A Father's Grief is Like Unto A Storm (A Statesman Story)
By
2short2care,
Posted on: 2011-11-10 22:18 in Roleplaying
A storm has come to Brickstown.
Rain comes down a waterfall. Winds howl like the wailing of a lost child. Lightning strikes with such force that even the Freakshow are not willing to remain on the streets.
Within a matter of minutes, the streets are practically deserted.
Statesman has never displayed such power before, Luminary observes, a trace of nervousness on her surprisingly human face.
The grief of a father is like unto a storm, Infernal grunts as he summons a horde of demons from his armor to surround the Zig. An old saying of my world.
Evidence suggests that Statesman has already begun to access the power of the Well. Citadel shifts uncomfortably. I do not believe he will listen to reason.
Then we must make him, android. Infernal swings his great ax, a trail of flame following behind each stroke.
On the bright side, this storm will keep civilians out of danger. Im going to hope that part of Statesman hasnt totally forgotten what he stands for. Luminary hugged herself.
Infernal, Luminary and I will confront Statesman and attempt to reason with him. If that fails, we will attempt to restrain him. If we fail, then your task is to make sure that Statesman does not breach the walls of Zikursky Prison.
Statesman has the blood right. I do understand the ways of this world. Malaise has betrayed us all. He deserves no more than death.
Thats not how we do things here, KVarr. Alexis Cole-Duncan would not want blood for blood, Sister Psyche says as she lands beside them. And she definitely would not want her father to become a pawn of the Well of Furies.
Sister Psyche--- Shalicedo you really think we can stop him?
I dont know, Luminary. Ive never seen Marcus like thisnot even when Monica died. Do you know how long its been since he closed his mind to me like this?
No.
And neither do I. Marcuss greatest power has always been his self restraint. Hes a powerful, passionate manand yet hes spent decades bottling up his rage, his pain, to protect the world. If hes finally let that go
Sister Psyche, I am picking Statesman up on my sensors. Citadel levitates into the air. I suggest that you go inside the prison. Your powers may be the only thing that may be capable of stopping Statesman if we should fail.
Citadelbe careful. Sister Psyche turns and runs towards the Zig.
Infernal?
Yes, Luminary?
For luck. And she brushes her lips against his cheek.
LuminaryLumi. For once, voice of the binder of demons is gentle. This will not be our last day.
Of course not, KVarr. And with a smile that belies the fear in her eyes, she flies headlong into the storm with Citadel at her side.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
There are two emotions that a Binder of Demons can never allow himself while he works his craft: doubt and fear.
To doubt ones ability to control the Demons that he seeks to master can give the Demons the power to turn on the Binder.
Fearing the power of the Demons you seek to Bind can weaken your own might and allow the Demons to also turn on the Binder.
Infernal never allows himself to know either doubt or fear when his Demons are let loose on the world. That was the first rule the Order had taught him when he began his apprenticeship. Doubt and fear are not to be tolerated.
So it is not fear that plagues his mind when he sees Citadel and Luminary lit up by the flashes of their power as they struggle to subdue Statesman. It is not doubt that they will fail that makes him grab his ax all the tighter as he strains his dark-sensitive eyes to see beyond the lightning, the storm, and the sheer naked power. He is a Binder of Demons. There can be no doubt or fear.
His Demons growl and he realizes for the first time that there was a tone in their cries that he has never heard before:
Fear.
He does not like watching his friends battle. He never has. He made a vow to himself when he lost TKeron that he would never stand idly by while people he cared for risked themselves.
There had been a time when he never would have considered Citadel or Luminary to be people, let alone friends. When he first came to this worldwhen Tammy Arcanus first took him his guidance and introduced him to the Freedom Phalanx and the Vindicators, he had not believed an artificial creaturean android?could ever be called a true hero. Can metal know fear? Can plastic fight for those weaker than itself?
That time was long past.
