Society of Justice 3: Crisis on the Earth

[elementsoul]

Bishop started laughing. It was kind of a forced laugh, but it was clear that there was a genuine aspect to it. It took a second before Bishop stopped laughing. ?It?s truly quite funny that you keep talking about protecting Catherine. I mean come on. Who are you trying to fool? All you do is hurt people; you literally suck the life right out of them. And yet you claim that you will protect her. You?re fucking liable to harm her by being in the same area as her. Could you tend to her if she was hurt or sick? Could you hold her close and let the warmth of your skin ease her worries? Could you wipe away her tears without causing more?

Face it. You?re just a monster. You were meant to be in a cage alone somewhere. The only thing that you?ll be able to do is hurt people,? Tyson?s voice was cold and hard. Briân had insulted Bishop enough for him to result to personal attacks. It didn?t matter though; Brian had had crossed the line when questioning his actions as a commander and as a resistance member.

[hr]

Tyson wasn?t convinced by Levi?s words. He knew that Levi was definitely trying to help him, but Tyson was too skeptical for Tyson. ?I appreciate your advice. I?ll definitely think on it. If there?s anything you ever need help with, just ask,? Tyson said to Levi before walking away to a chair on the far side of the room, away from everyone else. Maybe he couldn?t understand. I mean Victor was at least human. He knew what he wanted. Meanwhile, I just don?t know what this beast even wants, if it wants anything at all. It?s motiveless as far as I can tell and it even seemed to listen to me before. I just don?t know. Tyson shut his eyes and leaned his head back in an attempt to fall asleep. There was a vague hope that he could just sleep this whole thing off.

 

[NeoAC]

Bishop was starting to hit all of Briân's nerves. The fact that he would even insinuate such things, to mock his condition, to call him a monster. That was too much. If he wanted to get personal, he would get personal.

He turned around, facing the Commander. "You insignificant fucking worm! 'Ow dare you say such a ting? Especially considering you 'ave no excuse for yourself. Tell me Bishop, 'ow did your wife and child die? Was it alone? Because you could not do a damn ting to protect zem? You do not even deserve to be Commander. You do not even deserve a second chance at love, since you failed so 'orribly ze first time! I may not be able to embrace my love right now, but I will damn well make sure I am zere for 'er, in ze good times, in ze bad times, and your god forbid in ze end. You, you are a spineless coward who can not even keep 'the most important ting to 'im' safe. 'Ow much did you really love zem Bishop. It could not 'ave been too much to let zem go like zat. 'Ell, you were probably trilled zat zey would not be in your way anymore, you miserable, 'eartless old fool.

And if you call me a monster again, I will show you exactly what kind of monster I can be."

 

[elementsoul]

Briân words hurt; it didn?t matter if they were true or not. Still the fact that he was attacking the dead meant that he was getting desperate. Bishop had him at his ends and he wasn?t about to get defensive again. Instead he kept a composed face as he continued to step towards Briân; lying in wait for the first blow.

?You didn?t answer my questions, and instead you attacked my dead family. How pathetic of a man are you? You know that I?m right, and you try to bite into something that you know I could do nothing about. You truly are a monster and I?ll damn well make sure that you are moved to Alaska. You can be all alone by yourself, with no one there for you to hurt. Think of it as a fitting cage for such a monster,? Bishop said with a venomous smirk on his face.

 

[NeoAC]

That was it. Bishop had crossed the line and now Briân was intent on making him pay for his attitude. He reared back and smacked him the face, but he didn't remove his hand, keeping it planted on his skin, fingertips digging in.

"Listen well, Bishop, since you obviously did not ze first time. I said if anyone stood between me and my love, zey would feel my wrath, and zat certainly includes you, you fucking shiteater. I used to feel sorry for your kin, for what zey went through, but now I see their death was truly a blessing, for zey do not have to deal wit you anymore.

Also, I know wat I am, at least I am trying to deal wit it. I am trying to change. I take precautions to make sure I do not 'urt who should not be 'urt. You make no effort to try and better yourself, and zat is why I would feel absolutely no remorse if I drained your life right now." He could feel the energy starting to ebb away from Bishop. It was a sickly energy, and Briân hated feeling it, but Bishop was out of his way to anger him with his comments.

 

[elementsoul]

Briân didn?t just take the bait; he swallowed the hook with it. Tyson even took the first hit and let him keep a hold on him. He didn?t know exactly how fast and how hard Briân?s power worked against him. It took a few seconds for the cold, draining feeling to appear after the contact was made. In the meantime Bishop had to listen to Briân continue to insult him and his family. He knew what he needed and wasn?t going to listen anymore.

Bishop punched Briân?s elbow with his left fist. The extended joint had no way to absorb the impact, forcing Briân to let go of Bishop?s face to prevent his arm from breaking. As soon as Briân let go, Bishop moved forward and around Briân?s right side. Pivoting on his root foot, Bishop drove his left knee into Briân?s back; making contact at the base of his right kidney. Than he placed his right foot against Briân as he stumbled forward, and pushed him to the ground.

