InFamous: The Unusual Conduits

by Blackdrag-rose

New Marais: Meeting the Militia's Leader

After Kuo told them where they needed to go, or rather where she wanted them to go so Cole could 'flex his powers', the group moved through New Marais and did what they did when they were making their way over to where Zeke was standing, meaning they stopped muggings from happening, let the musicians do their thing, and healed any wounded civilians that might be laying around the area. The Dazzlings weren't sure why Zeke hated the musicians that called this city home, the ones that seemed to be playing with ordinary everyday objects as it turned out, but they were sure that he would be able to get over his dislike and focus on the mission that they were on. While they were on their way towards the area that they were heading towards they discovered that Trish was safe and would be that way, unless the Militia actually discovered where she was hiding, but at the same time Cole knew that she was likely tending to some of the wounded that were in the area of the city that they were in. Another thing they discovered was that some of the civilians clearly feared them, as the 'Demon and Sirens of Empire City', while others actually understood that they weren't evil creatures bend on tearing them down... but it seemed like it would take some time before the people understood that they were on their side and would deal with the vile Militia that controlled the city now.

Fortunately it appeared that the majority of the soldiers that were in the Militia seemed to be busy at the moment, as there didn't seem to be many of them out there, thus allowing the group to get to the coordinates that Kuo sent them rather easily... where they discovered that it was an alley of sorts between an ordinary house and a market building that sold bait, food, and both soft drinks and alcohol.

"Okay Kuo, we're in position." Cole said, opening a call to Kuo for a moment, that way she knew that they were ready for whatever tricks she had up her sleeves for them, as he still had no idea what she meant when she said that he needed to flex his powers and why the Dazzlings didn't need to do that, "So, what's going on?"

"Wolfe had speculated that absorbing a Blast Core might expose some dormant powers in a Conduit." Kuo explained, immediately telling Adagio, Aria, and Sonata the reason why they weren't included in this mission, in a sense anyway, and that was because they hadn't absorbed the full power of the Blast Core, instead they appeared to have only taken a small amount of energy to increase their own powers.

"Alright, that sounds interesting," Adagio said, because it sounded interesting, though at the same time they weren't being given a lot of information on what was going on at the moment, while noticing that her sisters were glancing around the area to be sure there weren't any enemies in the immediate area, "but how is he supposed to find these dormant powers that the Blast Core might have revealed?"

"Based on what Wolfe told me, it seems like the key is to stress your body by using your powers in different ways," Kuo replied, revealing that the scientist she was looking for must have done an intense amount of research on Conduits, the Ray Sphere, and the Blast Cores that he had discovered, and had shared some of it with her in the process.

"So it just mix it up when we're fighting the Militia?" Cole asked, as that sounded vastly disappointing, as he expected something else to unlock the dormant powers that the Blast Core had awoken, not pull off what he could already envision Zeke calling 'stunts' to unlock new forms of the powers that he already possessed, "That's it?"

"Hey, I thought it was weird when Wolfe told me all of this," Kuo said, telling the group that she had thought there would have been a secret or something to unlocking the dormant powers that were exposed after a Blast Core was absorbed by a Conduit, only to be disappointed in the news as well, "I did, however, spot a Militia squad that's close to where you guys are. Maybe you can start with them?"

Cole sighed and hung up before moving out, as this promised to be quite boring in terms of what they usually did back in Empire City, to which he and the Dazzlings headed away from the edge of the city, where the coordinates had brought them to, and headed a little into the city. The location that Kuo had found the Militia soldiers at had at least six of them harassing the people that living in the cul de sac that Kuo had sent them to, though since this was his time to shine Cole raised his hand as the Dazzlings landed on a nearby roof to watch the show. What Cole did was take aim at the enemies that were further away from where he was standing and fired several bolts at them, knocking them to the ground, before using his Amp to punish the soldiers that were close to where he was, before Sonata pointed out that there happened to be a pair of soldiers escorting some 'deviants' away to use as target practice. That caused Cole, who had beaten the soldiers around him, to raise his hand again and loose another bolt at his targets, though this time around the bolt separated into three smaller blots that seemed to go in three separate directions, before joining back together as they slammed into his first target... and then he made sure to fire a second one and knock out the remaining soldier that was escorting the innocent people away, who were thankful for him, as well as the Dazzlings, to come to their aid.

