I Am Rage {Superhero, Action, Tragedy}

*bttz* "The ugh... the distract is down."

"Seriously cutting it kinda close don't you think!? Those lunatics eat civvies alive if you leave them too long."

*bttz* "Sorry I had to take the stairs! What did you expect?! We had to be out of signal range for the trap to work and your guys cut the power!"

"What are you talking about? The team knows to only cut the alarms so we can have a record for later."

*bttz* "Well the damn escalators are out! And the elevators! And... And these guys were bodied before we got here."

"What?"

*bttz* "Yeah. Place is a mess but the crazies your guys let rumble the front got the shit beaten out of them. The civvies are still shaking and dazed but some kid said one of the hostages snapped and torn through them like they were common thugs. But he won't say where he went!"

*bttz* "You'd try to arrest him anyway!"

*bttz* "Why would we do that?! He just saved your lives!"

"Slam? Are their pieces secured?"

*bttz* "Ugh! Uugghh. Shit! Shit!! Are you kidding me!?! Where did he go!? Those things are dangerous!!"

"Slam!!"

*bttz* "ghh..."

"I know where he's going. I didn't like Cobale's plan anyway."

*bttz* W-wait Stand-" *bzzzzzt*

The emergency stairs echoed as Seth stormed down them. The sounds of whatever heavy team that had come to subdue the cultists fading with distance, the stairwell wrapping around the whole of The Hill in one overlong flight. It had to catch every floor before depositing out at one of the loading bays, so this was a long way to walk.

So plenty of time to work out in full how much his hopes were just screwed up.

He couldn't go back, ever. If his face wasn't plastered on screens in the hour it would be soon. And even being a hero now didn't save him from being outed as a villain later. Especially once someone actually looked at him and matched his face to the ones literally a room away! Worse yet he had to find a new hiding spot. Safe houses don't last well once they've been lived in. So he'd have to go out and show his face even more!

'UUUGGghhh!! No win situations in every direction!'

But something a bit closer demanded his attention. The echo of his own footsteps slowing as he let the concrete soak away all the sound. The treasures in his hands took precedent. Whatever malignant half power tone these assholes had managed was deep seated and throughout them. The flashed memories were explained at least, the pieces handed off or taken or just fought over by this group of fanatics. All of that leaving bits of themselves behind like echoes in the tone. But this level of degeneracy was something worse than some small scale thread propagation.

A calm focus settled in the silence as he took a second to parse and peruse, looking for those clearer memories that were burned in above his own, but beneath the rabble. Something he could maybe follow. Only finding one moment concise though.

A heavy weighted feeling, the armor in full draping over them. Drenching them in pride like it was an achievement worth living for. But an odd hold. No inroads, just sheer hauling of armor as whoever this was looked up to some mountain peak as their destination. They didn't understand what they had. They couldn't. Not till they had…

Till there wasn't anything left. The fragment fading like it only ever held to that scrap of being. Like it only knew the strong emotions given off. Some pieces aligning to give Seth anything to parse, but only able to see so much. And it was mostly worthless. You don't really hold stock on your own name and face when wearing armor after all.

But this external moment he'd taken to judge this conundrum lost out as well. Downed by a nagging thought as he stuffed the pieces into his jacket. Where were the alarms? He just foiled a terrorist attack and it's almost deafeningly quiet. The Hill should have something blaring at the top of its digital lungs to seek shelter or evacuate. But it was silent. Not muffled, utterly devoid of proper safety features. Like someone had cut them in the confusion… Or drained them.

A spread of focus finding another cold feeling, that cold feeling. Lines highlighting in the walls only snaking to light fixtures and ancillary systems. A cursory, actual pull at a passing fire alarm just confirming without doubt. This attack wasn't just terroristic fervor, it was a distraction. And more cultists were probably somewhere still in the building. Which meant more of his suit needing reclamation. From the wrong hands and the right.

A hand pressed to the pulled fire alarm and threaded inquisition surged down it. Finding no adverse feelers trying to counter the switches, just plain old siphon sucking the life out them. A careful jump avoided tripping said alarms, better to have them still think they're in the clear. Make them easier to follow. That cold unhindered siphon, devoid of control or direction that comes with actually owning the power. It grew in strength the nearer he got to a loading dock on the far side of the complex. But one noticeably higher up than the ones he knew about.

