[ 14 ]
WHAT DID a creature do when it was being hunted? Gazelles leapt as far as they could, trying desperately to get away. Birds flapped their wings, trying desperately to get away. And Finn stood in his cell, scanning the walls for vantage points and trying desperately to get away. He tried to think of something smart to do, thinking, "What would Batman do?"
It was pointless, really.
He didn't have a Robin, and though Finn had always been opposed to the idea of a sidekick for self-esteem reasons and morals, one would've really come in handy right now with a battering ram or something. Alas, his Robin wasn't any closer than before, and time was of the essence, so he diverted is thoughts and tuned back into what the boy was saying, delivering a villain speech with gusto.
"In precisely three seconds, a gas will be pumped into your individual cell, containing the serum that amplified your powers in the first place. You will overdose, and join me in our glorious mission, driven insane by the chemicals. Any questions?"
Finn raised his hand, hoping to ask, "what the hell, dude?" but the boy ignored him.
Squaring his shoulders, Finn looked up at the single vent in the cell, which previously had been blasting icy air into the small room, though it had now paused, causing sweat to prick uncomfortably at his collar. Slowly, something else began to ebb out of the vent, something that Finn thought, at the first glimpse, was stardust. He scoffed at his own childishness, narrowing his eyes as the gas began to waft closer to him.
Instinctively, he made his way to the farthest corner of his cell, leaning against the padded wall, trying his best not to breathe in the air, which was beginning to smell like noxious chemicals. It was hard to believe the stuff coursed through his veins, too, maybe even more than real blood after over twelve years worth of it. Now that it was closer, Finn furrowed his eyebrows, studying it. The gas moved agonisingly slowly, and the more he looked, the more it really did look like stardust - it was beautiful.
A smudgy dark grey, with bursts of ethereal light pulsing within it, making warmth tug at the places where his skin made contact with it. It had begun to swirl around his neck and shoulders, and he held his breath, heart pounding and blood pouring in his ears. One last time, he looked around, hoping foolishly that some magical escape had materialised, but found nothing. The gas rushed into his nose and mouth.
Finn closed his eyes and let the stars take him.
~•~
EXHILARATION. THAT WAS the first thing he felt when he woke up, roaring in his veins and forcing him to stand, energy pounding in his chest. Finn gazed at the open door for a second, dark eyes flashing, before walking out of it, led by glorious purpose. Today, there were people that would bow to him, recognise him as the saviour Semper City needed.
It was funny, really, how cruel the Mother was. Opening her iron arms for one moment, then snapping them shut, luring country fools in with cards and flashing lights, daring them to test their luck in the casinos that lined the East End, don the Anarchist's masks sold in the Southside, not knowing what they truly signified. Because they were all just pawns, shifting on the Mother's chessboard, while she cackled,
knowing what was about to happen to them.
Mother Semper would have to wait, for now. They were coming for her, but first, they had to destroy it all. Watch it burn. Save the Mother. The words dragged on in his head.
motherkilldestroysavemothersemperbadbadbadsinnersandbastards-
The red-eyed boy cut off those murderous thoughts with the extension of his skinny hand, skin stretched over bone, so much bone, too much bone for a normal person. He dug his nails into Finn's flesh, who watching him like a dog waiting for a command, eyes wide and earnest.
"Heroes and villains," the boy announced, throwing his arms wide open. "I am Rex Corvus, failure of Project ORDER." He gave a loud laugh, fragile bones creaking, and Finn shivered. "The super serum that has been administered to you was once administered to me. I was but a child then, the same age as you were. We received them all together, apart from Lexie, dearest, of course." Rex bared his teeth at Sasha, his movements like a cat's as he stalked towards her.
"Something went wrong. Too much serum was given to me. Once I got out of the coma, they found that the dose had turned me insane. But loneliness isn't something anyone wants, even if they are, as they call us, insane."
Finn stared at his surroundings, watched the lines blur till there was just angry red in his vision, guiding him like a shuddering compass, unsure of where to go, just to go. In front of him, he could see Rex, crooning something that Finn couldn't quite make out - or maybe he didn't want to hear it - before hauling a machine gun into his arms and shooting rapid-fire in a circle around the five of them, taking out the prisoners that dared venture too close, along with the odd guard, frozen in their positions with bulging eyes.
The subjects of Project ORDER were high, high on their superhero serum (laughable, now that Finn thought about it), high on insanity, high on bloodlust. The shots that rang out were followed by the ping of bullets on metal, occasionally the sick squelch of guts spurting onto the walls as their bullets found their home in tender human flesh.
For a moment, Finn just stood there, watching the chaos unfold with an unhinged smile on his face, before an iron grip around his wrist reluctantly wrenched him away from the action. Baring his teeth, a savage animal, he pulled his hand away, looking at Narcissa's face with his red-tinted sight and taking in every detail of it. Droplets of blood, evidently not hers, sprinkled her sharp cheekbones, coming to a stop at her jaw, where they dripped down onto her dark turtleneck, soon soaked up in the fabric.
