Chapter 17. Escaping Reunity
"Hello, Special Agent Henderson. The threat has been dealt with, the survivors are uninjured, and they have been secured. We are evacuating the shelters imminently."
"Good work John, I expect a full debrief as soon as you return to the compound."
John directed the survivors through some old hallways and locked doors that led to an old, rustic-looking elevator. Stepping inside the interior was fairly large and could more than fit everyone inside. As shifted and made loud concerning noises it began to rise, creaking and thumping as it did. Emily was holding Xavier in her arms and the space was silent except for the elevator itself and occasional sniffles that escaped crying individuals. Very few of the shelter's occupants had survived the Muscled Maniacs massacre. Children, parents, those just starting to mature, and those nearing the end, were unceremoniously and indiscriminately murdered. All in all over 700 lives were taken in the massacre, the two shelters above having only a spare few survivors. The shelter Xavier found himself in had a good deal more survive the incident thanks to Emily and Xavier's intervention.
While taking the slow and creaking elevator ride up, Jordan attempted to break some of the tension by chatting with Emily.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" Jordan asked gently.
Emily, staring blankly at a random detail in the old elevator cabin wall, holding the unconscious Xavier broke out of her trance and responded. "Oh, uh, I'll-I'll be alright."
The insincerity in her voice and cold gaze she held failed to get past Jordan. He gave her a warm and gentle smile and consolingly placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Listen, I...wasn't there but I could tell you put up one hell of a fight. I'm sure you did as much as you could, more than anyone could have asked of you." He sighed, trying to find the right words. "I know it might not mean much coming from me but It's alright to not be okay right now. And I also know you will probably blame yourself for not being able to protect everyone, but just know none of it was your fault or responsibility. A lot of people in the same position you were in would not have sacrificed or fought as hard as you did." Jordan finished, attempting to keep back the tears threatening to be released.
Alex, Clair, Avery, and a few other survivors within earshot chimed in with their own words of appreciation. Tears welled up in Emily's eyes that quickly fell unimpeded. John, noticing the shift in energy, made his way over to Emily to offer to hold Xavier. She complied with the offer and looked over at her friends and fellow shelter survivors fondly. Turning to Jordan she walked up to him and embraced him in a tight hug, her tears seeping into his tattered shirt.
"Let it out, you've gone through a hellish ordeal and a half." Jordan cood, rubbing her back. "Alright, alright, you can ease up on your grip." He gasped out as her hug got a bit too tight.
"S-sorry." Emily apologized letting go and wiping away her tears.
"It's alright, oh, and here," Jordan said removing his jacket and handing it to Emily.
Her clothes had been damaged a fair bit so Jordan had offered his jacket for her to cover up and get some warmth.
"Thank you Jordan, for everything, I feel a little bit better now." Emily expressed sincerity, a small smile gracing her flushed face.
The rest of the elevator ride went on in silence other than the now familiar creaking and occasional screech of the elevator. The overall energy of the cabin had improved a not insignificant amount but was still overwhelmed by grief. Reaching its destination the elevator rattled into place and the large doors scraped open. The doors opened to reveal an old and unkept hallway. The space suddenly shook violently dust, rust, and debris falling to the ground. John gave Xavier back to Emily and held a determined expression on his face. Emily would be lying if she said she wasn't anxious about John and the imminent future but she pushed on nonetheless.
"Come on, let's hurry, we have about 2 miles until we're out." John ushered.
The walk was uneventful, Avery sulked by himself and Clair clung to Alex like he would die if she let go. Everyone had been through quite a lot and were lucky to be alive, it would take time to heal from this and some may never fully recover. A few of the kids that had lost their parents were being looked after by adults they were comfortable with.
Even though they were alright physically they had all been severely injured and surrounded by friends and family that had died. They also had to endure the aura and presence of the Muscled Maniac. For everyone affected, the recent incident and events of the last 15 days had been the most traumatic experiences they had ever had. Emily did have a hard life but even she was heavily affected by everything that had happened. It would be a lot for anyone but for Emily, she had to worry about the power that now lay inside her. After almost half an hour of walking and relative silence, the group stopped at a ladder that seemed to reach up forever.
