SSV: Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 1

Chapter 7

Beth and Pam materialized out of the shadows in Blackridge Manor's main hall. The place was empty and silent when they arrived. Pam had donned her cloak, the artifact they'd recovered from Hell, just in case they encountered any nasty surprises. Beth had told Pam that Jake had been acting strangely on the phone. With everything happening, Pam thought it likely that Jake was simply stressed, but it was better safe than sorry. They walked through the main hall looking for any sign of their friend. There wasn't a sound to be heard anywhere in the house, though.

"Jake!" Beth yelled as they got closer to the study.

"Call him, Kitten," Pam said, as she looked around, "There's no sense shouting through the halls."

"Oh, good idea," Beth said, fishing out her phone and quickly calling Jake.

"Hello?" Jake answered, "Don't touch that!"

"Huh?" Beth asked, shooting Pam a confused look, "Yeah, Jake, Pam and I are here. Is everything alright?"

"What?" Jake asked, obviously distracted, "Oh yeah, totally fine! I'm in the Cage just-damnit, what did I just say?! Ugh, come on down. I'll see you two in a minute. Would you knock it off?!"

The line cut off before Beth could ask whp he was talking to. She looked over at Pam and said, "I think he has company, but it doesn't sound like someone he likes."

"Maybe he's into it with Ashley?" Pam offered with a shrug.

"Maybe, but he's not usually that vocal when he talks to her," Beth pointed out, "He said he's still in the Bird Cage, though. I guess we'll find out soon enough who it is."

"Hmm, let's not delay then," Pam said, taking the lead towards the study, "How come you never got a little base for operations?"

"It's called my apartment, or it was," Beth replied, following closely behind Pam, "Not everyone needs some gigantic cavern filled with gadgets, cars, bikes, computers, and other stuff. Besides, where the hell would I have put it?"

"That's a fair point," Pam said, entering the study and turning the hands of the clock, "What would you have even called it when you were Catgirl? The Litter Box?"

"Bite me," Beth said with a roll of her eyes.

"Careful what you wish for, Kitten, you just might get it," Pam teased as the wall slid back and opened up, "Come on, let's see who Jake is entertaining."

"You're such a perv," Beth said as they walked down the stairs.

The lights were on in the cavern as they descended down the spiral staircase. Pam felt the unwelcome feeling of her powers being dampened by the strange metals lining the cavern walls. Her cloak seemed unaffected by it, though, and she withdrew deeper into it for comfort. At least she had something beyond her empathy that worked down here. She was curious as to how the artifact managed to retain its properties. Pam made a mental note to try to study the Shroud once she and the others had more free time. As they neared the base of the stairs, Pam could feel two others off in the distance. One was certainly Jake, but the other was a bit of a mystery. A rampant wave of emotions rolled off of whoever it was, shifting from excitement, to frustration, then lust, followed by boredom, and then the cycle would begin anew. Pam put a hand to her head as it spun from the whirlwind, and she tried to stifle her power.

"You alright?" Beth asked, noticing when Pam stumbled to the right, "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," Pam replied, steadying herself before continuing, "Whoever else is here is making me lightheaded with their emotions. It's nothing I can't handle, though. I'll just have to be careful to focus on other things."

"That's weird," Beth said, unable to recall a time when Pam was disoriented by her empathic abilities.

"Just…stay put for five minutes, will you?!" Jake could be heard yelling as he rounded the corner and nearly ran into Pam, "Shit, hey I was just coming to meet you guys."

"Hey, uhm, who's here?" Beth asked, "Trying to peer around him to see.

"Uh, yeah, about that," Jake said, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "Ash thought it would be a good idea to get some help analyzing Courtney's toxin. I needed someone who was knowledgeable with chemistry, so I-"

"No," Beth said, almost giddy, "You called Alexis!"

"Jake, are you sure that's smart?" Pam asked, being the voice of reason amongst the trio.

"Not at all," Jake sighed, "She's been here for the last hour and a half, and she's already found blueprints, access codes, CCTV feeds, and my personal planner. I can't get her to stop either."

