National Guard Emergency Clinic, Friday Early Afternoon
Hours had passed and there was still no sign of Regenerator. One of the National Guardswomen said that she thought she'd heard that he's been transported somewhere else, another said that there had been an outbreak on one of the upper floors and that the hero was dealing with that. Hearing that bit of rumor, Kathy'd tried to get out of bed and go help out, but her legs had crumpled under her and she'd ended up sprawled on the floor. Raven had helped her back into bed and one of the volunteer nurses had shooed the Guards away. They could speculate somewhere else, where a hero with more heart than sense couldn't overhear. So long as they got Regenerator here immediately whenever he showed back up, they could go be useless anywhere else.
The convulsions were getting worse. Of everything, that was the most frightening thing to watch. Her fever was spiking; sometimes burning so hot that they could feel the heat radiating off her skin. They gave her drugs to bring her fever down, drugs to help with the pain, but she kept blazing through them. They'd given her seven doses in a matter of hours and it barely seemed to dent. She was sleeping now, fitful and restless, often moaning in pain.
Most of the recent bite victims made it to about twelve to fourteen hours before they succumbed to the virus and turned. Kathy didn't look like she was going to make it to eight.
Gorgon
There was a disturbance on the floor outside Kathy's 'room.' Voices were raised in alarm, people's cries of feat intermingling with the noises of pain. That disturbance resolved itself into Gorgon, who flung himself through the privacy curtains a few seconds later. "Banzai! I heard--!" he cried, then put his hand to his mouth when he saw her curled up on the bed. "Oh baby," he said, quietly now. "Oh baby, no."
Raven
Raven had been hovering, but backed off when Gorgon came running over. She didn't entirely understand his and Kathy's relationship -- it was kind of a mentor thing, like with Mr. Spencer, but with way more UST as far as she could tell -- but she wasn't about to deny anyone their chance to say goodbye.
This wasn't how it was supposed to have happened. Regenerator would be getting a hell of an earful from Raven about how long he'd been making Kathy wait, even if she was fading faster than the others ever had. But Raven had never been as optimistic about Kathy's chances as Kathy had been, not after the first rush of adrenaline when she saw the bite.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should've -- I'm sorry."
Gorgon
It might have developed into something more than UST if it hadn't been for those meddling kids. He'd watched her grow up from cutely awkward teen to self-possessed hero and the interest he hadn't been able to return when she'd been a kid had sharpened into something far more serious when she'd returned to LA to fight the exes.
Looking down at her now, though, he wondered if he shouldn't have sent her home with her friends that day at the diner. She looked...so...
"Where's Regenerator?" he asked, voice hoarse. "He could fix this is seconds. So where the fuck is he?"
Hi, Mystique. He'd get around to, you know, actually acknowledging you in a second.
Raven
No, by all means. The staff knew Gorgon better than they knew her, and he was definitely better at throwing his weight around. Maybe he could make them get Regenerator here in time. She wrapped her arms around her chest and bit her lip. "No one knows for sure, yet," she said. "He was supposed to be waiting for us, but Kath -- B-Banzai --"
But Kathy had insisted on going out fighting as literally as possible.
Gorgon
"But she's been here for hours!" he said, smacking his fist into the palm of his other hand. "He called me when you finally made it in! He should have been here by now!"
Gorgon shoved the curtains aside and yelled down the hallway, "Where the fuck is Regenerator!"
Several nurses and National Guards tried to hush him, but he wasn't having any of it. "Someone go find him!" he demanded, voice echoing through the large space. This emergency clinic had been converted from a warehouse and other than lining it with beds and bringing in medical equipment, they'd done nothing to change its appearance. "Tell him that Banzai needs help now! Not whenever it's convenient for him--now!"
Kathy
"Who's yelling?" Kathy mumbled, trying to push herself up in the bed. Her fever was back and her eyes were bright and glassy. "'S somethin' wrong? I c'n help..."
Raven
"No no." Raven grabbed Kathy's hand and squeezed. "It's okay, Kathy. It's just Gorgon. He's freaking out." And Gorgon was now getting a firm gold glare for all his shouting. Apparently he wasn't going to manage to get any more done here than she did.
Gorgon
"Hey, baby," Gorgon said, giving Raven a sheepish look from behind his goggles. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up. Just trying to get Regenerator here faster." He pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna try to give him a ring, you sit tight, alri--"
Kathy
Kathy lunged over the side of the bed, clinging tightly to the edge while she threw up. There wasn't much left in her stomach, so she ended up mostly dry heaving, while sweat poured off her face and drenched the tank top she was wearing. "Don't look," she croaked, trying to wave both of them out. "This is gross, don't watch."
Raven
"We're not going anywhere," Raven assured her, trying to put on a smile. "And I think you've earned the right to be as gross as you need to be. Besides, I lived on the streets of New York during the Great Depression. You think I haven't seen gross?"
She actually lived on the streets of New York shortly after the Great Depression. But she didn't think Kathy would be calling her bluff right now.
Gorgon
Gorgon looked profoundly uncomfortable. "Uhh, should one of us be holding her hair back or something?" he asked.
Look, he didn't even do this for the celebrities he represented!
Kathy
Kathy pulled herself away from the edge of the bed, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "No, it's okay," she croaked. "I'm done. I just--" She grimaced at the taste inside her mouth: yellow bile and disgusting. "Is there water anywhere? I feel like I could drink a river right now? And more of those pain pills maybe?"
At first, she'd tried to refuse them, saying she had to stay clear-headed, suggested they give them to people worse off than she was. Now, she was almost pathetically grateful for them.
Gorgon
"I'll go see," Gorgon said, and all but fled the room.
