Evening had fallen by the time the injured were taken care of and the dead put carefully away in the hopes they might be brought back later. Ryan had spent a few extra points on each to give them a ‘preserved’ status after noticing that the cost had started going up for a few of them.

After that was done, Ryan and his closest remaining allies had agreed to meet in a small clearing within sight of the base’s entrance once everything had been settled. Michael and Kurt had wanted to do some patrolling just to be safe, so at the moment the editor was the only one present.

He sat with his back against one of the few nearby trees he hadn’t yet wood-chippered into points just… watching the stars. The night sky was clear for now, but in the distance Ryan could see thunderclouds forming. Grey swirls darkening in the center were being joined by crackling flashes of blue streaking intermittently downward.

A storm. One that would soon wash away all the blood spilled this evening off the grass and take it deep into the earth. The editor couldn’t help but feel a connection to that. It was symbolic, in a way. Instead of a calm after the earlier storm - a larger one was brewing.

It all ends tonight. Ryan mused as he watched the clouds swell ever larger. Hopefully the calm comes after.

He sat like that for a time, just watching mother nature work. His thoughts drifting inexorably to his plans for the evening as thunder rumbled through the forest.

While he’d been working to heal the wounded, Ryan had put the word out that he was looking for a few volunteers. Volunteers to help pay Marcus back for their earlier ‘guests’. As one might have expected, not everyone had been willing. Several had flat-out refused. Of the ones who were willing, fewer still were suited for what Ryan had in mind.

In the end, he’d chosen only five new picks to join his ‘team’ for the evening. They would join Lucas, Kurt and his animal kingdom hit-squad, the Michaels, and himself in a night raid with only one objective: Free Arborville by killing Marcus.

The ones he’d chosen were a mix of Ryan's people and those he'd rescued from the hospital. Sturdy folk who, despite the harsh events they’d endured, had still volunteered to fight. Two of the five, Jacob and Wilhelm, had been part of John Stone’s security team. Interior guards when the attack had come, the pair had been ordered into the vault to provide a last line of defense in case the door was breached.

When they’d relayed the story, it was obvious that shame had spurred their willingness to join. Shame at having lived. At having stayed safe while their captain and the others had died. It was that very shame which ignited fires in them. Fires Ryan intended to use in battle later tonight.

Their powers should do nicely, too. Ryan thought, re-examining those very same men as they approached with his power. It would appear they were the first to join, and it wouldn’t look very good if he forgot their names now.

Name: Jacob Collins

Superpower: Fogbank: Grants the capability to rapidly spew fog in a wide area from numerous pores across the user’s body.

Name: Wilhelm Wagner

Superpower: Adaptation (Limited): Grants the capability to rapidly adapt to changes in nearby environmental conditions. Adaptations last until consciously reverted or re-adapted to meet a new need.

Enhanced Agility: Grants increased agility and dexterity.

It was immediately apparent to Ryan why the two of them had been paired together in the vault. One to throw up a smokescreen, and the other sneaks the rest around the threat. Regardless of what happened, odds were at least some of their people might’ve made it. The editor gave silent thanks to his departed security captain for putting so much thought into their defense.

As the two men drew close and Ryan finished refreshing himself on their powers, he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to greet them.

Jacob, the taller of the two, was a brown-haired man in his early twenties. Nondescript and not particularly large, he’d been a night guard at a local storage facility before everything had gone down. The kind of man you would forget in a crowd even if you were looking at him. Studying to become a chemist. Ryan recalled. Dressed in the same garb Ryan and the others had worn on the hospital mission Jacob held one of the mercenaries’ rifles openly, muzzle pointed down.

Wilhelm on the other hand, while shorter, was built like a career gymnast. He had an athletic build that was mostly hidden under the fatigues of his ops uniform. A uniform which Ryan noticed sported a pistol strap around one leg. The editor had seen the man’s incredible speed before, back when he’d sparred against Wilhelm as part of their initial ‘tryouts’. If he’s half as fast with that pistol as he is on the field… I might need to make him some more ammo.

