— Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
The Big Fight, Part One
The television buzzed, and then the image of an average looking man with slicked back brown hair appeared on the screen. "Good afternoon, everyone. My name isn't important, so my friends have taken to calling me the Benefactor, and I'd like to make an announcement. Some of the Chosen know me, but others do not, and I'd just like to tell all of you out there... That your time is numbered. East City will be razed soon, mark my words, and few will survive the onslaught coming. Pine Ridge was the teaser trailer, everyone, this is the film you've all been waiting for." The image buzzed out.
***
The President of the United States picked up his telephone and pressed a button that no one knew was on the phone. The phone rang only once, and then the cigarette smoking man answered. "Mr. President," he said. It wasn't a question. The phone on the cigarette smoking man's desk only connected to one number.
The President made certain that no one else could hear his voice. "You saw the broadcast," he said, not a question. These two men knew exactly who they were talking to. "He's moved up the time table you projected."
"I know. It wasn't too unexpected, but it will complicate things."
"I sure as hell didn't expect it. He mentioned Pine Ridge. I thought the Benefactor wasn't affiliated with HARP or the Joker?"
The President couldn't see the cigarette smoking man's face, but he assumed there was a look of disdain. The cigarette smoking man prided himself in being right as often as possible, and didn't like to be surprised. This broadcast had pulled the rug out from under the world's feet. "I can't answer that, sir. Things seem to be... wrong with our information."
The President leaned back in his seat. "Was this broadcast worldwide?"
"It was. And in every known language."
"I'm going to teleconference with the world's leaders. The Benefactor is no longer a future threat. He's become a very real current event."
"I understand, Mr. President."
"After that, I'm meeting with the cabinet and the joint chiefs. I expect you to be there to brief them."
"Yes, sir, Mr. President."
"Good." The President hung up the phone, then pressed another, more obvious button on it. "I want National Guard troops sent to East City immediately. They're to meet with and aid the city's police and Chosen." He hung up again, and this time, he didn't pick the phone back up immediately. Instead, he sat there and pondered the possibilities. The President was afraid. The Benefactor was a greater threat now than he had been yesterday, and there would be no easy way to deal with that threat.
***
Charlie Harkins went just one step short of actually jumping onto the backboard and dunking the ball that way, but her younger brother, Chris, was still trying to play catch-up in points. "C'mon, baby bro, you can do it!" she said, ready to jump and knock the ball out of the air as soon as he went for his shot.
"Bite me, okay? You've got spider powers, I've got nil."
"I could always go get Cindy, it could be you two against me."
"No! It's bad enough I can't beat a girl alone, I don't wanna havta get a girl to beat a girl!"
"That's just sexist, Chris."
He made his shot, Charlie jumped...
...but didn't catch the ball. She landed back on the ground and saw William Brand holding the ball, passing it between his hands. "And I thought that spider sense of yours could detect anything," he said, tossing the ball to Charlie.
She caught the ball. "Only if I'm in danger. What're you doing here?"
He ignored the question and walked over to Chris, who looked confused. "William Brand, CEO of Brand Industries. It's nice to meet you, Christopher."
Chris turned to his sister. "How does he know who I am?"
Charlie sighed. "Because he's a fairly accurate Batman rip-off. Now, answer my question, what are you doing here?"
He turned to her. "You saw the broadcast earlier?"
"You mean where that Benefactor guy basically said he was gonna kick the shit out of everyone in town? Yeah, I saw it. Why?"
"National Guard is on their way, and they're using me to round up the city's Chosen."
Charlie turned to her brother. "Tell Mom I'm not gonna be home for dinner, okay?"
***
"What do you mean?" Chris's mother asked when he got home. "She just left with Mr. Brand?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. She said he's some kind of Batman wannabe, that he's a costume, too."
Melissa Harkins sighed and groaned at the same time. "I can't believe that girl. Now I'm going to worry for..." She looked out the window and saw something she never thought she'd see in any American city. Even the news broadcasts of Pine Ridge never showed this. There were helicopters flying everywhere, tanks rolling up the streets, soldiers marching alongside them.
East City was being invaded by the United States Army National Guard.
