Broker-Chapter 159 v2

Ishtar crossed her legs and got comfortable. The throne was nice. Liberty really knew how to pick something cozy. She closed her eyes and opened an Astral Eye over the battlefield outside, observing from a well hidden spot. Things were drawing to a conclusion it seemed. Euclidia’s archways had begun rising around the courtyard, heroes pouring out. She paused to watch Black Lotus direct them. The hero turned her head and looked up, meeting her ethereal gaze. Her lips twitched, You’re getting stronger and stronger aren’t you? I’m glad. Finally out of your rut. Chunhua nodded sharply to her before turning back to her work.

Ishtar turned her attention to Lillian and her group who were assisting in the cleanup. All of them looked grim-faced. Bodies were being collected, both cultist and aspirant alike. More were being found in the woods. Aspirants who had slipped off for nightly fun caught up in the ruthless attack. She zoomed in on Lillian, there was another colored streak in her hair.

You fought hard in there, didn’t you? You endured pain and threw your life down to protect someone else. You survived. I’m proud of you, Sonya’s voice rose up at the back of her mind.

Ishtar turned her attention to Otis who was doing his best to look good while still doing ultimately very little. His appearance flickered through her sight, He’s using his ability with more nuance, bastard. Couldn’t be so lucky that you’d die in there, but I suppose I should be happy you went in, even if it’s for the wrong reasons. You helped and now I have to pay that debt, she thought before a ghost of a smile widened on her face. Good. I’ll use it as a chance to keep you on a leash until I figure out how to kill you. Keep your enemies close, right?

Finally she moved her gaze over to Companion, Handmaiden, Marta. Her lips curled up, Looks like you put up one hell of a fight, she thought as crashes and booms rang out somewhere far ahead of Ishtar. Ah, Liberty’s home.

Ishtar called Marta’s earpiece, <”Good work.”>

Marta tensed where she was standing and lowered her head, <”Some of them got away.>

<”It’s fine, it looks like we have one at least. The Committee will lock him up, but I’ll pull some strings for an interview. What was his ability?,”>

<”A red version of Bluestars,”> Marta said.

<”All the more reason to have a sit-down, regardless, you did well holding her off,”> Ishtar murmured, delighted by the news, That will be three for the collection.

“That’s putting it mildly, she’s stronger than I estimated,” Marta said as she turned away. “I’ll be honest, I went all in on that fight. I didn’t have the momentum from Euclidias portals to accelerate me though.”

Ishtar paused, glancing up as the booms and shaking drew closer, <”So she has more followers than I expected, understood. That doesn’t change much. This war won’t come to blows for a while yet, we have time. Propaganda will sap some of her strength.”>

“So we’re following through with the original plan?” Marta asked.

<”With some minor alterations, yes,”> Ishtar said, <”Kingshark is ready. Blackrazor is pulling his people out of her camps for now and purging traitors. I’m also sending Mephisto to South America. The young heroes will be ready and I have some apparent worshippers to meet and see if I can’t leverage in Japan. We have a lot to do before the final confrontation and I want to make you stronger, dear. Just in case.”>

Ishtar watched her clench her fists, < “Yes, mistress. I’m looking forward to it.”>

The call ended and Ishtar returned her focus to her present surroundings. Her feet shifted a little and she looked down with a frown, “Stop moving around, I just got comfortable,” she growled as Phillip slumped beneath her ankles, trying to rise to anything more dignified than the humiliating position he was in. The doors flew open ahead of her and Liberty stormed inside, the thin man in monks gear and the man in the red suit flanking her.

“ISHTAR!” Liberty bellowed.

Ishtar spread her arms wide in greeting, “The self-proclaimed queen returns to her camelot!” crowed, “How did your conquest go? Did you win, dear?”

Liberty snarled and stormed forward only to stop when she saw the shape beneath Ishtar’s feet, “Phillip!” she gasped.

