Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 4: Worlds Apart

Jake rode through the city streets with his scanner on. The reports were continuing to pour in about Footgirl, mounting hysteria, and chaos breaking out in the midst of the panic. Courtney was on the loose, but the reports revolving around her were far and few between. All they had to go on was the report about Park’s Peak Diner and her sighting there. Jake knew that the chances of them finding her there were slim to none. He had a choice to make, all of them did. They could either try to help the people trapped in the diner, or they could chase the woman responsible. Deep down, he knew that they needed to find Courtney. The longer she was out there, the more likely it was that she would cause more chaos and insanity. They had to stop her before things took a turn for the worse.

Beth and Pam were close behind him. Pam rode on the back of Beth’s motorcycle, and they’d called Sally about Alexis just before leaving the manor. They were still exhausted, drained, and needing to rest, but there was no time to stand on ceremony. There was no other option than to press on and be the heroes that the city needed. The city needed them, the people needed them, and they wouldn’t let them down again. One more battle and they could get back to the way things were. They could refocus their efforts on finding the people that had contracted Ingrid; the people that were pulling the strings. There was more at play here than they were seeing, that much was for sure. 

Jake spotted the diner and noticed the strands of green smoke drifting out of the windows. Bullet holes had created vents, but who had done that? Had it been a misfire? He frowned as he decided to speed past the diner. Courtney would have moved on, and she'd have been making a scene if she were still there. No, he knew her better than that. He and Beth had to swerve as pandemonium began to ensue. People from the diner were flocking into the streets in a crazed panic. This brought another question to Jake's mind. Courtney's toxin had originally put the victims to sleep, but these people were wide awake. Some of them were running and cowering, but others were trying to attack one another, them, or anyone passing by. It was hard to pass the situation by, but the police would have to handle this one. They needed to find the woman responsible for this madness.

"Raven, you sure you don't want to stop?" Beth's voice came over the comms.

"Positive," Jake replied as he rounded a corner, "Courtney is the priority here. We have a police force for a reason. They're not equipped to deal with her, but we are. We have to stop her."

"This isn't your fault," Pam's voice came over the comms, "Whatever she's doing has nothing to do with you."

Whether Pam could sense his emotions, or if she just knew him well enough by now, Jake couldn't be sure. Whatever the case, he knew she understood the conflict within him. "I was the one who kept her alive," he said, "Whoever she hurts is on me. She's doing this because of me, and I could have stopped this when we beat her the first time."

"Mistakes happen," Beth offered, keeping close behind her friend, "Live and learn, man, that's all we can do. We won't make the same mistake twice."

"No, no we won't," Jake agreed, although he still didn't feel much better about his situation, "We find her and stop her, no matter what it takes this time."

"Lethal force then?" Beth asked.

"If that's what it takes," Jake replied, "You know I don't like it, but we can't afford any more chances with her or the others. We do what we have to do, and we save as many people as we can."

"We're being followed," Pam spoke up, glancing over her shoulder and towards the rooftops, "Someone is tailing us."

"Any idea who?" Jake asked, scanning the roads for any signs of Courtney or chaos.

"Not sure, but they're keeping close to us," Pam replied, "It could be one of the goons that attacked the Birdcage, but it could be one of ours."

"Doubt our luck is that good," Jake sighed, "Remain focused on finding Courtney for now. If they're a threat, then we'll deal with them when they make their move. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."

"Copy that," Beth said, speeding up to keep close to Jake, "Roadblock ahead, we need to find a way through."

"Left switch on the throttle," Jake said, moving his thumb to it, "Wait until we're close, and then flip it and hold on."

"Wanna explain what it does?" Beth asked.

"No time, just keep pace and hang on tight," Jake answered as they got close to a barricade of cars.

