Blood Sisters
Chapter 22

Danger was closing in around TheWinter Woman from all sides. North Star shot a water cannon at thefirst approaching revenant which barely slowed it down. She froze thewater at its feet and it slipped, buying her a few seconds. Thebloodsisters behind her were getting free of her ice-wall, hugecracks forming as they turned their impressive strength against it.The revenant with frozen feet being commanded by Agent David brokefree and continued over to the strange machine with Cricket draped inits arms, still only semi-conscious. Behind her, she heard chunks ofice as they shattered on the floor, the last revenant was free,bearing down at Broadsword, who was slumped on the floor against thewall.

Winter had only a heartbeat todecide, she made a column of water into the air, freezing it solid asit reached the metal rafters high above. She wrapped one arm aroundit and pushed jets of water from her feet, rocketing her up the icypole. Taking careful aim as she rose farther up she hit Broadsword inthe face with a stream of water “C'mon, wake up you rusty bucket”she muttered.

Her frozen column shook as therevenant below hit it. It started to break apart from the bottom up,chasing North Star to the ceiling. Winter was loosing velocity fastas her water jets had farther to go to push her off the floor. As thecolumn she was grasping started to break apart North Star took adesperate gamble, she shot a large stream of water from a raisedhand, freezing it around her arm and up onto the rafters. Winterhung there like an icicle, suspended high above the floor, one armfrozen above her. With no time to spare she made a large sphere ofwater and flung it down at the machine the controlled revenant wasabout to lay Cricket on. She froze it into a big ball of ice thatsmashed into the device, crushing it. Sparks and smoke exploded fromthe machine. David looked up at North Star and sighed.

Broadsword groaned and came awakejust as a revenants foot was about to crush his head. The Metal Manrolled away and made thick metal shackles around the synthoid's legswhile it was off balance from its missed stomp. The revenant fell onits side and Broadsword made it to one knee. With an angry grunt Jackenveloped the revenant's head in steel. The revenant started to flayits arms, reaching up to strike the metal while its neck strained tobreak its head from the steel. Broadsword piled on more metal to lockdown its arms, and then reinforced the metal over the synthoid's faceas it started to crack. The revenant twitched in its steel cocoon,unable to breathe. Broadsword swayed on his feet. He had used all ofhis absorbed metal, save the armor he crafted on his skin.

Miracle flashed into the roomfrom above and looked around quickly, she saw Cricket being heldaloft by a revenant. She yelled “no! Cricket!” as it slammed herinto the floor, cracking the polished reinforced concrete. TheIndestructible Girl lay very still. Jenny ported across the room tohelp her sister, appearing right above her in a defensive pose. Witha press of his thumb on his PDA David directed his revenant to attackMiracle, which it did. Jenny stood her ground, focusing on defense.She blocked strike after strike from the synthoid, her force-fieldsparking slightly from each deflected blow. Finally the revenant hither, but it was just a glancing blow. Jenny winced as she was knockedback and fell on her uninjured side. The Golden Girl flashed backonto her feet and saw the few seconds she bought Cricket was enough,her tough little sister was coming around.

Across the room, the last roguerevenant was doing them a favor, fighting the bloodsisters who werepiling on it, trying to wrestle the synthoid to the ground. Therevenant hurled one after another into the walls, but it was slowlygetting dragged down.

Agent David pulled out his pistoland fired several shots up towards North Star. Winter fired back witha deluge of high pressure water spikes that she froze into sharp iceblades. Several of these hit the agent, tearing up his shirt andknocking him over, but not penetrating his Kevlar vest. The agent'sshots were on target however, and shattered the icicle that Winterwas clinging to, North Star started falling from high in the air,giving a piercing cry of distress.

It was then that Goldstar flewinto the room. Looking up in alarm as his sister-in-law fell. He didnot have the ability of Miss Liberty to compensate for a fast changein velocity so he did his best to fly up above Winter then fly downafter her, trying to closely match her acceleration before catchingher. Even in his solid form, Goldstar could fly incredibly fast, butthis was going to be close. He caught Winter, but the two of themwere still heading straight for the floor. Marty knew he would not beable to change direction in time, besides that would also injureNorth Star. Goldstar did the only thing a hero like him could do. Hebraced himself and shifted his powerful force-field from himself toprotect Winter. She did not even have time to shout in protest beforethe two of them slammed hard into the floor. Goldstar had trainedhimself well, and he rolled with the impact as best as he could,avoiding hitting his head straight on. His neck was tucked into hischest and he plowed shoulder first into the floor. The jointshattered apart, blood instantly staining his white and yellowbeta-cloth. Marty's spine and rib-cage compressed brutally along thesame side as the shoulder, generating chilling snaps as bones broke.Goldstar collapsed flat on the floor and moved no more.

