Reclaimer looked out over Hyperion, the shimmering city seeming somehow... darker. The vibrant lights of the hadn't changed, but there was a dark aura over the city now, a sense that something was wrong.

Something was wrong, but not for him. No, the bad news for others was good news fo him, very good news. Hyperion was under his control at last. He had brought the city to its knees in a matter of days, and now it was time to do the same to other key cities.

Years of staying in the shadows, years of keeping his plans secret had finally paid off, but he was far from done.

Now, however, he had the one thing that had been a wrench in the machine that was his army. He had the one that could tear the Rogues apart.

He heard someone knock on the door to his office and told whoever it was to come in. It was Silencer, one of his Bounty Hunters. The one he had sent specifically for Oracle, knowing he, unlike so many others, wouldn't fail.

She is in cell 237. She's still trying to wake up. I drugged her on the way here to make sure she didn't try anything. He said, stopping in front of Recliamer's desk.

I know what she's capable of.

The older Bounty Hunter turned to Silencer, seeing the damage she had done. She hadn't gone quietly. That was something she wasn't good at.

"Good. I will be down momentarily. Now, as for your payment, I'll transfer it to your account."

"Your next bounty will be in the morning."

Silencer nodded and left, leaving Reclaimer alone. It was time that he paid a visit to the one who had been eluding him for so long.

~~                 ~~               ~~

Mirage hadn't seen Oracle at all in the past several hours. She hadn't appeared to eat, wasn't in her room and didn't appear to be outside.

He was starting to get worried when one of the Captains came to him with the bad news. He was in the main control room discussing strategy when he came in.

"Sir." He said.

Mirage turned to him, and noticed that the Captain looked slightly nervous.

"What is it?" He asked, his worry growing.

"The bounty on Oracle was withdrawn," he stated.

That was all he needed to say. Mirage knew exactly what that meant. He stood still, silent, letting his words sink in. Oracle was in Reclaimer's clutches now, at his mercy.

"Thank you for telling me." Was all he could manage to say.

The Captain nodded and walked out of the room. Mirage couldn't focus for the rest of the day, his mind was too focused on Oracle to do much of anything else.

Meetings flowed into one another, words just meaningless banter.

He walked into his quarters, running his hands through his hair. He wanted to scream, to cry, to rage, to punch a wall, but instead he simply sat down on his bed.

Every ounce of his being wanted to go after her, to tear apart Necron's headquarters until he found her. To kill anyone who stood in his way.

The news of her capture hurt like a knife to the heart, but he knew that he couldn't bring her home.

The Rogues needed him, and if he was captured too, they would again be leaderless. Reclaimer wanted him to rescue her, to come to him. This war was more than just a single person, no matter how important that person was to him.

Reclaimer would kill her when she was no longer of use to him, something Mirage feared greatly. If he lost her...

He shook away the thought. Oracle had come out of bad situations before. She always found a way. This time he would have to place his faith in her, and hope that she could make it out alive.

Mirage looked up at the ceiling, feeling utterly helpless.

I'm sorry Oracle. He thought.

But you're on your own for this one.

~~ ~~ ~~

She woke up to find a harsh white light blinding her. Oracle raised a hand up to her face, feeling something tug at it. She raised her head from where it was resting on something cold and hard, the pounding in her skull worsening.

She could tell that whatever drug Silencer had used had worn off, and that she wasn't at the base anymore. Once the grogginess wore off she looked around at the concrete walls, the light above her, the small window in the door.

Suddenly pain slammed into her like a thousand pound truck. Oracle groaned, her entire body aching.

She took in a deep breath, the cold air searing her throat, bruised ribs protesting. She needed a drink of water badly, her throat was raw, and it hurt to swallow.

The headache she had was worsening, creeping up slowly from the base of her skull. She wished dearly that Mirage was here, that she could lean into his shoulder, wrap her arms around his neck, hear his voice.

Oracle looked behind her, at the small bed that was against the wall. She longed to lay her head on the threadbare pillow, even if it wasn't her bed at home, or the one at the base. Her body was battered and weary. She was in dire need of sleep.

The throbbing ache in her shoulder had worsened, bringing tears to her eyes. She heard voices from outside the cell, as the door was unlocked.

The first thing she saw was a Peacekeeper, who came into the cell and stood behind her by the wall. He didn't say a word, the soldier didn't even look at her.

The electrical staff, as always, was present, held by the soldier's side. Reclaimed came in next, flanked by two Necron soldiers. He sat in the chair across from her as the guard outside the door closed it.

His helmet was off, but he still wore his armor. He locked eyes with her and she glared at him, not saying a word.

He saw his eyes go to where she had scratched the Necron symbol off her armor and replaced it with the Rogue symbol.

She tried to read him but his face stayed carefully neutral. There wasn't anything she could use against him, not a single emotion.

"Oh come now, not even a welcome? It's not like we haven't met before." He said, smirking.

Oracle narrowed her eyes at him, an angry hiss escaping her like a cornered cat. She clenched her hands into fists, resisting the urge to try to strangle him.

