Hellfire Odyssey: Reckoning

The Clocktower

Ashley didn't have any idea what to do. She was so angry. With Helena, with Isis, with herself. If only she'd been around lately, instead of at Zach's. She might have seen Gabe's death glow. They might have been able to warn him and keep this all from happening. Zizi was so upset, and nothing Ashley could think of to do or say was helping her. Ashley wasn't used to these feelings, and it made her feel helpless. Another thing she wasn't used to feeling.

In the end, she just knelt with Zizi as they waited for Isis to return. Ashley was in no hurry to have her arrive, because she knew what news Isis would bring, if she was able to bring any at all. Hellfire didn't leave the bodies just lying around.

Zizi turned her head, and Ashley's followed, seeing Isis appear in a column of golden light. Zizi was already wheeling towards her, and Ashley sadly saw the hope in Zizi's eyes. Until a second body appeared next to Isis, one that wasn't moving.

Zizi began to wail again, and Ashley felt tears come to her eyes, seeing her friend slip to the floor and pull back the sheet, kiss Gabe's lips and tell him she loved him. Ashley looked helplessly at Zach.

Zizi: "He would want to be buried in Wales. We have to tell his mother..."

Zizi's voice broke, and Ashley stepped forward, but didn't know what to do.

"Zach will arrange it, don't worry."

Her eyes roved over her friend, over the body on the floor. It was the saddest scene Ashley thought she had ever witnessed. She had to look away. And then she noticed something, felt something. She moved around to stand a few feet behind Gabe's head, facing Zizi.

Ashley raised her arms slightly out from her sides. It was as if an unseen wind began gently blowing her hair and clothes. Her head tilted back and her eyes bled to pure onyx. A bright white light rose from her, increasing in intensity until it seemed to explode.

And in the aftermath, they would see, standing in front of her, a shimmering image. It was Gabe, but not Gabe. His soul.
 
Everything happened quickly, but moved in slow motion. All he could feel was pain, until the pain subsided into a calm he had never felt before. One that felt welcoming and peaceful. It was a strange sensation, but soon the dark lulling waters of wherever he was disappeared and suddenly he was standing at the Clocktower.

Gabe looked down, seeing Zizi sitting on the ground next to his dead body. Damn, he really was dead. It definitely was not how he imagined it to be. But none of that mattered the moment he saw her grief stricken face.

“Lizzie...”

He sighed, kneeling down next to her.

“Don’t cry. You know I’m nothing to cry over.”

He joked solemnly. He gave her a small smile, lifting her chin with his knuckle.

“There’s a lot I regret not doing in my life, but helping you and your friends is not one of them. Don’t ever blame yourself for what happened to me, because I would do it all over again in a heart beat. It brought me back to you...it opened my heart to you in a way I had feared for so long.”

Brushing his hand across her cheek.

”I’ll always cherish the time we had together.”

Leaning close to her, he gently kissed her lips.

“And I’ll always love you.”
 
The Clocktower

Gabe really was dead. She looked at the lifeless form in front of her. And he wasn't coming back. But she couldn't leave his side, either. But there were things, that he would want. She would have to take his body back to Wales to be buried, and tell his mother that he was dead. She didn't want to do either. That would make it real.

She could feel Ashley hovering, well everyone hovering, really, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was gone.

She felt Ashley move behind her, but still she lay there next to him, her eyes not leaving him until there was a bright flash of light that made her look up. And she gasped, seeing him standing there in front of her. He looked almost as if he was shimmering, not completely solid. She could tell that it wasn't Gabe standing alive in front of her, but she didn't know if she was hallucinating or not. And then she heard his voice.

Gabe: “Lizzie...”

The tears gushed harder from her eyes.

"Gabe..."

Her voice cracked as she spoke his name. He knelt, and her eyes took him in, not knowing if she could touch him, or if she tried if it would break the spell.

Gabe: “Don’t cry. You know I’m nothing to cry over.”

He lifted her chin, and she could feel the warmth of his touch, whether it was real or just in memory. He smiled, but she shook her head.

"You're the only thing."

And then her eyes went wide.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...if I hadn't..."

Gabe: “There’s a lot I regret not doing in my life, but helping you and your friends is not one of them. Don’t ever blame yourself for what happened to me, because I would do it all over again in a heart beat. It brought me back to you...it opened my heart to you in a way I had feared for so long.”

Her eyes closed briefly as his hand brushed her cheek.

Gabe: ”I’ll always cherish the time we had together.”

He kissed her lips, and she reached out for him, as if she could keep him there with her if she just held on tight enough.

Gabe: “And I’ll always love you.”

"Stay! Please stay! I love you - don't leave me! Please don't leave me."

The tears rained down her cheeks, and she blinked them away, not wanting her vision of him obscured.

Ashley stepped up behind him.

Ashley: "I will take you. It won't be a stranger."

Zizi's panicked gaze flicked to Ashley.

"No, don't, please don't take him away..."

Her eyes rested back on Gabe's face.

"I love you...I've always loved you...stay with me..."

Large black wings sprouted from Ashley's back, the whites of her eyes still obscured by blackness. She reached out and put a hand on Gabe's shoulder.

Ashley: "We must go."

Ashley's feathery wings swirled around the two of them, and then they were gone.

Zizi broke down, collapsing onto the hard wooden floor, her head buried in her bent arms.
 
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The Clocktower

Zach tried to convince Isis to help Zizi, by going to at least look for Gabe’s body. He highly doubted there was anything that could be done for the man at this point. He wasn’t even sure what they’d just seen wasn’t pre-recorded, or that it was even at Hellfire. But Dominique could get in and out without being detected, and it was something to console Zizi with.