?Never speak of my family again. They died because of the U.A.?s indiscriminate tactics of killing everyone who opposes them. I loved them and they loved me. If you?ve ever hugged and kissed your wife and child for the last time, you would never say those words. I would have gladly died in their place, but life was cruel and I did not. Now I live for my revenge, I will kill everyone who is a part of the corrupt, diseased tower. I may have been a good man once, but revenge is a dirty business and I?m long gone from that,? Bishop announced to Brian, as he removed his pistol and ejected the magazine. Throwing the magazine away, Bishop cleared the chamber and tossed the gun away as well.

?Now stand and fight, before I go down there and rip out your tongue.?

 

[NeoAC]

Briân coughed and spit out some building saliva, it had a tinge of red. He couldn't believe that he let Bishop get the drop on him like that. Then the nerve of that arrogant man.

"Now stand and fight, before I go down there and rip out your tongue."

Briân got his arms underneath him, pushing himself into a crawling position. Spinning around, still coughing a bit, he stopped when facing Bishop. He got up onto one knee, in a mock kneeling position. "Fuck zat. You come to me." With his planted foot, he swept his other leg around, knocking out Bishop's legs from underneath him. The Commander was not ready for this, and fell like a ton of bricks, crashing to the ground. Before he could regain his bearings, Brian scrambled over and grabbed him by the collar of his neck.

"You think," Briân started while popping Bishop with a solid right to the jaw, "not being a 'good man'," pop,block "gives you ze right," pop,block "to behave in such a way?" Another punch, and to avoid the blocks, Briân switched locations, coming into the side of Bishop's ribs, hitting a soft spot. Hearing an audible cry of pain satisfied him enough to break off and stand up for a moment. He cracked his knuckles, realigning them, but was stopped by another sound. The sound of Bishop rising. Briân spun around and charged at Bishop, pinning him up against the wall with his left arm, while his right hand grabbed onto his wrist, wrenching it back and starting the absorption process anew.

"Think about zis zen Bishop. If your family was 'ere to see you now, would zey approve of zis man you 'ave become? Would zey believe zis was a man dedicated to avenging zem? Or a man who is just selfishly looking for payback for 'imself? For 'is own needs? Zat is what I am seeing."

Brian could feel more of the murky energy flowing into him, and having enough, flung Bishop to the ground behind him. As Bishop flipped over and faced him, Briân stared down at the Commander. "Now do you want to continue zis discussion of morals? Or do you want to keep at zis leetle battle?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Will you two hurry up?!" Takashi called out, skidding to a halt at the edge of a roof. The lights of Nova City at night reflected from the lens of the pair of binoculars he held. Two others brung up his rear, the three of them only dressed in dark hoodies and sweats, small blades sitting on each of their shoulder holsters. The two bent over, taking a chance to catch their breaths as they neared the eldest brother.

"Why do you have to run so fast Taki?" Marrissa asked as she and the younger brother panted. Takashi turned towards his siblings, frowning at their lack of stamina.

"'Cause it's my first mission as the squad leader, and i'd rather not have your mishaps look bad on my behalf! So stop whining!" Takashi replied with a harsh tone as he began to approach her.

"Chill out bro, this is her first squad mission period. You don't have to be so hard on her." Jason protested, now standing up straight.

"Bullshit. They didn't let me off easy when I was her age on my first squad mission, why should I do the same for her?" Takashi protested, pointing in her direction.

"Bro, she's your younger sister. If anything, you should be protecting her, not bossing her around and treating her like a work horse." Jason replied, Marrissa closing the gap between the three.

"Oh yeah? And what about you, Mr. Even-Though-I'm-Only-15-I-Can-Make-My-Own-Decisions-Despite-Going-Against-Dad's-Orders?" Takashi reprimanded in a mocking tone.

"Hey, let's not make this about me. Besides, I know what I did was right. That scientist guy got what he deserved. I'm sure Dad will see the positives, in due time. Ain't that right, Mar?"

"Yeah! I believe you Jaíme!"

"See? Marrissa believes me." Jason added with a smile, tussling his younger sister's shaggy hair, Marrissa giggling in return. Takashi rolled his eyes at the sibling bonding.

"Whatever. Can we just get back to the task at hand? Please?" He asked with impatience as he looked beyond the rooftop, a fairly empty restaurant sitting across the street from their position.

"Did we catch up to our target?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. Before you two started whining, I saw him go into that restaurant. We can corner him in there. You two'll look for the place's emergency exit in case he tries to slip out. I'll go in through the front."

"Isn't this guy supposed to be armed? Last I checked, your armor has covered your vitals yet." Jason asked lastly.

