Bastion: O-Men: Liege’s Legion

by Elaine Levine

  Liege extended his hand, her knife flat on his palm. “Resume your place in the line. You did well. The example I wanted to show was that, while we mutants might compel a regular to do an action, resistance is possible.”

  “You made me throw my knife at Bastion.”

  “At first, yes. But when I ran into your resistance, I changed the compulsion. Instead of forcing you to send your knife into Bastion, I ordered you to stab me.” Liege gave her a sad smile. “That you were willing to do.”

  The freeze he had in place broke, freeing the rest of her team. She held her hand up for them to see, wanting to keep them from experiencing the same awful lesson—whatever it was. “I’m good. I’m fine. It’s all healed.”

  Owen took a step toward Liege, but a shake of Liege’s head stopped him. Bastion’s boss looked remorseful. “The lesson here is that, as regulars, while you are all highly trained warriors, you are not equal to the mental abilities of a mutant.”

  “Where does that leave us?” Blade asked.

  “In a difficult spot,” Liege said. “We can shield you so you can continue your work. We can sever your connections to the Omnis and the work you’ve already done, allowing you to disappear into the world of regulars. We can train you to fight the ghouls and hope Omni mutants lose interest in you. Or we can modify you so that you can become fully empowered fighters in this new and terrible war. We in the Legion had our lives stolen from us—that’s not what we wish for you, so the choice is yours.”

  “None of that’s a choice you can make now,” Acier said, “so let’s get on with our training. This time, we’ll start with the ghouls.”

  Acier moved next to Liege. “You can take these things on. They’re fast and lethal, yes, but barely sentient. The ghouls around here are being manipulated by this guy, who usually presents himself like this.”

  Acier produced one of those hologram-like images that looked just like a real person standing there with them in the gym. The man turned around like a model on a spinner of some sort.

  Something snagged Selena’s interest. “You said ‘usually presents himself.’ What does he really look like? Do you know?” Having the ability to shift their appearance was yet another level of hell. How would they ever know they’d encountered a mutant?

  “He looks like this,” Liege said. The projected image changed to that of a different man. From the back, he seemed as tall and muscular as his pretend self. Why bother projecting an image if vanity was his only defining factor? Selena waited impatiently for the figure to complete his turn so she could see his face, and when she saw it, the air left her lungs. Spots formed in her eyesight, giving her tunnel vision to the defining feature of the man in the projection: his scar. The scar she herself had carved on his cheek using a shard of shattered mirror, twelve years earlier.

  Selena was only vaguely aware of Bastion coming to stand behind her shoulder, close enough to share his heat, but not quite touching her. She stared in horror at the ravaged visage of the Legion’s prime enemy. The scar made a stretched oval on his cheek, in the center of which there was no flesh—it was open to his teeth.

  Bile rose fast, clogging her throat. She covered her mouth and ran out of the gym, rushing into the women’s locker room, where she was violently ill.

  Ace glared at Liege and pivoted, but Bastion stopped her. “I’ll go,” he said. “She is mine.” He jogged out of the room and hurried to follow her, finding her crouched against a wall near the sinks. Her beautiful green eyes were darkened with huge pupils; her hands were shaking. She was lost in a past that was as terrible as he feared. He slipped down to the floor next to her, touching her from shoulder to hip to knee.

  “I lied to my team,” Selena said.

  Bastion remained silent. There wasn’t enough info in that statement for him to put pieces together, so he waited for more.

  “I told them that your enemy, who’s now Brett Flynn, brought a friend to the school where I was and attacked me late one afternoon when everyone was gone.”

  “That wasn’t a lie,” Bastion said, able to discern that much at least.

  “It wasn’t the whole truth.”

  “It was as much as they needed to know. But why not tell them all of it?”

  “You don’t get it.”

  Merde. No, he did not get it. And she was not sharing her thoughts.

  Selena shook her head, then got up to rinse her face. She scooped up cold water in her hands and buried her face in it long enough that Bastion feared she was trying to drown herself.

