DC: Vessel

"Ma'am, the helicopter is ready."

Nodding, I watched for the third time, the feed from the helmet Titan had worn before it cut off.

'You ran far, Doctor. Further than I thought you would.'

Sighing, I collected myself before turning around and heading out — only to be stopped by one of the techs.

"Ma'am! Something fast is heading in from three towns over. We have reason to believe it's Titan. Would you like—"

Raising my hand, I cut him off and slowly shook my head.

"Titan can make it here fine on his own. Leave him be."

It was a blow to my pride, realizing that the Doctor's last stand had undone the conditioning I'd placed on Dean… but it wasn't something I could change — at least, not here and now.

Turning away from the tech, I headed for the elevator to reach the roof.

'It's a loss that the prisoners I didn't get to transport will more than likely die here… but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.'

The elevator arrived with a beep, and I was greeted by one of the staff holding an umbrella. The storm from days ago hadn't let up.

"Ma'am, I don't think it's wise to fly in this weather!" he yelled over the wind and rain.

I looked at him, then at the dark clouds above.

"Stay here, then. I'm sure you and the one coming will be glad to see each other."

Taking the umbrella, I nodded at the pilot, who stared at me with clear unease.

"If you're about to say what I think you are—save it. Get us out of here now… and without crashing."

Ignoring the pilot as he looked at the copilot and shrugged, I felt the propellers spin to life.

As we lifted off, I could've sworn I saw something glowing red in the distance.

·——·

Slightly blurred by the rain, I saw the building ahead and something moving away in the sky, but I kept my focus on the structure where Waller would be.

I let gravity take hold as I neared the roof, landing knees first on the cold concrete. A ragged breath escaped my lips.

"Where is she?" I asked, rising to my feet and brushing wet strands of hair from my face. I approached a guard drenched in rain. He mumbled something then yelped as I grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up.

"Where?"

He hesitated, then pointed below us. I glanced down, then back at him and threw him aside. Raising my foot, I tensed, then slammed it down hard. The concrete shattered beneath me, and gravity greeted me again pulling me through.

Dust clouded my vision. I gave a forceful sweep of my arm, clearing it.

An empty room.

My room.

"All this time I had been nothing but her fucking puppet."

The anger didn't fade. Not as I stared at the door leading to the hallway I'd grown used to, the one I once thought led to a new life.

I walked to it, raised my hand to the handle then froze.

The door could lead one to their Heaven, or to their Hell. There was no in-between for him.

Heat simmered in my chest, rising up my throat and into my eyes — then lasers shot out, obliterating the handle and blasting through the door.

When the smoke cleared, I stepped over what remained of it, feeling just a tad bit lighter.

The hallway was quiet.

Familiar emotions stirred as I walked through, the ones I'd felt when I first arrived. Back then, they would've overwhelmed me. And to say I wasn't still overwhelmed would be a lie…

But it felt dulled now.

'Waller...'

My jaw tightened as I reached the end of the hallway, where the hidden passage lay. Heat rose again, climbing from my chest to my eyes and I carved out a gap wide enough to step through.

Once I reached it, I let the heat settle and knocked the wall down with a simple tap. Dust and stone gave way.

But as I passed through, my brows furrowed.

No Waller.

'Did she know?'

Tap tap tap... Eyes cast far and wide weigh heavy on the soul.

Shaking my head, I ignored the ones who remained, still staring at me with a mixture of expressions, until I arrived and towered over one of the techs I knew had worked on my suit.

"Where is Waller?"

Shifting back, I felt heat travel up my neck and settle in my eyes as they landed on the gun the older man was reaching for. We both watched it melt before I let the heat fade again.

"I'll ask once more—"

My hand wrapped around his neck, and I watched him struggle as I lifted him up. The people around us started moving, some of the guards pulling out their weapons.

"Where. Is. Waller."

"F-Fuck you."

Twitching at the response, I threw the man into a guard before tilting my head as a bullet passed by.

'Is it because of my other self?'

I took what felt like a small step forward—yet I surged toward one of the guards and clocked him in the face with as little strength as I could. Still, it was enough to break his jaw and send him crumpling to the ground.

Moving faster than the rest could react, as a hail of bullets landed where I once stood, I began a series of light punches toward each guard. Before long, all of them were down, knocked out, a broken bone or two between them.

Sighing, I looked around and frowned before closing my eyes. I'd just realized I could've used my hearing to check if Waller was nearby.

'Though I don't know how good my hearing really is.'

Other than snooping on Waller's fake emergency calls, and that one time at the burning building, I hadn't really tried to train it.

'I can't hear anything other than the beating hearts of those under the ground and in..cells.'

I knew none of those heartbeats belonged to Waller. I wasn't sure how I knew—but I just knew.

'Was it that thing in the sky?'

Shooting up through the ceiling, I was greeted by the storm. I turned toward the last place I'd seen whatever was up here.

'Annoying.'

Looking down at the building filled with Waller's men, I felt the heat build up around my neck, settling like a raging river in my eyes.

'How many of them could've stopped her? Helped me? Prevented what she caused?'

The storm intensified. Hail pelted my skin, but left no damage. I sighed, looked up and ignored the shard of ice that shattered against my eye.

'I don't want to cross the line… no matter how much I feel like it.'

It hurt just thinking about the lives I—the other me had taken. About the families torn apart by Waller and its actions.

Looking back down, I saw the guard I'd thrown earlier. I dropped in front of him, my knee taking the brunt of the fall.

Standing up, I ignored his words and looked down at him—not just because he was on the ground.

But because, for the first time, I truly looked down on someone. Someone so... weak.

In a way, it felt like I was looking at who I used to be.

Before I took the drug that made me stronger—better, it was both a blessing and a curse that changed my life.

I watched him in silence as he finally stood, then looked away and shot up into the stormy sky.

"Time to head home."