Part XI
Six-Four strolled around the lobby of the Giza. He had left behind his Ghosts Reborn uniform and slipped into a nondescript pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt, blending in nicely with the vacationers. It had been quite easy to determine he was in the right place, the staff were still complaining about the big cop, walking in and flashing his PPD badge around as if that meant something in the Rogue Isles. Hed made an effort to get to the Roses, but they were well guarded and, while he was sure he could get past them, he wasnt ready to make a scene. He was confident Ebony Rose would come here soon. He didnt need to have them in hand. He just needed to be near them.
Once hed located her parents, he thoroughly scouted out every accessible inch of the Giza. Hed found the spot he intended to make his stand. Now he just needed to get her there.
He stepped outside the busy, smoky casino and took care snipping the end of a cigar. He stared out over the open water as he puffed to get it going. It was a beautiful, clear crystal day, a day just like the first time he ever saw Ebony Rose, and the last time he saw his best friend alive.
---
Hey, Stretch! Kurt yelled. Get your [censored] aboard here. Were gonna have a passenger, and shes a looker! Help me get this hulk squared away!
Since when are we a cruise ship? Six had grumbled as he climbed down the Jacobs ladder to the deck and began stowing loose gear.
Since this little hottie dropped a wad of cash on me and smiled at me! Kurt answered.
They were an unusual pair, and had been since kindergarten. Six-Four had come out of the womb tall, and just kept on growing. Kurt had been born premature and didnt even start a boys growth spurt until he was almost 16. Even then, hed topped out at slightly shorter than average. Their difference in height hadnt stood in the way of them being the closest of friends. They were like brothers, and if they werent to be found at Kurts house enjoying cookies and milk, they were at Sixs house, eating pot roast.
Then, in eighth grade, Six-Four begged out of going to his sisters dance recital to spend the afternoon with Kurt. His entire family was wiped out by a drunk driver, who obliging took himself out at the same time. There was never a moments question. He was accepted into Kurts family as if hed been born to it. They were working class, and worked hard, but they took him in and made him part of their family. They were exactly what that young man, wracked with guilt and suddenly alone in the world, needed.
Six excelled in physical sports through high school, but football was his true calling. Encouraged by Six, Kurt tried several sports more suited to his smaller size, and he began to muscle up under the training for wrestling and baseball.
They remained inseparable until they graduated from high school. Kurt elected to go to community college, while Six was impressed by promises of the Navy recruiters. Four years later, Six had fulfilled his obligation, Kurt had decided that higher education wasnt for him, and so they pooled their resources and joined forces again on a small fishing boat.
If the pair didnt live like kings, they still enjoyed the life they had. They dragged the waters between the Rogue Isles and Paragon City, selling their fresh catch to various restaurants and markets in both communities. Six knew he would eventually want more, but... for the moment, it was enough.
Six never forgot his first glimpse of their passenger as she boarded there in Nerva Archipelago. Tall, slender, dark haired, wearing snug black pants with a long sleeved jacket on top. The day was warm and sunny, so the jacket was unusual. She typically kept her hands in the pockets of the jacket. Her face was serious and her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.
As she came aboard, Kurt yelled out, Hey! Stretch! This is Raven! Raven Aumentato. She nodded at Six, offered Kurt an envelope with the rest of her passage, and then moved forward to stare out at the sea. Kurt smiled broadly at Six, with a tilt of the head that said as clearly as words, See? What did I tell ya? Hot!
With Kurt so plainly interested, and Six more interested in finishing a dull passenger run, he took the helm and left Kurt to chat up the passenger. Besides, it quickly became amusing watching him run into a brick wall with her, time and time again.
The passenger had given them a detailed map of a small uninhabited island just north of Striga. The whole area was littered with the tiny islands, and many students, like Raven Aumentato claimed to be, would travel to these islands for various research.
As Raven stood at the bow, Kurt approached and joined her, standing companionably close. The small boat settled in a gentle, swaying rhythm, rising and falling over the long, rolling swells of open water.
Not enough wind for whitecaps today. Raven turned to glance at Kurt as he spoke. Its a beautiful day today. Great day to get a tan. He smiled at her, at his most charming. And Kurt at his most charming was rarely shot down - he made up for a lack of height with boyish good looks and a friendly appeal.
