The Good Doctor: Retaliation Ch. 02

"Didn't seem to mind I was a man last night." Drawl spat back.

The booming voice broke in before the woman could retaliate, "ENOUGH! Bickering gets us nowhere. We're taking them back to Base to be questioned. If we don't like their answers then you can kill them, Turbo. Sound good?" He didn't wait for a response before clapping his hands together, "Good. Sublime, you go get the girl; Turbo, you take care of the Bio-B0t."

On3 could hear the footsteps and the snapping of twigs get louder and louder as the man called Turbo approached where he was lying. Running a quick system-check, On3 determined that all but his vision was back online. He had full strength and range of movement; if this man tried to harm him, he would be ready.

The footsteps stopped just short of On3's head.

"Fuck you." On3 heard Turbo grumble just as a hard boot connected with his head.

Quickly, On3 suppressed all pain circuits to prevent his body from reacting. The satisfying sound of the man jumping up and down on one foot indicated that On3's head did more damage to his foot than it did to On3.

"Hurry up, Turbo!" The woman, Sublime, called, "If we leave now, we should be able to make it back to Base before noon."

"Coming!" Turbo shouted through gritted teeth.

On3 shut off all motor circuits so not give his state of semi-consciousness away. They would be able to get turned back on in an instant if need be, but for then On3 wanted to continue playing possum. His encounter with Melody the Gizmo Lady had been short, but On3 had decided she still needed his help and he wasn't about to abandon his new mission. He would go where she went, and if that meant heading straight into enemy territory, so be it; Melody would get her revenge.

Turbo dragged On3 across the forest floor for a short distance before dropping him unceremoniously back onto the ground. On3's arm sprawled outward and he could feel warm flesh beneath it.

'Melody!' He thought, grateful to find her alive and warm.

"Is the Bio-B0t still shut-down?" The man with the booming voice was asking.

On3 had made sure to switch off any lights or other things that would indicate he was online. Well, partially...where was his vision?

"Dead as a doorknob." Turbo said as he prodded On3 with his boot, gentler this time, "Might be that you killed him with that jolt of yours."

"As long as the girl is alive, I don't care." Deep Voice said, "But Hax might want to take it apart, so let's load it up."

Two pairs of hands gripped On3 and lifted him into the air. Another short distance later and he was dropped onto what felt like a metal sled.

"Nifty little device you've got here." Deep Voice was telling Turbo, "Don't know how we'd get these two back without it."

"I'd make you carry them." Turbo said as straps were draped across On3's body and tightened, "Remember, I wanted to leave them here..."

"Ah, whatever." Deep Voice grunted, "Let's load up the girl now, but be gentler with her. She's more than just a scrap of metal."

'As am I.' On3 thought as they walked away, 'You'll find that out soon enough if you're not careful.'

A few minutes later, On3 heard Deep Voice telling the others that he'd meet them back at the Base. The wind picked up briefly for a moment and then On3 could hear two sets of feet walking back toward him. One set walked past close to his right while the other walked past his left. Another moment and the sounds of two ATV engines came roaring to life.

"I'm still mad at you." Sublime's voice came from On3's left.

"We'll see." Turbo said suggestively from right in front of On3 before he lurched forward.

Back into enemy territory they raced, but On3 did not fear. He had a mission to carry out. Melody's mission. Revenge...retaliation...that was what she demanded and On3 vowed to give it to her. Trapjaw and Engineer were dead men walking and God help anyone who stood in his way.

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MORTAR, THE PARTY'S SAFE HOUSE, 10:00AM

Mortar slept in for the first time since he started traveling to Dallas with Raid and when he woke he felt refreshed and ready to kick some ass. Sometime in the night his bed frame had cracked beneath his weight, so he had to roll himself out of the divot the mattress had created in order to exit the bed. That proved to be too much for the bed to handle and the entire left side crashed to the ground.

"Piece of shit." Mortar grumbled as he picked himself up off the floor.

Leisurely, Mortar donned his trademark dark blue pants and black tank top. He hadn't washed them in a while and they were starting to smell funny, so he made a mental note to find more clothes before too long.

When he was dressed, Mortar left his room, quickly stopping off at the room he had left Raid in after the previous night's activities. He found that she was gone. Voices could be heard coming down the hall from the large central room and so Mortar lumbered off to investigate.