"Alright, this is the last obstacle before we're out, one at a time now," John commanded softly while helping people ascend.
Emily threw Xavier over her shoulder and started climbing up the ladder, at first it was a bit uncomfortable but as she ascended she got into a rhythm. After a few minutes of continuous climbing, she made it up to a room, people sitting on the ground panting. They seemed to be in a home of sorts, long abandoned. Cobwebs littered the space along with dust and a musky unnerving smell. It more resembled a small bomb shelter but it must have been hundreds of years old at this point.
Finally, John peered his head up and marked the end of the climb, everyone now inside the room. He let the survivors collect themselves for a couple of minutes before heading for the exit. He forced a hatch open, and it creaked open, rust shaking off. Emily was surprised the door didn't break or was even in the condition it was. The hatch opened up into a modern-looking room, abandoned and trashed but familiar.
Emily always found the modern esthetic of Reunity soulless, devoid of any humanity or life. Her memories of before the great city are faint but the architecture always seemed unsettling to her. Over time she grew to respect the grandness of it all but still felt homesick. She would occasionally dream of life before the streets and constant fear, hiding, and pain. There were only brief memories when she awoke but It was the only time she could remember feeling at peace and truly home.
Stolen novel; please report.
The front of the abononded building was destroyed and out in front was a convoy of armored vehicles. An armed Agent clad in protective bulletproof armor stepped out of one of the vehicles and came up to John and bowed slightly.
"Sir, we are here to escort you and the survivors, I expect if we run into any trouble that you will assist." The man said more of a matter of fact and formality than if he were genuinely asking.
"Right, of course, Emily here can also aid in the event of any threats, right?" John replied, pointing back at Emily with his thumb.
"Right, yeah, I can." She responded, startled out of her thoughts.
"Alright, let's get moving then." The Agent commanded.
A half dozen Agents came out and assisted the survivors into the various vehicles. John was guided to one in the front while Emily was positioned in the one in the back of the lineup with Jordan. She continued to carry Xavier until they were comfortably sat inside, she laid him down on the extended seat next to her and tried her best to fasten him in. Once everyone was settled the armored Bureau vehicles set off.
around the 45-minute mark into the journey, John decided to make small talk with the agent driving next to him. "So, how have things been in the city?"
"Things have been pretty dire sir, although it's gotten quieter these last few days. We've noticed some pretty interesting behaviors. You'll be debriefed on the specifics but just know the tide recedes before a tsunami." The agent responded cryptically, his voice straining with a hint of anger. During the conversation, he frequently checked a display that showed a grid of the surroundings, the occasional red dot showing up and then disappearing as they drove.
"Alright, well, I'm excited to see how the team is holding up, but I didn't expect to be coming back to see them so soon," John said, a bit taken aback by the other man's attitude.
"Honestly, I expected to see you sooner, or never again." The Agent spat out with a noticeable amount of venom.
"Is everything alright Agent?" John questioned accusatorially.
The Agent suddenly slammed on the brakes making them come to a very abrupt stop. "Is everything alright? What the fuck do you think?! First, the world ends and you freaks murder my wife and children and now I have to work with you!? Not only that but to put a stupid fucking cherry on top we're escorting back one of you freaks that lured another one of you freaks to one of the shelters!! So no, everything is not 'alright'!" The man roared out, his voice becoming raw by the end of it from the screaming.
He stepped out of the car and John followed suit meeting the man in front of the Bureau vehicle. John was showing clear signs of agitation and the Agent had a deep scowl etched on his face and veins bulged from his forehead. They had nearly made it out of the city and into the barrens when this confrontation started. Emily, some Agents, and Guards came out to see what was going on, John and the Agent in a heated conversation.
"Getting a little upset are we? Not going to lose control and start killing everyone, are you? I thought you were oh so proud of your control over your negative emotions, don't tell me you've been faking it." The Agent taunted.
John balled his fists and shook with outrage at this supposedly highly trained Agent making a scene like this in dangerous territory. The negative comments only irritated him and he understood where the man was coming from but there was a time and place for it especially for someone that is supposed to be a professional.
