Shakedown Part 4

Despite the rather grim crime scene, the police arrived with more relaxed positions than usual. All the familiar faces from Alex to Zacharia were there and, of course, Commissioner Girder. But, to an observer, they have seemed like nothing more than maids to clean up my mess.

But to me, they were my fellow soldiers in this war, brave men and women whom I've had the honor to know over the years. My recent fall made that all the more apparent. Out of the crowd of brave souls, Girder instantly took charge, easing the evident tension with his usual stern but dry wit.

"You really could've saved some for us, Omna," he said charmingly.

"Don't worry, Girder, there's always next time," I said in a rather disappointing manner.

Picking up on my subtle tone perfectly, Girder instantly knew what to do, ordering his men to check the scene as he decided to try and talk with me in private.

"When and where?" he said with warm compassion.

Those words were more than enough to make me fall back and give up appearances as I told him the pinnacle of the rendezvous point along with the up and front report for both the uninitiated and media to devour.

An hour after said debrief, I pulled off a move I hadn't pulled off in what seemed like a while. Because instead of speeding towards said point cape and all from high above, I carried my half-dead self in a car of my choosing, relying on all mighty autopilot to guide me while changing into civilian clothes for the first time in forever.

In all truth, the 2 of us could've met any location; this is the digital age, after all. But this place had a little bit of history. Mainly because it was my favorite landmark in all of Krimo, called the Steel Spire, one of the very few monuments in all of Krimo that still stood before the New Wave.

Against all odds, it was also one of the few landmarks that managed to rise to the upper levels, mainly securing itself on a large hovering platform. If there was a reason to visit Krimo, then I guess you could say this was it. Because from there, one could see bits and pieces of the lower levels, but I gravitated towards the structure for entirely different reasons.

Mainly because before, the capes and costumes this Spire served as a symbol of a time long past, when we all braved the same struggle as fellow humans. An ideal that I fought tooth and nail to try and bring back. An ideal that I realized that I had to achieve through very different methods.

Nonetheless, Grider and I decided to make this our rendezvous point when I first started out saving him during the Aftershock as he faced off against over a hundred rioters by himself. So it was no surprise that he was there by the time I arrived.

With sheer force of will, I forced myself out of the car, shuffling across the large rooftop until we got within talking range. It didn't even take five seconds for Girder to state the obvious.

"You look half dead, Omna. You should've gotten that wound checked before arriving here," he said in genuine harsh truth.

"I'll be fine Girder, I'll get it checked after we talk," I said in a weary tone.

"Fine, what did you find? We usually talk like this unless you want to ask something big or under the rug, but you've been pretty open with the Rev raids. So what's changed?"

"Before shit hit the fan, I was interrogating one of the people I had taken down. He couldn't give me too much information, but he did say that whoever he was working for was using that place as a stockpiled source of Rev to advertise for this year's Villain Expo."

The infamous name instantly struck a chord with him, lumping his throat so far back that he almost struggled to form sentences.

"If that's the case, then our subject has to be high up the food chain. Someone like Threads or Hell's Hand. Either way, it doesn't exactly help things; we've never been able to take a bite out of the Expo or even find it."

"Well, this year's going to change. It has to," I said in pure desperation.

With that, Girder got a little bit antsy and hesitant explaining other resistances.

"Believe me, Omna, I've wanted to nail the Expo just as badly and just as long as you have. But secrecy hasn't been the only thing holding us back, and you know it. If the rumors are half as true as they say, then we're looking at hundreds, hell, possibly thousands who are not on the level of your average bum. I trust you, Omna, but you know how underfunded and understaffed the police is as it is; it would be a bloodbath for my men," he said coldly as a series of doubt-laced echoes started to escape from his throat seemingly.

"I know that Girder, but between both you and I's connections, we can rustle up more than enough heroes for the job. We pull this off, and we can cut Krimo's crime in half," I said already in rampant building emotion as I curled up against my fists.

"Yeah, and if we mess up, then what little of Krimo's law enforcement becomes a fraction of what it is now. And if you die, then Krimo loses it's-."

"I DON'T CARE!" I said through blazing red eyes before stumbling back with a piercing headache.

In a mix of instinctive guard and genuine compassion, Girder tried to approach me carefully, but I signaled him to stop as I recollected my exhausted mind, body, and spirit.

"Sorry, I'm sorry it's just, you don't understand Girder. I'm not that woman anymore. I'm not Omna anymore, I'm not a symbol, and frankly, I haven't felt like a goddamn savior in years. We've been doing this dance for fucking years, Girder. All we've done is lose again and again and again, and I'm fucking tired of it! And if we don't take that risk, if we do nothing and lose again, then we'll lose this war! Power is the only thing these animals understand, and if that, Rev gets out. So I'll lose the only thing I sacrificed everything for, the only thing I have left. Do you have any idea how crushing that is?" I said with tears welling up in my eyes.

With that, an all-consuming silence filled the highest point in Krimo and seemingly managed to spiral down into the rest of Krimo. For a tense few seconds, I waited for Grider's following few words as he just stared in a stone-faced manner. Finally, however, he didn't bother to resort to terms, instead of giving me an awkward, unexpected but very much appreciated the hug.

'Believe me, Omna, I know exactly how that feels, and you're such a strong person for fighting this fight longer than I ever have. And it is also exactly why I'm asking all these questions. Because I need to know exactly what's going to make this time so much different from the others," he said in a mix of pride and weatheredness.

For a good half-minute, I thought about what he said and, by extension, the seemingly endless cycle I got trapped in. And remembering my fight with both Muscle Monsters and the Mutant Masters made me find my answer.

"Because now, I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Grider, no more holding back," I said as I solidified my resolve.

At that moment, Girder shifted from the hug and made sure we were face to face to say these final words.

"Then you have my full support."

With that, the both of us shook hands, intent on walking a path that would change Krimo forever.