"Yeah, and neither have yours. Don't worry, he's not faster than me." Takashi replied lowly with a snobbish grin as he pulled out his small sword. The others followed suite before exchanging confirmed glances at one another. With one last gesture from Takashi, the three leaped from the roof and towards their target.

[hr]

Jason opened his eyes, finished with meditating for the moment. He rose from his seat, yawning a bit as he did some stretches, the sounds of bones cracking and popping as a result. As he scanned the room, his eyes wandered over to Tommy, who was sitting by Garrus. Realizing that at one time he and the towering man were once apart of an unfinished conversation, he migrated towards them, finding a seat next to the two.

"Y'know, we never did get to finish our conversation." He said to Tommy with a look of intrigue.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Thats right, your brother, well not really your brother, more like your," Tommy suddenly paused mid sentence, as stopped himself from diving nose first into a rant about how much if at all, Jason was technically related to this Takashi but he stopped himself, " well that part doesn't really matter," He declared, before going on to address Jason's question, " You mentioned that the Key originated in Central America right? Because of that, I've always wondered if somewhere in New Eldorado there weren't some of the Key Corp's ancient secrets, locked away in the vault of somewhere. I mean you'd be surprised at how big some of these collections can be, Wizards who live for centuries just keep collecting and collecting artifacts of power, tomes, writings, spells, just about anything that has a shred of power. So at some point one of these collectors must have come across something that belonged to the Keys and locked it in his vault."

 

[Pm0n3y]

No, he's my brother. My half brother, but a brother nonetheless. You were on the right track Tommy." Jason thought at his teammate's words, smirking slightly as he hastily changed the subject. As Tommy continued on his spiel, Jason's mind began to reel at the thought of what could lay in wait in New Eldorado, who or what was left behind by his ancestors and their predecessors. The stories, the secrets. He wondered if any of what was left could help solve his dilemma. He then began to think about how said scenario possibly turned out in this universe. His mind then flashed to an earlier passage in time, when he was still in shackles, defenseless at the glyph that was incremented on said shackles.

The seal of Mictlantecuhtli...it's characteristics can be attempted, but only those who've actually laid eyes on it's original form could truly imitate it...I thought it perished along with my ancestors, but it's obviously been replicated without fail in this universe...did it survive somehow in New Eldorado? Better yet, how was the perfect copy found?" Jason thought in length, saying nothing long after Tommy finished talking. Before the air got awkward, Jason piped up with a question.

"Do you think any of these collectors and their archives of magical artifacts have been seized by the UA military? It would explain the glyphs they used to lock us up with." Jason asked interestingly, intently awaiting an answer.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Already on the same wavelength," Tommy had been harboring a similar hunch ever since he learned the UA knew about magic. " I just talked to Catherine, she says the UA took control of New Eldorado, they invaded with their full strength, everyone in the city either submitted, ran, or died. So then the UA military combed the entire place over and stole everything that wasn't nailed down. Except you wouldn't believe some of the security that's on these vaults. No amount of brute strength will crack them, so there must still be a few that haven't been cracked yet."

" But that doesn't mean there's no way to get in, all vaults have some back entrance, and if you know enough about magic or your clever enough you can find them. Right now the spells that protected New Eldorado from attack have been disabled, so it'll be easier to infiltrate."

 

[elementsoul]

As the fight was taking place, one of Bishop?s soldiers was walking towards the lounge to report the assessments of the vehicle?s conditions. It didn?t require him to get close to see a common enough sight; his commander in a fist fight. ?Guy?s the Second Lieutenant?s in a fight. You all remember the standing order. Get down here and make sure no one else gets involved,? the man said into his radio. A few seconds later all of Bishop?s soldier that had been working on the vehicles were running down the hall towards them.

?No they?d see a man who plans damn well to make sure that as few people as possible have to take that same double edged route. If you don?t believe me you can ask them yourself, on your way past them to whatever hell monsters like you go,? Bishop spat back, as he got back to his feet. "I shall see you zere first, you son of a *****!" Briân shouted back as he charged towards Bishop. Expecting the charge, Bishop grabbed Briân?s collar while lifting him with his other open palm at the base of the man?s stomach, flipping him over top of him, sending him flying a few meters down the hall, and rolling across the floor for a few more; past the lounge entrance.

Not wasting a second Bishop was after Briân. As the man tried to get to his feet he was greeted by running knee to the face; the contact created a crack as it broke his nose and sent him flying backwards onto his back. Briân?s nose had already started to bleed as Bishop jumped on top of his chest, into the mount position.

A fake punch slipped past Briân?s guard and Bishop hooked his right triceps with his right hand. Pulling the hooked arm to his right, at the same time as he slammed his left fist into Brian?s face, Bishop slid off the top of Briân and pushed the man?s body onto its side, with his right leg, in one fluid motion. Next Bishop quickly slipped his right leg around and over top of Brian?s head and pulled back on his arm, keeping his butt pressed against Briân?s back so he couldn't lay flat; completing the arm bar. Feeling the tension in the arm Bishop pulled back even harder, waiting for the subsequent break or dislocation. Bishop?s men gathered into a circle around the two fighting soldiers, to prevent or easily move to prevent anyone else from immediately getting involved.