Raven gave him a small distracted smile. Yes. Its lovely, she agreed with no emotion in her voice at all before she turned back to watching the waves.
Do you like the sea? Kurt asked. Like sailing?
It is a pleasant way to spend a morning, she agreed.
He sidled closer. Your hair is beautiful. I love the way it flows in the wind.
She turned back to him, one dark brow arched over her glasses and a faint smile playing over her lips before turning away again. Thank you, she replied.
Kurt sighed. Were making good time, he finally said awkwardly. Im going to go check the course.
Six laughed as Kurt trudged toward him, leaning over to stage whisper, Shes not giving you the time of day, man.
Shell come around, bud. Im not out yet. Kurt vanished below, and Six-Four smiled fondly. His friend was utterly irrepressible. Hed insist he still had a shot while the woman in question was saying I do, to someone else. He wasnt giving up, he was just regrouping.
Six lifted his face to sun, relishing the salt breeze on his face and then started laughing when Kurt came back on deck. Hed grabbed their oldest navigational chart and make a good show of examining it as he approached Raven again.
Were on course, he announced. Everything looks great. Weather service says everything will be fine today, he said.
Raven didnt even glance at him. Excellent.
Kurt glanced over his shoulder at his friend and then tried yet another tack. So, Raven, youre looking for some sort of samples...
Yes, she agreed, glancing at Kurt, then back out to sea. I am. Very important samples for my research.
Six laughed again as Kurt put one hand behind his back and flashed a thumbs up.
Kurt pressed this perceived advantage. Ive seen a lot of interesting creatures in the sea, myself. Some pretty birds flying overhead... once I was headed out of Independence Port when this giant octopus popped up close enough it nearly swamped the boat.
She glanced at him again, arched that brow. You survived Lusca. Most impressive. Or very lucky.
Oh.. It was impressive. he laughed.
She chuckled politely, then turned away again.
Kurt was not deterred, however, he just came back at yet another angle. He stretched, sighed, leaned forward on the rail again. I just cant get enough of this life. Out on the sea, free.. .I love how the spray cools the heat from the sun. He paused, and Raven just smiled politely. But, sometimes I do miss dry land. He cast another glance over his shoulder at Six, who just shrugged at him and rolled his eyes. So, Raven, do you like traveling by boat?
Its generally very peaceful, she answered.
Oh? How do you prefer to travel?
She turned to Kurt again, looked at him over the rims of her sunglasses and responded flatly, However is most efficient. She held his gaze for just a moment, then turned away.
Kurt was silent for a long moment, then finally said, Excuse me a moment, Im going to check our position.
Without even looking, Raven responded, Take all the time you need.
As Kurt approached his friend, he shook his head, Damn, shes cold.
Six leaned forward to say, Quit wasting your time with her.
What wasting time? I got nothin else to do!
Dude, youre not getting anywhere with that one.
Ha! Ill bet ya, then. Ill have her phone number by the time we get back to shore.
Six just laughed. Fine, loser buys the beer for a week.
Kurt sighed like a man about to pick up a heavy load, smiled broadly at his friend, and returned to stand by their passenger for yet another ultimately futile attempt to attract her interest. Six enjoyed the trip, laughing. He considered himself lucky. Gifted with a life he enjoyed, the friendship of a good man, and enough freedom to live his life as he chose. He couldnt ask for more.
When they arrived at the island, Raven turned to the pair. Please, remain on the boat. The wildlife is skittish, and too much activity may make it impossible for me to make the observations and collect the samples I need. She waited for their nods, then hiked inland.
So, bud... youre buying the beer tonight? Six asked with a smile.
Were not back home yet! Kurt protested. He watched Raven walk out of sight, then climbed ashore.
Where are you going? She said to stay on the boat.
Hell.. Im going to keep an eye on her.
Ah, Kurt.. Cmon. If you mess this up for her, shes gonna be pissed.
Im not going to mess anything up, Stretch. I just want to watch that fine [censored] a little longer.
Six shrugged, pulled out a paperback novel and plopped down on deck. Just make sure you beat her [censored] back here! he called over his shoulder.
