Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 39

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great Valentine's Day! Me personally, I had a great 22nd birthday on the fourteenth! I think my favorite present was the ruptured eardrum I woke up with!

Anyway, please enjoy the latest chapter of Dragon's Progeny!

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There was a certain tension in the hospital as Hannah and her friend made their way through its sterile halls. Nurses and doctors rushed past them on their way to complete their respective tasks, and the heroine couldn’t help but notice the nervous energy seemingly filling every single one of them. Much more potent than what the relatively empty lobby near the entrance would have called for.

“Someone must have tattled about our friend.” Hannah commented as they ascended a staircase to the second floor, “Everyone’s nervous.”

“Let’s get her out of here quick then. Don’t want to cause a panic.” Triumph replied behind her. “Though I’m honestly surprised we got the go-ahead from Piggot to apprehend her. If she puts up a fight, I doubt the two of us are going to do much good.”

“They said that Panacea sedated her. Hopefully we can just bring her out the front door and hold her in the van. I don’t want a fight breaking out in a hospital of all places.” She replied.

Truthfully, Hannah was completely with her friend in that she doubted the two of them would be enough to apprehend Yosei. This was the woman who had completely demolished their forces on the Rig without even needing to ramp up to the proper strength like her father. Not to mention, they still weren’t entirely sure how her powers worked. All they had been able to work out, thanks to Armsmaster’s research, was that it was inextricably linked to mythological creatures and required some sort of outside factor to work to its fullest potential.

So in other words, they barely knew anything at all. They were walking into a world full of unknowns when it came to the villainess, and Hannah hated unknowns more than nearly anything else.

As the two of them crested the top of the stairs and entered the hall beyond, they were met with a familiar sight. Brandish was standing a little distance away from the staircase, speaking to her oldest daughter in hushed and urgent tones.

 Since she had semi-retired from heroics, Hannah had been able to count on one hand the amount of times that she had seen the woman as flustered as she was right now. Her hands were moving with urgency and she was clearly not happy with her daughter’s actions, whatever they may be. Glory Girl similarly, didn’t look very happy with her mother, sporting an annoyed scowl and talking just as quickly as the other blonde. Hannah couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she was glad that she couldn’t. Brandish was a helicopter mom, through and through.

They noticed Hannah and Triumph thanks to the general quietness of the hall and the former’s heavy boots, and cut off their conversation-slash-argument as they approached. Brandish nodded to them as they drew near, while Glory Girl just sighed and crossed her arms, looking aggrieved about the whole situation.

“I’m glad you two could make it.”

“We came as fast as we could, Brandish. The issue on the Rig has everyone on high alert right now.”

Hannah turned to the woman’s daughter, “And how are you, Glory Girl? Is everything alright?”

The teenager shrugged, “As well as I could be. I almost got turned into swiss cheese on a trip to the mall but I didn’t actually get hit and I bagged a super villain so I guess it could be worse. It’d help if mom would stop nagging my ear off about it.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you know how easily things could have gone wrong back there.” Hannah held back a sigh as the woman turned on her daughter with a disapproving scowl, “You need to assess your situations better before blindly flying into them. One of you could have easily been hurt.”

“I did assess the situation, mom! And what I assessed was that we needed to stop Yosei before she gave everyone within a ten block radius frostbite! I know you saw that storm, and the spire she put up is still there!”

Hannah cut in before the argument could escalate, “Could you show us where Yosei is? The sooner we get this done, the better for everyone.”

Brandish cut herself off from whatever she was about to say, giving Hanah an apologetic look, “Right, I’m sorry. She’s right down here.”

As they followed the pair towards the supervillain’s room, Glory Girl couldn’t help but comment, “Glad you guys are finally putting her away. Maybe after this, the ABB will finally be done like they should have been after Lung got put away.”

Triumph nodded, “That’s what we’re hoping for. Though don’t forget, we still have to deal with Oni Lee, not to mention whoever else she’s managed to recruit in the meantime.”

“If he didn’t blow himself up in that explosion.”

Hannah gave the teen an amused look, “I’m sure he did. Whether it stuck or not, is the issue.”

They stopped outside of a room that looked like all the others. Brandish motioned to the door, “She should be in here. I’ll warn you, Amy’s sedation didn’t last anywhere near as long as it should have. It should have kept her out for a few hours, but she was up in less than forty-five minutes. You might have some trouble on your hands when you go in to get her.”

“Wait, she’s not sedated anymore?” Hannah asked, surprised. She looked at the door, “And she’s still there?”

Glory Girl shrugged, “As far as we know. We’ve made sure to keep an eye on her room but there’s no cameras inside and none of us are going in with her. Well, I would, but mom said no.”

Brandish sighed like this was a conversation they had had a million and one times, “Victoria, I am not letting you stay in a confined room with someone like her.”

