Chapter 22: When The Mist Clears
The first inmate Veronica encountered was a lanky man with one eye.
He came at Veronica screaming with a pipe held high and inhaled a lungful of mist before he’d closed half the distance.
His legs buckled mid-step, and in a couple of minutes he was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Veronica stepped over him without so much as a glance.
Further ahead, two men had a guard pinned against the wall. They took turns punching and kicking him.
The guard raised his arms to protect himself but it was to no avail as they rained blows on him.
The bigger of the two turned first, wiping blood from his knuckles onto his jumpsuit. His face split into a grin at the sight of her.
"Well, if it isn’t the doctor herself."
Veronica’s eyes went to the guard on the ground then back to the inmates. "Step away from him and return to your cells."
"Or what? You’re gonna show me some titties?" he laughed. "You know I’ve always wondered what’s underneath all that."
"I’ve heard she has gas related powers," the second one warned, stepping back. "Don’t breathe that red stuff ." a pleased grin plastered on his face.
Veronica kept silent and drew a scalpel in each hand and closed the distance herself as both inmates readied their weapons.
Her first strike caught the smirking one across the wrist before he finished raising his weapon. The blade cut deep enough for him to release his grip on his weapon.
He barely had time to scream before she drove the second scalpel into his thigh, causing him to stagger and fall.
Surprise flickered across the burly one’s face before he steadied himself. He raised the baton and swung it downwards, its tip crackling with energy.
Veronica moved aside and before he could recover his stance.
SLICE!
A line opened across the tendons at the back of his knee forcing him to drop into a proposal stance. Veronica watched him collapse without a shred of sympathy. She stabbed the second leg, causing him to stumble and scream.
She turned to look at the first man, who was trying to crawl away, one hand clamped over the wound in his thigh.
Veronica sent a scalpel flying and it lodged itself into the other thigh. Her lips curved as he screamed in pain.
"You bitch!," he yelled.
Veronica didn’t offer a reply. She stomped the injury with her heel, drawing another scream of pain from the inmate.
She turned her focus to the guard. He was still alive but barely breathing. Veronica’s expression softened as she assessed his injuries.
Broken ribs, both of his eyes swollen and multiple cuts and bruises across his body. His breathing was slow and weak
Veronica wasn’t sure he would survive by the time the whole incident was over.
Behind her the two inmates laughed. A frown set on her face as she turned her attention to them.
She discarded the scalpels she was holding and brought out new ones. Her eyes held no emotion as she slowly walked to them.
"Wait. You can’t kill us..."
"You’re a doctor... "
"Please..."
Veronica’s face remained completely blank. She paid no mind to their pleas and soon enough, their screams of agony echoed through the corridor.
—-
Nathan’s eyes followed the shadow that drifted above the prison. A woman in a gold and white suit dropped outside the walls of the prison and shortly after the sounds of battle could be heard outside the walls.
"Lady Might," Theo muttered.
"Guess the cavalry showed up after all," Nathan replied.
Theo adjusted the guard’s arm over his good shoulder, wincing. "Moe’s going to be pissed he missed this."
"Pissed? Why?"
"Man worships her like she invented sunlight." Theo rolled his eyes and helped Nathan set the guard near the first one he had tended to.
Nathan raised his head to observe his surroundings and spotted a familiar trio. The scarred man and his two cronies emerged from the chaos of the yard with angry expressions.
"You," he growled. "I told you I’d make you regret it."
Nathan smiled. "Are you sure you really want to do this?"
"Your threat means nothing. Besides, we aren’t going to kill you." he grinned. "Just hurt you a little bit"
"What if we called a truce? Considering this whole thing?" Nathan gestured to the yard.
The scarred man’s grin was all teeth. "You think I care?" He cracked his knuckles. "This is personal now."
Of course it is.
Nathan pulled out the metal pipe from his jumpsuit and stood ready.
Theo got up and held his knife. "Two against three huh."
The scarred man gripped his weapon tightly but before he could do anything, wisps of red vapour drifted into the yard.
One inmate stopped mid-step, then another collapsed.
The man turned to assess the situation and Nathan wasted no time, slamming the pipe into his shoulder.
Theo followed suit and kicked one of his cronies square in the groin.
"Not again..." the words died as Theo’s foot connected.
The last cronie raised both hands in surrender, turned, and ran straight into the red mist before collapsing unconscious.
The mist kept spreading, dropping every standing figure in its path.
It closed in on Nathan, Theo and the two guards beside them and then it stopped suddenly, leaving the yard full of unconscious bodies.
Slow footsteps echoed through the swirling haze. Veronica emerged holding two blood stained scalpels, the glow in her eyes fading away.
She stopped in front of Nathan and the others. Her gaze passed over him, Theo and the two guards behind them.
"Are any of you hurt?"
They each gave a reply except Nathan. Veronica’s eyes stayed in him for a brief moment before a guard called her attention.
"Frost Spice is gone."
She glanced at the damaged wall. "Did anyone else escape from that level?"
"No just him."
Veronica exhaled and gave instructions to handle the remaining inmates her gas did not reach.
—
By the time the smoke from the damaged wall began to thin, the riot had gone quiet.
Lady Might floated near the shattered wall, her suit scorched at one shoulder. The mech behind her had been reduced to a smoking pile of scrap.
She held two struggling inmates by the collar, one in each hand, and dropped them into the yard like they were groceries.
Veronica approached. "Thank you for your assistance."
Lady Might didn’t answer instantly. She swept her gaze over the rows of unconscious men. "You’re welcome. Though it seems you managed well enough without me."
"Did you see anyone?" Veronica asked.
"A man and a woman but they left while I was dealing with..." Lady Might tilted her head toward the wreckage of the robot.
"You weren’t able to stop them," Veronica muttered.
"I was occupied." Lady Might replied without any flair. "And it’s my day off."
Veronica’s jaw tightened, but she said nothing else.
Meanwhile, Theo had brought out his phone and opened the camera, aiming it at the two women who were still discussing.
Click!
"Oh, Moe is going to lose his mind," Theo whispered gleefully. "Actual proof I saw his favorite hero and he wasn’t here."
Nathan shook his head. "You’ve got a bad shoulder and you’re worried about bragging rights."
"Priorities man."
Nathan shook his head then took one of his own just as Lady Might rose into the sky and flew away.
Theo glanced at the image with a frown. "That’s better than what I took. You could probably trade Moe for his soul with it."
Nathan smiled. That was exactly why he’d taken the photo.
—
It took hours to sort through the aftermath of the breakout. Guards herded surviving inmates back toward their cells at gunpoint, counted the dead and dragged the unconscious ones away in restraints.
Nathan and Theo were processed last. They were examined for injuries by nurses who were too exhausted to ask many questions.
The medical wing had survived the violence so most of the medical personnel were accounted for, which hastened the process. Most of the casualties were the guards and a couple of staff.
By the time Nathan returned to his cell, the afternoon had shifted to evening.
Nathan sat on the edge of his bed, listening to the noise from his block. He noticed his toothbrush, snacks, and several other belongings were gone.
Theo still hadn’t returned.
Nathan stretched his body and laid back, his eyes focused at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted back to Veronica.
He was a bit surprised she had powers but that wasn’t what bothered him. He frowned as he recalled the scalpels she was holding. Both of them were coated in blood.
Just what did she do?
A knock interrupted his thoughts. The voice of a guard came through the door.
"The doctor wants to see you."