Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 57

Tammi’s skin buzzed uncomfortably as she stood in the war room. She was freshly showered and for once wearing something other than the dirty clothes she had been stuck in for the past week, but she was far from comfortable. She should have been happy that she was finally out of Agnes’s clutches, but all she felt was a new kind of dread that was arguably worse than when she thought she was going to be packed up and sent off to Europe.

Her mood was shared by everyone else in the room. As always, the war room was packed full of the most important people in the ABB and each and every one of them was clearly just as anxious as she was, if not even more so. Even Nana of all people had a heavy frown on her face and if he wasn’t still missing, Tammi was sure that Kon would look exactly the same way despite his normally sunny attitude.

Tammi once again surreptitiously scanned the room, as if looking around would make the man appear from wherever he had disappeared to, but of course, nothing happened. She knew where he was and she doubted he’d be able to get out on his own. Honestly, he was probably the safest out of all of them right now.

Tattletale was long gone, as was Faultline, who Tammi had been surprised to learn was even here–Yuko really pulled out all the stops to deal with the Empire and get her back apparently.  Nobody was surprised of course, nor did they expect them to stick around after the sirens started up. They had their own people to care about.

The tension was broken as the doors to the room suddenly burst open, drawing all eyes. Tammi’s heart lifted as she watched her girlfriend stride through the entrance in full costume, tossing something heavy onto the table where it landed with a thud, rolling across the length of the varnished wood. Everyone’s eyes followed it as it came to a stop, and Tammi’s expression froze as she stared at the bloody and dented visage that Kaiser used to hide his own face. Even bore blood pulled from underneath the helmet as it sat on the table, revealing that it wasn’t as empty as it seemed.

“Damn, Hime.” Nana whistled, clearly impressed with the woman’s brutally.

“Kaiser is dead.” Yuko’s monotone voice echoed through the silent room as everyone stared at the trophy she had brought before them all. She put her arm down and blood dripped from her fingers, plopping on the floor audibly, “The Empire is no more.”

Her words should have been met with jubilation but everyone, even Tammi who had longed to see that bastard’s head roll, remained completely silent. The sirens outside had long since faded as they waited for their leader, but their presence was still felt alongside what it meant for them all. There was no jubilation to be had with the force of nature that was approaching their home.

Walking forward, Yuko reached up and pulled off her mask, revealing that pretty face that Tammi had longed to see since Agnes had taken her hostage. But something was wrong, and Tammi’s heart clenched as she fully took in Yuko’s face. The woman’s face was pale, bloodless, and she was sporting a harrowed expression as she sat her mask on the table right next to Kaiser’s head. 

“This is a great victory for us all, as I hoped it would be, but I don’t think I need to tell you that it doesn’t matter in the slightest in the face of what is coming.” Her voice was steady, but it was clear that she was forcing herself to remain calm as she addressed her people, “Once again, it seems that a place that I call home is being threatened by one of those monsters. An Endbringer is approaching, and it has Brockton Bay set in its sights.”

“I don't think I need to tell you that as of now, nothing matters other than getting our people to safety. There is a shelter in our territory but it will not be enough to hold everyone. Luckily, I have  a plan though we will have to move quickly. I've been through this before and we have a couple hours at most.”

Tammi had never seen Yuko like this. The woman's voice was almost completely dead as she addressed her people, not the polite yet commanding tone that she normally took. She almost seemed rattled by what was going on, which made complete sense. After all, she had been there when Leviathan attacked Kyushu, and considering the fact that Brockton Bay was a coastal city… 

Yuko's eyes met hers for a moment as she turned to look at the man sitting next to her and Tammi's heart clenched at the look in them, “I need you all to gather as many people as you possibly can outside of the shelter. It doesn't matter if they will fit inside or not, them merely being there is more than enough. Women and children are the priority but do not disregard others if you think you can save them. That includes people from outside of our territory seeking shelter.”

As the men around the table nodded, Nana spoke up, “And what are we going to do with this?” She asked, pointing at the severed head sitting on the table, “Can I keep it?”

“Do whatever you want with his head, but the helmet is mine. It will make a powerful message.” Yuko said, grabbing her mask, “Assuming we survive the next twenty-four hours.”

She grabbed her mask, waving her hand, “You have your orders. Go and fulfill them. Time is wasting.”