Tears streamed down his face. While Gabe wasn’t exactly his friend, Zizi was, and she was steeped in grief, sobbing uncontrollably, even as Zach soaked up the pain. The problem with bereavement was that it came in waves. You could be managing well one moment, and drowning in a tsunami the next. There was only so much Zach could take on. He wasn’t a bottomless well, and he didn’t want to disperse the emotion around and make them all miserable. He could at least reduce the intensity of her pain, and with every wave of it he tried.

Zizi: “He was only a part of this because of me. He looked so scared, Ash.”

“No, no, Zizi. None of this is your fault.”

Zach said gently, as Ashley hugged her. He caught Ash’s gaze then. He couldn’t read her mind, but in that moment he could tell them were on the same page. Hellfire was going to pay for this, and Helena in particular. Because if that bitch thought she could hurt Zizi and threaten Ash? She had a rude awakening coming. Zach was a nice guy, but not too nice.

Ash: “Zach, Look.”

The alarm that had broken the silence after the video had finally stopped. The screens were covered in script. SOS.SOS.SOS.... It went on without an apparent end.

“Haleigh...”

He heard himself say, shakily. It must’ve been bad if she was signaling distress now. He shuddered silently, but before he could say anything more, Isis was back. Zizi wheeled away from them, towards Isis, who brought with her the remains of Gabe. Zach swallowed hard, wiping his face though he knew it was probably a futile effort. Steele tried to discourage Zizi, but Zach knew this was something she needed. His own experience with loss had given him insight.

He went to Dominique, who looked as stoic as ever. Despite her appearance, Zach knew she wasn’t an unfeeling woman, just a guarded one. He spoke to her in a low tone.

“Thank you, Dominique.”

Isis: I must be getting back.

“To the Sanctuary, yes. Jake?”

He asked quietly, concerned after the mention of Nedry that Hellfire might not be done with the boy.

Isis: He’s doing well.

“Good. Take care, we’ve got this.”

Another blast of sand and light, and she was gone. Zizi was saying that Gabe would want to be buried in Wales, that they’d have to tell his mother. Zach knelt by Zizi and Gabe, as Ashley assured her he would take care of it.

“You don’t have to think of everything tonight, Ziz.”

He said, while Ash moved closer too, but not to console Zizi. Zach looked up to see she was putting off a white light, her eyes going dark. He was awestruck, even though he’d seen her do this before, it was just as amazing now as it had been at the cathedral, when she’d helped the Sanctuary kids pass. The light became so bright from Ash that Zach raised a hand to shield his eyes, and then it subsided, as Gabe appeared before them.

Zach wanted to apologize for being so overprotective of Zizi, and unwelcoming of Gabe to their group, but this wasn’t about him. He stayed quiet, knowing Zizi would only have a few precious moments with Gabe. Sure enough, Ash’s wings were coming out. Zizi was begging Ash not to take him, begging Gabe to stay.

“He would if he could, Zizi.”

Zach said quietly, rubbing her back with one hand as Ash and Gabe disappeared. Zizi started to weep again, and Zach did his best to console her. Several minutes passed before the Clocktower fell into an agonizing silence.

They still had Gabe’s body here with them, and something needed to be done about it. Even with a recording of his murder, Zach didn’t doubt that the Sisterhood would find a way to get Helena off scot free if they tried to involve the police. After all, they had Malice, who could sway minds, and they could make Haleigh destroy all evidence. No, they were going to have to take justice in their own hands.

Zach had done it before, and didn’t have a problem with it. He was pretty sure Ash would be on board too. And he could see in John’s emotions that he was game too. In fact, they all were. Zach nodded, sniffling hard before reaching for his phone. He called Specter, who was running Clandestine in Haleigh’s absence.

He requested a hearse first, and a crew to care for Gabe’s remains. Then he told Griffin about Haleigh’s distress call, and that he would need the Lynceus files. Griffin cautioned that it would take a super majority board vote to send the Clandestine team he had prepared, but that he would get the approval. It wouldn’t happen over night, though.

Zach nodded, and relayed that the Six was planning an attack on Hellfire, and also that he himself would be assembling a team. He agreed to keep Clandestine in the loop, and then he hung up. Zach tried to convince Zizi to call it a night, but she wanted to stay with Gabe until the team came to pick him up. Even when they arrived, she seemed reluctant to part with his body.

“They’ll take good care of him, Zizi, I promise.”

He understood the urge to delay and obstruct the process, he’d been that way when it was his mother. He was glad, at least, that she’d gotten to see him one last time, because it was some kind of closure. And he was glad he was able to stick around and comfort her, and help take care of the unpleasant tasks. He helped her back to her chair as Gabe was carried away by the operatives. Once she wheeled herself to her room, Zach turned to the rest of the group solemnly.

“Ash and I aren’t going to be leaving Ziz by herself tonight, but really we should all stay here tonight. If Helena wasn’t lying about her Bishop, then we’ll need the safety we can get from being together.”
 
The Clocktower

It was horrible. Horrifying. Gabe, attacked. Captured. Killed. He was their teammate. Those bastards. Those bastards.

Steel wanted to go there right now, wipe that smug smile off that bitch's face as he squeezed the life out of her. He was even more sure that it was the right thing to do. No more waiting. Zizi summoned Isis, the only one of them who could do anything about what was happening in front of their eyes.

Zizi: "Take me to Gabe, now!"

"And me."

He stepped forward, putting his hand on Zizi's shoulder, ready for Isis to transport them to wherever Gabe was. He wanted to be there to protect Zizi, for sure, but also to be there for her.

Ashley: "He's gone, Zizi. You can't go there. It would be suicide."

Zizi yelled at her, that she didn't care. And neither did he. Zizi wanted to go, and he could understand that. They were a team, it was what they did, they went. But Vivica and Zach convinced Isis to go instead, but it seemed more a recovery mission than a rescue. And soon, that was confirmed, with Isis returning - with Gabe's body.

