Sapphire looked around, and saw a vasvasse, shattered, and strewn around on the floor. Feeling her heart wrench at the memory of the League of Hero's, she outstretched her hand, and watched her blue energy focus on the cerulean vase. She used her powers and telekineticly fixed the vase. She sat it on the ground, and let a single tear fall, for those who didn't have time for tears to fall as there world exploded around them.
Sapphire had blurted out the name of some explosive and I as usual had no clue what the jargon meant. I wandered around the crumbling structure looking for explosive like things. Over by the rubble I saw something glinting. A clue? I approached it slowly. It was a can of lemonade. Great. Wait... What the hell was a can of lemonade doing here? It was perfectly intact, wasn't even opened. I'm going to be useful, I have found a clue! "Hey guys, come over here!" I exclaimed. Then I noticed too late Sapphire silently crying. Crap, was I too harsh or something with her? Everyone turned to look at me, expectantly.
Drying her tears, Sapphire looked over at Pigeon Man. Lemonade? What was this all about? Standing up, she walked towards the can. Taking one of her gloves off, she touched the can. Its, warm!?
"So, what do you think?" I asked as Sapphire studied the can. I wish Joey was here, showing all these superheroes what I can do! Then I suddenly thought, no, it couldn't be? Could this be a grenade or something? It would be easy to disguise activating it. What if these were given to.. "Don't open it!" I warned Sapphire as Jacob joined us.
Sapphire studied the can as Jacob joined them. "It is weairdly warm, not room temperature, but like sitting in the sun all day. And it sat in the shade all day.." Is this some sort of diversion? I should read the Pigeon Mans mind, he WAS the one to find it. Sapphire outstretched her hand towards Pigeon Man, before quickly drawing it back and putting on her glove. Handing the can to Jacob she thought. I can't do that, Silhouette trusts him enough to bring him here, and that should be good enough for me.
"All of you guys are thinking the same things I have," Silhouette told them. "Sadly, I don't have any answers. We don't know what kind of bomb it was. It must have been a missile, but it didn't behave like any missile I've ever heard of. It might have even been multiple missile strikes. It just happened so fast..." Then everyone started fretting over a lemonade can. "Um, guys. That's just a can of lemonade. Please, try to focus." "You already guessed what we came here for: to see if we could salvage any security footage," she continued. "Follow me to the control room." Silhouette led the way deeper into the Stronghold, down a long, dark corridor. Finally, they reached the last room, which was locked behind heavy iron doors. There was a keypad on the side of the doors to open it, but since the power was out in the Stronghold, it wasn't working. "I'll have to open it from the inside," Silhouette murmured, thinking out loud. There was a vent over the doors. Silhouette took out a silver handgun and shot the vent four times, once in each nail. The vent clattered to the floor. That done, Silhouette stepped back and took a running leap into the air, slipping into the open square without the slightest noise. After a short pause, the doors slowly opened, creaking and groaning the whole time. Silhouette was on the other side, using a crowbar. "Strong-Arm always kept a tool box in here," she told them with a slight smile. She threw the crowbar on the floor and beckoned for them to come inside. The control room was long and rectangular, with a large C-shaped desk in the middle covered in buttons and screens. A huge screen covered the wall in front of the desk, black and empty. The only light came from a tiny flashlight Silhouette pulled out of her pocket. "There," she said, pointing the flashlight at a tiny blue USB stick that was inserted into an outlet. But when she leaned down and tried to pull it out, it wouldn't budge. "Um, it's stuck," she told them.
Walking away from the can, trying to hide her embarasment at fussing over a can, she followed Silhouette with the others behind her. Sapphire was impressed at her acuarate aim, and was even more surprised when she managed to open the huge iron door. Walking in, she looked around. "-its stuck" Sillhoute said. "What color is it?" Sapphire asked.
Tim walked over to it, crouching down and giving it a slight wiggle. When he did there was a sound from inside the machine of a rumble, before the whole front panel came off with the stick still on it. "All we have to do is plug the USB card into another computer, and it should be able to read the stick." He commented, holding it up in a way that showed a certain anxiety about the whole situation.
"I have one at my apartment, if no one else can find one?" Sapphire suggested. But Tim probably has one, he is well prepared. "Hey Silhouette, you were there, when the attack happened, right? Can't you tell us what happened?"
I don't own a computer never mind having USBs and things like that! And I really messed up over that can. "Hey, I can fly you there if you want, I can be really quick!" I said, rolling up my sleeves and I began rubbing my arms to encourage the feathers to sprout.
"Oh! Um, sure, thanks! I live in apartment by the Walmart. Top floor." Is this a trick? Or is it to be nice? COULD I take a pigeon man in battle? Probably, I mean, if it was close combat. Sapphire shook her head and returned to reality. "Yes, let's go. Thanks!" She said.