***
Penelope Banter waited for Marvin to step out of the helicopter. He then slid the passenger door open, and Penelope, Brenda and Elliot all stepped out. The two Brits stared in awe at Banter Tower East, likely because it was almost a carbon copy of the facility in Glassview, regularly maintained to look that way, right down to the personal effects in each room. The sensors all over the tower kept this up, so that if one opened a book in Glassview, the book would be on the exact same page in East City.
Penelope disregarded the visitor in her office as she walked in, took off her coat, and set it over the back of her desk chair. She quickly set to work making sure the Titan model under construction in the workshop was up to specs. She regretted not being able to bring her original with her from Glassview. The President had thought it would be a bad idea to fly there in it.
Brenda Hobden regarded the visitor, generally with a look of sheer surprise. She hadn't expected anyone of William Brand's stature to simply be waiting for them. "Um, can we help you, sir?" she asked, feeling a little awkward. She heard Elliot laugh, then elbowed him in the rib.
"Penelope," Brand said, completely disregarding Brenda. That's nice. I do have a magic ring I could use to knock you on your arse, you know! She kept her thoughts to herself, though she assumed Elliot could see the look on her face thanks to his latest round of chuckles. She elbowed him again. "You know why we're here."
"We, William? Are you talking about the three of us and you, or did you bring a friend along? A Boy Wonder, perhaps, or maybe your English butler who scolds you in your cave?"
Much to Brenda's surprise, down came a girl in plain clothes on a webline. She oriented herself right side up, then dropped from her web and landed on the floor. "Hi, Ms. Banter," Charlie Harkins said, and Brenda felt slightly embarrassed to be in such company. "Oh, hi! I'm Charlie, or Arachnya, if you want, but everybody just calls me Charlie."
"You're... You're Arachnya," Brenda said. She felt herself blush.
"She just said that," Elliot said, lightly punching her on the arm. He reached out to shake hands with the famous Chosen. "Elliot. You can call me Blaze."
"Blaze, huh?" Charlie said with a smirk. "Sounds hot."
"Oh, believe me, I can get - " He made a light amount of steam rise from his body. " - awfully hot."
Brenda felt her face turn red. "Stop that!" she said, in a tone a bit more high-pitched and jealousy filled than she would have liked.
Charlie giggled, then spoke with what sounded like a stereotypically fake Australian accent. "Oy, I'm sorry, guv'na! Not troyin' to take yer boyfriend 'ere!"
Elliot laughed. "Do you realize how poorly you sound right now? That's an Australian accent, for one. We don't sound anything like that."
The girl turned red. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."
"Oh, kiddies!" Penelope said, standing up from her desk. "Can the adults have some words, now?"
"Sorry, Penelope," Brenda said.
"Good. Now, William, what is it you're here for? Doesn't the President have any lackeys to do this himself?"
"I asked you here, personally," Brand said, pulling out his phone. "You saw this, I assume?"
"Everyone in the world saw it. I have it on good authority that people in Kita City saw it. Los Milagros, West City, Pine Ridge, Chicago - everywhere."
"Penelope, please. This is serious. We need you and your team."
"And I brought them. The ones I could spare, anyway." She pointed over at Brenda and Elliot. "Brenda Hobden, AKA Sapphire and Elliot Jones, AKA Blaze. Elastique and Feral couldn't join us, sadly."
"And what about the other two?"
"What other two?"
He shook his head. "Never mind." He pointed to Charlie. "Charlotte Harkins, also known as Arachnya, you all know."
Charlie gave a shy wave. "Hi."
"This is a serious threat, Penelope," Brand said. "You've seen the National Guard presence."
"I have. And lemme tell you, getting through that was a pain in the ass." She pointed at the helicopters patrolling the city. "Those guys could ground Guardian." She smiled. "Is he really an alien from outer space?"
"No, he's a reporter with the Brigade."
"He is!?" Charlie exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at her. "Sorry, I didn't know. Just because I know him," she pointed at Brand, "doesn't mean I know everybody."
