but the black spot moving quickly and easily across the roofs far ahead of him was undoubtedly his target. Then the figure suddenly halted- and rocketed high into the sky.

Cole stopped abruptly, swearing- and dove to the side as his target simply changed his own trajectory and raced towards him . He briefly thought about using his energy pulse or kinetic shield to try and shove him backwards, but then he remembered that he was going way too fast and weighed entirely too much for him to stop him- or even throw him off course, so he could only roll to the side and hope for the best. He had learnt from the last time this had happened- shattered his arm, his shoulder and twisted his spine so he was utterly useless for the next four days. All because he underestimated just how much kinetic energy this guy was able to generate with those Bullet Dives of his. And because he kind of forgotten Newton's Laws. Stupid of him, really. Which was why he didn't even try this time.

The impact was tremendous, and the abandoned building's roof collapsed just beneath him. Cole hastily lunged to his feet and scrambled out of the way, but barely managed to avoid the human-shaped projectile shooting back upwards. Before the dust settled, the other was gone already and he was back to square one.

Still, he wasn't one to be thrown off so easily. He dashed across the roof and lunged off, hitting the railroad tracks and magnetized himself to grind along it. With his speed now remarkably higher, he quickly caught sight of his target again. Who had stopped and was obviously peering down at him. He didn't need to see to imagine the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Son of a... Cole lifted his hand and fired a single, high-voltage lightning bolt at the other. It was definitely too fast for him to react- but even though it struck him right in the middle of the chest, the effect was negligible- asides from him stumbling back from the force of impact, there wasn't much reaction. And then he was airborne again, and Cole swore because he just couldn't zap him as long he wasn't grounded. Stupid physics. He could maybe target the building behind him, use it as counter-pole, but putting him into an electric arc would be only effective if he was...like the size of a duck. And be way less dense than his one-ton-body currently was. But like that? Now anything he could think of would have even less effect than the direct hit had.

Instead, Cole raced up the closest building, hoping to get topside to catch him- but he was gone already. Again. Was probably halfway across the Warren already- if he could go a hundred miles per hour upwards a building, he would do so too to avoid him.

Or...His neck was still crawling, and he snapped his head upwards. He was high above him, lazily circling through the air- before he noticed he was watching. Then he just kicked off the air and changed his trajectory, shooting away from him. Cole grit his teeth and started to pursue, knowing fully well that he wouldn't stay up there indefinitely. But maybe he could...persuade him to come down?

He glanced up. No clouds to be seen, so his strongest option was out of question. No clouds, no lightning storm, simple as that. Plus he couldn't really summon thunder strikes when there were still civilians nearby, because the chance to fry them was too high.

And then he realized that this bastard knew this. He slowed down slightly when the thought set it. He came here to hunt him, yet he easily turned it upside-down and took away his advantages while keeping his own. He wondered whether he should actually continue this or give up and go home- when his target suddenly changed trajectory and dropped back towards him, one leg outstretched. Cole swore again, snapping his hand up and generating his energy shield. It wasn't a Bullet Dive, and it was way slower, so this time he would be able to stop the blow. Hopefully.

The impact was still powerful enough to rattle his frame and sent him backwards on his ass, while his shield shattered. Even though his shield was supposed to swallow kinetic energy, it could only stop bullets completely. Grenades already made him lose his footing when he wasn't careful, and having him slam into it not only shattered his shield from the sheer force of the impact, but also sent the energy travel through his body.

And despite everything, the drop kick was preferable over the Bullet Dive. Less speed, less force. He could catch that blow and get away with it.
Well, he did catch the blow and did not break anything, but he still lost his balance, while the other already flipped over his head, then crouched down and slammed his fists together, instantly displacing vast amounts of air in a powerful shockwave. Cole gasped and instantly rolled to the side, protecting his face and chest from the blow. Out of instinct, he gave off another radar pulse to avoid losing sight of his opponent- who immediately retreated and dropped back towards the street. The younger snarled and rolled back to his feet, rushing towards the edge of the roof- only to witness him grab and yank a derelict car off the floor and throw it towards him. While this projectile was just as heavy as he himself was, the greater size and slower speed meant he could easier bounce it back with his own electromagnetic pulse wave- which Cole did. But by then his target was already further down the street, though went slower than before.

Not because he was tired, but because he was taunting him. And he should really know better than to fall for it, but it made his blood boil. More anticipation than anything, because it told him he wouldn't need to hold back. Not when his foe could actually take it . It made him...giddy? Maybe.

He had to get him first, so he dashed along the roof and leapt back downwards to the train tracks. He could catch up to him in that way, especially considering the fact he kept running along the tracks himself. He was toying with him, luring him- where to? He should probably figure out where they were going before this ended with him regretting it, but then again, if there were no people around, he could really let go.

Him too, but that was besides the point. Mostly. Cole hoped he wasn't wrong about that. He caught up again, but only because he let him, and tried to aim another lighting bolt at him- but he instantly dropped down and quickly ducked behind a parked car. Cole lowered his hand with a growl and leapt off the tracks to try and take him up close. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't avoid the lightning bolt in itself- but he could avoid being aimed at. And he used the very nature of electricity against him- technically he should have full control over it, but there were some rules he couldn't work around. Like no aiming at a target that wasn't grounded, no way to fry someone standing behind a chain-link fence, no thunderbolting people who were sitting inside or besides a car. And that forced him to get close up and personal.

And close up and personal was probably a very bad idea.

But- when he rounded the car, he was gone . Cole paused, frowning- and noticed the manhole cover that was sitting askew. If that wasn't an invitation, then he didn't know what it could be. So he pried it open, gagging briefly at the scent of sewage, because he had forgotten what it was like since he hadn't been down there for quite a while, and jumped in.

And regretted it immediately. Because down here, with all the metal and electrical cables, his radar wasn't working really well. His other senses were practically useless down here too- it was too dark to see anything. Of course, he had his lightning bouncing off his skin to illuminate the area, but that was almost literally just a drop on a hot stone. Hearing was out of question too, because of the sewage softly gurgling beneath and the pumps located somewhere , he wouldn't hear someone sneaking up on him. It wasn't an invitation- it was a trap . He should get out and try it differently-

The catwalk he was on buckled , and he instantly leapt to the front and towards the closest solid surface when something ripped the floor he'd been on apart. Something black, made of tentacles and spikes. It was about then when he realized that the entire time, he wasn't the hunter- he was the hunted. Had been ever since he entered the Warren, had been watched by him - and he had lured him right into the area where he was more or less helpless.

Shit

An exit, he needed an exit. Needed space . Room to maneuver. Cole lunged across fragile-looking pipes, swung across catwalks- while the sound of slithering tentacles was right behind him. He risked a glance backwards, but couldn't see much since the darkness was even deeper with him being surrounded by his electrical charged aura. But there was something at the edge of his vision- and he lunged to the side barely in time to avoid a barbed tentacle rushing through the space his head had occupied just a few moments before. Cole fired a ball lightning in retaliation, watching how it illuminated his form for a split second before it simply bounced off his chest and sizzled out in the sewage beneath.

Joy . He had the armor on. And armor meant a much higher defense to the point his lightning wouldn't do shit to him. Not that it interested him much before, but like that he was even tougher. The only advantage Cole had was that the armor slowed him down greatly. No jumping eleven stories, but only two; no running at a hundred miles, but only at forty; no flying. It wasn't ideal for him, but it was better.

However, that thought was dashed pretty quickly when he realized that he also worked around his own disadvantage by using his whip-like claw for speed and distance. And while it was lacking armor in itself, it was too fast for him to notice in time. Which meant he could only wait until the last second to dodge. It worked well enough, given that he could move really fast for a brief moment- it wasn't anywhere on near-teleportation level like he'd already witnessed in the past, but it was in any ways faster than humans usually had a right to. Was faster than him , too. At least as long he was wearing his armor.

But Cole wasn't going to waste time down here. He tried to head left, into a smaller side tunnel, but the whip claw slammed into the wall in front of him, forcing him to roll to the side and leap upwards, snatching one of the cranes that had been installed in the main tunnel. Using his own momentum, he swung himself across a larger pit and hit the ground on the other side running, intent to get some more distance between themselves- when he heard the tell-tale crack of his target jumping off himself. Cole just barely managed to avoid the earth-shattering blow that accompanied his landing, fired blindly several high-power ball lightnings at his foe and screwed his body upwards again, this time landing on a narrow pipe suspended from the ceiling. He kicked off and activated his electromagnetic powers to shoot himself along the pipe, using it, much like he had utilized the rainwater drain before, like he was the projectile on a rail-gun. That gave him a powerful burst of speed and left his pursuer behind. The armor was too heavy for speedy chases, and he could actually escape him- but he didn't want to flee. He just needed a better position. And down here, that much he knew, he was blind.

Just had to get out, then he would have distance to use.

The pipe under his feet started to tremble, and that had nothing to do with his weight- he wrenched his head back, firing another lightning bolt backwards to illuminate the tunnel- and swore softly under his breath when he realized that his target was currently in the process of running along the ceiling of the tunnel- and catching up. God damn it, he always thought the armor would slow him down more.

Cole grit his teeth together and forced his attention back to the front, noticing the tunnel splitting just in front of him. He threw a glance back- and sped up to catapult himself off the end of the pipe he was on. In the same moment, he heard him jump off and he heard the sharp whistle of air brushing past his armor- and instantly released a shockwave from his body. This attack served two purposes- first it actually got him to back off, and second it changed his own trajectory roughly so he slammed into the right side of the intersection, while his foe ended up on the left side. Cole didn't waste any time, fired another few shockwaves at his opponent to keep him off balance- and instantly dashed down his side of the tunnel himself. He'd seen a ladder just a few yards further down, and he hoped he would make it. He felt the back of his neck bristle and just managed to flop down, barely avoiding the barbed tentacle soaring over his head, so it hit the opposite wall and burried itself into the concrete, ripping a piece of rebar free in the process. Cole went for it immediately, grabbed it hard and jabbed it with full force into the braided flesh, following up with a powerful lightning bolt right into it. The law of physics demanded that the charge was going to ground itself out through the claw- being the shorter distance than his body- but that was exactly what he needed. While his foe wasn't human, he was working human enough, so his muscles were still affected by electricity as much as the next person would be.

And that meant he wouldn't be able to use the whip for the next few seconds, either too busy trying to get it to unlatch from the wall, or too busy to try and make it stop hurting. Or he would just chop it off and grow a new one.

He hoped he wouldn't go for that option though, as he rushed towards the ladder, fired a single shock wave straight upwards to pop the cover off and darted up the rungs before the metal lid came back down. He more or less leapt out of the manhole like a bat out of Hell, and just threw a glance back. His target- having closed the distance towards the ladder- had stopped suddenly, staring upwards. Then he turned and dashed back into the dark.

Cole wondered what that was about, when he heard a rough voice behind him. “This is a military zone, sir , and I must request that you leave.” He blinked at the man- nearly a full head taller than him- and it took some time to place the black uniform he was wearing. Blackwatch

So that was why he refused to get out of the sewer here. He wasn't afraid of them, but he also didn't want to give them excuse to shoot at him- which Cole just did. Blackwatch glared at him, unwilling to do just so however- mostly because they had no real reason to shoot him, who wasn't on their target list anyways. But Blackwatch was scary, and he had no desire to piss them off. It didn't matter whether he was able to control lightning or not, whether he could take out a bunch of armed opponents- if they wanted him dead he would be. Even he always had troubles with them, and he was easily a lot stronger than him. Getting in the wrong books with Blackwatch- Nope, not gonna happen.

So he just excused himself and hurried towards the exit gate, quickly running down the street to get as much distance between himself and the compound as he could.

Cole didn't get much further than three blocks, was just running along a derelict building lot, when the ground underneath exploded in a shower of stone and giant black spikes. Before he could react, he was upon him. Cole ducked to the side and slammed his leg scythe-like into his knees, hoping that it would give.
Well, it gave alright- his own leg. He was pretty sure he pulled something there, because he couldn't really put weight on it anymore. He should, probably, because he could sense electric charges starting to gather around his opponent's arms and shoulders- and he dove to the side moments before the armored limbs turned into giant lethal claws.

Cole immediately fired lightning bolts from both hands, hoping to hit something vital- and could only watch in defeat how the charge harmlessly glanced off the shell and grounded itself through the floor. His foe lunged at him again, ultimately unbothered by the attack, and he ducked under a swing and managed to roll over his shoulder and get out of the immediate surrounding, but as he did, he caught sight of his opponent's back.

There, just beneath his shoulder blades were two narrow openings. They didn't look like damage, nor did they look like the edges of plates. And when they flared briefly when he whipped around for another swing, Cole was pretty sure he knew what they were.

Which finally gave him a target to try and crack the otherwise flawless armor. He just hoped it would do something , because he was out of ideas. So he ducked underneath another wide but extremely fast swipe, and focused on releasing electricity across his surface in the form of a crackling lightning cloak. The other hesitated briefly, and Cole took his chance, tackling bodily into the armored form with every ounce of strength he could muster. Not that he even budged, but it did take him by surprise- and gave him a few more moments to work with. He grit his teeth and jabbed his thumbs into the gaps along his back, unleashing several charges straight through his body- circumventing the need for grounding by offering himself as either pole needed for the power to work.

And this time his target did react- without his armor acting as resistance, his insides were finally introduced to the same powers that had dropped countless men already. His body clenched, claws snapping together with a sharp click and the tendrils constituting both his arms started thrashing wildly. Some bit into Cole's face, ripping into his skin sharply, but he refused to let go, instead ducking further into the other's chest and trying to force him into submission.

Or, that had been the plan, because the next moment a pair of giant claws grabbed his shoulders hard . Enough so he actually heard his bones creak- and that was all the warning he got before his foe swung him upwards and slammed him into the ground with so much force, the floor shattered and all breath left Cole's lungs in a single heave.

He wasn't beaten, though, because the next moment he seized both talons and tried prying them off, while also trying to get back to his feet. He made good process, managing to get them loose so his shoulders no longer felt like they would crack and he even got about three inches off the floor, but then a cinder block knee dropped on his chest, making his ribs scream in protest when the full weight of easily a ton or two started to settle on him and constrict his lungs.

He growled and tried to wriggle free, but the guy was just unmoving, head tilted into his direction. Cole imagined he was grinning at him, was laughing about his attempts to get him off, but found himself unable to actually do so. Frustrated, he dropped his head against the floor, tapping the knee on his torso several times.

“Okay Alex, you win. Now move your ass off me.”

Alex pondered for a moment. “Hm”, he said slowly. “I don't think I've heard a 'please' there.”

The man beneath him hissed, and tried shoving him off. He was strong- strong enough to lift easily two to three tons, but that required a good position to lift and a grip on whatever he tried to lift. Pinned beneath his knee with his hands wrapped around his wrists didn't offer either.

Cole realized it and ceased his struggling, huffing out in defeat. “C'mon man. You're crushing me here. I don't know if you've realized, but I kind of need my chest to expand to breathe.” Oh, he knew that better than anybody else. He had so many voices in his head, so many information about every part of life. He had so much experience in killing , he knew exactly how easy people broke. Even superhumans like Cole. So he relented, fluidly slipping to his feet and pulling the claws back. The Conduit grumbled under his breath and carefully sat up, rubbing his leg- the one he had tried to kick him with.

“You should know by now that this had been a really idiotic idea”, Alex felt compiled to point out. “Didn't you break both your legs last time?”

“It was only one”, Cole corrected. “And alone the fact that I just pulled something instead of breaking, means I am already stronger.” He sounded so proud of the fact, but Alex only cocked his head.

“Well, you're certainly tougher. But do you think it will be enough?”

The look of pride turned into one of confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think you can take an enemy down just because you're tougher than them?”

Cole blinked, a frown forming on his face. “I always thought that was how you did that shit back in Manhattan?”

Alex barked a short laughter. “That's where you're mistaken. Sure, me surviving stuff when others didn't gave me an edge, but that had never been everything . When it came to doing some real damage, I employed tricks . No use fighting them open, when I got a whole skill set dedicated to sneaking .” After Cross, he had stopped charging into battles blindly- first he had tried to figure shit out before he went overt. Had to, because the parasite had restricted him back then.
“Strength and endurance isn't anything. Think of Sasha, or Alden. Neither of them would have had a chance through force alone, David tried, and we put him down fast. But the other two managed to go strong for weeks , and that was because they knew how to use their powers. Kessler went for even longer. In contrary, what you do, is basically flailing your arms and hoping you hit someone. Most of the time it works, but only because it takes your foes by surprise, instead of you dominating them through ability .”

Cole was silent, brows knitted together- but he wasn't upset by his blatant disregard for his abilities. “What do you mean?” He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. “What did Kessler know?” Ah, there it was. Of course he would ask- Kessler was him , after all, from a different future. And despite knowing that Cole hated Kessler, he wasn't so blind as to ignore the possibilities he offered.

“It's not much, I'm afraid”, Alex gave back. “You see, before he went back in time he never really had time to figure out about his powers. After that...” He shrugged. “He only kept running into walls when he tried to explain just how they worked.” Kessler, while smart, was only one man. He had attempted to ask his Alex, back when his Alex was still alive, but obviously, they never managed to figure it out. He frowned at the younger sitting on the floor. “He...well he figured out that there was something fundamentally wrong with his powers. Like”, he thought for a moment about how to word it. “Frankly, you're giving off too much energy.”

“The law of energy conservation”, Cole noticed, head cocked to the side. “I shouldn't have that kind of power I pull out of my ass. Energy can't come from nothing, and I'm not eating any more than I did before- if anything, I'm eating even less.” Just to gain nutrients, but the energy his metabolism required he got from the electricity he absorbed. Alex had noticed that already, and found himself wondering whether he could imitate it. It would make a lot of things easier on his side.

“A keen observation.”

“Hey, I didn't go to college for nothing.” He fell silent again. “You have any idea? Did he have any idea?”

“He always assumed that conduits were powered by a different source.” Alex grimaced briefly. “What I mean to say, what I think is he assumed that you basically draw energy from... something like a parallel universe, maybe the quantum space or the like.” He shook himself. “Bah, it's too much comic physics for me, but frankly, it is the only explanation that somehow makes sense- and it doesn't make sense when you try and think logically about it.”

“Says the virus walking around in a people suit.” Cole was grinning up at him, and Alex snorted. Dana usually said similar things.

“I am different”, he pointed out. “If you want, you can compare me to a man 'o war jellyfish. Not a singular organism, but many acting together as one.”

Cole frowned at him. “Just that you know, I'm never going to think of you as a jellyfish”, he said seriously. “Not when all I can think of is Mike Mignola .”

“Dana said the same.”

“See? Then there has to be truth in that!” He searched through his bag and found a plastic bottle of water, so he could take a long drag.

“Good trick there”, Alex said after a moment.

“Where?” Cole asked in confusion.

“When you attacked me before I put you on your ass.” He inclined his head curiously. “How did you know that this would have any effect?”

Cole shrugged and climbed to his feet, rolling his shoulders. Then he tapped the plate that constituted Alex's face at the moment. “You don't got a nose or mouth in that form, but you can still talk and since your muscles still work like in humans, with oxygen and everything...” He waved his hand vaguely. “Figured you still breathe. Just not through the face.”
Technically, Alex didn't need to breathe, the virus was perfectly capable of motion and metabolism in a completely anaerobic way- but he had quickly learnt after his first experimentation once he figured it out that converting oxygen allowed for a much faster reaction time and movement speed, plus he didn't need to recycle rather toxic side products then.

To achieve this, he usually breathed through his surface, really inhaling only when speaking, but when clad in his impenetrable armor, he needed to approach it differently. He involuntarily attempted to glance back to look at the openings beneath his shoulders, though wouldn't be able to see them either way. “I always wondered whether someone would eventually figure that weakness out.”

“So I did punch you in the gills”, Cole winced. “Ah, sorry about that.”

The Runner shrugged. “I had worse.” He paused and quickly added: “I mean I know that you know I can take it. So no harm done. Besides, you have to learn to react to an opponent's weakness without having to think about it, right?” The truth was, he didn't mind, mostly because electricity barely affected him. Sure, it caused his muscles to clench and it felt like burning, but he didn't lose biomass most of the time and since he didn't have a nervous system or vital organs, an electrical shock was more annoying than actually harmful.

Hell, even being torched with a lightning bolt that had a few million volts and at a few ten thousand degrees barely registered, mostly because despite the extreme heat a lightning bolt put out, it was much too short to actually harm him- much to short to even burn anything asides from really dry grass or leaves- and he already survived thermobaric shells which burnt less hot, but a lot more consistent. The charge in itself usually didn't interest him much, didn't have an effect on most humans anyways. Skin, sweat or rain already formed a near impenetrable barrier over the body, and Alex's armor included additional metal, so most charges just ran over his surface harmlessly, leaving him unharmed.

Now, a taser in comparison- those he didn't like. Mostly because it reminded him of his battle with Cross, of the parasite he'd been infected with afterwards. And also, a taser actually introduced the charge exactly where it was needed to do harm- Not on the outside, but rather on the inside of a body. Right where vital organs were. Back then, when he believed himself human, it had actually stopped him. Now, like many other things, it was only a brief interruption- one of the reasons he wasn't mad at Cole for utilizing his abilities in a taser-like way (he was actually proud of that one, but he was never going to tell him that).

“Why did you hesitate?” Cole's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he tilted his head into his direction. “When I charged you. You hesitated- if you hadn't, you could have stopped me from zapping you.”

Alex sighed, the sound strangled through the plate his face was. “I didn't want to hurt you”, he said. “I know, I know. You always say you can take it. But you don't realize how fragile you are.”

Cole arched his eyebrows. “Fragile? Me? C'mon, you know I can take high-speed bullets to the face, I survive falls from any height, I bounce back from any sort of damage, really-”

“Not every type. Not the type of damage I survive. Not the type of damage I can put out, certainly.” He pointed at him, or more specifically, the scar on his face he had since Alden's tower collapsed on him. “You are tough, you heal fast, but too much damage will hurt you, cripple or worse. Fall from a high point and not stick to the landing, and you'll be out of commission for a while.” He had seen it before, when Cole voluntarily slammed into the streets from a high drop at extreme speeds, trying to catch Trish. He hadn't managed to absorb the impact force like he usually did, since he didn't land on his feet, had broken a few ribs instead and ended with a concussion and a torn lung- all of those cleared up quickly enough, but it had demonstrated the limits of his body.

“Lack of water and nutrients can harm you as well, just as a lack of oxygen.” He watched the conduit. “And what else? Blood loss could possibly kill you, just as extreme temperatures. Me? I wouldn't even have to try hard to hurt you, much less rip you to pieces.”

“And...” Cole didn't seem to follow, until it seemingly clicked and his eyes turned sharp. “The lightning cloak”, he noticed. “When I had it up- you stopped moving?”

“Because I couldn't really see you”, was his answer. He gestured to the flat plane of his mask and the gentle dips along the lower half of it, and more noticeable, the total lack of eyes. “I can't smell as long I'm wearing the armor and I don't see in the sense of the word when in this form- I can only recognize sound, heat, movement and the virus in itself. You stop moving, or you cloak your body with a higher temperature, I can't see your form very well anymore.” Usually in battle, it wasn't so bad. Whoever was nearby didn't matter, since he made it a habit to never fight in teams. But when he was trying to not hurt whoever he was fighting too badly, then he hesitated when his opponent's form blurred out of focus. Too large the chance to accidentally injure them beyond repair.

Cole grimaced again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yikes”, he said simply. “You know, I don't like it when people tell me I'm fragile. You do it, and it always sounds like a threat- even though I know you mean well by that.”

“Dana said something like that too”, Alex pointed out helpfully, now finally removing his armor and his world was filled with sights and colors again. He never noticed how much he missed it when he shifted, nor did he ever notice how much he actually lost each time the shell came up. He definitely should work on that, along with the obvious weak point that were his air 'gills', as Cole put it.

The younger was just in the process of shaking his sore leg, bounced on his heels twice, and craned his neck around. “You got a time?”

“Ten before eleven”

Cole shrugged. “Sounds like a good time to turn in, don't you think?”

Alex didn't have need for sleep, so he just shrugged. “Guess so.” He frowned briefly. “Didn't you have a form of meeting tomorrow?”

“Zeke's been blabbing again?”

“Yes.”

Cole sighed. “Lucy Kuo”

“NSA. Moya knew of her”, Alex replied, more to himself than the other, actually. A habit that had formed when he and Dana tried to break the conspiracy in Manhattan. It helped him gather his thoughts when he focused them, but also made others question just how he knew. Luckily, Cole knew already. “She thought she was a threat.”

“When Moya thought so, then this agent could be a lead.” He agreed in his mind, Moya was pure poison. Anything she viewed as threat could actually be helpful. Cole stretched his arms over his head, popping in his joints. “Anyways, she contacted me.”

“Oh?”

“Said that maybe she could help. I think you'd want to meet her too.”

Alex shrugged. The NSA wasn't high on his list of threats, and he was curious about this agent. “I'll be there.”

It was around noon when they returned to Archer Square. To Cole this was the place where he first realized his own potential and began to take back the city. Alex felt similar about Penn Station and Gentek actually, but he wasn't one for nostalgia. Neither was the NSA obviously, because to them it counted that the Square was a wide open spot right in the middle of the Neon, close to the main land and close to Cole's current living space- the same he shared with his friend Dunbar and the Mercer siblings now. Well, Dana mostly, Alex had little use for a room to sleep in, or comfortable couches since he didn't sleep at all. So he usually spent the nights nearby, sometimes inside to check up on research they've done. But he would, without fail, return in the morning hours to wait for them to wake up and spend time with them while they had breakfast. He had started with this habit when it were just him and Dana, and he gladly extended it to Cole, and Dunbar by proxy.

“Man! I'm just sayin'!” Dunbar wailed as the four of them were heading over to Archer Square, “The last time you trusted the government, Moya turned you into her puppet Cole! You shouldn't trust this NSA chick!”

“Zeke”, Cole replied exasperated, since this wasn't the first time they had this argument. “For the last time, I am not the same naive guy I've been before, okay? I know I was an idiot to trust Moya, but if there's any chance that this Lucy Kuo has access to a legit way to stop the Beast, then I'm willing to hear her out.”

“She's probably Moya 2.0!” Dunbar whined, trying to stop his friend from going by latching on his wrist and digging his heels into the ground.

Alex only rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the back of his collar, plucking him off the floor like he was a little kitten. Dunbar squeaked and turned his wide startled eyes on him.

“She can't be that bad”, Dana reminded the man. “After all, Moya saw her as threat to her agendas. And as we know, her agendas were to brainwash Cole here and use him to subdue whoever she pointed him at. So when somebody she doesn't like turns up and asks whether we want to listen, I'm pretty sure we should at least do that.” She flicked his nose with a grin. “Plus we got Alex here. Don't you think she would be really stupid should she try anything with him here?”

“Dana got a point there”, Cole added, then slapped Alex's shoulder. “C'mon man. Drop him. You'll wear out his collar.” Alex was about to, when he paused and turned his head, squinting at the sky. “Cole?” He asked, “Is there a reason why this woman wanted to meet here, and not at the bridge? Or at Harms' place?”

The Conduit furrowed his brows. “Uh, no. She just said she wanted to meet. Here. No idea why.”

“I guess because it's a wide open space with no power chords for a chopper to tangle in”, Dana deadpanned, pointing at the shape just appearing above. A helicopter. Alex scowled slightly, eyes narrowing when it came closer. He had gotten a good hold of his instincts after all those years, but the unannounced presence of unmarked dark helicopters still managed to press all his buttons and got him worked up, usually over nothing. But being shot at with Hellfire missiles at being half an hour old with no memories whatsoever was the kind of experience that could trigger extreme bouts of violence from him.

But this chopper wasn't Blackwatch, and his tension bled away into careful curiosity.

Unmarked, but military. Supply chopper, he noticed a moment later- not unusual, but it did explain his sudden aggression towards it. Supply choppers usually didn't fly over the city, but rather remained near the coast to drop their goods off.

From the looks of it, the detour wasn't by accident. And that suspicion proved to be correct when the side hatch was slid open as soon as the vehicle started to hover just next to the decorative statue. A grappling line was dropped out, followed by a single figure sliding down the wire with the same sort of professionalism he usually only knew from Blackwatch.

But the person there was no Blackwatch. She was smaller, thinner, with a duffel bag across her shoulder, wearing a simple black suit and a white shirt as she descended towards the ground and just dropped the last foot where the line didn't reach, landing in a slight crouch despite the heels she was wearing.

Unfazed, she tucked a stray lock behind her ear and approached them while the chopper pulled away. When she opened her mouth, Alex half expected the sharp bark of a military drill sergeant, not a friendly “Hi, you must be Cole.”

The man in question was still stunned, as were Dunbar and Dana, and the woman let them collect themselves- her eyes lingered on him though, and narrowed by a fraction. They immediately snapped to Cole's face however, as soon as he cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. You must be Agent Kuo?”

“We spoke a few times already”, she pointed out, still a smile on her face. Unlike with Moya, Alex also had the feeling that this was genuine.

“Sorry, it's just-” Cole trailed off with a vague wave of his hand. Dana cut in to save him. “Sorry, but we were expecting a military cordon, or maybe a car. Not a chopper.”

Agent Kuo arched her eyebrows. “Going in across the bridge would have required mountains of paper to be filled out, and I seriously don't have the time, Ms. Mercer, correct?”

“So you hijacked a military flight”, Alex grit out, watching her carefully. Her eyes turned guarded, but other than that, she didn't flinch or react in any other way, even managed to keep her pulse under control. “What could be so important that the NSA interferes like that?”

“Ah, Doctor Mercer”, her voice had become more frigid, but not so much that it masked the friendliness or the slight tremor that accompanied it. Alex bared his teeth. “Don't call me that”, he bit out, actually making her jump. Dana grabbed his arm warningly, so he immediately added. “Just Mercer.”

Agent Kuo furrowed her brows. “Well, okay then, Mr. Mercer. Just so we are clear on this, I am here to offer assistance. I have heard what Jones did to you, and I know what you did to her in retaliation. I do not want to get into a conflict with you or Mr. MacGrath.” At least she was honest about that, so Alex just nodded briefly, watched how her shoulders lost some of the tension.

“Help, you said you wanted to help me”, Cole picked up. “When you last called you also mentioned the 'Beast'.” He inclined his head, and the others became more attentive at the mentioning of the name. “Where do you have this name from anyways?”

“I was appointed to work with a doctor”, Agent Kuo pointed out. “An expert in the field of electromagnetic waves. He was also an acquaintance of a man called Kessler, used to-”

“Work with him when Kessler spent several years in New Marais”, Alex finished, eyes distant. “Sebastian Wolfe.” He considered him a friend. Well, Kessler did- Alex himself had never met the man, but he had consumed Kessler, knew everything he knew. He eyed Kuo. “They've finished the Ray Sphere in New Marais, until it apparently went off a few years prior. They split and Kessler came back here.”

“How do you know that?” Agent Kuo asked suspiciously, while Dunbar threw in “The Ray Sphere went off? How come we never heard of this?”

Alex glanced at him. “It was never in the news. The Ray Sphere explosion in New Marais, it had happened in the swamps surrounding the city. No victims, far I know.” He turned back to the woman. “As for the information- I got them directly from Kessler himself.” He didn't elaborate. What he did with his victims was only known at Blackwatch, and even amongst them only few actually knew that he could take their memories. He intended to keep it that way.

“That guy knew about the Ray Sphere?” Cole sounded interested.

“Cole, you don't really think-” Dunbar started, but was cut off by his friend. “After I destroyed it, Kessler suggested that I would have gained more power should I have activated it.” He eyed the agent. “If this doctor Wolfe knows how a Ray Sphere works, then perhaps-”

“Then perhaps he has a weapon you can use against the Beast”, agent Kuo answered. “According to Wolfe, this was something Kessler began- it was supposed to help against an entity he called 'The Beast', and he always told me how much Kessler actually feared this thing, too much to be actual paranoia. So Wolfe continued working on it after Kessler left.” She handed him a file folder, which he flipped open. Alex, Dana and Dunbar all peered inside too. There were schematics of the Ray Sphere, pictures of the object and Doctor Wolfe (who could be a slimmer version of Ragland, Dana said), and data about an object called 'R.F.I.'

Cole frowned at the agent, then turned to Alex. “This looks legit to you?”

The Runner simply nodded. This was legit, way more. The woman was saying the truth. Cole exhaled and handed the folder back. “Okay, so you got me. What part must I play?”

“You simply come with me to New Marais. We meet with Doctor Wolfe. He will tell you how to amplify your powers, and you can come back here.”

“To beat the Beast”, Cole frowned. “Why does this interest the NSA?”

“We are the 'National Security Agency'. It is our job to make sure such threats are taken seriously.” The woman inclined her head. “So we have a deal?”

“You got it, Agent Kuo.”

Chapter Text

After years of traveling around nearly non-stop, Dana was exercised in packing everything they owned together even without Alex's help. Not that he didn't offer to do it for her, but she declined, saying she wouldn't need any assistance with a laptop plus equipment, some clothes and toiletries. In truth, they never owned much, not before Manhattan, and certainly not after that.

“What am I supposed to do then?” Alex demanded to know, feeling a little useless just standing in the room.

“Check up on Jane Bond”, Dana decided without even stopping while she was stuffing a hoodie into her bag. “I'm not sure I trust her, so could you please keep an eye on her?” She paused and grimaced. “Non-lethal.”

Alex considered it. That was about as good as any other idea, and while he doubted that the woman could do anything to harm him, it would put Dana's mind to rest. So when he about to leave the apartment, while Dana continued to cram whatever they owned into a hiking backpack, he stopped and turned back. “Dress lightly”, he told her. “Even if we don't trust this woman, Wolfe is a solid lead- both Kessler and Moya knew it. But he's in New Marais, and that place is hot and humid.”

She glanced at him, already holding a black shirt up between her fingers. “Like Miami then?”

“Only with less criminals and more frat boys.”

Dana chuckled lightly and he finally left. The next moment, he was already scouting the city. Empire was large- ten million people- and despite being fast, it took him until evening until he finally picked up her trail again.
...Come to think of it, it was probably because he was going so fast that he needed until evening to pick up her trail again. He didn't have much time to get acquainted anyways, so it was guesswork most of the time. But then he caught sight of her dark suit and sharp step just near the piers and latched onto her heels with exactly the same focus he had displayed in the past, when hunting for information.

He watched her silently how she began asking around at the docks and was just thinking about how to approach her when he realized that the direct confrontation would work just fine. The people didn't think him to be a Runner- he was a Conduit to them. One that had been activated at the worst possible moment ever- right in the middle of an infectious outbreak- but who was still a Conduit. And that gave him room to maneuver. He didn't have to hide because the public believed he was something that could be categorized. The only ones who knew the truth were Blackwatch- and they wouldn't tell a soul about it unless they wanted to reveal that it was them who created the virus in the first place. They didn't tell the Marines, after all, and they worked closest with them. Why should they tell anybody outside?

And White, being a NSA agent himself, hadn't known exactly what Alex was either, so the chance was high his co-worker was just as unknowing beyond the normal 'alleged terrorist' and 'user of nightmarish powers'.

He would try playing it from that angle. Figure out what the woman knew. Watch her closely. Learn about her.
It came to his realization, that in the past, he would have just attacked and consumed her, would have learnt what she knew. This was however In the past, this was the old him. The one so desperate for answers that he didn't care for anyone other than himself. Who had done one mistake after the other, and barely got what he wanted in the end. And hunting down people had never actually put him into any better position from the first moment on- it just revealed too much of his powers- and it gave his foes a point to pry from.

And it put him into a compromising situation. A monster that killed and ate humans without leaving a trace wasn't something that could be redeemed. Wasn't something that could be trusted. He knew that was all true, knew that this was all he was , but he craved to be more .

So he was going to ask, like any other civilized person. Try to be different, try to appear non-threatening, keep his more devastating abilities under cover.

If she was lying or going to lie- and he knew perfectly well he would know instantly- then he could still go for consuming her. She hadn't been around them for too long anyways, was just another governmental agent like Moya and White , so it wouldn't have too much of an impact if she was gone . Moya deserved it in the end, White was mourned only a little, but had no further impact in their lives. This agent Kuo wasn't much more, and Alex wouldn't regret removing possible threats if he deemed it necessary.

For now though- diplomacy . Alex exhaled once and simply stepped off the roof he was currently on, hitting the street four stories below with a solid crack . Predictably, the woman spun around, gun already drawn and pointed at him as he peeled himself out of the dirt cloud and casually dusted himself off. Instead of shooting however, what Blackwatch and most Marines would have done already, she just arched an eyebrow and lowered her weapon by a few inches. “Mr. Mercer”, she said, “Are you following me?”

“Was. Past tense”, Alex replied simply.

The agent furrowed her brows, until she seemed to realize that he had, in fact, followed her around the city. “How long?” She demanded to know, though there was a cautious tone in her voice.

“Since you've walked out of Bruce's Pier.” Now they were at Fisherman's Wharf and on the way back. Was at least four blocks down the street.

The woman holstered her weapon and glanced back, then hummed thoughtful. “You're good”, she admitted. “I didn't notice you.”

“I didn't plan to get noticed”, he had perfected it. Most of his victims never knew he was there. He turned his attention towards the various ships, lips curling in amusement. “You're trying to find a way out of here”, he said simply. “Not legally, because then you would be at the bridge. But you're not going to take the chopper you've come in with.” He inclined his head, glancing at her. “Because you're not here officially.”

Her shoulders tensed, and her expression became more defiant- for a short moment before it collapsed into defeat. “Damn, was it that obvious?”

Alex shrugged. “Not enough suits around here”, he pointed out helpfully. “If this was an official NSA action, then there would be a lot more men in black, and you wouldn't be asking...” He squinted at the boat in the distance, the one she just came back from, “...Cap'n Quinn for smuggling us out of Empire.” He knew the man was making constant tours in and out of the place, taking as many people out of the city as wanted- and paid for. Sure, Quinn wasn't greedy or wanted obscene amounts of cash, but he didn't do shit for free. But once he was paid, he saw through to the end. Was willing to break through the supposed quarantine of Empire, even though this thing already was a joke to begin with.

“Are you complaining?”

“I want to know what you get out of it”, he wanted to know. I want to know what you want, he added inside his head.

“I'm doing my job. I try to make the world secure. The Beast is coming”, the woman replied simply. Alex only arched his eyebrow, so she continued. “I know it sounds lunatic, but Doctor Wolfe was so certain it'll arrive, I had to take him serious- whether my superiors think so too or not doesn't matter.” She glared at him defiantly. “And I don't care whether you think it to be idiotic.”

“I don't”, he answered. “I'm just surprised somebody else outside of Kessler, Cole and myself takes this threat serious.” Dana did too, but like Dunbar, she wasn't certain that this thing would actually arrive. After all, time had been changed so the event that caused Kessler to go back and try to stop it didn't necessarily have to happen.

However, even if the Beast wouldn't arrive, meeting with Sebastian Wolfe, the brilliant mind behind the completion of the Ray Sphere, would probably boost Cole's abilities. There were many things Kessler didn't know or just suspected about the very nature of the Sphere. Wolfe knew more about it. Would know more about it, had learnt more since Kessler and he split.

Alex knew this. Knew this from Kessler's point of view. This was the only reason he didn't veto the idea when agent Kuo turned up. Actually, he already wanted to visit Wolfe, but always figured that they'd have time still. Though with that woman here, they could very well start now.

“Why are you that invested in Cole?” He asked instead.

“It's not Cole directly”, she replied simply. “It's this whole thing. We had an agent in Kessler's organization, one that forwarded us plans of this Ray Sphere, dates and files about the First Sons. They were a cult, one extremely dedicated- of course we had to make sure they weren't a threat.” She grimaced. “But when our agent signaled us that things were going south, my superiors didn't react in time. And then the Sphere exploded, took out five blocks downtown- and the quarantine went up. We lost contact with our agent-”

“So you also came here to look for him, asides from Cole”, Alex finished.

“Yes. His last report was he tried to stop the Ray Sphere from getting away, tried to stop the courier who carried it- then the explosion happened. My superiors believe he was a casualty of the blast, but-”

“He survived the blast”, Alex informed her simply. “Managed to get the Ray Sphere and keep it in his possession for some time until a group known as Dustmen took it off him. Cole found the Dead Drops he left behind.” He paused, glancing at her. The agent was attentive, eyebrows furrowed. “Cole and I met him. He actually assisted us with locating the Ray Sphere, and he was there when Cole destroyed it.” He heard the woman's heart skip at his mentioning of the Sphere. “It's gone now.”

“Then-” Her head swiveled slightly from side to side, when her eyes widened and realization set in. “Shit. He's dead, isn't he?”

“The damaged Sphere destroyed everything around. Including White. Cole just barely escaped.”

The agent exhaled slowly, forcing her pulse back under control. “He knew the risks”, she eventually sighed “It's just...I had my hopes up I'd actually find him alive.”

“After two months of radio silence?”

She shrugged tensely. “What can I say? I'm hopelessly optimistic.”

He grimaced, when a voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously like Dana whispered 'Very well done Alex, way to be a jackass' . He cleared his throat and attempted to sound comforting. “If it's any consolation, his death wasn't in vain. The Ray Sphere can never be used by anybody ever again.”

The woman sighed again and tried to smile a little. It looked very forced. “My bosses probably think differently, but...I'm glad that this thing won't be a threat again.” Interesting, she was being honest about it. So she was either a very good actor, or she was genuine. And Alex actually figured it was the latter one. Which meant that this woman was more trustworthy than Moya had been.

Though that wasn't much praise. Moya was a snake, through and through. He wasn't going to take any chances.

“Does the NSA know you're here?” He questioned. Hopefully she noticed the question beyond that. Does the NSA know you're attempting to relocate the priority target?

“They don't”, was her reply, and her pulse remained steady. No dilution of the pupils, no spike in her breathing, no change of her scent. She was telling the truth. “They think I'm still in New Marais with Doctor Wolfe, just as they told me to.”

“Did you give them any plans of the Sphere?” His tone shifted, became darker.

She held his glare unflinchingly. “It is my job ”, she replied coldly. “But Wolfe never got the real plans from Kessler, nor was he able to reproduce the Ray Sphere. Frankly, there was nothing I could give to my superiors.”

He held her gaze for a few moments longer, then cocked his head. “You're being honest. That's good.” For you he added inside his mind. If she wasn't, he wouldn't have hesitated to remove her. Without information, he had no idea how much the NSA or any of the other organizations knew about him, but DARPA- or at least Moya- had been aware of his nature. Though maybe not as surprising- Blackwatch had been founded and funded by DARPA in the beginning, so they still had more contact with each other than with the NSA or Interpol, for example. For those, Alex was still 'only' the Terrorist of Manhattan, a Conduit now that was said to have caused the largest loss of life on the American continent. That much was true, but Dana had twisted the facts on international TV, told them he was a Whistleblower who ended up on the wrong side of the public. Alex wondered whether agencies like the NSA swallowed the lie or dug deeper.

They didn't trust him, and he didn't trust them. This agent was one of them, so he didn't trust her either. Simple, really.
She did intrigue him, however. So far, he hadn't noticed any clue that she might be lying about this whole thing, nothing that told him she had something else planned instead of introducing Cole to Doctor Wolfe. He snorted and turned his attention towards the ship. “When do we leave?”

“At dawn tomorrow”, the NSA agent told him. “This Captain Quinn was going to ferry another shipment of people out of the city. There's some room left on the ship.” She inclined her head. “You and Ms. Mercer are welcome to come with me, but I absolutely must insist that Mr. MacGrath accompanies me to New Marais.” It was a peace offering, that much Alex noticed. He mimicked her head tilt and shrugged one shoulder towards the ship. “How long will this take us?” Us, because he wasn't going to leave the person he considered his friend with that woman, nor was he going to ignore the possibility to meet with Doctor Wolfe.

The agent furrowed her brows. “Quinn assured me no longer than two weeks. One week and a half if the sea's calm.”

Alex glanced at the sky. Two weeks? He could deal with that, though he was easily faster on foot. Plus boats meant water , and despite not being actually vulnerable against it, he disliked wide open bodies of water. Additionally, the tight enclosed space meant Hell to him. He always had to move, needed space to run- and a ship was only marginally better than an elevator.
But he wasn't going to move across the land. Not as long this agent Kuo was going to be close to them. Her not lying meant only little to him- it protected her from being consumed instantly, but she could also very well be just a puppet someone else was controlling. If she genuinely believed what she was told, then he wouldn't be able to pick up whether she lied or not. Which meant he was going to keep a close eye on her.

And Dana didn't need him around...Alex cocked his head, turning his attention on the agent fully. “I am afraid I have to follow you then, agent Kuo.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “You don't trust me.” It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. Then she crossed her arms. “That's because of Moya Jones, correct?”

“Amongst others” Alex mimicked her position. Moya had only been the last in a long row of governmental agents who tried to use him or those he wanted to protect for their own agendas.

She hummed for a moment, then nodded. “You can follow me around if it puts your mind at ease then, Mr. Mercer.” Then she turned around and walked away from the pier, and though slightly surprised by the turn of events, Alex trailed after her.

Interesting indeed.

Zeke stretched his body and yawned widely. Cole merely arched an eyebrow, while Dana rolled her eyes. “Nice tonsils there, Dunbar.”

Cole choked briefly, masking a snort, when Zeke turned his attention towards the woman, expression hurt. “Why is it 'Dunbar', Dana? I thought we were finally on first-name basis?”

She crammed as much ill will as she could into that singular glare of hers. “You lost that privilege when you ate my garlic bread.” She glared harder. “You don't take from a Mercer without paying the consequences.”

Zeke actually shrunk back, especially when suddenly a shadow fell on him. Cole too flinched slightly, having completely failed to notice his arrival. Alex grinned maliciously at them, entirely too many and too sharp teeth glinting in the low light of the nearby street light. “Greene and Blackwatch had to learn that in the end”, he said matter-of-factly, though they all knew what he meant. He leaned a bit to the front, obviously enjoying that Zeke turned white. “It was quite delicious , in fact.”

Dana chuckled, then slapped his arm playfully to draw his focus away from his friend and allow him room to breathe. “As much as I love seeing you scare the shit out of people that stole my garlic bread, I have to tell you to turn down your creepy a little. It's too early for that.” She handed him her backpack, which he simply slung over one shoulder, before she turned her attention to Cole. He grimaced when her expression turned into a frown. “You alright, Cole?”

Zeke's attention snapped to him immediately, while Alex only inclined his head enough so he could watch his reaction from the corner of his eye. Dana's face showed worry. “You look like shit”, she added.

The Conduit only shrugged. There wasn't much to say to that. He knew he did. Had been startled when he looked in the mirror after getting up. “I'm fine, I think?” He thought for a moment, then shook his head briskly. “No. Not really. I've been sleeping like shit and my stomach's rolling.”

Zeke groaned. “Man, you getting second thoughts? I told you we shouldn't trust that NSA chick!”

Cole rolled his eyes. “I'm not having second thoughts. I think I'm just nervous leaving Empire behind.”

“That's reasonable”, Dana muttered, furrowing her brows. “But then again, the files she showed us yesterday looked legit.” She was silent for a moment, then turned to her brother. “You kept an eye on her, did she do anything suspicious?”

“Nothing far I can tell”, Alex supplied. “Unless you count drinking coffee so black the spoon stands upright.”

“Sounds legit then”, Dana concluded. She frowned at Cole and Zeke. “And maybe your stomach's upset because of this weird shit Zeke's made for dinner yesterday. What was it anyways?”

Zeke shrugged. “Found it at the back of the fridge, so I dunno.”

Dana curled her nose. “I'm surprised you guys are still alive.”

“Hey, you know us, sister”, Zeke grinned, “Too stubborn to kick the bucket.”

“I wouldn't risk it.”

Zeke shrugged. “But at least we're gonna be in New Marais then. Relaxing, party, and the three Bs, Dana. Beers, Booze and the Mechanical Bull.”

“I think you're missing the greater picture”, Alex supplied with his low grumble. “We won't go there for fun, we go there for information.”

“Why do these things have to exclude each other?” Zeke whined. “Seriously, working with you is like working with a laser. Always so focused.” He jabbed his finger at Cole. “Since you turned up my best friend stopped kicking back, man.”

The Conduit sighed. “Because this is too important to lose focus, Zeke.” He paused for a moment, then exhaled once. “How about this- we go to New Marais and deal with Wolfe. Then we can spend the remaining time we have to have fun, how does that sound?”

“It sounds better, not good, but I'll take it.”

“Then let's just get over to where Kuo wants us”, Cole added. He glanced at Alex. “Fisherman's Wharf, correct?”

“Quinn”, the Runner supplied.

Zeke nodded. “Good man. Already figured we'll get off this rock with his help. But that chick doesn't mess around. Quinn doesn't trust strangers, yet here she is, getting us the first boat outta town. She got some serious connections.” He paused then, folding his arms across his chest when realization slowly set in. “Uh...We ain't gonna have to walk there, do we? Because I kind of don't want to drag my luggage all the way over there.” He added with a side-glance to his own duffel bag.

“It could only help you drop a few pounds”, Cole felt obliged to point out when a pickup truck slowly pulled up besides them. “But don't worry, I already asked around.”

“Heard you need a ride, kids.” He watched how Dana's expression lit up when Warden Harms stepped out of his car.

“Hey Warden”, the Conduit greeted. “It's great you volunteered for this.”

“Least I could do”, was his answer. The Warden inclined his head, eying the bags on the floor. “I heard that right, yes? You and your friends are going to leave Empire?”

“Not for long, hopefully”, the Conduit replied. “The trip's going to take-” he eyed Alex, who helpfully supplied “One to two weeks to New Marais. Depending on the weather.”

Cole furrowed his brows. “We try to keep it short, get in, get new powers, and get back. But it is still going to be a month. You sure you won't have any troubles on that front?”

Harms shook his head in reply. “Nope. You and Alex helped taking down the crime rate. We can handle the rest. The men looked up to you, you know, but I'd say you deserve a short vacation.”

“Not gonna be a vacation”, the Conduit corrected him. “More like a learning trip. Over in New Marais is some guy who understands my powers. So I'm going to pay him a visit.”

Harms shrugged as he grabbed Zeke's bag and put it on the truck bed. “To-mah-toe, to-may-to.” Cole just rolled his eyes with a chuckle, then handed his bag over too. Harms glanced at the group, then pointed to his truck. “Who of you is gonna ride shotgun?”

“I'm out of question”, the Conduit declared at once. “I keep shorting cars out.” Was probably the ignition that was shut down by his literal EMP ass, or maybe the gearbox control. And then, for some reason, these dumb things kept blowing up. Wasn't the gas tank, however- liquid gas was hard to ignite, but the chances were the inductive heat he involuntarily generated affected the gas/air mixture in the tank and the pipes. At any rate, he was better off riding in the truck bed, or on top of the car.

“I'm out too”, Alex simply said. He didn't elaborate, and Cole kept his mouth shut. If he would get on, the truck would probably be well beyond its weight capacity.

Zeke grinned at Dana. “Just you and me, sister.” He lifted his fist for a round of rock-paper-scissor. “Two out of three then.”

Alex cleared his throat and just leaned towards him. “That's out of question too. She's got motion sickness.”

“Yup”, Dana chirped gleefully. “I gotta sit in the front or else I puke everywhere.” She placed a hand on Zeke's shoulder in mock apology. “I'm terribly sorry, Dunbar, but I'm afraid you'll have to sit in the back. But hey, at least you can keep Cole company.”

Cole grinned, swallowing the laughter that was trying to get out of his throat once he saw Zeke's betrayed expression. His best friend frowned unhappily, but climbed into the back of the truck anyways, settling against the cabin with a pout like a snotty brat. Cole joined him there, and Dana slipped into the co-driver's seat.

When the truck started moving, the low rumble of the wheels on the street and the engine couldn't mask the feeling of sickness that kept crawling through his stomach. He wasn't sure whether it was just the nervousness at leaving Empire for herself- she could fend for herself, he was sure, but it just didn't sit right with him.

...If he thought about it, it was the same sort of squirming that accompanied his first meetings with Alex, back then. But it wasn't Mercer. Not anymore- of course he was still the most dangerous thing around, but the terror had lessened drastically ever since he learnt that he was valuable to the other- and not food. Not like Alden, or Sasha, or Moya, or Kessler.

It always remained, though. And now his stomach was crawling in a way he finally translated to danger . Danger from what?

He didn't know, Empire was the safest she had been ever since three months, crime was nearly non-existent, the people had food and the criminals were all safely locked up in Eagle. Come to think of it, that was probably because Alex tended to eat those that didn't get to the prison complex in time. While the reason wasn't well-known, the people knew of the rumors that the other 'Conduit' in town made people disappear. And after Sasha, not many dared to take chances.

He just knew he couldn't leave the city alone, but at the same time, he had the possibilities to make a real difference, to become more than he was, learn about his powers- he just had to take it. The anxiousness was probably just his nerves talking. Maybe the water? Cole didn't like water, showering was Hell, but being trapped on a boat for two weeks? Didn't sound inviting.

His stomach started twisting into even tighter knots when Harms stopped at Fisherman's Wharf. He reassured them that everything was going to be okay for as long as they would be gone from Empire. Cole heard himself agree to it, and then the Warden drove off.

The Conduit exhaled once and grabbed his bag tighter, glancing at the pier with the ship at the very end. The pier was, unlike most other docks here, made of pontoons. Big ones that were firmly attached to the harbor basin ground, but they would still sway in choppier water. And with him being vulnerable against the liquid (well, any conductive liquid, really), Cole was hyper aware of every rocking of the concrete flooring beneath. His stomach continued to roll, and that made it only worse. It was as if his own body tried to stop him from leaving Empire.

He still trudged on, leading the way towards Quinn's ship and up the ramp, where agent Kuo was waiting.

He briefly toyed with the idea to just throw everything, have her bring Wolfe to him , but then he figured he couldn't draw back now. They were already here, and Kuo went off to talk to Quinn. If he wanted to get out, he'd have to jump the ship (literally) and race off before the others could stop him.

...God damnit. His head was pounding now and it was a little hard to focus .

“Problems?” Alex's low voice demanded to know. Cole blinked and turned around, eying the other. Who was leaned on the railing with a strained expression. How he knew how Cole was feeling was beyond him- he wasn't even looking into his direction. Was focused on some point in the middle of the city. Who knew which one? Guy had super virus senses, so he wouldn't think it to be impossible for him to read some guy's newspapers from across the city. He never asked what range his senses had, though he could obviously listen in to a conversation across the street and from top of a skyscraper with no problem.

But then realization struck. Because the face Alex was making was a perfect mirror image of the face he was making. Cole gaped for a moment, then asked carefully “You worried about something?”

Alex snorted. “I'd say no. But that would be a lie.” He turned his attention on the conduit for a moment. “If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's the same thing eating you.” He jerked his chin over his shoulder. “And it has nothing to do with the boat.”

Cole frowned. “I don't know what it is, but it makes my stomach roll and I got a headache going on too.”

The Runner scoffed. “That's how it feels to you?”

“You're different?”

“I don't have internal organs. Or at least not like you”, Alex huffed out, then glanced at Cole. “But I've eaten my fair share of birds. Not to mention I got all kinds of metal in my body- I can feel electromagnetic fields.” He waved his hand vaguely. “And somehow, the field in Empire's screwed up. Not sure since when, but it definitely became worse. I'd say you feel the same.”

Cole blinked. So the creeping malaise that was plaguing him too was because he couldn't focus on the magnetic field? It made sense, since he could sense electric sources, and electromagnetism was just another form he could sense and react to. That would actually fit, seeing as he kept feeling weird when surrounded by too much metal.
In other words, he was the compass that was spinning out of control. No wonder his head hurt.
However, and that he realized just then- that also meant that something was going on in Empire. Something big.

He grit his teeth and turned to Zeke and Agent Kuo. “I can't come with you”, he bit out.

The two of them fell silent immediately, eyes wide as they stared at him. Zeke approached him, sunglasses pulled down to his nose to watch him. “Cole? What's gotten into you?”

“Something's going on in Empire”, he explained with a tense voice. “I don't know what it is- but I don't want to leave her alone. I can't leave her alone.”

Zeke starts to protest, but Dana cut him off, eyes dark. “It's about the Beast, right? You're afraid.”

Cole laughed coldly. “Afraid that it'll turn up and destroys Empire when my back is turned?” Just like it happened when Kessler was still Cole. “Damn right you are.”

Agent Kuo approached him. “Trust me Cole, you'll be ready when you're done working with Doctor Wolfe.”

“I know”, the Conduit replied. “But it's just that- ever since yesterday my stomach's been uneasy about leaving Empire right now. I know I should talk to Wolfe as soon as possible, but I just can't leave her behind.”

Kuo seemed a little frustrated, but she masked it good enough. “So you want to meet Doctor Wolfe, and you don't want to leave the city. But perhaps you are aware that you'll need access to his lab for this to work, yes?”

Cole shook his head. “I only need access to someone who had access.” He jerked his head roughly in Alex's direction. “Anything Doctor Wolfe has to say to me, he can tell Alex. Not only would that put me here in the city, where I can deal with the Beast easiest, but it also puts someone into New Marais who understands what all this science babble is about, because frankly, I haven't got a clue.” Not to mention Alex knew perfectly well what working with Wolfe was like- he had worked with him already, or part of him did anyways.

Zeke was about to protest, though Dana cut him off. “Are you sure you're up to it, Cole? Because that would mean you'd have to remain behind in Empire. Alone.”

“I got Harms. And the others”, Cole shrugged. “I'll be fine. You just need to hurry.” And having only Alex talk to Wolfe had the advantage that he would be faster than a month, since he wouldn't need to take the boat back to Empire. “After that, we can all visit New Marais together. How does that sound?”

It would be the best solution for everybody involved. It was the solution that provided Empire with the protector it needed, while it also put the one who actually understood the Ray Sphere technology right into the place where this understanding was needed. And Zeke could get a vacation and get away from the city and the demons-

His back went ramrod straight, and his head snapped to the side so fast he feared he dislocated his spine. But it was Alex's snarl- feral, inhuman - that told him that shit was on its way to the fan.

It was morning. The sun was peeking through dense clouds, bathing everything crimson- but the light that drowned them came from the North. From Archer Square, where a giant pillar of fire rose from between the buildings.

And then the Archer Square statue just...crinkled up like a paper ball, as if it was sucked in by some form of invisible force. At the same time, flames and ashes spewed out from the center of the chaos, drowning the entire area with thick dark fog and embers.

Cole was pretty sure he heard people scream.

Without thinking, he just leapt off the boat and dashed back across the pier. He had to help- he had to- do something .

“MacGrath!” Somebody yelled, but he was deaf to it. He simply barreled headlong into the embers. He plowed past terrified citizens, who tried to get away from whatever it was what was going on.

The ground shook and he stopped, seconds before a building to the side of the harbor simply...collapsed. Sank to the ground with a thunderous rumble. And a giant flaming ball came hurling into his direction- no, not ball- it was a bus that crossed the distance frightfully fast and impacted into a larger container ship to the side, instantly tearing a hole through its hull and setting the leaking gas aflame. People screamed as they dropped into the churning and burning waters, and the pontoons started heaving like they tried to throw him off. Further down the pier were only bodies left, and he stopped anyways as he noticed something move in the smoke.

Something big .

There, just over the roof of a building, was a human shape.

A giant human shape.
And it was burning.

Cole felt his heart stop when memories that weren't his snapped to the front of his mind. Of his wife and children screaming, of the moon breaking. Of fire and destruction that just kept going on until nothing was left.

The giant turned to face in his direction and just lugged its arm over, throwing whatever was left of the Archer Square monument as a giant flaming projectile into his direction. Cole was rooted to the spot, watching in terror as the metal remains just slammed into the ground in front of him. The impact sent him sprawling, and through the ashes and smoke he lost his orientation too damn fast.

But then there was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him roughly back to his feet. “Cole, get up!” Alex's voice snarled in his ear. It sounded...terrified? Alex wasn't scared of anything, was he?

“Fuck, get yourself together”, the Runner snapped, the shock of the pain lacing his shoulder from the harsh grip yanking the conduit back to reality. “We have to get out of here!”

And yeah, there was really panic in his voice. Cole wondered about that, when the ground shook again and he slowly turned around.

Locking eyes with the Beast.

The first sign that shit was about to hit the fan was when his magnetic receptors ran havoc . He was snarling, before he even realized he did. And then Archer Square blew up and was reduced to rubble and people started screaming. It was like lapsing back into the Outbreak, but that was wrong. There was no infection anymore, no virus to be fought. But the people were screaming.

By then, Cole had already jumped ship and was dashing down the pier, way before Alex even realized he did. Kuo was yelling after him, but the Conduit was deaf to her voice. He didn't pursue, however, memories gripping him tightly. Not his own, but his . He remembered the last time he'd seen destruction like this. Remembered the last time he saw fire and smoke, and heard people scream.

Remembered how he watched his best friend die at the hands of the thing that was responsible. Remembered how he watched himself die at the hands of this thing.

Fear wasn't strange to him, though until now, it had always made him fight harder to overcome it. But this ? Fear was keeping him rooted to the spot.
He couldn't- he wouldn't attempt to face it. Not this thing. Not like this. Not without having a weapon-

“Alex!” Dana's panicked voice snapped him into motion and he leapt after Cole, tearing down the pier and past the fleeing civilians.

Bad Idea bad idea bad idea

And still he pushed on, quickly catching up to Cole, though stopped dead in his tracks when the burning wreckage of a bus came flying across the harbor and completely sank a freight ship to the side, killing everybody on it. Alex grit his teeth, forcing his attention back to the front. No time to think about them. No chance to help them- they had to stop this thing and fast - so he wanted to start sprinting, though was forced to go slower than normally because of the shaking pontoons that constituted the ground. He couldn't risk tearing them apart. And then he saw the shape in the smoke and stopped dead in his tracks, fear and memories mingling with each other and rendering him unable to catch up to his friend and protect him from the projectile that crashed into the ground and sent him on his ass.

He did manage to shake himself free and reach him when the Beast simply appeared in front of them, having devastated the pier at its connection to the harbor wall and was now standing in the basin, steam clouds roaring from the boiling water to mix with the ashes and embers and shroud it in a red veil.

He hissed at it, like a cornered rat in face of a predator, but still started dragging the conduit to his feet. “Cole, get up!” He snarled, eyes flitting between his friend and the Beast. Cole made a curious sound, shaking his head slightly as he attempted to get his bearings back together. Alex grabbed his shoulder harder. “Fuck, get yourself together”, he ordered, then attempted to pull him back. “We have to get out of here!”

He didn't care that his voice was edging on hysteria. This- he was supposed to be ready, but he wasn't , and his own survival instincts screamed at him to get away as far as possible, to leave the Conduit behind and escape with his life still intact.

Alex crushed those urges mercilessly, but his body was still twisting beneath his skin. The threat was too close and too powerful. This was nothing like facing down Greene, or the Supreme Hunter. Cole was frozen too, eyes locked with that of the Beast as it grabbed and lifted the monument and just...turned it to ash.

It would have been easy to grab him and carry him off, get out of the city and to safety.

Yet he didn't.

Because Cole's jaw set and he ground out a single thing. “We have to stop it.”

Alex didn't question it. Just followed through. His body bristled and armor started to crawl across his arms, shoulders and torso. Stop it. They had to stop it. Here in Empire. Had to stop it before even more people died. Cole should be able to do it. Kessler could have, and Cole had beaten him.

“I'll distract it”, he heard himself say, even though his instincts were screaming at him not to, to flee and get away. He held his ground.

“Distract it?” Cole questioned, lightning already dancing around his body.

“Distract it. All I can do”, Alex insisted, and his Musclemass came into existence. “I don't know whether I can kill it. You have to end this fucker.” Energy was probably a better weapon than brute force, though it didn't mean it wouldn't notice getting stuff thrown at it. He dove to the side and latched onto a small snack booth, tearing it off the pontoon like it was made of cardboard- and chucked it at the Beast. At the same time, Cole fired his orb lightning at the Beast, shouting enraged. “Kessler told me all about you! I will not let it happen!” The snack booth and the lightning bolts hit the thing, but asides from splattering its lava-like surface, there was seemingly no effect.

Alex snarled and pulled the pontoon free, throwing it too. “The face!” He yelled, “Avoid its body, target its face!” It worked with him, after all. Blind it, make it defenseless. Would hopefully work with this thing too. Cole instantly changed his aim, and the Beast swayed back slightly. Shock or maybe pain, Alex had no idea.

Then it roared and grabbed the pontoons from beneath, and Alex had just a brief moment to realize what it was going to do when it already flipped the pier upward, disintegrating the wood and concrete and sending both of them flying. Alex choked in terror, then instantly twisted in mid-air to shoot his Whipfist at Cole and yank him along when he kicked against the air for an air-dash in an attempt to get distance.

He didn't manage to get distance.
Instead, they were pulled backwards , and Alex felt his body ripple as if something was tearing at his Biomass. Then he heard Cole's swear. “Crap, Alex! Get down! Get down !”

He didn't question, just kicked against the air again and hurtled his body towards the pier, rolling in the last moment to avoid cratering with the Conduit in tow. He hit the pier violently enough that it nearly tipped over from the force of impact, and he didn't wait for it to do so actually, was already running.

“The fuck was that?!” He howled over the enraged roar of the giant.

