Griffith Observatory, Ex-Los Angeles, Wednesday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

The irony didn't stop just at their location. The portal opened up inside the Observatory. For a building in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, it was in surprisingly good shape. Minimal destruction, no signs of looting, and there was only one streak of blood, long-since dried. It started from a room off the main entrance and ended in the pitiful remains of what had probably been a gopher or a woodchuck or something.

The room the blood trail had started in was some kind of observation room, featuring screen and several rows of comfortable seats. It was dark, but with the light from the atrium, anyone looking in could spot the remains of rainbow fabric caught in one of the chair arms, worn through the middle.

Raven	Raven didn't go look. This was where the Mighty Dragon had brought Kathy after she turned, and she didn't need to go see where she'd escaped. She already knew how thoroughly Mystique and the other "heroes" had failed Kathy. She went the other way instead, to the promenade overlooking the city. Five miles to the Mount, through zombie infested territory. She wasn't afraid. She'd already gone more than two thousand miles in this world. What was five more?
Eliot	Eliot shot a concerned glance after Raven. He'd noticed the way she'd bulked up in preparation out at the causeway -- as far as he was concerned, that was just good tactical planning. The quiet was a little more concerning. "Looks like things are pretty quiet up here," he observed, taking in the single blood trail and the empty grass and walkways around the building. He looked through the door, caught sight of the fabric on the chair, and swallowed, before turning back to the group. "That'll probably change the moment the suckers get a whiff of movement and life. Everyone stick close and stay on your guard. No wandering off."
Anders	Anders spotted the cloth on the chair and went to take a closer look. He trailed a finger over the fabric, half wanting to take it as a macabre souvenir. He shook off the urge and came back into the main room, forcing his attention back to Eliot. "Are we all ready to go?" he asked. "I don't fancy staying up here any longer than we need to."
Dante	"Definitely doesn't seem like anybody's home." Dante studiously ignored the fabric in favor of pacing quickly around the room. It didn't bring him anything his eyes hadn't already figured out, but he didn't know the rules of Kathy's world as well as he probably should. "I'm with Anders. Time to go."
Ezra	"I doubt anyone was about to object." Ezra was restlessly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He wished he could've kept up his cool exterior, but while he assumed everyone present could smell how off this place was... He was glad they couldn't all smell what he could. He had no desire to stay put.
Eliot	"Move quickly and quietly," Eliot advised, hand on the door, looking over the group of very young adults he was heading into all this with. "One of y'all with a good range should take the lead; I'll grab the rear. Raven: any final tips on moving through zombie-infested territory?"
Raven	Raven stared back at him for a moment longer than was likely comfortable. "Kill anything that moves." Then she shouldered past him -- her shoulders were broad enough now that the move would've knocked a lesser trained man off his feet -- and headed out towards the city.
Dante	"Works for me," Dante said, slipping past them all to take the front. He had two good eyes and a massive scythe at his disposal.
	Griffith Observatory was located on the southern end of Griffith Park, surrounded by woods. It was surprisingly empty of exes; while the Mighty Dragon had taken to leaving superheroes around in the park, Rodney had commanded most of them back into the city when he'd gone up against the Mount. Once they broke from the treeline into the city proper, that changed. They stuck to the streets rather than getting lost in the maze of yards and housing developments and there were exes everywhere. Most of them were stuck: in houses, behind privacy fences, trapped in cars by child-safety locks and seatbelts. One dead thing flung itself out of a second story window, landing with a wet thud and attempting to drag itself forward on shattered bones. Another was caught on a fence post and just tried to grab at them as they passed.
	The first mile had all been woods and zombies too trapped or broken to pose a threat. The second mile was a gauntlet. At first, they were able to outrun the exes, few enough or distant enough that speed made more sense than fighting. But as the streets turned from housing development to urban sprawl, the number of hungry exes they found - or rather, found them - increased dramatically. Avoiding became fleeing. Fleeing turned to fighting. But for every ex they killed, more would show up to throw themselves into the fray. Soon their forward progress was measured in feet.
