A Darklight Burning Brightly

A Whateley Academy Fan Fic

by

Solus Nova

Part 2

I just curled up on the bed, the pain from my 'shower' had faded, at least the physical pain. The mental pain was still there, I wondered if I can go through that again, Gawd I hoped not. Unlike most of my peers I had no illusions about violence and death, what happened to my sister Val, and my Mom’s stories had cured that, but I was disturbed, no shaken to my core about how easy it was to break me. I had always thought that I was made out of stronger stuff. I wasn't, how much of my bravado was ignorance or my relying on my abilities to keep me safe? I never wanted any of this, it was always Val that dreamed of this life, so why me? I tried to hold back the tears, then I tried to stop sobbing, then I tried not to totally meltdown, I failed.

Right in the middle of my meltdown the door opened and Agent 'Jones' walked in with his goon squad. “Get up mutie.” He snarled at me, when I didn't move he motioned to his men and they hauled me off of the cot I was curled up on. Both of them hit me a few times, when I just huddled on the floor a few kicks where swiftly delivered, one boot crashed into my face breaking my nose, all I could do was just lie there and hope it ended.

“Shit Tingley, now we have to fix that thing up.” Snarled 'Jones'. He stepped out of the room for few minutes coming back with what looked like a beefed-up cattle prod, I just whimpered and tried to get away, two of the guards slammed me against the wall and pinned me there while 'Jones' applied the prod to my face.

“Take your medicine mutie.” Was all he said as he repeatedly struck me in the face. It hurt much worse than my sessions with the battery charger earlier, and it seemed to last forever. Finally it stopped but I just laid on the floor and tried to make the world go away, no such luck. 'Jones' men grabbed me upright and dragged me out the room, my toes not even touching the floor.

A few twists and turns led to a standard interview/interrogation room in a distant way I noticed the smell of new paint and bleach. My hand cuffs were locked to the table and someone did something to the collar device that I guessed was affecting my powers. The room kinda faded out a bit as I just grew more tired, all I wanted was to be left alone, why doesn't this stop, I just want it to stop. I saw some more people enter the room in a distant way, two of them had fancy suits that screamed 'lawyer' but it was again a distant thing I just couldn't seem to care, even when they talked to me it was so hard to focus on the words, I just nodded along when they nodded, and muttered something then they left me alone, I liked that, it was good to be alone, the room seemed to get dimmer. I just wish all the world would go away and leave me alone...


SNAP


Everything leaped back into focus, the dimness didn't retreat it fled at high speed and the crushing mental fatigue disappeared like a slimy politician's promise. For just the briefest of seconds I felt normal, well superchick normal. From behind me I heard a panicked curse and felt someone grab the collar around my throat, things just quickly faded back to dim and uninteresting, I tried to fight it, tried to hold on to that 'normal' feeling.

“What's wrong?” I heard 'Jones' snarl.

“Dunno some kind of feedback almost blew the damper...” the voice behind me kept tugging on the collar.

'Jones' and two of his men stepped back and drew guns, as they pointed their guns at me I idly wondered why I wasn't afraid. 'Jones' looked almost as scared as I should be, the two guards that I could see both had full helmets so I couldn't see their expressions, however their body language was shouting out how on edge they were. All for me I wondered, why? It was so hard to think. Like my thoughts were heavy weights that I could barely move. The voice behind me continued working on the collar.

“Is it working alright now?”, 'Jones' asked, any other time I would have enjoyed how he almost squeaked out the words.

“Hmm...Yeah it's solid I don't know why it nearly blew.” I'll gave him the nickname Geeky Goon in my head, as I thought that I realized it was becoming easier to think again. Geeky Goon kept on speaking, “I'm going to turn it down a bit, maybe half power instead of 75 percent...” More tugging at the collar around my throat.

“Why?” Snarled 'Jones' “We want this freak on ice until everything is lined up,” he looked at me with hate in his eyes, “and I hate smart mouth bitches.”