Raven
Raven stared after him, deeply unimpressed. "Hopefully he'll find Regenerator, at least." She turned back to Kathy and reached for her hand again, unconcerned with its heat and sweatiness. She'd gotten over her crush on her months ago, but that didn't mean she didn't still love her with all her heart.
"You're going to be okay," she said, wishing she believed it. "There are too many people rooting for you. The multiverse wouldn't break that many hearts."
Kathy
"You forget," Kathy said, clinging tightly to Raven's hand. "I'm also just too damn awesome to die. Especially to something like this. Only chumps become exes, remember?"
Raven
Raven was trying extremely hard to keep her composure here, Kathy. You were not helping. "Right." The word came out a little squeaky and Raven had to look away for a second while she got her tear ducts under control. "Definitely. We'll laugh about how scared we were, later."
Kathy
"You were scared," Kathy corrected. "I always knew 'Genny would save the day."
She realized how hard she was squeezing Raven's hand and eased the pressure off. "You didn't call my family, did you? I don't want them seeing me like this. It'll just scare them for no reason."
Raven
It honestly hadn't occurred to Raven to call Kathy's parents. Was that bad? "No. You'll see them later, anyway."
Kathy
Well, Kathy appreciated it!
"Thanks," she said, resting her head on Raven's shoulder. "I just want this to be over. You don't think something's happened to him, do you? I mean--he's Regenerator. He's immortal."
Raven
Something had better have happened to him, letting Kathy go through all this. "I don't know. I bet Gorgon will be back soon to tell us, though."
Kathy
"I'm sorry to put you through this," Kathy said, sounding miserable. She was shivering again, curling up into a small ball at Raven's side. "I'm sorry for putting you through everything. I'm sorry for taking so long to get here and I'm sorry for..."
She trailed off, looking confused again. "I don't remember. But whatever it is, I'm sorry for it."
Raven
Dammit, Kathy! Raven had still been trying not to cry! "Shush," she said, her voice choked. "Don't be stupid. You can't apologize for being you."
Kathy
"Pretty sure I can," Kathy said with a hicupping little laugh. "I've been doing it all my life, after all. I just kinda fell out of the habit recently. But maybe if I hadn't been so me, we wouldn't be here..."
She went quiet for a moment. "We wouldn't have to watch a world die. This is the way the world ends, you know? Not with a bang or even a whimper, but with the chattering of teeth."
Raven
Raven shook her head, smiling through the tears she wasn't trying to hold back anymore. "Nuh uh. If it'd mean you not being you, I wouldn't trade it. Even for the stupid world."
Gorgon
Gorgon shuffled in again, holding a glass of water and a fistful of pills. "Hey baby," he said softly. "Got these for you. How you doing? You look..."
He hesitated, clearly searching for the right word.
Kathy
Pretty awful," Kathy supplied, reaching for the pills and water with gratitude. "Yeah, I got that memo."
She was appreciating how Raven was valiantly ignoring the stink of her small vomit puddle.F
Raven
Yeah, Raven wasn't going to get chased out of here just because dying was gross. "Did you find him?"
Gorgon
"I wasn't gonna say that," Gorgon said, handing them over to Kathy with a smile more gentle than he'd worn in much of his adult life. "More like you've just closed out one of Lindsey Lohan's parties. Which, okay, isn't so shit-hot, but it is recoverable." Turning to include Raven in the conversation, he added,. "Got all the mobile people here sweeping the floors and the tents outside. Dragon's doing the same for the hospital over on Hollywood and if he's there, he'll fly him over. We got you, baby."
Kathy
Kathy tossed back the pills and swallowed half the glass in one go. God, she was so thirsty. "Thanks," she said, expression nakedly grateful. "I'd say I could kiss you, but--" She gestured to her herself, figuring that said everything it needed to.
Raven
"Save it for the victory party when we get you healed up," Raven suggested, wiping furiously at her cheeks. She didn't mind if Kathy was seeing her cry. Having Gorgon hanging around while she did it was kind of weird.
Kathy
"Then I'll be making out with everyone," Kathy agreed with a laugh that was cut short an instant later. "What happened?" she demanded, sitting up straight and peering around. No good, though; the blackout was all but absolute. "Did someone cut the power? Is it an attack? What happened to the lights?!"
Gorgon
"Lights?" Gorgon asked, glancing up at the big, industrial florescent lights that bathed everything in harsh, unforgiving white light. "What about them?"
Raven
Raven's gut twisted, and she waved her hand experimentally in front of Kathy's eyes. They didn't quite look right, the pupil gone faintly blue as whatever the virus was doing to her started to mess with her corneas. "It's alright, Kathy. We're not being attacked. Regenerator will fix your eyes with everything else."
She shot a look back at Gorgon she hoped he was clever enough to interpret.
Regenerator wasn't going to make it in time.
Gorgon
Gorgon took a deep, silent breath, then shook his head. No, he didn't believe that. Couldn't believe that. 'Genny was going to show up at the last second, save the day, and then probably get punched in the face a few times for making them worry so much. That was what was going to happen, Mystique. They were fucking heroes. Improbable saves what they did!
Normally, even he wouldn't believe that line of bullshit, but this was Kathy. He had to cling to that. She was too fucking young, too fucking vibrant for anything else to happen.
"Relax, baby, relax," he said, voice thick. "You just gotta stay calm, okay? Just a few more minutes. He'll be here, it's okay."
And then when he was done healing Kathy, Gorgon would see how long it took for him to regrow his teeth and set his fucking jaw.
Kathy
Kathy didn't answer. She'd went into convulsions instead.