“But she’s weak! Amy said her muscles are atrophied so much that she’d have trouble walking.” The younger blonde protested.

“Weak does not mean powerless. You should know that more than anyone from your little misadventures on patrol.”

Glory Girl didn’t have a retort for that and shut her mouth with a near-silent grumble. Brandish sighed at her daughter’s behavior, before turning towards Hannah, “She’s just in here. I’m going to keep an eye on my daughter. If you need anything, we’ll be right outside.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, mom.”

“I’m starting to wonder about that.”

“We’ll try to be quick.” Hannah interjected before they could begin arguing. She stepped forward, grasping the door knob and, with one look back at her companion, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Yosei was indeed still in the room, or at least that was who Hannah assumed the girl occupying the bed was. She was pale and covered in so much blood that Hannah could barely see the hint of pale blue sticking out on her shirt. She was also much younger than Hannah had thought she would be, barely an adult really, and Hannah shared a small look with Triumph as he closed the door behind them, sealing them in with the villainess.

Yosei didn’t look up at them as they entered, too engrossed with whatever she was occupied with on her cell phone. The fact that she still had it was a mystery, but Hannah guessed that Glory Girl didn’t think to check her pockets while she was preoccupied with saving her life. Her fingers swept over the keys on the phone at a rapid pace, and Hannah couldn’t help but notice just how tightly she was gripping the device, her mouth set into a thin line.

“I didn’t think the PRT was in the habit of breaking the Unwritten Rules. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Yosei’s voice was cold, almost dead, and Hannah’s hand came down to the revolver holstered at her side as she heard it.

Something was wrong here. It didn’t make sense that Yosei was still here right now, nor that she was so calm. Hannah knew the woman had more than enough capability to escape through the unbarred window only a few feet to her tight. What was she playing at?

She kept a watchful eye on the woman as Triumph strode forward, stopping just in front of the bed. Yosei still didn’t look up. “Your face is all over the forums after what happened. “Triumph said seriously, “I’m afraid you don’t really have a civilian identity anymore. And even if you did, the stunt you pulled in the park, not to mention what you did on the RIg, doesn’t afford you much leniency in things like this.”

Yosei chuckled, but there was no humor in it, “Of course. I should have expected that. You heroes only play by the rules when it suits you, after all. Though I suppose the same could be said for all of us, right?”

She finally looked up at them, and Hannah tensed even more at the expression on her face. It was placid, almost polite even, but there was a fire burning behind her eyes that far surpassed even what had been there on the day she failed to rescue her father. And as she slid her phone into her pocket, Hannah wondered exactly what was on there to incite such anger in the young woman.

“Your stunt in the park caused a lot of damage and quite a few injuries to civilians in the surrounding area. Oni Lee alone did at least a million in property damage when he blew up that building. Actions like that don’t get swept under the rug just because you happened to not be in costume.”

“Lee acted entirely of his own accord and did what he thought was best to save my life. I didn’t order him to destroy that property, nor will I take responsibility for the Empire’s flagrant disregard for the Rules.” Yosei responded, a bit of heat entering her voice, “I merely acted to defend myself, and while I am sorry for causing so much unneeded destruction, I’m afraid it will pale in comparison to what I am going to do in the future.”

Her declaration rang in the ears of the heroes and neither of them liked what they heard. Hannah’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean by that, Yosei?”

Instead of answering her question, Yosei gazed between the two of them, an unreadable expression on her face, “I must say, I’m surprised that it is only the two of you that have been sent to apprehend me. Surely I have proven more than capable of handling a few heroes on my lonesome.”

As she spoke, Hannah’s eyes flickered down to the edge of the bedsheets scraping the floor, and they narrowed as she saw pale mist beginning to seep from underneath the covers.

Hanna’s revolver flickered at her side at the villain's words and actions, “Brandish and Glory Girl are waiting outside and there are several dozen agents nearby waiting to assist in putting you away. If you want a fight, I promise that you will get one.” She said calmly, not showing fear in the face of the woman’s powers, “But I would rather not have things come to that. This is a hospital, after all.”

Yosei nodded genially, “Rest assured, we can both agree on that. However, I’m afraid that I can’t come with you, now or any time soon. That being said, thank you for coming here. It would be difficult getting this message through to Brandish and Glory Girl. They are being extremely careful around me and I worry my words won't have the same… gravitas.”

Hannah tensed alongside her companion, “And what message are you referring to exactly?”

Yosei leaned back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully, “Tell me, Miss Militia, Triumph, have you ever had someone you care about taken from you? It’s not an uncommon occurrence for people like us. Parahumans, I mean. Almost all of us are familiar with loss in some way, shape, or form, with suffering in exchange for power. A quid pro quo, except we didn’t agree to the terms of exchange and have no way of choosing what we get in return.”

