Chapter 45 : Celine

[Author note : You've probably noticed by now, but it doesn't hurt to say it. The chapters have gotten shorter. From a little over 2000 words to about 1500. Otherwise, I would be unable to write more than one chapter a week, considering how much I'm a lazy procrastinator. From here on out, this'll be the norm.

If you like my story and would like to read more (chapters or other stories) go to Patréon (e instead of é) and look for Cathbel.

Happy reading !]

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Aaron had struggled for a while with Ned's question. It was a simple one, and in normal circumstances, would have been easy to answer. However, blinded as he was by his anger and his desire for revenge, Aaron's rational mind and his emotions warred inwardly for a long time. In fact, his emotional side didn't even want to think of the question, and tried to push him to rampage around the facility. But, then, another question made it pause :

« What if someone was stronger than you and worked willingly for these douchebags ? »

Ned hadn't really asked it like that, of course. In fact, Aaron noticed that, despite being a relatively young man, Ned liked to use formal language when he spoke. Maybe it was just because they didn't know each other, maybe with his friends and family he spoke more naturally…

In any case, this particular question acted like a bucket of ice water on his overheated brain. Although still present, his anger could be ignored and even silenced if need be. And it was indeed needed… Aaron was now free. Or at least, he could be rather soon, according to Ned Stark. That is… unless Ned and the speedster didn't get caught first, or worse. Aaron still wasn't sure about them. What if they worked for the people that kidnapped him ? For all he knew, the facility here belonged to Ned… After all, he certainly had the money for something like this !

Ignoring the now wary expression on Aaron's face, Ned proceeded forth in the facility. After all, his goal was to rescue as many abductees as he could before reinforcements made their way here… As things were, he was already anxious that they'd stayed too long.

* * * * *

After a couple rounds of fighting, the fight between Robin and the brothers abruptly ended. Not that he complained. Fighting in the sewers was pretty high in the lists of things he'd rather not do… He shivered as he thought back of a fight with Killer Croc in the sewers of Gotham. And if sewers were in general disgusting to begin with, Gotham's had most of them beat in that regard ! Between the occasional corpse dropped by the mobs, the illegal dumping of chemicals and the freaks that, for some obscure and lunatic reason, decided to move in there… Robin wouldn't be surprised if someone told him that it actually was one of the circles of Hell !

In any case, the brothers had fled. Moreover, they did it with teleportation ! This stumped him a bit, since at this point, he was sure of his theory. The brothers' ability only allowed them to teleport to each other. So, then… When they teleported now, how did they manage that ? 'Cause they haven't completely disappeared from his sight…

« Another brother ? » Robin muttered a hypothesis.

However, as things were, the boy wonder couldn't be sure. The only thing he was positive about, was that they were after Celine ! Who they were, or even who they worked for was still a mystery… Besides, that, too, didn't really matter right now. Only his mission, finding and helping Celine, mattered !

Foregoing his usual stealthy approach, Robin started to wade through the dirty waters faster. It was stupid, of course, and he knew that. His feeling of urgency pushed him forward, drowning his prudence. So, he ran, splashing water around, disturbing rats and cockroaches, perhaps even killing a few in his haste.

As he rounded a corner, he chanced upon a rather fantastic sight… Lit up in the dark red glow of flares strewn around the room, three cocoons were hung up, feet up from the ceiling. Only their masked faces peered from the silk ; one's eyes looked terrified while the others… They were unconscious. Idly, Robin remarked that this was another way he could have won the fight. Tying them all up. That way, even if one teleported to the other, they'd still be bound. Although, maybe that would have killed them, too…

Even without all the facts and informations about Celine's meta powers, Robin concluded that she had defeated them. Rather easily too, given how little time had passed since their fight had ended. The problem now was that… he couldn't see her anywhere !

Walking slowly now so as to pay better attention to his surroundings, Robin cursed his earlier carelessness. Because now, Celine knew where he was…

* * * * *

When she first awoke in this maddened colony, the huntress fled its alcove in search of quieter, more defendable place. A lair from which she could come and go to hunt without problem, trap to her leisure, and with none of the humanoid crawling all over the surface.

And so, she fled under it. The already dug and abandoned tunnels she found were smelly, overrun with vermin and filth, but humanoids seldom went there. She started to build her nest, setting her webs to alert her for any trespassers and potential prey. She even made herself a place to sleep securely hanging from the ceiling…

And then, she was disturbed. Attacked. Her territory invaded without regard for her supremacy here. She couldn't have that. As she was about to take down her foe, one suddenly became three. Although they were frail, weak and stupid, their loud fire rods hurt. It dented her chitinous exoskeleton, threatening her life. But she was a hunter, and hunters were smart !

She used the shadows of the underground to move unnoticed, even when they set their red fire lights on the ground. And then, like the huntress she was, she trapped them. It was a rather easy thing to do with her web ! After she had hung her preys from the ceiling, struggling with the strange aversion she had over consuming them, another prey approached.

She could tell this one would be more problematic. For one, although it was loud when it first came here, it was now much more cautious. Aware of his surroundings. She couldn't figure out how to approach it… She still did, slowly, ever so slightly. Until she was sure that her web would reach him…

Just as she prepared to fire her web however, the prey suddenly ducked, showing agility the earlier preys couldn't compare with. The body weaved in the air, like a leaf on the wind. The huntress found it quite beautiful, but… It was in its territory !

With a screech of annoyance, she followed after the prey, dodging the flying projectiles sent her way as she went. Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious sound and a flash of light, followed almost immediately by pain, threw her forward.

* * * * *

Robin sighed in relief. Celine's specs were just… disgusting to be honest ! He's honed his body for years, trained in martial arts, gymnastic and acrobatics. All to reach peak human physique. And a single meta-human like her could simply lay him down in one strike. Whether he lived or died only dependent on if he was struck in a vital spot or not.

Staying far from Celine, Robin thought about how hard it was to actually knock out a meta-human. Since he wasn't fully grown, his strength still wasn't at his peak, despite all the work he put into it. You can't just beat biology through sheer determination and hard work, after all. As for her, he didn't even know how much her physiology was changed. Unlike humans, insects and arthropods in general, had their skeletons on the outside, to hold the organs on the inside. And Celine had an exoskeleton… Did that mean that if he broke it or pierced it, he might end up accidentally killing her ? Or, with her being some kind of hybrid, would there be a second layer of dermis under the armor ?

Had her organs shifted with her transformation ? Or even been replaced ? Added ? Discarded ? Unknown metas were an enigma wrapped in a mystery, hidden in a mist of questions…

Robin waited, tense and ready to dodge at any moment. When she didn't move even after what felt like an eternity, he relaxed… A mistake !

With a speed he had trouble following with his eyes, and impossible to follow, Celine bounded to her feet and rushed at him. With one swing of her many arms, Robin was thrown violently against the opposite wall. Stunned, blinded by the pain, and unable to process anything, Robin was left at Celine's mercy… Just as she was about to go for the finish, with a great crashing sound, she too, was thrown against the walls of the tunnel. However, unlike her own attack, her mystery assailant was relentless. She felt fast, heavy strikes impact her on her head, torso and sides before swiftly, her consciousness faded into unconsciousness.

When Robin managed to get his breath back, he looked up at a familiar back. Long blonde, curly hair washing down her back, a form-fitting dark red outfit. Straight back and a prideful posture.

« Cassie ? » Robin asked weakly.

« Yo, birdie ! Now, we're even ! And with that, lose my number, m'kay ? »