Raven
Raven stretched her arm over Kathy's chest to keep her from falling off the cot. Part of her wanted to run out of the room so she wouldn't have to see what happened, but she wouldn't abandon her friend like that.
She just had to make herself stronger. She could be whatever she needed to be, after all.
Gorgon
"Hey!" Gorgon yelled, over the screams of the heart monitor. "Hey! We need a little help here! She's--she's seizing!"
An orderly rushed in, followed by a pair of National Guardsmen, their rifles out. The orderly immediately went over to the bed and started pulling out the heavy straps to fasten over Kathy.
"Hey!" Gorgon snapped. "What the fuck are you getting those for?"
The orderly didn't even look at him. "They're for our protection, sir. This is the final stage before death."
Raven
Raven bulked up, shifting so that her skin thickened into the bony plates she'd learned the exes couldn't bite through. She moved back only just enough for the guardsmen to strap Kathy down, but hissed at them when they tried to move her back.
"It's okay, Kathy. We're not going anywhere. It's okay if -- if you need to --" God, she'd been in pain for so long now. How did people watch their loved ones go through long wasting illnesses? She could barely handle half a day, here. "If you need to be done."
Kathy
The fit lasted for almost five minutes, Kathy arching up so far that it looked like her spine would snap. Bruises bloomed on her wrists and ankles as they pressed against the solid material of the the restraints. Then, just as suddenly as the convulsions started, they stopped. Kathy flopped back to the bed, weak and drained.
"Raven..." she whispered, lips barely moving. "I think--I think you should call my parents."
Raven
"I'm sorry," Raven said softly. "I don't think there's enough time."
Gorgon
"Don't say that!" Gorgon roared. "Regenerator's going to be here, just give him another minute, fuck!"
"Sir," one the guardsmen said, looking nervous. "We're going to have to ask you to calm down--"
"You wanna see calm?" Gorgon asked, whirling around to face the guards, his hands up to the release on his goggles. "I'll give you some fucking calm--"
"Oh shit," a new voice said from the makeshift doorway to Kathy's little room. "Oh, Banzai."
Kathy
Kathy turned in the direction of that new voice and gave a smile. It was a shadow of her usual bright grin and it caused the cracks in her lips to bleed, but it was there.
"Hi, 'Genny," she said, waggling her fingers in the restraints. "'Fraid I need a little bit of help."
"Told you," she added in a stage-whisper in Raven's general direction. "Told you he'd come." And still wearing her smilet, Kathy slipped into unconsciousness.
Raven
"Where the hell have you --" Raven started, but reined herself in. She stepped back just enough to make sure Regenerator had room. "Fix her."
Regenerator
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Regenerator babbled, still staring at Banzai in horrified disbelief. "I fell asleep--I've been healing people since four this morning without a break--and I just passed out. Dragon found me, he's waiting outside..."
He shoved his way past the guardsman. "You two, out," he said. I need more room to work. Nurse?"
The orderly snapped to attention as he demanded various medications and then bolted out of the doorway, the guardsmen right behind. Regenerator eyed Mystique and Gorgon, then shrugged. He didn't think he'd have any luck ordering them to leave. "What happened?" he asked, laying his hands on her, one on her forehead, the other on her chest. "I thought you said she'd been bitten less than an hour before you got her here!"
Raven
Raven nodded. "That's right. But she wouldn't -- slow down. She kept trying to save people. Could that have sped it up?"
Gorgon
"She's a fucking speedster, 'Genny," Gorgon said in disgust. "Haven't you ever seen her eat? Move? She's like a humming bird on crack. Did you not take that into your fucking estimations when you put her at the back of the line for healing?"
Regenerator
Regenerator's stricken expression suggested that no, no he had not.
The orderly rushed back in, hands full of bottles of medicine and syringes. "Quick!" Regenerator said, voice taking on a new urgency. "We don't have a lot of time. We're losing her."
Gorgon
"What the fuck do you mean you're losing her?" Gorgon demanded helplessly while the orderly prepped a syringe with a needle the looked as long as his forearm almost. "You're here. You're Regenerator. You can heal anything! I watched you heal a guy who'd almost been sawn in half in that car accident!"
Raven
Really, Gorgon? How often had yelling at something fixed a problem when it came to exes? "Shut up and let the man work!"
Regenerator
"This is different," Regenerator explained anyway, sweat beading up at his hairline. "This fights back. Usually when I'm healing, the body wants to become whole and healthy again." He grunted, his voice going thin under the strain. "This--it doesn't. The virus is strong and fights back. I--She's not breathing!"
The heart monitor began screaming shrilly again, not for an erratic heartbeat this time.
Flatline.
"Now!" Regenerator yelled and the orderly slammed the needle into Kathy's chest. Kathy's body twitched like it was having another convulsion, but otherwise remained unchanged.
"We've lost the heartbeat," the orderly replied
Flatline.
"Shut up, I can still fix this!" Regenerator snapped. "C'mon Banzai!"
FLATLINE.
Raven
Raven choked, pressing her hands over her mouth.
How could you be waiting for something for eight hours and still have it come as a shock?
FLATLINE.
Regenerator
Another orderly poked her head in. "Regenerator, we need you--"
"Not yet!" Regenerator snapped, not looking up from where he was focusing all his energy on Kathy. "I can still--"
FLATLINE.
"Sir, we have to call it," the first orderly said, stepping back.
"Dammit, I can heal anything! Anything!" His voice was thick with tears.
"Not death, sir," the orderly said quietly. "And she--she didn't make it. She's dead sir. But there are other people who need your help, too."
FLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINE
Raven
Raven sobbed just once and grabbed onto Kathy as best she could around the straps. Long practice was the only thing that kept her in bone-plate as she finally let herself break down.