She closed her eyes, “I have lost a great amount in my relatively short life. My home, my family, and nearly my freedom. And now I have lost something else. Something that I gave my word that I would protect, and the Empire is to blame for it.”

Hannah shared a confused look with her colleague at the sudden non-sequitur, “What do you mean? How are they responsible for what you lost?”

“The attack that rendered me near-death and in this room before you right now was one of pure coincidence.” Yosei revealed, “I was not the Empire’s true target, just a way to reach said target. That is why they attacked me so blatantly in my civilian identity, they had no way of knowing who they were messing with. If they had, I doubt they would have attempted to do what they did.”

She shook her head lightly, “But that is neither here nor there. What is important, is that my attack was not planned, but it seems that it worked out in their favor either way. It seems that whilst I was indisposed, they moved on their true target, and I was not there to protect her. And now, I must make up for my mistake.”

Yosei turned to look at them, her face etched from stone and her eyes gazing into theirs with a deadly seriousness, “My message is this, and I trust you will ensure that it reaches the ears of those who truly need to hear it.” She said calmly, “The Empire is finished. They have overstepped and now they will pay the price for their folly. All of them, from the lowest grunt to the all-mighty Kaiser himself will be reduced to nothing but ashes in the wind for what they have done. When I am finished with them, the name of the Empire Eighty-Eight will be synonymous with ruin, that I assure you.”

It was a declaration of war, Hannah realized with a sickening chill. Yosei was blatantly saying that she was planning to go to war with the Empire over this. Who in the world was so important to her that she would be willing to go to war over them? Hannah’s power swirled around her body, green light coalescing into the shape of a rifle in her hands. Yosei spared it a glance but looked utterly unconcerned with its appearance.

“Don’t do anything you will regret, Yosei.” Hannah tried to reason with the woman, “If the Empire has kidnapped someone important to you, then we can get them back. You don’t have to resort to a gang war just to do that.”

“Oh, I assure you that I won’t regret it in the slightest, Miss Militia.” Yosei retorted coldly, “I made a promise, and if I must raze the city to the ground to keep that promise, then I will. Rest assured that no innocents will be harmed in the coming conflict, at least not by myself or my people. Only the Empire will suffer my wrath, alongside any who deign to get in my way.”

“You’re talking about a gang war! People are going to get hurt no matter how hard you try to prevent it!” Triumph protested.

“Not at my hands.” Yosei retorted delusionally, “If you truly wish to protect the people of this city, you will allow me to enact my vengeance without interference and focus on the citizens themselves. If not, then you should prepare yourself for your inevitable defeat should my ire turn your way instead.”

“You’re delusional if you think we’re just going to sit by and let you do something like this! We’re taking you in!”

Yosei ignored Triumph’s words, and it was with a great amount of alarm that Hannah noticed the mist seeping from under her sheets was growing exponentially, “I am afraid not. My message has been delivered and as such, I have no reason to remain here any longer. Stay out of my path in the coming days or you will regret it dearly. Goodbye, heroes.”

Hannah pulled Triumph away as mist exploded out of the woman’s body, pushing him behind her as it spread to encompass the entire half of the room the bed was on. Hannah knelt down, raising her rifle towards the place You had been and pulled the trigger. With an electronic hiss, two prongs attached to wires flew out of the end, racing into the mist.

The prongs of her taser latched onto something moments later, sending a hundred-thousand volts of electricity surging through the wires and directly into whatever she had hit. Hannah's nose tingled at the acrid smell of burning fabric, and her heart sank at the lack of reaction from her intended target. The mist slowly cleared, revealing what she had already suspected. Her taser was lodged into the pillow at the top of the mattress, slowly sizzling away at the fabric around the point of impact, meanwhile her actual target was nowhere to be found. Yosei was gone.

Hannah’s gaze swept the room, looking for any sign of the woman or evidence of where she might have disappeared to. She found nothing but lingering mist that left a chill in the air. Not even the sheets on the bed had been shifted. Hannah relaxed, her power coalescing back on her hip as she turned to give Triumph a look, “Call it in. Have our agents form a perimeter around the building. Don’t let her get away”

“You think she’s still here?” He asked even as he brought a hand up to his helmet to make the call.

“I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances. Not after that” Hannah answered, moving towards the bed to look for any evidence of how Yosei’ might have disappeared.

“All agents, be on the lookout. Yosei has escaped confinement and is likely in the area using some kind of invisibility or phasing power, most likely. Initiate Stranger Protocols at your discretion.” He shut off his comms and turned to look at Hannah, “You find anything?”

Hannah shook her head, frustrated, “Nothing. She’s gone.”

“I’ll radio Piggot and then we can sweep the building. She needs to hear about this.”