Ishtar raised her eyebrows, “Now there’s a reaction!” she laughed and conjured a knife in her hand made of hard light. She lazily tossed it at Phillip and Liberty threw her hand out, the man in the red suit doing the same. Phillip fell into a luminous red hole in the floor before dropping unceremoniously on the ground at Liberty’s feet. Ishtar laughed, “Good to know! Good to know! There are things you care about.”

Liberty was boiling with rage, “Why did you interfere? Why are you here?” she demanded.

Ishtar shrugged, “Why not? I have plans for those heroes and I can’t have you ruining that,” Ishtar said and got to her feet before levitating off the ground, “As for why I’m here? I hate you,” she said flatly, “Any chance I can get to hurt you, I will, Liberty. It’s as simple as that. I am your enemy.”

Liberty drew her sword and Ishtar took a moment to examine her, Utterly unharmed, tch, I’ve clearly underestimated this monster. Oh well.

“Then we settle this now,” Liberty roared, “You and me, fight me!”

Ishtar laughed, “Uh, no?” she said and waved a dismissive hand, “Why on earth would I do that? You’d kill me,” she said and floated up a little higher, “No no no, you asked for a war and you’ll get one. When the time comes, we’ll have our final confrontation. I promise you that.”

Liberty seethed before letting out a breath and relaxing, “It doesn’t matter. I nearly crippled the so-called ‘worlds strongest’ today and walked away without a scratch. That’s all the world needs to know.”

Ishtar nodded, “I concede the point, we’ll call it a draw then. You can have what little win out of this you want. Wars are long, aren’t they?”

Liberty sneered, “Yes, they are.”

Ishtar levitated towards her and floated in the air just out of reach, “I’m going to tear your world down around you, Liberty, and I want you to fall from your peak.”

Liberty titled her head up and looked down at Ishtar over her nose, “Challenge accepted.”

Ishtar chuckled before turning her head slightly and leveling the man in the red suit with a stare.

<Rupert Halloway>

“And you’re the traitor,” Ishtar said and tilted her head to the right, “Didn’t you cause all of this?” she asked and whipped her hand out, a bead of light forming on her finger that erupted into a narrow ray. Before the beam could pierce through the man’s forehead Liberty grabbed him and pulled him out of the way, the ray only cutting painfully through Halloway’s ear. He let out a scream of pain and clutched at the side of his head as Liberty glared at Ishtar. Ishtar shrugged, “It was worth a try.”

“Do you think I’m going to let you leave after that?”

Ishtar snorted, “You can try,” she said and floated up to the ceiling. She made a lazy gesture and rays of light swirled around her, cutting through the concrete. A disk of heavy concrete fell from above her and hit the ground with a bang, kicking up dust.

“ISHTAR!” Liberty roared after her.

“See you soon,” Ishtar cooed and launched into the sky. She stopped just above the partially ruined compound, eyeing the destroyed remains of her Legionnaires and the fires still spreading here and there. The first moves have been made.

It wasn’t a win for us, Sonya said.

It wasn’t for her either, Ishtar replied, For now, we stay the course. Our pieces are almost ready and the board is being set up.

Agreed, Sonya said, Ishtar, I’m tired.

Ishtar nodded, Then let’s return for now. We’ve done what we came here to do.

–

Sonya strode down into the depths of her beach house. Her arms crossed behind her back. Her eyes glowed in the dark, the faint ticking louder than ever in her head. She hadn’t heard it in a while. She strode past one of the glass cases containing a decorative knife and looked back at Ishtar who nodded to her. She set her jaw, her mind drifting back to that moment in the backrooms. I need to do this myself. She’s right. I can’t keep hiding behind her. In the end, this is on me. She thought as she walked into her office. Her mind reached out and the screens came on in the dark. She didn’t need lights, after all. She stood in the middle of the room and took a steadying breath.

Ewen has been secured and is being transported by the Pandora Committee to a new prison. She thought as her eyes swept over the screens. The surviving aspirants are better off than I expected, driven even. Her lips dropped into a frown. Ten died and Axel is crippled. I can’t heal him without raising questions either. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and she let out a sigh as a flare of anger rose in its place. Those two aspirants in particular, left hanging from trees like that… disgusting. Liberty’s people are warped beyond anything I had considered. She shook her head and forced a smile, At least I paid her back in kind.

