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Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)
- Thread starter CapCaverna
- Start date
Chapter 38 - Kayden
New
CapCaverna
Not too sore, are you?
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So... I'm alive, health problems kept me unable to write, and I'm sorry I didn't say anything, like always, I keep thinking I'd finish the chapter and say something, and I never quite managed to do it, but here it is.
Also... not exactly the best chapter to come back, I know, what with not being an Anakin or Dinah chapter, I just hope you guys enjoy it.
__________________
Kayden watched as her stepson carried Aster into the expensive helicopter, the Endbringer sirens still ringing in the city. The pudgy fifteen-year-old adjusted her daughter's blanket, making sure to protect her face from the wind as he sat down, Dorothy and Geoff sitting at the pilot's seat and doing a good job of appearing nervous, keeping up the façade of their civilian identity.
In truth, Kayden knew Night and Fog barely felt anything about the entire situation, too damaged by whatever process had been used to train them and incapable of caring. Still, she had been left in charge of the couple, if they could be called that, and she knew they'd be absolutely loyal, protecting her daughter with their lives.
Night could transform into a monster, but only when she was not being observed, and her Breaker form was both too weak to really damage Leviathan and easily dispelled with so many capes participating. As for Fog, he could shift his body into a gaseous form, which, if he wanted, could erode living matter.
Together, they were incredibly effective against other capes. Night was able to hide inside her 'husband' form to remain unseen while using her power, and Fog could cause damage to anyone who tried to fight her inside, particularly if they breathed some of the fog.
Against an Endbringer, they were less than useless; their powers would be a detriment even when doing search and rescue.
So, Kayden had chosen to send them away with her daughter, to keep her safe amid the chaos of the world and protect her from anything that would harm her. One last time, she felt the urge to join her daughter, but she couldn't; she already had enough trouble facing her own reflection.
When she first got her powers, before she fell for Max's honeyed words and joined the Empire, she had dreamed of being a hero, and while she'd ruined that dream, she didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't make one last attempt.
How could she raise her daughter if she was that much of a coward?
Watching the helicopter lift into the air, her heart almost gave out. She knew it was a risk to fly in this weather, the wind and hail making flight incredibly dangerous, but Geoff had assured her he could do it, and better to risk that than Leviathan when the Endbringer arrived.
"She's going to be fine," Justin said, adjusting his Crusader costume. "Are we arriving together?"
"No, Othala should already be there, and I can't get in contact with Alabaster; there's no point in going together anymore." Kayden held back a sigh. "You should have left when I told you to."
"I joined the Empire to help my country," Justin said, and contrary to most others, he actually believed it. "I'm not going to run away now that it really needs me."
Once upon a time, the Empire would have attended in force, a show of strength from the largest parahuman organization in the city, and one of the largest in the country… Now, they were reduced to six parahumans, two of whom just left the city.
Max, the bastard, had ran away the day after Susanoo had destroyed them, using a Medhall business opportunity in Argentina to escape the city, and Krieg had left soon after, disappearing without saying a word to anyone.
That was when she knew the Empire was done for.
Oh, Max would be back, Kayden was sure of that, he had far too much invested in the US in his civilian identity not to do so, but it was an even chance if he'd accept Gesselshaft help, take on a subservient role somewhere else and work to climb back to power, or if he'd sell them all for a chance to start over with a new identity.
He'd never really believed in the cause he championed anyway, using it just for the power it granted him; it would be easy to throw away the Kaiser name and try to gain power from another angle.
Kayden dug her nails into her arm, almost drawing blood. At thirty-five, Max was still the most handsome man she had ever met, and he certainly had the charisma to try.
She could just see him starting over, maybe even as the leader or sponsor of a corporate hero team, the golden boy once again, just like when he was a high school jock and she the younger girl with a crush… And if she died here, Kayden just knew he'd use it as an excuse to further his power.
The hail got worse, each lump of ice that hit the rooftop feeling like another nail hammered against her heart as she prayed for her daughter to be safe, her eyes trying fruitlessly to follow the helicopter among the clouds.
Once upon a time, Kayden had felt like she was doing something important, years ago, when she actually fell for Max's words and thought the Empire meant to do good, and later, when she saw through his bullshit and decided to leave the Empire.
When she went out alone, fought and drove back Lung or Oni Lee, when she arrested drug dealers, pimps, and enforcers, she had thought she was helping clean the city.
Yes, she avoided Empire territory, and mostly targeted Asian or Black criminals, but she HAD been part of the Empire for years; she didn't feel proud about her choice, but it was difficult to target people she'd shared drinks with, laughed and had dinner at their houses.
It was justified, she had thought; she knew there were plenty of white criminals in the city, but at least they were civilized about it, and she'd target them too when she was done with the others.
Max had laughed in her face when she said that, asked what the hell was civilized about dog fights or lynching innocent fathers just because of the color of their skin… That, more than anything, hurt.
Max, the man who didn't give a shit about what his people did, that would just as easily target babies of any color if it gave him more power, was less prejudiced than she was. It was a difficult pill to swallow.
Kayden hadn't always been like this. Before, when Max was just a crush, when the thought of being a cape had never even crossed her mind, she hadn't cared about race.
Then she triggered, and Max had seen her power, gotten close to her, invited her into the Empire, and, blinded by his good looks, she'd been swayed, convinced of his way of thinking… Fuck, she had been so guilible.
She'd tried to change that after the divorce, but after the way Max had laughed at her, she realized she hadn't had much luck.
She'd justified her prejudice; after years as a cape, she'd seen how much of what made the city a terrible place to raise her child could be traced back to a certain kind of people. It was hard not to be prejudiced when that happened.
What a joke, the only reason she hadn't seen the Empire's role in ruining the city was that she didn't want to look, and Max, Kaiser, the leader of the Empire of all people, was the one to throw that at her face.
It was just how she thought; she always had trouble considering the long term, looking at more than the obvious, which was why she had been so easily influenced by being in the gang. She knew that, but it was just difficult to do anything about it.
She hated herself for it, but no matter how much she tried, she didn't seem able to change, and that only made her self-loathing worse.
"I'm going then," Justin said, one of his ghosts appearing like an aura around his body. "I'll join search and rescue. Stay safe."
"Good luck," Kayden said, refocusing on the now as Justin rose in the air, moving through the hail towards the gathering point.
At least today she wouldn't have to think of that. Today it wasn't about heroes, villains, or criminals; for the first time in years, she'd be fighting for something undeniably right. It made the thought of facing Leviathan easier, and if she died, at least her daughter was safe.
Putting on a mask, Kayden stepped out onto the rooftop, the hail hitting her body and soaking up her costume… She didn't usually wear a mask, her power lighting up her skin and making it impossible to make out her features, or even directly stare at her, but with so many capes present, she didn't want to risk someone having a power to overcome that.
Stepping on the parapet, she looked down. At 85 stories tall, the building she was on was one of the largest in the city, a skyscraper that stood well above everything else around, but the distance could still pass deceptively fast, less than ten seconds to reach the ground.
With a single step, she let herself fall, cold wind painfully hitting her face, and the weightless feeling making her feel free, even if for only briefly.
The temptation to just let things continue hit her then, as it always did when she jumped, to just enjoy the acceleration until the inevitable end, not having to think of what she'd done, or what she would do next, to be free.
Then her daughter's face appeared in her mind, Aster, innocent and perfect, a reminder of why she still kept moving.
Her body ignited, blinding light exploding in the sky, reflecting off the hail and illuminating the city as she activated her power, then she moved, quickly flying up above the buildings and, faster than any local cape, moving towards the meeting point, a white trail of light falling behind her.
Stopping above the medical area, she paused, looking around until she saw Othala standing with Alabaster, the immortal man acting as her protector, so the two of them had decided to show up… That made the entirety of the Empire, at least those still free, fifteen capes reduced to only four in the city.
