Chapter 12

Accompanied by hostile glares, I approached the open-sided command tent. No one was hiding what they had planned and, realistically, they couldn’t contain the over-powerful Supers with simple nylon.

Able stepped forward and greeted me. The first time he did so with no artifice. The British Hero was the one responsible for the repair of Purgatory. He was also there to make sure that my entrapment was final. His specifically chosen team were also in the know and ‘officially’ tasked to protect the both of us.

“Bach.”

“Able.”

“We are ready when you are.”

“Are there any changes in the plan?”

“Cascade is injured. She will be replaced by Cameline. Will that be an issue?” he asked.

“Not on my end. You will be the one in the most danger if something goes wrong.” I stated flatly. I wanted to remind him that, when he backstabbed me, he was going to be held responsible.

“You keep them out of the mouth and I will fix the Cap,” Able replied as if not hearing or understanding my warning.

He did both, but believed that the Pit could hold me.

Ten A- and S-Ranked Supers; Able, Cameline, Fortnight, Silver Lily, Blockade, July, Medusa, Apollo, and Gordian accompanied me to the LID. The surrounding Supers gave us space yet became more alert, expecting a battle once it was opened.

Able stepped up and typed in the sixteen-digit code to unlock and open the thirty-meter-diameter, two-meter thick, round, 11,000-plus-ton LID, which was intended to keep the worst of the worst Supers captive. Yet ultimately failed to.

A red flashing light accompanied by a siren announced the opening of the LID. The surrounding air supercharged with all of the elemental powers of the Europe’s strongest Super Heroes preparing for a battle.

I also felt more than a few eyes watching me stand there relaxed. Some very worried and hostile eyes. But not all. At least three were concerned for me. I didn’t have any communication gear on me. Taking it with me inside of the prison would have been a waste, since once I entered the Pit, I expected everything I brought inside to be shredded near instantaneously from the constant attacks of the prisoners eager to escape.

The LID slowly slid east into the pocket that was built to house it in while open. Lifting the LID, even at a 30-degrees angle, was too hazardous, the designers concluded. Sliding the composite circular slab was safer and easier. It was also better for security.

Three men, and a woman wearing little clothing, shot out of the newly made gap. The two speedsters I killed with a steel sphere through the heart. The other two I would leave to those Supers encircling Purgatory who were stationed as backup.

Other than Able, all of Alpha Squad and myself blocked the revealed three-meter opening, fighting our way to the Cap.

The Pit itself was actually an overall simple design. The outside of the casing was molded after a 5-gallon water bottle commonly found in office buildings worldwide.

For living spaces, rows of small housing cells were spaced four-meters side by side and stacked in layers. The facility was meant to house a maximum of one thousand prisoners.

The constant deadly infighting made sure that the number of residents would never reach that total.

The cap on top of the Pit was a three-meter diameter, three-meter-thick cork plug. Every time I saw it, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Franco stupidity and hubris. A chromium steel composite wine cork in a supposed water bottle. Wishful thinking of their part in hopes to keep their hands clean from the filth they placed inside. Wishing forever more that out of sight meant out of their lives. If one of the prisoners died inside, it was not their fault and none of their concern.

After all, they weren’t the ones who killed them, now was it?

Our short battle to the Cap ended in the deaths of the last remaining S-Rank inside the Pit, along with a dozen A-Ranks. There was only so much room under the cap for people to wait for us to open it. I was very surprised that Darkwing was among those who were waiting inside and not immediately trying to flee. But then, we did open the LID just before noon on a cloudless day, an environment in which her powers were at the weakest.

I played along with Able’s plan and freely and unquestioning entered the neck, giving the rest of the team breathing room and Able time to repair the hydraulics so that the Cap can be used once more.

I heard my name called from those below. I had captured more than a few of Purgatory’s residents and nearly all of them had a grudge against me personally or had heard of me. The inmates’ attacks strengthened in both number and intensity as the Cap began its descent. Able’s presence at the controls only needed seconds for it to activate the massive mechanism.

Marianne speculated that the only thing wrong with the Cap’s hydraulics was that the passcode had changed. It seemed she was correct.

I took one last look around, securing the layout of the Pit in my memory before the lights went out. No electricity meant no air, water, light, or life.

I wasn’t the only one who understood this fact. The attacks on me lessened in numbers as panic set in among the prisoners.

“For those that still believe in God,” I resolutely announced, “you might want to make your peace with him. You have twenty-four hours before I begin.”

This was not a task that I ever wanted or looked forward to.

“For those that attack me before the twenty-four-hour grace is up, I’ll assume that you have already made your peace.” After my announcement, I jumped off the scaffold and landed in the center of the Pit.