Jenny screamed in horror as shewitnessed her father's plight. Teleporting over to him and cradlinghis head “Dad! Daddy?!” she sobbed. The impact of Winter's fallhad been significantly reduced by Goldie's force-field, which fadedfrom around her moments after Goldstar lost consciousness. Wintermade a quick assessment of Marty and grabbed Jenny's shoulder, herhalo buzzing under her hand. “Jenny, I have to get him to thetrauma center, you hear me? I'll take him. You have to hold the linehere, I've done all I can. Protect Cricket!” With that, Winterfroze Goldstar in an icy body-cast, leaving only his face open to theair. She glided quickly to the door controls and hit them. The hugemetal doors opened slowly, and Winter made a barrier of ice behindher to slow any pursuit. As soon as possible she skated through thedoor, racing fast as she could to save Marty.

Cricket had got to her feet,still reeling, and jumped away from the revenant. Jenny stood up,tears in her eyes. Agent David had one revenant jump after Cricket.The other revenant crushed the last bloodsister under its heel, thenturned its attention on Miracle. David called over to Miracle “Giveit up Miss Goldstar. You fought well, but you can't win this. Yourfriend can barely stay on her feet, and you yourself are lookingpretty battered”. Jenny gave the agent a sly smile even as shefought her tears “Your right, winning this fight would take amiracle”. She teleported right behind David and kicked up under thearm that held his PDA. His hand opened involuntarily as the shockfrom her foot caused it to spasm sending the PDA into the air. Theforce of the blow spun him around as her kick hooked him on thetriceps and she pulled her foot back. Before The Agent could evencurse, Miracle punched straight above her head, not even looking,stretching out her force-field above her fist until it hit the smallcomputer, smashing it to bits. Miracle had kept her gaze steady onDavid the whole time. She smiled bravely at the agent, her face stillwet “I never lose, especially to a dickhead like you”.

That is when it hit, a strangepulsing wave that spread out from the floor. Miracle's golden haloflickered and she felt a strange tug, causing her to check herbalance. The Agent also lost his footing and went down on a knee,scowling. Cricket called out painfully, falling to the ground asenergy began streaming out of her and somehow through the floor. Thetwo remaining revenants simply collapsed, falling apart as theirbio-mutant energy was drawn out. Jack held onto the wall to stay onhis feet, some of the metal on his body falling off, revealing hisflesh underneath. “What the hell?” Agent David said. He tapped onhis earpiece and said “Auxiliary Control, status!”.

A faint shadowy wave spread outfrom Shay's Mountain at ever increasing speed feeding on more andmore energy from the New Humans it caught. Anyone, anywhere felt atug from their shadow, feeling disoriented for a few seconds. The NewHumans all experienced a disruption in their abilities lasting from afew seconds, up to several minutes, but their powers returnedquickly. The wave covered the entire globe in a pale shadow before itfaded away into space.

Barely effected, Jenny shook itoff and her radiance shone bright as ever. Miracle teleported over toCricket, who was howling in pain. Cracks started to form on her skin,out of which bio-energy erupted and was sucked through the floor. Shegrabbed Crickets hand, and felt her weakening. Jenny looked over atDavid “What is this? It's killing her!” The Agent said “I amgetting a transmission from Iron Gorgon, The Dead Man, The Silhouetteand Michaela are on Level C, about forty feet below us... They haveyour mother, Miss Goldstar. I think they are killing her!” Miraclefelt like she was torn in half. She looked down at Cricket, fearingdeeply for her. Cricket squeezed her hand “Go, save your mother,save Ally... I love you Jen!” Miracle sobbed, flashing to her feet.She screamed at David even as her throat clenched up in terror“Don't. You. Touch her!”. Miracle trusted her luck once again,teleporting blindly straight down. Agent David got to his feet,slowly walking towards Cricket. The Indestructible Girl was stillpinned to the floor as her essence was dragged out of her. Shegripped at the concrete floor, bio-energy flaring out of her arm. Shedug in her fingers and came up with a chunk of floor the size of agrapefruit. With all the strength she had remaining she hurled it atAgent David's head. It missed by a mile, smashing into gravel againstthe wall behind him. “It's over 1-8-7” he said. She glared at himwith hatred, forcing her last words out “My name, is Cricket.”Then she closed her eyes.