“Commander this didn't happen until we turned it up, maybe it's overloading at the top end.” Geeky Goon sounded smart, might have to give him a better nickname I thought, as Geeky Goon continued to speak, “I'd have to take it apart to test it, and do you really want to take the damper off? Somehow with little Miss Mass Destruction here and knowing what her mother could do I bet you want to play it safe.”

I wish I could laugh at the expression on COMMANDER 'Jones' face, oh what the hell I thought, so I did. A giggle snuck it's way past my lips, “Oh this is rich, big bad MCO Commander scared of a little wordplay, can't handle a little witty banter? I wonder what else is extra small, huh Jones?” as I smirked in the direction of his crotch. I laughed openly at the look on his face, right up until he hauled me out of the chair and tried to throw me into the wall, with my handcuffs attached to the table that stopped that, but he kept trying while yelling in my face, if fact he kept trying until one of my shoulders popped out it's socket.

I didn't like that much so I screamed, the way only a teenage girl can scream, but inside I was gloating. I had the upper hand, only for few seconds but everyone in this room knew it. That was good so I decided to pass out while I was ahead on points.

Of course when I woke up back in my cell is when they brought in the cattle prods for another round of MCO Mutant Medicare, a few kicks some whimpers, a few broken fingers were one of the Goons had stomped on my hands, then they shocked me back to health. Food arrived next, and lights out. I guessed it would be back to random day/night cycle, and feeding times, as long as the Hygiene Patrol stayed away I could deal, I think, just don't cry I told myself. Ok now how to get out of here, blasting my way out would be fun but not possible unless I could get this collar off. If I got my powers back the only choices about leaving would be how much property damage to do on the way out. Of course that would get me in the supervillain side of things fast, not something I wanted, I saw first hand what veteran supervillains like Mom and her friends went through up close and personal. That lifestyle choice was at the bottom of the list, but on the list, call it Plan V, for Villain cue maniacal laughter.

At the opposite side of the coin would be Plan A, where the MCO comes to it's senses lets me and every other mutant they've done this to go free with large amounts of money, money, and more money and then 'Jones' and his gang get tossed in jail with various cellmates that are very affectionate when the lights go out.

Well Plan A is less likely than Plan V, which is good because Plan A never works. Plan B? Nah, Plan B doesn't work either, it'll look like it's working until you are lulled into a false sense of security, then WHAM, so much stuff is blowing up in your face you are left wondering if you are an extra in a Micheal Bay film.

So start on Plan C, so what's Plan C you ask yourself? Well self I'm glad you asked.

Self answered back, 'So quit stalling' Self said.

I must make a mental note to hire a better class of Self, this one is too damn pushy. Well since you asked, Plan C would be to get rescued, but how? No family left alive, a few friends none of which are likely to be double secret Ninja Agents for a Top Secret spy agency that uses teenagers to carry out secret missions all over the globe. Make another mental note if, no WHEN, I get out of this invest in a better class of friends with useful abilities. Yeah, right like that will ever happen, like maybe there's a school that trains kids in superhero 101 and that they will accept me. As if.

Mom might have left some contingency plans in place since she was, go on say it, I told myself, dead like Val. You know instructions with her Syndicate buddies, to rescue me from the MCO gulag land if that happened, or maybe Dr Diabolik would help out since Mom did such a good job henching for him back in the '80s. Hell why not wish for Lord Paramount to ride to the rescue because Mom was so good in bed I grumbled, well that last bit was slightly more likely than Dr Diabolik owning Mom one. I remember Val asking Mom why she slept with so many supervillains, Mom answered that she had certain needs, like being able lift at least two tons, high level regen or invulnerability, amazing stamina, large disposable income, and villains understood why you might have to leave in middle of the night with gunships chasing you. That was my Mom, the queen of Too Much Information, I thought Val was going to die of embarrassment, hell I nearly did and Val was made of much stronger stuff than me. And no I will NOT tell you, or anyone else on the planet what Mom called Lord Paramount in bed. There are things mankind is not ready for, that nickname is 3 of them. Ok enough stalling.