A glint of madness in her black diamond eyes, which Finn knew was flashing in his, too, gave way to the dull shine of an ornate vintage pistol, purchased from one of her fancy arms dealers with a definite flair for the dramatic. As she cocked it, a metallic clink coming from the inside of her leather jacket told Finn that the gun wasn't the only weapon hidden in her clothes - as far as he knew, she was completely loaded with them.
A devilish smirk crossed her angular features as she placed a simple .44 into his open, expectant palm. Finn's long fingers closed around it, the carefulness of his touch more of a show of gratitude than a "thank you" could've been. He was out of his mind, but he still knew to treat Narcissa's babies well.
"Get 'em, tiger."
Her red lips - was it blood or lipstick? - pursed as she fired, before opening into a gasp. Finn followed her gaze, which travelled down the hallway before coming to an abrupt halt at the door to the staircase. Seeing the shock etched into her face, so deep that it looked as if it had been there forever, Finn's high plummeted, replaced by a fear that was perfectly warranted, given their situation. His spur of insanity faded as a handful of SWAT officers walked into the hallway, tailed by a bronze-skinned woman in a neatly tailored pantsuit.
Stomach clenched, a flicker of recognition went through his mind, which had now somewhat returned to its normal state, as the woman's face came into view. Finn knew her, had held awkward conversations, her kind eyes suggesting a lack of formality that the badge on her chest challenged. Neleesha Singh was his superior, not his friend. Despite only being in her late twenties, she'd held the title of Director of Security for a few years, unrivalled by any usurpers, and had proven herself many times as Crux's best and brightest.
And they were not with her, they were against her.
Finn set down his gun, hands held up in a surrender as Neleesha raced over to him, an almost pitying look on her face as she approached. Forcing his arms down with surprising strength and pulling the metal power-prohibiting gloves onto his hands, which were now cuffed behind his back, she kicked his gun away, skidding across the floor with a whistle. The new Director gave him a half-smile, her voice muffled by the stream of gunfire around them as Rex continued shooting, joined by the Mask and a few other equally terrifying prisoners.
God, what had they done?
"Can't stay out of trouble, can you, Finn?"
Director Singh muttered as she watched one of her officers pick his gun up and hook it around their own belt.
Her voice was almost pitying, brown eyes earnest as she studied him. Neleesha Singh had those sort of eyes, the eyes that looked as if they knew your every secret. Usually, that look was comforting, but after what he'd done, it only made Finn want to squirm with guilt.
Realising that he hadn't yet answered her, he shook his head, looking around at his friends, who had all managed to regain their humanity with various degrees of discomfort on their faces as they took in the destruction around them. The destruction that they had caused.
"It always seems to find me."
Narcissa was wiping the blood from her face with a startlingly calm expression, the corners of her lips slightly raised and eyes blank slates as she said something to the uniformed man holding her gun. The silver caught the light, and Finn saw that the barrel was caked with dried blood.
"What happened, Director?" He wiped his sweaty face with his sleeve, turning back to look at Neleesha. "I-I don't remember much," he paused, eyebrows furrowing. "I mean, it's not like I don't remember. It's more like something else took over me. Like I didn't have any control over what I was doing. It was kind of like I was just watching it happen, a spectator, not actually doing it. But I know I did something. Something bad. Rex Corvus - he's not a mind controller, is he?"
His heart soared when the Director shook her head, lips pursed. "No. He did use his ability on you before, though, when he captured you." She looked down at the floor, her thick black ponytail masking her face as she spoke. "Rex Corvus was meant to be a protector, when his serum was developed. You know that the serum only amplifies the genetic mutation that needs to be there for it to work in the first place. Well, he was a guardian, really."
Laughing mirthlessly, Neleesha stepped over to one of the SWAT officers, saying something that Finn didn't catch, before turning back to him once more. "All will be explained, Mr Johnson. In a-" she gestured around at their surroundings, "-more private location."
With that, she walked away, steps radiating deadly purpose.
Finn realised that the room had become silent, the sound of gunfire now reduced to nothing - he half-expected to hear crickets chirping. But it wasn't a good sort of nothing, the sort of nothing of lazy summer afternoons. It was uneasy peace, hidden daggers, one second to midnight. One second before all hell broke loose.
It was waiting.
Rex still had his gun clutched in his skeletal hands, making it abundantly clear that no-one would be able to pry it out of their hands and evade in one piece. He was using his power, Finn guessed, that was why Rex's crazy-juice brains hadn't yet been blown out. Judging from the cold fury on Wildfire's face, he wanted to be the one to do it, and as Finn caught sight of the torn papers at his feet, he couldn't find it within himself to be surprised.
Maybe, once it came to it, they'd do a lucky dip. Whoever drew the card got to shoot Rex - Finn considered it a great idea, though he knew his friends wouldn't agree. Besides, they all wanted to kill him, the same. Not like Rex didn't deserve it.
Finn was torn from his thoughts, stupid as they were, by a maniacal laugh that could only belong to one person. Snapping his gaze to Rex immediately, he watched the boy's bony body shake with laughter, bones rattling and dark eyes bulging.
Something wicked this way comes, Finn thought.
An explosion rattled the air and every particle of his body screamed as a sudden burst of light from the end of the hallway sent pieces of brick flying everywhere.
Rex just continued laughing.
[ end ]
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