Slade had said that more members of the Party would be arriving that day so Mortar was not surprised when he found Raid in the company of two men when he arrived. One was familiar to him; the other was not.

"Still alive, Edge?" Mortar said in greeting to a man seated on a dark leather couch next to Raid.

The man had short black hair and a handsome, oriental face. He wore simple black karate pants and a white tank top that showed off the hard, lean muscles of his arms and chest. Two one-handed swords were resting on a dark coffee table in front of the couch, right next to a belt full of throwing knives.

"What? My baby sister never told you? Heard you've been traveling with her." The man said in a voice laden with an east-Asian accent as he nodded toward Raid.

Mortar met Raid's eyes quickly with his own before flicking them back toward Edge. What else had she told her older brother? Mortar wasn't sure how protective the warrior was of his sister, but if it came to a fight Edge would definitely have the advantage. He was lightning quick, and Mortar had heard that he often bragged no man had ever managed to land a single blow on his body.

"Yeh, since Austin. Guess we were all dragged here by some kind of weird mind trick." Mortar plopped himself into a large armchair that groaned under his weight, "Slade seems to be at her full strength again."

"Her?"A faint whisper came from the armchair directly across from Mortar. The speaker was the creepiest looking man Mortar had ever seen. He was tall, with pale white skin stretched tight over his bones. The man seemed to possess neither fat nor muscle which was accentuated by the fact that he wore only a pair of black jeans held onto his hips by a tightly cinched black leather belt adorned by a grinning skull belt buckle. His torso was bare and Mortar was able to count his ribs. His face could have been mistaken for a skull if it weren't for the presence of nose, lips, and ears, but his eyes were empty sockets where eyes should have been. Long, bone white hair cascaded down his face and over his shoulders. To any normal person, the man would strike fear into the heart, but Mortar was unafraid of appearances alone so he answered the man.

"The old Slade got a new body somehow and he's now a she." Mortar explained plainly, "So who the fuck are you, Skeletor?"

The man answered in the same eerie whisper as before, "They call me Reaper."

"I've heard of you." Edge spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper, "They say your touch is death and you collect heads with a giant scythe."

The man called Reaper laughed deep in his throat before lifting a white, boney hand and pointing toward the fireplace. There, resting up against the mantle was a tall wooden staff with a wicked looking blade attached at the top. A skull adorned the top and Mortar couldn't help but feel that it looked suspiciously real.

Mortar and the others glanced from it to the Reaper and back again. No one spoke; death was in there presence.

"Is this all that came!?" A voice pierced the ominous silence.

Mortar turned his head around to see Slade standing in the entrance of the hall that housed the bedrooms. Behind her stood a tall man in white pants and a white shirt, tucked in but half buttoned. Where his head should have been was a grinning white skull. Upon further inspection, Mortar saw it was only a mask. Piercing blue eyes peered through its eyeholes.

Slade stepped into the room, the man with the mask followed close behind. First she glanced at Mortar before throwing a knowing wink Raid's way. Next she stepped between the couch and Mortar's armchair to stand in front of the fireplace.

"Edge and Reaper." Was all she said as mask man took his place next to her.

"I came as soon as I heard you were alive." Edge said proudly.

Slade rolled her eyes, "Shut up. You're only here because I told your weak little mind to take you here." She looked at Reaper, her eyes glistening, "But you...I couldn't reach you. How did you know?"

"I felt...him...die." Reaper whispered, "There was only one force on Earth that could have orchestrated that."

"You flatter me." Slade said.

Reaper remained silent. Mortar wondered who "he" was.

"So what's the plan, then?" Edge asked, "I've been ready for some action since the end of the War."

Slade held her hand out toward her companion. The man's hands had been hidden behind his back since entering the room and he now brought them into the open, revealing a large, red jewel clutched in one of his fists. He placed it in Slade's palm and Mortar noticed that it seemed to glow softly.

"This is Trapjaw." Slade said, naming the man, "And he's been a very good boy. Do you know what this is?"

The question was posed to no one in particular. Mortar eyed the others in the room, wondering who, if anyone, knew what the jewel was. Unsurprisingly, Reaper seemed to know.

