Superhero Epic Ch. 3

Chapter 3: The Dragon and the Hunter
When they got to DracoCorp Laboratories, they found a fortress with razor wire fences all around it, and guards at every entrance.
“Twilight, you think you could take out these guards?”
“Not a problem. Shield your ears everybody!” They did as he said as a deafening screech filled the air, knocking out all the guards.
“Good, now Artillery, you think you can cut through this gate?”
“Right,” he said, grabbing his scepter as it turned into a sword. He swiped down at the gate and created a large slit in the gate for all of them to walk through. Knightbeast walked up to one of the unconscious guards and took a card from him, and used the I.D. number on a keypad to open the door.
“Okay, we’re in. Now we need to find the DNA labs,” Knightbeast said as a giant roar filled the air. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”
Meanwhile, in the DNA labs, an enormous creature was breaking free of the chains that held him to the table he was on.
“He’s breaking free! Stop him!” the scientist screamed.
“Get me off-a this thing!”
“Stabilize him immediately!” The other scientists took their needles and stuck them into the creature. The effects were immediate.
“Adrenaline levels stabilizing! Blood pressure and heart rate normal!”
“Excellent! Take him to the training room,” the lead scientist said.
“Not so fast, Poindexter,” Knightbeast said as the team entered the room.
“Lupinus? And Chiroptera as well,” the scientist said as his eyes shifted from Knightbeast to Twilight. “Here to rescue Dracosaur, no doubt. Well you’re too late. I have successfully created the world’s first dragon-human hybrid!” The creature on the table was exactly as the scientist said. It had dark green scales covering its entire body, small horns protruding from the top of his head, a large tail, and massive wings, even larger than Twilight’s.
“You’re insane!” Artillery shouted.
“There is a fine line between madness and genius,” the scientist replied.
“Yeah, and you crossed it,” Knightbeast said angrily.
“Scowl all you want, but when Dracosaur awakens, I will be in control of the most powerful creature ever created!” All of a sudden, the heart monitor Dracosaur was hooked up to began beeping rapidly as the scientist found a hand around his throat.
“I will not be controlled!” Dracosaur said as he snapped the scientist’s neck. He turned to the team and eyed them up and down. “More lambs for the slaughter, eh? Good, I was hoping to have some fun,” Dracosaur said as he jumped from the table.
“Take positions! Don’t kill him unless I say so!” Knightbeast barked.
“Nobody’s takin’ me out!” Dracosaur said as he moved in closer to the team. Knightbeast quickly reacted, charging at Dracosaur only to get swatted way by his massive tail. “Who else wants some?” he said smirking. Artillery then turned his scepter into a rosewhip, which he then ensnared Dracosaur with, immobilizing him. Dracosaur tried freeing himself from the whip, only finding its grip tighter. He then became extremely frustrated, and roared. As he did, a jet of fire issued from his mouth setting the ceiling above him on fire. Knightbeast got up after being stunned for a few moments, and shouted.
“Everyone shield your ears! Twilight—“
“I’m on it!” Twilight said as Pixie, Knightbeast, Artillery, and Tech shielded their ears as a deafening screech filled the air, after which, Dracosaur roared.
“What the hell was that s’posta do aside from annoy me?” Dracosaur laughed.
“Pixie, Hit him with a flash bomb! Tech, Laser Blast!”
“No! He shall not be harmed any further!” a distorted voice said.
“Carter!” Artillery said with fury in his eyes.
“Carter no longer exists. You are speaking to Mindbender.”
“So this is the freak that killed your family?” Pixie asked.
“Yeah, that’s the bastard that murdered them!”
“Now, Franklin, name-calling is not polite,” Mindbender replied with a sick smirk.
“How dare you try to tell me what’s right or wrong!”
“My, my, this will just not do,” Mindbender said as a pulse shot through the air, knocking Knightbeast’s team out and turning Artillery’s rosewhip back into a scepter, freeing Dracosaur.