The stairwell at least got him close, a creaking emergency door putting him out in a warehouse just shy. Large garage doors and stacks of plastic and metal boxes going all the way to a ceiling that was thankfully reasonable. Not quite bulk shipping, but not quite small orders. But a wide open dock staring out to the green lanes between the buildings. A hover dock, and a passing thought about what a flying UTAH would look like. Let alone feel like with so many of those repulsers firing off. Seth's teeth could almost feel the vibration now. In fact he could feel something pretty close.

Easing up to the nearest door he could feel the wafting electric current of something idling in the dock. And an odd unevenness to its stillness. Peeking through the windows of the garage, Seth spied the unloading area proper. More boxes stacked up either mid load or ready to be received. The lanes were fairly empty on his side, but both the current and that cold lead drew him down to the far side. And wouldn't it just be his luck that a van was backed up into place right in front of an open door. A kinda familiar van.

'Sheesh, road rage must be a pass time for these jackasses.'

Milling about said junker, like nothing was at all wrong with their choice of face and head wear, were three more cultists just waiting to be added to the tally. One in the driver's seat, one standing out the back of the van, and one all but enamored with the far wall. Except something was different, worse than the zealots already experienced. They were too calm, too focused. And only one had a piece of his suit if his feeling was right.

Seth couldn't see, he had to get closer, but it wasn't anything substantial. But a thought crossed his mind as he stalked to a side door. These guys were organized, they weren't here to cause a scene, and this dock was too empty. This was heist.

Which meant they had commonality and structure. A place they could run to and hide, or at least bunker down in. A clearly very well protected place if the suppression and attitude surrounding them was anything to go off of.

'Huuuughhh. I'm going to have to sneak in there aren't I?'

The immediate opportunity seemed clear though, he just had to fall in with these bozos before they ran off. And hope his own 'treasures' weren't accounted for. He still stayed down as he eased the side door open. The outside air forcing it back some, so at least it was going to stay unheard. The hard part being easing it back closed without having it slam shut. A good low wall of boxes at least kept him covered. Creeping closer though, the cover became thin. But the eyes on the approach remained locked to the open dock before them. The driver sitting tense in his seat the only one with an angle. Seth only seeing him as he leaned over to his mirror, about five times too many. So maybe they weren't as calm.

Seth stopped just off said angle though, a corner of boxes giving him as best a spot to wait as ever. And to evaluate his chances. But first up, he had to become the one thing he didn't want to be. Carefully swiveling the pack that he'd rather tightly scrunched across his back so it wouldn't slip off again, he slowly unzipped and freed the real visage that was liable to be meeting a sea of fakes and flattery soon enough.

Putting in his new additions and fitting it snugly over his face, he almost felt unclean. It's very intent completely tainted by these assholes he was going to have to fit in with. At least by the end of whatever he was about to start, he was going to be shoving all of their asses inside out for all this. But that was later. Now was stewing in the new weight his armor had and waiting for-

"They're here!! And they have company!!"

The only cultist with a piece had called out from the wall, an electrical box now clearly torn into before him and a very unfitting scowl bracing his face as he retreated to the passenger side. The lookout left without hopping the step and hanging out the back as a rumble shook the immediate. The sound proceeding like chunking concrete and several footsteps. And some very terrified voices!

"go! Go!! GOGOGO!!!"

A whole gaggle of new contacts stormed into the garage, echoing through like their lives depended on it. The first few storming passed Seth's hiding spot in full sprint and lugging duffle bags that just out right sang in his tune. The heist was successful and then some, and they were not waiting around to count it out. Magnetic repulsers beat the dock, a lopsided yet smooth acceleration already shifting the whole van forward. It was now or never and there were still too many footsteps to tangle with. An over cautious hesitation tightening the pack back into Seth back and narrowly leaving him in the dust. But one hell of an opening was locked on to as the last heister leapt that step and slammed those back doors closed. As the whole decrepit van began to drop off this concrete cliff. So that never shattered and the now came to pass, Seth kicking from his hiding place at full tilt and overdrive.

As the one they were running from matched him nearly to the stride.