A line of civilian vehicles had piled up as people panicked and crashed into each other. He couldn't be sure if it was because of Courtney, or if it was just panic from the return of Footgirl and everything else. People were scared. It had been months since the city had seen this level of calamity. Myers and the Children of Darkness had brought the hammer down, but even that had been tame compared to this. Life in Metropolis was never easy or simple, but it had calmed quite a bit since Goth's defeat. People hadn't felt this afraid in a long time, but Jake knew they could right this before it got too bad. As long as they stayed together and fought as one, they could get through this.

As they approached the cars, Jake flipped the switch on the throttle. Beth did the same, and their bikes were suddenly launched into the air. Jake had installed a pair of thrusters on the back of the frame to ensure they wouldn't be stopped short in the event of an emergency. They rose over the cars, and kept their momentum as they rocketed forward. They landed with a small crash, but both he and Beth had enough experience to keep their bikes upright. They continued on without missing a beat. Jake kept his eyes peeled for any signs of movement or suspicious activity on the streets. Occasionally, he'd glance upward to the rooftops. A shadow jumped across one of the spaces between buildings, but Jake couldn't be sure if it was real or not.

His phone rang in his pocket, and he answered it with a swipe of his right hand, "What's going on?"

"Raven, it's Zoey," his friend answered, "I was hoping you could answer that for me. Why the hell is Alexis attacking the city, and how did Tellar get out?"

"A lapse in security from when we went missing tracking down Ingrid," Jake sighed, leaning into another turn, "As for Alexis, I'm not sure on that one. I've got our people working to try to contain and talk her down, but there's no telling how far gone she might be. Feral, Specter, and myself are pursuing Courtney as we speak. Do you have anything that can point us in the right direction?"

"One of my officers was at the diner when it happened," Zoey sighed, "He put the call out just before shit went south, but my people are trying to contain the scene there now. I haven't been able to review his body cam footage, but he said she wasn't alone. There were two others there. One with Courtney, and the other tried to stop her before she released her gas."

"Andrew," Jake said through gritted teeth, "Jaded piece of shit, of course he's with her. Ugh, I should have locked him up with her. What about the other one?"

"Can't be sure, but the description matched Jason," Zoey answered, "It was brief, but he was wrapped up from head to toe. I've also got reports that Kait is approaching the scene with Alexis now, but she's not engaging any of my officers. Raven, do you know anything about what's going?"

"I've got a hunch, but I can't get into it right now," Jake shook his head, "Get to the scene, help Kait and Sal, and try to get Alexis subdued. If it gets to be too much, you pull back and save as many people as you can."

"I'm not letting her take this city," Zoey argued, "I'll stop her, we will stop her."

"Zoey, think about Sam," Jake sighed, "She needs you right now, and we need as many hands and able bodies as we can get. We can't afford to lose people, and we'll lose a hell of a lot more if we're not careful. We can meet up afterwards, but we need to focus on-"

Jake never got the chance to finish before an explosion went off in a nearby store. Fire and debris filled the streets and knocked both Jake and Beth off of their bikes. They landed with a painful roll, but they tried to shake off the ringing in their ears and the pain in their sides. Things seemed to he going from bad to worse for them, but that was nothing new. Pam had managed to catch herself in the air, and she landed beside Beth to try to help her up. A hail of gunfire rang out, but Pam held up her hand to stop the bullets with a barrier. 

"Raven, are you okay?!" Zoey asked, having heard the explosion, "Status report, what's going on?!"

"Ugh, I'm gonna have to call you back," Jake winced as he got to his feet, "We've got more problems on hand. A bomb on Militant and Fifth just went off, but we're okay. We'll handle this. Usual meeting place once this is over, alright?"

"Watch yourself," Zoey sighed, "Underetood, over and out."

"Lookie here!" a man wearing a Halloween mask proclaimed as he stepped out of the fire with four others, "We got ourselves a roasted bird, everybody! Got a beast to go with it, and it looks like we even got desert!"

"Charming," Pam sneered as the man looked her up and down in a lustful way, "I'm not in the mood for this today. Stand down, or I will kill you all."

