HEROES Chapter 2

Cassius followed behind Toril, peeking over his massive shoulders as he strolled casually along, the gun cocked and ready at his side. While he figured Zoe would have killed the connection in the communication device in his ear, part of him still listened, waiting for her cool tones to echo in his ears. His head remained silent, however, save for the constant throbbing which he worked to ignore.

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Grey silenced his phone for the twelfth time as he leaned back against the seat and glowered from the back of the bus. It was only a few hours to Troy and yet it was beginning to feel like half a lifetime with his boss calling him every 5 seconds and people turning around to glare at him. After a particularly filthy string of tics, an older man finally turned around and growled at him.

"Would you keep the language down? There are children on this bus!" Grey sucked his teeth at the man and glared hard at him.

"Bitch, turn your ass around, I ain't sayin' shit." He then adjusted himself so that he was turned slightly away from the man and rested his head on the seat. Another eternity later, they pulled into the bus station in Troy and Grey lingered as the other passengers rushed off of the bus, many flashing one last look of disapproval before departing his company. Sticking a cigarette in his mouth, Grey got off and looked again the crumpled piece he tore out of the newspaper before stuffing it haphazardly back into his cargo pants.

There was a pause as he lit the cigarette and looked around wondering exactly what he was supposed to do now to find some guy that the cops couldn't seem to track down themselves. As his phone began to blast a rap song again, he silenced it nonchalantly and headed for a nearby diner.

Frank could hear the voices again, pulling him back but he wanted to stay. He wanted to remain in the peaceful past of his memories before the demons came and stole his daughter away. They were calling his name, drawing him forward, toward her body... toward Cassie!

"No!" Screamed Frank, "Where is she! She's going to pay, I swear before God almighty, she'll pay!" he swore through clenched teeth. He rose from his chair to go and find her but the chains on his wrists and ankles held fast and Frank became aware that he was in chains, fastened to his chair. Then he began to remember the interrogation, the constant questioning, over and over again until his head began to spin and the blissfulness of unconsciousness had once again swept him away.



"He's coming back again." Said Jameson who was sitting on the edge of the table that Frank was sitting before. Sitting across from him was the larger bald headed Agent, called Henkel and behind him was a two way mirror.

Frank bent his head awkwardly toward his retrained hand and rubbed his eye. "How long was I out?" he asked.

"Close to fifteen minutes this time, Frank." Answered Special Agent Henkel. "Look we're almost done, then you can go back to your cell and get some rest. Okay?"

Frank wearily nodded. His head was pounding and the cops wouldn't let him have any more aspirin for another hour. He wondered how far, Morgan had gotten. As long as he was chained up she could do as she pleased and she didn't deserve that, she didn't deserve any freedom, accept the peace of the dead. He was her death, her reaper and if it was the last thing he did on this earth he would track her down and receive his toll.

"Frank." Called Henkel, causing the man to snap his head up and concentrate his eyes on the FBI man. "You're drifting again, now try and stay with me for just a few more minutes." He pulled out a picture and put it in front of him and Frank immediately recognized who the rendering of the man was.

"That's him." Said Frank cooly as he glared at the image with utter hatred.

"Yes." Urged Simon, "You know who that it is?" he asked hoping to get a name.

"That's the guy the little slut has shacked up with. The one protecting her. He's the guy you should be chasing! He should be here instead of me!" Roared Frank.

"Calm down, Frank." Henkel politely requested, "This man is the felon we've been tracking, the one that's been all over the news. We call him the 'Wrangler'."

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Exclaimed Frank, "He's the Wrangler? Shit! And to think I kinda of admired that guy for taking out pieces of shit like you. He's just another god-damn freak like my daughter. They should all burn! You pussy Feds don't have the balls to take them down. Where's a RAID officer anyway? I want to speak with a 'Rigg'. Look I know my rights! Where's my lawyer? And I wanna speak with a Riggs Act Investigator, you have to let me speak with one!"

Special Agent Henkel leaned back and started packing up his files. He had wondered when Frank would snap back into reality and lawyer up but they had already had plenty of time with the suspect, more than he had actually bargained for. Frank had been unconscious for about two hours and when he had come to, they had immediately brought him to the interrogation room where they had grilled him for close to three hours on and off and knew pretty much everything that had transpired during Frank's pursuit of his daughter. They had more than enough incriminating evidence and information to send him to prison for a long time and since it was evident that he didn't know the identity of the 'Wrangler', he was useless to them.