Moving again, she landed at the gathering spot for those who would more directly participate in the battle, Legend already present and organizing things. Deactivating her power, she felt the capes around her relaxing as her light faded, leaving her as just a petite woman once again.
There were far more capes than she expected, the vast majority heroes ready for the confrontation, as if they already knew it was happening before the alarm even started.
For a second, she searched for the rest of the Empire, but she didn't see anyone. Local authorities sometimes released capes during Endbringer battles, the Endbringer truce meaning they'd trade support for their freedom, but it seems like the PRT had chosen to keep them under lock and key.
Soon, Kayden felt the capes giving her space, leaving a conspicuous area around herself free, and even the villains were giving her a wide berth. Standing by herself, without the support of the rest of the Empire, she felt that isolation more than ever.
More than a year away from the empire, slowly trying to rebuild her name, to put the past behind her, and Max, with his charming voice and perfect rhetoric, had managed to talk her back in less than an hour, ruining everything she tried to do.
She really should have moved cities, cut ties once and for all… but she had been weak, wanting her daughter to at least know her father.
Yes, he had promised her control over the Empire's forces, to maybe try to do something good in the city, but now that she was no longer fooling herself, Kayden could recognize it would never happen.
Even if the conditions were met, Max would sooner assassinate her than give up power, and because she had allowed herself to be fooled again, even the villains saw her as radioactive.
Kayden felt sick; she tried to swallow, but it was difficult, as if there was something blocking her throat. She refused to let anyone see it.
An hour later, she wore one of the monitoring bracelets on her wrist and watched as Legend finished his speech. "... Brockton Bay is a soft target; it has an aquifer originally used to provide fresh water, essentially an underground river, which we expect the creature to start…"
"Kaiser isn't coming?"
The question caught her by surprise, and she turned, seeing Dauntless, the man who almost caught her when she faced Susanoo… and if she was being honest, probably saved her when he forced her to flee.
"... There's no Kaiser anymore."
"What?"
"He left the city shortly after the rescue attempt," she said, taking at least some pleasure in destroying his name, even if she knew it was one he'd thrown away when he fled. "I doubt you're going to hear from him anymore."
"You're joking," said Assault, having heard their conversation. "Kaiser, the king Nazi, just ran away?"
Crossing her arms almost as if to hug herself, Kayden released a deep breath and nodded. "It was always about power with him, after what Susanoo did…"
"Hah, that's almost worth an arm," Assault said, getting a glare from Dauntless.
"You're not releasing the others?" Kayden asked. "The twins are certainly strong enough."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Dauntless narrowed his eyes.
Kayden thought about the twins, Max's younger lovers… Did it start after the divorce, or were the three of them already fucking when they were married? "Not really, but it's Leviathan."
"The boss didn't think we'd need them," Assaul said,
"Leviathan arriving in sixteen seconds," Eidolon's voice said from her wrist. "I'll block the first wave."
Adrenaline filling her body, Kayden spared the duo one last glance, then her body ignited, and she shot up into the storm, rising straight up into the air for nearly a mile. Dauntless followed her less than a second later, the Hero managing to keep up with her for the moment.
Staring out into the Bay, she saw the giant wave, a wall of water nearly a hundred feet tall and moving faster than a car, then it broke against Eidolon's shields. The spectacle was humbling to watch.
Slowly moving towards the shore, she moved her head from side to side, desperately searching for the beast, but the storm blocked her vision, and even the noise was drowned out by constant thunder strikes.
From her wrist, the armband started vibrating, a gridmap appearing on the surface to show her current position and Leviathan's last updated location; the beast was still on the shore.
Kayden moved, ready to face the creature despite the devastating show of power she had just witnessed. For all her power, she knew she couldn't defeat it, but even wounding the beast would help, and they didn't have the time to be careful.
Around her, nearly a dozen other flyers followed, but she left the vast majority behind as she started gathering power. Finally, she saw the beast, Leviathan, seeming to recover from a strike as it looked towards another cape facing him… Susanoo.
Dismissing the man from her mind, she blasted the Endbringer, but she hadn't had enough time to properly charge her beam. With the storm, Kayden was at a disadvantage; her power didn't depend on the sun, but it did help, making her attacks charge faster and be slightly more powerful, an advantage she wouldn't have with the thick clouds covering the city.
Her blast was weaker than expected, hitting the creature's shoulder and only leaving a small wound, the impact barely moving the Endbringer. Immediately, she started gathering power again, and other Blasters started to arrive.
Then both Leviathan and Susanoo moved, and Kayden didn't have the chance to attack again, or even react, as tons of debris rose in the air.
The entire street seemed to explode in action, large chunks of asphalt, concrete, and even entire houses rising to bombard the Endbringer with so much strength the creature couldn't move, each projectile moving almost independently.
Kayden felt her heart skipping a beat as she searched for an opening, keeping far enough away to avoid being hit by a stray projectile or the Endbringer's water shadow, the necessary distance making it hard to see through all the rain. She'd known Susanoo was strong before, but this was like watching a video of the Simurgh in action, Telekinesis on a level she had never seen before.
The realization of just how lucky she'd been during their confrontation finally hit her… He'd never even taken them seriously, had he?
Then the two physically clashed, their bodies moving like blurs to her senses as the maelstrom of debris continued to circle, Susanoo matching the Endbringer's speed even at melee range, his plasma sword, now a different color, flashing and cutting off whole pieces of the beast.
Like the hand of a God, Susanoo's telekinesis flattened the waterfront for a mile around the battle, every piece of debris either rising into the air or smashing towards Leviathan; it was like watching two forces of nature clashing.
Around her, no Blaster could attack, none of them being fast enough to react to the ferocity of the battle or find a target among the maelstrom of pieces thrown about by the engagement. Only a few seconds had passed, and the destruction was already total.
Then Leviathan jumped back, actually retreating from Susanoo, the very act making her gasp in surprise; adjusting her aim, Kayden readied her attack.
Alexandria moved first, smashing into the creature with such strength she created a crater on the street.
A scream to her right drew Kayden's attention away, her focus on the creature allowing a second wave to sneak up on her, its shadow nearly swallowing the sky. Bursting into motion, she fled upwards, the wave almost hiding her, broken debris being thrown about by the waters with the strength of a cannon, smashing into buildings and leaving large holes everywhere.
Struggling to recover her bearings for a few seconds, she finally stopped in the air, the wave passing only a dozen feet below her, and continued to move inland, dragging much of Susanoo's destruction with it.
Looking around, she saw a few of the capes around hadn't been able to avoid the wave, their broken bodies hanging from half-destroyed buildings like discarded trash, blood starting to leak into the water.
Studying herself, she checked her armguard, which indicated the beast had moved a few blocks, the device constantly speaking a long string of dead or disabled capes.
When she arrived, Leviathan was struggling to escape a massive sphere of metal, Susanoo lifting the beast into the air with Telekinesis and squeezing the material so hard it started to heat up despite the freezing rain.
Keeping her distance, Kayden continued to gather power, preparing to release one of her most powerful blasts in case the Endbringer escaped, something strong enough to level buildings… Then the screaming started.
Almost against her will, she looked up… and the sight drained her will, fear and despair freezing her in place as a second Endbringer descended upon the city.
Despite the hail, Kayden only felt stunned silence around her, sound and feeling seeming to drain away as she watched the Simurgh descending into the Bay, followed by a shower of meteors.
For a few moments, she seemed to lose track of time, everything that was happening too much as she slowly floated down towards a half-destroyed building, a damaged car stuck halfway out of its third floor.
She wanted to flee. Kayden knew she was one of the only capes fast enough to escape the creature's range, but her body didn't seem to be responding; everything hitting her at once as the creature's scream filled her mind.
