It was a living hell. She’d lost everything.
His preseered the hotel room.
Everything but him. He was all she had left, his power, his es, his authority. If she lost him then she would have nothing. She would be a nobody, a helpless tumbleweed in the merciless winds of the world. She gripped the sink and bore her teeth. Ishtar. Her true enemy’s name was Ishtar. Whomever this person was, the enmity had been more than personal. The agent of the Night Society had been instructed to tell her without reservation that Hyunh was to be the sole survivor of the extermination of d syndicate. It was iional. This person wao leave her with nothing, to make her feel unimaginable suffering.
If she wasn’t sure that Sonya ovna wasn’t capable of such absolute wretess and evil, she would have believed it was her. But while the woman was a bit iving, she was so obviously a disgusting paragon of the new world and heroes that Hyunhs mind couldn’t rationalize any form of e. What would Hyunh have doo her to deserve this sort of wrath anyway? It didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. Who had she wronged so deeply to deserve this? She chewed her lip until the flesh tore and blood dripped onto the sink. A knock came to the door and she turned her head frantically.
“You’re fraying,” Was the only thing he said.
She snarled and threw the door open, looking him in the eyes and barieeth. He looked back at her without a lick of sympathy in his eyes. She drove her fist into the wall o his head, her eyes bzing with amethyst light. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re mine, mine!” She snarled, “Talking like that to me!”
He gri her, his hands twitg involuntarily at his sides, “I’m awake, but I ’t hurt you,” He said with a chuckle, “But for some reason I’m enjoying this way more.”
She held back a scream as she puhe wall agaiing right in his face. She felt a spark jump between his nose and hers and she winced, hauling bad spping him across the face. “Like you deserve aer! Murderer! Psychopath! You fug lunatic, if it wasn’t for me you would have gone off the deep end long ago, killed the wrong person. Put down like the rabid dog you are.”
He just looked away, amusement in his eyes as his cheek turned red from the blow. She felt him push back against her trol again. He wao kill her. She k. If she lost trol of him it would all be over, he could walk away and it would be worse than killing her. She grabbed him by the shirt and she felt him try to attack her with his powers. She pressed down on his mind with all of her might. She knew he was more powerful than her, but that didn’t matter, while his power was greater her reserves were greater still. She’d never felt exhausted while using her powers even while others cimed that they had felt tired or weary when pushing themselves.
As far as she knew, she was limitless. Her tration may waver but her power, my power. She reminded herself as she pushed and pushed and pushed while he raged and rallied with all his might, trying again to break his tai. She khat it was the wrong way to hahis. She khat wearing him down slowly was the more effective course of a. She khat she could fragment his psyche and turn him into an animal if he ever mao break free while uhis kind of pressure. At this point, she didn’t give a fuck. She wildly smashed his psyche over and over as she took her grief out on him, crushing his mind into powder.
When she was done, he stood there, vat, while she ughed.
“See? I’m still in trol here! Not you!” She snarled and spped him again, “Not you! Me!” She spped him again and again, tears streaming down her face as her ughter filled the room.
–
FACULTY EXCURSION PLETE
The cold, unfeeli message came through and Bckrazor held it up for Sonya to see. She was sitting on her bed now, stroking her helmet and refleg on the memories sent over to her through her e with her copy. The copy had doly as she would have if she were in the role of Ishtar, still, it felt strange experieng it all vicariously. It was still her itting the acts, she uood that on an instinctual level from the way the duplication ability worked. Yet there was an uling separation there. She could holy say that Ishtar had dohose things and not Sonya.
She stared at the text message for only a few heartbeats before waving it away. “Thank you, Bckrazood work as always,” She said auro stroking the helmet. Her eyes fixed on the wall in thought. “You know what to do ?”
“I’ll be ready, mistress,” He said befiving her a sidelong look as he got to his feet. His face turned a bit rosy.
She gnced up at him with a raised eyebrow before pursing her lips and smiling at him, “Was it that nice?” She teased him.
He cleared his throat, “Just ued.”
She barked out a ugh and rexed, leaning ba the bed and gng over at Marta who had taken to reading a i her owhe woman looked up with a frown of fusion at the exge and Sonya crified, “My copy decided to strip down out of the regalia in front of dear Bckrazor here,” She said with a light chuckle. “Poor thing is all worked up now.”
“Mistress!” Bckrazor protested.
Sonya raised an eyebrow, “Go py or something, I want you focused tomorrow.”