Plan D? Overpower a goon and escape like a normal person, the problem is goons come in pairs, must be a 2-for-1 thing when you buy them. I couldn't overpower one, much less two. And there's the cameras and all that stuff, I'm a 'normal' teenage girl with no powers and no weapons. My name isn't Sara Connors or Ripley so that's out. Maybe seduce a guard? Yeah I don't think THAT will happen, eww, just eww, and even if I could keep my lunch down, he's still bigger, stronger, and trained in combat, so unless one of these guards is into bondage games where he's the sub that will just not work. And I think I squiked myself.

Plan E, trust the system… ugh… well they have to drag me in front of someone sooner or later a judge, a DA or some such, just tell my side of this and hope for mercy from the system. Yeah I'm sure that will work. No kid of any supervillain anywhere that has had to deal with Johnny Law has had anything good to say about the system.

By the time I reached Plan E I decided on my next course of action, sleep, funny you think being unconscious would be more restful…


ELSEWHERE...


Bane finished with the contents of the latest folder in front of him. A scowl slowly formed, to anyone that knew Bane that level of expression on his face when he was working would have them screaming about DEFCON-1 and the need for really deep bunkers because the feces had definitely impacted the rotating impeller at very high velocity. Despite the expression on his face nothing seemed to touch his cold blue eyes.

When Bane had shown up in Baltimore unannounced at the local office the agent in charge had quickly made a safe house available for Bane to use, there was no brown nosing or anything like that involved, the local head agent knew that if Bane worked out the office where everyone else was working by the end of the week half his staff would be on sick leave with various stress induced medical problems. Bane was just that nerve racking even when he was helping you. The head agent just shuddered, far better to keep Bane far away. Bane knew that, he was aware of his reputation among the more in the know agents, it just didn't bother him. He was working.

The safe house was a nice suburban home close to the police station and a hospital. That was not by chance. A room in the basement had just about any piece of covert surveillance you might need, across the hall were several high end computers that had interesting access to other computers, none of that was in use, the interrogation room was.

The only occupant had turned the table into a carefully organized collection of folders, the walls were nearly covered with pictures and other documents, scenes from the bank robbery over a week ago covered the north wall, the fight at the refinery covered the east wall, the south was covered with any information on Laser Strike. The west wall, where the scowl was directed, contained everything Bane found out about the local MCO and the relations the MCO had with local agencies. The folders on the table sorted in perfectly aligned stacks had various seals of local, state and federal agencies and the contents of those folders that once held secrets were now laid bare under Bane's gaze.

Several patterns had emerged, which lead to a nasty end shape. That shape had formed another pattern into which certain names and personality types fitted perfectly, and the final pattern once all the information was slotted into it, was offensive…

Bane's expression faded away until nothing was left on his face, but even then he counted to ten before calling his superior. In all things you must be professional, dispassionate, you must never let the monster rule, is what ran though his mind as the phone on the other end rang.

Bane was patient, at 0223 in the morning he noted to himself his boss would need more time than usual to reach his private phone. On the eighteenth ring the phone was picked up.

“Sir it is worse than you thought. We are involved, but only in a very limited way through inaction, the DHS however is up to their necks in this as are several other local agencies. These other agencies all colluded to cover each others tracks and bury the event. As the result of these actions the person of special interest ended up with the MCO. All these agencies have one thing in common, people who have been adversely affected by mutant events and are ambitious, several have political aspirations and seem to be getting under the table backing from a group of concerned citizens that helped make people aware of the mutant problem, that private group is a client for a lobby group that has the Knights of Purity as their biggest client.” Bane patiently waited while his boss processed the information.

“Sir?” Only silence came over the phone.

“I understand sir, unless you tell me otherwise in the next 10 seconds I will proceed as I see fit in accordance with the oaths I've sworn to uphold.” Bane counted down slowly, precisely. There was no reply, no call to halt.

“Yes sir I understand completely, have a pleasant night.” Bane carefully hung up, his mind ticking over various actions and counter actions the enemy could make. He smiled, but it never reached his eyes.

***

On the other end far away an old man felt much older, “Thank God he's on our side.” He dropped the phone suddenly like it turned into a live venomous serpent. He wouldn't be going back to sleep this night.