Regenerator
FLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINE
Regenerator waved at the heart monitor. "Shut it off," he said to the orderly. "It's not doing anyone any good anymore."
His shoulders slumped and he looked like an old, old man as he turned towards Gorgon. "I'm sorry, Nick. So sorry. Sorrier than you can imagine, actu--"
Gorgon didn't say anything as he hauled back and punched Regenerator in his goddamn face.
Kathy
And, suddenly, like a miracle, Kathy stirred, pressing against the restraints.
Raven
Raven picked her head up and looked at her friend. "Kathy?"
Look, she was grieving. She could be forgiven for being slightly dumb.
Not...Kathy
Kathy stared straight up at Raven and lunged forward, teeth clacking against the hard shell of Raven's anti-ex armor. Her teeth couldn't find purchase, but it didn't stop her from trying to rip a chunk off anyway.
Raven
"Oh," Raven said, voice small. She held still, letting Kathy continue to gnaw on her so she wouldn't try for anyone else. "What do we do now?"
Regenerator
Regenerator and Gorgon were still squaring off, Regenerator's face showing no signs of the punch Gorgon had thrown. His face had cooperated with the healing. At Raven's words, they both spun around to stare in horror at the thing in Kathy's bed.
"No," Regenerator whispered. "How?! Reanimation takes at least an hour and usually three!"
Gorgon
"Speedster, you dumb fuck," Regenerator said almost absently. He was still staring at Kathy's face, heartbreak written on every line. "Same thing as before. Same fucking thing as before."
Regenerator
"We...we should call in one of the soldiers," Regenerator said. "They'll--they'll make it quick."
Raven
"No." Raven stared down at her friend -- or where her friend was supposed to be -- and felt an anger begin to burn in her chest. It wasn't fair. "She always wanted to believe the exes could be saved. If we find a cure, she should get to benefit from it."
Gorgon
"No!" Gorgon said at the same time. He didn't have any of Raven's reasons, just a sincere, heartfelt no. He couldn't face the thought of someone coming in and--no. They'd watched her die once already. He couldn't handle it happening again. "Just no. I'll drop anyone who comes near."
His hands were on his goggles to make good on the threat.
Regenerator
"I know you're pissed and I'm sorry," Regenerator said, holding his hands up. He looked at Gorgon and shook his head, then began addressing Raven. Maybe she could be swayed to reason. "But just let them take care of her, okay? You don't want her wandering around as one of them, do you? You don't want to imagine Kathy doing...unspeakable things to innocent people. It's not what she would have wanted."
Raven
"So put her somewhere she can't hurt anyone." Raven slowly pulled herself away from Kathy's gnawing teeth. "I don't know how much Kathy told you about where we went to school. But the people there can do anything. They didn't even blink at a speedster and a shapeshifter. Someone there can cure this. You just need to buy me time to get them."
Ex-Kathy
Kathy tried to cling on with her teeth alone, struggling madly against her restraints. Once Raven was out of reach, her head lolled to take in all of them, snapping her jaw at every one.
clack clack clack
The Mighty Dragon
"It's too dangerous!" Regenerator protested.
"You lost the right to have a vote the minute you fucking let her die," Gorgon snarled. "You're lucky I'm not draining you right now, you gutless prick!"
"All right, folks, let's calm down." The Mighty Dragon walked in, his dragon mask off and tucked against his side. "Damn, Banzai. I'm so sorry." He reached out to touch her face, didn't flinch when her head whipped around and her teeth sank into his flesh. Like Raven's anti-ex armor, his skin was impervious to bites. "I'll take care of her. She liked the Observatory, right? Up at Griffiths? The park is empty now, the Observatory shut down. I'll put her there. I think she'd like that."
Raven
"That's where Anders took her for prom," Raven agreed. She had to fight back tears again. It wouldn't help her case any if she got weepy now. "Yeah. That's a good spot." She gave the Mighty Dragon a watery smile. "Thank you."
The Mighty Dragon
Dragon gently pried his fingers out of Kathy's mouth and clapped Mystique on the shoulder. "I'll take care of her," he promised. "She was my friend, too." He gave a sharp glance at Gorgon. "She was all of our friend. But I'm afraid there's something I have to ask you to do in return."
He looked truly sorry to have to ask, but she was the only one who could.
"Someone needs to tell her family."
Raven
Raven swallowed and nodded. "I know." She looked over at Kathy, still reluctant to leave her, even now that such a large part of her was already gone. Or -- temporarily misplaced.
If she was going to try to get back to the island with no Portalocity connection, it was going to be a long misplacement.
She reached over to squeeze Kathy's hand one last time. "I'll take care of it," she promised. "Thank you."
Heroes of LA
The creature that had been Banzai clacked at Raven and tried to lunge again. "I should go," The Mighty Dragon said. "Take care of her as soon as possible. Best of luck, Mystique--and be careful out there. The streets are a nightmare."
They weren't quite at the point where the exes outnumbered the still-living humans, but Stealth suspected that would happen in a matter of days.
Dragon carefully unfastened the restraints and scooped Banzai up, his grip a vice she couldn't break out of, no matter how she writhed and squirmed to get free.
"I'm going," he said to the others. "You all should as well. We still have a job to do. There are people in need of saving across this entire city. The loss of one of our own doesn't change that. She wouldn't have wanted it to." He waited until they'd all signaled their agreement, however grudgingly, and then walked out, Banzai held close to his chest, her teeth trying to dig to his heart.
Banzai was the first of the heroes to die. But she wasn't going to be the last.