Time and again, he had seen Citadel stand against the forces of evilalone or with the Freedom Phalanx. Again and again, he had stood back to back with the android and unleashed fire and force against enemies his people could never have dreamed existed. He had seen Citadel risk total destruction to protect Talos during the first Rikti Invasion.
Artificial or not, the android would not yield in the face of evil.
And Luminary
KVarr scowls under his helmet.
The images that come to memory for him as he watches Luminary battle at Citadels side are not the countless times they have fought side by side. He does not remember the times they held back Rularuu, Rikti, or Praetorians. He does not remember her standing between the people they are sworn to protect and the forces of evil.
No, he finds himself thinking of the rare times when the Vindicators gathered in friendship rather than battle. He finds himself remembering the time she coaxed him out onto the floor of Pocket D and tried to convince him that it was not beneath his dignity to dance. He thinks of her teasing Swan about her uniform, Malaise about his obsession with Sister Psyche
And he does not want to think of Malaise just now because he is sworn to preserve the traitors life and he does not want to be tempted to break that vow.
And then he thinks of her lips against his cheek
.
And the sky is lit up with a blast like an exploding star.
Nova, KVarr mutters.
And scarcely a moment later, he sees a second blast no less powerful than the first.
Lumi
And then a burst of lightning strikes in front of him.
Marcus Cole, the Statesman, stands before him. His masked helm is half torn off, and his cape has been blasted from his body.
His eyes are ablaze with a fury no less than the storm that continues above them.
At his feet lie the battered, broken bodies of Citadel and Luminary.
Stand aside, KVarr.
KVarr DShall of the Order of the Crimson Lotus stares at Citadel, at Luminary, and back into the blazing eyes of Statesman.
KVarr DShall of the Order of the Crimson Lotus does not know doubt or fear.
He does not fear Marcus Cole. He does not fear defeat. He does not fear death.
He does not doubt that he too shall fall this day.
He is KVarr DShall of the Order of the Crimson Lotus. He is Infernal of the Vindicators.
There is only one choice he can make.
He raises his blazing ax and stares into the eyes of a man he would have followed into the gates of Hell itself. He says but one word:
No.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
More, please? I've been checking for this thread every day since you started writing.
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
The Warden had been reluctant to leave. He was positive that the gates would hold. He was certain that Statesman would come to his senses.
Sister Psyche had not given him that option. She had simply ordered him to take the guards and to barricade themselves in the safe room. No matter what, at least they would be safe.
Shalice Tillman-Sinclair is one of the worlds most powerful telepaths. She does not need cameras to see what is happening beyond the door. She does not have to hear the battle to know how it is going.
She wants to believe that Infernal will manage to hold Marcus. That his demonic hordes and magical brute force will be sufficient to give Statesman pause. No matter how much power the Well is giving him, no matter how much he grieves, he cant maintain this wrath forever. Sooner or later, he will calm down and then she can reason with him, calm him
She wants to believe this, but she knows thats nothing more than a faint hope.
This is the day she dreaded above all others. She knew that Marcus Cole found immortality to be a burden. She knew that he feared losing those he loved. Of all those who cared for Statesman now, she alone knew the depths of passion that he held in check.
Even after knowing him for decades, Positron and Synapse still had a child-like faith in Statesmans inherent goodness. That was why Justin had not summoned them to the battle; he feared their trust in Statesman would lead them to making fatal mistakes.
Shalice knew that Justin did respect Marcus, but that he thought that Marcus had been the worlds greatest hero for too long. That the man behind the mask no longer had the stomach to do what needed to be done.
Shalice had done nothing to disillusion him of this because to do so would be to bring to light once more how close a bond she shares with Marcus.
The massive reinforced gate to the Zig shudders.
Shalice bites her lip. Justin, whatever youre planning you had better do it quickly.
Ill be there shortly. Pull back!
Im sorry, darling. I cant do that.
Shalice!
Deliberately, she breaks contact, muting the connection between them as much as possible.