One in four of you is likely to die. Legend's voice rang into her mind. If those were the odds when facing a single one of the beasts, what about two? Worse, what if she survived, only to go back home and kill her daughter, driven mad by the creature's song?
"Parahumans close to the Simurgh," said Dragon through her armband, finally snapping her out of her daze. "You're now being marked. If you receive a warning, it means you're reaching the acceptable limit of exposure, disengage immediately and retreat from the location."
Jumping up, Kayden rose back into the sky, noticing the way some of the flyers around her were finally letting go, blasting the streets under them with a continuous bombardment of powers, haphazardly trying to attack Leviathan.
"Purity," Dragon said, opening a direct line to her armband. "Your location is close to Leviathan. I'm marking your map; move to intercept him as fast as you can."
Kayden pressed the button on her armband and spoke. "Not the-" then she had to lick her lips when her voice cracked. "Not the Simurgh?"
"No." Dragon simply said, then seemed to get busy organizing the rest of the battle.
For a moment, Kayden stared up at the flying Endbringer, then away towards Boston, where Aster should be right now… she swallowed, at her speed, he could be there in less than an hour.
In a burst of light, she rushed towards the spot marked on her map, readying the strongest blast she could manage against the Endbringer. Flying only a few feet above the buildings, she desperately searched for the creature.
Pressing the button on her armband, she hurriedly said. "Hard override! Where is he? I'm here, but I can't see him!"
Before she was even finished, a young girl's voice came from the communication device, the girl's location appearing on her map. "I can track him! I need a flyer to keep up, but he's using the buildings to stay out of sight!"
Kayden almost moved to grab the girl, but someone else must have been closer, her position on the map starting to move in a straight line towards the center of the city.
She moved, using her superior speed to quickly overtake the girl's location and finally saw the beast. On all fours, Leviathan ran with blinding speed, moving on the surface of the water, his claws not sinking more than an inch with every step.
With serpentine-like movements, he used every cover to block the view from the sky, and even dove into the buildings when they were tall enough, his body breaking through brick walls as if they were foam, only avoiding the metal foundations.
Focusing on her blast, Kayden's hand shone with power as she released everything she had ready on the creature, twin full-powered beams wider than she was tall, the blinding light trailing motes of light as it nearly instantly smashed into the Endbringer's chest.
Leviathan stopped, then flew back, hitting the side of a building and passing through, his body hammered by her power with enough strength that it only stopped more than halfway through the wide skyscraper.
Adjusting her position, Kayden began gathering a second blast, her hands starting to shine brighter as she pointed at the entrance.
With a deafening noise of breaking glass and twisting metal, Leviathan burst out of the side of the building only a dozen feet from her, having climbed to her height by breaking straight through several floors inside the building, the noise of the storm hiding his efforts.
She flew back, her heart accelerating and hand shifting towards the beast, but she knew it would be too late.
From the side, a single crimson beam of light hit Leviathan, the blast just strong enough to throw him to the side before he could reach her, Laserdream having attacked from nearly a block away, the heroine holding a second girl in her arms.
Twisting midair, Leviathan whipped his tail at Kayden's chest, and if it were still intact, she knew she'd have died, but Susanoo had cut off several feet during their clash, the limb coming short of reaching her.
On reflex, she blasted the resulting water shadow with a half-powered beam, the water exploding only a foot in front of her, shockwave sending her flying back through the air to hit the side of a building shoulder-first.
Leviathan fell on top of a house, then ripped a large piece of the roof and threw it at her.
Letting escape a small scream, Kayden desperately flew aside, the large projectile smashing into the building and showering her with glass. She briefly lifted an arm to protect her eyes and, when it was over, the beast had used her distraction to move on, only being slowed by a few seconds.
It had been enough, with the Endbringer briefly out in the open, other flyers had seen it, and they converged like angry wasps and either blasted him with their powers, or dropped Brutes that could fight him directly.
One cape, nearly eight feet tall and covered in a layer of granite, lunged at Leviathan, driving the point of his shoulder under the beast's chest and pushing him back several steps, water falling off the beast with every centimeter it moved.
Twisting his tail, Leviathan wrapped it around the man's leg and pulled him off balance, then drove a large, taloned hand right through the back of the man's neck, breaking the protective shell and decapitating him.
Not releasing the man's leg, he whipped his tail around, using the headless body like a hammer to smash two other capes before sending it flying away, blood filling the water around him.
A flyer she didn't recognize got too close to the beast, and Leviathan, almost contemptuously, slashed at the man, a water shadow flying off his claw to smash into the man's chest, caving it in with sheer momentum.
The list of dead and disabled continued to rise, the Endbringer seeming more brutal than ever before, but it couldn't get rid of them all, their combined efforts forcing it to move sideways away from Susanoo.
Leviathan jumped off one roof, trying to reach the deep water on the floor, the streets turning into rivers under his power, but Dauntless, moving almost as fast as she could, arrived. His Arclance, covered in white lightning, struck the beast's chest.
The blow did almost nothing; the Arclance's lightning far from strong enough to damage the creature, and the tip barely pierced an inch or two, but the shaft elongated faster than the eye could see, pushing the beast into the sky.
Slashing down, Leviathan sent several water shadows at Dauntless, but they stopped at the hero's shield. Almost at the same time, it grabbed the Arclance with both arms and pulled it apart, the weapon shattering under the Endbringer's strength.
Kayden hit the beast with another fully powered beam, smashing it against a building and making it bounce off.
Leviathan twisted midair, his long tail clipping a flyer that got too close, then it hit the side of a building, all four claws finding purchase on the wall like an oversized lizard.
His tail flicked twice, cracking like a whip, and Kayden desperately dipped down to avoid two water shadows that passed only a few inches from her head, then she pointed her hand and released another beam at the creature.
Moving blindingly fast, Leviathan ripped a huge section of the building and threw it at her, her blast only serving to explode the projectile midair.
Leviathan moved sideways on the wall, his claws digging into the building for support as it turned a corner and disappeared from view.
Breathing hard, Kayden adjusted her mask, pushing some of her soaked hair out of her face, the smell of death starting to hit her as the corpses accumulated, then she moved after the creature, weaving between the buildings at a fast speed.
Just as she was about to turn another corner, Leviathan came flying back, Alexandria smashing into his face and dragging straight through an entire building, a second cape held in the Endbringer's feet.
Flying through the large opening they had created, Kayden felt Dauntless following her. The Endbringer had fallen on top of a two-storey house, the impact having crushed the cape he was holding, leaving only the torso on his claw.
Alexandria dodged a claw strike, then seemed to find a weakness in the Endbringer and grabbed half of the overextended hand, already damaged by Susanoo's sword. Kicking the side of the arm, she ripped half of his hand off, leaving only two fingers still attached.
Leviathan's tail wrapped around her waist, but this time she resisted its strength, flying into the Endbringer's hand, driving one hand up to the wrist through the wound on its chest.
Grabbing Alexandria's face with his good claw, the Endbringer threw himself back, dragging her through the water he left behind and getting some of it through her helmet.
Alexandria tried to resist, but she swallowed too much water and choked, the Endbringer using the chance to throw her aside. It also threw the mangled remains of the parahuman still on its leg claw at Dauntless, the body hitting his shield and exploding into a shower of blood, some of it covering her costume as she was too close.
Kayden released another beam of power, the twisting blast hitting the house and utterly demolishing it, but Leviathan had already jumped to the left, putting another building between them before she could adjust her aim.
In Laserdream's arms, the Villain teen continued to point out its location, seeming able to read the Endbringer's movements no matter which way it ran.
Then the fourth wave hit, the sheer wall of water simply destroyed the entire waterfront, huge, car-sized debris flying around and smashing every cape engaged with the creature.
They were NOT supposed to come this fast! Kayden's mind yelled in surprise. It hadn't even been two minutes since Eidolon blocked the third wave!