Raven	Turn. Slash. Spin. Stab. It wasn't as flashy as Kathy's old fighting style, and it was only a fraction of the speed, but Raven was managing to keep up with the advancing exes remarkably easily. Being able to bulk up thick enough that they couldn't bite through her skin was a definite advantage, since it meant she didn't have to concern herself with dodging. The further they went, the bigger and denser Raven got. And the quieter. She'd already been all but dead silent since they arrived in LA, now, other than the soft rush of breath in and out and the splortch of caving in skulls, she wasn't making a sound at all. Hopefully her travelling companions were holding their own as well -- Raven wasn't sparing them so much as a thought, other than to make sure she didn't stab anyone still living. It was a humanoid-eat-humanoid kind of city, after all. You either fought to survive or, well, you didn't.
Eliot	. . . Yeah, Eliot was probably going to worry about that, later. He'd seen the look Raven had in her eye before. It tended to show up on the soldiers who didn't plan on coming back. He couldn't spare much more than a mental note, though, too busy making sure he didn't get his face eaten off. He was extremely glad he had two swords these days, and that he'd been training up with them both. His usual fighting style of taking the damage and out-lasting the enemy wasn't going to cut it, here. "Anyone have any better plans than just marchin' forward?!" he yelled, holding the horde back as best he could with his blades. "'Cause this one ain't working too well!"
Anders	"If somebody guards me until I'm up on that balcony, I can start setting those things on fire," Anders volunteered, indicating a small platform attached to a decaying apartment building across the street. "I can't focus as well when they keep coming at me." He'd had to beat four exes down with the sharp end of his staff, and there was gore splattered across his clothes.
Dante	"I got you," Dante called tersely. Like he hadn't been practically plastered to Anders' side the entire time. It helped, being impervious to the bites. He kicked an ex hard in the stomach before it could get anywhere near, striking down with Rebellion. "Just move!"

***

Legion	Legion let his view flow out over LA, looking for a new body to inhabit. Once, back when he had merely been Rodney, he'd been limited to only one body. Now, he had his choice of ten million. He settled on a big guy, still broad shouldered and thickly bicep'd, even after all this time. Legion liked being big. It reminded everyone he was strong. Little soul... He spun around. Nobody behind him. He'd thought he'd heard a voice, a buzz in the air like glow-boy from the Mount. He had a lot on his mind, though. A new assault to plan. There was something stirring up the exes over near Griffith he should look into. And that damn dragon-man--
Cairax Murrain	*How interesting you are, little soul...*
Legion	This time, Legion reached out to look through a dozen sets of eyes. He saw himself in the big man, and a heavyset woman with a missing hand, and a teenage boy, and a slim woman whose face and hair had been burned off at some point. There was no one around who wasn't him. He stayed in all the bodies and marched across the street. He looked in cars and behind bus stops and in the small patio of Starbucks. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the voice or just imagined it. It sounded damn close, though. And warm. Not warm in a good way, but warm like sick with the shakes.
Cairax	*Little Rodney Cesares. Son of Juan and Gabrielle. Once so great in body, now a living soul with no flesh around it. How fascinating. So fun to play with the other day...*
Legion	"Okay," called Legion. He found two exes up on the roof of a thrift store and one trapped on a balcony with a high railing. He looked down on the street through their eyes. "That you, Zap-man? Where you at, hijo de puta?" Nothing. He couldn't see anyone anywhere. He reached out and guided a few more exes down to the intersection. Thirty different views, but nothing. "You think you can hide from me?" The dead took in a breath and shouted in the street, "I'M LEGION! I'M EVERYWHERE!"
Cairax	The words echoed on the street for a moment. Then silence settled down across the street and coated everything. The air grew still. *Do you take the name of Legion in vain, little soul?*
Legion	He poured himself back into the big man and grinned. "I am Legion, bitch," he growled at the air. "I'm death incarnate. I'm the guy who killed the world." He had the unmistakable sense of someone standing right behind him. Behind all of him. Every ex within his reach felt a warm prickling on their back and shoulders, a faint pull on the eyes. All his bodies looked around and saw nothing, but the feeling remained.