***

TheSilhouette was pulled forward as the shadow wave exploded from themetal ring before her, doubling over in pain, though she was finallyfree of the machine, which was now operating on its own. Victorrocked only slightly, as he was braced. Michaela took a step back,her blue skin fading away only momentarily, giving a glimpse of whatthe vampire might have looked like before she was Michaela. Thevampire snarled “Enough, Davos! First you die, then her!” shepointed a claw at Miss Liberty who's body was starting to crack open,fires of energy flaring out from them. Victor was barely able to duckaway from her charge, her claws just scraping the skin of his neck.The Silhouette cursed at the vampire “No you don't puto, if anyoneis going to kill Muerte its going to be me, get away from him!” Shegrabbed hold of Michaela with two tentacles of darkness and flung heracross the room. Victor looked over at The Midnight Mistress“Thank...” Candelaria had crossed the distance between her andDavos, she punched him in the face and his head jerked back. His nosecollapsed from the blow, and blood streamed out. The Silhouette wentto strike him again, but he blocked it easily. He was a much morecapable combatant then her. “Bastardo, stinking cabrón!Bésame el culo y hijo de puta!” she shrieked at him. With a snarlshe wrapped him tight in shadow tendrils, squeezing him hard. Victorstruggled to breathe. He looked puzzled as he strained to talk “letme... let me out, Candelaria please... something has gone wrong!”the machines started to vibrate violently and The Dark Lady lookedaround in alarm. “Fine, fix it” she spat and dropped him. Victortook a breath, then ran to the controls “what... I don't get it...this... ahh!” he smacked his head “dammit, there must bedifferent resonances, or phases... this only effects HER typeof power, dammit. Dammit! DAMMIT!” The machines started to shakeapart “Shut them down, Muerte!” The Silhouette yelled.

Acrossthe room, Michaela stood up, growling like a wolf. She started tostalk forward back towards her prey when something struck her in theback. Something hurt, and she felt a burning starting to spread intoher. Carbon-nanotube cables snaked around her gripping her so tightit welted her tough hide. Michaela's hissed into the darkness, herruby eyes glaring red. The Iron Gorgon stepped down from the last fewstairs, the servos whining in the powered legs. The vampire spat atthe armor. Then howled as the burning spread further, her bodywrithing in pain.

“HelloMichaela” Sarah Reed's voice came from the armor. The mirroredvisor rose up, and Michaela stared right into Sarah's horrifyingdeformed face. “I bet that hurts. I'll bet that you didn't knowthat when I was getting my pre-med degree, I also got a degree inchemistry” Michaela howled and hissed, starting to shift into herblood-form trying to escape her bonds “Go ahead” Sarah laughedcoldly “Remember, I have studied your physiology, I know exactlyhow to kill you. The acid that is burning through your vile veinswill keep dissolving you alive, even if you do turn to blood”

Partsof Michaela's flesh started to visibly burn away, and her criesturned to whimpers as her insides melted. “I am rotting awaymyself, you demon bitch. Ironic that the only thing that will keep mealive from your disease is your blood” Sarah laughed bitterly“Fortunately I have enough for a while in the freezer to keep megoing while I look for an alternative”. Sarah let the vampire fallto the floor like a wet rat, her snake-like cables snapping back intoher armor. As Michaela's writhed helplessly at her feet, her bodyoozing away, the vampire started to gasp, trying to speak, clutchingat her abdomen. Sarah spat “I believe the words your looking for are: I'mmelting! I'm melting! I'm melting... boo hoo.” Sarah stood overher fallen tormenter whispering “no more killing for you, thisnightmare is over.” A feeling of reliefflowed through Sarah, she was free of this beast forever.