He tensed and then nodded, “Yes ma’am,” He said and disappeared into the floor.
“Things are going smoothly,” Marta said absently, looking back down at her id flipping a page. “Are you alright?”
Sonya let out a sigh and got to her feet, crawling onto the bed with Marta and ing her arms around her friends waist, peering over her shoulder to read the ic as well. She barely uood what was going on so just closed her eyes, “What happened with Ironsides feels ulingly separate from me,” Sonya said with a sigh a her head on Marta’s shoulder,
Without prompting, Marta reached up and stroked her hair. Her friends ha warm and it loosened a knot in her chest. She squeezed Marta tighter, “You’ve been itted for a while now,” Marta said, “There’s n back.”
“I’ve said it before,” Sonya said quietly, “I’ve accepted that.”
“The's see tomorrow through to the end,” Marta agreed. “I’m your on. Wield me.”
“Thank you, Marta.”
Sonya was surprised she’d mao sleep as deeply as she did after that. She had figured she would have dreams htmares. She had expected that the thought of something going wrong would leave her tossing and turning. Yet all she felt was fidence. She was satisfied with how things had turned out with Ironsides. She was eted that her revenge against Hyunh rogressing to its clusion. She was ready for what was to e. She had built herself up, hardened herself, tempered herself with one crime and act of viliny after another.
Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
–
hua rested her hand on her sword as she watched the vehicle go. The Chief Ior of the North Ameri division of the Pandora ittee was onboard with the body of his parthey were being transported to the airport to return to New York for an official funeral. Martin had told her that he would be taking a leave of absence for a while. It wasn’t required by the ittee but he had been a police officer before his current work and had a strong sense of responsibility and self awareness. She had appuded his decisiht now his judgment would be clouded by what had happened.
It was for the best.
She sehe Chairman approach her from the side. “Chairman.”
“Bck Lotus,” He said, trying to sound more merry than he felt, “I got your message, you’ve decided to stay for a few more days?”
“Ishtar is a serious threat to the worlds security and I want to know what her scheme is,” She said, “She murdered one of our own, as honorable as she’d been, she’s still a hated enemy. I may respect how she posed herself but-” She trailed off and gripped the handle of her sword tightly.
“I uand, it’s fine,” He said with a nod, “Will you be ing with my little party to the duo see it firsthand?”
She shook her head, “That had been my pn initially, but I think it’s best if my team patrols the city and stays o. You have what Euclidia gave you?” She asked.
He nodded, “I have it, I’ll call you if something serious happens.”
She let out a breath, “Good, good.”
They stood in silence for a moment before he cleared his throat, trying to ge the subjeething a bit more light hearted, “So, you took quite an i in Miss ovna. You were hanging on her every word st night.”
hua nearly jumped, whipping her head in his dire as heat rose to her face, “Ch-Chairman! That’s not an appropriate topic of versation, sir!” She protested.
He raised an eyebrow, “She was eyeballing you as well,” He said with a shrug, “I don’t know, young dy, I just think that in times like these we should take advantage of moments to find a little joy and enjoyment. Maybe I’m just an old man, though.”
She scratched her nose, “It has been a long time sineone spoke to me like that. I am used to formality, sir.”
He snorted, “Everyoiced.”
She groaned, “Was it really that bad?”
He pat her shoulder, “Good lu your patrol, young dy. Be safe.”
–
Afternoon came faster than anyone was really prepared for. There was no fah their departure from the hotel. No grand versations or witty banter. Sonya, Marta, Hyunh, A, and the Chairman simply got into the car and drove through town until they arrived at an abandoned stru site. The fences around it were te high, keeping out all but the most intrepid troublemakers. Outside the skeleton of what would have been a high rise, the life and lights of Vegas moved on as if nothing was ing.
Sonya got out first, stretg and grinning brightly to herself. She felt immensely satisfied. The reason came in the form of the pair that stepped out after her. A had no light in his eyes at all, his expression nearly dead, he ractically a walking corpse at this point. o him, Hyunh wasn’t faring much better. She’d mao herself up at least, her appearance immacute as always. Her eyes were trembling though and she fli small sounds. Sonya savored the sight and could practically taste those final moments already.
Just a little longer.
Marta got out , she was wearing her Handmaiden regalia with the full armaus and maid uniform. Her expression stern as she moved to stao Sonya and shadow her protectively. Sonya cast her dearest friend a smile and for a brief moment the veneer of the focused bodyguard broke to return it. Finally, the most oblivious man on the p as far as Sonya was ed stepped out of the car with a belly ugh.