Cairax	*You insult the great name of my sibling with your ignorance and arrogance. Perhaps a lesson in humility is in order. If nothing else, it should relieve my boredom while I await my new vessel.*
Legion	Legion rolled his fingers up into tight fists. All of the walking dead within three blocks copied him, guided by his anger. "Oh yeah?" he spat. "Fucking coward. Come out here and give it your best shot." And a few moments later, every ex in Los Angeles County screamed at once. And didn't stop.

***

Kathy	It was impossible to ignore the screams. Kathy had been in her closet, sharpening one of her knives in lieu of a nap that wouldn't come, when it happened. The noise was almost a physical sensation, rising from millions of throats to slam into her. She tore out of her apartment, racing though the halls as doors opened and people shouted questions, demands for information, even a few benedictions her way, and didn't stop until she was at the Wall. "What the fuck?" she asked one of the guardsmen. Makena, she thought his name was.
Guards	"Not a clue, but it's happening all around the Mount," Makena said, the radio at his hip blaring. "And beyond." "It...is it all of them?" another guard asked. "Every ex out there?" Two of the guards crossed themselves. Another two gave her sidelong looks, like it was possible that she'd done this. Kathy didn't acknowledge either of them. "What could possibly make this happen?" someone asked. Shrugs of confusion all the way around.
St. George	The screaming seemed to go on forever, shredding everyone's nerves. Not only were they listening to shrieks of pain and fear coming from every shredded throat, it caught the buildings and echoed around them. Kathy heard Stealth calling for Captain Freedom and his deputies over the radio; the noise was affecting the survivors and already fights had broken out in the streets. Finally, mercifully, it stopped. It stopped all at once, like a faucet getting shut off. It didn't taper off, it wasn't replaced by tears or curses, it just stopped. "I think it's over," St. George said, dropping from the sky onto the wall next to them. "Thank god."
Guards	"Might not wanna go thanking anybody yet," Makena said, pointing into the distance. "Look." There was a disturbance among the exes. The end of the screaming had left them docile for a moment, but the exes along North Western Avenue were starting to react again, a sea of movement in the distance and heading straight for them. Small explosions and bursts of blue flame came from the front of the crowd as Cairax Murrain poured his essence into ex after ex after ex trying to get...what, exactly?
St. George	St. George launched himself back up into the air to get a better look. "Sonuva--" he swore, then dove back down, snatching at his radio as he did. "Get those ladders thrown over the side!" he called to everyone down below. "And get some people with spears at the Gate! There are people out there! People! And they're coming in hot!"
Cairax Murrain	The group from Fandom ran towards the giant wall of cars, pursued not just by shambling, groping zombies but by something far worse. All around them, zombies swelled up, mouths turning into forests of fangs and serrated teeth. Hands turned to taloned claws that whistled as they raked the air. Blue fire shot from eye sockets, throats, even nostrils, burning hair and melting flesh where it dripped. These zombies did not just shamble, they gave chase and it was only their tendency to explode in flame and viscera that kept them from successfully catching any of the fleeing humans. And through it all was a thick, malevolent aura that tasted like copper and rot on the tongue.
Cerberus	There was a knot of exes- regular exes - at the large gate. Orange flames bathed them from a man who hovered in the air above them. Gunfire rained from the people stationed on the top of the huge wall and spears bristled through the slats in the gate, slamming through skulls and jaws and necks. Rope ladders dangled over the edge of the wall, but as rank after rank of exes fell, it seemed unlikely that they'd be needed. "Open the gate!" cried a giant metal mecha. The gate creaked open just enough to let the battlesuit lumber out and continue to decimate the crowds of undead. "Inside!" it bellowed at the small group, pointing a bulky finger at the gate. "Before many more exes get in. Let's go!"
Kathy	Even with Cerberus and St. George doing their best to thin the numbers, exes still slipped inside the open gate. They were met with spears and pikes, the guards on the wall too afraid of friendly fire to risk shooting, especially once the fleeing group made it through. For a minute, Kathy didn't look up. Her world had narrows to the exes around her, the sound of their chattering teeth, and the spots that were vulnerable to her weapon. Her spear was a blur in the air, whipping around to first disable and then destroy. Ex after ex after ex fell in a pile in front of her and it was only after the last one fell that she looked up to see who it was that they had rescued. Looked up to see her family.