The sun was warm, and the novel just wasnt catching his interest. He put his head back, the sun shining through his closed eyelids in dull red. He dreamed. As he often did, he dreamed of combat, of gunshots, men yelling, explosions, blood, fear, pain... but usually, when he woke... it was to peace.
This time, he awoke into the start of a nightmare. He could hear Kurt yelling, he could hear the terror in his friends voice. Six scrambled to his feet and his eyes found Kurt racing down the beach. Start the engine! Start the engine! he was screaming.
His brain was still fuzzy from his nap in the sun, but Six wasted no time questioning. He raced to the helm, slamming down the plunger and bringing the massive diesel to life, then turned back to check on his friend. Kurt was splashing through the waves, arms flailing, knees lifted high to power through the water. He reached up to Sixs outstretched hand, and that was when Six saw her.
Raven was clearly not who shed claimed to be. Their former passenger trotted down the beach ahead of six giant clanking robots. Shed shed her jacket, revealing one arm to be a gleaming metal prosthetic. She clutched a rifle in her hands, and as Six clamped his fingers over Kurts wrist, she stopped, sighted, and fired. Six felt the impact as Kurts body was slammed into the side of the boat. Kurts hand jarred open, but Six brought his other hand around and dragged his friend onto the boat. Blood poured from the jagged hole just over his left kidney, and Six immediately dropped to his knees to put pressure on that horrible wound. Raven was still coming, however, and the six robots with her.
Go... get us out of here... Kurt whispered breathlessly. Theres more.. Council... and I dont know what the [censored] those other guys were...
Six ran to the helm and slammed the throttles wide open. The boat lurched over as the engine flared to life and they raced away from the shore. He tried not to think about his friend. With that much blood loss, there was no way anyone could survive long enough for him to get to a hospital.
Six glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see their passenger and her metallic army standing on shore, but instead, she was flying, and worse, she was overtaking them. Six fumbled for the shotgun stashed in the gear locker, and pulled it out just as she landed lightly on the deck.
He quickly and expertly racked a shell into the chamber and shoved the muzzle in Ravens face. He yelled triumphantly as his blast from the shotgun knocked her up and over the rail, but before his cry was finished, she flew back up and landed on deck, and then he saw she was protected by a shimmering energy shield.
He could see the expression on her face now, and it was chilling. There was sorrow on her face, but also fury and determination. Even more alarming was how little damage that point blank blast had caused her. She turned towards Kurt, and strode towards him.
No! You [censored]! No! You leave him alone! Six yelled. He left the helm and raced towards her. Just then, a metal giant landed on the deck. The entire boat rocked, and Six yelled in sympathetic pain as Kurts body rolled and smacked into a heavy, rust covered mooring cleat.
Six lifted the shotgun and pointed it at Raven, and that was when the robot backhanded him. Six flew back and narrowly avoided going over the rail. With no one on the helm and throttle at full, the boat started turning crazy circles and the deck pitched dangerously. Six reached desperately for the shotgun. His fingertips just brushed the muzzle as it tumbled overboard. Too numb with shock to feel anything, he crawled to where Kurt lay bleeding his life out onto the deck. He pressed his hands back over the gushing wound as the woman advanced on them both.
Im sorry. she said, and the regret was clear in her tone. But it was necessary. As she lifted her rifle, Six snatched a long divers knife from behind his back. He lifted himself up and plunged the knife into her skinny thigh. She cried out and stumbled back from him. Her fair skin turned even more pale and she stared at him in shock. Six turned back to his friend, bleeding out before his eyes. He pulled Kurts limp body further away from Raven, and tried to find anything to even slow the bleeding. He heard the rifles action and looked up just as Raven was lifting her weapon again. She fired once. He screamed with rage and pain as that bullet shattered Kurts skull and then slammed into Sixs chest just over the heart.
As Six struggled just to breath, Raven calmly walked over to the helm and righted the boat. She killed the throttle, and the roar of the racing engine died away in a few dieseling chuffs. She ignored Six and instead turned to her robot. Burn it down, she said. Then, with a sigh, she continued. And leave no witnesses.
The robot suddenly belched flame from a nozzle on one arm and Six screamed again as the fuel from that nozzle splashed onto his chest and back. There was nothing but fire and pain, until he saw Raven walking towards him again. Youre still alive? she asked. She seemed both sorrowful and angry at the discovery. The fire was pain like nothing hed ever felt, but he still screamed at her, Who ARE you?