"I know a safe place where we can go, and it's close by," Silhouette said. Then she turned to Pigeon Man. "No, we need to stick together. We're stronger that way. If we split up, we might get ambushed. We don't know who's out there and whether or not they have anyone working for them." "Hold on to that, okay?" she told Tim, pointing at the USB stick. To everybody, she said, "Now, let's get out of here." Striding in front of the group, Silhouette led the way out of the control room and back down the corridor. They had just entered the main hall when they saw a tall cloaked figure blocking the exit. The cloak was dark purple, almost black, and a pair of shining purple eyes looked out from inside the deep, black hood. "I knew you would come back here, Silhouette," the figure said in a silky female voice. She reached up with arms that were sheathed in black velvet gloves and pulled back her hood. Her face was pale with large purple eyes. Her shiny black hair was cut into a severe bob and her thin lips were painted black. "I just didn't know you would bring company," she added, frowning at the retired superheroes. "Morgana," Silhouette hissed. To the heroes, she said, "Be very careful. Morgana is a villain, an evil Divinity that lives to start wars between humans. Wherever she goes, disaster and mayhem follow."
As the others discussed the flash drive, Jacob looked around. He couldn't quite believe they were dead. Especially Arianrhod. He'd worked with her once, during that Thing With The Dragons. She was a real goddess, of all things. Part of him wondered if there would be another Arianrhod, just as there would be another Pied Piper when he died. As a matter of fact... "Did Arianrhod ever mention how accurate the textbooks were, regarding mythology?"
"So she's the one who's done this!" Should have thought before I spoke as Silhouette raised her eyebrows. No, that'd be too simple. People like that are clever. I keep messing up. "Er, I'll demobilize her!" and before anyone could stop me I was halfway down the corridor.
Looking at Jacob, phire became intrigued. "I never met the goddess, but if what books say are true, and accurate, she could have survived. Sihllouete, was her body actually accounted for? Following Silhouette into the hall, the saw the, sinister villan. Sapphire barley heard the conversation between the 2. She knew they all had to get out of there. And fast. "Silhouette what's the fastest way out?" Sapphire whispered. "I can distract her for a moment. Just a moment."
Then I saw the look on Morgana's face and I knew I had made a mistake. Up the corridor someone was whispering but I couldn't make it out. Shit. What do I do? I slowly inched my way backwards as the villain approached. I was going to head butt a bloody god! What was that going to do? Why do you think everything as an after thought!
Without waiting for Silhouette's reply, Sapphire walked up to Morgana. "Leave now, and I may let you leave with whatever life force you have remaining!" Morgana just laughed. "Silly girl. I am a god, no mortal dares to challenge Me? And what can you do? Make it snow? Morgana taunts. I laugh and take a step back, Pigeon Man not a foot behind me. " I can do more than make it snow, little goddess!" Sapphire raises her hands, and blue energy fills the room. Blue cars, toys, dog coolers, gasoline, vases, memories, and everything blue within a mile radius flies towards Morgana. Throwing her hands towards her, it all starts to crumple in a circle around her. "Let it snow" she say softly.
"What are you doing?" I yelled as thunder of objects filled my ears but was intrigued. I always wished I had abilities like those! Sapphire, you'd be glad you can't hear my half of the noise spectrum too. The noise was horrible. It suddenly stopped as Sapphire said some curious words. Something big was going to happen. I turned on my heels and headed straight towards the Maestro who had withdrawn his harmonica. Bloody hell, I can't deal with this.
Watching Morgana struggle, Sapphire whips around and start to run after everybody else as they stream into the street. Oh dear god, that was a lot of power. What do the others think!? That was one of my most impressive displays of power. Struggling, I look at Silhouette. "Where is this safe place?"
"Oh crap I'm late, oh crap I'm late!" It was a strange site for the average beholder, if there were one. An adult man, trenchcoat, straw hat, good boots, running through the streets like a schoolboy. The clanking of his boots against the concrete matched the clinking of the gun in his holster as he clumsily hurried his way towards the ruins of the Stronghold. He took a few moments to catch his breath before he started looking for "-S". Could it have been Silhouette? How awesome would that be! As he made a particularly sharp corner unto the main road, he almost stumbled trying to stop. This -S person had said the ruins right? Then what was that group of suspicious individuals doing hurrying rather frantically away from the ruins, looking very uncool while doing so? And why were they… Wait.. Was that a pigeon on that man’s shoulder? Oh wow it totally is! Filled with the absolute confidence that a man with a pigeon on his shoulder could never be evil he calmly walked up to them with that silly grin of his on his face, actually looking pretty cool in the white moonlight, trenchcoat fluttering in the wind, gunholster on his hip, taking small, confident strides. That grin though. Walking up to the first person he could find, prepared to introduce himself, a few chills went down his spine. Her icy eyes and cold demeanour reminded him a bit too much of that woman that wanted to steal his body on that Ice planet. Still, there was a guy with a pigeon. John was optimistic and was sure that this person would be nothing like the one in his memory. “Hello! Sorry I’m late, are you all here from the letter as well? I was kinda hoping it was Silhouette, but if it’s just you guys that’s fine too you know, I’m here to help!”
I pant, looking around, is everyone here? IT guy, check, holding his computer wotsit. Maestro, check, looking rather perturbed that he couldn't use his harmonica. Sapphire, check, looking amazed she could do whatever that was. Silhouette stood there, waiting almost. I wanted to go. But I mustn't. Too many died for no one to be brought to justice. I cooed low enough that no one else would hear. Hopefully Joey was in the area. Would people welcome Joey? Joey wouldn't be in the way, he could peck at people like he used to when... I heard his flutter first and then his loving coo in return as he landed on my shoulder. I felt the eyes on me. "Yeah, where is the safe place?" I say as calmly as possible while stroking Joey.