Dante	"Shit, don't you assholes ever let up? You're gonna lose your heads," Dante called, whirling Rebellion around to take the head clean off one of the exes. He was keeping everyone's back safe while they rushed inside. He hadn't seen Kathy yet.
Anders	Anders kept his back to the gate as they fought their way through the crowd, trying to stun as many exes as he could to keep them away from the others. His teeth were gritted as he tried to muster every bit of his strength. "That's what happens when you try to fight stoned," he called to Dante, as he aimed a well-placed stone fist at one especially smelly and green ex.
Eliot	Eliot stepped to the side once he was safely inside, swords still drawn, doing a quick head-count of others to make sure they hadn't lost anyone along the way. Once the exes had started morphing and catching fire, he'd lost track of them in the chaos, and god help him, if any of Kathy's friends had ended up killed on this rescue mission. . . . "Good. We're all here." Slightly singed and covered in rotting goo, but here.
Raven	"Kathy," Raven said, shifting back down to something closer to her usual height and bulk as she made a beeline for her friend. Who cared about little things like spears or being covered in zombie guts when there was a friend to hug?
Ezra	Ezra had noticed Kathy as soon as she was there to be noticed. Part of his senses being on high alert. But he hadn't rushed to her while the gate was open. While there were exes. And now that there weren't, he still didn't. Raven was taking that on, anyway. Ezra just inhaled, letting his shoulders relax. Some, at least.
Kathy	Kathy's eyes filled and overflowed as she hugged Raven back as hard as she could. They were here, they'd come for her again, through exes and demons and across whole worlds... "You're here," she whispered, over and over again. "You're here, you're here, I can't believe you're here."

Raven	Raven clung on tighter, letting out a reassuring hum. Of course they were here. Don't be silly, Kathy.
Kathy	Hopefully Raven didn't mind a few tears. Because holy hell, they were here. This would basically be the running interior monologue of her brain for the next few hours at least. "Oh Raven," she mumbled, "I'm so sorry." Of everyone here, Raven was the last person who should have had to come back.
Raven	Raven snorted, shook her head, and gave Kathy an extra squeeze. They were both the last person. Kathy hadn't had a choice, so neither had Raven.
Kathy	"You gotta know," Kathy said, pulling away to wipe at her eyes. "Those...things? Exploding the exes? That's Cairax Murrain. The real one. The demon. Max is back and Cairax is pissed."
Raven	Raven shrugged and shook her head. "Okay." What did that matter to them? They were leaving.
Kathy	Yeah, about that... "You're looking surprisingly unconcerned about this," Kathy said, looking confused. "Big scary demon out there, wants to eat our faces?"
Raven	"Can't eat us if we're not here." That was a basic fact of your lives, Kathy. The things in your world can't eat you when you're not in your world.
Kathy	"Is Hardison going to open the portal here?" Kathy asked, looking hopeful. She wasn't going to ask why he'd opened it in the city to drop them off if he could open it in the Mount to pick them up. That detail was wholly unimportant. "When? Do I have time to get my - you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm just going to burn all this anyway."
Raven	Raven rolled her eyes a little and sighed. "At the observatory," she admitted. "It's a walk." Walking wasn't that hard. Even with screaming, exploding exes around. Walking through ex territory was what Raven did.
Kathy	But this wasn't ex territory. Not anymore. Kathy glanced at the gate, where the exes had swarmed all over it again and where more were standing, right beyond the melted outer circle of the ward. Blue fire lurked in their eyes. "No," she said softly, shaking her head. "We can't. We have his attention now." Whatever he'd been distracted by before - and considering the screaming, Kathy had a guess - he was watching them all very closely now.
Raven	Raven growled low in her throat, glaring out past the walls. That was what she thought about that.
Kathy	Cairax fucked up the Mighty Dragon and that was when he was an undead puppet worn by Max," Kathy reminded, putting her hand on Raven's shoulder. "He's stronger, smarter, and more powerful now. We just gotta...ride it out for a little while longer."
Raven	Raven rolled her eyes. She really hated this world.
Kathy	"I've been sleeping in a closet again for the whole time I've been here," Kathy said, understanding and agreeing with Raven's look completely. "Believe me, I know." Just a little while longer. That was what Max had said. Just a little while longer. Hopefully.