Thinking back on that moment, the editor remembered how both men had been the quiet-but-friendly sort when they’d last interacted. Now however, after everything, their faces held no trace of humor - only grim determination. Once the three were in earshot of one another, there was silence for a moment before Jacob spoke.

Gripping his rifle tightly, the man’s voice was thick with emotion. “I know you said not to worry about it, sir. That we were just following the captain’s orders. But… I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t do something.”

Sensing the man had more to say, Ryan stayed quiet. Jacob, who had been looking mostly at the ground while he spoke, eventually lifted his gaze to meet Ryan’s eyes. “Thank you for letting me come with you, sir. I promise, I won’t let you down.”

Slightly taken aback at the seriousness in the man’s voice, Ryan nonetheless stepped forward and reached out a hand. As the men shook, Ryan said. “I know you won’t - and I’m glad to have you. Now you see why there are only a few of us. I wanted to make sure anyone coming with me was ready to make the hard choices. The hard decisions.”

Looking at both men, Ryan continued. “I won’t lie to you. We’re going to be taking lives tonight. Probably a lot of them. Some might be innocent, just… under the mayor’s control. But we can’t let that stop us. I won’t let that stop us. There’s too much at stake here for someone to play ‘comic-book hero’ and go try to save everyone. A mistake like that could get one or all of us killed. And then there’d be nobody to stop Marcus.”

Jacob and Wilhelm kept their expressions firm, and neither flinched at Ryan’s words. Both men nodded with the gravity of an oath.

Wilhelm spoke next, his eyes distant as he looked towards the now-destroyed remnants of Lily’s vegetable garden. His voice was soft. “I think we can all agree that the time for mercy has passed, sir. Whatever doubts I once had about killing other men died when I stepped out of that vault. When I saw what they did to--… to the others.”

There was silence for a moment before Wilhelm continued. The guard looked to either side of Ryan, never meeting his eyes. “I… may have been in the army before, but I was never deployed. I never saw combat. Mostly I just stayed in an office and handled the paperwork for those who did. Even after what you rescued me from, I didn’t take the captain’s training seriously.” There was real regret in his voice now. “It just didn’t feel… real.”

The blond man looked at his hands, before returning his gaze to Ryan. His voice firming with resolve as he spoke. “People died because I still thought this was a game. I won’t make that mistake again. You have nothing to worry about with me sir, I promise you: I won’t hesitate. These bastards deserve what’s coming to them.”

Wilhelm’s words struck a chord with Ryan, whose thoughts had been running in a similar direction these past few hours. The editor reached out and Wilhelm readily clasped hands with him. With steel in his voice, Ryan responded. “You’re damn right they do. And we’re going to give it to them.”

Ryan patted Wilhelm on the shoulder, then stepped back and clapped his hands together trying to dispel the serious mood. “Now, do the two of you have everything you need? Once we leave, we’re not coming back if you remember halfway to town you forgot to bring snacks.”

Wilhelm snorted. Jacob suppressed a smile. “We should, sir.” Jacob answered. “Unless you have something you need us to fetch, we’re ready to leave whenever you are.”

“Perfect. Well…” Ryan looked behind the two men to see three figures making their way over. He gestured to the field around him. “How about you make yourselves comfortable until the rest get here, then we’ll make plans and be on our way.”

Jacob turned to leave, but Wilhelm asked. “Do you want me to bring one of the merc’s trucks around, sir? Some of them still work just fine. They should drive as far as we need ‘em to.”

That was a surprise to Ryan. Most of the vehicles he’d seen in the field had been thoroughly destroyed in the previous battle. Or at the very least, riddled with bullets, flame, and flying rocks. “Actually, yeah. That’d be great. Are there at least two of them?”

“Three, sir.” Jacob answered.

Well how about that. Ryan thought. Just enough for a decoy. Out loud, he said. “We’ll get those later then. Take a moment to yourselves for now. Rest. Prep yourselves. Once everyone’s here I’ll share how we’re serving up tonight’s menu.”

Dark chuckles were the only response as the two men walked a short distance away before sitting down in the grass. Instead of banter, the pair spoke in hushed tones. It was clear they still had some stuff to process - so Ryan let them.

