Guardians
“I think we should move in
and arrest him right now. Think of it man, the fame and glory we would
get.” Said Blue N Gold to Hormesis.
The two of them, along with Control,
were standing near the Apocalypse cemetery, located in a ravine deep
in Dark Astoria, south west of the Banished Pantheon’s pyramid, it
was under a massive rock outcropping. Statues of angels and priests
lined the granite walls, metal doors barred the way into the mausoleum
against vandals and unauthorized visitors. The south west door was
open and left ajar, telling the three heroes that were waiting for
Cavalier, that someone had been inside. Hormesis, who had met Control
on his way here, coming out of the hospital after checking up on Mase
Lokrin, sensed that the radioactive trace of Voyager was strong and
present here.
“We will do no such thing, at least not until Cavalier
shows up.” Spoke softly Control who was looking in the distance, through
the fog, at a Banished Pantheon mob patrolling the edge of the pyramid.
“If Voyager is down there, it will take more than us to stop him.
And the more we are, the worst the fulcrum shift will be, the more
powerful he becomes. You don’t arrest an arch-villain just by going
in there." But then again, Control felt the certainty that he could
go toe to toe with Voyager, and win.
”Agreed, I didn’t know him before
he was exiled, but I read in his file that before he lost control
of his powers, he was only an average controller, at best. But now,
I’d hate to think what he would do to us if we didn’t get the upper
hand hard and fast on him. Cavalier’s on the way, let’s see what’s
his plan.” Hormesis said those words as he bent down on the ground
and tipped his fingers in a dark stain. “Blood.” He then proceeded
to wipe his fingers on a handkerchief taken from his pockets, to preserve
the sample.
“Yeah, according to the foot steps trail he left, when
he landed, the man that went inside the mausoleum wasn’t walking a
straight line, probably blood loss dizziness, I surmised.” Went on
Blue N Gold, expert tracker and intelligence gatherer, he felt that
in a weakened state, Voyager could be taken easily. “Think of it guys,
the city would probably give us a badge for his arrest. He’s weak
and injured, we can take him.”
“You will do no such things, stand
down.” Spoke Cavalier as he appeared around the corner of a rock formation.
“I thought I had made my orders clear Hormesis.” He then said, throwing
a hard look in the defender’s direction.
“You did boos, you said that
I should track him down and contact you, which I did. You never said
anything about not bringing some help for the arrest. Control came
along to lend a hand and Blue N Gold here, I crossed path with at
the train station. I simply thought more power would be needed.” Hormesis
was fidgeting in place, feeling a bit nervous about getting a talk
down by Cavalier. The famous scrapper stood there, arms crossed across
the chest, looking at the open door of the mausoleum, eyebrows creased.
“If it comes to that, I, and I alone will arrest him.” He then said,
making eye contact with each of them. Control was the only one of
the three, who didn’t care one way or the other. Debating about Voyager’s
powers, he believed he could take him down easily, and by himself.
But, orders were orders, and he had been around long enough to know
that one obeys a leader until proven otherwise. And right now, nothing
in Cavalier’s conduct allowed him to believe his orders were not to
be followed. Sighing heavily, he said:
“Have it your way Cavalier,
but we are not leaving you alone out here.”
“Why do you protect him
such?” Asked Blue N Gold, still picturing the badge ceremony at city
hall, in his mind.
“Because… Because I owe him that much. You guys
wouldn’t understand, you weren’t there. But Voyager is the way he
is, because of me.” Replied Cavalier, looking down on the ground for
a second, as if in shame. Silence followed, deep and filled with meaning.
“Humour us.” Flatly said Control, remembering full well the Firebase
Zulu incident, feeling still the pain from it, from the utter massacre
that took place there. Cavalier looked long and hard in the uncaring
eyes of Control and Blue N Gold, looked into the inquisitive eyes
of Hormesis, weighing and wondering if he should share that one blemish
in a flawless record.
“I was only a captain then, all my responsibilities
were centered on my team. No academy to tend to, no recruits to evaluate,
no paperwork, only my team and me. It was a simpler time in those
days, you did what you had to. I can fairly say that in all of Apocalypse,
then and now, Voyager has been my best friend. I still view him as
such today." A long pause followed, Cavalier was gathering his thoughts,
the words he would say.
"A year or so ago, Bloodrock, Star-Crusader,
Voyager and me were on assignment to uncover a Crey Laboratory somewhere
in Crey’s Folly.” He sat down on a rock, his eyes lost in the distance,
reminiscing of the past. “We four were always together, but then again,
Apocalypse was small compared to what it is now. Anyways, Turbo Starr
had given me an order to find that laboratory and put an end to it,
there was evidence that genetics mutations and experiments were conducted
out of it. I took the team out in Crey’s, and we interrogated a lot
of agents from Crey Industries before we finally found the location
for it. It took us days, but finally, we managed to find it, hidden
under an old factory.”