Anders	Anders hung back for a moment, waiting for Kathy to be free before he demanded attention. When she was finally alone, he reached for a hug that he didn't intend on letting go for a long, long time. "You scared us," he said. "I'd be angry if I wasn't so happy to see you."
Kathy	"Hey!" Kathy protested, from where her face was buried in his shirt. "What are you mad at me for? I didn't ask to get kidnapped by Max fucking Hale." Kathy had never wanted to come back to this place as long as she lived.
Anders	"I didn't say I was angry for a good reason," Anders answered, still clinging tightly. "Besides, we didn't know it was Max. It's not as though he left a note saying 'took Kathy, ha ha ha.'"
Kathy	"If I ever learn how to travel by bright column of light, I'll find a way to tell you instead of vanishing without a word," Kathy promised.
Anders	"You'd better," Anders said, and almost sounded like he expected it. "I just -- missed you and worried. I can't explain how much."
Kathy	Kathy nodded and somehow found a way to cling to him even harder. "I swear I didn't mean to end up back here again," she murmured. "And I spent every day trying to figure out how to get home." In between the fighting and the death and the general creepiness.
Anders	"Probably made for a nice break from the fighting," Anders shuddered, and he didn't let go even as he did that. "It was awful getting here. Can't imagine it's been fun trying to hold it."
Kathy	Kathy shook her head. No, he couldn't. "Rodney's learned a few tricks since last time," Kathy said quietly. "Like helmets. And guns. And then there's Cairax out there and--" She shivered again, swallowing down the rest of it. "Definitely not on my top ten vacations, I'll tell you what."
Anders	The color drained from Anders' face as he listened. "Do you know why they wanted you here?" he asked. "Because it feels like you're all cannon fodder."
Kathy	"Max did it," Kathy said. "He had a plan to come back to life back before he'd even gotten bit, because otherwise, he'd have lost his soul to Cairax. And when he was setting up those spells, he included spells that would bring all the other heroes to his side when he resurrected. So the folks here let him come back, that other spell triggered and brought me here at the same time."
Anders	Anders sighed. "I suppose you're supposed to be grateful to him."
Kathy	"Hope not," Kathy said. She would have folded her arms across her chest if she wasn't still clinging to him. "Not really, though. Everyone here understands how much I want to go home."
Anders	Anders sniffed her hair, kissing the tip of her ear. "We missed you," he said. "And we'll get you home as soon as we can, if we have to kill every ex in Los Angeles to do it."
Kathy	"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Kathy said, leaning up to kiss him. "Max says that we just have to wait a little longer and Cairax will get bored and go home. Just a few more days, maybe." She could be patient for just a little while longer. And then they could all go home. Together. And stay there.

Ezra	Eventually, Ezra made his way over. He'd absently brushed and flicked the worst of the grime off himself, but he was having to rely more on his natural charisma than his appearance to look dashing. Yes, that was a priority and an expectation he had for himself, even now. What else did he even have? "Hello, dumpling."
Kathy	Funny, though. When she finally spotted him through the crowd, it didn't much look like Kathy was all that worried about how dashing he looked. "Ezra?" she asked, blinking at him like he might be a mirage in the desert. "You - you're here - you came?" And then she was trying to throw her arms around him, grime and gore be damned. He was here.
Ezra	"Nice of you to notice, darling," he quipped, trying to use his light tone to draw attention away from the very tight way his arms wrapped around her. "Yes."
Kathy	Kathy buried her face in his neck, clinging to him just as tightly and remembering how to breathe. "Thank you," she murmured, her lips grazing across his skin. "And I'm so, so sorry you got mixed up in all this. No one deserves to be stuck here with me."
Ezra	"Everyone here came out of their own free will," Ezra pointed out quietly. He wanted to joke about how it was kind of insulting that she was apologizing for the choices they'd made freely. But kept it to himself. After the Limbo City thing, it was kind of a tricky subject. "Well, everyone but you." Also, there was that.
Kathy	Kathy's real OTP was apologizing. Everyone knew that. "I know you did," Kathy said. She leaned up to kiss the underside of his chin. "And I love you all for it." This place was her own, personal, literal nightmare. She could be sorry they had to experience it with her even as she was left weak-kneed with relief that she was no longer here alone. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Ezra Sagishi."
