Chapter 74 : Shot down

[Author note : If you want to read 10 chapters ahead, or some of my other stories, visit my Patréon page (e instead of é). Search for Cathbel on their website. Enjoy !]

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The ravagers' chopper cut through the air like a blade in the night sky, heading straight toward an isolated base. Around the base, the plains towered over it, hiding it from sight and protecting it. However, the grey concrete building contrasted in an ugly way in the rocky ground strewn here and there by white snow. The guard towers, in particular, stood tall around it, reaching over the hills. This militaristic facility stood out in the deserted, and mostly untouched by man, lands of Antarctica.

Rose was checking over her equipment when it happened… A shot rang out, followed immediately after by the sound of a bullet piercing, tearing through the fuselage. Soon, the engine stopped and they felt the helicopter lurch violently.

« Brace for impact ! » Rose ordered instantly, grabbing the net meant to hold equipment and twirling it around her hands.

The crash after that was swift and extremely violent. Rose felt something heavy impact with her forehead… Maybe she lost consciousness and maybe she only lost her sight for a very short while. The next moment when she opened her eyes, everything around her was blurry, shadings of darkness and lights. She realized quickly that the light was fire by its warm glow.

She raised a hand to her face before bringing to her eyesight in a dark taint of red. Was she bleeding ? Yes, she was. And maybe she was also suffering from a concussion. No matter ! Her healing would take care of it swiftly. For now, she had to check on her people.

« Ravagers, report ! » She ordered, her voice breaking slightly.

She disentangled herself from the net and started to get up, only to feel woozy. She faltered, and used her right hand to steady herself against the dark form on her right that she believed was part of the chopper.

« Did somebody get the number of the truck that ran me over ? » The grumbling voice of Ridge sounded off in her back.

« Wasn't a truck… Argh ! » Caitlin pained voice, to her left. Pretty close too. Were they sitting together on the flight ? She couldn't recall, but she didn't believe so.

« It was a sniper. » Rose pointed out. « And I believe I know who it was… »

Shooting down a helicopter with one sniper shot wasn't something anyone could achieve. In fact, she only knew of three people, maybe four, who could do it. Deadshot, one of her fathers competitor. An exceptional marksman. Her own father, of course. Maybe her, though she never did before. Finally, a certain blue girl with a form-fitting outfit.

The girl in question was the one she believed had just shot them down… Nothing else made sense at the moment.

She heard the sound of metal from somewhere in front of her, following by the vengeful voice of Grunge :

« Bastards can't take us in a fair fight ! »

Rose scoffed, not commenting that it was actually the better move to simply prevent them from fighting in the first place. If her orders were simply to put down the Metas, instead of capturing them, the missions would end much sooner. Her conscience would bother her for a while after that, however…

She felt a sharp pain in her elbow, accompanied by a crack. She broke something it seemed, and her healing factor was still hard at work. She turned her head toward her former friend, Caitlin. Unlike her and the rest of the Ravagers, she had no passive way to prevent such injuries. Sure, she could manipulate the density of her cells, improve her bone and muscle structure, but it was all done consciously. And at the cost of calories and stamina.

During a surprise attack, she wouldn't have had time to prepare her defenses. Rose frowned, worried for a moment. Then she remembered : they were no longer friends. They might never have been in the first place.

« Thunder and Lightning ? »

« Knocked out, the weaklings ! » Grunge growled before kicking a prone form on the ground disdainfully.

« What about Leash and Warblade ? »

« Leash managed to teleport himself before the crash, » Ridge explained what he saw. « Warblade might have been thrown out… »

Rose pondered. Should they wait them out ? Lightning and Thunder would have the time to recuperate while Leash and Warblade could join with them again. She had no doubt Warblade was okay. The man was made of metal. Leash was another story. He was one of the squishiest on the team…

She turned her blurry vision toward Grunge and her two other unconscious teammates. Those two were also squishy. Rose blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision and head. She had to get back in the game. The enemies were, once again, attacking the organization she was tasked with defending. Several times already, she had failed… She didn't like the idea of failing one more time. Unfortunately, she couldn't shake the feeling that it would happen. Again.

« If you fight while expecting to lose, defeat is everything you'll achieve. Envision victory and you'll vanquish any foe… Or something. » She muttered to herself as she retrieved the hand maintaining her balance against the fuselage.

She was yet to reach a hundred percent. Her healing would take more time. Time she didn't have. Now that they were on foot though, it would grant her the time she needed. However, they couldn't wait. They had to do their utmost in defending Centerhall and the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. facility. The best outcome would be for them to capture the Metas at the same time.

« Fairchild, you good ? » She asked to assess.

« I'm good…ish. » She said with a grunt of pain. « I'm already working on augmenting my healing capabilities. I won't be able to move much for a while yet. Unfortunately. » She added the last part as if in afterthought. The truth was, she was almost glade she couldn't follow. She didn't even have to lie or fake it, either !

Well… Part of her would have liked to make sure the children escaped safely. At least, she wouldn't have to betray N.O.W.H.E.R.E. overtly right now. With a sigh, she unconsciously released the hold over her powers, reverting her cells to function normally. The pain came back, making her whimper slightly. The next moment, she felt ashamed for it and resumed working on her healing.

Due to her enhanced senses, Rose was the only one to catch the sound. She nodded :

« Alright, then. Keep watch over Thunder and Lightning. If Warblade and Leash come back, direct them to us. Grunge, Ridge, let's go ! »

Grunge grunted in assent and Ridge sarcastically saluted and said :

« Aye, aye, sir ! »

Ridge was still feeling pretty shitty. Although he was resilient, a helicopter crash wasn't something you just shrugged off unless you escaped miraculously unscathed. Grunge was… almost unbreakable. And Rose… Well, she obviously was much worse off that he was. Couldn't be helped, then.

According to their intel, they were at least two identified Metas : Wonder Girl and Solstice. There were also suspicions on at least two other individuals with one possibly possessing super-speed. Kid Flash, perhaps ? The other one use psionic constructs of some sort…If Superboy was anything like other Kryptonian, even a weaken him would be a tremendous adversary.

So… They were outnumbered, pretty outgunned. If he didn't go as well, his teammates would risk dying. Moreover, probably the most important reason, he was afraid what the leader would do if their team failed again.

The trio left the debris of the burning helicopter behind after they moved the wounded. Caitlin watched them leave, crossing her fingers inwardly for their mission to fail. She, too was afraid of the leader. She'd only seen him once, from afar, but considering the lunatic he was surrounded with… Templar, Centerhall… She was pretty sure he, too, had a few screws loose. Besides, if what she saw was his face…

Caitlin shivered at the image in her mind. The man, if it was even a man… was terrifying. The hatred their group had for Metas was also something that terrified her. It bordered on religious fanaticism. A fanaticism that was drilled and beaten into their 'assets', so they never forgot where their place was : as tools.

Until a few weeks ago, she'd been able to escape this treatment by hiding her Meta status… But it seemed they've always known. Even her betrayal and the information she passed on to Robin was known… She still wasn't sure why she was still even alive.

She shook her head and looked at her two charges. Thunder and Lightning. A bunch of kids who were slowly undergoing the brainwashing and conditioning. Already, she couldn't see the sweet, blissfully ignorant teenagers of before their capture. Now, they were becoming soldiers, human weapons…

« I hope they succeed… » She prayed to herself.