The Mortuary

In the deep basements of the Resistance Headquarters lives the Mortuary and all its victims. Inside there is merely a room, covered from wall to wall in metal sheets, a medical kind of place.
The floors are coated in gray linoleum, and the ceilings painted a dull white.

Along the walls are inset with pull out drawers containing frozen bodies of members of the Government, ready to be examined at a later date. In the centre of the room, sits a large marble slab, covered in a metal sheet.
The whole room is like a giant refrigerator, due to the temperature needed to stop decomposition.

On the slab sits currently a thin pale girl, with bright red hair. Alyss, or what remains of her.
After being brought to the Mortuary by Jackson and Emma, her body was straightened up, but still saw the remains of the fight.
A large hole was still inside her leg, and her neck bone protruded from her skin in the most awkward angle. Her eyes remained open, in a glassy stare, the light gone from them.

It happened slowly. Almost as if time had stopped for this girl. But it did happen. The wound in her leg began to heal, the gap became smaller and smaller by the hour. And her neck wound too began to click itself back into place, the spine rearranging itself and becoming straight and strong again.
Her wounds were sealing, her outside skin becoming paler and blemish free. Finally her eyes began to gather the light back, drawing in life again.
Her heart beat once in her chest, and her body rose from the table lightly.

It beat again and her chest rose, banging her body on the table.

The beating was constant now, and her body was writhing and rolling around on the slab until her mouth opened up wide and she took a deep breath in, her conscious thought returning.
The girl looked around the room in wonder, how was she still alive?! Her last memory was of Jackson's gigantic hand pushing down on her head, then a crack. Then Darkness.
He had definitely killed her.

She looked down at her hands and brought it up to touch her neck, which was if anything more perfect than before. She stood up shakily on her feet, noticing her shoes had been removed. She was dressed in something different too, a simple white cotton dress that reached her knees. Probably in respect or something. She couldn't remember much after the cracking sound, but she knew this was the Resistance building, it had the symbol on the doorway.
Her walking was shaky, but after a few practices she managed to get her speed back up to scratch, faster if anything. She smiled weakly and moved to the metal slab, raising her fist and smashing into it. It split in two, the marble cracking straight down the middle.
She looked at her fist. Stronger than before too.

Musing over in thought, and what she had heard of vampires, she knew why she hadn't been killed. Stake through the heart. She merely had a cracked neck.
She looked up at the corner of the room, seeing a camera situated in the corner, and smiled to herself. She dragged a stone block over to the corner of the room, easily.
Standing on the block she looked up in the camera and gave a huge grin. "Ready or not, here I come." she whispered, crushing the camera in her hand.

She hoped Emma would see that. Strike that, she knew she would.

The return from the raid had kind of been a blur to Emma. She was still only barely conscious the entire time, simply having barely enough energy to keep her eyes open. It had been straight to the med bay once Emma got back to HQ. 18 hours of sleep coupled with a constant vitamin, mineral, and energy rich drip flowing into her veins meant Emma woke up feeling much more like her normal self. 4 triple shot coffees later and Emma was back to normal.

This was a good thing too. This raid had gone so much to shit that there was a crap load of stuff she had to do now. Not only did she have to go brief the few supers they managed to save, she also had to check to see if her team had all managed to get back alive, explain what had happened to the rest of the council (something she really was not looking forward to), check on Jackson and let him know she was ok and also figuring out what he had done whilst she slept. Then she also had to check the mortuary. She could of sworn she had seen Jackson carrying Alyss' limp body, but then again Emma could of also sworn that soon after that moment purple elephants had flown over her head....

It would be best if Emma went and talked to the Council first, they needed to know what had happened. And so it happened that Emma was walking past the guards room next to the entrance to the HQ. Randomly she glanced in as she usually did, but what she saw plastered across the monitor screens froze her in her tracks.

"Ready or not, here I come."

... We're doomed.

However, despite this rather morbid thought of hers, Emma launched into action.

"You two, call the alarm. I want you to get as many supers down there as you can and make sure she does not leave that floor. Do not engage! Alyss is one of the most deadly supers i have faced, meaning that most of the supers here are definitely not powerful enough, nor experienced enough to handle her." Emma yelled as she jogged out the door, the two guards hurry to scramble to her orders.

Emma didn't look back however, as soon as the guards were clear of her blast radius Emma erupted into flames and shot off down the halls of the HQ like a human rocket, which in truth, she was.

Several near misses, over a kilometer of tunnels covered, and less than a minute later, Emma arrived at the mortuary section of the HQ. It was much bigger than the room Alyss had been placed in. That was just the examination room. In fact for quite a large section of this level of the HQ there were rooms upon rooms for storage of the bodies of the fallen. Being on the less technologically advanced side of the war always meant that there would be more casualties and the size of this graveyard certainly proved that.