Ezra	"I always am," Ezra replied, but he's usual smugness was largely replaced by a softer, warmer tone. He kissed her forehead. Didn't say anything else for the moment, either. He was feeling a little out of quips.
Kathy	Kathy just took a second to bury her face in his chest. The adrenaline of the fight with the exes and then the shock of seeing them all was finally emptying out of her system and leaving her trembling instead. A moment to be still, to breathe, to really convince herself they were here? She needed that.
Ezra	Ezra could feel her trembling. And if that made him hold her even tighter, and shift a bit as if to try and turn her a little away from everyone else's view? Well, you could never prove a damned thing with him. All he'd admit to was trying to be a solid presence for her to lean into.
Kathy	Even just that much was appreciated, honestly. Kathy just kind of sagged against him, letting him support her weight for a long minute. She was thinner than she'd been the last time he'd seen her; too little sleep, too much stress, and strict rations didn't a healthy Kathy make. "Thanks," she murmured, figuring it was better not to specify. "I just...need a sec."
Ezra	"I can give you several," Ezra murmured. He kept his voice quiet, private. And tried to ignore how she felt a little frailer in his arms than she usually did. "Take your time, dumpling."
Kathy	"It's just been a lot," she said softly. "Ever since I got here. One thing after the other. And now you're all here and..." And it felt like the iron bands keeping her together had been loosened some, letting her breathe and relax. But those bands were also the only things holding her upright, too, and it was hard to find her balance without them. But here was Ezra, giving her the support she needed to do exactly that.
Ezra	Ezra didn't say anything. Just kept holding her tightly. Despite what he would've liked to claim, he knew everything there was to know about falling apart.
Kathy	Kathy clung to him until she felt like the ground was firmer under her feet. And then clung a little longer still, because Ezra was safe and warm and good to hold. "Thanks, Ez" she said again, fingers cold against his cheek, but no longer shaking. "For everything."
Ezra	At least Ezra was warm. Warmer than average, even - nothing got the blood rushing quite as well as a fight. (Aside from the obvious. But for once, that was far from his mind.) He pulled back just enough to see her face. "Don't mention it, my little hotteok," he replied, quietly.
Kathy	And, for once, far from hers, too. Fear and dread had eaten desire completely. So it wasn't desire that had her leaning in and giving him a kiss that was soft and sweet. "Okay," she said when she pulled away. "But only cause you asked."
Ezra	Maybe it was the softness and the sweetness that had Ezra's breath catching in his throat for a second. Those were qualities that hadn't been on display much today. He didn't smile, even as he tried for a joke. "Good. People should always do what I ask."
Kathy	They were qualities that this Los Angeles were severely lacking in all around. By this point, even Kathy's normal reserves were low. "Sounds like a recipe for a good time," Kathy said, grabbing onto the joke a little desperately. Laughs had also been in pretty short supply around here.
Ezra	Ezra hummed his agreement, and dropped another kiss against her forehead. He wasn't feeling very talkative. Uncharacteristic of him, he knew. But he didn't have the energy to fake it right now.

Dante	Dante was the last one in. By design, mind you: he was the one most likely to withstand the ex assault. So he was the last one left to show any sign of surprise as he walked in and saw her there, already going for Raven. "Hey, we made it," he said, smoothing his hair back into some semblance of order. "Miss us?"
Kathy	Just a few weeks ago, Kathy had launched herself into his arms, happy to see him after only five days of being apart. That was nothing compared to the speed and ferocity with which she flung herself at him now. She couldn't play it cool. Not after the time she'd spent here, alone. "Dante!" she cried, too choked up to say anything more.
Dante	Dante's arms closed around her and he hugged her tight, pulling her in. "Hey, babe," he murmured in her ear. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."
Kathy	Too many words in her head, too many feelings in her heart. To many days of too much fear and too little sleep. She nodded fiercely, burying her face in his chest and struggled not to cry. She'd missed them all. Every one of them. And she'd been a little afraid they wouldn't make it. And she'd be stuck here. Forever.