[WARNING FOR CHARACTER DEATH. NFB, NFI, OOC is just going to involve me ugly sobbing, so there's that. Preplayed with the magnificent tigerundercover, who along with rebelseekspizza and not_every_mage have been my goddamn ROCK, both ICly and OOCly. Thank you so much for being with me through this, I couldn't have done it without you and certainly not as stylishly.]
The convulsions were getting worse. Of everything, that was the most frightening thing to watch. Her fever was spiking; sometimes burning so hot that they could feel the heat radiating off her skin. They gave her drugs to bring her fever down, drugs to help with the pain, but she kept blazing through them. They'd given her seven doses in a matter of hours and it barely seemed to dent. She was sleeping now, fitful and restless, often moaning in pain.
Most of the recent bite victims made it to about twelve to fourteen hours before they succumbed to the virus and turned. Kathy didn't look like she was going to make it to eight.
Gorgon
There was a disturbance on the floor outside Kathy's 'room.' Voices were raised in alarm, people's cries of feat intermingling with the noises of pain. That disturbance resolved itself into Gorgon, who flung himself through the privacy curtains a few seconds later. "Banzai! I heard--!" he cried, then put his hand to his mouth when he saw her curled up on the bed. "Oh baby," he said, quietly now. "Oh baby, no."
Raven
Raven had been hovering, but backed off when Gorgon came running over. She didn't entirely understand his and Kathy's relationship -- it was kind of a mentor thing, like with Mr. Spencer, but with way more UST as far as she could tell -- but she wasn't about to deny anyone their chance to say goodbye.
This wasn't how it was supposed to have happened. Regenerator would be getting a hell of an earful from Raven about how long he'd been making Kathy wait, even if she was fading faster than the others ever had. But Raven had never been as optimistic about Kathy's chances as Kathy had been, not after the first rush of adrenaline when she saw the bite.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should've -- I'm sorry."
Gorgon
It might have developed into something more than UST if it hadn't been for those meddling kids. He'd watched her grow up from cutely awkward teen to self-possessed hero and the interest he hadn't been able to return when she'd been a kid had sharpened into something far more serious when she'd returned to LA to fight the exes.
Looking down at her now, though, he wondered if he shouldn't have sent her home with her friends that day at the diner. She looked...so...
"Where's Regenerator?" he asked, voice hoarse. "He could fix this is seconds. So where the fuck is he?"
Hi, Mystique. He'd get around to, you know, actually acknowledging you in a second.
Raven
No, by all means. The staff knew Gorgon better than they knew her, and he was definitely better at throwing his weight around. Maybe he could make them get Regenerator here in time. She wrapped her arms around her chest and bit her lip. "No one knows for sure, yet," she said. "He was supposed to be waiting for us, but Kath -- B-Banzai --"
But Kathy had insisted on going out fighting as literally as possible.
Gorgon
"But she's been here for hours!" he said, smacking his fist into the palm of his other hand. "He called me when you finally made it in! He should have been here by now!"
Gorgon shoved the curtains aside and yelled down the hallway, "Where the fuck is Regenerator!"
Several nurses and National Guards tried to hush him, but he wasn't having any of it. "Someone go find him!" he demanded, voice echoing through the large space. This emergency clinic had been converted from a warehouse and other than lining it with beds and bringing in medical equipment, they'd done nothing to change its appearance. "Tell him that Banzai needs help now! Not whenever it's convenient for him--now!"
Kathy
"Who's yelling?" Kathy mumbled, trying to push herself up in the bed. Her fever was back and her eyes were bright and glassy. "'S somethin' wrong? I c'n help..."
Raven
"No no." Raven grabbed Kathy's hand and squeezed. "It's okay, Kathy. It's just Gorgon. He's freaking out." And Gorgon was now getting a firm gold glare for all his shouting. Apparently he wasn't going to manage to get any more done here than she did.
Gorgon
"Hey, baby," Gorgon said, giving Raven a sheepish look from behind his goggles. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up. Just trying to get Regenerator here faster." He pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna try to give him a ring, you sit tight, alri--"
Kathy
Kathy lunged over the side of the bed, clinging tightly to the edge while she threw up. There wasn't much left in her stomach, so she ended up mostly dry heaving, while sweat poured off her face and drenched the tank top she was wearing. "Don't look," she croaked, trying to wave both of them out. "This is gross, don't watch."
Raven
"We're not going anywhere," Raven assured her, trying to put on a smile. "And I think you've earned the right to be as gross as you need to be. Besides, I lived on the streets of New York during the Great Depression. You think I haven't seen gross?"
She actually lived on the streets of New York shortly after the Great Depression. But she didn't think Kathy would be calling her bluff right now.
Gorgon
Gorgon looked profoundly uncomfortable. "Uhh, should one of us be holding her hair back or something?" he asked.
Look, he didn't even do this for the celebrities he represented!
Kathy
Kathy pulled herself away from the edge of the bed, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "No, it's okay," she croaked. "I'm done. I just--" She grimaced at the taste inside her mouth: yellow bile and disgusting. "Is there water anywhere? I feel like I could drink a river right now? And more of those pain pills maybe?"
At first, she'd tried to refuse them, saying she had to stay clear-headed, suggested they give them to people worse off than she was. Now, she was almost pathetically grateful for them.
Gorgon
"I'll go see," Gorgon said, and all but fled the room.
Raven
Raven stared after him, deeply unimpressed. "Hopefully he'll find Regenerator, at least." She turned back to Kathy and reached for her hand again, unconcerned with its heat and sweatiness. She'd gotten over her crush on her months ago, but that didn't mean she didn't still love her with all her heart.