“No clue!” Cole yelled, “Looked like a Black Hole of sorts. Was sucking stuff in-” He inhaled sharply and Alex heard the distinct crackle of lightning as the courier fired several lightning bolts at the Beast from his position propped against his shoulder. “Shit”, He hissed. “It looked like the Ray Sphere did as it blew up.”

Alex grunted in reply. That blow had eradicated all of the pier it had been on and dug open the harbor basin. And the Beast was seemingly capable of controlling this power. That did not bode well.

“Screw this”, He hauled his arm back and just threw his partner several yards down the pier, ignoring his startled yelp. In the same moment, he ducked to the side and dove into the churning water. It was warm- warmer than it should be, but at least he was far away enough to avoid the boiling regions right around the giant.

The Whipfist turned back into Musclemass and he propelled himself to the front with another air dash, diving right towards the half-sunken freight ship.

There were bodies in the water, trash, and the surface was aflame with burning gasoline. Alex grit his teeth and went for the bottom of the ship that was firmly lodged on the basin floor. Tentacles unfurled from his shoulders and arms, wrapping around the body of the ship. The burning gas didn't harm them, low temperatures like that he could withstand near indefinitely anyways.

Alex ducked and grabbed the keel of the freighter, his tentacles securing the entire body to prevent parts from snapping off- and his feet dug into the soft floor.
Then he kicked off and hauled the entire ship out of the water and several stories into the air. He had a split second to witness Cole suspended in mid-air with his thrusters emerging from one hand while he fired lightning bolts at the Beast with the other. The giant was roaring, forming a black hole in its hands as it attempted to suck the conduit in again- and Alex just threw the whole ship to the front. The sheer size and weight made it impossible to throw it very far, but it was enough. Several thousand tons in motion hit the Beast and just vaporized it, and the ship hit the other side of the pier with a giant splash that ripped its body and the pier further apart, the waves throwing smaller boats around like they were toys.

Alex hit the pier with a growl and a huff, shaking his arms briskly to get feeling back into them. Cole landed besides him, eyes wide. “Dude”, he said with awe in his voice, “Did you just throw a boat ?!”

“More like a ship.” He grimaced and rotated his wrists. “I'm not going to do that again.” The pressure on his body had been too much, and he was glad he had the Biomass needed to prevent being crushed beneath the weight. Any less and he wouldn't have managed a stunt like that. As it was, his insides were currently repairing themselves from the massive strain.

“Next time, warn me when you want to throw me around like a ball”, the Conduit grumbled.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing”, the Runner replied with a shrug.

Cole muttered under his breath, staring at the sinking wreckage in the harbor. “Think that was it?”

Alex was about to answer, when giant clouds of steam ripped from the water in front of them, and the Beast rose, roaring enraged. One of its eyes was gone and there were deep tears in its surface, revealing the yellow glow of its lava-like insides beneath it; but other than just pissing it off, being thrown at with a ship didn't seem to have interested it much. Instead, it just grabbed the pontoon and ripped it upwards.

Cole swore under his breath, but kept his balance, and lifted his arms to focus his powers in the ash and steam clouds surrounding the giant. Then he yanked his fists down.

Thunder clapped deafeningly all around them and the bright light of several dozens of lightning bolts impacting into the Beast blinded both of them for a moment. Ten thousand degrees versus a few thousand- the lava body of the Beast was ripped apart through the sheer difference in temperature and the sudden influx in energy, too much for dissipation to remove it in time.

At the same time, Alex forced pressure to build within himself, not about to be outdone by a mere human - and when more lightning bolts smashed into the already damaged form of the Beast, he let the pressure go by throwing his palms to the front. Densely packed tentacles shot from his palms like a cannon blast, driving themselves right through the burning body of the Beast and breaking whatever support structure it had. He grit his teeth at the feeling of the hot insides eating away at the Biomass he just introduced- but his dense form acted as shield for himself, and when he pulled the Devastator back, he left behind a hole and had only lost the surface of his tentacles. He could deal with it.

The Beast however, could not.
It collapsed backwards, crashing into the waves with a giant splash, directly followed by the pontoon they were on. Steam rose from the churning waters, and the pier was getting too instable for them to enjoy their victory. Alex grabbed Cole's arm and just pulled him back. “Let's get out of here”, he growled. The Conduit grunted and turned around to sprint over what was left of the construction. The damage and waves were too much, and the single pontoons were heaving and thrashing, as if trying to throw them off. Alex dodged a breaking part once and stomped down on another to fracture it and reduce the stress on the remaining parts. “That was damn impressive.”

“Bastard got what he deserved”, Cole smirked back, but there was a strain in his features. He had been releasing massive amounts of energy, and the stress was plainly visible on his face. He would need rest once they were out of Empire.

There was a fine tremor, and the pier continued to collapse. Cole stopped, eyes widening at the sight of the gap between the still somewhat solid parts of the way and the collapsed portions.

Alex scoffed and knelt down, jabbing his talons into the ground to unravel his Biomass throughout, stabilizing it. “I got this. You just get over there.”

“Thanks” Cole kicked off again and made a mad dash to the edge of the pier that Alex lifted from the water to form a ramp. He jumped off with all his strength and soared through the air-

And was stopped in mid-air.

The Conduit hung there, suspended, and his arms waved a little in confusion- seconds before he was yanked back.

A giant hand closed around him in a crushing grip. Alex swore and tore himself free the very second the Beast made its reappearance. He could see Cole flailing in its hand, could see Zeke and Kuo and Dana stare in horror at the entity that somehow was still alive despite missing half its head and having a hole punched through its chest cavity.

He didn't think , just acted. He launched himself off the cracking pier and catapulted himself high into the air, then angled his body and shot back downwards with his foot outstretched. He slammed hard into the Beast's wrist, just as Cole continued firing bolts at the thing. The impact was tremendous, and the giant swayed slightly, but it then tried to swat at the Runner to force him to back off.

Fuck this .

Alex corrected his position in mid-air, air dashing back towards the giant and slamming into it again to bounce off and upwards. It made a disgruntled noise, but was distracted by Cole firing another lightning bolt straight into its face, so it used its previously free hand to close it around its fist in an attempt to crush the Conduit. Alex thought he could hear his bones creak, and knew perfectly well that there was no time. So he changed his trajectory again and slammed hard into the back of its neck. He dug his claws into the lava-like surface, gritting his teeth against the heat that was starting to eat into his system.

He forced the sensation down, focusing on concentrating his Biomass in tighter and tighter curls. He knew he was going to lose a large chunk of himself through this, but it was the only thing he could think of that would possibly work. The only thing he could think of that would save Cole.

So he jabbed his claws inside and released the pressure, wrenching a massive Groundspike Devastator from his system and jabbing story-tall black spires of condensed Biomass through the Beast. It jerked back in pain, roaring.

“COLE!” Alex howled over the roar of superheated air, hoping the Conduit would realize what he had planned.

He did.

The sky shattered as giant bolts of lightning rained down, using the Groundspikes in themselves as conductors to dissipate their charge deep into the giant's system. Alex had numbed his nerves in preparation, but it still hurt like fuck and he already felt light-headed from the loss of Biomass- but the Beast was suffering a lot more.

Lightning bolts tearing it apart, Groundspikes shredding its insides- there was one last giant explosion and it just blew up, parts of lava and bits of scorched Blacklight scattering across the harbor. Alex hit the water hard and instantly sank to the bottom, head pounding and body aching in a way he hadn't felt for a long while. He was exhausted beyond anything he'd ever felt before and briefly toyed with the thought of simply staying down here and just...sleep.

But he couldn't. Forcing his limbs to move, he gave off another air dash to get back to the bottom of Quinn's ship, eyes focusing on a small dark spot in the water above him. There were weak sparks surrounding it, but the body in itself didn't move. Damn, was he face down or face up?

Alex didn't know, so he kicked off the ground and shot straight upwards, grabbing the limp form and breaking surface to get on deck.

When he hit the solid surface, his knees buckled underneath him and he simply collapsed, talons digging into the ground so he wouldn't keel over.

“Cole!” Dunbar yelled, racing towards them, just as Dana added her own “ALEX!” He grunted and squinted at them, eyes slipping out of focus.

Ah, fuck this. He groaned and just dropped the Conduit, stumbling to his knees. “Alex!” Dana was there, grabbing his shoulder to stabilize him. “Shit Alex, you okay?”

“Not really”, he huffed out, slumping against the railing. “Gonna...need some rest.” He turned his attention back on Dunbar and Agent Kuo. “How's he?” He ground out.

“Alive”, Kuo declared.

“Good”, Alex grunted and shoved himself upright, then staggered to the inside of the ship with Dana's help. He didn't feel too well anyways. His head was strangely fuzzy, and his lungs felt like they were filled with burning air. Every step he did, every breath he took just hurt.

A little rest should fix it, he figured.
And after that- after that they would have to figure out what to do from there.

Chapter Text

Cole's head felt like it was filled with cotton, and his body was like lead. He had a short moment to realize that he was somewhere soft, when a white noise started pounding at the inside of his skull.

He tried to tune it out, but the static quickly crawled through his limbs and settled somewhere in his middle as a low-simmering fire. He grunted and attempted to focus on something else, but he couldn't. Might as well try and get up then.

When he first opened his eyes, they didn't focus correctly. Everything was dark above him, so he blinked slowly again and the picture cleared. Good news there, he wasn't on the floor or in the water- he was in a room of sorts. Further exploration revealed a row of lockets to one side, a small oxygen tank which he was hooked up to, a chair with Zeke in it and a television on a low cupboard. Zeke was asleep and - thank God - apparently unhurt, though Cole's body was wrapped in gauze, and band-aids were stuck to his temple. His ribs apparently had taken the brunt of the force, and his skin had the kind of deep red color that usually accompanied a light burn. He probably looked a lot worse when they dragged him in. Cole grunted and pulled the oxygen cannula out of his nose, then sat up while ignoring the flaring pain from his mid section.

His eyes found the television, and his heart stopped. He didn't hear anything the news reporters said, didn't listen to their convict- but he gathered enough to realize that he had lost .

He had completely obliterated the Beast, had it splattered across the harbor of Empire- and it had simply put itself back together , and evaporated the city.

Empire City was gone .

Roger. Lou. Harms. Linda. Trish . Everybody else. His stomach dropped out from under him and the world spun out of control.

He had lost . Kessler had went back in time to fashion him into the weapon meant to destroy the Beast- and still he had lost .

He groaned and dropped his head against his knees, a sob wrenching itself out of his throat. It startled Zeke, who jumped with a snort. “Wha-?” He rubbed his eyes and turned to the television, lips curling in distaste. “You've seen it, huh?” Cole moaned in reply and Zeke shut the set off. “They've been showing this feed for the past few hours in a loop.”

“Hours?” Cole ground out, his throat feeling like sandpaper. Zeke handed him a glass of water and waited until he had swallowed before he continued. “You've been out for a day and a half, man. Just an hour after we hauled ass, this big guy turned up again.”

“I failed, Zeke”, the Conduit hissed. “I fucking failed, man. I was supposed to be ready, but I wasn't. And now Empire's gone!”

His friend sighed, then slowly reached out to rub his shoulder. “Yeah, I know. I can't know how you feel, man, but I know it's gotta suck. You did a good attempt, though.”

“It wasn't enough”, Cole bit out, eyes flashing. “And Empire is gone, Zeke! Everybody we ever knew, every place we visited, every thing we owned- gone!”

“I know”, Zeke deflated visibly, taking off his glasses to look at his friend. “I know- we've been there. Still workin' on believin' it, though.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes, and Cole noticed how tired he looked. “But we can't do anything now. We're lucky we got off alive, so now we gotta meet this Doctor Wolfe and bend everything back into shape.”

Yeah, because now this decision was no longer a decision- now they had no other choice but to do.
Or die.

“What happened?” He asked. “After I- after I passed out?” He remembered the Beast grabbing him tightly enough so his bones were pulverized, he remembered the story-tall black spears that had ripped its body apart, he remembered the lightning storm he shot in its face (so much it actually cleared the sky for a moment), he remembered being fried in a way that reminded him vaguely of the Substations because it was so much more painful; but after that? He had blacked out and woke up here.

Zeke was turning the glasses in his hands. “After the big guy blew, it took most of the pier with it. We were about to try and get you out when Alex suddenly jetted outta the water and dragged you along. But guy didn't look so good, he just kind of dropped you on deck and staggered off. Quinn and me, we brought you down here and Kuo somehow pulled the equipment outta nowhere and hooked you up.”

Cole groaned, swinging his legs out of the bed, noticing that he wasn't wearing anything asides from his underwear. “Ah shit. How bad is it?”

Zeke grimaced. “Your ribs were broken to the point you couldn't breathe right anymore. You had burns all over your lower body and your clothes are kind of scrap too.”

The Conduit blinked, then shook his head. “Not me. How's he ?” Because he was pretty sure Alex got the worse deal out of them both. He knew these Devastator attacks drained his own health, and he hadn't exactly fought safe either- sticking his own body into what was basically lava couldn't be healthy either. And he was the only one who could, even without Wolfe's help, find out how to stop the Beast.

“I dunno”, Zeke admitted. “I've been with you ever since we got you here. Haven't seen Alex since he pulled you from the drink. You gotta ask Dana. Or Kuo.”

“I'm going to do that”, Cole declared, though his voice sounded tired even to his ears. For his part, Zeke didn't stop him, just pointed him towards their bags so he could get dressed. Then Cole left the room and headed outside.

But he didn't feel right. His body was sluggish, white static roared inside his ears and focusing on anything even remotely related to his powers jabbed rods of white-hot pain through his skull. As he forced his legs to move, he quickly realized that he didn't remember walking out of the room and getting into the middle of the hallway. He stopped, gnawing at his lower lip as he tried to figure out what to do. The band-aids on his temple indicated he had suffered some head trauma, and that probably caused a few holes in his consciousness. Maybe he should lay back down and wait until he fixed himself?

Then he shook his head and pressed on. It would heal, it always did. He would just need to take it slow until it did. First he had to see how the others were.
The sound of heels drew his attention, and he heard a serious “Cole”, before he even turned around. Kuo was just a few feet away from him, expression equally relieved and slightly annoyed? He couldn't comprehend it very well, his head hurt.

She grabbed his wrist and was about to steer him back to his room, though he simply shook his head. “I'm fine, Kuo. I just need to stretch my legs” Get my thoughts back together . “I'm going stir crazy already and I've been awake only a few minutes”, he added as soon he saw her expression.

The agent sighed. “I can understand it. I-” She grimaced slightly, “I had thought that you actually managed to defeat this thing, and that this trip was more like an additional bonus. That it came back so fast...” She trailed off with a long exhale. “It's...horrible what happened. I think all of us underestimated how much of a threat it is.”

Cole's teeth grit together. Underestimated . They should have known what it was. They should have went to Doctor Wolfe immediately. Why didn't Alex say a word about this?

“Do you know where Alex is?” He bit out, clenching his fists in sudden anger.

Kuo glanced at him, then sighed again. “He and Dana have taken residence in one of the storage rooms above the engine room. But Cole-” she made a face, “Be careful.”

He furrowed his brows, then shook his head. “I need to ask him. About everything.” Because he should have known. He should have warned us. Should have told me about Wolfe.

“I won't stop you”, She continued making her way down the hallway, before she added “I've got to talk to Quinn. Maybe get him to give me access to his communication system. This is the sort of thing I have to inform my superiors about.” Then she was off. Cole grunted and walked outside on deck. He didn't see anyone, and his head hurt when he tried to use his radar sense (of course, it was questionable whether it would actually work with all the metal around), so he slowly circled the deck in search of a crew member. He eventually found one, near the poop deck. When he went up to him to ask, the man jumped startled, and kept shaking the whole time Cole was questioning him. When the Conduit left, he had the feeling the man was only all too glad to have him off his back.

It triggered something in his head, but it was hurting too much to make sense of it, so he decided to think about it later, when he was healed.
The oppressive heat that slapped him in the face when he descended into the belly of the ship only made his headache worse and worsened his mood instantly. While it didn't smell of oil or gas too strongly, the constant thrum of the engine was driving shards of pain through his skull. Why in the world would anybody spent any time here voluntarily?!

Cole still pressed on, and he did find the room Kuo mentioned. Mostly because there were hand-drawn signs on the door that advised whoever was around to not open it and just ignore the inhabitant.

He ignored the signs and walked through, expecting...he wasn't sure what he expected. Certainly not Alex curled up in a corner though. Cole blinked first, then approached him. No reaction from him, so he stepped closer until he was just inches from him.

There was still no reaction, not even any form of respiration. It worried him a lot, so he crouched down and carefully reached out to place a hand on his forearm.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” To give him credit, he didn't fumble, though he couldn't really suppress the shiver running down his back. He hadn't realized that there was somebody else around here, and when he jumped to his feet and spun around, a brief dizzy spell forced him to lean to the side and grab the wall until it had passed. This spoke volumes for how shitty he actually felt, and he couldn't quite smother the pained whine from his throat.

Dana seemed concerned, because she gently took hold of his arm and steered him over to where a folding chair and a cot stood. While Cole dropped on the cot hard, she sat down on the chair more gently. He blinked slowly, and glanced around.

“You living here?” He asked dumbly.

Dana just shrugged. “It's far from the worst place I've stayed at, but if it wasn't for my idiot brother, I'd be over in the cabin next to yours. But...” She trailed off with a glance at her brother. “He picked a warm place to hunker down. And I stick with him.”

Cole furrowed his brows, glancing first at the young woman wearing short pants and a black tank-top, then to the still figure in the corner. He finally noticed what struck him as odd- he was still having his armor spread across parts of his body, and the claws were propped on his knees.

“He didn't change back”, he pointed out eventually.

“He didn't”, Dana agreed.

“What happened?” Cole asked. “Zeke told me he dragged me back out, and brought me on board.”

Dana sighed. “I don't really know. Guess he swallowed too much damage from the big guy, because he started getting unsteady pretty fast. Never seen him before like that, though he said it wasn't the first time he was like that.” She fanned her hands away from her, palms up. “He told me he was going to sleep. Try to repair the damage done without having to waste energy on being awake.”

Cole blinked. “So he's hibernating?”

Dana grimaced. “Nah. Cute animals hibernate. Like hedgehogs or dormice, or gophers. What he's doing is more like what snakes and lizards do. He just...shuts down.”

“You know how long this is going to take?” Because he had to ask him about this, had to ask whether he knew.

“No idea”, the woman admitted. “I think I can wake him should the need arise, but I'm seriously voting for just letting him be for now.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I get it. It can wait.” He climbed back to his feet now that the dizzy spell was over, and headed back outside. “I...just going to take a breather.”

“Cole”, her voice stopped him, and when he turned he noticed her watch him. “You ever need help, or just someone to talk to- I'll be there.”

“I'll think of it.”

Maybe he should have taken her up on that offer. Because he was so damn alone . The other refugees, the crew members- they all gave him a wide berth; whether from fear or respect he couldn't tell. He suspected the former, mostly because they must have seen the light show he produced when he tried to stop the Beast.
Stopped it, actually. For a few hours.

Not that it helped the others any. Because they were gone.

Grunting, he pushed himself off the railing and just wandered across the ship. He checked up on Zeke, but his friend was ignoring him in favor of his work that required welding, obviously. Kuo wasn't receptive either, she spent most of her time with Quinn and his crew, doing super-secret spy work with her connections.

He decided against going to Dana for attention, and continued to sulk instead. He was supposed to be able to defeat the Beast. Was supposed to be strong enough to take it down- and he had failed hard .

He barely slept in the night, had nightmares of fire and smoke and people dying. Dying because he didn't protect them. He woke with a jolt, not even remembering what he dreamed about, and just sat there with his head in his hands as he attempted to get his breathing back under control.

And then he heard the radio warble from the next cabin over.
Philadelphia just ceased to exist. Two more million people dead because he was weak .

Snarling, he slammed his fist into the locker at his side, completely caving in the metal and snapping the lock off. His eyes flashed and sparks began crawling across his body. Not going to be weak again .

He slipped off the bed and grabbed his pants, threw on a t-shirt and walked out to the deck. His fists were clenched and lightning crawled across his wrists- though every time they snapped out of his skin it sent a white-hot shard of pain through his brain.

Never weak again . He stepped to the side railing, curled one hand around it- and lifted the other to target the sea several yards away from the ship. The conductivity of the water would dissipate the charge, and even powerful blows like a lightning strike lost all strength at a distance of six to nine feet.

Not that he planned to use anything resembling a lightning strike anyways. The simple act of sparking was already causing his head to hurt. He grit his teeth and focused on his basic lightning bolt. At first, there was nothing, but then, with a frustrated shout, he generated a singular lightning bolt that raced through the air and hit the sea, dissipating the energy instantly and leaving only a small white puff of steam behind. The headache pulled the ground out from beneath Cole's feet and sent him stumbling towards the floor, while still clinging desperately to the rail.

But some of his powers were still there. He grunted and heaved himself back upwards, catching his breath first. Then he grit his teeth and fired another lightning bolt. This time, the strain just shook his legs. The next just hurt inside his head.

And the more he forced himself to use his powers, the more he started getting a feeling back for them. And he figured which ones he still had. Absorbing energy still worked. Hovering and grinding still worked. His healing (of himself and others) and constriction were still present. And his radar, once it was no longer obstructed through pain, was even better than before, as strange as it sounded. Before, metal blinded him to what was behind it. Now it was only another obstacle the electromagnetic waves bounced off of, but they didn't get dissipated away- like a real radar. Electrical sources were visible even through thin metal sheets, and he could see the cables beneath the panels on the floor.

However, his other abilities were gone.

He no longer had access to his explosive ball lightning. He didn't have control over lightning storms. He couldn't generate grenades anymore.

But he hadn't lost everything . He hadn't lost yet .

And that thought kept pushing him further. Lightning was roaring across the sea, and the continued fire boiled the surface. Cole was feeling exhausted and sweat was clinging to his back- but the headache was gone and his legs were stable again.

“Whoah man”, He grunted and turned slightly, eying Zeke who approached him while he was experimenting with his powers. “I didn't think you'd be bouncing back that fast.”

“I have to”, Cole replied, firing off another lightning bolt in a wide arch. “Because I was too weak. I will never be weak again.”

“Yeah, about that”, he turned to face his friend, who was holding what looked like a over-sized tuning fork. “I think I might have something for you.”

Cole cocked his head and watched how Zeke attached a power line to the fork and fed it into what looked like a control unit. “So the idea behind this thing was this”, he explained. “Your lightning bolts go everywhere . But you can't really control where they go. More even, you zap people and they mostly remain okay.” He gestured to the fork. “Now when you use this thing, I thought you can channel your powers through it- and smack them guys with additional lightning damage real hard.” He beamed at him, handing the fork over. “And you can circumvent their skin resistance too.”

“Great. I was tired of punching people in the face. With this thing it'll be a lot more fun.” Cole tested the weight of the fork. It was crudely pieced together, made of rusty metal pipes and old isolators attached to the tips, but it felt solid.

He swung it experimentally, then clenched it hard in his hands and focused a little- and lightning snapped from either tip and bounced from one side to the other- but because of the isolators, the energy wasn't lost outwards. It was an extension of Cole's body- one that couldn't be hurt. A weapon for him to use.

And the next days, he trained with it. Zeke was spending nearly every waking minute with him, building up small target areas of old wood for Cole to thrash with his new fork weapon. Zeke kept upgrading it, made it better, welded stronger metals together. It didn't go unnoticed that he tried to get back to how they've been before Empire went to shit. It was okay, because it meant that he wasn't alone anymore.

And he seriously needed someone to lean on right now. Because as the days passed, Kuo told them of more cities and towns destroyed. She told them of refugee camps being wiped out, of the Beast appearing at random along the coast, with no-one being able to stop it.

It only reinforced his decision to stop the entity. But they had to be fast. For now, they had some good distance to the Beast already, had circled the Florida Peninsula just in the night before and were now passing along the Gulf of Mexico. Cole had finished his training for the day, had eradicated what felt like half the furniture on the ship, and was having lunch on deck with Dana and Zeke when Kuo approached them with a concerned expression on her face. Asides from that, Cole realized, there weren't much indicators that she was being worried. Hair and suit were still in tip-top condition, and Cole wondered whether she had several suits of the same make with her.

“I have news”, she began. “Not bad ones”, she added as soon as she noticed their expressions shift rapidly. “But I just learnt that there are matters complicating the situation.”

“It's not the Beast”, Dana threw in. “It's too far away- what is the problem?”

“New Marais is under lockdown”, the agent said simply.

“Lockdown?” Zeke echoed. “Like...they won't let us off this barge there?”

“No” She furrowed her brows. “I think I have to start from the beginning- you know, since Hurricane Katrina New Marais has been partly flooded. Ever since that time, a militia under the leadership of one Joseph Bertrand claimed jurisdiction.”

“Ah, those guys”, Cole scoffed. He waved his hand a little at her surprised expression. “Zeke and I, we've been to New Marais, back when we plunked college. Tried to get a new perspective. Get away, stuff like that. Anyways, it's where we encountered parkour, and I started Urban Exploration. We didn't have much money, so we got most food from nicking it off those hicks. Didn't harm them, because they were assholes anyways, they pushed the cops around.”

Zeke chuckled. “We made a sport pissing those idiots off”, he admitted. “Hell, those were the times. Good times, Cole.”

The Conduit was grinning a little. “Yeah. Good times.” Simpler times, with no world that needed saving.

Kuo sighed simply and shook her head, though there was the ghost of a smile on her face. “Well, looks like those 'hicks' got at least most of the lockdown down pretty good. It's tight. No ship clears its load there without their say-so. Betrand got everything under control- but there is a way in where his defenses are going to be weakest.” She pulled a map from her bag and just spread it on the floor. She gestured to the territory surrounding the city. “The swamp's a massive area that he can't control. The inhabitants are less than happy with him, and are surely willing to help us in.” She leaned back, hand on her chin. “They might offer us refuge and assistance too, if we ask nicely.”

“So you're wanting to go in from the bayous”, Dana concluded. She cocked her head. “You got a plan? Cause this boat's too big for the swamps.”

“I managed to get through to a trawler captain”, Kuo declared. “He agreed to meet us just shy off the five mile border, pick us up- and get us into the swamp village. From there, we're on our own.”

“How are we going to get back out, once we've met with Wolfe?” Cole heard himself asking. Because he still had to stop the Beast then. It had beaten him once, it wouldn't get a second chance.

“Same way”, the NSA agent claimed. “Or we manage to sneak out through the swamp and get to the highway a little way off. Militia doesn't have any rights outside the city limits.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Yeah, but how about we first take some time and see the sights?” Zeke questioned. “I mean, whatever this Wolfe person is planning, it'll take a while. Who says we're just here for work. Let's live a little!”

“Sure”, Cole scoffed. “We're being refugees and we're illegal. Betrand's going to look away then.”

“Illegal only makes it more fun”, Zeke pointed out. “Anyways, I still got a few friends there. Or I hope I do, from last time. Let's see what we can cook up. Pretty sure they got some room to spare for the four of us.”

“Five. You forgot Alex”, Dana said simply.

“Alex doesn't need a place to sleep, if you get my meaning.”

“But it's less suspicious if we have enough room for all of us instead of telling them that one will be sleeping in the tub.”

“She got a point there, Zeke.” Cole blinked, then turned to Dana. “What about Alex, anyways? He got messed up pretty bad, you think he'll be ready to take down the Militia if necessary? ”

“I hope so”, was her answer. “At any rate-” She grimaced painfully. “Right now, he's probably better at removing obstacles like the Militia anyways. He gets like that, and he can't really not kill. It's just how he is.” And the Militia was made of food to him anyways, so he would probably be okay once he got his meal. Cole paled and quickly put his food down, seeing as the idea of eating lost all its appeal when thinking about hicks as a source of it. (Black tentacles, people screaming as their bodies were torn apart and dragged into what had been a person before)

He grit his teeth and shook his head, forcing himself to think of something else, and not that . A trawler. Kuo had gotten a trawler for them to get into New Marais. (Alden screeching in panic as he was devoured alive). They would be switch boats just off the coast. (He's eaten Kessler's body. He's eaten his future self's corpse while it was still warm). Five miles off the coast, then they'll sneak in through the swamps. (Moya and Sasha too).

Cole forced himself to think of what he'll do once he had whatever powers Wolfe was going to unlock in him. Didn't try to think of the people they were going to feed to his friend while they were there. But they would have to. Alex had willingly let himself be injured by the Beast despite being deadly scared of this thing (Cole knew, had recognized it when they fought), and he saved his sorry ass from drowning.

So if he needed to snack on some guys, he was more than welcome to do so. No matter what he thought about it.

The Conduit shook himself briefly, then turned to Kuo. “How long until we're close enough?”

“We should reach the meeting place in the afternoon tomorrow. With some luck, we'll be meeting Doctor Wolfe at the evening.”

“Good.” He climbed to his feet and stretched his limbs, then grabbed the fork weapon. “We still got some time left for testing this out. I think the welds need to be stronger.” That, and he was still having disturbing images in his head. He knew he couldn't help himself, knew he was aware how it looked to others, but also knew that there was nothing he could do instead.

“Definitely, brother”, Zeke agreed, most likely picking up on his mood. “We don't want it to snap in the middle of battle.”

“Yeah, and I'm going to need the radio”, Dana piped up.

“What for?” Kuo asked.

“Need to contact someone. He's got to know we're still alive and where we're headed. Pretty sure we can count on him to help us.”

Kuo didn't seem too happy about that, though Cole intervened before she could say something. “Do that. If there's a chance to win, I want it.”

He trusted the girl to know her shit, so he was more than okay with her making contact with somebody she knew. The more allies they had, the better.”

Without any more complaints, he continued to thrash some more of targets until way after sunset.

However, despite the exhaustion, Cole didn't sleep that night.

“Hey, I knew this guy. He was Blacklight.”

Voices? There were people there. But...something wasn't right.

“Yeah. Well now he's ex-Blacklight.”

Was too familiar. Had already happened? Was happening right now?

“His name is...Mercer, Alex J. Next of kin, Mercer, Dana A. Is that his wife?”

No, no. This was wrong. Not voices from outside. Voices from the inside of his head. His memories .
His memories of...before. Long before. It was all over now. They weren't relevant anymore. But...what had happened in the nearer past? Something must have...
Oh. Fire and pain. Being burned alive while...trying to rescue somebody? Or kill somebody? Both? Thinking hurt, as if his brain was actively fighting against him. Felt like it was stretched to its limits. His whole body hurt, the more he thought about it. Felt too warm and too...strained.

He remembered voices. Remembered...looking for a warm place to stay?
Not enough. He needed awareness.

Because...because he wasn't supposed to be unconscious. Wasn't supposed to be without awareness. Because he remembered . Remembered the last times he was gone. The thing burrowed into his shoulder. Feeding off him, weakened him, his body unable to reject it, so he lost awareness to the outside. Was trapped within himself.
After that, being burnt to pieces, nothing more than a puddle on the floor. Dangerous to anything around him, until he regained his senses. Had happened...some times already? Plural, wasn't good.

Hurt too much to think. Needed to be awake to process- or unconscious. But latter wasn't an option, which left only one way to deal with this. Waking up.

He grunted. The first sound he made in...quite a while, he thought, and forced himself to open his eyes. It was dark, though there were shapes in the gloom. He blinked again, then leaned his head against the wall next to him and waited until his eyes focused. It went slower than before, mostly because there wasn't the usual short blindness that accompanied the shifting of his retinas when he changed his sight.

Wait. His retinas didn't shift.
And that thought jostled him upright. He staggered to the side however, his legs refusing to take his weight, though when he hit the wall, the sensation was muted. It sent a panicking spike through his consciousness, and when he twisted his head to look, he saw what he was expecting to see. Armor in places where leather should be.

He hadn't changed back. It...had never happened before. He had collapsed before, but always reverted to his usual appearance. Now he hadn't- patches of armor coated his chest, back and arms. Along his neck too. Hell, there were some even along his legs. His hands were giant talons still.

“Fuck” His first word sounded harsh to his own ears. Breathless, like he wasn't used to speaking. Must have inhaled too much of the embers when fighting the Beast. His throat felt raw. It shouldn't be, should already be healed.

But it wasn't.

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes to focus. Tried to force his body to repair itself. There was no change in his structure. He couldn't feel himself shift beneath his skin.
That wasn't good. He gnawed on his lower lip as he lifted his hand and attempted to change it back. His flesh didn't squirm like it usually would. Instead, he only felt...tense. Like a bow stretched too taut. Then he heard steps and tried to glance over his shoulder, though the plates constituting his neck were too unyielding for it so he opted for turning his entire body towards the door.

“Alex, you're awake.” Dana stopped in her tracks, though her expression just screamed relief.

He rolled his tongue over his teeth briefly, then shook his head. “How long?” He managed to press out, sounding hoarse.

“Nearly two weeks”, she replied, then stepped closer with a deep frown on her face. “You look like shit”, she said as she picked up her rucksack and strapped it on her back.

Alex scoffed. “I feel like it, actually.” He fanned his claws again. “I don't think I can change back.”

“Oh”, Dana grimaced. “That...won't be helpful. You know, we are trying to sneak in, though I doubt you can do it looking like that.”

He was confused at her tone. “Looking like what?”

Dana made a face again and just gestured for him to follow. He let her lead, curious about what she had planned until she pointed at a simple steel door deep in the belly of the ship. The smell emanating from it told him enough- it was a toilet.

And toilets usually had sinks- and mirrors. He cringed slightly at the sudden biting light from the loud buzzing fluorescent lamp above, but then he adjusted and caught sight of his own reflection.
Well, he did look like Alex. Mostly. But even the first glance was wrong. His skin was too pale, paler than it was usually (and he already looked like death warmed over), his eyes seemed more silver than blue, more inhuman than before, though the most obvious changes were the patches of armor that still coated much of his upper torso and collar, and the claws that replaced his hands. The pieces of chitin melted into the cloth of the Biomass resembling clothes the wrong way- usually there should be sharp edges, but those looked more like melted wax, more like how the skin of Infected looked like. The colors were off, more washed out and brownish instead of black, and there were sickly reddish spots of blistered skin along his joints.

And he couldn't change back. Groaning, he dragged his palm down his face. “Fuck”

Dana furrowed her brows. “You think this is going to be permanent?”

He grit his teeth. “I hope not.” The last time he had lost some of his transformations, it hadn't taken longer than a few days. But this was different to the parasite. He wasn't being eaten from the inside-out, and he wasn't in much pain other than the tense feeling that was spreading through his system. However, unlike the other time, he couldn't transform at all . And from the raw feeling in his throat, he wasn't healing well either. This never had happened before. It was...worrisome. What if Blackwatch had ever found something like that? Would he had made it out of Manhattan in the first place?

He wasn't sure, and that didn't sit well with him. He bared his teeth at his own reflection and turned away abruptly, eying Dana. “This isn't important at the moment”, he growled. “We have to find a way to stop the Beast.” If they didn't stop it, he wouldn't survive for long anyways. He knew what had happened/will have happened in another time. He had to cut corners and trust in somebody else. It was hard for him, to trust. But realistically, he was aware that Cole had much better chances at taking down this walking mass of lava.

He eyed his claws for a short moment, then turned back to his sister. “What's the plan?”

She sighed. “Militia got control of New Marais. They aren't going to let us in, so Jane Bond decided to sneak in through the bog. Once we're in, Zeke and I are going to look for a hideout to use as base, you and Cole let Jane Bond show you the way to this Doctor Wolfe.” She paused for a moment, grimacing. “I called Cross”, she admitted.

“Cross?”

“Yeah. Wasn't sure I'd get through to him, and I didn't really tell him where we were, except for New Marais. But this is too important- he can help.”

Dana had called for Blackwatch. It was- it wasn't as bad as it sounded. Like she already said, they would need his help. If only as meat shield- but his knowledge of Blacklight could maybe shed some light on what happened.

And maybe Blackwatch would be able to stop the Beast. If they had nukes at their disposal, there probably wasn't much that they weren't able to destroy.

“If he turns up, tell him I want to talk to him.”

Dana relaxed slightly, folding her arms over her chest. “Speaking of which-I think Cole wanted to talk to you. You better figure out what he wanted unless you want it to sit between us and come up at the worst time possible.”

He exhaled through the nose- something he did on habit, not because he needed to breathe. But like the strain on his body, this time it felt...strange. Or maybe he was just over-thinking things. Focus. Needed focus. New Marais. New Marais was good focus.

“How long till we get there?”

“The trawler that'll take us to the bayous was just arriving when I came to get you”, Dana explained. “C'mon. The quicker we jump ship, the less likely someone is going to notice what's going on.”

Was probably the best idea here. Alex snorted and just shrugged. Dana led the way, back towards the deck- though as soon they stepped a foot outside, the refugees and crew members that crossed their paths jumped back in horror. Alex scowled at them and flexed his claws, forcing himself to not jump them. He hated how they acted, hated that they acted like prey . He tried to keep still, but every time they flailed, all his senses supplied him with what he needed to make the kill.

He hated it, because he was low on Biomass. He was hungry. It wasn't bad at the moment, but at any rate uncomfortable. And being locked on a ship with what he considered prey was just like having a fox inside a hen house. At least to Alex, who was doing his best to wrestle down the urge to simply maul the flailing humans to make them silent.

But obviously they were a lot smarter than those he'd seen in Manhattan, because they quickly cleared the deck, letting him breathe freely. He felt Dana's comforting squeeze at his shoulder, and her voice was soothing, even though it wasn't directed at him.

“Hey guys!”

Alex followed her line of view, glancing at the shapes of Dunbar, Cole, Agent Kuo and Quinn. None of them seemed worse for wear. Once they noticed them, however, a brief shimmer of shock and horror crossed their features before it settled into worry and confusion.

“Sainte mère!” It took Alex a moment to realize that the language was neither uttered from any of his companions, nor was it English. His eyes narrowed on a dark-skinned individual standing just next to Captain Quinn. The other man was older, thinner, with a crown of white hair and a white beard, his clothes were tattered and looked a few decades old. His eyes however, were blown wide and he looked like he was about to flee the area, jump down to that old trawler tethered to the side of the ship and try to get out as fast as possible.

Agent Kuo must have noticed it, because she stepped in front of his escape route and just inclined her head. “We informed you that one of us might be horrifying. You have, however, our word. You are perfectly safe.”

“'Perfectly Safe'?!” The man snapped his head towards the agent. “Why is one of dese tings here?”

“Things?” Alex cocked his head quizzically, brows drawn together. He didn't even notice that he actually asked, at least until the guy jumped again.

“Dis ting can talk?!”

“This thing is my brother”, Dana bit out, “He's just having a problem right now.”

“I seen dese tings rip apart people”, the captain barked. “If it was ya brother, ya better put it down 'efore it eats ya!”

Alex surprised himself by laughing sharply. Man, that guy had no idea how close to the truth he was. But if he wanted to eat Dana, or any of the others, he would have done so the first moment he'd seen them. Which he didn't and in Cole's and Kuo's cases, he had a lot of reason to.
However, then he realized something that drew his attention in what the man had said and the humor at the irony bled away fast. The man had 'seen' things. Things like him. Where? In New Marais?

They were supposed to be dead. He had made sure of it, had made sure that there was nothing of Redlight or Blacklight left after Pariah. He needed to know more.
Alex crossed his arms to shove the nails under the armpits in an attempt to appear less threatening, though his glare only intensified. “Where?”

He didn't like skirting around the problem, though obviously his bluntness didn't have many fans either. At least judging from the way the man cringed back. Luckily, Cole decided to spare him the trouble and stepped in front to cut off the direct eye contact. “Look, I know what this looks like, but I promise you, he isn't one of 'them'. He just ended up on the wrong end of some serious shit.” The trawler captain was eying him suspiciously, so he added: “We'll help if possible. Where did you see these things?” He paused. “What kind of 'things' are you even talking about?” Typical Cole, jump first, then look. It was going to kill him some day. Alex scoffed, and turned his attention on the old man. Who was still suspicious, but he obviously was considering the question.

“Ya for real?”

“Honest”, Cole replied. Dana took the opportunity to add her two cents. “You're putting yourself at risk, we know. But if there is a problem we can help with, we would like to help. To make it up to you.”

The old man gave in, throwing up his hands. “Fine, but don' come yellin' at me when dis ting and is friends in the swamp eat ya.”

“So they are in the swamp?” Dana sounded incredulous, and Alex shared her sentiment. Redlight didn't like water. Blacklight could tolerate it, but never stayed around for too long either.

“Folks are callin' 'em Swamp Beasts. Los of 'em out in de Bayous. Most larger dan a man, actually. Got armor and claws, or at leas' the smaller ones have. I got folks tellin' me de big ones eat everythin' dat ain' a Swamp Beast.”

“Swamp Beasts?” Agent Kuo furrowed her brows. “I heard rumors about that too.”

“Ain' jus' rumors, girl. Dey are there, and dey eat folks venturin' into the bog at night. We tink de Swamp Witch is de one controllin' 'em.”

“Swamp Witch?” Dunbar questioned in confusion. “There's a witch too?”

“Yeah. She's been around ever since a whole lotta folks disappeared. And since then, de Swamp Beasts were running wild.”

Alex narrowed his eyes in thought- this seemed familiar, but not in the way he remembered from Manhattan- this wasn't an infection, or most likely not. They knew from Kessler that there had been a Ray Sphere explosion before he returned to Empire. However, Kessler believed that there had been no victims, and he never bothered looking for survivors or remains of people, so he wasn't certain himself. He was of the firm belief that it had been a misfire in the swamp, and thus he never had any doubts. Though now they heard that 'a whole lotta folks disappeared', and then suddenly a 'witch' appeared in companionship of monsters, that made people vanish. That one was familiar from Empire.

“Just like Sasha, huh?” Cole muttered, mirroring exactly the thought Alex just had.

“Most likely”, he replied. Taking her down should be secondary priority, but for the moment, there was only one thought dominating his mind- these Swamp Beasts were ideal for food. And then his stomach lurched painfully. He was hungry. While it wasn't as bad as it had been in the past, it was still noticeable enough to be distracting.

He growled low in his throat, something that made the trawler captain jump in fear. “We have to hurry”, he hissed. “Find Wolfe. Stop these things.”

“Just what I thought”, Cole agreed. He turned to Quinn. “Thanks for getting us here, Quinn. You need anything, you just ask us.”

“It would help if you could repeat what you've done at Fisherman's, though this time with better results.”

“Don't worry. This is why we are here. This bastard defeated me once, he's not going to do it again.” He turned and glanced at the small trawler tethered besides the ship, hands clenching briefly around the rail- and jumped over in one singular leap. He hit the boat in a roll to work off the energy, then turned around and glanced at the others.

Dunbar grunted and threw his hands up. “Friggin' show-off”, he grumbled as he went towards the rope ladder and began to climb down. Agent Kuo was still talking to the captains, so Alex walked over to Dana and simply picked her up, cradling her carefully against his chest before he leapt over and hit the trawler hard enough to make it shudder. But he didn't break through the deck, and while it was positive he didn't damage their vehicle, it was also quite worrisome since it didn't speak well for how much mass he had left. And sure enough, when he let go of his sister, his body clenched painfully- though he was missing the tell-tale shiver of his body that was usually accompanied by his flesh shifting and his cells giving off active viral agents.

It was simply missing , and he didn't like it.

With a growl, he pulled away and leaned against the rail in the front, just glaring at the choppy water in vague hopes of controlling the hunger within. It was easier to focus on something that wasn't food when he didn't look at warm bodies.

But the boat wasn't large enough, so he noticed much too clearly when Agent Kuo and the trawler captain stepped on the ship, he heard how they exchanged a few last words, and he was keenly aware of the idling engine coming to life. Like a Hydra burrowing beneath, like the roar of a Hunter. He grimaced, feeling another stab of hunger that flashed through his head and settled as a constant ache at the pit of his stomach.

“Can we talk?” He acknowledged Cole's presence with a grunt only, but didn't look at him. He set his jaw however, when the Conduit leaned on the rail next to him. “Did you know?”

Know? This had many applications, and the question didn't explain anything. So he didn't bother answering. The other noticed it and exhaled once. “Wolfe”, he clarified. “You said you knew him. Knew about him. Any reason you didn't tell me?”

Ah, so that was about that. And he couldn't really get away with ignoring him. Not when they were locked together on this boat for the next hour or so and had to rely on each other later on. “I figured we had more time. I thought we could wait out the quarantine of Empire to leave the city without much fanfare.”

“More time?” The other sounded incredulous, then switched to accusing. “You knew the Beast was coming. You knew it would come after me!”

“It came after Kessler when he was thirty-six”, Alex corrected. “And despite the differences that already happened, I thought you had another nine or so years left. I didn't think time was that short.” He sighed through his nose and clenched his talons in front of him. “I was mistaken.” Again.

Cole was silent for a moment, before he snapped. “Fuck. Nothing's going according to plan.”

“Does it ever?” Alex glanced at him briefly. “For what it's worth, I'm-” Sorry it had to work out that way. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “It shouldn't have happened. I should have told you earlier. But you were still injured and confused. Empire wasn't secure yet. I thought it could wait a little longer.”

“It couldn't wait”, the Conduit replied with a bitter tone. “Empire's gone, Alex.”

Gone? He flinched back as if burnt, his claws cutting groves into the rusty metal beneath his palms. Why was he surprised? Technically, he should have expected something like that, but until now nobody had bothered telling him what had happened while he was unconscious. Now Cole's words were like a punch into the stomach. Empire was gone.

He growled and snapped his head up, staring at the sky. “What else was destroyed?” He demanded to know.

“Asides from Empire?” Cole scoffed. “Philly. Baltimore. D.C nearly got whacked too. About every last town along the East Coast. Refugee camps. Altogether I'd say roughly sixteen million people dead.”

That...was actually less than he expected. He turned his attention back towards the Conduit. “What about the land in itself? What about the moon ?”

“The...moon?” Cole blinked in confusion. “What about it?”

“When the Beast last appeared- when it appeared in Kessler's past- the first thing it destroyed was the fucking moon”, Alex replied. “Brought the entire planet out of balance too, so billions of people died from the global catastrophes. Here? Sixteen millions aren't seven billion.” He finally turned to eye the other man, his thoughts finally pulling into the same direction and focus clearing. “You see millions dead. I see that it could have been a lot worse. And this is our chance. If that is everything this thing can do or is willing to do, then we have a real chance, once we got to Wolfe and look at what he's been doing since I- since Kessler last saw him.”

On second thought, maybe he should have broken it to him a little more gently- Cole looked like he was about to faint. He caught himself and eased his expression back into one that was a little more refined. There was still terror in his voice. “What if we can't stop it?”

Alex cocked his head. “I doubt we 'can't' stop it. Something is different with that thing as opposed to the one Kessler faced. Think about it. I jumped it face-first. All that happened was that I kind of lost my ability to transform. I did not, however, die.”

The Beast hadn't killed them. This made it its mistake entirely. “Next time, we will take it down.”

“You sound pretty sure about this.” Cole paused, and his fists clenched at his sides. “But you're right. We got our asses kicked. We failed hard. But we're still here. This here- New Marais- this is our choice. We can make a real difference.”

Alex only cocked his head at the other's confidence. He wanted to be sure about it too, wanted to be certain that what he already experience wouldn't happen again. But in reality? Hope was a delusion. Things didn't look so good. He had no idea how to defeat the Beast.
Not. A. Single. One.
Kessler seemed to have believed that Wolfe would be able to figure something out, something regarding the very nature of a Ray Field that supplied a Conduit's powers, but they had split before there was anything solid.

But...the Ray Field. Cole said the Beast used powers similar to the Ray Sphere. Maybe there was something...Alex winced, screwing his eyes shut when another stab of pain lurched from his stomach into his skull.

Figuring out how to defeat the Beast was top priority- should be top priority- yet all he wanted was to feed. Starving himself for two weeks after a major injury had not been a smart idea, though there wasn't much he could consume guilt-free on Quinn's ship. And he didn't want the guilt, didn't want to add even more regrets to those he already had.

But right now he wished he had consumed something .

There was something in the air, and his head snapped to the front with the same focus he displayed when searching for his prey. He could hear voices on the wind. Could smell the faint traces of explosives and gun powder, even over the oppressing scent of the bog.

Cole was the first to notice the shift in his posture, but it was Kuo who realized what was going on. With a soft swear on her lips, she spun around and rushed the few steps towards the trawler's bridge, waving her arms. “Cut the engines! Cut the engines!”

Alex noticed Dunbar and Dana becoming more alert even as the captain cut the power and the boat was left to drift. It was Cole, however, who reacted first. “What's going on?”

“Militia blockade”, Kuo declared, pointing into exactly the direction Alex had caught the scent from. “We get any closer and their artillery will sink us.”

Food

Alex's whole body snapped into position, muscles tensing as a snarl worked out of his throat. Cole was saying something- Hell, Dana was saying something- but he didn't hear it. His eyes flitted towards the treeline on either side, then to the Militia blockade in the mist further up the stream.
He just kicked off the boat, soaring high in the sky before he hit the soft ground hard enough to topple the closest tree, already dashing away from the boat before the trunk hit the water.

He didn't care about the other trees he snapped as he charged blindly towards the prey . He could hear their startled voices, he heard guns being cocked, he smelled adrenaline.

Food

He broke two more trees as he entered the Militia-controlled area, and there were men in various uniform idiotic outfits that hid their faces- all of who yelled in shock and instantly started shooting. He felt some bullets ping off his armor, others bit in and stayed there, and sometimes he felt the sharp sting of...arrows? He didn't really care, just lunged at the closest one and jabbed his claw right through his sternum.

But...

There was no squirming. No shifting of his flesh. The virus was silent. Unmoving.

When the body dropped, it dropped with a grisly wound in its chest, though entirely whole and unconsumed.

It hit Alex harder than anything before. He couldn't transform. He couldn't assume a normal appearance. He couldn't consume .

“Fuck”

Chapter Text

Cole's first words when Kuo warned them of the Militia's artillery were “Sure, why the Hell not? It's not as if I wanted an easy trip into New Marais to save the whole damn world.” Followed closely by “Wait, how does a bunch of hicks get military weaponry?”

“I'd hazard a guess and say this Bertrand guy has ties with the military”, Dana pointed out with a shrug. “Guess we'd have to persuade them to...not use them, Alex?”

The boat suddenly rocked as if some giant gator had rammed it. Cole swore, but managed to keep his balance, and it was only when a tree reeled over and crashed into the bog with a wet spluk , when he realized what just happened.

Alex had obviously taken Dana's words as invitation to cut loose. Cole groaned and just grabbed the railing, yelling. “How about a little warning next time, Mercer?!” At the same time, he was already swinging one leg over the rail, intent on following after his friend, when Zeke stopped him.

Reluctantly, the Conduit stepped back, glancing at his best friend, who didn't lose any time to start speaking. “Now, I know you wanna go out there and mix things up, but I thought...” He pulled the tuning fork weapon from behind his body, holding it out to him. “That maybe you wanna try her out.”

Cole took the weapon, arching his eyebrows. “You think it's finished?”

“Just give her a try”, Zeke beamed.

Cole took the weapon, turned it slightly in his hands- then gripped it more tightly and the tips snapped outwards while electricity started to crackle from the junction at their base to the insulators at their ends. Before, Zeke's controller had been the source of the electricity, now it was Cole himself. He felt the energy inside when he gave it an experimental swing. Kuo had backed up, eyes alert and it occurred to him that this was the first time he's seen her alarmed, or showing any other emotion other than her carefully blank face, though she seemed curious too. “What is that thing?”

Zeke beamed at her. “I call it the Amp . I made it extra for Cole, so he can beat people into submission.” His smile faltered a little. “You know, he had troubles with some guys having metal armor. His lightning just didn't get through. So I thought I gotta help him- and with the Amp he can bypass armor of most kinds.”

Cole tested the Amp again with a smile growing on his face. “Good work, Zeke.”

“Aw, thanks man. You makin' me blush here.” Zeke grinned again. “Now go and have some fun.”

The Conduit was already rushing towards the railing again, waving the Amp. “This is going to make some impression!” And hopefully leave some impressions too.
Now, the boat had continued to float upstream for a bit while Cole was given his new weapon, so he wouldn't be able to follow Alex's trail directly, but he knew where to go and using an abandoned pier was a lot safer than trying to balance across a slippery fallen tree anyways.
That would have been embarrassing if he went into New Marais all guns blazing, only to fall into the bog and electrocute himself on the first step. So he was only all too glad to avoid a punch to his pride and just hopped onto this rickety pier.

Then he simply charged across muddy ground and some age-old bridges, always heading towards the shooting he heard echoing through the trees.

“Shit, man, what's going on over there?!” He stopped momentarily, eyes narrowing on two guys standing a little way off. Judging from the heavy guns in their hands and the ridiculous uniforms they were wearing they were Militia. He couldn't be too sure however, though he readied the Amp just in case.

But when he stepped from behind the trees he'd been using as cover, the men whirled around and stared at him for a good few seconds- and ripped their rifles up. Any question as to who they might have been were blown right out of the window at that, and Cole found himself dodging to the side to avoid being shot at. He knew he couldn't avoid bullets, but he could sure as Hell avoid being aimed at.
And he could make them think twice as to why it was a bad idea shooting people.

Cole rushed them in a spiral motion, never staying in one place for too long until he was close-up and inside their personal bubble. That was a thing he had learnt early on: Guys with guns don't like close combat.

And they didn't like the Amp colliding with their bodies either. He was careful about how much strength he used to avoid accidentally killing them, though these guys were likely okay once they would wake up. And the Amp held up perfectly .

He couldn't stop himself from taping his phone and ringing up his friend. “Hey Zeke”, he greeted once the other picked up. “This Amp's gonna work out just fine.”

“Alright!”, Zeke cheered, and he heard Dana's higher voice in the background yelling 'Don't give them too much of a cranial trauma'. “Was afraid the collapsible rods wouldn't hold up, but I guess I worried for nothin'.”

“Still gonna keep an eye on it”, Cole pointed out, heading closer towards the shooting.

“Put some notches on it for me, will ya?”

The Conduit chuckled and headed over to where some platforms had been erected, and quickly latched onto the closest one to pull himself upwards.
He stopped, eyes narrowing when his radar senses told him that there were a lot of life forms just...going out. And up here, he could hear the shooting, the screams .

Most people would run away from the obvious danger. He ran towards it. If he wouldn't have known what he had to expect at the source, then he would seriously question his sense of survival.

Though...as he made his way towards some buildings, he realized that something was off . He spotted the area Alex came from easily enough (because of the broken trees), and he recognized his handiwork because of the bodies.
But that was exactly what was wrong. He had seen the hunger on his face when they met, yet there were bodies .

When Alex ate (consumed, absorbed, whatever), nothing was left of his victims except for some drops of blood. But here? Corpses were torn apart, ripped to pieces in an increasingly violent manner- but all of them remained uneaten.

He wasn't sure what to think of it- on one hand it meant he didn't have to witness people- humans - being twisted and transformed, then sucked into a living nightmare. On the other hand, this living nightmare was his friend, and anything affecting him affected Cole as well.

So against whatever his instincts were shrieking at him, he went to look for him. The shooting had stopped, and so had the screams.

But as he sent out his radar, it didn't pick up Alex's unique energy pattern. There was one , however, which was weird enough to be him, possibly. Still, Cole didn't want any surprises, so he drew the Amp from his back and carefully moved closer.
It wasn't needed in the end, because he did find Alex in the middle of carnage that had once been a few armed guys. The Conduit swallowed, tried to focus on what was important: Alex was alive, and the bad guys were dead. Now killing wasn't something he'd ever wish on anybody lightly, but there were people who deserved it. And actually, there were a lot of people in that category. Sure, Cole knew a lot of good guys, but idiots who blindly followed after leaders and who harmed others gleefully, they were high on top of that naughty list of his.

And his friend needed to kill, being a genetically engineered weapon and all that, so he just had to stretch his claws from time to time. Also eat whoever he killed.

But...exactly there was the point that worried him. The bodies were all left uneaten, if mostly ripped to pieces, and Alex himself didn't exactly looked to be better off. Cole actually felt his mouth go dry when he noticed the injuries on the Runner's body. Bullet wounds from the high-powered rifles lying around- bullet wounds that were not healing.

They should be, because he's seen it pretty often already. There should be some squiggling as his insides shifted around and settled back into his normal appearance. But there wasn't, and even if it wasn't bleeding or anything, there were still dark stains surrounding the single injuries.

“What?” Alex snapped and yeah, he sounded about as cranky as Cole imagined him to be. He also noticed that he was staring. The Conduit cleared his throat a little forcefully, grimacing.

“You don't look so hot.”

That earned him a glare, though the heat wasn't directed at him. “Tell me something I don't know.” Dark liquid oozed from a hole in his shoulder, where the armor was thinnest. It came to his realization that it was blood . But Blacklight didn't bleed. It wasn't like other living beings, and it had no need for blood.

“Dude, how?”

Alex growled. “You got three guesses.”

The answer was obvious. “The Beast. It did something to you?”

“Probably its radiation. Fucked my genetic code over”, was the reply. “I can't shift anymore.” His eyes darkened, though there was a glint of panic in them too. “And without shifting, I can't heal. I can't change my appearance”, he slammed one talon into the wall next to him, leaving deep gashes. “I can't feed.”

Oh. What was the appropriate reaction to things like this? 'I'm sorry you lost your only source of energy, I'm sure you'll be fine'? That would be a fantastic way to piss him off and possibly lose him as ally and friend. So he only swallowed thickly. “Any way I can help with?”

“I doubt it”, Alex grumbled. “I'm not even sure what it is. But I am sure that you can't do anything about it.” He glanced at him. “The last time something similar happened, I had a doctor specialized in Blacklight. So unless Wolfe learnt everything about a top secret viral weapon in the few years since Kessler saw him last, I don't know what to do.”

Cole realized with a start just how defeated it sounded. Like he had completely stopped fighting the inevitable. (Just like with him, back when Trish died?)
He grit his teeth, watching the black liquid that was still sluggishly dripping from the various bullet holes. “We'll find a way, Alex”, he declared. “And if I march to these Blackwatch bastards and make them fix you.”

“You don't want to do that.”

“Watch me”, he scoffed. First they had to defeat the Beast, then he would walk right into Detrick and demand answers if this didn't change. Though...change. Something had changed, and that wasn't just Alex's loss of shape shifting.

Cole had noticed that before. His electrical field had changed. Away from the chaos. Away from the random charges. Towards order . Towards familiar territory.

“Could you hold still for a moment?”

Alex's eyes narrowed, though he didn't ask what he meant. Cole figured he was allowed to continue. He lifted his hands carefully. “Don't worry, it won't hurt. Much.”

Before the Runner could ask what he meant, Cole pressed his hands flat against his chest and sent out a pulse of energy- and watched how the Runner's wounds closed within moments while the bullets dropped to the ground with clinks.
It wasn't new to him, healing others had been one of the first powers he unlocked back in Empire, and it was one of the few powers left to him now.

Alex however, was a lot less amused and obviously confused. As soon he was physically fine, he had backed off quickly, and even though it wasn't a downright jumping backwards, it was still similar enough. Cole grimaced. “You alright, man?”

The answer was slow. “...Yes. But...” He furrowed his brows, glaring at him. “ How ? Your powers don't work on me.”

He was right about that, since he didn't heal by repairing the wound but rather by shifting himself around to cover the damage, Cole's ability to increase the self-healing rate in others just never meant anything to him. Now however, the healing had performed without trouble, and more even, while it definitely worked faster than in humans, it was exactly the same process. “You changed”, the Conduit explained simply. “You told me your body doesn't work like that of humans. You don't have a nervous system, or organs, or anything. But now you do . So I guess...welcome to the world of Humanity.”

From the way Cole cringed back after the silence stretched just a little too long, Alex could guess his expression was somewhere in the less-than-friendly-spectrum. His hands opened and closed and he heard his pulse hammer in his ears.

No, not Cole's- he heard his own pulse. And that pulled his lips even further down because he should not have a pulse. The Conduit quickly cleared his throat awkwardly. “I mean, uh, when you disguised yourself as me to trick Moya, you've been pretty close. Now you're being you and you're a lot more human than you've been back then.”

“I am not human”, Alex spat. He had wanted to be. Back then. Back in Manhattan. But he wasn't. He had learnt about this, later on, had realized that there was nothing he and them had in common. He was a virus at his core, and the virus made up everything that was him. Just a collection of billions of cells that worked together and formed the current him.
And this was his strength- he could do things no other living being was capable of. He would never grow tired or old. He would never get sick or injured. He couldn't die as long parts of him remained.

But this? Assault rifles had injured him- assault rifles that couldn't hurt him before. He couldn't transform, couldn't assume a less incriminating shape. Couldn't feed to repair the damage.

His paw moved to his face and he dragged the palm over his eyes, just breathing for a while before he sighed through his nose. “Just...fuck it.”

Cole blinked. “That's it?”

He glanced at him from below his machete-like claws. “You were expecting more?”

“Kind of. I mean...if I figured out that something had changed my entire state of being, I'd be a bit more pissed off.”

He growled . The Conduit backed off, startled. “I am pissed off”, Alex snapped, teeth bared. He caught himself when he realized he was approaching the other in an intimidating manners, and drew back, jerking his chin over his shoulder as good as he could with the armor restricting his movement. “But you know what raging would do? Nothing .” This wasn't unknown. He was angry. At himself. At the Beast. At everybody else- though being mad wouldn't accomplish anything. He wanted to rage it out, wanted to rend whatever he got between his talons- but it wouldn't help him in any way. Quite the opposite, possibly. Because if he exerted himself with no way to replenish his energy, he would be off a lot worse than he was now.

He exhaled slowly. “I can't afford to be pissed off. Shit happened that would make things more complicated, but it can't distract us from what needs to be done.”

Cole just furrowed his brows. “I don't know. You're just having a major change. I mean, wouldn't it be better to take a break?”

This would probably be the best course of action. Just like with the parasite years back- if he wasn't busy being conscious, he could get whatever it was out and kill it, return to his old self.

But just like with the parasite, laying down and doing nothing wasn't on Alex's mind. He shook his head. “Afraid I can't. We still have to shut down the artillery.”

“C'mon. It's just a group of hicks. I can deal with them.”

Alex snorted. “What? You want to get me off your ass? I won't.”

“But-” Cole grimaced. “You've lost your strongest abilities. Hell, you lost your ability to look normal.”

“This isn't the first time.” He was already walking away, forcing the Conduit to jog to keep up with him. “When this happened the last time I was afflicted with a form of intelligent cancer, that ate me from the inside out.” Cole made a gagging noise, falling back momentarily. “It prevented me from using my weapons, while it didn't affect my transformation or consumption. However, it also screwed my sensory input over and weakened me to the point I collapsed several times from stress. Now?” He stopped for a moment, glancing at his companion. “I feel fine.”

Cole's brows were drawn together as if he was about to deny it. Alex figured it wouldn't hurt to cut him off before he went on a tirade. “More even, asides from this devolving factor, I am still stronger than you will ever be, I'm faster and more resistant towards damage.” That much, he figured, was true in a way. While he couldn't just casually shift his mass to cover the damage, he had still taken a lot more bullets, a lot more , than Cole would have ever withstood- without even keeling over. “ And I still have access to the entire knowledge I gathered. If Wolfe is gone or dead, I'm the only one capable of possibly reproducing the results he achieved.” And that was, and had always been, his most powerful and devastating power. Who cared that he couldn't access his more basic abilities?

Alex cared. He sighed once more and continued making his way further towards the edge of the city. “Yes, it is a new situation that throws some rocks in my way, but it is not as debilitating as it appears.” It really wasn't. Blacklight was made for survival, was made for adapting during combat situations. After all, he had gained more powers and abilities in three short weeks while in Manhattan than he gathered in all the years following the outbreak. “I'll manage.”

It didn't matter that he didn't believe his own words.

Yeah, no. Cole didn't believe a single word. He knew Alex. Knew that that guy was angry at at least three things simultaneously at any given time- but now there was fear in the mix as well. He could guess why- losing all the abilities that defined one was hardly something to be shrugged off. But Alex obviously did not want to talk about it, so Cole wasn't going to force him either.

He would just continue to deny everything, and really, what was talking about something supposed to change? Much like with a protest march, actually. If one wanted to change something, they had to do something. The only problem right here was that they had no idea what to do in the first place. Which meant that this particular trouble went to the back burner in order to fix the solvable issues first.

And right now,the first issue was quite obvious- there were still military installations they had to take down in order for Kuo and the others to get into New Marais in the first place.

“Oh” Cole stopped in front of water. He hadn't even noticed that there was so much of it- he always figured that there would be enough bridges and land for him to get over without electrocuting himself. On the other side was some form of...ramshackle shantytown. In Europe, people would say that it were gypsies. Here it were possibly homeless and illegal immigrants, combined with the descendants of slaves and people who just didn't have (or wanted) the money to live inside New Marais.

“Bridge”, Alex just rasped, drawing his attention to the construction on the other side. “Beats swimming”, he added a moment later.

“Too far to fly, too”, Cole agreed. While he hadn't lost his thrusters, he couldn't cross that kind of distance. So instead he marched up to the other end of the bridge and glanced at the console just on the other side. He'd seen similar ones already, back in Empire. Red meant the electricity was off, and that meant just shooting it a little would power it up and allow them to get the bridge down.

A lamp post nearby supplied him with the necessary juice, and for the first time in two weeks he realized just how thirsty he'd been for additional energy.