With no time to retreat, she closed her eyes, released a half-powered blast at the wave, and dove through the water right where it hit, a second seeming to stretch into hours as she desperately hoped to get to the other side.
She was lucky, managing to avoid any debris as she broke through the other side; most failed to do so.
Broken bodies littered the half-destroyed street, dozens of capes dead, either crushed by debris or slashed apart by Leviathan before it disappeared, the beast having used the wave to slip away, nearly ten feet of water temporarily filling the street as the ocean invaded the city.
The sight almost broke her. How was she supposed to fight something like this? The creature was playing with them and, all the while, the Simurgh's song rang into her mind, driving her insane.
The coppery smell of blood soaking her costume grew stronger now that she wasn't in immediate danger, and she noticed that pieces of the cape's flesh had gotten stuck to her hair, the realization making her hands shake.
She wasn't a Brute; even a glancing blow from the beast would destroy her, a thrown rock could kill her, and it had almost done several times through the fight; every dodge she made was a matter of survival.
The urge to just flee hit her again. How much time did she have left before they declared her a lost cause?
Dauntless had retreated, using his shield to spread a protective field over Laserdream and the tracking villain, the three of them almost untouched by the attack.
From the corner of her eye, Kayden saw Glory Girl diving into the water, coming out only a second later with the broken body of Shielder, her younger cousin. The boy was missing both legs, the wave, or more likely some of the debris, having broken his forcefield, but he was still moving, coughing up water as the young girl flew him on top of a nearby building.
Seeing the boy, Laserdream screamed, almost dropping the villain she held, then she flew towards her brother, and Kayden could see she was exhausted from carrying the young woman.
Shooting out of the water like a missile, Leviathan flew at the duo just as they were a few feet from the building. Dauntless tried to rush to their defense, but he wouldn't make it in time.
On reflex, she released another beam of power, this one only a foot wide, as it hit the Endbringer midjump, the blast just strong enough to push it away from the girls and give Dauntless time to catch up, his white energy shield spreading like a bubble around them.
Twisting midair, Leviathan's dexterous tail coiled around the three of them, dragging them through the air as it finally hit ground, then it seemed to tighten, smashing the trio against the side of a house, Dauntless shield lightning up with the effort of blocking.
In the air, she gathered another attack, but her internal reserves were starting to diminish, every beam taking longer to charge.
In desperation, Laserdream created her own shields, but Kayden knew from experience that the girl's shields were weaker than her blasts; they wouldn't hold up to the beast.
"Go!" Dauntless screamed, moving his shield and creating a brief opening between Leviathan's tail.
Laserdream took her chance, managing to drag the villainess out, escaping from the Endbringer as she flew towards her dying brother, another two blasters hitting Leviathan, their attacks barely doing anything.
Almost with annoyance, the Endbringer swung his tail again, throwing Dauntless into a building and causing the shield bubble to 'pop' as it broke through a wall, then it lunged after the girls, climbing the side of the building to reach them, and Kayden realised it was determined to kill the tracker before moving on.
She blasted it again, her beam of light hitting the building and digging ten feet through the material, digging a wide trench as she tried to hit the beast, but even outside the water, it was fast, and she only managed to clip one of his back claws.
Extending his good hand, Leviathan reached for the girls, long talons almost closing around Laserdream's shield.
With a scream of rage, Glory Girl smashed into the Endbringer, punching his head hard enough to push it back, then smashing him into the skyscraper behind, saving her older cousin at the last second, but the beast still managed to wave his hand towards the duo in one last attempt to kill them.
The resulting water shadow hit Laserdream's shield with the force of a speeding car, the weak defense collapsing as most of the water smashed into the villainess she was carrying, but some still hit her, breaking her shoulder and smashing her head.
Kayden saw them fall through the air, at least one of the girls still alive enough to scream as they dropped straight towards the deadly water below. She moved on instinct, unable to just let both of them die even if it meant coming far too close to the Endbringer for comfort.
Wrapping an arm around Laserdream, she grabbed the second girl, wounded shoulder screaming at her for the act, she dropped a few feet in the air, but she managed to steady himself.
Kayden wasn't a Brute; her Breaker state did not give her any increased strength or resistance, so she felt the strain as she carried both girls up onto the rooftop with Shielder, all the while expecting Leviathan to kill them; he didn't.
Instead, she dropped both girls on the wet roof and almost collapsed from the effort, the fear making her entire body shake as she struggled to get herself under control.
She should have left the girls alone; it was too dangerous to save them, particularly with Leviathan seemingly hellbent on killing the Villainess, but in that moment, when she saw them falling, both not even twenty years old, she couldn't help imagining a future Aster in their place.
The villainess groaned. The water shadow had hit her at a diagonal, crushing her chest from left hip to just under the right arm, then broken that arm, the limb hanging at an odd angle at her side, her costume sickeningly glued to her crushed flesh.
Laserdream had a broken shoulder, but some of the water shadow had hit her head, and she was completely out of it, blood starting to soak her hair where it met the roof.
Squeezing her hands to stop herself from shaking, she stared at the three wounded teens, but they were beyond anything she could do to help. "I need immediate evacuation for three teenagers at my location, two heroes, they're still alive but can't move."
"Understood, I'll be there in a few seconds," Came a male voice through the speaker, Dragon having connected her to someone who could help.
She knew the Endbringer truce should mean everyone should be treated the same, but rules and reality were often at odds, and mentioning two teenage heroes should get them priority.
Looking over the edge of the building, she tried to see the Endbringer, but with the tracking girl disabled, Leviathan was long gone, not wasting a second to move after Susanoo.
A few miles in the city, she watched as entire skyscrapers rose into the air, tons upon tons of metal, buildings hundreds of feet tall, moving as if they were alive, the world seeming not to make sense anymore as a single cape battled the Simurgh.
Running a hand over her soaked hair, Kayden shook a piece of flesh away, the blood running through her fingers, adrenaline starting to leave her body as she took deep breaths.
She threw up over the parapet, everything hitting her at once, then, wiping her mouth with an arm, she glanced at the three dying teenagers; Shielder already had a tourniquet over his missing legs, and she didn't dare move any of them, so she could only hope someone got to them in time.
Kayden flew up. She doubted she'd catch up to Leviathan before he reached Susanoo again, but she'd damn well try.
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Also... not exactly the best chapter to come back, I know, what with not being an Anakin or Dinah chapter, I just hope you guys enjoy it.
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Kayden watched as her stepson carried Aster into the expensive helicopter, the Endbringer sirens still ringing in the city. The pudgy fifteen-year-old adjusted her daughter's blanket, making sure to protect her face from the wind as he sat down, Dorothy and Geoff sitting at the pilot's seat and doing a good job of appearing nervous, keeping up the façade of their civilian identity.
In truth, Kayden knew Night and Fog barely felt anything about the entire situation, too damaged by whatever process had been used to train them and incapable of caring. Still, she had been left in charge of the couple, if they could be called that, and she knew they'd be absolutely loyal, protecting her daughter with their lives.
Night could transform into a monster, but only when she was not being observed, and her Breaker form was both too weak to really damage Leviathan and easily dispelled with so many capes participating. As for Fog, he could shift his body into a gaseous form, which, if he wanted, could erode living matter.
Together, they were incredibly effective against other capes. Night was able to hide inside her 'husband' form to remain unseen while using her power, and Fog could cause damage to anyone who tried to fight her inside, particularly if they breathed some of the fog.
Against an Endbringer, they were less than useless; their powers would be a detriment even when doing search and rescue.
So, Kayden had chosen to send them away with her daughter, to keep her safe amid the chaos of the world and protect her from anything that would harm her. One last time, she felt the urge to join her daughter, but she couldn't; she already had enough trouble facing her own reflection.
When she first got her powers, before she fell for Max's honeyed words and joined the Empire, she had dreamed of being a hero, and while she'd ruined that dream, she didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't make one last attempt.