 

[NeoAC]

The pain was unbearable. If this was a wrestling match, Briân would be very close to tapping out. And because of his leather jacket, Bishop wasn't even getting a taste of the punishment he deserved. He wasn't going to lose to this arrogant bastard though. He wasn't going to give in to his savage treatment. As Bishop's lackeys gathered around him, he would show him what a true fighting spirit would do.

Briân struggled to get into a position to escape the hold, Bishop wasn't going to be letting go any time soon. He would have to counter the leverage Bishop had on him. He grabbed at the leg draped on his neck and tried to lift it up off of him. It was hard from the spot he was trapped in, but he was able to get it off. With this opening, he brought his body around, easing the pressure on his tortured limb before shooting up in between his legs. It wasn't much of a movement but it allowed Brian to shoot his left fist forward and connect with a shot to Bishop's groin. It was a low blow, but all was fair in love, war and moralistic beat-'em-ups.

Bishop broke the hold on Briân's arm over the shock of being hit in one of the most sensitive parts of the body. Briân grabbed his right arm, holding it close to his chest as he labored to get back to his feet with just the one good arm. He slid off his jacket, leaving him in just a t-shirt, spattered in red. The blood around his nose had dried up, leaving visible streaks on his face, and the prominent bridge had a noticeable bend. Reaching up with his left, he snapped the cartilage back into place as best he could, the bend tempered somewhat, as Bishop started to rise again. He was bent over, and Briân wasn't going to waste an opportunity like that. He pivoted on his left foot, whipping his right around to deliver a spinning kick to the side of Bishop's head, sending a tooth flying to the ground, just beating Bishop to it. "And yet 'ere you are, battling against a potentially powerful ally in your quest for your own stupid selfish reasons, Beeshop." The spit was flying out of his mouth uttering his opponent's name. "I may despise you, but the enemy of my enemy is supposed to be mon ami, non? A shame you do not see it zat way." Briân looked around at the men on guard around them. He didn't remember them coming in, or being asked to come in. They just maintained the circle. "I see I am not ze first considering you 'ave to 'ave your leetle foot soldiers come barrelling in, standing in formation to oversee zis fight. Is zis 'ow you 'andle any dispute Beeshop? With violence and verbal abuse? 'Ow very American of you." Once Bishop hit the ground, Brian took advantage of the position.

As Bishop lay on his stomach, Briân positioned himself to apply his own submission maneuver. He buried a knee into Bishop's spine and slammed his opponent's head onto the ground, face first. Bringing him back up, the forehead had a wound open, and blood began to trickle down Bishop's face. Bonne, zis should give me enough time to get zis in zen. Briân picked up Bishop's head and slid his injured arm underneath the neck, gripping onto his good left arm. His left hand was then applied to the back of Bishop's head, forcing the head and neck tightly into the crook. He then pulled back, keeping the lower body pinned down with his own body weight. The rear naked choke was in place, and Briân knew he had the advantage on two fronts. Not only would the blood flow to the brain be cut off, but there were now three positions on his body that were coming into contact with Briân's bare skin. As much as he hated to be touching Bishop right now, this meant three different points that would be drawing the life force right out of him, making the chokehold three times as effective.

"You see, tyrants like you who use such methods to deal with zeir problem? You know what we call you?" He squeezed his arm tighter. The pain from Bishop's earlier attack still stung like a thousand wasps, but if a bit more self harm took Bishop down for good, it would be worth it. "We call YOU a monster, and we know 'ow to deal with zose up in Le Grande Norte Blanc. We eliminate zem when given ze rare chance." The energy was really starting to flow now. Briân could feel it.

 

[socialtangent]

Levi nodded sympathetically. First Jason, now Tyson. Sharing a body with an unspeakable evil seemed to be more common than he thought. Still, that would explain the specific questions Tyson had asked shortly after the battle in his mindscape. And what had happened to Tyson during that fight. The grotesque bat creature he mutated into was the stuff of nightmares. Claws and wings that sprouted violently from the flesh, the black eyes not unlike Victor's...

In the time that Levi knew him, it was rare to see Tyson so openly distraught. Afraid. Whatever this thing was, it absolutely terrified him.

"Of course, Tyson," he replied as the distressed man headed for a chair off in the distance. With a sigh his gaze fell back to the glass of water sitting before him. Rather, what was left of it. He picked up the glass and swirled its foggy contents around a bit before downing the remainder.

bzzzt

A muted vibrating sounded from Levi's pocket. His cell phone. 'Probably a low battery warning,' he thought while retrieving the device. A curious eyebrow raised when he saw a new message indicator flashing on the screen. It was from Taryn.