"Thank you for your time, Frank." Mentioned Henkel as he stood up. "Some officers will be along momentarily to escort you back to your cell, then I believe a psychiatrist will be arriving tomorrow to assess you. See you in court."

Frank seethed in silence, anxiously scratching at his arm while the two agents proceeded to leave the room. That's when he noticed the small band-aid on his arm and recognized it as a needle mark. "Hey!" he called to the Feds before they left. "What the hell is this? You can't take my blood."

Henkel paused at the door and turned around. "Oh, yes they can." He said smugly, "The Riggs Act allows the extraction of blood and genetic materials for purposes of meta-human testing."

"What! I'm not no damn, meta!" Hollered Frank at the backs of the two agents as they left the room.

In two weeks the results of the test would be known and if it turned out to be positive, Frank would end up in meta-detention center, where parole didn't exist for criminals. He'd be thrown into a cell and forgotten and it was that thought in particular that haunted Frank as the guards ushered him back to his cell. What if he was a freak like his daughter? Frank pushed the thought out his head and convinced himself that it would be impossible.

The guards placed him in his cell and one remained behind to remove his shackles before sealing him in. Frank sat down on his cot and stared at the clock in the hallway. At least five hours had elapsed since he had last seen Morgan and though he couldn't explain it, Frank just seemed to know that she was far away and that just wouldn't do.

Frank had been completely processed. They had taken away all of his possessions, he was wearing a pale blue coloured jump suit, even his boots had been exchanged for grey coloured, generic walking shoes. His truck had been impounded and no doubt all his credit cards and bank accounts had been frozen, but he was determined to escape and soon. There had to be a way! Then he recalled something that Henkel had said, 'a psychiatrist would be by tomorrow to assess him'. Frank's face twisted into a fiendish grin as he began to formulate a plan. They would let him out of his cell to visit with the 'shrink', he'd no doubt be shackled but it was his only chance, he'd have to find a way. Regardless how it went down Frank was confident that tomorrow he would escape then he'd track Morgan down and make that little bitch pay.

MCB Oneida
(Marine Corps Base Oneida — 25 miles due south of Kibby Lake, located near Oneida Lake.)

MCB Oneida is a secluded base not advertised to the American public. The residents of the small community of Nicholsville which is just north of Kiddy Lake are aware of the base but civilians cannot get within two miles of the installation which is a communication dead-zone (for the common cell or satellite phone). The base is run by Colonel Vacily Petrovsky who is secretly one of the controllers of the meta-human terrorist organization called Beacon. It is surrounded by miles of dense forest, the closest populated area being Nicholsville which is 35 miles north.




Toril had Cassius take the lead while he trailed closely behind carrying, Yelena. Even though he had the strength to arm curl two average sized men with one of his brawny arms, balancing the shape-shifters dead weight would still hinder his ability to react quickly should the need arise. He had noticed that he had not seen one window and the air was cool and damp, leading him to believe that they were underground, which did not bode well since in his experience anything below ground usually had only a few exits.

Cassius used his stolen key card on the heavy steel door marked, 'Sector 6' while Toril hid in a small alcove a few meters back where he had laid Yelena down just in case they would have to fight. The doors slowly slid apart uncovering an unkept hallway, illuminated by a few flickering fluorescent lights, and beyond it was the beginnings of an unlit room that seemed to be quite large from what could be seen from the entrance.

They went in and closed the door behind them. Cassius found a flashlight on the utility belt of his borrowed uniform and shone it ahead of them revealing the shadowy form of man. Toril tensed and Cassius pointed his hand gun toward the man, but when the figure didn't move it became clear that it was just a dummy and they found more of them. As they walked further into the area they realized that it was an old shooting range that probably hadn't been used in at least a decade. Toril couldn't believe their luck to stumble on a closed sector since he had no idea what kind of story he could have come up with to explain why he was carrying an unconscious blue skinned soldier and why Cassius looked like he went ten rounds with the champ to any marines they might have come across. He was glad too, that there would be no need for innocent bloodshed. The soldiers that had worked Cassius over had sealed their fate, but Toril didn't want to unnecessarily cause harm to any marines who were just following orders and serving their country but if it came down to him or them he wouldn't go down without a fight.