“You want some of me too?” Dracosaur asked, eyeing Mindbender, feeling much more confident now that he was free.
“I have no desire to fight you. However, I do have a proposition for you.”
“And what would that be?”
“I am creating an army of our kind to finally get us out into the open, and bid farewell to the days of humans being number one. It is time for us to take our rightful place as the leaders of this world and crush those who stand in our way. It is my wish that you would join this army.”
“Sounds like fun,” Dracosaur said with a smirk.
“Very well, let us leave this wretched place,” Mindbender said as he and Dracosaur flew off into the night sky.
Nearly an hour later, the team awoke with a headache.
“Damn it, they got away!” Knightbeast said angrily.
“Now you know what we’re dealing with,” Artillery coughed. “He is power incarnate, evil and insane.”
“How the hell do we stop something like that?!” Twilight Screamed.
“We’ll figure it out, we always do,” Knightbeast said to reassure everyone. “Let’s ‘port back home.” Once they had their devices synchronized, a flash of light signaled their return to the headquarters.
“Thanks for letting me share your teleporter, Frank,” Pixie said as they got back.
“No problem,” Artillery said.
“Artillery, I need you for something,” Knightbeast said as he walked up to Artillery.
“Okay, what do you need?”
“A couple-a things actually. First off I want to show you to your room.” They began walking down a dimly lit hallway, which was just bright enough for Artillery and Knightbeast to see each other. At the end of the hallway, a metal door sealed the entrance to Artillery’s room. “Okay, this is your room and you can use it whenever you want to. Now what I really need is your help on strategies against Mindbender.”
“Sorry, can’t help you.”
“Don’t give me that! He was your best friend since the two-a you were kids. You have to know something! Some weakness we can exploit, some deep dark fear, something!”
“Any weakness he might have is protected by those powers of his.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just tell me.”
“Fine. I don’t know how this is going to help, but he’s terrified of cockroaches.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah, he gets freaked out if one gets near him.”
“Well, maybe we can use that. Anything else?”
“Like I said, the cockroach thing is all I can think of.”
“All right then, I’ll let you do whatever,” Knightbeast said as his footsteps echoed down the hallway. Artillery then opened the door to his room and saw virtually nothing. Just a bed and a nightstand, on top of which was settled a lamp. There was however a button on the wall next to his door. He pressed the button and found his room changed into an icy mesa in the middle of a frozen wasteland. It was so realistic, Artillery could feel an icy chill run down his spine which made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He pressed the button again, which was now seemingly hanging in midair, and the room became a volcanic cavern so hot, Artillery’s hair was wet with perspiration.
“This is awesome! I can make my room whatever I want! I wonder what this thing can really do,” he said. He pressed the button again, and the room turned into a gothic castle. There was a window with blood-red drapes that gave the room an eerie glow. The walls were made of stone and had a brickwork pattern.
“This is definitely you,” Pixie said from Artillery’s doorway.
“You think so?” Artillery replied, trying to hide the fact that he had been startled.
“Sure do, it gives off this gothic vibe I really like.”
“Then it’s settled. This is my new room design.”
“Cool. So I was just wondering if you’d like to go for a walk.”
“With you? Of course!”
“Great! There’s a trail around Dragon Lake that’s perfect,” Pixie said as the two of them began walking toward the elevator.
“So what’s the word on your teleporter?” Artillery said as they made it to the elevator, entered it and Pixie pressed a button that had the words “Outside to Lake” printed above it.
“Oh, it’s almost fixed. All of Tech’s gadgets fix themselves.”
“Jeez,” Artillery said as the elevator started slowing down from the rapid pace at which it began.
“What?” Pixie asked.
“Tech’s brainpower never ceases to amaze me.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s always cranking out some new toy. You get used to it after a while,” Pixie said as the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the beautiful cerulean waves of Dragon Lake.
Wow,” Artillery said, eyeing the lake.
“I know, it’s amazing isn’t it? Sometimes I come out here just to look at it. I don’t know what it is, but when I watch the waves crashing back and forth, all my problems disappear.”