Gone for a walk

Levi was confused. A walk? In a secret military base? What would possess her to do that? The fact that a text message could be delivered over a network in an alternate universe only served to raise more questions. But since he received the message, something had to be working here. He unlocked the phone and began to enter a response.

Wait, a walk? Where are you?

Pressing the 'send' key, he waited for the message to go through. 'Worth a shot.'

 

[elementsoul]

Bishop?s vision was starting to blur for a second. He had one good shot at escaping Briân?s hold, and he was running out of time to pull it off. He started with a slow motion as to not draw attention to his escape plan. Shifting his left arm forward; he braced his left palm on the ground. In an instant he pushed up with his hand and twisted the top of his body to the right. Briân?s uneven balance and high center of gravity forced him off of Bishop?s back, and onto his right side, with the turn.

Briân landed his right shoulder. A sharp, shooting pain spread through his arm; instantly loosening his hold on Bishop. Bishop?s escape attempt was made as he drove his right arm up into Briân?s armpit, causing even more pain, and pried the right arm away from his neck with his left hand. After a second he was free and turned around on the ground so his legs were facing Briân. A quick kick to Briân?s throat sent him into a coughing fit for air, while Bishop entered one of his own.

Through the coughing Bishop backed himself away and soon stood while Briân was still moving to his feet. With Briân?s head still at waist level, the Second Lieutenant made a charge. It only took less than a second to cross the few steps between them and Bishop jumped. His right knee moved up and struck Briân?s chin. An instant later his right elbow dropped into the top of the Canadian?s head. The force of the impact caused Brian?s skull to fracture, and a piece of his tongue to be bitten off. The larger man fell down backwards after a moment. His eyes were fluttering in and out of consciousness; although his consciousness remained.

?A few things,? Bishop said, before coughing, spitting out blood, and then stepping over Briân. He took a minute to compose himself before he continued. ?My soldiers are ordered to watch and prevent interference. I demand respect from soldiers beneath me so they know their place and listen; if they don?t it will cost us lives. For this I will personally beat their position into them if they disregard our Resistance?s rules. Next that doesn?t make me a tyrant or monster. That makes me a commander who gives a damn. Very far from Patriot or yourself who use their powers needless for no sake but that they want to. More over; don?t use the term American as an insult. Canada fell six years before you were born. That makes you an American whether you like it or not.?

Briân?s eyes started to flutter again prompting Bishop to stop his speech and snap his fingers in front of Briân?s eyes. Once focus was regained he continued. ?Lastly, if you mention my family or insult my authority and command again, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head.? Bishop was finished with his little monologue and grabbed Briân?s collar and dragged him to his feet.

Moving quickly Bishop half pulled Briân the short distance to the door of the lounge; not caring for when the man?s feet slipped out beneath him. Upon entering the lounge Bishop spit out the blood that was building in his mouth again and pointed a finger at Catherine. ?YOU!? Bishop yelled across the room at her. Not waiting a moment he swung Briân forward into a table. The man hit it and rolled over into a chair on the other side. ?Put a leash on your dog before I have to put him down!? Bishop finished as Briân made his impact with the chair. He was beat, bloody, and the adrenaline that was keeping him going was simmering off. He wasn?t going to be standing much longer.

 

[CounterAttack]

"You have convinced me, Katie, that you are not of my world. With that in mind I will do everything within my power to return you and your fellows to your home... on one condition," Catherine eventually said, breaking the silence that had fallen while she had analysed Katie and her answers.

All of a sudden, the tension in Katie's shoulders vanished. She hadn't even noticed its presence until it was gone. It was a relief, that was for sure. "Name it," she said.

"There is a matter that I must attend to, concerning one of my comrades. Briân MacKenzie. He and I... we had once fought side by side. He is a great man and a good fighter. I..." Catherine trailed off momentarily, and when she next spoke, it was in a whisper. "I love him. I have since the day we properly got to know one another. And I know he feels the same. But I cannot touch him, no matter what I do."

"What? Why not?" Katie was a little shocked. Both at the fact that her counterpart and Brian's, the healer of the Society, were in love, and the thought that Catherine would need Katie's help on a problem like this. She briefly wondered if Brian knew about the relationship between their counterparts. If he did, then their next conversation would be an awkward one.

"Because he will kill me if I do. He nearly did, once. Briân is afflicted with a genetic curse. If he touches anyone with his bare skin, their life force is drained, fuelling his own. I know firsthand what it is like... it is not something I would wish on anyone, save our enemies," Catherine explained. "In exchange for everything within my power to help you return to your home, I simply ask that you and the Society find a way to lift the gene-curse upon the man I love, so that we might truly be together."

"Catherine... that's so sad. To look at someone in such a way and not be able to help them to the best of your ability," Katie eventually murmured. Unbidden, her thoughts briefly turned to Jason and the Takashi dilemma he had faced a short time earlier. Katie was of the mind that she had not done the best job of cheering him up. "I can't speak on behalf of the entire Society, but I will do what I can to see if I can come up with a solution for you. You have my word." She made a mental note to ask some of the other Society members about Catherine's problem.