"You're going to be okay," she said, wishing she believed it. "There are too many people rooting for you. The multiverse wouldn't break that many hearts."
Kathy
"You forget," Kathy said, clinging tightly to Raven's hand. "I'm also just too damn awesome to die. Especially to something like this. Only chumps become exes, remember?"
Raven
Raven was trying extremely hard to keep her composure here, Kathy. You were not helping. "Right." The word came out a little squeaky and Raven had to look away for a second while she got her tear ducts under control. "Definitely. We'll laugh about how scared we were, later."
Kathy
"You were scared," Kathy corrected. "I always knew 'Genny would save the day."
She realized how hard she was squeezing Raven's hand and eased the pressure off. "You didn't call my family, did you? I don't want them seeing me like this. It'll just scare them for no reason."
Raven
It honestly hadn't occurred to Raven to call Kathy's parents. Was that bad? "No. You'll see them later, anyway."
Kathy
Well, Kathy appreciated it!
"Thanks," she said, resting her head on Raven's shoulder. "I just want this to be over. You don't think something's happened to him, do you? I mean--he's Regenerator. He's immortal."
Raven
Something had better have happened to him, letting Kathy go through all this. "I don't know. I bet Gorgon will be back soon to tell us, though."
Kathy
"I'm sorry to put you through this," Kathy said, sounding miserable. She was shivering again, curling up into a small ball at Raven's side. "I'm sorry for putting you through everything. I'm sorry for taking so long to get here and I'm sorry for..."
She trailed off, looking confused again. "I don't remember. But whatever it is, I'm sorry for it."
Raven
Dammit, Kathy! Raven had still been trying not to cry! "Shush," she said, her voice choked. "Don't be stupid. You can't apologize for being you."
Kathy
"Pretty sure I can," Kathy said with a hicupping little laugh. "I've been doing it all my life, after all. I just kinda fell out of the habit recently. But maybe if I hadn't been so me, we wouldn't be here..."
She went quiet for a moment. "We wouldn't have to watch a world die. This is the way the world ends, you know? Not with a bang or even a whimper, but with the chattering of teeth."
Raven
Raven shook her head, smiling through the tears she wasn't trying to hold back anymore. "Nuh uh. If it'd mean you not being you, I wouldn't trade it. Even for the stupid world."
Gorgon
Gorgon shuffled in again, holding a glass of water and a fistful of pills. "Hey baby," he said softly. "Got these for you. How you doing? You look..."
He hesitated, clearly searching for the right word.
Kathy
Pretty awful," Kathy supplied, reaching for the pills and water with gratitude. "Yeah, I got that memo."
She was appreciating how Raven was valiantly ignoring the stink of her small vomit puddle.F
Raven
Yeah, Raven wasn't going to get chased out of here just because dying was gross. "Did you find him?"
Gorgon
"I wasn't gonna say that," Gorgon said, handing them over to Kathy with a smile more gentle than he'd worn in much of his adult life. "More like you've just closed out one of Lindsey Lohan's parties. Which, okay, isn't so shit-hot, but it is recoverable." Turning to include Raven in the conversation, he added,. "Got all the mobile people here sweeping the floors and the tents outside. Dragon's doing the same for the hospital over on Hollywood and if he's there, he'll fly him over. We got you, baby."
Kathy
Kathy tossed back the pills and swallowed half the glass in one go. God, she was so thirsty. "Thanks," she said, expression nakedly grateful. "I'd say I could kiss you, but--" She gestured to her herself, figuring that said everything it needed to.
Raven
"Save it for the victory party when we get you healed up," Raven suggested, wiping furiously at her cheeks. She didn't mind if Kathy was seeing her cry. Having Gorgon hanging around while she did it was kind of weird.
Kathy
"Then I'll be making out with everyone," Kathy agreed with a laugh that was cut short an instant later. "What happened?" she demanded, sitting up straight and peering around. No good, though; the blackout was all but absolute. "Did someone cut the power? Is it an attack? What happened to the lights?!"
Gorgon
"Lights?" Gorgon asked, glancing up at the big, industrial florescent lights that bathed everything in harsh, unforgiving white light. "What about them?"
Raven
Raven's gut twisted, and she waved her hand experimentally in front of Kathy's eyes. They didn't quite look right, the pupil gone faintly blue as whatever the virus was doing to her started to mess with her corneas. "It's alright, Kathy. We're not being attacked. Regenerator will fix your eyes with everything else."
She shot a look back at Gorgon she hoped he was clever enough to interpret.
Regenerator wasn't going to make it in time.
Gorgon
Gorgon took a deep, silent breath, then shook his head. No, he didn't believe that. Couldn't believe that. 'Genny was going to show up at the last second, save the day, and then probably get punched in the face a few times for making them worry so much. That was what was going to happen, Mystique. They were fucking heroes. Improbable saves what they did!
Normally, even he wouldn't believe that line of bullshit, but this was Kathy. He had to cling to that. She was too fucking young, too fucking vibrant for anything else to happen.
"Relax, baby, relax," he said, voice thick. "You just gotta stay calm, okay? Just a few more minutes. He'll be here, it's okay."
And then when he was done healing Kathy, Gorgon would see how long it took for him to regrow his teeth and set his fucking jaw.
Kathy
Kathy didn't answer. She'd went into convulsions instead.
Raven
Raven stretched her arm over Kathy's chest to keep her from falling off the cot. Part of her wanted to run out of the room so she wouldn't have to see what happened, but she wouldn't abandon her friend like that.
She just had to make herself stronger. She could be whatever she needed to be, after all.
Gorgon
"Hey!" Gorgon yelled, over the screams of the heart monitor. "Hey! We need a little help here! She's--she's seizing!"