If she dies, she does not want her death to echo through Justins mind for the rest of his life. Better silence than living with the terrible reverberation of the death of a loved one. Shalice had done that more than once herself; she wont let Justin know that pain. She wont.
The gate cracks.
And Infernals ax cleaves it in half.
KVarr?
But there is no answer.
When the dust clears, Marcus Cole stands before her, Infernals ax dangling loosely in one hand. His cape and the top half of his uniform has been torn off him. His torso is scratched and bleeding. Hes sporting a left black eye, and blood is dripping from his lip.
But he is still standing, and Infernal is not.
Behind Marcus, Shalice can see the limp form of Infernal. His armor is damaged. One wing is bent at an angle that it should not. But he is moving; weakly, feebly, but he is moving.
Hes alive.
Marcus has not crossed that line yet. He has not killed his friends.
Theres still hope.
But its fading fast.
His thoughts echo weakly in her mind. Images flash through her head over and over: pictures torn from the brain of Marcus Cole.
The birth of Alexis Cole. Scattershot images of her childhood. The start of her career as Miss Liberty. Her wedding to Patrick Duncan. The birth of her daughter Jessica
Shalice chokes back a sob.
I loved her too, Marcus.
She wasnt your daughter. His voice echoes with thunder. His eyes constantly flash with lightning.
Marcus Cole has lived for more than 70 years as the Incarnate of Zeus. Zeus, the King of the Gods. The reckless, wanton selfish Lord of the Skies who had always taken what he wanted. Done what he pleased with no compassion, no concern, for any who crossed his path.
Marcus Cole had lived with that powerwith that appetiteand he had kept it contained.
For more than 7 decades Marcus had waged a war within himself, protecting the world not just from the external threats he faced, but also from the conscienceless power within him. Even when Monica died, he had not let the fury loose
.
Shalice had almost fallen in love with him for that.
She wonders if they would be standing here today if she had.
I cant let you do this, Marcus. I wont let you kill Malaise.
You cant stop me. No one can stop me.
I have to try, Marcus. I owe it to Alexis. I owe it to you.
She throws mental commands at him, demanding that he sleep, that he freeze, and that he calm down.
Marcus Cole shrugs, and her thoughts break like glass.
She imprisons him in a bubble of pure force. Determined to imprison himfor all time if necessaryto save him from himself.
Marcus Cole looks at her through the force field, and smiles faintly.
He claps his hands.
The bubble shatters like a soap bubble and Shalice hurls back, smashing into the wall with a sickening impact.
She slides to the ground and does not get up.
For an instanta fraction of a secondMarcus Cole pauses. He walks towards Shalice, kneels down beside her
--and is knocked off his feet by an explosive arrow.
Get away from my wife, Cole!
Manticore.
The archer unleashes arrow after arrow, following each shaft with a curse.
Marcus Cole simply stands there, waiting for Manticore to run out of arrows. You dont really think you can stop me, do you, Sinclair?
No. I was just buying time for my ace in the hole to get here.
Your ace in the hole?
Suddenly Marcus Cole is struck from behinda blow so powerful that he drops to his knees in pain and shock.
Marcus Cole slowly gets to his feet and turns around. The air around him crackles with electricity. His hands clench. When he speaks, his voice is deceptively calm.
Hello, Stefan.
And Stefan Richter, Lord Recluse of the Rogue Isles, nods. Hello, Marcus. Its so good to see you again
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
OMG..I just discovered this.....you are sooo talented.....more, more..you have me sitting on the edge of my seat in fascination.
Lisa.
So don't wait for heroes, do it yourself
You've got the power
winners are losers
who got up and gave it just one more try
***Dennis DeYoung
Oh Wow, yeah please more more more. Also wouldn't it be awesome if the SSA actually went this route. I would be all for it.
Cancel the kitchen scraps for widows and lepers, no more merciful beheadings and call off christmas!
!! I want to see what's next. Really enjoying this.
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.
More!
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
Awesome!!!! More Please.....