“You're going to charge the relay?”

Cole turned to his companion. “Yeah. Gotta get the bridge down here somehow.”

Alex took one glance at the console on their side, his shin-long talons slowly tapping against the ancient metal. “You should be careful”, he said. “This thing doesn't look like it's seen maintenance for quite a while. Guess the same goes for the other one. Could be parts inside are broken.”

Cole made a face. “So I should not zap it?”

“More along the line of 'careful zap it'.” The other scoffed. “Could be that the relay in itself could get overloaded. Best case scenario, we're damaging the bridge to the point it can't be used anymore. Worst case scenario...” He jerked his head into the general direction of the shanty town. “The conductor blows and sets the village on fire. Of course...” He squinted at the village and Cole followed his gaze, noticing the Militia soldiers amongst the population. “If you do you could take out all these guys in one go. Would probably make things easier.”

“I do that, I also take out all the women, children and pets”, Cole grunted with a nod towards the various civilians that were grouped around campfires. Alex didn't seem too disturbed by the idea however, but then again, his to-go-to-solution had always been 'killing a few for the sake of protecting everybody else'. Or better, he corrected himself 'cauterize a wound to prevent gangrene'. But this was Alex's opinion. He obviously wasn't aware how similar he was to Blackwatch in that regard, just that he only cauterized, and did not amputate the whole limb. There was hope for the man yet.

Cole had a different opinion. He always tried to prevent civilians from getting caught in the crossfire, went to great lengths to do so, even if it meant swallowing a bit too much lead. No matter how they treated him, he added mentally when he remembered the first day in Empire.

He rolled his wrist and aimed his hand towards the machine on the other side, carefully firing lightning bolts with enough waiting time between to check up on the relay. The bridge creaked as it lowered and extended itself towards them, protesting the motion after a long time of inactivity.

Voices were still audible over the noise, and Cole just knew that the Militia hicks noticed it. They would have been dumb and deaf if they didn't, and sure enough, he spied a group of them gathering together, yelling about something and gesturing with their rifles and hunting bows. The latter made him snort. Bows? Really?

He watched the hicks and the civilians for a moment, before turning to Alex. “Hey, uhm- I know you're no fan of clean kills, but there are kids over there. So maybe don't give 'em reason to need a shrink at their age, okay?”

Alex just arched an eyebrow beneath his hood. “I'm not totally heartless”, he pointed out. “Why, right about now, I'd say I even got a heart. Not sure I like it, but whatever. I'll just stay out of their sight.”

“Did you just make a joke?”

Alex didn't answer, just stared at a point on the other side, frown deepening. Then the shooting started and Cole quickly had other things to worry about. Alex was faster- leaping over and slamming hard into the ground to make the men stumble- and all ire was on him. Cole could appreciate it, he really did, but he knew that being hurt only made the Runner more aggressive. So he quickly crossed the distance too and just brained the first guy with the Amp, while Alex halfheartedly swiped at the closest guy and swatted him with the back of his hand. The Conduit winced when he heard bones crack, though the guy remained alive, if unconscious. Showed how much restraint the other was using. Also, it was nice that his words were taken to heart, he thought, right before he realized that he should have taken bows a bit more serious. An arrow embedded itself into his shoulder with a pained grunt from him, though he spun around and lunged at the guy who was holding the weapon. He just punched him hard enough to knock him out, then he tried to pull the arrow from his back.

That didn't go like he planned, mostly because in the movies the projectile would come out cleanly. This one was stuck and it took a lot of tugging and swearing on his part to get it loose. The injuries healed quickly enough, as did the bullet wounds, though his once-pristine yellow shirt already looked like he'd pulled it from a dumpster.

“He ain't human!” Somebody suddenly shrieked, “Kill him!” Cole assumed for a moment they meant Alex, because hey, he had the machetes on his hands and the perpetual appearance of a day-old meth corpse, but then he realized that the Runner was still behind the buildings and not visible from the direction the shots came. Shots that, without doubt, were aimed at him.

With a growl, he dove behind some barrels in this industrial setup and set out a radar pulse, finding the guys immediately. Problem was, they were standing next to or behind metal sheets, which gave them ample cover from his lightning attacks.

“You ain't welcome here!” Another voice shouted as a honest-to-God missile exploded just a few yards away from him. Of course these hicks got rocket launchers. Of course. Cole threw himself out of his cover and dashed towards the closest merc, Amp drawn and held in front of his body like a makeshift shield.

The ground shook, sending him stumbling. The next moment, he recognized Alex, who had been lured by the shooting and was now in the process of strangling the merc. Without taking his eyes off his victim, he jabbed a claw over his shoulder. “Javelin Missile. Over there. He's just reloading.”

Cole whirled around, noticed the man perched atop a conveyor belt the second he was finished reloading, and fired a lightning bolt right into his chest. The man jerked back and lost his balance, thudding against the ground. The fall was far from deep enough to be lethal, but it had knocked him out cold. Cole spun back around and approached the third guy, who was currently backing away from an angry Alex. He casually tapped his shoulder and just punched him straight in the jaw when he whirled towards him startled. The man crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes and Cole let a wide grin spread over his face. “Always wanted to do that.”

Alex didn't say anything, just eyed the unconscious guy on the floor maybe a little too long, though his attention snapped away from him the same second he just pushed the Conduit aside and away from another missile and jumped , talons blazing. Technically, he shouldn't. As soon as the shooting stopped, the civilians would most likely investigate and find the bodies. However, right now there were none of them around, so Cole's request to not murder the hicks in front of the people went right out of the window. Maybe he should have specified his words?

Though, they shot at them with fucking missile launchers, so there wasn't much restraint left anyways- and from what Alex told him, missile launcher-wielding foes had always been those guys he jumped first, back in Manhattan. He's been conditioned, so Cole let him have that, though he couldn't quite stop the grimace when he heard the sound of tearing flesh and the wet gurgle of a man meeting his gruesome end.

He wasn't the last one, however. A group of four more Militia mercs just appeared around the bend. These guys were armed with rifles, not missile launchers, so Cole decided to take them down quickly before they could call for reinforcements.

His lightning bolts hit the first guy and knocked him out cold. He was probably going to tie him down later on, since electricity didn't really shut down people for longer than just a few minutes. The next two men tried to take him together- he grabbed the Amp harder and swung in a circle, hitting both of them and sending them on their asses. They'd be out for the next time. The fourth was screaming enraged at him. “Betrand will hear of this!”

That did give Cole a pause. Bertrand? How in the world could his men be that stupid to shout out their boss's name? Especially since their boss was apparently one of the most respected people in Louisiana. He slammed the butt of the Amp over his head, shutting him up. Then he looked around.

“Alex? You seeing any more of them?”

There was silence for a short stretch, until the man in question appeared before him, shaking the ground, though suddenly lurched sideways and snatched something with his talons, crushing it between his fingers. Burning gasoline and glass shards dripped to the ground. “What do you think?”

Cole boggled for a moment. “Molotov Cocktails?!” He burst out. “What in the-” He threw a glance back at the assault rifles, the missile launchers . “They got all this shit- why do they throw stuff like that?!”

“Because they're idiots”, Alex deadpanned. “Worse even, armed idiots. Which means they will be predictable and easy to deal with.” He snorted. “But it won't be easy taking them down, because they believe in this Bertrand.” Interesting, so he either heard what this guy has been yelling, or he had learnt it later on after Kuo told them about the Militia. Dana? Possible that she brought him up to date. At any rate, he had more knowledge about armies than Cole had.

Alex scoffed. “They'll follow him blindly, because he's the only smart one. Betrand is their focus. Take him out, and you've dealt with these idiots.”

Cole grinned. “Yeah, we're going to do that. However, we might wanna start small. Like taking down this artillery. You got any idea where they could be?”

Alex inclined his head, then glanced around. “Where are the most people?”

“Uh- back in the village.” Cole paused, then furrowed his brows as he turned around. “But the second most...” He turned slowly, eying an ancient stern wheeler sitting in the bayou.

“Gunpowder”, the other supplied. “I think it's a mortar ordnance.”

“And that means?”

There was a smirk revealing sharp teeth. “You can't shoot straight with a mortar. Just rush them. Once you're inside their reach, they have to fall back to small arms. Not even rocket launchers, or they'll blow themselves sky-high.”

“Or...” Cole grinned wide, lightning dancing around his fingers. “Or we blow them sky-high.” It would mean killing all those men on board, though. A decision Cole was surprisingly okay with. He shouldn't be, should be looking for another way, but he didn't feel generous. These men had made their decision to follow Bertrand's orders, never questioning whether it was right to do so. And he had seen it on their faces- they were happy to assault him. They were gleefully shooting at him, with no care for the civilians in that shantytown. Cole wished he had gone back to check for them, but they couldn't afford losing more time. Who knew how close Zeke and the others were already? If they didn't take the artillery down, then the chance was high they'd lose them. And he couldn't stomach the thought. Not after Trish.

Alex was watching him closely, but once Cole made his decision, he just shrugged and tracked back a little bit to find a derelict truck. “I'll start”, he declared briefly, hefting the vehicle over his head. “That should distract them enough to prevent them from firing the mortars. You need to target the ammunition depots. Or better, anything flammable next to them. The heat should do the trick.”

Well, it was good the boat was made of wood, then. He waited for Alex to launch the truck at the boat, watched how the smaller vehicle crashed into the side of the larger and ripped through the walls and decks with ease. He heard the startled shouts of the men, and took aim. The first lightning bolts went wide, but the next ones struck gold- or gasoline. Whether it was from the truck, or maybe the emergency gas from the ship he didn't know.

It wasn't like in the movies- the gasoline had space to run and oxygen to burn, so there was no explosion. But there was a fast-burning fire spreading across the ship, eagerly eating up the old wooden deck. Alex made a noise, hefting a barrel now- an oil drum, actually- and he threw it over as well. And unlike Cole, he had an uncanny ability to hit exactly where he needed to hit to cause most damage. The barrel split open from the force of the impact, spraying gasoline or oil everywhere. Turning it into fine mist- and the mist caught fire instantly.

Within the blink of an eye, the wild fire on the floor had erupted into a full-blown inferno , superheated air roaring just above the blaze. Loud enough to drown out the men's yells. Cole saw several of them jump over board in an attempt to save themselves- but then the heat finally got through to the ammunition crates.

And there was the explosion he awaited. It ripped the mortar ordnance apart, along with most of the superstructures. At the same time, shrapnel tore through the bottom of the boat, created holes that just sucked in the water. More explosions, probably the engine, rocked the wreck, and the husk groaned once and sank into the river. It didn't go far, the bayous weren't very deep, but it was enough that it wouldn't be salvageable.

He tapped his phone, picking Kuo's number. “Their mortar is out of commission”, he informed her. “But I bet there's more Militia hiding out ahead.”

“I heard that”, Kuo deadpanned. “What exactly did they have?”

“Just a boat loaded with mortars. But maybe they should have secured the ammo. A little fire and they blew up like it's the fourth of July.”

Kuo exhaled. “Let us know when it's clear.” Then she clicked off.

Cole blinked. “I think she's a bit miffed.”

Alex shrugged. “It's probably because boats blowing up is not exactly stealthy.”

“Shit, you do develop a sense of humor!”

“One thing had to, when everything else went to Hell.”

He delivered it so deadpan that Cole cringed, still feeling guilty for what happened. “Let's just leave it there and look for whoever might still be left”, he suggested instead. Without waiting for an answer, he went to the end of the pier, glancing at the wrecked ship. Then he leapt right across the river, using his Static Thrusters to carry himself over to some floating wreckage and continue from there. It was a delicate balancing act, seeing as most of the structures in the swamp were ancient and crumbling, though he did manage to find some joy when he discovered a power cable to grind along on.

Joy that quickly bled into annoyance, when he dashed head-first into an active turret. With a blood-thirst guy on the trigger. Cole rolled to the side, mindful to not accidentally fall into the swamp below this platform, and was about to rush the guy when Alex made his appearance again and crushed the man like a melon. Cole did manage to avoid getting any of the splatter on his body, but he was frowning now. “A little moderation maybe?”

When Alex didn't reply, but rather stared at the mess almost mesmerized, the Conduit approached him. “Hey man, you alright?”

That got his attention, though the Runner still didn't bother answering immediately. “Maybe not”, he eventually relented. “It's...fuck. I don't know.” He shook his head once. “I can deal with it. Have to.”

He didn't want to talk about it, and Cole wasn't going to press the matter. He just sighed through his nose. “Okay. I gotta believe you on this. So...let's get going.”

Alex could feel Cole's stare on his back, even though the Conduit was currently at the front, easily and quickly balancing across rickety pipes and grinding along flabby power lines. Like he wasn't fearing an accident. But he did, and that was part of the reason he did his stunts- just like with him, back when he learnt his powers (he remembered when he jumped off the London Hotel at Times' Square just to know ). To Cole it was the rush of adrenaline that kept reminding him he was still alive, still able to turn things around and take the victory in the end.

To Alex, it was the hunger gnawing inside of him. It was always present, sometimes in the back of his skull, whispering; sometimes taking over his entire body with an ear-splitting shriek. The type of hunger coiling in his guts right now was different from either. While it wasn't the worst he ever experienced, it was enough to make him feel like shit.

And it changed his focus. Blood never really bothered him, but now, the sight of it on the ground, made his stomach clench. Not painfully, but at any rate distracting. And when he followed after Cole, utilizing the poles he climbed along as stepping stones for his jumps (as his gliding ability was also part of his transformation package), they didn't break. Barely even cracked. And that didn't spell very good news for how much Biomass he had left.
God. I hope this shit isn't permanent.

His teeth bared in a growl, and he forcefully shook these thoughts from his head. He refused to be cowed by this, refused to just give up. He was going to get his powers back, and he was going to kill the Beast for doing this to him.
Along with everybody who dared stand in his way. His eyes locked onto three Militia soldiers just further down the swamp, standing on another platform. They weren't looking into their direction, but rather towards the first real parts of civilization he's seen so far. There was some form of docking area just beyond another stretch of water, so these guys were possibly there to prevent people from escaping. And that tugged on another of his memories. Locking a city down with lethal force, feeding the people lies- it reminded him of Blackwatch, of the first three frantic weeks of his life. For a split second he wondered whether Bertrand had a nuke stowed away, though pushed that idea away for being idiotic.

Though, instead of staying behind and letting the Conduit beat the Militia up, Alex sped up and just dashed past his ally, slammed hard into the platform and charged the guys. He wanted to make them bleed , wanted to make them feel just a fraction of the frustration he was feeling. He wanted to sate the hunger inside of him, even though he couldn't consume. But slaughter always managed to silence the voices inside his head, and slaughter was what he was going to do.

It wasn't enough . The sacks of flesh were rended way too fast. They didn't break or bleed or scream enough. They were just gone.
And he was still hungry. For blood, for flesh, for memories; yet he couldn't get what he wanted. So he was going to take whatever he could to make up for it. Pain, rage, death- when a body hit the floor next to him, he snarled and whipped around, claws ready to shred the newcomer, to show them what it meant to face the Monster of Manhattan-

“Whoa!” His claws hit metal, and heat rushed through the metal edges, setting his nerves alight. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that he just launched an assault at Cole, who used the fork weapon for blocking. Alex pulled back immediately, cradling his palm against his chest in an attempt to soothe the electrical burn. The Conduit eyed him sceptically. “Geez, man. I gotta ask again: Are you alright?”

Alex bared his teeth at him. Cole just arched his eyebrows. “Funny. The first time I asked you said you were fine. The next time that you had no idea and now you're attacking me. Pretty sure I know what you'll be like if I ask the next time.” He crossed his arms and huffed out. “But seriously, dude. Is there any way I could help you? Since you said you're the only one who could figure out what Wolfe found. And I don't want to have to deal with this shit on my own, so I need you. And more, I need you at your best.”

The Runner inclined his head. He wasn't sure in how far the Conduit could help him, seeing as he himself had no clue as to what was wrong in the first place- though he figured it was nice that someone was worried for him.

He glanced back at the bodies of the mercs he'd torn apart, nudging a bit of gore with his shoe tip. The blood- it made his stomach clench and his head spin. But it wasn't enough, it wasn't alive anymore. He needed- craved - live prey. He had to taste their blood, rip them limb from limb, had to listen to their pulse fade-

NO!

Alex grit his teeth and shook his head to clear his focus. He was better than that. Better than the Infected. Better than Greene. But he was still hungry- and he needed to feed to get his thoughts back in order.
Though...Cole's healing had worked on him when it should not. Alex wondered whether more things had changed. “You still have a protein bar on you?”

Predictably, the Conduit blinked. “...Why?”

“Why would someone want to have something to eat, hm?”

Cole blinked again, but quickly slung his bag over his shoulder to dig through it. “It's just- Dana told me you don't eat because it doesn't work for you.”

“Your healing didn't work on me either”, Alex pointed out. Cole found a half-melted chocolate bar inside his bag and handed it over. The Runner glanced at it, then ripped the package open with his teeth. “What did you call it? Welcome to the World of Humanity?”

It felt like hours since Alex and Cole had left, and the trawler was bobbing slowly through the swamp. The captain only switched on the engine from time to time to avoid drifting back into the open sea. He was nervous, Dana noticed, always checking the swamps around and glancing back towards the sky. It was already late, and she had the feeling he didn't wanted to remain exposed for any longer than necessary. He was afraid of something- the Swamp Beasts he mentioned maybe? Dana wondered what they could be, though the assumption they were similar to the Reapers was quite obvious.

A little while later, all of them heard an explosion from the swamps, and countless birds flew up startled, covering the sky for a brief moment. That was when Agent Kuo's radio chirped.

“Their mortar is out of commission. But I bet there's more Militia hiding out ahead”, Cole informed them, though Dana swore there was glee in his voice.

“I heard that”, The NSA agent commented dryly. Yeah, no joking. Everybody in a five-mile radius probably heard that. “What exactly did they have?”

“Just a boat loaded with mortars. But maybe they should have secured the ammo. A little fire and they blew up like it's the fourth of July.” Dana would bet anything that Alex had his hands in that. He just loved blowing shit up.

Kuo sighed. “Let us know when it's clear.” Then she shut the radio off and exhaled very slowly. “What were they thinking ?” She grit out. “I'm pretty sure the Militia could hear that all the way to New Marais. Our cover is blown.”

“Yeah, but maybe that's for the best?” Zeke suggested. “I mean, if they know what they gotta expect, they're not goin' to be thinkin' straight.”

“Let's hope you're correct about this, Mr. Dunbar.”

The captain was mumbling something under his breath, but it was too fast for Dana to understand it (and it was in either French or Creole). He was tense, though she didn't know why. Alex was gone and the Militia too, there was nothing he should have been afraid of.

When the radio chirped again, the man almost jumped off the trawler.

“Okay guys, clear to dock”, Cole's cheerful voice declared.

“Nice”, Kuo replied. “We will come to you, and then we will head out for Wolfe's lab.”

“Sounds like a plan”, the Conduit answered.

“Dana?”, Alex's voice cut in. “Cross should be here soon, right?”

“He should be. I hope these idiots don't cause too much trouble, though.”

“Once you make contact, can you call Cole? We have to pool our information together.”

“Can do that.”

“Good. You can warn him of these 'Swamp Beasts', if you want to. We haven't seen any here though, so that's maybe not as important. The Militia's being the bigger problem. From the looks of it, they're your standard heavily-armed-but-idiotic-rednecks. They could mean trouble.”

Zeke sighed. “New Marais ain't what it used to be. Thanks to the Militia.”

“Don't worry. We'll deal with them”, Cole pointed out. “Though it is a little strange. I mean, I get it why they shot at Alex. But me? C'mon, I'm the nicest guy around. But they don't like me.”

“That's probably because they're basically terrorizing the civilians”, Kuo explained with a soft voice. The disgust she felt, however, quickly bled into her tone and made it bitter. “Bertrand has, more or less, complete control of the city. He's using the Militia to locate 'deviants'- basically everybody who doesn't fit with his image of the city- and removes them. At the same time, he keeps feeding the people lies, so they don't realize what he's doing.” She exhaled. “I haven't found out what happens to those he has removed. We need to be careful.”

Alex scoffed, just as Cole snorted. “Yeah. I'd say bring it.”

Chapter Text

Cole had a distant look on his face when he switched the phone off- a look that slowly solidified into anger and confusion. “I didn't know these hicks kidnapped people. What do you think?”

Alex inclined his head, furrowing his brows. “Could be your standard power trip”, he suggested. “Bertrand has his men capture troublemakers like muggers, or people he deems to be troublemakers, while telling the civilian population that it is to keep order and peace. Tell the lie often enough combined with an actual result and suddenly he's the savior.”

“People would have to be really stupid to swallow that lie.”

“And that surprises you?” Alex glanced at the Conduit. “Please tell me you don't actually believe humans are smart.”

Cole blinked, frowning. “I always thought they would realize when they are being told bullshit?”

“Only a few smart individuals”, Alex felt obliged to point out. “The rest is content to just follow what they are being told. And they blindly believe lies, while ignoring those that question the common opinion.” He hummed in his throat for a bit. “Dana said it's like reverse swarm intelligence. The more humans come together, the lower the overall intelligence is.” He's seen it, too often to count. People milling about while a few blocks away monsters reigned.

“Okay. Duly noted”, Cole sighed. “People are dumb.” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes distant again. “I shouldn't be surprised I think. I mean, these idiots went after me after they were told I had the bomb- despite it being so easy to figure out that I was a courier.” He scoffed. “Hell, even George jumped on that bandwagon. And he was the one who's given me the damn package.” He fell silent abruptly, and air left his lungs with an audible sigh. “Fuck. I miss them. Do you think we could have saved them?”

“Probably not. You've seen how the Beast just took us apart. The only chance they had would be if they had done the smart thing and gotten out of Empire. Though...I doubt they did the smart thing.”

There was a bit of silence, before the Conduit turned back to him. “But we can still turn it around, right?”

“Maybe. It would be interesting to see what Wolfe had found. Listening to his opinion would help immensely. No matter whether he's telling the truth or not.”

“Sometimes I wish I had your optimism”, Cole grumbled as the two of them slowly walked along the dock, keeping an eye out for the trawler.

“It's not optimism”, Alex replied. “I just know things you do not. And I know Kessler trusted Wolfe. So I'm marginally more positive than you that he could help, I guess.”

Cole smiled briefly. It was a tiny thing, but it was there. “That's one way to express it.” Silence stretched between them as they watched the trawler approach. “So. These 'deviants'”, the Conduit began to speak again. “What do you think Bertrand's doing to them?”

Alex had wondered about that too. It would certainly not be very easy to hide so many people away. “No idea. Slave labor is possible. As is organ harvesting. I just wonder how he managed to cover it all up. Possible he's planting the rumors of this Swamp Witch and the Swamp Beasts to prevent people from looking. With enough people under his control, it wouldn't be too hard to pull off. However, we won't know until we get to him.” And that opened a whole different bag of problems. The chance that they'd get Bertrand to talk was slim to none, and he was currently incapable of consuming.

Currently . Hopefully this would clear up. The chocolate bar had actually helped- but it was too little to be really an option. Maybe he needed more?

“You think your Blackwatch buddy can help?”

“If anything, he could offer a different insight in this problem. He could have a different view point, and that might be all we ever need to figure shit out.” Could be all what he needed.

Cole didn't fish for another reaction, just turned his attention towards the boat that was currently going through docking procedure. Dana was the first one to jump off the deck and down on the pier, instantly making her way over to Alex.

“How are you?”

“I'll manage-” He cut himself off when his sister was staring straight at his face. “What?”

She blinked. “Sorry, but uh- is that chocolate you got on your mouth there?”

Alex grumbled under his breath and moved to wipe it off, while Dana chuckled. “I thought you don't eat?”

“I don't. But whatever happened to me, it makes eating a legit way to get energy.”

“Okay, then I'll guess I'll scrounge up some snacks and drinks then”, Dana commented easily, as if it didn't show just how fucked Alex felt. “After Zeke and I found a secure place to be. Pretty sure Cross can figure out where we are, so no need to leave hints.”

He most likely would. That man was like a bloodhound, capable of deducting correctly where and when Alex was going to show himself. Sometimes he felt he was lucky that he wasn't the standard Blackwatch agent, or else he would have had a lot more problems.

“What about James?”

Alex blinked, glancing at his sister's face. “Heller?”

“He could help too. Actually, I think I would vastly prefer him over Cross.”

Huh. He hadn't even thought about the Evolved. Though now...it was a valid option.

“Can you call him?” Dana prodded, “Tell him to come here?”

The Runner nodded briefly and exhaled once, trying to focus on the Hive-

Something was wrong. There was no change in his vision, no muting of his world. Instead, a sharp stabbing pain jabbed itself through his skull and left an ear-splitting static behind. Startled, he aborted it with a hiss, and shook his head. The next attempt however, looked exactly the same.

He cut himself off, growling under his breath and shaking his head like a dog. “Doesn't work”, he grit out through clenched teeth. “I can't- can't access the Hive Mind.”

Dana's eyes widened. “What?” Then she caught herself with a groan. “Fuck. You sure you're okay?”

“I am. I will be”, he replied, though it sounded uncertain even to his ears. “Shit, I don't know.”

She watched him, before her expression settled. “We'll find a way”, she claimed. “Fixing your problem and taking down the Beast. Not sure in which order, but we'll manage.”

The strange thing? He believed her. Because he knew that sooner or later he would be back to his normal state.

Kuo was just finishing handing a check over to the trawler captain, who barely wasted any time hauling ass out of there. Cole wondered just what exactly had made him that nervous? Alex? The Swamp Beasts? The Militia?

Probably all superstition, far he could tell, though most rumors had a kernel of truth in them.

He felt a hand grab his wrist, and he turned his head to see Kuo tug at his arm.

“We should leave”, she told him in a low voice. “Wolfe is waiting.”

Cole blinked. “What about Alex?”

“I'm afraid Mr. Mercer will just draw too much attention if we were to walk through the city-”

“I managed to tail you and you didn't notice me”, Alex's voice claimed, though if it startled the agent, she didn't show it. Mercer was glancing at them from the corner of his eye, and Cole definitely felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Kuo wasn't as affected, and she merely arched an eyebrow. “It may have worked when you were able to hide your appearance by assuming another, but now? I doubt that the Militia are as blind as you think.”

“I don't intent to keep them blind”, he said simply. “On the contrary- I know I am too noticeable. And that is exactly why I refuse to stay.” He turned to face them fully. “I remain near Dana, and I will draw attention towards her and Dunbar.” He lifted his claw, pointing at them. “You, however, you and Kuo- you already have a target on your backs. When I follow you around, these idiots won't even realize that there are others of us who can pass by them.”

Kuo was eying him critically, though Cole just shrugged. “Makes sense”, he told her eventually. “He's strong and durable enough to act as our meat shield. Plus, no kill like overkill, I'd say.” He blinked suddenly, mouth hanging open just a little before he cleared his throat. “Not literally, I mean. Please don't massacre every hick we find.”

“Not if they don't give me a solid reason to.” Pretty sure that just meant 'being aware of his presence', though Cole wasn't one to nitpick. Hicks had it coming after all.

“See?” the Conduit grinned, turning to the agent. “Also, he's more useful if he's with us, instead of babysitting Zeke.”

“I know that”, Kuo replied with a tired tone that told him she was aware that she wouldn't be able to stop either of them anyways. “I am however uncomfortable with the prospect of someone following us around who appears like one of these 'Swamp Beasts'. Cole, we are here to meet with Doctor Wolfe and find a weapon against the Beast. Too much attention will complicate matters.”

“Then uncomplicate them”, Dana commented simply. “Any time you make contact with these hicks, have Alex take over. They probably already know you're working together, so why keep pretending? That way, they keep their attention on him, while you can deal with Wolfe easily.”

“Sounds like it would work”, Zeke added with a shrug.

“I could stay out of sight when a swarm of Apaches and UAVs was looking for me”, Alex scoffed. “I can sure as Hell stay out of sight of a few bigots.”

Kuo held his stare for a few tense minutes, before she relented. “Don't show yourself unless we give you the okay. Or when we're in over our heads.”

The Runner snorted. “Don't worry about it. Right now, I'm not very hot about being shot at myself, so sure. I stay out of sight as long as necessary.”

Though he probably wouldn't mind murdering a group of dickbags.

The two of them eyed each other for a moment before Kuo finally broke the silence with a simple “Good”. She fished out her phone from her belt and tapped in a number, switching to speaker as soon it connected.

“Hey Dr. Wolfe”, she greeted curtly. “I'm back in town. I have MacGrath.”

“Good. Very good.” Another voice answered. Cole inched closer in hopes of hearing more, maybe remember the face from another life altogether. No such luck, though Mercer obviously did- his attention had switched to the phone with a nearly frightening focus.“Unfortunately, I have a bit of bad news.”

Cole muttered “Of course ” under his breath, while Kuo's expression became worried. “What? Are you alright?”

“Yes. But the Militia searched my lab this morning and discovered the Blast Core I'd been hiding.”

Kuo's eyes sharpened while Cole felt his own attention slipping. Blast Core? What the Hell was a Blast Core? “Okay. Stay in your lab. We'll swing by the West Lookout and see if we can get it back.”

The connection was cut suddenly, and the agent kept staring at the phone. “This is not good”, she eventually bit out. “To think that they got their hands on the Core...”

“Uh, dumb question here”, Cole eventually piped up. “But what the Hell is a Blast Core?”

“It's-” Kuo began, obviously struggling for words. “I don't know how I can properly describe it. It's kind of...whatever's left of a Ray Sphere detonation?”

“That's the gist of it.” Cole shouldn't have been surprised to hear Alex piping in- though he actually was.

Kuo was a bit baffled, and for her, a bit was actually a lot. “How do you know of it?”

“Kessler knew”, Alex said curtly. And he knew what Kessler knew, Cole added mentally. He swallowed his words and cleared his throat.

“And what did he know?”

“Every time the Ray Sphere is activated, condensed Ray Field Energy will collect at its core”, The Runner explained easily, only to suddenly grit his teeth and briefly shake his head. “Kessler figured these residues were- weren't useful. He still called them 'Blast Cores', though.”

Dana looked a little worried. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It's just...kind of fuzzy. Don't remember so well about that part.”

“Back on track”, Cole demanded, partial to learn more, and partial because the topic didn't seem to sit so well with his friend. “These Cores basically materialize inside the Ray Sphere after each blast?”

Alex glanced at him for a moment. “They do. Kessler and Wolfe learnt early on to remove the Cores before trying to use the Sphere again- or else it simply wouldn't work.”

Cole's brain lurched into clarity, memories snapping to the front of his mind. Memories of a tower made of trash metal. Of Alden. Of Kessler. Of Zeke .

Trying to use the Sphere, but the Sphere didn't work- The Sphere that had went off before.

“Wait, you're sayin'-” Zeke gasped, “That when I tried usin' the thing- it wouldn't've worked anyways?”

“Yes”, Alex told him bluntly, his face briefly twitched. “Kessler knew this. He removed the Core once he had the Sphere, then handed it to his men. He figured you were going to get the Sphere sooner or later anyways.”

“He was upset when I blew it up”, Cole noticed.

“He figured you'd be desperate enough to use it and boost your powers- remember David, who had several powers because he'd been exposed to the Sphere several times over. He thought you would do the same, unlock a few more abilities. However, he couldn't foresee that you would attempt to destroy it. And despite the thing having been build sturdy enough to survive energy blasts from its inside, it was never meant to withstand too much energy from the outside. You've seen what happened.”

“It killed John”, Cole growled darkly. His brows drew together. “Why didn't you say anything about these Cores?”

The Runner shrugged. “It never came up. And with the Sphere gone, I figured there weren't any Cores left-” He grimaced for a short moment, squeezing his eyes shut for another second. “Kessler- he thought he had them all destroyed. Because...because they didn't mean anything to him?”

That was a question. And it was worrisome. Because it would either mean something was wrong with Alex, or something had been wrong with Kessler. And that opened another bag of problems- if he couldn't even trust Kessler's memories , who could he trust instead?

“I didn't think that Wolfe still has one.” Cole blinked, having nearly missed what Mercer added as an afterthought.

Kuo's eyebrows were arched upwards. “He has several. Or had, because now apparently the Militia has them now.” She inclined her head. “I'm surprised. I haven't known Kessler confided into someone else other than Wolfe.”

“He never did voluntarily”, Mercer pointed out.

“And it's not important right now”, Cole quickly added. “The important thing is to find Wolfe, and possibly get one of these Blast Cores back. Right?”

“Correct”, If she was angry about him cutting off her extended Q&A session, Kuo didn't show it. “I know of a Militia outpost that had been close to Wolfe's laboratory when I've been here last time. It's possible the Core is there. If not, we could possibly find information of its whereabouts.”

“Right, what are we waiting for, then?”

Dana and Zeke remained behind as they watched Cole and Kuo jog down the street, while Alex easily took to the roofs and vanished from sight.

The younger Mercer sighed and grabbed her rucksack, slinging it on her back. It wasn't very heavy, but the combination of the high humidity and the overall heat that still lingered even in the late evening made it near unbearable. She pulled her baseball cap deeper into her face and scoffed under her breath. “How in the Hell does Jane Bond do that?”

“Do what?” Zeke blinked, momentarily forgetting about his and Cole's bags as he looked up.

Walking about in a two-piece-suit and not melting , was the first thing on her mind. But she banished that quickly. It wasn't important, and asking it out loud would be childish . The second, more serious thought, was the one she actually voiced. “Remaining that grounded. I mean, she's risking her job, her life - Millions are dead, the East Coast is razed to the ground. And she still faces down Alex like she has no fear.” She had been afraid, though. She had seen it on her stance, on the entire posture of her body when facing the viral entity that was her brother. And yet she managed to swallow that fear and work with him. Dana admired her for her courage and determination, though a much darker part of her just waited for the woman to turn around and jab a knife in their backs. Maybe Alex's paranoia finally started rubbed off on her, because all she could think of was Karen Parker . Who did stab Alex in the back, with a parasitic cancer weapon even.

Though, Karen was coerced into doing it, along with knowing that Alex wasn't the real deal. So that hadn't really been back-stabbing, if you thought about it. Still, Dana would feel a lot better if she just knew what the agent was thinking. She didn't trust her, not really, but she was aware that if she would have tried anything funny, she wouldn't have waited until Alex got his strength back.

So maybe she was being serious? Dana figured she owed her that much doubt at least. Though, admittedly, she would feel better until she had Cross and/or Heller nearby. And alone the fact Alex had been unable to connect to the Hive was worrisome in itself, she just hoped he hadn't lost anything more-

A thought that quickly became but a fading flash when a distant crack sent tremors through the ground. She ducked to the side instantly, eyes flitting from side to side. Zeke only blinked, then craned his neck over his shoulder. “Uh, not meanin' to be rude, sister, but that coulda've been a backfire, or a droppin' box, or a car crash-”

Another crack sounded, and this sounded way more like an explosion than the previous one already did. Silence followed, in which Dana slowly glanced at Zeke. “Dunbar, I can recognize the sound of a bazooka firing. I had enough of it in Manhattan, so you can believe me that somewhere here somebody ”, she didn't need to say who was responsible, they both were well aware, “Is firing a fucking rocket launcher right inside the middle of a city.”

“Crap”, Zeke groaned, quickly grabbing his and Cole's bags. “We gotta get outta here.”

“No doubt about that-” Dana cut herself off and glanced back when a third explosion echoed. They were getting fainter, so moving away from them. “But remember- running blindly away and sauntering will draw attention.” She furrowed her brows for a moment. “Best is to try to appear startled by all of this, keep looking over your shoulder, but only for a block or so. Also, move quickly, but without running. Keep your head down too. Just, fuck, just do what I do.”

Zeke chuckled, but fell in step besides her as the two of them made their way off the pier and down the street and away from the noise that betrayed Cole and Alex making short work of the Militia hicks. “Well, I gotta admire that in a lady. Knowing how to slink away without makin' a fuss.”

Dana snorts. “I've been on the run for three years, Zeke. I learnt a few tricks after the first few times when Blackwatch came knocking.” She grimaced briefly at those memories. The first time it happened they've been in Miami. Alex had picked it for several reasons: First of, Miami is a large city. Easy for them to hide. Second, the sheer amount of unlicensed homes. Easy to find a place to stay for a while, had been the only choice they had before either of them learnt how to fake an identity. Third, criminals. Miami was ideal for feeding Alex, though Dana suspected this had been the reason Blackwatch found them in the end. Fourth, the heat and humidity. For some reason, this had been the main reason Alex had wanted to go there. Hot and humid. Just like diseases liked, and Alex obviously wasn't too far away from his basic siblings in that regard, because he had been way more active and, dare she say it, more happy in Miami than any other place they've been at.
When they've escaped to Maine after Florida, they spent the entire winter snowed in some small cottage. No Blackwatch anywhere, though Alex had been moody the entire time. After that, Dana decided to risk it and remain in warm areas. A few more daring escapes, and they finally perfected the 'blending in' thing, though still moved around every few weeks to finally throw Blackwatch off their trail.

A Militia blockade appeared at the end of the block. Dana motioned for Zeke to follow and, without drawing any attention, turned left into an alley. A dumpster at the end was pushed asides to reveal a handy hole in the chain-link fence that allowed them to head towards another street. Instead of going for it, they weaved their way into another direction only to finally head back to their original track. Only then Dana finally stopped and sat down on a small wall with an exhausted huff, pulling off her cap and glancing at her companion.

“That should've thrown any stalkers off. Where to now?”

“Smut Triangle”, Zeke pointed out without missing a beat, though he was obviously just as tired as she was. “The Red Light district. I knew a madame here-”

Dana grimaced. “No thanks. I don't need the full story.”

He pouted. “Party pooper”

“You can trust her?”

“Much I trust anybody. I helped her and some of the ladies out. Bad deal gone wrong and it only escalated from there.” Dana wondered whether it had really been Zeke who helped out, or what exactly the problem had been. Knowing Zeke, it was probably something as mundane as fixing the Wi-Fi, though there was the chance that he used his uncanny ability to create contacts wherever he went to actually help them with legal troubles. “They promised they'd help me in turn. Guess it's time to collect.”

She actually doubted it. In times of martial law, people never helped strangers. Especially strangers that could bring trouble down on their own heads. However, Dana was also aware that Zeke somehow always knew the right people for the right job, so she was almost certain that they would gain help in some form or the other.
So she followed after him as he made his way through the tangle of streets, past some artists peddling their wares and deeper into the city. They also walked past a huge church, and any other time Dana would have loved to check it out. Now wasn't such a time, and she promised herself she would look at it when everything was over and the city still standing. If not, well, chances were she wouldn't be around then either.

So, why even worry about it?

She scoffed at that thought. Fuck these negative thoughts, they were going to get through this and live to tell the tale. They would . After all, they were both still around, still alive. Even after everything that happened- after Manhattan and Miami and Manhattan again and Empire and every other place Blackwatch cornered them at. This- this was just another problem they'd have to get through.

Dana snorted, then turned her attention to a pickup truck passing by them. There was a group of silly-dressed, heavily armed guys on it- Militia, from the looks of it. She scowled at them as they passed, though these men didn't pay them much attention. They did, however, jeer and wave their rifles and hunting bows, and she did catch at least one yelling something about 'Sticking it to this weird bastard'.

“Prolly lookin' to screw Cole and Alex over”, Zeke grumbled besides her.

“They won't stand a chance”, Dana replied bitterly, throwing her head over her shoulder and spinning on her heel. “But it makes me sick to see a bunch of fuckers like these parade all across the city without any care in the world.” They made Blackwatch look like normal and sane people, for God's sake. And Blackwatch was, by definition, the worst scum in the world.

“I feel you”, Zeke nodded sagely. “But if everything goes like we want to, they won't be here anymore at the end of the week. End of next week, tops.”

It was clear he was trying to distract her. It was actually nice of him, so Dana decided to play along. “I'll go for a week and a half”, she claimed. “Though I'm also betting on at least one major industrial and/or commercial area being destroyed over the course of the time.”

“Pretty much to ask for.”

“You haven't seen what Manhattan looked like in the end. I'm positive that between Alex and Cole it'll be easy to level a city block.”

“Only if Cole manages to hit the gas main”, Zeke pointed out. “I mean, lightning's awesome and everythin', but basically only show, you get me? Pretty hard to crumble buildings.”

“Not if he targets the electrical systems. One stray lightning bolt into the main feed and the whole city goes dark. Maybe even the entire county.”

“That's my brother for you”, Zeke beamed. “Yours can terrorize the people, but mine can demolish the whole economy.” And that was a lot more useful in damaging a country than terrorizing the population. Was possibly the reason Moya wanted to get Cole between her slimy fingers.

Zeke made a noise and stopped. “We're there.” Dana blinked and glanced at the front of what she assumed was an 'escort store'.

“A brothel?” Well, actually, she should have expected something of the kind when Zeke mentioned the Smut Triangle. But apparently she had been under the impression that their hideout would have been one of the many apartments along the streets.

Zeke grinned. “No shortage of strangers going in an out, you got water and energy, and nobody is going to bother you if you don't want to. It's ideal!” He paused, expression falling. “Let's just hope Sherry is still there, or else I'm gonna have to change the plan.”

Sherry? Now that was a stripper's name if she ever heard one. Dana bit it back, though, and followed Zeke inside the building. It was...she wasn't sure what exactly she expected, ropes and BDSM gear, or pictures of naked women or something, but the truth was- it was a simple room in deep red decor, with a couch and dozens of pillows, a low table and a form of counter sitting between two doors leading further inside the building. Behind the counter perched a woman. Dana's first thought went back to Zeke's introduction. I knew a madame- , yeah, madame was the correct description for the impressive figure looking disinterested at a television screen at the side.

“Sorry, but we's closed right now. Openin's after eight. Come back in an 'our”, she rumbled in a rich tenor.

“Really?” Zeke drawled, and the woman's head snapped up. “Not even for an old friend like me?”

The woman's face turned ashen as she automatically stepped around the counter. “Zeke?” She pressed out thinly, “Is it ya? But- Empire-”

“Kicked the bucket, I was there”, he grimaced. “Barely got away in time.”

The woman had approached them, was eying Zeke for a moment, before she reached over and pulled him into a hug. With their similar statues and her being at least twice his age, they almost looked like mother and son. She was muttering something in French at him, sobbing a little while she did, Dana realized with a start. But she was happy , glad to see Zeke again.

She eventually let go of him before it could get any more awkward, and turned to Dana, who'd taken to attempting to merge with the wallpaper.

“Who's dat?”

“Not questioning whether you can trust her?”

The woman huffed out. “Zeke. I know ya. Ya only drag in people dat you trust. So who is she?” She glanced at the younger Mercer with a smile. “Not ya girlfriend, dat much I can tell. She's too much for ya.”

“I'll ignore that comment, Sherry”, Zeke mumbled exasperated. “Anyways, she's Dana. Dana is the sister of Alex. Alex is Cole's new best buddy.”

“Cole?” Sherry's head snapped towards the other. “He's here?”

“Yeah? We escaped Empire together.” His brows furrowed and Dana heard the unspoken question loud and clear in the room. Why? What's going on?

Sherry glanced at them for a moment longer, then exhaled heavily and turned back to head over to the television set to turn up the volume. Just in time for a heavy piece of instrumental music play as a form of jingle. The man walking on stage was timing his movement perfectly with the music playing, until he stood on the podium and spread his arms. He was wearing a dark suit, gloves and boots. His hair was slicked back, but shaved at the sides, while an ornamental sword was fastened to his side.

“Friends”, he began with the smooth voice of a practiced speaker. “I am afraid I bear bad news. I am afraid that, while we are speaking, a Demon entered our beautiful city.”

Sure. 'Demon'. Dana had forgotten they were in the South. While not as bad as Texas, Louisiana still had its charming raving maniacs claiming to be under orders of God. Nobody seemed to question whether the Big Guy up there actually bothered looking after them. Most likely not, judging from what people did to each other ever since they made their ways off the trees.

“The Demon that fled from Empire's ruins and now came here”, the man on the screen continued. By now, Dana was pretty sure she knew who he was. Joseph Bertrand the Third. The one holding New Marais hostage. “He came with a smiling face and friendly words, but don't be swayed. This man came to you with death and destruction following after him.” Bertrand's face twitched, and Dana recognized a played emotion when she saw one. “He came here with the powers of the Devil, with the fire of the sky stolen from The Lord to do his evil deeds.”

“That's a load of crap”, Zeke muttered under his breath, though Sherry just made a shushing noise and turned their attention back to the screen. “His name is Cole MacGrath, and the Death of Empire is following after him. Only by purging him from this great city, you can save yourselves.”

Sherry shut the television off and turned to face them. “Cole's not very loved in dis city”, she said simply.

“Crap. That's making it a bit tougher”, Zeke groaned. “But it's exactly what I wanted to ask you.”

“Ya need a safe place to lie low”, Sherry deadpanned. “And now ya worried I won't give ya one out of fear of Bertrand and his men.” She exhaled long and slowly, and Dana imagined her taking a long drag of a cigarette. She probably stopped not too long ago. “Ya in shit luck, Dunbar. I told ya I owe you. And I do.” She waved her arm around, golden bangles clacking slightly. “My girls and I- Bertrand's men are giving us too much trouble. I got some friends fed up with dem too. We just needed an opening.” She grinned at them. “Tell ya kids what. Ya help us get this old goat off our backs, and we in turn provide ya wit' whatever you need.”

Cole was following after agent Kuo, finding himself equally startled and surprised by her ability to run in heels. Women who could do that, Trish had once told him, were to be feared .
Trish- he paused for a moment- he missed her. She had been taken from him by himself , and he remained alone, because he had been too slow to save her. His fault, and now he even failed to protect her grave.

He scoffed, all good mood that might have been left evaporated within the blink of an eye.
Great. Now he had to hurt somebody to make up for it.

That chance established itself when he and Kuo jogged down the harbor street and headed right to get into the city proper. Cole's radar shrieked a warning at him and he just barely managed to lunge towards Kuo and tackle her and himself out of the way, seconds before a rocket exploded on the street, tearing a hole.

“What the Hell?!” He snapped, shoving the agent behind a car while sending out another pulse to map his surrounding and find the perpetrator just perched on the second balcony in this street, just next to a bar Cole wouldn't have minded getting a drink from. “We're not in some swamp! There are people here!”

“I don't think they care”, Agent Kuo grunted, drawing her gun from its holster. Cole was faster than her though, darting right back into the open to draw the man's attention. While he was reloading his bazooka, Cole targeted the wooden balcony he was perched on, letting the high-powered lightning bolts rip through the ancient construction to collapse it beneath the weight. The merc smacked hard into the street with a swear, though the Conduit caught up to him before he had his head back together and whacked him once with the Amp to knock him out cold. “Bastard!”

“There are more over there”, Kuo claimed, pointing further down the street where more hicks were. Cole was about to hurry over and fry them, when he heard the distinct crack of something being torn from its holding. The next moment, a derelict-looking air conditioner came soaring across the street and smashed into the small group, crushing them to paste.

Cole blinked, and the agent groaned. “Correction”, she added. “There were more over there.” She grimaced. “That probably won't win us any friends.”

“I doubt we had any friends to begin with”, Cole scoffed with a glance at the few civilians who hadn't fled. He felt his back crawl unpleasantly, so he just grabbed Kuo's wrist and pulled her into an alley. “We shouldn't be on the streets. Not with that many trigger happy idiots wanting to blow us sky-high.” Too many civilians in the crossfire. He couldn't stomach the thought, so he needed to be as far away from them as possible. A truck blocked their way, and instead of climbing over it, he threw out his arms to generate his shockwave. Too late he realized that it was one of those powers he lost-
The truck bounced backwards awkwardly.

Cole blinked in confusion and surprise, then shifted his stance to fire off a second shockwave. That one hit the car at a better angle, shoving it right out of the way.

“Oh hey.” The Conduit clenched his fist and summoned his lightning inside of it, creating the familiar shape of his grenade. “I can do that again!” Could still do it? He wondered whether he hadn't really lost his powers in the first place.

“Impressive”, Agent Kuo said simply. “It seems you're recovering quite quickly.”

“It won't be enough. Wolfe can probably tell me more.”

“Most likely. Come on, we're almost at the West Lookout. That's where the Militia outpost used to be.” She was about to head into the streets on the other side of the alley, when Cole stopped her. Another hick was hiding on another balcony just to the front of them, and he had another bazooka ready. The Conduit carefully cocked his arm, fashioned another grenade- and chucked it over. He relished in the man's startled shout of alarm, and a grim smirk appeared on his face when the grenade went off and catapulted the idiot off his perch and into the street, knocking him out cold.

He was about to head into the alley across the street, when a single gunshot rang out far too closely and he witnessed how another hick, one he hadn't seen before, collapsed into the street.

He whirled on his companion, who just lowered her handgun. She arched her eyebrow and gestured towards the street. “Now we can go.”

“Shit, you killed him? Thought you were supposed to be the nice one.”

She smiled a little. “Thanks for your trust in me, but don't worry.” She gestured loosely towards the guy, who, as Cole was just realizing, was just unconscious. He had, however, a bleeding wound in his leg. She quickly noticed his glance. “I targeted the meat. I know I didn't hit any major arteries, but these low grunts aren't as tough as they pretend to be. Painful wound like that and the shock will knock them out for a bit. The leaders are probably a bit tougher, though.”

“Huh. Nice to know.”

In that moment, another guy tried to jump him. Actually jump him. Cole jabbed his elbow into the man's stomach, then spun and slammed him into the ground. The man went limp and the Conduit straightened up. At that moment, he noticed another figure on a rooftop. Three seconds before a shadow suddenly shot through the sky and slammed into it hard enough that the crack was still audible even down here.

One life sign faded instantly from his internal radar and Cole grimaced. And that was mostly because he didn't want to imagine the mess the owner of this building would have to clean away.
Not because a human was just crushed to paste.

“Bastards have made their choice”, he growled under his breath.

“Lucy? Lucy, are you there?” The static screech of Kuo's phone startled both of them, though the agent had enough mind to drag him into another alley before she answered. “Doctor Wolfe?!”

“The Militia are back!” Wolfe's voice was panicking. “They're trying to force the door to my lab.”

“Shit”, Kuo growled. “I'm on my way.”

She was about to sprint out of the alley when the exit was suddenly blocked as something heavy hit the floor and cracked the ground. Alex's teeth were bared in a snarl and his eyes promised murder . “You're too slow on your own. Before you get there, they'll have him dragged away. Or worse”, he growled. “I'll take you.”

Agent Kuo didn't even ask how he knew, just grit her teeth. “Good. I'll show you the way.” She turned to face Cole. “Keep going towards the West Lookout. The Core glows purple, you can't miss it.”

“I'll find it”, he responded automatically. “You go and help Wolfe.” Kuo nodded once, tensing her body when Alex more or less scooped her up with his shin-long talons. Cole had one moment to watch real fear cross her features as she squeezed her eyes shut and just mumbled a single “Hurry”, before Alex took off and darted into the sky. He heard yells and shooting coming from their approximate direction, though that was fading fast into startled murmurs and muffled swearing. They probably thought the danger had passed them by with no interest in them- well, Cole grinned, that meant they were going to be in for quite a nasty surprise.

He seized the rainwater pipe of the tallest building, charged up briefly- and catapulted himself straight upwards. Which proved that he hadn't lost his abilities, only his stronger combat powers. And that was something he could work with.

He took the guys there by surprise, his momentum carrying him several stories straight upwards before it petered out- and by then he had managed to latch onto the roof edge and drag himself upwards. “It's the Electric Man!” The singular man nearby yelled. Cole assumed that the smear on the floor had a sibling near the remains of a watchtower nearby, and this guy just got lucky. He wasn't lucky now. Cole's Amp broke his shoulder and knocked him out cold. This rooftop was a good surveillance area, though apparently Alex either had failed to pick off all of these guys, or- more likely- the backup had already arrived. Though obviously, there weren't any more of them around, so all he had to do was clear the area to have them off his back. Two thought it would be hilarious to throw a Molotov Cocktail at his head. He bounced it back with the shockwave, hit the guys too, and sent all of them screaming off the roof. And there, just between the remains of the watchtowers, was a suspiciously glowing crate.

Cole couldn't believe his luck and was about to approach it, when a scream made him pause. He whipped around, eyes zeroing in on what was happening on the streets. A bunch of Militia was just in the process of closing in on a single woman. Clearly, she was one of those 'deviants'. There was this hot, ugly anger spilling up inside of him, and Cole just threw a last glance back at the crate, before he threw himself off the building.

Static electricity started gathering around his body, and when he hit the floor, he made sure to slam the Amp flat against the ground to release the energy he gathered. Three guys went down instantly, the other two he knocked out with a few well-placed lightning bolts. The woman they were harassing however, just stared at him with wide eyes before she shrieked and ran off.

So much for playing hero, huh?

“Guess this whole business is a bit tougher than in Empire”, he muttered to himself with a slight shake of his head. He drained a nearby lamp post to replenish his energy, then headed back to the roof where he left the crate. Purple light was crawling through the gap between lid and body. He approached it slowly, using his Amp to open the box instead of his hands, seeing as it could be a trap.

When nothing blew up, he peeked inside. A roughly forearm-sized crystalline structure sat at the bottom of the crate, glowing softly. Could this already be it? He had never seen a Blast Core before.

It was warm when he touched it, and he could feel it pulse softly in his hand. He tapped the headset he currently wore. “Kuo? I'm pretty sure I found it. You still at the lab?” Already . He wanted to say 'already', though knowing Alex, 'still' was maybe the better word. There was no answer, however. Only static. Cole scowled and pulled the communicator out of his ear, glaring at it.

Fried. Of course. He'd had to get his radio back then, hopefully Zeke had managed to fix it. Okay, so he had no way to contact the others, and no clue as to where the lab even was-

An explosion shook the entire city, and Cole just had enough brains to duck for cover. His blood was roaring in his ears, and his pulse hammered inside his head-
Not right. Not yet. There was time supposed-
No Beast.

That realization set in too slow. There was no Beast here. The explosion- it wasn't anything more than what he already experienced. Militia had explosives, probably blew up something.

And then his eyes found the ball of fire growing skywards several blocks away. He saw bits and pieces being sprayed away from the sheer force of the blast. His head started throbbing, because he knew where the explosion happened.

Knew what was there. Knew, because he'd been there, in the past. With the only person he ever considered a friend in this world.

Wolfe

And that was his lab that just blew up.

Cole was moving even before his brain caught up to him. He lunged on top of a wire, ground along it and catapulted himself right across the next rooftop to continue his way on the next one. He watched glowing projectiles hit the face of New Marais all over the place, watched how they cracked windows and sent people scrambling. That was always the worst with explosions. The debris it catapulted around. Caused more damage than the blast in itself. He should know. Empire's crater was worst at its edges.

There was somebody nearby. Cole thought it wasn't important, but then he caught a full blast of a rocket launcher to the face. The air he inhaled burnt. His ears stopped working, his body simply went limp as the explosion threw him off the building he was on and sent him crashing into the streets below.

Had the world always been that gray?

Oh. No, it hadn't. Fuck.

Cole snarled in equal parts agony and rage, and managed to climb to his feet, stumbling towards a street lamp. Forcing himself to focus, he latched onto the city grid and linked it with his own body, drawing energy out of it and into himself. Colors returned to his world with agonizing lances of hurt as his tissues repaired themselves. You are tough, you heal fast, but too much damage will hurt you, cripple or worse.

He's forgotten about that one. Just because it was easy knocking out these hicks didn't mean they were harmless . And that just now- it could have ended him. And then there would have been nobody to stop the Beast.

And that bounced these idiot Militia bastards a few levels up on his personal shit list. A low growl worked itself out of his throat as Cole grabbed the lowest window sill near his position and pulled himself up, testing how sturdy it was- before he launched himself upwards to grab the next ledge. Kicking his feet lightly to find some grip, he easily and quickly worked his way up towards the roof edge, but this time, did not jump straight up. Instead, he sent out a Radar pulse, found the guys who shot him, and lugged a grenade over the edge. When it went off, he followed after it and lunged at the guys as long they were still off balance.

“It's the Demon!” Somebody yelled some buildings further away. Cole grit his teeth and fired at him, knocking him out, but somehow that just lured all these guys out of their hiding holes.

And the smoke plume was already shrinking.

Screw this .

He didn't have time to deal with all of them, so all he could do was blow a path through a few of them and hope the others got the message.

So he got moving, racing along the rooftops and occasionally dropping idiots left and right while he kept his eyes peeled for anything suspicious. And he did find what he was looking for- a half blown apart, still smoldering building. Wolfe's lab, he remembered, had been here.

His pulse picked up again, and he was only half-aware that there was a curious lack of hicks around when he landed on the crumbling remains of the building.

“Wolfe?” He spun on his heel, searching for anyone still alive. “Wolfe?!”

“MacGrath” He whirled again, this time spotting a lone figure appearing from the remains of what had once been a laboratory. Cole ran towards him, hyper aware of the fires still burning nearby and the crumbling ground underneath.

“Doctor Wolfe? Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, I am”, the man assured him. Cole furrowed his brows and still checked him over. His white hair stood slightly away from his head, there was a crack in his glasses, his tweed jacket, his pants and shirt were covered in soot and there were a few tears in the material, but he was unharmed otherwise. “Lucy and this...fellow who was with her arrived shortly before the Militia could break open the door.” He grimaced slightly. “It was...not a very nice sight.” Cole caught sight of what looked like human remains, and winced. Oh yeah, he could imagine that.

“That was Alex, and believe me, he's actually one of the good guys.”

Wolfe nodded simply. “I figured as much. You see, while Lucy looked after me, this- well, I can still hardly call him a 'man'- he suddenly grabbed both of us and ran out of my lab, seconds before it blew. Hadn't it been for him, I wouldn't be standing here anymore.”

“What happened?”

“Apparently, Bertrand's men had left a little parting gift when they have first forced entry to my laboratory. Lucy asked the man to help her find the ones responsible and look whether there were any hurt civilians. She told me you would approach soon, so all I would have to do was to stay put-” He had cleaned his glasses and had placed them back on his face when he suddenly cut himself off, expression slackening. “My God.”

Cole blinked. “Doctor Wolfe?”

“You look just the same.”

“Same as who?”

“Kessler”, Wolfe replied simply. “The man who gave you your powers.”

“I know who Kessler is”, Cole bit out, and there was lightning snapping from his wrists. “But he is not me!”

Wolfe flinched back briefly, then slumped his shoulders. “I know what he's done”, he admitted. “I could piece the things together I heard from Empire, and of course what Lucy told me about what the NSA had found. But...we were friends in the beginning.” Cole wondered whether that had been mutual. Or whether it was just like with Sasha. Kessler had used her for her knowledge- and then he simply abandoned her.

“He told me everything”, Wolfe explained. “About you. And the Beast.”

Cole grit his teeth. “Then you know I failed. I couldn't stop it. Empire City is gone !” More even, they only ran into problems since they came here.

Wolfe deflated visibly. “Yes, I know. But I have always thought we had more time. Kessler had thought we had more time, though we have all been mistaken.” He inclined his head, watching Cole curiously. “He never told you about me, did he?”

“No. We...weren't really on speaking terms.” Not after he blew up his city, and especially not after he murdered his girlfriend.

“He figured you'd never be able to stop it on your own. Not until you've expanded your powers and became powerful to use this.” He turned and went back to some rubble, carefully easing it apart, and Cole momentarily forgot to breathe.

“A Ray Sphere?!” But- thousands had to die to give him powers! Did Wolfe really expect him to-

“No. It's a Ray Field Inhibitor”, Wolfe told him, and Cole realized that this thing looked different by a lot. While it was roughly the same size, this thing was actually more shaped like an orb-like dumbbell than a real sphere. It was glowing blue. “RFI for short.” Wolfe furrowed his brows. “Think of it as an Anti-Ray Sphere.”

Anti-Ray Sphere? Cole carefully took it from Wolfe, turning it over in his hands. “Instead of giving powers, it takes them away?”

“That's what it was supposed to do. Use it to combat the Beast, subtract its powers.” Wolfe paused with an awkward grin. “Though, for obvious reasons, I never had the chance to test it.” He nodded towards the remains of his lab. “Please keep it safe.”

Cole furrowed his brows and shoved the device into his backpack, feeling it settle awkwardly against his spine. “How does it work?”

“It has to be powered first, I'm afraid. I found that it only works when in the hands of a Conduit, as it is their specific own radiation that triggers its properties. However, it also appears that, to make it work, this Conduit needs to be...tuned to the RFI.”

“Tuned?”

“Yes. I just told you, it needs the radiation Conduits give off to work. However, it also appears this, well, this 'aura' needs a specific energy to trigger it.”

Cole didn't really understand what Wolfe was trying to tell him. “And?”

“The Conduit that has to use the RFI needs to have bolstered his or her powers beforehand. Using Blast Cores.”

“Blast Core?!” Cole's hand slipped back into his bag and he retrieved the purple crystal he had taken off the Militia. “Like this?”

Wolfe seemed surprised. “Yes. Exactly that.”

“What does it do?” Cole drew his brows together. “Kessler always figured they were useless.”

“Technically, they are useless”, Wolfe told him. “These Blast Cores are condensed Ray Field Energy left behind, much like molten glass at the bottom of a nuclear test site, but I figured they had an effect on Conduits. I...only figured that out after Kessler left. Thought to call him, but somehow I just never did.”

That definitely caught his interest. “So?”

“Like I told you, it boosts a Conduit's powers.” He hummed for a moment as he thought how to word it. “Basically, if you pass a current through it, it will release the energy into the nearest Conduit, triggering additional mutations on their genetic code to unlock different powers. Or that was supposed to happen, since I had only theory to work with seeing as I had no Conduits to test it on.”

Cole's head snapped up. “Different Powers? So it'll make me stronger?” Sounded just like when he jammed himself into the substations back in Empire's sewers.

“It appears that way, remember, I never actually tested it. However, it seems that it actually relates directly to the RFI's unique energy signature.” Wolfe smiled a little. “When I punched the numbers into my calculator, it made a happy face.” He pointed at the Core in Cole's hand “And that is only one.”

“Kuo said you had more Cores?”

“Yes. Kessler and I experimented quite a bit with the Sphere. I kept some Cores out of curiosity.” The doctor smiled again. “I theorize that, after consuming the energy of around half a dozen Blast Cores, a singular Conduit will be able to use the RFI. This Conduit is you, Cole, and you will be the one to defeat the Beast. We can do it together.”

“Activate a few Blast Cores, gain powers and get the ability to beat the Beast? Heck, enough with the Pep talk”, Cole grinned, clutching the Core tighter. “Let's do this?”

A current, huh? It was almost as if the Cores were designed for his usage. He was made to generate currents.

He held the Core in front of his body, bracing himself while Wolfe discreetly pulled back a little to give him space. Was probably wise, because from what he experienced with the substations, there was going to be quite some electrical field being generated when he did.

He focused on the Core in his hands, imagining all the neat abilities he was going to get- and sent a few volts through the crystal.

He...probably should have thought this through more. Because the current slamming through him was anything but pleasant. His clenching fingers dug into the Core before it simply disintegrated beneath his palms.

And then it started to hurt . Heck, he thought it would be like the substations, but the truth was- it was far from it. It burnt and bit and tore through his body, snapped his limbs away from his body as if trying to tear him apart from the inside out. There were bright lights all around him, and he didn't even know where his arms were, or his legs, or Hell, his head , because everything hurt and everything burnt and he just wanted to make it stop -

Like a rubber band, whatever held him just snapped , and his consciousness crumbled away even before he dropped to the ground.

Chapter Text

Brilliant idea, Cole was the first active thought that managed to get through his addled brain. For a moment, he couldn't even remember what happened in the first place, or where he was. He remembered, eventually.

He'd been with Wolfe, near his exploded lab. And then he activated the Blast Core. And now he was on the ground and still half unconscious.

Smart move.

He wondered whether Wolfe knew what was going to happen, or whether the man was currently freaking out over him. And then he became aware of the shooting and his heart did a leap. Because he was still in enemy territory, and they already blew up the lab here and he was friggin' defenseless when he wasn't moving-

He heard what sounded like blades whistling through the air, heard the fleshy impact bodies made when they hit the floor, and decided that this was probably the best moment to get up.

He pried his eyes open, blinking blearily to try and identify the form ducked across his body. He blinked again when the shots stopped abruptly with one last horrible somebody-dies-noise.

Cole's eyes finally focused, and next he tried to work his tongue. It felt like he needed a few tries before he made a sound that was at least approximately spoken language. “Alex?”

The form over him paused and turned his head towards him, pale eyes gleaming under the dark sky overhead.

“What happened?” The Conduit asked. His head felt like it was going to burst open and spill brains everywhere, and his limbs were strangely shaky.

“I'm hoping you would be able to tell me”, was the reply. It sounded kind of...angry? Mad? Worried? “What have you been up to?”

“I...” Cole furrowed his brows. “Wolfe told me I'd get stronger if I use the Blast Core. So I did. Don't know what happened after that.”

Alex eyed him, before pulling him to his feet. “Part of the city went dim”, he said. “Kuo couldn't contact you or Wolfe anymore, so we came back.”

“Back? Where have you been?”