How could she raise her daughter if she was that much of a coward?
Watching the helicopter lift into the air, her heart almost gave out. She knew it was a risk to fly in this weather, the wind and hail making flight incredibly dangerous, but Geoff had assured her he could do it, and better to risk that than Leviathan when the Endbringer arrived.
"She's going to be fine," Justin said, adjusting his Crusader costume. "Are we arriving together?"
"No, Othala should already be there, and I can't get in contact with Alabaster; there's no point in going together anymore." Kayden held back a sigh. "You should have left when I told you to."
"I joined the Empire to help my country," Justin said, and contrary to most others, he actually believed it. "I'm not going to run away now that it really needs me."
Once upon a time, the Empire would have attended in force, a show of strength from the largest parahuman organization in the city, and one of the largest in the country… Now, they were reduced to six parahumans, two of whom just left the city.
Max, the bastard, had ran away the day after Susanoo had destroyed them, using a Medhall business opportunity in Argentina to escape the city, and Krieg had left soon after, disappearing without saying a word to anyone.
That was when she knew the Empire was done for.
Oh, Max would be back, Kayden was sure of that, he had far too much invested in the US in his civilian identity not to do so, but it was an even chance if he'd accept Gesselshaft help, take on a subservient role somewhere else and work to climb back to power, or if he'd sell them all for a chance to start over with a new identity.
He'd never really believed in the cause he championed anyway, using it just for the power it granted him; it would be easy to throw away the Kaiser name and try to gain power from another angle.
Kayden dug her nails into her arm, almost drawing blood. At thirty-five, Max was still the most handsome man she had ever met, and he certainly had the charisma to try.
She could just see him starting over, maybe even as the leader or sponsor of a corporate hero team, the golden boy once again, just like when he was a high school jock and she the younger girl with a crush… And if she died here, Kayden just knew he'd use it as an excuse to further his power.
The hail got worse, each lump of ice that hit the rooftop feeling like another nail hammered against her heart as she prayed for her daughter to be safe, her eyes trying fruitlessly to follow the helicopter among the clouds.
Once upon a time, Kayden had felt like she was doing something important, years ago, when she actually fell for Max's words and thought the Empire meant to do good, and later, when she saw through his bullshit and decided to leave the Empire.
When she went out alone, fought and drove back Lung or Oni Lee, when she arrested drug dealers, pimps, and enforcers, she had thought she was helping clean the city.
Yes, she avoided Empire territory, and mostly targeted Asian or Black criminals, but she HAD been part of the Empire for years; she didn't feel proud about her choice, but it was difficult to target people she'd shared drinks with, laughed and had dinner at their houses.
It was justified, she had thought; she knew there were plenty of white criminals in the city, but at least they were civilized about it, and she'd target them too when she was done with the others.
Max had laughed in her face when she said that, asked what the hell was civilized about dog fights or lynching innocent fathers just because of the color of their skin… That, more than anything, hurt.
Max, the man who didn't give a shit about what his people did, that would just as easily target babies of any color if it gave him more power, was less prejudiced than she was. It was a difficult pill to swallow.
Kayden hadn't always been like this. Before, when Max was just a crush, when the thought of being a cape had never even crossed her mind, she hadn't cared about race.
Then she triggered, and Max had seen her power, gotten close to her, invited her into the Empire, and, blinded by his good looks, she'd been swayed, convinced of his way of thinking… Fuck, she had been so guilible.
She'd tried to change that after the divorce, but after the way Max had laughed at her, she realized she hadn't had much luck.
She'd justified her prejudice; after years as a cape, she'd seen how much of what made the city a terrible place to raise her child could be traced back to a certain kind of people. It was hard not to be prejudiced when that happened.
What a joke, the only reason she hadn't seen the Empire's role in ruining the city was that she didn't want to look, and Max, Kaiser, the leader of the Empire of all people, was the one to throw that at her face.
It was just how she thought; she always had trouble considering the long term, looking at more than the obvious, which was why she had been so easily influenced by being in the gang. She knew that, but it was just difficult to do anything about it.
She hated herself for it, but no matter how much she tried, she didn't seem able to change, and that only made her self-loathing worse.
"I'm going then," Justin said, one of his ghosts appearing like an aura around his body. "I'll join search and rescue. Stay safe."
"Good luck," Kayden said, refocusing on the now as Justin rose in the air, moving through the hail towards the gathering point.
At least today she wouldn't have to think of that. Today it wasn't about heroes, villains, or criminals; for the first time in years, she'd be fighting for something undeniably right. It made the thought of facing Leviathan easier, and if she died, at least her daughter was safe.
Putting on a mask, Kayden stepped out onto the rooftop, the hail hitting her body and soaking up her costume… She didn't usually wear a mask, her power lighting up her skin and making it impossible to make out her features, or even directly stare at her, but with so many capes present, she didn't want to risk someone having a power to overcome that.
Stepping on the parapet, she looked down. At 85 stories tall, the building she was on was one of the largest in the city, a skyscraper that stood well above everything else around, but the distance could still pass deceptively fast, less than ten seconds to reach the ground.
With a single step, she let herself fall, cold wind painfully hitting her face, and the weightless feeling making her feel free, even if for only briefly.
The temptation to just let things continue hit her then, as it always did when she jumped, to just enjoy the acceleration until the inevitable end, not having to think of what she'd done, or what she would do next, to be free.
Then her daughter's face appeared in her mind, Aster, innocent and perfect, a reminder of why she still kept moving.
Her body ignited, blinding light exploding in the sky, reflecting off the hail and illuminating the city as she activated her power, then she moved, quickly flying up above the buildings and, faster than any local cape, moving towards the meeting point, a white trail of light falling behind her.
Stopping above the medical area, she paused, looking around until she saw Othala standing with Alabaster, the immortal man acting as her protector, so the two of them had decided to show up… That made the entirety of the Empire, at least those still free, fifteen capes reduced to only four in the city.
Moving again, she landed at the gathering spot for those who would more directly participate in the battle, Legend already present and organizing things. Deactivating her power, she felt the capes around her relaxing as her light faded, leaving her as just a petite woman once again.
There were far more capes than she expected, the vast majority heroes ready for the confrontation, as if they already knew it was happening before the alarm even started.
For a second, she searched for the rest of the Empire, but she didn't see anyone. Local authorities sometimes released capes during Endbringer battles, the Endbringer truce meaning they'd trade support for their freedom, but it seems like the PRT had chosen to keep them under lock and key.
Soon, Kayden felt the capes giving her space, leaving a conspicuous area around herself free, and even the villains were giving her a wide berth. Standing by herself, without the support of the rest of the Empire, she felt that isolation more than ever.
More than a year away from the empire, slowly trying to rebuild her name, to put the past behind her, and Max, with his charming voice and perfect rhetoric, had managed to talk her back in less than an hour, ruining everything she tried to do.
She really should have moved cities, cut ties once and for all… but she had been weak, wanting her daughter to at least know her father.
Yes, he had promised her control over the Empire's forces, to maybe try to do something good in the city, but now that she was no longer fooling herself, Kayden could recognize it would never happen.
Even if the conditions were met, Max would sooner assassinate her than give up power, and because she had allowed herself to be fooled again, even the villains saw her as radioactive.
Kayden felt sick; she tried to swallow, but it was difficult, as if there was something blocking her throat. She refused to let anyone see it.
An hour later, she wore one of the monitoring bracelets on her wrist and watched as Legend finished his speech. "... Brockton Bay is a soft target; it has an aquifer originally used to provide fresh water, essentially an underground river, which we expect the creature to start…"
"Kaiser isn't coming?"
The question caught her by surprise, and she turned, seeing Dauntless, the man who almost caught her when she faced Susanoo… and if she was being honest, probably saved her when he forced her to flee.