My name is Ebony Rose, she answered calmly. She gestured at the robot and it stomped over to him, one giant metallic foot landing squarely on his right leg, shattering every bone from his hip to his ankle in a pain too sudden and bright to elicit more than a strangled gasp from Six. Your friend should have stayed on the boat. You could both have lived through this day if not for that.
At a command from her, the robot suddenly tipped forward, and Six screamed again and it belched rockets at point blank range into the deck of his little boat. The keel cracked in half and the hull shattered. The robot abruptly shot straight up into the air, and Ebony Rose stalked across the tilting deck to him. She reached out to stroke his hair. I am sorry, she breathed.
She stood, then with one hard kick, shoved his body overboard. The last he saw of her, she lifted into a hover and watched his boat and his body sink.
He was dying, and he felt every moment. Water poured into his thorax through a charred open hole in his chest wall. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds, and was headed deeply into shock from the pain. His entire body jerked when the cold sea water hit his lungs. Every cell was clamoring for oxygen while his lungs cried for air. He was trying to cough but there was no air... no air.. There was just pain. The world went grey... Then black.
The man who would be known as Six-Four had always been tough and healthy. His football coach always praised him for his ability to take hit after hit and keep going, for his ability to play hurt. In the service, he was commended for never needing a sick day and for always recovering faster than the docs expected him to. But nobody thought was he anything more than a particularly robust man. He was, even then, possessed of a fairly minor mutant healing ability. As he died in the water, from profound injuries, blood loss, and drowning, a gene sequence possessed by very few humans came to life. The DNA strand uncoiled itself and began busily transcribing RNA. That RNA found its way to ribosomes and gave the instructions to put together amino acids in a unique sequence. And those amino acids formed unique proteins that began busily repairing the damage to that dying body. Cells dying from lack of oxygen were repaired. Blood vessels sealed themselves. Muscle, nerves and bone began trying to knit.
Still, it would not have been enough if his body hadnt floated back to the surface. He drifted, like so many other pieces of flotsam. The heat began to leech out of his body, but ever more mutant genes lying quiescent within his cells came to life. So severe was the damage that even his newly awakened powers could just barely sustain his life. He floated, unconscious, overnight, and by dawn, the battle was nearly lost. The hypothermia, blood loss, shock, and oxygen deprivation were just too much for even his newly awakened mutant healing ability. And then a small fishing boat, so much like the one hed lost, spotted him. The fisherman were quite certain he was dead, until they noticed that he was trying to breath. They discussed whether it would actually be a kindness to let him die, since he would certainly be brain damaged after drowning and floating for who knew how long, but in the end, they raced to the nearest hospital, Bell Medical Center in Independence Port, which became his home for the next six months.
It seemed his miraculous abilities went dormant again. Doctors were utterly baffled how hed survived. He endured surgery afer surgery to try to save his leg, skin grafts for the burn, and excruciating physical therapy. Even worse than that, though, was telling Kurts parents how their son had died.
He started his research into Ebony Rose even before he left the hospital. His only goal was to take her down. He began devising plans before he even know if he would have two legs when he left. He never entertained any illusions about arresting the [censored], shed taken not just his own life, but his best friend, his adopted parents son, and all the hopes and dreams that both young men had nurtured. She deserved to die, and she deserved as much pain as he could inflict on her first.
Once out of the hospital, however, that new ability resurfaced again, and he realized that he had more going for him than hed originally hoped. He trained, he learned new skills, and he was recruited into the Ghosts Reborn, who saw a promising young hero, and who never realized that hed sought them out for their long history with Ebony Rose and her cronies.
Six stubbed out his cigar. He stared back over the ocean. Today was the day. He was determined. Every moment of pain and fear Kurt had suffered would be paid back. His adopted parents grief - paid back. Sixs own pain would be repaid in full. It would be today.
He started to turn back to the Giza when movement caught his eye. A slender woman, dressed in snug leather, flew to land nearby. Her dark hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. It was her.
She strode towards the Giza, and he stepped out to meet her. Hello, Rose. he said.