“Further inside the city. We've been chasing a few guys who we thought had some of Wolfe's research material. We didn't even notice we've been that far out when we realized that something was off.” He scowled deeply. “When we arrived, the Militia already had Wolfe dragged off. They must have seen me, because the next thing they did was trying to kill you. I discouraged them, Kuo tried to get to the guys who dragged Wolfe off.”

“She wasn't successful”, the agent's voice said in a defeated tone. Cole turned to watch her climb the fire escape to the remains of Wolfe's lab, looking disgruntled and somewhat wind-swept. “They got away. Must have planned all of this, which means they are smarter than we gave them credits for, because all the guys we caught were just grunts.”

“Crap”, Cole groaned. Then, to Alex: “Can you try to find their track?”

The other just shook his head. “I can't. Too many different trails here. Too many disturbances.” He stiffly jerked his chin over his shoulder towards the still smoldering remains of the lab. “Ashes. Explosives. Chemicals. Bleach alone is already enough to throw me off the track. This stuff over there is a nightmare.”

“Damnit”, Kuo swore. She fell silent, brows knit together. “Means we got nothing?”

“Not nothing”, the Conduit said slowly. He swung his bag to the front and retrieved the RFI. It was in pristine condition, glowing softly in his hands. “I still got this. Wolfe called it the RFI- Ray Field Inhibitor.”

That got both their attentions and they drew closer. “Inhibitor? It stops a Conduit's Ray Field?” Kuo questioned, just barely quicker than Alex.

“Yeah. Wolfe said it won't work, however, unless I absorb more Blast Cores.”

“The light show just now”, Alex muttered, cocking his head to his side, “That was you absorbing the Blast Core?”

“Felt like Hell, but I'm okay now.” Better than that, actually. He felt...a little different. More alive. “I'm not sure, but I think I got new powers?”

“How would you know?”

“It just feels like it, okay?” He bounced on his heels slightly, fingers twitching. “Gotta try it out.” He had no idea what it was, but it was...drawing him towards the streets? The last time he felt that he had learnt how to grind, and his body had drawn him towards metal lines. He hopped off the roof and slowly wandered to where he felt the strongest pull.

A car.

Cole furrowed his brows and circled the car, figuring that maybe he was reacting towards an electrical outlet behind it?
There wasn't one, and neither was a hydrant. And it most likely wasn't the charge inside the battery either- he had learnt early on that it was impossible for him to drain the electrical charge out of a car battery. All he did when he tried was merely shorting the car out. So that wasn't it either.

Still, he focused a little, feeling the energy gathering in his hands. It wasn't much different from what he knew from his kinetic pulse, though it was different . He sent out a shockwave, and the car...not exactly bounced back. But it did jump.

Huh.

There was a heavy crack and he turned to see Alex approach, whose focus was on the car this time. “You just lifted it”, he observed simply.

“Lift?” Cole furrowed his brows and focused again, this time trying to keep the pulse even. What he managed this time, was more akin to a blue glowing field of energy- which, when he targeted the car, lifted the vehicle several inches off the street and held it suspended there.

What? He slowly lifted his hand, and the car hovered a few more inches upwards. Then he threw his hand out, and the car sped away, landing with a loud splash in the harbor basin.

“Sweet”

Alex was just glancing at the ripples of water with a scowl on his face. Cole cringed internally, suddenly realizing that even while he retained some of his old abilities, he also had the potential to gain new ones- and the Runner had basically lost all that made him who he was.

“Shit, man. I forgot-”

“Save it”, Alex growled and Cole flinched back from the heat in his voice. He wisely did not push the matter, since obviously he had no desire to be reminded of what he lost. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I'm not going to pity you, 'cause I respect you a lot more than that. Also, you are still stronger and a lot tougher than I, so...trust me when I say I don't want to piss you off. It's just- I kind of start talking before I actually think of it.”

The Runner huffed out. “I am aware. And I know you are probably the only one who has a real chance against the Beast, so congratulations on having made the first step.” It was genuine, but sounded still bitter. Cole grimaced.

“Hey, look at it from that side- I'm pretty sure you are the only one here who can pick up tanks and throw them across the block. Throwing cars around is a lot harder than it looked.”

“The car owner won't be happy either”, Kuo's voice commented deadpan, and the two men turned to look at her approaching them properly. She was holding her phone in one hand. “Dana just called”, she informed them. “We are needed at the hideout.” She furrowed her brows. “She said Smut Triangle, though didn't specify the location.”

Cole blinked. “Smut Triangle? I think I know where then”, he pointed out. “Place's called 'Martini'. Or it used to be named that way back when Zeke and I have been here. We used to live on their roof, because Zeke helped the girls with some legal trouble. If it is still here, I guess that's where we should go.”

“Do you still remember the way?”

“Yeah. I mean some things have changed, but I've been around for so long, I can probably still do it in my sleep.” He motioned for them to follow him. “Let's head over to St. Ignatius. Place was nearby.”

The sky was already dark, though the oppressive humidity only eased a little. With sundown, the swamp nearby came alive. Heller had already heard frogs croak, cicadas chirp, and at least one bull alligator grunt loudly. Over all of it was the constant buzzing of the near hornet-sized mosquitoes, that luckily held no interest in him- though the others on this roof weren't as lucky. The Smut Triangle was slowly waking up too, though the jeering of the Militia in contrast had somewhat lessened over the course of the evening.

Drawn away? Or did they actually call it a day? Most likely not, but he was going to take every breather he could. He'd been on the edge the whole time they've been here, listening to what he quickly learnt to identify as the voices of these fucking hicks to figure out whether they came closer or not, whether they had discovered them. He wasn't sure what he would have done if they had- though it was entirely possible he would have fucked them up without thinking twice.

Which, in hindsight, probably wasn't so smart as Cross had wrangled the promise from him to not start a fight. Not because they wouldn't win, but because he wanted to keep hidden for as long as possible. And taking out a bunch of rednecks? Was not very stealthy.

And still, Heller was glad to be here. Because he had found Dana, and she told them that her brother wasn't far off. Better yet, they had someone who had the best chances at stopping the Beast. Chances were chances, and still he had a good feeling in this case. They had something. And they would find a way. Maybe already did. Though they probably would need help in finalizing everything.

“...yeah, I'm very sorry for not calling you. But there was no phone to be had. I'm here and I'm okay. And Alex is here. And our new friends, Cole and Zeke”, Dana told Maya. “You have to meet them one day, because they're so cool. But we do have some problems here, there is a local rich guy who obviously hates having us here. He's a real Bond Villain, complete with his own villain theme playing every time he makes his appearance. Speaking of which- we have this super secret super spy here too. She's just like James Bond, only a lot more competent. I guess that's because she actually knows what she's doing and doesn't get distracted easily. I call her Jane Bond.”

“I bet you don't do that to her face”, Heller threw in simply. Dana glanced at him, before turning back to the phone. “Your dad's right. I'm usually not calling her that. Doubt she would be pissed, though.” She paused with a grin. “Yeah, I know. I'm not supposed to teach you bad words. But I know perfectly well that your dad is always saying worse things. Okay, so we will hear from each other again. Be good to uncle Ragland. Goodbye.”

Dana handed the phone over, and Heller accepted it. “Hello baby girl.”

“Hi Daddy. Uncle Ragland says to say Hello.”

“That's good to know. Let him know I owe him.”

“And you owe me too”, was her reply. “I'm still mad at you.”

He grimaced. Sure she was. Had every right to, too, because he just left her like that. “I know, I know. You're out to save the world and Aunt Dana and Uncle Alex with Uncle Cross, and Mr. Henna and Uncle Ragland are nice to me. But I am still mad.”

Heller exhaled with a chuckle. “Then tell me how to make it up to you once I'm back. I don't want you to stay mad at me.”

“Hmm. How about you take me out for an ice cream at the Fry Hut? And I want Aunt Dana and Uncle Alex there too. And maybe Uncle Cross. And maybe Dana's friends from where you are.”

“The Fry Hut?” Heller grimaced slightly. “If they are okay with potentially artery-clogging food, I think I can promise that.” But seriously. He sometimes swore he was on his way towards getting a full-blown heart attack just smelling the Fry Hut. However, Maya always claimed that they had the best ice cream (he doubted it), so if she wanted to go there, then they would go there, clogged arteries or not.

“When will you be back?”

“We just arrived here, baby girl”, he replied with a sigh. “I really want to be home, but until now I haven't even seen Mercer, or these friends of his. So far, we have no clue what is going on here.” He furrowed his brows. “Maybe a week or two. But I promise, not any longer.”

“Will you take down this monster?”

“I don't think it will be me, though Dana told me that one of their friends here could do it. But he'll need my help for it. And that's what I'm here for.”

“So you'll help saving the world?”

“You can bet on it.”

“Will you be too busy to call me?”

“Not a chance in the world. I'll make time, and if I have to beat up every last hick around here to get a connection.” And that he meant with every inch of his body. “Nothing's gonna stop me from talking to you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise”

“Then I will hear you tomorrow?”

“Yup” He shifted his body slightly when something changed in the air. He became more tense, though his voice didn't change. “Now do what Dana told you. Be a good girl and get ready for bed.”

“I will. Good night, daddy.”

“Good night, baby girl.” He waited until she ended the call before he dropped the phone from his ear, glaring at the city in front of him. “He's coming.”

Cross lifted his head. “Mercer?”

“Approaching”

“About time”, the Specialist grunted, getting up from the folding chair he had picked as his own.

Dana was quick to step up to them too. “Fair word of warning- something fucked up happened to Alex. He's a bit touchy about it, and I don't know what is going on.”

“We already guessed as much, seeing as Heller here hadn't been able to get into the Hive Mind”, Cross commented. He inclined his head, glancing at the crowd slowly filling the streets below. “Which of them?”

Dunbar, who had hung back until now, slowly approached the roof edge and glanced through his binoculars for a moment, when a grin appeared on his face. Dropping the binoculars, he grabbed an insect zapper and switched it on and off in a rapid succession- and Heller noticed one of the people down there pause for a split second and snapping his head into their direction. Young man, shaved head, yellow t-shirt. Sort of metal rod on his back? He motioned for his partner, an Asian Woman in a two-piece suit, and the two of them subtly changed direction and marched towards them.

Heller's brows came down, and he slowly turned to glance at Dunbar- who instantly ducked his head and attempted to make himself smaller. “Dunbar. Your friend MacGrath- he got a yellow shirt, right?”

The fat man blinked. “Uh. Yeah. Wait-” He blinked and flicked his binoculars to his face again. “You can see him? From up here?!”

“Got good eyes”, Heller deadpanned. Guess he had kind of forgotten how far he could see- it often came to him as a surprise that his colleagues at the crime labs couldn't see details from far away. “So it's him, yes? And you just sent him some form of signal?”

Dunbar blinked again, then warily smiled at him. “Cole can sense electricity. Switchin' a lamp on an off in a place like this gets his attention, you know?”

“So you flashed him a Morse code without others butting in?” That had applications.

The fat man seemed to be a little more at ease around him already. “Kinda. I mean I don't know Morse, and Cole doesn't either. I'm just flaggin' him down.”

Heller made a sound and turned his attention on the shadow following after the two on the street. The one crossing buildings. His world slipped into muted colors of orange and brown, and his hand instantly lit up white. The figure on the roof did too, sparkling bright in the otherwise drab background- but there was no voice he could hear. Only an ever-increasing white noise that made his head hurt. With a grimace, he shifted back into normal vision and the white noise faded into a soft hum at the back of his brain.

“That him, huh?” Of course Cross would notice him too. He didn't wait for Heller's confirmation, just folded his arms over his chest and scoffed lightly, picking up his voice somewhat. “Then get over here, you son of a bitch.”

Mercer hesitated despite likely having heard him, then headed off the roof and vanished somewhere in the maze of alleys around their current location. Cross just arched an eyebrow and turned his attention back towards the fire escape they had used to climb towards this roof. And sure enough, the woman scrambled over the edge soon, though she stopped with narrowing eyes at the sight of them.

“Are you Dana's contact?”

“I am”, Cross replied. “Colonel Robert Cross, Rank Specialist. Blackwatch.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating Heller. “Sergeant James Heller. Ex-Marine, now NCIS.”

“Friend of the Mercers”, he added.

“Blackwatch?”, the woman, likely this 'Jane Bond' as Dana called her, furrowed her brows further. “You've been in Manhattan. Far I heard you changed your tactics with the replacement of General Randall with General Rooks, correct?”

Cross cocked his head. “If you mean we're finally doing the job we were supposed to do, then yes.”

“And we trust him”, Dana added, just getting over and grabbing for the arm of the man in the yellow t-shirt to help hauling him to the roof. Once up there, he brushed off his pants and glanced at the two of them. “So you just flew in here to help us?”

“I've been in Empire the moment it blew”, the Specialist scoffed. “Nearly killed my team. So yes, I am invested in taking this bastard down. You MacGrath?”

The man turned defensive. “I am”

“Good, then listen well. Dana here ensured us you had some way of fighting this giant. Do you have, or are we wasting time?”

“Whoa. Rude there”, the other man had drawn back as far as he could without falling off the roof, but his fists were clenched and eyes narrow. On the other hand, however, he seemed more than nervous, and Heller noticed his gaze flicker to the side from time to time too, so he apparently couldn't decide whether to fight, or to run. He didn't blame him- for a normal human, Cross was downright scary.

“He doesn't sugarcoat anything, Cole” Oh this motherfucker. Heller suppressed the flinch and the urge to punch Mercer's smug face when he realized that he obviously deliberately moved towards them from downwind, having made it impossible to notice him on time. And that allowed him to virtually appear out of nowhere, startling both Dunbar and Dana (and possibly Cross too, though he wasn't showing any signs of it). MacGrath, however, didn't seem too surprised. “Little warning next time?”

“I wasn't about to draw attention from any side”, he said simply.

“I don't care”, Cross growled, turning his attention back to MacGrath. “You got an idea how to tackle this thing, or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. I have one shot”, the other man grumbled. He moved back towards the little seating area, dropping on the couch there and taking his bag off. “I met with Doctor Wolfe, and he gave me this.” Heller crossed his arms, Cross just arched one eyebrow. Neither said anything, knowing fully well the Conduit was going to talk by himself as he finished drawing what looked like a mixture between dumbbell and orb from his rucksack. “He called it RFI, Ray Field Inhibitor.” He grimaced briefly. “No, better is to start from the beginning. We already figured I wasn't supposed to have the kind of power I throw around casually, and Kessler suspected there was another power source. No idea whether this is true, but Wolfe seemed to think it too. That's what the RFI is about, you know? Cut off a Conduit from their power source. Wolfe seems to think that it'll work on the Beast too.”

“But it'll only works if the Beast is a Conduit itself”, Mercer pointed out.

Much to Heller's surprise, however, it was Cross who scoffed. “Reports claimed that an object called Ray Sphere was responsible for the activation of Conduits, correct?” He glanced at the NSA agent next. In response, the woman nodded with a surprised expression on her face. “Now, there is something you can't know here- wherever the Beast walks, Conduits appear. They are often the only survivors that are left behind after it is done with a city. Last I heard the NSA and FEMA collected them to make sure they wouldn't be able to hurt others.”

“Wait- the blast-” MacGrath's expression turned wide open and alert. “When I got my powers, I woke up inside a crater and everybody around was dead. Now the Beast walks around, makes craters out of cities- and creates Conduits?”

“Like the Ray Sphere”, Mercer said as if it made any sense. “It is...a literal walking Ray Sphere detonation?”

“That is possible”, MacGrath continued. He glanced thoughtfully at the sphere in his hands. “And if the RFI cuts off a Conduit's power source by blocking the Ray Field, we can shut the Beast down. Like switching off a light.”

“You sure it'll work?” Heller demanded to know, because seriously? This looked way too much like comic physics than real life- but then he remembered that the kid allegedly could pull lightning out of his ass and he himself was a super soldier currently, so maybe that thought wasn't as idiotic as it seemed?

“Wolfe had never been mistaken until now”, the NSA agent claimed. “Even the most absurd theories- he could prove them correct. I'm sure the RFI will work.” She furrowed her brows. “Plus, Bertrand's shown incredible interest in it. His men had taken the Blast Cores- Blast Cores that we are told are the key to activating the RFI. At the same time, his men also had managed to kidnap Wolfe despite our presence. So seeing it from that angle, I'm sure there is at least something true about this whole thing.”

That made sense. A lot of sense, at least when applying the whole mess to what they had apparently established were Conduit Physics. Heller sighed through his nose.

“Okay, so in short- The big thing, the Beast, can possibly be stopped with the RFI we already have. This Wolfe person would know more, though he's currently in Bertrand's hands- and we need him back.”

“So figure out where he is, break in, snatch him out from under Bertrand's nose”, MacGrath summarized. “Additionally, we also need to look for more Blast Cores. Wolfe estimated one Conduit would need to absorb at least half a dozen to even activate the RFI. I already had one, so it should be secondary priority to find the Blast Cores.”

“Which Bertrand's men should know about”, the agent added.

That shouldn't be complicated, Heller figured, because they had one here who could gain information with nothing more than a simple snack-
Would it?

Heller's eyes moved to Mercer, just as Cross's did. The Runner wasn't looking so hot. More even at the mentioning of gathering information. And both, MacGrath and Dana, were grimacing awkwardly.
Something was wrong.

Cross's expression didn't change, though there was a thoughtful glint in his eyes. “Mercer”, he said simply to draw his attention. Then he pulled his combat knife from its holster and jabbed it into his throat.

There was one thing Cross had learnt early on: Always trust your instincts. And his instincts had been right about New Marais, the Mercers, and their allies. They had a way to fight the thing they called 'Beast'. He was no scientist, but what MacGrath told them about the RFI orb appeared to make sense, at least.

And this was exactly what he didn't like. He didn't wanted to include unknown factors into his work. Conduits worked- he had seen the reports from Empire- but that didn't tell him how. The viruses he was used to- they followed rules. Twisted nearly beyond recognition, but they were still there.

Conduits did not follow anything other than their own rules. The best example for this was MacGrath himself. He had control over electricity. But it was limited- absorbing, storing, expelling. At the same time however, he was capable of giving off more energy than he initially absorbed, disregarding anything he knew about the conversation of energy. Which hinted towards what this Doctor Wolfe suspected- that their powers originated from somewhere else- which would make cutting off their energy source a viable way to deal with the Beast. But the details still escaped him.
Doctor Wolfe would know, or at least shed some light on it. However, he had been taken by these hicks, and from the way Dana cringed, he could tell it wouldn't be too easy to get him back.

Because something was fundamentally wrong with Mercer. And that did not only include the reason as to why he hadn't changed back already, seeing as he wouldn't need to continue to intimidate those who were his allies. Heller might have been lying about not being able to have access to the Hive Mind, but shapeshifter or no, Mercer looked bad.

Cross had only seen him once like that, and that had been surveillance images picked up when he was affected by the cancer. This time, however, he was certain that there was no parasite around, so this reason was right off the table.

Still, he needed to know where exactly the limits where. He picked up his voice. “Mercer”
The Runner's attention turned on him immediately. Cross hoped to God that he wouldn't react poorly, and yanked his knife free.

Immediately jabbing it into Mercer's throat just where the armor met flesh. The Runner jerked back with what was definitely a pained snarl, and Cross instantly stepped into his range to avoid the brunt of those talons. Without wasting another moment, he snatched his hand out and grabbed Mercer's chin, turning his head slightly to get a better look at the injury.

“Yeah, shut it. I have seen you growing back your face from having it blown off with a shotgun”, he said simply as he observed black liquid ooze sluggishly out around the blade.

“Doesn't mean I enjoy being stabbed”, the Runner hissed in reply, though offered no further resistance. Which also made the others stop dead in their tracks. Cross decided to count it as a win, since he could see electrical arches snapping out of MacGrath's body and Dana looked like she was seriously considering murder.

Cross snorted and grabbed his knife with his free hand, yanking it back out in one sharp motion. Mercer growled enraged, though didn't move in any way that indicated he was about to rip his head off.

There was no writhing. None at all.
But there should be. Every time he healed, there were these small tendrils, squirming as they positioned themselves in holes where flesh should be, then flattened and shifted their appearance to become flesh.

Cross's brows drew together as he twisted the Runner's head in his direction to look him in the eyes. “You don't heal”, he said simply.

“I do”, Mercer snarled. Sure enough, the bleeding was already slowing down, the wound starting to close itself. Within the next few minutes, it would be gone. But minutes were still more than mere moments.

“You lost your shapeshifting?” Mercer flinched, eyes widening by a fraction before narrowing to slits. Cross exhaled through his nose and let go of him, stepping back. “Great”

Which meant that consuming was off the table too. He didn't know how it worked, but he knew that it included a lot of shapeshifting. And if this was lost- well. Meant no consumption.

“What happened?” Heller demanded to know, now also close by and looking surprisingly worried.

“What do you think?” Mercer snarled. “The Beast happened.”

“I think that requires a little more explanation”, MacGrath threw in, now finally without the lightning and looking a lot more puzzled than angry. “I mean, explanations that doesn't have anything to do with stabbing.” He added a moment later with a glance at his knife. Cross snorted and wiped it down with a tissue he dropped into the fire pit afterwards.

“He told you I don't sugarcoat anything.”

“Dude. You. Stabbed. Him. In. The. Throat.”

“Heller stabbed him too. And ripped his arms off”, Cross shrugged. MacGrath's face fell and his head snapped to stare at Mercer, who shrugged. “He didn't know I was just as confused by the new Outbreak as he was.”

The Conduit's jaw moved slightly. “I don't want to see what you do when you actually argue.”

“Attempted murder. Or city-wide genocide. Depending on who was the offender”, Mercer said simply.

“I'm still not used to you joking”, MacGrath rumbled. They all were silent for a moment, before the Conduit turned to Cross. “Alex and Dana both told me that you were their to-go-to person when there was something fucked up going on. Anything you can tell us?”

“Not without knowing what actually happened.” All he had was 'the Beast happened'. “I assume you made contact with this thing?”

“That's one way to put it”, MacGrath ran a hand over his scalp with a sigh. “You know, we were about to leave Empire to come here- when the Beast appeared. Alex and me, we beat it down again and again and again. He jabbed one of those Devastator thingies into it, I blasted it to pieces. Resulting shockwave knocked us both down, and the next thing I knew was we were on a ship and the Beast had come back and blew the Hell out of Empire.”

“Devastator?” Heller cocked his head to the side. “You jumped a living explosion?”

“Wasn't much else to do. It was trying to crush Cole. I wouldn't let it.” There was more to that, because it sounded a lot more like a spur-of-the-moment thing than real coordinated attack. But then again, despite his intellect, Mercer had never been someone who liked to think things through.

And that finally came back to bit him in the ass. Cross furrowed his brows. “Something doesn't add up then. Fire shouldn't be able to damage you that much that you lose your powers.”

“It wasn't the heat”, Mercer scoffed. “But a Ray Sphere explosion gives off Ray Field radiation. The Beast obviously does too.”

The Specialist was just floored with the answer. “And being perfectly able to at least suspect that, you still jumped it?”

He grimaced slightly. “Until now I always reacted differently towards radiation. My Biomass died off to prevent damage to my DNA. I kind of figured it wouldn't be so bad. Lose most of my body, but discard it and grow a new one. This time however, it didn't. I lost my shapeshifting, and with it, all my powers tied to it.”

That...didn't sound like something radiation would do. Radiation was simply messing up the chemical structure of a body, and that in turn caused cancer and wide-spread cellular death. What Mercer described was...as if he was devolved. But...Cross eyed the talons that made up his arms now. These things were familiar.

“Show me your claws”, he told Heller.

The Evolved blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. Do it.”

The Sergeant didn't question it further, just flexed his fingers and willed the transformation. His fingers became bony talons, his skin thickened and grew scales. The process took a few moments, but the final result looked a lot like what Mercer had currently, if looking a lot healthier without the cracked skin and blistered joints.

“Shit”, MacGrath breathed, while Dunbar added his own two cents to it. “Slick, man. You Conduit too?”

“Evolved”, Heller grunted, then nodded towards the Runner. “Mercer's the flu, and I caught the sniffles. That about explains it?”

Everything snapped into clarity. Details of previous reports came in, remembered pieces of conversations- everything slid into place with one single word. Evolved.

“God”, he groaned. “I think I know what's your problem.” He pointed at the Runner. “You didn't devolve, you evolved. Specialized, whatever.”

“What?” Then Mercer's eyes suddenly sharpened. And the gears started moving inside his head, plainly visible. “Of course”, he muttered, followed by something that was neither in English, nor slow enough to be actually understood.

“Alex. English. And slower”, Dana sounded exasperated, as if this was something that happened every day. Again, Cross found himself wondering just how the Hell this guy had been a thorn in their side ever since Manhattan, when he barely managed to string his thoughts together without external help.

The Runner paused, blinking at them for a moment, then snapped into motion again. “Evolved. You said evolved. That's all this thing does. It evolves other living things.” He glanced at MacGrath. “It's a Ray Sphere, isn't it? And the Ray Sphere evolved all humans with the Conduit gene to Conduits, killed everybody else. Evolved even me, made me specialize my cells into real tissues, not just something looking like the real deal.” He turned back to Cross. “But that isn't all, is it, Cross?”

Now there was the smart bastard he remembered. A grim smirk tugged at the Specialist's features. “The Beast constantly gives off this Ray Field Radiation. Anywhere it appears, a cloud of the stuff is formed. Wind carries it down the coast, infects the next town. And then the Beast makes its appearance, kills every person and leaves behind a bunch of terrified Conduits.”

“And?”

“Now you're telling us that this thing evolves the people. Which means the radiation isn't there to kill, but to evolve. But it evolves most of them into the wrong direction. Their bodies can't deal with it, form cancer. Die a week or two later- if they didn't get blown up before. But whatever this Ray Field Energy is, it is smart. It tries again and again. It makes more Conduits. What for?”

There was something flashing in Mercer's eyes, and his shoulders hunched to the front somewhat. “Redlight”, he breathed.

Redlight was similar. It tried to mutate humans, tried to alter them. Most of them died. Greene, at least, had endured it. But PARIAH had been the result the disease wanted. It had evolved into something else. “The Beast is a trigger. Something that changes life on Earth.” He scowled. “But this change comes with a God damn lot of collateral damage. I'm not going to let it roam free, and I think you won't either.”

“Not a chance in Hell”

Cross nodded. He expected this answer already. After all, Heller had a serious Hero Complex, MacGrath too as far as he could tell. Dunbar possibly always did what the Conduit did. Mercer, for all matters and purposes, wanted crowds to hide in and find food, and Conduits with their superpowers were a rather tough morsel to chew on. Dana was utterly devoted to her brother. Agent Kuo was possibly the only NSA agent who actually worked the job she was assigned to. And neither of them would want to see their own world go up in flames anyways, especially not when they had a way to fight back.

Just...they were inexperienced. Lone wolves. Not used to work in groups. He sighed, turned to agent Kuo. “Am I right to assume you have a map of the city handy?”

She merely arched an eyebrow. “Street map. That enough?”

“Better than a tourist brochure, that for sure. Now get here, we got a lot to go over before I can sent you guys back out there.”

Alex wouldn't have thought that he actually missed working with Cross, but now as they were standing around a low roof ventilation unit and staring at a street map of New Marais, he realized that several parts of him simply craved being under his orders. Orders meant direction, and direction meant motion.

“This part of the city has been flooded ever since Katrina. The locals call it 'Flood Town'”, Kuo pointed out. Cross arched one eyebrow and drew a line with a marker.

“You know about where the Militia got bases?”

“West-point Lookout had been one”, the woman explained. “The old plantation is another one.” She pointed to the different locations, and the Specialist circled each area. “Gas Works, which belong to Bertrand is a big hotspot. As is the train yard in Flood Town and the fort here in Ascension Parish.”

“We definitely need to check on those places”, Dana pointed out with a frown on her face. “Asides from stealing the Blast Cores, these hicks abduct people.”

“Technically, they are acting according to martial law. As it is, they have the right to do whatever they want, as long they are keeping order.”

Heller's eyes narrowed. “What are they doing?”

“No idea. It's possible Bertrand has a prison complex somewhere and uses forced labor. God knows the Gas Works are pretty suspicious.”

“Wolfe?”

“Is too important. Bertrand will have him in a secluded area”, Kuo assumed. Cross hummed and looked back on the map. “Do you have any idea where that could be?”

“None”

Alex scowled slightly, knowing perfectly well that he would have learnt things like that near instantly. Which he couldn't do anymore. Even if it wasn't as dramatic as it could have been- being forced into a somewhat living body because he had been given an update that completely corrupted anything that had worked until now was still confusing. He kept throwing glances at the bag of jerky Dana had pushed into his hands, not really knowing what to do with it.

“Hmp. We'll find that one out. Someone will blab.”

“What about the Swamp Beasts?” Zeke asked.

“Swamp Beasts?” Heller and Cross both looked up curiously.

“The trawler captain said there were things in the swamp, eatin' people.”

“We suspected that it were rumors Bertrand spread”, Cole added quickly. “We don't have any proof of anything in the swamp right now.”

“Still”, Heller furrowed his brows. “We should pay attention to shit like that.”

“Tertiary objective”, Cross said simply. “Priority is Wolfe, second are these Blast Cores.”

“And the Militia?”

“The Militia is currently not the target. All we need from them are the locations of the priority and secondary targets.”

“Problem there is”, Dana piped up, “That Bertrand has this every-hour-show running in which he tells people that Cole is a demon who came here to destroy Empire. If he shows his face, people are going to notice.”

The Conduit scowled. “So that was the reason why people ran off from me. Huh.”

Alex finally managed to tear the package open without spreading the contents everywhere and glanced at the jerky pinched between his claws. “What about a two-pronged approach then?”

The others eyed him. He pointed at Cole. “Since he is already marked a target here, and I can't exactly hide currently, I'd suggest he and I draw attention. Make Bertrand's forces run after us.” Act as bullet sponges too.

“So we get a free hand”, Heller realized.

“Exactly”, he turned his attention to the Evolved. “You and agent Kuo, you can gather information the old-fashioned way. Ask around.” He'd been on the highway for so long, getting on the country lane was maybe a welcome change of scenery.

Heller hummed. “I'm all for it, but there is a small problem.” He grimaced slightly. “I doubt the hicks will give us a straight answer.” Probably. With him black and Kuo an Asian woman, Alex figured that these white-dominant Militia idiots wouldn't like to be in the same room as them.

“Pull rank”, he suggested instead. “You've been sergeant, you've been to Iraq. You can work big guns. If you make smalltalk, tell them that first. They'll open up pretty quickly after that.”

It should work, he should have added. Since he never actually tried it. He could act well enough so people wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the real person, but it he didn't like wheedling around for information.

“Wait, shouldn't our super spy have connections?” Dunbar asked.

Kuo sighed. “My mission was simply to stay near Wolfe, work with him, find out how to use what he made against Kessler. When he told me about the Beast months ago, I started straying from my original job to the point I went to Empire without notifying my superiors. After that, the whole East Coast network collapsed. I haven't had contact with them ever since.” She shrugged. “I'm not even sure they know whether I'm still alive.”

“You have been making calls the entire time we've been on the ship”, Dana said slowly.

“Yes. I have tried to establish contact, but that didn't work. So I had to fall back to my sources and own informants instead of actually getting through to the NSA. I guess they were too busy.” She paused for a moment, then added: “Possibly too busy right now too.”

“So you have no connection to the government?” Cross asked.

“None currently. I'm not even sure what's going on outside of New Marais”, was her reply. And she meant it. She inclined her head and eyed the Specialist. “Why, do you have?”

“I do. Maybe.” Cross pointed at the air field just outside of the city. “My Wisemen are currently over here and working with Bertrand. At the same time, my men remain in contact with Detrick, acting as a hub between me and Red Crown. I ask them, and they can rely any information I want.”

The Wisemen? Here with Bertrand? Alex's brows drew together. “Cross. Can you tell your guys to try and figure out where the Militia has the Blast Cores hidden? They should be large crystals, glowing purple.” Bertrand's men had taken the Cores. They had hidden them. If the Wisemen were there, they could figure things out.

“I'll tell them to keep their eyes open. However-”

“If we go and grab the Cores, we'll make sure we act as if we don't have insider information”, Alex assured him. “No suspicion will fall on you or them.”

“That's all I ask for.”

“What about you?” Dana asked. “It's all about Alex and Cole, and Heller and Kuo. What are we supposed to do?”

Cole glanced at them, then Alex and Heller. “I guess you should try to keep your head down. Since you, you know, aren't bullet proof like we three.”

“I'm not going to do nothing”, she bit back, looking livid. Alex actually cringed a little, knowing that this was the face she only had when she was determined to not back down.

“I didn't say that.” Well, to give him credit, Cole flinched back only slightly. “What I meant to say-”

“We need you to dig up the information on the Militia and Bertrand. Things they wouldn't tell the Wisemen”, Alex cut in. “I'm not telling you to sit back, but I want you to not risk your life either.” Because Dana was the most important thing to him. She glared at him for a brief second, before huffing out.

“Okay. Stay out of the line of fire. Got it. But if there is something I want to see, I will see it.”

“Deal.” He eyed Cross. “I think it would be better if you'd stayed with them too.” Dana was fierce, Dunbar a good shot with his revolver, but they wouldn't be a match against dozens of men. The Specialist, however...there was a reason Alex rightfully respected him. Even if he escaped a crashing helicopter, even if he showed a prominent limp and favored his left side over his right- he was still a lot more dangerous than all of these hicks down there.

“How do we contact each other?”

“I got a phone”, Dunbar explained. “Kuo got another one. And Cole-”

“The headset's fried, Zeke.”

“Cole got his phone too”, Dunbar finished, handing it over. “Fixed it and tried to make it surge resistant.”

Kuo inclined her head. “Three phones and three teams, huh?”

“We just gotta stay together then, sister”, Dunbar shrugged. “Besides, we could try and get some more.”

“The Militia's should suffice”, Dana mentioned. “We could use it to listen in to their chatter too.”

“Good idea”, Cross agreed. Alex figured it would make a nice surprise for Bertrand to have his own guys betray him so unknowingly. He wondered how long they would need to figure things out.
Because he knew nothing about Bertrand, Kessler never having been interested in him anyways, so he couldn't really tell. It intrigued and frustrated him at the same time.

He would learn, sooner or later.

Cross was just glancing at the map, then turned his attention towards the graying sky. Dawn was coming already. “You got any more hideouts, Dunbar?” He asked.

“Not yet, but Sherry told me a few of my other buds are still around. So all I gotta do is ask”, the other replied. “We're gonna get this done right.”

“Good”, The Specialist stood up straight. “As fun as an all-nighter is, I am sure you all agree to not do it too often. Better accommodations would possibly be preferable.”

Alex figured it wouldn't hurt. Plus, an open roof was only hard to secure and nearly impossible to hide away on. He didn't know much about the Militia, but after witnessing them blowing up parts of the city with rocket launchers, he was pretty sure they wouldn't hesitate to lay fire to civilian buildings just to get them.

Everybody cared about the people. He didn't see the fuss about it- he had slaughtered his fair share of civilians as well- but he had promised Dana to tone it down until he had no other choice. Plus...it would probably be easier to have the support of the city rather than having the city against them.

So finding a safe house was fourth objective then.

Cross made a motion, a rough jerk of his chin, and Alex instantly followed after him as he stepped a bit asides. He didn't question, just watched how the Specialist plucked a military radio from one pocket and tapped it.

“Cross to Wisemen. I located and established contact with ZEUS.”

“That's good to hear”, was the choppy reply. Alex recognized the voice as Santos. “Kick his ass, will you?”

“Not yet”, Cross replied with a side-glance at him. “He's still useful.” He paused for a moment, then added “How's the situation with Bertrand?”

“Permission to speak freely?”

“Permission granted.”

“He's a piece of shit, sir. He won't let us go anywhere without supervision. And his Militia-” there was a noise that sounded suspiciously like she spat at the floor. “Got to break one guy's hand because he thought touching my ass was a good greeting. He got lucky I was playing nice.” Yeah. Because she was Blackwatch. She could have ventilated his body and that of his buddies with basically no repercussions.

“Doubt he'll do it again.” Cross smirked briefly. “Anyways, it seems ZEUS and his ally, MacGrath, have found a way to deal with the Beast.”

“The...Beast, sir?”

“The giant flaming bastard blowing the shit out of towns. That's what it is referred to, so please tell the upper echelons to cool it with the Greek Codenames.”

“The situation on that...already evolved, sir.”

Cross's eyes narrowed and Alex found himself inching closer to listen better. “How?”

“It just appeared roughly five hours ago, sir.”

“Damn it. Which city did it wipe out?”

“That's it, sir. It just popped up along the highway. Not even a motel nearby.”

The two men eyed each other. “And?”

“It hasn't disappeared yet.” Santos's voice sounded confused and worried. “It is just walking along, but the radiation readings are off the charts.”

“Walking?”

“It's heading South, sir. Red Crown already sent a team to intercept, but they didn't make it.”

“Fuck, of course they couldn't!” Cross's teeth ground together. “That thing is a walking nuclear explosion!”

South. It was coming South. It had attacked Cole in Empire. A snarl worked itself out of Alex's throat as he grabbed the radio from Cross. “Santos! Tell Rooks that the Beast is coming here. It is heading towards New Marais!”

Chapter Text

Alex growled low in his throat, not hearing what the Wisemen Captain snapped at him. The Beast was coming, and it was coming here. Cross wanted to know how he knew.

He just did.

It was so simple. The Beast had appeared in Empire, but instead of destroying the city, it had walked towards them, attacked them. They tried to stop it, stopped it actually for a few hours, and then it returned. With them gone, however, it actually did destroy the city. And started moving along the coast. It had been going slow, needing weeks to cross the distance between Empire and Baltimore, and no matter where it appeared, it always headed back towards the coast.

It had seen them escaping by boat, and it was trying to intercept them again, even without knowing where they would appear.
But now Cole had used the Blast Core. Had further increased his powers- and the Beast must have sensed it. Must have figured out where he was, was following the trail and forgoing even the safety of whatever pocket dimension it was stuffing itself in when it wasn't destroying cities. It was coming here. It was intending to finish what it started in Empire.

The Beast was going to fight Cole again. Maybe try to stop him from gathering more Cores. They couldn't let it. They had to hurry, had to finish what Wolfe intended them to before it appeared.

They needed the RFI if they wanted to destroy this thing, if they wanted it gone.
He scowled to himself when realization set in. He wanted it gone without having to fight. Didn't want to have to face it again. Not after it hurt him like it did. Alex was startled by the realization that he was afraid of the thing. Afraid of what it had done to him.

His body was damaged. He couldn't shift, and what remained to him was wrong. He knew perfectly well that he had never been perfect in impersonating his victims- Behavior was easy, if he had the full brain to work with, but appearance ? Any small change his prey was unaware of he couldn't imitate. Fingerprints were downright impossible to mimic anyways. Even a false body image made him project the wrong appearance.

He knew of this, knew that even when acting in their stead, he had to keep his distance. A quick glance wouldn't betray him, even a brush against him never made people realize, since he was capable of mimicking cloth near perfectly.

But like this, everybody would know. He was damaged to the point his entire impersonation was wrong. His surface should have imitated leather, denim or wool. All of it felt like skin however. Thickened skin, blistered and cracked where his claws had forced their way out of a human shell, but still skin where it should have been something else entirely. His arms and talons should have been barbed flesh and bristling tentacles, not bones and muscles and skin. Even his armor was wrong. Where it had been touch chitin with barely any receptors before, now it was thickened skin covering a bony base that was still hyper aware of every gust of wind, every touch.

He wasn't the virus anymore, he knew. He was something new. Like PARIAH. Like Heller.

He was weak now, far from what had been. Blacklight had been a lot more powerful before, before Penn Station. Five Thousand dead within minutes , and nobody had ever seen him, could even fight him. After Penn Station, he had become aware . Had crafted a body for himself. A body meant there was something that could be seen, could be touched, could be fought- but it had been a body made up of the virus. He had been capable of doing things no other being could do, could change whatever he wanted. Couldn't die from lethal injuries. This version of him had been the most dangerous, even if not as lethal as he had been before that.

But right now, all those things had been evolved further, evolved into a real living, breathing, mortal body.
He decided he hated it, and he couldn't wait for it to change back- though there was the unpleasant feeling at the bottom of his stomach that told him that evolution was strictly one-way.

Alex scowled and forced those thoughts back into the deepest confines of his mind. Getting scared wouldn't help in any way- they needed to act, and they needed to act now . “Get your shit together”, he barked at the others, and realized a moment later that he maybe added a little too much of the very late Commander Charles Tunney to it. “The Beast is coming and we need to be ready for this asshole before it actually turns up!”

Dunbar's expression became downright panicked, Dana turned pale, Kuo swallowed hard and Cole flinched back. Heller only had a deep frown on his face, and Alex could tell he had listened in, even if not on purpose. “How can you know?”, he asked instead. Unlike the others, he wasn't scared, more intrigued if anything. But then again, he hadn't seen the thing himself.

Alex bared his teeth. “I just know. I know what it looked like when the Beast came after Kessler. And I know what it looks like now.” He was fucking ready to fight them to get them to move, though Cole cut in first.

“I don't care who's right here”, he declared with as much authority as he could muster, “Alex got a point- we have to start as fast as possible, before Bertrand manages to get the Cores secure.” His voice told him that he didn't really believe it- or was in denial, more likely.

Cross just finished his call, instructing his team to keep their eyes open for the Blast Cores, and moved back towards them, expression dark. “Well, thanks for yelling at my team”, he growled. “They are already insubordinate enough towards the rest of Blackwatch, now you'll be undermining my authority too.”

Alex's fingers twitched briefly, whether as a sign he was going to snap at him next or try to keep cool, he didn't know. Cross noticed it immediately, however, and his expression changed slightly. “You're certain.” That wasn't a question, so Alex felt no need to acknowledge it. “Ah, great.” The Specialist turned to agent Kuo immediately. “You have worked with Doctor Wolfe, correct? Did he have any other labs, or places where he hid his research?”

“No other labs, but...” She furrowed her brows in concentration. “I know he co-owns several pigeon lofts all over New Marais.”

“Pigeons?” Dunbar asked puzzled. “What do they have to do with anything?”

“It's more of a feeling”, she admitted. “You see, around last year the Militia was starting to get more intrusive, often just gathering near Wolfe's lab. Wolfe suspected they would be after his research and tried finding ways to secure his work in ways nobody would ever guess. And then he started renting space in various pigeon lofts all over the city.”

“Messenger pigeons, maybe?” Heller questioned.

“That's what I suspect”, the agent confirmed. “Because he's done it in the past, using messenger pigeons. Back then it had been so he could smuggle information away from Kessler and to the NSA. It could be he attached small data drives to the birds now too.”

Cole arched one eyebrow. “You know where these lofts are?”

She hummed briefly and went back to their map. “I think near here”, she pointed at the west side of the city, “Was one. There is a clock tower nearby too, that's why I remember it.”

“Good”, the Conduit nodded to himself, and pointed to Heller “Then take the military guy with you”, he grabbed Alex's arm, “And I take this one and head to the other side of the city. We'll cause some trouble, let the people see us, and draw these hicks off your side.”

“What about the Rayacites?” Kuo asked with some real interest. That stopped about all of them dead in their tracks. “Raya- what?” Dunbar blurted, just seconds before Cole could.

“Pieces of soil irradiated through the Ray Field”, the agent explained. “Strange, I thought they had been in Empire too.”

Cole blinked, then groaned. “They've been. But we called them Blast Shards.” His expression turned thoughtful. “Wolfe had some here too?”

“Of course. They were of great interest to him and Kessler, so they collected them whenever they found some.”

Technically, Alex added in his mind, since the Shards reacted to Conduits, it was Wolfe who had to collect them under Kessler's observation. He remembered it were a lot.

Kuo was continuing meanwhile, explaining to Cross and Heller. “Since they have been in Wolfe's lab, the explosion of it will have spread them over the city. If we find some, we need to mark the location so Cole can pick them up later. They're crystal-like, much like the Blast Cores, but actually formed like shards and glow blue.”

“What's so important about these Shards?” The Evolved questioned puzzled.

Alex snorted briefly. “They contain trace amounts of Ray Field Radiation. Which is harmful to any other living being that is not a Conduit. Blacklight dies off upon making contact. Humans get sick”, He nodded towards Cole, “Conduits get marginally stronger. So I guess it would be in everybody's best interest if these things get off the streets, to prevent the people from getting irradiated and increase our fighting power.”

Cross stood straighter, folding his arms behind his back, obviously unfazed by the idea that dangerous irradiated pieces of soil cluttered the area. “Then make it so. Dana-” he turned towards Alex's sister. “Try to figure out what Bertrand is planning next. If he has Wolfe, we need access to him, preferably without his men being able to get to him.”

Dana grinned. “You get it.”

“Dunbar”, The man in question flinched and jumped into what could be loosely described as a very stiff and very awkward saluting position. The Specialist sighed through his nose once. “At ease. You're civilian, not military, so lose that position.” Dunbar relaxed visibly, while Cross continued. “I was told you have contacts all over the place. Get to them. Establish new ones if possible. We need as much intel as possible.”

“Intel about what?”

“Everything. Bertrand. The Militia. What they are doing. What they need Wolfe for. What they know about us. Everything you can dig up about New Marais. And about those Swamp Beasts, because quite honestly, I don't like the sound of this.”

“You get it, Blackwatch.”

“Good”, He glanced at them. “You're dismissed.”

Heller and Kuo left the rooftop at about the same time as MacGrath and Mercer. Unlike those two, however, the sergeant and the NSA agent headed into the opposite direction and used the fire escape like any sane person. Heller was the first to touch ground, and waited for his partner to hop off the ladder too, before he turned his attention towards the street, letting his ears and nose pick up what his eyes couldn't. He noticed her stare at him, though preferred to not ask her what she wanted to know. If she had questions, she could very well ask them herself.

“Clear”, he commented, and they started heading down the streets. With the civilians around, the two of them barely stood out, so they were largely ignored by the Militia members lurking nearby. Heller watched them from the corner of his eye as he and the NSA agent turned at a corner and walked out of the crowded areas.

“Who's Kessler?” He eventually asked when the silence became a little too oppressing. Kuo arched one eyebrow questioningly, so he quickly clarified to avoid misunderstandings. “You guys used the name like your lives depended on it. Far as I understood, he's the reason MacGrath has these abilities?” Which he hadn't witnessed himself so far, by the way.

“In short, yes”, the woman replied.

“And the long story?” He needed to understand.

She seemed to recognize the idea behind that, and became slightly more open to giving out information. “Kessler had been the leader of a cult, or private army, called the First Sons in Empire. He trained them to become a science-based militia, though they had never openly done anything. Of course, that's what made the NSA suspicious, so they started spying on the Sons.” She exhaled. “Over the time, way before my time, the NSA noticed that Kessler...exhibited powers. He was able to control electricity.”

“Like MacGrath?” Supposedly.

“Exactly like him. But that was before Cole was discovered to be a Conduit, so we thought his powers were unique. And then the Sons started recruiting. Which was weird, because they used to be mentalists in the beginning.” She furrowed her brows. “Not sure how much of that was true, or rumors, but Kessler was actively looking for people that applied to his standards. We eventually realized that he actually was searching for Conduits.”

“So the NSA planted an agent?”

Kuo's voice fell slightly, became slower. “His name was John White. He had the Conduit gene, so he was exactly what Kessler was looking for.”

Heller blinked, stopping briefly. “What is this Conduit gene?” That was the second time he heard of it within a short amount of time.

“There's a special mutation found on the DNA that decides whether a person is a Conduit or not”, the agent confirmed. “It's a recessive trait.” Then she furrowed her brows. “However, the Ray Field actually changes the recessive gene into a dominant one, activating the Conduit and granting them powers.”

“Wait, this shit actually changes the DNA?” After all the talk of evolution, he should have really expected something of the sorts. He didn't, and it surprised him.

“Yes, but it is rather minor, just a swap from recessive to dominant.”

“Still something that shouldn't work.” But then again, Redlight and Blacklight both altered the DNA too, though those were Retroviruses that were made to do that. Heller motioned for his partner to stay silent when another group of militia passed them by, so the two of them quickly left the main street and headed for an alley. “That's not all there is, right?” Highschool biology told him the process of inheriting traits. “Is there a difference depending on whether a person gets the pair or only one of those Conduit genes?”

“There is”, the woman sounded surprised. “It can be roughly said that there are two types of Conduits- prime and lesser.” She nodded over her shoulder, into the direction the others went to. “Cole is a prime Conduit. He has the complete set, both recessive genes. Which means that he gained rather powerful and unique powers upon being activated- and before that he already was tougher than normal humans. Lesser Conduits, which I haven't personally seen, only have one of the pair. They cannot become activated by the Ray Sphere like prime Conduits are- even if their genes turn dominant- but rather need to be near an activated prime Conduit to develop powers that mimic their leader's.” She furrowed her brows. “It's mostly guesswork, actually. We pieced this together from what we learnt from Empire. From the reports we managed to gather from White.”

“It adds up, though”, Heller admitted. “Not that I'm the guy needed for that. Mercer is better at it than I am.”

“Still, alone the fact that you had no idea...”, she eyed him thoughtfully. “Since Empire, since Ms. Mercer went live on television, we had always assumed Mr. Mercer was a Conduit himself, and with you displaying similar powers, I thought you were a lesser one?”

“It looks that way”, Heller admitted after a brief moment, “And if anybody asks, I think that's the best idea to explain it, if untrue. We're not Conduits.”

Her eyes were sharp, calculating. “You called him 'the flu', and referred to yourself as 'Evolved'.”

“That's...that's classified. And not my place to tell you about”, he replied with a grimace. “Point is, however, that he gave me the powers I have, and that because of this, it looks very similar to Conduit business, even though it isn't. He could basically copy what he did to me with every other person, regardless of their DNA.” Heller sighed. “Look, if you want to know, you have to talk to Mercer.”

She actually cringed back. “I rather not. Not about this and anyways, I feel it's too personal. I'm not going to force them. Not when-” She exhaled heavily. “Not when they both are vital for this.”

“Oh?”

“Mercer has information only Kessler had.” She shook her head briefly. “I don't want to know how he knew, but Kessler was possibly the only person asides from Wolfe who would have had an idea how to deal with the Beast. If we don't find Wolfe-”

Heller snorted, interrupting her. “We'll find him. Bertrand can't own so many places near his lab, right? I think it would be too conspicuous if he dragged the man all over the city.”

“The Militia didn't have any problems dragging others off to God knows where.”

“Civilians”, the Evolved pointed out. “But you already claimed that Wolfe's work was too important to Bertrand. As long he still hasn't what he wants, we got time to find him.” He paused and glanced at the streets. “I think he has to be somewhere in this part of New Marais. It would be best to set him up in another lab, and you can't provide the infrastructure needed over in the flooded part, can you?” He cocked his head. It was simple logic.

“So you propose we should check which buildings belong to Bertrand?”

“Or which ones drain most energy.” He furrowed his brows for a moment. “Though I guess that won't be as easy, right?”

Kuo sighed. “You're correct. With the Beast ravaging the East Coast, I'm not even sure whether HQ survived. The lines are down too, so I can't contact them anyways, and additionally, everything I'm doing here is...not exactly by book.”

“Really?” Heller arched one eyebrow. “And what is their definition?”

“Get whatever we discover and bring it back to HQ to have them either showcase that they did it, or for them to hand it over to DARPA to make a weapon from it, using any means necessary.” She summarized with what could have been a scowl. “They told me to schmooze up to Cole to get his secrets, but seriously? That man is still broken up over the loss of his girlfriend and I'm not that kind of woman.” She paused for a moment and added “They're goddamn assholes. Did you know that they haven't assigned me any help for my mission? They told me I'm perfectly suited for this. I'm damn sure I'm not, seeing I'm just out of my rookie years. They're only doing that because I got the Conduit gene too, and the last agent who had is now dead.”

“Hold it there- you're a Conduit?”

“I have the potential to be one”, was her reply. “As long I'm not getting into a Ray Field, I shouldn't get any abilities. With the Sphere gone and us trying to stop the Beast from causing more damage, I doubt I'll ever get some.” She cut herself off, expression turning sour. “Now that I think about it, I guess that actually was the reason I was assigned to Wolfe. It's possibly my superiors wanted me to get activated, so they would have been able to use me as a weapon. Just like DARPA wanted with Cole. But I don't want this.” She shook her head. “I want to help Cole, I want to help him get the RFI activated to end this entire nonsense.”

Heller was silent, eying her curiously. She had been honest, far he could tell. He eventually snorted amused. “A NSA agent, a Blackwatch Colonel, a Marine- and all of them are insubordinate assholes.”

“Insubordinate assholes because our bosses only make things worse”, Kuo pointed out with a grin on her own.

“So, pretty standard, then.” Heller figured he was lucky with his job, though Hetty's constant secrecy was a bit grating, if to be expected from someone who fought in the Cold War. He paused as soon they entered a large open space with a tall clock tower in the middle. “This the place?”

“Yeah”, Kuo glanced around. “Now we just need to find the roof with the pigeon loft.”

“I think the best bet would be the building with the pigeon poop on the roof”, Heller deadpanned, then furrowed his brows. “The one with the bunch of Militia guarding the entrance.”

“What?!” The NSA agent's head snapped into the mentioned direction. “Shit. Think they know about the birds?”

“If it is a matter of public record, most likely.” Heller snorted and rolled his shoulders. “And that just proves that Wolfe actually hid his research here.”

“Damn. How do we get it then?”

The Evolved just grinned. “You're forgetting you're talking to someone who dealt with Manhattan.” He cracked his knuckles, feeling maybe a little sorry for the men. “These guys won't stand a chance.”

If Cole was bluntly honest, he would have vastly preferred to walk around New Marais on his own, or maybe with Zeke; not with Mercer who kept following him like a bad omen. The people of New Marais seemed to already fear him because of what Bertrand was telling them, and now they actually had a good reason to believe the Militia leader.

Great.

He sighed, wiping his palm down his face to muffle the groan. He wasn't even sure what he was doing here. Sure, he said he'd do a little distraction, but was it warranted? It would have been a lot more logical to just lie low and wait for the Militia to lose interest, or maybe sneak through the city to avoid detection. But like this? They were going to get swarmed within moments.

Cole sighed again, rounding a corner- and walking straight into a group of cops.
Cops who apparently instantly recognized him, but instead of striking up a conversation like Harms' guys had done in Empire, these guys instantly drew their guns and aimed at him, shouting at him. He didn't understand what they were yelling, because they were too fast and he couldn't understand why-

Icy water ran down his back, and without knowing what he did, he spun around and braced himself. The impact was like a truck hit him full face-on (and he should know, he had been run over in the past), but that didn't deter him from wrapping his hands around a pair of wrists to lock them there.

His teeth were bared, eyes narrow, and the rational part of his brain still didn't know what his more instinctive part was even doing there. “Don't you fucking dare”, he hissed.

“Are you nuts?” The other snapped at him, “They are trying to shoot you!”

Cole didn't let up. “So? You tried to kill me too, remember?” Because that was Alex who tried to dash past him and maul the cops. Now his rational mind finally caught up with him, and he realized that he blocked him, using his body as a shield between a group of policemen who just tried to shoot him, and the murderous weapon of mass destruction that tried to stop them from doing so.

Alex's eyes flitted over his shoulder for a moment, teeth bared in a snarl. “Let me go”, he snapped, trying to rotate his wrists. Cole wrestled down the urge to let go, ignoring the spikes biting into his hands as he clamped down even harder.

“Only if you promise to not hurt them.”

“What?” The look he got was several shades of incredulous. “You don't know whether these guys are on Bertrand's pay list or not. They could be dangerous!”

“And you can't know whether they are”, the Conduit bit back. “Until we know, we have to assume they aren't.” He finally shifted his attention away as he glared at the mentioned officers over his shoulder. “You- get away.” There was another shove now his focus had shifted, and he felt his arms go numb. “I have no idea how long I can actually stop him. Either you back off now or I won't promise anything.”

Much to his surprise, the men actually obeyed him, slowly backing away until they were out of sight. Cole waited another few moments until his radar senses told him they were a sufficient distance away, before he finally let go of the other. His palms were a bloody mess and hurt like mad, but he refused to break eye contact. “You got a lid on it, or do I need to zap you? Don't forget, right now I could probably cause some real damage on your ass.”

Much to his surprise (and worry), Alex was the first one to break the glare and backed off with a strangled huff. “I don't know. I think I'm okay now, but...” He trailed off with a shrug.

Cole's brows furrowed. He'd seen it the day before, when he crushed the Militia hicks without mercy, but he had thought that was because they were shooting at both of them. The cops hadn't, and still Alex had been reacting with the same kind of violence. He inclined his head. “You losing it?”

The Runner exhaled simply, shaking his head. “I think so. Maybe. Or not?” He wiped a talon down his face in a very human gesture of frustration. “Fuck, I don't know. It doesn't feel like I'm losing control. I just do.”

Cole grimaced, being pretty sure he knew what it was. Alex wasn't used to having a real body, and any emotions he felt now were real ones, not just imitations made by a virus. Threw him off, most likely. He didn't tell him that, however, just forced a nonchalant shrug. “Eh, remember what Colonel Blackwatch told us. We'll need a distraction to draw the hicks off your military buddy and Kuo. I guess that means you can maul whoever you want, as long you keep away from people who may be our next allies.” From what he noticed, the cops too seemed to suffer from the Militia. Government-made repression.

Alex made a noise which could be an acknowledgment, before he tilted his head slightly. “People are coming”, he simply said and catapulted himself off the ground without waiting for Cole's reaction. The Conduit just sighed in answer and started jogging down the alley to get away from the crowd. While he was certain that they couldn't hurt him even if they tried, he didn't feel like being pelted at with rocks and slurs and having to stop Alex from going ballistic again . His hands still hurt, even though they already healed back together, serving as a reminder to never ever underestimate the Runner. Even when weakened and confused.

Currently , he added inside his head as he followed his example and carefully scaled the closest building to get topside. Much to his surprise, he was waiting there, watching the city with a thoughtful expression.

Cole couldn't help but ask. “Worried?”

“About what?”

“The Beast. Bertrand. The Militia.”

Alex furrowed his brows. “Bertrand and the Militia are a mere annoyance. Me lacking my powers just adds a few complications, but that's what Heller is here for- if someone can locate a missing person without having access to the knowledge of the hostage takers, it's him.”

“But the Beast is different?”

“It is. I already told you, it is different to the one Kessler faced. I doubt what he had in mind for you would actually work here.”

Cole's brows furrowed. He was aware that Kessler had tried to turn him into a copy of himself, since he had apparently been able to take the Beast down in the beginning. Yet despite defeating him, Cole couldn't do the same to the Beast. “What did he have in mind?”

“Absorb the Beast”, Alex said simply.

“Absorb it?!”

“You're forgetting one thing, Cole”, the Runner pointed out, “The Beast is a walking Ray Sphere explosion. It is a sapient mass of radiation.”

The Conduit's jaw dropped briefly. “Radiation”, his brows came down as he crossed his arms and cradled his chin with his hand. “It's just another form of Electromagnetic Wave. Electricity in the furthest sense. You mean-”

“The Beast had only been another energy source to Kessler.” He scoffed. “He could have simply absorbed it- but he didn't. Was too afraid the energy would change him into something inhuman. That was why he hesitated- and the Beast shifted its own radiation so it became inedible in a way. And then it chased him across the entire world until he was forced to come back here.” He looked at Cole now. “The moment it appeared, I noticed that Kessler's Beast was different to this Beast. He figured it would be the one he faced.”

“That's why I couldn't defeat it.” Cole swore under his breath. “Goddamnit. We really need Wolfe.” Then a thought came to him. “What about Kessler? He had been Wolfe's friend, so he should know something.”

Alex grimaced. “He should ”, he agreed, “But somehow, he does not .” He shook his head with a pained expression, eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “I don't know how I can explain it, but there are...holes in his memories. Entire parts, just gone .”

Cole blinked. “Well, you said he was well over one hundred, so Alzheimer's to be expected?”

“It's not Alzheimer's. He was physically healthy, if old.” Alex scowled. “This looks like intentional damage. But not through blunt force trauma, because only bits are missing.” His scowl deepened, though there were parts curiosity and awe in it. “I think he did it himself.”

“How? Memories-”

“Are just neural pathways in your brain. They are already altered every time you remember them, Kessler figured out how to change them voluntarily.” He cocked his head. “Because memories come from experiences and thoughts. But what are those anyway?”

The gears started moving. “Electrical currents”, Cole realized. “You're saying Kessler-”

“Used his powers on himself to selectively delete parts of his own memories”, Alex finished. “What for, I can't say. He took those memories too. Though I guess that maybe he either wanted to delete Wolfe or he wanted to protect him from me.” That made sense, actually, because if Alex had known, he would have chased after the doctor next, would have eaten him too. Cole blinked. “Wait, was he aware that you would eat him?”

“He was. He knew this was his only chance. He was ready to sacrifice everything, including his own life.”

The Conduit groaned. “And we fucked it up big time.” Because they hadn't stopped the Beast, and they had lost some of their fighting powers.

“Yes. We only have one more chance. We can't screw this one up.”

“Wow. You're a ray of sunshine, aren't you?” Cole huffed out, knowing already fully well that they wouldn't get another shot at this. It was do or die, with no try. “Where to next then?”

Alex shrugged stiffly. “Opposite side of the city. Find some Militia to hurt. Let them call for backup. Bertrand won't have infinite men anyways.” He paused for a brief moment, then eyed him. “Best case scenario, we'll take out all of his guys and won't have any problems afterwards.”

“You say 'best', all I hear is 'Last Resort'”, Cole deadpanned. “Dude, even if these hicks are trouble, murdering all of them is strictly Naughty List Material. We want to change something, we need to make the people see what idiots are in control. We need to show them they are being lied to.” Simply taking out the idiots would just paint the two of them as troublemakers at best and monsters at worst. Though, to be honest, he figured Alex didn't give a shit either way. With a sigh, he simply waved his hand. “C'mon. We gotta make a scene.”

Then he started running along the roof, heading further West. A few roofs over, voices drew his attention and he stopped briefly, glancing downwards. Another pair of Militia were harassing a guy on the street. Cole jumped down immediately, figuring that now would be as good as any to mix things up a little. Neither of the hicks even managed to retaliate as he simply knocked them out. The man they harassed however fled the scene as soon Cole's attention was off him for a brief moment. The Conduit huffed out and called after him “You're welcome, by the way!”, then grumbling under his breath climbed back topside. Alex was there waiting for him. Cole rolled his eyes. “I told you we'd need all the support we can get. And if I help people, they'll start accepting me.”

“I helped Blackwatch and the Marines and they still shot me at any chance they got”, Alex countered, “Even when I actually protected them from getting their faces eaten off.”

“That's because you're an asshole”, the conduit shrugged.

“Really?” The Runner replied easily. “Then I guess I'm not going to tell you where there are Blast Shards around here.”

“Asshole.”

“You already said that.”

Cole shook his head and sent out a radar pulse instead, mapping the closer area. He found a few high energy sources and quickly headed towards the closest one, really finding a Blast Shard. As soon as he touched it, his body drained the energy out of it and the shard crumbled away. “C'mon, we'll look for some more.” He paused briefly, then added, “And for some hicks to beat up. We still need to make a scene. You get the hicks if you want, but please remember that there are civilians around and they don't need to deal with people soup.”

Alex scoffed, but bowed his head slightly. “Only scared and unconscious. I know.”

Cole grinned at him, then folded his arms. “Look, New Marais- it's a fresh start. For all of us.” Empire had been a good beginning, even for Mercer. He had helped the people there, and the people had known. With Kaufman's report they've conveyed a message. They've shown that they weren't monsters, that they were almost heroes who fought for the people. Who tried to make things right. “Bertrand's lies are blinding the civilians, but with just some hard work, you can turn everything around.” He cocked his head. “ 'Your chances are better than mine. I was hated by everybody and I didn't give a fuck- you are starting to get the support of this entire city. That is a big difference. Even if DARPA was trying to get your head, if nearly ten million people are behind you, they can't harm you. Nobody will. The masses are stronger than the government if they wish so.' Remember?”

Alex blinked, then shook his head with a snort. “I told you that, back in Empire.”

“Yeah. You told me that having more support from the people would be useful. It's the same here- the more eyes we have on our side, the easier we can find the Cores and Shards, and get the Militia off our backs. But for this to work I have to ask you to refrain from using too much violence- at least against the Militia. Hicks or not, they are still human, and other humans don't like seeing their own kind being chewed up. Less so by guys who look like a living nightmare.”

Alex's face twitched slightly at that reminder, though Cole didn't relent in any way. “We show them that normal humans have nothing to fear from you, and they will accept you.”

The other glanced at him for a long moment, before turning away with a huff. “How can you still be that naive ? People don't just roll over and act nice to you just because you drew their asses out of the fire.”

Okay, so there was still work left to do. But then again, if Cole woke up with no memories at all and suddenly found himself being shot at by helicopters, he would be distrustful too. Still, he shrugged. “Hey, I'm trying to stay positive despite everything. 'Cause someone has to.” And obviously, happy powers were not in Alex's arsenal. Dana did a better job at it than him, and she loaded a lot of sarcasm and cynicism into it already. Maybe happy powers weren't compatible with the Mercer family.

