Then.
"Ficken!" shrieked Godfather as she staggered back into her control room. "It's all going to Schieße!"
It really was. Between the sudden attack on the facility, her troops getting slaughtered and those blonde-haired poofs breaking several ribs... And the worst thing about it was that it had started so well, too - collecting all those wonderful materials, something that would really elevate the Magpies into a force to be reckoned with. What the hell had gone wrong, to send things spiralling down the shitter in such a short time?!
Okay, rhetorical question. She was so going to dock Ivan's pay when they got out of this mess. And Rapture would be delivering his usual spiel - like she cared about that blue-suited spaz.
There was only one thing for it. Pushing aside a startled techie, she snatched up the microphone he'd had on his desk.
"RETREAT!" she practically screamed for all to hear. "ALL UNITS, RETREAT TO THE PORTAL!"
When in doubt, cut your losses and try somewhere else. It was a policy that had served her well so far, and she wasn't going to drop it now.
----
Now.
"Tracy, can you hurry it up?" Willis said.
"This isn't my area of expertise!" Tracy snapped back. The portal room, very much like the Stargate TV series Ash was vaguely aware of, but didn't actually watch, was crammed full of Magpies, most whispering nervously to each other or just sort of staying out of the way, though a few were guarding the door.
Good thing, as it meant the soldiers that came in were swiftly cut down with clubs of ice (frozen milk actually) and a normal crowbar. One managed to draw his gun...
"STOP." Willis ordered.
And Whisper's voice controlling talent quickly took care of that.
"SHOOT YOURSELF."
The guard put the gun to his head. It fired...into the ceiling, Ash having grabbed the man's arm and yanking it up, knocking the guard senseless with a punch instead.
"No." Ash said. "I know you're scared, but no killing. Not unless you can't do anything else. Please."
"He wouldn't hesitate with us! Do you really want to risk that?"
"Yes." Ash said, gathering the beaten soldiers and indicating they should be thrown out into the hallway leading to the portal room. "Can we lock this door?"
"Yeah, but all the guys in charge have an override code. We don't have any technopaths with us...we could throw the switch to close the door and then wreck it, but this whole area's wiring is wired together...it could disrupt the portal." Tracy said.
"How long until we have a portal?"
"Can't say!"
"How long before they notice their guards got knocked flat?"
"Probably not as long."
"...All right, close and lock the door. And let's hope the left hand can't figure out what the right hand is doing."
---
Then.
"...you mean. this is all?" asked Godfather, voice low.
The man known as Muerto nodded, solemnly. "Si, ma'am."
Godfather stared across the hangar. She needn't have bothered - a mere glance was enough to tell that what they'd salvaged wasn't nearly enough. The vast majority of it had been destroyed in the attack, and the few crates and boxes they pulled through, some dented and others blackened, were far below the number she'd been hoping for. There was no way she could run a war machine on this meagre supply, as radically powerful as it all was.
Godfather groaned, and rubbed her temples. In front of her, the Magpies awaited her command with tense anticipation. Behind, Rapture's steely gaze bore into the back of her skull. Fuck the rock and the hard place, this was more like being between a spiked wall and a pit full of rabid spiders. Keep it together, keep it together...
"Alright," she managed, "new plan. We give everyone two months to recover and recuperate after this fucking train-wreck. Then we gather what we've got and try again somewhere else. Those co-ordinates Dallas copied before she left sound promising - from what I gather, it's another place like ours, except they don't have fucking superheroes crawling out of the woodwork. Lightning doesn't strike twice, after all."
It took her a few moments to realise they were still staring. Shit, they were doubting her. Any show of weakness, especially in a moment like this, was tantamount to baring your throat and asking for it to be quick and painless. You had to show you knew what you were doing, get them back on track before any of them started asking questions...
"Dismissed," she snapped. "And somebody turn off that alarm!"
But she knew, from the mutterings and slumping of shoulders as they left, that the senior Magpies weren't so sure about this caper anymore. Except for the clown, who giggled and cartwheeled away as though he was at a theme park.
Fucking weirdo.
----
Now.
The alarm was still going. Whether it was due to the events that had led Ash and co here, or what they were doing, no one knew. Thankfully, most everyone had cleared out of the portal room, mainly because they wanted to get away from Godfather and she was among the very last to leave, making taking it over not that difficulty.
"I think I've almost got it...damn." Tracy said. "Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is we'll soon have a portal. The bad news is, it'll be one way only. I can't figure out a duo-directional portal."
"Anything else?" Ash said.
"Yeah...it's not going to be all that stable. We'll have to pace who goes through."
