Haven Uprising

Last Chance

"So what did you find?"Morwenna began, getting right down to buisness the second Valkyrie stepped into the room.
"Quite a bit, but don't you think you should wait for everyone to arrive first?"She replied, hand on hip.

Ellie had fallen asleep on the ride back, so Tia had carried her back into her flat before we all went back to the lab.
None of us had had time to change or anything so my clothes still had a few bits of dried blood on them. Valk had given me a healing thingy pill, which she said should get me all healed up pronto. I had no idea what it was, but I'd taken it anyway. I didn't feel much better yet.

This meeting was more private, seemingly more urgent than the previous one with only a few people allowed in.
So far, it was just Me, Tia, Valk and Morwenna here, with both Nico and Gideon going home to sleep.

"Autumn, don't you fall asleep on me too,"Tia yawned, taking a seat.
"I..."I yawned back drowsily, covering my mouth,"I'm not falling asleep, you are."
I took a seat in her lap again, looking up so far I could see her face behind me.
"You are my cushion,"I smiled, laying against her.
"Noooo you're like a warm blanket,"Tia whined with a breathy laugh,"I'm gonna fall asleep."

Reyna barged through the door, looking angrily at Morwenna.
"You did WHAT to the soldiers!?"She yelled, outraged. Somehow that managed to snap me out of sleepy mode a bit.
"Reyna it's not-,"Luna came up behind her, touching her human arm gingerly,"She didn-"
"No, she can defend herself,"Reyna retorted, still glaring at Morwenna, who looked back with a slight frown,"Did you fire a fucking ballistic missile at a group of soldiers?"
I looked at Morwenna in horror.

"I did,"She responded evenly,"But I had a reason."
Reyna laughed humorlessly, making her way round the table. I shared a quick glance with Luna, who looked back worriedly before coming to sit down next to me and Tia.
"What reason, in the entire fucking universe, could possibly justify killing all those people!?"Reyna questioned, sitting right next to Morwenna and staring her down.

"It was the best course of action at the time,"She stated slowly,"If I let them just be there, the hovercarrier would've been shot down by the mechs or anyone with powers,"She checked off one on her fingers,"We had no way to incapacitate them so there was no viable alternative, no way to make a barrier to stop them firing, no time to stay back and find another way because they'd already called for backup." Morwenna leaned forwards so that hers and Reyna's noses almost touched, face still unexpressive,"So, Reyna, would you care to tell me; what did you expect me to do?"

Reyna leaned back, Morwenna doing the same.
"We lost five rebels during that, Reyna,"Morwenna told her, voice taking on a slightly gentler tone.
Reyna sighed, dropping the frown.

"Killing to stop killing is still wrong, even if it's right,"Reyna murmured
I nodded in agreement.

All of this felt wrong in some way. Causing pain to stop pain? Shooting to stop shooting? It was kind of hipocritical.

"The report, Valkyrie,"Morwenna reminded, and I relaxed back into Tia, her stoking my leg absentmindedly.
"AH yes,"Valkyrie began, sorting some nonexistant papers,"Vindicator's full plan is called Protocol X, and has four stages, the first two of which are complete."

"So what were the first two?"Luna prompted.
"Stage one was Identification,"Valk looked grim,"Which was the real reason behind Tartarus existing. She wanted to have a lot of people with powersets that fitted her pretty specific criteria analysed, so she could specifically target their DNA, and everyone else that fitted that trend, with stage three, and leaving out more questionable powers like... pfft- just as an example; Ellie's or Autumn's. She also picked up on a 'groundbreaking new technology' somewhere in there which she apparently put into a few things like handcuffs, power suppression chips and was also trying to put into mechs, which apparently succeeded."

"Stage Two?"Luna asked.
"Getting to it, Stage two was Preparation, being the main thing that we didn't predict. Rather than have a machine built to do the Earth revival thingy, Vindicator wanted to do it herself."
"So basically, she'd take everyone's powers, bestow them upon herself, and use them to do the thing?"Reyna asked, sitting back up again.
"Exactly that,"Valkyrie replied,"Leaving her as some kind of god and everyone else, according to what it said, her loyal followers. Although really they'd really just end up being her loyal dead bodies." That was disturbing. "She'd planned to have a suit of armour made which could hold all the powers in it without hurting her and as far as I know she succeeded."

"So what's the next stage?"Tia asked from above me, somehow fully alert.
"Stage three..."Valkyrie looked even sadder if that was possible,"Stage three is Collection. She'll take everyone's powers she needs through some complicated array network which covers all of Haven already. It's centred on The Dome, meaning she needs to be in there for it to take effect. She's also having pretty big defences built around it, to stop any crusade we try to make against it."

Everyone was silent, just taking it in

"Stage four is where she 'saves the world' but that's not really important..."She trailed off

"When is Stage three planned to take place?"Morwenna probed.
"Twenty-sixth of June,"Valkyrie announced,"Two days from now. Although we might've risked her bringing it closer by assaulting an airliner."
"So we attack later today!"Morwenna suggested,"Strike fast and hard before anything can happen."

Everyone groaned.

"We're all tired though,"Luna moaned,"I doubt I could draw a duck later, let alone assault a former government headquarters."
Morwenna sighed,"Okay fine, tomorrow then." She looked grim, looking round the table at everyone assembled there.

"Remember though, this is our last chance to save our home."

*

Tia had to float me home in a bubble, and at long last I could feel the warmth of a bed.

I took my shorts off, even though I was comfortable enough already, snugggling down under the covers in the soft pink lighting.

Tia lay next to me, jacket off, along with her jeans; her arms and legs bare.
Just like so many weeks ago the first time we'd slept together. That all seemed so innocent now.

Her saving me from a nightmare and letting me drift off in her arms.

"Autumn... I,"Celestia began, her voice barely more than a gently whisper,"I just want to say that if I don't make it out alive when we go for The Dome, and I know it might end up being hard but, you're gonna need to try and carry on without me."She looked like she was fighting back tears, that sad look in her eyes,"If I don't... survive. It's a big if; but..."She trailed off, looking down at the pillow.
I took a few moments, thinking of the right words.

"I really don't think I can,"I admitted,"I need you with me to do pretty much anything."
"And that's why it's hard,"She returned,"But please, Autumn. Promise me you'll try?"

I hesitated, not replying immidiately. Just imagining doing anything at all without her there was impossible.

"I can try,"I conceded,"I promise."I probably wouldn't succeed, but I could try. For her.
Tia nodded,"Thank you."

"Tia, what would you do without me,"I asked,"In case the opposite comes true?"
"No, please don't make me imagine that,"Tia responded,"I just can't"

I grabbed her in a hug, arms tight around her back. She hugged back fiercely.
"I love you,"I murmured into her chest.
She rested her chin on my head, and I felt her neck vibrate with the words,"I love you too."

I wondered if I'd ever hear her say that again