Cole blinked at the sun, wondering briefly what to do next. Throw a dart at a city map? Get a city map to throw a dart at first? Just keep going until they stumbled upon something to do? Then he remembered that he neither had a city map nor money (or desire) to buy one, so all he could do was the third option. Which worked out fine too, since his speed was harshly restricted unless he started to grind along the countless wires between the buildings, up some rain pipes or hovered across gaps. All those produced a very distinct electrical blue lighting, so of course he drew attention from all sides, which perfectly aligned with his original plan.

He just hoped it would be enough to get the hicks off Kuo's back.
Just as he hovered across another alleyway, the sudden singular wail of police sirens startled him into dropping out of mid-air to scramble and cling to the roof edge, though at the same time he became aware just how good simply using his powers to travel across New Marais was suited to gain the necessary attention.

“Hey! Electric Man!”

Cole winced at the nickname he'd been stuck with since Empire, and briefly considered just ignoring it- but curiosity won over caution. He shifted the hold he had on the ledge so he could support his weight with just one hand and glance down. A cop stood next to his car's open door, looking up at him, while his partner remained in his seat, grimacing as if in pain.

He was still puzzled and wordlessly pointed at himself. The cop next to the door nodded, then added “Are there any other Electric Men up there?”

Not that he knew of, but the Conduit still furrowed his brows, then let go of the ledge to drop the three stories to the ground. Unlike their buddies before, these guys seemingly didn't seem to be trigger happy, so he chose to give them the benefit of doubt here. Also, he hoped that his open body language made his tense friend up there relax a little. He knew he was watching, but holding back for now.

He crossed his arms and cocked his head. “What do you want?”

The cop frowned at him. “You know one Zeke Dunbar?”

“He's my friend. What, he giving out names already?”

The cop grimaced. “The name's Robertson. I've been one of Zeke's contacts back when you've been the first time in New Marais.”

Cole blinked, then memory set in. “I think I remember you”, he stated slowly, “Uh, you threatened to cuff my ass after I trespassed.” He'd been friendly enough to leave him off with a warning, though.

“Zeke mentioned you'd be ready to help us here against the Militia.” So that was this about. Cole could have groaned in annoyance. Really, Zeke?

Still, he was asked to make a scene and this was a good opportunity to draw attention and make some friends. “So, what happened?”

Robertson seemed to relax slightly. “Bunch of Militia caged in a group of squatters over at the old plantation. To them they're 'Deviants'. Nothing we can do about that- but they're using illegal weaponry to try and drive them out.”

“Shit”, Cole swore. “How long ago?”

“I just got the call”, the cop said, “And then I saw you, instantly thought about what Zeke said.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You're civilian, and I honestly shouldn't draw you into out problems, but our hands are tied, so can you help?”

Cole didn't even need to think. Any kick into Bertrand's face was worth it. “Where?” It had been some time, but he could still remember the city well.

“Just south of St. Ignatius”, Robertson told him. “It should be our job to stop this, but our bosses suck up to Bertrand, and if we do anything against the Militia, we'll get bumped down to traffic duty or worse.” So Cole was going to be the one to do their jobs for them when they were forced by their own bosses to not do it properly. They needed the allies, and they needed their support.

“We'll be there”, the Conduit repeated. He saw the question on Robertson's face about the plural he used as he canted his head backwards slightly and picked up his voice. “You heard all of it, yes?”

Alex's reply came slower, and there was a distinct tone of annoyance in it, even as he appeared at the edge of the roof, using the sun's glare to hide his form in. “I did.”

“Good, then let's beat up some hicks.” Alex was gone by the time he made it to the top of the building, but that didn't worry him. He would hold his promise and not kill these guys.

Hopefully.

But maybe he shouldn't waste too much time there. Cole's pulse jumped up as he forced his body to race along the rooftops and grind over the various wires between the buildings. If he timed it right, he could use the momentum of his own motion to fling himself across the roofs without having to slow down. He passed St. Ignatius soon enough, and stopped just on the last building before the bog began. He squinted at the large derelict manor nestled between trees just across the street. Last century, a rich land owner probably lived there, now it was abandoned. But not empty, Cole could see graffiti of all kinds decorating its walls, could see old lawn chairs sitting on the porch. He figured homeless from all over the place tended to gather there, and the city obviously never argued against it.

Until the Militia decided that these people were unfit for New Marais. Cole would always argue against it, seeing as he and Zeke had been two of them in the past, and squatters simply were a part of the culture of South Louisiana.

The guys dressed in silly orange and white uniforms definitely were not part of this culture. He could argue that this was basically the wet dream of every inbred white American, but that didn't make it okay . They were hurting innocent people.

Lightning snapped out of his wrists and climbed along his arms, and without thinking, he lifted one hand and fired at the guy closest to him. The man jerked back in horror, and spun around. He stared at the Conduit for a good few moments, before he realized just what he saw there- and once he did, he shouted for reinforcements.

Only, reinforcements couldn't help, as the very next moment a black blur crashed into the guy and three newcomers, sending all of them flailing through the air. Cole instantly moved too, rushing off his position and lunging across the damaged fence with lightning crackling around him. The moment he hit one of the still standing guys, he released his powers, sending several hundreds of volts through the guy. Not long enough to kill, but long enough to scramble his neural signals and shut him down for the count. Alex was further down the complex, grabbing another guy and just casually throwing him several yards through the air so gravity and momentum knocked him out.

Then his back crawled with fear and his head snapped up, recognizing several civilians forced to perch at the roof edge by a pair of hicks. “Yo, Freaks!” One of them jeered. Cole growled in his throat, jabbing a finger at Alex. “Too many hostages. You take them, I get the idiots.”

The Runner didn't bother to reply, just catapulted himself off the floor and right on the roof between the hostages and the Militia, snarling loudly.

Cole latched onto the weathered wooden shingles and forced himself upwards at the same moment, reaching the roof just seconds after his friend did. By then, Alex was using his body and armored talons to protect the hostages from the Militia's gunfire. Cole intercepted them, firing bolts of lightning at their feet to make them lose balance. As soon the shooting stopped, the Runner surged forwards, using his considerable mass and strength to tackle the guys through the air and off the roof. He didn't let them hit the ground, however, jumping after them and seizing them again with a considerable grip to smack them roughly into the floor. These guys were down for the count, and would probably spend the next week in casts.

Cole found himself strangely touched that Alex really took his words to heart, and he still found a way to take them out for longer than a few hours. Maybe he should target these guy's kneecaps and elbows with the Amp then.

While the Runner was diving at some more hicks on the ground, Cole turned his attention towards the terrified hostages. “You okay?”

They stared at him, then each other, before the oldest boy of them nodded stiffly. “Good. You manage to get down here on your own?” The Conduit pried.

Another nod. “Okay. So get down as quickly as you can. Keep your heads down until the shooting stopped, okay?” He paused briefly. “Uh, if you have problems, just yell, I'll see what we can do for you.”

“W-will do”, the oldest boy managed to press out.

Cole beamed at him and hopped off the roof to where his friend was just brutally knocking another guy out cold. His teeth were bared in frustration, but so far, he seemed to keep himself under control well enough. “Shootout”, he just snarled, roughly jerking his chin over his shoulder. Cole had to ignore the thudding of his own heart from the adrenaline rushing through him to hear it. He also heard the groaning of the wounded from the previous shooting, so he had to make a decision. “You get there, knock them out. Leave some with enough consciousness so they can be questioned later.” He rushed off towards the injured civilians without waiting for a reply. The tell-tale crack of ground and the whistling of air told him what he needed.

He slid to his knees next to a woman, who was bleeding from a hole in her stomach. Lightning sparked between his fingers. “You'll be fine”, he muttered, pressing his palms against the wound to shorten her own regeneration process to mere moments. The bleeding stopped and the wound healed up, and before she could even process what had happened, Cole already moved towards the next one and fixed the injury on his arm. By the time he started fixing the fifth and last victim, the adrenaline that had surged through his body had finally receded, leaving him sweaty and twitchy.

His legs were shaking slightly, and the realization set in that these people could have gotten killed by these hicks. This made him angry enough that he punched the soft grass with full force, lightning snapping out of his skin. “Goddamn rednecks”, he growled as he forced himself to stand and march over to where blue and red lights were flashing. Halfway there, a group of medics rushed past him, paying only a little attention to him. That was fine, because his current focus of irritation were the half dozen guys in varying states of consciousness and bruisedness sitting cuffed in front of a police cruiser. The Conduit drew up to them with a low growl, crossing his arms. “And what exactly where you thinking, huh? Attacking civilians like that and taking them hostage?!”

The guys glared at him defiantly, though a familiar form stepped between them and him. “I wouldn't have thought that you would act that fast”, Robertson admitted. “And uh, your... friend , was pretty thorough with his dealing with them, so I guess they're not too willing to spill the beans.” The cop threw a glance over his back, where the sheer lack of people indicated Mercer's presence. Cole followed his glance, noticing the Runner currently rooting through a pile of trash on the small pier there, and frankly, it confused him. Right up until Alex jerked back with a victorious expression, holding something squirming in his talons.

“No!” Cole barked immediately, drawing his attention so he froze for several long moments while the possum in his hand continued to squirm and squeal. “No”, the Conduit said more firmly, snatching the animal from his friend's hand and setting it down to let it scurry off. Alex watched it flee with a downcast expression, then glared almost hatefully at the granola bar he got offered in exchange. He still took it, though, with grudging thanks. Cole snorted amused and went on to fix him too, closing up the sluggishly bleeding bullet wounds he sustained during the duration of the conflict.

“Hey, uh, Electric Man?” Cole suppressed the shiver running down his back, though couldn't quite stop the grimace that also crept on his face when he turned to face Robertson.

“Just MacGrath. Or Cole, please”, he told him. “ 'Electric Man' isn't really a good name, you know?” Plus, there were too many negative memories attached to that name. Alden had called him that, and Alden had always been the most sore of Cole's points.

The cop's eyebrows just arched in understanding. “If you want it that way, okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just that you know, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but you helped a whole lot people today. This here could have been a lot worse, and you didn't have the obligation to help anyways. You could have just walked past, but you didn't. And I-”, he swallowed briefly, “Honestly, I've never experienced anything like it. Part of me is convinced you're planning something.”

Cole shrugged. He had gotten comments like that back in Empire, even from Harms. “Right now the only thing I'm planning is being as much of an asshole towards the Militia as I can. Bertrand is hiding stuff I need.” He said simply. And take down the Beast, but Robertson was already overwhelmed by these hicks, no need to add a literal walking nuclear explosion to it too.

“He's not the only one”, the policeman mentioned, eying Alex. “I almost shot him when he first appeared. Where did you dig that one up?”

“Empire”, Cole said simply, cutting off his friend's angry retort. “He's a Conduit, like me.” That was the story they made up. Conduit, activated three years before Cole was, during the Outbreak of Manhattan.

“I figured”, Robertson replied. “At least when he started talking to us. We thought he was one of the Swamp Beasts first.”

Alex's attention snapped to him, head cocked to the side quizzically. “What are those, anyways? The trawler captain told us the same yesterday.”

“We figured it was just superstition”, Cole added. “Because, you know...” The trawler captain had looked like he'd been spending a little too much time at the bottom of a rum barrel.

Robertson shook his head. “No, he's been honest about that. I haven't seen them myself, but I got several trustworthy people assuring me that they are real. And I've seen the destruction some of them had wrought. Something is in those bogs out there.”

“The swamp witch?”

“Maybe”, the cop shrugged. “Haven't seen her either, but apparently she's been around for the same amount of time that people started vanishing. Squatters mostly, so those could have simply left too.”

Unlikely, but Cole wasn't going to tell him that. He just sighed and ran a hand across his scalp. “I guess that's it then”, he grabbed Alex's arm to steer him away from the trash pile that had caught his attention again. “We'll definitely see each other again, officer. Please spread the word that your guys won't shoot us in the ass next time they see us.”

“Will do. And thank you again.”

The Conduit turned and headed back into the city, climbing the next building to get off the streets. When he reached the top, the Runner was there already.

“Hey man, don't look at me like that. I won't let you eat life possums. Not without some sauce, at least.”

“Opossum. Possums are strictly Australian fauna”, he deadpanned.

“Whatever. Look, if you're hungry, just let me know. We'll find you something to chew on that doesn't contain bones or hair, deal?”

Alex just grumbled under his breath, clearly not happy with the whole deal. Cole awkwardly patted his shoulder. “C'mon. We probably still got a lot of time on our hands until Dana or Zeke figured something out. Let's hit the town. We still got to cause some trouble. And make a few new friends.”

Chapter Text

Kuo had been surprised, to say the least. Sergeant Heller had always looked to her as the more direct approach kind of man. She figured his claws weren't just for show, and from what she had learnt while on board of Quinn's ship, she was aware how tough and strong these 'Manhattan Conduits' were. So she had guessed Heller would have just charged in and take out the Militia the old-fashioned way.

What he did instead impressed her way more. Because he circled behind the building, singled out the closest man- and just dragged him out of sight. The chokehold rendered him unconscious quickly, and the agent quickly hid the limp form away behind a dumpster. Within fifteen minutes at most, he had easily taken out all of these guys with none of them any wiser, allowing them to reach the pigeon loft relatively unmolested. As small bonus, Kuo had discovered a map on one of these guys with more suspected lofts marked. She stepped over a guy sprawled in the stairwell, eying the general lack of carnage. “I'm surprised, Mr. Heller. I didn't imagine you'd be exercising restraint like that.”

“Yeah, well”, the man huffed out and nudged an unconscious body with the tip of his boot. “These guys don't deserve getting killed for being assholes”, he simply pointed out. “Besides, leaving them alive is a much larger insult to their pride, especially when they are rendered useless and in pain for the next couple of weeks. Plus Bertrand's going to blow a gasket that his guys didn't manage to stop us and instead got hospitalized.”

“I see”, Kuo nodded slowly. It made sense, dead people were dead, but injured people still demanded money, supplies and care. Leaving the grunts alive could ruin their leader much faster than killing them. She vastly preferred it this way anyways- she had seen too much violence already and was more than glad for a change of pace.

Wolfe' pigeon, in comparison, was easy to approach. The red glow of the thumb drive attached to it by a harness was clearly visible even in the gloom and made it distinguish from the other birds that nested here. It didn't protest when Sergeant Heller picked it up and removed the drive, then, after a moment's consideration, removed the harness too. Kuo just arched her eyebrows in question, and he shrugged. “These things aren't meant to be worn permanently”, he told her, “And my daughter wouldn't forgive me if the birds ended up tangling themselves with them. She loves birds.”

A daughter, huh? Kuo realized that there wasn't much she knew about this man, neither did she know anything about this Blackwatch Colonel. She knew of Blackwatch, most of the NSA did, but members had mostly erased records and neither was it possible to find out what they were even doing. She knew the military branch dealt in biological warfare defenses, but she could add one and one together. Heller called Mercer 'the flu'. He grudgingly admitted to not be a Conduit, so Mercer wasn't one either. Dana had told Kaufman about the viral research program of the government that eventually destroyed Manhattan- exactly at the same time as Mercer gained his powers. So this was...a viral mutation?

Was this even possible ?

She shook her head and turned her attention towards the data they gathered from the drive. Her brows furrowed. A few audio files and...data fragments. “Great.” Agent Kuo went for her phone, tapping in Cole's number.

The Conduit quickly answered. “Kuo? Got a problem?”

“Not really”, she replied. “Agent Heller had been very thorough in removing any obstacles, and these men will now spend the next time in casts.”

“Thought the same about my guys, too”, he replied. “We batted them around a little, but they'll live.”

“Any troubles on your side?”

“Nope, asides from-- Alex, no. Put that rat down!”

Kuo blinked, then eyed Heller, who just cocked his head quizzically, until Cole turned his attention back to them. “Sorry. Gotta stop him from eating all sorts of small animals. I swear I'm gonna put him on a leash soon enough. Anyways, we helped a bunch of cops and now I got people from all over the place asking me to help them. Uh...so my cover is kind of blown.”

The NSA agent sighed. “We were already expecting this. Proceed then, because if you stop it will draw even more attention.”

“Yeah, so Wolfe?”

“Still looking. We found the first data drive, and had to realize he split up the files on the RFI. Possibly to keep them safe. I bet we'll need to find more of these birds.”

“Yeah, we'll look for them then too.”

“Pigeons with red blinking lights attached to them”, Heller threw in. “Don't kill them, or Maya will have your head, Mercer.”

“I think I can manage”, the other man rumbled from the other end.

“Also, good news there”, Cole added, “We figured that if I beat up people, I can unlock different applications to my powers.”

“Then keep doing that”, Kuo told him. “And keep looking for pigeons and Shards and people willing to help us. We'll do the same on our side.”

“Yup. I'm gonna call Zeke too. Maybe he got an idea.”

“Keep us in the loop, okay?”

“Will do” The call was ended. Kuo arched her eyebrows, then turned to her companion. “Are you familiar with interrogation?”

Heller shrugged. “Yeah. I can make people sing no problem.”

“Good”, she gestured to one of the Militia strewn about. “I think we should start. We need more information on Bertrand.”

The sun was steadily climbing into the sky, and Dana swore as she retreated under the parasol they put up on the couch. She hated the sun. It usually ate her alive, made her break out in freckles and sunburn.
And it outshone the text on her laptop, so there was a reason she preferred dark environments to work in. Sadly, dark basements weren't available to her, so all she could do was hide under a cheesy sun parasol and work with what she had.

Zeke had left the roof soon after Alex and Cole and Heller and Kuo did, he said something about re-establishing contact with his guys. Cross had stayed, had started calling various people she was pretty sure were all Blackwatch. Well, except for that one call to somebody who kept referring to him as 'Bobby', as he kept correcting them. Dana arched her eyebrows when the Blackwatch Specialist put down the receiver, dragging his palm down his face with a muffled grunt and looking almost a few years older.

“Ex?”, she asked.

He glanced at her. “Brother. David insists on that nickname.” He was silent for a moment, attention going to the phone. “I told him to grab his family and get the fuck out of Detroit, and drag Natalie along, though I guess she would be long gone before he even gets up and out of there.”

Dana frowned. “What? You don't expect we'll manage to stop this thing?”

“Always assume the worst”, he replied. “Plus, I'm not even sure this thing can be taken down. Since it ceased to disappear, my superiors had started throwing everything bar a nuke at it. So far, nothing is working, and we already lost a squad to this thing. Apparently, the upper echelons are discussing going nuclear.”

“Already?” Zeke squeaked, staring at them from his position next to the roof exit. The snack bags he held in his arms dropped to the ground.

“I doubt they're going to do it”, Cross scoffed. “After General Randall tried to nuke Manhattan back in '08, the echelons are looking very closely at the usage of these things. If they decide to go nuclear, it won't be before the entire East Coast is rubble. And right now it appears as if the Beast stopped eradicating towns out of its way.” He sighed. “Mercer's been right, it looks like this thing is coming here.”

Dana just let out a groan in dull resignation. Of course it was, Alex had been so sure of it and he hadn't been wrong about things like that before. Zeke's reaction was less restrained, eyes bulging and jaw slack, and she swore she could see his knees shaking. “Shit, man”, he gasped, “We gotta find Wolfe, and pronto!”

Cross's eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, about that”, he folded his arms over his chest. “You're putting a lot on this one card. Are you certain MacGrath will be able to stop this thing?”

“Yes”, Dana said, at the same time as Zeke seemed to find his courage again. “Of course we are.”

“Why?” A fair question, and expected from the Specialist.

Dana eyed Zeke for a moment, then huffed out. “Because a version of him could have done that.”

Cross blinked, and she realized that this must have been the first time she'd seen that expression on him. “Part of his skill set includes time travel , Cross.” She fanned her hands out to stop him from saying anything before she finished explaining. “You see, the leader of the First Sons, Kessler, the one who worked with Wolfe and gave him the chance to create the RFI- he was basically Cole from an alternative future. He could have taken down the Beast in the beginning, and when he came here, he already carried the ideas for a working weapon. This weapon is the RFI, and all of us are near one hundred percent certain that this thing can take down the Beast.”

“And we gotta find Wolfe”, Zeke added. “'Cuz he's the only one who can tell us how to use the RFI.”

Despite the revelation of God-to-honest time travel , Cross remained surprisingly calm. “Then we'll need Bertrand to tell us where the doctor is.”

“Problem there”, Dana sighed, “Guy keeps hidden away most of the time.” She made little air quotes. “He's 'elusive', so he won't even talk to his Militia face-to-face. Finding him might prove a little complicated.”

The Specialist furrowed his brows. “You've been digging into his private servers?”

“Tried to”, was her frustrated answer. “But he either doesn't have private servers, or he doesn't believe in connecting to the internet. There is nothing.”

“How about public schedules, then? Important figure like him has to make time to show he's doing the best for the city.”

Then Zeke's voice pitched. “Check for anything that has to do with St. Ignatius”, he told her. “I thought I've seen something over there.”

That was pretty easy to be handled. The second article she stumbled over (after the first being a Wikipedia entry about the church in the middle of New Marais), was a newspaper article from the beginning of the week.

“Fuck yes”, she breathed the next moment. “Zeke, you are a genius.”

“I am aware”, he grinned, then became all business like the next moment. “What did ya find?”

“He's going to be at St. Ignatius tonight”, Dana pointed out, waving towards the article she found. “Making a speech about something, no idea what. But the point is- he's going to be up there. In reach.”

“So we're going to do a little snatch 'n run”, Cross finished with a smirk. “I like that idea.” He furrowed his brows slightly. “However, I do see a bit of a problem here.”

“Neither Cole nor Alex can actually do the snatch bit”, Dana stated. “They are currently trying to help the people, and the people have no idea Bertrand is an asshole. If we take him out of the calculation, emotions will boil up, and make us targets. Making it unnecessarily hard to get the Cores and Shards.”

“Well reasoned.” The Specialist shrugged. “However, we can either follow after Bertrand and find out where he lives for grabbing him later, or we snatch him when he's away from the crowd. Either would work and draw the least amount of attention.” He huffed out, muttering under his breath, and Dana was pretty sure she caught “In the old days of Blackwatch we would just have send in a squad and drag him out.” She decided not to comment on it, though.

“I'm gonna call Cole”, Zeke decided, “Tell him of the news.”

“And I'll get Jane Bond and James”, Dana added, then eyed Cross. “We going to be there, just to check things out?”

“I don't see why not”, the Specialist shrugged. “Might give us some ideas later on.”

Alex wasn't so sure whether he really should go with Cole to this speech Dana had discovered. On the logical level, it would be better- Bertrand was going to be there and if somebody was to grab him, it should be him. Being faster and stronger than the others and all.

But on the emotional level- Alex didn't want to be inside a crowd. Or anywhere near it. Because parts of him actually wanted to- and that set off way too many warning flags in his head. He knew perfectly well what it was.

He was hungry.

Not for Biomass, not for the yearn to spread and promote himself like he'd done in the past, but in the more literal sense in the word. The snack bars Cole had forced on him had helped somewhat, but didn't feel right and were roiling in his stomach. The jerky Dana had given him had been better, and the smoked sprats Cole found in a small store and bought with money he lifted off the Militia had been best so far. But still missing something.

And from the way his attention shifted each time he noticed the scent of a small animal, he could guess he just didn't want dead food. So far, Cole had to stop him from trying to chow down on the opossum, various rats, a stray cat and once had to wrestle one of Wolfe's messenger pigeons from his grasp even as he'd been in the process to bite its head off. Alex had to admit that he was feeling kind of embarrassed about it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He wasn't even sure whether he wanted to.

Cole, on the other hand, was a lot less restrained about the entire situation. Since Dunbar called him, told him of what Dana and Cross had planned, he'd been brimming with energy. Most of the day passed by quick enough after their call- Alex stewing in frustration and dull resignation with the realization that today shit was going to hit the fan big time, and Cole with the ever-growing desire to get his hands on Bertrand.

Until dusk they distracted themselves by (re)acquainting themselves with the city, stopping a few muggings and hostage takings, looking for a few Blast Shards and pigeons, and relieving the Militia members they knocked out from their money just because they could.

When it started darkening, they eventually wandered back towards the west side of New Marais, to where St. Ignatius was. From afar, Alex could already smell the crowd that had gathered, could smell the Militia hicks, could smell the weapons, and his steps faltered. Cole noticed, and stopped too.

Instead of asking, he just threw a glance over his shoulder, brow furrowing. Alex felt the distinct bristle of his skin as the conduit sent out a radar wave, moments before the other huffed out. “Too many people for your taste?”

“You know it.”

The Conduit hummed in thought. “You can stay here then”, he suggested. “If it's too much for you.”

Was it that obvious? He grit his teeth, but nodded nevertheless. “Thanks.” Then he shook his head. “But I should be down there. Cross and Heller will be there too, and it'll be easier to coordinate this if we get the orders directly, and not second-hand.” Besides, Bertrand was his target. He had to be captured. He could work with that.

Had to.

“Nice” Alex cocked his head, while Cole swore slightly under his breath. He guessed Heller had snuck up on them from the direction of a radio antenna simply for the purpose of masking his electrical signature. The Evolved stood across from them, hands on his hips. “Cross and Dana both asked you to be present down there”, he pointed out with a rough jerk of his chin into the direction of the crowd. “It'll be too obvious if we try to hang back.”

The Conduit grimaced. “Yeah, but what about-” He trailed off.

Alex rolled his eyes, while Heller scoffed. “No problem there.” He stepped closer and just fanned his arms open, and the motion startled Alex for a moment so it took him a while to realize that the other had just draped a simple coat over his shoulder. A few sizes too large, but if he would pop up the collar, leave the sleeves dangling and roll his shoulders to the front, his arms and armor were mostly hidden from view. It would definitely be enough to shield his appearance from the crowd.

He blinked, feeling oddly touched by the gesture. “...Thanks.”

“You're welcome. Now come, Bertrand's going to take the stage soon.” Heller led them towards the side of the roof, glanced down briefly, before jumping off to land in the alleyway below. Alex followed after him, then Cole. Then they left the alley and headed to the large open place in front of the church, where the crowd of civilians was already gathering. The Conduit jogged a bit to move next to Heller, voice pitched a bit lower so he wouldn't be overheard.

“You mind answering a few personal questions for now? Crap is on the way to the fan and I'd like to know as much as possible before it hits."

“Oh?” The Evolved seemed a bit amused. “Let's hear it then.”

“Well, the most obvious- if I have to rely on you having my back, then I'd like to know what you can do. Asides from the claws.”

Heller cocked his head as they made their way through the edges of the crowd. “I'm tougher than most humans. Probably tougher than you”, he simply pointed out. “And I got limited shape shifting. Only my arms, but if I really want, I can do the rest of my body too.” He shrugged. “Super strength, increased agility and speed are part of the package too.”

“And you got it from getting infected by him?”

Heller glanced at him, then briefly eyed Alex, who simply corrected him. “He didn't get infected by me, he got infected with me.”

“Big difference if the virus is fully sapient and capable of controlling the extent of its abilities, like adding only the parts that code for increased strength and leaves out those parts that would have turned me into slush”, Heller added. “However, even then it was more of a spray-and-pray situation, I was told.”

“I had a little knowledge of D-Codes, Supersoldiers, from my first tango with them”, Alex continued, feeling already a little better now that he didn't have to pay attention to the crowd. “So I tried to copy the changes done to them to Heller.”

Cole blinked. “So this wasn't genetic manipulation? Just see-if-it-works?”

He scoffed. “Sure. On the fly. Without a lab, or even knowing what the DNA codes for.” The Runner grimaced briefly. “Media always tells you it is easy, just cut out parts you don't like and put in parts you want. Truth is- it is incredibly complicated and hard to not screw it up.”

“Genetic manipulation is a bit above us. It's basically playing roulette- but there are things that can't be changed easily. It's a network that might unravel entirely if something goes wrong”, Heller added. “And Blacklight usually is a lot less subtle, like taking a sledgehammer to repair a computer. What it does is scanning its host's DNA, then delete it and add its own code to the cells.”

Alex continued. “When I consume, I grab things off my victim's DNA that do not exist on my code until that point. I can't tell what kind of influence it would have on me beforehand either. My claws are radically different to the claws of a Hunter, too, so even when I take something, it won't ever be exactly the same, probably one of the reasons the Conduit gene doesn't work for me.” He scoffed. “I bet Mercer himself had no real idea what he was doing back when he designed me.”

Cole was eying the two infected thoughtfully. “But would you be able to add Conduit genes to normal people?”

Heller stopped, furrowing his brows. “Why are you asking?”

“Just a thought”, he grimaced briefly. “Because apparently Conduits survive the Beast blowing up their cities, but normal humans don't. It would save a lot of people.”

Alex glanced at Heller, then back to Cole. “Technically, it would be possible. Blacklight's a retrovirus. Retroviruses work by slipping their own RNA into a host cell to change its genetic code. It would be possible to copy a person's genetic code, add a Conduit gene, and put it back.” He grinned briefly. “Not that it is any special gene either. It's just another random glitch on the DNA strand that made its organism only a little tougher. You have experience it already. Pure luck the Ray Sphere affects that particular glitch to give people comic book superpowers. It could have worked for, say, the Y chromosome too, or blonde hair.” Then his grin disappeared and his glare hardened. “But I'm not going to alter somebody's genetic code on a whim . And who knows whether adding to their DNA doesn't cause their bodies to commit cellular suicide because something went wrong? Too much of a risk, as is the chance that I might actually lose control and kick-start Outbreak number three.”

“I was a special case”, Heller added. “I volunteered for experiments, and Blackwatch injected me with some experimental Blacklight shit. I became stronger and tougher, but that was it. And more even, I had to use inhibitor drugs to prevent my body from just eating itself and turning me into a shambling zombie. Mercer helped me out because I basically forced him to. If he hadn't gotten this shit under control, I would be dead by now.”

He could still die from a sudden rejection, Alex thought, but it was a low risk. Cole grimaced.

“So no chance to protect all those people affected by the Ray Field Radiation?”

“There is one. Negate the radiation. That's what the RFI is supposed to be there for.” Alex shrugged. “Not sure in how far it'll help against the damage already done, but at least it'll stop the spread.”

“Wow, you guys are a barrel of sunshine, aren't you?”

“Thanks”, Heller grinned. “We're doing our best.”

“Optimism is overrated anyways”, Dana threw in now that they had reached the group of their friends. Dana, Kuo, Zeke and Cross were present, standing right in the middle of the crowd like any other attendee. Cole made a bee-line to Dunbar.

“You ready, brother?”

Cole shrugged. “As ready as one can be, I guess.”

“Good”, Cross rumbled in a low voice. “Bertrand's the priority target. It would be best to grab him once he's away from his men, but that doesn't matter all too much as long we keep clear off the civilians.”

“If there are any problems”, Dana added, “Heller and Kuo volunteered for drawing the Militia's attention. Zeke and I can distract the people.” She picked up her phone, showing what looked like a circuit diagram. “I figured it'll be easy to cause a blackout. Idiots have everything wireless here for easier control.”

Too dangerous, Alex wanted to say, but he knew how goddamn stubborn Dana was, so he had to let it slide. Something was in the air, and the civilians were getting restless.
And that wasn't everything either. He carefully looked around, glancing over his shoulder as he singled out a person that somehow didn't behave like the others in the crowd. He was dressed like a civilian, but there was something about his eyes he didn't like. He was whispering with another couple of attendees, and Alex heard several times the words 'Electric Man', 'Demon', 'Unrest', and others. It were cheap words, little words and logically speaking, they should be dismissed as idiotic. But they weren't, those that listened did so with rapt attention, and once the guy slunk away, they started to spread those words further.

His eyes narrowed as he turned Heller and Cross. “We got a bunch of agitators in the crowd”, he rumbled, because those weren't the only ones.

“Already noticed”, Heller confirmed with an equally darkened expression.

“I think they've been at it for the better of the afternoon”, Kuo added. “They are planting discord and distrust.” Almost like Runners, Alex thought wryly, spreading disease from host to host. In this case though, it were less infectious particles and more ideas and rumors. Both were equally dangerous in the right mixture, and those guys were making sure the mixture was alright.

“It's going to blow”, Cross growled under his breath, then glanced at Dunbar and Dana. “You still want to stick around?”

“I'm not afraid”, Dana countered stubbornly. Alex knew her pulse had sped up, but that wasn't fear- it was irritation. And anyways, with Heller, Cross and him here, there wasn't much that could harm her.

“No problem, man”, Dunbar added. “Super Spy here and Cole are my best mates anyways. And I do have my little friend with me too.” He patted the holster at his side. “We'll be fine.”

“Still”, Kuo pointed out, “It could get ugly. A crowd of people are vicious animals.”

“Reverse swarm intelligence”, Dana shrugged. “We'll keep our head down if shit hits the fan.”

Alex just cocked his head, eying the crowd around them. They were too busy gawking at the stage in front of the church, where several members of the Militia appeared. Music started playing from hidden loudspeakers, timed perfectly for a man in a black suit to enter from behind the curtain, and Dana groaned. “What did I tell you? He got his own theme and a dramatic entrance! That guy just yells loudly 'I'm the bad guy'.”

Alex perked up, focusing on the man on the stage. White hair slicked back, black suit, red vest, a ceremonial sword hanging from his belt. “That Bertrand?”

“Oh yes. That's him.” He blinked briefly, having expected Kuo to talk, but it was actually Cross who did. His expression was carefully blank, but there was a glint of dislike in his eyes. Alex wondered whether it was simple antipathy for the man, or whether it was something else entirely.

Several people in the crowd explosively started cheering, and it quickly took hold of nearly everybody else. Cole grimaced at the volume, though refrained from saying anything as Bertrand lifted his hands and the cheering stopped near immediately.

“My friends”, he began, and Alex felt his lips peel away from his teeth in a snarl. Something felt wrong about this, and that wasn't just the obviously fake worry the man demonstrated. “I am afraid I do no bear good news. I know I promised you to take care of your safety, but I have need of your eyes and ears, as it came to my attention that the danger that swirled in the darkness now finally surfaced. The Devil already walks among us, bringing with him fire stolen from the sky. Cole MacGrath, the Electric Man has arrived in New Marais.”

“Fucking really?” Dana huffed out as the crowd began to murmur among itself.

“And following him”, Bertrand continued, pitching his voice even higher, “Is the Monster that destroyed the glorious city of Manhattan, Alex Mercer.”

The crowd started sounding panicked.

“Nice”, Cole commented sarcastically. “You hearing that?”

“I'm not deaf”, Alex growled, but he had already ducked his head and was almost physically forcing himself to not move. The tangible fear in the crowd was starting to get to him, like chickens fluttering about in their coop when a weasel managed to break in. He currently felt more and more like this weasel, the panic around him starting to drive him mad. If it continued, he would start biting until nothing was moving anymore.

“Our forefathers”, Bertrand added, “Bled and died in defense of this city. When history called upon them to stand against the enemy- did they cower?” He tilted his head slightly, pausing and dramatically drawing his saber from his side before he continued. “No! They fought!” He leaned to the front. “To the last man.”

Heller scoffed, frowning deeply. “Seriously, how in the World can somebody listen to this bullshit?”

“Reverse swarm intelligence, man”, Dana replied.

“I don't like this”, Kuo mentioned, glancing at the crowd around them. “They're getting violent.”

Bertrand was lifting his hands again, waving towards the Militia members standing besides him. “My men”, he said, and Alex heard Cross mutter a swear under his breath when the black-clad shapes of Blackwatch appeared on stage. He recognized the Wisemen, as they held their helmets tucked under their arms. “And these fine soldiers from Manhattan”, Bertrand continued, “They who already fought and bled the Monster of Manhattan, they have come here to stand ready. To be the guardians of this city, and they are all that stands between you and these freaks!”

Alex could tell that the Wisemen were everything but happy with the arrangement, and he swore he caught the eyes of the D-Code that lumbered in the background, as the man carefully lowered himself to Captain Santos's ear to whisper something to her. The woman's eyes narrowed, and while her posture didn't change, her gaze found her Colonel's quickly.

Cross's expression turned sour, and he just made a brief motion that told them he was going to get into contact with them soon enough.

“And with God as my witness”, Bertrand barked, “We shall hunt them down and destroy all of them!”

Alex's back bristled as the crowd erupted into cheers, and his head snapped upwards, his pale eyes narrowing as his focus shifted slightly. There was someone crouched just above the stage.

No.

Not someone. Some thing . It didn't appear to be human.

“Up there!” One of the agitators suddenly yelled, “Freaks!”

The thing stepped to the front and shrieked . Alex snarled in reply, already moving towards the stage just as the Militia turned around and aimed their rifles at it. No! This wasn't their kill. This wasn't their prey. This was his .
The coat dropped to the ground, and Alex fanned his claws to the sides, teeth bared and eyes almost glowing in the gloom. People screamed and dove to the sides, drawing attention. Towards him. Towards the others?

He didn't care, didn't care that he heard someone yell his name. Only the prey mattered.

A growl worked itself out of his throat as he reached the stage and vaulted over the edge, landing on the wooden surface with a resounding crack that made the humans there jerk back. One of them, one of the Militia hicks, was too close. Gun too close. Alex snarled and lunged towards the man, grabbing his head. Too easy to crush it, but he wasn't supposed to. Why, he couldn't tell at the moment, but he would remember. He spun around and just flung the guy into the crowd with a resounding growl, then faced the thing on the roof.

It shrieked at him, he replied in kind, and it pounced off its perch. He instantly rocketed off the ground too, meeting it in mid-air. His talons snatched its arms, and he let his body fall to the side to spin them around and get it under his body. Curling his back, he pressed both feet flat against its chest, then suddenly let go of it as he kicked it down. He hit its perch in a perfect crouch, it slammed into the ground hard . But it didn't stay still, was flailing its limbs and screeching in pain, driving shards of white-hot rage through his head. He shot off again and slammed bodily into the thing, shattering the stage and cratering the floor beneath, then instantly bounced off again and dragged it with him, only to take a more secure hold of it and thrusting his body back down to smash it into the stage violently. It turned to fine mist in a sickening squelch.

The crowd was screaming, fleeing and fluttering around like chicken. Alex growled and slammed his claws into the ground, roaring at them. To make them silent, or to display his powers, or to goad them into attacking him, he didn't know. It only made them scream louder, though, panic harder, and his head started hurting. He wasn't supposed to kill them, that much he knew, but now the Militia guys were yelling too, and their guns were aiming at him. He snarled at them, claws scraping the floor, when he took notice of the black-clad soldiers behind them. Blackwatch, and he'd forgotten about them. Blackwatch were his enemies, but they were human and he wasn't supposed to attack humans -

More screeches behind him, and he spun on his heel, eyes instantly finding viable targets. Several more of these things just arrived, all of them focusing on him- most likely smelling the remains of their friend on him.

That, he could deal with.

Cole's first thought was that maybe sending Alex home wasn't as dumb of an idea as it sounded. Because he turned pretty focused on Bertrand first, then suddenly started storming off the moment he noticed these... Freaks . Cole didn't get a very good look at them, but their appearance, coupled with his friend's not-so-subtle charge towards the stage kind of sent the crowd panicking. Probably exactly what Bertrand had planned, though it put them into danger. Colonel Blackwatch was yelling after Mercer, but that fell on deaf ears, so he quickly gave it up with a frustrated sigh. Cole instantly seized the chance, grabbing Kuo's arm. “Get Zeke and Dana out of here. You guys need to stay undercover as long as possible, and the crowd's panicking.” Nobody was going to pay them closer attention.

“Got it”, to give her credit, she didn't even blink at his request, just turned to Zeke and Dana. “C'mon, let's get out of here.” They flinched violently when they heard a bloodcurdling screech from the stage, and Cole swore under his breath.

“Something fucked is happening to Alex”, Dana hissed defiantly, “I can't just leave here!”

“You have to”, Heller threw in. “You ain't half as indestructible as we are. Anything happens to you, and all bets are off. I check in on the brat.” The woman inhaled once, but quickly nodded sharply instead of protesting. Then, along with Kuo and Zeke, she mingled into the fleeing crowd to get out of sight.

Cole was already rushing towards the stage himself, shoving a few people out of the way. “Sorry, Devil's coming through!” He witnessed Alex just pounding the thing into the ground, splattering it basically everywhere , and stopped briefly. He had never seen him like that.

“Ah fuck”, Heller came to a halt next to him, grimacing. “That doesn't look good.”

“More of them approaching”, Colonel Blackwatch snorted, hefting a rifle. Cole blinked, briefly taken aback. “Where did you get that one from?”

“Idiot over there”, the man shrugged, motioning to an unconscious hick on the floor. “But I meant what I was saying. There are more of them approaching.”

Screeches echoed all around them, and pale shapes peeled from the shadows and charged the stage. Alex greeted them with a roar of his own, already moving to intercept the closest ones. One of them broke off from the main bulk and rushed them, bladed arms ready to strike. Cole moved fastest, whirling and bringing his Amp between them in a violent strike that made the creature stumble back and lose footing for a brief moment. In an instant, he clenched his hand and threw it to the front, firing several bolts of lightning at the thing. It shrieked and fell back, but not as quickly as humans do. So it was tougher.

Uglier too, now that he could see it close-up. A pale human's torso was pasted on a pair of multi-jointed, insectoid legs. Its arms were sharp blade-like limbs without any hands, and it had insect-like mandibles instead of a mouth. Its eyes were glowing pale red, and there were all too human furrows of rage on its face as it screeched and dove at him again. Cole was about to zap or whack it again, when Heller simply punched it- though he punched it so hard his fist sank through its chest. The thing blinked in confusion, and when Heller pulled his arm back, it collapsed to the ground twitching.

“The fuck?!”

“No idea”, the Conduit admitted, then ducked as a shot cracked right next to him, felling another of these things. “Less talking. More chasing. Bertrand's getting away”, Colonel Blackwatch growled, already taking aim at another one.

“Shit!” Cole instantly started running again, dodging another creature that tried to jump him. It collapsed as a volley of bullets ate through its face, and Cole hesitated briefly, glancing back.

“Go, damnit!”, Colonel Blackwatch snapped at him. “These things don't put up much of a fight anyways!"

“Got it”, the Conduit started up again, but didn't get any further when he witnessed another thing just pouncing on a terrified couple who obviously hadn't managed to get away in time. Screw Bertrand, he could always catch up to him later on. Cole snarled and launched himself at the thing, lightning snapping out of his body. He tried to zap it the moment he touched it, but its skin was tougher than that of normal humans, offering too much resistance.
It didn't protect it from his Amp, though, and Cole's already monstrous strength was only amplified when adding in a four-foot metal rod. The creature crumpled under the assault, though another was already rushing in to take its place. Cole grit his teeth and braced himself, briefly glancing at the couple. “Run” They didn't hesitate, just escaped the moment the beast collided with the Conduit with enough force to nearly knock him off balance. But only nearly, as he managed to push it back with little trouble. As soon there was some distance between them, a second, already thoroughly pulped one, came flying with so much speed and raw power that his critter splattered on contact.

He quickly threw a glance over his shoulder for his partner, but couldn't decide whether it had been Alex (who was currently ripping another thing in halves) or Heller (who was fiercly crushing the heads of two together to obliterate their skulls). No matter, because Bertrand was getting away, though he could see him, just getting into a white limousine down the street.

Oh Hell, you won't!

He pushed himself to chase after it, vaulting over the railing separating the elevated church forecourt with the stairway leading up to it. Just as he got to the street, the car took off, and he heard Bertrand's voice taunting him. “Another time, MacGrath!”

Yeah? So he didn't factor in his bullheadedness. The Conduit instantly latched onto a mast that connected to a wire hung with lamps, and charged up to magnetically repel him along the metal. By timing it correctly, he could use the momentum he build to easily cross the rooftop connected to it and get on top of the next wire without having to slow down for running.

He caught up to the limousine quickly, but suddenly had to dive to the side to avoid a missile being shot at his face. “Aw, C'mon!” He swore, ducking again and jumping off to get back on the wires. He seriously didn't have any time for this bullshit, but he knew perfectly well that these assholes weren't going to shoot at him if he kept close to Bertrand. Too high the risk of them hitting him.

Which meant he just had to soldier through. So he forced himself to move even faster, using his thrusters to increase his speed and reduce the chance of them getting a clear shot at him.

Right in front of him the mast holding the wire toppled, but Cole didn't slow down. Instead, he only ducked lower to reduce wind drag, and jumped off the moment he reached the end.
And he had timed it well, hitting the trunk of Bertrand's limousine just as it sped past him. The driver immediately tried to shake him, but Cole's fingers hooked against the metal, and his powers flared again in a way similar to his grinding. Magnetism was just another branch of his electrical arsenal, and quite useful in this case. Because he couldn't be shaken, and the driver apparently quickly decided against giving his passenger motion sickness. Cole grit his teeth and pounced to the front, landing right next to the sun roof- that was kept open, he noticed.

Well, that was just ideal , wasn't it? He crouched down, kneeling on the roof as he glared down at Bertrand. “About time you and I had a chat.”

Bertrand was eying him with contempt, taking a drag from his cigar. “I got nothing to say to you, freak.” Wow, didn't that hurt?

Cole scoffed and lifted one hand, wreathing it in lightning. “Cut the crap”, he growled. “You're going to take me to Wolfe. Now!”

The old man just chuckled. “Oho. Making demands now, are you?” He pointed his cigar at the Conduit. “If I were you, I'd be a bit more worried about my head.”

Head? Cole blinked, then hissed when realization set in. He'd seen way too many movies about people getting their shit wrecked by low hanging signs or tunnel entries- But there shouldn't be any signs or tunnels here, should there--?!

Something hit the back of his skull with a resounding clang , and the force of the impact was strong enough to bodily throw him through the air, smacking him against the asphalt with enough momentum so he rolled over and stayed down. His head felt like cotton for a moment, until clarity came back to him while he stared at the sky. The RFI was digging awkwardly into his spine, but didn't feel broken.

So much for the plan then. And what was that noise coming at him?

Oh.

Oh

Helicopter. And guessing that it was probably one of the Militia's, he maybe shouldn't dawdle too long. He forced himself to sit up, eyes finally slipping back into focus as they zeroed in on the missile launchers attached to the chopper's wings. He groaned and muttered a few choice words under his breath, because of course the Militia had helicopters armed to the teeth.

Two Hydra-type missiles hissed towards him, and Cole quickly scrambled to the side to avoid the explosion. The blast of the sudden expansion of air however, still hit him like an invisible fist, rattling his bones.

Screw that.

He whirled on one heel, summoning grenades into each of his hands to throw them at the helicopter. The effect was...underwhelming. The charge dispersed across the chopper's surface harmlessly, leaving him to dodge a machine gun volley.
He could have slapped himself. Of course lightning doesn't work against vehicles made from friggin' metal ! Goddamn middle school grade Physics. So unless he managed to fry the electronic systems on board through sheer dumb luck, he was out of possibilities to deal with it.

However, there were other ways here. He couldn't use electricity to take down the helicopter, but he could use his electricity to take down the helicopter.
Cole instantly ducked to the side, focused on his electromagnetic pulse, and picked up the closest derelict car, making it hover in front of him.

“Yeah?! How about that, huh?!” He yelled at the helicopter, “Hit me in the head again, will you?!” With one mental flick, he shot the car into the direction of the helicopter, though he missed by several feet. No problem, because Cole had another one picked up and aimed at them by the time the other dropped into the streets. This shot only touched the chopper, but there was enough force behind it that it ripped off one of its wings and damaged the fuselage.

The helicopter veered off course, though remained airborne. Before the Conduit could pick up a third car however, a tell-tale crack echoed from one of the buildings nearby, and a black blur hit the vehicle with one leg outstretched. The blow was powerful enough to completely throw it off course so it crashed into a building that was currently under construction.

The attacker landed almost next to him, cracking his neck. “That felt amazing. Haven't done that in a while.”

Cole already had a fitting retort on his tongue, but it died quickly when he noticed that it wasn't who he expected, but rather the other guy. Heller.
He couldn't really evaluate the man yet, didn't have all information needed. Which meant Cole didn't say anything, just shrugged while the large man grinned excited as he stepped to the wreckage and simply pried it open to drag the pilots out. They were in bad shape from the crash, so Cole moved towards them and simply healed them so they wouldn't die from their injuries, but left some bones broken.

He became aware of the arched eyebrow in his direction, so he made a big show to brush himself off after pinning the guys to the floor with a pair of manacles. “We can't just let them die”, he pointed out. “Enemy or not, it'll be more problems for us if we kill them.”

“Plus an injured enemy takes up more resources and manpower than a dead one”, Heller finished. “I know that one.” He fell silent for a moment, eyes scanning the area. “So Bertrand got away, huh?”

The Conduit huffed. “I nearly had him. Didn't expect the chopper.”

“There were a lot of things I think neither of us expected tonight”, the Sergeant commented.

“You meaning these...bug-slash-crocodile-slash-people-slash-whatever things?”

“Yeah. I got some serious flashbacks from them too”, the other man replied, but Cole could see his eyes tightening and his jaw set. Manhattan, he'd been in Manhattan, and in Manhattan had been zombies.

“You...need a moment?”

“What?” The tense expression turned into a confused one, before he saw clarity in the man's eyes. “You think I'm getting a PTSD episode?”

“I guess”, Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “Not everybody can deal with shit like that so easily.”

“I already dealt with it. Whatever happened, it made me stronger than I've been. I can deal with it”, Heller explained to him, and it wasn't even in a condescending tone. He was being honest about it. “It's just, these things remind me of the Infected. But I know they aren't, they didn't show up in the Hive Mind.”

“But what were they?” The Conduit asked out loud as they started walking away from the crashed chopper. They were weird, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't somewhat exciting. Maybe he needed to visit a shrink at some point. He stopped suddenly, eyes going upwards. It was dark, and there were stories...

“The trawler captain we came in with said there were things in the swamp. Monsters that ate people, but only came out at night”, he said. “We thought they were just rumors, but then a cop here told us the same again.”

“So I guess those weren't rumors at all, huh?” Heller scoffed, then grabbed his shoulder more gentle than Cole expected from a guy his frame. “C'mon. We get back to our base. I doubt we can do much asides from waiting for the emotions to calm down again. Right now, the city is like a hornet's nest.”

“What about Alex?”

Heller grimaced briefly. “The Wisemen- that were those soldiers with the Militia- and Cross are looking after him.”

“What happened to him?” Because he had never seen him like that before. Then a thought came to him. “You ever dealt with something like that before?”

“Not with him”, was the reply, “But I've seen it. The moment after we killed the main Runner. All of the stronger Infected suddenly started rampaging out of control. Tonight, Mercer was the same. More Hunter than Runner.”

That...sounded not good. “He was on the mend when I left, however, and he didn't attack any of the people”, the Sergeant added. “Guess he just needed everybody to shut the fuck up. Like I said, Cross is with him.”

“Let's check up on him anyways”, Cole decided. He didn't really trust Colonel Blackwatch, even if Alex and Dana did. “We gotta find Wolfe”, he muttered.

“Yeah, we have to”, Heller agreed. “Now more than ever- Bertrand knows we're looking for him, so he will have to relocate the man. Or have him killed.”

“I can't allow this”, Cole growled. “He's our only hope.”

“He is one hope”, Heller corrected. “But we got some of his data. We got the RFI.”

Cole had pulled it free, glad to find it still in one piece. It soothed him somewhat. “Yeah, we got this thing. We still got this down.”

And Bertrand was going to rue his decision to have fucked them over. That, he promised.

Chapter Text

“Sir, with all respect, but are you out of your fucking mind?!”

Cross exhaled what could have been a weary sigh (but he was going to die denying it), and suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He knew what this was about, and he had heard this argument a few times already.

“You'll need to be more specific”, he countered. “Do you mean that I am constantly ignoring my own orders, or that I'm constantly picking his side?”

“Both”, Captain Santos didn't seem to be too happy.

Cross cocked his head. “You've seen the files, back in Manhattan. The very reason for Blackwatch's existence was the creation of Biological Weapons. When I became a member, my oath was to protect the population, not the government.”

“But siding with ZEUS?” Santos exhaled harshly. “It is exactly what we are supposed to stop. It is a Biological Weapon. And more, it killed a lot of our men, caused damage of billions of dollars.”

“While preventing a World-Wide Outbreak at the same time”, he snorted briefly. “Randall had fucked it up in Idaho. Near fifty years later we still have to pick up the shards and get everything back in order. Mercer started it, exposed this entire Bioweapon Research program. Which means whether we like it or not, he's very much part of this mess.”

“We should kill it”, Santos suggested, “Especially now, since it's weakened.”

“And who'll be our flesh shield against the Beast?” Cross couldn't disguise the sigh that made its way out of his chest. “Mercer is still the most invulnerable here, plus he has knowledge about this giant bastard, knowledge neither of us has.”

Santos eyed him for a few long moments. “It sounds like you're defending it. You've done so back in Manhattan already, fed Taggart and Randall to it like it's some pet. I don't like this, and one day it'll kill you.”

“Maybe he will”, The Specialist agreed. Maybe that was karmic retribution. After all, he had sacrificed a lot good men just to gain his trust. It wouldn't be entirely unexpected either. But it was done, and right now, they were allies. Brothers in arms, and they had each other's backs. “I've done my decision. And I'll stand with it to the end.”

The captain exhaled very slowly. “And you know fucking well that we'll stand with you. Forever. Whatever you do with this thing, it's working. So I have to assume you know what you are doing. Just give a word, and the Wisemen will take out these inbred hicks. No questions asked.”

“I know. Thanks, Captain. Keep your eyes open for anything that has anything to do with this Conduit bullshit we're currently dealing with.”

“Sir.” Captain Santos saluted her superior, glanced at the gathered crowd on this roof, and headed towards the fire escape to climb down and return to the compound. Cross knew she wouldn't blab to anybody outside of the Wisemen. From that side they were secure.

But that was only one side. Far more concerning was the Militia, and these things that attacked the public meeting. He didn't believe for a single moment that this had been coincidence. Bertrand had talked about his Militia being the savior of New Marais, and then suddenly a threat appeared? It was either the worst luck ever, or someone had sent these things to attack. It would give legitimacy to Bertrand's cause, and silence any opposing voices. Additionally, this scramble had revealed their presence to the city. Mercer and MacGrath had been demonized, while Heller's and his cover was blown. Both men were supposed to be still in their respective home bases, not New Marais. A little asking around, and their cover stories were going to crumble like a card house.

And to top it off, Bertrand managed to get away, and with him their best chance to find Doctor Wolfe. He exhaled once, and noticed MacGrath and Dunbar flinch back violently. Dana and Heller were looking rather sour. Agent Kuo seemed worried for Wolfe's continued safety. Mercer looked a lot like a cat someone tried to drown.

“So we fucked this up. And?” The Specialist asked. “You're going to throw the towel?” God knows he had his fair share of failures himself, no need to beat others up about it.

“Not going to give up”, MacGrath replied hotly. “I just think it finally settled.” He huffed out, bouncing his knees. “I think those were these Swamp Monsters we were told about, which kind of means that there really are monsters in the bog and I don't want to have to deal with them too when we still got the Beast to think about.” He leaned back against the couch, groaning. “But to deal with the Beast I have to deal with Bertrand, because he has the Blast Cores I need to use Wolfe's RFI. And dealing with Bertrand means I gotta beat up these Militia idiots, and find Wolfe.” He groaned and ran both hands down his face. “Jesus Christ, can't it ever be simple?”

“Simple would be boring, brother”, Dunbar commented with an excited grin. “I mean whoa! There's some serious stuff goin' on here.”

“Yeah, I noticed”, MacGrath replied in a tired tone. “Just...” His face became thoughtful. “Isn't that kind of too much of a coincidence? I mean Bertrand talks about the Militia being his shield, and using your Wisemen too- and suddenly Monsters pop up for him to conveniently pick them off? This smells like a PR move.”

“Already figured that”, Cross furrowed his brows, then turned to Heller. “You notice anything off with these guys?”

“...The Swamp Beasts didn't jump the Militia”, the Evolved pointed out slowly. “They came at us, and they came at the civilians. But not the Militia. Even though they should have to defend themselves. Instead”, He frowned. “Instead they ignored them. No, ignore isn't the right word. They snarled at them, but never attacked.”

“So they were scared of a bunch of hicks?” Dunbar questioned in confusion.

“Not scared”, Dana realized, “More like...they didn't attack them because they weren't supposed to. Right?”

“Exactly”, Heller cocked his head, “They weren't doing this voluntarily, so someone controlled them.”

“Not a Runner though”, Mercer's voice rasped. Nearly all of the others paused and looked into his direction. “These things weren't infected.”

“That much I already figured too”, Heller replied.

“Not virally infected, at any rate”, Mercer continued. “We have seen the like already, Cole.”

The Conduit was frowning for a moment until his face went slack. “Sasha-” he grit out, “The Reapers- but they had been more human than these things.”

“Sasha wasn't”, Dana commented, and Cross felt that this entire conversation went over his head. He figured Heller and Agent Kuo were thinking the same. “And then again, hadn't there been a Ray Sphere Explosion years ago?”

“You mean, Ray Field Energy can make Conduits turn into something like those things?”, Dunbar sounded terrified at the idea.

“I doubt it. Sasha and David were pretty unique cases. Kessler was one hundred and twenty, and asides from his eyes, didn't look much different.”

At this moment, Agent Kuo's eyes suddenly lit up. “What you are talking about- has this anything to do with this 'Swamp Witch'?”

MacGrath's expression shifted slightly. “Exactly”

“And what is the Swamp Witch, exactly please?” Cross finally ground out, feeling annoyed at being left out of the loop. That was when the other four eventually realized that, indeed, he was being left out of the loop.

“When we entered New Marais”, Mercer commented, looking a little livelier than he'd done before, “The trawler captain mistook me for something he called a Swamp Beast.”

“Which is totally understandable, because we've seen these things just now”, MacGrath added, and Mercer growled in displeasure. The Conduit blatantly ignored him. “Before the Ray Sphere, the thing that made the hole in Empire and gave me my powers, before it was in Empire, it had been here. Kessler had Wolfe work on it- and then we were told that it blew up in the swamps. People said a lot of folks vanished back then, and now there are freaks running around, freaks that could have been very well people until they got in contact with a Conduit.”

“So it's a Conduit Runner, then?” Heller summarized with a shrug. “I don't see how this is different then. We can assume it's somebody in Bertrand's employ.”

“Bertrand? But he hates Conduits”, Dunbar pointed out.

“Don't think for even one second that this 'hatred' is real”, Cross scoffed. “He's only putting up a show. And to control the people, he needs a common enemy.”

“Okay, so Bertrand's a lying asshole. Anything else?” MacGrath summed up.

“The creatures”, Mercer mentioned. “They used to be human. And the Militia's capturing 'deviants', who are never seen again.”

“Whelp”, MacGrath threw up his arms, “Looks like we do need some better protected hideout. And watch shifts. And possibly barbed wire, 'cuz I don't want to wake up one morning and realize that my friends just turned into bug people.”

“Couldn't sleep?”

“Not when you keep sneaking out.”

Alex tilted his head a little to look at Dana, who had approached his position some way off from their current headquarters. It was after midnight, and she should have been sleeping, or at least napping a little. Cole and Zeke did, as did Heller and agent Kuo. Cross was still awake and keeping watch currently, glancing their direction ever so often.

“I'm not sneaking out.”

“Sure”, Dana stood besides his perch, the concrete divider of the roof. “Look, I know you. And I know something's eating you.” She nudged his shoulder. “It's because of whatever happened at Bertrand's public speech, isn't it? You went nuts.”

Alex exhaled, slumping his shoulders. “I don't know what went down. I remember this...Swamp Beast approach. And it wasn't human, so all I could think was that it wouldn't violate my word if I killed it.”

“It was terrifying”, Dana admitted. “Or at least the part I witnessed before Jane Bond and Zeke whisked me off.” She sat down next to him, dangling one leg over the edge and propped the other up under her chin. “It was like Manhattan. Like you weren't you anymore. Like you were just another infected.”

Alex grit his teeth. “I don't know what it had been. Blood lust, hunger, just getting worked up because everyone was flapping about like a bunch of headless chickens” He shook his head. “All I wanted to do was to kill them. Or just bite? They weren't cooperating enough for that.” He didn't know why, it was just some form of instinct. It was present even now, though a lot weaker and easily ignored.

“Do you think it was hunger?” Dana pulled another snack bar from her pocket. “Look, if you are hungry, we can work with this-”

Alex made a face and pushed the bar away. “It's not that form of hunger. Or, at least it doesn't feel like it. I want to bite something, but it's not because I want to eat.” The food he had tried was still roiling around in his stomach and made him feel nauseous. He could guess it was because he wasn't truly human, and his body just didn't work correctly, having still no real organs. Until now, he didn't feel any ill effects however. He still had enough mass so consuming wasn't going to be a problem in the foreseeable future.

“You think you can fix it?”

“There should be a way”, he confirmed. The virus was still inside of him, so maybe there was a way to make his body work again. He still didn't know what it was, though something was tugging at the edge of his brain. He was pretty sure the answer was actually very easy, but for some reason, it kept eluding him. He grunted and shook his head, carefully pinching the bridge of his nose with the base of his claws rather than the razor-like tips. “My head starts hurting every time I try to think about this.” Then he noticed that Dana's attention was off him. “Dana?”

“Alex?” She pointed to a figure walking along the street at a hurried pace. “Is it just me, or is that guy glowing?”

He squinted at the guy. Dana was right, he was glowing. Pale blue, and then his eyes caught something that was partly obscured by the guy's jacket. “He's got a Blast Shard.”

“You mean those irradiated chunks of soil Wolfe collected?” Dana groaned. “When will people learn that 'glowing' equals 'Do not touch'?!” She frowned briefly, then grabbed Alex's shoulders. “Get me down there, I have to talk to him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Now go.”

Alex hesitated briefly, glanced back at Cross, then grabbed Dana a bit more tightly and jumped off the building to chase after the man, overtaking him easily to put his sister down in an alley. She instantly hurried on the street to stand right in front of the man. “Hey! You!”

The man stopped, blinking. Dana smiled at him. “I couldn't help but notice you got a large glowing shard with you.”

The man scowled, puffing out and balling his fists. “So? It's mine!” Alex felt the irritation radiating off the man's body and bared his teeth in a snarl, but Dana's hand moved slightly in a 'Stop' motion, so he didn't come out of his cover.

“I just said it looks interesting”, his sister told the man. “Where did you get it?”

The man was still scowling. “Around. Not gonna tell ya.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's my money, understood?”

“Money?”

“It'll bring a nice sum, but I ain't gonna tell you more, bitch!”

Dana's eyes hardened, and her finger twitched towards the guy. Alex struck like lightning, shooting out of the alleyway to grab the guy and drag him off the street, then pinning him against the wall with a low snarl. Dana sauntered in after him, glare directed at the man, who was too terrified to struggle or even scream. “I'll ask this only once. Who is paying you money for those shards?” The man stared at them with wide eyes, unable to speak, when Alex growled once, and the guy jerked.

“The Militia!” He yelped. “The Militia's buying all those things!”

“The Militia?” Dana glanced at Alex, who stared back. Were they aware these shards would empower Cole? “Why?”

The man squirmed. “They're makin' weapons! Weapons against all those freaks! These things contain energy, they say, because they need them to blow you freaks up!”

“Bombs”, Alex realized, then bared his teeth at the man. “The Militia's making bombs?!”

“They are supposed to stop you bastards!” The guy spat. Dana just frowned, then huffed out. “Drop him.”

Alex did so, letting the man crumple to the floor, but didn't back off. Instead, Dana walked up to him, toeing the Blast Shard that had dropped to the ground. “You should be glad we're taking this thing off you, you know?” She claimed easily. “Because these things are radioactive. You carry one too long, and you can make a great welcome party for cancer.” Alex scooped the shard up, then her with the other arm. She glanced at the guy one last time. “Also, I think you understand that we won't tolerate you blabbing about this meeting, do you?”

The man nodded hastily. Good enough.
Alex scoffed and leapt upwards, carrying Dana to a rooftop a little way off from their hideout. He put her down gently, and dropped the shard next to the AC unit. He swore his hands were tingling, though that were most likely just his nerves talking. After such a short amount of time, his body wouldn't be affected enough for his DNA to spontaneously falling apart. In Empire it had taken some time for the radiation to have an effect anyways, and now with his cells unable to change their location, a much smaller part of him would be affected anyways.

“If Bertrand makes the Shards into bombs...” Dana grimaced, “That means he's playing awfully loose with the lives of the people here.”

“Which means I need to try and secure as many shards as possible. Even from those bombs, to make sure they can't be used.”

“'I', Alex?” Dana's eyebrows were arched. “Don't you mean 'we'?”

“Pretty sure I didn't.”

She cocked her head. “Look, I get it that you want to protect me, and radiation is something very fucked up to deal with, but I want to help you. I'm even going to stay away from the shards, but don't go alone.”

He really shouldn't indulge her. He really should take her back to Cross and Heller and tell her to wait- he had a target now, something that took his mind off from his other problems, something to hunt , even if the shards weren't exactly alive. But then he would be all alone again, and even if it was only for a few hours, he didn't like the idea. He bowed his head slightly. “Piggyback?”

“Piggyback”, Dana beamed.

Cole was taking a sip from a thermos filled with coffee- Sherry had handed it over before going to bed herself- and glanced over the group of people he considered friends at most, and allies at least. Agent Kuo had made a nest of blankets on the armchair, rolled up much like a cat. Zeke was sprawled on their deck chair, mouth open and snoring. Agent Heller was sitting on the couch, head resting against his chest and arms crossed, mimicking Colonel Blackwatch's position next to him down to a synchronized breathing. Both of them were only half asleep, he knew. Military dudes, on watch even when they weren't supposed to.