Zizi moved to slide out of her chair and onto the floor next to Gabe. He moved towards her to stop her.

"Zizi no."

He didn't want her to see what Gabe undoubtedly looked like. He'd seen plenty of murder victims, and they didn't look like they were sleeping peacefully. She shouldn't remember him like that.

He watched Zizi silently, this poor girl saying her goodbyes to someone she'd love her whole life, but only had such a brief time with.

How did this happen? How did they get here? He was angry. Not least of all with himself. They had wasted too much time reacting. And too much time planning. He, Isis and Sharon should have gone to that mansion the first time Hellfire attacked them and obliterated the place.

And then he saw something that could only be described as miraculous. Ashley, majestic, bringing the soul of Gabe to Zizi. A tearful goodbye. John's heart hurt. He felt terrible for watching this interaction, but couldn't look away. He was in awe of all of it. And then Ashley took Gabe's soul with her on black wings, and Zizi fell to the ground, sobbing.

"Zizi..."

John went to her, pulling her up off the floor and into his arms. He hugged her tightly.

"He's at peace."

His eyes met Zach's as he stepped away to call someone to come get the body. How was she ever going to get through this? Zizi insisted on sitting with the body, holding Gabe's cold hand silently until the Clandestine men came. She didn't want to let go, and John was actually impressed by the compassion Zach's men showed her. Finally, after assurances form Zach, she let go of his hand. Zach helped her into her chair, and once the door closed behind the men taking Gabe, she turned and wheeled towards her room, looking stunned. Steel's gaze followed her until she disappeared.

Zach: “Ash and I aren’t going to be leaving Ziz by herself tonight, but really we should all stay here tonight. If Helena wasn’t lying about her Bishop, then we’ll need the safety we can get from being together.”

Steel nodded.

"I'll make her a cup of tea."
 
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The Clocktower

Andrew was in a state of shock. The Clocktower had been hacked, Gabe was dead.

"Zizi..."

But he didn't know what to say to her. What to do. What they should do.

Isis went for the body, and returned a short time later with it. It just seemed so unreal. He started to cry when Zizi left her chair to pull the sheet from Gabe's face. And then something started to happen, Ashley was doing something, or something was happening to her. She looked beautiful - and terrifying.

He blinked as a bright light blinded him, and then there was what he could only call a spirit, though somehow more real, in front of them. It was Gabe.

But it didn't make things better for Zizi, she cried even harder, begging him to stay with her. Andrew had to turn away, he couldn't watch.

And when it was done, Ashley took Gabe's soul to the place it was going, and Zizi fell apart. John was immediately at her side, picking her up off the floor. Andrew went to her as well, putting his arms around her too.

"I'm sorry, Zizi."

As if enough bad things hadn't already happened, they had to figure out what to do with Gabe's body. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as Zizi protested letting the Clandestine agents take him. Zach was able to convince her, though, and she went alone into her bedroom.

Zach: “Ash and I aren’t going to be leaving Ziz by herself tonight, but really we should all stay here tonight. If Helena wasn’t lying about her Bishop, then we’ll need the safety we can get from being together.”

Andrew was still looking towards Zizi's room.

"Should we...should we leave her alone in there?"

Steel: "I'll make her a cup of tea."

Andrew nodded. That was good. He couldn't think of a damn thing he himself could do for her. Not a damn thing.
 
The Clocktower

It was not surprising that Gabe's soul would find its way to Zizi, with or without his body.

So Valkyrie claimed it as her own. She amplified it, used her power to augment it, until the people standing with her could see it as well. But there was only one she had done it for.

Zizi.

When she started to use her power, she became the valkyrie. Death was her trade. Transporting souls was her gift. Her face was devoid of emotion when her eyes became as black as the wings that sprouted from her back. When she had shown Zach her wings, it had depleted her energy, because there was no soul there. But now? She felt like pure energy, the barrier between the realms of gods and Man dissolving at her will.

She allowed Gabe to say his goodbyes. Zizi couldn't bring herself to do it. But that was not for a valkyrie to decide. She gave them the time she could. But there were celestial rules to be followed, windows that would close. He could not stay. And then she wrapped him in her wings and flew him to the gate, where she could not follow. She nodded to him as he pushed it open, and went on into infinity.

Valkyrie returned to the Clocktower, back to the spot where she had left it, coming down onto one knee, her head bowed. Her wings retracted, the armor that covered her body seemed to disperse into thin air.

She stood up, Ashley once more.

Ashley looked around, Zizi wasn't there, nor was Gabe's body. Her eyes found Zach, and she went to him, putting her arms around him and pulling him into a hug before pulling out of his arms and heading for Zizi's room.

Zizi's was laying on top of the bed, still in her clothes, not under the covers. An untouched cup of tea sat on her nightstand. She was on her side, turned away from the door.

Ashley went to the bed, and sat down on the edge. She reached out a hand, not sure if she should touch Zizi or not. Finally she set her hand back in her lap.

"It's done."

She tilted her head, scrutinizing a silent Zizi. Finally she did reach out to stroke her hair.

"You will see him again."

They both were silent after that. Ashley stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then crept back out into the common area to find Zach.
 
The Clocktower

Zizi retreated to her room. It was hard to know what was better, letting her have time to grieve without six people hovering, or making sure she wasn’t alone at a time like this. Zach said that he and Ash would for sure stay at the Clocktower tonight, but also suggested for safety reasons that the whole crew sleep over. Andrew wondered aloud if they should let Zizi be alone. John offered to make her a cup of tea, leaving Zach and Andrew standing there. Zach turned to his friend.

“Come on, let’s get some linens and make up the sofas for sleeping.”