"Oh, the lady has some fire, boys!" the man in the mask laughed, "Let's see if it's-ack!"

Pam's hand was outstretched, and a burning ethereal chain had cut through the mask and the man's mouth. She held her arm out for a second before pulling it back, ripping the chain from his throat, and sending him cascading to the ground. The four others with him seemed io flinch at the sight. "Anyone else feeling brave?" Pam asked as she looked around, "Leave now and you can live. Stay, fight, and you will die. This not a threat, it is a guarantee."

"Is that any way to talk to new friends?" Courtney's voice came over a radio on the hip of the dead man, "Honestly, some people just don't know what manners are."

"You four work for her?" Beth asked, getting to her feet and drawing her pistol, "Where is she?! Tell us, or I'll make sure you bleed out slow and painfully!"

"My, my, such a temper even after all this time," Courtney giggled over the radio, "It's no wonder you couldn't keep a man like Jake Blackridge with that attitude, and it's a wonder you found a woman willing to put up with you!"

The four thugs looked at each other as they took a step back. Jake watched the four of them carefully. They were going to split up. "Don't even think about it," he warned, "I won't stop her from killing you, not today. Cooperate, and you four can go about your lives."

"A life in prison isn't much of a life," Courtney scoffed, "I'm afraid they won't be telling you three shit. The only one that still had a tongue is dead, but I knew that Ms. Pammy wouldn't be able to help herself. Just like she won't be able to stop the doctor from having her fun! You want me, lover-boy, come and find me!"

The four thugs broke off as if receiving the cue they'd been waiting on. "Fuck!" Beth shouted as she fired two rounds at one of their knees.

One of the thugs went down, but the other three scattered in different directions. "Dammit," Jake growled as he ran over to grab the radio from the dead thug, "She's playing with us."

"How right you are, lover!" Courtney cackled through the radio, "Come along, come one, come all, you're not going to want to miss this show! It'll be one to die for, I promise."

Jake clenched his fist as he brought the radio up, "Courtney, just tell us where you are so we can end this. Nobody else needs to get hurt."

"Oh that's where you're wrong, Jakey," Courtney sneered, "What's life without pain and loss? You threw me into your shitty little cell, took away my food, and ripped poor Andrew away from me. You're going to learn what loss is, you all are going to learn!"

"Courtney, goddammit, this-" Jake started before a gunshot rang out and cut him off.

"Come find me, honey, I'll be waiting," Courtney cackled, "Sounds like you've got your hands full for the moment, though. I would hate to keep you busy, but I'll be waiting when you're done!"

Jake ducked down and glared in the direction of the gunshot. One of the thugs had taken cover behind an SUV and tried to surprise him. Jake glared at the radio for a second before clipping it to his belt. As he finished attaching it to his utility belt, he grabbed a birdarang from one of the pockets and launched it at the man in question. The edge of the birdarang connected with his hand and his gun fell to the ground. The man tried to run, but Beth had stopped when she heard the gunshot. She turned and fired at him as he tried to flee. Her bullets barely missed him, and he fled down the street at the first opportunity. Pam was preoccupied with her own problems, too focused to help her friends. She'd sent out a projection of her hand to grab the man before he could get too far, but the simple spell required concentration on her part.

As Beth and Jake focused on the man that had taken a chance and shot at them, they didn't see the third thug as he circled back around. Beth had turned her focus to the one attacking her friend. She didn't see him sneaking up to try to put a bullet in Pam's back. A round of gunshots rang out from behind them, and all three heroes turned to see what had happened. The one that had been running, the one that Pam had held, and the one that had tried to sneak attack them fell to the ground bleeding. Not far from the line of cars and standing amidst the rubble and debris was a familiar sight. A tattered black trench coat, bandages covering what skin wasn't covered, and two smoking guns in his hands. Jason Graves had returned, and the three of them knew that couldn't be a good sign.

