Chapter Text
“Alrighty, that should be the last of ‘em!”
Cole ran his forearm across his brow, wiping the sweat and flicking it off to one side. Three hours of working with Laroche’s men and they’d finally fixed the immediate strain on the power grid keeping the lights on and the equipment operating in Flood Town. Since driving both the militia and the ice men out, Laroche had orchestrated one of the old buildings to be gutted, and a makeshift hospital adorned with mattresses, blankets and heating apparatus had been prepared in the shelter it provided. It wasn’t much, he’d admitted, but it was enough to give the people there some comfort as the plague continued to cut through the less fortunate side of the city. Laroche’s tired voice crackled over the radio once more “Everything’s showing up green over here, thanks for the help MacGrath.”
It had been a mammoth effort, but worth it for the end result of giving the people some comfort after all they’d been through. Despite all of Bertrand’s alleged philanthropy, too many good and kind people still lived in the waterlogged ruins of the north island, and little effort had been made prior to make their lives any easier. Cole sat atop a repurposed watchtower, perched on a large strut on the corner and soothed by the low hum of the junction box he’d helped install. The linesman who was assisting and guiding him waved from the wooden bridge below. Cole returned the gesture as he watched the man make his way back towards the center of the district. He stared off across the water as the linesman disappeared from view amongst the ruined buildings and makeshift shelters. It reminded him of Empire City, and the thought brought a smile to his tired face, the feeling was fleeting as he couldn’t help but turn slightly to look out across the open stretch of water, wondering how long he’d have left until The Beast would come to raze this innocent city to the ground too.
The air took a sudden chill to it, shifting from the warm humidity of the summer evening. Cole raised a hand and waived, though the gesture was half-hearted as he was exhausted. Kuo’s presence was often accompanied by an urgent job, an emergency, or a problem requiring his unique qualities. He didn’t mind the work, truly, it kept his mind from lingering too long on the looming threat, but he valued the slivers of peace he could find tucked away high above the hustle and bustle. “Just checked out the hospital Laroche has been working on, this place is really shaping up.” Kuo smiled warmly. Cole nodded and flashed a grin down to her. “Yeah, was a lot of work but these people deserve something good. Bertrand sure as hell wasn’t going to help them.”
Kuo smiled, then paused, shuffling for a moment on the spot. “Haven’t seen Nix around in a while…” She lingered on the name, her tone made Cole cringe slightly. “She’s still pretty pissed about me choosing you over her back in the Parish.”
“So what did you two like, break up?”
Cole rolled his eyes dramatically in response to Kuo’s wry smile, “I’ve known her for a few days Kuo, c’mon.”
“Yeah, well, you seem to be getting along pretty well for someone you’ve known for a few days.” she scoffed.
“And I’ve known you for a few weeks.” he retorted with a slight smirk. “What difference does it make.”
Kuo folded her arms and moved to lean on the railing, her silent gaze drifting out across the swamp as the light glistened and danced on the surface of the water and through the mangroves. “Y’know you shouldn’t be so harsh on her, Kuo.” Cole said gently, watching her from atop his perch. “You don’t know what she’s gone through.”
“I don’t need to know, it doesn’t excuse what she’s doing now. She’s a psychopath, Cole.”
Cole shrugged. “So she’s a little, uhh.. Intense, and yeah her methods are notably more violent but hey, I’d rather have her on side than have to fight her.”
“So long as she doesn’t become a problem.”
“I’ll keep things cool.”
“Very funny.”
Cole held up his arms apologetically, but Kuo wasn’t looking his way.
“Look all I’m saying Cole, is that if she can’t control herself then she’s going to have to be dealt with.”
“And what about us?”
Kuo turned her head slightly to glance back at him. “What do you mean, ‘us’?”
“What happens when we’re the ones needing to be dealt with?” Cole’s head tilted down, his face cast in shadow as he hopped down from the perch he was sitting on and he began to pace the tower.