“I used to come here with my family all the time. You know, before they—“ Artillery found he couldn’t go on. He began crying and wrapped his arms around Pixie.
“I’m so sorry,” Pixie said lovingly. “I shouldn’t have brought you out here.”
“It’s not your fault, you didn’t know,” Artillery sniffled. “Besides, I like it here. It just brought back memories of my family, that’s all.” He looked up at Pixie’s face and his tears began to subside.
“So when did you realize you liked me?” Pixie said as the two of them began walking again.
“Before I sang my song to you. I normally don’t get that nervous when I sing in front of people, but when I felt my insides going crazy when you asked me to sing, I knew there was something going on,” Artillery said, turning red.
“Aw! That’s sweet!” Pixie replied.
“When exactly did you realize you liked me?”
“After you sang your song. During the song, my insides were going crazy, and when you finished, I got filled with this warmth I’ve never had before. That’s when I knew.” All of a sudden, Artillery leaned in and kissed Pixie. “What was that for?” she asked smiling.
“For being so damn cute,” Artillery replied grinning.
“You’re so sweet!” she said, retuning Artillery’s kiss. The sun was just barely setting as the two of them continued walking down the beach, hand in hand.
“You know, after Mindbender killed my family, I never thought I’d be happy again. And although I miss them a whole lot right now, you make me feel almost as good as they ever did.”
“Really?” Pixie said with teary eyes.
“Yeah, I just feel completely at ease whenever I’m with you.”
“Aw! I feel the same way! You’re the first person I’ve ever met that I can actually be myself around.”
“Well its easy when we get along as well as we do.” All of a sudden, there was the sound of wings flapping above their heads as the heard Twilight’s voice.
“What’cha doin’?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
“Just walking, why?” Pixie replied.
“Yeah, there’s no crime in walking, is there?” Artillery said with a hint of hostility.
“Ya don’t need to be rude, I’m just bored.”
“Go be bored somewhere else, will you?”
“Frank what’s with you?”
“What?”
“Why are you being so mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He likes you!”
“You’re crazy man,” Twilight said, trying not to let Artillery know he was right.
“Is he, Twilight? It kinda makes sense,” Pixie said.
“How?” Twilight asked, getting nervous.
“Well, you usually get jumpy any time it’s just me and you in a room together, and when you saw me and Frank kissing, you stormed into your room.”
“Okay, I like you is that so wrong?”
“Yeah, when it’s my girl you like, it is!”
“Chill out, Frank. It’s not like he’s flirting with me or anything.”
“I guess you’re right,” Artillery said apologetically.
“Well, I think I’m gonna go inside,” Twilight said as a flash of light filled the air and he disappeared from sight.
“You want to go inside too?” Artillery asked.
“Sure,” Pixie replied as Artillery’s teleporter moved them to the mess hall off the headquarters, which was empty. “You wanna watch some TV?”
“Yeah, after all this action, a little TV is just what I need.” No sooner than Pixie had turned on the TV had the PA system blared.
“Everyone to the War Room immediately!”
“No rest for the weary, huh?” Artillery said as the two of them began running toward the War Room. When they got there, Knightbeast acknowledged them.
“Now that we’re all here, we can start. A Metahuman hunter has begun capturing and killing metahumans. We think that it may be some kind of bounty hunter. We’re gonna have to track his movements and find out who his next target is and get there before he does. We might need to patrol the city for a couple of days, so if you get homesick easy, well then this is gonna be a bit rough for you.”
“You mean we’re actually going out into the city to patrol it?” Artillery asked, looking excited.
“Um… yeah, what did you think I meant?”
“Nothing, I guess I’m just excited.”
“Okay… anyway, since you’re so inexperienced, I’m gonna have to pair you with someone. Pixie, how about you, considering how well you two warmed up to each other.”
“Okay,” Pixie said agreeably.