A periphery explosion of patriotic colors and sudden abject fear. That slowing down overdrive caught up to with, without even trying. Both runners-after turning to see who encroached on their pursuit. And Seth getting a blast of the past glaring surprise back at him.

Red, white, and blue not quite falling under the flag code but clearly eliciting. Stars and stripes flowing along like they were caught against the dress blue armored bodysuit. Upgraded surplus more angular and carbon fiber. And caped out in defiance of convention with a flapping sea of the rest of those stars. Blond hair and glaring brown eyes and a telltale ripple of the air left behind her. One unique and known from every reel and parade he'd ever gotten to see. Another lineage met unceremoniously, as a great granddaughter of General Advance stormed along beside him. And he'd gone and worn the enemy's uniform!

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More power, more power desperately pushed in to his step because she was going to outpace the fuck out of him he didn't! True momentum multiplication only had the limit of friction and will and all the things you wanted to smash through along your way! And that meant she wasn't tough, she was practically fucking invincible!

A frantic acceleration becoming bounds and g forces as her hand and ire tried to burn a hole into Seth's back! The van already falling over the side and fighting gravity it didn't fully refute yet, but that only worked in all their favors. As Seth surged ahead with as much of his overdrive up as he could conceivably pour! As he leapt with no fear but for the raging storm behind him! Spiraling about to catch and cut the wind, seeing that glare but a few step behind! And feeling the smirk rise from his face as her pursuit came to its certain end. Because you can't run on air.

Allowing gravity to reign supreme and drop him to his ride out of here. The how he'd get away with it left up to chance and hope that they just think he was debris from the-

"HOLY FUCK!!!"

The shattered edge of that concrete cliff as this new Advance was rocketing down from! To meet his chosen landing first!

The van leveled out, repulsers flaring jaggedly as the ground eased away in good enough order. Before she narrowly brought the whole thing down under sudden monumental force! The bumper scraping pathing, people scattering under directed magnetic duress, and Seth getting the softened innocuous landing he did not fucking want! Back hitting as impact matched his terminal, and whole body sliding feet first right under the fist rising back up to cave him straight back to eternity!

That is, if not for that misfiring repulser giving out under a little way too much added stress. And a little help from a threaded hand yanking its power source for dear life. A gradual bank that could just be written off as course correction became a full blow stalling roll. Complete with panicked screaming, thudding bodies, and one angry super clawing at Seth magnetized to the roof as she fell away.

A crunchy crash and puff of ruined path trailed behind, new Advance rolling free of her landing before the roll leveled out. Seth's grip released and the repulser flaring mightily in better alignment. Altitude rising fast as the voices inside scrambled for yet more. Seth daring to peek over the edge in marginalized mirth. Because he knew the general's power set enough to at least know he couldn't fly. Fall sure, but not…

'Don't you fucking dare-'

Too late. Her knees were locked, her stance a leap to end all leaps, and every single bystander that scattered back to help immediately ran for whatever cover there was. And no matter how much Seth shook his head, she was coming for the lot of them.

A back blast to put some of his own to shame shattered the path, a ripple in the air denying the nearest fraction of air drag with brute force, but both her arms staying locked to her sides like her face was aerodynamic enough. Her glare heatseeking and liable to fight the sun just out of sheer challenge, but that stance was drawing Seth up to his feet almost out of preparation. It didn't make sense to him and that was scary.

'She didn't throw everything she had into to that. Why didn't she throw everything she had in to that!?'

Then the worst thing hit him as she neared their gaining altitude, without even a hint of parabolic stall. And with her arm winding up to make her full intent known. Seth shaking his head as silently and as loudly as he could. As she nodded back violent! As that ripple coated over her fist! As gravity seemed to be denied for all its might and that stare took its due in course!

'What the FUCK!?!'

As that punch launched and all its frictionless momentum rocketed this star-spangled comet under the beating *BOOOOOOM* of pursuit! Smooth immediate acceleration like she was just floating in space, but with a deafening buffet very much unlike. Her velocity only evening out shy of the van's limited speed, but in turn easily rectified by another physics caving punch.

'This is so fucking unfair!!'

