Book 2 Prologue 4

The observation tower had only been built a week prior. It was one of many set up as the Carter Radar system had spread across the United States. Dungeons were now a household name, and people were starting to really let this new reality sink in. There still weren’t enough heroes to cover everything, but progress was being made, and the first series of so-called ‘cullings’ had taken place not far away. The only problem was that a local cult was making things difficult for the heroes trying to do their jobs.

“I don’t get why we don’t just close the damn things,” one of the two men standing on the ledge grumbled. "Just clear the dungeon and get out. Culling the monsters over and over sounds like way too much work.”

The other observer shook his head. "Don’t you get it? It’s all about money, man. It’s always about money. Monster parts are valuable, and as long as you don’t beat the, uh…” he blinked. "What’s it called again?”

“Anchor Beast.”

“Yeah, that, as long as you don’t kill it, the little monsters keep coming back. It’s like printing money. I hear there are people who are getting jobs as porters and miners for the other stuff inside those places - civvies,” he explained. “The Guilds are getting rich crazy fast.”

“Then why are we here?” his friend asked.

The first one sighed. "Because of the TastyAid cult making problems, remember?”

“No, idiot, I know that. I mean, why aren’t we getting porter jobs instead of carrying guns around and staring off into space? Probably pays better.”

“Oh.” The first tilted his head. "I have no idea. That’s a good point.”

“Because the Pandora Committee pays well too, and you’ll get your workman’s comp for today,” a raspy hiss said behind the two of them.

The first one nodded. "Yeah, we get paid pretty good to stand around and-”

“Uh,” the second one mumbled. "Who said that?”

They turned as one and saw three people standing behind them. A flickering yellow-white pane of glass closing behind them as if it were some kind of sliding door. The person on the right was a beast of a man, six or seven feet tall with broad shoulders and a bare chest. His skin was off-gray, and his eyes were beady and dark. He grinned a shark-toothed smile at the guards. On the left was a woman in a dark-armored gown that called up Victorian images, lace, and deep bloody color. Her face was covered in a veil, and her hands were placed delicately on her lap. 

The figure in the center, though, sent chills down their spines. A woman in white armor with a black faceplate covering her face. A pair of angular digital eyes glowed hot pink in the late-night light. Her hair glowed faintly and fluttered behind her like starlight. 

“Hello.”

“Ishtar!” the first one gasped. "She’s real!”

The second reached for his belt. "Sound the-”

A flash of terror and weight pressed down on their minds, and for a moment, everything was animal confusion before they lost consciousness.

–

Ishtar retracted Imperious and strode past the pair of unconscious men, her hands crossed behind her back as she stopped to look over the side of the tower. Technopathy had already dealt with the cameras. Kingshark and the veiled Marta joined her as she let out a breath and scanned the horizon. “Reminds me of New York,” she said quietly. She sensed the two of them exchange a look, her caretaker shifting a bit on her feet. Ishtar had shared her memories of the past with her. She knew, but Kingshark hadn’t had the same blessing yet.

“This is the spot,” Marta said. “Blackrazor’s people will be herding her here.”

“Liberty had a sister,” Ishtar said thoughtfully. “Curious. I didn’t know. Her birthday was recent too. How exciting.”

“Sounds like it ain’t exactly a happy family situation,” Kingshark grunted. “You really think this will pay off? I’d rather be workin’ on my new project.”

“You can go back to sailing once we’re done,” Ishtar said patiently. “If this works out. I’ll have a new weapon to leverage against that monster.”

“Why don’t you just go in there and kill the bitch?” Kingshark asked. “Can’t be stronger than An Set.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ishtar said coldly. “An Set’s electrical powers were vast, but… Liberty is not someone you beat solely with a direct strike. She will take time to tear down.”

“Then we wait,” Marta agreed. “And hope this girl makes it out alive.”

Ishtar tilted her chin up and her inner phone chimed once, a simple text message coming in from Blackrazor. She opened it and glanced towards the distant compound.