“All right Tech, you take the north quadrant of the city, Twilight, you take the south. I’ll take the east quadrant, and Artillery, you and Pixie can take the west. Move out team!” Knightbeast said as the teleporters took each hero to their quadrant. When Pixie and Artillery made it to their quadrant, they decided to set up a base camp.
“There’s an abandoned building nearby that we can use as a hideout when we’re not on patrol,” Pixie said, “but for right now I think we should scope out the area.”
“Okay, where do we start?”
“I was thinking we should start with all the main streets, then work our way through the side streets and alleyways.” They made their way through the main streets, and when they found nothing, they began searching the side streets. While searching, they heard what they thought was a little girl crying, so they ran toward her and found her lying in an alley with her face buried in her hands.
“No, no, no! Don’t hurt me anymore, PLEASE!” the little girl screamed.
“Don’t worry, we’re here to help you,” Artillery said.
“No! Stay back, I’m warning you!”
“What? I think she just threatened me!”
“So?” Pixie said with a smile as she turned to the little girl. “Please, we’re here to help, just try to calm down and tell us what happened.”
“Well,” She began, sniffling, “I was outside playing, when all of a sudden, this bad-looking person came running after me. I tried to go inside, but she grabbed me before I could get there. I got away, after she took me a couple-a blocks away from my house, and started running as fast as I could. All I can remember after that was her trying to attack me with this thingy on her wrist.”
“So you can’t remember anything after that?” Artillery asked.
“Nope,” the little girl said.
“What’s your name?” Pixie asked.
“Aubrey,” she said.
“Well, Aubrey, I’m Trixie, and this is Frank.”
“I’m gonna call Knightbeast and let him know what’s going on,” Artillery said, looking at Pixie.
“Okay,” Pixie replied.
“Artillery to Knightbeast,” he said as the communicator beeped.
“Knightbeast here. Anything to report?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He retold Aubrey’s story, and when he was finished, Knightbeast growled.
“It sounds like the hunter left that area. Take the girl back to headquarters and wait for further instructions.”
“Will do,” Artillery said as he walked back toward Pixie and Aubrey.
“What’d Knightbeast say?”
“We’re supposed to take Aubrey back to headquarters and wait for further instructions.”
“Well, Aubrey, you wanna see our headquarters?”
“Anything’s better than being here,” she said as Pixie and Artillery held on to Aubrey, and the three of them teleported out of sight.
Meanwhile, Knightbeast was in hot pursuit of the one he believed to be the metahuman hunter.
“Stop!” he said running on all fours. The hunter turned her body, still running, and fired at Knightbeast from a crossbow on her wrist. Knightbeast dodged, leapt over her head and pulled her feet out from under her. “What d’you think you’re doing?!” he screamed.
“Like I’d tell you, freak!” She said in a digitally distorted voice.
“Listen to me you inhuman monster—“
“You’re calling me a monster?! Look at you! I know for a fact that you’re the one that took my brothers away, and now you’re gonna pay!” she said, knocking Knightbeast off of her.
“What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“My brothers were taken away from home when they were kids, and when I found out where they were, I saw the place destroyed by you!”
“That sounds an awful lot like my story, only in my version, I was the one who was taken from home.”
“Wait a minute, what?”
“You mean you don’t know, Jessica?”
“How the hell do you know my name, freak?!”
“It’s me, Jacob. You know, your brother,” Knightbeast said.
“You’re lying!”
“Oh, yeah? Well let me tell you a little story. When they took me from home, they locked me in a cell and experimented on me. After I broke free, I saw what they had forced me to become, and I tore the place up. A couple of months later, I ran into our brother Jeffrey and found out he had been experimented on. Still think I’m a liar?”
“Get away from me!” She said as she teleported out of sight.
“Damn!” He turned on his communicator and began talking into it. “Everyone get to headquarters now! We’ve got something to discuss!” His teleporter flashed and he found himself in the War Room, in which Aubrey and the heroes now stood.
“What has happened that you’d call us back from a mission?” Tech asked in his metallic voice, sounding somewhat irritated.
