by Jamie Hawke
We all hesitated except for Andromida, who wasn’t about to waste any more time. As she disappeared below, I said, “Watch out for more traps.”
“Fuck traps. Hurry your asses!” Andromida yelled back, her voice already echoing from below as blue light lit up the way.
Shimmer shrugged and was the next in, then Gale, then Twitch with Charm and I. Throwing ourselves into a dark, confined space in pursuit of a super whose name meant “death.” Wonderful.
5
Our footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Andromida’s blue glow was the only light source at first. As we went deeper, though, the tunnel took a turn and stairs descended into an offshoot that was lit and much wider. With the group of us it was crowded, but we spread out, Andromida leading the way and me in the rear, with Shimmer and Gale walking together. Charm stayed close to me in a protective way, and Twitch monitored the situation on her screens.
It was crazy that all of this existed and none of us knew. Abaddon had always been, in my mind, another barren planet. Just the setting for horrible televised atrocities. In reality, based on the code Twitch’s screens were showing, it was so much more.
But what?
Not that it mattered much, anyway, aside from how it directly affected our mission at the moment. Andromida went ahead, but not too far since she wanted to stay in the area where her powers would work. We also didn’t move too fast because we couldn’t be one hundred percent certain we were going the right way. Several offshoots from the tunnel gave us cause to stop and debate, but occasionally Twitch would pick up a signal of movement, and we figured that it had to be Muerta or someone with her.
“The fact that all this exists,” Twitch said in a low voice, “really makes me wonder about Earthers.”
“Yeah, makes me wonder what’s wrong with them,” Gale replied with a chuckle. “Were we all so fucked up once, or did it happen after the colonists left?”
“That, and what made them go to so much trouble to set up the systems they have in place?” Twitch shook her head, considering it. “Maybe there’s more to all this than we realize?”
I nodded, though I had no idea what it could be, or what all this could mean. My take on humanity was that it was completely fucked up. After seeing the poor living conditions in most sections of what remained of Earth, along with the disgusting way everyone obsessed over such atrocities as Planet Kill, to say nothing of Abaddon, I didn’t see how anyone could view our culture as anything other than disturbing.
“Move faster,” Andromida demanded, coming back toward us. “If we’re going the right way, we need to catch her. If we’re not, we need to find out so we can turn back.”
“And if we’re going the right way,” Charm said, sniffing the air, “which my nose says we are… why the hell haven’t we caught her yet?”
“She has a good point.” Shimmer, glanced around, making the walls into windows, a trick she had used a few times already since coming down here. But the view only showed more tunnels, and a couple of long elevator shafts going down. Beyond that it was too dark to see, or her powers couldn’t reach any further. Even as it was, she explained, we might not fully see what was behind the walls anyway. Her illusion power created a sort of reality, but not a full reality.
“Wouldn’t that make what you do some sort of reality-bending thing then?” I asked, thinking about my own ability to make illusions somewhat real now.
Gale glanced back at that, looking thoughtful. “He has a point, and it does make you sound way more badass than calling you an illusionist.”
“Still need a big fucking gun to be as badass as any of you.” Shimmer proudly held the gun she’d found during the fighting.
“Yes, we all know how awesome you look with that thing,” Charm said with a laugh. “Shimmer’s got the biggest gun down here. Sorry, Breaker.”
I laughed as I pulled out my little blaster. “No arguing there.”
“Wait,” Twitch said, putting a hand up then turning, scanning the area with her screen. “I think…”
She let out a yelp and started to make adjustments on her screen. My troubleshooter skill caused my own screen to pop up and show why—something was changing in the floor. Another explosion? We weren’t about to find out, instead counteracting it as I motioned the others on. A second later there was a gold light, but it faded and was replaced with Andromida cursing.
“Gas!” she said, indicating plumes of gold, though I wondered if it was just smoke from the failed attempt at a trap. Either way, we ran, a moment later hitting a door that Twitch led us through, shouting that she had Muerta, that she was right…
…there.
Standing in front of us. On the other side of a pit of metal that contained the strangest creatures I’d ever seen. I’m talking a strange mixture of human, crocodile, shark, bear, and all sorts of other mutations. Looking into this pit, I had to think it was insane that anyone ever would’ve mocked Charm’s tail and ears, considering these creatures were in existence.
“Keep running,” Andromida said, stepping toward the drop-off into the pit. “Your tricks will only help you so long.”
Muerta glared, the gold of her eyes pulsating. Half of her face was covered with the mask, same as before, but she looked wilder now.
“This isn’t a trick,” Muerta said, voice raspy, further betraying her exhaustion. “It’s a demonstration. See what Orion is doing to us, these… abominations.”
Andromida started to move, but I held out a hand. “What do you mean?”
“These were supers once, some of them. The ones most likely to survive were, anyway. Fucking Orion Corp pigs tested on them, adjusted their DNA, always moving their pieces around the board, playing their games without any worry for who gets hurt. We can stop them, you know… Together. But not,” she turned, pointing to Twitch as her voice turned to pure malice, “with her!”