“Cole that’s not–”
“John said it himself. I needed a plan B, still haven't got one, but you should probably start thinking of one too.” He leaned on the wall across from her, facing the twinkling lights of the city as the festival preparations came into full swing. “Cause I’m gonna be real Kuo, the way you look at Nix is the way the world looks at us.”
He shivered slightly as the temperature dropped a few noticeable degrees. Kuo remained silent, and he continued with a softer, more cautious tone. “I don’t think we’ll ever not be seen as monsters.” he looked back over at Kuo. She hadn’t budged from her spot on the wall. “Can’t say I blame Nix for how she handles it.”
His words hung in the air, and part of him wished he hadn’t spoken them.
“Well…” Cole stiffened as Kuo’s voice cut through the silence, “Laroche has told me he is confident that the Pyre festival should go smoothly, what with everything we’ve been doing to set up for it. City’s started to clean up. Bertrand’s losing his grip. You’ve done good work here.” Cole didn’t respond as Kuo continued. “You should maybe take a day, and I know, I know what I said when we first got on the boat at E.C. but look… You’ve been non-stop since we docked. You deserve to have at least a bit of a break once in a while.”
He was good at distracting himself with a task at hand, with work, but at his own detriment he’d run himself into the ground, quite literally, before he’d stop. Zeke had told him that he may be supercharged but he’s not superman - he still needed to take breaks once in a while. Earlier in the day Cole had brushed him off when he suggested they take some time to celebrate their good work, to party like old times. To Zeke’s credit, even before they’d docked at New Marais he’d been working hard, harder than Cole had ever seen him. He’d joked about all the trouble they’d get into, coming back to this city, but Zeke had been nothing but assistive, focused and on-point. His voice echoed in Cole’s head once more.
Oh c’mon Cole, man, what’s the point of being in New Marais if we can’t even enjoy a little of the three B’s?
“Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I mean hell how bad could one night be?”
New Marais never had a quiet moment, come hell or high water the town was alive and electrified by every vice under the sun - and as it teetered on the horizon slowly sinking through the canopy of cypress trees, the hazy golden glow’s embrace wavered as the sensibilities of the day let go, giving way to the celebrations brought on by the night. The Pyre Night festival was a centuries old tradition, far more than a simple excuse to get drunk and high - no one in New Marais needed an excuse for that. Cole grinned as Zeke guided him through the crowded streets, soaking in the atmosphere of the celebrations. People were starting to flood out as soon as they clocked out of their jobs, adjourning themselves with glowsticks and costumes, masks and props. Street performers began to prepare for their acts on stages assembled and placed on the sides of roads, the revived police force diverted what little traffic still remained as the streets were slowly closed off in preparation for the wild crowds that would dominate almost the entirety of Ville Cochon come nightfall. Cole had opted to travel in a more conventional manner, meandering through the streets behind Zeke at a leisurely pace. Typically on any other day, he’d have been stopped dead in his tracks more times than he could count by now. Someone wanting a selfie, or an autograph, or needing assistance with some small problem just for the sake of saying ‘Cole MacGrath personally saved me’. Life had mostly returned to normal this side of town since Bertrand moved into hiding and the Militia had cleared out, Laroche’s men had made sure they didn’t bother trying to gain a new foothold in the south island since. As he passed the local citizens, some would smile, others waved, but none asked anything of him, none approached. Some unspoken recognition of the universal need for a day off had enveloped the city and as a man raised his bottle as he passed Cole, nodding in respect, he started to understand why Zeke spoke so much about being a public eye hero. This was nice.
Cole had started to feel strangely at peace. He welcomed it, though it was at odds within his mind with the ever present threat of the Beast looming on the horizon, but Kuo had given him her good graces, encouraging him to take one night to enjoy. It was important, she’d implored, and besides, she wanted to catch up on going over Wolfe’s notes and research into Bertrand’s operations. They’d reconvene tomorrow.