The Dazzlings stared at Cole for a few moments, as he was just as surprised as they were, and he targeted a trash can that was nearby with the same pincer style blast, which struck it like his original blast, before he focused his mind and the next blast was the same as his original blast.

"That's... interesting." Aria commented, as she wasn't sure what to make of the sudden change in Cole's lightning, even though they could all hear Zeke complaining about how the new 'Pincer Bolt' didn't have the same flare as Cole's 'Alpha Bolt', causing them to wonder why he was the one nicknaming all of Cole's abilities once more.

"Indeed." Kuo added, somehow knowing that they would have been finished with allowing Cole to test his powers and see what else he had gotten from the Blast Core that he had absorbed earlier, but at the same time they knew that now wasn't the time for questions, "It also stands to reason that your other powers might be able to grow in similar ways, though it might take some time before you figure all of them out."

"Well, that 'Pincer Bolt' is definitely a great start," Cole said, as he was interested in seeing if there were any other variations to his powers that he could find out already, regardless of the fact that he was sure that most of them were likely buried deep inside him and needed more Blast Cores to draw them out of hiding, "When we're fighting the Militia I'll be sure to try and push myself... I might be able to get something fantastic out of this training."

"I'm happy that you're making progress Cole, I really am," Kuo replied, though her tone told the Dazzlings that she was getting annoyed about something, which meant that it might be time for them to get underway and see what sort of damage they needed to do before they figured out where Wolfe was being held, "but, unfortunately, I'm not having the same luck that you and the girls are. I've lost the trail on Wolfe and the clock is ticking. Once the Militia get what they want out of him he's as good as dead."

"We won't be able to take out the Beast without him," Zeke commented, showing that he was listening in to the conversation and was ready to offer his opinion and thoughts, just like he did back in Empire City, only in the past it got him into trouble and complicated things sometimes, "Wolfe is the whole reason we came down here."

"Calm down Zeke," Kuo said, revealing that, despite the fact that it was her companion that had been taken by the Militia, she was calm and collected at the moment, which was strange considering that the sisters thought she'd be more upset over what was going on at the moment, "if we can get Bertrand to talk, he'll know where Wolfe is being held."

"Forgive me for asking, but who are you talking about?" Zeke inquired, as right now he had no idea who the major enemy in their path to stopping the Beast was, thought it appeared that Kuo was going to tell him, which was why Cole and the Dazzlings said nothing as this exchange happened.

"Joseph Bertrand the Third," Kuo replied, not at all shocked that Zeke had no idea who she was talking about, despite the fact that there were several areas where all the televisions continued to run his messages pretty much all day long without stopping, "he's the leader of the Militia. He's an elusive guy most of the time, but I have it on good authority that tonight he'll be giving a speech in front of St. Ignatius."

"Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice in the matter," Adagio said, understanding what they needed to do and who they needed to target, while at the same time she and her sisters fingered their new pendants, as she had an idea that was sure to work, "We'll just grab Bertrand after he delivers his speech, shuttle him to a secure area that the Militia won't find for an hour or two, and then we'll have him tell us exactly where Wolfe is being held... along with any secrets he might have hidden away and any Blast Cores he might have taken from Wolfe before the Militia attacked his lab."

Cole knew exactly what Adagio was referring to, which had Kuo confused for a moment since they still hadn't told her that part of their power came from their pendants and, if they started to sing, they could cause whoever they were targeting to fall under their spell. They freed all of Empire City from Kessler's attempt to use a toxic gas to mind-control everyone, something that they wouldn't stand for, and also used it to temporarily take control of an enemy to get the location of something they needed, like the location of Moya's ship, before freeing them. What Adagio was suggesting, and what her sisters were agreeing with, was that they put Bertrand under their spell and force him to reveal where Wolfe was being held, any secrets that they might be able to use against him, the location of any Blast Cores, and, if they were in the mood to do so, even destroy his entire campaign by forcing him to make a number of terrible decisions that would turn the city against the Militia in moments. The best part would be the fact that they were still using their powers to protect people, especially if they managed to get him to arrange a meeting with the Militia so they could dismantle the entire army in one instant... though while he knew that something like that might not happen, as it would make things too easy for them, it was a nice thing to think about.