Then,with an ear-splitting squeal a black mass of tissue tore out ofMichaela's abdomen, her parasite fleeing from its host in a desperatebid for survival. What remained of the vampires blue hide faded tohuman flesh, and its ruby eyes turned to a woman's horrified deathgaze... “please” the woman gasped with her dying breath “my...baby...”

Sarahlooked over at the swarming black mass, realizing in horror whatno-one had ever dreamed or dared to think. The parasite that turnedMichaela into a remorseless killer, endlessly hungering for bloodwith no conscience, no mercy. A being that only knew hunger andpain... it was the woman's unborn child. Sarah felt bile rise in herthroat and she shut her eyes against the tragedy. The fetus, somehow,must have developed its powers in vitro,claiming its mother's body for its own.

Sarah began to sob tears from herlidless eyes, her body shaking it the armor.

***

Across the room, a young womanborn into the world as a shining light appeared with a flash.

Miracle looked over at her mother,her body pulling itself apart as bio-energy was torn from her.

From above, whisps of bio-energycame through the floor, from Cricket and the other sisters of MissLiberty's blood. Victor startled at her “How is it that you aren'ton your knees?!” Davos glared at The Golden Girl “your powershould be like your mothers, the same... your energy should be suckedinto shadow like hers!” Miracle's halo of radiance buzzed in theair, almost unheard as the machines in the room began to spark andsmoke, nearing overload. Jenny gestured to the light all around her“I don't have a shadow, Dead Man!” Jenny hollered at him. “Turnthese off before they kill my mother!” Victor looked around him andyelled “They are going to turn themselves off! I had not intendedfor your mother to die, something has gone wrong, girl! All thedammed powers from all the damn New-Hums in the world should havebeen sucked away, but it should not have killed them! Instead, justMiss Liberty and those like her are being effected, and it will killthem all!”

TheDead Man ran to his master control panel, which was sputtering outarcs of electricity as its circuits exploded. He hit a switch thatreleased the bonds that restrained Mighty Miss Liberty. TheSilhouette, grabbed at Victor as the room started to shake “We haveto go Muerte!” Victor looked back at Miracle and yelled “destroyyour mothers bracers! It might give her enough power to survivethis.” The Silhouette pulled The Dead Man with her into darkness.As he started gasping for breath she snarled at him “I should leaveyou here to die again and again for eternity, mi amor!”in the dark, where he could not breathe or see, Victor pleadedsilently with Candelaria. She pushed him away to die, alone in theendless night. The Silhouette stepped out of the shadow of a tree,miles away in the mountains. She fell down at the base of its trunkand buried her head in her hands. She loved the evil bastard, and sheknew she would go back for him eventually. But in the meantime shewould let The Dead Man die again.

***

Miracle went to her mother'sside, grabbing both her bracers in her hands, she could feel theintense heat right through her force-field. Allison looked over ather little star “Jenny... oh Jenny...” Miracle swallowed hertears and her fear. “Stop that mom, were getting out of here!”Jenny sparked the bracers over and over till they fell apart. MissLiberty's energy flowed back into her body, the cracks in her fleshstarted sealing up and the wounds on her wrists and chest beganhealing as bio-energy flowed into them. Allison sat up slowly, stillweak. Jenny looked around her in terror as Dr. Daedelus' machinesstarted to explode, threatening to bring the whole room down on them.Jenny cried, her mother was still to weak to move, her body was stillfragile, still showing fine glowing white lines where the cracks hadbeen. Jenny pressed against her mother as hard as she could, howlingas her radiant force-field pulsed between them, trying to repel Jennyaway. Larger explosions shook the room, and Allison grunted as apiece of smoking shrapnel bit into her arm. Jenny wrapped her armsaround her mother and squeezed with all her might, crying out as herforce-field strained against her efforts, discharging electricneedles into her skin. “Come. On” Jenny wailed.

Finally,with a flash as bright as the exploding room Miracle pulled hermother into her golden world with her. Holding her flesh to flesh forthe first time. Jenny sobbed, her body burned and shaking. Allisonclung desperately to her daughter, holding her tightly as herstrength slowly returned. The two women had to hold on tight, asJenny's force energy kept sparking and trying to push Allison out.With a final burst of effort, Miracle teleported away with her motherin her arms as the room behind them went up like an atom bomb.