“It’s not—” I started, about to go off about how we would be glad to take down Orion Corp based on what I’d been hearing about them, but then turned first to Twitch, then back to Muerta, confused. “Why Twitch?”
“Breaker…” Andromida’s voice was shaky. I was clearly testing her patience, but I had to hear this.
“She took everything from me!” Muerta said.
“You were killing innocents long before I came into your life,” Twitch countered.
“Innocents.” Muerta spat, ignoring a growl from one of the beasts below. “The fuck do you know about innocents? You sent an entire world into a black hole!”
“And now it’s been restored,” I interjected.
Muerta glanced my way, her surprise showing she wasn’t yet aware of this. But her hatred for Twitch took back over. “Too late. Her little act left someone behind… someone the Citadel caught and tortured… someone who ended up here, powerless… defenseless!”
Twitch’s frown showed she was as confused as the rest of us, but then her eyes went wide. “We’re well aware of Plague.”
Muerta nodded. “The love of my life, taken from me. Tortured by being sent to this place. And now you’ll pay for it, you fucking piece of shit.”
With that she took a step back, letting a piece of glass slide in front of her. At first I was confused, until she descended rapidly from sight. I realized she’d been standing in an elevator with the door open. Meanwhile, one of the hybrid bears had managed to nearly climb its way out, and swiped for my foot.
I leaped out of the way as it made it the rest of the way up, several of the hybrids following it. While Charm went to meet our new assailants head-on, Andromida flung herself across the gap and started manipulating metal, but again the screeching returned and she fell, the room feeling like it was about to collapse in on us.
“I—I can’t…” she started, but I was too busy worrying about not getting my throat torn out at the moment to bother listening to what she couldn’t do, as much as I wanted to catch Muerta.
“But you could earlier,” I noted.
She considered this, fro
wning. “Maybe when trying to manipulate it down here… I don’t know.”
“Count on me,” Charm called back. She was strong and fast, but enough so to take on that bear hybrid thing? And more hybrids were climbing up too, turning on her, ready to attack.
The first hit was scored by Charm, as she sent the hybrid stumbling back, but then it roared and came at her, teeth bared. Shit, that didn’t look good. The last thing I wanted was to go up against a man-bear, but Charm seemed dazed and I had to act. Slamming my hand to the ground, I traveled through the floor and came up at her side, tempest ready, and hit him good with a blast in the face while slamming into Charm. The two of us went flying sideways, and then Andromida was up, charging over to join us. I saw my chance—where the hybrids were coming from! It went down to a half-ledge where we could fit, then led down into what looked like another passage below.
They weren’t coming to fight us, but to escape. We happened to be in their way.
“On me!” I shouted to my team, then shot out a chained electricity burst—not strong, but enough to stun all the hybrids. Then I ran, pulling Charm and Andromida with me. I had to trust the others would follow close behind. Before the hybrids could recover and attack again, we were skidding in and going over the edge.
“Good thinking,” Charm said, quick to her feet and bounding over to the elevator shaft. She pulled open the doors. “It’s a ways down.”
I joined and saw an elevator descending, likely the one with Muerta inside.
“Good enough,” Andromida said as she and the rest caught up. We went for it, Twitch causing us to float as she’d done before with a shifted-gravity effect.
As we continued our pursuit down the elevator shaft, Andromida stared shakily at her hands.
“If I can’t do this here, what hope do I have of catching her? Of ending her?”
“You have us.” Charm wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “And I’m always happy to kill someone for a friend.” At my look, she added, “Joking, joking… kinda.”
“Didn’t you…” Twitch started, but hesitated, then furrowed her brow. “I mean, didn’t you have other powers?”
Andromida looked up at her, confused. “The light… the blue shield and… other stuff. Not sure it’d work in this case, and it’s mostly defensive.”
“I mean, we recently found out who your father is, right?”
“Hadrian…” Andromida nodded, but then shrugged. “Your point?”
“You have his powers.” She paused to consult her screen. “You can latch onto objects and whatnot with some sort of energy, cause explosions, stuff like that?”
Andromida ran a hand through her blue hair, glancing my way, then stood and reached out. “Not something I’ve tried much before, but…”
“Not here!” I said, grabbing her wrist. She actually looked like she was about to slap me, then laughed.
She narrowed her eyes and shrugged. “I might have the powers, but the explosion thing? Hasn’t really worked lately.”
“Well…” Shimmer looked down, gulped, and said, “Whenever we get out of here, maybe it’s a simple matter of trying while ‘healed.’”
“Healed?” Andromida frowned, but after a second got it. “You mean, have Breaker use that Heavenly Shit on me again?”
“Heavenly Light,” I corrected her. “And actually…”
“No. I’d be powerless.”
“I think Shimmer’s onto something,” Twitch chimed in. “And, with the troubleshooter skill applied while he does it, maybe Breaker can focus his powers appropriately, make it work.”
Andromida licked her lips, looking at her blue hands, and then shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
“Only if you want,” I said. “When or if you’re ready.”
She nodded, appreciating that.
“This is us,” Twitch said, indicating the actual elevator car which was stopped below us, with a spot where metal was exploded outward and gold light lingered around its edges.