The moment the call was finished, and everyone had hung up so they could continue their various missions without slowing down, Cole and the Dazzlings headed into the busier part of the city and took to the roofs, where they would be able to avoid being seen until the time was right. Cole took the position as the leader this time around, since he was the only one that knew the route through the city, and the Dazzlings were more than happen to follow him, though along the way they did have to silence a few Militia groups that happened to be along the roofs, no doubt making sure the area was secure before their leader's big speech. Fortunately it didn't take them too long to reach the roof of the building that not only gave them a good view of the stage that Bertrand would be standing on later, but it also gave them a good view of the beautiful cathedral that was across the street... though, due to the fact that the Dazzlings had pony ears, pony tails, and hooves they couldn't get any closer without someone ratting them out immediately, so they would have to stay on the roof until it was time for them to move in and capture their target.

"Hey Zeke, Kuo, we're in position for the rally," Cole said, though at the same time both he and the Dazzlings took up some positions around the roof that they were on, as all four of them had the feeling that it would be some time before their target took to the stage, "but we're going to stay out sight until Bertrand takes to the stage. Zeke, since the Dazzlings can't enter that place without being spotted immediately, I'll meet you inside and then you can call in our backup once I'm sure we're ready to move."

"Low profile, I got ya." Zeke replied, though as the call was cut off, without Kuo saying anything, Cole and the Dazzlings noticed Zeke walking into the area in front of the cathedral, so he could hear what would be said before his friend came into the area.

The four of them sat there and waited, knowing that something was definitely going to happen when the rally started, though they just had to be patient and wait to see what that something was... and make sure that they didn't just use their powers to strike down Bertrand when he took the stage, otherwise they'd never be able to find Wolfe.

---

As the next two hours ticked by, and the group found this to be incredibly boring as the day turned to night, the people of New Marais came out and visited the rally, where the Dazzlings spotted that the majority of them didn't seem to be people that they had helped earlier. The Militia was definitely out in force, no doubt looking for anyone or anything that they might need to fight while Bertrand was talking to the masses, and eventually their target emerged from wherever he had been hiding and started to address the crowd that had gathered in front of the cathedral. Bertrand, as the Dazzlings soon discovered when he stepped onto the stage, wore a black coat with leather boots, a white shirt underneath, with a red vest, while at the same time he appeared to be in his late fifties, maybe his early sixties, based on his face and the coloration of his hair. The moment Cole spotted him, and Zeke informed them that Bertrand was coming out onto the stage, he left the roof and headed down into the rally, where the people would be too focused on what their 'leader' was saying and wouldn't notice his arrival, while at the same time the Dazzlings remained where they were resting, as they could hear Bertrand just fine and would be waiting for the signal so they could move.

As Cole walked into the area he found Zeke standing in the middle of the crowd, sort of hidden from Bertrand since he hadn't been spotted yet, to which he walked over to where his friend was standing and kept himself from doing anything that would reveal where he was standing.

"My friends, tonight we face the gravest threat that this fair city has ever faced," Bertrand said, where he stopped in front of the podium that had been placed on the stage and turned to face the people that were in front of him, seemingly unaware of the enemies that were observing him, "The Devil walks among us... Cole MacGrath, the 'Electric Man', or more commonly called the 'Demon of Empire City', is here in New Marais. As are his terrible temptresses Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, three strange girls that are known to break your will just their voices, earning them their titles as the 'Sirens of Empire City'. I know, I know, I'm angry too. Our forefathers bled and died in defense of this city. When history called upon them to stand against the enemy! Did they surrender? No! They fought! To the last man... My men, these fine young men, are the guardians of this city. And they are all that stands between you and the freaks! And as God as my witness we will hunt them down and destroy them all!"

It was in the following moment that one of the scared citizens that happened to be in the crowd pointed out a figure that was on top of the scaffolding that was near the stage that Bertrand was standing on, a nearly human creature that had what appeared to be scythes for hands, clawed feet, and four mandibles in it's mouth. As the Dazzlings noticed the creature they also discovered that Bertrand seemed to know whatever it was as well, as the moment the creature appeared Bertrand whispered something to one of his guards and left, while at the same time the civilians fled in terror as more 'swamp monsters' appeared in the area. That was as good a signal as they could have asked for, as not a few seconds later the three of them flew from the top of the roof and landed behind Cole, who was approaching the strange swamp monsters that were threatening the people, and it was clear what they were going to be doing for the next couple of moments. That was followed by the four of them separating for a few seconds as they engaged the swamp monsters, where Cole beat his opponents with his Amp and blasted them away, Adagio used the moisture to form a spear made out of ice that allowed her to defeat her targets with ease, Aria simply blasted her opponents and fried them, and Sonata used the wind to slice the creatures up... and, once the four of them were done, they noticed Bertrand driving off in a limo and immediately followed after him.