That gave them something to do for the moment. It occurred to Zach randomly that what felt like a million years ago he’d asked Andrew to be his best man, and never heard the answer. Now seemed like a particularly awkward and inappropriate time to bring it up again, though, so he let it go. Hellfire consumed his thoughts again. Ashley reappeared, and pulled him into a hug. He held her tightly, breathing her in, taking comfort in her embrace. Briefly, and then Ash needed to go see Zizi. He completely understood.

He paced in front of the workstation for a while, under the light cast from the city through the clock face. The screens still read SOS. I copy, Haleigh... he thought to himself, trying to think logically about what they’d need to do. Zach hadn’t organized a field mission in years. In fact he’d pulled away from field work after losing a team to it. The fear of that happening again was real, especially since these were his friends at stake. But the memory of Helena gloating after killing Gabe was enough to harden him against fear and doubt.

His phone buzzed with the encrypted files he’d asked Griffin for. Reports from their Hellfire operative, codenamed Lynceus. The details of what had been happening in Hellfire for weeks, plus floor plans and maps of the Hellfire layout. Zach hoped Zizi wouldn’t mind his using her printer for it all. He didn’t think she would, and normally would’ve asked, but this one time he took the liberty of doing what he needed to. He could ask her for forgiveness later.

He spread the papers out on the dining room table after clearing one end of plates. Then he remembered he should eat, especially since he doubted he’d get any sleep tonight. The grief he’d pulled from Zizi made cold pizza and congealed sushi go down about as well as playdough. Beer helped. Thank the Gods Ash went out for it. After he made himself finish a plate he resigned to just drinking. The alcohol took the edge off the pain. He was standing half bent over the table, studying the floor plans with a bottle in his hand when Ash came out of Zizi’s room. He took her back into his arms for another hug and held her close again.

“Ziz asleep? Good, she’ll feel better in the morning. You really helped her, with Gabe. That was amazing, Ash. I’m sure she’s grateful for it, even if she can’t say it right now.”

He told her. Still half holding her, he offered her his beer as he looked back at the plans and reports on the table.

“We’re going to get that evil harpy Helena. She’s going to pay for hurting Zizi. I’m going to make her wish she couldn’t feel anything. And we’re going to bring Hellfire down around her ears, you, me and everybody.”

He promised her darkly. It was not a side of Zach that often surfaced, but he could feel his fury rising up.
 
The Clocktower

The light over the dining table shown down on Zach, illuminating him in the darkness of the apartment. He was looking at something on the table, beer in his hand. Even with everything that was going on, her heart skipped a beat to see him. She came up behind him, and her arm slipped around his waist before he pulled her into a hug.

She rested her cheek on his shoulder, his arms instantly relaxing her. The reassurance that he was still here, still alive, bolstered her strength.

Zach: “Ziz asleep?"

Ashley nodded against him.

"Finally, yes. We probably should have had Isis do something to help her sleep."

Zach: "Good, she’ll feel better in the morning. You really helped her, with Gabe. That was amazing, Ash. I’m sure she’s grateful for it, even if she can’t say it right now.”

She shook her head.

"I don't know, Zach. I don't think there's room in her right now for anything but sadness. And I feel like we should have done...something."

He offered her his beer, keeping his arm around her. She took a sip, the length of her body still pressed against his side.

Zach: “We’re going to get that evil harpy Helena. She’s going to pay for hurting Zizi. I’m going to make her wish she couldn’t feel anything. And we’re going to bring Hellfire down around her ears, you, me and everybody.”

"Damn right."

She took another drink of beer and handed the bottle back to him. She studied what it was he was looking at. Plans.

"I should have killed her long ago."

She looked up into his face, studying his jawline, the set of his chin.

"I won't let her hurt anyone else. If it had been you instead of Gabe..."

Her voice trailed off.

She slid her hand across his chest to his opposite shoulder, turning her body towards him and pressing her cheek against his shoulder again for comfort.

"I love you. You never have to doubt it. Until my last day."
 
The Clocktower

Zach took Ash back into his arms, feeling better immediately once she was there. He asked about Zizi, if she was sleeping. Ash nodded, suggesting that they should have gotten Isis to do something to help her fall asleep sooner. Zach almost face-palmed, realizing he should’ve thought of that. But Isis had needed to get back to the Sanctuary after returning with Gabe, and Zach had just been grateful she’d even deigned to help in the first place.

It was difficult not to feel a little bitter that she’d been reluctant, as usual, to answer Zizi’s call. Maybe if she’d come right away... no, best not go down that path. The blame lied solely at Helena’s feet. Zach offered that Zizi would feel better in the morning, though he knew he would only be a marginal improvement. He assured Ash that she’d helped with Gabe, and that Zizi was surely grateful for what Ash had been able to do, even if she couldn’t express that right now. Ash admitted that she felt like they should’ve done something.

“So do I... but it all happened so fast.”

He said, shifting to offer her his beer. He didn’t let go of her, though. He wasn’t ready for that. He told her that Helena was going to pay for hurting Zizi, and he meant it, heart and soul. They were going to reduce Hellfire to ruins.

Ash: “Damn right. I should have killed her long ago. I won’t let her hurt anyone else. If it had been you instead of Gabe...”

“Don’t, my love. Please don’t torture yourself with that.”

Ash: “I love you. You never have to doubt it. Until my last day.”

“I hope you know I feel the same way about you.”

He said quietly, putting both arms around her again, curling his upper body around hers. After a while, he let his hug relax a bit so he could look down at her.

“Do you want to try and get some sleep? I can bring this in the bedroom to read. I don’t think I’ll be able to close my eyes, myself.”

Not without seeing Helena cutting Gabe’s throat wide open, at least. Re-reading all the reports, sorting through the details and looking for weaknesses in the Inner Circle would give him something to think about, something to distract him from the threats Helena had made.
 
