Part 10
The
moment Chase entered the infirmary she heard the crying and wailing
of the affected heroes still being tended to. They were not her
objective. She came to the last room in the analysis section. Fuma
Hanzo, that strange demon looking hero, stood over the bed where Gar
lay.
Chase
walked over and put her hand on Gar’s arm, “He’s so...still.
His body feels like solid stone.”
Fuma
said, “He is nothing like I have ever seen. To the touch, he is
solid. The density of his body is greater than almost any known
matter. Yet, when he moves on his own, it’s like he’s alive.”
“Can
you help him?”
Fuma
shook his head, “No. I don’t know what is wrong with him.
However, I can tell you I sense something strange about him.”
“Everything
about him is strange.”
“Moreso
than you realize. I sense a power holding him together, a power that
I’ve only seen twice, a long time ago and...”
Chase
frowned, “And...and what?”
“And,
I sensed it recently, when that man stole the bow and from cupid.”
“What?”
Chase stepped back, “He….and that man?”
“I
don’t have answers. But, something about Gargoyle and the
bowman….and even cupid and Santa, are connected.”
Chase
asked, “You sensed this before, a long time ago. What was it then?”
Fuma
became silent, lost in thought. There was an ounce of fear on his
face as he dove into his memories. “I...I can’t recall
it clearly. However, if my feelings are correct, we are in a lot
of danger.”
Just
then a man appeared next to the bed. It was Strange Quark, “Fuma’s
correct, we are in a lot of danger.”
“You!”
Chase backed up, “I thought you had died.”
Strange
laughed, “No, just had to change my existence to repair the damage
done to me.”
Fuma
cocked his head, “You were damaged?”
“Yes.”
Quark said, “I was hurt in ways I have never felt before.” He
looked down at Gar, “Oh, no. Who did this?”
Chase
quietly answered, “The bowman.”
“Damn
him!” Quark scoffed. “I thought Gar was indestructible. How?”
Fuma
said, “I thought you were indestructible as well. But, this
kind of power is more than either of us understands.”
Quark
said. “As I healed, I realized the power behind the attack.”
“And,
what is this power?” Fuma asked.
Quark
softly shook his head, his three eyes blinking independently of one
another. “I don’t recall where the power came from. I only know
that Legion was bested once before Earth gave them a real challenge.
Out of rage and fear, they brought war against the winners and
ultimately destroyed them. But, for some reason, I can’t recall who
the enemy was. Who Legion feared so badly.”
Fuma
shook his head, “If Legion could fear them we are in deeper trouble
than I imagined.”
“That’s
why I’m here. I need to warn Nova.”
Chase
said, “He’s gone, with everyone else.”
“Gone?”
Fuma
nodded, “They’re attacking Cupid to get the bow back in his hand
and stop his onslaught.”
“Who
went?”
Chase
said, “He called the leagues, I think.”
“No.”
Strange ran right through the wall, heading for the command center.
Chase
and Fuma didn’t ask questions, they followed.
“What’s
wrong?” Fuma asked.
Quark
stood in the middle of the monitors. “That.”
They
watched several drone feeds of Cupid battling in the shadow of the
Eiffel Tower. Heroes converged on him, but he was bringing them down
quickly.
“He
activated the leagues,” Fuma said.
“That’s
not enough, not nearly enough.” Quark grabbed a comm unit and waved
his hand over it to rework it.
“That’s
not a battle, it’s a slaughter,” Chase whispered.
Fuma
said, “He isn’t killing them, but they’ll be good as dead if we
don’t stop him.”
“We?
I can’t do anything. All I was ever good at was stealing and
throwing blades. I am out of blades and no amount of theft will help
this situation.”
“Give
me your hand.” Fuma took her hand and then placed a pair of
shuriken blades in her palm. “There, these will give you a fighting
chance.”
“What?
Two blades?”
“They’re
magical. Trust me.”
Just
then Quark came over and plugged that comm unit into the computer. He
pressed a button and spoke aloud, “BADGE HQ to all heroes on Earth.
We have a critical situation in Paris, France. I don’t care if
you’re in a league or not, or if you aren’t aligned with BADGE,
we need you. The world needs you.” He pressed another button and
said, “There, it’s on repeat.”
Chase
gasped, “LOOK!”
They
turned to see Nova laying on the ground, Cupid flew over the fallen,
screaming in fury.
"He's too powerful." Chase said.
"No, not yet." Quark's three eyes each watched a different screen. "He is growing in power with each fallen, at this rate he will become completely corrupt and unstoppable."
"How long do we have?" Fuma asked.
"I'd say we have three days before he is gone. But, that gives us a fighting chance."
Chase shook her head, "So, we save the world by Valentines day or Cupid destroys everything. How's that for irony."
Quark
grabbed Fuma’s arm, “You ready?”
“Yes.”
He
then looked at Chase, “Are you with us?”
Chase
looked down at the two blades and then thought about the man who
saved her life. “I have to try.”
Quark
took her arm as well and then all three vanished in a fold in space.
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