Mist surrounded her, and all stood quiet save the sound of the waterfall pouring into itself. She moved forward, peering through the white spray.
A figure approached.
She stood guard, pulse racing, wondering what new threat she'd have to face, assuming Beleth too had survived the fall, when....
"Luke!" She ran to him.
His eyes opened into slits, blue peeking through as he swayed on his feet. He didn't respond to her or look at her.
She reached for him, but something moved through the water, toward him—just as in her dreams. Luke. Stalked. Attacked. Dead.
No!
Black oil surfaced, rushing along the split in the water, and Beleth emerged covered in his tattoos, seeming to move with the mist.
"Luke, behind you!"
He blinked and turned slowly—too slowly—and his eyes wandered.
Could he see her? Could Beleth? Or did the mist shroud her in white?
Beleth gave no hint. He trudged through the water toward Luke—quiet, like Death doing his silent work.
Lucy raised her sword, hoping to throw it, maybe hit Beleth in the neck or chest, but she might hit Luke, and she'd lose her only weapon.
She mustn't be rash. She had to calm herself, still her breathing, and think.
Beleth closed in on her twin, bladed hands raised and ready to strike.
Mist swirled around her, moving inside her. The sphere pulsed stronger, calling out to her.
Beleth had moved away from the sphere, and yet had been simultaneously drawn to it. He'd asked Luke to use the sphere on him back at the facility. Beleth had been trying to fight Steele's control this whole time.
What if—
Lucy moved fast, tackling Beleth and pushing them into the water. She grabbed onto him, sphere in hand, and pressed it against his arm.
Chapter 128 - Drake
They didn't stand a chance against this powered-up version of Steele, who used the earth they stood on as a weapon against them. Rocks and sharp obsidian attacked the small group, injuring many. Drake blocked Robyn and tried to protect Sam, but nothing flew at her. Darren cried out in pain as the rocks bit into his skin, and Gary tried to run to Greg, to protect him, but Steele pushed at them with an invisible force that immobilized them. Stone rose from the ground and encased their arms and legs, turning them into partial statues.
Norm buzzed through the air, using his own body to block rocks that flew at Robyn, blood staining through his shirt and dripping down his arms as Robyn screamed at him to stop. Steele floated into the sky and tackled him to the ground, then used the rock trick to tether him in place. Mary and Greg had no chance, their para-powers of seduction and the ability to manipulate electrical waves were not effective in hand-to-hand combat, and their weapons did nothing to damage Steele.
With most of the team already shackled to the ground by rock and stone, Steele turned, looking at something no one else could see, and grabbed at the air, his hand clutching a now-visible throat. Toby materialized, gagging, and dropped the syringe in his hand as Steele flung him to the ground and imprisoned him with the others.
Drake stood with Sam and Robyn. The rest of their team had failed. They'd all been fools to think they stood a chance against Steele.
Steele brushed a patch of dust off his shoulder, and stood victorious on his smoldering volcano, his gloating smile enraging Drake. With a flick of his wrist, Steele pulled the hovering camera closer to him, no doubt to use this as an example to the rest of the world of what he could do. He had created his very own, twisted reality television show, paying for his fifteen minutes of fame with the blood of his victims. Phones and iPads and televisions and computers all over the world would make him the most famous person on the planet, and his destructive exploits would be forever immortalized in film.
His display of power, combined with his careless disregard for humanity, would make him the ultimate villain and superpower.
Drake couldn't even imagine what more Steele would be able to do, if he also got Ana's abilities.
Before Steele began speaking, a black shape fell from the sky and landed in front of him, shaking the ground and causing Drake's friends to whimper in pain.
Sam's gun still held steady on him, her eyes cold and empty. If she hadn't been supercharged, he could have taken her, gun or not. But with those extra powers, he wouldn't get close enough to touch her before she threw him off the crater.
Drake recognized the man with the wings. He'd seen him once before, when they escaped the compound.
The man pulled in his wings, revealing Simmons beside him, clutching her bloody nose.
"I worried you had failed me," Steele said, "but it seems I underestimated you, Beleth. Well done. Thank you for bringing me my wife." He held his hand out to Simmons.
Drake was stunned. My wife? So Simmons was... she was his mother. How is that possible?
"Welcome, my dear. What happened to your nose?" Before she could respond, he brushed the question aside with his hands. "No matter. I have many great plans for you. Come." Steele gestured grandly, like a politician showboating. "Let us implement the final stages of my plan."
Simmons stepped closer to her husband.
Drake's heart beat double-time as adrenaline rushed through him. He had to stop this, but how? He called out to Sam with his mind, begging her to break this connection, to fight, but she stayed frozen and empty, gun held tight.
As Simmons approached Steele, she slipped a needle out of her sleeve and held it behind her.
Hope flared in Drake. Was this a set up? Could she take away Steele's powers?
Unaware, Steele played his role. "Bill, please bring out our honored guest for this auspicious event."
From a man-made cave that Steele must have erected, a man emerged holding a baby carrier.
Ana.
"Simmons, I have something for you, that which you have always wanted. Your son and my daughter have created the perfect child, and Sam has the ability to transfer power to you—to us—from Ana. When this is complete, you and I will be the most powerful paranormals to ever live. We will rule the world, and none will stop us."
Simmons's hand clenched and she hesitated.
