章 14: Chapter 14 - Silas
"What do you mean I've heard of you?" I wasn't even sure if I was speaking or growling at this point, but I was pretty sure he was implying that these two were basic. I had tried to avoid any contact with the gangs and basic crime for my image's sake. I wasn't even sure why or how the gangs existed. I was almost certain that they had been wiped out by Evolved at this point and Emma's fear of them was just some form of social brainwashing.
"Well yeah! Nobody else has got them sort of tools. 'Course you've heard of us!" He was laughing again, an unrestrained bellow that made me uneasy. I almost missed Hannah's wheezing commentary.
"You're connected to the basic gangs? Surprise, surprise."
"No," I snapped back, turning to face her again where she was crumpled on the ground. "Once again, I'm not the villain here, Railon. I know of them because I've seen the tech before, and I am starting to wonder if they even know where it is coming from."
"Are you gonna share, 'hero,' or do I need to start guessing?" She was starting to recover her breath and stand up again. "I mean, I'm pretty good at guessing. Androids? Aliens? Wizards? How about a supervillain?"
"You think we'd work with anyone super?" I was getting tired of his commentary, and honestly the fact he was basic wasn't helping in the slightest. I guess some people take to social shunning differently. At this point I elected to ignore him.
"I'll let you know when you need to know, but you might be on the right track." I didn't want to make the same mistake I had when I first met Emma. If I waited too long, the recovery team would show up and I would be stuck between a rock and a metal staff. I turned to leave just as Hannah was finally on her feet.
"Wait," she said, "what did you want with Kaity?"
I considered not answering and just walking away, but I almost felt a concern in her voice. I couldn't resist.
"You want to know why? She's the perfect example of this system hurting everyone, not just the basics. Has she ever told you how she was injured? Truly? I would ask Mendez one more time if you really want to know just how awful your leader is and what you follow."
"Really? Our leader is terrible? Maybe you really are a basic if you think that," she said without hiding her disgust. "Haven't you ever wondered why we've kept the basics back?"
In all reality, I had also wondered what had happened in the few years after the Evolution to make everyone hate us so much. Before, the world had been so focused on equality for everyone, and now all of a sudden it was intent on exclusion.
"It's these kinds of people, your kind of people that don't feel the need for a system. They try to tear the powerful out of power, remove the true order that was created for us."
"I don't need to hear this. It was the Evolved who tore apart the United States government because it 'wouldn't control them any longer,' if I remember correctly. Don't even try to lecture me on removing order."
"A group of weak individuals is strong together," she quoted, "But a band of fools becomes none the wiser."
I clenched my fist, still frozen with my back to her. She did not just quote High Solis to me.
"The basics are dangerous because they have a will to connect to each other. There is something that allows them to work with each other in amazingly dangerous ways."
"Yes, there is," I noted, "and it's called a common enemy."
I turned on the ball of my foot and swung an arc of energy towards her. It cracked into the side of her head, throwing her back to the ground. It was only a few moments before the blood started to flow. Then I heard him, clapping.
"Well done, Mr. Tylers. Well done indeed! That is one of the Railon brats down, now isn't it? Leaving her to die would be best."
I whirled on the man that had been bound to find both of them on the ground, a lifeless stare in their eyes. The only person in view wore a purple and black costume like I might have seen in comic books. Skin-tight fabric over well formed muscles, plates of armor on his shins and forearms, and a simple pull-over mask that covered everything above his cheekbones besides his eyes. I hated being right sometimes. Void Star was the one behind everything these basics had done. Everything.
I swung for him immediately, not even waiting for him to say anything more. A nearly primal roar erupted from my throat, coming out of my voice changer like a thousand saws grinding against each other at high speed. I didn't even get to finish the swing before I was pulled off the ground, like I was falling upward. As soon as I was a few meters in the air, gravity reversed course and I plummeted to the pavement.
My display showed damage to one of the bracers, and I felt something warm trickling down my arm. I was going to have to fight crippled.
"Now I didn't want a fight, Basic. I simply needed to stop you and this girl from pursuing my men any further." He smirked as he glanced to Metallette.
"Seems you've permanently dissuaded her for me."
I tried to press off the ground and launch myself at him, but the force only increased and I came down hard again.
"Goodbye, Mr. Tylers. I should hope we do not meet again." I couldn't do anything as he turned and lifted off. I only felt capable of movement again once he was far out of sight.
My first thought was going after him anyway, but I knew it would be futile. I hated myself for it, but helping Hannah came as an afterthought of my own anger with Drike.
As soon as it occurred to me, I moved to help her. The wound on her head was really bleeding, though I had heard somewhere that head injuries do that easily.
I picked her up in my two arms and tried to place a shield beneath myself to carry us to the nearest hospital, though that was more than a mile from here.
The shield flickered and faded out before it could bear our combined weight. I was stuck with no way to move her. If I couldn't do something, she was going to die like Rolan said. I couldn't have that. She might have been a twisted Evolved, but she was still human.
I couldn't possibly carry her all the way there, and I was beginning to whittle down my options, when I looked up to the heavens for a miracle.
As I looked up, silently asking whatever powers were above even the strongest of superhumans, I noticed a small spot on the sky that grew more and more. In only a minute, a figure clad in shining silver and white gently landed in front of me. Her white wings folded behind her and I almost expected a gentle, glowing smile.
Instead, I could see the righteous anger in her eyes. I had been needing a miracle, and heaven sent an angel. She was just a really angry one.
I couldn't help but shiver with a cold and subconscious fear when she spoke.
"What have you done to my daughter?"
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