Hearing boots crunch grass, Ryan turned away from his guards and looked towards the three approaching figures. He immediately recognized them as the ones from the hospital he’d selected to join. Each had been instrumental in the freed patients surviving as long as they had, at least from what the others had told him. They weren’t all fighters, but each brought something to the table that would be of use.

Ryan activated his power on each to refresh himself on their names and abilities before they arrived, as he had with the guards. Better to memorize it now than forget it later.

Name: Paula Evergreen

Superpower: Fear Projection: Grants the capability to generate a number of frequencies in concert that elicit a fear response in most biological creatures.

Name: Sam Merlot

Superpower: Telepathy (Limited): Grants the capability to communicate telepathically with creatures the user can see or has touched within the last hour.

Name: Grace Park

Superpower: Absorption (Limited): Grants the capability to absorb living beings in order to improve oneself.

Paula and Sam both had useful powers, but it was Grace’s that Ryan had really been interested in, given the similarity it had to his own ability. He’d wanted to ask her earlier how it worked… it just hadn’t been the right time with most of Grace’s insides on the outside. Questions for later. Ryan thought. Maybe once all of this is done.

The trio walked over in unison, clearly more comfortable with one another now that they’d fought together. Each held a rifle they’d clearly taken from the mercenaries, along with a few extra magazines stuffed into their pockets. Ryan had made sure to make them all a set of the now-standard ops gear when they’d volunteered, which it looked like they’d taken him up on.

Paula was a mousy young woman with dark black hair and hazel eyes. She held her rifle close to her chest as she walked, her eyes darting around as if she expected the night to hold more terrors she hadn’t yet faced. The editor noted that the safety was still ‘on’ on her weapon, despite her finger resting on the trigger.

Sam was almost the same size as Paula despite being about twice her age, he had short, unkempt black hair with grey streaks and eyes that almost matched the color of his hair. His rifle was slung inexpertly across his shoulder on a strap, aiming skyward. It bumped into him as he walked with his finger in the trigger well action movie-star style. Ryan noted his rifle’s safety was not on and resolved to correct that shortly. Preferably before anyone aside from himself got shot.

Grace, in contrast to the other two, appeared to be built from sturdier stuff. Ryan had seen her lithe, powerful muscles when he’d been fixing her - those his gaze had stayed in respectful regions at the time. Even under her fatigues, the lines of muscle were clearly visible. Alert blue eyes and her bright red ponytail matched the serious expression on her face.

Unlike the other two, Ryan noted that her weapon was held in the same low-ready position John had tried to impress on their security team. Safety on and finger away from the trigger.

When the three of them had gotten within easy earshot, Ryan asked in a half-serious tone. “Trying to kill someone there, Sam?”

“Huh?” Sam said. He pulled the rifle down, inadvertently aiming the barrely directly at Ryan, his expression confused. “Of course not.”

Ryan decided right then and there that Sam’s role in all of this would be a support function rather than joining the main team. While he was unlikely to be harmed by a random gunshot… pretty much anyone else they were bringing would be. Weapon safety wasn’t something Ryan had a full grasp on just yet, but even he wouldn’t just aim a loaded weapon at someone.

Grace’s hand blurred and then something slapped the nose of Sam’s rifle down, just hard enough to aim it at the ground. Ryan watched the movement, his recently enhanced reflexes make it easy enough for him to follow. The woman was fast. Almost as fast as Lucas, by the look of it.

“Are you serious? He just saved us - again - and now you’re aiming a weapon at him?” Grace’s tone was every bit as sharp as her words. “Is your safety even on?”

“Safety?” Sam echoed, clearly still confused as to what was happening.

Paula sighed and then reached over to flick the safety on Sam’s firearm. “It is now.”

Grace buried her face into one of her hands, keeping the other on her own weapon. “Thank you, Paula...” She mumbled into her fingers as she shook her head slowly from side to side.

Sam, for his part, had the good sense to look embarrassed. The older man ran a hand through his hair and tried for a smile as he said. “Sorry about that… Never been one for guns, really. Still learning the uh… ‘protocols’.”

Ryan waved the man’s concern away. “It’s fine, man. Just lets me know where to put you in a firefight.”