She paused, turning her head as a presence made itself known in her home. She glanced up and narrowed her eyes before smiling and turning around to face the door.

The door opened a few moments later and Chunhua stood at the threshold. She tilted her head to the right, a gesture of invitation, and Chunhua stepped through. “You did well out there.”

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“Carla came through,” Chunhua said quietly, she’d been a little morose after counting the dead. Fighting had pushed grief out of her mind but she’d managed to recover, the strength of a real hero, “She’s… pretty great. Am I talking to Sonya right now?” She asked.

Sonya’s eyebrow rose, “Sure are.”

Chunhua hesitated, reaching up and brushing her dark hair back, “Can I… talk to her? For a moment?”

Sonya raised an eyebrow but felt Ishtar’s presence at the back of her mind give her assent. She felt her arms go slack as her eyes went unfocused. Her breathing eased as she floated up to sit casually in the air, resting her chin on her palm and looking down at Chunhua. Ishtar smiled cooly, “You called, little hero?”

Chunhua squared her shoulders and looked up at Ishtar, meeting her gaze and setting her jaw tightly. “I have only one thing to say to you,” Chunhua said, “Out there, out in the world, no matter what you do. No matter what your goals. If you are there, I will stand against you. I will stop you from hurting people, no matter what,” She let out a breath, “But-” She closed her eyes and nodded to herself, “I will help Sonya, I will be there for her. Not because of her past or mine, not because of the last timeline, but because of who she is today. I hate Ishtar, and I will never, ever, forgive her for the things she’s done,” She said and exhaled, “I want to talk to Sonya now.”

Ishtar returned her stare for several heartbeats, her expression complicated. She felt Sonya’s presence wriggling at the back of her mind but didn’t let go just yet. She leaned forward and grinned, “You’re playing a dangerous game, hypocrite.”

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“I’d say the same to you two,” Chunhua shot back.

Ishtar barked out a laugh, “And how do you plan on doing this? A noble heart like yours? How can you rationalize it all?”

“Let me talk to Sonya,” Chunhua insisted.

Ishtar’s brows furrowed and she canted her head to the right, “Very well,” She said and drifted back to the ground. Her eyes softened a little and her shoulders sagged before straightening up. Sonya brought her hand to her lips for a moment before looking away, clearing her throat. “That was… quite the speech.”

Chunhua stepped forward, “Sonya,” she said, “Your memories set me down a path. I’ve been trying to figure out how to reconcile it with you. I’m not… that person,” she said and reached out to take Sonya’s hands. Sonya looked down at her small fingers clenched there and frowned even as her chest tightened. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“I know, I forced that on you, I-”

“No, I wanted to know. I… I have perspective, now. On a lot of things,” she finally said and squeezed Sonya’s hands, “I don’t know what this is. I don’t know if these feelings are mine or yours or…” she shook her head, “I can barely function some days when I think about it. But, you are just so…” she trailed off and pulled her hands away, clenching her fists. “I want to figure it out, if they’re real, I want to know they’re my feelings.”

Sonya flushed, she scratched her nose and cleared her throat, “You’re being dramatic.”

“Sonya!” Chunhua said, “Please. Take me seriously.”

Sonya let out a breath and nodded, “Fine. What are you getting at?”

Chunhua’s jaw clenched and she stared into Sonya’s eyes for a moment before speaking, “You can set conditions in your deals, right?”

Sonya felt her heart clench a little, “What kind of deal?” She asked.

“I want to be the hero that you need me to be, that the world needs me to be,” Chunhua said with a shaky voice. “You were right that day. I regret what I did, what I asked for, what I got out of it. That was the most painful kiss of my life. But like I said, I don’t regret knowing.”

Sonya looked away and swallowed hard.

Chunhua held out her hand, “I want to make a deal.”

Sonya looked back at her and brought her hand to her chest, their eyes meeting, “Name your terms.”