***
Aaron Dahl, the Chosen known as Blackhole, had his suit on. He laughed about the fact that his costume was purely a finely tailored, solid white suit, but, then again, his fiance's costume was simply a black dress and five-inch heels. Clearly, we weren't that creative, he thought. He placed the white domino mask on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. If he wasn't ready for some fancy costume ball, he didn't know what he was.
There was a noise from the bedroom, where Annette was. He slowly crossed the living room and started to open the door, but he was stopped before he could. "Ah, ah, ah," a female voice said. He was pulled to the side and pressed against the wall by a girl who looked vaguely like the young hero Spark that he'd met a few months before. This girl, however, looked older, and, while she was using electric powers similar to Spark, hers were alternating between blue and red. "You're not supposed to see the bride before she walks down the aisle."
"What is this?" he asked, attempting to open a black hole underneath the girl. His powers didn't seem to be working, though.
"Trying to black hole me? Sorry, that ain't gonna happen." She smirked. "There was this mute guy in Los Milagros, I stole his powers. One of them included the ability to cancel out anybody's powers I want to." She leaned close and whispered in his ear. "So I'm canceling out yours."
He pushed her off of him, trying as hard as he could to create a black hole, but he just couldn't.
She stuck her hand over his face. "I'm thinking black hole powers might be kind of cool, y'know? So... I'm thinking that I'll steal yours."
Another voice joined the fray. "Not yet, Korra." This one stepped into view. It as an average looking man, but one that everyone now knew.
The Benefactor.
"Nice to meet you again, Mr. Dahl, my name is the Benefactor."
"I know you," Aaron said. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He held up his arm, hand empty, flicked his wrist upward, and the door to the bedroom flew open. Aaron looked inside and saw a particularly muscular woman standing behind Annette, her hand clasped around Annette's mouth. In the woman's other hand, there was a particularly nasty looking hammer. The woman had a devilish smile on her face, one that made Aaron's heart stop.
"In ten seconds, the back of that hammer is going into Annette's brain, and she'll be dead. My associate, Conjurer, can create any tool she wants merely by thinking it. Poof, it appears. It's a very excellent gift."
"Let her go!" Aaron shouted.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Dahl." He pulled his thumb across his neck, classic kill gesture if ever there was one. Aaron watched as the woman the Benefactor had called Conjurer brought the hammer down quickly and strongly, Annette never even had a chance to feel it. "There, now that that's out of the way." He turned back to Aaron. "Korra, go ahead."
The girl pressed her hand to his face. "Don't worry," she said, "this is only gonna hurt you." Electricity crackled around him, things felt like they were being sucked from him, out of him. He felt himself losing strength, getting weaker.
And then it stopped. He saw the girl remove her hand, and then he felt himself fall to the floor. The Benefactor knelt down beside him. "It's taken me a few weeks to get Korra to realize that she doesn't need to kill to bio-leech. Not an easy task, but much easier than the undertaking I'm participating in now."
"Why... why..." Aaron tried to ask, but his mouth felt dry, his skin cracked.
"Why? Because I don't need you two. No one does." He chuckled. "Let's be honest, you really didn't do much in your lives, did you?" He stood up. "Conjurer!" Aaron heard the woman walk into the room. She knelt down in front of him, a smile on her face. "Put him out of his misery."
He saw the hammer swing up, and watched as time slowed to a crawl as it came back down. He didn't even feel the impact, there was just nothing.
***
Keith Cabot took off his glasses and his suit jacket and laid the glasses on his nightstand, and the jacket over the back of the armchair by his bed. He unbuttoned his pants and stopped just short of pulling his pants down before he buttoned them up again. "Knight, how nice to hear your heartbeat." He looked over at the shadowed corner of the room and watched as the costumed hero stepped into the lit section of the room. He wasn't alone, however. "Charlie? What's he got you here for?"
The girl crossed her arms under her breasts. "Well, how about finding out I'm not the only super hero at the Brigade? You coulda told me, y'know!"
"Everybody likes their secrets, little lady. Now, what are you two doing here?"
"Oh, goddamnit!" Charlie exclaimed.
"What?" Knight asked her.