"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." Alfred Pennyworth
The strong thrive. The weak perish. That is as it should be.
For most of his life, Stefan Richter has believed in those words. He has fought and killed for them. Done terrible things that sometimes haunt even his nightmares.
Now for the first time in his life, he knows what it is to be the weak.
He had known the situation was dire even before Manticore had contacted him. He had felt the echoes of Statesmans grief and rage through their connection to the Well. And when he came to Brickstownwhen Manticore bypassed the security protocols to allow him to use the Freedom Phalanx Supergroup Teleportershe had been stunned by the devastation that Marcus had wrought.
And when he had seen the fallen bodies of Luminary, Citadel, and Infernal he had even begun to wonder if he should have come alone after all
Marcus had fallen to his first blowhe nearly always managed to get the drop on Marcus in their countless battles. Marcus had a tendency to be easily distracted by minor detailsthe lives of civilians, sayso it was not a particular challenge to do so.
But now it was beginning to look as though his first blow would be his last.
Marcus blocks his second blow. His third simply bounces off Marcuss chest. Perhaps you should lose your offspring more frequently, Marcus. It seems to have improved your fighting prowess.
Marcus punches him in the stomachhard.
Hard enough that his armor cracks and shatters like glass.
This is your fault, Stefan.
I did not kill your daughter, Marcus. You did that by depending on your so-called friends. Sister Psyche who deluded you into thinking that Malaise could be rehabilitated. Manticore who failed to protect your daughter when she went unarmed into the middle of her enemies.
Marcus roars in anger and punches him out of the Zig and into an abandoned parking lot.
Marcus, Marcus. Your temper will yet be the death of you. Stefan Richter groans softly as he climbs back to his feet. He knows there is a risk in baiting Marcus, but he cant help himself. Theyve known each other too long.
A bolt of lightning strikes him, pinning him down to the ground.
Youre to blame, Stefan. How many years have we wasted in this pointless war of ours? Youve spent decades telling me that your way would bring a better world. And what has your way gotten you, Stefan? You rule an ash heap. Those who arent terrified of you strive to supplant you, tearing each other down in the process. You created a cesspit, a sewerand it was that hellhole that sheltered the man who killed my daughter! Youre to blame, Stefan!
And another bolt of lightning slammed into Stefan Richter.
My fault, Marcus? My fault? Blasts of power roar through his spider limbs, knocking Marcus Cole out of the sky like a kite with a broken tail. At least I have TRIED! You have spent decades in a failed attempt to maintain the status quo. The tired old men who sent us to fight and die in the Great War are long dead, but those who took their place are no better! Youve always lacked the courage to do what needed to be done, Marcus! Youve always been afraid to seize the power that was your right, you responsibility! How many generations of young men and women have followed in your footsteps, Marcus? Scientists who could have taken us to the starsmagicians who could have unlocked the secrets of the universemen and women with the power to shake the Earth itself have done nothing more with their talents than put on brightly colored costumes and stop purse snatchers!
You are supposed to be the worlds greatest heroand you have not even been able to save your city from the simplistic Trolls! From the marauding Rikti! From that doddering old man Nemesis! You are a failure, Statesman! You are a FRAUD!
Enough!
Theres a moment of blinding pain so intense that at first Stefan doesnt realize what caused it. By the time he does understand, its too late. Marcus has struck again. And again. For a total of eight times, in fact.
In a heartbeat, Marcus has ripped his spiders limbs out of his back like a boy pulling the wings off a fly.
Enough, Stefan! You were right when you said we could have been gods. We could have given the world a Golden Age. If we had worked together, we could have prevented all the wars that followed. We could have united the world. We could have made a paradise! But you always were there to stop meno matter what I tried to do, no matter how I tried to inspire people to do the right thingyou were there to kill those who tried to help me, to steal the inventions of those who sought to better the world and turn them into instruments of war. You bring death and destruction to everything you touch, Stefan.