"You three are slipping," he said as he scanned the area for more threats, "I had thought the three responsible for taking down Goth would be able to handle common street thugs working for the Banshee."

"Cut us some slack, Jason," Beth scoffed as she looked around, "Don't know if you've noticed, or heard, but we've been through hell and back over the last few days. This shit is coming on the heels of a fight with a technomancer."

"Hmph, surprised you know the term, Feral," Jason smirked, "I'm aware of your run-in with Isley, Pam's showdown in the Brunswick corpo ruins, and her dealings with Murray and the others. Girl was a pawn in a game she didn't see, a small fish in a big pond. She gave them exactly what they needed, and now your city is paying the price for her naivety."

"Who, Jay?" Jake asked, "Who was Ingrid working for besides Murray?"

"Not the time to get into it, kid," Jason shrugged, "We've got bigger problems to focus on. Your loony undead ex is going to turn this city inside out and on its head if we don't stop her. Isley gave the codes to your lair to her employers. Tellar and her little minions are tearing through the city to establish key points to do the most damage. I had hoped to put her down back at the diner, but your soft heartedness must have rubbed off on me. I had to help those people before they killed each other. Come on, we need to find your zombie ex before she does more harm. Pray to whatever you believe in that we don't run into her benefactors along the way. The state you three are in, you're not ready to tangle with them."

"What are you hiding, Jason?" Pam asked as their ally started to move up the street, "Who exactly are we dealing with here?"

"You don't want me to answer that, Pam," Jason sighed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and we don't have time to get into it right now."

"Make time," Pam countered, "We met back in Ravenfalls, and that journal I found had the initials E.B. on every entry. The Children of Darkness, the Myers imposter, the catacombs where we fought them, Ingrid working in Brunswick ruins, it's all pointing towards them. Just tell us the truth, are we dealing with Emily Brunswick?"

"All I've got is speculation at this point, Pam," Jason sighed and shook his head, "All signs are pointing to the Brunswicks, but Emily was thought to be displaced when you were stuck in Ravenfalls. Nothing is impossible these days, not if you ask me, but she wasn't the only member of that family."

"What?" Jake asked.

"Emily was the biggest threat, but she wasn't an only child," Jason explained, "She was just the one that everyone focused on because of what she became. You should have done your homework after you supposedly killed her, Blackridge. If you had, maybe you could have stopped this before it got to this point, but that's not your style, is it?"

"Eva," Beth breathed, remembering the name she'd heard Ingrid use multiple times.

"That's right, Eva Brunswick," Jason nodded at Beth, "She disappeared after her sister was taken out and her company fell to pieces. Family legacy torn asunder by a young punk hot on the heels of a takeover, and all the motive in the world to make his life a living hell."

"I knew about her," Jake shook his head, "I looked into the Brunswick family afterwards, but she was reported missing before Emily took the role of Voidfoot."

"Missing and dead are two different things, kid," Jason scoffed, "Word to the wise, you need to watch out for loose ends. Let them go unchecked, and they'll wind up biting you in the ass sooner than later. Courtney should have been put down, Eva should have been found, and you should have looked harder for Emily's body. You let these things slide and people get hurt. Come on, we've still got a mess to clean up. The longer we stand her talking, the more progress that psycho makes towards ripping Metropolis a new asshole."

"Sounds like you've made a friend, Jakey," Courtney cackled over the radio, "My, my, the walking band-aid is joining forces with a bird, a witch, and a wild animal. It's going to be quite a show when we finally meet."

"That thing just stay on or what?" Jason asked, looking at the radio on Jake's belt.

"Can't shut her up," Jake sighed, "Andrew probably rigged the damn thing so she can listen in."

"Then drop it," Jason said, "We don't need her tracking us."

