Connor watched as the speed gauge shot above 50. Miranda only drove this fast when something serious was going down. She whipped around a few cars, passed over lanes, and ignored the red lights, drawing the ire of many pedestrians and drivers alike. She was one of the best drivers Connor had ever seen, and he could say that without a doubt, recalling all the times she got them out of tight situations. "Easy, woman, what's the rush," Connor asked, you gonna try to save Asyr yourself?"

"No, of course not," she replied, "I don't have the tools [i]or[/i] skills to save Asyr from... whatever is affecting her. It's better to leave that up to the [i]real[/i] heroes, like Skeritt, or Electron."

"Ha! Electron: the living power line? Skeritt: the alien invader-turned-superhero? The government should have executed Skeritt as soon as they had the chance." Connor didn't necessarily hold a lot of respect for superheroes, believing most of them were to 'soft'.

"You're one to judge," Miranda barked. She held great respect for all heroes and didn't take to kindly to Connor's constant depreciation of them. "Just shut your mouth and wait till we get to the lab."

[b][center]-_-<0>-_-[/center][/b]

Every other time Connor had driven to Miranda's lab it was always at the local police precinct. But not this time. This time she pulled into some sort of apartment. It required some sort of special security check at the gates, and the security itself was pretty tight. Connor spotted at least seven snipers on the way in. It was like some sort of... police apartment. Miranda parked the car and led Connor into the building where they passed through a security checkpoint. Connor had to leave his pistol in the car so as to not set off the alarm, while Miranda casually laid hers on a conveyor belt beside the checkpoint, holstering it once more when she was through.

"This way," she said as Connor stepped through. She led him down the hall, into an elevator, and up to one of the top floors. "This is where I stay when I'm not on some escapade with you."

"Oh? You're finally inviting me to your private quarters," Connor playfully said. He knew that sort of speech annoyed Miranda and was not surprised when she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Finally, the doors opened back up and she led Connor down another hall and into a room. It was... white. White carpet, white walls, white furniture, white... everything. Everything except the slick black suit in the corner, propped up on a mannequin of some sort. "And this," she began, "is what I've been working on in my free time." She ran her hand down the arm of the suit. It was well-crafted, and Connor could not help but appreciate the sleekness of it. It was... beautiful? No, it was badass! "This is the Warlord-M1, my own version of the Warlord-V2 developed by the ACRD nearly ten years ago. The The joints contain synthetic braces that augment the wearers speed and strength. It was developed for warfare but the cell was shut down before it finished completion. It took a good while but I finally managed to order all of the necessary components using off-shore addresses."

Connor didn't know what to say. Was it his? "Can... am I suppose to wear this or something?"

Miranda giggled, "that [i]is[/i] why I brought you here. But before I give it to you, you need to promise me something."

"And what's that?"

"You have to change. Connor, I know what you've been through. That stuff with Ellie is... it's heart-wrenching, and I know it. That stuff you did in the Middle East with Jagar was... I know it couldn't have been easy Connor. But I know that somewhere, deep down inside of you, there's a shred of your true self still embedded in your soul. You were a good man, Connor - a good [i]father[/i], and you know that. All I ask is that you dig as deep as you can, find that shred, and let it take hold once again. If not for me, then do it for Ellie's sake."

Connor just laughed, a bit annoyed at everything Miranda just told him. "You... you want me to be some kind of [i]hero[/i]? Come on Miranda, we know that's not going to happen. I'm not a hero, you know that. A real hero would have saved Ellie that night, not get beaten to a pulp and left for dead. If I was really the hero Ellie mad me out to be, she'd still be here. That's just the cold hard truth Miranda, we [i]both[/i] know that."

"Heroes don't always win, Connor. Look at what's happening with Asyr. Asyr is one of - no, she [i]is[/i] the greatest hero this world has [i]ever[/i] seen, and look what's happened to her. All I'm asking is that you at least [i]try[/i] to be the hero Ellie saw you as."

Connor closed his eyes to hold back tears. He hated what happened to Ellie. Hated the world for what it had done. He hated it all. If only he had the power he'd massacre every last person on the planet, just to bring back his dear Ellie. But what Miranda said [i]was[/i] true: Ellie always looked at Connor as a hero... and what was he now? A murderer? "Alright," he finally replied, "I'll do what I can." He reached up to the suit's mask, pulled it off the mannequin and looked into its eyes. "Let's show the world what Vigil is capable of."