"Keith Cabot. Clark Kent. His name is backwards from Superman's, just like your name is backwards from Batman's! How didn't I notice that?"
Keith wanted to laugh. "Answer the question, William. Why are you here?"
Knight answered, "The broadcast."
"What about it?"
"He's moving forward. You've seen all the National Guard presence here. This is going to get as bad as Pine Ridge."
Charlie said, "Worse, if you believe what that maniac says."
"That's not the point," Knight said, "the point is that he's going to do something big, and according to Ms. Harkins, he's got every ability everyone on the planet has ever shown, and then some. He won't be easy to take down."
Charlie cleared her throat. "Um... I was thinking about that..."
Knight shook his head. "Not now."
"No. I'm saying it now."
Keith asked, "What is it, Charlie?"
"Tim."
"Timmy Saul?"
"The Benefactor kidnapped him a few days back. He injected him with all of his powers. Tim's got every single power the Benefactor has."
Knight turned to face her. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"I've been trying. You keep telling me to 'Look, listen, and learn when to speak'. I'm not Robin to you, okay? You don't need to treat me like your little ward to teach everything to. And just because I'm younger doesn't change the fact that I've been in the super heroing business longer than you, okay?"
Keith simply smiled, Knight looked surprised. Charlie looked exasperated. "The kid's got a point, William."
***
Brenda looked out the windows of the tower, at all the military vehicles driving or flying past. There were so many of them, very few cars on the road weren't followed by a Humvee or even an Abrams M1A1 tank. Very few of the people that were on the road looked happy or even comfortable. It was like East City was under invasion.
"Hey," Elliot said behind her. She turned around and saw him standing there, water streaking down his body, with a towel around his waist. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, you mean other than the fact that they day we get to come here and meet some of the first super heroes of our generation, there's an armed occupation by the US Military?"
He smirked. "Look, as long as we're in costume, we've got diplomatic immunity, or whatever it is the Americans call this sort of thing."
She let out a tiny laugh, then turned back to the window. "This is really going to be big, isn't it?"
"Oh, c'mon, love, this Benefactor isn't some special thing. We'll beat him, just the two of us if necessary."
She turned to face him again, jabbed a finger in his direction. "You have entirely too much confidence."
***
The Benefactor hid his accomplices using his invisibility. They all seemed restless, and he didn't mind. It was almost time to begin. "I want to thank you all for being here, again," he said, turning to face them. "This has been a very long time coming. Longer than any of you could ever believe. We're nearing the finish line, however." He walked past them, touching each one on the shoulder as he did. It strengthened his connection to them. "You've all be very important to my cause." He nodded to each one of them. "Harmony, Conjurer, Melody, Smoke, Korra... You've all been real comrades in this endeavour. And now, the fruits of our labor will be ripe for the picking."
Harmony was the first to speak. "That's great and all, but when do we get to kill some heroes?"
The Benefactor smiled. "Soon. As soon as the time comes. Everything must be perfect."
***
"You're telling me that these two innocent civilians can't be let out of the city?" Charlie asked the soldier standing at the bus depot's front entrance. "Seriously, they aren't gonna do anything."
He looked irritated. "Look, ma'am, I understand that you're a super hero, I saw the news. And I understand that you say your family isn't going to do anything harmful, but I have orders, and the only thing that can supercede those orders is - "
A new voice entered the conversation. One Charlie had never heard before. "A signed Presidential order?" She turned to look at the new voice and saw an average looking, middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth. "Because I just happen to have one allowing Ms. Harkins' family to leave the city." He pulled a piece of paper out of an inside suit pocket and handed it to the soldier. "Oh, and I think you'll see the family members of a few others there, make certain you get IDs that match. Phone numbers are right there, I'd call them if I were you."
Charlie folded her arms under her breasts. "Who the hell are you?"
He smiled. "Merely a humble advisor to the President."
"Bullshit, you're the guy who came and talked to my dad the day he died."
He nodded. "I did, indeed, meet your father that fateful day. I showed him the file we have on you, Ms. Harkins. Quite extensive."
Charlie's mother asked, "What do you want from us?"