Seth couldn't help balk, letting that resenting pit rile and roil. He was like… ten times as strong as her and he didn't get to fucking fly! What the hell!? But there had to be something limiting this, something at least stopping her from doing this at all hours. The strain obviously, punches at full power and on straight trajectories with nothing to absorb that force had-

*BOOOOOOM*

Had the propensity for throwing a shoulder! The obvious social issues weren't applicable! But it had to be something, otherwise she'd…

'… She can only fly in straight lines.'

All that momentum built up and it can only go where she throws it. Which meant she had to punch to turn. Which meant she had a worse turning radius than the van. If you only drive it by wire. But if you took more direct control though…

'Hope you assholes are buckled up.'

Seth straightened up off his inward rile, resentment refined and put to action. Hands at his sides as resonating threads snaked into every corner of this junker of a getaway. Coating over frame and stressed skin, constricting every fly-by-wire interface to insignificance.

Locking out the driver in over his head.

Sinking him to a new level of nervous break as his wheel refused to turn.

"Turn!"

As the passenger side part holder was left see the wall of a mega block quickly approaching to swallow them in neon signage.

"Turn!!"

But only turning to see the driver pressing into his seat and hands franticly tightening the belt over his chest as he chanted and prayed to all his passengers' dismays.

"Rage take the wheel! Rage take the wheel!!"

As another *BOOOM* rocked through the air and van alike, as the hero chasing them wound up to make her next strike truly cave in Seth's rising smirk. As his hands rose messianic and the nearing martyrdom loomed high. As he took his ignorant followers along-

'Only because you asked for it!!'

Material strength and product limitations, bodily harm and legal ramifications, all invalidated in a sudden onrushing *BOOOOOMMM*. And lost in the housing snapping swivel of those repulsing magnetic channels of power. The whole van shooting down, reversed thrust through physical realignment and concrete skimming dive. Seth's head mere inches from holographic neon decapitation, but his willing pursuer less ready for this schism.

Momentum achieving its true goal at last, the transfer of energy and the obliteration of all in its way! A concrete tsunami breaking to wash and shrapnel, a flicker wave cutting out the neon accoutrement. Secondary splash cutting over uneven, dust knowing no amount of settle before that freight train of a flung out fist was ripped free of its crater. And that glare whipped down in unholy revile!

All the detritus cut apart and blasted back, kick off down the side of the building far flashier and more forceful. But all still lateral and wound too tightly. As Seth's mask turned devilish in the thrill of the chase. Swivel joints slammed to new alignments and burst in hellish gong, sudden redirection catapulting it sideways like a lazy brick learning to ice skate in three dimensions! Forcing that falling ball of irate and inertia to kick off all over again. Horizontal splatter rushing after that mocking smile disappearing over the van's horizon. As it straightened out those thrusters and took to the next street over.

Traffic clustered away under forceful measure, coping flashing orange strobe and signals ringing out to cajole the hovering bystanders out of the line of fire. As Seth's ignoring will tore his borrowed van under and over them, cartwheeling backward off a front wheel burst. That irking grin pouring over at the new Advance, driving that ire to heights insurmountable. Uncontrollable.

Another cratered slab burst in magnetic reverb and inertial release. That glare tearing off and crunching her feet into the ruined surface. More force pulling down but no longer head on lunges. Seth's meeting smile seeing just enough focus eking out of the fire he'd roused. And seeing every jumping off point get calculated in the flash she left for him to see her coming.

More lateral back blast, but deeper and more angled. A building alongside crunching in a blur of patriotic flurry. A metal splitting snap shot the van catawampus, as that blur of rippling air and rippling flags shot just shy of the rear axle. And rebounded off the opposite wall. All four thrusters jutted in their own directions, one gonging out to thrown Seth back from the fist threatening his face. Narrow overdrive watching Advance's eyes track over, as she flipped like a swimmer going into another lap. And destroyed another high up façade like it didn't matter in the slightest.

Concrete burst down the street as the chase tore above it, gonging drifts matching booms for every beat. Sequences fired off and tumbled the van over and over, ran it ragged if not for all the threads holding it together. And let the fire pursuing it burn to its last.

