The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

Bay of Memories

For the second time in a few hours, Jason was loaded onto a helicopter. He climbed aboard a massive chopper, slipping into its cargo bay and sat down silently. His friends boarded after him, Laureen planting herself next to him and fiddling with a headset, while Max and Hiroshi sat across from them. Hiroshi was back in full costume and wrapped his scarf around himself, his helmet firmly planted in his lap.

Next James and Audrey were wheeled onto the helicopter. Both were in stretchers, securely strapped down. Audrey was still hooked up to medical equipment, her chest heaving with strained breathes. She was wheeled in close to Jason. He swallowed as he looked at her, wondering if she was going to wake up soon. He knew he shouldn't be thinking that, shouldn't be rushing it. But he wanted her up. Because soon they were going to face the skeleton crew and he needed her here. Needed her to wake up and be with him. Face them together, damnit...only together, with the full team as one, did they stand something of a chance.

"Audrey..." He muttered, as the whine of the helicopter echoed from outside. The engines began to heat up and soldiers called from outside, before the cargo doors hissed closed. He grimaced before settling back into his seat. Quietly, he said to himself: "...please wake up soon. We're going to face them now real soon. The Skeleton Crew...I have a feeling this is it. No...it has to be it. We can't let them destroy another city. We can't let them win. We're to stop them. But we need you. I need you. Please wake up soon...please."

She didn't respond, of course. Jason raised a hand, his arm trembling before pulling it back. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. Laureen gave him a sympathetic look as she did likewise but said nothing herself.

As the helicopter lifted off, Jason wondered if this was a good idea. Challenging the Skeleton Crew again in a major city? The sheer destructive potential of it was mind boggling. He didn't know if it was even an idea they should be considering but the fact that the government was supporting them either meant everyone had gone completely fucking insane or...maybe they thought it was a good idea too. No, probably not. What they probably thought that this was their only option for taking down the terrorist group and they simply weren't willing to wait. Jason just hoped, no he prayed, they could get the city evacuated.

He'd seen the destructive power of metahumans in cities up close many times. Some parts of that destruction had been his team's own doing. Jason knew metahumans were dangerous because he was dangerous and he was fairly low grade on at the end of the superpower totem pole. But Jacqueline had sounded pissed off on the television broadcast. She said she was going all out and although Jason didn't know what that meant, he also knew she hadn't used all her guys for sure in the assault on Quincy.

San Fransicso was going to be bad. Really bad. But Jason swore to himself as he listened to the engines whine, as he stared at Audrey, that he was going to top Jacqueline, Akihiro, the whole damn lot of them right here and now. People were dead because of them. Jacqueline had gone on this whole warpath because of the Metahuman Agency. She'd slaughtered innocent people just to get to them.

He squeezed a fist. "Madeline..." He muttered, wondering where the middle-aged woman was who'd sheltered him and James ever so briefly. "I hope you're okay...I hope all those people who I saved are okay. And I'm sorry. To all those dead bodies I ran past. I didn't get to you in time and that's on me. Maybe I should've been faster. Maybe I should've fought harder. But I swear, to all of you, that I'm going to do what's right again. One way or another, it ends in San Francisco. And I sure as hell am not going to let Jacqueline win. She deserves to pay for her crimes and you can bet that I'm going to make her pay for everyone she's killed, all the lives she's carelessly snuffed out..." He bit his lip, the Director coming into mind. He swallowed and said, sternly, "Especially you, ma'am. Especially you...I'm gonna make you proud tonight. And I'm gonna to give your bitch of a sister hell for you."