And I let you. I let you because you were the brother of the woman I loved. I let you because we fought in the trenches together in the Great War. I let you because you were my friend.
No more, Stefan. Your little ash heap of a kingdom falls today. Your dreams die. You die. You die, and then Ill make the world into a place where what happened to Alexis can never happen again!
The pain makes it hard to talk, and Stefan Richter is weaker than hes ever been in his life. Hes more afraid than hes ever been in his life.
Not of death. Not even of Marcus.
No, hes afraid of what is happening to Marcus Cole.
This isnt you, Marcus.
Marcus wrenches his helmet off, exposing his weakened eyes to daylight for the first time in decades. If Im going to kill you, Im going to look in your eyes when I do it, Stefan.
The storm has blocked most of the rays of the sun, but there is still agony in what light remains for Stefan Richter. Its hard to see anythingand the brightness of Marcus Coles power threatens to blind him for good.
This isnt who you are, Marcus.
Isnt it?
The voice is calmer than it had been before. There is an inflection to it that Stefan knows well. It is an almost asexual tonebut somehow a childish one as well. The voice of an annoyed child, a belligerent youth.
It is the voice of the Well of Furies.
It did not have to be this way, Stefan. You could have embraced me fully, taken the power that I have to offer. You could have been the one to know my full blessing.
I am Lord Recluse. I bow to no one, to nothing!
And see how well that is working out for you. Marcus is smiling, but it is not the smile that Stefan saw on Marcuss face when they shared a bottle of wine after a grueling battle in France. It is not the smug smile he too often saw on those rare occasions when Marcus would gain the upper hand in their eternal struggle.
No, there is nothing of Marcus Cole in that smile at all.
I had thought the Praetorian Marcus would be the best instrument of my power, but this Marcusthis one has so much more potential than all the others combined. His grief is so raw, his will so powerful. He and I will do great things together, Stefan.
But even now, a part of him resists me. I cannot have that. Statesman must belong to me alone, Stefan. And he willonce I have removed the ties that bind him to this worldonce he no longer has anything to fight foror againstthen he will be mine.
I am truly sorry about this, Stefan. You have provided me with a great deal of entertainment over the years. But nownow Im afraid that if Statesman is to become my vessel you will have to die.
Stefan Richter must always die at the hands of Marcus Cole. Its tradition. Goodbye, Stefan.
Goodbye.
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
Well. Vaya con dios, Stefan. *waits for more*
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.
He hurts. He hurts, but still he struggles to rise to his feet.
Stefan Richter may die this day, but he will not die on his knees.
Such strength. I have always admired your strength, Stefan. Its one of your few redeeming qualities. To be frank, its your only redeeming quality.
Stefan Richter falls to his knees once more.
Hes tried three times to rise. Each time hes fallen. Each time, hes struggled back to his feet.
And Marcus has let him.
What do you know of strength?
I am strength, Stefan. I am power. I am the Well of Furies. All that you areall that you have ever donewas only made possible through me. And yet you continuously sought to deny me.
Stefan laughs slowly. You sound like a jilted lover.
Each word you utter makes your inevitable death all the more painful, Stefan.
And yet still I live.
I am merely playing with you.
As you sought to do for decades? The Well has not totally blocked his powerhe would be dead already if it hadbut he cannot draw any moreand he would not if he could. Live or die, Lord Recluse will not be beholden to anything.
When one exists for all eternity, one must find its amusement where it can, Stefan. But you will die now, Stefan. You must.
No. I will not.
You have no power to oppose me, Stefan. Your strength is nothing. Your will is nothing. Your intellectyour pitiful mind is nothing. How do you think you will escape your fate?
Because to kill me, you must force Marcus Cole to kill me. And thatthat you will never do.
Marcus hates you, Stefan.
He does. As I hate him. Nevertheless, you will not force him to kill me. Marcus Cole has always been his own master. Sooner or laterno matter what you doMarcus will break free of you.
