What if Cole never got the chance to fight the Beast. What if he was killed before he even killed Bertrand. What if Bertrand had sent an assassin to kill him. This is what this story is about.
Prologue[]
As Xiang looked over the Gas Works, he wondered how one man could be so much trouble for someone as powerful as Bertrand to kill. He leapt from the building he was on and landed on both of his feet. Few people could survive that kind of fall, and fewer uninjured, but he isn't like most people. He, is a conduit. A person of immense durability and possesses super powers. It is different for each person; for some it's the power to store and shoot off electricity, this is Cole's power, for others it is shooting fire from their hands, others, like Vermaak 88, have power over ice. But Xiang was different, he can control water.
Bertrand had trained him from a young age to help him in his quest for power. He was adopted in China in the year 1997, when he was only seven years old. Unlike many conduits, Xiang did not need a Ray Sphere, or Blast Core, or some other third thing filling his veins like the NSA agent he helped capture to develope his powers, they were just there, every step of his life. He thought that Bertrand was trying to make money by starting a conduit arms race, and this made sense considering how much effort he put into creating them and the fact that he is one. He knew the public speechs he gave were just to get support for the Militia so they could keep the Corrupted out of the city. He had never suspected a larger plan, and he still doesn't.
As he landed he pulled water out of his camelbak with his mind and a simple hand motion, pulled it under his feet and used his powers to push the water forward with him on it. A very efficient way to travel that he developed as a teenager. He was going as fast as he could to the generator that Bertrand set up his trap at. Steel cages should be falling all around Cole by now, preventing him from firing off any bolts, but now stopping bullets. He was told that a few gunmen could handle Macgrath but he knew better. Macgrath has friends, but not for long.
He knew that everyone was going to come to his aid, but the only one close enough was Zeke Dunbar. Nix and Kuo were off arguing about God knows what and neither answered his calls. He was saw Zeke coming and stopped about a yard in front of him.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asks as arrogantly as possible, as he whips the water from his camelbak around Zeke's neck. He squeezes Zeke cruelly and as he breathes for the final time, he throws the dead body against a wall and starts walking to where Cole is being held.
Chapter 1[]
Xiang had a few minutes to spare, as he knew Cole had no help coming for at least an hour, so he stopped at a small fast food restaurant and got a hamburger, which he ate along the way. He always loved New Marais, ever since Bertrand brought him here. He knew every street, every building, and every possible hideout that his enemies could use, enemies like Cole, the Rebels, the Police, and Vermaak 88. He had an immense disdain for Vermaak 88, and enjoyed his task of hunting them down and capturing them.
He turned a corner and saw two Militia grunts shooting at Cole, who was standing behind the bars, trying to call for help.
"Hey, you two!" He yelled to the Militia grunts. "Bertrand says to report back to Flood Town and help keep the Ice Freaks in their place." He knew they would listen to him. Bertrand insisted he keep several disguises, one of which was a Militia uniform.
"You got it." He said. "Come on Phil, let's get going."
After the grunts had left he addressed Cole. "So MacGrath, looks like you fell into a trap. Tell me this though: how did you not notice the cage doors? Or did you not suspect it was a trap? So arrogant."
"Who the hell are you? Cole said, clearly angry.
I decided to tell him who was going to kill him. "My name is Xiang, I'm Bertrands associate. And right now I have to make sure you can't interfere with his plans. You're probably thinking i'm here to try to kill you, and you aren't completely wrong. I'm going to kill you, but I need something first." He almost looks scared as I pull something very familiar to him out of my bag; a Blast Core.
"Moron. You can't use that. You need to pass a current though it to get anything out of it."
"What do you think you're here for?"
"If you think I'm going to make you stronger then you're dumber than you look."
"It's funny, because, I only need you're energy, not you." Smiling, I pull water out of my camelbak and encircle him with it. His electricity begins coursing all across the water. I slip the Blast Core through the bars and into the water, where Cole's electricity begins to charge it, while electrocuting him. Four minutes later the Core released the energy, but Cole was already dead. Before Xiang slipped into unconsciousness he saw Cole's lifeless body fall to the ground. Xiang had never felt so satisfied.
Chapter 2[]
Around 3 pm in Flood Town, a fight was about to start. Kuo was helping the Rebels fight a group of Vermaak 88 soldiers when Nix came to help. Of course Kuo knew nix would do more damage than the Ice Men would and told her to take a hike. If only she saw the entourage of swamp monsters behind the her.
"Get out of here Nix." Kuo shouted. "We don't want your kind of help."
"Oh yea? And who's going to make me?" Nix asked.
"I guess it's going to have to be me." And to the Rebels she said "Go finish the Ice Men off, I'll handle the witch."
The second she finished speaking the Ravager Nix named Cole Jr. tunneled into the ground and drove up through the building Kuo was standing on, throwing her into the air. Nix then teleported to the same height as Kuo, covered her body in a bright red flame, and drove herself into Kuo. They landed on a building about ten yards away at which point Nix teleported on top of Kuo and and began beating her senseless. When she finished she said "You better stay out of my god damn way or next time I'll finish the job." And as soon as she came, she left. In total Kuo had second degree burns on her abdomen, left arm, and left side of her face, three broken ribs, four cracked ribs, and sprained wrist, and broken jaw.
~
When Xiang woke up his first concern was figuring out what his new power was, but that would have to wait. He saw Cole laying on the ground near him, with his strange weapon laying next to him. He looked in his courier bag to see what he had. He found picture of him and some woman apparently just married with Zeke in the backround, a strange, humming, spherical device glowing bluish-purple, and a phone with several numbers programmed into it. He placed the sphere on the ground and grabbed the weapon and smashed the sphere to bits. Then he broke the weapon over his knee and decided to work on his new power.