On the other side of the range, they found a door through which was another hallway that lead to a couple of elevators. Cassius tried one of them but realistically they hadn't dared to hope that they would work. Looking around there was no other way they could go but back the way they came or up the elevator shafts.

Toril laid, Yelena down and pried open one set of elevator doors exposing the shaft but the elevator was probably on some floor above them. Not liking the idea of having an elevator car hovering above their heads and obstructing their climb, he opened the other doors and found it to be he same situation which meant that both shafts were blocked off. Still, it seemed the safest route and so after find some old straps back at the shooting range, Cassius tethered Yelena to Toril's back and they began their ascent. Toril lead the way up the narrow maintenance ladder that was recessed into the wall of the shaft unaffected by extra weight on his back.

When they passed the entry to the next floor, Toril wished that he could have been able to remove the metal wrist bands that nullified his ability to become non-coporeal. It would have been a safe way to check if the coast was clear, but since they didn't have that option he thought it best they climb as high as they could before committing themselves to prying the open the old elevator doors.

They had just passed another floor and Toril could see with his specialized vision the bottom of the elevator two more floors above them. He was about to let Cassius know when the sound of a voice echoed up the shaft, causing both of them freeze and listen. For a while there was silence then just as they continued their climb they heard the noise again, but it was clearer and thus closer.

"Oh, shit!" Whispered Toril. "I think they're looking for us already."

Tim smiled at Morgan and said "Nope they ain't troublin' me none. Fact is it's kind cumfurtin' ta have em round actin' as ar escorts. ....... I figerd we'd mosey up ta a huntin an fishin' cabin that my grandpappy use ta have, fur he died and left it ta my sister. They won't be up thar this time a year an it's way off in the middle a no wheres in the Green Mountains close ta a place called Bread Loaf. Bread Loaf's about 30 mile frum the place, figger we can rest up thar fur a spell, wilst I try and get in touch with Zoe and Sean. Maybe Zoe has figgered out where Yelena and Cassius are, by then." Tim glanced in the mirrors again and said "We gots enough grub ta last a spell, right shear in the back. ....... I keep gittin a feelin' we're bein followed. It ain't Frank doin' the followin I'm right shur 'bout that. With the FIBBIES bein in Troy ya can bet your pretty face, that them R.A.I.D. bastards ain't fur behind." Tim headed northwest on Rte-100/VT-100 toward Windy Hill Rd, 5.5 mi then, turned left at Penny Ave 1.1 mi then right at Pike Hollow Rd 0.5 mi, then left at Stratton Arlington Rd 2.0 mi. He then turned right at W Jamaica Rd, 2.2 mi, turned left at Mountain Rd 2.2 mi, turned left to stay on Mountain Rd 2.2 mi. The Hummer turned right at Brazers Way for 0.8 mi then turned left at Pike Falls Rd for 0.4 mi. Tim continueed on Upper Taylor Hill Rd for 1.7 mi, continued on Lower Taylor Hill Rd for 0.9 mi then turned left at VT-30/VT Route 30 for 6.1 mi, turned left at VT-11/VT-30 for 4.9 mi, mzde a slight right to merge onto US-7 toward Danby/Rutland.

Sean wanders around the house quietly, noticably avoiding open windows and the sunlight coming through them. After Tim and Morgan are gone awhile he finds his way to Zoe. "Hey. Shouldn't Tim and Morgan have been back by now?"

Sara-Lynn entered the office of Colonel Petrovsky and when she found it darkened instinctively sought a light switch only to find it unresponsive. She knew without a doubt that the lights were working just fine and that it was Vacily that was dampening them, no doubt the result of the anxiety generated from his poor lack of judgement she imagined. She raised her hand before her and it began to radiate an iridescent glow, bright enough to guide her to the desk.



"What do you want?" Vacily growled, sneering in anticipation of her soft, gloating words.

"Why are we sitting in the dark?" She asked already knowing the answer to her question.

Vacily fumed, but then quickly calmed and turned to her holding up his hand to shield his eyes from her bright glowing hand. "They've escaped." he told her in an unconcerned manner.