"You could do worse," Beth said, walking past the two of them to greet her friend.

"You don't think their friendship is weird?" Jake asked Pam as he stood still, "She brainwashed us over a dozen times, practically molested Beth and I, and has tried to take over the city more times than I can count."

"Jake, I'm dating your best friend who, quite literally, killed me at your cabin outside of the city," Pam reminded him, "I think everything that's happened over the last year has been beyond strange, but I do see your point. That said, if Beth wants to befriend Alexis then I won't stand in her way. She may be unstable, but maybe Alexis needs someone who actually cares about her. Beth has a way of bringing out the good in people; I'm a testament to that, or have you forgotten my past affiliations?"

"No," Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I'm just not a huge fan of this. What is Beth going to do when Alexis goes back to her old ways?"

"Who's to say she will?" Pam countered.

"I know her," Jake said, "It's only a matter of time before she slips back into old habits."

"Then perhaps you should consider giving her a reason not to," Pam offered.

"You're not seriously jumping on board with Beth on this, are you?!" Jake exclaimed, "Do you guys seriously want me to date someone that crazy?!"

"Your last girlfriend enslaved the city, gave her soul to a demon, transformed into a monster, and nearly ate you alive," Pam replied, listing on her fingers various valid points, "Your track record isn't exactly what anyone would call stellar, Jake. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give the poor girl a chance."

"Yeah, about that," Jake said, pulling Pam off to the side, "I might have gotten her here by telling her this counted as a date."

"You didn't," Pam said, shooting Jake a cross look, "Jake, it's one thing to not be interested, but it's something else entirely to lead her on!"

"I know, I know!" he replied, "It was the only way I could get her to agree to help."

"You can be such an ass," Pam huffed, "You realize Beth is going to shoot you with one of her rubber bullets for this, right?"

"That seems like a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?" he countered.

"Have you met Beth?" Pam countered, "You are playing with fire, Jake. I hope you've at least gotten some solid intel from using the poor girl."

"Has everyone forgotten that she is literally a psychopath?" Jake asked as Pam brushed past him to join Alexis and Beth who were talking by the computer.

Pam ignored him as she approached the two girls. Alexis turned to face her and jumped out of Jake's chair when she saw her, "Pammy!"

Pam was just barely able to react as Alexis threw herself at her. She couldn't help but smile as the short firecracker nearly knocked her to the ground. "It's good to see you too, Alexis," Pam said, spinning the lithe girl around and setting her back on the ground, "This explains the tailspin of emotions I was feeling when Beth and I arrived."

"Did you hear the good news?!" Alexis asked, ignoring Pam's comment as she jumped up and down.

"Yeah, it's practically unbelievable," Beth sneered, glaring at Jake as he approached.

"Jake and I are dating!" Alexis squealed, unable to contain her joy.

"Not dating," Jake quickly corrected her, "Just one date, a work date at that."

"That's how it starts, though!" Alexis swooned, dramatically spinning around, "One date, one big breakthrough, and then we're going steady!"

"Going steady?" Beth repeated, "Did we go back to the fifties?"

"Shush," Alexis said, putting a hand on her hip and waving Beth off, "Don't knock my lingo, Kitty-Cat. You're in the presence of a genius, and you're in the presence of true love!"

"Let's just take it slow, yeah?" Jake said, hoping to dissuade Alexis from diving deeper into her fantasy.

"I mean, Pam and I are standing right here," Beth said, "We literally went to Hell and back for each other."

"I was there, I remember," Alexis said, dashing toward Jake and throwing her arms around him, "You have no idea how happy this has made me."

"It's just one date, a work date at that," Jake said, sweating nervously, "I just think this might be a little soon to he getting this excited."

"Sometimes its better to see where things go organically, Alexis," Pam offered, trying to reign in the crazed girl's antics, "Beth and I were put together by fate, but neither of us were pursuing a relationship. We didn't force it, it just sort of happened. Jake mentioned that you've been helping him analyze the toxin that Courtney had been using. I'm interested to hear anything that you might have found."