Emma let the flames around her die and lightly landed on the ground. She couldn't hear anything, but then again Alyss did have a flare for being invisible. Slowly Emma walked forwards and opened the door to the examination room where Alyss had been left. Emma seriously doubted the vampire girl would still be here, but who knows. Maybe she was sick of all the game playing? Maybe all she wanted to do now was finish the job she had started several days ago. Either way, Emma realized that her flying down here, and leaving all forms of backup several minutes away, was probably not the best idea she had ever had.

Oh i'm so dead.

Alyss heard the roar of flames from the staircase and smiled to herself. Emma was coming.

She stood in the shadows just outside her examination room, layering darkness over her entire body, camouflaging herself. Waiting silently, she saw her adversary land in front of her, her flames dying out. It seemed she had recovered quickly. At least now Alyss could face her properly. But all she needed now was to get back to the Government Building, back into the safety of the lab and that blood machine. She need blood. Badly.
Emma opened the door to the examination room and peered inside, just as Alyss emerged from behind her. She ran forwards and kicked Emma into the room, closing and locking the door behind her.

She whirled around and grabbed Emma's throat, slamming her back into the wall. "What has happened to me?!" she yelled in the girls face. "Who killed me? Am I dead?"

She didn't wait for a reply, but banged Emma backwards again, holding her by the throat. Alyss reveled in her new found strength, lifting Emma from the floor, pressing her back into the wall by her throat. "I saved your life. Now you save mine. Get me out of here, or I'll rip you to pieces." she hissed.

As soon as Emma had finished her thought things started to happen very quickly.

Out of nowhere Alyss appeared behind her and kicked Emma into the examination room. Before she had time to recover her balance Alyss had managed to get her super strong hands around Emma's throat and slam her into the wall.

Emma hit her head hard and lights danced in front of her eyes as she grabbed the hand chocking off her oxygen supply. By the time Alyss' screams sunk into Emma's dazed brain, the vampire girl had slammed Emma against the wall again, and now she had lifted her clear off the ground.

Fighting the urge to kick and scream Emma lowered her eyes and looked with false calmness into Alyss'.

"Let go and we'll talk." Emma gasped out. Alyss' grip on her throat was too strong, Emma couldn't breath in any air, and what remaining air she had had left in her lungs she had just used up on speaking. Either the vamp would release her and explain what the fuck was going on, or Emma would burn off the girls hand then vaporize her heart. Emma didn't need oxygen to make her flames burn, at the moment the huge amount of adrenaline coursing through her body would be enough to make sure the vamp let go before Emma blacked out for the 3rd time in 3 days. Seriously, her brain cells must be taking heavy losses, blacking out this much can't be good for you.

((hey i don't want to intrude but could i join in? I understand if you want it to be just you to.))

(Not yet m'dear. Let us talk for a bit )

Alyss sighed and dropped her enemy to the ground, coughing and spluttering. She whirled around and gracefully moved to the metal slab she had crushed in half earlier. She perched daintily on the edge and glared at Emma.

"Ok, first of all: it would be a very bad idea to try and set this room on fire Ashton. You'll be dead before you hit the ground." she hissed. "Now tell me what happened. Why am I in the Mortuary?"

She clasped the front of the slab she was holding and the marble under her hands turned to dust. She looked down and drew her hands back sharply. "If I'm guessing correctly, then I died. I want to know who killed me, how and where I can find them." she stated, angrily. "Just so I can return the favour. But now, I would like to get back to the Government building, and for the safety of your comrades and your own neck, you'd better escort me there."

Alyss jumped from the table, landing on her bare feet. "I saved your life Emma. Now you save mine. I can't get out of here with everyone around knowing who I am. Take me to the exit." she said.

Air! Wonderful air!

Emma landed with a thump on the floor, coughing and spluttering and drawing in the invisible gas that kept her alive. Several deep shuddering breaths later Emma turned her attention to Alyss. The vamp was perched on the marble slab that was the examination table, so Emma took the opportunity to relax a bit as well, resting her weight on the wall behind her.

As Alyss made her demands. Emma listened carefully. Half of what the girl wanted to know, Emma didn't have the answers to. After all she had only woken up about an hour ago.

Emma scratched her head in thought as Alyss continued. Her last words made Emma's head shoot up though.

"You saved my life?" She said in disbelief, but then shrugged. "I guess it makes sense seen as your the one who practically killed me in the first place." Her nonchalant voice not quite covering up the malice behind her words.