The Clocktower

Ashley couldn't shake the feeling that they should have done something, tried something to help Gabe.

Zach: “So do I... but it all happened so fast.”

She nodded, reminded of when Rose nearly killed Zach, and she was helpless to do anything but watch. She couldn't get to him, and it was the most horrible feeling in her life. And Zach hadn't died.

Zach promised that Helena would pay for this. Ash wished she'd killed Helena sooner. Gods knew the woman had deserved it for a long time. If it had been Zach...

Zach: “Don’t, my love. Please don’t torture yourself with that.”

There would be nowhere Helena could hide if she had hurt Zach.

"Zizi wouldn't do it, so we have to take revenge for her. Just as if it had been one of us."

She told him how much she loved him, because she wanted him to always remember it.

Zash: “I hope you know I feel the same way about you.”

His arms came back around her and she squeezed him tight. He held her, and she could have stayed that way forever. He pulled away enough after a bit to look down at her, and she returned his gaze.

Zach: “Do you want to try and get some sleep? I can bring this in the bedroom to read. I don’t think I’ll be able to close my eyes, myself.”

She gave him a small smile.

"We can work on it together."

She studied his face. He already looked worn down. She reached up to touch his cheek.

"But you should try to rest a little."

Her hand slid down his arm to take his hand.
 
The Clocktower

Zizi was falling apart, and both lucky and unlucky for her - there were many people in the room who wanted to help her. For a moment Vivica hesitated, this was something she had seen and been guilty of in the past. Because Zizi was in a wheelchair, and was for the most part perennially positive, people tended to coddle her, try to solve her problems for her, protect her at all costs. Vivica wanted blood for Zizi as did everyone in the room, but she was careful not to swoop in. She couldn't save Gabe, she didn't have any bright ideas about what to do next, and she had spoken her peace. If anything, she wanted Oracle to have space. This was a very public area of The Clocktower to watch the man you love get murdered in front of you. None of this stopped Vivica's heart from aching. Thankfully Isis agreed to go for them.

Isis: "Very well. My runes are not registering Gabriel's presence at the Hellfire Mansion, but I will look for him nonetheless. I am sorry, child."

Minutes went by that felt like hours as every surrounded Zizi, trying to comfort her, to bring her peace, but it was clear there would be none. Vivica had never seen Oracle's eyes like this - full of tears that were not from joy or from her own compassion towards other. This was a deep and personal pain. It made her selfishly think of Blaze. Vivica wasn't an idiot - she didn't see herself as much in the way of a threat to Hellfire, but maybe if she would have truly allowed herself to get invested in Blaze, she could have found herself on the wrong side of Helena's blade.

Isis returned shortly thereafter with bad news. She was not able to save Gabe and worse, she had brought the body here. Zizi immediately went to him.

Steel: "Zizi, no."

Oracle: "I love you."

A tear began to form in Vivica's eye as she felt dirty. This was private. This was...so personal, they shouldn't be here like this. And it was about to get even more personal as Ashley did the only thing she could think of to bring any kind of peace to Gabe and it made Vivica appreciate Ashley even more.

"We are lucky to have Ashley."

It was beautiful. Gabe looked beautiful. LIke something out of a renaissance painting, but knowing Ashley, it was far older and more beautiful than that. He spoke to her.

Gabriel: "There's a lot I regret not doing in my life, but helping you and your friends is not one of them. Don't ever blame yourself for what happened to me, because I would do it all over again in a heart beat. It brought me back to you...it opened my heart to you in a way I had feared for so long."

Vivica whimpered audibly, realizing she was not keeping it together as well as she thought. It wasn't fair. If there was anyone who deserved love - real, passionate encompassing love, it was Oracle. To see it cut so short...before it could even BEGIN to be what it might have been was heartbreaking. Vivica clutched her chest for a moment, moving towards the back of the room.

Oracle: "Stay! Please stay! I love you - don't leave me! Please don't leave me."

VIvica cried harder, in one of those moans where no sound left her mouth, just silent pain.

Ashley: "I will take you. It won't be a stranger."

Oracle collapsed. Vivica wasn't very sure what happened next for a few moments. All she knew was that she excused herself into a spare bedroom and cried her eyes out for a good ten minutes. Not just for Zizi - but for everything. All the lives they had lost, all the strife, all the goddamn heartache, it was hitting her at once. Her own built in defenses couldn't stop her.

She buried her face into a pillow and screamed, forcing with all of her might to pull herself together. This effected her in a way that was much deeper than she anticipated. But right now, Oracle was allowed to fall apart - she wasn't. When the voices outside the door of the bedroom began to fade and silence filled The Clocktower (for the most part), Vivica wiped her face clean and slowly pryed open the door. John and Andrew were asleep on the couches as Ash and Zach were poured over a mounting stack of papers and floorplans.

Ashley: "But you should try to rest a little."

She stole a few moments to watch them, be alone together. Vivica had been worried at the quickness of things between them, but seeing them now together, it brought her a lot of peace. Vivica had thought if anyone deserved love - real, passionate, encompassing love it was Oracle - but she realized, all of them did. And in that moment, she realized she was also a lot better of a friend than she was being. Vivica slowly made her way into the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee, loud enough to alert them to her presence, but not loud enough to disturb anyone else. She made her way over to them.

"She's not wrong."

[pausing]

"Is Zizi...asleep at least? I'm sorry for taking a beat. This has all just been hitting me a bit harder than I thought it was. But I'm fine now. And I slept last night which means I won't need to sleep for days. Please..."

She put her hand on Zach's and looked at his swollen and somber face.

"Let me help for awhile. I can..use my brain. Cross reference all this stuff with anything I've seen before. Might help us find an angle we haven't seen yet..."