As she turned to leave, she glanced back to Tammi and nodded her head, motioning for the girl to follow her which she did without a moment's hesitation.

~~~

During my relatively short life, I had experienced many things that I wouldn’t wish on any other person no matter what they had done. I understood that my life was far from the worst, but I had suffered through my fair share of trials and I had eventually overcome them all. All of them except one. And I honestly doubted I ever would.

And it looked like it was about to happen again.

My hands shook as I slammed my office door closed behind me. Tammi flinched at the sound, turning to look at me in surprise, and I reached towards her, pulling her into a tight hug as if she would disappear the moment I let her go. She remained stiff for a moment, before slowly relaxing into the embrace as she realized what was happening.

“I missed you too, Yuko.” She said as she wrapped her arms around me as well. She leaned down as I pressed into her chest, resting her chin on the crown of my head, “Thank you for getting me out of there. If I spent another minute with her, I was gonna throw myself out the window.”

The girl's embrace combined with her voice did its work of bringing me out of my head. I managed to ignore the shaking and the power burning through my veins as I responded. 

“I'm sorry it took so long. There were some… complications.” I said, pulling back to look at her fully. She was smiling, but it was more of a grimace thanks to the bruises on her face. Still, that crooked grin told me that she was just as relieved to see me as I was to see her.

“So I heard. Can't believe I missed a party like that thanks to that bitch.” She said, wincing as the words pulled on her tender skin. I reached up, gently running my thumb along the bruises covering her face and she gave me a deprecating grin, “Doesn't look good, does it? It hurts worse, I promise.”

I believe her. The bruises were large and ugly, deep purple wounds that stuck out starkly against Tammi's fair skin. I applied the gentlest amount of pressure and Tammi hissed in pain. Something was likely broken underneath the skin.

“I will kill her for this.” I promised as I examined the damage the woman had done to one of the most important people in my life. Tammi grinned at my words, taking no issue with my declaration.

“Just make sure I'm there to help. I owe her more than a few licks for the shit she put me through.” She said maliciously, “Good luck finding her though. She's probably long gone by now.”

“She'll come back.” I said, completely sure of the fact. The woman didn't strike me as the type to give up after failure. Combined with the fact that we still had Othala in our clutches, and I had no doubt we'd be seeing Agnes Herren again.

“In the meantime though, we need to make sure that everyone is safe before that thing shows up.,” I continued, “I can get us all to safety, but only if everyone is together. I pray that Kon is already out of the city or somewhere safe because I doubt I'll be able to retrieve him before it's time. If you still care about your parents then I would make sure they're safe as well because once the deed is done, there is no coming 

“They live less than a mile away from a shelter. If they can't get to it without my help then that's their problem. They kicked me out so they can go fuck themselves.” Tammi sneered as I made my way to the cabinet behind my desk, “So what's the plan? Are we gonna get the civilians out and go join the fight after?”

Pausing, I took a deep breath and broke the news, “Tammi, I have no intention of fighting Leviathan.”

I didn't look at her but I could feel her shock, “What? Why not?”

“Because my duty is to my people, primarily keeping them safe.” I said simply as I pulled out a large duffel bag filled with the essentials for survival, “My presence there would change nothing in the grand scheme of things anyway.”

I sat the bag on my desk and unzipped it. My shaking fingers fumbled with the zipper and I cursed, pulling it open with more force than necessary. Inside was a myriad of stuff that would be useful in the coming days: dried food, toiletries, spare clothes, ect. There were only a few things missing.

I pulled open my desk, grabbing several stacks of cash and putting them on the bag, around ten grand on total. I then picked up the photo sitting on my desk and placed it reverently on top of the stack so that it wouldn't be smashed among the rest of the stuff inside the bag.

As I closed the bag, Tammi gaped at me, disbelief plain on her face, “What do you mean you wouldn't make a difference? You're the strongest cape in the city! We have to help!”

I gave her a curious stare underlined with worry, “I'm not really certain why you care so much. This city has done nothing for either of us, why do you want to save it so badly?”

“Are you serious?” She took a step back, staring at me in stark confusion, “Yuko this is my home. Yeah, my life's been pretty shitty lately, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna just let that bastard wipe it all away.”

“It's better than letting him wipe you away.” I put the bag away, walking around my desk, “Tammi please don't tell me you're actually planning on going out there to fight that thing.”

“No, I was planning on joining search and rescue and watching your back as you fought it.” Tammi corrected, as if that was at all better. She crossed her arms, “Are you really just going to leave?”