"Huh?" Alexis said, breaking her lovestruck gaze to look over at Pam, "Oh yeah! Zombie girl's weird chemicals. Lucky for you three, you're in the presence of a master chemist! Come check this out."

Alexis walked over to the computer, sat down, and started typing like a woman possessed. Her demeanor shifted from insanity and lovey to focused and calculated. Beth, Pam, and Jake walked over to watch as she pulled up multiple pictures, spreadsheets, and other documents that none of them recognized. "What are we looking at here?" Beth asked.

"So, this is what I've been able to come up with so far," Alexis said, circling the cursor over different pages, "Accoording what Jake and Ashley told me, the creepy crawlies that she's using are old, like old old. They originated in Romania, but there's no actual record of anything like them. No etomology reports, history, or anything, but I did find some folklore on the little devils. They were referred to as Diavol Gropitor in the stories I read, or Devil Burrowers in English. Nasty and disturbing little buggers, even by my standards. The story goes that a mining village discovered fossilized remains while digging for iron. Once they were exposed to the fresh air, the remains turned to dust and started to infect the people of the village. The story is short and vague, but basically these things made a nest inside of anyone who got too close."

"This is all just a story, though, right?" Beth asked.
1
"Ash says she saw these things first hand," Jake said, "They might not be in the history books, but the story checks out with everything that she's told me. She said her soldiers were overtaken by these things, and that she gave the order to bury the little bastards."

"Why didn't she destroy them?" Pam asked, "Ashley may not be a mage, but she lived in a time where magic was still fairly prevalent."

"That's where things get tricky," Alexis answered, "When I got to looking at the genetic makeup of one of these creepy guys, I found something in their DNA that is different than anything else on the planet. My guess is that they're alien in origin, whether that's from another plane of existence, dimension, or another world, I have absolutely no idea. I'm not a magic person, but I did a lot of reading back in Hell on the subject. They've got some sort of defense mechanism built into them that makes it so that even if they're destroyed, they can continue on in the form of a spore cloud. That said, I think a chemical reagent might be able to negate that affect and make it so that they can be officially wiped out."

"Okay, so we need to figure out the right mixture," Beth said, "Any idea on what that might be? How did the story end?"

"You're not gonna like hearing this part," Alexis sighed, "In order for these things to function, they need a host, obviously. The story goes that they possessed the villagers, but they found a suitable host for their queen in a young girl. The villagers pretty much submerged the girl in a barrel of these bugs, and after three days she crawled out of it and started plotting a massive takeover. Anyone who's body couldn't handle the parasites was disposed of and fed to the villagers. They turn people into cannibals, and they feed off the remains of fallen enemies. The girl had over half of the village reduced to cattle, including many of the children who rejected the parasites."

"Jesus," Beth said, shuddering as she imagined the scene, "So that means that these things have a hold on Courtney."

"Yes and no," Alexis sighed, "The Devil Burrowers do take root in someone, but the queen doesn't take total control of her host. All of her deepest and darkest thoughts, desires, and emotions have been unlocked. She literally has no inhibitions at this point. The girl that was chosen in the story was bullied and victimized for years. While she's not in complete control of herself, she's acting out of hate and desire."

"So she was always a cannibal?" Beth asked.

"No, that's the parasite one hundred percent, but everything else is all her," Alexis replied, "I'd be pretty pissed off too if Jake had screwed me the way that he screwed her. Fuck, I was mad as hell when I read their wedding announcement!"

"I'm sorry, what's this now?" Pam asked.

Jake sighed as Beth answered, "Jake was engaged to Courtney before the shit show that happened with Goth. Whole big thing in the news about it, but then dumbass over here decided it would be a good idea to start fucking tall, dark, and crazy."

"Yeah, which could have been me, I want to point out," Alexis huffed, "I could wear heels, and I'm way crazier than anyone else here. I could have started dressing in all black."

"No one is arguing that you're not batshit, Alexis," Beth sighed.

"Thank you," Alexis said proudly, "Jake pretty well screwed her over, though. Combine that with her being left alone to deal with the bugs, and you've got a recipe for the new zombie queen of Metropolis."

