Vaughn stood at the door while one of the doctors checked me out. His stance told me that he hadn’t change, with his arms folded and his face contorted into a smirk. I looked away from him and down at my leg as the doctor dressed the minor scratches. I frowned. I only looked up when Steven came through the door and stood between Vaughn and I. He looked perturbed and somehow I could tell it wasn’t just at me. His eyes found Vaughn immediately and a look of pure disdain flashed across his face.
“Where’ve you been?” Steven asked. He looked to Vaughn, “What’s he doing here?!”
“Your brother is more powerful than I thought.” I said quickly. Steven looked at me in shock, “Vaughn saved me. I was blackmailed and after I didn’t do what he wanted, things got really violent.”
Steven nodded and looked to me, “Why’d you go alone?” he asked.
“I didn’t have a choice.” I frowned.
“All clean.” The doctor said, “I’ve got half the building to attend to.” She said, nodding before leaving.
“What’s he planning?” Steven asked. He walked over, “Are you okay?”
I nodded, “I’m fine. Ego’s a little bruised though.” I looked to Vaughn, “Thanks. What were you doing there?”
Vaughn, who’d watched us intently, now pulled himself off the wall and smiled to me, “The whole city’s going to Hell…I knew I had to find you. I knew you’d be helping.” He said quickly, “I saw you on television. Figured I can help.”
“An ex-con and ex-espionage agent?” Steven asked, “You expect us to allow you anywhere near us?”
“Way I see it, you need my help,” Vaughn said with a defiant smirk, “You’re not going to let pride get between you and justice, are you?”
“If you guys are going to have a pissing contest, can it not be now.” I frowned.
“No contest.” Vaughn smirked, “I taught you most of what you know. The good stuff anyways.”
“Is that what you’d call it?” Steven asked, “Stealing and espionage?”
“It’s part of him.” Vaughn said, “That’s the reason you and him never worked and your brother and him always will.”
I looked over and saw Steven’s face, “Why is my romantic history the topic of conversation?” I asked.
“It’s not! He’s fine. You can leave now.” Steven barked, “Tell him you’re okay.”
“I am okay, but we could use his help. He’s connected to the streets, he knows things.” I said, eliciting an angry gaze from Steven, “Steve…”
“Fine. He’s a temporary addition.” Steven said turning and leaving.
“Steve!” I said loudly. I closed my eyes and turned back to Vaughn, “He’s—“
“Territorial.” Vaughn replied with a smirk, “Nothing’s changed. It always did surprise me that you even entertained the idea of being with someone so…uptight.”
“As opposed to who? Mega-evil man?” I shook my head, “The whole world went to Hell, perfect time to find redemption, huh?”
“Exactly what do you have to be redeemed for?” Vaughn laughed, “Petty theft?”
I smirked in his direction.
“Okay, grand theft, but if the world is going to Hell, you need to learn the lesson you never learned.” Vaughn frowned, “You’re a good person. You’ll never be able to do what they need. It’s why you were never a true criminal.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
Vaughn sighed, “You’re not a murderer. You can’t end it. Even when you got the nerve to do it, to save the world, you didn’t get it done.” He said with what sounded like disappointment.
“You seem pissed for me not killing people.”
He shook his head, “I stand in reverence.” He said earnestly, “I knew the minute you stepped into my life that you weren’t fit as a criminal. I knew what you’d be.”
“And what am I?” I asked.
“A hero.” Vaughn said with his most serious face. He’d lost his fun energy, “To be working with these heroes, to be brave enough to step foot outside after what happened on the TV makes you a hero.”
“How am I supposed to kill him?” I asked, “As you’ve pointed out, I’m not a murderer.”
“Why does it have to be you? You’re on a team. You don’t have to do it alone.” Vaughn smiled. His face brightened, “You…on a team…it’s just so bizarre.”
“Why are you really here? It’s not coincident that you were there.” I said quickly. I folded my arms and leaned on the slab, “I didn’t want to say it with David in the room, but he’s kind of right.”
Vaughn nodded, “I don’t have a heart of gold, that’s true, but I do look after people I care for, no matter how limited they may be.” He smirked.