"What?" Sara-Lynn was surprised, "We cannot lose Cassius! He is our only leverage against Killswitch." The brightness of her hand increased, forcing Vacily to turn away while her eyes were unaffected as she was able to see through any amount of ultraviolet waves.

"They will not get far." The Colonel calmly assured her and with his reply the lights of the office flashed on and his large computer screen came alive displaying four windows each with active video in them. Each window was titled with a soldiers name and the video feed from each of their helmut cams showed that they were entering the abandoned weapons testing range in Sector 6.

Dimming her hand and observing the monitor, Sara-Lynn tossed her head back and scoffed. "You think your lap dogs will be able to restrain them? I hope you sent more than four. Toril will rip them apart and I read the file on Cassius, he's an excellent marksman. There's no way your goon are going to capture them."

"Always the pessimist, Sun Storm." Replied Vacily while he studied the videos, "And who said anything about capture? My men are under order to shoot to kill."

Sara-Lynn attempted to disguise her concern for Toril by questioning his plan. "Why the change?" She asked trying to be as passive as possible.

Vacily was no fool, and knew that history that the two shared but unfortunately harsh times called for harsh measures. During their meeting he had come close to pleading with his former partner to return to Beacon and not concern himself with Killswitch's resistance fighters but he had remained obstinate. "They changed my mind when they chose to escape. I have no time for liabilities and I figure that once Cassius dies at our hands, Killswitch will come to us."

She had to admit his logic was sound. Killswitch would seek vengeance after the demise of Cassius at their hands and all they would have to do is wait for her to enter into the range of their 'disrupter'. The re-calibrations that Vacily had requested her to make now made sense and now the machine could be used to stimulate her Cyber-kinises, causing her to assume her 'cybernetic' form then she would literally be sucked into the machine and contained. A far less complicated plan and one she was confident would eventually snare their 'catalyst' for their ultimate plan. Still a part of her felt for Toril, whom she felt might have turned back to their cause and back to her. "How can you be so sure your men will not fail like they did the last time they fought with Wraith? As I recall, you had to step in."

Vacily grinned for a brief moment. "Well I've learned from my mistakes and taken out an insurance policy." he informed her while watching one of the videos, displaying the approach to the disabled sector 6 elevators.

Sara-Lynn was very curious. "What kind of insurance?"

"Shinigami." he said.

Anyone who knew their Japanese mythology would have immediately understood the name to be the 'god of death', an eastern equivalent to the Grim Reaper, but upon hearing the name uttered, Sara-Lynn reacted as if death himself were about to walk through Vacily's office door. "But, how?" she exclaimed, "I thought he was —"

"Dead?", Vacily interjected. "I thought so to." he admitted then laughed a little, "Maybe he really is death, I don't know but he contacted me a month ago looking for work and I just hired him to rid us, once and for all of Killswitch's band of 'merry men'.

Sun Storm couldn't believe it, 'Shinigami'. Toril would not have a chance and there was nothing she could do to warn him, but even if she could it would not change the outcome. Akemi Yoshida, as he was otherwise known was the perfect assassin. Trained in the art of the sword since he could walk, he never missed a mark and so people in the underworld began to associate the Japanese swordsman with 'Death' himself. He was a meta-human, gifted with two abilities that when used together with his extraordinary fighting skills made him virtually unbeatable. The first of his mutant talents was clairvoyance, which he had honed into a powerful tool allowing him to push his 'mind's eye' far beyond his body at will, allowing him to spy on his prey from great distances and he combined this with his other powerful ability — teleportation. Shimigami could in the blink of an eye move to any place he was visually accustomed to and so once he saw his victim he was upon them. His blade appeared out of nowhere striking down his quarry and even if they could challenge him in open combat, his martial arts and his speed were legendary.

Somewhere within North America, Akemi Yoshida, dressed in a traditional white hakama over his kimino, sat cross legged before a stand holding two katana. At his side was a small table holding a pot of tea, the steam slowly rising, dissipating into the air of the dojo. His handsome features were serene as his clairvoyance revealed to him the forested area south of Kiddy Lake and around the Marine Corps Base Oneida. Surge had advised him of the areas of which the escapees may appear and so he watched and waited.