  When she straightened, he handed her a towel. “I would like to get it, if you would take the time to explain it to me.”

  “No.” She tossed the towel on the counter and headed back to the gym.

  While her team did not focus on Selena, giving her the space to reclaim her composure, his team watched her curiously, all of them trying to read her. Bastion shielded her from them. Ace and Selena exchanged a long look, one that vibrated with energy and support. The two females understood each other on a level Bastion dreamed he’d one day have with the woman who was his light.

  He’d fallen short of what she needed, and that put a crack in his heart, letting his demons out. He’d let everyone down—his mother, his brother. And now his light.

  “I did not mean to shock you, Selena,” Liege said.

  “It is what it is,” she said. She lifted her chin a notch. “I gave him that scar when he assaulted me. Afterward, my family brought charges against him. A couple of our court dates had to be postponed due to reconstructive surgery he was having. My parents told me later that he’d contracted a MRSA infection in his cheek. We ended up dropping the case for some reason that I never understood, and we moved shortly after that.” She looked at her team. “We had to move several more times after that.”

  “He had that scar when we encountered him later in our camps,” Guerre said. “For some reason, the modifications never healed it.”

  “Does he know I’m here? Am I why he’s focused on us?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Selena,” Owen said. “He’s come for retribution, whether that’s because of our role in fighting the Omnis, or because of you, or both.”

  “It does matter. If he’s come for me, there is an easy resolution to this situation that protects all of you.”

  A chill blew its cold wind around Bastion’s chest. “No. Giving yourself up is no solution at all.”

  “You don’t know this bastard like we do, Sel,” Acier said. “He’s got a scorched-earth policy. If you surrender yourself, he’ll not only torture you before he murders you, but he’ll still come after everyone who ever knew you—everyone here, their families. Even your parents. Our only option is to end him. So the why of it doesn’t matter, really.”

  “This all my fault. Cutting him that day put him on this path that’s brought him here to us. I should have just let him—”

  “If you say that, I’ll punch you in the stomach,” Ace snapped.

  “We each make our own destiny, Selena,” Guerre said. “He made his. You made yours. We make ours. We are where we are, so we go from here.”

  “You said you put a protection on us,” Owen said. “Is there a way that Flynn could get through that?”

  “Yes,” Bastion said, forgoing his Franglish due to the dire situation. He didn’t want anyone to misunderstand him. “There are any number of ways through it. He could take me out. Liege would reinstate the protection, but in the seconds between my incapacitation and Liege’s recovery, Flynn could get in. Or he could turn his ghouls loose on the town. You would go fight them, of course. Even though, in an action like that, he wouldn’t get all of you, he would get most of you. He might do something targeted, like send his ghouls to Ivy’s diner, or to the school.”

  “I thought they didn’t go out in the daylight?” Blade said.

  “We haven’t seen that happen yet,” Liege replied. “Flynn’s still hiding behind the mantle of darkness, where he gives his predations complete freedom.
He could at any point decide to expose himself and the Omnis—and us—by making himself visible to the world of regulars. So far, his secrecy has benefitted him. I’m not convinced the Omnis have a handle on his activities.”

  “There’s another way he could get inside,” Guerre said. “Someone already inside could let him in.”

  “Everyone here is trusted,” Owen said.

  “Trust is an antiquated notion,” Acier said. “It wouldn’t keep him from possessing one or more of you, regardless of how well you’re trusted or how unwilling you are to being taken over.”

  Liege looked disgusted. “All human constructs of legality and ethics are at risk in a world occupied by mutants.”

  Blade clasped his hands behind his head and cursed. He moved away from the group and walked in a wide circle as Liege’s words sank in. When he stopped, he looked at Kit. “We’re going to have to change.”

  “No. There is another way,” Bastion said. “Most of the Omnis don’t even know about the mutants in their ranks. It’s why Flynn is keeping a low profile. You can still do what you’re doing against Omni regulars and leave the mutants to us.”