Control, Hormesis and Blue N Gold listened
as Cavalier told the story of that fateful day, how his team fought
hard and long in the sewers to gain access to the laboratory, to uncover
a black scheme by Crey Industries to enhance their agents through
genetic manipulations. The samples to create the super-serum was taken
from live subjects, heroes captured and subdued into guinea pigs,
for the sole purpose of providing genetic materials. He recounted
how they had managed to put a stop to it, albeit it was too late for
the heroes there, the laboratory had been shut down.
“Right after
we destroyed the last generator, we were confronted by a lot of, too
many, Crey personnel. Paragon Protectors and Power Tanks filled the
room, Security Agents and Crey Scientists everywhere, barring the
way to the exit. Bloodrock, that guy never backed down from a fight,
dove right in assisted by Star-Crusader’s firepower. The battle turned
quickly into a bloody mess, and we had to retreat into the holding
cells area, a dead end. Bloodrock and Star-Crusader were in a real
bad shape, and mediporters didn’t snatch them away, we were underground
and out of range.” Cavalier sighed and rubbed a hand to his eyes,
shoulders heavy and a tired look on his face.
“Given the situation,
Voyager and me were still fit to put up a fight, but the odds were
against us, and two of my people were down and in need of serious
medical care. We locked ourselves into a cell, and held position there,
preventing anyone from entering. But, there was no way out of it,
and eventually they were going to get us. You have to understand that
as a captain, I had to consider all my options, to save as many lives
as I could, if I could. Bloodrock was bleeding all over the place,
Star-Crusader was blasting from a sitting position, unable to stand
on his own. Thomas and me were hard pressed, all we could think about
was running for our lives, but it would've meant leaving Bloodrock
and Star-Crusader behind. As a captain, your responsible for the lives
of your people, and that is why I owe Voyager, I have a debt to pay.”
“It can’t be that bad Cavalier, and besides, anyone in Apocalypse
understands the risks when we put on the cape.” Relied Hormesis while
waving a hand, as if dismissing it as being matter of fact.
“What
if I were to tell you that if I hadn’t given Voyager that order, he
would not be the arch-villain he is today, would you still agree?”
Spoke the squared jaw Cavalier to the defender.
“But, it’s your job
to give orders, and ours to follow them for the greater good.” Said
Blue N Gold with a bit of impatience in his voice.
“Greater good my
arse. I ordered a man, my friend, to die.” Then said Cavalier with
clenched teeth. “And instead, he lived on to a worse fate than you
would wish an enemy.” Silence followed that comment, all of them pondering
if they could sacrifice a friend for the needs of the many.
“Pinned
down as we were, bullets and projectiles riddling the room, I knew
I had to evacuate the team. But making a run for it would have killed
Bloodrock and Star-Crusader for certain. I” He hesitated a moment,
“I told Voyager to hold them, to stop them while I got the wounded
to safety.” He shook his head, recalling full well that he had given
an impossible order to the controller, had sealed his fate and ended
his life that day.
“I would have done the same, and if you had given
me that order, I would have complied.” Spoke Control in sympathy,
understanding the dilemma Cavalier must have been faced then. But
crowd control was the realm of controllers, and as such, they excelled
at it.
“Right, well, Voyager understood that too, and he complied.
I still see him, standing up in that cell, helping me to gather up
Bloodrock and Star-Crusader. He then infused me with super-speed and
super jump, while bullets ricocheted left and right of us. Cold were
his eyes at that moment, when he made me swear that I would come back
for him, or his remains as soon as possible.” Cavalier looked down
into the ravine, at the Apocalypse mausoleum, thoughts lost for a
second.
“I had never seen him fight like he did that day. You have
to understand that he was old when he came into his powers, and as
such, he lacked certain training aspects that other, younger controllers
do enjoy today. But nevertheless, he rushed out of that cell, and
held them all, healing himself as they fired upon him and stalling
them long enough for me to rush by, carrying the two wounded and exit
the building, with a hot pursuit behind me. I can still hear the sounds
of the battle that was taken place in that laboratory, as I leapt
into the sky, towards Brickstown. It didn’t take long, before all
became quiet in there. At that moment, I thought my friend was dead,
I had killed him in order to save my fellow heroes.”
“It took us three
days, during which all Apocalypse members were involved, to gain access
back to that god forsaken laboratory. Turbo Starr was leading us,
but Crey Industries put up such a resistance, that the battle became
an uphill climb, inch by inch, for the victory. Imagine our surprise,
upon securing the place, to find Voyager in a holding cell, feverish
and injured but still alive. We brought him back, and destroyed the
installations there, and everything was supposed to be all right.”
"But everything wasn't." Added Blue N Gold. "Right?"