“And where’s that?” Sam asked, concern creeping back into his voice.

“Wayyy in the back.” Ryan said with a grin, motioning in exaggerated fashion behind him.

Paula chuckled, Sam laughed, and Grace unburied her face to reveal a small smile at the joke. A few dozen yards behind them, Ryan noticed several Michaels approaching alongside Kurt and several of his gorillas.

“Now, I have to speak with the final members of our team briefly before we begin. If you’ll kindly keep your weapons pointed away from the rest of the group…” Ryan gave Sam a meaningful look and Paula smirked at her friend. “Then you can join the other two for now.”

Pointing at the men in turn, Ryan identified them. “The tall one is Jacob - he’s our fog machine for the evening. The other one is Wilhelm - he’s… well, I’ll let him share that.”

The trio nodded and thanked Ryan before moving past him to join the pair of guards. As Ryan began making his way towards his old friends, he heard the sound of a hand slapping into someone’s side before what sounded like Grace whispering. “Way to make us look like scrubs in front of the badass, man. You’re lucky you didn’t shoot him.”

It didn’t take much effort to overhear Sam’s distinctly not-whispered and slightly indignant reply. “Isn’t he bulletproof? Why would he care even if I had shot him?”

“You can’t just shoot people, Sam. Even if it doesn’t hurt, it’s still rude!” Paula said right before they walked out of earshot.

Ryan allowed himself a brief chuckle at the spirited trio as he walked before composing himself. As he neared Michael and Kurt’s group, he could see that his old friends were watching him carefully. Though it hadn’t been long since they’d been forced apart, it felt like years had passed.

So much has happened since I woke up… I’d almost forgotten they were still alive. Ryan realized with a pang of guilt.

As they all met in the field, it was Michael who spoke up first. He looked Ryan up and down, his eyes pausing briefly on the editor’s wooden arm and somewhat larger stature before finally meeting Ryan’s savannah predator eyes. c

“You’ve uh… changed a bit.” The lead Michael pointed out.

Ryan’s eyes went to the six clones of his friend standing behind him, each holding a hunting bow with a quiver of arrows around their back and a sharp knife at their belt. Then to Kurt, flanked on either side by a trio of hulking gorillas that seemed to be following the conversation with interest. “I could say the same of you both.”

“What’s with the arm?” Michael asked. “Is that a replacement you made after the explosion?”

It took a moment for Ryan to remember that Michael was referencing the van that had exploded the last time they’d been together. He’d been kidnapped in the ensuing chaos and stuffed inside some lunatic’s basement shortly after. Escaping that was how he’d met Lucas. And Renee.

Pushing thoughts of her aside, Ryan held up his wooden arm. “Actually this is an upgrade. It lets me absorb energy from trees without feeling all the slivers slide through my skin.”

Several of the Michael’s shivered at that mental image. One quipped. “I think I had a desk that color once.” The comment caused several of the other clones - and two of the gorillas - to chuckle.

Ryan stared at the amused simians, not sure if they’d gotten the joke or if they’d just laughed because Michael was laughing. He had a sneaking suspicion it was the former… then remembered that staring at gorillas is a good way to get your arms ripped off. He turned his attention back to his friends.

It was Kurt who spoke next. “We’re glad to see you’re alive, Ryan. It’s been… difficult… Not knowing whether you were alive.” He hesitated before adding. “We tried to find you after but--”

Holding up a hand to forestall his friend, as he could guess where Kurt was going, Ryan stopped his old friend. He didn’t want apologies. Especially not for something that hadn’t been under any of their control in the first place. “It’s fine. I… know the feeling. I tried to look for you both as well, but…”

Ryan gave his friends the cliff-notes version of what had happened to him since they’d been separated. The clones and gorillas made for a captive audience as he related first his capture, then his escape, and finally his return with the monster truck to smash his former tormentors.

They listened with rapt attention as Ryan detailed rescuing his people, finding and then building them a home in the forest, and preparing to rescue their families. By the time he’d gotten to the hospital raid, covered his meet-and-greet with Marcus and Meatfist, and listed out Wolfenstein’s rather impressive specs… Ryan realized the other five he’d asked to be here tonight had edged up behind him to listen.