"I want you to survive. The Benefactor has threatened war, and Charlotte here will need to stay. Assuming she survives, she'll need a family to go back to."
Charlie wanted to punch this man in the face. Assuming? She planned on surviving. "Look, buddy, thanks for letting my mom and my brother leave, but you leave me alone, okay?"
He smiled again. "Oh, I shall, Ms. Harkins. I'll be... just behind the glass."
Charlie watched as the man walked away, a spring in his step like he didn't have a care in the world. Benefactor or not, it was men like that who really scared her.
***
William Brand stared at the boy like he was something other than human. And, in many ways, he was. Timothy Saul still looked human, though the power he had within him was astounding. William listened as the boy told him about the events of his dimension and time hopping journey. The dimension where William and Penelope Banter were married was a bit odd, not to mention surprising, but the entire tale was informative.
The boy didn't seem to realize that the wristband William had placed on him was recording every change to his physiology. His lungs could now store days or weeks worth of breath, his skin could reform or even change on command, his brain was capable of learning literally everything, his heart was pumping both a thousand times more slowly and a thousand times quicker. Everything about the boy seem contradictory, yet it was all working in complete harmony.
"That was when he dumped on me that everything he's done was to cause a worldwide cataclysm," Timothy said, leaning back in his seat. "He just wants to kill people."
"What else did he say?"" William asked. "Who's on his side?"
"Harmony Sprite, for one."
"The HARP member?"
"Yeah. Melody... uh... Hunter, I think was her last name."
"From Los Milagros?"
"Yeah."
"Anyone else?"
He sighed. "Some girl named Korra."
William lifted his head from his computer screen. "Korra Reston?"
"I think so."
He shook his head and sighed. "That's not good."
"That's not all," Penelope's voice called from the top of the stairs. She carried a tray with three glasses and a bottle of brandy. "I didn't want to believe that pitiful excuse of a butler when he told me you didn't have a bar down here." She set the tray down beside William's computer and started pouring the drinks. "I know you're under age, kid, but we're about to head into the heart of darkness at some point. Besides, from what Muscles - I mean, Keith - tells me, your girlfriend had quite the drinking habit a couple months ago."
William took his glass. "Any word from Blackhole, Terror or Angel?"
She nodded. "Yeah, Angel is a no-show. NORAD can't even track her on radar. Blackhole and Terror are dead."
He felt his eyes widen. "What?!"
"Yeah. Muscles just found them a little while ago. Both of them had impact wounds in their skulls, Blackhole had been sucked dry, too."
"Sucked dry?" Timothy asked.
"An effect of one of Korra's powers," William answered. "She sucks the life out of them, and with it comes their power and their memories. If She's with the Benefactor, she's probably learned how to keep the voices out of her head. That's not good."
"None of this is good, Bill," Penelope said. "From what I've read in your files, going up against this Benefactor is one step beyond suicide mission."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't call me 'Bill'. How do you have access to my files?"
She held up her phone. "Encryption hacking program, it's been running since I got here. Y'know, I'd have thought that all that money I spent in Brand Industries stock would have netted me a bigger interest in the company, this is just pathetic."
He stood up and took the phone from her hands. She looked surprised. "All you had to do was ask."
"And risk you only giving me half the juicy stuff? Uh-un!"
***
Charlie considered putting on her mask with everybody in the room, but she decided against it. Even if the multitude of other people weren't super heroes like her, they would still all know who she is. Besides, she had the rest of her costume on, that was good enough. She wouldn't feel like the outsider that, unfortunately, her boyfriend had to feel like. He was wearing a simple tee-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Although, Penelope Banter wasn't wearing her costume either. Granted, her costume was an Iron Man-like mech and not an actual costume, and it would be extremely cumbersome to help Knight conduct a meeting wearing it, but Charlie still wanted to see it. It wasn't every day you got to see the Titan in person.
They were all standing in a large, open room in Banter Tower East. Knight, Guardian, Penelope, Charlie, Elliot, Brenda and Tim. None of them looked comfortable standing there, waiting for the ball to drop, but they all knew it had to.
"I understand this isn't a big turnout," Knight said, starting the meeting, "but understand this: We are the line. We all know what's coming."