“You sure you don’t want to join us?”
“I hardly find the prospect of ‘the three B’s’ fun in any way shape or form but I appreciate the offer, really.”
He smiled slightly at the memory of the look of disgust Kuo had failed to hold back for a moment before regaining her usual professional composure. She’d hardly rested since they arrived, and he could understand how a quiet night locked in and reserved could be considered relaxing. As they moved towards the bar Zeke had suggested being the first destination for pre-gaming the eventful night ahead, Cole noted that there was a persistent theme to the decorations. “Hey Z, what’s this whole thing about anyway?”
“Ahh they burned some crazy chick that was like, I dunno a witch or a demon or some shit, like a hundred years ago. Whole festival’s all about continuing to condemn her soul to hell and to ward off evil spirits.” he wiggled his fingers in the air for emphasis, making Cole laugh.
“You believe any of that?”
Zeke scoffed. “Cole, seriously we’ve been over this, ghosts are real but demons? Get serious.”
The pair rounded a street corner, caught suddenly in the deep sprawling shadow of the towering cathedral before them in the square. Scaffolding covered its ancient brick walls, with locals in high-vis vests, hard hats and safety harnesses clambering about installing lights, decorative pyre struts, and hanging up various other plastic spooks and ghouls about the place. The pattern of overlapping beeping as food trucks were guided and backed into place, the clanging of equipment dumped onto the ground, the strained yelling of a person coordinating the placement of a gazebo so it sat just right - it was strange to see the city so coordinated and careful, the calm before the storm of the craziest night of the year.
“Ok the place is a few blocks from here, and brother trust me when I say you will never see chicks hotter than the ones that go to this joint.”
“I thought you said you were taking me to a goth bar.”
“That I did!”
“Z,” Cole placed a firm hand on his friends shoulder, stopping him for a moment, “is this a ploy to get me to wing-man for you?”
Zeke turned around to face him, placing a hand on his chest as his expression feigned a deep pain. “Cole, how could you, after everything, how could you think something like that?”
“I’ll do it if you buy me a drink.”
“Done-zo!” Zeke grinned and clapped Cole on the back before spinning back around and continuing on with a slight bounce to his steps.
Cole shook his head, smiling as he continued after Zeke, but from the corner of his eye he couldn’t help but spot something that gave him pause. Amidst the hubble and bubble of activity as people rushed around the church, he spotted a group that was beginning to form outside one of the lower walkways surrounding the ancient building. The group gathered outside of a great wooden door, one of the various access points to the historical catacombs and tunnel system that ran underneath the city. Bertrand had used it as part of his operations, and with Laroche’s crew he’d helped clear out any equipment they could find, though they hadn’t gone far as the old tunnel system was overdue for a full safety audit. Laroche had commented offhandedly that it was at risk of a cave-in, and although it was recommended against, kids still snuck in from time to time, and the immediate rooms under the church were used for storage - notably decorations and equipment for the Pyre Night festival.
“Hey, Z, hold up!”
Cole started towards the crowd, his pace quickening as he saw two of the people helping carry the bruised and dirty body of an injured civilian away as the crowd started yelling for help, someone calling out they were dialing nine one one. Zeke turned around and stopped when his eyes followed where Cole’s outstretched arm pointed, flipping his sunnies up to rest on his head as he squinted in disbelief.
“Seriously it’s barely even the evening yet and people are already calling an ambulance?” Despite his words there was a distinct concern behind his voice, and he looked at Cole earnestly.
“I should probably go check it out.”
Zeke nodded, “Can’t catch a break here huh?”
“It’s probably a cave-in, nothing I can’t handle, I’ll be in and out in ten minutes.”
“Ooookay, but if a group of incredibly attractive women invite me to participate in a round of cheap shots, I’m not waiting for you I hope you understand.”
“It’s fine Zeke, I’ll be in and out, you’ll hardly even know I was gone.”