“When I am on the field, when I face Ishtar or her agents, when I am fighting as a hero,” She said, “I want you to lock those memories away. I want to fight unrestrained, unchained. I want to face her with my full might, not knowing who she is under that mask.”

Sonya frowned, “You want me to go against a previous deal,” Sonya said even as her heart rate picked up, “That’s quite the ask, and what are you going to give in exchange?”

“When I am at rest, when I see your face, those memories come back and I suffer through them all over again,” Chunhua declared, “I will never kill you, but I will try my best to stop you when the time comes,” She touched her chest and looked Sonya in the eyes, “I want to suffer like you are, I want to experience it, every day if I must, if that means being the hero the world needs me to be. Just like you’re the villain the world needs most.”

Sonya swallowed hard and opened her mouth to speak but the words caught in her throat. She panicked for a moment but realized she was just getting choked up.

Chunhua came to her rescue, a small smile on her face, “You don’t have to say anything, I know,” Chunhua said, “I’m not deaf. You told Carla.”

Sonya snorted, “Eavesdropper.”

“Just spying on a known supervillain,” Chunhua snarked back even as the agony lingered in her eyes.

Sonya let out a shaky breath, “Are you sure you want this? I’m never going to force a deal on you again. That is a promise. It broke me to do it to you the first time. I… I haven’t been the same since that day. I’m still figuring it out.”

Chunhua gave her the gentlest smile in the world, it made Sonya’s heart ache. She wanted to run to her, hold her, kiss her, comfort her, to ease her pain in any way she could. But she held her ground, her lips trembling as Chunhua gave her assent with a nod, “Yes. I want to fight Ishtar, but I want to be your friend and whatever the hell else, I want to be there for you if I can.”

Sonya swallowed and held out her hand, “It’s a deal.”

–

Liberty marched into the viewing room. It was in shambles. She ran her hand over the table and looked towards the upturned cart. That waitress was Ishtar, Liberty thought. She was right there, watching me. She can change her face, her lips turned down into a scowl, She called herself Sonya! She scoffed. She’s making fun of me, she slammed her fist into the table, crushing what was left of it before catching her breath.

She felt him approaching before he even stepped through the door, the cropped brown hair shimmering a bit in the light that framed his body. Orange eyes glowed brightly as he stepped inside with nonchalant grace.

“Craftsman,” She bit out, “You’re alive,” she felt him tense behind her and she turned, “What?”

Craftsman crossed his arms, “That woman knows things,” he said evenly, “She’s dangerous, Liberty,” he said before glancing behind him towards the four figures standing against the wall in the room. He scoffed, “You lost Ewen, then.”

Liberty grabbed the remains of the table and hurled them across the room, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She rounded on Craftsman who raised his hands in a placating gesture and took a few steps back, shrugging off her ire. Instead of throwing her rage at him she turned on the four members of the Round Table.

Ellis shifted on his feet against the wall, he glanced at Kant with bloodshot eyes and scowled. His usual good humor was gone. Liberty rounded on Kant as well. The woman looked terrible, what little healing Liberty’s people had provided at least got her limbs in the correct formation. She stalked over to Kant and grabbed the shell-shocked woman. Grief and rage that had been warring on the woman’s face faded into something far more primal. Terror.

“Did you enjoy your duel?” she demanded.

Kant trembled in her grip, “I failed.”

Liberty snarled and pulled her close, “You are fortunate I did not cast you aside like Ewen,” She growled in a low voice. “All that planning, wasted, to soothe your precious ego,” she rumbled and the room shook. She released the woman and pushed her against the wall, “Should I strip you of your rank?” she asked before letting the woman go. Kant collapsed to the ground and groveled at her feet, “No. You can stay in the cold room for a while, after that, you will struggle and bleed to earn my good graces again.”

Kant pressed her forehead against Liberty’s boot, “Th-thank you, thank you, my lady, for your mercy.”

Liberty spat and kicked the woman off, “Don’t touch me,” she rumbled before turning to Ellis.

