Age of Apocalypse: Behind Enemy Lines

[x-eidolon.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, the Horsemen gather to confer over some puzzling intel.



~Pestilence online.~ A silent figure, so still as to almost be mistaken for a fixture on the hovering mechanical vehicle it sat astride, dispassionately surveyed the crumbling slum below.

~Just once, consider surprising us with an instance when you are not.~

Seconds later a matching vehicle appeared, bearing with it the speaker from the other end of the com-link. It ascended to match altitude and pulled to a position even with the first. The rider gave the ruined city a cursory scan before turning his attention to the featureless helmet of Pestilence.

"I see Death is as untimely as always," Famine noted.

A third vehicle lifted up from the side of the building and matched height with the others, its rider seated side-saddle, hooded and wrapped in a shockingly clean pearl-grey cloak. "A pity then that I am not the last of us. I do not suppose either of you gentlemen would know where our fourth is?" Death asked lightly.

Famine shrugged. "If I had to hazard a guess, either performing a cull or too important for standard recognizance. We three should be sufficient."

Death gave a snort. "Boring. One well planned and executed assassination is worth any hundred of War's cullings." Even muffled by the hood, the Horseman's voice was clearly unimpressed.

Summarily ignoring her, Famine tilted his head at their third in quick, reptilian movement. "Have you arrived at a verdict?"

In contrast to Famine's quick movement, the tilt of Pestilence's head was deliberate and precise, each motion measured and considered, with no waste in it.

A pair of tiny specks fluttered up to land on the back of his hand. Like Pestilence, these could have been mistaken for less than what they were at first glance - a pair of bees, in an area essentially devoid of plant life. It was only at close examination that the technological enhancements -reinforced wings, micro-miniaturized cameras, data storage in the thoraxes -became clear. Antennae brushed against tiny interface ports in his knuckles.

"Confirmed," came the clipped reply. "Resistance incursion detected."

Death watched silently as one of the bees lifted off and flitted out of sight, and the other circled Pestilence's head in a perfectly elliptical orbit. "They must be running out of ideas if they are coming here," she said. There was a flicker of movement behind the hood, and Death raised her face to the sky. "No strategy I can consider makes sense at this time. The resistance forces are outnumbered. They would not send in a suicide mission, it wouldn't accomplish anything."

"They do seem to enjoy their pointless last stands," remarked Famine, waving away an insect that ventured too close without regard for its augments. "I'm not inclined to complain about any hobby that makes the job easier. I'm rather more curious as to their purported identities. Pestilence, confirm. Who are we looking at?"

Compact, yet extremely detailed displays hinged upward from within Famine and Death's vehicles, displaying frozen images taken from the surveillance video Pestilence had downloaded. As each individual figure was highlighted, a reticule dropped over their face while information scrolled along one side of the screen.

Long brown hair streaked with several unnatural colors surrounded the first face to display. "Designate - Hayes, Molly. Alias 'Rosie', codename 'Riveter'. Powers - enhanced strength and invulnerability. Known resistance member, previously at large. Threat level - medium, individual."

"Formerly a mercenary, I believe. I can't imagine she'll cause significant trouble for any of us."
Gray skin on a face with a hard expression showed in the next reticule. "Designate - Espinosa, Angelo. Codename 'Skin'. Powers - highly morphological dermis. Known resistance member, previously presumed dead following severe injury in battle with Horseman War. Threat level - medium, individual."

"I suppose War will have a perfectly rational explanation as to why he has returned." Death said, voice all too sincere. "Perhaps the resistance has found how War keeps her prefects intact when she wants them to come back from a slaughter." She doubted it, and sounded like she doubted it. "This is why mass murder is inefficient. So hard to ensure that someone is dead."

Goggles pushed up on a forehead just below a shock of short blond hair. "Designate - Guthrie, Samuel. Codename 'Cannonball'." Pestilence's head abruptly twitched sideways. "Error. Designate Cannonball previously killed by Horseman Death at timedatestamp 37823.1." A photo of a corpse replaced the portrait. "DNA of designate verified by forensic division with 99.999% certainty. Presence at this time highly improbable."

"What were you saying about ensuring all kills were correctly accounted for?" asked Famine.

"Error? What do you mean error? You do not make errors." And now Death, if her face had been visible would've been gaping at Pestilence. "I confirmed that kill personally." She always did.

