League of Heroes: Ascent Episode 1: Jail Break - Part 4

***Question: What do you do when you have three inter-related stories to tell that will all help to bring about the conclusion to a current story arc?

 

Answer: Build a story tower... of course!

 

So, without further ado. Here is the conclusion to "League of Heroes: Ascent: Jail Break".

 

League of Heroes: Ascent

 

Episode 1: Jail Break - Part 4

 

 

Exterior - The burning New Brickton prison:

 

 

“Your ten minutes are up…” Detective Garnet muttered to himself.

 

“Excuse me sir?” responded a young officer.

 

“Oh, nothing Williams. I was just talking to myself.” Detective Garnet paced uncomfortably and looked up at the burning prison. “Is the perimeter secure Williams?”

 

“Yes. Nothing is getting in or out of there with out us knowing,” the young officer motioned to the burning building and shouted over the din of sirens as more fire trucks slid into the prison yard. “Should we try to get some officers in there to restore some order to this chaos?”

 

“Let’s hold the line here a little longer, and give those firefighters some time to do what they do best.”

 

Garnet didn’t finish the rest of that sentence, but he silently thought to himself, “Well, you’ve just bought yourself five more minutes Cloak. You’d better make it count.”

 

 

Interior - Solitary confinement a.k.a. “Desolation Row”:

 

 

The Crimson Cloak had spent the last ten minutes fighting his way through unbearable heat, wicked flames, and the chaos of a hundred savage prisoners who suddenly had their life term commuted by an unexpected explosion. The men who were held in “Desolation Row” were the worst of the worst. They were career criminals with hands as bloody red as the cape worn by the Crimson Cloak. They would not hesitate to tear the hero limb from limb with their bare hands if given but one chance at him.

 

The Cloak had already dispatched a dozen roving gangs on his way down to solitary. His costume was stained with blood, charred from the flames, and torn from combat. Yet he still strode with an inhuman air of calm down the dimly lit corridor. These thugs, this human refuse, would not deter him from his prize. He needed answers, and the man to give him those answers lived right here in “Desolation Row”.

 

The Cloak knocked a would be attacker out cold with his staff, and stood before the cell of the Thin Man. The door to his cell had already been torn from its hinges, and hung limply to the side. The soft glow of the fluorescent light draped the Thin Man in a sickly hue as he cowered on his bunk. The Cloak stepped into the cell.

 

“Go away! Leave me alone!” shouted the slim prisoner as he scooted back as far as he could. The cold stone wall behind him an instant reminder that he was trapped.

 

“Shut up, and tell me what I need to know Thin Man.” the Cloak leaned in the fluorescent lights glowing ominously on his red goggles.

 

“Ah… Ahhhh… Abbb… About what?”

 

“This explosion!” The Cloak reached out and grabbed the whimpering man and hauled him up of his by his collar. “You know everything Thin Man. You are New Brickton’s resident stool pigeon, so don‘t hold back on me now.”

 

“Ahh… ye… ye… yesss… Of course n… no… notttt. Not for you kah… kah… Cloak!” The Thin Man’s feet dangled as the Cloak pressed him forcibly against the wall.

 

“TALK!”

 

“Wah… wah… well, yah… yah… you s-s-see. I’m not re… re… really privy t-t-to the pah… pah.. plan.” The Thin Man squirmed and avoided the steely glare of the Cloak.

 

“WHO WAS BEHIND THE EXPLOSION!!!” Crimson Cloak bellowed in a harsh and gravely voice, losing all patients with the small man who he held limply before him.

 

“It… it… it was the sk… sk… SKULL! Okay?!? This is juh… juh… just pah… pah… part of his puh… puh… plan. It g-g-goes SOOOO much deeper.

 

“I figured as much, now tell me something I don’t know. Who caused the explosion?” The Cloak lifted the squirming man up so that his head touched the buzzing fluorescent light.

 

“Duh… duh… doc… doctor... Doctor Toxin! L-l-listen! Th-th-that’s all I know!”

 

“Better watch your back Thin Man.” The Crimson Cloak threw the prisoner back onto his bunk like a rag doll, and strode out of the cell slamming the broken door behind him.

 

 

Interior - Tunnel system below the prison:

 

 

Sam Sterling was drenched in sweat, he was beaten and bruised, and now he was on the retreat. His fight against Firebug and Barricade had not gone well at all. With his gleaming shield and his mechanized armor, he was able to hold out against their combined might, however the structure around them had not fared so well and soon collapsed around them.

 

When Sam came to, he was three levels down and there was no sign of Firebug or Barricade. Though, he soon found his mentor, Captain Electron, broken and beaten to unconsciousness. William Watts lay in a heap against the cold cement floor. His mask had been torn away and he was left for dead by his attackers.

 

Sam regained his composure, the servos and actuators in his suit helping him to upright himself, and he got to his feet. His HUD in his helmet blared multiple warnings. Slowly, he made his way over to Watts and gathered the fallen hero into his arms.

 

“Sir? Are you awake? Are you even still alive?” Sam felt like weeping as he tried to check for a pulse. He had let down his mentor. He had promised him that he would be there when he needed him, but he had failed and now William Watts had paid the ultimate price.

 

“You’d know that if you’d look at your HUD… geez…” A weak voice groaned up at Sam.

 

“You’re alive!” Sam blushed, embarrassed that he forgot about all of the tech that was crammed into his suit. Suddenly alarms went off in his helmet… warning of an impending explosion.

 

Silver Sentry got to his feet and dashed away as quickly as he could, cradling Watts in his arms he could feel the heat of the explosion before he heard it. Flames burst through the subterranean corridor as the two heroes made their narrow escape.

 

 

… It all began with an explosion… Now it was time to rise from the flames.

 

Done