Do you know how many Marcus Coles have done my will, Stefan? Do you know how many of them have done exactly what I wanted them to? What makes this so different that you think he can oppose the very essence of his power?
The answer is simple. Hes my Daddy.
Stefan smiles grimly. Hello, Alexis.
Uncle.
The face of Marcus Cole twists between rage, surprise, and grief. Alexis?!
Hi, Daddy. Im sorry.
You cannot be here, Alexis. You are dead. Your time has passed.
Im my fathers daughter. I dont do whats expected of me.
And for the first time in a very long while, Stefan Richter finds himself laughing. That is the truth. You may be power incarnate, Well of Furies. But no force in the universe can compel a Cole against their will!
And a Richter too, Uncle. Im my mothers daughter as well.
I am the Well of Furies! I will NOT be denied! Not again! Not by a ghost! Not by a broken, beaten man! And not by Marcus Cole!
Yes, yes you will. You think that Daddy is like the other Marcus Coles. Hes not. Daddy cares about order. He cares about humanitys survival. Even the othersas twisted as they aresome part of them still wants to do good. But DaddyDaddy doesnt just careDaddy loves! Youre the Well of Furies. You understand power, and the desire for power. You understand the desire for order and security.
But you dont understand love. And as long as you cant, then you will never understand Marcus Cole!
Daddy, its time. I know you are hurting. I know you are grievingfor Mother, for me, for all the friends and family you have lost over the decades. I know you just want the pain to go away. I know you want to make the hurting stop. The evil to stop.
But this isnt the way. You know it isnt. Thats why you havent let the Well kill our friends. Thats why you havent killed Uncle Stefan.
I am the Well of Furies! I am power! I am
Done. You are done. Please, Daddy.
And just like that, the storm stops.
The sky clears. The lightning fades from the eyes of Marcus Cole.
He falls to his knees.
Stefan Richter kneels beside him. Marcus? My friend? Is it you?
Stefan?
And with all the strength that remains in him, Stefan Richter slams a double fisted blow into the face of Marcus Cole.
Marcus topples like a stone.
No mannot even you, Marcustreats me as I have been treated this day and gets away unscathed!
You didnt have to do that, Uncle Stefan.
Oh, but I did, Alexis. Did you ever hear the fable of the scorpion and the frog? The scorpion asked the frog to ferry him over the river. The frog refused at first, fearing that the scorpion would sting him. The scorpion pointed out that he would drown as well. So the frog agreed, and
The scorpion stung the frog. When the frog pointed out they would both die, the scorpion said it could not deny its nature.
Hello, Manticore. I see you know the story too.
Yes. Who are you talking to, Recluse?
You cant see her?
Justin wasnt touched by the Wells power, Stefan. He cant see her. I only know shes here because I see it in your mind. Alexis, Im sorry.
Alexis? For a second, Manticores calm is shaken.
Shes here, Justin.
Hello, Shalice. Im sorry that I cant stay any longer. Please give Patrick, Megan, and Daddy my love. The spirit of Alexis Cole smiles. Even a Cole cant deny the universe forever.
Alexis. Stefan Richter does not know what he wishes to say at first. Alexis was Monicas childhis beloved Monicas childand yet he had never known her as anything other than an enemy. Alexis
Yes, Uncle?
You were my enemy in life, but you were also blood of my blood. I
regret your passing.
Change, Uncle. You dont have to be Lord Recluse forever. Join with father. Its not too late for you
I cannot, Alexis. Your father is the only man in the world that I respect. The only man I could ever call friend. But I cannot deny my nature. Neither Marcus or I will ever know peace while both live. There is but one way our war can end
But not today. Today I will leave Marcus in peace. That is my gift to you, daughter of my sister. This day there will be no war between us.
Tomorrow
tomorrow will bring what it may.
Very well, Uncle. I will give my mother your regards when I see her
Goodbye, Alexis.
Well never have a better chance to finish him off, Shalice. Hes weak. Hes hurt. We can stop Recluse once and for all.