“What the fuck is she up to?” Charm asked, not sure how to balance when floating as we were.
“Looking for Plague, for one,” I said.
“Down here?”
“If things went bad for her, yeah.” We all let that sink in.
Andromida turned to me with a look of determination. “I need you to take away my powers, like before. The blue part, anyway… so I can focus on the rest of them.”
“You’re sure?”
“Quickly, before I change my mind.” She turned to me, hands out as if I was going to inspect her or something. “Also, I’m not sure when we’ll get out of here, and I’d like time to let it wear off, like before… in case this doesn’t work.”
I nodded, about to start my Heavenly Light skill, when Twitch spoke up, reminding me about the troubleshooter part of it. Activating my screen and having it focus on Andromida, I then concentrated my focus through it, so that when the Heavenly Light moved toward her, it refocused somewhat, taking on the shape of code and strange runes.
Badass, was all I could think as I watched the light move over her, enter her, and then fade. Along with it went the blue, leaving her like any other Earther.
She glanced around, looking at her hands, then her exposed arms. It was interesting, looking at the woman who I knew on some levels was the same, but looked so different.
“Try something,” Shimmer said, giving her an encouraging nod. “What was it Hadrian could do again?
“Well, even in the blue state I can do portals like he did, but… Latching, for one.” She took in the metal room, empty aside from several rectangular metal boxes. With a flick of her wrist, she grinned. “Just making sure the metal part is gone.” Next, she put out her hands, then frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“Try…” I was about to suggest an alternative, when a strange look came over her eyes, her face almost looking like it was morphing, and she seemed to be mumbling to herself. After a moment, it faded, she nodded, and then she tried again.
This time, she put her hands out, made a fist, and then pulled. The motion moved her forward at first, then pulled the crate free with a crash.
“Shit,” Twitch said, turning to scan the nearby walls. “I’ll make sure nobody heard that.”
“Good call,” I said, then turned back to Andromida. “Was that… I mean, I’ve seen you kind of do that before. Change… another voice…”
She nodded. “Part of my father’s connection. There’s something about his kind, that, how do I say it…? His people sort of took on the essence of their ancestors.”
“Nothing yet,” Twitch called over, referring to her screens and checking to ensure we weren’t about to be attacked.
“I’m sorry,” I said, focusing on Andromida. “Take on the essence…? Like how I kind of have Lamb with me, in the form of the suit, but not really?”
“More than that.” Andromida frowned, clearly not liking the way I was looking at her. I couldn’t help it though, none of this made sense. “It’s more like, when they died, their souls would live on through others. Kind of. But it’s more than that. And their powers, and all that, too. I didn’t think I’d inherited it, but that one time, and now this…”
“And the experiments—the same that caused the blue—probably affected it,” Twitch said, earning interested looks from Charm and Shimmer. Gale was at the door, checking the halls with her eyes instead of relying on Twitch’s screens.
“I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start,” I admitted. “But since we’re in a rush, I’ll stick to one specifically—are you saying Hadrian wasn’t human? And therefore… you’re only half?”
She considered this, then shrugged. “Who knows? From what I understand, he came from a specific planet far away, not even in this galaxy or yours. But could it be possible he’s human, like those who were there first originally came from Earth? I wouldn’t think so, but who knows. Actual
ly, I kind of like the idea of me being half alien, so let’s go with that.”
I laughed, then realized the implication. This woman in front of me wasn’t fully human. Was it weird that the thought turned me on?
“Nothing?” Andromida asked Twitch.
“Clear,” Twitch replied.
“In that case…” Andromida tried again, this time putting her hands out to the side and sort of rising off the ground.
“Holy fuck, you can fly?” Charm asked.
“She kind of could before,” I pointed out. “In a weird way.”
“Right, and that’s all this is,” Andromida replied. “I latched myself to the floor and pushed away, so it’s not really flying, but close enough.”
“I wouldn’t mind being able to do it,” Charm said, then glanced at me. “Oh, if you fuck her maybe you could do that and then take me for a ride—in the sky, I mean… ooh, and maybe that can mean both what I meant and the other, less appropriate version I’m now seeing in my mind.”
Gale chuckled. “Now we’re all seeing it—Breaker flying through the air, Charm riding his cock.”
I blushed, and was glad to see Andromida back at her practicing, hovering while moving one of the metal crates at the same time.
“If she can master this and make it work while also doing her blue power stuff,” Shimmer said, “that would be something.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s able to,” Twitch replied. “At least, after some practice. This is helping her focus, training her mind to call on that part of her power. As Lamb would presumably say, based on what we know about Breaker’s suit—leveling up.”
“So I’m level two now?” Andromida said, lowering herself to the ground, grinning. It was nice to see her smile, though still an odd feeling to see her without the blue.
“I’d say you’re at least level five hundred,” Charm replied with a laugh.
“Think so?” I shrugged, giving Andromida a wink. “I don’t know, I’m only level twenty-nine and I think I could take her.”
“That so, hot stuff?” Andromida turned on me, raising an eyebrow. A force pushed against me, sending me stumbling back. “I’d like to see you try—but after we take out Muerta.”