“Three days they
held him, three days during which they tested something on him, to
try and suppress his powers. It didn’t work as intended, instead of
weakening him, they made him…” Cavalier stopped talking, realizing
he had said too much at this point.
“What?” Asked Hormesis “They made
him what?” Cavalier looked into the distance, thinking back on the
day he read and compared the medical data on Thomas Bane, the weeks
that followed, where in the hope of helping him, they had asked Pacem
to create a cure for it. Then his banishment from earth and the Firebase
Zulu war.
“The drugs they poured into Voyager, instead of suppressing
and numbing his powers, created a chemical imbalance in his blood
stream. Voyager, my friend Thomas Bane, is crazy, and I believe he
came back to earth to find a cure.” The three heroes looked at Cavalier
with sudden understanding, Voyager had known a fate worst than death,
he had lived to become what he fought. Cavalier stood up and straightened
his combat suit. "I have debt..."
“Wait outside, no one goes in there
unless I say so.” Cavalier looked down into the ravine, then jumped
into it, landing a few feet in front of the opened door. Unsheathing
the old British blade, he stuck it in the soft ground, next to his
foot, leaving it there as he walked for the mausoleum.
“Thomas, it’s
James, I am unarmed and alone. I’m coming in.
The air inside the tomb
was stale and mouldy, the ever present fog gave the scenery a soft
white glow that permeated the walls. Towards the far end, near the
other exit, hung a lighted torch, crackling softly, the only sound
from the room. The tomb’s layout, which could house thousands, had
three doors, one for each branch of Apocalypse. The entrance for the
Riders and the Legends were closed, but the one leading into the vault
for the Knights was wide opened. Taking a few tentative steps towards
it, Cavalier couldn’t help but feel small in this place.
“Thomas,
can you hear me, old friend, it’s James. I am alone and unarmed, I
only came here to talk to you.” He spoke to the room, the sound of
his voice muffled instantly by the fog. He kept walking towards the
opened door, knowing well enough where Voyager was, why he came here
first, upon his return to earth.
Reaching the entrance, he peered
inside the long hallway, which housed the final resting place for
all the fallen Knights of Apocalypse. On both side of the deep and
long room, were tombs of heroes, only fifty-three were filled out
of five hundred so far, and Cavalier counted that as a blessing. A
fleeting thought for the Riders passed through his mind, as he recalled
that their room was almost filled up, and soon, a new one would have
to be built. His attention was soon brought back to reality, as he
saw a huddled shape on the floor, no more that twenty feet from the
door, lying still.
“Thomas?” He asked the man on the floor, while
proceeding carefully towards the old controller. Something wasn’t
right here, he told himself, as he looked left and right for an ambush
or a tell tale sign of trouble. A few meters from his old friend,
Cavalier heard the ragged breathing coming from the man on the floor,
and he noticed also that he was shivering, as if cold. The arch-villain
lay at the foot of his son’s tomb, as if asleep, but if he was sleeping,
it didn’t sound like his dreams were peaceful. Bending down, he gently
put a hand on Voyager’s shoulder, and turned him over. The wet and
viscous sensation of blood came to his fingers, as he noticed a bullet
hole in the left shoulder of Thomas Bane. The old controller’s face
was covered in sweat, his breathing fast and uneven, Cavalier saw
the fiery red eyes trying to show signs of consciousness. Feeling
for his pulse, Cavalier realized that Voyager was in a very bad shape,
more than likely fighting an infection from the wound. Reaching at
his utility belt, he pulled out his emitter and dialled a private
number.
Hormesis felt the vibration from his phone, and flipped it
open. Looking around for his other two companions, standing some distance
apart, they all guarded the grounds in the event that anything should
happen, he answered:
“Yes?”
“It’s Cavalier, come down here right away,
alone.”
The famous scrapper held his friend in his arm, feeling the
shivers coursing the body of the old controller. How did it come to
that? Why hadn’t he healed himself? Given Voyager’s demeanour, Cavalier
couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t used the first citizen he met, to
siphon a bit of life, and heal himself.
“Thomas, can you hear me,
old buddy, help is on the way.” He spoke aloud, lifting the controller’s
limp head in one hand, trying to get a sign of recognition. The fiery
red eyes opened partly, trying to focus in the distance, then came
to rest on Cavalier.
“I… I felt him die, James.” Spoke Voyager to
the leader of Apocalypse, body shivering and breath short and fast.
“I felt him die.”
Cavalier looked up at the tomb, the headstone was
still new and fresh, installed recently. The name on it hadn’t been
carved yet, but he knew who was resting there. Akritar Bane, Voyager’s
son, who had met an untimely death earlier this week. Feeling a clench
to his soul, Cavalier understood the pain Voyager was going through.
No parent should bury their offspring, no father should outlive their
son.