  Liege appeared to like that suggestion. He looked at Owen. “Your dad has been changed. We can train him to do what needs to be done to keep everyone here safe from mutants. One of my men can stay with you to do the training and provide extra security. I’m hoping we can put down this uncontrolled spread of modifications. To do this with the best outcome, we need Santo.”

  “I don’t want that bastard here,” Greer said.

  Liege lifted a brow. “That bastard may be your best shot at Owen’s dad developing the skills we need him to have.”

  Angel crossed his arms. “Wynn’s parents—the researchers you’ve been looking for—warned us this could be an extinction event.”

  “They’re right,” Guerre said. “If this gets out before governance systems are put in place, every regular human becomes a de facto slave.”

  “Staring down a future like that, seems dealing with a bastard like Santo is the lesser of two evils,” Blade said.

  “I’m glad there’s a way forward for us that doesn’t require the modifications.” Owen met Liege’s gaze. “There’s much still unknown about them. I’ll be following my dad’s progress closely.”

  Liege nodded. “It’s good to leave your options open. I’ve sent Merc to retrieve Santo. Now, I think we would get the most out of our remaining time today if we focused on getting you ready to fight the ghouls.”

  30

  When Bastion saw his team off that evening, it was about the time that everyone gathered in the living room prior to dinner.

  Bastion sent his mental energy out through the sprawling mansion, searching for Selena’s energy. She was in the gym building, working out. He headed that way. Ridiculous that he’d only been away from her for a little while, yet he already hungered for her.

  As he entered that wing, Bastion encountered several of Selena’s team coming toward him. Their energy felt like a wall, stopping him. The group made a half-circle around their team lead. Didn’t they know that many to one were still fine odds for a mutant?

  "You headed to the gym or the pool?" Kit said.

  “Gym,” Bastion answered.

  "Don't bother, man," Greer said. “Selena’s chased all of us out. She wants it to herself."

  "That doesn't mean she doesn't want me there,” Bastion said.

  Max chuckled. "Doesn't mean she won't cut up that pretty face of yours.”

  Bastion met Max’s laughing eyes. “My face is hers to slice. And her heart is mine to hold. Something is wrong if she chased you out. She needs comforting, not solitude."

  Kit shook his head. “If you don’t mind getting your ass handed to you, then go for it.”

  The guys left. Bastion approached the gym door, but Angel was stretched out in front of it doing push-ups, blocking anyone from entering.

  "Why haven't you left with the others?" Bastion said.

  "Just getting my reps in,” Angel said. "Sel wanted the room to herself while she worked out, but it seemed to me she didn't exactly want to be alone, so I thought I'd hang around in case she needed to talk."

  Bastion compelled him to get to his feet, then held a hand out to shake. "Thank you. It was considerate of you, but I've got this."

  "Works for me. It's your head." Angel jogged down the hallway after the others.

  Bastion stepped inside the dimly lit space. The ventilation wasn't entirely adequate for the number of men who worked out in the room. The stink of their sweat lingered. It probably wasn't something that bothered regulars, but Bastion’s extra-sensitive nose smelled months of workouts.

  Selena was over by the heavy punching bag. She’d taped her hands and was wearing boxing gloves. She wore a skimpy exercise top and tight knit shorts. Bastion enjoyed watching her body flex and move as she shifted her weight and threw her punches, hits that got harder and more impressive as she became aware of him. Her face and back were moist with sweat—a scent that was fresh and sweet to him, unlike the stink in the rest of the room. He filled his lungs with it.

  "I guess you didn't get the memo,” she said.

  "I got it, only mine didn't say what you said to the others." He steadied the long bag.

  "I want to be alone."

  "If that were true, I wouldn't be here."

  "I have some things to work out. I don't want an audience."

  "So work them out."

  "Go away," she said.

  "I'm not going anywhere, Selena. Why don't we talk it out?"