"... There's no Kaiser anymore."
"What?"
"He left the city shortly after the rescue attempt," she said, taking at least some pleasure in destroying his name, even if she knew it was one he'd thrown away when he fled. "I doubt you're going to hear from him anymore."
"You're joking," said Assault, having heard their conversation. "Kaiser, the king Nazi, just ran away?"
Crossing her arms almost as if to hug herself, Kayden released a deep breath and nodded. "It was always about power with him, after what Susanoo did…"
"Hah, that's almost worth an arm," Assault said, getting a glare from Dauntless.
"You're not releasing the others?" Kayden asked. "The twins are certainly strong enough."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Dauntless narrowed his eyes.
Kayden thought about the twins, Max's younger lovers… Did it start after the divorce, or were the three of them already fucking when they were married? "Not really, but it's Leviathan."
"The boss didn't think we'd need them," Assaul said,
"Leviathan arriving in sixteen seconds," Eidolon's voice said from her wrist. "I'll block the first wave."
Adrenaline filling her body, Kayden spared the duo one last glance, then her body ignited, and she shot up into the storm, rising straight up into the air for nearly a mile. Dauntless followed her less than a second later, the Hero managing to keep up with her for the moment.
Staring out into the Bay, she saw the giant wave, a wall of water nearly a hundred feet tall and moving faster than a car, then it broke against Eidolon's shields. The spectacle was humbling to watch.
Slowly moving towards the shore, she moved her head from side to side, desperately searching for the beast, but the storm blocked her vision, and even the noise was drowned out by constant thunder strikes.
From her wrist, the armband started vibrating, a gridmap appearing on the surface to show her current position and Leviathan's last updated location; the beast was still on the shore.
Kayden moved, ready to face the creature despite the devastating show of power she had just witnessed. For all her power, she knew she couldn't defeat it, but even wounding the beast would help, and they didn't have the time to be careful.
Around her, nearly a dozen other flyers followed, but she left the vast majority behind as she started gathering power. Finally, she saw the beast, Leviathan, seeming to recover from a strike as it looked towards another cape facing him… Susanoo.
Dismissing the man from her mind, she blasted the Endbringer, but she hadn't had enough time to properly charge her beam. With the storm, Kayden was at a disadvantage; her power didn't depend on the sun, but it did help, making her attacks charge faster and be slightly more powerful, an advantage she wouldn't have with the thick clouds covering the city.
Her blast was weaker than expected, hitting the creature's shoulder and only leaving a small wound, the impact barely moving the Endbringer. Immediately, she started gathering power again, and other Blasters started to arrive.
Then both Leviathan and Susanoo moved, and Kayden didn't have the chance to attack again, or even react, as tons of debris rose in the air.
The entire street seemed to explode in action, large chunks of asphalt, concrete, and even entire houses rising to bombard the Endbringer with so much strength the creature couldn't move, each projectile moving almost independently.
Kayden felt her heart skipping a beat as she searched for an opening, keeping far enough away to avoid being hit by a stray projectile or the Endbringer's water shadow, the necessary distance making it hard to see through all the rain. She'd known Susanoo was strong before, but this was like watching a video of the Simurgh in action, Telekinesis on a level she had never seen before.
The realization of just how lucky she'd been during their confrontation finally hit her… He'd never even taken them seriously, had he?
Then the two physically clashed, their bodies moving like blurs to her senses as the maelstrom of debris continued to circle, Susanoo matching the Endbringer's speed even at melee range, his plasma sword, now a different color, flashing and cutting off whole pieces of the beast.
Like the hand of a God, Susanoo's telekinesis flattened the waterfront for a mile around the battle, every piece of debris either rising into the air or smashing towards Leviathan; it was like watching two forces of nature clashing.
Around her, no Blaster could attack, none of them being fast enough to react to the ferocity of the battle or find a target among the maelstrom of pieces thrown about by the engagement. Only a few seconds had passed, and the destruction was already total.
Then Leviathan jumped back, actually retreating from Susanoo, the very act making her gasp in surprise; adjusting her aim, Kayden readied her attack.
Alexandria moved first, smashing into the creature with such strength she created a crater on the street.
A scream to her right drew Kayden's attention away, her focus on the creature allowing a second wave to sneak up on her, its shadow nearly swallowing the sky. Bursting into motion, she fled upwards, the wave almost hiding her, broken debris being thrown about by the waters with the strength of a cannon, smashing into buildings and leaving large holes everywhere.
Struggling to recover her bearings for a few seconds, she finally stopped in the air, the wave passing only a dozen feet below her, and continued to move inland, dragging much of Susanoo's destruction with it.
Looking around, she saw a few of the capes around hadn't been able to avoid the wave, their broken bodies hanging from half-destroyed buildings like discarded trash, blood starting to leak into the water.
Studying herself, she checked her armguard, which indicated the beast had moved a few blocks, the device constantly speaking a long string of dead or disabled capes.
When she arrived, Leviathan was struggling to escape a massive sphere of metal, Susanoo lifting the beast into the air with Telekinesis and squeezing the material so hard it started to heat up despite the freezing rain.
Keeping her distance, Kayden continued to gather power, preparing to release one of her most powerful blasts in case the Endbringer escaped, something strong enough to level buildings… Then the screaming started.
Almost against her will, she looked up… and the sight drained her will, fear and despair freezing her in place as a second Endbringer descended upon the city.
Despite the hail, Kayden only felt stunned silence around her, sound and feeling seeming to drain away as she watched the Simurgh descending into the Bay, followed by a shower of meteors.
For a few moments, she seemed to lose track of time, everything that was happening too much as she slowly floated down towards a half-destroyed building, a damaged car stuck halfway out of its third floor.
She wanted to flee. Kayden knew she was one of the only capes fast enough to escape the creature's range, but her body didn't seem to be responding; everything hitting her at once as the creature's scream filled her mind.
One in four of you is likely to die. Legend's voice rang into her mind. If those were the odds when facing a single one of the beasts, what about two? Worse, what if she survived, only to go back home and kill her daughter, driven mad by the creature's song?
"Parahumans close to the Simurgh," said Dragon through her armband, finally snapping her out of her daze. "You're now being marked. If you receive a warning, it means you're reaching the acceptable limit of exposure, disengage immediately and retreat from the location."
Jumping up, Kayden rose back into the sky, noticing the way some of the flyers around her were finally letting go, blasting the streets under them with a continuous bombardment of powers, haphazardly trying to attack Leviathan.
"Purity," Dragon said, opening a direct line to her armband. "Your location is close to Leviathan. I'm marking your map; move to intercept him as fast as you can."
Kayden pressed the button on her armband and spoke. "Not the-" then she had to lick her lips when her voice cracked. "Not the Simurgh?"
"No." Dragon simply said, then seemed to get busy organizing the rest of the battle.
For a moment, Kayden stared up at the flying Endbringer, then away towards Boston, where Aster should be right now… she swallowed, at her speed, he could be there in less than an hour.
In a burst of light, she rushed towards the spot marked on her map, readying the strongest blast she could manage against the Endbringer. Flying only a few feet above the buildings, she desperately searched for the creature.
Pressing the button on her armband, she hurriedly said. "Hard override! Where is he? I'm here, but I can't see him!"
Before she was even finished, a young girl's voice came from the communication device, the girl's location appearing on her map. "I can track him! I need a flyer to keep up, but he's using the buildings to stay out of sight!"
Kayden almost moved to grab the girl, but someone else must have been closer, her position on the map starting to move in a straight line towards the center of the city.
She moved, using her superior speed to quickly overtake the girl's location and finally saw the beast. On all fours, Leviathan ran with blinding speed, moving on the surface of the water, his claws not sinking more than an inch with every step.