Blaze raised his hand. "Actually, no. We don't."
"Really?" Guardian asked.
"What? Unlike you East City folk, Brenda and I haven't dealt with the Benefactor in any way. We don't know what we're up against at all."
Charlie held up her hand. "Um... My knowledge about the Benefactor is relegated to what I just learned a few days ago, when my boyfriend showed up in my bedroom with super powers."
"Alright then!" Knight nearly shouted. "We'll get caught up, then. The Benefactor is a renegade, a man who has every super ability known to us, and several we don't. Based on both the information we obtained from Mr. Saul and Ms. Harkins and the message that he televised, he supplies equipment to HARP. We can only assume the Joker must have also factored into his plans, as he did nothing to stop the maniac."
Charlie visibly shivered. To think that the Joker killing Frank had been a part of the 'plan' was just disturbing. She didn't envy the Benefactor when the whole team caught up to him.
Knight continued: "He has friends. Harmony Sprite, a HARP member he experimented on, turning her into a super powered storehouse. She has multiple powers. Korra Reston, formerly a member of the teenage super team that I helped found with Erica Morris. She can steal powers using bioelectricity. There's evidence that she was involved in the murders of Aaron Dahl and Annette Simms, also known as Blackhole and Terror, respectively. Melody Hunter, known as a Rejected. She has multiple personalities, and is insanely powerful. Ms. Harkins has seen that first hand."
Everyone turned to Charlie. She cleared her throat. "She can create force fields, she has super strength, and she can murder people in extremely gruesome ways just by thinking it. I saw her kill an entire SWAT team and a lot of innocent people, watched their faces melt. She does nothing but scare me."
"Damn," Elliot said, pure and simple.
"Exactly," Knight said, stepping into the center of the room. "We're vastly outgunned, even if they're outnumbered. The only real weapon we have on our side is Mr. Saul, given abilities by the Benefactor himself."
"Anyone know why?" Penelope asked. "Why this kid in particular, not somebody else? It's kind of odd that he just happens to pick Arachnya's boyfriend."
Tim looked like he was about to speak, but Knight cut him off, "We don't know why Mr. Saul was picked, though we assume it has something to do with the Benefactor's plans."
"It does," Tim said. "According to him, picking me for these powers is the trigger for the end of the world. And that Charlie would be the first casualty."
Charlie felt her heart sink. He'd told her that before, but it didn't make hearing it again any easier. She balled her hands into fists. She was going to make sure it didn't happen that way.
Brenda raised her hand. "I really don't mean to be rude here, but why exactly is she the special first casualty? Is it because she's the first public hero?"
Charlie said, "It really doesn't matter. It's not happening, and that's that."
Guardian folded his arms across his chest. "What does Angel have to say about any of this? She can see the future."
Knight shook his head. "No one's been able to find her. And, according to you, her future sight is somewhat clouded. She didn't see Seeker's death, after all."
"What she said was that his death led to something that sounded significantly worse. What if this is what she meant?"
"She could have meant the devastation in Pine Ridge or the events in Newbright City, for all we know," Penelope said, stepping in between them. "It really doesn't matter. We don't know where she is, and we don't know what she can see. And unless Wonder Boy over there," she pointed to Tim, "can figure out how to access her powers, we're shit out of luck when it comes to seeing the future."
Elliot asked, "How do you know he has her powers, too?"
"He's got everybody's powers, Elliot," Brenda said, annoyed.
Knight said, "Look, our mission tonight is to stop the Benefactor. We don't know everything he's capable of, so we'll assume he's capable of everything. And he's got at least three super powered compatriots. We'll split off into teams." Knight waved his hand and a holographic representation of East City. It was broken up into districts, each one marked with a number or a letter. He pointed to a section of nothing but docks. "Penelope and Guardian will take district A. National Guard is smallest in this area, because they don't anticipate any entrance from the sea. The Titan has x-ray sensors embedded in its armor, those will be necessary for checking out warehouses."
Charlie pointed to a specific warehouse. "This is where the Benefactor was holed up before a couple of days ago. It's where he had all of his robots."