A moment later he realized what it was, mainly because he was floating three feet in the air. He could fly. He knew about physics, and that it couldn't be possible, but apparently is was. And he knew exactly where to fly. He started going to Flood Town, and this new power felt so natural to him, it was strange. He saw Kuo laying on the roof of a Flooded Building, bleeding to death.
When he landed, the impact pushed Kuo to the edge of the roof. He wanted to be quick about this and be on his way. He looked into her eyes and could feel her, almost gone, and silently begging for the sweet relief of death. He crushed her neck with his boot, smashing her windpipe, making it impossible to breathe. She was dead seconds later, and Xiang was on his way to his base in the trainyard west of where Kuo finally found peace.
Chapter 3[]
Xiang flew faster than he ever thought possible to the trainyard. He used his powers to shape a cloud around him so Militia grunts wouldn't see him. He landed in front of his base, a small shack near Bertrand's warehouse painted entirely blue on the inside.
As soon as he was in he took off his clothes and rinsed off without lifting a finger. After his "shower" he changed clothes. He put on his favorite blue v-neck, leather jacket, black jeans, blue running shoes, and black fedora with a blue stripe. Blue had always been his favorite color, the color of a river, the color his aura, or so he was told. He grabbed his 9mm pistol from the nightstand. The phrase "The light shined in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" in Mandarin, his native tongue. He didn't need the pistol of course, he just likes guns. They're like him, only good for one thing: hurting people.
Before he left he went to his list, a list of people that had to be killed before the Beast arrived. He couldn't always contact Bertrand so he had a list for the sake of convenience. He crossed of Cole's and Kuo's names and looked for who was next. He still had to kill Nix, the Ice General, and Laroche. He decided to go after Laroche considering he had heard the rumors of him possessing a Blast Core. He opened the door and flew off to Fort Phillipe.
~
Flying right into the fort would only get him shot, so he landed a mile and a half from it in the city. He began walking but was immediately stopped by a woman dressed in colorful robes.
"You! You must know the future." She said.
Noticing she was blind in one eye he said. "No thank you, I'm good."
"No, you must know, the fate of world depends on it."
For reasons he could not explain, he believed her. "Okay, let's hear it."
"Follow me." And she began to walk towards a small brick house. They walked through the entrance room into a candle lit dining room.
"What no crystal bowl?" He asked jokingly.
"Very funny, but not now." She motioned for him to sit down across the table.
She sat across from him and closed her eyes. She muttered to herself for a moment, but then opened her eyes, which were now glowing a bright, deep, violet. "THE MAN YOU HAVE KNOWN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE, THE ONE YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED BY, THE ONE YOU HAVE BEEN DECIEVED BY, USED BY, THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN CONDITIONED TO LOVE. HE LIES. EVERY WORD HE UTTERS IS A LIE. HE IS GOING TO START A WAR. A WAR TO END ALL WARS. A WAR THAT WILL UNIFY THE HUMAN RACE. AND EVENTUALLY THE ONES THAT THEY OUTCAST WILL UNITE TO DEFEAT THEM, AND ASSUME THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE WOR-" Her words were cut off by a bullet between her eyes.
Xiang stood up and walked out, as if these conversations were a typical thing in New Marais.
Chapter 4[]
"Move that turret!" Laroche shouted to his men. They had to make sure Fort Phillipe could hold up against a Militia attack, and this place was in no shape for battle right now. "I said to move the damn thing! Put it by the gate, ya morons!"
He turned and faced the ocean, next to him was a device that the Electric Man had used just a few days ago to get new powers, or so he was told. The thing had blown up and was only useful for scap at this point. His gaze turned to the south and he saw the same two men trying to move the turret. "Have someone bigger than you help move the stupid thing." He said to the men. To a significantly larger man he said. "What are you doing? Go help them." He looked back out at the sea and saw a huge wave come up and crash against the wall. A second one followed, but with someone standing on it. The wave crashed over him and froze immediately, completely freezing Laroche and several other men.
Xiang slid down the ice before the rebel grunts could register what had happened. He dragged the remaining liquid part of the wave with him and used the streams like tentacles, grabbing and choking dozens of men. When they were dead, he flew into the air and hovered whislt dragging water with him. He grabbed more men using the same technique but threw them into the ocean instead of choking them. The whole battle lasted less than three minutes.
He went up to Laroche and touched the frozen block of ice with his hand and the ice quickly melted. He grabbed Laroche with a stream of water and said with a grin. "Looks like you put your turrets in the wrong place." Laroche remained silent. Xiang shook him. "Cat got your tongue? Now tell me where the Blast Core is."
"The Ice Men took it... to the Gas Works..." He forced out.
With that, Xiang flung him against the wall and froze him to it. He then brought the temperature of the ice far below that which a human can survive. Now to get the Ice General.
~
"Time do die bitches!" Nix shouted with joy as she assaulted Milita soldiers in Flood Town.
"Retreat! Hurry up! Retreat!" A soldier shouted.
Nix alone was dangerous enough, but now that she has a family of monsters she's a force to be reckoned with. "This is my town now!" She shouted as one by one her monsters killed every last of the soldiers. She threw a few flaming grenades at them as they left, then she called back her family.
She walked up to Cole Jr. and hugged him, petting his horns. "I love you baby. You guys are all I got left."
More to come, feedback is welcome. Warning: No happiness any time soon.