"It's not like it matters, mummy-man," Courtney said, "I've got eyes all over this city. Some people saw what I was trying to do, and those people have been waiting for me to return. Run, run, run as fast as you can, but by the time you find me it'll be too late. One, two, three, four, it doesn't matter how many of you there are. Big things are happening today, you four, big things. Ticktock, ticktock, that's the sound of the clock running out for all of you. Come find me, and let's have some real fun. Oh, try to make it quick…I'm getting hungry, and I tend to get a little hangry when I go too long without a proper meal. That Blackridge Omelet was a complete letdown, but I think we can rectify that little problem. Hahaha!"

"Smash that fucking thing," Jason demanded, "Tellar, I want you to know that I'm going to find you and your scummy little boyfriend. When I do, I'm going to make you watch as he begs for his life right before I kill the little weasel."

"Oh, I can't wait to-" Courtney started before Jake cut her off by dropping and stomping on the radio.

"Boring conversation," he said as he looked at Jason, "Any idea where to start?"

"She was heading uptown," Jason replied, "We need to move out as soon as possible. Splitting up isn't an option with you three being as exhausted as you are. Not to mention the shit storm that's blanketing this city. People are going to be going crazy, and Tellar isn't the only threat wandering the city today. She and Alexis might be making the most noise, but Dutchess, Murray, and more are also going to be out working during this. They're the ones we need to watch out for, but we also can't afford to be slow and careful. They've got us between a rock and a hard place here."

"It's a plan they've been building, most likely," Pam sighed, looking around, "Amass power in the shadows, and unleash chaos to force your opposition to scatter. They're hoping we act rashly, impulsively, and predictable. Situations like this are the ones that make heroes most vulnerable."

"What other choice do we have?" Beth asked, "We can't let our home burn, Pam. Jason is right. The longer we stand around, the more people are going to get hurt."

"Then we need to figure something out quick," Pam said, "We need to anticipate rather than move blindly here. Stumbling in the dark makes us easy targets."

Jake frowned as he tried to figure out what they could do, where Courtney might be heading. They were missing something, but he couldn't place it. Pam was right, though. They'd wander into trouble if they didn't play this smart. It had befallen he and Beth many times before now, but the stakes were much higher this time around. Their enemies were far more dangerous and unhinged than they'd been in the past. If what Jason was saying was true then their biggest threat was potentially back from beyond the grave. The thought of facing down Voidfoot after all these years was truly harrowing. Not even Rebecca had brought this much terror when she'd shown her true colors.

Jake's eyes lit up as he realized exactly what was uptown, and where Courtney might be going. "Jason, did you say she was heading uptown?" Jake asked.

"That was the direction I saw, yeah," Jason replied, "She's not trying to work with Alexis, I know that much. Your whacko stalker is back down south."

"I know where she's going," Jake said, "The cemetery where we fought Myers and The Amazon."

"What makes you so sure?" Jason asked.

"Everything we've seen, heard, and dealt with has been pointing to this," Jake sighed, "If Voidfoot is back, and I really hope she's not, then these people are working for her. That entire family is egocentric, and they'd want their moment of triumph to be somewhere special."

"Emily isn't the one who was contracting Ingrid, Jake," Beth said, "Ingrid kept bringing up Eva."

"She could be following Emily's orders," Jake pointed out, "Emily ran the company, and even after she got her powers she was smart. Sadistic, evil, vindictive, but she was smart all the same. Family or not, I wouldn't put it past her to use someone like that for her own gain."

"You're talking absolution about an unknown, Blackridge," Jason said, "We don't know the relationship, the nature, or much of anything about this Eva woman. We need to play this smart."

"We don't have time for that," Jake sighed, "You've already said it, and you're right. The longer we wait, the more people are going to get hurt. We need to move, and I am certain that Courtney is heading for the cemetery. She's got a flare for the dramatics, and what better place to stick it to me than the place where her benefactors were buried?"

"Any update on the others?" Beth asked Jason.