“Before I talk about that,” Knightbeast began, “Artillery, Pixie, you mind telling me who your little friend is?”
“Right. Um…this is—“
“I’m Aubrey,” she said, cutting Artillery off, “and if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back home.”
“You’re a mouthy little kid aren’t ya?” Knightbeast said.
“Sure am,” she said defiantly.
“Tech, help her out.” Tech pressed a button on his armor as a teleporter watch popped out of his chest plate.
“This,” Tech said, handing the watch to Aubrey, “is a teleporter watch. It’s different from our teleporters, because it works on a street address system. Just type in your street address, and press the button in the middle to teleport.” Several beeps came from the watch as a flash of light signaled Aubrey’s teleportation.
“So what, are you just giving teleporters away now?” Artillery asked.
“Relax, it’ll disintegrate once she teleports,” Tech replied.
“Ok…now we can get back to business. The reason I called you all back here is that the hunter is going to be a little more difficult to take down than I first thought.”
“Why’s that?” Twilight asked.
“Because it’s our sister,” Knightbeast replied, looking at Twilight.
“What?! Jessica’s the hunter?! There’s no way!”
“I saw it with my own eyes. Apparently, she thought we were killed by metahumans and wanted revenge.”
“Wait a minute, you’re saying that you have a sister, and she’s the hunter we’re looking for?” Artillery said looking shocked.
“That’s what I’m tellin’ ya,” Knightbeast replied.
“So what do we do now?” Pixie asked.
“Well I’ll tell ya what we’re not gonna do,” Twilight said angrily. “We’re not going after my sister!”
“Are you crazy?!” Artillery exclaimed. “She’s going around the city killing metahumans! She has to be stopped!”
“I’m only gonna say this once, so listen up! If anyone here even tries to go after her, they’re gonna have to get through me first!” Twilight yelled.
“That’s quite unnecessary, Twilight.”
“I don’t think anyone asked to hear your big mouth, Tech!”
“You’d better lose your attitude real quick, Twilight.
“Or what, Jacob?” Twilight said glaring at Knightbeast. “What the hell are you gonna do?”
“That’s it! Get the hell out!” Knightbeast roared.
“Gladly!” Twilight screeched as he flew out the window.
“You’re not just gonna let him go are you?” Pixie asked worriedly.
“He’ll come back when he cools off. Until then, I really don’t give a damn.”
“So where do we go from here?” Artillery asked, trying to break the tension.
“Until we get info on one of Jessica’s attacks, there’s really nothing we can do.”
“As much as it pains me to say it, Knightbeast is right. Nothing would be gained from another search of the city,” Tech said.
“Especially since she has a teleporter,” Knightbeast added.
“That’s most disturbing,” Tech said worriedly.
“Why is that?” Artillery asked.
“Look at it this way,” Knightbeast began, “if Jessica has a teleporter, then that means someone other than us has this technology, which also means somebody’s supplyin’ it to her.”
“So?” Pixie said looking confused.
“If somebody has the means to create a teleporter, then they have the means to create more powerful, more destructive devices, and that bodes ill for us all,” Tech replied.
“Well, I’ve had enough action for one day, I’m going to bed,” Artillery said as he walked to his room.
“I think I’ll go to bed too, no point in fighting bad guys tired,” Pixie said as she, too, walked to her room.
“You goin’ to bed too?” Knightbeast asked, turning to Tech.
“No, I have research to do,” Tech replied. “I suppose you’ll want to go train?”
“Actually, no, I was gonna sit outside for a while.”
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Tech said as he sat down at the computer in themes hall and became focused on his research.
Knightbeast walked from the mess hall to his room, where he opened a door to his balcony. The cool night air wafted into his room as Knightbeast stepped outside. The sounds of the city began surrounding him; the “whoosh” of passing cars, the echo of footsteps on pavement, and the wailing of ambulance sirens.
A few hours later, across the city, Twilight was hearing the same sounds as the cool night air flew past his wings.
“I gotta find Jessica!” he shouted as he soared over rooftops.