“Yes. I am.” I said curtly, “I have no intention of throwing my life away against that beast. Brockton Bay may be devastated, it may be fine, but no matter what, when everything is said and done, I intend for us all to be alive. Buildings are just buildings. We can come back and rebuild when things cool down.”

It was hard to keep my words steady and I knew i sound dispassionate at best, but I was moments away from actually losing it so as much as I wanted to sit down and explain to my wayward girlfriend why fighting that thing was a monumentally bad idea, this was unfortunately the best I could do.

It clearly wasn't working. Tammi looked at me like I was crazy. She still didn't understand, “Yuko, I get that you're worried but there's gotta be something you can do, right? You just fought off nearly a dozen capes at once and came out on top!”

“Endbringers aren’t just powerful capes, Tammi!” I begged her to understand, “You can’t fight a tsunami anymore than you could fight a walking nuclear reaction! There’s no beating them! When you fight Leviathan, you aren’t just fighting him; you are fighting the tidal waves battering against your city’s defenses. Against the very ocean itself trying to pull you out to sea and drown you underneath the crushing pressure of its waves. It is a force of nature brought to life, a god in every sense except literal with the followers to match.”

I recalled the last time I had been face-to-face with that monster and swallowed roughly, “My father… They called him the Dragon of Kyushu because he drove Leviathan off, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It took everything he had and more to stand with that thing and even then, he was an annoyance at best. He was simply the last one standing. All of the strongest heroes and villains Japan had ever seen showed up to that battle, and all they managed to do was delay the inevitable. My home is gone, nine and a half million people lost to the waves and an entire country destabilized thanks to Leviathan, and it took less than twelve hours for the deed to be done. You can’t fight these things, Tammi, you can only survive them.”

If anything I was underselling it. When Leviathan sunk Kyushu, we barely understood how destructive an Endbringer could be. And even now, few had the displeasure of witnessing their destruction first hand. They thought that the aftermath was bad but never thought about what it would be like to actually be there. Until they were.

She went to say something else but I stepped towards her, reaching up with shaking hands and gently cupping my girlfriend’s face, stopping her rant in its tracks. As she froze, I stopped holding back the things I was feeling, letting every iota of terror and worry that I had held back in the war room come to the surface so that she could see it all. 

“Tammi I understand that I could help, trust me, I do. But I’m barely keeping it together right now.” I couldn’t keep the tremors out of my voice as I revealed this to her, “My power feels like it’s about to rip me apart and I can’t even right now. I…I know you want me to stay and try and help save the city but I’m telling you I can’t. I-I can’t go out there and fight that thing and I’m begging you, please… Don’t try and do it in my place. I lost my country and my family to Leviathan; I nearly lost my father. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Tammi seemed to finally understand the severity of what was going on. She stared at me with wide eyes, before her expression softened, “You’re scared.”

“I’m terrified.” I admitted without shame, “I was a child last time I faced Leviathan and I barely understood what that meant. Now that I do, it's taking everything I can do to keep myself calm enough to get my people to safety.”

Her eyes were full of sympathy and some other emotion I couldn't name. She sighed, looking away,  “Well then I'm sorry.”

“Excuse m—?” She leaned down, pressing her lips against mine in a feather-light kiss. It was a mere touch, a proclamation of the act and nothing more, and it did nothing but leave me wanting as she pulled away completely. She stepped away from me, refusing to meet my eyes.

“I love you, Yuko, but as much as I hate a lot of people in this city, I'm not gonna let it be destroyed without at least trying to help stop it.” She stepped towards the door and I felt a chill go down my spine as I realized that she had every intention of joining the fight.

“Tammi, be reasonable.” I begged, “They won't miss one more cape and what could you possibly do against Leviathan?”

“Jack shit.” She said frankly, “But I can at least help get people back in the fight and that has to count for something. More than just running away.”

I gaped at her and she immediately winced, “Shit, sorry. I didn't mean that. I get why you don't want to go, who fucking would after what you went through, right? I just… I haven't. I guess it's naive but I'm not just gonna leave when I can help out.”

She turned to leave but I reached out, grabbing her arm. I knew that my face was probably unhinged with panic as she looked back at me, but I didn't care. She didn't understand what she was doing.

“You don't know what you're trying to walk into! Please don't go. I just got you back, don't leave me again.” I pleaded, tears trailing down my face at the thought.

She still didn't meet my eyes as she pulled away, slipping out of my grasp and opening the door, “Sorry, Yuko. I'll try and find you when everything calms down.”

She stepped out of my office, leaving me and my pleas for her to stay in the dust. The door shut behind her, leaving me staring blankly at the varnished wood in heartbroken disbelief.