Dante	"Sh, I got you," Dante said softly. Fuck, it was a relief to have her back here, just here. But it wasn't his turn to be a wreck about it. So he just held on, and mumbled a soothing, "Love you, Kat," in her ear.
Kathy	That was something she couldn't leave unanswered. "Love you too," she said, clinging to him so hard her arms hurt. "Thank you for being here. Thank you for coming for me. I'm so, so sorry you have to be back here now."
Dante	"It's fine," Dante said. "Worse that you had to be here." He kissed the top of her head.
Kathy	"Yeah, well, for that you can blame Max fucking Hale," Kathy snapped, clinging to him even more tightly. If she'd known about their history, she probably would have broken that to him a little easier.
Dante	Dante blinked, though he didn't let go of her. "... Are you fucking serious?"
Kathy	"Yeah," Kathy said softly. "He's back. And coming back got the whole gang back together, too. Which included kidnapping me from Fandom." Saying that out loud - something about it just nagged at her. There was a part of his story that didn't sit right but she couldn't figure out what.
Dante	Dante frowned. "But why?" he said slowly. Shit, he hoped this didn't have anything to do with him.
Kathy	"Because when you make deals with demons, they're a bitch about collecting," Kathy said wryly. "Max's plan was to always get resurrected after he died to avoid going to Hell. And figured that the smart thing to do was make sure he had lots of friends around when he came back, just in case." She snorted. "Since he didn't really have friends, I guess he figured we'd do instead."
Dante	Dante's eye twitched some. "You think it might have anything to do with the company you keep?"
Kathy	"Is now really the best time for digs about how everyone here is an asshole?" Kathy asked, frowning up at him, though her arms were still locked tight around his waist. She might have misunderstood the question, yes.
Dante	"He knew I'm part demon," Dante pointed out slowly. "Before I did. Does he know Anders has magic?"
Kathy	"He did?" Kathy asked, blinking up at him in surprise. "Ummm, maybe? He never mentioned..." She frowned, remembering a few off-color staff jokes Max had made. "Wait, yeah, he does," she said. "Because I told everyone that Anders healed that infected kid..."
Dante	"Think he was trying to get us to show up too...?" Dante said slowly.
Kathy	"...To take out Cairax for him?" Kathy asked, brows contracting in thought. "Possible. He said the spells were set before he died, but he's already lied about his resurrection, like, a lot."
Dante	"Color me surprised," Dante said, pulling a face.
Kathy	Kathy frowned. She knew that Max and Dante hadn't exactly hit it off at the diner, but this seemed a lot deeper than that. Something to ask about. Later. This was their reunion and she wasn't going to let Max Hale ruin that, too. She reached up, cupping his face in her hands, and pulled him down for a kiss. She hadn't gotten one of those yet from him. Max could wait. Her family was here.

Eliot	Eliot hung back, wanting to give Kathy plenty of space to greet her friends. Gave him more of an opportunity to look her over and make sure she was really still in one piece. He didn't trust anyone in this universe as far as he could throw 'em, his daughter excepted. Once the others had taken their turns and they were all clearly as safe as they were going to be within the walls of the Mount (he had to admit, the whole wall-of-cars thing was reasonably clever), he approached. "You been causin' these people any trouble while you been here, darlin'?" The correct answer to this question, of course, was "yes".
Kathy	"Dad!" She could answer questions later. Just then she had to throw herself at Eliot and wrap her arms around him. He'd come for her. He'd brought everybody she could and he'd come. Just like he'd promised.
Eliot	Eliot was nothing if not a man of his word. "Hey kiddo," Eliot said, planting a firm kiss onto her head. "We'da made a better entrance, but you know how portals can be."
Kathy	"I think it was pretty dramatic anyway," Kathy assured him, clinging tightly. "Are you okay? You're not hurt or cut or bit or anything, right?" Yeah, she was fussing. Because if she didn't fuss, she was going to have a breakdown and that was something better saved for her apartment.
Eliot	"I'm fine," Eliot assured her, holding up an arm and knocking lightly on his body armor. "Covered in goop, but all in one piece. We know how this place works by now. How're you holding up? They been treatin' you right around here?"