“And… well, you know the rest.” Ryan said, trailing off the end of his story. Then a question popped into his mind that had been tickling the back of his subconscious. He looked around, not finding an easy answer to it, so he turned to Michael and asked. “Where’s Smith?”

“He’s… indisposed.” Kurt answered vaguely.

Several of the Michael’s snorted. “You mean he’s encased in fucking rock.” They said in unison.

“... Wait, what?” Ryan asked.

“He got in a fight with some guy who could move the earth around with his mind. The dude threw boulders at him for like five minutes but Smith just… laughed those off.” Michael shrugged. “Think his opponent took that personally. Next thing I knew Smith was literally entombed. We’re talking ten, maybe fifteen feet of solid rock on all sides. Kurt chased the guy off but we haven’t been able to get him out. We know he’s still in there because we can hear him from time to time, but…”

“But....?” Ryan echoed questioningly.

Michael sighed, one hand rubbing his temple. “But… that’s a bit much even for a super-gorilla to pull apart without risking hurting him. We were actually hoping you could help with that, honestly. Or that we’d find someone with a power who could.”

“How long has he been in there?” Ryan asked. Smith might be the next best thing to invulnerable with his power, but as far as he knew, the man still had to eat and drink.

“A day or two. He swears he’s fine, just keeps asking for ‘some music to groove to’.” Michael put air quotes around that last phrase. “I put some speakers out for him, but they got stolen pretty quick. Apparently the neighbors didn’t appreciate his… ‘beats’.”

Shaking his head, Ryan agreed to add a stop to free Smith from his imprisonment before they paid the mayor a visit.

It was Michael’s turn to ask a question, this time. His expression and tone both became dead-serious. “Are you sure about this? Killing Marcus? The dude has a small, personal army that is literally brainwashed to his every word. You’ve got…” Michael looked around, then made a circular gesture indicating everyone present. “Us. That’s it. Everyone else is either too hurt to fight, too scared to resist, or not strong enough to try. You really want to go up against the mayor like that?”

Ryan could feel the men and women behind him lean in, listening for his answer. “Yes.” He replied simply. He put every bit of confidence he had into that one word.

“What makes you think you’re going to win? If we hadn’t shown up, you could’ve been dead by now.”

Again, Ryan felt the eyes of the crowd around him slide back onto him, like an audience watching a tennis match. Looking down at his wooden hand, Ryan spread open his fingers before closing them into a fist. He met Michael’s gaze with iron determination, then began to speak.

“Marcus is scared of me. He always has been. It’s why he put a bounty on people like me in the first place. Why he tried to kill me after I woke up and why he tried to intimidate me into a deal when that didn’t work. I have power. Power he doesn’t and will never have because he can’t just take over my mind like he normally would. That terrifies him.”

Ryan paused for a moment, considering his next words before going on. “And it should. It wasn’t much when I started but now I can melt my enemies into power, grant my allies new ones, and trade blows with roided-out strongman-rejects. I can channel electricity, soak bullets, and turn trees into monster trucks with my bare hands. I can heal any wound I’ve ever seen and I can remove his control over others. Anything Marcus can throw at us, I can throw back twice over with enough energy.”

The editor made a slow circle, meeting the eyes of everyone he had assembled. After his story, they had all at least heard examples of his claims. Lucas, who Ryan hadn’t seen walk up, had been there for almost all of it.

Ryan ended his theatrical turn by meeting Michael’s eyes once more. “You want to know why we’re going to win?” He let the question hang in the air for a moment. “Because I am going to make us into whatever we need to be to do so.”

A cheer rose up from the group at that, though Ryan couldn’t see who had started it. The gorillas took it up, roaring and pounding their chests. Shouts of “Damn right we’re going to win!” and “Hell yeah!” came from several of them.

Michael grinned broadly. The sight would’ve been more reassuring if not for the fact that every single one of his clones grinned the same smile with him at the exact same time.

The lead Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a laminated piece of paper. “Well then, boss, I’ve got some information for you.”