"You really need to work on your communication and decision making," Pam sighed at Jake, "I'm not perfect, by any means, but you make me look like a champion by comparison."

"I handled it horribly, I'll admit that," Jake said, guilt pressing down on his conscience, "I never meant for any of this to happen, and I never thought that something this bad could come of a one bad choice."

"All we can do now is try to move forward," Pam said, "What about the hallucinations, Alexis? Do these Devil Burrowers cause them, or is there something else that she's using?"

"A bit of column A, and a bit of column B," Alexis replied, "These little dudes excrete a venom that alters the mind of anyone they're trying to infect, but there's something more man-made in them, something that looks like it's from the last twenty years or so. A chemical compound that was introduced to heighten the effects of their venom. Without a specimen from the original timeperiod, I can't really figure out the differences between then and now. Now, what I can say is that it wouldn't be hard to take samples from their glands, run it through the right process, and manufacture something that could induce the same effects as though they were on or inside of someone. Thing is, Courtney wasn't exactly a scientist before all of this. It's possible that the queen could have given her heightened intelligence, it already has the ability to alter physicality of its host, but to create a gas would take working knowledge of modern tech."

"You think someone is helping her then," Pam said, "Who would be idiotic enough to help such a sociopathic cannibal?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Alexis asked, spinning in Jake's chair, "Even with complete control over the infected, she would need to know what to tell her lackies in order to make the process work. I'd need a sample of the gas to try to pinpoint what was being done and where it was being created. Even if I could just get a tiny bit of the liquid before it's turned into gas, I could probably get an idea of where it's being made. I'm guessing someone has a fetish for the undead, and Courtney is using them to help her in her plan."

"An undead fetish, you can't be serious," Beth said, gagging a bit for effect, "That's like necrophilia or some shit!"

"Technically she's still walking, talking, and breathing," Alexis pointed out, "I'm not saying whoever it is was out digging up graves and fucking corpses, but maybe they've got a thing for the undead. I mean, your girlfriend was literally dead a one point. Aren't you dating a cadaver?"

"Why does everyone feel the need to compare me to a corpse?" Pam asked, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I am not a zombie. I was killed, but then brought back through chronomancy no worse for wear."

"But you were dead," Alexis pointed out.

"Can we get back on topic?" Jake asked, "Even without knowing where the gas is being made, what is the purpose of it? These things use it, but to what end?"

"That's an easy one," Alexis said with a smile, "In order for these things to fully take control, they first need to break the psyche of their host. What better way to do that than by forcing someone to face their biggest fears? Trapping someone in a scenario where they have no hope, no escape, and no way to tell what's real is a perfect way to break someone down. Eventually, the mind will fracture as it tries to figure out what's real and what's an illusion. Once the mind is broken, there's nothing left to resist the Burrowers. They take complete control of the subject, and they obey the will of the queen."

"Sounds strangely like what was happening in Ravenfalls," Pam said, "Abigail had a similar ability with the chemicals she ingested and forced other to swallow."

"But then what's the point of using the gas if these things have to be on or in you to work?" Beth asked.

"Maybe it's just for kicks," Alexis said with a shrug, "Depending on the extent of the connection to the parasite, Courtney could have a connection to these things. She might even be able to see what someone is going through. I know one thing, it's a lot easier to seize control of something when the people running the show are caught in hysterics. Without knowing her end goal, it's tough to say why she's using the gas."

"So we've got an idea of the origin of these things, but we're no closer to understanding Courtney and her psychosis," Beth summarized with a sigh.

"Nope, but it's not all bad," Alexis said, "Besides me finally getting my dream date, we know that these guys can be eliminated with the right chemical compound. I've been running tests to see what might work, but I'm coming up empty so far. Jake only had a handful of the Devil Burrowers, so I can't do live testing just yet. If I had more then I could potentially figure out a way to create an antidote. It wouldn't hurt to have a live test subject either, someone who's infected with these things to see what I could do."