He stared back at her, shaking, but he didn’t bow or grovel. She knew he’d get his wicked smile back eventually, but for now she was pleased to see he fully comprehended his errors. She loomed over him, “Anything to say for yourself?”

“I will get stronger, my lady,” he rasped, “I lost my friend today.”

“Are you angry with me?” she demanded.

“He deserved it,” he growled, “I’m lucky to even be here.”

“You will train from dawn to dusk until I am satisfied you’ve refined your powers, then I will duel you and you will repeat the process,” she turned to Craftsman for a moment before looking back at Ellis, “You will also be receiving Craftsman’s treatment.”

Ellis paled, “But-”

“ANY QUESTIONS?!” she bellowed into his face.

He shrank and shook his head, “N-no my lady,” he said.

She pointed at the door, “Escort Kant to the cold room. You have until dawn to recover. Get out of my sight.”

He didn’t need to be told twice, he grabbed Kant who let out a whimper but didn’t resist him as she was dragged along. Liberty didn’t even give them a second look before turning to Halloway. “You.”

Halloway seemed to fight down his terror as he looked up at her, “It was-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” She snarled, “I trusted you with this operation! I gave you more than enough power and put you in a position to succeed! It was your responsibility to keep Kant reigned in, even if she is your peer!” She bellowed and grabbed him by the throat, “Give me a good reason not to crush your throat now and save myself the trouble of enduring your pathetic groveling!”

He wheezed and coughed, but didn’t struggle as she held him aloft.

“Liberty,” Phillip said from the side. She turned to him and met his gaze.

She glared at him, “Now you’re interceding?” she demanded.

“Let him at least speak,” Phillip said.

Liberty turned her head to Halloway and squeezed a little harder, watching the man’s face turn from red to purple. She snarled and let him go, “Thank him,” she snarled, “He just saved your life.”

Halloway coughed and gasped on the floor, curled onto his side. When he finally sat up, his face streaked with tears, he looked up and bowed his head to Phillip, “Thank you, Sir Phillip,” he wheezed. She crossed her arms, “Tell me, do you have anything to show for this failure?” she demanded.

Halloway reached into his pocket, his reddened face regaining its natural color. He pulled a small object out and held it out. She snatched it from his fingers and examined it as he remained on his knees. “A drive?” She held it out to Craftsman who shrugged and took it from her. He pulled a thin rod looking device out of his own pocket and pulled on it, stretching out what looked like a screen made of fabric. He slid the drive into a slot on the side and began to read after tapping the fabric screen a few times.

“That’s all you have?” She asked.

“The aspirants are far more powerful than we suspected, well trained,” He gasped as he pushed himself up, “A boy named Gravitic had abilities that countered mine and enough skill to hold his own.”

“I see,” Liberty said thoughtfully, “It’s no wonder that girl was so arrogant.”

“Liberty,” Craftsman said and held the screen out to her.

She turned and frowned at him before looking down at the screen. Her eyes sweeping over the text slowly. At first her face contorted with rage before it began to relax as she read more and more of it. She took the scroll-like object from Craftsman and kept reading, pacing back and forth for several minutes before she finally handed it back over to him. Her gut was doing backflips. Who is this person? They somehow manipulated Halloway into delivering this to me. It’s… magnificent. She rubbed her chin and glanced at Halloway. He has no idea. Even so. He was loyal enough to bring it to me without hesitation.

“Halloway, You brought me something good, You may leave,” She said, “I’m suddenly feeling generous,” she said.

Halloway bowed his head, “Thank you ma’am,” he said before hurrying to excuse himself. She watched him go before turning back to her second in command. He’d presented himself like he was expecting punishment. Fool, she thought bitterly, Why would I punish you? She thought as Phillip worked up the nerve to say something.

“What was that thing?” Phillip finally asked.

She smirked at him and rested her hand on the pommel of her sword, “A new strategy, and a new standard to adhere to,” She said, “My path to glory.”

BROKER

SEASON 2 PART 1: FOG OF WAR

END