An orderly rushed in, followed by a pair of National Guardsmen, their rifles out. The orderly immediately went over to the bed and started pulling out the heavy straps to fasten over Kathy.
"Hey!" Gorgon snapped. "What the fuck are you getting those for?"
The orderly didn't even look at him. "They're for our protection, sir. This is the final stage before death."
Raven
Raven bulked up, shifting so that her skin thickened into the bony plates she'd learned the exes couldn't bite through. She moved back only just enough for the guardsmen to strap Kathy down, but hissed at them when they tried to move her back.
"It's okay, Kathy. We're not going anywhere. It's okay if -- if you need to --" God, she'd been in pain for so long now. How did people watch their loved ones go through long wasting illnesses? She could barely handle half a day, here. "If you need to be done."
Kathy
The fit lasted for almost five minutes, Kathy arching up so far that it looked like her spine would snap. Bruises bloomed on her wrists and ankles as they pressed against the solid material of the the restraints. Then, just as suddenly as the convulsions started, they stopped. Kathy flopped back to the bed, weak and drained.
"Raven..." she whispered, lips barely moving. "I think--I think you should call my parents."
Raven
"I'm sorry," Raven said softly. "I don't think there's enough time."
Gorgon
"Don't say that!" Gorgon roared. "Regenerator's going to be here, just give him another minute, fuck!"
"Sir," one the guardsmen said, looking nervous. "We're going to have to ask you to calm down--"
"You wanna see calm?" Gorgon asked, whirling around to face the guards, his hands up to the release on his goggles. "I'll give you some fucking calm--"
"Oh shit," a new voice said from the makeshift doorway to Kathy's little room. "Oh, Banzai."
Kathy
Kathy turned in the direction of that new voice and gave a smile. It was a shadow of her usual bright grin and it caused the cracks in her lips to bleed, but it was there.
"Hi, 'Genny," she said, waggling her fingers in the restraints. "'Fraid I need a little bit of help."
"Told you," she added in a stage-whisper in Raven's general direction. "Told you he'd come." And still wearing her smilet, Kathy slipped into unconsciousness.
Raven
"Where the hell have you --" Raven started, but reined herself in. She stepped back just enough to make sure Regenerator had room. "Fix her."
Regenerator
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Regenerator babbled, still staring at Banzai in horrified disbelief. "I fell asleep--I've been healing people since four this morning without a break--and I just passed out. Dragon found me, he's waiting outside..."
He shoved his way past the guardsman. "You two, out," he said. I need more room to work. Nurse?"
The orderly snapped to attention as he demanded various medications and then bolted out of the doorway, the guardsmen right behind. Regenerator eyed Mystique and Gorgon, then shrugged. He didn't think he'd have any luck ordering them to leave. "What happened?" he asked, laying his hands on her, one on her forehead, the other on her chest. "I thought you said she'd been bitten less than an hour before you got her here!"
Raven
Raven nodded. "That's right. But she wouldn't -- slow down. She kept trying to save people. Could that have sped it up?"
Gorgon
"She's a fucking speedster, 'Genny," Gorgon said in disgust. "Haven't you ever seen her eat? Move? She's like a humming bird on crack. Did you not take that into your fucking estimations when you put her at the back of the line for healing?"
Regenerator
Regenerator's stricken expression suggested that no, no he had not.
The orderly rushed back in, hands full of bottles of medicine and syringes. "Quick!" Regenerator said, voice taking on a new urgency. "We don't have a lot of time. We're losing her."
Gorgon
"What the fuck do you mean you're losing her?" Gorgon demanded helplessly while the orderly prepped a syringe with a needle the looked as long as his forearm almost. "You're here. You're Regenerator. You can heal anything! I watched you heal a guy who'd almost been sawn in half in that car accident!"
Raven
Really, Gorgon? How often had yelling at something fixed a problem when it came to exes? "Shut up and let the man work!"
Regenerator
"This is different," Regenerator explained anyway, sweat beading up at his hairline. "This fights back. Usually when I'm healing, the body wants to become whole and healthy again." He grunted, his voice going thin under the strain. "This--it doesn't. The virus is strong and fights back. I--She's not breathing!"
The heart monitor began screaming shrilly again, not for an erratic heartbeat this time.
Flatline.
"Now!" Regenerator yelled and the orderly slammed the needle into Kathy's chest. Kathy's body twitched like it was having another convulsion, but otherwise remained unchanged.
"We've lost the heartbeat," the orderly replied
Flatline.
"Shut up, I can still fix this!" Regenerator snapped. "C'mon Banzai!"
FLATLINE.
Raven
Raven choked, pressing her hands over her mouth.
How could you be waiting for something for eight hours and still have it come as a shock?
FLATLINE.
Regenerator
Another orderly poked her head in. "Regenerator, we need you--"
"Not yet!" Regenerator snapped, not looking up from where he was focusing all his energy on Kathy. "I can still--"
FLATLINE.
"Sir, we have to call it," the first orderly said, stepping back.
"Dammit, I can heal anything! Anything!" His voice was thick with tears.
"Not death, sir," the orderly said quietly. "And she--she didn't make it. She's dead sir. But there are other people who need your help, too."
FLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINE
Raven
Raven sobbed just once and grabbed onto Kathy as best she could around the straps. Long practice was the only thing that kept her in bone-plate as she finally let herself break down.
Regenerator
FLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINEFLATLINE
Regenerator waved at the heart monitor. "Shut it off," he said to the orderly. "It's not doing anyone any good anymore."