Reclaimer's smirk deepened, and he chuckled quietly, fanning Oracle's anger.

"You still have that same fight in you." He said, standing.

He walked around the table, coming to stand behind her right shoulder.

"I raised you since you eight years old. I know you better than anyone here. I know how you think, how you fight, even what your favorite weapon is. I taught you everything you know. How do you think I knew it was you who killed those guards when you broke Bastian out?"

She knew her surprise must have shown in her body language because Reclaimer's smirk deepened.

"You can't hide from me Oracle. I know you."

He reached out and curled a lose strand of hair behind Oracle's ear.

"You don't know me at all." She hissed, recoiling from his touch.

"Oh but I do," Reclaimer said, "I know your motives, I know why you do what you do."

He then moved so she could see him, pinning her under that cold, calculating gaze she had come to know.

"You were once a liberator." She said, her voice hostile, "but you changed. Your heart grew cold and you became a monster."

She pinned him under her own hate-filled gaze, not allowing him to have power over her.

"I spent my life trying to prove myself to a monster, being that monster, being a hunter and a killer."

She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction to his words. Now as she looked closer she saw the anger, and maybe, just maybe, the hurt that was hidden behind layers of ice and stone.

"And yet you enjoyed it." Said Reclaimer, leaning forward.

"You enjoyed the hunt. You enjoyed being the dealer of death, you enjoyed being the one they feared to say the name of. You enjoyed the kill, seeing the life drain from their eyes, the fear spark in them when they saw your face.

"You willingly became my tool, my weapon. You paved the way for this empire to form. You rid this world of the wicked. You are every inch the monster I made you, the killer you embraced."

"I am not a monster." She growled, narrowing her eyes.

Reclaimer scoffed, sitting back in his chair.

"I'm going to give you two options," he said, "one, you join me again under my service and direction, or two, I go after everyone you have come to care for and end their lives slowly and painfully."

He paused, regarding her.

"I will come for Mirage first."

That pushed Oracle over the edge, fury rearing its ugly head, roaring its rage at the sky.

"If you lay a hand on him I swear I will gouge your eyes out with my bare hands." She hissed, her eyes bright with anger.

Oracle stood, tugging at the handcuffs that attached her to the table. She wanted to make Reclaimer's death as painful as possible, to end it here and now.

Out of nowhere the Peacekeeper came up behind her and jabbed her in the ribs with his staff, driving her to her knees. Every muscle tensed, her shoulder screaming in agony, her throat tightening.

Suddenly she was twelve again, on her knees in front of the Peacekeeper training her that day, anger rearing up inside her much like it was now.

Her thirteen year old self looked at where Reclaimer stood like a sentinel, watching her, saying nothing.

She snapped back to the present as the Peacekeeper dragged her to feet, causing every bruise, gash and tender spot to scream in pain at the same time.

Oracle glared at Reclaimer, anger still coursing through her.

"That's the green fire I haven't seen in your eyes for quite some time." Purred Reclaimer.

"The fire I gave you."

Oracle wanted to rip his throat at but didn't want to risk getting shocked again, so she stayed silent, breathing hard.

"We all have a monster inside us, both the heroes and villains. The villains, we choose to use its power. The heroes lock it away, never embrace its full potential. You, Oracle, have a monster inside you that is far deadlier than any of my other men.

"That is what made you my best. You embraced it, used it. When you embrace the hunter, you are not so different from me."

"I am nothing like you."

"Really?" Reclaimer inquired.

"When your monster comes out you don't think about who you just killed? Why you did it? The fact that you kill for profit? It never once crossed you mind?

"You didn't think about the people you took captive, how they were never going to see the outside world again?"

Oracle was silent, because he was right. She had never thought about why she did it, or who these people were.

All she knew was that she would get paid at the end of the day, and that that's what she needed to eat and live comfortably. She knew that one more horrible person had died by her hand.

When her monster came out it didn't matter what you had done, you weren't escaping.

Reclaimer smirked.

"You're afraid of it, that's why you haven't embraced it as you did before. You're afraid of what you might do, the person you were before, the Shadowstalker."

That was also true. Oracle was afraid of what she might end up doing to those around her. That very same monster had almost made her kill Mirage, her love. That hunter was gone now. That identity had long since been ground to dust.

She had lost too much already. Losing Mirage or anyone who was apart of his team, her team, would crush her. Losing Mirage might just bring out that monster again.

"You can't run from me. One way or another we will meet again, and it won't end well for one of us. I will hunt down everyone you care about, until there's only you. Until you have nothing else to fight for, until you are completely and utterly broken."

Reclaimer stood and turned away from her.

"It is up to you what you decide to do."

He motioned to the Peacekeeper, who followed him out of the cell. She watched the door close behind him and she was left alone with her own thoughts.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So, how did you like it? Writing Reclaimer in this one was fun. Poor Mirage though... Anyway, make sure to vote and leave feedback as always!

~~Nightfury107