With serpentine-like movements, he used every cover to block the view from the sky, and even dove into the buildings when they were tall enough, his body breaking through brick walls as if they were foam, only avoiding the metal foundations.
Focusing on her blast, Kayden's hand shone with power as she released everything she had ready on the creature, twin full-powered beams wider than she was tall, the blinding light trailing motes of light as it nearly instantly smashed into the Endbringer's chest.
Leviathan stopped, then flew back, hitting the side of a building and passing through, his body hammered by her power with enough strength that it only stopped more than halfway through the wide skyscraper.
Adjusting her position, Kayden began gathering a second blast, her hands starting to shine brighter as she pointed at the entrance.
With a deafening noise of breaking glass and twisting metal, Leviathan burst out of the side of the building only a dozen feet from her, having climbed to her height by breaking straight through several floors inside the building, the noise of the storm hiding his efforts.
She flew back, her heart accelerating and hand shifting towards the beast, but she knew it would be too late.
From the side, a single crimson beam of light hit Leviathan, the blast just strong enough to throw him to the side before he could reach her, Laserdream having attacked from nearly a block away, the heroine holding a second girl in her arms.
Twisting midair, Leviathan whipped his tail at Kayden's chest, and if it were still intact, she knew she'd have died, but Susanoo had cut off several feet during their clash, the limb coming short of reaching her.
On reflex, she blasted the resulting water shadow with a half-powered beam, the water exploding only a foot in front of her, shockwave sending her flying back through the air to hit the side of a building shoulder-first.
Leviathan fell on top of a house, then ripped a large piece of the roof and threw it at her.
Letting escape a small scream, Kayden desperately flew aside, the large projectile smashing into the building and showering her with glass. She briefly lifted an arm to protect her eyes and, when it was over, the beast had used her distraction to move on, only being slowed by a few seconds.
It had been enough, with the Endbringer briefly out in the open, other flyers had seen it, and they converged like angry wasps and either blasted him with their powers, or dropped Brutes that could fight him directly.
One cape, nearly eight feet tall and covered in a layer of granite, lunged at Leviathan, driving the point of his shoulder under the beast's chest and pushing him back several steps, water falling off the beast with every centimeter it moved.
Twisting his tail, Leviathan wrapped it around the man's leg and pulled him off balance, then drove a large, taloned hand right through the back of the man's neck, breaking the protective shell and decapitating him.
Not releasing the man's leg, he whipped his tail around, using the headless body like a hammer to smash two other capes before sending it flying away, blood filling the water around him.
A flyer she didn't recognize got too close to the beast, and Leviathan, almost contemptuously, slashed at the man, a water shadow flying off his claw to smash into the man's chest, caving it in with sheer momentum.
The list of dead and disabled continued to rise, the Endbringer seeming more brutal than ever before, but it couldn't get rid of them all, their combined efforts forcing it to move sideways away from Susanoo.
Leviathan jumped off one roof, trying to reach the deep water on the floor, the streets turning into rivers under his power, but Dauntless, moving almost as fast as she could, arrived. His Arclance, covered in white lightning, struck the beast's chest.
The blow did almost nothing; the Arclance's lightning far from strong enough to damage the creature, and the tip barely pierced an inch or two, but the shaft elongated faster than the eye could see, pushing the beast into the sky.
Slashing down, Leviathan sent several water shadows at Dauntless, but they stopped at the hero's shield. Almost at the same time, it grabbed the Arclance with both arms and pulled it apart, the weapon shattering under the Endbringer's strength.
Kayden hit the beast with another fully powered beam, smashing it against a building and making it bounce off.
Leviathan twisted midair, his long tail clipping a flyer that got too close, then it hit the side of a building, all four claws finding purchase on the wall like an oversized lizard.
His tail flicked twice, cracking like a whip, and Kayden desperately dipped down to avoid two water shadows that passed only a few inches from her head, then she pointed her hand and released another beam at the creature.
Moving blindingly fast, Leviathan ripped a huge section of the building and threw it at her, her blast only serving to explode the projectile midair.
Leviathan moved sideways on the wall, his claws digging into the building for support as it turned a corner and disappeared from view.
Breathing hard, Kayden adjusted her mask, pushing some of her soaked hair out of her face, the smell of death starting to hit her as the corpses accumulated, then she moved after the creature, weaving between the buildings at a fast speed.
Just as she was about to turn another corner, Leviathan came flying back, Alexandria smashing into his face and dragging straight through an entire building, a second cape held in the Endbringer's feet.
Flying through the large opening they had created, Kayden felt Dauntless following her. The Endbringer had fallen on top of a two-storey house, the impact having crushed the cape he was holding, leaving only the torso on his claw.
Alexandria dodged a claw strike, then seemed to find a weakness in the Endbringer and grabbed half of the overextended hand, already damaged by Susanoo's sword. Kicking the side of the arm, she ripped half of his hand off, leaving only two fingers still attached.
Leviathan's tail wrapped around her waist, but this time she resisted its strength, flying into the Endbringer's hand, driving one hand up to the wrist through the wound on its chest.
Grabbing Alexandria's face with his good claw, the Endbringer threw himself back, dragging her through the water he left behind and getting some of it through her helmet.
Alexandria tried to resist, but she swallowed too much water and choked, the Endbringer using the chance to throw her aside. It also threw the mangled remains of the parahuman still on its leg claw at Dauntless, the body hitting his shield and exploding into a shower of blood, some of it covering her costume as she was too close.
Kayden released another beam of power, the twisting blast hitting the house and utterly demolishing it, but Leviathan had already jumped to the left, putting another building between them before she could adjust her aim.
In Laserdream's arms, the Villain teen continued to point out its location, seeming able to read the Endbringer's movements no matter which way it ran.
Then the fourth wave hit, the sheer wall of water simply destroyed the entire waterfront, huge, car-sized debris flying around and smashing every cape engaged with the creature.
They were NOT supposed to come this fast! Kayden's mind yelled in surprise. It hadn't even been two minutes since Eidolon blocked the third wave!
With no time to retreat, she closed her eyes, released a half-powered blast at the wave, and dove through the water right where it hit, a second seeming to stretch into hours as she desperately hoped to get to the other side.
She was lucky, managing to avoid any debris as she broke through the other side; most failed to do so.
Broken bodies littered the half-destroyed street, dozens of capes dead, either crushed by debris or slashed apart by Leviathan before it disappeared, the beast having used the wave to slip away, nearly ten feet of water temporarily filling the street as the ocean invaded the city.
The sight almost broke her. How was she supposed to fight something like this? The creature was playing with them and, all the while, the Simurgh's song rang into her mind, driving her insane.
The coppery smell of blood soaking her costume grew stronger now that she wasn't in immediate danger, and she noticed that pieces of the cape's flesh had gotten stuck to her hair, the realization making her hands shake.
She wasn't a Brute; even a glancing blow from the beast would destroy her, a thrown rock could kill her, and it had almost done several times through the fight; every dodge she made was a matter of survival.
The urge to just flee hit her again. How much time did she have left before they declared her a lost cause?
Dauntless had retreated, using his shield to spread a protective field over Laserdream and the tracking villain, the three of them almost untouched by the attack.
From the corner of her eye, Kayden saw Glory Girl diving into the water, coming out only a second later with the broken body of Shielder, her younger cousin. The boy was missing both legs, the wave, or more likely some of the debris, having broken his forcefield, but he was still moving, coughing up water as the young girl flew him on top of a nearby building.
Seeing the boy, Laserdream screamed, almost dropping the villain she held, then she flew towards her brother, and Kayden could see she was exhausted from carrying the young woman.
Shooting out of the water like a missile, Leviathan flew at the duo just as they were a few feet from the building. Dauntless tried to rush to their defense, but he wouldn't make it in time.
On reflex, she released another beam of power, this one only a foot wide, as it hit the Endbringer midjump, the blast just strong enough to push it away from the girls and give Dauntless time to catch up, his white energy shield spreading like a bubble around them.
