Mod Superhero

Chapter 7.67 - Ava Savanus 2

Savanus swallowed dryly. She still had the security feed in her retinal display. Wight was still standing outside the lab. He stared up at the security camera, but it felt like he was looking right at her.

"Open the door, Ava," he repeated.

"You know I can't do that," she replied. It felt like it took every implant and ounce of willpower to keep her voice steady.

Savanus ran through scenarios in her head. Her brain implant communicated with Bastion, checking and rechecking every defensive measure between her and Wight. It wasn't reassuring.

So far as records and hearsay were concerned, there was no way to stop Wight. His power made him completely invulnerable and unstoppable. He might not have the raw destructive potential of Paragon or an army of drones, but in so many ways he was worse. He was the bogeyman.

"Fine," Wight said, bringing her attention back to the security camera. "I'll be with you in a moment."

He phased through the door—just walked through it as if it wasn't there. There was a brief moment when he and the briefcase were semi-transparent, but it looked absurd, like a bad special effect out of a movie. Her brain refused to acknowledge it.

Ava chuckled nervously, then shook her head. The rational part of her knew that this was a fear response. Medications pumped into her bloodstream to manage the symptoms. Her heart slowed, and her mind calmed. If she was going to survive the next few minutes, she needed to focus.

Venture's former home had no shortage of countermeasures. They came in three broad categories: Physical, chemical, and magical. Physical countermeasures included ballistics, explosives, and bulkheads. Chemical ones included tranquilizers and paralytics in a variety of delivery methods. Magical countermeasures included artifacts that could both cast rudimentary spells and cancel out others.

The problem was that none of them would work. During his tenure, Wight had allowed the Summit to run extensive tests on his abilities. The lab's countermeasures were substantial, and Wight was immune to all of them. Savanus could flee deeper into the lab—put as many weapons between herself and Wight—and hope that something could take him down or that eventually his stamina would run out.

Or she could run. She's built her own escape tunnel. Venture wouldn't know about it, and so neither would Wight. Wight was invulnerable. He wasn't a speedster. Savanus could outrun him...

Savanus turned back toward the room she was in. She scanned her stockpile, quickly parsing the dozens of implants and armaments at her disposal. Certain configurations would be suited to running and hiding. Those weren't the ones she was eyeing. Savanus began plucking weapons off the racks. Some she slid into mounting rails in her arms and on her shoulders. Others she hooked to slings and draped over her shoulders.

She wasn't going to run.

While Savanus equipped her weapons, she kept one eye on Wight, watching the security feeds in the corner of her retinal implant. He was coming down the stairs. The red emergency lights cast him in a demonic glow.

Bastion interrupted her. "Midas is attempting to contact you."

Bastion had cut off the lab to secure it from outside influence. That included both the Resistance's AI and Midas.

If not for the drugs in her system, Savanus would've rolled her eyes. Midas was the last person she wanted to deal with.

"Patch him through."

When Midas appeared on screen, his portrait was small and grainy. Normally, Midas used his power to augment his appearance, expanding his image until he filled the entire wall. Now it was like the man himself was showing through instead of his god-sized ego. Still, Ava could tell he was pushing with his influence; the portrait crackled with impotent static.