He didn't want to let her and she didn't blame him. But Zach had gone into the flames with her when it was somebody she loved on the other side. They had gotten stranded in the middle east together. Almost died together. And while her story didn't have a storybook ending, it didn't mean that Zach didn't get to finish his story. She looked at Ashley.

"You've guys done so much this evening. I just want to help. And I want... [softly] You guys...just announced your engagement to us. Please, let me help this not just be the night that Gabe died. Take a break...get some sleep."
 
The Parthenon - Delilah's Suite

Delilah: "If you think Morgan has changed her mind about anything, you are dreaming Cam. You heard her in that meeting in the War Room - she knows best, and everyone else better deal with it. She's placating you."

Cameron nodded. It wasn't an insane notion.

"I'm not pulling any more punches with her Delilah. If she goes rogue, she becomes a traitor to The Six and she will be treated like one. I won't work around her anymore."

Delilah: "But at this point, she can do whatever the hell she wants. To protect my child, to protect all of us, Malice needs to die. We should never have made a truce. We should never allowed her to live this long."

"Preaching to the fucking choir here, Delilah."

He had a pit in his stomach. Working towards saving Haleigh had meant lying to a lot of people, not excluding Delilah in that. And if there was anyone he didn't want to lie to, it was her. All he could do in order to try and forgive himself was to remember that lying to them had gotten him to this point. It had helped create the circumstances he needed in order to do this, but it didn't make it easier. Haleigh may have been his heart, but Delilah had always been his head. He had survived in The Six because of her. He had grown up because of her. Lying to her made him sick.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you. And I apologize in advance but I couldn't tell anyone. I've been watching Haleigh in Hellfire ever since she left. I've been trying to help her while keeping Malice off my scent."

Delilah: "Cameron...that's a dangerous game you're playing."

"Not when you can do what I can do. And at this point? waking up is a dangerous game."

[hesitatingly]

"The whole thing? About me getting rid of my love for Haleigh? It wasn't entirely the truth."

Delilah: "Excuse me? I thought we weren't hiding things from each other, Cam?"

He felt the sting of pain from dissappointing her. He physically felt it. In his bones. His thoughts became a bit chaotic.

"When..when she left. Even before she left...when Malice...when Diana sent me her body. I knew it then. That I was a liability. That there was no way that she wouldn't send Haleigh after me. Make Haleigh torture me. Use me to hurt her. I...I wanted to help her, but I had to decrease my threat level. I had to move the target off of me.."

....

"Diana's focus has been Haleigh for quite some time now...and I realized it when I was able to shield her from my thoughts when she showed up at brunch with...that horrible gift.'

[pausing]

"I'd never been able to keep her out before. I realized that her shift in focus meant..it meant I could actually get some power for myself, that I could figure out a way to take her out. I don't know what Diana has been going through in Hellfire, but she was just...not "there" in the way that telepaths know other telepath's signatures. And it let me grow. Grow so much that..."

[flatly]

"I was able to cloak my love for Haleigh from everyone around me including the magick users and Diana herself. If everyone thought I was prepared to kill her - that I wouldn't hesitate to protect my team, Diana's eyes would go elsewhere..."

He said not realizing that Zach and Delilah would end up experiencing the brunt of that new focus.

"And they did. I got Isis to cast the cloaking spell on me as a fail safe and I sat silent while Morgan created kill teams, and I went a long with it. I'm not proud of it. I felt like all eyes were on me and I needed them not to be. And it involved a great deal of dishonesty. But it's also given us this window."

Cameron was fighting the nervous energy inside of him but remaining calm and collected. His shift in persona hadn't completely been just a lie. When Haleigh walked out the door, a great deal of his humanity walked out with it. But his darkness was not directed at Haleigh, it never had been. It had been directed at Hellfire - When Cameron resolved himself to destroy them, he felt peace. And so he went with that feeling.

"There are parts of Haleigh that Diana can't get to. Won't ever be able to get to. Because she can't access it. Psychically or otherwise. And that's where I've been. I've seen everything, Delilah. Watched all of it in live time through her eyes..."

Anger welled through him for a moment as he remembered some particularly horrible highlights.

"Diana's King was a vampire...One so old and strong that it was able to compell her. Warped her in such a way that it caused Helena and Kelly to kill him and destroy his...I want to say country I couldn't make it out from Haleigh's mind alone."

"Both Haleigh and Ava have become so defiant that Malice has begun to possess Haleigh, and Ava is being persecuted for her crimes against The Red Court...Speaking of The Red Court. Helena has directly attacked The Birds of Prey, killing a vital ally and lover of one of the team. Gabriel? They are exacting their revenge soon. This is it. This is how we save Haleigh and Ava, and this is how we kill Malice."

[leaning in]

"Diana is weak. She's using so much of her power to keep Haleigh in line. We are never going to get another moment to do it. So I'm sorry for lying to you. And I will do whatever it takes in the future to rectify it with you. Because I love you. Because I trust you. Because when Diana's eyes white out and her consciousness fades into Hell, I want to be holding your hand - watching it together."

[pensively]

"Can you forgive me?"
 
The Parthenon - Delilah's Suite

Cameron had shown up at her place, telling her Morgan had magically agreed to do away with the kill teams and let Cameron run the attack on the Sisterhood. Right.

Cameron: "I'm not pulling any more punches with her Delilah. If she goes rogue, she becomes a traitor to The Six and she will be treated like one. I won't work around her anymore."

"Well, just so you realize she'll be working around us."

They should never have made a truce with Malice, and she said so.

Cameron: "Preaching to the fucking choir here, Delilah."

She shook her head. If Cameron had been around, they wouldn't have. They would never have done that to him. Well, she wouldn't have. Delilah had stopped trying to predict the lows to which Morgan and Alison would sink.

He told her he had been working to protect Haleigh since she'd left them; Delilah told him that was dangerous.