“You want me freak, you got me!” yelled a voice from below him as a rope shot from the darkness and wrapped itself around Twilight’s leg.
“Ow! Jessica? Is that you?”
“How the hell do so many of you freaks know my name?!”
“You mean you don’t recognize me? I mean I know I’ve gained a few pounds, but come on!”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about? Who the hell are you?”
“Now I’m hurt. You mean that after you met Jacob, you can’t tell who your family is?”
“Jeffrey? What the hell is going on? You can’t be my brother, you’re a—“
“A freak? Yeah, weird, huh?”
“How did this happen? Was that really Jacob I saw earlier?”
“Yeah, it was, and what he told ya was true, too.”
“This is just too much! I don’t understand!”
“Well, if you get my leg outta this thing, then we might be able to talk about this a little more,” Twilight said, eyeing the rope that ensnared his leg.
“Oh, yeah,” she said as she pressed a button on the gun she was holding and the rope went slack, freeing Twilight’s leg. Okay, now tell me what’s going on!”
“Calm down, Jess. I’ll tell you what I remember. It started all those years ago when I went missing. DracoCorp kidnapped me and put me in their DNA merging program.”
“What?” Jessica said looking confused.
“It’s where they use humans and mix up their DNA with the DNA of animals to get something like me or Jacob. I really don’t understand it either. Anyway, all I really remember after that was flying around with some kinda machine on my ankle, which I promptly destroyed.”
“What about Jacob?”
“Well, from what he’s told me, he was kidnapped about a year after I was. Does that sound about right?”
“Yeah…”
“Okay, well after they took him, they experimented on him too, only something went wrong. He escaped, and the facility was almost destroyed. I ran into him a few months after that, and we started a team of heroes.”
“You mean a team of freaks?!”
“We’re called ‘metahumans’ Jess,” Twilight said irritably as he landed on the ground in front of Jessica.
“It doesn’t matter, I’m just so glad you guys are okay!” she said as she threw her arms around Twilight.
“Um…okay, anyway, you wanna see Jacob?”
“Of course I do!” she shouted.
“Well, I can use this teleporter to take us to him,” Twilight said smiling.
“If it’s okay with you, I kinda wanted you to fly me there,” Jessica said nervously. Twilight spread his wings and flew in the air above Jessica, who nearly fell over.
“Sorry ‘bout that, my wings generally have a lot of force behind ‘em. I’m gonna grab you with my feet and lift you up. I suggest you hold on.” He grabbed her shoulders as she held on for dear life as they flew off.
Back at hero central, Knightbeast was still standing on his balcony, when suddenly he heard a knock at his door.
“Who’s there?” he shouted.
“It’s Artillery.”
“All right, come in.” Artillery turned the knob and the door slowly creaked open.
“Nice room,” Artillery said, waling to the balcony.
“Thanks,” Knightbeast said through the open balcony door. “I thought you were goin’ to bed.”
“I couldn’t sleep. So, what’re you doing?”
“Just sittin’ out here, thinkin’.”
“Thinking about what?” Knightbeast shot Artillery a look and avoided the question.
“I assume you came in here for a reason. You mind getting to it?”
“It’s just that I never really thanked you for giving me a place to stay, so… thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Anyway, you have a sister huh?” Artillery said nervously.
“Yeah, and she’s somethin’ else, too, believe—“
“Wait, What’s that?!” Artillery interjected, pointing out a large object soaring through the early morning sky.
“That looks like Twilight, only he’s holdin’ somethin’!” he said as Twilight flew closer. “Wait a minute, that’s Jessica! Get inside, now!” he barked at Artillery, who instantly obeyed, running into the hallway in front of Knightbeast’s room. Knightbeast could feel the adrenaline pump through him as Twilight flew closer. Jessica, being incredibly agile, slipped from Twilight’s grip and used her arms to flip from Twilight’s legs and land on the balcony. Once Jessica had safely landed, Knightbeast, full of adrenaline, launched straight at Twilight, hitting him square in the gut, and sending the two of them into a nosedive.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Twilight said, pulling the two of them out of the nosedive.