"It's not much, but it's a start," Pam said, "At least we know that there is a possible cure for these monsters."

Jake was about to comment when his phone rang. He held up a hand and walked away as he grabbed it from his pocket. Zoey's name flashed across the screen. He moved the slider and answered, "Zoey, has your team been able to find anything out?"

"Toxicology is still waiting on results, but I've got something that might interest you," Zoey replied, "Dr. Murray is here."

"What?!" Jake exclaimed, "Did you bring her in, or is she holding the place hostage?"

"Neither," Zoey replied, "She walked into the precinct and handed herself over. We've got her in interrogation right now, but she won't speak to anyone except you three. We'd process and book her, but she's claiming to have information on the woman from Blackridge Tower last night."

"She's using it as leverage," Jake said, "Shit, I'll grab the others and we'll head over. If she wants to talk to us, then that's what she'll get. Be ready to cut the cameras when we arrive."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Zoey asked.

"We're running out of options, Zoey," Jake admitted, "The girl from last night was Courtney Tellar, and she's planning something that could destroy the city. If Murray knows anything, we have to find out. Even if that means playing directly into her hands. I've got someone analyzing some of the insects we salvaged from our encounter, and I'll have them keep working while we head over."

"Shit, this is going from bad to worse," Zoey sighed, "Alright, I'll have Jenkins prep interrogation for you three."

"Thanks, Zoey," Jake said, "Call Sam when you've got a moment and tell her to stay inside until this is over."

"I'll do it," Zoey said before asking, "I don't suppose you've heard from any of the others since this began?"

"Just Alexis," Jake said, "Jason is in the wind, and I haven't heard or seen anything on Kait since Goth was defeated. We're on our own here, I'm afraid."

"We'll just have to make due then," Zoey said, "Alright, I'll see you soon."

Jake hung up and went to rejoin the others. "That was Zoey," he started, "Dr. Murray just turned herself in, but she's claiming to have information on Courtney. She won't speak to anyone except the three of us, though."

"Roadtrip!" Alexis cheered, jumping up and stretching.

"No," Jake sighed, "I need you to stay here and try to crack the code on the Burrowers and that toxin."

"Awe, but this was supposed to be our date!" Alexis whined.

"I'm sorry, but this can't wait," Jake said, "You know what's at stake, Alexis. Please, I'm begging you."

"Man, I wore special lingerie and everything for this," Alexis pouted, "I was really hoping for a threesome with you and Ashley."

"How would that even…" Beth started before stopping herself and shuddering, "Nevermind, I don't want to know."

"Alexis, I'm sorry," Jake said, "Some other time, but I need you here running tests and watching for anything suspicious."

"You need me?" Alexis repeated, her mood picking up slightly, "You really mean that?"

"I do," Jake said, "We need you watching our backs. I'm counting on you, hard as that is to believe."

"Okay," Alexis said, "But you owe me a real date for this! I want dinner, a movie, and a night of passion."

"We can talk about that once we've gotten this situation dealt with," Jake said, beginning to regret enlisting her help, "Pam, let me suit up and we can get moving."

"Alright, Beth can go make sure you're not missing anything," Pam said, flashing him a knowing look.

"No, that's really not-" Jake started.

"No, I insist," Beth said, throwing an arm around Jake and dragging him away from Pam and Alexis.

They'd made it a good distance when Jake finally spoke up, "Beth, I know what you're going to say, and I-"

"Shut up, let me talk," Beth snapped, "What you're doing is fucked, even by our standards, Jake. Alexis is a ticking time bomb, and you are leading her on. She might be nuts, but she doesn't deserve to be strung along!"

"I know!" Jake snapped, "Believe me, I know this isn't right, but what else was I supposed to do?"

"How about call me and ask me to call her?" Beth hissed, "I could have talked to her, you dumb-fuck, and then you wouldn't have started something you have no intention of finishing! This whole Courtney situation is because of some shit decisions you made, and if you're not careful this will end the same way. The last thing that any of us need is to deal with another Footgirl situation on top of everything else that's happened!"

"Don't want to fight your new best friend?" Jake asked.