Cameron: "Not when you can do what I can do. And at this point? waking up is a dangerous game."

Oh ho ho, so he is Alison's brother after all.

Cameron looked apprehensive, which indicated there was more.

"Come on Cam, out with it."

He told her that whole thing, the tearing out of his love for Haleigh, which had broken her own heart to see, which had made her tell Morgan to fuck off and leave him alone about, was a lie. Pissed off did not cover it. What happened to their friendship? Where they didn't lie or hide things like Morgan and Alison did?

Cameron: "Diana's focus has been Haleigh for quite some time now...and I realized it when I was able to shield her from my thoughts when she showed up at brunch with...that horrible gift.'

Thinking about it made Delilah sick. And then angry. And then murderous.

Cameron: "I was able to cloak my love for Haleigh from everyone around me including the magick users and Diana herself. If everyone thought I was prepared to kill her - that I wouldn't hesitate to protect my team, Diana's eyes would go elsewhere...And they did. I got Isis to cast the cloaking spell on me as a fail safe and I sat silent while Morgan created kill teams, and I went a long with it. I'm not proud of it. I felt like all eyes were on me and I needed them not to be. And it involved a great deal of dishonesty. But it's also given us this window."

"I wish you had told me the truth. You knew where Diana's eyes would go. Did you think I wouldn't let you do it? Or that I would think less of you?"

Cameron: "There are parts of Haleigh that Diana can't get to. Won't ever be able to get to. Because she can't access it. Psychically or otherwise. And that's where I've been. I've seen everything, Delilah. Watched all of it in live time through her eyes..."

That made Delilah freeze. She was silent as he talked about Diana being compelled by a vampire. Normally it would have brightened her day, to think of Diana controlled by someone like that.

Cameron: "Both Haleigh and Ava have become so defiant that Malice has begun to possess Haleigh, and Ava is being persecuted for her crimes against The Red Court...Speaking of The Red Court. Helena has directly attacked The Birds of Prey, killing a vital ally and lover of one of the team. Gabriel? They are exacting their revenge soon. This is it. This is how we save Haleigh and Ava, and this is how we kill Malice. Diana is weak. She's using so much of her power to keep Haleigh in line. We are never going to get another moment to do it. So I'm sorry for lying to you. And I will do whatever it takes in the future to rectify it with you. Because I love you. Because I trust you. Because when Diana's eyes white out and her consciousness fades into Hell, I want to be holding your hand - watching it together. Can you forgive me?"

Delilah got up from the sofa and went to the window. He'd been in Haleigh's mind. This whole time.

"So let me get this straight."

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You knew, Cameron. You watched what Haleigh did. You saw her FUCK Bishop. And you let me just go about my day, thinking everything was hunky dory. You sat right here and talked to me about fucking Project Runway,"

She crossed to the bar cart, and poured herself a drink. Which she took a long sip of.

"And then, you watched her CALL me and TELL me all about it. THREATEN my daughter. And STILL you said NOTHING."

She laughed without mirth, her eyes wet. She shook her head at him.

"You didn't even call me to see if I was okay."

Her lip was quivering, but she clamped her mouth shut to stop it. She inhaled a deep breath. Her eyes were as cold as her voice.

"I will help you, Cameron, because this is our chance, and I'm sure as hell not going to miss it. But make no mistake."

She turned away from him, downing the rest of the liquid in her glass before turning her head to hiss at him.

"You are JUST LIKE THEM."
 
The Parthenon - Delilah's Suite

Delilah: "So let me get this straight."

He could sense the anger welling up inside of her.

Delilah: "You knew, Cameron. You watched what Haleigh did. You saw her FUCK Bishop. And you let me just go about my day, thinking everything was hunky dory. You sat right there and talked to me about fucking Project Runway.."

Cameron had done just that. Bishop was a complicated person to say the least. And the only reason he ever entertained any kind of cordial relationship with the man was because of her. He had broken her so many times over the years, in so many ways - some she had never recovered from. And she still loved him. So no, Cameron didn't tell Delilah that Haleigh had fucked her star crossed lover, because at that point - for both Haleigh and Bishop it seemed par for the course, and the mayhem that both Ava and Haleigh seemed spread across the board. Morgan's return, the way she dealt with things, he couldn't risk her not being there. He couldn't risk her going after Haleigh on her own. He had spent the better part of a year brushing her hair, bathing her, watching her every move to make sure she didn't try and hurt herself again. To make sure she was okay, and she seemed like she might be. But he couldn't protect her from the world. Not if she ever wanted to rely on herself ever again.

"Delilah.."

Delilah: "And then, you watched her CALL me and TELL me about it. THREATEN my daughter. And STILL you said NOTHING."

She laughed, exasperated at him.

Delilah: "You didn't even call me to see if I was okay."

It made him angry but he didn't push. Vivica had almost died. As had Simon. So many of them had been this close to dying at the hands of Hellfire at the hands of Ava Cassadine herself. Many of them would have preferred a vicious phone call. But he didn't want this to spill over. He would never argue with Delilah the way he argued with Morgan. This was Delilah on overload. Everwhere she turned she felt like people were betraying her. Cameron was just the cherry on top.

Delilah: "I will help you, Cameron, because this is our chance, and I'm sure as hell not going to miss it. But make no mistake."

He looked at her downing her drink, her face shifting into disgust.

Delilah: "You are JUST LIKE THEM."

Her words physically hurt him. He didn't speak for several moments before going over to the bar, grabbing a glass for himself and filling hers as well. Shaking his head, he took a sip.

"No, i'm not. You know who I am. I've defended myself against a lot of people. But I'm not going to do this with you too."

[sighing]

"I should have figured out another way. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't call you, I'm sorry I didn't let you know. About Bishop. About Haleigh. It wouldn't be the first time I was only worried about myself. That's all I can say. I'm sorry. About what she did, what he did...and what I didn't do about it.."