Twisting midair, Leviathan's dexterous tail coiled around the three of them, dragging them through the air as it finally hit ground, then it seemed to tighten, smashing the trio against the side of a house, Dauntless shield lightning up with the effort of blocking.
In the air, she gathered another attack, but her internal reserves were starting to diminish, every beam taking longer to charge.
In desperation, Laserdream created her own shields, but Kayden knew from experience that the girl's shields were weaker than her blasts; they wouldn't hold up to the beast.
"Go!" Dauntless screamed, moving his shield and creating a brief opening between Leviathan's tail.
Laserdream took her chance, managing to drag the villainess out, escaping from the Endbringer as she flew towards her dying brother, another two blasters hitting Leviathan, their attacks barely doing anything.
Almost with annoyance, the Endbringer swung his tail again, throwing Dauntless into a building and causing the shield bubble to 'pop' as it broke through a wall, then it lunged after the girls, climbing the side of the building to reach them, and Kayden realised it was determined to kill the tracker before moving on.
She blasted it again, her beam of light hitting the building and digging ten feet through the material, digging a wide trench as she tried to hit the beast, but even outside the water, it was fast, and she only managed to clip one of his back claws.
Extending his good hand, Leviathan reached for the girls, long talons almost closing around Laserdream's shield.
With a scream of rage, Glory Girl smashed into the Endbringer, punching his head hard enough to push it back, then smashing him into the skyscraper behind, saving her older cousin at the last second, but the beast still managed to wave his hand towards the duo in one last attempt to kill them.
The resulting water shadow hit Laserdream's shield with the force of a speeding car, the weak defense collapsing as most of the water smashed into the villainess she was carrying, but some still hit her, breaking her shoulder and smashing her head.
Kayden saw them fall through the air, at least one of the girls still alive enough to scream as they dropped straight towards the deadly water below. She moved on instinct, unable to just let both of them die even if it meant coming far too close to the Endbringer for comfort.
Wrapping an arm around Laserdream, she grabbed the second girl, wounded shoulder screaming at her for the act, she dropped a few feet in the air, but she managed to steady himself.
Kayden wasn't a Brute; her Breaker state did not give her any increased strength or resistance, so she felt the strain as she carried both girls up onto the rooftop with Shielder, all the while expecting Leviathan to kill them; he didn't.
Instead, she dropped both girls on the wet roof and almost collapsed from the effort, the fear making her entire body shake as she struggled to get herself under control.
She should have left the girls alone; it was too dangerous to save them, particularly with Leviathan seemingly hellbent on killing the Villainess, but in that moment, when she saw them falling, both not even twenty years old, she couldn't help imagining a future Aster in their place.
The villainess groaned. The water shadow had hit her at a diagonal, crushing her chest from left hip to just under the right arm, then broken that arm, the limb hanging at an odd angle at her side, her costume sickeningly glued to her crushed flesh.
Laserdream had a broken shoulder, but some of the water shadow had hit her head, and she was completely out of it, blood starting to soak her hair where it met the roof.
Squeezing her hands to stop herself from shaking, she stared at the three wounded teens, but they were beyond anything she could do to help. "I need immediate evacuation for three teenagers at my location, two heroes, they're still alive but can't move."
"Understood, I'll be there in a few seconds," Came a male voice through the speaker, Dragon having connected her to someone who could help.
She knew the Endbringer truce should mean everyone should be treated the same, but rules and reality were often at odds, and mentioning two teenage heroes should get them priority.
Looking over the edge of the building, she tried to see the Endbringer, but with the tracking girl disabled, Leviathan was long gone, not wasting a second to move after Susanoo.
A few miles in the city, she watched as entire skyscrapers rose into the air, tons upon tons of metal, buildings hundreds of feet tall, moving as if they were alive, the world seeming not to make sense anymore as a single cape battled the Simurgh.
Running a hand over her soaked hair, Kayden shook a piece of flesh away, the blood running through her fingers, adrenaline starting to leave her body as she took deep breaths.
She threw up over the parapet, everything hitting her at once, then, wiping her mouth with an arm, she glanced at the three dying teenagers; Shielder already had a tourniquet over his missing legs, and she didn't dare move any of them, so she could only hope someone got to them in time.
Kayden flew up. She doubted she'd catch up to Leviathan before he reached Susanoo again, but she'd damn well try.
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Enthessi
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Not entirely sure how I felt about this one. It wasn't bad or anything but it didn't really feel like it did anything for the story either. Like some Kayden angst followed by a rehash of a couple chapters ago but from a different POV.
It wasn't bad but it honestly wasn't the continuation of the Simurgh!Interrupt I'm sure everyone was hoping for.
Still as a chapter made to get back into the writing groove after being away for health problems it was perfectly fine.
On a separate note I'm glad your back and hope your health stays on the positive!
It wasn't bad but it honestly wasn't the continuation of the Simurgh!Interrupt I'm sure everyone was hoping for.
Still as a chapter made to get back into the writing groove after being away for health problems it was perfectly fine.
On a separate note I'm glad your back and hope your health stays on the positive!
HoxShorelight
Know what you're doing yet?
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By the Force it's back
Welcome back ,hope you are well
Welcome back ,hope you are well
CapCaverna
Not too sore, are you?
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Well, it was mostly Endbringer building, showing what they seem like from someone who isn't Anakin, and exploring a new PoV, someone who, like Anakin, isn't a good person, and did terrible things, but wants to be better.
Not everyone is familiar with Worm setting, and I wanted to show what they feel like when not facing a monster like Anakin.
.
.
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Also, Kayden genuinely dislikes being racist, but years of Empire 88 left her with terrible habits.
Anakin wants to be a good man again, but he menaces, then kills people, using his power without really considering the innocents around him, because he spent twenty years doing much, much worse.
Kayden doesn't like being racist, but she's spent a decade doing it, and even without meaning to, she ends up doing and thinking racist things.
The contrast is something that I found interesting to explore, so I always planned on having a Kayden PoV, and maybe having her in the fic a little more.
The strange thing is, Anakin is actually much worse than Kayden, but even while writing it, I dislike her more, and from some readers' reactions, I feel that they do it too... I suppose that says something about society, that racism, at least fictional racism, feels worse than torture, mind control and genocide.
Although... I guess the cool factor helps, Anakin is much cooler than Purity... I wonder who would be more dislikable if she was actually an extremely hot young girl...
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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Hope your doing better! And damn wasn't expecting a Kayden chappy but can't say I disliked it.
mpbjunkie
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Thanks for the chapter. I'm not gonna lie and pretend I'm not anxious for resolution but this was a cool chapter and I enjoyed it a lot.
I guess a factor is that Anakin's evil seems much more made up than Purity's. Mind control and blowing up planets isn't real in the way being a neonazi is. And yeah, the cool factor counts for a hell of a lot and Darth Vader is one of the cooler villains out there.
Hope you're feeling better.
I guess a factor is that Anakin's evil seems much more made up than Purity's. Mind control and blowing up planets isn't real in the way being a neonazi is. And yeah, the cool factor counts for a hell of a lot and Darth Vader is one of the cooler villains out there.
Hope you're feeling better.
Swordstire
Not too sore, are you?
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Welcome back. Glad to hear you're ok at the very least.
F4u5t
Not too sore, are you?
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I specially liked the chapter because of this. I could have been even more fearmongering since people in worm should be terrified of Endbringers.
I kind of like the idea of Kayden appearing some more in a kind of parallel arc to Anakin's redemption one.
apg666
Not too sore, are you?
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I think the self delusion is also part of it. Kayden justifies doing horrible things in ways everyone else knows is bullshit, even Max, while Anakin hates everyone and himself enough that he just didn't care that he was doing horrible shit kinda making it less personal.