"That is Giovanni's source of power." He whispered, his voice laced with awe, "But how did you get it?"

It was Trapjaw who answered, "Dead men are notoriously bad at holding on to their belongings." He said in a slight Russian accent.

"Giovanni is dead?" Mortar said in surprise. That must have been who Reaper had mentioned a little while before. This was good news; with the famed leader of the Corps dead, the Party would have a much easier time taking down the team of heroes.

"Try to keep up, Mortar, dear." Slade rolled her eyes.

Mortar kept his mouth shut. It was better to stay silent then to provoke any more japes from Slade. Plus, he wanted to hear what the plan was for the jewel.

"So here's the story." Slade said once she realized Mortar was not going to respond, "I already managed to sow discourse amongst the Corps. I've even managed to infiltrate their base."

"So why are they still alive?" Reaper asked.

Slade laughed, "You sound like Trapjaw. Why just kill them when I can have a little fun first? The Good Doctor has already attacked Wraith and almost killed her...see, that's fun for me! Besides, there was no way I can take them ALL on...yet."

"You're the boss." Edge said with a shrug of his shoulders, "What's with the gem?"

"Well, as Reaper pointed out, it is the source of Giovanni's power." Slade explained, casually examining the gem in question, "I thought we might use it somehow."

"But how?" Raid asked, the tone of her voice indicating her patience was wearing thin.

Slade stared almost lovingly at the gem for a few more second before tearing her gaze away, "Don't know...yet. To be honest, I didn't even think it was worth getting but Trapjaw insisted." She tossed the gem in Trapjaw's direction, where he barely caught it, "Figure out what to do with that. Ask Engineer."

Trapjaw's eyes glared at Slade through his mask for a few moments before storming out of the room.

Slade waited until Trapjaw was out of earshot before speaking again, "Someone needs to kill him."

That caught Mortar by surprise, and, judging by their looks, the others in the room as well.

"What do you mean?" Edge asked.

"I mean," Slade said, "One of you needs to kill Trapjaw before he ruins everything."

Raid shook her head in confusion, "If you want him dead, why not just kill him yourself?"

Slade sighed, "Don't think I haven't tried. All I needed him for was to drive the Corps out of hiding and to free me from my prison. Now that he's done that, he's useless...and possibly dangerous."

"So what's stopping you from killing him?" Edge said.

"I don't know! Every time I try, something stops me and I can never go through with it...I just end up sleeping with him instead." Slade explained, "So one of you will have to do it. Any volunteers?"

Mortar was officially confused, but he wasn't about to tell Slade that and open himself up for attacks on his intelligence. Instead he'd offer her something she couldn't complain about, "I'll do it." He offered, "I'll kill Trapjaw."

"Oh, Mortar, I knew I could count on your bloodlust." Slade said endearingly, "Do it however you want, but make sure you do it soon."

Mortar nodded in understanding. Killing the skinny Russian wasn't going to be a problem at all. One blow from his hammer (once he found it) and it would all be over.

"What are the rest of us going to do?" Edge asked.

Slade smiled broadly, baring her teeth menacingly, "What we do best. Cause some mayhem...kill some normals."

The others seemed to like this idea and they all stood at once, ready for action and talking plans.

While the rest of the Party schemed, Mortar slipped out through the elevator to go search the city for his hammer. As he rode the rickety lift up toward street level he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed he had only volunteered to kill one man. For when the Party got to causing trouble, many were sure to die, and Mortar REALLY didn't want to miss that...

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SUBLIME, MOBILE BASE, 12:15PM

By the time Sublime and Turbo got back to the Mobile base it was a little after noon. They met Wraith outside with their prisoners where she congratulated them on their job well done and instructed they be loaded in the medical transport. When Sublime had asked why Wraith explained that they would be moving to their new Headquarters where they would be better equipped to hold prisoners.

"You don't waste any time." Turbo said before leaving to retrieve the requested vehicle.

"Mayor Molly has been preparing for our alliance for some time." Wraith explained, "The new HQ is already fully functional and ready to be used."

"Hope it has a good prison." Sublime said.

Wraith surveyed the unconscious prisoners, "It should be fine for the woman, but keep a close eye on the Bio-B0t."