"Unstable portals have their own issues. Everyone, you need to take off everything you have on you that has any kind of moving part or electronics. Phones, entertainment devices, weapons, everything. I hung around with a woman who did stuff with portals: she told me that if one of those goes off while you're traveling, you might not exit so well. Or at all. Or in one piece. Clothing should be fine, everything else, ditch it."
"...I've been waiting for an excuse to do this, then!"
A clunking noise, followed by a crunch, revealed the end of the helmet Hannah had been wearing when she'd brought the others round. This was followed by a series of similar noises as everyone else began to destroy their own gear, heeding Ash's warning as they eliminated the things that might screw them over.
Tracy nodded at this. "Better safe than sorry. Knew a woman who took her phone through a portal. Very messy."
"Who's going through first?"
"Whoa, careful careful!" Declan, nee Blindspot said, as a female Ironsides Magpie tried to help him take off the vest he had all his trademark weapons attached to. "I have a wire that pulls all the pins at once, if you don't know where it is you could pull it by accident."
"...You put a wire on your clothing that can set off all your grenades?"
"Yes?"
"WHY?"
"...I don't know. I was...drunk."
"Get it off safely then. I repeat my question." Ash said.
"I will." Willis stepped forward, face set. "This was partly my idea. I should be the one responsible for making sure everyone gets through."
"Take this."
Willis found the Magnificence being tossed to him.
"DON'T draw it. I can't use it in here with you guys. Throw it through first if you're worried about carrying it. When you get there, yell for sanctuary, surrender. Use that as proof you're with me, it's one of a kind. Tracy, let me see how that works when you open it. I'm going through last."
Tracy nodded, then turned back to the console and punched a button.
The portal opened. It's a short sentence, but it contains a lot of incident. Imagine a flower blooming in fast motion, mixed with a Rubicks Cube solving itself and that was what it was like. Stare at it too long and you'd get a mild contact high from the afterimages.
"I've set the co-ordinates," Tracy cut in after a moment, rubbing her steamed-up glasses. "And it's on auto-transmit as well. All that's needed is to walk right in."
"Then get going. We've gone too long without getting got."
--
Then.
"Ma'am?"
She wheeled around, dark clouds building about her. "What?!"
She regretted saying that, because it turned out to be the cute secretary who she'd hired the year before. Valerie, was it? Very good with numbers, sterling eye candy and had the pestilence of a saint when it came to her moods. The latter was demonstrated when she flinched, but kept her level tone of voice as she continued onwards with her query.
"What about our prisoner, ma'am?"
Godfather paused. That was a good question, actually. She'd had the vaguest inkling that maybe Ivan hadn't been the best person to put in charge of somebody as important as that particular prisoner. Especially when it came to keeping him intact as per her demands. After all, he was the sort of person who tended to follow the spirit of an order rather than the letter - a mad, ocelot-headed spirit that only he could see. But still...
"He goes with us," she finalized, at last. "Get Ivan to fetch him."
Valerie nodded, and walked off. Godfather tried to comfort herself by watching the blonde's swaying hips as she left, but it didn't do anything for her this time. Verdammt. It was going to be vodka and cable TV night again...
---
Now.
"Willis is through." Tracy said.
"Okay, everyone! One at a time, ten-fifteen seconds between each person if-"
THUD.
Someone was trying to break open the door.
"...Make that five seconds. GO!" Ash said.
---
Then...
Ivan had been pretty grumpy to begin with. It had been a poor week overall, what with one thing and another - Hannah fighting back, some of Godfather's more cutting remarks, and now this retaliatory strike on the invasion force. Not that Ivan cared about what happened to the limp-wristed idiots in Kou's division, but the loss of so many goods and manpower disheartened him a lot. The entire thing had been a bust, and now they were having to move shop before things really went south.
So when Valerie had delivered Godfather's orders to relocate the prisoner, it had not been a welcome appearance. He'd bit back his tongue, of course, but he honestly didn't believe she'd be fazed by any kind of retort he could have come up with. In all honesty, her stoic patience probably made his mood worse - she almost seemed to revel in his growl of annoyance as he'd picked himself up from his seat and trudged off. Why Godfather had even hired her, if not for her body, the Russian had no idea.
Still, he mused as he trudged down the corridor, it probably wouldn't be all that bad. They'd lost far fewer men than they could have done, and brought a whole load of new resources with them, which would help them get a better footing in the new location. Perhaps the Ironsides would be chosen to take the first steps, instead of the science-obsessed Atoms who took far too long to do anything. He reckoned it would be at least a month before he could get something decent coming in, by comparison, and then... Well, they would have to wait and see.