He took another sip.

"You know she would never hurt your child, Delilah. You know that, don't you?"

[pausing]

"She was supposed to kill him. And she didn't. So she did enough to die another day. She's in over her head. And we need to get her out of there before she's completely broken."

Cameron wasn't sure what to do or say to make this better. Delilah had every right to feel how she felt about every single thing. But he couldn't let Delilah let Haleigh go.

"She's always been on your side. Always championed for you. Loved you. This is all just a sick game. The more people that hate her, the easier it is for The Sisterhood. We will watch Diana die together, but I can't let you go into this hating her. She needs you. She needs both of us. We have to trust what we've known. Scion isn't Black Widow. And we both know that if this was flipped? She probably would have gotten us both out by now. For the first time..she needs saving. And we owe it to her to do just that. Save her..."

He downed the rest of his drink.

"The time is coming. We're going to need to hold a meeting with the others. Main roster only. No outsiders. Just us."
 
The Parthenon - Delilah's Suite

Why was it that every person she trusted lied to her, let her be hurt? But she supposed if Morgan could, if Haleigh could, then why not Cameron as well?

She had hid her pain from him, because he had given up so much - or so she thought - she didn't want to burden him with it. But he knew, all along, and he just watched it happen. She knew he would give the same excuses that Alison always did.

She needed a drink, so she made one, not asking if he wanted one. And she got the entire thing down, but it didn't stop her from unleashing the hurt that she felt welling up inside her as if she were a pressure cooker ready to explode. He was no different, and she was stupid to think he was. And she told him so.

He came to her, and she was prepared to push him away from her. But he didn't touch her. Instead, he filled her drink after making one for himself.

Cameron: "No, i'm not. You know who I am. I've defended myself against a lot of people. But I'm not going to do this with you too. I should have figured out another way. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't call you, I'm sorry I didn't let you know. About Bishop. About Haleigh. It wouldn't be the first time I was only worried about myself. That's all I can say. I'm sorry. About what she did, what he did...and what I didn't do about it.."

She didn't say anything, but the tears were threatening to fall, as hard as she was trying to hold them back. Just hearing Haleigh's name, Bishop's...she wanted to scream. They'd hurt her to the core. And no one gave a damn.

Cameron: "You know she would never hurt your child, Delilah. You know that, don't you?"

She scoffed, waving him away.

"I don't know anything anymore."

Cameron: "She was supposed to kill him. And she didn't. So she did enough to die another day. She's in over her head. And we need to get her out of there before she's completely broken."

She turned to face him.

"I don't care if she's broken! Maybe she deserves to be broken! I told her not to go, not to do this ridiculous thing, but she did it anyway!"

Cameron: "She's always been on your side. Always championed for you. Loved you. This is all just a sick game. The more people that hate her, the easier it is for The Sisterhood. We will watch Diana die together, but I can't let you go into this hating her. She needs you. She needs both of us. We have to trust what we've known. Scion isn't Black Widow. And we both know that if this was flipped? She probably would have gotten us both out by now. For the first time..she needs saving. And we owe it to her to do just that. Save her..."

Delilah's hands went to either side of her head. She couldn't take this anymore.

"I've been trying to save her since she came up with this idea! Stop trying to convince me to save her!"

She looked at him, the pain evident in her eyes, the tears that were now falling.

"Morgan and her might share the same father, but I was her sister!"

Delilah collapsed against him, putting her arms around him tightly and beginning to sob.

"How could she do this, Cameron? Why?"

Cameron: "The time is coming. We're going to need to hold a meeting with the others. Main roster only. No outsiders. Just us."

She looked at him, wiping her face, sniffing.

"I'll help save her. But don't ask me to forgive her."
 
"Ive been trying to save her since she came up with this idea! Stop trying to convince me to save her!"

He felt so bad. When she was doing everything she could to try and stop Haleigh from going, Cameron hadn't backed her in the way he should have. But he knew there was no stopping Haleigh. She was barreling towards self destruction at the speed of light, and not even somebody who could move at that pace (Delilah) could stop her.

"I'm not trying to convince you. I'm just trying to remind you. You love her."

Delilah: "Morgan and her might share the same father, but I was her sister!"

She collapsed against him, her arms wrapping around him tightly and he embraced her with all of his might. And she was right. For years, Cameron, Haleigh and Delilah had been talked down to, shut down, shut out, and persecuted for every thought they ever had. It had created a bond that was unbreakable. Even now, even when she was crying over the fact that Haleigh had threatened her daughter. It was part of the reason she had acted so angrily towards Morgan. Spellbinder never missed a beat to take Black Widow off her pedestal, and now, after the revelation that they shared DNA, she wanted to swoop in and save Haleigh and be the hero and take her away from them. Haleigh was their family. And he felt bad for keeping her from helping.

Delilah: "How could she do this, Cameron? Why?"

It was a loaded question they would never get a full answer to. But he did his best.

"Because when you spend your life trying to be a hero, and find out that you are the culmination all the evil you were trying to stop, you lose yourself."

He hugged her even harder, feeling the warmth of her tears on his shirt.

"The time is coming. We're going to need to hold a meeting with the others. Main roster only. No outsiders. Just us."

Delilah: "I'll help save her. But don't ask me to forgive her."

"Plus please try...because she's never going to forgive herself."

He gave her a pained look and as soon as she was composed, Cameron sent out the Thought Call to The Six as they gathered in The War Room, on the basement levels of The Parthenon Hotel. As they arrived, they were greeted by Cameron and Delilah. And much to his surprise, it was not hard to convince them. They had a plan. They would wait for his call to strike. Soon, they would wage ware with Hellfire. But not before the moment was right.
 
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