"Kait and her little pet project are moving to intercept Alexis," he answered, "From what I understand, Sally and Zoey are also working on that front. That left me here to tie up the loose ends with you three. We'll rendezvous once we've dealt with the undead freak. She's just the first of many obstacles to come, so hopefully Kait can get through to Alexis. She's got more than one screw loose, but we need all hands on deck if we're going to survive this one."

"I wish you were wrong, but I know you're not," Pam sighed as she focused on the cemetery from before, "Everyone around me, now. I can get us there quicker than walking."

"Fucking hate this teleportation bullshit," Jason sighed as he walked to join Pam.

"Don't be a baby," Pam scoffed, motioning for him to hurry, "You're the one who kept saying we need to move. I can get us there in seconds versus traveling on foot."

"Didn't say it was a bad idea, just that I'm not a fan," Jason grumbled as he walked up and took Pam's hand, "Let's do this, boys and girls."

Jake nodded and walked over to grab Jason's hand while Beth took Pam's and his. The four of them remained in a circle as Pam closed her eyes and concentrated on the cemetery. They could only hope that Jake was right about his suspicion as the shadows closed in around them. The void opened beneath their feet, and they slowly fell into the darkness. They slipped into the space between worlds and rocketed towards their destination in hopes of finding and stopping Courtney before she could irreparable damage to their home.

High above the city streets, a large, lone raven circled the skies. Its crimson eyes scanned the city streets and surveyed the chaos sweeping through. As Jake, Pam, Beth, and Jason sank into the shadowy pool, the raven landed on a pile of debris. It stared at Jake as he and the others disappeared. Jake met its gaze as he slowly sank into the darkness. Maybe it was an omen, or maybe he was seeing things. Whatever the case, the bird gave him a feeling he couldn't quite place. It was familiar, yet unnerving as he felt it watch him. Its eyes never left him as he slipped into the icy abyss that Pam so often used to travel. It was faint, but he swore he could hear someone whispering just before the chill of the grave and screams of in the darkness filled his senses.

"Shit, where'd they go?!" a large woman demanded as she stepped out into the wreckage with two other women, "Those three got a price on them, and I'm aiming to collect. Find them, you miserable sacks of shit!"

"Boss," another woman said, nodding at a large wolf that stepped out from the shadows.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of-" the big woman started before she was cut off by a jagged spike of earth rising beneath her.

"What the hell?!" the other woman exclaimed as the wolf pounced on their friend.

"Those three are not yours to take," a voice rang out as a tall dark haired woman stepped out behind the last one.

The last woman spun around as the wolf sank his teeth into the throat of her ally. She pulled a gun, but a large hand seized her wrist. She struggled, but the woman in question was too strong. Her grip tightened as she felt a cold chill run through her arm. "Let go of me!" she screamed as her blood began to freeze.

Her forearm began to lock up, and her screams intensified as her arm was ripped off. She was silenced as the stranger took what was her now frozen arm and rammed it through her open mouth. She fell to the ground and the tall woman held out her arm to call the raven to her. Her wolf plodded up to her and sat beside her. She stroked his fur and looked around the city. People were panicking, terror was mounting, and chaos was growing. It felt somehow familiar, but the nostalgia was almost painful. The demons, she'd seen something similar when they'd broken through to this world. She'd seized control then, but now she wanted nothing more than to remain anonymous. Funny how fate seemed to work out. All that mattered was helping those three. She needed to redeem herself before revealing herself; that much she knew for certain.

"Find them," she ordered her wolf, "Find Jake and the others, my little one. Show me where they are and keep them safe."

The wolf barked before it took off down the road. It had his scent, her memories, and it would find him. She wanted desperately to follow behind him, but she knew her presence would only hinder them. She was dead, or at least was supposed to be. Battling the undead was going to be difficult enough without seeing a ghost from their past. Her time would come, but now she needed to focus on the other threats to the people that mattered to her. Too much to atone for, and she felt as though she was on borrowed time. She'd have to help from afar and move closer when the time was right. She could only hope that Jake and the others had grown strong enough to survive until the time came for her to rejoin them.