<Professor Rift is making his move now. Be ready.>

At first there was nothing, no sound, no reaction, and then a roar. A terrible sound that filled the air with the bestial rage of what Ishtar almost assumed was a monster. Shouts followed and then the gunfire began. A scream. Ishtar narrowed her eyes and used Astral Eye, projecting her vision from tree to tree until it was inside the compound. There, amongst the buildings, was a young blonde woman standing at nearly eight feet tall. She lumbered forward with a massive hammer gripped in her hands. Horns appeared to have sprouted from her head and curled like that of a bull or goat. The expression on her face was something between feral fury and grief.

Oho.

The girl took a bullet and jerked backwards once before charging forward and bowling over a line of cultists. She swung once and the head of her hammer pulverized a man’s torso. She kept running, covered in blood that both did and did not belong to her. Occasionally a group of cultists would pop out and fire wildly at her from corners or alleys within the compound. They seemed to be herding her towards the gates. Those must be Blackrazor’s people.

A flicker of something red crossed the length of the compound and Ishtar raised her eyebrows. Red lightning danced around a crescent of red light that carved through anything in its path. The girl glanced back and leaped out of the way just in time before she lost a limb. She kept running, kept pushing through more and more bodies as they threw themselves at her to keep her in place. Liberty isn’t responding, is she away? Hm…

The man at the other end of the compound launched another arc of red light and the fleeing girl swung at it. Her war maul-that’s what those are called-was cut cleanly in half, pieces of the heavy head hitting the ground noisily just as the girl crashed into the outer doors of the compound. She grabbed one of the nearby guards and used him to smash through, shouldering past the doors and making a break for it into the forest. Gunfire followed her but after what Ishtar had seen, she wasn’t surprised that the cultists didn’t pursue.

“Go.”

Her caretaker placed her hand on the rail and hopped off the side of the watch tower as distant trees fell over in the path of the fleeing youth. Marta landed and a starlight glow began to rise off of her skin. She planted her feet and a tree toppled over, the blonde girl charging towards her with her head down and horns extended. Marta snapped her hands out and grabbed the extended horns just as she came within range, she pivoted once and pulled the girl to the ground with a grunt of effort.

“NUOOOH!”

The girl roared and swung her arm, her fist colliding with Marta’s waist. Marta didn’t even budge. The girl swung over and over again as she continued to bleed and thrash. Marta was saying something but the combined noise made it a little difficult to make out, even with Ishtar’s improved senses. She huffed out a breath and tilted her head up. “Kingshark.”

“Right.”

Kingshark hopped off the side next and his arms turned into tentacles, he whipped them out and began wrapping them around the thrashing girl until, finally, she started to slow. Ishtar sighed and created a portal beneath herself, falling through it and landing on the ground just a few feet away from the restrained escapee. She strode forward and looked down at her while she reached into her warehouse and retrieved Grace, it would be sufficient to heal her wounds.

She held out her hand and green light bloomed around it. The more serious wounds closed first leaving only superficial bruises and cuts behind. The girl began to shrink, her eyes fluttering. Ishtar nodded to her companions and they backed off, leaving the girl on the ground. Ishtar approached and knelt, looking her over. 

<Cassiopeia Hanks, Awakened>

Signs of abuse, lots of them. Liberty has been beating her sister. She exhaled and got to her feet, getting back to work with Grace. 

“Need to… get out. Free…” Cassiopeia mumbled in her delirium.

“Yes, that’s right, you’re free now.” Ishtar said as the last bruise disappeared. She turned to Marta and inclined her head. “Take her, we’re leaving.”

“Yes ma’am,” Marta said and scooped the girl up into her arms.

Kingshark lingered and looked towards the compound. “We should just wreck it now, poor kid.”

“And start a war early?” Ishtar asked him, turning to follow his gaze. She scowled. “I don’t disagree with your feelings but this is how things need to be. Destroying Liberty needs to happen in a way that furthers the overall plan. Come on,” she said and gestured, a portal opening beside her. “The Heroes will show up soon to check on the outpost.”

He nodded. “Right.”

–

Sonya pulled off her helmet as they set the girl down on a bed. Marta had already taken a moment to get her cleaned up. Now the girl was just resting while Sonya reclined in her armor, tapping her fingers on her helmet. She had been shocked by what she’d seen. The girl had come out, half woman, half beast, horns curling out of her headh and her body had grown to almost eight feet in height. Her muscles were strong enough to crush the woods around her. Not invincible, though, covered in blood as she was, wounded, exhausted, and on the verge of death.