"I'd rather not if I can help it," Beth replied, "Jake, she was one of our most dangerous enemies. Since this whole Goth debacle started, she's been helping me through some really tough times. She literally gave her life to give me a chance to save your ass. She helped us defeat Goth, hasn't been causing nearly as much chaos as she was, and she's helping us to solve another situation with one of your exs. You lead her on and break her heart, then she's going to go off the fucking deep end."

"Okay, I get it," he sighed, "You're right, but now is not the time to get into this with her."

"Then give her the fucking date she wants when this is over," Beth said, "One date, and you can go from there. Try to dodge this, and I swear to God, I will put a bullet in your ass. Now, get changed and let's go deal with a fucking serial killer."

"I can do that," Jake said, shaking his head, "The date, I mean. I guess you've got a point, but that doesn't mean that the two of us will start going out."

"Nobody is asking you to, dumbass," Beth said, "Do I think she'd be a step up from your previous relationships? Yes, but I get that you can't help who you like. Fucks sake, Pam and I are dating after a forced period of time together. I didn't even think I liked girls!"

"Alright, alright, let me get changed and we can go," Jake said, moving to grab his suit and prepare for their interrogation.

—-----------------

Elsewhere within the city, a young man in a three-piece suit walked through the crowded streets. He kept his head down as maneuvered through droves of unsuspecting citizens. He was on his way to one of the Blackridge company's offsite warehouses. However, his business was personal and his own. He swallowed nervously as he hurried down a backstreet towards the side entrance of his destination. He checked to make sure he was alone before typing in the entry code to open the door. The light flashed green, and he quickly threw the door open and entered into the warehouse. Dozens of infected drudged about carrying canisters, lumbering towards machines, and shambling without much more than a few grunts. An almost perfect workforce.

"Andrew," Courtney's voice called from the second floor above, "I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten about me and our arrangement. Come quickly, little man, we need to talk."

"Of course, Ms. Tellar," Andrew said, hurrying past the drones and making his way to the second floor stairs.

He kept a close eye on his mistress as he made his way to the catwalk. She was already on her way to the abandoned office that she'd claimed for herself. He caught up with her just as she sat down at the desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out what was left of one of her victims. A severed arm that she quickly took a bite out of before addressing him, "Do you have an update for me, Andrew?"

"Yes, Ms. Tellar, I wouldn't bother you otherwise," Andrew replied, pulling a tablet out of his jacket, "The projections are just I predicted, ma'am. With the addition of the compound from the Burrowers' venom combined with the magnetic field from modified-"

"Don't bore me with the science, Andrew, just tell me if it will work," Courtney cut him off as she chewed on a bit of flesh, "When I said update, I meant regarding the progress of my plan, not the inner workings of the bomb. What's the blast radius, and will my babies be able spread?"

"Yes, ma'am, forgive me," Andrew said bowing slightly for forgiveness, "As it stands, the blast radius will cover three quarters of the city. If we place it in the centermost structure, then we will have prime infection rates for the citizens. Those outside of the blast radius will be outnumbered and will fall quickly as food. I've been reviewing the life cycle of your little ones, and I believe that they will thrive in an oxygenated environment. The added boost from the chemicals Ms. Brunswick was researching have improved the duration through which they can survive in spore form. Once the bomb is detonated, the city will fall and all of Metropolis will be yours. Once that is done, we can ramp up production to begin spreading across the country."

"Excellent," Courtney said, "I knew there was a reason I didn't eat that pretty little head of yours. Mm, can you imagine it, Andrew? An entire world unified at long last. No more wars, no more lying, no cheating, only obedience and harmony. It starts with this wretched city, but then the world will belong to us. Perfection, unity, and an end to all pain and suffering; all it takes is a little push. A touch of fear, a bit of struggling, but all for a greater cause."

"It is a noble, ambitious, and glorious goal, ma'am," Andrew said, standing up straight and fiddling with his tie, "I've never seen such perfection until you came to me, ma'am. Your genius is only matched by your beauty."