“You’re speaking another language…like those kids on Dawson’s Creek.” I said quickly, “You know, in some circles, this conversation wouldn’t exist. I wouldn’t have to ask you that question.”
“It’s the reason we couldn’t be partners.” Vaughn said, “You and those grabby hands.”
I stared at him, “Is this it? We’re going to ignore everything.” I said without a question.
Vaughn lost his signature smirk, “Some people steal the things you never show. That’s how I know you’re a good thief.” He said, his gaze penetrating me.
“Maybe if I didn’t have to ‘steal’ it, I wouldn’t have taken it.” I said angrily, “You’re so frustrating! You’re supposed to be older…much older.”
Vaughn’s eyebrow arched, “Maturity? You just referred to Dawson’s Creek.” His voice was grating and condescending, “Look, don’t turn this into an argument. Just don’t. I helped you and I didn’t have to…I—“
“Don’t finish the sentence!” I said quickly, “It taints the whole image I have of you.”
He folded his arms and looked to me angrily, “Image? I have an image? Is it bad-ass?” he asked.
“No, it’s cowardice.”
“You think I’m cowardly?” Vaughn asked.
“Why say this now? What are you trying to get at?” I asked, “Why are you really here.”
“I told you—“
I put my hand up, “Stop! I heard you lie once, please tell me the truth.” I snapped.
“You think you’re the only one who needs redemption?!” He said stoically. I took a step back and pressed myself against the wall, closing my eyes, “I’ve been contacted to steal something from your group.”
I opened my eyes and looked to him, seeing him hold a dart, “What were you going to steal?” I asked.
He fingered the dart, “You.” He said, “He wants you, for better or for worse.”
“Is it coming down to this?” I asked. He looked at me sardonically, “So, this is what you’re going to do? This is why you saved me?”
“The minute I hit him with the bola, I was fired.” Vaughn said quickly. He placed the dart on a metal tray and looked up to me, “I’ve been a caged bird. It’s no fun. What he wants to do with you…it isn’t what you deserve.”
My anger rose and a lump filled my throat, “Wh-wh-why does he—“
“He’s going to torture you, to control you. He’s going to make you his puppet and he’s not going to stop.” Vaughn frowned, “I’ve got minutes until he tracks me, until we’re both in trouble. Until this whole building is in trouble. He’s dangerous. He wasn’t a peach before, but now he’s got no morality. The Steven you knew died when you stabbed him.”
“They wouldn’t attack again.” I said softly.
Vaughn shook his head, “Who said they attacked before? That wasn’t an attack. That was the beginning. Some of those agents never left. He always has a fallback plan.” He frowned.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“Because if there’s one person who can defeat him, team or not, it’s not his brother or mother, it’s you.” Vaughn said, “They won’t do what needs to be done. You’ve proved that you will.”
There was another blast and I ducked rubble falling f
rom the ceiling. Vaughn and I looked up at the same time, with severe ambivalence. With a swift motion, he pushed me out of the room as the ceiling fell down in front of us. As I climbed to my feet, I was very much afraid of the world falling down on me. I ran down the hall and ducked into the stairwell, looking up. People were coming down, running past me, and I could see that the floors above us were crumbling. The breaks were about two floors up and my heart jumped into my throat. There was no way I could get down the stairs, much less help everyone get down the stairs. I looked to the railing and pulled my zip-line, wrapping the top around it and clipping the main attachment around my waist, falling over it. As I dropped, I was very aware of the gasps and I had the very distinct feeling of fear as I neared the floor. A few meters above the ground, I flipped myself in an upright position, landing quickly in a kneeled position. I stood, and looked up, pained at the thought that I couldn’t save them. The walls around us were crumbling and I stood in awe. I turned and was about to leave through the door to the stairwell when some unseen force knocked me on my ass!
I rolled over and looked at a man in a black leather jacket with a red lightning bolt on it, “I bet you didn’t expect this.” He smirked.
I stared at him for a second, taking in the sight of him. I’d seen him on the news. He name was Lamb and he was a speedster, which meant that he had the power of super speed. He was lean and tall, though his frame was covered by the leather, both jacket and pants. His hair was pulled back, kept in place by what I assumed to be a boatload of hair gel, and his blonde hair was streaked with red. He had a pair of silver gauntlets on his wrists that looked very familiar.
