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“This way!” Haze cried out as she led Icon down the corridor to the elevator which would take them from the bowels of the Valor Institute to freedom. 

However, as they made their escape, a sudden explosion rocked the very foundation of the subterranean complex. Brick, mortar and plaster rained down as Icon and his savior were knocked from their feet by the sheer force of the blast. Almost immediately, Haze was back on her feet. She bent down to help Icon, whose legs were still wobbly from his time in his cell. 

“Really Sasha?” a voice sounded from within the cloud of debris which swirled around the gaping hole which now stood in the wall. “You’re just going to throw everything away?” The voice said as the familiar figure of Riot emerged from the cloud.
“This isn’t right Riot, this is not what we signed on for.” Haze responded to her former compatriot. 

“That’s funny. After everything we’ve done…all the blood that’s on your hands, you decide to develop a conscience now?” Riot sneered. “Too little, too late.” He said as he opened fire on the pair. 

Though he still felt weak, and could barely stand on his own, Icon jumped out in front of Haze, shielding her from the hail of gunfire. Fortunately, though he was weakened, he still found that he was impervious to the gunfire. 

Riot maintained steady fire on Icon and Haze, making it nearly impossible for Haze to advance toward the elevator, all the while…Riot moved in on them. Icon knew that he needed to do something, however, found that with his powers barely a fraction of what they had been, his options were limited. Finally, out of desperation, the hero fired an optic blast at the ceiling between them and the advancing gunman. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling and the ceiling collapsed, trapping Riot beneath the rubble. Icon stepped forward to help his attacker, but found that the energy he had to expend to fire the optic beam had been too great in his weakened state, and he was unable to lift the rubble off of the buried attacker.

“Come on!” Haze shouted as she grabbed him and pulled him toward the elevator. Though, he attempted to resist, he was too weak and had little choice but to allow her to drag him into the elevator. 

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Outside of the Valor Institute, Icon stood with Haze as smoke poured from the discrete outer façade of the building. Icon was saddened by the loss of life in the lower levels of the complex, but also knew that as weak as he was, there was little that he could do. 

“Where are you going to go now?” He asked Haze, genuinely concerned for his rescuer.

“I don’t know, maybe get out of the country. They’ll be looking for me…for both of us.” Haze said, giving Icon a knowing stare.

“You should come to Lost Haven, we can deal with them together.” Icon said.

“No, I can’t. At least not yet.” She paused, before looking back to Icon and continuing. “Take care of yourself Scott, I’ll be seeing you.” She finished as her body began to slowly deteriorate into a purplish smoke, which soon dissipated with the light breeze. Suddenly, Icon understood how she had gotten her name.

“Take care, Haze.” He said as he took to the skies with great effort.

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“There you are…” Benjamin White said as he and several members of his security force retrieved Riot’s lifeless form from the rubble which had entrapped him. “Can you hear me son?”

Riot strained to open his eyes, his body was racked with pain. He didn’t know how he had survived the cave in, and part of him wished that he hadn’t. The pain he felt was unbearable, and he almost knew that his right arm was crushed beyond repair. However, the worst pain that he felt came from the complete lack of pain, or feeling of any kind. A strange nothing that he felt just below his waist. 

“You…you have…you h-have to kill them…” Riot said to his employer before drifting into unconsciousness. 

“No worries my boy, you’ll get the chance to do that yourself. All in good time.” He said as he ordered his men to load Riot onto a gurney.