Template:Featured Articles/40-2021

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MoA Dominion.png
Moment of Awesome - Garrison Kane/Dominion: A mission with SWORD to take down an arms dealer turns into something far more dangerous - and might just have cost Garrison his life.

"Oh, not just a redbird, but the Firebird... It's been a long time since we've seen you." Olivier paused, cocking his head to one side as he regarded the Phoenix form. "You forget, my Celestial friend, you have no power here."

The creature moved forward in a blur and reached out. His hand seemed to gather the flames in his hand and as he squeezed it shut, the firebird screamed in pain. He wrenched downward, tearing away his handful of fire to a keening wail as the firebird flickered and Jean dropped unconscious to the ground, hitting with a sickening crack.

"You can't win. You can't beat me. The only scenario here is that I'm forced to kill-" Kane hit him waist high, throwing him and the helllord over the fire table and rolling over several times.

Brand had been lying where Kyle had dropped her, a blank expression in her eyes as she recovered from near-crushing. Now, seeing their chances of survival dwindling to nothing, she roused herself. “The mask!” She screamed over the noise of the fire and fighting. “Destroy the mask!”

Kyle ignored her at first, stalking towards Costa with bared fangs and a rumbling growl. He knew he was outmatched, but this man - demon - monster's voice kept repeating in his mind, calling him a tamed pet, more trick pony than wild animal, and he stalked forward another step before Brand's screaming ripped through the mantra to show Costa what kind of man Kyle really was.

He caught himself on her third cry, glared at the agent and then dropped to all fours, howling at his burned arms hit the ground. The run to the brazier with the mask left smears of blood as Kyle's skin healed and broke and healed again, and worse as he slid, baseball style past where Kane and Costa were fighting. He grabbed the mask heedless of its heat and the flames around it and as he did, the mask itself screamed.

A wash of cool air pushed the smoke and sweet smell of burned flesh away, as a green portal irised open.

Kane and Olivier had been battling back and forth, the Canadian using every trick and leverage to counter the demon's superior strength. With his speed, he hammered a series of jackhammer blows into the side of the demon's head, dazing him slightly.

"Get Brand and Jean out of here!" He yelled, just as Olivier slammed four talons through his left shoulder. He stopped the barbed fingers from tearing further, pitting his strength against the demon. "I'm right behind you! Go!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Gabriel muttered. When the portal opened, he had already moved toward Jean’s unconscious body. He fired up his powers as he scooped her up with a grunt, using his legs to lift her toward standing before maneuvering her over his shoulders.

Feeling the strain on his muscles, he carried Jean steadily toward the portal. With her weight bearing down on him, it was hardly the fastest he’d ever moved - though to the editors, it would have looked like he’d cleared the distance in mere seconds.

Brand had wobbled to her feet and was blasting at Olivier again, wherever she could get a shot in without hitting Garrison. "Go!" she shouted at Kyle. "I'll give Kane cover!" She didn't wait to see if he obeyed, but continued firing green energy bolts at the hulking white form.

Kyle screamed defiance along with the mask, incoherent rage and pain fueling his voice, and he ran past Brand, glancing back only once to see her turning to run towards the portal as he threw himself through the green light.

It seemed like an eternity but was only a minute or so later when Brand flung herself out of the portal. It snapped shut behind her, leaving her on all fours, gasping for breath, blood flowing from the wounds Olivier had inflicted. At last, she looked up, something close to grief showing in her expression.

"I'm sorry," she managed, her voice sounding strangled. "I tried but... he's gone. Kane's gone."