"Such a sweet boy," Courtney chuckled, standing up, "Do you really think I'm beautiful, Andrew?"

"More than any other woman, Ms. Tellar," Andrew answered, "You were always beautiful, but now that you've overcome death, you're even more incredible! Mr. Blackridge was an idiot to even dare to hurt you, if I might say so. I hope that he and his entire company burn so that I can stomp on his ashes!"

"Such passion, it reminds me of my first love," Courtney said before frowning, "He pledged himself to me, claimed I was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever met, and promised me everything too. Honeyed words are worth nothing, Andrew. If you want me to believe it, then I suggest you show me your devotion."

"I would do anything for you, Ms. Tellar," Andrew said, "If you'd let me, I'd hunt down Mr. Blackridge myself and dispose of him for what he did to you!"

"What he did to me?" Courtney repeated, her mood shifting, "What exactly are you referring to, Andrew? Are you saying that you preferred the woman I was to who I am now?!"

"N-no, Ms. Tellar, not at all!" Andrew said quickly, "I merely meant-"

"That I'm some undead freak?!" Courtney screamed, slamming her fist down onto the desk, "That I'm some hideous monster because of that little weasel?! I've done more in the name of saving this city than Jake, his company, or any of those little heroes ever have! I took a stand against that horrid bitch of a dictator, and I gave my life to try to find a way to stop her!"

Courtney was drawing closer to Andrew who began cowering and inching towards the door. "Ms. Tellar, please!" he yelled, "All I meant was how he hurt you. You deserved better than what he gave you…please believe me."

Courtney stopped and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and turned away from Andrew. "Yes, yes, of course that's what you meant," she said.

The parasite was altering her mind, and while Andrew knew this, he didn't care. Still afraid to get close, he tried to speak to the woman he'd pined for for years, "Ms. Tellar, Courtney, I don't think you're a monster. I think you're a visionary, a pioneer, and you're what this world needs. It's the reason I chose to follow you, and if you were to do away with me I would die a happy man. Just knowing that I was able to help a woman of your caliber achieve something so spectacular is enough for me. I-I am just lucky to be part of something bigger than myself."

Courtney could feel herself coming back as Andrew spoke. "I suppose I should be moved by your little speech, but I find it hard to believe you," she said, "Fear is such a powerful motivator, and I know that I scare you, Andrew. I can see the way you quiver when I lose my temper, the way you look at me, and I can hear that tremble in your voice. You're right to fear me, little man, but luckily for you, I still have use for your talents. Still, your loyalty to me has been somewhat impressive. You've come every time I've summoned you, and I've yet to find you trying to run."

Andrew's face fell slightly at her words. The truth was, he had loved her from afar for years before Jake had proposed to her, but he had never found the nerve to tell her. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to confess his feelings. "I am yours, Ms. Tellar," he said, "If you won't believe anything else, please believe that. If I may, what do you intend to do about the Raven and the others?"

"Did Dr. Murray do as she was told?" Courtney asked, and smiled when Andrew nodded, "Then everything is going according to plan, my faithful little friend. The Raven, The Feral, and that troublesome witch should be arriving at the precinct shortly. It's time for another show, Andrew, and I'm ready to take center stage."

"What are you going to do, ma'am?" Andrew asked as Courtney's mood shifted again to excitement.

Courtney smiled widely and began to laugh. "I'm going to give this city a taste of who their heroes really are!" she cackled as she spun around, "I'll be taking the bulk of our workers for this little adventure, Andrew. The stage is almost set, and it's time for me to begin the first act of this magnificent little drama of ours!"

Andrew grinned as he watched Courtney continue to practically jump for joy. Since she'd come back, she'd developed a showmanship that was incredible to watch. "Understood, Ms. Tellar," he said, "I will run some tests on the latest batch, and will hopefully have a more potent batch when you return. Will there be anything else, Ms. Tellar?"

"No, Andrew, that will be all," Courtney said with a wicked smile, "The fun is about to begin. The downfall of heroes is such fun to plan, and I think this city will appreciate the art that I will soon present to them!"