"Powers - flight by means of thermokinetic reaction, invulnerability during active use of power. Threat level - medium/high due to mobility and potential of summoning reinforcements. Recommendation - containment, utilization of battlefield geometry to counteract mobility."

"A job for you, I'd say." Famine turned to Death and gave her a slow wag of his eyebrows. "Then again, it seems your last attempt was rather lacking. . ."

"I do not miss. This is very odd."

Red on black eyes smoldered out of the next face. "Designate - LeBeau, Remy. Codename 'Gambit'." Pestilence's head did not twitch this time, but a note of what in anyone else might be considered confusion entered his voice. "Error. Designate Gambit previously executed by Lord Apocalypse following capture at timedatestamp 39713.0" Video of Apocalypse standing over Remy's broken body displayed. "DNA of designate verified by forensic division with 99.999% certainty."

Famine cocked his shaven head. "Now that one is curious. I remember that execution. In fact, I believe I still have the leftovers."

"Powers - energy projection by means of explosive release of ambient kinetic energy. Extreme spatial awareness and enhanced agility. Threat level -high. Designate highly capable tactician, previously identified as leader of resistance movement."

His fellow Horseman considered for a moment, then shrugged. "I've no particular interest in a second helping of LeBeau."

"I believe I can confront Gambit." And if there was the slightest hint of something odd in the Horsemen's voice - doubt, perhaps? "Unless this is a ghost? I fail to understand. How can Gambit be back from the dead? Dead is... hold that thought please for a moment, merci." Death turned, and bent over the back of her vehicle, pulling out a slender white tablet computer.

A few taps of her gloved finger, and she huffed in frustration. "There were rumors, years ago about a girl who could resurrect the dead, but I have no confirmation of such a person in the resistance, or our people. I would know if we had that power available to us. It is in my domain. I can offer no other explanation. LeBeau is dead. Cannonball is dead. We had confirmation."

"A possibility. I'm sure Apocalypse would welcome an opportunity to interrogate. We must endeavor to retain one of these apparent resurrectees. Cannonball, perhaps. Or LeBeau if we must, though I would not volunteer to transport him unless his limbs have been removed and his mouth covered as a precaution." Famine shrugged. "Ah, well. A puzzle for later. Continue, Pestilence."

Dark brown, slightly unruly hair framed equally dark, equally unruly eyes. "Designate - Maximoff, Wanda. Codename 'Scarlet Witch'. Designate previously believed dead in destruction of Infinite factory, chaos powers possible explanation for improbability of multiple deceased designates being present. Powers - probability manipulation through chaos energy. Threat level - extreme."

"Her I shall take. It's been quite some time." Famine gave Pestilence a cool smile. "And I am well aware how much order abhors chaos."

Blue eyes glared out from underneath hair even unrulier than the previous target. "Designate - Haller, David. Codename 'Legion'. Known resistance member, previously at large. Powers - broad-spectrum psi; telepathy, macro- and micro- telekinesis. Threat level - extreme, possibility of enhancing other designates through psionic link. Recommendation - overwhelm concentration through constant phage attack."

"You can have him." Death offered, oh-so-generously. "If we can isolate Gambit and Cannonball I believe I can take both. Only one of them is invulnerable, and I can always have him shot again. I still have that asset available to me, it would not take long to defrost it."

"Agreeable. I never did develop a taste for psis. As for the others, well. We'll take them as they come." Famine rolled his bare shoulders, then paused. "Pestilence, that was six. Did your initial report not indicate eight?"

Pestilence's helmet bobbed up and down once in the barest minimum of a nod. "Two other designates previously detected, but are not currently located with other resistance designates." A pair of photographs showed, side by side - a stern-faced, older man, and a younger, redheaded woman. "Designate - Essex, Nathaniel. Designate - Kinross-Dayspring, Rachel."

"Revenant has been off our radar since the executions. Perhaps she has taken up revenge tactics. Suicide missions as revenge seems so pointless though, yes?" Death scoffed. "There is no sign of them at all, since they entered the city?"

"Negative. Designates have separated from larger group. Objective unknown." From anyone else, that 'unknown' would have sounded annoyed. Pestilence clearly was not used to not knowing something.

"Objective irrelevant. They can't be far. We'll sort through the others, then round up the spares." Famine turned to the other two and bared white, white teeth in a smile.

"Now. Let's go say hello, shall we?"