Kathy	"I'm..." Kathy tried to say she was okay but failed utterly to even get the words out. "It's been rough," she said, voice a little hoarse. "Folks have been doing their best, but..." It had been rough. The screams. The chattering. The stares.
Eliot	"You don't have to deal with it much longer," Eliot promised. "We're taking you home."
Kathy	Kathy gave him a wan smile. "That might take a little longer than you guys were hoping," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her eyes were bruised from lack of sleep. "Rodney and his exes will be easy enough to get around once we can take the trucks out, but Cairax Murrain is a whole different story."
Eliot	"Is that what all that is," Eliot said. "We'll definitely have to plan around that." He felt for these people, he did, but other than getting Kathy home and making sure she'd stay there -- or at least not get dragged back here against her will again -- took priority for him. By a rather large margin.
Kathy	It said a lot that Kathy hadn't even thought about staying, about asking her friends for help here. She wanted to go home. The Mount could fend for itself. Some hero she was. "Yeah," Kathy said. "I think he was distracted by Rodney when you came through, or you would have had to deal with him more directly. If he catches people out beyond the wards, it's not going to be pretty. And he's paying attention to us now." She shuddered.
Eliot	"Hang on, I thought we took Rodney out last time." Eliot wasn't nearly familiar enough with superhero tropes to remember how seldom death stuck, for heroes or villains. "Is that why they all started screaming?"
Kathy	"That's my best guess," Kathy said. "But yeah. I talked to Captain Freedom about it. Anders killed his body but since he has the ability to take over any ex he wants, he jumped out of it and ended up near this army base in Yuma. He's calling himself Legion now." She scrubbed the side of her face, looking exhausted. "Using tactics now, too. He's gotten inside once. Outfits his exes with helmets and guns. It's been rough and that's without Cairax interfering."
Eliot	Legion. Good old Rodney, always reaching for the cliche. "I vote we let 'em take each other out, then," Eliot said. "This many powered folks around, there oughta be some way to sneak a small group back up into the hills."
Kathy	"You think we didn't think of that already?" Kathy asked, eyebrow up. "C'mon, Dad." That was apparently a thing that was gonna stick now. "Have a little faith in me, at least. Cairax Murrain can be in multiple places at once. He can attack the diversion and the sneaking people at the same time."
Eliot	"Ain't tryin' to underestimate you, kiddo," Eliot assured her. "But no one can actually be everywhere at once. There's a way, we just gotta find it."
Kathy	"He's a demon," Kathy reminded. "Demon with freaky powers. I know at the very least he can bi-locate. St. George and Stealth tried it. St. George was bait, Stealth tried sneaking and they both nearly got caught." Max had been lived and spent the next day and a half ranting about idiots who were trying to get everyone on the Mount killed.
Eliot	"Demon with freaky powers that have limits. Ain't nothing's unstoppable. You oughta know that much by now."
Kathy	"I know that, but that doesn't mean those limits can be hit before he manages to kill us," Kathy said. "Sure, maybe if we all ran in different directions, he wouldn't get all of us, but I'm not about to just sacrifice some of us to him. And I don't think anyone here is going to volunteer to be bait." Kathy shivered, gooseflesh rising on her arms. "He got close to us. Once. When Nick and I ran out to get his phone so I could call you. Max used a whole bunch of spells to hide us from him and he sniffed us out anyway. I was never so glad to be unconscious as I was when Nick used his powers on me. It's - bad. It's really bad." It was tongue-shriveling, word-stealing, nightmare-inducing bad.
Eliot	"Hey." Eliot rubbed his hands against her shoulders. "Listen to me. We're getting you home. The minute we can do it safely. Alright? We're all gonna be okay."
Kathy	Kathy nodded and tried to smile. "I know," she said. "That's why I called. Because if anyone could do it, it's you. All of you. And no one wants to get home sooner than me, but just - safely. Like you said. I don't want to lose anyone else." The death count for these past few weeks was already too high.

[Much love to my fabulous preplayers, not_every_mage, rebelseekspizza, smilestopscars, and tigerundercover/vdistinctive. Bits and pieces of text taken from Chapter 21 of Ex-Communication by Peter Clines. NFI, NFB, OOC is always loved. Previous Entry Next Entry]