Battle of the ULTRAs

by Matt Blake

  41

  I sat in the same cell I’d been thrown into with the rest of the Resistance some time ago and I didn’t even try to break out. Not this time.

  I didn’t know what time of day it was, or what the weather was like outside. Damn, it could be any time of year for all I knew. I’d been locked away in this cell without leaving for what felt like forever now. I was cold. Tired. My head ached, and the taste of vomit constantly stung my lips. Outside, I heard the rattling and buzzing of the ULTRAbots back at work. There were plenty of them around now, which further convinced me that Nycto had lured me here with the intention of trapping me all along.

  My back ached from the electricity that had stung up it so many times. The electromagnetic bands around my wrists had a way of affecting me like that. I’d tried to fight them in the early days and break free. But I saw now that fighting was pointless. These bands were stronger than the first batch. There was no way I was getting through them. I was stuck here. Everything was lost. There wasn’t a thing left to fight for. I just had to wait for the moment that the end finally arrived.

  I didn’t know when it would arrive. Just that it would, soon enough.

  The sensation of that electricity had a doubly bad effect because of what it reminded me of. I saw that wormhole opening up above the room Saint had ambushed me in, after Nycto slapped the bands around my wrists and brought me to my knees. I saw Saint lifting Ember up to the wormhole, then dropping him. I saw him lifting Vortex up there, then dropping her too.

  And then I saw him lifting Orion.

  Sickness crippled my stomach every time I thought of that moment, and of the way Orion had looked down at me. It wouldn’t have been quite as bad if he’d said something. Just anything. The man was my dad. I needed him to tell me everything was going to be okay.

  He hadn’t. Instead, he’d just looked at me and said nothing like he was waiting for me to figure it out for myself.

  “What do you want?” I muttered to myself. I tightened my fists and banged against the solid metal floor. “What do you want?”

  Of course, nobody answered. The ULTRAbots ignored me, as they always did. I was alone here. I had no idea where the rest of the Resistance were at. Wherever they were, I knew for a fact they wouldn’t be winning. Saint’s brainwashing program was well underway. The ULTRAbot armies were growing.

  I was the final piece in that brainwashing puzzle and I knew my time was approaching. Fast.

  “What do you want from me?” I whispered.

  I remembered Orion, then. I remembered what he’d told me about forgiveness being a far stronger force than vengeance. How could he be telling the truth when he said that? After all, I’d forgiven Nycto. I’d seen him as Daniel Septer, my brother, and how had that worked out for me? He’d betrayed me. He’d lured me here after elevating my trust and he’d watched as Orion was thrown into a wormhole he wasn’t ever coming back from.

  I thought about Orion floating around that wormhole in the middle of nowhere and I wondered if he still believed that forgiveness was stronger than vengeance.

  But then I remembered something else. The looks Daniel and I had shared since his identity had been revealed. I didn’t want to believe they were all fake. I couldn’t believe they were all fake.

  And if they weren’t all fake, then what did it mean?

  I tensed my fists when the realization dawned on me.

  Saint wanted to use me to help aid my sister’s abilities to control the brainwashed humans. He claimed I was the final piece of the puzzle.

  But what if I wasn't?

  I tried to tense my fists but felt that electricity right away. I kept on pressing though, holding my ground. I remembered what Saint told me. My sister had the ability to get inside people’s minds and change their direction, and so did I. He’d said it himself, and he had no idea what he’d done when he had.

  He’d made me realize I wasn’t crazy. I could get into the minds of other people, other ULTRAs.

  Which meant I could deflect their powers just as I’d deflected Controlla’s.

  I pushed harder against the electricity. If I could resist the mind control, then I could resist anything. I had to make it work. It was all I had left.

  I wasn’t going to let my sister be subject to a life of control like this. I owed it to Mom. To Dad. To Orion. To everyone.

  I even owed it to Daniel.

  I tightened my fists and closed my eyes as the electricity freely flowed through my body.

  For a second, just a split second, I felt a speck of ice freeze on my palms.

  “Well, well,” a voice said, snapping me from my trance. I fell down, the electricity stopping.

  Saint was right outside my cell. Behind him, four ULTRAbots.

  In front of them, there was a metallic bed on wheels.

  “It’s time for the final stage of your family reunion,” Saint said. “And then we’ll get on with the beginning of the next era.”

  The cell door opened.

  I knew there was no escape now.

  But I felt that little speck of ice on my palms melting away and I wondered…

  42

  Earlier…

  Daniel Septer couldn’t help feeling guilty for what he’d done.

  He sat in Saint’s office and looked out at the vast ocean. The storm was settling. The rain wasn’t falling as heavily anymore, and the waves had eased. The sun was rising. If he distanced himself from his thoughts enough, he could convince himself he was back home, in his bedroom, playing video games, the source of enjoyment in his past life.

  But every time he got close to convincing himself he was back there in an ordinary world, he felt the weight of his powers in his hands and he remembered what he’d done.

  “You did well, Nycto.”

  Saint’s voice boomed out from behind him. He didn’t turn around and look at Saint. He didn’t want Saint to see any trace of disappointment in his eyes.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder and it made his muscles tense.