"I'm baffled that they let children with temper tantrums join The Bureau, or are you just really good at faking it?" John taunted back.
It wasn't a very good idea to argue and instigate but John was starting to lose control.
"What's going on, is there a threat?" An Agent asked.
While everyone else was distracted by the scene, Emily, out of the corner of her eye noticed a bright red flashing light and alarm start to ring out from a monitor inside one of the Bureau vehicles. Pointing at the monitor Emily looked around at the Agents and Guards around her. "Um...is that important?" Right as she asked the argument between the Agent and John continued.
The Agent's face was beat red and he was shaking in rage, tears threatening to be released. "Oh, you think you're so big and tough now huh, now that you are a freak with power-" The Agent had started to approach John, ready to throw a punch when something came hurdling down from the sky. Barely reacting in time, lost in the heat of the moment and not noticing the approaching aura, John moved just nearly getting squashed. John was still flung back by the impact, the Bureau vehicle beside him being knocked back a bit as well. Where once stood the aggravated Agent was now a woman clad in blood, bits of organs, and bone fragments. The Agent had been completely obliterated by the impact of this Woman striking down into the road. Pieces of him and blood being sprayed all over John and the ground surrounding the crater.
"Oops, missed ya, could have sworn I was gonna hit ya. That guy stepped right into the danger zone though, can't blame me for that one..." The woman spoke casually, picking off pieces of bone and organs from her clothes.
John blinked in confusion gasping and gagging. "...Holy shit!"
Frozen in place with shock Emily stared at the scene in disbelief. She had sensed something but very much too late to have done anything about it, before now at least. Breaking out of the shock she started slowly approaching the woman casually, only enhancing herself when she knew she was close enough to catch the woman off guard and strike her.
The woman cleared her throat and started. "Mortals! Revel in the presence of me, the mighty Blazing Inferna! You see...at first I was just going to tail ya'll from above and see where ya'll were headed but feeling that spike in power, well, let's just say I was feeling peckish all-a sudden. I'm honestly surprised ya were able to move out of the way that snappy though. I was sure you wouldn't sense me, I'm pretty good at masking my presence after all-" She monologued until being interrupted by a fist to the face.
Emily came in fast and struck her in the cheek halfway through the "Blazing Inferna's" grand speech. She got sent back by the blow and flew up floating several feet off the ground, flame propelling her up. She cradled her face, blood pouring out from it.
"Ow, fuck that hurt, I think ya fucking fractured my jaw ya bitch! How many more of ya'll are there?" She swore, looking down at John and Emily, contemplating. "Mhhh...fuck this, I'm outa here!" She finished, flying away at dizzying speeds, the heat from it making everyone flinch away.
Walking toward John Emily called out. "John, you alright? That was insane."
"Fine, not something you see every day but I've seen worse."
"You've seen worse? Who are you anyway? Seemingly part of the Bureau but in the shelter with us, just making coffee if I am remembering you properly. Were you watching over us, if so why didn't you help us against that monster, you could have done something! And what were you two arguing about before...well, y'know, splat." Emily asked with suspicion.
"Listen, I can explain everything once we make it to the compound. We do have to cross through the barrens though so we better get moving, but I promise everything will be explained. Well, at least everything we know." John said attempting to calm Emily down a bit.
"Alright, but just know I don't trust you or any of this, I've never trusted The Bureau in fact."
"You and me both then," John responded, making Emily give a perplexed expression and tilt of her head.
"Okay, let's get going everybody.
Emily grabbed Xavier and brought him to the front of the convoy, she sat next to John who was now driving, and crossed her arms. Jordan, Alex, Claire, and Avery all joined Emily sitting in the back of the vehicle, where Xavier was lying on the seat still unconscious. The convoy continued their trek, Emily eyeing John suspiciously until she fell asleep. Rays of sunlight started lighting up the sky, stretching across the bare wasteland as they drove. In a few short hours, they would reach their destination, where a whole new world would open up for Xavier and Emily.