To anyone else it would have been hard, if not impossible, to catch up with the limo and meet Bertrand, but Cole on the other hand, thanks to the assistance of the Dazzlings, was picked up into the air, flown to the front of the car, and dropped in such a manner that he would be able to land in front of the roof opening... where he was able to see Bertrand sitting down in the back of the car, apparently smoking a cigar and not caring about what was going on around him.

"Bertrand," Cole said, making sure that the phone line was open so that Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Zeke, and Kuo could hear what he was going to get out of the man, before the sisters swooped in to take him away to a private area for their little session anyway, "it's about time that you, the Dazzlings, and I had a chat."

"I have nothing to say to you... freak." Bertrand replied, though it was in that following instant that a helicopter, one that the Dazzlings originally assumed was one that was under someone elses control, lowered to a decent spot and caused Cole to hit the back on his head on the metallic foot railing... knocking him off the limo and allowing the car to disappear into the city at the same time.

The Dazzlings growled for a moment, as it appeared that they might have underestimated their enemy this time around, and grew more annoyed when the pilot of the helicopter blew up several of the cars that were around Cole, some that happened to have people inside them, and doused the area in flames. Aria, being the master of fire, reached out with her hand and summoned all the fire into the air, where she heard the pilot let out a stream of curses, since he apparently didn't know what sort of opponent was chasing Bertrand, before she formed the fire into a flaming sword that she hurled through the air and struck the gas part of the helicopter. Not a few seconds alter the vehicle exploded and the parts fell to the ground, the pilot killed for his crimes against the fair people of the city... and yet, as the four of them helped Cole back onto his feet, they knew that it was only a matter of time until they found out where their enemies were hiding Wolfe, and then they could get back to the real reason they were here, in New Marais.

At the very least it appeared the Zeke might, just might, have a lead for them to make up for what just happened, so the four of them moved to an area where Cole could rest for a few minutes and then they would move out before the Militia found them.

Comments

[Midnight Moon]

Cole knew exactly what Adagio was referring to, which had Kuo confused for a moment since they still hadn't told her that part of their power came from their pendants and, if they started to sing, they could cause whoever they were targeting to fall under their spell. They freed all of Empire City from Kessler's attempt to use a toxic gas to mind-control everyone, something that they wouldn't stand for, and also used it to temporarily take control of an enemy to get the location of something they needed, like the location of Moya's ship, before freeing them. What Adagio was suggesting, and what her sisters were agreeing with, was that they put Bertrand under their spell and force him to reveal where Wolfe was being held, any secrets that they might be able to use against him, the location of any Blast Cores, and, if they were in the mood to do so, even destroy his entire campaign by forcing him to make a number of terrible decisions that would turn the city against the Militia in moments. The best part would be the fact that they were still using their powers to protect people, especially if they managed to get him to arrange a meeting with the Militia so they could dismantle the entire army in one instant... though while he knew that something like that might not happen, as it would make things too easy for them, it was a nice thing to think about.

Careful, girls, that you don't become the very monsters you fight...

The Dazzlings growled for a moment, as it appeared that they might have underestimated their enemy this time around, and grew more annoyed when the pilot of the helicopter blew up several of the cars that were around Cole, some that happened to have people inside them, and doused the area in flames. Aria, being the master of fire, reached out with her hand and summoned all the fire into the air, where she heard the pilot let out a stream of curses, since he apparently didn't know what sort of opponent was chasing Bertrand, before she formed the fire into a flaming sword that she hurled through the air and struck the gas part of the helicopter. Not a few seconds alter the vehicle exploded and the parts fell to the ground, the pilot killed for his crimes against the fair people of the city... and yet, as the four of them helped Cole back onto his feet, they knew that it was only a matter of time until they found out where their enemies were hiding Wolfe, and then they could get back to the real reason they were here, in New Marais.

And that's why you do your research BEFORE you go after the heroes. Not that it'll help much, but at least they can die with a little dignity.