Alex and Dana were gone, and from what he learnt from Colonel Blackwatch through Heller, they had snuck off during the night, though all of them had seen them return sporadically to a roof nearby. When they returned once and left quickly again, he curiously sent out a pulse that came back with a large source of energy that grew slightly every time the siblings returned.

“The Fuck they are doing?” Heller's voice was startling, though Cole would deny it made him jump.

He exhaled briefly, eying the Sergeant. “You awake already?”

“Don't need much sleep”, was the reply. “But question remains.”

“I think they're collecting Blast Shards.” Cole pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “No, they're definitely collecting Blast Shards.”

“I thought it was our job to do that?”

The roof shook when Alex returned, letting Dana slip off his back. “Things have changed”, the Runner growled. “The Militia's collecting the shards too. We have to get to them before they do.”

“What?” Cole blinked. “What for?”

“For this shittery”, Dana exclaimed, dropping a metal contraption on their low table with a loud clank- which startled the others awake. “They found a way to utilize the Ray Field Energy inside the shards as energy source and main volatile content to build some fucking bombs.” She sniffed. “We tried picking up all those we could find, but chances are we missed some. Especially since the civilians are getting paid for getting the Shards to Bertrand.”

Kuo was blinking owlishly at the contraptions, until her expression cleared. “I think I know what these are”, she claimed. “Wolfe had long since theorized that it was possible to use the lingering field energy for alternative energy sources. This design reminds me of his work.”

“So Bertrand nicked all his ideas off him?” Cole sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“This gives us another point to pry from- Bertrand showed his hand too early”, Cross pointed out. “We have the data about Wolfe's work from his messenger pigeons. We have agent Kuo who had worked closely with him. We can acquire Wolfe himself. And now Bertrand- who possibly has his own research complex somewhere. Complexes that size can't remain hidden for too long.”

“Problem there”, Zeke threw in, “We don't have Wolfe, we don't know where Bertrand is, and the data is encrypted in a form of secret language.”

“We don't know where Wolfe is”, Dana agreed, “But we have a good shot.” She pointed at the bomb case. “Alex and I, we've seen a few times groups of Militia driving off, leaving those things behind.”

“Wait- you mean we try and get one of them to talk?”

“Better”, Dana grinned. “You guys can follow some of the bomb squads around and look where they go, and Kuo and I will ask around. Militia guys like that will probably boast about their deeds sooner or later. We just need to frequent their main dives.”

Cole blinked. “Isn't that very dangerous?”

“It is”, Alex huffed out in a weary tone that said he already tried to dissuade his sister from the idea. “You try getting her off that idea.”

The Conduit grimaced. “Yeah, not gonna fight a losing battle. But at least she'll have Kuo to look after her.”

Alex's eyebrows arched in his typical 'Are-you-kidding-me' way. “It's the other way round. Kuo can be glad to have Dana at her side.”

Cole glanced to the side where the younger sibling had flopped on the couch and wasn't moving anymore. “...I'll believe you on that.” He paused for a moment. “I'm glad you're back in the game.”

His brow twitched. “Let's just get this over with fast.”

“...Right.” Cole let out a sigh, and just went back to the map. “Where to next?”

Colonel Blackwatch pointed at the airfield. “I'll get into contact with my guys and snoop around that place.” He paused, running his hand through his hair. “Also to thank them that they helped me get Mercer here unnoticed.”

“I'll take the south of the city”, Heller explained.

“Gaffney Street”, Alex declared. “I've seen a bunch of Militia loitering there. Could be one has answers.”

“I'll come with you then”, Cole declared. “I mean they are already looking at us closely. Could be we manage to draw them off the others- we are their main targets, right?”

“...yeah.”

“Then we'll bait the trap a little. Lure them to us. Get answers if possible.” He cracked his knuckles and let lightning crawl over his arms. “Let's hope they want to fight back. I'm in the mood to hurt someone.”

The day was passing a lot slower now that he waited for something to happen. Cole had started by consuming all the Blast Shards Alex and Dana had collected- which had been a rather low-key business, not like it had been back in Empire- and then dragged Alex along on his trip to draw attention. They spent the better part of the day just raining havoc on the Militia, break up muggings and interrogated a good amount of Militia idiots. The latter had been somewhat complicated- even though both of them had a pretty good grasp on telling lies apart from truth, the main reason for full-face masks became obvious pretty soon. Basically not a single of these hicks knew exactly who did what inside the Militia, or who they were outside of their uniforms. The secondary problem was that the smallest amount of pain or terror in face of a helpless situation and these guys simply shut down.

“Man, and here I thought it were rich women who faint like that”, Cole grumbled as another guy in Alex's talons went slack.

“Can we still break his leg?” Alex questioned.

“Make it a nice clean break, that should heal quick-” CRACK “...I was joking.”

“I know”

Cole shuddered slightly as Mercer dropped the unconscious guy like a bag of trash. “Now what? It's been hours, and we still hadn't found anything.” The tone in his voice said he didn't like the idea of just running circles, of not having to do anything .

Cole grimaced a little. “I think we did find out some things, alright?”

“Then enlighten me, please.”

“Well”, he ticked off his fingers. “A- these guys aren't as tough as they make out to be. They see no way out, they shut down. Pretty hilarious if they are supposed to be protecting the city. Which is actually strange, if you think about it.” He paused, lifting a second finger. “Which brings me to B. Because if those guys are actually wussies, then how are they competent enough to fight the Swamp Beasts?”

“Because these things are glorified clay pigeons”, Mercer rumbled. “Heller already suspected that.”

“Which means that it's not only Bertrand knows who's the Conduit controlling these things, some of the guys close to him have to too, but picking them up will be tricky, because C- The Militia's dumb uniforms aren't so dumb when you think of it. They are wearing outfits showing what job they have- like bullet-proof vests for the heavy guys, and light stuff for those guys that are supposed to be snipers- but they don't show rank. And here's another thing- the full-face masks probably mean that these idiots have no clue just who they are outside of the uniform. I bet they got some form of identification so they don't accidentally pick off their own guys, but those don't mean you'll learn who is closest to Bertrand.” He groaned briefly. “This whole Militia thing- it is so cheap, so dumb- and that is exactly why it is working so well.”

“It's very fragile, however”, Alex pointed out simply. “Bertrand is the head of everything. If you take him out, then the whole shebang will come crashing down, because whether there are some with higher rank or not- they don't hold any power over the others.” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “And how exactly does this help us find Wolfe?”

Cole's jaw went slack for a moment when all wind was taken from his sails. “Uhm, we know now that trying to get the information we want from those guys is a waste of time?”

“Maybe not”, Alex's eyes narrowed in thought. “Because the dumber the guys are, the more likely they are to blab about something when they aren't supposed to. They won't blab to us, but they will blab to their own guys, and they will blab to women they are trying to impress.”

He was moving fast now, and Cole didn't even have the chance to get out of the way when he grabbed his phone and called up Zeke. “Dunbar”

“Uh...Alex?”

“I would have a task for you. I think it goes right up your alley.”

Cole could just imagine his friend blink dumbfounded. “Sure? Shoot, man.”

“The Militia are a bunch of blind assholes. You are smart. You can make connections. Can you try to...butter up to them?”

Cole inhaled sharply when he realized what Alex was asking. “Wait, you mean I should infiltrate their ranks, turn into our spy?”

“You should fit right in. You're white. Male. You got a Brooklyn accent. And you know enough about dumb assholes to play them.”

“Damn, man, this sounds good! Agent Dunbar, Special Infiltration Unit!” He sounded cheerful at the prospect.

“Zeke”, Cole cut in, “Do you think it's a good idea?”

“Hell yeah. We've been tryin' to crack them from the outside. Three days and we got nothin'. Let's try gettin' in from the inside.”

“Let him try”, Alex rumbled. “What we are doing is like shooting sparrows with an Howitzer. Too much to actually work. Dunbar has no powers. Not like us, or Cross, or Heller. It might work a lot better.”

“Don't you worry, Cole”, Zeke chimed in. “Because you're trusting me on this. And matter of fact, I already found a recruitin' outpost. I can do that.”

Cole exhaled. “Just- just be careful, okay, Zeke?”

“Always, man!”

The connection was cut, and the Conduit accepted his phone back. “I don't think this is a good idea.”

“You're thinking wrong”, the Runner commented simply as they started moving again. “They are going to expect you and me to attack them. They won't expect a powerless human to deliver the final blow.”

“Ouch”, Cole grimaced. “'Powerless' human. Don't let Zeke hear that, he'll mope for days.”

Alex blinked. “...Right. That was pretty rude.”

“And more or less untrue”, he shrugged. “Sure, he can't run up a wall at a hundred miles per hour, pick up cars and throw them, or make entire cities go dark, but he got his own abilities alright. He can make friends and create networks almost anywhere in little to no time. I guess that makes him pretty terrifying, if you think about it.”

“That is why I gave him the job to snoop about in the Militia”, Alex pointed out. “Allies are always useful. More even when they were previous enemies that turned to your side because they learnt what kind of shit they did.”

Cole blinked. “You're talking about Cross.”

“And Heller. And you. You're family now.” He paused, brows furrowing. “Don't tell Cross that.”

“I won't. He wouldn't believe me anyways.” Cole scratched the back of his head, eying his phone. “You think Colonel Blackwatch has something?”

“Probably, but he hates being called”, Alex pointed out. “If he has something, he will call you.”

“Okay. What about Dana and Kuo?”

The Runner furrowed his brows. “Call Dana. She's not very good at schmoozing, but very good at locating targets for Kuo. Chances are Dana has something.”

Cole did, picking her number and waiting until she answered.

“Hey, good timing”, she said in lieu of a greeting. “I was just about to contact you.”

Cole blinked, then his eyes narrowed. “You found something?”

“More like someone. Jane Bond and I've been trailing through some of the nastier bars in this place, listening for hints of Militia activity.” She made a noise at the back of her throat. “And then finally we had a hit. Some dude was saying something about how his buddy managed to get that one guy Bertrand really wanted to have to talk, and is now blowing his reward on Blackjack and Hookers. We figured there was only one bar that offered both.”

Cole inhaled sharply, almost able to taste how close Wolfe was suddenly. “You got him?!”

“Kuo suggested we'll follow after him, let him lead us to where they have hidden Wolfe- and then we go in lightning blazing and drag him out. Since people never look up, it'll be up to you to follow after him. He might take notice if the girl he hit on is suddenly trailing after him.”

“Dana, I could kiss you guys!”

“Put a lid on it, I can hear Alex seething.”

“I'm not seething”, Alex replied with a huff, but he was a lot less tense now. “So we'll what- come over to your place and keep an eye on things?”

“Exactly. Get Heller over, if possible. Three hard hitters are better than just two. The place's called 'Penny'. It's in the Smut Triangle, has an neon advertisement in front.”

“Okay”, Cole confirmed. “Then I'll head over there immediately, look for a roof to lurk on.”

“And I'll go and get Heller”, Alex finished. “We should be there in half an hour, max.”

“Thanks, guys. Then I guess Operation Wolfe Hunt is on.”

“Wolfe Hunt?”

“Not my idea. But Kuo was so proud of the pun, I couldn't bear bursting her bubble.”

The Conduit nodded, more to himself than to Dana because she wouldn't see him anyways. “Okay. Okay. I'll head over. Could you try and get out of the back entrance? Club like that got to have one.”

“It has, leading right into a walled-off sort of courtyard. It's for the guys who want to take a smoke undisturbed. It's where I am currently.”

“We need updates”, Alex pointed out.

“You'll get it”, Dana's voice became distance briefly, then clear again. “Ugh. That pickup line was horrid, I'm getting the feeling I have to wash myself. Just hurry.” She cut the connection, and Alex immediately rocketed off the roof, vanishing somewhere. Cole didn't waste any time either, darting towards the edge of the building and leaping off himself, hovering across the street and catching a wire there to grind over it.

As it was, the hurry was uncalled for. He found a roof overlooking the courtyard, had waited for Dana to make an appearance. She too had noticed him, casually took out her phone and gave him an update. Nothing had changed at the moment, and it looked like they had to wait. There wasn't much else to be done anyways. When Alex and Heller appeared, Cole already figured that they would be waiting for a while.

It took them the better of three hours, and the sun already dipped below the horizon again. Cole was bored, his earlier enthusiasm had changed into dull resignation and he was now draped over the divider and listlessly eying the casino's entry.
Heller and Alex were crouched calmly on the roof like a pair of gargoyles, barely moving and watching every movement down there with military focus, but sadly, they were also about as talkative as mentioned gargoyles.

Cole wished that this dude would just hurry up , but he also knew that just bursting in and grabbing him off his stool would not only cause a lot of ruckus, but also most likely render the guy unconscious and inform Bertrand of what they had planned.

They could only strike when they were certain that Wolfe was nearby. Alex had ensured him that, as soon they would be close enough, he would be able to pick up his scent.

But the waiting was grating on his nerves. Right up until his phone beeped. He answered it quickly enough.

“Heads up”, it was Kuo who spoke. “He's leaving the table.”

“He got a purple shirt”, Dana added. “Really eye-biting color.”

“You sure he's the right one?” Heller questioned.

“Very”

“That's good enough for me”, Cole decided. “Okay. We follow until he gets close to a place that smells like Wolfe. Then we'll rise Hell.”

“Good plan”, Alex approved, and there was the distinct glimmer in his eyes that meant he finally got to hunt something. They waited for a moment until a guy in an eye-bleeding purple shirt and ridiculous hat left the building and wandered down the street. He seemed to sway a bit, but not enough to be impaired. Cole and Heller followed him on the street side he was on, Alex took to the other side silently. The guy didn't notice a thing.

Cole still didn't dare using any of his fancier moves, just lunging across gaps and climbing buildings using nothing but his hands and feet. Heller had to help him get across larger distances a few times, since he could jump further without having to rely on lightning to hover.

Supersoldiers, man.
He couldn't help but feel envious- Heller's physical strength far surpassed his own by leagues, he was both faster in reaction and motion, and less inclined to follow the laws of physics. He bet that even if he tried to zap him, he probably wouldn't take even half the damage that most other guys did.

But Cole had more power. Power enough to give entire cities light- or turn them black. So what if he couldn't stop a bullet with his face? He could cause a lot more chaos should he want to.

And for some reason, that thought made him giddy. He wasn't as vastly overpowered like Alex was, which made him a much more viable threat to the Bertrand's Militia. Which meant it was his job to take care of the redneck hicks- he wasn't going to splatter them on accident , after all; while the virally enhanced Supersoldiers could deal with the Swamp Beasts. It was a good deal, he figured.

Then his focus shifted back towards their target as he carefully balanced over a long wire, though had to clamp down on the urge to activate his electromagnetism to avoid the tell-tale blue sparks. They followed after the man until he, without knowing he was being followed, went into a tanning salon. At night? In New Marais?

Cole didn't need Alex's sharp growl of “He's here” to figure out that they finally got the place. It made sense- a tanning salon did swallow up immense amounts of electricity, so it was ideal to hide a makeshift laboratory.

“He's going into a tan house on 8^th Street”, he muttered into his phone.

“It won't be easy getting a vehicle”, Kuo replied. “Militia's got roadblocks all along the canal.”

“I can take care of them”, Alex declared. “Heller and Cole, you guys break into that building and get Wolfe.”

“That would be feasible. However, I have to ask you to wait on my signal”, Kuo demanded.

“You got something planned?” Heller questioned.

“Dana did”, the agent explained. “As soon as our target left, we did too and Dana went to a nearby electronics store. The owner seemingly does not support the Militia.”

“Uh...why?” Cole questioned.

Alex groaned. “She's trying to rig something together. Something that allows her to watch the Militia's communication, right?”

“Exactly. She also claimed she would try to cause a little mayhem on them, so I guess she'll try to give false orders to try and split them up.”

“Dana can do that?!” Cole hissed.

Heller just snorted amused. “You'd be terrified to know what she can do with internet access. A radio network is similar, if a lot less fragile and a little tougher to hack into. But she can do it.”

“She said that you'll recognize the signal if you see it”, Kuo explained. “For now, hold tight.”

That was maybe a bit easier said than done, because Alex was tensing like a hound that found the trail. It was only Heller's metaphorical leash that kept him back.

And then the nearby street lamps all flickered and died. Alex sprang in a blur of red and black, crashing into the street below and slamming bodily into a parked car to send it careening off the street and into the canal. The Militia started yelling and drew their guns, but Alex simply ducked behind his talons to rush the first guy. He didn't use his full strength, Cole realized, but it was still enough to catapult the guy several yards through the air so he cracked against the wall and stayed down. Heller slapped his shoulder, pointing at the amount of guys flooding into the street. Cole nodded mutely and sent out a pulse, realizing that all people were in the process of leaving. Well, almost all, because a hand full remained in the upper levels.

The Conduit braced himself against the roof-mounted AC unit on their roof, attaching himself to its metal skin through magnetism- and charged up for a brief moment. Then he flipped his polarity, launching himself right through the window with the aid of the repulsion. He threw his arms up to protect his face, though the glass still bit into his unprotected forearms. Better them than his face, he figured. Using a shockwave previously would have countered his momentum and a lightning bolt would have been too much of a chance for them to scramble to defenses. So when he smashed through the window, he took about half a dozen guys by surprise.

Before they managed to get their brains together, he had already his Amp drawn and brutally knocked the first two guys out. He whirled around, intend on taking the other four- when his senses cried at him and he dove towards Wolfe instead, ripping him off his feet and getting him away from the wall, seconds before it exploded inwards in a cloud of dust and rubble. Three of the four guys had been too close and were summarily knocked out, the fourth simply made close friends with the opposite wall so hard, he passed out. Heller dropped the limp body from his hold, nonchalantly dusting off his dark shirt.

Something crashed outside, followed by the screams of the Militia, as he and Heller helped the trembling Wolfe down the stairs.

The moment they got outside, a military jeep with Kuo at the wheel stopped in front of the door screeching. Heller yanked the door open and shoved Wolfe inside none too gently, and Cole hopped on the truck bed in the back. The street on the other side was thoroughly dug up, with wrecked cars and unconscious bodies littering the ground.

“There are likely more roadblocks down the street”, Heller mentioned. He whistled. “C'mon Mercer. Let's wreck them!”

Kuo kicked down the accelerator and the jeep lurched to the front with squealing tires. Cole gasped from the sudden motion, though managed to remain upright. Heller and Alex both took the sides, rushing besides the jeep like they were taking a jog and weren't barreling down the street at roughly thirty miles the hour- and gaining in speed.

He felt cold sweat trickle down his back however as they raced along the canal to where he could see another barricade. Something wasn't right, and he just barely managed to activate his magnetism to lift the jeep off the ground, avoiding something racing racing through the floor with so much violence it kicked other cars off balance and crashed them.

Alex made a noise and dove at it, slamming his claw into the ground with enough force to crack it, but the wave of stone and rubble simply changed direction and charged Heller, who easily flipped over it. Kuo swore as Cole dropped the car, making the suspension creak in protest. “Another one like that, MacGrath, and we can walk because the axles broke!”

“Sorry, but what the Hell was that just now?!”

Alex growled and lunged at the thing in the ground again, this time jabbing his claws into the street right in front of it.
Forcing it to surface so fast, it slammed into him and catapulted him through the air.

For a brief moment, Cole thought of the Swamp Beasts, but only because this thing had a similar armor. Its front body was stronger, however, and its massive forelegs supported a horned head that reminded him of the mixture between a rhino and a beetle.

Lightning started crackling along his arms, but Heller threw his hand out, drawing his attention to several Swamp Beasts crawling from the tunnel the Tunneler Beast had created. “You keep going”, he growled. “Get Wolfe out of here, MacGrath. We'll keep these things busy.”

“And make them dead”, Alex added with a venomous snarl as he wiped black liquid off his jaw.

Cole was about to protest, but then he noticed the armor plates on the big guy, and remembered how little his lightning had done to the normal Swamp Beasts, so he just nodded briefly. “Get us out of here, Kuo!”

“You won't have to tell me twice”, the agent bit out, already slamming her foot back on the accelerator and gaining momentum. One of the Swamp Beasts tried to jump after them, but Heller intercepted it with claws on his own, jabbing them through its chest and just yanking them apart, splitting the thing neatly in the middle. “Go!”

The jeep sped off. Cole grit his teeth against the sudden vertigo, and crouched down a little. They had this under control, he told himself.

They had this under control, Heller told himself as he pulverized another Swamp Beast. The tunnels underneath them seemed to teem with these fucks, because for every one he smashed, two took its place.

Frankly, he loved it. It had been too long- too long - since he could go out fully.

He spun in place, dragging his claws in a circle around him and gutting four guys at once. More jumped, screeching. He met one in mid-air, brutally tackling it out of the way with his larger momentum and mass while the others collided with each other now that he was gone. Heller flipped over, kicking against the air as he barreled back into the cluster. His talons shredded more things, seconds before another came flying at one on his side and splattered both. Alex snarled fiercly, ducking under a swipe of the Tunneler and jabbing his talons into its side.

Respect where it was due, Heller thought, this thing was probably as tough as a Hunter, because it just reeled back with a shriek, and instantly tried to swipe at its foe. Alex rolled to the side with an expression on his face that was partly exhilaration and partly frustration.

Then Heller had to turn his attention to another cluster of critters charging him. He ducked behind his claws, braced himself when they impacted into him, then threw both hands to the front so sudden he generated a shockwave that knocked them off their weird bug feet.

One leapt at his back, taking him by surprise, and sinking its mandibles into his shoulder. Heller grunted in pain, then reached back and yanked it off him (ripping what felt like a chunk of himself out in the process) to slam it into the ground with enough force to turn it into paste. Hot blood was more or less fountaining from the injury for roughly three seconds, before the virus inside of him started to knit him back together. It hurt like Fuck , but it only made him feel alive.

He couldn't deny that he missed this. He loved his job and how peaceful it was, but he was a soldier and a weapon, so idle didn't fit his desires. But right now- right now he could do whatever he wanted. He jumped over another thing rushing him, and felt his claws retreat while his bones creaked and thickened. These creatures were armored, so he needed something to crack armor. When he hit the floor again, his forearms, wrists and fists had grown dramatically, had leeched ridiculous amounts of energy from his system to fuel their transformation. He felt it burn inside his guts, and he loved it.

He slammed his Hammerfists into the ground, splattering three things with the shockwave alone and throwing the others off balance. He didn't let them recover, swinging the heavy paws at the closest things and crushing their upper bodies in a single blow. Of course, he exchanged power for speed, and he couldn't react quickly enough when another thing leapt on his back and tried to bite him again- though this time it missed his softer human flesh and tried to sink its mandibles into his armored skin, snapping off one of its pincers from the force of impact. Heller snorted and seized it, just clenching his fist and cracking its skull like it was a raw egg.

Then he slammed his fists together to generate another shockwave to get some room to breathe, before he leapt several yards away from the main bulk of the critters. He figured they would need to close up the tunnels to stop them, but for this, they had to stop the big guy.

There was a disgruntled snarl from Alex's side, and Heller grimaced in sympathy. Because the kid's attacks had gotten completely uncoordinated, consisted of just swiping his claws into whatever direction he seemed fit. Maybe he just imagined the drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, but that wouldn't be too far off for how rabid he was acting.

The Evolved groaned briefly. Now he had to make sure he didn't flip his shit completely- or better, more than he already did. He was a predator surrounded by prey, and that made him crazy in the head- which meant he had to make them all silent so he could recover.

Heller dove at the first guy, slamming his Hammerfists down into the ground again to kill another bunch of these things, though instantly followed up with an uppercut to a curious one, before he smashed the club-like paws back down again.

He made good process, and Alex did too- ripping and tearing at the big guy and making it stumble and wail. Just then it suddenly surged to the front, its massive jaw closing at a lightning speed and cracked armor as its teeth sunk into Alex's upper arm and crushed his bones. It must have taken him by surprise, because he went rigid for a moment, and the beast just reared back, shaking its head like a dog did when it had a rat in its mouth. Alex hissed and twisted, jabbing his claws into its face to stop it from ripping his arm off, though it already swayed back even before his blow connected.

It screeched around its foe's arm, muscles clenching together so strong that it couldn't get its mouth open again-

Tentacles broke from its skull and armored back. Black tentacles that thrashed across its surface, ate up flesh and bone and fluids at a rapid pace and shattered ground and armor likewise. Alex made a startled noise as the tentacles crashed into his chest and dug in too-

And the Hive Mind screamed .

Chapter Text

The surge of pain tore him shrieking from the haze he'd been in. He couldn't remember what had happened, only bits of images, pieces of memories flitting past him. His memories stopped when he watched Cole and the others drive off with the jeep (and he wondered where Kuo got the car from), then more Swamp Beasts had popped up from the ground. It was like...he had experienced that before, had felt the sort of rush already. But the place had been another. Tall buildings around him, men screaming and shooting, and beasts of a whole different make rushing him, trying to kill him. Or just stop him?

It didn't matter. Because the things here were trying to do the same, so he reacted the same way himself. Just tearing at them, ripping them to pieces. He could remember that the big guy was the primary target, but he couldn't recall why .

He remembered however that he wasn't as indestructible as he should be, and when the thing bit into his arm, he felt a spike of panic jab into his chest, as well as the annoying realization that it should have been the other way round.

But then the thing began screaming in pain, not letting go of him in the process- and darkness started eating away at it. Blacklight, he recognized, recognized the way it ripped apart cells to make more of itself. Infecting at a startling speed, using its victim's body to generate mass- mass that by all rights should have belonged to him.

This, however, this wasn't him . He wasn't the one infecting the beast, it was the virus in itself- the virus that instantly latched onto his body as well, attempting to consume him, he realized with a start.
It...didn't scare him as much as it should have. It intrigued him more- he couldn't infect or shapeshift himself anymore, because what once had been Blacklight was now a poor imitation of a real body. However, as it seemed, his blood apparently had kept its infectious properties- and once it got spread to a fresh host, the virus woke. A fail-safe, of sort?

Alex didn't know, and just grit his teeth instead of struggling to break free as the tentacles bit into his own chest and tried to spread-
And it remembered. The body it attacked was Blacklight, only deactivated. Once the new strain made contact with him, a flash-fire of information raced through his system. It was painful, yes, but it also felt so good . Because he could feel each last cell being infected, being reactivated- and shifting into its original state. Like an old program being installed on a computer to remove the updates that corrupted the data in the first place.
It was exactly the same, and he felt the tenseness snap just as his temperature lurched upwards and his system remembered it wasn't a living organism, but Blacklight imitating one.

His body bristled all over, turning his insides out for a short second, and the not-flesh trying to feed off him shuddered briefly, before the pain melted away so sudden he actually felt light-headed.

The tentacles thrashed under his skin, connecting to his insides and flooding his awareness with information . Becoming part of him again, as they had always been.
What was left of the Tunneler Beast was ensnared and dragged into his form, feeding its mass into him and the satisfaction he felt was overwhelming. The hunger subsided somewhat, but remained as always. There were a lot of the other beasts left, though now the pain was somewhat gone, replaced by irritation that needed to be vented. Alex revealed his teeth in a nightmarish grin as tendrils squirmed over his surface and shifted his skin into armor. The other things were still unaware, and that was how he loved it anyways. He knelt down and jabbed one claw into the ground, shivering at the glorious feeling of stretching himself through the ground. He couldn't hide the maniacal laughter as he wrenched a cluster of Groundspikes out under a group of swamp beasts, utterly shredding them. He heard Heller swear and saw him jump back, though couldn't make out his expression without any eyes to speak of. He just shrugged as he recognized the fist-up gesture the other made, and turned his attention to the next group of creatures, turning one Claw into his Whipfist. Alex briefly charged towards them, then stopped suddenly and let the momentum spin him around, slicing through all the beasts in one swift motion.

The ground split as he dug in his heel to stop his rotation, and he snapped his arm back with a distinct crack . He shivered slightly when his surface melted and twisted his appearance back into his own, sans additional armor or claws. Smirking, he flexed his fingers, only glancing up as Heller approached him.

“You back then?”

Alex grinned a wide feral and vicious grin. “I'm back.”

Ashes and fire and pain and screams everywhere. He tried to whirl, tried to find out what was going on, tried to stop whatever was going on-

“You failed, Cole”, Kessler sneered at him. “You failed again. How many times do you have to fail to realize that you need to be stronger to win?”

Cole bristled, trying to face the old man, but he was gone already. “I didn't fail!” He snapped, “I can still turn this around! You hear me?!”

“Turn this around?” The voice was cold. “How? The Beast is coming, Cole, and you just lost your allies. You won't be able to stop it with their help. Others are just a distraction. You need to cut your losses and focus on just the Beast.”

“I won't”, he hissed back, “They are my friends. And they will figure out what can be done.”

“You trust men and creatures that don't understand any of this.”

“Because I don't either!” Cole snapped at him. “All you tell me are more riddles and cryptic remarks! I need answers! But you won't give me any!” He clenched his fists, and lightning started snapping from his skin. “All you tell me is that I have to defeat the Beast, yet you don't tell me how!” He marched towards the old man, eyes blazing. “You tell me you could have beaten the thing, but you don't share it with me!”

“Cole-”

“No! You will listen! I'm fucking tired of this entire mess! All I have done was trying to figure out how to beat it, and you come and tell me I'm weak?!”

“Cole-”

“You were weak!” He snapped at him, “You couldn't protect anybody! And you have no idea either what to do!”

“Hey, man”

“No! Either you tell me how to do this, or you shut the fuck up!”

“Cole! Wake up, man!”

The Conduit tore himself upwards with a strangled gasp, jerking upwards so fast he collided with somebody leaned over him- only his skull was more durable and less inclined to feel pain than the other's face, so while he sat up, the other sat down with a swear. Wild blue eyes darted from one corner to the other without seeing. He was just vaguely aware of lightning crackling over his skin.

“For God's sake”, another voice barked, “Snap out of it or I make you!” Cole inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on his breathing first. Had to slow it down, had to get his pulse under control. Couldn't pay attention to what was around him, though he was pretty sure he wasn't in danger anyways. It took him maybe a minute or two to get himself back under control, at which point he slowly pried his eyes open to take in his surrounding. He was back on the roof, but that had been thrashed a bit. Scorch marks were on the ground where his lightning had struck, and several of their items had been flung around. Zeke was clutching a bloodied handkerchief to his face, Dana was peeking out from behind the AC unit nearby, Cross was crouched besides her, Heller stood above him, glaring, and Alex had his armor up.

Cole blinked at the latter, because that was something his confused brain found most important at the moment. “Oh hey”, he slurred, and his head hurt again. “You got your powers back.”

“I did”, the Runner confirmed with a shrug. His armor melted and settled into his usual appearance.

“Cool. How?” He felt like his head was filled with cotton, so he couldn't recognize what the looks meant that the others sent each other.

Alex arched an eyebrow. “I was bitten by one of the big guys, and that idiot infected himself with me. Turned on me, and switched me back online.”

“Oh, that's nice”, Cole swung his legs over the couch and swayed briefly, putting his head in his hands with a groan when vertigo struck again. And then he noticed that it shouldn't be like that. “Shit, what's going on?”

“We were hoping you could tell us”, Colonel Blackwatch gruffly requested, getting up and pulling Dana to her feet. “The moment I made it to my team, a bunch of these things suddenly jumped from the ground and attacked us. It took us the better of half an hour to pick them all clean, and we only managed to get through when Heller and Mercer appeared- which means we couldn't react when Dana asked for our help.”

Cole groaned, then shook his head. “I don't-” His eyes narrowed. “Where are Kuo and Wolfe?”

“That's it”, Heller growled. “Kuo is gone. No idea where she is.”

He blanched, his brain lurching into clarity. “Bertrand- Bertrand has her”, he gasped. “Wolfe?”

“Dead”, Alex put bluntly. “Shot through the head. No chance recovering any information.”

He felt like somebody had pulled the rug out from under his feet, and Cole buried his head back in his hands. Kessler had been right- he had failed .

“Man”, Zeke's voice cut into his thoughts. “What happened?”

Cole didn't feel very good when they left Heller and Alex behind with these...things. Logically speaking, they were the best choice for it- they have been fighting monsters for way longer than he did, and his lightning barely fazed the normal guys anyways. But the big one? Cole was pretty sure he would have needed to throw cars at it until it died.

Still, it sat uncomfortable inside of him- these things had been human at one point, but they weren't anymore because of the power of one Conduit. Sasha had been similar, but even she hadn't been able to twist people so far away from human .

Or maybe she would have been able to , a voice whispered inside his head, if she had survived with her powers intact for longer than a month . He felt inclined to agree with that voice, because their current theory was that the Conduit responsible for the Swamp Beasts had been around for years . He figured that maybe it could be this so-called 'Swamp Witch'. Which meant they had to find this person too to stop the Swamp Beasts from attacking people.

But first things first: Cole knelt down behind the driver's cabin, tapping the glass. Kuo easily slipped it open without taking her attention off the road.

“You okay?” He asked Wolfe, who seemed pretty shaken.

The man shivered, but managed to pull himself together to offer an exhausted smile. “Bertrand's men weren't the most friendly hosts, and you certainly didn't cover yourself in glory either with your rather dramatic rescue operation.” He shrugged, though Cole noticed it looked a little stiff. “I'm not complaining, though.”

“Hold it”, the Conduit demanded, squinting a bit. “Did they hurt you?”

Wolfe squirmed in his seat, acutely aware of the side-glance Kuo gave him. “I wasn't cooperating and his interrogation methods were quite...creative.” He claimed in a tone that told Cole that yes, these assholes did, in fact, hurt Doctor Wolfe.

“I can fix you up”, he offered, though Kuo cut him off before he could extend that offer. “You can do that once we are out of our escape vehicle”, she told him sternly, “Because you keep blowing up cars when sitting inside- against every logic.” She scoffed and made a sharp turn into an alley. “We have to get away first, then we can dump the car.” She was silent for a moment, then glanced at the doctor. “We've seen things that were clearly based on your designs-”

“The bombs, I know”, the man groaned. “They wanted me to spill my guts, but I tried to hold back as much as possible. It is quite disheartening to realize that they managed to manufacture workings bombs basing on Ray Field Energy just from what I told them.”

“So they're not as dumb as we think they are”, Cole mused. “Duly noted then--?” His head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing. Something screamed at the back of his skull, but it weren't more tunneling Swamp Beasts, that much he knew. When he heard the roar of an engine and the jeer of Militia, he slapped his hand on the top of the car. “Put that foot down, Kuo, we're about to get visitors!”

To give her credit, the NSA agent didn't even question it, just ground her foot down on the accelerator to make their truck jump to the front. Just as they shot out from the alley, a truck loaded with four Militia guys nearly cut them, and it was only thanks to Cole's quick reaction that they didn't crash them. Instead, the Conduit swore and flicked his wrists upwards, yanking the car off the ground and tried to flip it over, but one of the guys fired a fucking grenade launcher at them, forcing Cole to stop levitating the car and focus on bouncing the much more dangerous explosive back. He missed the truck however when another collided with theirs and nearly pushed them off the street. “Stealing from the Militia!” A voice yelled from what was clearly a PA system, “That's a hangin' offense in New Marais!”

Cole felt his blood run cold. These assholes actually executed people?! He gnashed his teeth together, lightning crawling over his form. “I'm going to enjoy hurting you”, he growled, lugging a grenade at the first car. It blew up in a glorious ball of fire as he whirled and took out the second one, picking up his voice. “You hear me, you assholes?! I will make you beg for forgiveness!”

“Cole! Brace yourself!” Kuo snapped, and he only had a split second to electromagnetically anchor himself to the car, before she swerved to the side so violently that half the tires actually left the ground. Squealing, the truck shot down the street, narrowly avoiding clipping another hick truck. He heard Wolfe whimper. “Gods, Lucy, who taught you to drive?”

“Niko Bellic! Now hold on to your breakfast!” She twisted the wheel, spinning the truck around and kicking the accelerator again so it lurched to the front and back the way they've come. The hicks passed them by with confused yells.

Cole grimaced and ducked again, keeping an eye on their pursuers. “That voice”, he pointed out, “That weren't the hicks, was it?”

“No”, Kuo grunted, avoiding another truck by briefly driving on the sidewalk. “Bertrand.”

“Wonderful”

“Where are your friends?” Wolfe questioned, “The two clawed Conduits?”

“No clue”, Cole hissed when he heard the distinct crack of their side mirror snapping off. “I guess they're busy with those Swamp Beasts.” He whirled around and shoved a shockwave into the general direction of their pursuers, bouncing back a few grenades. But he was feeling a little drained. “Kuo! Go along the train tracks! I need some juice!”

“You got it”, the agent acknowledged, changing direction immediately. The tires rumbled when they got on the tracks, and Cole instantly latched onto the overhead wire, feeling relief when his body leeched the energy into him. But to it came dread.

He stopped himself as soon he felt his batteries recharged, and knelt down. “Don't you think it's weird?”

“Weird?” Wolfe questioned. Kuo however set her jaw. “No civilians anywhere”, she pointed out. “They're all gone.”

His senses screamed in alarm and Cole whirled more out of instinct than actual realization and just fired a shockwave backwards, pushing their car to the front and reflecting a rocket back at the same time. Nearly hitting the semi truck that somehow managed to sneak up on them. His eyes widened at the sight of the additional metal plating that would render this ride immune against his lightning attacks. And shielded its electrical signature somewhat from him too.

They wouldn't be able to fight this . “The side alleys!” He snapped at Kuo, “We gotta shake this thing, then ditch this car!”

The agent twisted the wheel and raced into the closest alley and out on the other side- but another truck suddenly shot at them, ramming into their vehicle with enormous force. Cole threw a shockwave at it, flipping it over, but another came howling at them. Kuo slammed her foot on the brake, and their car stopped screeching so the other overshot them. At the next moment, she ground her other foot back on the accelerator to get past them while they were still reeling. The engine made an ungodly howl as the car tore down a narrow side street. Another truck tried to intercept them, but Cole bounced it back with another shockwave.

“They know where we are!” He snapped.

Kuo grit her teeth. “Cole! Keep them off our ass!”

“I'll try, but I don't know how much more juice--” He cut himself off, eyes narrowing. So that was Bertrand's endgame- keep them away from sources of electricity, keep the pressure up and force them to continue running- depleting his internal source of energy until he wouldn't be able to continue fighting. And he couldn't drain from a car battery as long it was still under the hood either- if he tried, he would short it out and lose the charge completely.

But they had other possibilities. He crouched down and switched on his phone. “Dana! If you can do that, try to get these assholes off our tail!”

There was static for a moment, then Dana's voice filtered through. “On it. Trying to scramble their GPS tracers.”

“The GPS in this truck acts both ways”, Wolfe threw in, looking surprisingly pale for a black guy. “It shows the car's own position, but can also be detected with the right equipment.”

“What he said. I guess Bertrand has the detection tech on his car- is that a semi?!”

“It is, and it is armored”, Cole grunted, keeping an eye out for the others. They had two more on their tail at the moment, but Kuo's frantic driving kept them out of their line of sight long enough so they couldn't target them correctly.

“Okay...the GPS chip should be...” Dana was silent for a brief moment, then she exclaimed a victorious “AH-HAH!” “Chip is just below the radio. You have to remove it.”

Cole didn't wait for a reaction, just smashed his fist through the hard plastic and bits of metal, then pulled back and simply yanked the radio out of the dashboard. He threw it into the street with a snort. “Good work” , Dana confirmed. “Your tracer just went dark.”

“Still, can you please attempt to confuse them?” Kuo demanded in a strained voice. “We'll try to shake them, get into a secure place, and ditch this truck.”

“Get to the roofs”, Dana suggested. “I'll contact Cross.”

“What about Alex or Heller?”

“Can't reach either of them. I bet they already broke their phones.”

“Crap” Cole sent out a pulse, hoping to snatch a glance of their unique energy signatures, but came up empty. He simply didn't have enough range. “Can you try to get back to where they should be at the moment?”

“I can try”, Kuo admitted, “But what about those Swamp Beasts?”

“Will probably be a bit busy”, the Conduit grit his teeth. “Besides, I can beat them if I have to. Better than half the Militia!”

“Roger then-” Kuo cut herself off with a swear, then yanked the wheel around and diving back into another alleyway, knocking trashcans asides. A street barricade had cut them off, one made of concrete blocks. Cole's eyes widened. “Bad choice!” He yelped, “Bad, bad choice!”

There were too many enemies, and when they slid out around the corner on the other side, he could see tons of hicks sitting on the balconies, all with grenade launchers or rocket launchers or just very big guns.

“I am aware!” Kuo retorted, “But we also can't go back.” Another truck raced after them as if to make a point. Cole groaned. He just had to power through, then. He threw his hand out and grabbed the enemy truck with his magnetic field to lift it off the ground and throw it towards the largest cluster of hicks nearby to scatter them. Kuo ground her heel even deeper into the pedal to try and lure some speed out of their vehicle, though she couldn't go as fast as she wanted because of the narrow streets. She did have some serious driving skills, however, capable of racing through entirely too narrow alleys and gaps, and making hairpin turns that threw their pursuers off their game. In fact, she was so good at it that most of the shots from the hicks went wide or even hit the other pursuers. Cole only needed to employ his powers a little, and only the normal lightning bolts that were his only attacks that didn't seem to drain his reserves in any way. Or, better put, they didn't drain more than his body managed to recover by itself.

It wasn't enough, though. Their truck wouldn't survive any more hits, he realized, as another truck tried to ram into them and only barely hit them- but the momentum of their impact still ripped their vehicle off course and made it slide in nearly a full circle, in which all Kuo could do was grab the wheel and swear profoundly. Cole actually had to tear the damaged hind fender off to prevent it from biting into the tire. So when he spotted another group of hicks, he chucked a lightning grenade at them, then fired three self-targeting balls of lightning on the truck that tried to run them off the street. He tried not to think how it made him feel a little more empty and and a little more thirsty.

He couldn't latch onto the passing street lights at the speed they were going at, and there was no overhead wire here.

“I fucked their GPS trackers over”, Dana's voice chimed in, “Half of the guys are confused, but the other half still have you in their sights.”

“Probably all the explosions around here”, Cole mentioned seconds before he had to bounce another rocket back. “Case in point”, he added when it blew up. He blinked. “Can you make some more?”

“I could”, came the slow reply, “But then the city will go dark. And...I don't think New Marais got Substations like Empire had.”

“Okay, so that's a no-go.”

“I can, however, probably fake some calls, try and draw some more of those guys off your ass.”

“Be careful”

Dana scoffed softly, but didn't dismiss his words. “Don't worry. I survived three years after Manhattan with Blackwatch on my ass. I can deal with a bunch of bigoted assholes.”

“Do you know where Bertrand is?”, Kuo questioned without taking her eyes off the street. Another truck hurtled towards them, but Cole smashed a shockwave into it to completely dent in its front and flip it over on its back.

“Currently...heading along the main street, near St. Ignatius.”

“Good, then we'll head into the other direction. What about Cross?”

“I'm afraid you're on your own”, Dana commented with what was definitely a groan. “Because apparently they got a whole bunch of Swamp Beasts up their asses currently.”

“Shit”

“Just get off the street, hunker down, and wait for this to blow.”

“Will do” Kuo tore the wheel around and raced back into another alley, this time cleanly ripping off the other side mirror. Cole ducked under the low fire escapes and clothes lines, watched how the one truck chasing after them burrowed into the alley wall and got stuck. Hah, that way's secure then- but the front wasn't. The Conduit grit his teeth, focusing his power. “When we get out”, he hissed at the agent, “Turn left. There's a barricade made of several cars and hicks.” He sent out another pulse, and once it came back to him, he grunted once. “No other guys far I can tell after that.”

“You can take them?”

“No problem.” Kuo nodded and just inhaled once, then lifted her foot off the gas pedal, kicked the brake and twisted the wheel the very moment they left the alley. The momentum squished Cole's organs into his ribs, but he managed to remain stable and fired the shockwave to the front with both hands to send the trucks and men flying like they were toys. In the same moment, the agent ground back down on the accelerator and the truck jumped to the front, racing out under the mess and roaring along the street. The cars hit the ground behind them with loud crashs.

As they were shooting down the street and towards the blocked bridge, at which point Kuo roughly twisted the wheel and turned right, Cole finally felt himself relax. He felt sore and tired, but there wasn't anybody after them anymore. Kuo slowed down their breakneck speed too, so he didn't need to anchor himself anymore. “Okay Wolfe”, the Conduit began, “These guys just put a lot effort into making you dead.” And they did. These blows- they hadn't been there to stop them. They had been there to kill . “What is it they don't want you talking about?”

Wolfe sighed. “Bertrand had funded me to make something for him”, he admitted, “A device that would solve both our problems. The Blast Cores were part of it.”

“Guys!” Dana's voice suddenly cut in frantically, “I just found out that Bertrand's own tracker was not inside his truck! I repeat: His truck is fucking invis-”

Cole didn't hear much more over the alarming screech inside his head, over the roar of blood and the unholy crunch as their vehicle collided with the massive armored semi truck that simply plowed through a previously view-obstructing billboard.

He felt his body being flung through the air, and he hit the floor with enormous force so he flipped and rolled and scraped over the rough ground. He couldn't think , couldn't breathe anymore, could just lie there as his body was set on fire. Internal? Or external? He couldn't tell, but his brain began screaming in raw animal panic. Cole tried to struggle to his feet, but his legs weren't working and his head wasn't right, and there were voices and people and he had to get away-

He didn't know how he managed, but he somehow dragged himself towards a storm drain, at which point his brain cleared enough so he could turn back and just watch how several Militia mercs pulled a slim tiny form from the wrecked truck. He saw a flash of fire, and a deafening crack afterwards, and the men abandoned the wreckage, now actively looking for him.

But they didn't find him. Cole gasped and heaved the ruins of his own body further into the wet and dark pipe, before his strength left him and he curled himself up, shivering weakly. He couldn't run anymore, couldn't fight, and fire and darkness swallowed him whole.

Heller grunted under his breath. His body was yelling at him for relief, for nourishment, for anything to take the edge off- and all he did was push himself further, relishing in the glorious chaos of battle again.

They had finished with the Tunneler beast, but more Swamp Beasts started appearing all over the city. He had smelled them, and was forced to split with Mercer to go after them. He didn't find it in himself to be annoyed about it. If anything, he could do this shit on his own terms now. Since Mercer had the full extent of his powers back, he also had full control over his Devastators and consuming, so he would be stealing his kills anyways- and Heller needed an outlet for his frustrations so bad .

The explosions he could hear worried the Evolved, but he never managed to take a look because these fucks crawled from every hole and every crevice and tried to maul him. His shirt was already in tatters from the things' claws, his body was bloodied from both his own blood and the creatures', and his muscles were getting sore.

He loved every moment of it.

Even as the last Swamp Beast collapsed, he could already hear and smell a new pack, so he made his way over there, finding four more critters closing in on a small group of civilians. Heller barreled into them, and took off the head of the first beast with freshly formed claws. The others whirled and screeched at him, he ducked under a wide swing and gutted the next, kicked the third and used his momentum to slam the fourth into the ground hard enough to snap its spine. The third tried to get up, so he just marched over and stomped down on its chest to kill it.

Heller huffed out and dropped his arms, turning to look at the few civilians with a frown. They have been the first guys he'd seen so far, and that confused him. “Mind telling me where anybody else is?”

The people flinched, eyes widening as if they couldn't believe that he was speaking to them. He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can talk. No, I am not one of these things. But I got questions and I'd like them answered.”

The civilians glanced at each other, then the apparent leader spoke up. “Bertrand's told us to stay inside tonight. But ah...”

“You decided to screw it and still went out?”

“Yeah, exactly, man.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Which put us in a bad place.”

“You better get off the street and back into safety”, Heller told them, “Because I can smell a few more of these things coming over here now.”

“Yeah man, I feel you.” The man motioned for his crowd to follow him as they got off the street. Heller snorted, briefly considering whether to get back to the east part of the city and look what in the blazes caused that ruckus over there, but then he heard a snarl and just turned, facing another Tunneler that was peeking around a corner.

And that wasn't right. Heller's eyes narrowed as the thing snarled again and ran off. Baiting him. But he knew he didn't have a choice in the matter- if he didn't follow it and stop it, it was entirely possible that it and its kin could hurt or kill civilians.

“Fuck this”, he charged after the thing, spreading his focus to the Hive Mind at the same time. It was a little painful at first, comparable to someone with hearing loss visiting a heavy metal concert and suddenly regaining his ability to hear.

“You already noticed how these pieces of shit are drawing us away?” Technically, he didn't need to speak out loud, but it helped him to focus.

“I did”, was Mercer's reply inside his head, and he didn't even question what he meant. “They want us somewhere else.”

“You noticed the direction we're going?”

“I assume it's towards the military compounds?”

“Yup. They're trying to take Cross by surprise.”

“Well, joke's on them, then. I know I wouldn't want to go against Cross on a bad day.”

“Still, it would be nice to help him, wouldn't it?”

“Probably. I can't help but feel concerned. This is not normal infected behavior. The Swamp Beasts should be similar- why are they drawing us away? From who?”

“MacGrath and Wolfe.” Heller grit his teeth. “Shit, we have to do something.”

“Yes, get to Cross, murder these things as fast as possible, and then try and relocate Cole. Only chance I see.”

“On it”

Heller snorted and picked up his speed, barreling down the street at top speed. Which was fast enough to catch up to a car on the freeway, and certainly fast enough to cross the entire city and follow the track of Swamp Beasts to the airfield where Cross and his team were.

They looked a bit like they've been taken by surprise, but were dealing with a massive swarm of Swamp Beasts well enough on their own. Heller spotted Grayson wrestling one of at least four more Tunnelers, and he noticed one creature lurking nearby. It resembled a Tunneler, but was larger with a darker coloration. Heller grimaced when he noticed Mercer approach too, and fast - and several hundred feet off the ground too. How the Hell he managed to get up there was forever going to be a secret, but he knew exactly what was to be expected.

He lunged at the D-Code and the Tunneler, jabbing his claws through the thing's head and nearly ripping it off before he spun around and grabbed Grayson to bodily drag him away.

“Fucking HADES?!” The D-Code snapped, “What the-?!”

“You're going to thank me”, the Evolved snapped back, dragging the man towards the bewildered looking Wisemen. “Now get down!”

Cross must have spotted the tell-tale glow of Mercer's biolumniscent spot from down here, because he seemed to blanch a little, then focused on backing his team up so they could retreat.

The next second, Mercer thrust his body downwards like a missile. Heller swore under his breath the moment the Runner impacted into the floor with the force of a warhead, splattering several Swamp Beasts on impact.

He felt the agony rip through the Hive Mind, pain born from too densely packed Biomass far beyond what Blacklight was comfortable with, and Heller subconsciously brought himself between the Wisemen and the cluster of rubble, dust and Swamp Beasts.

Then Mercer exploded into every direction, turning into spear-like tentacles that burrowed through and impaled every last Swamp Beast nearby. Only the Tunneler-like-beast managed to get away, was more or less staring in shock- until the tendrils snapped back to their center and Mercer darted out of the cloud of dust and rubble to slam bodily into the thing.

It twisted and screeched, and he flipped over its shoulder to sink his Blade so deep into its back the tip ripped out of the thing's sternum. He grinned and yanked it out downwards, splitting the thing open from its chest to its hips. Before it fell, however, black tendrils ensnared its body and tore it apart, leeching its mass into Mercer's.

There was a thoughtful expression on his face the moment the tentacles settled back into his form and his feet hit the ground with a solid crack .

Cross was the first to speak. “Anything?”

“As expected, pieces of memories. Nothing solid, all scrambled to Hell and back.” Mercer cocked his head. “But they really have been human before.”

“Shit”, Santos growled. “We got a Runner?”

“A Conduit”, Cross corrected, “But one acting like a Runner. Similar to the big guy.”

“But not the same”, Heller threw in. “The Beast...where is it anyways?”

“Currently near Savannah”, MacAlistair commented. He furrowed his brows. “But this guy must have been around for longer, had it? Because it would have been too obvious when suddenly thousands of people disappeared over a short period of time.”

“We think it's been a few years ago”, Heller told him. “Back then a Ray Sphere went up here, and Ray Spheres are what makes people into Conduits.”

Cross was rubbing his chin, absent-mindedly prodding a piece of Swamp Beast on the ground with the toe of his boot. “This attack, and the attack yesterday, were coordinated.” He eyed Mercer. “Anything on the Hive Mind?”

The Runner shook his head. “There is something , but the sender is currently off-line, so to speak.”

“No feedback?”

“Not in this case”, Mercer frowned a little. “Redlight was a lot like a military unit. Constant feedback from the field, with Greene being the central hub and command center, coordinating the attacks. That's why everything went to shit the moment she died. This here is...strictly one-way. There is a leader, but none of the Corrupted are capable of communicating with them. All they do is follow orders. There is feedback missing, so all they do is what they are told to do. Not attacking the Militia with full force, for example.”

Heller arched one eyebrow. “'Corrupted'?”

“Their leader calls them that, that they know.”

“But the Militia's in it”, Jackson scoffed. “Which means Bertrand is in on it.” He glanced at Cross. “Sir, what are your orders?”

“Keep the Corrupted away from the civilians”, Cross replied. “I don't know whether Bertrand suspects, but you need to keep your ear as close as possible to the ground. If anything acts up, you are free to disobey any order he might issue."

“Sir”

Heller flinched slightly at the sudden shriek of Cross's phone. The Colonel just arched an eyebrow and pulled it from his pocket, glancing at it for a moment to verify the caller ID, then answered it.

“Cross here”

“Thank Fuck!” Dana's voice sounded pretty worked up, close to hysterics.

“Dana, what's the problem?”

“The problem is I lost contact with Cole and Agent Kuo!” The young woman cursed briefly under her breath. “They got themselves into some situation, running away from a whole lot of Militia fucks while Alex and James were distracted-”

“Too many Swamp Beasts”, Mercer cut in, eyes narrow. “Dana- what happened?”

There was a shaky exhale. “Cole and Kuo were to take Wolfe to safety, but there was Militia everywhere- I know they got clear though, only then they suddenly weren't-” She cut herself off for a brief moment. “I don't know what the Fuck went down, okay? Bertrand must have noticed me listening in and ordered a total radio stop, probably switched frequencies. I got nothing here, no chatter, no conversation- it's all dead, and now Cole doesn't answer his phone either.”

“You got a last position?” Heller cut in.

“Yeah, corner Church Street and North Canal.”

Mercer just snarled and instantly raced off. Heller swore and dashed after him a second later, catching up to the Runner within a few steps, who was already leaping clear over the chain link fence of the air field.

“Just, what the Fuck, man?!” He snapped the moment he got close enough.

“It was all a distraction!” Mercer hissed. “One we couldn't ignore because these things are a viable threat.”

“I got that”, Heller huffed out, trying to ignore the burn in his stomach.

“This hatred against Conduits is all an act”, Mercer snarled as he catapulted himself straight into the air, Heller following after him. “He's planning something.”

“You got an idea what?”

“Best guess? Weapons!”

That made sense, Heller had to admit, because they have found technology linked to Ray Field energy that was already employed as weapon. From what he knew from Empire, this Moya woman also attempted to utilize the Conduits themselves as soldiers. Bertrand- Bertrand was a business man. Heller could imagine him trying to use Conduits as means to increase his wealth and power.

After all, that had always been the whole reason for war.

He turned his attention down towards the streets, watching a few Militia trucks pass along the streets below, but he couldn't pick up anything from their chatter. Mercer growled in his throat once, then turned his focus to the sprawling city of New Marais. The wind turned in that moment, bringing with it the acrid stench of leaking gasoline, burnt rubber and hot metal- and it originated approximately from the area Dana had lost contact in.

Even at a distance, Heller could read what happened in the streets- a shattered billboard, tire tracks too large to be from a normal car, bits of metal and plastic scattered about, the gravel on the shore line dug up.

He made a noise when he discovered the turned over jeep in the canal. From the tracks on the street he could say with some certainty that, after crashing into it with a larger vehicle, likely a semi truck, the car then was rammed into from the side to knock it clean off the street and into the shallow water.

He could smell blood, so he made a straight line towards it immediately, crouching down besides it. “Ah, fuck.”

Mercer appeared besides him, eyes narrow. “Wolfe”, he rumbled.

“Yeah, no chance there.” Heller narrowed his eyes as he took in the scene. The late doctor was still buckled up, hanging upside-down. Fractures on his face and upper body spoke from a violent collision, one that would have rendered him badly hurt or dead anyways. But somebody had tried to be certain, because there was a hole in the man's head and sticky matter sprayed across the surface besides it.

“Shit”, the Evolved growled. “Ran over and shot through the head.” He cut himself off, brows furrowing. “That doesn't make any sense.” He eyed Mercer. “If they need him, why kill him?”

“Possible that Bertrand figured it wasn't worth the risk”, the Runner replied, eyes searching the stretch of shore line. “Or he already got everything what he wanted and tried to prevent someone from finding out what it was- or to prevent from somebody else having the same thing. Like those Chinese architects that constructed the Hall of Supreme Harmony- and got summarily executed so they wouldn't tell anybody how they did it.”

“Fuck”, Heller grunted, climbing back to his feet. “We gotta call this in. You said the cops don't see eye-to-eye with Bertrand either.”

“And tell them what? That Bertrand killed Doctor Wolfe?”

“Not yet. Just tell them about the accident so they'll come and pick Wolfe up. We can't keep a body with us.” He paused, “On that note, you've seen Kuo or MacGrath?”

“Kuo's trail gets lost somewhere over there”, Mercer waved vaguely his hand towards the street. “But Cole...” He abruptly turned around and walked over to the storm drain that poked out from beneath the street.

Heller trailed after him, quickly noticing the metallic smell of blood that seeped out of the pipe. Mercer picked up his pace a little, peeking into the drain. He let out a low rumble which probably was an exhale of relief, then climbed in. Heller didn't bother doing the same, just arching an eyebrow as he cocked his head.

The Conduit was lying on his side with his back to the opening, curled up and shaking slightly. He didn't react, however, even as the Runner carefully reached out to shake him, then scooped him up. “He's not looking too hot”, he grumbled.

“Yeah, like he's been in a car accident.” The Evolved cocked his head. “And now?”

“Now we'll go back and gather whoever's left back together”, Mercer decided. “Cole will heal, and once he wakes up, he can probably shed some light on what happened.”

Chapter Text

Cole just sat on the couch with his head in his hands. The Militia got Kuo, and Wolfe was dead. “Shit.”

Dana grimaced, squirming a bit in the seat next to him as she worked on her laptop. Trying to decrypt the data they had taken off the messenger pigeons. “It's my fault too, you know? I hadn't realized that Bertrand's truck didn't have its GPS chip inside anymore. And then all the Swamp Beasts popping up and just taking all our heavy hitter's attention-”

The Conduit exhaled. “We completely underestimated these bastards.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “We're losing on all sides”, he admitted.

Dana snorted. “We don't”, she told him. “You are still here, we have the RFI and we know we need the Blast Cores to make it work.” She gestured over to where Alex was bent over the mentioned orb, frowning as he tapped and prodded the thing and looked at a laptop on the folding table. “Alex is trying to figure this thing out. I'm trying to crack the code. And we have Heller and Cross.”

Cole hadn't seen either of them since they left some time ago. “What about them?”

“Well apparently, Cross had enough of Bertrand thinking he had military jurisdiction. He had his boss get him a military transport and marched right in as Colonel of Blackwatch, declaring New Marais now their playground since, you know, we got some form of infected monster roaming around. He figured they got better chances like that.” She snorted. “Heller accompanied him as his personal aide, and according to him, Bertrand is not amused.”

“Does that mean we're getting these hicks off our asses now?” He wasn't sure whether he liked it- the Militia didn't deserve getting off easy.

“Not yet”, Alex threw in without looking up. “Martial Law still goes and the Militia applies for all necessary points. Plus, it's only the Wisemen and they are a small squad. They don't even get the fun toys. But now we can react much faster should the need arise.”

“There are some choppers too just outside the city limits”, Dana added. “Tanks are a no-go though.”

Cole grit his teeth. “And how does this help us find Kuo?!” It was his fault she was gone, and he knew damn fucking well that these fascists weren't opposed to torture and murder. Maybe even more. And Kuo had always been a thorn in that asshole's side. Now she was in his hands and defenseless- he didn't want to think about it.

Dana fell silent with a huff, watching him. “I'm not trying to brush her off, if that is what you think. She's our friend, had helped us a lot during these past weeks- but you can't lose sight of what is important.” She pointed at him. “ You . You are important, Cole, because none of us can use the RFI and stand up to the Beast. Promise me that you won't do anything rash, and whenever you feel overwhelmed, call for backup.”

The Conduit clenched his teeth so hard it hurt. He hated being the one who everyone depended on, hated that his life was more important than the others'- but he also knew he couldn't deny her request. He exhaled coldly, forcing the anger back inside. “Deal”, he ground out.

“Cool”, Dana beamed at him. “The next time try to mask your pissed off attitude, please.”

Cole grumbled under his breath, then turned his head slightly when Zeke clambered up on the roof.

“Hey man, you calmed down somewhat?”

“Not really. But I'm not going to go on a killing spree, if that is what you think.”

“Good, 'cuz I think I got some good news for you.”

“If you have an idea how to get Blast Cores, I'm all ears”, the Conduit grumbled. “Because without them, the RFI's just a paperweight.”

Zeke shook his head gently. “Don't worry man, I'll figure something out.” Then he pushed out his chest. “But I heard some rumors, man. Maybe you should check them out?”

“And what are rumors supposed to do?”

“I think I found Kuo.”

Cole blinked, looking briefly back to Alex and Dana, who were both glancing into their direction with a surprised expression. He turned back to his friend. “Hold it. Did you just say 'You found Kuo'?”

Zeke grimaced briefly. “Well, it's more of 'I possibly found Kuo'.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It's mostly rumors right now, but they are some pretty heavy clues that it might be something real.”

Cole felt his heart skip. “Speak”

“Heard that a gal escaped the lynch mob”, Zeke told him. “Not even an hour ago. Track seems to lead over into the swamp”, he motioned for the thicket just visible across the block. “There are some shacks where people made their moonshine back in the bootleggin' days.”

“It would be ideal”, Cole noticed. “I mean, she's clever enough to get out if things get bad. And she would be able to give those idiots the slip, right?”

“Exactly”

He didn't need long to decide. “I'll check it out”, he declared. “Good work, Zeke.”

“Anythin' for you, brother.”

Cole turned to the siblings. “Either of you want to come along?”

“I'm comfortable here”, Dana claimed. “And those decryptions won't do themselves.”

Alex was frowning for a moment, then shook his head. “You need to vent. Go and take a look, I'll stay here for now.”

Cole was grateful for this little alone time. He really needed it. “Thanks, man.” Without wasting another moment, he jumped off the roof.

“Take care you don't fall in the water and drown”, Dana called after him. “And look out for gators!”

“Love you too”, he yelled back, already hovering across the street. The daylight would hide the blue flashes of his lightning well enough, he knew, at least in the crowded parts of the city. Once he reached the bog, it would be a different story.

He was aware that it was just a rumor, basically any female person could be the 'gal' Zeke mentioned, but he needed to know . If it was Kuo, she probably needed help. That car crash couldn't have been good for her, even if it was hours after that collision. He hoped it wouldn't be too late, or that he would find at least something of Kuo, something that told him she was still alive.

He leapt off that last building and hit the street with a heavy thud and a powerful discharge, startling a few of the civilians around- though obviously not all of them as he did notice a few draw their cell phones and hold it up to take pictures or video clips of him. Huh, wasn't he supposed to be the bad guy everybody was scared of?
Or not, he figured, since he and Alex had spent a lot of time running about the city punching assholes and helping the normal folks. So maybe he had a repeat of Empire here, where people started looking up to him. It twisted something in his chest and he wasn't sure whether it was a good twist, or a bad twist.

Regardless, he didn't have time to stop and chat, so he just turned left and ducked into an alleyway and made his way to where the swamp met the city. At one of the light houses, he met the other side of the people, the real dumbasses that hung off Bertrand's lips at every word and declared him 'crap'. He just rolled his eyes, zapped one of their protest banners for shit and giggles, and rushed past them as they leapt out of the way yelping. Then he jumped over the railing that prevented people from falling off the sidewalk and into the swamp a few feet lower.

His feet hit the soft and spongy ground, and he nearly overbalanced. Soft ground wasn't something he was used to, but he found the air to be a lot different than in the city. Somehow, it made him feel a little calmer as he dashed into the tree line and leapt clear over a fallen cypress tree. There were birds tweeting, and the sun was shining. For a brief moment, he thought that here, he could forget his worries for a little while.

But he had a mission. No distraction, especially not when every step here could end with him stumbling into the bog.

Cole jumped over a few ancient boats that definitely had seen better days, then hurried along a rickety walkway made of rotten wood. He could already see one shack peek out through the trees. While it was too close to the city, he wouldn't put it past Kuo to hide nearby. Either because she was too badly hurt, or because she figured that Bertrand's men would never be looking for her there. He reached it, checked the outside for anything out of the ordinary, lifted a turned-over boat to peek beneath it, prodded the old lobster cages and swimmers, then went to the door. It was unlocked, and he easily slid it open, an excuse on his lips to tell the home owners, but the place was deserted. He poked around for a while longer, then headed back outside once he was certain nobody was around. First place nada. Let's just keep looking.