“He died a hero, Thomas, he made a difference.” Simply replied
the squared jaw scrapper, while the old controller’s eyes lost focus
again.
“What’s up boos?” Hormesis said from the doorway to the vault,
and then: “Holy shit, you arrested him by yourself, just like that?”
Cavalier remained silent for a second then said:
“Heal him.”
“I will
most certainly not.” Blurted out Hormesis, not believing the request
he had just heard, derision in his voice.
“Heal him, now, that’s an
order.” Spoke Cavalier, looking over his shoulder with a threatening
look on his features.
“Have you lost your mind, boos, that man is
a criminal. He’s responsible for the death of at least fifty heroes
lying here. I will not.” Replied the radiation defender, crossing
his arms across the chest.
“Fifty-two, he killed fifty-two that day.”
Spoke the squared jaw scrapper, who was once more looking down at
Voyager. “Heal him, or I swear I will have your resignation.”
Hormesis
stood in the doorway, amazed that cavalier would request this in such
a way. How could Cavalier, one of the most celebrated hero of the
city, ask him to do such a thing? The order went against everything
Hormesis stood for and believed in, no one helps a villain, and especially
not Voyager.
“All right, have it your way.” Hormesis walked up to
them, and saw that the old controller was in a bad shape indeed. He
looked down on him, jaw clenched and fists tight. Cavalier was cradling
him in his arms, as if a parent to a child, trying with his presence
to sooth and ease the pain.
Hormesis reached out with his hand, and
ripped the Legends of Apocalypse from his right shoulder, throwing
it down on the floor, in front of Cavalier. The scrapper looked at
it, resigned and angry, bowing his head, he nodded silently.
“I resign.”
Simply spoke Hormesis, as he turned around and walked slowly away
from them. Cavalier gently put down Voyager’s limp body, then stood
up and raced after Hormesis, tackling him into the wall next to the
exit.
“You god forsaken fool, you don’t quit on us that easily. I
gave you a direct order, it’s your duty to comply. You have a problem
with it, you bring it up with me, or another leader. You don’t just
turn around and quit, just because you don’t like it.” Hormesis and
Cavalier were struggling with each other, the scrapper was very angry.
The radiation defender was holding on to the iron grip that the scrapper
was exerting on his suit, looking at him with uncaring eyes.
“I don’t
heal killers, and you can’t make me. We should be arresting him, and
have him thrown into the darkest cell we can find, not aiding him.”
Hormesis was yelling with anger at Cavalier, and no reason in the
world would change his mind about this issue. “Voyager is an arch-villain,
and does not deserve pity or help.”
“I swear by all that is holy,
sometimes I think this hero crap has gotten to all of our heads.”
Cavalier spoke through clenched teeth, still grasping Hormesis, not
letting him go. “Do you think a foe deserves less mercy from you,
than a helpless victim?”
“He is not a helpless victim.” Screamed back
Hormesis, still trying to break free. “Don’t make me hurt you Cavalier,
let me go. I don’t take orders from you anymore.”
“The man is my friend,
I need your help. Heal him.” Yelled back Cavalier as he landed a punch
on the defender’s cheek. Hormesis felt the jarring of it, then with
a flushed face, he looked back mockingly at Cavalier.
“He is not mine,
never will be. Beat me up all you want, you god damned fool, I will
not help him in any way.” And with that, Hormesis kneed Cavalier in
the stomach. “Let me go.” Walking into the room, Control came to stand
between them, to separate them.
“You two should be ashamed of yourselves.”
He told them, outrage in his voice, and disbelief in his eyes. “Hormesis,
pick up your insignia right now, you are not quitting today.” Control
pointed at the place on the floor, next to Voyager’s limp form, where
the insignia laid. “And you Cavalier, according to article 171-B or
the Apocalypse charter, I am relieving you of duty, until we can sort
this out. Voyager is under arrest, my arrest.” Spoke Control, with
authority in the voice, strength in his stature.
“You know what, screw
Apocalypse, and screw you Cavalier, I’m out of here.” Said Hormesis
as he turned around and speeded out of the tomb.
“You god damned bull
headed scrapper, look what you’ve gone and done.” Admonished Control
to the famous scrapper. Shaking his head, Control walked towards Voyager,
where he bent down and picked up the Legends of Apocalypse insignia
Hormesis had thrown there. Putting it in a pocket, he then proceeded
to lift the old controller and carry him out, followed closely by
a quiet Cavalier.
“Let’s take him back to HQ.” Said Control as they
both stepped out into the ravine, Cavalier closing shut the tomb’s
door behind them. “Blue N Gold, scout ahead and clear us a path.”
The blaster started towards Talos Island, inspecting the grounds for
enemy presence. “And you, will have to justify your actions to leadership
as soon as we get there.” Said Control to Cavalier, still not understanding
why things had escalated to this.