B-Team: Pandemeltdown Epilogue

Life, Achievement/ Win

Having stopped Zaebos's plans for the time being, Rue begins to consider their next steps, enlisting the help of The Trinity to turn a potential asset to their advantage.

With the nuclear meltdown  averted and Discord banished to her own hellscape, Rue can finally start to feel Brainiac's momentary boost starting to fade. Their future self cast an understanding glance their way before returning to their own time, and they can’t help but notice a familiar buzzing sensation creeping up under their skin.   Turning towards the Trinity, they say their thanks to The Huntress before directing their attention towards The Cyberwitch, “Hey,” Rue starts, “Thank you for your help today. I was just wondering, umm… about what you said earlier… about trying to reverse Zaebos’ corruption. How did you plan to do that?”   "Well," Maggie says, glancing towards Father Torres a few feet away before turning her attention back to them, "we had a theory that a... targeted application of the healing powers of Gabriel's passenger might be able to burn the demonic corruption from Zaebos's victims. That said, we haven't yet been able to test out that theory, and the Choir has been known to be a little overzealous when it comes to these things. It may be quite dangerous for whoever we test it on."   “Hmmm… what might happen if the Choir gets overzealous with its healing?” Rue asks curiously, their brows furrowed in thought.   "Well, we don't really know," she says, "Like I said, it's not something we've tried before, but on previous occasions, people have suffered burns, phantom pains, unintended healing, and one guy actually lost his powers."   “Ah. Yeah, we wouldn’t want that…” They say, debating their options, “There might be something we could try, but again, I’m not sure how well it would work… if it would work at all…”   "Well, we're dealing with a lot of unknowns here," Maggie responds, "I doubt many people have attempted to invade Hell, so nothing's off the table right now."   ''What if we try to heal one of them with the Choir's power, and if it goes a little too far...'' Rue nods towards the sceptre in their hand, ''I'm no time magic expert by any means, but it's worth a shot... Right?''   "I had meant to ask you about that," she says, giving the sceptre a long look as she continues, "As long as you're sure you can control it."   ''I mean... I haven't opened up a rift in spacetime yet?'' Rue jokes, shrugging weakly before getting more serious again, ''I'd say it's worth a try.''   "Works for me," she says, shrugging with a nonchalance that takes Rue a little by surprise, "Did you have a target in mind?"   ''Oh yes,'' Rue says, smirking deviously, ''The guy who's sleeping off a concussion in Warp's car. If we can get rid of Zaebos' corruption, we might be able to turn him into an asset.''   "Ah, the space wizard, right?" She says, recalling their phone call from earlier, "Sure, we can give it a try. Go fetch him, and I'll get Gabriel and the Choir ready."   ''That's the one,'' Rue nods, doing as they're told and walking towards the somewhat damaged Warpmobile. They open the car and look at the beaten up wizard with a level of disdain, slapping his cheek slightly harder than necessary in an attempt to rouse him.   After a few moments, the wizard grunts and his eyes slowly begin to open. His bleary eyes slowly manage to focus on them and he begins to writhe violently against his restraints, uttering some muffled profanity through the makeshift gag in his mouth, the effects of Zaebos' corruption fully evident in his bloodshot eyes and the stoney scales forming at the edges of his face.   “Morning, sleepyhead,” Rue says cheerfully, grabbing him by the collar of his robes and yanking him upright. Using their telekinesis to help to keep him in check, they drag him towards Maggie and Father Torres, smirking as they roughly throw the Omniturge down at their feet. “Father, I hear you might be able to give us a hand with…” They gesture at the gagged wizard still wriggling against his restraints, “this.”   With his back turned to them, Rue hadn't quite noticed the golden aura emanating from the Priest, but as he turns around to face them, they are almost blinded by his eyes and mouth burning with a golden light.   "The corruption must be cleansed," he bellows, his voice almost unrecognisable as it is spoken in concert with a far deeper and echoing chorus of voices, "Burn away the filth and the earth will be purified."   Maggie for her part, raises an eyebrow at this sudden outburst, "You okay in there, Gabe?" She asks, "You're sounding a little... Wrath of God."   "Be not afraid, Child," the voice bellows again, "No harm shall befall your prisoner."   Rue winces away from the light, squinting a little when they look at the Choir, ''Umm, excuse me?'' They start hesitantly, ''Sorry - just checking... We only need the prisoner cleansed from any corruption, not the earth. We actually sort of need to keep the soil here corrupted to gain access to the source of it.''   "Fear not," the being inhabiting the Priest calls out, "The Choir is sickened by the filth, but understands your needs. Present the prisoner."   ''I appreciate The Choir's... amenability.'' Rue smirks, pushing the Omniturge forward with their telekinesis.   The Priest, or the Choir, raises his hand towards the corrupted wizard and the Omniturge is seized by some invisible force. He growls at the angelic being, in rage at first, but soon the sound becomes more uncomfortable, becoming an agonised cry as the light grows in intensity, bathing the two in white-hot radiance. After a few moments, all Rue can hear is screaming and an accompanying high-pitched ringing in their ears before, suddenly, it's over and the light fades out again. They look down and see the Omniturge laid upon the ground, his whole body smouldering slightly but otherwise back to normal.   "The corruption is expunged," announces the Choir, before seemingly relinquishing control of their shared body back to Father Torrez. He falters slightly, helped to stay standing by Maggie as the three look down at the wizard lying unconscious on the ground, "D-did we do it?"   “He looks better…” Rue says, a hint of unease in their voice, “but I guess there’s only one way to find out.”   They crouch down next to the unconscious form, removing the makeshift gag, but keeping the other restraints in place for now. Keeping a firm grip on the time sceptre just in case, they use their free hand to shake the Omniturge’s shoulder, hoping to elicit some sort of response.   The singed hairs of his salt-and-pepper beard bristle in the breeze as the wizard groans weakly at their prodding. It quickly becomes apparent that he isn't necessarily in any position to wake up right now.   Rue sighs wearily, running a hand through their hair, “I’ll keep an eye on him,” They say reluctantly, “If there are any issues with his um… condition - I’ll let you know.”   They glance at the slightly unstable priest, offering him a small, but grateful smile, “Thank you, father. If this went well, he may actually be an asset when we further our plans.”   "Glad we could help, Rue," the Father says, clearly exhausted from the effort of hosting the Choir, "If you need anything else, let us know."   "Why don't you leave him with us, Rue?" Maggie asks, releasing Father Torrez as he stands for himself again, "We'll need to hang around here to prepare the ritual anyway, and if he's as powerful a spellcaster as he appears, I may be able to have him assist with the casting. Besides, I'm sure you have other preparations  to make. I'll call you when he comes to."   “Are you sure?” Rue asks warily, arching a brow. They take a moment to contemplate the offer, feeling somewhat concerned to leave the Omniturge with them - not for lack of power should the Choir’s healing not have worked, but more so because of the possibility that more people may end up discovering the relationship between the Omniturge and Harmony, “I don’t want to add to your work,” They say finally, “but it would be a great help. Just call me as soon as he wakes and I’ll be right back here.”   "Aww, he's sleeping like a baby," she says, waving her hand briefly and manifesting a pillow beneath the older man's head, "He's got the shackles on anyway, and if he starts to mouth off, I'll spawn a sandcastle in his mouth," the Cyberwitch grins playfully, "Go on. We'll let you know if anything changes."   “In that case, I’ll leave him in your capable hands.” Rue smirks, nodding in agreement, “Thanks again, we really appreciate the help.”   The Cyberwitch gives them a genuine smile as they turn away and begin to consider their next moves, taking in the scene around them before beginning to pace away from the reactor building.