"I see. Still. It is better to try and fail than to never try at all. That is why the Resistance still stands, is it not?" Catherine gave Katie a wry look before glancing up at the clock on the wall. They still had a good length of time before the plane was prepared... she grimaced briefly.

Katie noticed. "What's wrong? Something up?"

Catherine blinked. She had not intended for Katie to see that. "Sometimes my equals can be... difficult, shall we say, to work with," she explained. "Second Lieutenant Bishop has a tendency to step beyond his station, despite the fact that he is in no way superior to myself. Logically, you would think that the inverse is true, given my ability to create independent clones, but the reality is somewhat different."

Katie too gave a small frown. Her next words were spoken quietly so as not to allow people to overhear. "I know the feeling. The Society's Bishop is very similar. Just because he comes from the military doesn't mean he is automatically better than the rest of us. He certainly thinks that way, though." She quickly looked around the lounge to see if the sound manipulator was within earshot; it didn't look like he was paying attention.

[hr]

Spoon blinked, slightly shocked. He could sense something... it was going on outside of the lounge. Two familiar mind signatures, conflicting... lots of hatred involved. Pain flaring and fading: they were fighting, and they were fighting hard.

±Catherine, if I may interrupt your conversation, you may have a situation on your hands soon,± he thought-spoke to the 2nd Lt.

[hr]

What? was all Catherine had time for in response to Spoon's interruption before the door to the lounge burst open and Bishop threw Briân across the room. She leapt to her feet, storming past Katie to take in the situation. Spoon had been correct.

She needed to stop them before they caused even more havoc. "What the devil is going on here?! Restrain these men immediately!" she yelled. As a follow-up, she added a brief, "Do not intervene," to the soldiers under Bishop's command.

Spoon quickly complied, lifting one hand to point at Bishop, whose arms snapped to their sides and legs locked together as if the man was tied. Spoon's other hand reached out to Briân, who suffered the same fate. The two were locked into psychic holds: if someone physically restrained Briân it would not go so well. "Place them side by side," Catherine ordered. Upon Spoon's compliance, she tersely thanked the psychic and strode up to face the two feuding men. When she next spoke, it was filled with so much venomous anger that both Katie and Rowan were shocked by it.

"I don't care who started this, I am finishing it right now. You are soldiers on the same fucking side! It is high bloody time you started acting like it! The two of you are guests in my base of operations, and as such are under my jurisdiction. You will both stand down immediately and walk away from the feud between you. I should not have to state that I expect common courtesy and politeness from you while you are under my roof, even if you don't like each other.

"I want a clear, unbiased account of this... this debacle, from both of you. Explain yourselves. Right now." Catherine's anger at the brawlers was strong enough to cause her to be unsure of how to finish her sentences. Her formalities had crumbled as soon as she saw the result of Bishop's yelling. Her hands were balled into fists, shaking visibly. Her emotions were conflicting with one another... she had very little idea of what to do about this mess. Especially since Briân was one of the parties involved.

[hr]

As Catherine began her tirade, Katie quickly got up from the table and looked over at the kitchen. Brian appeared to not be paying much attention: she figured he might want to know what was going on. With that in mind, she skirted the lounge wall as she made her way around to the kitchen. Once there she poked her head around the corner.

"Hey, Brian... you might want to see what's going on in here," she said quietly, indicating the room behind her.

 

[NeoAC]

Briân coughed up some blood, spitting it out onto the ground as Catherine ripped into the two of them. She was angry. This was a rare side of Catherine barely ever seen, her calm demeanor usually taking precedent over any overt emotions she might feel the need to express. This was out and out rage though.

Once she was finished, Briân took the opportunity to get the story out first. "Hah. Ze same side? A pity zat Bishop does not seem to tink it is so. He 'ad issues with 'ow I dealt with Takashi's outburst earlier and I told 'im wat I thought of 'is management tactics if people are allowed to go off unrestrained such as zat. I now see zat zis is a mere extension of Bishop 'imself, not able to 'old anything back.

He decided 'e would rather compare me to zose pig dog UA forces, and how I was unnecessarily 'ere. I told 'im ze error in zat tinking ze Resistance could not use all 'elp it could get, purely because 'e can not deal with me, just as before. I tried to walk away, but zen 'e insults me more, 'e calls my relationship with you into question, because of my curse. I could not take zat. So I smacked 'im one. He escalated tings from zere. His leetle minions start surrounding us, and I am forced into a fight I wanted no part of. A few minutes later, zis is ze result. Zat is what 'appened, Ms. Southe."

