Syringe in One Hand, Gun in the Other 6 (Patreon)

Commissioned by Definitely Not Dio

Syringe in One Hand, Gun in the Other

Chapter 6

-VB-

Once the research bench spat out a blueprint, we learned it and realized a flaw with the machine; it needed to be calibrated to connect to a parallel universe. On top of that, the machines had a recharge function but also a time limit on how long it could keep a portal open and recharge time after the expiration of the portal.

The clones back at our base immediately began to make as many modules as possible. Each module took one minute to complete in our crafting system, and once they were made, we slapped them down around our base’s open foundation space and manually began to calibrate the machines via the dials on the cubic meter-sized boxy machine. It looked more like a box welded together with scrap metal and a random assortment of gadgets like dials, Geiger counters, antennas, and more.

Time could already be running out for Taylor, and she deserved to live for the work she put into this universe. As the tinkertechs locked onto one dimension each, we quickly opened them and began to look around.

This … this was where we ran into our second problem. We had no way of detecting portal activity. Or so we thought.

One of the portal devices failed to lock on.

Our attention locked onto that device.

We tried again and again.

It failed to lock on.

… And then it connected.

To our surface, we found Taylor right in front of us on the other side of the portal with a hole in her head.

One of the clones immediately rushed forward and stabbed her with a medical syringe and thumbed down the plunger with as much speed as he could.

We watched with bated breaths even as we began dragging her into our base.

… And then she started breathing.

We collectively let out a sigh of relief and tired laughter.

We did it.

We saved someone. We saved Taylor.

The clones - or were they clones since my original body was gone? - quickly looked her over. She was breathing normally and had a strong and steady pulse. What she didn’t have was her consciousness.

“Hey, wake up.”

No response.

We shook her.

No response.

We slapped her.

No response.

“Is she in coma?”

-VB-

Lisa felt listless. She supposed that was supposed to be normal. Her power said as much as well. She went through a traumatic experience called war and came out of the other side with one friend less.

Feeling listless was the least in a litany of feelings she felt. She wondered why grief wasn’t hammering away at her mind right now from losing Taylor. Brian and Bitch was with her. Aisha was somewhere else with her gaggle of adopted kids. Hopefully, she wasn’t making too much trouble because a lack of problems was impossible for the girl.

“Umm, hello.”

She looked up and found a man dressed casually but armored with shitty ghetto armor. His body armor was a patchwork of stamped and welded street signs hanging by fake leather straps. Shabby, if she had to describe him with one word.

Looking for you specifically. Knows something that you might be interested in. Knows you will be interested in his information.

“... What?” she asked curtly, not exactly in the mood to be nice.

“You are Tattletale, right? Khe- Taylor’s former teammate and friend?”

Aversion to the title. Dislikes how people think of her when associated with the name Khepri.

“Are you here for revenge or something?” she snorted.

“Oh, no. I’m just here to ask who might be best to take care of a comatose Taylor after Contessa blew her power with two bullets.”

It took a second for her to register. Her power responded first.

Speaks the truth as he knows it. Met Contessa personally and doesn’t feel threatened about speaking her name. Feels a little stupid coming up to you without any preparation. Contessa and Taylor went to a different Earth. The man in front of me has access to different Earths. The man appeared out of nowhere. The man has Mover capabilities.

“And you are…?”

He hummed. “Didn’t really think about that. Let’s just call me and myselves Rust.”

Referring to others in a manner consistent with self-replicating Masters. Armor may be a result of needing to arm and armor as many clones as possible with little resource.

“I guess I’m the one you want then,” she said. “Take me to her. I want to see her.”

“Alright,” he replied and then -.

Her eyes widened as a portal similar to but not quite the same as Doormaker’s portal opened up. On the other side of the portal was a compound of some kind with large furnaces, high stone walls with barbed wires at the top, and rough sheet metal walls.

“Come on,” he said as he gestured for her to follow. “The portal can only stay open for a bit. Need anyone else to come?”

She turned around and remembered that Bitch and Brian were here. Turning back to Rust, she asked a question. “Can you come back here to pick someone else up?”

“If you mean Aisha and her bundle of joys, yes,” he replied.

Met her. Is unaffected by her Stranger power.

How the hell…? “Brian? Bitch?”

Brian looked uncomfortable and wary of the cape. But it was Taylor, his ex. “Sure,” he said as he stood up from the rubble he’d been sitting on.

Bitch grunted and followed. “Need to come back for my dogs.”

Tattletale frowned. She wasn’t sure if Rust will -.

Will accept. Knows how important her dogs are to her. Know about her. Knows about me and Brian. Knows more than most, even the PRT.

This was becoming weird. Were they walking into a trap?

But she went through anyway because the chance of Taylor being alive was too tempting. And if she needed to break out of another trap, then it wouldn’t be the first time.

When all six of them - Rust, Brian, Bitch, and her three dogs including mutated Bastard - walked on through, the portal closed with a loud zap.

She found herself looking around what looked like a walled compound.

Roughly three acres. Stone walls are nearly identical to each other. Sheet metal walls are nearly identical with repeating patterns. Large furnaces are identical to each other. Rust is a Tinker.

She looked up at the building sitting at the center of this compound. It was an ugly metal behemoth at least six stories high with no windows in the first five floors, but the sixth floor jutted out over the rest with gaps everywhere.

Made to shoot down at enemies who enter the compound. Well designed but not by Rust.
Potentially working with others who may be capes.

“Come on,” he said as he gestured for them to follow into the building.

They entered through a double door with a set of bulletproof glass windows covered by vertical metal embrasures on either side of the door. Much like the outside, the inside had gaps at the ceiling for the sixth floor - the fifth floor, her power provided - to look and shoot down from. This looked more and more like a trap. She glanced at Brian and saw how he was gradually tensing up.

And then, after four more metal doors and an elevator ride later to the seventh floor, they arrived at a room with windows.

New room. Constructed specifically for Taylor.

Rust opened the door and -.

Lisa nearly teared up.

Taylor laid right there on the other side of the room. She looked so peacefully. She and the rest of the present Undersiders walked over.

Yes, Taylor was alive. Unresponsive but breathing and alive.

“Thank you,” she croaked out.

“No problem,” he hummed. “Felt like it’d be a shame to let someone like her to just die after her power got neutered.”

Whatever else he said didn’t register after that. Lisa sat on the bed, grabbed Taylor’s hand, and squeezed. She was just too happy to find her friend alive.