A low bank scrapping repulser against coping as it was crushed under flag bearing boots. A blast of vibration tossing the junker aside. But could only lose a second on its closing hound. New Advance a shadow too bright to fit, but matching beat for beat every time Seth burst away. Pinballing across intersections and demarcations like road safety meant as little as the concrete littering the streets below.

The back wheels convulsed and threw the vehicle forward as she tried to take advantage of the distance, cutting the walls out and returning to just punching for speed. A rapid barrage of physics defiance and loss of that calculation to just blind wrath. The thrusters working overtime and needing more power poured into them just to keep up. Swirling, then drifting, then spiraling all across the hover lane like a wild electron with no atom to call home. Careening whatever side on toward the building at this street's head.

Another intersection on coming, more disturbed traffic scattered by sudden bursts up into the sky. Higher than the lane and the coping and the limits of regulated flight. Flailing about in booming cacophony until even the tops of the more moderate buildings no longer echoed it. Until downtown became second fiddle, and the grandeur of the south side megaliths rose over head. Until that final building's horizon became the last hurdle to leap over.

The van spinning back round and going flat out at it, all power flooding out in violent continuous thrust. Advance following suit, punching faster and faster to mount all her momentum to one final push. Seeing nothing but that smile, nothing but those thieves, nothing but whatever the missed-out-on past had scarred this world with! Seeing only Seth… and not the wall she barreled toward.

The thrust cut short but did not counter, the distance measured as gravity took hold in stalling drag. As Advance charged in fury and wrath right straight for the devil Seth had showed her locked in his own mad dealings. Yet disappearing from her narrowed view as that wall took his place. His stance released and sidestep perpetrated, the bull lead to the sword by the threat of a greater challenge. But not cruelly slaughtered for sport and pleasure, just left to gore her horns too deep into the concrete of her pen.

A fan and flare, metal and manufactured stone sparking and exploding in mass transfer of force. Too much to just smash through unopposed, not enough force to turn it all into dusting debris. But plenty enough to get buried under and in to cut this chase to its close, and disappear to the world under more expected pretenses. As clouding fallout followed the van down and out. A final shifting surge of power and realigning trajectory. Threads returning or dissipating as their work was done. The van none the worse for all it had suffered. Its contents though… Deserved the tumble dry.

A raised voice pulled free of whatever pile had formed in the back. A huddle and tangle covered in blood and sizzling wounds. The loot grabbed hold on in desperation, healing the only saving grace so this punishment stuck rather than splattered into paste. But its direction diverted as a window between compartments slammed open and-

"WERE YOU TRYING TO FUCKING KILL US!?!"

But the outburst fell on rattled and blood drained ears. The driver and passenger left in the same frightened stupor despite their suit piece disparity. Only left muttering the same phrase over and over again.

"Rage took the wheel… Rage took the wheel… Rage took the wheel…"

'Yeah, I kinda did huh.'

A releasing breath caught Seth off his overdrive, expenditure nothing but a drop in the sea, but the effort still not withstanding the tumult. The smile falling for the falsehood it bore, that resentment surrendered to again but drawn back from. All in all exhausting him to no true contemporary. And driving him down to the dented roof he still clung to. A slow, methodical, thread buffered sit down. But a much earned rest from all that he'd done already today. Sliding down fully to recline across the roof, the world allowed to fly by at its own pace as he let the cultists take him away to wherever they hid. A much needed nap in the sun was accepted for its relief. As the worries of the past and future were allowed to melt away.

*bttz* "Standard! Standard are you there!?"

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!!!"

*bttz* "Listen I know your pissed off but-"

"Kill him!!!"

*bttz* "Listen! Command is-"

*btbtbtzz* "Standard Bearer, this Shield Actual. Stand down."

"M-Ma'am! But-"

*btbtbtzz* "Don't go blaming Tlaci just because he brought a friend without telling us. We're weighing the new variables as we speak and it's still in our favor. I shouldn't have to remind you that Co's plan didn't exactly call for you to succeed."

"But... But I had him!"

*btbtbtzz* "No... he had you. Which is even more worrying. Just head back and I'll debrief you. Co's already on her way, so the schedule is set in stone. But that doesn't mean you're out for the count."

"Huhhggrrrr... Yes ma'am."

*btbtbtzz* "Don't worry. Tomorrow is another day entirely. And we have contingencies for things like him."