By this time, Brian had heeded Katie's call and entered the lounge. Instantly all he could see was the two men suspended in the air in front of the woman who took charge when they came to the base not too long ago. Something had went on, and the two men were battered good. "Oh jeez," he stammered. "Should I like, you know, heal these guys or something? They look like they got knocked around some good there eh?"

 

[elementsoul]

The shouting had woken Tyson up and he quickly moved over to the source of the yelling. They look like they got the shit kicked out of them. What the fuck happened?

Bishop had almost snorted with laughter after hearing Catherine try to order his troop, and Briân?s account of their actions. Instead he breathed calmly and didn?t rush into his account if the events. ?First off until your bar turns from Gold to Silver my soldiers won?t follow your orders over my own. Secondly, if you want an unbiased account of the events, check the video records. I know you have video cameras throughout this base, so you should have video of the whole event. However since I?m assuming that you want my account; I?ll tell you.

I didn?t like the fact that he needlessly used his powers against a fellow resistance member. I told him as much and ordered him to not do so again. He then tried to justify it by saying that you were in danger. This was clearly not the case since Takashi?s anger was directed at Jason. He then proceeded to say contemptuous words towards myself, an officer fourteen ranks above his own. After expressing my displeasure with his false justification he then proceeded to insult my dead family before punching me and using his powers against me. I then proceeded to defend myself against his violent actions towards me.

I?d also like to note that my soldiers appeared well into the confrontation. They by no means forced Briân to continue the confrontation as he made no attempts to leave the fight and instead continued his violent actions towards myself. My soldiers only followed an issued standing order. They are not to get involved in any confrontation involving myself and another resistance member and are to prevent others from getting involved as well. This is to prevent other people from getting into shit for actions that involve myself,? Bishop stated in a calm collected voice.

?Now if you want to avoid some larger problems I suggest you get Briân some medical attention instead of hoisting him on his feet. If I fractured his skull his brain could start swelling soon.?

 

[CounterAttack]

"I think it's safe to say that you should not be telling me what to do in this situation," Catherine snapped at Bishop. She was not happy with his version of the events: his recount made it sound like he had done nothing wrong, when clearly both sides were at least partially to blame. "But you are correct. Both of you need medical assistance." She paused momentarily, unsure of how best to treat Briân. She knew he healed himself through draining others; such a procedure was far faster, and more effective, than application of field medicine.

"Spoon. Let them down," she ordered. The psychic complied, releasing his hold on the two. As soon as they were released Catherine turned back to Bishop. "You and your men will be escorted back to your vehicles for the duration of your stay. You will remain there unless I have need of you, in which case I will send a clone to collect you. As for medical attention, I trust you have a medic among your followers. If not, I shall provide one." She stepped back from Briân and Bishop, and closed her eyes in concentration.

[hr]

Katie watched, fascinated, as eleven fully-clothed Catherine copies stepped out of the space where the original stood. It almost looked like the clones were being torn off of the original, or like a diagram of cellular division that she remembered from high school. She wasn't sure which was more accurate. Regardless, ten of the new clones stepped up to take formation around Bishop's men.

The sight of the clones spurred a thought in her mind. She could already produce plants out of thin air. What if she tried to replicate the ones she had, without reaching out to other spores? She quickly rebutted herself by remembering that she could easily recreate a copy of a plant by drawing material from the original and re-growing the missing pieces. That was how she kept up constant volleys of razor leaves, when she wanted to do so.

[hr]

Catherine opened her eyes once more, smiling a little at the relief of being free from the familiar sensations of cloning herself. That smile vanished when she caught sight of Briân's injuries again. She gave a brief, "Dismissed," to Bishop before turning to the last clone she had created. This was a stab in the dark, but it would probably work.

"Catherine, will you give your life-force to get Briân back on his feet?" she asked. It wasn't an order, it was the clone's decision. They knew their lives could be short, often through combat, but Catherine asked anyway. Besides, ordering her clone to more or less commit suicide was both unethical and would not win her any points with the Society. The clone's answer was one that she expected:

"I will, Ms Southe."

[hr]

Rowan blinked and sat upright at the thought of the clone sacrificing herself. "Wait, what? You can do that? Give your own life to heal him? That's... crazy. Mad. Unethical... maybe unethical, I dunno."

Catherine - the original - rounded on him with raised eyebrows, as if she thought he should already know this. "It is not a life-threatening matter, Mr Ward. My clones are aware of their mortality. Some have shorter lives than this one, believe me. And it is the choice of this one to give herself up to heal Briân. Unless you have another way of patching up my friend without killing yourself in the process, I suggest we use someone expendable."

Rowan didn't know what to say to that. It seemed to him that when he made comments in recent times, they were shouted down or outwitted. He backed down, averting his eyes from Catherine to indicate he was not going to pursue the argument.

±Times like these are why I should just shut my trap,± he commented to Spoon, hoping to convey a bitter tone to his thoughts.

