5th Column Comics: Peacekeeper #20
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Cold steel rests against my neck, as I watch Torres for a sign of what she’s going to do, but I get no hint of emotion. Desperately I try and open my fingers, only to find them locked firmly around the hilt of my dagger. It’s clear that Oni has given us one way out, slash the others throat, or risk being stuck forever, in other words she has rigged the scenario to play out as she wants. I’m so engrossed in finding a way out, that I miss Torres begin to choke and splutter until she coughs up on me, her knife dropping to the floor seconds later.
“What!! How!!” I hear Oni bellow, as Torres reaches down and touches my forehead with something woven from silk. Quivering, my hands drop the knife and I catch a glimpse of the omamori I found earlier in Torres’s hands.
“Of course, I forced you to swallow it.” I gasp, as Torres clothing (or lack of) transforms back into the SWAT issue body armour she would have been wearing on entry. Seconds later I look down to see my armour and equipment has all been restored, even my damaged tonfas are back to being intact.
“Just as I thought it might. When I learnt the theme Oni had chosen, I made a way to break her influence that wouldn’t seem out of place.” Torres answered, as Oni’s granite hewn form vanished, and the fire began to roll towards us. “Although it may not deal with that too well.” She added.
“We need to leave the same way we came in.” I reply, as I slot the visor down over my face, the ground now glowing with purple footprints from the UV dye in my boots. “Luckily I brought some breadcrumbs.” I add, as we both set off at a run towards the bone bridge I had fallen from earlier. Crossing the structure, I look back to see the flames already on the other side, creeping and whirling like a serpent on the hunt. Carrying on, we reach the orchard where Torres stops, the bodies of the SWAT team still hanging from the skeletal cherry trees.
“We can’t leave them.” She tells me, as she walks to one of the trees, and looks up at the knot holding the noose from the branch. “They deserve better.”
“They do.” I answer, the calmness in my voice cracking to reveal the emotion sheltered behind indifference, as despite knowing that their bodies are in a warehouse, the realness of this forest keeps tripping me up. “But we need to leave, and once Oriana is captured, we can come back and bring them home.”
“I guess.” Torres sighs, as she bends down and picks up a one man breaching ram, and slots it onto her back. “So how do we break out?” She adds, as we begin to run again, this time heading for the stairs, the unnatural flames following us at what seemed like a safe distance. Minutes later I come to a stop, as I see one of my footprints half in the forest, a clear indicator of where I had entered this little slice of madness.
“Well here we are.” I state, as I step past my footprint, only to slam into something hard and seemingly unseeable. “And it looks like you were right, we are going to have to break out of here.” I add as the fire stops behind us, and Oriana emerges, her body crumbling almost as if she was a stone battered by decades of storm surges.
“Can you not see what you are doing to me?!” She bellows, as Torres hefts the ram and slams it into the invisible wall, the blow leaving a large glowing blue crack at the impact point. “Can you not see that my health is connected to this place?” She asks, as parts of her arm crumble off.
“Even if I were to believe what I was seeing, you had the opportunity to release us.” I answer back, as Torres slams the ram down again, fragments of Oriana and the wall crashing down around us. “And you murdered tens of people for whatever sick purpose you had. They need to be laid to rest and not be used as props in your childish games.”
“And what about your game?” Oriana asks, as her legs shatter as Torres takes another swing at the wall. “I saw the way you look at Marisol, how you not just long for her, but lust for her. I can show you the path to her heart, the way to make her yours.”
“Not interested.” I reply coldly, as Oriana crumbles a little more. “At least not in anything you could show me.” I add, as the wall comes down, and the forest vanishes, only to be replaced by a warehouse of corpses. Removing my helmet, I rub my eyes, not quite believing what I am seeing, somehow where I am now seems less real then where I was. Taking a step towards Torres, I see something move and spin around just in time to receive a massive fist of stone to the face.
“You really should have taken my offer heroine.” Oni hisses, as she watches my body fall to the floor, her demonic features glowing red with rage. “You ruined everything I hate you!!” She adds, as Torres throws the ram away and takes two steps forward.
“Get behind me!!” She hisses, as I stagger to my feet, the left side of my face supporting a massive bruise. Nodding I move out the way, as she looks up defiantly at Oriana. Seconds later, Oni’s face goes from wrathful to one of terror, as Torres continues to stare up at her, unmoving and totally silent.
“What….what’s wrong with your face? What are you?” Oriana gasps as her rocky skin shears off to reveal an eighteen year old girl dressed in jeans and a blouse, her golden hair hanging loose over her shoulders, dark eyes wide in fear.
“I’m an officer of the law.” Torres states, as Oriana backs up before tripping over a corpse and hits the ground hard. “And you are under arrest.” She adds, before turning to look at me, her face seemingly normal, before turning back to Oriana and slipping a pair of handcuffs on. Seconds later the doors to the warehouse open, and Detective Carmichael and the rest of the officers swarm inside. “Oriana Nolan, you are under arrest for multiple accounts of murder, under the Carrier Rights Act you will be assessed by the CBTF, and will be assigned a lawyer.” Torres announces, “Anything you say can and will be used as evidence at your trial.” She finishes, as a man with cropped brown hair and a goatee wearing chinos and a polo shirt races in.
“Mari!!” He calls, as Torres passes Oriana to a few officers. “Mari thank god, I thought I was never going to see you again!” He announces, as Torres and he embrace each other, before she passionately kisses him on the lips.
“I’m fine Ray, thanks to Cassie.” Torres announces, “Cassie this is Ray, my boyfriend.”
“I must say I never thought much about you, always preferred guys like Wind Duster and the Quoll.” Ray states, as he holds out his hand. “But you returned my Mari to me, and that means a lot.” He adds, as I gingerly take his hand and shake it.
“It was nothing.” I answer, as I walk over to Detective Carmichael and hold my hands up.
“Just get out of here Williams.” He states, a look of annoyance on his face. “Oh and I know I’m going to regret this, but good job.”
**
Scahill Mansion
After arriving home and explaining everything about two hundred times to Mayday and Clive, I take my leave and head to the bathroom. Running a warm bath I get in and relax, the dirt from the warehouse washing away, even as I fixate on Oriana’s offer. Why had I refused, it’s not like some big display of honour would have won me Torres’s affection, and for that matter did I want it? Torres was hiding something, and she was doing a good job too, almost one on par with my façade.
“And that’s why you were drawn to her.” A familiar voice announces, causing me to jolt upwards to see the red head sitting at the other end of the bath.
“Terra?!” I snarl in disgust. “Or me I guess. How is this possible?”
“I’m not telling, at least not to you.” Terra states, as she runs her hand down my cheek. “You disgust me, you promised to be both this cities saviour and its worst nightmare. As I see you’re not living up to one of those obligations, what with all your hero roleplaying games.”
“The nightmare stuff is coming I assure you.” I reply, only for Terra to shake her head and slap me round the face.
“You’re lying, you’ve become hooked on being the good guy, the person almost admired not to mention that floozy cop.” Terra hisses, as she gets out of the bath and towels herself off. “But we’re the bad guy, we’re at best an industrial terrorist and we don’t like girls. Cassie is killing me, and you don’t seem to care.” She adds, before vanishing right before my eyes. Getting up out of the bath, I grab my towel and feel the dryness.
“Hallucination, maybe some residual side-effect of the reality warping.” I tell myself, as I look in the mirror. “Cassie is killing me, well maybe its best you died.” I state, before I pull the plug in the bath and walk out the room.
“Or maybe I should kill her first.” A voice echoes behind me, causing me to spin around, the light in the bathroom going out with the click of a switch.
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