  “I understand it must’ve been difficult watching what happened earlier,” Saint said. There was a rare understanding to his words.

  “I understand.”

  “I know it can’t have been easy. Watching your father disappear into that wormhole. But you know it was for the greater good. You see that, don’t you?”

  The difficult part about all this? Daniel wasn’t sure he did see that anymore. He thought Saint’s plan was genius when he’d first heard it. Bond with his biological brother, then take everything away from him. Kyle was the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that Saint needed to conquer humanity. The other half of the puzzle? His sister. It was a lot to take in, and it was finally catching up with him.

  Saint took his hand from Daniel’s shoulder, breaking him from his train of thoughts. “Of course you see. You’re Nycto. The most powerful ULTRA in existence, myself aside. And one day, when my time is up, all of this will be yours.”

  He held his arms out. Daniel looked around at the metallic room. He heard the hum of the ULTRAbots inside the tower. Outside, he saw the sun reflecting against the ocean.

  He wanted all this. That had been his plan. But now he was being offered it and really seeing the consequences, Daniel just wasn’t sure. He thought he’d hated Kyle Peters, Glacies. He thought he hated the whole Resistance and what it stood for. But that was before he saw what the other side was like.

  ULTRAs fighting for one another. Inclusion. Respect.

  He’d earned it. And then he’d gone and thrown it all away for what? A world that he might rule one day.

  “Anyway. Before we start the final process, I’m sure you’ll want to meet her, won’t you?”

  “Meet who?”

  Saint smiled. “Your sister.”

  A bitter taste covered Daniel’s lips. He looked away. “I… I guess I—”

  “She doesn’t remember a thing about the world before. That’s unfortunate, I suppose. But it’s still only right that you meet her.
It might just make you feel better. You’ll see you’re doing the right thing after all.”

  The idea of meeting a sister Daniel didn’t even know existed up until recently was bizarre, but he couldn’t deny that he was curious. “She won’t know a thing?”

  “She can barely speak. Her mind is too focused on control. She’s been satiating her hunger. Feeding on the powers of the ULTRAs. Soon she won’t need any more food. She’ll just need her brother beside her.”

  Daniel looked at the floor. The thought of Kyle being hooked up to Saint’s plan didn’t sit right with him, not anymore.

  But then what other choice did he have?

  “I’ll meet her. On one condition.”

  Saint held his stare. “And what would that be?”

  Daniel took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe he was actually going ahead with these words. “Stone. Ember. Vortex. Roadrunner. Let them live.”

  Saint’s stare didn’t break. “What?”

  “They might’ve been part of the Resistance but I met them. I spoke with them. They can see our side of things, I know they can.”

  “And what makes you so certain?”

  “I just… I just know. Please.”

  Daniel felt the anger in the room building. He could feel Saint’s fury, tangible and infectious. He waited for Saint to tell him he was in the wrong, and there was no chance he would let the ULTRAs he’d mentioned off the hook.

  “You don’t need to worry about those four,” Saint said. “I let them go. We don’t need them anymore. They are free to fight, for now. But their fight will be futile once Kyle and his sister’s powers combine. Now come on. Let’s go see your sister.”

  Saint walked out of his office and toward the corridors of his tower. Daniel took a deep breath of the clammy air and followed Saint out of his office. The pair of them descended right to the bottom of the tower. They walked into the room where masses of unconscious humans lay, ready for conversion. Then they went into a smaller, dark corridor on the left of the room.

  At the end of the corridor, there was a glass window.

  Bright light shone from behind it.

  “Go on,” Saint said. “She’s in there.”

  Daniel looked at Saint, his hands sweaty. Then he looked back at the bright light.

  He didn’t want to face her. He was afraid of what he might see.

  But he walked anyway.

  As he got closer to the window, he became aware of a presence in that room. And then he saw her.

  She had long blonde hair. She must’ve been in her late teens or early twenties, but her face looked younger, like it’d been preserved. Her eyes were wide open, but there was no life in them.

  Just a beam of blue light.

  As he looked at her lying there, his sister, Daniel wanted nothing more than to go in there and break her out, get them both away from here.

  Then he felt a blast of electricity hit his back.

  He fell down and struggled on the floor, completely paralyzed. When he managed to find the strength to roll over, he looked up and saw Saint staring down at him, electricity in his hands.

  “Stupid, naive little boy,” Saint said.

  “What—”

  Another blast of electricity crackled across Daniel’s body, totally restraining his powers.

  “I told you Kyle Peters was the missing piece of the jigsaw. And that’s true. But there’s another piece, too. And if you hadn’t been so dumbly blinded by power, you might’ve seen what that missing piece was sooner.”

  As Saint lifted his hands to blast another bolt of electricity into him, Daniel realized with a sinking stomach exactly what he was talking about.

  “You played me,” he said. “All this time, you… you played me.”

  “And now the games are over,” Saint said. “It’s time to get you strapped down and hooked up. I’ve got a planet to conquer.”

  The electricity hit Daniel again and this time, he passed out.

  43

  I couldn’t do a thing as Saint’s ULTRAbots pushed me along to the room where my entire world would end—and the entire world as I knew it would end.