His shoulders slumped and he looked like an old, old man as he turned towards Gorgon. "I'm sorry, Nick. So sorry. Sorrier than you can imagine, actu--"
Gorgon didn't say anything as he hauled back and punched Regenerator in his goddamn face.
Kathy
And, suddenly, like a miracle, Kathy stirred, pressing against the restraints.
Raven
Raven picked her head up and looked at her friend. "Kathy?"
Look, she was grieving. She could be forgiven for being slightly dumb.
Not...Kathy
Kathy stared straight up at Raven and lunged forward, teeth clacking against the hard shell of Raven's anti-ex armor. Her teeth couldn't find purchase, but it didn't stop her from trying to rip a chunk off anyway.
Raven
"Oh," Raven said, voice small. She held still, letting Kathy continue to gnaw on her so she wouldn't try for anyone else. "What do we do now?"
Regenerator
Regenerator and Gorgon were still squaring off, Regenerator's face showing no signs of the punch Gorgon had thrown. His face had cooperated with the healing. At Raven's words, they both spun around to stare in horror at the thing in Kathy's bed.
"No," Regenerator whispered. "How?! Reanimation takes at least an hour and usually three!"
Gorgon
"Speedster, you dumb fuck," Regenerator said almost absently. He was still staring at Kathy's face, heartbreak written on every line. "Same thing as before. Same fucking thing as before."
Regenerator
"We...we should call in one of the soldiers," Regenerator said. "They'll--they'll make it quick."
Raven
"No." Raven stared down at her friend -- or where her friend was supposed to be -- and felt an anger begin to burn in her chest. It wasn't fair. "She always wanted to believe the exes could be saved. If we find a cure, she should get to benefit from it."
Gorgon
"No!" Gorgon said at the same time. He didn't have any of Raven's reasons, just a sincere, heartfelt no. He couldn't face the thought of someone coming in and--no. They'd watched her die once already. He couldn't handle it happening again. "Just no. I'll drop anyone who comes near."
His hands were on his goggles to make good on the threat.
Regenerator
"I know you're pissed and I'm sorry," Regenerator said, holding his hands up. He looked at Gorgon and shook his head, then began addressing Raven. Maybe she could be swayed to reason. "But just let them take care of her, okay? You don't want her wandering around as one of them, do you? You don't want to imagine Kathy doing...unspeakable things to innocent people. It's not what she would have wanted."
Raven
"So put her somewhere she can't hurt anyone." Raven slowly pulled herself away from Kathy's gnawing teeth. "I don't know how much Kathy told you about where we went to school. But the people there can do anything. They didn't even blink at a speedster and a shapeshifter. Someone there can cure this. You just need to buy me time to get them."
Ex-Kathy
Kathy tried to cling on with her teeth alone, struggling madly against her restraints. Once Raven was out of reach, her head lolled to take in all of them, snapping her jaw at every one.
clack clack clack
The Mighty Dragon
"It's too dangerous!" Regenerator protested.
"You lost the right to have a vote the minute you fucking let her die," Gorgon snarled. "You're lucky I'm not draining you right now, you gutless prick!"
"All right, folks, let's calm down." The Mighty Dragon walked in, his dragon mask off and tucked against his side. "Damn, Banzai. I'm so sorry." He reached out to touch her face, didn't flinch when her head whipped around and her teeth sank into his flesh. Like Raven's anti-ex armor, his skin was impervious to bites. "I'll take care of her. She liked the Observatory, right? Up at Griffiths? The park is empty now, the Observatory shut down. I'll put her there. I think she'd like that."
Raven
"That's where Anders took her for prom," Raven agreed. She had to fight back tears again. It wouldn't help her case any if she got weepy now. "Yeah. That's a good spot." She gave the Mighty Dragon a watery smile. "Thank you."
The Mighty Dragon
Dragon gently pried his fingers out of Kathy's mouth and clapped Mystique on the shoulder. "I'll take care of her," he promised. "She was my friend, too." He gave a sharp glance at Gorgon. "She was all of our friend. But I'm afraid there's something I have to ask you to do in return."
He looked truly sorry to have to ask, but she was the only one who could.
"Someone needs to tell her family."
Raven
Raven swallowed and nodded. "I know." She looked over at Kathy, still reluctant to leave her, even now that such a large part of her was already gone. Or -- temporarily misplaced.
If she was going to try to get back to the island with no Portalocity connection, it was going to be a long misplacement.
She reached over to squeeze Kathy's hand one last time. "I'll take care of it," she promised. "Thank you."
Heroes of LA
The creature that had been Banzai clacked at Raven and tried to lunge again. "I should go," The Mighty Dragon said. "Take care of her as soon as possible. Best of luck, Mystique--and be careful out there. The streets are a nightmare."
They weren't quite at the point where the exes outnumbered the still-living humans, but Stealth suspected that would happen in a matter of days.
Dragon carefully unfastened the restraints and scooped Banzai up, his grip a vice she couldn't break out of, no matter how she writhed and squirmed to get free.
"I'm going," he said to the others. "You all should as well. We still have a job to do. There are people in need of saving across this entire city. The loss of one of our own doesn't change that. She wouldn't have wanted it to." He waited until they'd all signaled their agreement, however grudgingly, and then walked out, Banzai held close to his chest, her teeth trying to dig to his heart.
Banzai was the first of the heroes to die. But she wasn't going to be the last.
[WARNING FOR CHARACTER DEATH. NFB, NFI, OOC is just going to involve me ugly sobbing, so there's that. Preplayed with the magnificent tigerundercover, who along with rebelseekspizza and not_every_mage have been my goddamn ROCK, both ICly and OOCly. Thank you so much for being with me through this, I couldn't have done it without you and certainly not as stylishly.]