 

[elementsoul]

Pain had been shooting throughout Bishop?s body for a while now, and he was going to hit his wits end soon. Still Catherine talking down to him wasn?t acceptable, nor was Spoon?s binding actions either. He shot a quick glance over to Tyson and gave a slight head nod towards Spoon as a silent notion to keep an eye on him. Next Bishop turned around and signaled his men to start to leave.

?For the record they?re my soldiers not followers. Don?t mistake them for your clone slaves.? Bishop said with bile and venom in his voice. ?Also I?m leaving on my own terms, not your orders. Until your gold turns to silver it will always be that way, so watch your mouth. So on that topic, I?ll go where I want without your permission and your ?escort? is a little undermanned and worthless. Like ten of you could even come close to stopping us in the slightest,? Bishop told Catherine as he exited the door behind the rest of his men. A trailing laugh from Bishop could be heard as he walked a little long down the hall before it stopped. I?m probably going to need some morphine, a surgeon, and a long nap after this. I just need to make it back to the trucks on my feet so I don?t lose any face.

[hr]

Tyson had caught Bishop?s nod and shifted his head so shift was in the outside corner of his field of vision. In truth Tyson had no trust for the man even if others did. His sudden appearance, his telepathy, and his other powers which Tyson didn?t know the extent of held an uneasy nerve in his mind. Could just be that this me didn?t like being held up like that somehow. I can?t blame him though.

After Bishop left the room Tyson walked over to Garrus. ?So Leader, I?m not exactly sure about you, but I?m not exactly liking here too much. Too many things seem off about their supers and I?m not sure that I can completely trust myself if you know what I?m saying,? Tyson whispered to Garrus, as he wasn?t exactly sure of what to make of the current situation.

 

[NeoAC]

As Bishop trotted off towards the garage, Briân was trying to return to his feet. It was not going well. He shouted, "Allez mangez la merde, Bishop!" The effort caused him to collapse again. With more strain in his voice, he added, "I 'ope you rot in 'ell." He sat up against the wall as one of the Catherine clones came up to him.

"Do what you must, Briân," the clone spoke as she reached down and took his hand.

Briân hated everything about this situation. Here was a representation of the woman he loved, offering to sacrifice herself for his well-being, when it really should be the other way around. He couldn't bare to harm her, even a clone of her. He could already feel the energy starting to seep into his body. It felt good. It felt pure. Regaining a bit of strength he moved his hand up to her face, to caress it as the faux Catherine's veins started to bulge out, eyes slowly rolling back in her head.

"Whoa, Jesus Christ, stop there, eh?!?"

Briân did not bother to look up from his task as he dismissed the voice coming from his alternate self. "Zis is 'ow tings work 'ere, You would not understand."

Brian rushed over to where the man who looked like him was practically killing someone who looked like Katie and grabbed Briân's arm, breaking the hold he had. The Catherine clone stumbled backwards, breathing heavily as she gasped to regain a hold on her life.

"Wat ze 'ell do you tink you are doing? Get off me, you bastard Anglophone!"

"Buddy, I'm not going to let you kill off someone. I can help you out there, it's kind of my thing, you know? So just hold still there for a second." Brian place his left hand on Briân's neck while his right hand was placed on top of his arm.

Briân couldn't believe the abject stupidity that his doppelganger was displaying. "Wat? Get off, you fool! Did you not zee wat 'appens to zose who get close to me?"

"It's all right man, just let me do my thing here." As Brian maintained his grip, Briân's wounds slowly started to close, the blood evaporating from the cuts as the healed.

Briân turned and stared at Brian, trying to figure out what he was doing, but his eyes went wide at what he saw. Or rather what he didn't see. His power was having no effect on him. "You..."

"Don't move there bye!" Brian stopped the French-Canadian as he tried to move to get a closer look. "You move, you're going to put your arm bone out of your skin. Just let me finish here. At least this isn't as bad as some of the other stuff I've seen so far. Should be getting close to finished up here."

As the energy flowed through him, Briân felt much better. Not only were the injuries the arrogant Bishop gave to him disappearing, but there was sustained human contact for the first time without him breaking it off for fear of causing death.

The energy stopped flowing as freely as it did before, signifying that there was little left to be actually healed. Brian took his hands off of Briân. "There we go, that should hold ya for a bit there, eh?"

Briân was still somewhat stunned by this turn of events. "'Ow did you do zis? No one 'as ever been able to touch me for more zen a few seconds without feeling faint, yet you do zis ting with your 'ands, and nothing?"

"Well, I can heal people, so I dunno, maybe I got something that blocks your thing, or whatever. Point is you're all right, right? Feeling better and all?"

Briân stood up and brushed some of the dirt off of his jacket and jeans. "Oui, it feels as zough I never 'ad contact with zat flat-faced maggot of a man. Merci."

"Hey no problem. Now maybe we can start thinking of ways to just get out of here you know? I mean, every day we're here, is another day I ain't at home playing the XBox, eh?"