“You’re not so tough.” Lamb chortled. He began walking towards me and stopped, “Can’t be this easy.”
An arrow flew through the air and pierced his arm, causing him to spin to the ground, “You’re right, douche.” Harrison said weakly. He was pale and his infection had spread up and down his arm, causing a slight pulsation. He walked over and helped me off the ground, “Get out of here.”
I nodded and headed for the door. Without warning, I looked up and noticed that the crumbling was getting closer. It caught Harrison’s attention, too. I looked back at the scene. Harrison was prepping an arrow when Lamb literally ran through him. I reacted quicker than I thought possible by throwing a series of miniature mines on the ground in front of him. The explosion blew him backwards and I ran past him, helping Harrison out of the room.
As we ran through a corridor, I helped him and he groaned, “I thought I told you—“
“Yeah, yeah. Save it. The tower is coming down.” I said as we hobbled along. We took a sharp turn, “Where are the others?”
“Fighting.”
“We should help them.” I panted. He looked over to me, “You weren’t sent just to help me, were you?”
“Cameras. You’re a freaking burglar and you don’t notice cameras.” Harrison chuckled breathily, “We heard everything. They sent me to get you out.”
“We have no place to go.” I said letting go of his arm. I let go because Steven’s guards were coming up the hallway. He wobbled and I took off at a gentle pace before pulling my Eskrima sticks and sliding on my knees, taking out four of them, leaving four. I put them back quickly and grabbed one guard’s arm, flipping back and sending him flying into another with, perhaps, a broken arm. I kicked a guard coming over to me and brought my leg around, round-housing the last. The guard with a broken arm kneeled down and I ran, using his arm as leverage to jump into the air and bringing my leg down on the other guard’s neck. I looked up to see an arrow whizz past me and sink into the last guard behind me. I smiled and looked to him, but it faded when I saw that as he breathed in, he was falling.
I ran to him, kneeling beside him, “No, you’re not going to save me and die. It doesn’t work that way.” I said angrily, propping his head up.
Within seconds, he began coughing up blood. I stared at the blood, unwilling to believe that this infection was real. It was alien, probably more advanced than we could perceive. Screw that! I pulled out a medical spray, something I use when I get minor scratches. I was pumping it into him as fast as I could and it was doing nothing to help.
“It’s terminal.” Harrison said quickly, “It works faster than normal. It’s meant to disarm their race, but it’s highly deadly to humans.”
“I see.” I said, distraught. I pushed my hand to his arm and he twitched, “Is it contagious?”
“Yes.” He said, his breath becoming labored, “Look, I need you to tell Electra…how I feel.”
I stared at him, trying to come to some sort of realization. He was staring at me, waiting for my reply and I was trying to understand him. I understood the request, but I didn’t understand why he didn’t just tell her. Why he’d waited until death. My thoughts were interrupted by the people running down the hall, they had been. I looked back the way we came and saw that the stairwell had come to a stop and large chunks of debris and cement were coming down the hall.
“You have to hurry.”
“I’m not leaving you!” I said frantically. I looked down the hall and back at him. I stood and looked down at him, trying to reconcile leaving him. My heart broke into pieces and I did the only thing I could. I turned and began running, heading to the lobby. I turned one corner and was about to turn another corner when an arm came from nowhere and clotheslined me. I looked up, breathing so hard that my chest felt like the skin and bones were expanding. Lamb looked down at me with a superior smile. I felt enraged for more reasons than one. The rage had built up to a level where the pain wasn’t going to stop me anymore. I rolled over onto my knees only to receive a kick to the chest that knocked me back against the wall. I moved as I saw a blur coming at me and the blur stopped to reveal Lamb with his hand in the wall. I quickly stood and kicked him beneath the knee, causing him to buckle.
“See how fast you can run now.” I said angrily. I grabbed his head and put it through the wall before taking a step back. Lamb fell to the floor and I tried to feel sorry but I couldn’t, “Nope…no compassion.” I said, turning and jogging away.