Cole shrugged and made his way deeper into the bayou.

-o-

Alex made a noise in his throat and put the outer covering back on the RFI. He had just taken it off to get a better look at the insides, but hadn't touched anything else, so the thing was still working. Thank God Wolfe preferred to build his technology in a way that allowed for it to be easily dismantled and put back together.

“Anything?” Dana asked as he set the orb down.

“Not sure yet. I think I understand the concept behind it, though not sure what it is supposed to do”, he admitted. “It looks pretty prototypical. Like Wolfe just started building something with only a vague idea of its purpose.” He glanced at her. “What about you?”

“Nothing so far. Program's still running.” She looked around. “Where's Zeke?”

“I asked him to get more information”, he told her. “Well, technically, it had been his idea to infiltrate the Militia's ranks, but I kind of encouraged him?”

“Isn't that very dangerous?”

“They're not going to expect it. And Dunbar got some serious infiltration skills. He can make contacts nearly everywhere.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But I guess I could take a look too. I want to explore the city on my own, get a few information too.” He had a way better ability to infiltrate, after all. And these hicks already proved to be regret-free snack material.

“I won't tell you no”, Dana commented. “These guys have it coming, after all.” She crossed her arms and glanced at him. “But you might want to rethink your outfit.”

Alex paused, inclining his head. “Something wrong?”

“South of Cairo, man, and we got humidity so thick you can cut the air with a knife. And you wear like forty layers.”

“I'm not wearing anything”, the Runner felt complied to point out. His 'clothes' were in reality just skin that looked that way.

“Yeah, yeah”, Dana waved him off. “You're naked the entire time. I know. What I meant to say is that all of us are wearing lighter. Unless you're one of the hicks or military dudes like Cross and Heller, you should look more appropriate. Lose the jacket and the hoodie, for instance. You can keep the shirt, I guess.” Then she shook her head. “Nah, lose the shirt too, or else you'd look too much like a businessman out to lunch. We're trying to fit in with a bunch of college students and party animals, you know?”

“I guess.” He could see the appeal. Even in Manhattan his hood-and-leather-combination had been obvious to Blackwatch. Here, the Militia would probably look for this description too. Especially considering he was in that getup when he took care of the assholes in that plantation building and later at the assembly. It would be easier to sneak up on a guy if he didn't look like he was going to maul him any given moment.

Alex exhaled and briefly adjusted his surface. Removing the hood and letting his hair see the light of day, absorbing the matter that made up shirt, leather jacket and hoodie, replacing it for something that looked like a black cotton t-shirt, but was as much Blacklight as the rest of him. “Better?”

Dana arched an eyebrow at the band logo on his chest. “Rammstein?”

Alex shrugged. “You said 'blend in'. I'm doing that.” He would deny liking any type of bands or music to the end of days, but both of them were perfectly aware that he had favorites, so his choice wasn't coincidental. Dana knew, and suffered in silence.

“You going to be okay?” He asked with a worried tone. “Because none of us will be nearby to help you should something happen.”

“You take a phone”, she replied easily, dropping one into his hands, “And keep your ass hidden as long you are in a closer vicinity.”

Like Manhattan then. Though they didn't have an Infection here, or people who knew their relationship anyways, so it was a little bit easier. “Call me if you need anything”, he said, shoving the phone right into his own chest cavity with a grimace from her.

“Will do. Now, go and have fun.”

A brief grin flashed over his face, all teeth and scary as fuck. “I'm going to.”

Cole was not satisfied. He had spent the last hour or so trailing through the bog and looking through various shacks, but he didn't find even the breathe of a hint that anybody had been nearby for the last days or even weeks.
And, to make matters more frustrating, he also encountered opposition. A few Corrupted of a type he hadn't seen before- the guys resembled the first things he'd seen a little, but they walked on four stick-like legs and their heads were green bubbles that exploded and killed them if they got too close. Cole figured that zapping them worked too, as did simply luring them out from under the trees.

Corrupted didn't like sunlight. At all . They suffered from an extreme version of sun burn, or something, because the moment they left the cover of the trees, they burnt and fizzled and died very fast.

After them, hicks. They had installed some small camps complete with generators in the swamp, from where they sent out patrols to look for something. Or someone? Probably the missing NSA agent. Kuo. His heart skipped again, and he hoped he would find her before these idiots did.

Though he did take his time dismantling their base and men, as they were perfect to vent his frustration, and the Conduit relished in this task. Though, unlike Alex, he didn't kill them. He hated them, more than anything currently, but killing them was a bit too much for him. They were still just people- idiotic morons that had a lot to answer for- but they didn't get to have the easy way out.

He still crippled them, broke legs and arms in a way that they hopefully wouldn't heal without causing chronic pain. Injured guys needed more supplies, after all. Was a much more devastating blow to these guys than taking them out of the equation would. Not to mention that they had the hots for the whole martyr shtick- dying in service to their leader, only that their enemy denied them that.

After the hicks came more Corrupted, after the Corrupted hicks again. Their theory that they worked together began to become more solid- the men to look for Kuo, the beasts to cage her in and keep him out.

Not that he had a chance to even get close- he kept running circles through the bayou, not even knowing where to look next. The massive explosion in the middle of the swamp seemed like a very large and very obvious sign. His heart dropped, because a blast that size would be lethal even to him- but if Kuo was still hurt from the car crash, she wouldn't have the whisper of a chance of survival.

He immediately rushed into the direction, jumping over fallen trees and racing along the soft and muddy ground, nearly slipping a few times from the combination of his momentum and rotten footing. The air was thick with black powder smoke and the acrid stench took his breath. Cole didn't stop however, but maybe should have looked out because he nearly stumbled over a body on the ground. He swore his heart stopped there, right until he took a single look. A Militia idiot, very much dead.

Probably ran into his own buddy's blast radius, or something.

But as he moved further into the smog, he realized that there wasn't a single one left alive. All of them had been burnt. Badly. Something crawled at the back of his neck, but he still moved further to look. Destroyed equipment everywhere, bodies, weapons.

Then there was a sound like the hiss of a steam engine, and Cole turned suspiciously, half-expecting another Corrupted. Instead...smoke? It was thinning already, but there was no source of fire, and the fog was starting to lift too.

It hissed again, and he turned around faster, seeing a shape crouched over one of the bodies. “Kuo?” The form stiffened, then suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke and Cole's eyebrows shot up. A Conduit ?!

There was a snarl just behind him, and he whirled, only to inhale another wisp of smoke that nearly made him cough. Whatever it was, it became faster . Embers erupting for a split second before they dissipated into thin trails of black smoke again. His radar proved to be useless, the shape disappearing before he got a good reading on it anyways- and he couldn't even tell where it was currently-

Something collided with him with enough force to knock him clean off his feet and made him smack into the soft ground several feet away. The shape suddenly solidified right above him and all he could see was a fist wreathed in flames shooting towards his head. Out of instinct, he yanked his own lightning-clad arm upwards, whether to attack or defend himself he didn't know, but the blow suddenly stopped and his attacker leapt upwards, eyes blown wide.

“De Demon?!”

Cole growled and sat up, sparks dancing over his skin, even as the other backed away several steps. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Cole MacGrat'”, the other Conduit spoke suddenly. “Am a fan”

He blinked, head inclined to the side. The other Conduit, the one still giving off small embers and smoke, was female, younger than him, probably Dana's age. Shorter than him too, with tattoo-covered dark skin, and dark red eyes. She was wearing tight leather pants, combat boots, and a revealing top of sorts made of more leather. She had some form of jewelry on her, bracelets, and some coins attached to her belts and boots and wristband. Her hair was long, twisted into dreads, and highlighted with red bands. The fingers of her left hand were covered with jewelry formed like claws, and Cole's eyes instantly snapped to the shard-shaped glowing object clenched between them.

A Blast Core.

He looked at her again, and nothing in her posture told him she was going to attack him anytime soon. He exhaled, then pointed at the Blast Core. “Where did you get that?”

She arched one eyebrow, looked at the Core, then him. “Off one of dese fools”, she told him with a grin, motioning to the bodies surrounding them. “Tougt it was kind of pretty.” She cocked her head. “Wy, ya like pretty?”

“Yeah”, Cole approached her, stretching his hand towards it, but the Conduit backed off, wagging her finger at him.

“Is all ya's”, she told him, “All ya gotta do is help mah break a few crackers.”

He frowned, a question tickling the back of his mind. “You're the Swamp Witch?”

She seemed amused. “Dey call mah dat”, she confirmed. “Wy ya ask?”

“Just to figure something out.” He crossed his arms. “Because my friends and I thought you were working with the Militia?”

The other Conduit barked a short laughter. “Dese fools ain' mah frends.” Then she spat on the ground. “ Le con , all of dem.”

“That puts one theory to rest then.” He looked at the bodies. “Why need my help, though? You're not exactly a damsel in distress.”

She grinned a Cheshire grin at him again. “It ain' 'bout needin' help. Jus' wan' a little c'mpany.” She made a little mock-bow. “Mah name's Nix.”

Cole furrowed his brows. She had the Blast Core and was obviously willing to hand it over, if he helped her beat up some more Militia dudes- the same guys he was going to beat up anyways. Frankly, they were made for each other. He snorted. “Alright, Nix. Lead the way.”

“A'rigt” She echoed, still grinning, then turned around, took a step, and vanished in a cloud of ember and smoke.

Cole blinked, shaking his head. “Now that I can't do.” Nix must have heard it, because she re-appeared from another cloud of smoke several yards towards an ancient-looking dock, gesturing with her free hand. “Dere's a Militia Lynch Mob dis way!” Cole instantly started running, only for her to appear right besides him, easily keeping up with him. “Shake a leg, slowpoke!”

“I can't teleport!”, Cole bit back, leaping clear over a collection of moored half-rotten boats. “You are just too fast!”

The woman chuckled, teleporting to another part of the dock. “Neva tougt a'd be runnin' wit' de Demon!”

“Yeah, hold that thought, feeling kind of faint here”, He stopped briefly next to a running generator set up by the Militia to drain it, Nix watching him with an arched eyebrow. He stopped as soon he wasn't feeling as thirsty from his trek around the swamp anymore. “Okay, we can go.”

“Ya gotta make a few more stops?”

“Depends”, he shrugged, “On how many guys I'm going to fry.”

She beamed at him. “We gonna 'aff some fun, Cole.” She teleported again, though he noticed the edges of the smoke pointing in the direction she was going to appear again. So she wasn't teleporting, just moving really fast from one point to the other, much like Kessler.

Didn't matter, because her enthusiasm was kind of contagious, and he found himself grinning along with her as they raced towards the edge of the city again. Nix reappeared besides him, patted his shoulder and pointed at a small group of hicks who stood besides a small dry dock. “Watch an' learn, Demon.” She disappeared again, only to materialize herself in front of the guys with a wide grin. Before the men could react, she stomped the floor hard. From her heel, a black, tar-like substance lashed from the ground and lunged like a living thing at the guys, instantly enveloping them and immobilizing them.

Cole inhaled sharply, eyes widening. The last time he'd seen tar had been with Sasha. And, coincidentally, there had been mutated people around too. He grit his teeth. “Nix?”

“Wat ya waitin' for, Demon? Zap dem, man.”

“Tell me something first”, She craned her head around to look at him with a puzzled expression. “The Swamp Beasts. Corrupted. Are they your work?”

Nix blinked in confusion. Cole furrowed his brows. “You're using tar. The last time someone used tar, they were corrupting people too.”

“Ah” The female Conduit shook her head. “Nah. Not mah work. De Swamp Tings, all de Militia's.”

Cole approached the captured hicks. “That true?”

“What are you freaks talkin' about?!” One of the guys spat, “Let us go or we'll show you what it means to fuck with us!”

The Electric Conduit cocked his head, then glanced at the Fire Conduit. “Zap them, huh?”

“Yeah, man. Sparks make dem go boom.”

“Well, I can do sparks.” Cole stepped back and threw a single bolt of lightning at the tar, igniting it instantly and blowing the hicks sky-high.

Nix cheered. “Dat was good, man!” She grinned at him, and Cole couldn't help but return it. “Was on de roof is even better. Jus' gotta be sneaky 'bout gettin' up dere.” She winked at him. “A got it easy, Demon. Ya will need to be creative.” She vanished again, leaving him alone.

Cole sighed and sent out a radar pulse, mapping the surrounding and finding the roof with the least amount of idiots on it. He instantly latched onto the lowest window sill and thrust his body upwards, snatching the next one and just scaling the building upwards that way.

Smoke and the acrid stench of gun powder greeted him the moment he made it up, and Nix rematerialized in that moment, trapping the next guys with her tar. Cole blew them up then, sending them sprawling. “Nice one, baby”, Nix cheered. Cole almost choked on his own spit when he saw her grin and wink at him again, before she whirled around and threw flaming orbs that exploded on contact at the next few guys.

He zapped a few dudes more, turning his attention back on his current partner. Nix was standing next to the roof edge, glancing downwards. On the street level was some form of assembly, and the Militia idiots down there were shouting. Cole noticed the barrel of oil standing next to the other Conduit. She also gestured to the large banners that had been installed on flag poles.

He understood what she had planned, and went to help her tip the oil barrel over the banner. “Ya gonna like dis”, she told him as they emptied everything over the flag.

“I am already liking this”, he told her. “You want to burn it down?”

“Yeap. But firs' we gotta do de oters too.”

“Can you lift the barrels on your own?” He certainly could, but he didn't know whether super strength was part of the package when applied to a female Conduit.

Nix nodded. “No problem, man.”

Cole grinned as they dropped the barrel. “Race you then!”

He instantly dashed over to the edge of the roof and leapt off, gliding towards the next roof as he heard Nix's laughter. “Ya don' stand a chance, Demon!” She vanished again, reappearing on the opposite side.

He tackled bodily into another group of hicks, spinning on his heel and introducing all of them to his Amp at once. Nix's voice was clearly audible, even at a distance. “Das rigt, MacGrat'! Show dem wo's boss!”

He did. Amidst all the chaos, and the bullets buzzing past, he felt strangely satisfied with himself. He was where he belonged, stomping idiots into the ground. And this time, he had another Conduit at his side who enjoyed the same chaos he did. It was fun, he had to admit and he didn't even care whether these guys were alive at the end of it- they certainly deserved it, he figured, and he wasn't going to take Nix's fun by telling her to take it easy. In fact, he found that like this, without having to care about anything, he felt a lot more at ease than before.

“Nix!” He smacked a shockwave into a larger guy and flung him over. Nix cackled like a madwoman and threw a fiery ball at the guy, the explosion knocking him into the roof.

Chuckling, he headed over to another oil barrel and emptied it over the banner there.

“Hey!” He shouted, “I got one!”

“Two, baby”, Nix replied, materializing next to him with a wide grin. “Not bad for som'one as slow as ya.”

“Hey, I take that as compliment.”

She cackled again, then bowed slightly. “Ya wanna 'aff de 'onors?”

Cole's smirk just widened as he aimed at the closest banner and sent out a single bolt. The saturated fiber caught fire instantly, as did the other three as soon as his lightning made contact with them.

Down there, the Militia idiots started panicking. Nix laughed the entire time, leaning down to yell at the guys. “Were ya gonna run?”

Cole's own expression was probably just as unhinged as he watched those idiots run around like headless chicken down there.

“Nice” He choked for real this time, eyes widening with the realization that his attention had been completely taken over by hunting the Militia down, and he had neither noticed this unique energy pattern, nor heard the heavy thuds that signaled his approach.

Alex stood right behind them, arms crossed over his chest and both eyebrows arched up.

He enjoyed moving through New Marais without any care in the world. Now at full control of his powers again, he also had gotten back his gliding and more powerful jumps. Traversing the city had been easy.

It wasn't entirely for fun, though, because he felt responsible for Kuo's abduction. So Alex was looking for Militia guys who might have an idea. So far, and about ten snacks later, he had to realize that the men who had their hand in the abduction obviously weren't allowed to talk to anybody, so nobody knew who had been there in the first place.

He wondered whether Bertrand was aware of his abilities, or whether that was just basic paranoia.
Probably latter, he decided, because not even the Marines in Manhattan had been aware of the more delicate applications of his powers. Though...that made him wonder. What exactly had Bertrand to hide that made something like that necessary?

This train of thought was cut off quickly however, when he heard explosions and shooting from the south of New Marais. Intrigued, he had drawn closer, recognizing the scent of ozone from a distance. Cole?
He should have been looking for Kuo, though was now apparently fighting the Militia. So did he find her?

Alex quickly realized that he didn't, but apparently he had found another Conduit instead. A female with tar-based fire powers. Huh. His eyebrows shot up, because obviously, the two of them had a lot of fun attacking the Militia. While they weren't used to work as a team, they didn't seem to have too many problems with it either, and he had been content to just watch for a moment until he realized that he was feeling a bit jealous. They had so many hicks to fight, and wouldn't leave him any.

That was why he approached them the moment they set fire to all the banners.

“Nice” He meant it. It was a glorious sight. Cole nearly choked as he whirled around, and the female Conduit also more or less jumped. Alex did his best to appear as nonchalant as possible to avoid them attacking him. He could deal with electricity, but he didn't play nice with fire.

Luckily, Cole recognized him, despite the lack of leather jacket and hoodie.

“Shit, Alex? Where do you come from?”

“I just made a trip to check up on the city when I heard your fireworks.” He put the appropriate amount of sulk into his voice. “I can't believe you started without me.”

“Hey, you told me you were going to let me vent.”

“This isn't venting anymore.”

The female Conduit looked from Cole to him, blinking, before turning to him. “Wo ya?”

“Alex”, Alex replied easy.

“He's one of my friends I told you about”, Cole added. He waved to his companion. “That's Nix. She's the Swamp Witch we heard about and no, she's not on Bertrand's payroll, so there has to be another Conduit here.”

Most likely.

Alex eyed this Nix woman briefly. She glanced back, then folded her arms in a direct imitation of his posture. “Mhm. Ya sneaky, a give ya dat”, she said. “Ya wantin' to tell us to stop?”

“Actually”, the Runner cocked his head, “I was about to ask you to let me join in.”

Her eyes glinted mischievously. “As long ya take care of dese fools, am all for it.”

Alex's face lit up like it was the Fourth of July. Cole groaned, wiping his palm down his face. “How about you let us have half a minute head start first? Oh, and, no need to turn this into a bloodbath.”

So restricting himself? He could do that. He just flashed the other a grin “Deal. Thirty seconds. Go.”

The Electric Conduit immediately grabbed the Fire Conduit's arm and hurled himself off the building, dragging her along. Alex knelt down and watched them hit the floor feet first and in a beautiful discharge of sparks and flames. Then Cole lunged to the front and brained the first few guys with his Amp, while Nix vanished in a flurry of ember and smoke and suddenly reappeared several yards across the place and blew up a few of the guys up with explosive orbs of fire.

Twenty Seconds.

The woman summoned a mass of tar that completely restricted four guys at once, and Cole set it alight with a single lightning bold, generating a massive explosion. He, in turn, threw several men through the air with his shockwave and she picked them off by herself.

Ten Seconds.

Cole heaved a large barrel off the floor with his magnetic powers and threw it at a group that crowded around Nix. The female Conduit vanished in a flurry of ember and smoke, and the barrel mowed the guys down.

Zero.

Alex got up and casually stepped off the roof, falling to the ground. The moment he hit the floor with a solid crack and whirled up enough dust to hide his form, he pulled up his Armor. Mostly to hide his identity and also to avoid ricochets from the Conduits. He charged in, just slamming his shoulder into the first group of guys to send them flying. He didn't know whether they were going to survive, but that had been more of a love-tap. If they were lucky, maybe.

There were yells from the side, and he spun on his heel, Whipfist lashing out to grab the guy at the center of a group. As he pulled him in, he swung his arm up to smash the man against the ground with enough force to shatter his body, then dragged the carcass in and added his mass and memories to his own.

His good mood lessened briefly, and he charged the remaining group, scattering them. From the side, Cole was lunging at another guy, whacking him hard with the Amp to knock him out. Nix's cackle was easily audible even over the cacophony of the Militia attempting to flee.

“Cole”, Alex growled, “Come here.”

The Conduit easily jogged up to him, eyebrows arched. “Yeah?” Alex gestured towards the side of the assembly, where two armored trailers stood.

“They have captured a bunch of 'Deviants', were going to make an example of them.” He could sense the other clench his fists as soon he realized what he had said.

“What?”

“Tried to execute a bunch of people.” He stopped in front of one trailer. “I take this one. You the other.”

“On it” Cole rushed towards the other trailer, leapt up on it and wedged his Amp into the hatch at the top of the car, wrenching it open with little problem. As soon it was open, he knelt down to drag the first of the guys out.

Alex just cracked his knuckles and sank his hands into the metal walls, fingers curling around the steel sheets- then he stepped back and simply pulled out a part of the trailer like it was made of paper.
The people inside were staring at him with wide eyes. Alex snorted and stepped back, removing his Armor in the process when he figured that his normal appearance might induce less trauma in the guys.

“You're free”, he rumbled at them. “Get away and lie low. Bertrand won't remain here much longer.”

“You promise?” One of them asked carefully.

“Yes. Not immediately, but within the next weeks.”

“Thank God”, the man groaned out, “We thought we were done for!”

“Ya should go”, Nix piped up from her position kneeling on the trailer. Cole had finished with his car and was now heading over, followed closely by the guys he had freed. The Fire Conduit waved her hand vaguely towards the north. “In de Flood Town, dere are people dat will help ya.”

“Thank you-”

She waved him off. “Jus' go an' make sure dey don' get ya again.”

The people hurried off while thanking them profusely. Cole crossed his arms, grinning. “So I guess this is a good end to a great battle?”

“Oh Yeah, baby!” Nix beamed, “You was... damn!”

“Nice moves”, Cole told her. He eyed Alex. “I'm sorry you missed most of the fun.”

The Runner shrugged. “Not mad about it.” He nodded towards the woman. “Good work there.”

Her grin widened. “Ya bot' not bad yaself”, she replied. She paused and pulled a large glowing object from a pouch on her belt. Alex figured it was a Blast Core, because Cole's eyes lit up. “'ere it is, Mistah Pretty.”

Cole took hold of it, but Nix reinforced her own grip by using her second hand too before letting go. “A see ya again?”

The electric Conduit took a small sheet of paper from his pocket and scribbled his number on it, handing it over in return. “Call me”, he told her, lifting his hand to let lightning run over it. “We got a little something in common.”

Nix nodded, then turned and simply vanished in a puff of smoke. Cole shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable?”

“That I'm running with someone like Nix. She's crazy.” He smiled. “But I think we might need a little crazy to deal with these idiots.”

“It would be useful”, Alex pointed out as they slowly wandered away from the burning stage. “She certainly knows more than she currently lets on. I'm sure with time, she will reveal more to us.” His lips quirked up a little. “At least we can note her down as ally.”

“You are pretty trusting.”

Alex snorted. There wasn't much that could be hidden from Blacklight. “She was genuine in her hatred for the Militia”, he told the Conduit. “It goes deeper, but she is smart enough to not engage blindly. And restraint isn't easy to work with.”

“Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience.”

“I've been there. It got better with time, so I know how hard it can be.”

Cole snorted and slapped Alex's chest with the back of his hand. “C'mon, we go back and I'll check what kind of powers I'll get when I consume this thing here.” He waved his arm. “And while I sleep it off, you can, I dunno, plan the next step or something.”

The rest of the way was done in amicable silence. They first jogged down the street, but soon took to the roof again to avoid the Militia coming in to check up on the racket.

“Found anything from Kuo?”

“Nothing. Just a bunch of Militia goons. First I thought they were after her, but I think they've been after Nix.” He was silent for a moment as he jumped over a gap and rolled off on the other side. “And I discovered a few interesting things. First of: I'm now a hundred percent sure that the Militia works with the Corrupted. Because every time I finished with one group, the other jumped my ass.” He unfurled a second finger. “Second, there is a group of Corrupted that blows up when they get close enough. Third, they don't like sunlight.”

Alex glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. “No?”

“No”, Cole leapt clear over an AC unit. “They burn when they walk out in the sun, but can stay in the shade with no ill effect.”

“Huh. Probably the UV radiation”, Alex suggested. “At any rate, an interesting weakness. And would explain why they come out at night.”

“Mostly”, Cole corrected him. He paused briefly, squatting on a railing, and stretching his back. “Man, I could eat. I hope Zeke got something to bite ready.”

“I think he got a little more”, Alex commented, already spotting the figures of Dunbar and Dana on their roof.

Cole moaned a little as they set back down on it. “Feels like home already”, he commented.

“Yeah, took some work”, Dunbar replied, walking up to them. Surprisingly, he was wearing the Militia uniform, showing it off to them. “What do you think? Double Agent Zeke Dunbar. At your service.”

The Electric Conduit furrowed his brows. “First of, I think the uniform is a few sizes too small. And second, are you really sure it'll work?”

“Man, you know me”, Dunbar replied with a shrug. “I can make friends everywhere. I will get you some juicy info.” He pointed at Alex. “He said he trusted in me.”

The Runner gave him a very flat stare. “Technically, I told you that in case I wouldn't get my powers back”, He briefly shifted into the Militia he consumed at the assembly. “But, as you can see, that point is kind of moot.”

“I get that, but seriously?” Dunbar crossed his arms. “I don't think you want to eat those idiots anyways. I mean, what kinda information can they give you? How to be assholes?”

He...got a point there. Hicks weren't really to his taste, though the more voices he collected inside his head, the harder it was to pick out the individual ones. So Alex just shrugged in response, dropping the topic altogether.

Dunbar turned back to Cole. “Now, let's check out the Blast Core.”

Dana spoke up finally. “Over there”, she mentioned, pointing to a part on the roof further away. “Any time you power up, you give off crazy amounts of energy. I don't need you frying my laptop. I got my shit on it.”

Cole threw up his hands. “Yeah, yeah. I got it. But please make sure I'll wake up on the couch or somewhere that won't be Hell on my back.” He walked over, took the Blast Core from his bag, and glanced at Dunbar. “And I better not wake up in a Militia Cage.”

“With Alex and Dana here? I don't think so”, Dunbar replied. “Go on, man. Once you wake up, we're gonna have something to eat.”

“Deal” The Conduit inhaled once, grabbed the Core with both hands- and sent a discharge through it.

Instantly, a purple glow enveloped his form, and Alex could see Cole's body clench together violently, fingers digging into the Core and cracking its surface. At the very moment the Core shattered under his grip, his body was dragged into the air, held there by some invisible force as red and blue lightning ripped across his surface and lashed out to impact into the ground around him.

This quickly turned out to have been a rather small discharge, as the next second the arcs became longer, wilder and brighter, and Alex found himself standing over Dana, already back in Armor, to protect her- but the violent discharge dissipated suddenly and the tension that held Cole's body snapped like a rubber band, sending the Conduit flopping to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Dana winced briefly. “Ouch. Right on the nose.”

Chapter Text

The sun had vanished and was now almost ready to rise again, but Cole was still out cold. Alex figured it was because his body had only accumulated more damage and stress during his trip through the bog and the subsequent meeting with Nix, while the damages from the truck crash still hadn't healed up properly.
And maybe the activation of the Blast Core threw everything in disorder too, so his system took a while longer to reboot. Dunbar had remained nearby, but like Dana, eventually nodded off himself. Alex had remained awake, kept working on the data they extracted.

That was until he felt another voice reaching out to him. He stopped what he was doing, just staring into space while shutting down any other function. Dana always said it was creepy, because he stopped breathing or blinking (or at least pretending to) entirely for the duration of the conversation.

Heller?

“Cross found something. You might want to check it out.”

What did he find?

“Bertrand couldn't say no when we went over the Militia's property. And there was one that jumped to attention.”

You don't say.

“Too high the energy output. It's marked as the compound for another mercenary group Bertrand employed, though I've never seen them. Operate out of South Africa, Vermaak 88.”

Alex furrowed his brows. Heard about them. White supremacists. The name indicates Neo-Nazis, actually. Vermaak- Wehrmacht; 88- HH, heil Hitler.

“Yeah, I noticed”, Heller scoffed noticeably. “Anyways, I checked in with Redstone. And he told me that there were no mercs, White assholes or otherwise. There's an old plantation building, but that's it. Certainly nothing that verifies the energy output.”

Underground then.

“Exactly. Problem is, now that we know, Bertrand is probably going to move everything.”

I'll check it out then. See what I can find.

“I was about to suggest the same.”

Any reason you're not doing it?

“Can't sneak the way you do. And they're looking really close at me already. I think they know I've been at the party at St. Ignatius, but they can't prove it, and most of the assholes are scared of Cross.”

Fair point. Alex glanced back at the sleeping forms of the others. Are you under observation right now?

There was a short silence, but he could sense the Evolved focus on somewhere else. “Yup. Can shake them no problem, though.”

Do it. I'm not comfortable leaving the others without protection.

“MacGrath still asleep?”

Yeah. I doubt he'll wake before the morning.

“Just going to tell Cross, then I'll head over.”

Alex inhaled once and shook himself, blinking rapidly a few times. He checked again over the notes he managed to put together, then closed the laptop. By that time, Heller appeared on the roof.

“Keep Cole nearby if he wakes up before I return, though he might take a run around the block if he needs to”, Alex told him. “I'd like to speak to everybody present on what I'm going to find or not. It'll be easier.”

“Yeah, you get it.” The Evolved eyed Dunbar. “Any reason he's wearing orange?”

“Dunbar's our permanent link to the Militia. He's going to keep us informed.”

Heller snorted amused. “You don't want to lose IQ points by consuming too many of these idiots, right?”

“That, and they are probably going to notice when their numbers dwindle without bodies turning up.” He could get away with a few, however. “Thanks for looking after them. See you around.”

Heller grunted in acknowledgment, sitting down on the chair he just vacated, while Alex carefully kicked off the roof and glided across the street. He eased down on the opposite side to avoid leaving his tell-tale cratered rooftops, though he figured these guys weren't smart enough to make a connection.

And he was fast enough to reach the compound Heller described at the other end of the city within a reasonable short time. He crouched down briefly to check the area, taking note of the men milling about. One of them took his attention, further to the side of the complex, leaning against a sturdy fence made of steel bars. Alex dropped to the ground, carefully buffering his fall with a glide, then moved out into the streets. He manipulated the surface of his body slightly, growing a set of headphones and replacing jacket and hoodie for the T-Shirt, tucked his head between his shoulders and put his hands into his pockets. Then he sidled down the sidewalk, attempting to appear as nonchalant as possible.

If the Militia noticed, they didn't show any reaction towards him. Good enough, so they didn't notice him easing closer to the guy leaning against the fence.

Alex struck, shoving one arm through the technically much too narrow gaps between the bars to grab his head and muffle the guy's sounds, then simply snapped his neck with the other hand. The same moment, his body lost all cohesion and he squeezed his mass through the fence to consume the idiot and reform with his face in his spot. Nobody had noticed a thing.

The information he gathered was enough. He now knew the placement of their mortar ordnance, he knew the way to the barracks, knew how many guys could be readied at a moment's notice.
He knew that the plantation building was a ruse. It housed the men, but it was unimportant otherwise. Because he now also knew that Bertrand had large constructions done under the ground here, in secrecy. The shed that sat a little to the side was the real center of attention here. Alex snorted and slowly started moving closer- again, nobody paid him any attention.

They were used to men simply leaving their post for a quick leak, or a bite to eat. After all, ever since they took over, nobody dared facing them. People like Cole and him were unheard of until now, and the men hadn't managed to learn how to deal with them.

The Runner drew closer, when he felt the Biomass at the back of his neck bristle. There was ice crusting the floor, and it stopped him for a moment. Ice? What the...
Then he noticed the tiny whiff hidden under the stench of all those Militia goons, gasoline and gun powder, but he still recognized it.
Lucy Kuo.

She had been here, not too long ago. And he knew for fact that only Bertrand and his most trusted men were allowed inside the building.

“Gotcha” He still needed more information, the guy he was wearing was one of the lower food chain, so he circled the area again until he found one who was higher in the hierarchy. He only recognized him because of the tattoo that peeked out from under his sleeve, as all men wore similar uniforms. Alex crept closer, pausing momentarily as another man came to talk to his target, then slid forwards when he was alone again. After that, it was over quick. He grabbed the guy's throat, crushed his windpipe, and sank his free hand into his lower back, flooding his system with Blacklight and dragging him in at the same time as he stepped into his form.

His eyes narrowed when memories that weren't his settled inside his skull.
Interesting .
They had gotten the call that they had to tidy up here as fast as possible and move everything to the labs located in Fort Phillipe in Ascension Parish at the east of the city. However, since their project was entering the vital stage, they couldn't do that right now, had to wait. Alex's snack hadn't known what the project was, but he was aware that it had started the day before- when a group with Bertrand moved in, dragging someone into the shack. And he recognized the figure from the other's memories quite easy. Kuo.

She was inside that place, and since she'd been put in there the ice had started growing. That didn't spell anything good.

Alex glanced over his shoulder briefly, then leaned against the building wall and lowered his head, while opening himself to the Hive Mind.

Your intel struck gold.

Heller's reply took a moment. “You found her?”

Most likely. I know where she is. And we can take a little time. Prepare things correctly. Still, we need to be quick about it.

“Should I get Cross in on this?”

Not yet. It has nothing to do with the Corrupted, I think. He furrowed his brows. But we'll need a few more hitters. This place is locked up tight. Plus they got a form of last-resort action to be taken in case we don't get them fast enough.

“You and me, and MacGrath.”

Plus maybe a few of the cops. I can go and talk to them, they should listen. Alex paused when the wind turned, and he caught scent of another person nearby. Leather, bog, tar and smoke. I think I just got another hitter here. I'll be back once I've spoken to the police officers.

His world turned back to colors and sounds, and he slowly removed himself from the building, eyes searching the edges of the area, where trees stood. He subtly shifted to infrared, finding a singular hot spot perched in the otherwise cold branches.

Alex cocked his head, then strode off into the opposite direction. He slipped behind the main building and hurried towards the surrounding fence, keeping an eye out for eventual on-lookers, before he leapt clear over the obstacle and slipped into the treeline, weaving his way through the underbrush as quickly as he could without mowing down the cypresses.

He didn't remain completely hidden, though, because several animals fled on his approach, and that in turn got the other's attention. He felt her react more than he actually saw it, and instantly stopped moving- just in time to side-step her when she tried to tackle into him.

She materialized in a cloud of ember and smoke, spinning to face him with a low growl, but he just lifted his hands. “Relax. I'm on your side.”

Nix's eyes narrowed. “Ya one of Laroche?”

Laroche, he knew that name. Leader of the rebels that tried to undermine Bertrand's rule. Alex shook his head in reply. “Nope. Not Laroche. But we met yesterday.” His surface shifted, tendrils rising from his depths to consume his current shape and replace it for his modified own. Nix's eyes went as wide as saucers, and she stepped back. “ Zut alors!” She bit out, then switched back to English. “Ya Alex, non ? Cole's frend?”

The Runner bowed his head slightly. “He got lightning. I got shapeshifting.” That was the safest way to put it, left out the worst of the truth.

“Shit, man, das sweet.”

“I noticed you watching the compound”, he motioned towards the building visible through the trees. “Why?”

“Sometin' stinks”, she admitted. “Dey dig in, get nervous. Mah skin crawls too. Don' like it.”

“They have one of Cole's friends. A woman named Kuo”, he told her, “Kidnapped her and keep her prisoner under that shack.”

“Wy don' ya free 'er den?”

“I am alone. I don't want to risk getting swarmed somewhere while somebody else terminates her.” Because that was what they were told- if anybody attacked, they were to get into the hidden bunker and terminate the project.

Nix cocked her head. “Ya need 'elp.”

“More like I am the help. Cole's the one that should get her out.” If there was an energy field or something down there, he would be better suited to free her. “But I wanted to ask you whether you are down for kicking some ass on his order.”

She grinned. “Am down? Baby, ya jus' tell mah to break a few crackers, an' a do.”

“That's what I wanted to hear”, Alex smirked evilly, then nodded over his shoulder. “I'll take you to Cole, if you want to, but I need to make a stop before that.”

“Yeah?”

“The cops suffer just as much under Bertrand as the civilians do. I met a few before, and a man named Robertson seemed to be the one to contact.”

Nix made a face. “A don' trust cops”, she declared. He already figured, people like her, people living at the edge of civilization rarely had any love left for the governmental bodies.

“You don't need to talk to them, but you and them are on the same side. Don't you think that they should at least know about this? If only so they won't shoot you when they see you”, he added almost as an afterthought.

Nix's grimace only turned into a scowl, and she was silent for a moment. “A gonna meet dem den. But jus' 'cause dey don' like Bertrand.”

“You can get people to hurt afterwards. Promise.”

“Ya better not lyin', or a will set ya ass on fire”, she shot back.

“There won't be any need. You'll get your fight, as long you'll leave enough of them for me.”

When Cole woke up, his first thought was that he was hungry. Really hungry, like his stomach was trying to eat itself. The sun was up already, and he could smell something tasty, and his belly rumbled.

“Morning, Cole”, Dana seemed to appear out of nowhere, looking at him over the edge of a sandwich. The Conduit blinked, then made a 'gimme' motion with one hand. Dana pulled back. “Nope. Get your own.”

“Where?”

“From here, brother”, Zeke commented, and Cole slowly sat up, feeling the bones in his back align with a distinct pop. He glanced over, noticing his friend besides that big scary Sergeant dude. Who just put a plate with self-made sandwiches on the table. The Conduit didn't even ask, just leapt to his feet, hurried over and grabbed the closest one to inhale it without chewing. Heller snorted. “Slow down, or you'll choke.”

“I'll chew after I'm not starving anymore”, Cole countered, already reaching for another sandwich. He was feeling famished, and he could guess it had something to do with the Blast Cores. Technically, he could probably stave off the hunger by consuming electricity, but he was pretty sure he should get something into his stomach first. While he could exchange the energy from food with energy from the city grid, he couldn't replace nutrients. And who knew when he had gotten some of those into his system last. So, first some of those really damn good sandwiches.

Halfway through his fifth, the Conduit finally slowed down. “Where's Alex?”

“Went to check up on something”, Heller explained. “He already contacted me, said he found something.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but he also told me to stop you from charging in half-assed, because he wants to talk to all of us first.”

Cole made a face and finished his sandwich. “Can I still try out what new power I got, or do I have to stay?”

The Evolved furrowed his brows as he considered it. “I got a secure radius of hearing of about...three or four blocks. Try to stay within that boundary.”

“Got it” God, when that wasn't a wonderful example how fucked up his life was that he didn't even consider the mechanics of such keen senses, then he didn't knew what would be.
He waved at them and hopped off the roof, heading to the fountain at the middle of the nearby plaza. He could sense people with a lot of metal on their bodies there, and those could have been hicks. The moment they shot at him, he realized that yes, they were hicks.

Exactly who he had been looking for, because something inside of his head told him to beat up hicks and see what happened.

So he did as soon he found the first guys making trouble. He took them by surprise too, they barely had time to realize he was there before he dropped the first one with a well-aimed lightning bolt to his leg. The other guy ripped his gun up, but Cole was too close already. He swung his Amp wide and let it collide with his hip, cracking something and sending him swearing to the ground. The man writhed on the ground just like his buddy. The Conduit glanced at him once, then stepped on his chest and clenched his hand claw-like, pinning him to the ground with a set of electric manacles. He proceeded like that with the other guy, then turned away and tried to find something that was different.

With his magnetic powers, he had felt something draw him towards the car. With this...more hicks? Violence in itself? He definitely felt a little... hotter , like something was burning under his skin.

Let's try this

Cole glanced back to the 'Martini', knowing fully well that they could still see him, then lifted his hand and fired a lightning bolt at one of the wires suspended between the buildings to generate light and attract attention.

“That's the freak!” He heard someone shout, and turned to see a group of hicks on a truck racing towards him. Cole braced himself, letting lightning run over his body. Bring it.
The heat inside of him started to spread, settling in his limbs when he charged the first guys that scrambled out of the truck and tried to take him. He knocked the first one out with a violent kick to the face, then spun and slammed a lightning-coated fist right into the next one. Close distance was his friend, he knew, because no matter how dumb these guys were, they avoided shooting their own guys, so all he had to do was to stay nearby. And in close combat his enhanced strength ruled these guys anyways.

The heat continued to increase until it became near unbearable, twisting under his skin like thousands of volts- yet his lightning bolts didn't increase in strength at all. But he had to let it out- and he did with a wordless yell of rage.

Red lightning snapped from his wrists, only to fall apart and turn into a tornado made of embers and smoke that was spewing lightning bolts everywhere for a few moments before it dissipated. It left behind a swath of destruction: Turned over cars, thrashed street signs, uprooted trees, hicks thrown around.

Cole stared for a moment, then grinned darkly as he turned to the guys the vortex didn't hit. He casually cracked his knuckles. “You want some of that too?”

He wasn't sure what he expected, but either the guys were too dumb to live, or they really were into the whole martyr shtick, because they yelled and rushed him, as if they hadn't just seen the twister of destruction he created. Cole rolled his eyes and knocked them out with the Amp, then sent out a radar pulse to find some more. But asides from the people that had wisely left the streets the moment the shooting started and were now slowly coming out of their hideouts, he didn't see anybody else.

He did however sense a rather unique energy signature, along with one that was more similar to his own. Alex and Nix?

Cole immediately scrambled back to their rooftop, hoisting himself over the edge a few moments later- only to be met by Zeke and Dana clapping loudly. “Man!” Zeke commented, “That was awesome !”

“Neva seen de likes 'fore”, Nix added with an awed expression.

Cole grinned. “Well, to be honest, I didn't even know I could do stuff like that.” It hadn't tapped into his reserves, either, but he was feeling a bit lighter again. Like it had burnt the anger he had felt right out of his body.

“It looked a lot like a Devastator”, Heller claimed with a thoughtful look on his face.

The Conduit blinked, furrowing his brows. Devastator? That were Alex's giant spike balls of death, right? He looked back down to the damaged street with a grimace. Okay, so that had been the Conduit version of one. Which meant it was just as effective.

“Impressive”, Alex said simply. “It might be helpful today.”

Cole cocked his head. “Heller mentioned something of the sort, and”, he glanced at Nix, “You brought Nix with you too. So what is it?”

“I know where Kuo is.”

Cole blinked. “Wait-” He eyed Zeke briefly, then turned back to him, “For real this time?”

Alex hummed in his throat. “No guarantee. However, I know where she'd been the day before, and I know that there was some 'project' going on, and nobody left the compound. Chances are high she's still there.”

“Plus”, Nix added, “Dat place makes mah skin crawl.”

“What do you have?”

“Only an idea”, Alex admitted. “Bertrand had all his veteran soldiers gathered at the old cane plantation. Heller told me that there are supposed to be barracks, but there is nothing- and still something drains a lot of energy.” He crossed his arms. “An underground lab, most likely, because there should also be a mercenary group present, but I haven't even seen the lick of an hint there. They must be were Kuo is. More even, something is going on there, there is ice there, and it had started to show up the moment they dragged her in.”

Cole felt his blood go cold. “Then we have to go now!”

“Not without a plan”, The Runner put down a sheet of paper and started drawing the approximate layout with a sharpie. “There are a lot of guys there, and if any of them gets through to this shack”, he pointed at the plan, “They have the orders to terminate the project, most likely killing her in the process.”

“Which means we have to act quick and without mercy”, Heller summarized. “Charge in and take them by surprise.”

“Exactly. But a distraction is also worth a lot.” He jabbed his thumb at Nix. “She got an idea about this.”

“Dere's a street car out front, a few block away”, the female Conduit pointed out with a grin that was all teeth. “We fill it wit' explosives. We make it go real real fast and make it ram into deir front door. Boom.”

“Fire will make a great diversion”, Cole agreed. He paused with a frown. “Wait, street car? Like those that are filled with innocents?”

“Ya 'aff to get dem out firs'”, Nix deadpanned. “Make room fer gas.”

“Okay, But what about the other civilians?”

“We need to get them off the street too”, Alex explained. “I went and talked with Robertson. He should be currently leading the evacuation around the plantation building. I told him to think of something they'll swallow with no question, like a bomb scare or something.”

“The cop?”

“Yeah. They got a bunch of men captive nearby. Now I suggest one approach: You and Heller get the captives free. Robertson gets the civilians out of the target area, then meets up with you and the men. Nix and I will prepare the car and blow it up. Soon it goes up, the others will charge right in and raise Hell. I'll go and take out their mortar ordnance here.” He pointed at the paper. “Should get them by surprise, but you need to make sure that nobody gets close to that shack here- this seems to be the entrance to wherever Kuo is. Once we demolished their defenses, we can go in and get her out.”

“And Zeke and I get the escape car ready”, Dana added. Cole could tell the exact moment Alex wanted to argue, but one glare from his sister shot down anything he could have said. He reluctantly agreed to take her along after that. He just exhaled once, then pointed at Cole. “You go and get those men out. When you see the plantation go up in flames, that'll be your cue.”

“Got it.”

The roof cratered when Alex hit it in a crouch, his eyes narrow as he glanced down to the street. A few Militia goons had taken up to stand guard around the old street car that was filled with so-called 'deviants'.
Nix appeared besides him in a wisp of smoke. “'ow many do ya see?”

“At least a dozen”, the Runner replied. “Nothing serious. I can clean that out no problem.” He glanced to the side where barrels of gasoline stood. “Do you want to help me, or get those barrels loaded into the train car?”

“Lettin' ya 'aff all de fun ain' fair, man.”

Alex shrugged. “Okay. Then we'll share.” He gestured to the group below. “I get the guys on that side, you those over there.”

“A like de sound of dat a lot more.” Nix grinned, and Alex returned it, even as his Armor crept over his body. He finished his shift by adding his Musclemass to his body, muscles bunching up under his hard shell to allow him a higher speed. Not that he would need speed when dealing with humans, but it wouldn't hurt to eliminate them before they could call for help.

Nix whistled appreciatively. “Nice gig, man. Ya had it yestaday. Any reason?”

“Less damage from gunfire and friendly fire. Plus”, he tapped his face plate, “You won't recognize me unless you know it's me. Which gives me the chance to still sneak up on others while I'm outside of my Armor.” Plus intimidation factor. Scared foes were less likely to think straight.

“Sweet”

“One thing. If anybody goes for a radio, take them out first”, he told her, then immediately stepped off the roof to impact into the street a second later.

The men whirled, bringing their rifles up- but he already rushed them. His heat receptors along his skull picked up the hot embers that marked Nix's process as she too charged towards them with a mad cackle. Unwilling to let her get the first hit, Alex yanked his fist back and slammed it with full force into the ground, cracking the asphalt and generating a shockwave of displaced air that hit the first guy. He went down, and Alex didn't really care whether he was alive or not, though experience told him it would most likely be the latter- humans broke so easily, after all.

He didn't care much. Never had, with enemies. They had made this decision, now they had to live with it.

So he didn't feel bad when he reached the next three guys, grabbed the middle one and just ripped him apart to consume him. The other two started screaming- given, they have already done that before, but those yells gained a distinct panicked tone now. Alex shut them up by slamming his fists together, generating another shockwave to throw them across the street and making the car jump slightly from the force of the impact.

Numbers five and six tried to run. He picked up a nearby empty barrel and threw it after them, mowing them down.
Screams that got cut off by explosions drew his attention, and as he sauntered around the street car, he witnessed Nix just finishing taking down her group. He arched an eyebrow beneath his shell as she teleported behind the last guy and delivered a fierce, fire-enhanced kick to his lower back to send him careening across the street and into a collection of dumpsters. He was most likely only injured, but down for the count anyways. Much neater than what he had done, he figured.

He didn't care, just went to the side of the car to rip a good-sized hole into the metal, revealing the startled civilians inside. “You can go”, he told them gruffly, stepping to the side. “Get out and lie low, away from here. Things are going to get hot very soon.”

“Veeery 'ot”, Nix added, leaning against a barrel of gasoline and playing with a small flame on her fingertip. The civilians left the street train in a hurry after that and Alex had to admit he had rarely seen humans move that fast as they did. Nix chuckled and snuffed the flame by clenching her fist briefly. “We doin' dat now?”

“Oh yeah”, Alex's grin was unseen, though he figured that it maybe was for the best. Dana had once told him that he was scary as Hell when he was allowed to partake in his favorite pastime. He had so little possibilities to do so, however. He was going to enjoy this one.

Nix grinned as she heaved the barrel closer. “Wat ya wanna do wit' it?”

“First we'll put them inside, but open them a little.” It should fill the badly ventilated inside of the car with enough fumes, and if he moved it, there should be enough sloshing over the edge to saturate the floor.

“Dis gonna be great”, she cheered, rolling another barrel over.

“Oh, it will be”, he agreed, heaving it and the first one inside to stack them up against the walls. Nothing could compare to those thermobaric shells in his opinion, but he enjoyed explosions and fires all the same.

He suspected Nix did too, because her expression was way too unhinged as she moved all barrels closer. Once they were all inside the car, she generated enough of her tar to flood the whole cart by several inches at least. Then she stepped back with a thoughtful expression.

“'ow ya want to get it ova dere?”

Cole could act as a third rail to move the train that way. Alex had other ways to move this car. “I'll pick it up”, he said simply.

Nix blinked. “Pick it up?”

He snorted amused, then flexed his fingers once. It was only fifteen to twenty tons, still way less than the tanks he'd thrown when his Musclemass ability had been half a minute old. “I need you to set this thing on fire before I'll throw it at them. If you hit it in mid-air and it blows, the shockwave might counter the momentum too much.”

“No problem. But, wat 'bout ya?”

“Armor” He could take a thermobaric shell if he had to. He wouldn't like it, but it was doable. “You ready? The moment we appear, they're going to shoot.”

She shrugged. “Dey won' 'it mah.”

“Good”, Alex knelt down at the middle of the train car and slid his fingers under the chassis to find some purchase. He preferred using available ones as opposed to making some himself, to avoid damaging the stability. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at his partner. “Watch”

Then he got up and easily hoisted the train car over his head. Nix's jaw went slack for a brief moment, then she whooped loudly. “Das it, baby! Yeah, we gonna show 'em!”

Alex grinned under his face plate. “Try to keep up.” He dashed to the front, from zero to easily fifty miles in just two steps. He heard Nix laugh, and recognized the heat flare when she started moving too, sprinting besides him in a flurry of ember and smoke.

“Dis is sick, man! Ya really sometin'!”

She should have seen him in Manhattan. He had the feeling she wouldn't have been opposed to rain down terror on unsuspecting soldiers.

Alarmed screams drew his attention, and he noticed the fenced-off area of the plantation coming closer fast . He scoffed once, bunched the muscles in his legs and sprang as high as his Armor allowed him to- it was pitifully low when compared to his usual jumps, but it was still nearly three stories high.

“Nix!” He bellowed, and the Conduit appeared at the floor in a cloud of smoke. She just aimed her palm and shot a single ball of fire at the train car, easily hitting the tar and setting it ablaze. Alex snorted, waited until he reached the apex of his jump and the train car above him turned into a small inferno- and chucked the whole thing at the main house in one powerful motion.

The sudden impact ripped all barrels open at the same time, spraying their contents everywhere- the mixture of gasoline and air ignited instantly, turning into a giant ball of fire that wordlessly tore through ancient wood and material, hungrily devouring whatever it could find. When Alex hit the ground again with a noticeable crack , Heller rushed past him and slammed hard into the scrambling crowd, sending three men flying through the air. Nix trapped several guys in her tar, then blew them up. At the same time, lightning struck a few more mercs, knocking all of the off their feet. For a moment, the Runner paused and watched with a smile the chaos unfolding, before he headed to the back of the compound to where the mortar ordnance were to destroy them and take all defenses away from the Militia.

It seemed like their trip to New Marais finally started to turn in their favor.

They hurried across the plaza on their way towards the car containing the trapped cops. Alex had told them that the Militia usually paraded them around, showing off their spoils of war. The results of this information varied: While Cole had just been offended, Heller had taken it as a personal insult, then more or less dragged the Conduit along as he made his way over.

And he was fast about it too- from sheer speed he had Cole beat and could keep up with Alex as long the latter didn't think to sprint seriously. He could easily cross four-lane-streets in a single bound, could jump four to five stories and didn't suffer from fall damage either. While it was less than what the Runner displayed, it was still a lot more than what Cole could do. He couldn't feel but being envious about that, just as he was envious about Nix's ability to teleport.

“What is the plan?” Heller rumbled, and Cole forced himself to pay attention to what was going on. He glanced down, realizing that they had reached a rooftop overlooking a truck that transported a shipping crate-turned-prison-cell that contained the trapped policemen. A bunch of hicks was crowded in a smaller truck to the front, as both vehicles slowly made their way along the streets, while the men where jeering at their prisoners.

He frowned briefly. “They're packing a lot of firepower. I'd say we go down, knock them out and take their guns away. Think the cops might need them.”

“Good plan”, Heller agreed, “Short and direct. I like it.” He was already moving towards the edge to just drop down, when Cole stopped him.

“Should you really get down there like that?” The Evolved blinked puzzled. The Conduit rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, I mean, those guys know you, right? You're with Colonel Blackwatch and you've been there when he clashed with Bertrand.”

The other man understood his concerns easily enough. He still shook his head. “Nah, don't worry. It's not like they have any proof, or that I even give a shit about them knowing. What are they going to do? Shoot me? Won't work. Take my kid? She's at the other side of the continent and safe.”

“I'm more worried about Zeke and Dana. If these idiots notice us hanging around them, they could be in danger. Alex uses Armor when he doesn't want them to know any face he can wear”, Cole pointed out.

Heller snorted briefly. “I don't got Armor”, he explained, then his face became thoughtful. “Or maybe I have. It's certainly scripted into the virus, but I have no idea how to put it on. More even, the shifts are physical, which means I need to grow and remodel myself every time I transform. Hurts like a motherfucker. Only doing my arms will leave them numb for hours afterwards and I don't get any fingerprints back. Don't want to know what'll happen if I do my skin. Or whole body, 'cause I'm pretty sure I got some more shapeshifting too.”

“Then...maybe it'll be better if I go first, draw attention?” Cole wasn't really fond of a bunch of guys all shooting him at the same time, but if it was the only way...

“No chance”, the Sergeant scoffed, clenching his fists. “I know enough about hicks to know they won't recognize me. I'm just a black guy to them. Like all the others they disrespect, right? White assholes like them are incapable of telling people like me apart from others. Pretty sure they wouldn't even recognize your friend if she wasn't throwing fire at them.”

“That's...pretty generalized and asks for a large portion of idiocy.”

“But it's mostly true. Granted, there aren't many guys with my frame, but I got another thing for them.” He flexed his fingers and Cole was treated to the deeply disturbing image of his skin turning dark and scaly, of one finger melding with another and all of them shortening while giant bony claws pushed out of cracking flesh. The whole process took maybe a few seconds at most, but the end results were frankly terrifying. “Simple psychology”, Heller explained. “People will always look at weapons and deformities first. If I move fast enough to take them out before they manage to think further, I'll be fine.”

“That still doesn't sound all too safe”, Cole grimaced as he voiced his concerns.

Heller just shrugged. “One way to find out, right?”

“I guess so?” He went up to stand besides the man. “But still, please allow me the first shot.”

“Be my guest.” The Conduit lifted his hand, aimed the palm towards the front of the first truck that was slowly sidling down below them, and generated an orb of lightning in it. Yanking his hand upwards, he released the ball and it shot towards the unsuspecting idiots down there. The ball lightning exploded upon making contact with the street and forcing the driver to stomp on the brakes in panic.

Heller moved like lightning himself, hurling his body off the rooftop to hit the floor with a massive crash and enough force to crack the ground. He charged the first truck head-one, tackling into it with enough force to knock it over, and without even waiting for it to fall, spun around and bodily slammed into the hicks following the trucks on foot. He sent two flailing through the air like rag dolls, and back-handed another guy hard enough to dent the container's metal as he crashed into its side.

Damn, two seconds in and Heller was already at three- another two guys careened through the air- five hicks in. He didn't even count the truck. Cole seriously had to step up his game.
With an exasperated groan, he lunged off the building and hovered over the askew lying first truck, where the guys were still in the process of freeing themselves, but were also sufficiently distracted by the raging Evolved. The moment Cole was right above them, he pulled back his thrusters and dropped to the ground, ripping his Amp free the very last moment to reduce drag and impact into the floor with a maximum amount of force- sending lightning everywhere in a massive discharge.

The guys were flung away, less from the electricity and more from the suddenly displaced air, and on last count he had gotten at least five dudes knocked out himself. He heard Heller's low whistle. “Not bad.”

Cole grinned and swung around, braining another guy who tried to sneak past him. Heller just grabbed another two and slammed them together to knock them out- again, careful enough to not accidentally splatter them. Cole chucked several balls of lightning at the still mobile second truck in vague hopes to hit something vital. He was lucky, managed to blast off the two front tires and damage the suspension frame enough that the engine ripped out with an unholy shriek and the whole thing just died. Oil and gas leaked from the damaged vehicle, and he instantly focused his attention on the guys furthest away to avoid blowing everything up.

The remaining hicks were dealt with easily, and once they hit the floor, Cole quickly sent out several pulses to check for men with enough metal on their bodies to indicate more idiots. He didn't find any. “Clear”, he told his partner.

“You let them out and nothing's gonna stop them”, Heller pointed out, head cocked slightly into the direction of the shipping container. The men inside were cheering on them, and cursed out Bertrand with clenched fists and angry yells.

“Exactly what we need. You want the honors?”

Heller grinned, teeth bared. “Oh, I want to.” He approached the cage, making the men flinch back slightly as his claws seized the metal bars with enough power to dent them from just grabbing them- then he simply pulled and tore the metal apart like it was no more than just a sheet of paper.

Cole clapped his hands, drawing their attention away from the Supersoldier. “Alright. Who of you wants to join us in attacking the plantation to show Bertrand he can't do as he pleases with your city?”

Pleased, he noticed all of them yelling enraged their confirmation. Heller dropped the metal and pointed his claw at the downed men and the turned-over truck. “You guys might want to pick up some rifles from those idiots, since I guess you don't get superpowers handy.”

“Dude”, one of them commented, grabbing one gun and checking it over. “I don't give a shit about that. These assholes are thinking they own our city.”

“Time to show them they don't!” Another added.

“Good”, Cole jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “We're gonna meet up with Robertson. You've got to curb in your bloodlust long enough until you'll see the signal.”

“Shouldn't be long, though”, Heller added, “So you'll better hurry if you want some of the party, or we'll just pick them off first.”

“No chance”, a third man growled, then waved at the men. “C'mon guys!”

They sprinted off. Cole rushed after them, quickly overtaking them and chuckled. “Hell, this is going to be fun.”

Heller was easily keeping step besides him. “It will be, but we have to draw attention before these guys run into the line of fire.”

The Electric Conduit scoffed. “I'm not planning on letting anybody die. I had enough of that.”

“Same here”, Heller's arm shot out suddenly and blocked Cole's path, making the Conduit and the men following after them stop in their tracks. Another group of cops stood in front of them, close enough to the compound but hidden inside an alley.

“You did it”, Robertson sounded surprised at the sight of them.

“Can't let idiots like those hicks run around like they own the place”, Cole snorted.

“Sir, will this be on our record?” One of the others asked.

“As long you only do non-lethal shots, it won't”, the man replied simply, cocking his own rifle. He frowned at Heller's claws, then at the man's face. “When will the signal be?”

“Coming”, was the Evolved's simple reply, and that was when Cole noticed the smug expression on his face. The ground shook, and seconds later an armored black shape charged with easily fifty miles per hour down the street towards the plantation, carrying a God-honest train car above his head like it was nothing. Heller just jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to the now empty but devastated street. “In case you haven't noticed, that was it.”

Cole swore the moment the Evolved suddenly spun on his heel and raced out of the alley, and instantly dashed after him. He heard the startled yells from the plantation, and just managed to turn his head in time to see the impossible jump that carried both, Alex and the train car, several stories into the air.

Then it blew up and he threw the burning wreck right into the old building there. Heller reached the compound the second the Runner hit the floor and tackled into the first guys. Nix appeared out of nowhere, attacking several men with her tar. Cole, still reeling from the 'signal', managed to aim at a few guys and fry their asses.

Nix raced past him with a whoop, and Heller bull-rushed some more guys, throwing them across the field like they weighed nothing. In the background Cole could see the mortar ordnance shatter as story-tall black spikes ate the floor beneath them away. He heard shouts, and Robertson and his men finally caught up to them, ordering the Militia hicks to drop their weapons.
They of course didn't listen. Cole decided to encourage them. He grabbed his Amp tighter, tried to remember the feeling he had back when he had used the Vortex. He had felt hot, but not unpleasantly, like he was more alive. He tried to remember what he had done before- beating up Militia. He was doing the same now, and out of a sudden, he felt the same heat sear under his skin. With a wordless shout, he yanked the Amp free and spun in a half circle, striking empty air- and giving his Vortex a direction to go into.

Superheated air, ashes and lightning turned into a roaring maelstrom. Trees got uprooted left and right, and chunks were torn from the ground in a violent display of raw natural forces. For all the three seconds it lasted, it caused a whole lot of destruction in its path.

Cole felt his lips tug upwards as he leaned back and he just laughed out. He was pretty sure it sounded more demented than he wanted it to, but he just didn't find it in himself to care.

“Wat ya waitin' for, Demon?” Nix's voice demanded to know. “More guys to beat up!”

“Sorry”, the Electric Conduit instantly jumped into motion, summoning another few lightning grenades to chuck them over and blow up a few guys more. “I just tried to enjoy the moment.”

“A get wat ya mean”, the woman appeared besides him with a wide, unhinged grin. Then her attention shifted suddenly, and she whooped out. “Yes! Get dem, baby!”

Alex hurled his body past them, kicking off the air in one motion to change trajectory and slam himself like a missile into the still standing walls of the plantation building. It crumbled under the impact like drywall.

Heller was further down the place, using his claws to shield himself from a guy shooting at him, then instantly slammed into him with enough force to knock him on his ass. Cole fired at a dude trying to sneak up on him, and Heller instantly ripped out a small bench and chucked it at another hick who had come up behind the Conduit.

The amount of idiots was quickly thinning. And- as he realized surprised- almost none of them were dead. Some were critically injured, but that was their fault for playing with fire.
Good, because that was going to send a message. He was pretty sure it was the message he wanted to give: Don't screw with me or you'll get your ass kicked three ways to next Sunday, and you'll remember it for the rest of your life.

“Cole!” Alex appeared besides him with a heavy thud, gesturing towards the shack. “Now would be the best time.”

“What about-”

“We got dis”, Nix threw in, lugging another fireball at a still standing guy. “De big guy an' de cops an' a.”

Cole exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging, and turned his attention to the Runner. “Will you come with me? If someone can make heads and tails out of whatever we'll find, it'll be you.”

Alex nodded, then glanced at Heller and Nix. “You contact Dunbar and Dana, get them here.” Without saying anything else, he turned and headed to the door of the shack. There was a lot of ice around it, freezing the hinges and lock together. It wasn't an obstacle to him, though, because Alex just jabbed his claws into the frame and ripped the door out like it was wet paper. Cold air immediately started billowing out of the building. Cole furrowed his brows, then eyed his partner. “What exactly is this experiment you were talking about?”

“Something that has to do with Kuo, with something Wolfe built, and a mercenary group called Vermaak 88. Nothing solid, however.”

“We'll find out”, the Conduit growled, heading inside to stand in front of an elevator. It too was crusted over with ice, and he could see his own breath in front of his face. With a scowl, he placed one hand against the frozen buttons and let lightning run through it to hopefully warm it up enough. But the lift wasn't moving, probably too iced up. Cole snorted. “Shit, looks like we have to go the hard way.”

“Good”, Alex wrenched the elevator doors open violently, and peeked into the shaft. “Elevator's down there”, he mentioned. Then, after a moment's pause, reached out and tore the cables apart. “Nobody's going to get down there again”, he rumbled as he stepped through and let himself drop all the way to the ground floor. Cole heard the unholy shriek of metal on metal as he hit the cabin and caved it in. The moment he heard another door being forcefully opened, he jumped down into the icy darkness too, not knowing what he would find.

Chapter Text

It was cold down here. Way colder than the entrance had been. The hallway had been like a walk-in-freezer. Down here? Scandinavian Winter Night, maybe.

But what had caused this extreme temperature? Alex didn't know, and subconsciously started rubbing his arms in hopes of dispelling the freezing air that clung to him. Blacklight didn't like temperatures below freezing, though he noticed he was still in Armor when his plates cracked together. With an abortive huff, he dropped his arms.

“Cold?” Cole asked, though wasn't turned in his direction. Instead, he was looking at the opposite wall. Another door, his rudimentary sense of seeing told him.

“Some, but I can deal”, Alex replied. He was actually glad he was wearing his Armor- its thicker plates allowed for a better insulation than his unprotected surface. Maybe he could come up with some form of heat exchanger below it for future trips into cold places. He still pulled back the shell covering his face so he could see better, immediately wincing at the biting air. Damn, how did Cole do this?

One glance at the Conduit told him enough, though- there was lightning crawling over his form, likely keeping him warm while also offering some light to see. He was about to pry open the door to what was probably the main part of the laboratory, when Alex stopped him briefly.

“You might not like what we could find”, he told him. “If she is dead, or worse, will you be able to keep your head?”