Knight nodded his head. "National Guard has that area secured, that warehouse is under complete guard. A nanocyte spray is coating the whole area, no one's getting in there without losing their powers."
***
Sergeant Rico Torres thought he heard something. He peeked around the corner and shined his flashlight in the direction that the noise had come from, but he didn't see anything. He turned his attention back to the storehouse full of robots and took a deep breath. The shadows and the stories, they were both getting to him.
"Intr...fzzt...intru...fzzt...Don't...fzzt...Motherfu...fzzt..." buzzed through his radio.
"Say again, over?" he spoke into his mic. "This is Torres, I repeat, say again, over!"
"Hello," was the simple response.
Torres spun around and shined his flashlight in the other room again, but still didn't see anything. He slowly moved forward, kept his finger close to the trigger, and nearly squeezed off a round when he saw a squad walking through the corridor. The team leader waved him down, motioned for him to join in the rear. Torres nodded, then followed the rest of the squad through the warehouse.
Much to the surprise of not only Torres himself, but also the entire squad, the squad leader took one step forward and disappeared into a black mist that had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. One of the other members of the squad called out to him, then tried the radio. All they got was static.
A moment later, something hit the ground with a thud. Something on the floor emerged from the mist, and everyone stepped out of its way and then trained their lights on it.
It was the squad leader's severed head, a look of sheer horror frozen on his face.
In unison, everyone turned toward the mist and started firing randomly. No one was quite sure what they were shooting at, but it didn't seem to matter. Torres then felt himself freeze up. He turned his weapon toward the nearest soldier and squeezed off one round into the man's face. One of the others turned to see what was going on, and their eyes widened in fear. The man started firing at something behind Torres.
Torres then looked to his side and saw a young girl, no older than seventeen, holding one hand up. The hand was positioned to look as though she were holding a champagne goblet, but she held nothing. It took Torres a moment to realize that she was holding something: Him. He tried to move, but it was useless, she was holding him in place with but a mere thought.
The mist dissipated, and a tall, elfen creature stood there, a blank expression on his stark white face. He drew a katana from a sheath on his hip and started slicing the soldier closest to him. When one of them turned to fire at him, he disappeared briefly, then reappeared again. Torres realized that this man was a teleporter, going from his briefings before his unit left the base. The other soldiers were essentially just shooting the air whenever he moved.
Another man appeared, this one simply walked into the corridor calmly, wearing a trench coat. It was the man the briefing had called the Benefactor. There was nothing remarkable about him, but that in and of itself scared Torres enough that he wet himself.
While the teleporter was busy taking out half of the soldiers, the Benefactor went to work on the others. Two men drew their knives and plunged them into each other's throats. Another man simply fell to his knees and started crying blood. The fourth's head exploded with absolutely no provocation. Another two men were launched down the corridor, landing upon spikes that no one could truly see.
Finally, the corridor was empty of living beings, save for the teleporter, the girl, the Benefactor, and Torres.
"Nice to meet you, sergeant," the Benefactor said, as calmly as someone who was inviting you to lunch. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
Torres found that he could speak. "Why didn't you kill me?"
The Benefactor scratched at his chin. "You know... That's actually a very good question." He turned to the girl. "Melody?"
She shrugged. "He's kinda cute. I wanted a pet."
"Well... If you keep him, you'll have to feed and water him."
She sighed. "Really? Can't Korra take care of that?"
He shook his head. "No, he'll be your responsibility."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She lowered her hand, and Torres felt as though he could move again. He raised his rifle to let off several rounds into the Benefactor's face, but then he felt something sliding through his chest. He looked down and saw the blade of a katana sticking through him, from the back. "But he was kinda cute."
***
The Benefactor took in the scent of the nanocyte particles in the air. He smiled. Too bad Knight didn't realize that his pitiful invention was easily countered by another injection of the exact same thing. He concentrated and sent out a single thought to Conjurer: Activate them. In mere moments, the optics on every one of the robots lit up.
He kept smiling. "It's just about time," he said, his voice barely a whisper. He turned to Melody and Korra, who were standing to his side. "Banter Tower East, now. Send the message."