No, Justin. Not today. Go, Stefan. Leave. Theres been enough death and violence today. Gobefore I change my mind.
Stefan Richter smiles softly as he dons his helmet once more. See to him, Shalice. Make sure that Marcus recovers from this day.
I will.
He turns and walks away.
This is stupid, Shalice. Well regret it later.
Perhaps, Justin. But Marcus has lost enough today. He doesnt need to lose his best friend too.
His best friend? After all thats happened between them, you still think theyre friends?
No, Marcus Cole mutters as he struggles to open his eyes. Stefan is not my friend. Hes my brother
Alexis, its time.
Coming, Mother. Theyll be all right, wont they? Daddy and the others?
Theyre heroes, Alexis. Theyre heroes.
Thats not an answer, Mother.
Its all the one I can give you, baby. Now come on. You have work to do.
Work? Now?
You didnt think death was the end, did you? Now your story REALLY begins
The spirit of Monica Cole Richter smiles softly at her daughter and then turns her face once more to the mortal world that is fast fading around them. Goodbye, Marcus. Goodbye, my love. Ill see you soon
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links
Very good! I really liked this
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.
Justin Sinclair does not scare easily.
A man, a normal manone without special abilities at any ratedoes not fight demons, Incarnates, and Demigods with nothing more than trick arrows and a sarcastic tongue without being brave. No, not even his worst enemies would ever accuse the hero called Manticore of being a coward.
But as he tells Marcus Cole of the death of his only daughteras he looks into the eyes of a man hes known for decadesManticore cannot deny that something unlike fear is growing in his heart. Marcus, Im so terribly sorry. Alexis was a wonderful woman
Where? The word is harsh, and flat, and it is less a question than a command.
Marcus, Shalice herself is watching over the body until we can safely inter her. Alexis body is safe. I promise you
No. Not Alexis. Statesman almostalmostsobs when he says the name of his daughter. Where is the man who killed my daughter? Where is Malaise?
The sky has grown ever darker as he spoke to Statesman. Thunder is booming with such force that Manticore can feel it as pressure behind his eyes. Marcus, believe me, I want him dead as much as you. The only reason hes still alive is because we both know that isnt what Alexis would have wanted
Brickstown, of course. Thats the only place theyd dare keep him.
Marcus
Statesman says nothing more. He bends his knees, and launches himself into the sky.
Manticore is knocked off his feet by the force of Statesmans sudden departure. The deck of the ship cracks, and the ship itself is nearly pushed underneath the frigid waters of the bay.
Damn it! Shalice!
I cant reach him, Justin. His anger, his griefits shutting me out.
Send Infernal, Luminary, and Citadel to the Zig. Statesman cant be allowed to reach Malaise.
Im surprised that you care so much about keeping him alive.
I dont give a damn about Malaise, Shalice. I should have killed him myself.
Then why--? He can sense that Shalice is not pleased by his response, but he cant find it in himself to care. They had given Malaise a second chance, and he had repaid them by slaughtering the mother of the woman who had insisted he deserved a chance to prove himself.
Statesman is one of the most powerful beings aliveperhaps the most powerful Incarnate on the planet. Weve seen on other Earths what happens when Marcus Cole stops holding back. And the Well of Furiesit responds to willif Marcus totally cuts loose then the Well of Furies may give him more power than Tyrant himself.
Shouldnt we call in the Reserves then?
No. That much power thrown against him may just make things worse. Were his friendsif anyone has a chance of holding him back, its us. And if we failif we fail, there needs to be someone left to pick up the pieces.
KVarr, Citadel, and Lumi are on their way to Brickstown. Ill join them as soon as I can
Shalice, no. Its too dangerous
Ive known Marcus for decades, Justin. And AlexisAlexis was almost like a daughter to me. I owe this to her.
Be careful. I love you.
And I love you. How soon will you be there?
As soon as I can. Theres someone I have to talk to
My COX Fanfiction:
Blue's Assembled Story Links