Cole paused, swallowing. “If she is dead, if Bertrand killed her, I will kill him”, he answered after a moment's hesitation. “But I know I can't take him on my own, shouldn't do that because I need to stop the Beast before that.” He grit his teeth and slammed his fist against the metal walls hard enough to leave a dent. “So no. I won't charge that idiot, even if he deserved it.” His eyes glowed momentarily, making him look a lot like Kessler for a brief second. “But he won't get away just because I'll be busy with the Beast.”

“He won't”, Alex stepped towards the door and slammed his claws into the frozen metal, making it crack and splinter under the force. He ripped it out with a satisfying shriek as the hinges snapped in halves. More cold air billowed out, momentarily taking his breath and almost freezing parts of him solid. He immediately grew back his facial armor to protect himself, stepping back while Cole stepped to the front. His gasp was clearly audible, and his hot body was easily visible in the dark blues of the surrounding area.

“Kuo”, he whispered, rushing a few steps more into the cold. Alex grunted and forced himself to look, noticing the spot in the middle of the room- a spot that looked a lot like the missing NSA agent. With a mental shift, he brought back something like eyes, if only to see better in the cold and unmoving dark- wasn't anywhere near the level of his normal eyes, but it was enough.

Kuo was in front of them, suspended in mid-air from some machine with her head being covered by a helmet. Her suit jacket and shirt were gone, leaving her only in pants and her undershirt. Tubes ran into her arms, and other ran out, disappearing somewhere in the dark. She hung limp, but her ribcage was still expanding slightly. She was still breathing?

He couldn't see her breathe in the frigid air, and he couldn't see her body temperature.
No, he realized a second later, he could see it- but it was lower than even the surrounding room.

“Shit”, hot flashed across Alex's vision for a split second, and he saw the twin lightning bolts impacting into the cuffs keeping her suspended. The frozen metal snapped under the sudden expansion, causing Kuo's body to tumble downwards. Cole sprang and caught her in mid-air, a look of shock and horror crossing his features the moment they made contact.

“We got to get out of here!” He hissed. “Alex!”

The Runner's attention was briefly on the monitor that began flashing red bit by bit, and he craned his head up to see the hundreds of pods installed along the walls and connected to the same machine that had kept the woman captive. Beneath his Armor, his expression turned grim. That wasn't good. They were going to have some more problems in the foreseeable future.

But that was the future , they couldn't take care of that now . With a growl, he tore himself away and hurried after Cole, catching up to him and the agent the moment they reached the destroyed elevator. Without asking, he took the half unconscious woman from him, cradling her closer to his Armor in hopes of getting her body temperature up from under freezing , bunched his legs together and sprinted towards the wall, then upwards like he was running on flat ground.
He stopped the moment he reached the upper landing, watching how Cole instantly climbed after him, using his footholds to pull himself up.

Then he heard the shattering of glass, and the shriek of metal. Cole did too, head wrenched back as his eyes narrowed. “What the-?”

“No idea”, Alex admitted gruffly. “Doesn't matter, we have to get her out of here.”

Cole's brows were furrowed, but he still reached for the woman. Kuo suddenly gasped once, then began squirming. Her heart was hammering away inside her chest, so Alex loosened his hold on her. Once she could move, she slid off the Runner's arm, briefly steadying herself against his shoulder for a moment before she stumbled towards the door as fast as possible.

“Kuo?” Cole hurried after her, then slipped under her arm to keep her from falling. “What did they do to you?”

They staggered out into the light, and Alex realized that there was ice crusting her hands, and frozen tears covering her cheeks. Her coloration seemed off, less pale as he should have expected and more...blue. She had changed over the course of just a day. Just like...just like Sasha.

“Conduit”, he realized. “He activated her Conduit gene.”

Cole's head snapped to him. “Without Ray Sphere?!”

“Not now”, Kuo choked into their conversation, panting in pain as the Electric Conduit more or less dragged her down the footpath and towards the street. The cops had finished cuffing all the Militia members, but were still in uproar.

Because someone- several someones, in fact, were pouring out of the shack, flooding out of the back entrance like a swarm of ants.

Then someone hit the floor in front of them. Alex snarled and was about to lash out, when the guy jumped off again in a blast of cold. Heller charged towards them. “What the Fuck?!” He snapped, gesturing to the men appearing all over the place. Alex couldn't see much of them amidst all the fog they were producing, or the ice that spread wherever they stood. Even as he shifted out of his Armor, the sight didn't become easier to understand.

They didn't attack them, however, seemed more content with getting out of this place.

“They are not important”, Cole hissed, “Come, we gotta get out of here!” He craned his neck. “Nix!”

The Fire Conduit appeared besides them, expression aghast. Without asking, she slipped under Kuo's other arm and helped dragging her, while a truck stopped with screeching tires in front of the plantation. Dunbar waved at them from the driver's side. “C'mon! Get your asses over here!” Dana was already halfway out of the co-driver's seat when Cole and Nix dragged the agent over and lifted her into the truck bed. “Get us out of here”, the Electric Conduit hissed, head snapping to the side where another of those ice men disappeared.

“Shit”, Dana gasped. “She's cold!”

“We can look after her when we are in a more secure place!” Alex barked, stepping back from the truck. “We'll follow you. Go!”

Dunbar nodded wordlessly and stomped down on the accelerator, taking them away from the plantation. Alex glanced back, checking the area with his thermal vision, but all he could see were icy spots that were only slowly warming up in the early Louisiana sun.

“The fuck were these guys?!” Heller snapped, running his paw over his scalp.

“Good question”, Robertson approached them, looking worried. “They just appeared out of nowhere, scared the Hell out of us.”

“Any casualties?”

“No, unless you count soiled pants”, the cop shook his head. “You guys- have you seen the sort?”

“The sort, yes”, Alex began slowly, “Back in Empire. There were men we referred to as 'Lesser Conduits', as opposed to Cole's 'Prime Conduit'.”

“You mean...” Heller's brows came down. “Kuo's got the gene”, he pointed out slowly, “She told me. But you said that the Ray Sphere was what activated them.”

“I did, but apparently...” Alex trailed off. “I guess there are other ways. Whatever Bertrand's done to her, it worked on a similar principle.”

“And these guys just now- they are all Lesser Conduits based on her?”

“I don't think they are Conduits. Even Kessler only had a hand full of these guys. This were hundreds-” Alex cut himself off when memories snapped together. “They are the Vermaak 88”, he realized. “They are the mercs Bertrand got here.” His gaze went back to the shack. “I'll go back inside”, he decided, “Find out what happened. You”, he shoved slightly at Heller's shoulder, “You go and check up on her.”

“I'm not the one with medical knowledge.”

“Keep the Hive Mind open then.” He already turned on his heel and summoned back his Armor, modifying his face plate to gain some eye spots for better sight, then paused and glanced at Robertson, who had jerked back. “You try to hold the guys you nabbed for as long as possible. You might want some answers from them.”

“No question there.” The policeman frowned at him. “Whatever's going on, it's not just this Deviant business. Bertrand's got a lot to answer for if we get a judge willing to do something.”

“It's a good idea”, Heller agreed. “Good luck there, officer.” He saluted him, then kicked off and headed after the truck. Alex snorted and rushed back to the laboratory. This wasn't right. These men couldn't be all Lesser Conduits. Were simply too many...but if they weren't Conduits, they had to be human. How did they get those ice powers, then? From Kuo? How was this possible?

“How is this possible?” Cole hissed as he and Nix got Kuo to their rooftop. His first idea had been to get a hot-water-bottle and try to get her body temperature back up, but the hot water had frozen within moments. Kuo was trembling, curling in on herself with a pained gasp when Cole thoughtlessly reached for her to tuck her into a blanket. He snapped his hand back and hissed in realization that he probably startled her.

She was freezing again- literally because the humidity of the city condensed against her skin and became ice, turning into crusts of armor. There was a blue shine to her black hair, and her eyes, once brown, had turned a light blue color that was nearly the same silvery shade that Alex's were. Her skin was pale, but her forearms and hands were whitish-blue with mist constantly rising from them.

The Electric Conduit crouched down in front of the couch, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to find a way to put his thoughts into words. But really, what could one tell somebody who just turned into a Conduit through what was most likely torture?

He still had to try. “Kuo? You know where you are?”

She trembled, eyes darting briefly across the rooftop for a moment. “The folding chair is missing”, she whispered in a breathless tone, but she attempted to smile. “Thing was ugly as Hell anyways.”

Cole blinked, then grinned a little. “Don't let Zeke hear that, that thing's his favorite.”

“Brother”, Zeke piped up, “She can offend it all she wants, as long she's not in Bertrand's hands anymore.” He leaned over the backrest next to Nix, hissing through his teeth. “Shit, Super Spy, what happened?”

The moment she shut down again was easily to notice- Kuo made a noise that sounded a lot like a whimper and tried to curl up a little more. Zeke winced. “Sorry 'bout that.”

Cole growled, clenching his fists. “You don't need to tell us. We'll just go and beat Bertrand up. It's personal now.”

Nix hummed, slowly reaching for the agent and pushing some frozen strands of hair from her face. “Don' cry”, she muttered. “Ya got us. We'll 'elp ya get trou dis.” She eyed the Electric Conduit. “She one of us, no? Conduit?”

“It looks that way”, Cole admitted. “But I always thought you'd need a Ray Sphere for it-” He cut himself off when he saw the expression on her face. “How did you get your powers anyways?”

Nix shrugged stiffly. “Wat ya said.” She was plainly uncomfortable about it, so he wasn't going to push it any further. Instead, he turned his attention back to Kuo, finally pulling that blanket over her. “You take a nap first, get your energy back up. Once you wake up, we'll figure what to do from there.”

She made a disbelieving noise, and the parts of the blanket her hands were touching already started to freeze solid. Suddenly, there was a muffled thud and he was halfway through whirling around and getting his lightning out when he recognized the dark skin and (now) sleeveless shirt.

Dana cocked her head and approached him. “James? Where's Alex?”

“He stayed there”, the Evolved replied. “Wants to check up on this stuff-” He cut himself off with a frown, attention somewhere over his left shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Got it.” He turned back to them. “He says he can get whatever we need from their computers.”

Cole threw a glance at Kuo, then gestured to the opposite side of the roof. “I don't think she needs to hear this right now.”

Heller arched one eyebrow, then nodded wordlessly. Cole and Dana trailed after him as he went several steps away and leaned against the roof exit, while Zeke and Nix remained with Kuo.

“She's been bled dry, right?” Dana asked simply, and it made Cole's whole body stiffen in terror. More even as Heller just grimaced. The younger Mercer huffed out. “I've seen the injection points. And her skin's too pale.” She narrowed her eyes. “How did she survive?”

“They traded it for saline solution”, Heller told them, “Plus, when they drained her her Conduit powers spontaneously activated, saving her with their additional healing capabilities- and forcing her to survive the following treatment.”

Cole forced down the nausea and rage that threatened to bubble up through his throat, instead swallowed hard to calm himself down. “Why?”

Heller scowled. “No idea” Then immediately cut himself off and stared blankly at some spot to his right. “Oh, okay. Mercer says it has something to do with Blast Cores.”

That got Cole's attention. “There had been a Blast Core-”

“Had been. Past term. It dissolved when Kuo's powers manifested. So the residue radiation is probably enough to trigger an activation when enough stress is applied.” Heller waved him off with a motion that was a whole lot more Alex than it was him, and for the first time, Cole realized how terrifying it must be to be constantly able to hear someone else's thoughts. He shook himself, forcing his attention to what he had said. A Blast Core had activated Kuo's abilities. And the harness she was hooked up to...there had been a mounting that could have contained the Core.

“The Blast Core...”, Cole's brows furrowed again. “They did something with it and the machine, didn't they?”

The answer was a bit hesitating. “He seems to think so, though hasn't found much to work with at the moment.” He frowned slightly and fell silent for a moment, his focus somewhere else as he listened to something only he could hear. Dana caught the Conduit's eyes and shrugged. “They're doing that often”, she said to answer his untold question. “He knows what Alex knows, and Alex knows what he knows. If they don't, they can talk to each other-or technically, listen to each other's thoughts- no matter where either of them is. It's useful.”

And kind of horrible to lose this much privacy, Cole thought, because either of them could always be listening.

Heller snorted once. “Fucking slow down, I'm still working on believing the first part-” He cut himself off, glaring at the air conditioner like it had personally offended him. “The fuck's that supposed to mean? I'm working at the Crime Labs, thank you very much.”

Dana smirked and nudged Cole's shoulder. “Imagine him leading an argument like that in the middle of his work place.”

“-I can talk to them no problem-”

It was a bit funny, he had to admit, but it was also mind numbing horror to realize that there were people who weren't alone in their heads- and the voices were real people in that case, not just parts of their minds who believed they were somebody else. What had Manhattan been like to them, he wondered, and decided he didn't want to know lest he'd end up sitting in a corner trying to shut away the world outside.

Heller's groan pulled him back. “Fine, fine. Yeah, got it.” He was making a face that looked like he'd been forced to kick a puppy as he turned his focus to them. “Your brother's being an asshole, you know that?”

“I was aware”, Dana replied. “What did he say?”

“He said it would be easiest to get the information directly from him”, the Evolved grumbled. “He suggested he'd talk to you.” He grimaced. “Using me as proxy.”

Cole shuddered. “Shit, he can use you like you're a loud speaker?”

“Something of the sort.” The man exhaled once and slumped his shoulders. Cole could see the moment Alex took over, because Heller's eyes turned from dark brown to silvery blue, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his back when he started to speak. It was still Heller's voice, but unmistakably Alex speaking.

“I'll make this quick or else I have to endure his bitching the whole time”, Alex told them with a frown. “Anyways, the machine she was hooked up to- at its core it was a transfer device. Bertrand had Wolfe make it for him. That's probably why he had him killed, so he wouldn't be able to tell us how it works.”

“Transfer?” Cole's head snapped up. “Like...transferring Conduit powers?”

“Exactly.” He spaced out for a moment. “Far I can tell from the data, it is a prototype too. There's supposed to be at least one other.”

“What does it do?” The Electric Conduit rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing back at Kuo's form- or, more specifically, the mist rising from her arms and freezing the humidity in the air.

“You already know it”, Alex told him simply. “Kuo is an Ice Conduit. The guys that escaped the compounds had ice powers.”

“So they transferred her powers to these guys?” Dana questioned. “Like, she has the main program and everybody else got a bootleg?”

“Correct” He furrowed his brows even deeper. Heller's face was made for scowling. “None of them are Lesser Conduits, either. They're human with Conduit powers.” He shook his head. “By all means, this shouldn't have been possible, though I guess the residue radiation of the Core changed something. Data suggests as much too, but it's inconclusive on the entire matter.” He shrugged. “I'll keep digging.”

“Alex”, Cole winced slightly, because that face wasn't Alex's. “What had Bertrand done to her?”

The other's brows came down. “You sure you want to hear it?”

Cole shrugged tensely. “The more motivation I get to kick his ass, the better.”

He glanced at Dana for a brief moment, then turned his attention back to him. “Not sure how they knew she had the gene, but they started draining her of her blood as soon they had her in that lab- which forced her body into activating her abilities in order to survive. After that, she was weakened enough so they hooked her up to the machine.”

“And then they transferred her powers over to these other guys?”

“Yes” Alex fell silent for a moment, attention briefly somewhere else, before he turned back to them. “These men- Vermaak 88- they are mercenaries. But I doubt they knew they were going to be part of the experiments themselves. The entries suggest they were drugged and placed in those containment pods, ready to obtain a Conduit's abilities.”

“A Conduit?” Cole's eyes narrowed. “Kuo wasn't the target?”

“Not directly. She was just the one they caught”, Alex pointed out. “I think Bertrand would have been satisfied too if he had gotten you or Nix. But since she had the gene, yet wasn't activated, she was the easiest target.”

Cole growled in his throat, forcing his lightning back so he wouldn't flip his shit.

“Why did he stick Conduit powers to mercs?” Dana demanded to know.

“That's not in here”, Alex answered. “I'd guess we get that either from his personal files, or Bertrand himself.”

“Where is this second transfer device?”

“No idea at the moment. I'd say one of Bertrand's other bases.” He cocked his head. “What are you thinking?”

“If it can copy powers, do you think it can detract them?”

Alex shook his head. “Thinking about removing the Beast's abilities? Won't work. It can, however, possibly add powers from one Conduit to another one. Since it worked with humans, it will work with Conduits.”

Cole nodded slowly. That had applications, he figured. “Good. Get whatever you can find on that computer, then destroy everything. We'll find Bertrand and we will make him pay.”

“You got that right”, Alex's influence faded quickly, leaving Heller just staring blankly for a moment, before he frowned. “I have the feeling it's not going to be that easy. However, he did find the possible position of another Blast Core.”

Dana cocked her head. “Where?”

“Somewhere in Ascension Parish. No detailed location, but it should be near the largest amount of armed idiots.” He eyed Cole. “You going to check it out?”

“Yes, but”, he turned to look at Kuo. “Not yet. First I have to make sure she's okay.”

Alex had spent a good few hours in the freezing cold of the laboratory, and as a result, felt rather lethargic the moment he finally hauled ass and left. He still had managed to acquire a vast amount of data, along with the blue prints of the transfer device and several notes to current and planned experiments.

He also learnt how to deal with stagnant sub-zero air at least. He figured if there had been a breeze, it would have been worse, but without any draft his rough insulation made of a heat exchanger under his Armor was better than nothing. He felt uncomfortably stiff, and the late afternoon heat was more like a sledgehammer to the face as soon as he got out. He still took it in a heartbeat, and he loosened his surface briefly to let the half frozen tendrils soak up the warmth out here while he turned back into his default shape, not the modified daylight form.

Nobody was around anyways. Alex just rolled his shoulders, turned back to the shack and knelt down to jab his claws into the ground, unraveling most of his mass into it. He felt the moment they made contact with the subterranean walls, scoffed briefly- and slammed them through, crushing steel and concrete to dust. The ground beneath shook slightly as his Ground Spikes ate through the construction.

Alex pulled them back as soon he knew that down there nothing remained in one piece, then got up. It was very late already, he noticed.

You still with Cole?

Heller shivered briefly, even through their connection. “Yeah. Kept an eye out, figured that maybe Bertrand would be pissed enough to send his guys after us.”

Did he?

“Nope. Guess he focused on his guys first.”

How is Kuo?

“Asleep now. Wonder for how long.”

The others?

“Dunbar, Dana and MacGrath are still there. Nix left a few hours ago, said she was going to take a nap at her place.”

You heard from Cross?

“Yeah. Blackwatch would like to meet you later tonight. Pool information. With those ice guys around, I guess they finally lost their patience.”

Alex furrowed his brows briefly, threw one last look at the ravaged area, before he kicked off and headed back to their hideout. He made sure he didn't go the direct way but rather backtracked a few times and went into complete opposite directions to throw off any potential onlookers. Before he hit the roof, he buffered his jump into a glide and set down gently. Cole and Heller had already noticed him from several blocks away, and Dana had noticed his approach too. Dunbar was probably the only one startled.

Alex didn't dawdle long on greeting. He walked up to the table in the middle of the roof and loosened his cohesion enough so he could pull all pieces he scavenged straight out of the middle of his chest. Only Dunbar winced at the sight, though Cole seemed to become a little pale, while Dana just watched with mild interest.

“That everything?”

“Well, I could have hauled the transfer device here”, Alex pointed out. “But the blueprints were much easier to carry.”

“I can guess”, Dana mumbled, already reaching for the hard drive of the computer. “I'll just hook this up. You want to check it with me?”

He shook his head. “I just spent a good few hours freezing my ass off while looking at that stuff. I'll be more comfortable warming up.” He rolled his shoulders, eying Cole. “I would have figured that you would have jumped at the Blast Core in Ascension Parish the moment you hear of it.”

The Conduit shook his head. “I got a little more restraint than that. Also, I didn't feel comfortable leaving Kuo out of my sight just yet.” He glanced back at her. “But I guess she finally wore herself out- plus three sleeping pills at once. Last time we checked her temperature was up too.”

“'Up' being figuratively”, Dana threw in from the computer. “She's still at under freezing, but at least not that far below anymore.”

“What she said”, he crossed his arms and locked eyes with Alex. “So, you want to come along while I go to Ascension Parish, or do you want to get a blanket and take a nap?”

“Movement's a better way to warm up”, the Runner replied, then cocked his head. “When are you going to get some sleep?”

“Slept the whole time before, so I got some more time to walk around.” He shrugged one shoulder towards the darkening sky. “Pretty sure we should check up the Core now.”

Alex nodded. “If that is what you want to do, then let's do it.” He motioned to the east where Ascension Parish lay. “Bertrand's men cut the power over in the Parish. You might find it tough to deal with them without energy.” Cole was very much depending on the surrounding energy fields, after all. If there was no electricity around, his own attacks were weaker, regardless on whether he had a full battery or not.

Cole only scoffed in reaction. “So? Then I have to put them back online.”

Heller snorted suddenly. “And what am I? Chopped liver?” He glared at Alex. “You shouldn't forget that you asked for my presence, and now you stand back and ignore my presence?”

I was going to get to you. Alex bit back, only realizing when Heller reeled slightly that he had spoken through the Hive Mind, not with his normal voice. That was...worrisome? He hadn't triggered it, just slipped into it- but he was aware he wasn't losing control. Or, at least, it didn't feel like he was losing control. It should have been a warning sign- or was it a sign he was evolving further? He wasn't sure, though the latter was possible- Blacklight wouldn't further its own abilities unless it was put under stress that forced it to evolve. Right now, the situation was ideal for a progress like that.

With a scoff, he shook his head, refusing to be concerned by it when he turned his attention back to the Evolved. This time, he had to focus on actually speaking . “I was going to tell you to meet back up with Cross. I want to know where these Corrupted are hiding, and utilizing Blackwatch to fight against monsters is a good idea to get the correct kind of attention.” He folded his arms behind his back. “Also, Nix told us that there are some people who aren't okay with the Militia. Try to find them too, we could need all allies we can get in order to get these idiots off our backs and focus on the Blast Cores.”

Heller's eyes were narrow. “I can do that. But what exactly have you planned?”

Alex shrugged. “Mostly just tagging along to see whether I can get one redneck who's higher up in the food chain.” While the uniforms barely gave any hint as to which man had a different rank, he had realized that there were other ways to identify them. The quality of the weapons, the position of the person in question, maybe even body modifications such as haircut and tattoos. Of course, that wasn't foolproof , but he could deal with accidentally grabbing some of the other guys. They were assholes, after all.

“And not mostly?”

Not mostly? I'm thinking of doing a little redecoration in this place.

Heller swore under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You better know what you are doing.”

“Oh, I do.” Mostly. He had a certain idea already about what he could do, and he was pretty sure that it was going to work the way he intended it to. He was going to pay close attention, however. “You okay with leaving the fun part to us?”

“Fun part?” Heller arched an eyebrow. “What's so fun about switching the energy back on?”

“Oh, you know”, Cole waved him off. “There's going to be lightning everywhere, and we're going to be shot at by hicks. The usual stuff.”

“That was kind of a weird look”, Cole said out loud. Originally, he wanted to keep it to himself, but it was just too weird to not voice it.

“What did you expect?” Alex gave back, vaulting over an air conditioner with enough momentum to cross the entire roof. “He's a soldier. His first directive is to find cover and hold his position, not run right into the gunfire like we pair of idiots.”

“I resent that! I got my shield to protect myself, and I don't like being shot at either.”

“That still doesn't stop you from seeking confrontation.”

Cole opened his mouth to protest. And blinked. And closed it again. Alex was right- he really did look for trouble instead of trying to get out of its way. “What about the substations?” He asked instead of arguing a lost point. “Where is the sewer grate we have to get through?”

“There isn't one”, Alex pointed out. “New Marais's sewage system is not the place for the substations.” He stopped atop a building and waved his hand at a large box sitting in a side street. “New Marais' energy system is made up of several above-ground distributors like that one. If you activate one, you'll have energy in a part of the area.”

“That would have the advantage that you wouldn't need to power up the whole place at one go”, Cole realized.

“Exactly”

“How do you get these things up and running?”

“Similar to the ones in the Historic District. They have a built-in security switch that even works when they had been shut down manually like Bertrand's men had done. If the system registers a sudden spike in energy, it should restart the device in question after a short moment. Had been installed in order to avoid a total black-out.”

“Spike of energy, huh?” Cole rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and let a few sparks dance over his fingers. “I can do that.” He eyed the other. “You know where the distributors are sitting?”

“I do.”

“Good, that's all I need to know. Get me to the closest activated distributor, and we can start this party.”

Alex just inclined his head and motioned for him to follow as he led the way unerringly through the east part of the main city. Cole sensed the transformer before he could see it, could sense the energy writhing inside his head. To his eyes, it was pretty underwhelming when they found it, no more than a caged-in piece of machinery with the signs of 'Danger! High Voltage!' attached to it. He ignored the signs and just dug his fingers in.

“Oh yeah”, he grunted when electricity surged through his body. “That's the stuff.”

Alex arched one eyebrow under his hood. “You need a moment?”

“Just tell me where the next distributor is”, the Conduit told him. “I'd like to try something.”

The Runner just motioned across the last line of buildings and the canal behind them. “Between six hundred meters and a kilometer, give or take some.”

“Okay”, Cole squinted into the upcoming dusk, trying to imagine the transformer. It was probably going to look very similar, would it? He gathered energy directly from the transformer into his hand, forming a massive white orb of crackling energy, not unlike his so-called Megawatt Hammer. And with one difference: This one was even larger, and still connected to him through a line of pure electricity.

Cole closed his eyes, imagining himself seeing through the energy- and fired it blindly into the direction Alex told him.

He couldn't describe it- it was like he was there and then wasn't, like he was high up above them and on the ground at the same time. He couldn't see in the closer meaning of the word, but he was aware, knew exactly where to go and what to do. He could sense the energy (or lack of it) below him, could sense the water, the suburbs, knew exactly where the transformer was.

He focused on that, knew he was getting closer- and was torn back to reality the moment he collided with the transformer. He shook his head briefly to clear it, then eyed Alex. “Did it work?”

The Runner briefly vanished, kicking off the ground to leap high into the air before he came back down with a solid crack . “Light's coming on”, he confirmed. Then frowned. “What was that?”

“I dunno”, Cole frowned. “How did it look like?”

“Like a large ball lightning”, Alex told him. “With two smaller ones circling it. It flew through the streets, made curves I didn't know where possible.” He narrowed his eyes in thought. “And it was still attached to you with a line of electricity. You controlled it, didn't you?”

Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I tried to imagine myself in it, and somehow it worked? I guess I somehow got this idea from Sasha. She could sense anything that was attached to her tar, right?” He blinked at Alex's leer. “Right, you do know.”

“It was impressive”, the Runner admitted after a moment. “And it has applications- you can basically form a Hive Mind on your own.”

Cole beamed, then started walking into the direction of the transformer. “Yeah, but that's something for a later time to think about. Come on, we gotta stop these hicks from shutting it down before it can build up charge.”

Alex snorted. “Try to catch up then.” He charged right past the Conduit, building speed within three steps and disappearing somewhere. Cole cursed under his breath and sped after him, leaping clear over the small canal (still had to hover to avoid falling into the water), and dashed along the sleepy little suburban streets in the west part of New Marais. From afar he already heard the yells and shots that were gradually shut down and replaced for groans the closer he came.

The last idiot dropped to the floor the moment he arrived, but all of them seemed to be alive, if knocked out and their legs broken. He made a face when Alex stalked through the rows, paused besides a guy- and crushed his throat to consume him.

“Was that really necessary?”

“I told you, I wanted to pick off the leaders”, the Runner replied simply. “Be glad I left the others alive.” He simply pointed at the transformer, then moved his finger into a different direction. “Next one is over there, three blocks away.”

Robert Cross wasn't sure what the Hell he was doing in the New Marais slums in full uniform and with only Heller as back-up. He wasn't afraid of the Militia, or even the Corrupted- but having his team on him would have been a better choice than going mostly alone. On the other hand, since that episode at the public speech his team had a viable excuse for shooting the Runner first, and he seriously didn't have time for that nonsense. So he agreed to go and talk with him on his own, meeting the Evolved on the way.

When they walked into the city, Cross noticed that they weren't heading towards the Smut Triangle, but rather to the east where Ascension Parish was. “He there?”

“Coming closer, actually-” Heller cut himself off, eyes narrowing briefly before his skin turned rough and scaly and claws broke through skin. Cross knew better than to argue with him, just unlatched the safety of his handgun and drew the stun baton from its holster.

Then the first Swamp Beasts charged from the underbrush cutting off the city from the swamp, screaming as they lunged at them.

Heller jumped within the blink of an eye and collided with a large rhinoceros-like one in mid-air, knocking it to the ground with enough strength to crater the street beneath and flatten a car and the beast. The Evolved whirled on his heel the next moment, grabbed two more Corrupted and slammed them together so hard they turned into mist.

If the others noticed, they didn't change course or even slow down. Cross grunted and ducked under the wide swing of one of them, then jammed his stun baton deep into another's throat and flicked the switch. The discharge made the thing jerk back roughly, the voltage throwing its system out of the loop long enough for the Specialist to shoot it into its head twice to drop it.

Heller grabbed one that tried to leap on him from behind and slammed it into two others to shatter their bodies. The Specialist didn't bother to thank him, just yanked his rifle free and took down another swamp beast with a short burst of fire.

Then came the lightning. Its intensity took his sight for a moment, so the next thing he saw was MacGrath using his staff weapon against three Corrupted at once, slamming them backwards with a brutal swing. He didn't stop spinning, though, used the momentum to finish another circle and flicked the Amp to the side, summoning a God-to-honest tornado of ashes and lightning that flung the targeted Corrupted far across the street.
They didn't hit the ground, though, because Mercer lunged at them out of nowhere, claws ripping through them as he tore them apart and consumed them within seconds. Without breaking his motion, he lunged at another rhino-like creature next and consumed it too, then proceeded to sweep up the rest of them in mere moments . None of these things had a chance, and the last blood splatters hit the ground mere seconds later. Only blood, because the Runner certainly didn't feel generous to leave them in once piece, consumed all of them instead in a flurry of tentacles and a spray of gore.

Heller made a noise in the back of his throat, drawing his attention away from the Runner to a young woman that was following them. Cross had never seen her, and she didn't look like she was the usual crowd either- not with the way she was warily eying the few carcasses and her companions, though still caught up to MacGrath and hid behind his frame.

The Specialist cocked his head, glancing at MacGrath. “Who's that?”

MacGrath snorted. “No 'Hey, nice to meet you'? No 'Good work with the Swamp Monsters'?”

Cross just stared at him blankly. The younger threw his hands up in an universal gesture of 'Fine, you win'. He gestured loosely to the woman. “Her name's Sara. We just freed her.”

“You already freed a lot civilians”, Heller pointed out. “What is different with her?”

“She was supposed to be a sacrifice”, Mercer scoffed.

“Sacrifice?” That got Cross's attention.

“I got the team leader who strung her up”, the other simply pointed out. “And he told me a lot.”

“These assholes”, MacGrath spat, “They were going to feed Sara to some large Swamp Monster. They were doing it for quite some time already, too keep them under control.”

“Wait”, Cross's eyes narrowed. “Why should they feed these things to control them if they had them under control in the first place?”

“They either don't have as much control as they think”, Mercer pointed out, “Or they weren't controlling them in the first place- in this case, we'll need to look elsewhere for the Conduit responsible for these things.”

“Anything on the Hive Mind?”

He shook his head. “So far, I haven't found one. Mostly they work on instinct and senses- anything that's not a Swamp Beast is fair game, but somehow they are trained to not attack the Militia.” He snorted amused. “Which is the main reason for those ridiculous uniforms. Bright colors makes the men more noticeable-” He cut himself off, head snapping to the side when a distant rumble became audible. “We shouldn't dawdle”, he growled.

“Please”, the girl managed to grit out despite shaking like a leaf, “We have to find Uncle Laroche.”

She started stumbling down the street, followed closely by MacGrath. Cross eyed her for a moment, then simply followed her too. “I think I recognize that name. Laroche, that was the leader of the resistance, right?”

“He is”, Mercer confirmed.

“We're not sure whether Laroche would even want to work with us”, MacGrath added, “But like that, he is going to listen at least. Plus we get to kick the Militia in the balls and save people from being eaten.”

Something growled again in the distance, and the Conduit grimaced. “Also, I think it is good for luring whatever that thing is into a better place to kill it.”

Cross could deal with that, and slightly picked up his pace to get next to Mercer. “While we're going to meet Mr. Laroche, we can talk.” He casually lifted his rifle and mowed down two more Corrupted that tried to sneak up on them. “It's not like we have anything important to do right now.”

Mercer scoffed. “Wolfe's dead”, he muttered.

The Specialist just arched a brow. “The man that you came here to meet?”

“Bertrand's men killed him, abducted agent Kuo.”

“Shit”

“We got her back, at least”, the other continued, “But without Wolfe, we need to figure things out from scratch. However”, he paused briefly and kicked a car into the general direction of a few Militia hicks, who instantly dove to the side and escaped the area. “When we found Kuo, we also discovered some technology and blueprints designed by Wolfe. I think it would be possible to cross-reference those with the RFI, to try to figure out how it works.”

The Colonel grunted- it sounded logical, though he wouldn't even know where to begin. Wasn't his job anyways.

“Kuo's a Conduit now too”, the Runner added. “Still out of it, though.”

The older man scoffed. “It's just one after the other.”

“The Beast?”

“Is on the way here, at least that's what HQ says. So far, it had shrugged off every attempt we made. That alone is already bad, but the wind has turned too.” Radiation was sweeping like a cloud across the states, killing thousands in its path. “Worse even, whenever the Beast hits a town, it blows it to Hell, spraying even more of this shit into the atmosphere. We can't stop it, can barely slow it down and when we get too close, our guys croak too.”

“Iodine should work-”

“It doesn't. Slows down the effect, but this isn't radioactive radiation. It doesn't destroy the genetic makeup, it adds to it- and most of the people get violently sick before they die a week later because they just can't deal with it.”

Mercer clicked his tongue. “Shit.”

“It gets better”, Cross snorted again. “Doctor Wolfe had a lot of these Blast Cores and Blast Shards in his lab, right? Well, this stuff's spread across the city now. Same effect, if more localized.”

The Runner stopped briefly. “How many are dead?”

“Last count? Over a hundred. Bodies are piling up faster than the officials can do anything, and they already got enough on their plate. We'd need the army to help here, but as long Bertrand has his finger on the city, they won't come in.”

“So remove Bertrand then.”

“Would be the best idea. Plus”, he jabbed his thumb at a bunch of Militia soldiers, seconds before MacGrath mowed them down with lightning. “These guys shouldn't be a problem then anymore.”

Another few goons tried to stop them, but before either of them turned towards them, a group of civilians knocked them out. So, there really were a few people in the city that didn't like these hicks either.

“Rebels”, Sara breathed, “Then we're close.” She motioned towards them to follow her. “Come, Uncle holds court in Leo Park, and with me they won't shoot at you.”

She hurried to the front, waving her arms the moment they reached a circular street with a park-like inside and a lion statue in its middle. “Uncle Laroche! Uncle!”

Cross could see several civilians peeking up, and one of them rushing towards them. “Sara! Are you-?!” He hugged her tightly.

“It was so horrible. They tried to feed me to it”, she told him with a shudder. “I just-”

The man grimaced slightly. “I understood why they were making these sacrifices- but not with my kin.”

The woman stepped back. “What? You-”

“You knew?” MacGrath growled, cutting her off. “And you didn't think about changing it?”

Laroche eyed him. “We can't stand up to this thing, we don't have a chance-” He blinked when realization set in. “You're that MacGrath fella. The Demon of Empire City. You've been at the plantation, whooping the Militia's asses-”

“I've also just saved your niece's life and with my friends here took down a whole bunch of these things”, the Conduit scoffed, crossing his arms defiantly in front of his chest. “So I'd say you owe us one.”

Laroche groaned. “I am not sure yet- because if this thing doesn't get fed, it will rampage through the city. Killing hundreds.”

“So?” Cross snorted, hands on his hips. “Then we'll kill it. Simple.”

“It can't be killed!” The man snapped. “It is too large, too powerful-”

“Pretty sure we killed bigger already”, Heller threw in simply, idly kicking a pebble over the ground.

“Look”, MacGrath said, “Point is- we want the same. You want the Militia out of your house, I get tired being shot at the entire time. And we'll throw in a bonus and wipe out these swamp monsters too, what do you say?”

“I'd say we better begin right now”, Mercer cut in before Laroche could answer. His arms turned into his claws in a flurry of tendrils. “We're getting visitors.”

“Now? Figured they'd be faster”, Heller snorted, flexing his own claws and also turning his attention into the same direction the Runner was looking.

Cross became aware of the trembling that went through the floor, and slowly turned to face into the direction of the swamp. MacGrath did too, then inhaled sharply. “ That is a pretty big guy.”

He was true on that one- something big peeled out of the fog that swept over from the swamps, and it was accompanied by several of the smaller rhinoceros-like beasts and the humanoid critters. Cross just arched one eyebrow, then lazily flicked the safety off on his arm-mounted grenade launcher.

“That's it?” He questioned simply. “The Goliaths were larger.” Twice the height easily, and a lot faster.

“Yep, and they died all the same”, Mercer confirmed. He was bouncing on his heels, then swayed back with a glance at MacGrath. “You want the honors?”

“Well, I'd like to”, the Conduit squinted at the massive creature. “Ah, but I don't know whether I can get through the armor.”

Cross just cocked his head, glancing briefly at the titan barreling down the street towards them and the smaller corrupted crowding around its feet. He took special note of its body- four tree-trunk-like limbs took its weight, and its whole body was protected by chitinous plates. Like an Armored Hive racing towards them- but around its head region the shell looked thinner, flexible- and his suspicion was proved to be correct when it stopped briefly and roared, plates moving aside to reveal a giant toothed maw.

“Then shoot its mouth”, he pointed out simply. “If they are too tough outside, try it from the inside.” He fired a grenade at the center of the smaller beasts, and the incendiary ammunition ate through five of them at once, injured four more. And the injured ones were subsequently ran over and crushed under the titan's frame.

“Nice”, he heard Heller's voice, “If we can lure it around, it'll do our job for us.”

“Yeah, help the kid”, Cross ordered. “I'll cover you. Mercer, you the others.”

The Runner grinned. “Oh, with pleasure.” He kicked off with enough force to make Laroche stumble- and threw his body right into the middle of the fray, claws blazing as he ripped the things apart like they were made of wet paper.

MacGrath and Heller rushed them too, but altered their course in the last moment to get to the big one, Cross just planted his feet and fired another grenade into the crowd, taking down one of the rhino-like ones.

The titan roared, then spat orbs of goop at them, forcing them to dodge to the side. Cross wrinkled his nose at the stench those things emitted- smelled a lot like half-digested food. Great , he thought, It's throwing up on us.

Another reason to kill it, he figured. Apparently, MacGrath thought so too, because he aimed his palm at its still open mouth and fired several bolts of lightning right into its gums. The titan rumbled and shook its frame, closing its jaws with a distinct clack of its plates snapping together. Heller rushed it, kicking off the floor and slamming his Hammerfists into the thing's head with enough force to shake its entire body and crack its armor in several places. It reared and roared, only to swallow a car MacGrath catapulted right into its face.

Then Cross turned his attention to the smaller Corrupted. Mercer was currently wrestling with a larger rhino-thing, then wrenched it off the ground and slammed it into the floor with enough force to crack its spine, so it didn't offer any resistance to being consumed by the Runner.

Another pack tried to swarm him in that moment, and the Specialist simply fired into the crowd several times to draw their attention and injure them- and the tentacles grabbed and tore them apart as well.
If he or his team weren't at the receiving end of this, it was fucking beautiful, he had to admit.

Then Mercer just stopped, and Heller tensed for a moment before he grabbed MacGrath and yanked him off his feet to carry him several yards away from their adversary- seconds before the Runner exploded into a tightly packed ball of tendrils and spears that turned whatever they met into fine mist. The titan wailed in pain, though its armor offered enough resistance to barely withstand the blow- but with holes in its shell MacGrath had a point to pry from. He formed balls of lightning in his palms and just threw them over so they attached themselves to the beast and exploded a few seconds later in a brilliant discharge and an ear-splitting thunderclap.

The titan reeled, jaw snapping open as its tongue shot out like a whip- Heller easily side-stepped, grabbed the organ and simply ripped it out at the root in one movement. The beast reared and shrieked in agony, choking on its own blood in the process.

Mercer slammed into its head and burrowed both claws into its maw, tendrils rising from his flesh to sink into the titan's body, flooding it with active viral agents. Cross's eyebrows shot upwards, because this thing should be far over his limit, but as it collapsed to the ground and was subsequently eaten, he had to correct his previous thought because apparently, he could store this entire thing away.

Mercer casually brushed his pants off. Heller rolled his shoulders and flicked some saliva off his claws. MacGrath whooped. “Hell yeah! We got this down!”

Cross simply turned to Laroche, who hadn't moved an inch and was just staring . “I think this qualifies our claims.”

“Shit”, the man breathed. “That more than qualifies 'em.” He eyed the Colonel. “I still don't like what you're selling, but you do know how to wipe the floor with giant monsters. And frankly, I guess my guys are kind of worshiping you already.” He motioned briefly to his men, who were staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “So yeah, I'm listening. You need any help, just let us know.”

Chapter Text

Cole was feeling rather giddy, if he was honest with himself. But that had been his first giant monster, so he had every right to to be in high spirits.
More even, they finally located someone in the middle of New Marais who they could actually talk to- somebody who wasn't an idiot like the hicks were, and who wasn't a blind sheep like the remaining population was.

Laroche was currently talking to Colonel Blackwatch- and he didn't even notice how the man drained him of the information he wanted just by asking the right questions. Another note on that, he thought, take care when talking to Blackwatch. Or better, never talk to Blackwatch at all unless he really needed them. The question was, of course, would he even need them? They were perfectly human, and as such vastly inferior to Conduits, weren't they? But then again- he had seen how Colonel Blackwatch took care of the Corrupted, and he knew that back at the public speech the Wisemen had done a much better job than even him- containing the monsters a lot easier than the Militia- and the Militia had the advantage that these things were programmed to not attack them.

So maybe...trust that Blackwatch was capable enough to give them backup?

Cole's brows drew together. “Hey, Cross?”

The Colonel inclined his head, eyes focusing on him. Cole inhaled once. “You think you and your guys are ready to take down the swamp beasts? I mean, you did a pretty good job with the smaller things-”

“Won't be a problem”, the man replied. “Now that we have proof that there is some form of infected running amok, we can finally call the shots.”

“What?” Laroche's eyes widened. “Infection- what are you talking about?”

“The Swamp Beasts”, Alex threw in, “They used to be human. And- but this is only a theory we have- the Militia's captive 'Deviants' are the main stock for these things. Until now, we can't be certain about how exactly the infection process is working, but it probably isn't through simple contact.”

“There must be a Hive Queen or something that is responsible for the transformation”, Colonel Blackwatch added. “And locating it will be our first priority.” He gestured to Alex and Heller. “These two will assist you in fighting the Corrupted themselves, but unless we destroy their Queen, it will only be tackling the symptoms.”

“But we can slow it down”, Laroche noticed. “If the Militia doesn't get any more 'deviants', they can't turn them into the Swamp Beasts, right?”

“Yes. And that is going to be your job. Keep the civilians away from these things and away from the Militia. However”, The man's permanent scowl deepened. “The problem is the people. If they get wind of what we're thinking, they'll turn into a vicious mob, regardless of whether our suspicions are correct or not.”

“So lie to the people to protect them”, Heller added. “Until we got the proof of what's going on. And by then, we should already have everything under control.”

Laroche let out a long and heavy sigh. “I get what you're sayin', but I don't like it a bit.” He sighed again. “Fine, I'll do it. Just gonna tell my guys to keep the people away from the swamp beasts and the Militia, get back everyone they kidnapped.”

“You need help, contact me”, Colonel Blackwatch told him. “My team and I can be boots on the ground anywhere in the city in five.”

“I'm in too”, Cole threw in. “Give the word and I'll open a can of ass-kicking on whoever you point me at.”

“Will do”, Laroche agreed, then motioned for his men to leave. The Militia was going to check things up soon enough, so it would be best if they were gone by then. Same for the others. Cole went to walk besides Alex as they too sidled down the street. “Hey, you said there was a Blast Core somewhere around here? You have any idea where?”

“Not really. But I know it'll be closest to a bunch of hicks with guns, so I'd suggest-” He cut himself off when Cole's phone chimed. He answered it.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, Cole”, Zeke's voice sounded excited. “You'll never guess what happened!”

“You found another Blast Core?”

“Nope, but Kuo's up and about.”

Cole blinked. “Already?”

“Yup, and she wanted to meet you at the cemetery.”

“Sure?”

“'nother thing”, Zeke added. “Alex there?”

“Yeah”

“Good” There was the sound of shuffling on the other side, and Dana's voice pitched in. “You move your ass over here”, she huffed out angrily. “Leaving me with this stuff you nicked from Bertrand- I'm not an astrophysicist, Alex!”

Alex snorted amused. “I'll come over.” He glanced back at Heller and Colonel Blackwatch. “You can deal?”

“Against a bunch of hicks and a few infected? Please, you're not giving us enough credit.”

“All I wanted to hear”, Alex turned and left. Cole figured he was excused too and hurried off himself, heading towards the graveyard that made up most of the canal-facing side of the Ascension Parish. He was feeling a bit anxious about meeting Kuo- by all means she should still be recovering (he needed weeks to wake), and he couldn't help but wonder whether she would blame him for what happened. It was a very real possibility, one he didn't want to think about too hard, but he still tried to prepare for it.

On the other hand, he was giddy about the prospect of meeting her and figuring out how she took to her powers. And if his meeting with Nix had been any indication, then it was damn fun to work with a Conduit that didn't try to kill him.

The cemetery was pretty much empty at this time of the night, but as he climbed over the surrounding walls, the scent of decay that hit him was very much overwhelming. He briefly wrinkled his nose, then headed towards an iron gate in the middle of the complex, pushing it open when he saw the lithe figure of Kuo sitting on a grave.

He cleared his throat. “Kuo”

She looked at him surprised. He just arched an eyebrow as she got up to face him. She looked a lot thinner than she'd done before, mostly because she wasn't wearing her jacket anymore. Her heels had been swapped for flat shoes, and she was wearing a sleeveless crop-top with a snowflake imprinted to the lower right side, and a pair of dark slacks. Her hair had a distinct blue shine to it and was styled into a way that looked a lot like Dana's, if a lot less spiky. She also wore blue lipstick and blusher. Her eyes were blue like ice and highlighted with blue eyeshadow. Mist was constantly rising from her blue hands and forearms. Pretty much blue in her overall appearance, and Cole figured that both Dana and Sherry had a hand in it.

Other than that, she seemed to have herself back together. Pretty impressive, considering they pulled her out of that place a scant nine hours ago. He grinned at her. “Well, that is a really new look for you.”

She blinked, then glanced down at herself. “You like it?”

Cole critically eyed her, but the grin on his face was enough to tell her he wasn't entirely serious. “You're forgot a cape, but, ah, don't you think it's a little extreme?” Pretty big makeover for somebody who apparently lived in a two-piece suit and heels.

She shrugged. “I'm nearly a hundred percent sure I'm not an agent anymore. So I have to be somebody else, I guess. Plus Zeke thought it was looking good.”

“Zeke thinks anything female showing stomach looks good”, Cole pointed out. “I think I like the fact more that you are up and about.” He eyed her critically. “You alright?”

She grimaced for a very short moment, then instantly tried to play it down. “I'm fine. Fine. It's cute you care-”

“You were tortured”, Cole cut her off sternly. “And God knows what else they've done to you. Please don't overexert yourself just because you think you owe me anything.”

She swallowed. “I...don't want to do nothing. I don't want to be alone with my thoughts. I want to get back at him just as much as you. I want to look him in the eyes.”

He could understand it, just bowed his head slightly. Kuo carefully reached for him, probably to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but accidentally touched his cheek instead-

It burned . It was so cold, it burned . Cole swore and jerked back, and she flinched back violently too, eyes wide. “I'm sorry- I didn't--”

Kuo ducked and wrung her fingers together, eyes darting anywhere but him- Cole grunted and felt his cheek, feeling the tingling sensation slowly fade. “Hey, don't worry. You don't have them under control- I get it.”

“You don't get it- you got your powers in an explosion, it was over in a flash! What they did to me was slow, and now you don't understand-”

“I do”, he cut her off before she could start a panic attack or something. “When I woke up in that crater, everything hurt, and I was so afraid and I couldn't figure out what had happened- when I dragged myself back to Zeke and Trish, I lost consciousness. When I woke again I caused a blackout in the clinic I was in. I was so afraid of hurting Zeke or Trish, I didn't want to do anything other than making it end.” He cocked his head at her defeated expression. “I adapted, had no chance other than to do, it's hard to get these powers under control, but I went through it too. I bet Nix can tell you the same, so you aren't alone in this. And Bertrand will pay for it, believe me- but for that, you have to learn how to control your powers.” He noticed her rubbing her upper arms, and arched one eyebrow. “And hey- you're not freezing yourself right now, so you have that going for you. Not like my dumb ass, I zapped myself and knocked out the power when I first tried to shower.”

“I'm probably likely to end up freezing the shower and bust a few pipes.”

He shrugged. “Happens to the best of us. You can start with a washcloth, until you leave the plumbing alone, okay?”

Kuo exhaled shakily. “Okay. Okay.” She swallowed once and glanced at him. “When do we start?” It was more likely that she wasn't really enthused about the idea of having those powers, but understood that she had to exert control instead of letting them run rampant.

Cole inclined his head, letting lightning run over his arms. “We'll start right now. The sooner you get this under control, the better. Let's see what you can do asides from pipe bursting.”

Kuo furrowed her brows. “I think I can fly?”

“Fly?” He blinked. “Show me.”

Kuo nodded and walked away a few steps, inhaled once- then hopped into the air, curled up- and turned into icy mist that raced several feet across the cemetery where she easily reformed. “That's pretty cool, huh?”

Cole blinked again. “Yeah, and props for that pun too, but if you're trying to make me jealous, it worked.” He thought for a moment, then sent out a radar pulse to check whether they were alone. “You know, when Nix and I batted around the hicks, our powers kind of combined. Like, she did her thing and I did mine, and the combined effect was better than what either of us would have managed on their own.”

“Combining powers?” She thought about it for a moment. “Sounds useful. We just need someone to...beat up to try it?”

“Or you shoot a few attacks at me, see if something happens.” Her expression became startled, and he just shrugged. “Stronger Conduits already attacked me, and no offense or anything, but they've been better than you are now.” He spread his arms. “Go on, just go with what feels naturally. Try it.”

“I don't-” She cut herself off, eyes narrowing just as Cole felt a tug at the back of his mind. “Militia”

“Yup. So...better targets?”

She made a face. “Cover me.”

“With pleasure.”

They quickly jogged to where they sensed a couple of guys hanging around. Cole clicked his tongue. “Loitering in a cemetery at night? Tsk.”

Kuo swallowed nervously, then leapt upwards and turned into her misty form, rushing to where the men stood, reformed herself and threw her palm to the front- and generating a cloud of mist that enveloped the guys and instantly took their sight. The men were startled, and Cole could see the grass and stones nearby already crusting over. It was still weak, but ice crystals could generate and conduct electricity, right?

He fired a singular bolt into the cloud, instantly forcing the crystals to condense and turn into large slabs of ice that trapped both guys instantly. Not exactly what he wanted to achieve, but he still took the chance. “Kuo! Look at that! A hickcicle!”

She groaned, he laughed and knocked both guys out with a solid hit of his Amp. “C'mon! Let's see what else you can do!”

She already rushed to the front- her mist form being much more maneuverable than he could ever hope to be, so she managed to catch up to another pair. This time, she flicked her wrist in a sidewards motion, flinging the guys right into the air with a burst of icy mist. Cole threw a shockwave into them, sending them careening through the air and smacking them against the graves.

“Cole”, She piped up, freezing another guy solidly against a wall. “There's supposed a Blast Core here. I think I heard someone mention that Wolfe had hidden one here.”

“Alex said something similar.”

“Then let's find it.”

They circled the graveyard, looking for obvious signs that something had been tampered with, and avoiding the few hicks they could sense- but darkness and the maze-like structure hid them well enough. What worried Cole was the overpowering scent of decay, and he when he turned a corner, he noticed covered up corpses. This stuff's spread across the city now. Same effect, if more localized.

He grimaced. “Ray Field victims”, he muttered under his breath.

Kuo sighed, materializing momentarily next to him. “Yeah. If it is that bad with only the Blast Cores and Shards out here giving off radiation, imagine what it'll be like if the Beast's cloud sweeps over here.”

Millions would die. Were probably already dead, because the East Coast was where the Beast was- and it was the most densely packed part of the continent.

“Wait-” Kuo's head snapped up, eyes narrowing at the sound of shooting. “I'm feeling...I don't know.” She instantly rushed into the direction of the shots, and Cole quickly followed after her, trying to catch up to her before she did something reckless- but she stopped atop a small crypt and eyed the scene in front of them. Militia fighting those ice guys.

“They...they've been in that lab, just as I have”, she noticed when he caught up to her.

“Alex says that they've been given bootlegs of your powers”, Cole explained, “And I guess they weren't too happy about being used as guinea pigs, same as you.”

“My powers?” She frowned. “I guess that is why I felt them before I saw them.” She shook herself. “At any rate, they're distracting each other. And that crypt down there-” She pointed at the building in question, “Looks like it could have been tampered with.”

“Good”, Cole swung down and approached the crypt, was about to open it- when the ground shook and he leapt backwards with a swear. A Swamp Beast leapt from the ground- bigger than the normal rhino monsters and equipped with darker plates. Cole paled. Where was heavy support when they needed it?

The monster roared and slammed its claws into the ground, growing weird tentacles with orb-like structures on them-
And Cole swore. He knew this, remembered this from a frantic battle at the bottom of an Empire under-bridge.

“Kuo!” He yelled, “Target these egg things! I try to distract the big guy!”

“On it!” He could hear the nervous tone in her voice, but she still tried to comply. Her ice crusted over the eggs, and when Cole fired at the large thing, he shattered several of them. The big guy wasn't amused and charged them, and a few eggs split open to spawn small crab-like Corrupted. Those definitely were not human-based, and for a short second Cole heard Colonel Blackwatch's voice. There must be a Hive Queen or something.

Was this the source of the Corrupted? But...no. It couldn't be. It couldn't be that easy. That wasn't a Queen, but probably a leader.

“Take it down, Kuo!” He shouted, “We have to stop it before it calls more of its friends!”

“-Or draws attention”, the Ice Conduit added when a few high speed bullets dug into Cole's back. He swore, forcing himself to dive behind a gravestone to avoid the fire, but leaving himself wide open for the Corrupted to charge him. It was stopped by a blast of ice and momentarily backed off. Cole dashed to the side, firing a few shockwaves at the hicks and stomping on one of the crab things that tried to bite at his ankles.

“Cole!” Kuo's mist hid his form for a moment so he could get into a better position- but sadly the icy mist was mist, and it didn't give much protection against bullets. One clipped his head and his vision went gray for a moment.

Cole clenched his teeth and pulled himself behind cover to rest for a moment, then blindly threw a grenade at the hicks that tried to approach them. He heard their yells when it went off, but that gave the Corrupted enough time to attack them again. Kuo swore and froze the ground so it slipped and crashed, but it recovered too fast.

He threw himself to the side as it crashed into the crypt besides him, rolled over his shoulder to get back to his feet, but froze when he felt the ground shake again.

Something screamed at the back of his head and he leapt out of the way, frantically waving at Kuo to do the same- when the soil behind him shattered with an ear-splitting screech. He whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of a three-story tall Corrupted rising from the ground. More snake-like than the others, with a thick base and a two-pronged metal beak that split sideways the moment it set eyes (it didn't have eyes!) on the smaller Corrupted.

With a screech, it lashed out its whip-like barbed tongue at it, succeeding in throwing it off balance with a violent swipe.

“Wait-” Cole blinked, “Why are they fighting against each other?”

“No idea”, Kuo inhaled sharply, witnessing the snake slamming its considerate mass into the Corrupted hard enough to shatter its body. Then its beak clamped down on it and dragged it back into its hole, silencing its terrified screeches as soon they were out of sight.

For a moment, nothing moved- until a second popped up just behind the Militia members with a loud shriek. The men paled and instantly dove for cover as the snake whipped its body in a half-circle flat over the ground. Cole summoned another grenade into his hand and targeted the men to shut them up- he figured if they didn't move the snake would leave them alone, and the Corrupted really froze for a moment before it slowly turned towards Cole and Kuo.

The Electric Conduit swallowed. “Same plan, Kuo- you distract it and cool it down, I try to blow it up--?” He cut himself off when his partner made a surprised noise.

The snake was...cooing, for a lack of a better work, swaying softly from side to side- before its beak split open to reveal the tell-tale glow of the Blast Core.

The two Conduits just blinked as the snake dropped the Core directly in front of them, then retreated into its lair. Cole briefly toyed with the idea to still follow it, but quickly noticed that the ground was so dug up it collapsed the moment the thing vanished.

“What...was that?” Kuo asked, looking a little disheveled.

“No idea”, Cole replied, leaning down to pick up the Core. “But uh, it got a present for us?”

She was still watching the ground warily, but turned to him instead. “What now?”

“Go back?” He suggested after a moment's thought. “Try this thing out and get new powers out of it?”

“Yeah, that sounds...like a plan. But what about this...thing?”

“Hey, you want climb after it into its lair, you are welcome to do so”, Cole grimaced. “Plus it kind of helped us, so how about cutting it some slack?”

“Guess so. Not going to try fight a thing that size.” She briefly shook her head, then smiled at Cole. “Race you?”

“Sure” He started running, but she was faster. He knew she would be at their roof before him, but that was fine. She would be away from whatever that had been way faster than he would, and she would learn to enjoy her powers.

He still tried to keep up with her and finally arrived at their place completely out of breath. Like predicted, Kuo was already present and perched on the roof. Zeke and Dana were too, as was Alex. The Runner just arched an eyebrow at him, barely even looking up from the computer.

“Took your sweet time.”

“Yeah, I went for the scenic route”, he replied.

“You got the Core alright?”

“I got it, but listen- we kind of met some sort of Corrupted. Big, snake-like, one of them ate the Swamp Beast we've been fighting and the other scared off the Militia.”

Alex snorted. “It was only one and it wasn't a Corrupted”, he said simply.

“How would you know-” Cole's brows furrowed. “How do you know?”

“Not important”, was the answer. “Go on. Use the Core. We don't have all day.”

Cole was still frowning, as was Dana, but Alex just shrugged it off and turned his entire attention back to his work. He wasn't going to get an answer that way, so he dropped it for the time being and walked a few steps away to have some space- and activated the Core.

The discharge sent him straight on his ass and knocked him out cold.

When Cole woke again, it was morning already, and only Alex was there with him on the roof. The Conduit groaned as he dragged himself to his feet, then shook his head.

“You okay?”

“Just give me a moment”, he grunted, then blinked and glanced at the other. “Was that concern I heard?”

“Of course it was.” Alex scoffed. “You just absorbed your third Blast Core and fucked up your own genetic code again. The last time one Conduit was constantly mutating like you are doing right now, we had to deal with David Warner in the end.”

Cole hissed through his teeth, trying not to remember the black-skinned demonic Conduit. “But Wolfe said it's the only way to use the RFI.”

“I know”, the Runner sighed and rolled the sphere over the table towards him so Cole could put it back into his bag. “And by all means, the effects shouldn't be anywhere near Warner's level since a Core is just the waste product of the Sphere, but you are still constantly forcing your body to adapt and change. It might be wise to take a break every now and then.”

“I can't”, Cole sighed, “Because the Beast is coming and I want to be finished before that.” He frowned briefly. “How far off is it?”

“Roughly seven hundred and thirty miles”, Alex answered. “I checked in with Cross, he confirmed it.”

“And coming closer fast.” Cole dragged his palm down his face. “I'll just have to deal with the Cores then.” He exhaled. “Anything on the servers?”

“I worked through most of it. It seems that each Conduit gives off a specific wavelength of Ray Field energy”, Alex explained to him. “And this wavelength not only triggers the activation in Lesser Conduits, but also allows humans to gain Conduit Powers when exposed to it correctly.”

“Like Bertrand did with Kuo and the Vermaak dudes?”

“Exactly”, He stretched his arms and let ripples of Biomass run over them, removing his leather jacket and hoodie and replacing them for the band tee he'd been 'wearing' the day before. “But, to be honest, it's a pretty hard thing to work with and my head hurts from trying to process everything.” He snorted. “I didn't even know I could do that.”

“Then it's time for a break, huh?” Cole looked around once. “Where are the others?”

“Dunbar's with the Militia. He said that right now, we got them in the ropes and they're going to tell us something we need.”

“Fair.”

“Dana's with Kuo. They went to look at a few hideouts Wolfe had created all over the city, hoping to find some notes of his. Kuo seems certain he had some of his research logs there. Heller's back with Cross. Since the Corrupted only come out at night, they're preparing to hunt them down.”

Alex cleared his throat after a moment. “Also, Nix came by. She asked me to tell you she wants to meet you down by the Swamp Docks.”

“Nix?”

“Apparently, she has something to show you.” He hummed for a moment. “I'd like to come along too, check things out in the swamp. When we came here, I swear I sensed the Corrupted there. I want to see whether I can find their nest.”

“And do what? Kill them?”

“I won't be able to get all of them. But I want to...do something there.”

“Like yesterday?” Cole cocked his head. “You have been controlling the snake thing, haven't you? Just like you controlled Heller.”

Alex's grin revealed too many and too sharp teeth. “That's where you're mistaken, Cole. I didn't control it. I was it.”

He blinked. With him being a shapeshifter, taking another form wouldn't be too hard- he spent a whole lot of time disguising himself as a dog before they met, after all. But then again, Dana would probably have said something if he hadn't been present to help her. “Uh...but you've been here all night?”

“You're forgetting one thing: I'm a virus. A disease. Biologically, it doesn't make sense I just have one host, one main focus. But I guess despite knowing that, I was still thinking too much like a human- and that is risky, as we have learnt.”

“The Beast-”

“It could have seriously damaged me. Maybe even killed me.” He snorted. “I realized I should have prepared better- and that is what you've seen yesterday.”

“Preparation?”

“I shaved off parts of my mass hid them in New Marais's underground. Basically stored bits and pieces of me all over the place.” He shrugged. “It's a fail-safe, of sorts, or a storage in case I don't manage to find something to consume. Something that allows me to keep going should this body get destroyed.”

Cole blinked. “Like a squirrel hiding nuts?” He grimaced, “Nope, not close enough.”

Alex snorted amused. “Squirrels can't grow back from nuts. I can, no matter how tiny the piece is I'm regenerating from. And what I learnt yesterday was that I can easily control even parts not connected to me like they are my main body- shapeshifting and consumption included.”

The Conduit paled instantly when realization hit. “Wait- you're meaning to tell me that me just walking over the streets means you could eat me whenever you want to?!”

“No- unless I require the Biomass, it is mostly inactive and perfectly secure. When I need it, it won't turn into a mindless monster- it would just be me remote piloting another body.”

“Like yesterday?”

“Exactly. I noticed the Corrupted dig past me- or better, dig past a part of me. I was interested, so I followed it, I watched you fight it, and then I consumed it while working on the decryption here. Wasn't much more complicated than using two computer screens at the same time.” He shoved the laptop into a box, locked it and hid the key in a place Cole figured Dana knew about. “Now come, we shouldn't leave Nix waiting.”

There were still so many questions Cole had, but he closed his mouth and followed the Runner. In some way, what he just learnt made sense. He knew of the Hive Mind, the telepathic connection between the viral cells that made up the infective tissues- and since he also knew about Heller, he knew perfectly well that the Hive Mind worked on separate entities. Only in this case, they weren't separate entities - just the same guy in different bodies.

Sasha had been similar, if a lot weaker in that aspects, as she had been able to contact him even through an altered version of her tar, though her ability to interact with the surroundings had been limited.

Even he had been similar- when he reactivated those Transformers in Ascension Parish he too had been able to 'see' his surroundings through the energy he'd given off. “Tesla Missile”, he said, and Alex stopped briefly, frowning. “The move I used yesterday on Ascension Parish”, Cole explained. “I just decided to name it that way.”

Alex made a humming noise, then gestured towards the open roofs around them. “Speaking of moves, I'm sure you'd want to test out whatever ability you've gotten from the Core?”

Right . Cole had forgotten about that. He cleared his throat to mask his surprise, then looked around for inspiration. He tried to focus on something that hadn't been there before, like the magnetic lifting or the ash tornado. This time, he didn't feel anything new , though he was pretty sure that some of his abilities were different . So he tried it, simply leapt off the building they were currently on and activated his thrusters- he quickly realized that they were both faster and longer living, with more lifting power. Not as good as Alex's gliding, but still better than the old version. The next he noticed was that his magnetic repulsion also gained in strength and now worked vertically too, not only horizontally as it had done until now, so he could catapult himself straight upwards when standing on a metallic surface. Combined with the better thrusters, he suddenly had a much larger range of action.