There was a strange lack of personnel in the cell blocks today. He ignored this, and continued onward to where he knew Ash's cell was. How to transport him...? Perhaps just knock him out, and then claim he'd been resisting? It would certainly bypass the part where he went mad from all the prattling, and make him a lot easier to stuff into a box to be loaded onto a van.
Yes. That would be the most efficient way.
Which is when Ivan encountered the open door. And the empty prison cell.
"...Dah, Godfather has the rats trained good. They already took the shit to face her wrath...without telling me...and leaving his chains behind...while I am unable to raise my troops that should be stationed in this wing..."
Tick tock tick tock...
"OH CHERT POBERI...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
---
"Ow, my ears."
"Yeah, careful, the portal sends out flickers of electricity." Tracy said, as the ear-singed Ironsides Magpie headed through the portal. Only a dozen left...
"Um, ma'am?" One said. "I have a question that I don't really want to ask, but I should know."
"What?"
"Is it true they put bombs in us?"
"...what?"
"A friend of a friend says that after...the last person we lost, they started putting little bombs in our food that stay in our gut, and if we go rogue...someone presses a switch and boom."
"...No. No that's nonsensical. They'd never..." Tracy said.
"Put a bunch of psychopaths in one place and you get concentrated psychopathy, as my dad liked to say." Ash said. "Well, if they can, they either can't do it through the door or they haven't judged it necessary yet..."
WHAM! WHAM!
"Then again that could disrupt the delicate wiring. Hmmm hmmm hmmm." Ash said.
"So, uh..." Hannah shifted both feet, side-eying Ash. "What happens when... I mean, after we're all through?"
"We close it. Anyone comes through before that, we punch it. Get settled. Then...I was thinking take you all to my world. Someplace far away from their entry point. Give you some resources, identification, etc etc...and you can settle down as per your desire. Plus I'll listen to ideas."
"...the idea has merit, I suppose," ventured Tracy, after a pause. There was a general murmur of agreement from the remaining Magpies.
"Keep going. We're almost there. The voice could barely be heard through the metal barrier.
WHAM! WHAM!
",,,you build good doors." Ash commented, his tone blithe.
It took some time for everyone to twig.
"Shi-" Hannah began to say.
"No." Tracy's voice was iron and authoritive. "Nobody is panicking, understand? If anybody does, we leave them behind. Now, stay calm and keep going, one at a time."
"Yeah. Go." Ash said, going into a crouch, feeling his knees pop. He didn't really feel all that good, but considering his recent ordeals, he could definitely feel worse. There were seven people left, not including him. Six.
Five.
Silence. No more banging.
"Tracy, might be time to throw caution to the wind." Ash said. He had a feeling he knew what that sound was.
"Okay! Hannah, go through with Douglas, same time! Renny, with Moe five seconds afterwards! Hurry!"
Hannah gave Ash one last look, and then ran for it. The portal wobbled as she entered with the other Ironsides.
"....They're through! Go, go!"
Moe and Renny went.
"Okay. Come on Ash..."
"No. Go ahead."
Ash stood up, cracking his neck.
"I'll be right behind you."
Ash didn't know the woman very well, but even he could have told that, from the brief look he gave her, it was the look of someone trying to keep herself from falling to pieces. And the only way to do that, to ensure everything went according to plan, was to stick with it, no matter what.
She may have doubted Ash. She knew she stood no chance against Mr. Silver.
Eventually, Ash heard the portal whine, and knew he was alone.
As if on cue, the portal shut down four seconds later. If he'd been heading for it, he probably would have been cut in half. Sometimes, you just knew. Override code. Shut portal.
Open door.
Ash didn't say anything as he came in. Behind him, the hallway was filled with Magpies. Ivan, it seemed, had been the lucky first one there with the skeleton key.
"Lucky break, little idiot," snarled Ivan, cracking his knuckles. "But your luck just ran out."
"Kind of funny, considering they ended up in Vegas I'm pretty sure."
The punch flew.
Ash juked backwards and slipped in, getting the leverage and shoving himself around Ivan, throwing him to the ground. The head stomp would have been a lot more effective if Ivan didn't wear thick armor and Ash had been wearing shoes, but Ash bet it rattled his cage and dredged up some old memories he probably didn't want to recall.
"Kinda different when your target isn't chained up or half dead, isn't it?"
"I WILL MURDER YOU!"
"You and what army?"
"THAT ON-!"
Ash dashed in as Ivan began to point out his backup, his palm slamming into Ivan's facial mask.
"That was a rhetorical question."
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