Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 48

Civil action

After the longest night of their young life, Rue is finally brought face-to-face with Mister Hightower, head of the City's biggest child trafficking ring.

In the seconds that follow their battle with the gold-plated agent, all Rue can hear is their own heavy breathing. They try to crouch down by the woman to restrain her, but find their knees buckling instead, arms reaching forward just in time to keep themself from collapsing in a heap next to the agent. Gradually, the hallway stops spinning, though their movements remain shaky and awkward whilst they pry the unconscious woman out of her jacket. They pick up the heap of scales and stand on wobbly legs, moving towards the elevator shaft and throwing the items into it. At last, once the agent is properly disarmed and her hands are tied behind her back, Rue turns their attention towards the closed apartment door.   The door hangs slightly crooked in its hinges, likely owing to the pair of superhumans who crashed through it a few moments prior, and gives little resistance as they push it open. They're immediately hit by the smell of salt water and a squelching of the carpet underfoot, their attention drawn to the scene of carnage within what was once a fairly lavish living room. Furniture had been thrown asunder and laid in pieces across the room, scorch marks criss-crossing the wreckage, cupboards in the open plan kitchen had been torn open and much of their contents used as impromptu weaponry in the brawl and at the far end, the agent lay slumped against the remains of a floor-to-ceiling fish tank, the fish inside splashing at the surface of the now half-filled tank. The only thing Rue doesn't spot on their initial look is Blue.   “Hey,“ They croak out, their voice momentarily catching in their bruised windpipe, “Blue?” They take another tentative step forward, their senses somewhat muffled by the raging headache from overusing their powers. “Where ‘re you?”   "I'm... around," comes the familiar voice of Alec, though Rue isn't able to immediately see where from. It seems to be coming from several directions at once. They look around for a moment before noticing a wriggling shape making its way across the living room, quickly followed by another and a third, all heading in the same direction towards and behind the kitchen island.   “Oh, ew,” Rue blurts out unintentionally, looking down at the soaked carpet, “Please tell me I’m not standing on... you?”   "No, Rue," Alec deadpans, his voice slowly seeming to emerge more and more from behind the kitchen island, "I'm not that fluid. You're standing in the remains of those fish's home." A single hand emerges from behind the island and points towards the tank.   “Right… just checking.” They shrug, immediately regretting the movement as pain shoots through their body. Taking a second to regain their composure, Rue slowly moves towards the kitchen island, “D’you need a hand?”   "Nope. Almost there," Blue replies, hand slapping down on the island and lifting himself up, more obvious chunks still missing and seemingly only having half a right arm, his jacket hanging loose off his shoulder, "It's not as bad as it looks, but between you, Tundrake and now this guy, I may need to take a day off."   “Yeah, that might not be a bad idea,” Rue says, sending a silent prayer into the ether that Creel won’t require them to run any errands, “So… what’s next?”   "Bedroom," he says, nodding over to the splintered remains of the far door before leaning down and assimilating another chunk of unidentifiable flesh off the floor, "He's got a panic room built into the wall by the looks of it."   “Brilliant,” They groan warily, slowly moving towards the room, “I don’t suppose you can squeeze your way in?”   "I'm certainly going to try," he replies as he follows behind, seemingly just as unsteady on his feet as they are. The pair make their way into the bedroom and Rue is almost overcome by the smell of expensive cologne and unwashed sheets.   The place is decorated in that same art-deco gold that they'd been seeing throughout the building and even back on the yacht. Apparently, Mister Hightower had a preference. Scanning the room, they feel the bile rising in their stomach as they peer through the superking bed and see a set of restraints concealed beneath. Quickly looking elsewhere, they soon identify the panic room door hidden inside the closet, a solid steel door several inches thick hiding the tiny secret room within.   "You see an air vent or anything?" Alec asks as he undulates into the room behind them, "I can even work with an intake pipe if that's all he's got."   “Uhh, y-yeah- I mean, there’s got to be something, right?” They say, scanning the wall around the room. “Well… He’ll know you’re coming in,” Rue points and waves at a small hidden camera in the top right corner of the closet, “but there looks to be a small vent over there.” They step towards the left side of the steel door, sliding a few boxes aside to reveal the hero’s possible entryway. “Just be careful - there seems to be a mechanism inside of it. I can try to keep anything from moving around in there, but I’m not sure how long I’d be able to hold it…”   "You won’t need to," Blue says, his confidence returning to him as he squares up to the vent, "Back in a moment."   In a quick and fluid movement, Blue pushes himself through the slats of the vent and squeezes fully inside, soon disappearing in a series of uncomfortable squelching noises. Rue watches as his semi-liquid form moves through the air pipe and into the panic room. Upon seeing the hero begin to ooze his way out of the vent, Archer Robins within starts to panic, rushing over to the bulkhead door. After a few moments, he's able to input the password into the keypad and open the door, just as Blue materialises behind him.   As the door opens with a hiss, Rue is stood at the entrance, knife in hand. “Going somewhere?” They ask with a level of confidence that they don’t particularly feel at this stage. Part of them hopes that, for once, someone would just surrender, but they’ve seen people in the Railyard get cornered and still fight their way out, and so they brace themself for one more battle.   He stumbles to the floor, looking up at the second faceless figure to invade his home and dives for the bedside table, pulling out a handgun and pointing it with shaking hands at Rue. "Y-you..." he says, his voice quivering in fear, "G-get out of my home. I'm warning you!"   “Ugh!” They let out an exasperated sigh before using their telekinesis one more time to disarm the man. A shooting pain races through their skull, and for an instant they wonder if they accidentally got shot again, but the gun clatters harmlessly to the floor on the other side of the room.   “I have had it with disgusting little cowards like you,” they snarl, stomping forward and grabbing Archer Robins by the collar of his shirt. They push him hard against the wall and bring the knife up to his neck, drawing a thin line of blood as the blade lightly breaks his skin, “Your attack dogs are taking a nap at the moment, did you really think another gun would do the trick? How about we use those restraints you’ve got hidden under your bed on you for a change?”   Rue can sense Blue emerging from the panic room, but he says nothing, simply leaning against the doorframe and watching events unfurl. "Y-you have no right to be here," the man says once he realises the hero isn't going to intervene, "This is private property!"   “Oh really?” Rue says sarcastically, “well lucky for you, the police are on their way right now. It might take them a little bit of time to make it to the top floor, especially with the lift out of use, but they’re sure to have a good look at the crime scene when they do. I wonder what they’ll find…” The king-sized mattress flies off the bed, a small turn of their head the only indication that Rue caused it to do so. “There are some smells that even your disgusting cologne won’t cover up,” they continue, the knife slowly sliding down a little to lengthen the cut, “and I’m sure there’s plenty of DNA evidence on those filthy sheets.”   "H-hey," he says, stammering for an answer, "W-what happens within the privacy of a man's bedroom is no-one's business b-but his own."   If Blue wasn’t still stood behind them, Rue might have stabbed Archer then and there, but the hero’s presence made them think twice about their actions, albeit reluctantly. “Say, Blue,” They start, knuckles turning white as their grip on the knife and the man’s collar tightens, “In your professional opinion, why would a paedophile who’s been warned that a hero is on their way actually stay at his apartment? Is it just that he’s overly confident about his security guards, or is there something else that might keep him from running away?”   "Well, I'm no Detective," he says with a shrug, standing back up and pacing over to the two of them, "But I would imagine it's to hide evidence. Get the place all nice and clean before authorities show up. How'd I do, Robins?"   The man's brow raises and he takes a deep sigh before letting the quivering facade slip, "You've got nothing on me, freaks," his expression looks more annoyed than afraid now, a far departure from the scared man Rue had seen before, "I've got the best lawyers money can buy and you two aren't exactly law enforcement officials. I'll be out before sunrise."   “I think even the best lawyers will have some trouble defending the head of a child trafficking ring,” Rue says, the knife cutting just a little deeper, “I know a thing or two about sniffing out evidence, and since even the unwashed sheets are still here, I’m sure you didn’t have enough time to destroy everything. Perverts like you enjoy keeping little trophies, don’t you?”   "You don't know the first thing about me, prick," he spits with full malice, "And you'd better watch yourself. I know people. You think those two chucklefucks out there were trouble? You've not seen anything yet."   ''Yeah, yeah, very scary,'' Rue grumbles sarcastically before roughly throwing the man in Blue's direction, ''I'm going to find some more evidence to present to the cops, I don't need this nonce to tell me where anything is.''   "Alright, Mister Hightower, come on then," Blue says, gripping the man's collar and leading him back into the living room, "We're gonna have a little chat." The idea of being left alone in this sicko's bedroom sends a chill down Rue's spine. They'd rather be anywhere else, but they know that if there's any evidence to find, this will be their only chance to find it.   Taking a beat to prepare themself for what they might find, Rue removes the bottom half of the mask, wiping the back of their sleeve across their bloody nose. The smells that permeate the bedroom air are nothing short of sickening, the filthy cologne smell simply unable to hide any of it from them. Putting their mask back on, they begin to walk around the room, their eyes scanning every nook and cranny.   They find a false bottom in one of the bedside drawers, but the contents of it have seemingly been emptied already. Refusing to give up, Rue enters the panic room that Hightower had just vacated, their lips curling up into a grin when they realise that there's a hidden safe behind one of the back panels. Though they can't quite make out what's inside exactly, they can tell that there's something there.   Unable to figure out the mechanism to make the panel move on its own, they wriggle the knife into the narrow crevice on the side, placing a foot against the wall as they lean back to pry the panel open. It clangs to the ground after a few attempts, nearly sending them flying backwards in the process. ''Hey, Blue?'' They call over their shoulder upon noticing what looks to be a fingerprint scanner on the safe, ''Could I borrow one of Mr. Hightower's fingers?''   "That depends," Blue says from the living room where he has the man sat on the couch like a child waiting to be scolded, "Can it remain attached to his body?"   ''I don't think it has to,'' Rue answers vaguely, ''Whatever works for you, I guess.''   Rue hears the muffled noise of Robins shouting growing clearer as he is shoved through the door into the panic room.   ''Hi again,'' They say, waving at him with the knife still in hand, ''D'you want to cooperate here, or should I cut each of your fingers off until I find the one that unlocks this thing?''   "Fuck. You." He spits, trying to push his way back out but thoroughly blocked by Blue.   ''Hey, I offered him the choice,'' Rue shrugs at Blue, taking a step closer, ''Cutting it is, then.'' Though it actually hurts to do so now, their telekinesis reaches forward, wrapping around Robins and dragging him down to his knees. They crouch down in front of him, grabbing him by the wrist and forcing his hand flat on the floor. ''Let’s see... Which finger shall I start with?'' They muse out loud, the knife eventually stopping just above his right index finger.   "Alright, that's enough," Blue says, taking a step into the panic room, "I love a display of unfettered cruelty as much as the next guy, but this is getting a little too slow and messy for my taste." He then proceeds to roll his sleeves up, his arms splitting into many copies just like he'd done earlier to catch the van but on a much smaller scale. The crowd of hands quickly closes in around Robins, grabbing his head, neck, shoulders and working their way down to his hand, pulling his finger back and lifting him towards the fingerprint scanner, even as the man struggles with all his might, "Now, Mister Robins, stay very very still..."   Relieved to release their power, Rue observes quietly as Blue forces Robins' finger to lightly touch the scanner. For a moment, nothing seems to happen, but they soon hear a small 'bleep', followed by the whirring of the safe's lock. They step around the pair of them, twisting the handle and opening the safe to reveal a stack of seemingly innocuous manila folders. The first folder that they rifle through doesn't prove too interesting, containing business data that Rue doesn't quite understand. As they grab the second folder, however, they cannot help but notice how Robins tenses up and opening it up proves exactly why. Several polaroids flutter out of the folder, and Rue doesn't need to have a close look at them to know what they are. ''You know, someone told me once why polaroids are great blackmail material...'' They mumble coldly, ''Unless you scan them, they can't really be photoshopped.''   At this point, Robins practically lunges at Rue, but the many tiny arms of Blue quickly restrain him, practically cocooning him in stretchy matter and keeping him gagged, even as his eyes seethe with rage. "Right, I think that's enough from you," Blue says, lifting him up and carrying him back outside, "We've got what we came for. Leave it there, Silhouette. I'll let the police know where to look."   ''Yeah, alright.'' They reply, doing as they're told and following Blue out of the panic room.   While Blue takes care of restraining Robins, Rue picks up one of the toppled over barstools by the kitchen island, a hiss escaping their lips as they gingerly sit down on it. It's been a long time since they'd overexerted their powers like this, and every fibre of their being seems to scream at them now that there's nothing left to do but wait. Their hands move up to massage their temples, briefly forgetting about the mask that blocks them from doing so. Their gaze drifts over to the hero, a sense of shame twisting their stomach uncomfortably.   With Robins and the two Schurk agents hog-tied and thrown into a cupboard, Blue languidly paces through the ruined living room and over to the kitchen, his stringy arms moving towards the fridge and opening it up before pouring over the bounty within. "Hey, you fancy a sandwich?" he says, pausing to pop his head around the door to look over at them as his arms begin placing ingredients onto the island, "Hmm... You look ready to collapse. Maybe two sandwiches?"   ''Hmpf?..'' Rue groans drowsily, their brain taking a few seconds to process the question, ''Oh. No, thanks... Maybe some juice?''   "Sure thing," he says as two extra appendages sprout from his collar and make their way over to grab a glass and carton of freshly squeezed orange. Meanwhile he steps back over to the island and begins buttering an entire loaf split into two halves, "You okay... Silhouette?" He asks, glancing back over at the cupboard.   ''Yeah, I'm okay,'' Rue eventually reassures him, removing the bottom half of the mask once more to take a large sip. Though the nosebleed has stopped, they hadn't managed to fully wipe the dried-up bits off their face, and so the juice mixes with a metallic taste when they lick their top lip, ''I'm sore, and tired, but I'll live.'' They look on as Blue continues to add layers of whatever he could find in the fridge to his elaborate sandwich, ''Just how many of those will it take for you to heal yourself?''   "You know, I've never quite worked that out. I usually just keep going until it stops hurting," he says with a chuckle as he applies another layer of deli meats to what is quickly becoming a cartoonish sandwich. He glances out of the penthouse window briefly, noticing the first of the dawn light coming into view over the horizon, "You did good tonight. Really, serious good. I think the sun might just shine a little brighter on the city with that monster off the streets."   “As long as he stays off the streets…” Rue mutters, pursing their lips in thought. They stare at the glass in their hands, a drop of condensation sliding down the side of it as they run through the events of that night.   “I really don’t know how you do it,” They start nervously, “You fight so hard to put these people away, but what if he’s right? What if his lawyers get him out again? Don’t you-“ They pause, their voice barely above a whisper as they carry on, “Don’t you ever just want to kill them? To make sure they never hurt anyone again?”   Blue stops making his big sandwich at this point, taking a moment to think over the question. It's one he's been asked before and always feels like he should have some sort of deep, philosophical reason to offer, "Honestly, Rue, I don't think there's an easy answer to that question," he begins, "Each hero I've met has a different philosophy on the subject. Hell, Cryogen of the Vigil has few qualms about putting people down for good."   Another short pause, "I suppose you've just gotta find what you believe in. As for me, I'm not one of those people who's going to tell you that killing a monster like Robins would make you just as bad as him, but I believe in justice, and the law. It's why I..." he glances again at the cupboard door, "do what I do, during the day and the night. I believe that justice can be served, even to men like Robins, but sometimes it needs a little help. I'm not infallible, and I'm certainly not equipped to judge people for their crimes, just to see that they are judged. Am I making sense?"   Rue doesn’t answer right away, instead taking their time to really process Blue’s words. “I… don’t know what I should believe in,” They admit softly, their tone a mixture of hesitation and embarrassment, “I’ve always just done what I had to, I never really considered what I should do.” Their gaze remains firmly on the glass in front of them, feeling too ashamed to look at the hero. “I nearly killed that agent…” They confess, “After she threw me out of the window, I realised that I needed to give it my all to take her down, or I’d have been killed instead - I didn’t want to kill her, though…”   "That's... good," he says, his voice lowering to a gentle tone as he stops making the sandwich and gives Rue his undivided attention, "That's human. I can see that you're not a bad person. You're not a killer, you're a survivor. Sometimes we're faced with situations where, in the interest of survival or protecting those we care about, we can't afford to hold back. Your enemies, many or few as they may be, might not always give you the luxury of choice in those matters. I don't see it as any different than a police officer who has to shoot someone in the line of duty...." he thinks for a moment, not entirely convinced by that comparison, "I believe... that it's not what you're forced to do that defines you. It's what you choose to be every day that makes you who you are."   “I… I think I get it,” Rue says, smiling absently, “I still don’t really know where I stand in all of this, and I don’t think I can ever believe in the system as much as you do, but I guess I actually do have a choice of my own to make... I hadn’t really considered that before.”   "Rue, if I believed in the system, I wouldn't feel the need to hide my face and go out at night, handing out concussions like Halloween candy," Blue retorts with an audible smirk, "But I think justice is something worth believing in. It may not be what you take away from all this, but better does exist out there, and we happen to be among the select few who might be able to help bring things a little closer to it." He lovingly takes up his big sandwich in hand and brings it up to his "face," pausing before adding a little more, "I know it's daunting when you can see multiple paths in front of you, but you've got a good head on your shoulders and I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you. No matter what you choose though, I'm always on the other end of the line, should you need anything."   “Thanks, Blue, that actually means a lot.” Rue says, feeling a little lighter. Their ears pick up the distant sounds of footsteps echoing through the staircase, and so they chug the last of their juice before reapplying the bottom part of the mask. “You might want to eat that quickly, sounds like we’ll have company soon,” They announce, gesturing towards the doorway, “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll let you do the talking.”   "Aww," he mutters with some genuine disappointment before quickly engulfing the sandwich and passing by Rue on his way to the door, "Don't worry. I made a call."   A few moments later, Rue watches through the wall as a tall man prematurely greying hair steps winded out of the stairwell flanked by a quartet of uniformed police officers. Blue steps into the hallway to greet the man, waving over at him and nodding inside, "Rich, thanks for coming." The pair shake hands, and Blue leads the small team towards the cupboard, "They're just in there."   "Evenin', Blue," the man says before following, "Stuffed them in a cupboard? Classy. You didn't hogtie these ones, did you?" Blue remains tellingly quiet for a beat before the man continues, "Oh jeez. There's gotta be an easier way of doing this. Surely you could get your hands on some handcuffs?"   "I ran out! We’ve been busy this evening," Blue retorts before changing the subject, "Rich, I'd like to introduce you to Silhouette. A first-time hero who's been helping me with the takedown tonight. Silhouette, this is Detective Richard Price of the BCPD's serious crimes division. He's been overseeing the Hightower case."   "Oh, err," the detective mutters, clearly a little perturbed by the sudden change in subject. He quickly straightens up and offers a hand to shake, "Pleasure to meet you, Silhouette. I've... seen some grainy, camera-phone video of your exploits tonight. Impressive work."   “Oh. Uh… T-thank you, sir- Detective,” Rue stammers awkwardly, swivelling around on the barstool and shaking his hand, “Sorry about the lift… And the water from the sprinklers.”   "Trust me, it's far from the worst scene Blue's left me," he says with a sly chuckle at the hero's expense before straightening up again, "Right. I think you know the drill by now."   Blue and the new Detective share a nod of mutual understanding and Blue starts heading towards the door, "Come on, Silhouette. Our work is done here."   “Oh, right.” Rue replies, wincing slightly as they stand up and follow Blue to the door. They give a small wave to the detective and his colleagues, only realising once they’re out in the hallway that the police aren’t the only ones who now have to use the stairs. “Oh, come on…”   "Aww, you tired?" Blue says, teasing but clearly feeling the strain himself, "How'd you feel about one last piggyback?"   “Fuck, no,” Rue grumbles wearily, pushing past Blue to start descending the stairs, “I’d rather get thrown out the window again.”   "Yeah, me too," he says, shrugging as he takes a swan dive out of the shattered remnants of the window, calling back with a quickly fading voice, "See you at the bottom!"   Rue stares at the spot where Blue had just been, mouth agape. “I’m definitely getting a parachute next time…”