“Is it really here?” He asked, amused.
“It is, acc to the radar,” Sonya said aured to the gates. “ermission to go in?” She firmed.
“Of course! I’ve already ha,” The Chairman said, walking over with them. Marta stepped up when they arrived at the gates and with a quick motion she grabbed the s keeping them closed and ripped them apart. The Chairman made a surprised noise, “My goodness! That’s a way to do it!”
Sonya snorted and locked arms with him befng over her shoulder at Hyunh, “Are you alright, miss Feng? You were so excited to be here yesterday.”
Hyunh shook herself and forced a smile, her eyes still unsteady behind the paper-thin veneer of fidence, “Just lost in thought! I’m thrilled to see this pce, aren’t you, dear?” She asked A who nodded numbly.
The Chairman nodded proudly, “Not even tragedy bring down your spirits, I appud you lot!” He said with a chuckle and walked arm in arm with Sonya into the building.
It didn’t take long to find the portal. The pylons grew out of the ground in sharp relief from the off-gray metal of everything else in the skeletal structure. They stood tall at the very heart of the pce, the only reason they weren’t visible to outsiders was the ceiling above and the fences around the pce. Otherwise it was dht out in the opeween the pilrs, the swirling lights of a dungeon portal glimmered and rippled as the air grew thick with energy the closer they got.
The Chairman came to a stop a out a breath of excitement, “My word, it’s beautiful.”
“And incredibly dangerous,” Sonya firmed.
“So this is what happens when mana gathers and packs itself together, fasating,” The old man said, walking forward to get a closer look. Sonya walked over to join him and regarded the portal thoughtfully. She’d been through this portal once before, she’d watched hua gh it as well, she remembered the ache of seeing the woman she hadn’t realized until that moment that she loved enter. She almost reached out to touch it before pulling her hand back.
“You like pretty things too?” He ughed.
She gri him, “I have my tastes.”
He ughed harder, “Duong, my boy! Hyunh dear! Get over here and have a good look! It’s amazing up close. Like water!”
Sonya took a step back to give them some space, meeting Hyunh’s gaze briefly and shrugging at her. The woma her but otherwise paid her no mind, stopping in front of it. Sonya could tell that the woman couldn’t appreciate what she was seeing, her mind far away. She took a moment to appreciate the look in Hyunhs eyes, the faint slouch to her posture, the image of herself during those st days after losing both Marta and hua. You know how it feels, now. She thought darkly. Good. Now die like that.
What happened happened so fast that for a moment the world seemed to go pletely still. Veloce, who had been hiding in the building sihe previous night, darted out of her hiding spot and zipped across the ground at top speed. Marta was the first to notice, already aware of the pn. A true actress, she shouted Sonya’s name in horror and tackled Sonya protectively to the ground. The Chairman was the o react, turning his head around and looking wildly at the blur approag him and his family.
A didn’t move, his mind buried so far down that he didn’t even flinch when Hyunh turned a out a cry of panic, the blur of Veloce colliding with her and sending both of them hurtling through the portal.
–
Hyunh nded in a heap atop dirt and rocks, rolling several meters before stumbling and scrambling to get some sort of sense of what had happened. She stood up, breathing hard, panic rising in her chest as she looked around. She was standing in a barren yon, rocky terrain stretg out behind her and walls of sheer storetg up oher side. It only took a sed to realize what had happened wheuro see the strange woman standing in front of the portal.
“Who are you? Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Hyunh screamed.
The woman just shrugged, “Don’t really care, Ishtar says jump and all that.”
Hyunh stumbled backwards, “Ishtar?” She blinked, “Ishtar? She sent you?”
She frantically reached for her e with Duong, stretg her will out as far as it could go but she felt nothing. Not a hint of his presen her mind. She looked up at the portal as the woman just waved and turned back, darting out. Hyunh started to run to follow her but slid to a stop. He’s loose oher side of that portal. She realized. I ’t go back! She held up her hands to her head. I ’t go back! She turned around, looking for another route out when she saw figures rag towards her, they looked like little men with doglike faces and snouts. They were carrying spears and waving them with wild abandon.
Monsters. She looked back at the portal. Duong. She looked back at the monsters again and gripped at her hair. Her eyes bulged, her face t as nearly all reason began to melt from her mind. She tore at her hair, her emotions exploding into a single scream of hate and terror.
“ISHTAR!”