A quick dip into her warehouse had solved that problem, at least.

“Ugh… where?”

Sonya looked up and leveled the girl with a stare as she came to, sitting up slowly and holding her head. “You’re awake.”

The girl stared at her. "Wow… are you an angel?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Sonya tittered out a laugh. "Hardly! I’m pretty much the exact opposite of an angel, if we’re being biblical.”

“A demon?”

Sonya smiled. "A helpful one.”

“You saved me? Were you the one who sent that man to let me out?” Cassiopeia asked, a desperate hope in her eyes. “Are you with that Pandora thingy?”

“Pandora Committee? Yes and no,” Sonya said with a shrug. She patted her helmet and leaned forward with a smile, resting her chin on her knuckles. “I’m a supervillain, dear, and a dedicated enemy of your sister. I am going to stop at nothing to bring her out into the light, crush her, and see to it that she dies. How does that make you feel?”

The air went still, and then the girl sat up straight, swallowing hard. “I’m strong.”

“You are,” Sonya agreed.

“You’re stronger than me.”

“Probably.”

“Can you make me even stronger?”

Sonya cocked an eyebrow. “You want to be stronger. Why?”

“Because I want to do it for you,” Cassiopeia croaked. “If anyone gets the right to put my sister down, it’s going to be me!”

“You’ll need training,” Sonya said. “A place to stay that’s hidden well enough to keep you out of your sister's eyes. You’ll need to work hard too and do as I tell you.”

“I’ll do anything,” the girl begged, turning on the bed and crawling off of it. She got on her knees and pressed her head to the floor. “Anything you ask. Please. I don’t want to live in a world where she’s free. I want-” she choked. “I want-.”

Sonya closed her eyes and listened to her sobs. She slipped off her seat and sighed, crouching down with the girl and putting a hand on her head. She stroked it for a while, letting her get the emotion out. This is what Liberty does. She breaks people, makes them feel like dirt beneath her feet. Poor girl. She needs something more than revenge, though.

“From now on, you can consider me family, Cassiopeia,” Sonya said gently. “I’ll take care of you. I know just where to send you as well. You’ll get training from the best and brightest. In completing the training, you’ll be in a position to bring the fight to your sister when the time comes to put her down.”

Cassiopeia looked up. "Where am I going?”

“A camp to train heroes,” Sonya said brightly.

The girl wiped her tear-streaked eyes. "B-but, you’re a villain.”

“So?” Sonya laughed. “I can play both sides. I have connections, dear. I’ll get you in. You just need to work hard for me. Understood?” She held out her hand, and the girl took it.

“Yes, I understand.”

Sonya brightened. "It’s a deal then!”

She pulled the girl to her feet and grabbed a box of tissues nearby. She passed it over and walked over to grab her helmet. The girl blew her nose once before speaking up. “Who are you? I… probably should have asked.”

“I’m Sonya Chernovna,” Sonya said. "CEO of ASTA Corporation.”

“You… make weapons? I think?”

“You have a lot of catching up to do,” Sonya chuckled. “Yes. That’s part of it.” She picked up her helmet and turned it over, catching her reflection in the faceguard. Her stomach clenched, and she turned the helm away before pulling it on over her head. She felt the security that came with it wash over her like a comfortable blanket. “You may also call me Ishtar.”

–

Sonya finished packing away her gear and walked off to the balcony for some air. This was going to be the last time she saw New York in a while, and she wanted to savor the lights and energy of it all. She took a deep breath and sighed before glancing back at Marta, who stepped out to join her. “You all packed?”

“Yes, ma’am. The girl is ready as well. I’ll drop her off at the bus stop and keep an eye on her until they pick her up,” Marta said. “Miss Mint is handling the politics.”

Sonya nodded. "Good,” she turned back to the city. “A camp for heroes.”

“It was an interesting idea,” Marta agreed. “Bolster their ranks so that what happened the last time around won’t happen again.”

“Yep,” Sonya said thoughtfully. “Though I’m hoping for something else while I’m there.”

“What’s that?”

Sonya ran her hand over the rail and turned to face her dear friend. “That maybe, just maybe, there will be someone there with the stuff to pick up where Nick left off.”