  I was strapped down to a metal bed on wheels. Those electromagnetic ties were wrapped around my arms and my legs. There were so many of them that I only had to twitch my powers to trigger them.

  Up above, I saw the masses of ULTRAbots swirling around. They didn’t even look down at me, unaware of what was about to occur. And it struck me that this was the fantasy Saint wanted. He wanted a cold, lifeless existence. He wanted people and ULTRAbots to obey him rather than have minds of their own. He was so insecure about his ability to lead that he had to find ways to cheat leadership. That’s what he really was.

  Just a pity he was the most powerful thing in existence right now.

  I heard the footsteps behind me, pushing me along. My mouth tasted of blood from the many times I’d tried to use my powers while trapped away in that cell. I’d used them so much that I’d thought about giving up.

  But not now. I was going to fight, if it was the last thing I did.

  I knew where I was going. These ULTRAbots were taking me to my sister. It still seemed weird, accepting this fact. My sister was alive. All this time, she was alive, and she had abilities too. Only Saint was manipulating those abilities for his own benefit.

  Soon, he’d be manipulating my abilities for his own benefit.

  Unless I found a way to fight.

  I felt myself lowering down toward where Daniel—or Nycto, as I now referred to him again after his cowardly betrayal—took me when I was first locked away in these cells. My stomach tightened, and my powers bubbled close to the surface. All this time and I’d been so close to my sister. So close, without realizing.

  I hoped I wasn’t too late to save her. I hoped there was something I could do.

  The door in front of me opened. I tilted my head forward. There were even more humans lying across those beds now. Some of them, right at the far end, were hobbling off the beds, those who’d been brainwashed and turned. A few of them immediately saw to their duties, getting down on their knees and scrubbing the floor. It horrified me that this industrial hell was heaven for Saint. This was everything he’d been working to.

  The bed took a sharp turn and the next thing I knew I was being pushed through into a dark corridor. I couldn’t see what was in that corridor, only that there was a bright blue light at the end of it through a wide window.

  It didn’t take a genius to see this was my destination. I knew it. I could just feel it.

  The ULTRAbots stopped walking me when we reached the window. They walked away from my side, leaving me alone in the dark. At first, I thought they’d be right back. But when they didn’t return, I started to get agitated. I knew there was someone behind that glass, but they were just out of sight. I had to see them. I had to look them in the eye and—

  A shock of electricity right down my spine.

  I fell back against the bed as the electromagnetic bands fried my body. I took some deep breaths, regathered my composure. I couldn’t be rash. I had to think ahead. I couldn’t make any crazy decisions.

  I heard a door slide open. Then, footsteps echoed closer to me. I didn’t have to look at whoever was walking to know that it was Saint.

  I heard the footsteps stop right behind me. Then, silence again. Total stillness.

  It was only minutes later after much more agitation and another blast of electricity that Saint finally spoke.

  “It’s time,” he said.

  He grabbed the back of my metal bed and wheeled me around. I pushed back as we headed toward the door into the light room. I felt like a kid on a rollercoaster, only one that I was hating and was eager to get off.

  “Take a few deep breaths, Glacies,” Saint said. “They’ll be the last you remember.”

  He pushed me through into the light. It was so bright that it blinded my eyes.

  When my eyes adjusted, I saw her.

  Her blonde hair
was just as thick and lush as I remembered. She didn’t look much older at all, and I guessed that must be something to do with the weird not-quite-living, not-quite-dead state she’d survived in all these years.

  I felt a tear roll down my face. My throat bobbed.

  There was no doubt. There was absolutely no doubt.

  The girl across the room, tied down to a bed like me, was Cassie.

  Saint pushed me up beside her. I saw then that she was covered in wires. There was a light to her eyes. I knew what they must be. The brain signals that were being sent out to the masses. Soon, I’d be just like her.

  Unless I could do something about it.

  “Cassie,” I said.

  She didn’t do anything. She didn’t even acknowledge my voice.

  More tears rolled down my face. “Cassie. Please. Just… just hear me.”

  I realized then that I’d have to do something that’d cause me a lot of pain.

  I embraced all my anger, all my love, and filled my body with powers.

  I felt electricity shock me all over. Every urge in my body told me to stop because I was doing myself damage. But I couldn’t.

  Please, Cassie. Wake up.

  I kept on trying to reach out for her as the electromagnetic currents got stronger. I could feel her powers, tangible in the air. If I could just break through them and get through to her, just as I had with Controlla’s, then I could wake her up. We could get out of here. Together.

  But the electromagnetism got stronger.

  My body convoluted harder.

  Please, Cassie! It’s Kyle. Please!

  My body went weak, then. I saw smoke rising up from my chest, smelled it in the air. I was broken. Completely broken. All my strength was gone.

  Saint stepped over me. He lifted the needle by his side, the one that was attached to Cassie’s body at one side and an ancient looking machine at the other. “Don’t fight anymore. You’re going to need all your strength for what’s next.”

  I ignored him and pushed back against the electromagnetism once again. I felt myself getting closer to my sister, inching further into her mind, invading her thoughts and ending all of this.