“You left us!” Knightbeast snarled while still maintaining a powerful grip on Twilight.
“I had to! You were gonna hurt Jessica! I brought her here so we could talk!”
“Anything she has to say, she can say it in front of the rest of the team,” Knightbeast growled.
“Fine, whatever, just go inside, please!”
“All right, take me in, then.” Twilight flew up to the balcony, and Knightbeast jumped off of him, landing squarely on the balcony. “Come inside, Jessica, we have a lot to talk about.” Reluctantly, Jessica obeyed, followed by Twilight, whose wings nearly prevented him from entering. Knightbeast made it to the doorway of his room, where Artillery still stood. Knightbeast shot him a look. “Go get Tech and Pixie, and tell them to meet in the war room.”
“All right,” he said without hesitation. He ran down the hallway to the mess hall, where he found a console, in the center of which was a speaker. He assumed it was the PA system and decided to press the button next to it. Once he did feedback issued from the speaker. “Tech, Pixie, you’re needed in the war room immediately!” Artillery waited a moment as he saw Pixie and Tech run from their rooms and into the mess hall.
“I had just gotten to sleep. This better be important, Artillery,” Tech said irritably.
“What’s going on, Frank?” Pixie said irritably.
“Knightbeast’ll explain it when we get to the war room, let’s go.” Artillery led, and Tech and Pixie reluctantly followed. When they got there, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the hallway.
“I’m sorry for what I did, okay, Jacob?! What do you want me to say?” Artillery opened the door, apparently indifferent to the ongoing conversation.
“Are we interrupting something?” Artillery asked, knowing full well they were.
“Not at all,” Knightbeast replied. “Allow me to introduce you to my sister Jessica.” Artillery, Pixie and Tech all turned to her as she turned to face them.
“So you’re the hunter, huh?” Artillery said bitterly.
“Before you start yelling at me, I had my reasons, okay? They’re good enough for Jacob, so they should be good enough for you.”
“I really don’t care what your ‘reasons’ are. The only reason I haven’t torn you apart is because I respect Knightbeast.”
“Calm down, Frank!” Pixie shouted.
“Why should I? She’s nothing but a murderer! As far as I’m concerned, she’s no better than Carter!”
“Will you quit yelling and hear me out?! I did what I did to get revenge. When I lost my brothers, I did everything I could to find out where they were. Once I had found out, there was no evidence to suggest that Jacob and Jeffrey were still alive.”
“Even though they were,” Artillery said irritably.
“Right. Anyway, the only thing I could think of that made sense was that the Metahuman who escaped the lab was the one who killed my brothers. At that moment, I promised myself that I would hunt them down, one by one, until I killed the monster that killed my brothers.”
“I understand why you did what you did, but that doesn’t change the fact that you did it,” Artillery said with a touch of hostility.
“Yeah, I did it, but you can’t honestly tell me that there isn’t one person you’d kill if you had the chance.”
“I’m not the one on trial here! Knightbeast, you can’t possibly—“
“Yeah, I can. I may not approve of what she’s done, but I’m just glad she’s back,” Knightbeast said. “Look, we’re all in this together. There’s enough hate in the world.”
“Knightbeast’s right, Frank. Can’t you just try to get along?” Pixie asked.
“For now,” Artillery replied bitterly.
“I think we all need to get some sleep,” Twilight yawned.
“At four o’clock in the morning?!” Artillery said.
“Well if you’re going to stay awake, fine, but we’re going to sleep,” Pixie said groggily.
“I definitely think we could all do with a bit of rest,” Tech said.
“Well Artillery, if you’re gonna stay up, you mind keepin’ an eye on things for me?”
“All right, Knightbeast.” “Jessica, there’s a few rooms downstairs. You’re gonna hafta take the elevator. I’ll show ya to it.” As they all began walking away, Artillery sat comfortably on the bench in the war room.