"As for everything else. a) I'm already on the ground, you might want to think your threats through a bit more next time. b) I have no idea who killed you, i was kinda comatose at the time, remember? And even if i did know, you telling me that you want their name so you can hunt them down and kill them isn't much of an incentive for me to tell you said name as whoever it was is probably more of a friend to me than you. Come to think of it, practically everyone is more of a friend to me than you, excluding Judah Marshall that is. And c) Why would i escort you out when practically every super in the Resistance is waiting outside dead set on killing you? I'd say it's in my necks best interest if you simply give yourself up and come with me so that we can talk. That way neither of us has to die. Again."

All this came out in a semi-rush, urged on by Emma's anger, and the fact that she still couldn't take as deep a breath as she normally could (Her throat felt like it had been crushed into non-existence and was only very slowly inflating again.) Taunting the deadly vampire sitting only a few feet away from her was probably not the best idea she had ever had, but then again when Emma was angry logical plans kinda went out the window.

Alyss raised an eyebrow and hopped off of the metal slab, leaning down to look at Emma. "When I came to the raid, you had already used up too much energy and were dying. I helped you out because when I fight you, I want fair to be fair." she stated, bluntly.

"And c) Why would i escort you out when practically every super in the Resistance is waiting outside dead set on killing you? I'd say it's in my necks best interest if you simply give yourself up and come with me so that we can talk. That way neither of us has to die. Again." Emma argued.

Alyss turned away from Emma and contemplated her actions. Of course, she could risk dying again, but she might not wake up again this time. She turned to Emma with the creepy smile that her enemy had become so acquainted with over these past weeks and months. "Sure Emma. I'll come and talk to you. But." she paused. "I know my way around the Resistance HQ, and I have a habit of disappearing, so if this is some kind of trick then I can just leave. And take a few Resistance fighters lives with me."
Her only problem was that without Emma with her, if she was spotted then she would be caught and killed. But the chances of her getting caught were very unlikely. For now, she would humor Emma and go with her.

She pulled the girl up by her collar and set her down. "Go."

Emma blinked dumbly.

Seriously? Crap, now i need to actually figure out a plan, like what the fuck am i meant to do with her? I can't just kill her now, it wouldn't be right. But i don't think the Resistance HQ has any place to keep her where she can't escape. Aw the Council are gonna kill me for this one! Emma groaned internally and made for the door.

She stopped just before stepping out into the full view of the sure to be large and angry mob of supers outside the door. With a deep breath Emma let flames surround her form again.

"Don't want them mistaking me for you now do i? I like my head where it is. Attached to my body." Emma explained.

Then, before Alyss could answer her, Emma took the vampire girls hand, letting the flames spread up her arm and surround her form too.

"Insurance." She shrugged then stepped out through the now unlocked door, dragging the vampire with her.

"So long as you hold my hand the flames wont burn you. Once you let go however, well, lets just say that option is most definitely not in your best interests." Emma said with the faintest hints of a smirk touching her lips as she strode up to the band of supers out in the hall, all their powers primed and ready.

Alyss looked at the flames surrounding her body and held Emma's hand tightly.

Through Alyss's memory flickered the images of a fire in her parents house, trapping her in her room. Back in Ireland everything was wooden and she couldn't move. As her family had run to escape, her twin sister had fallen through the burning wooden floor and onto the stone floor of the basement, dying due to the impact. Her mother and father had escaped with Alyss, but the little girl couldn't forget the look of terror as her sister realized this was her time.
Truly, fire terrified Alyss, but she never let it show.

Not even now, surrounded by it again would she shudder, but keep her chin up and focused on walking.
They arrived outside a band of supers, where Alyss saw their powers primed. She knew this bitch would trap her.
Thinking impulsively, she began to ran faster and faster, still clinging to Emma's hand. By the time Emma had noticed the changed of scenery, they were miles away from the HQ, in the wasteland between the Government building and the Resistance. It was a dead zone, all dry desert flooring and flat, almost abstract surroundings. The wind here was powerful, due to the lack of obstacles in the way.
Alyss remembered the flames surrounding them and powered her shadows to their highest level, covering her body in them, and breaking free from Emma.

She paused, feeling some power leave her as the shadows drifted away. But at least she wasn't burnt. On the down side, her post-life power up seemed to be gone. She was still super-fast and super-strong but just not so much as before.
She smiled at Emma and held her arms outwards, her fingers running through the blasting wind.

"Through luxury and indigence she had fallen headlong, and now shall fall further, upon this land of which we stand." she smirked, her teeth elongating, her muscles tensed, ready for battle.

((Continued ~here~))