  "Don't feel like talking." She landed a hard jab that shoved the bag into his shoulder.

  "Then don't talk." It's not like I need your words to know your thoughts.

  The violence inside Selena's mind was exactly the same as the violence outside of it. She was angry, confused, and scared. He knew her emotions, but he didn't know the why of them. So he just kept holding the punching bag and letting her work her emotions out so he could get to the heart of the matter.

  After a while, she ripped off her gloves and tossed them aside, then went over to a bare stretch of wall and slumped against it, sliding down cold cement blocks to her haunches. She whipped the tape off her knuckles and wrists, then sat there bunching it into a messy ball.

  Bastion went over to sit with her. He didn't touch her, didn't want to crowd her. He left about a foot of space between them. He bent his legs and propped his hands on his knees, calmly waiting for her to speak first.

  "It hurts, you know,” she said without looking at him.

  Bastion felt those words cut their way through him. If there was anything within his power that he could do to take the pain away from her, he would. Her thoughts were still so jumbled that even slipping inside her mind, which was open to him at the moment, didn’t let him make sense of her distress. So he said nothing.

  "I just got back here, but once again I can't stay, because my being here still endangers everyone."

  “You can’t leave now—you’re needed here. Flynn knows you’re here. It's possible he could come as an astral projection, prowling around the house and grounds as he looks for you. But it's also likely that he'll choose a more violent tack. Because the people here were part of your life, he’ll cut them down. I've seen him do it many times. So your not being here will not spare the people you love."

  She looked at him. “Then what do I do?”

  “Go out to our fort. We may end up bringing everyone there.”

  "How can we tear up everyone's lives for this bastard? Remi has an important job at the university in Laramie. She can't get down to Colorado. The young pride boys just got into mainstream schools. For the first time, they have regular lives. Eddie and Mandy both run businesses out of Blade’s ranch. Ivy has a business in town. Hiding everyone at the fort is not the answer."

  Bastion let the silence speak for itself. He didn't have a solution and didn't feel like telling Selena a lie, that everything would be all right
. A war was coming, and he couldn't pretend otherwise. It was for her own well-being she get ready for it, whether it were to take place here or at the fort.

  Bastion took long, slow breaths, sharing his composure with her. He didn't know if she would sense the calm energy he was sending her way and, if she did, how she would react to it. Contrary to his worries, she seemed hungry for the ease it gave her. He let her draw from him all that she needed. He couldn't see auras the way Liege could, but knew if he could, he’d see the angry colors of her emotions making way for the calming colors of his energy. Though they didn't touch, they were very much bound together.

  At last, Selena sighed, straightened her legs out, and relaxed her hands in her lap. “Still, the question is, what do I do?" She looked at him.

  "You prepare to fight. You and I can do extra training so that you develop your instincts and your perceptions are finely tuned to changes in energy."

  "Is that trainable? I mean, obviously mutants can learn it but their mental wiring is changed. You’re different than I am."

  "You can learn it, in time. Everything I do is a natural human ability lifted to an exponential level. None of it is nonhuman—it's more like extra-human. Do you want to tell me about the fight you and Flynn had?”

  He had the clear sense that she wanted him to know, but didn’t want to drag herself back into that hell by revisiting that day. “No.”

  “Would you open yourself to me so that I can see the story from your memories?”

  “You can do that?”

  “I can, only if you’re open to me. Liege can far more easily. So can Flynn.”

  “How do we do this?”

  “Let me hold your hand. Be still and quiet. This takes significant concentration from me.”

  Selena moved closer to him. He took her hand.

  “Close your eyes. Relax. Think of something pleasant, a field of wildflowers, an ocean, the mountains—whatever gives you ease.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  It would hurt him, but he didn’t tell her that. “You won’t feel a thing. If you become anxious, we’ll stop. You may even feel a sense of relief after it’s done, because, while you can tell someone a memory, this is experiential. I will know it as you do. It will become my memory too.”