"Speaking of which," Sublime lowered her voice and moved closer to Wraith, "How's the Rob situation? Can't believe we missed the action..."

Wraith sighed, "Robert is currently being scrutinized by Engineer. We hope that his little episodes were just programming malfunctions...but we'll have to wait and see."

Sublime shook her head, "Poor Nurse Sweet."

"She seems to be taking it just fine." Wraith said and Sublime noticed a distinct air of disapproval in her voice.

"How did Slade get into the Base? Can she do it again?" Sublime asked.

Wraith shook her head, "I've protected the Base from anyone flashing in and plan to do the same with the new Headquarters. It's a simple enough process and I'm a little embarrassed I didn't think of it earlier."

"It's not your fault. Rob was supposed to be in charge." Sublime assured her as the sound of the vehicle bay being opened drowned out their conversation.

A minute later, Turbo drove down the huge ramp that opened up in the back of the Base in a black modified ambulance. He parked the ambulance and hopped out, opening up the back doors to reveal an enlarged interior full of sophisticated medical instruments and two large gurneys. Those he pulled out and wheeled over to the still-unconscious prisoners. It took a moment for the trio to load them onto the gurneys and secure them with the carbon-fiber restraints. Engineer and Turbo had designed the ambulance to cater to all types of supers, including struggling ones.

"Alright, you two, go pack whatever you'll need for overnight and get these two downtown before they wake up." Wraith instructed Sublime and Turbo once the prisoners were loaded into the vehicle, "The rest of the Corps and I will meet you there tomorrow once we get everything here squared away. The plan is to arrive early in the morning with a full police escort."

After another couple of minutes of packing and saying hello to Brick (Nurse Sweet was nowhere to be found), Sublime and Turbo were heading toward the road leading away from the site that had once been Ark Chemicals with the two prisoners in cargo.

"Finally alone." Turbo said from the driver's seat as they raced along the highway toward the city.

Sublime smiled at him knowingly, "Didn't stop you last night in the tent. We almost didn't catch those two!" She jerked her thumb toward the back.

"Well once they're all squared away in their new cells we won't have to worry about them getting away." Turbo smiled back at Sublime wickedly, "And we'll have the whole new place to ourselves."

"All you think about is sex." Sublime rolled her eyes.

Turbo continued to grin as he exited the highway toward downtown, "All I think about is sex with YOU, baby."

Sublime laughed, remembering when they had first met. She had just agreed to join the Corps and Turbo was put in charge of making sure her transition went smoothly. He was almost ten years her senior, and Sublime had initially been repulsed by his blatant attempts at getting into her pants. But as the days went on she had began to soften towards him and is annoying...but oddly charming...advances. For a couple of years they had a harmless relationship that consisted of nothing more than occasional flirting until one day they shared a passionate, lust filled moment that ended with Sublime wearing nothing but her camo-pants. She had stopped things before they went any further and avoided Turbo for days, positive that any kind of serious relationship would only end with both of them getting hurt.

When Giovanni decided to allow the Corps to break up, Sublime jumped at the opportunity to leave. While raising Echo, Sublime hadn't had time to feel regret for her choice and had all but forgotten about that episode with Turbo...until they were called back over a month ago. Almost immediately their relationship picked up where it had left off and by the end of the first day back, they were sleeping together.

Now Sublime couldn't help but think their relationship was now becoming more serious and although it scared her a little, she was happy. Turbo was kind, sexy, and made her laugh when most other people couldn't. If Sublime had to open her heart up to anyone, she was glad it was this Mississippi-bred gear head.

"Hey, wake up! We're here." Turbo yelled.

They had made their way into the city proper and turned off the main road onto a street flanked on both sides by a huge brick wall. Barbed wire coiled around the top and security cameras were placed all along its length. Immediately in front of them was a tall iron gate flanked on both sides by guard towers, guards already in place.

The radio in the ambulance crackled to life and a male's voice called through, "You are entering a private and heavily guarded area. State your intent."

Turbo stopped the ambulance before the gate and picked up the radio, "This is Turbo and Sublime of the Corps. We have two highly dangerous, currently unconscious, prisoners in this vehicle and somebody better open the God damned gate before they wake up."