Uh-oh.
Beleth looked from Simmons to Steele, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Will you, my dear, stand by my side, and let us forget the past and move on to the future?" Again, he held his hand out.
She paused and looked around, then slipped the needle into her pocket, smiled, and accepted his hand.
Drake dashed forward. "No! You have to fight him. I am your son, the boy you gave up to save. Would you now allow him to kill my daughter, your granddaughter, so that you can have power?"
Surely now that she knew, she wouldn't choose Steele. Who could make that kind of choice?
Beleth looked up, eyes wide, and moved closer to Drake.
Simmons shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I gave you up a long time ago."
She didn't look sorry. She looked cold and calculating, but not empty like Sam. No, she knew exactly what she was doing, and chose it anyway.
Beleth growled at Simmons and moved to reach the baby.
"How could you?" Drake squeezed his fist. For the first time in his life, he was glad he'd never known his mother.
Steele held out his hand. "Sam, come to your child. It is time."
She walked away, taking her eyes off of Drake, and walked near the cliff and to Ana. When she looked at their daughter, a single tear fell down her cheek. Her face softened for just a moment, and her voice crashed into his mind—desperate, pleading. "Drake, please, you need to stop me. I don't care about myself. We need to stop Steele."
What was she asking? 'No. I can't hurt you.'
"You must. I'm sorry, but for our friends, for our baby, you must. Please!"
She slipped away, back under Steele's control.
Drake rushed forward and tackled her, throwing them both off the cliff. They fell toward a ledge, an
d Drake knew they wouldn't survive the fall. His heart pounded, but in the last few seconds of life, he had to tell her one last thing.
He held her tight and kissed her forehead. "I'll love you forever."
He braced for death as they neared the ground, and....
They started to slow down—slower and slower.
He cried out. "No!"
Chapter 129 - Lucy
Lucy gasped as Sam and Drake fell over the cliff.
Luke ran past her, holding his arms out, and used his power to slow them down. Lucy followed, dashing out from behind a large pile of rocks, and watched as they landed safely on the ledge. Well, maybe not so safe. Sam's mind was still under Steele's control, so Drake wasn't safe yet. None of them were.
Lucy ran forward, the heat of the magma pulsing under her feet, nearly melting her sneakers.
She called out to Luke and Hunter. "I have to get the sphere to Sam."
They followed her.
Lucy kept an eye on Steele, but he didn't notice them. He levitated toward the cliff.
Beleth lunged at him, catching him by the shoulders and throwing him in the other direction. "I wish you'd burned in the fire."
Steele frowned in puzzlement, then smiled. "You saved me from that warehouse. You must have hated it. But, I see you've found a way to break my powers. Impressive, though it did take you years."
"It was worth it." Beleth advanced on Steele. His eyes glowed in rage, but also in triumph.
Steele flexed. "I'm the stronger one now."
"We'll see." Beleth's wings flapped and he rose into the sky, followed by Steele.
Lucy couldn't pull her eyes from the fight, even as she tried to find a way down to Drake and Sam. They fought in the air, twisting and turning as they clashed. Steele punched Beleth in the chest, and the tattooed man shot through a cloud, his black wings crumpling as he fell. Before he crashed into the ground, they popped open like a parachute, and Beleth dashed forward, his hands melting into blades. He collided with Steele and they exploded upwards, tiny specks beside the sun.
The sphere had worked. As Lucy had hoped, it broke Steele's hold on Beleth.
***
The sphere burned under Lucy's hand as she pushed it into Beleth's arm. Pressure built, like a tidal wave growing bigger and bigger, until it breaks and drowns everything in its path. Lucy felt the moment the sphere broke through the hold on Beleth.
He screamed in pain, or maybe relief, and slumped down—shaking, tears pouring from his eyes. "I'm free. I'm finally free." He surprised Lucy by pulling her into a giant bear hug and crushing her to his chest. "Thank you. Now, we must destroy Steele and save the children he seeks to use."
Lucy looked at Hunter and Luke, both of them injured and exhausted.
Beleth noticed, and gestured for the sphere. With it, he healed them both without drawing on their energy like it had when Lucy tried.
If they had more time, she would ask him more about how he did that when she couldn't, but they needed to hurry if they had any chance of stopping Steele.
Her thighs burned as she clenched them together to stay straddled on Buzz—Lucy decided her friend needed a name. Luke and Hunter rolled their eyes at her, but she stuck with Buzz, and the beetle seemed to like it.
Hunter's arm wrapped around her as Buzz followed Beleth in the bright blue sky. They must have made quite a view to anyone who could see them from land—three people riding a giant beetle, and a tattoo-covered man with black wings sprouting from his back like a bat, carrying a reluctant Simmons, who still played a big role in their plans.
They should have just left the bitch.
Diamond Head had become a fire pit, gray cliffs jutting from the earth like sticks smothered in ash, smoke roaring from the crevices in between. The sky above rippled with heat, and islands of stone floated amongst the lava below, their edges glowing like embers. Grunts, like ants, ran from the crater and massed near a wall of stone to the south. The others, military and civilians, could not see the welling flames, and so they stayed nearby and surrounded the burning mountain. Poor creatures. They gleaned what they could from their phones and TVs.
***
Lucy descended a path near the cliff, still running toward Drake and Sam. She turned, slipping and almost falling over the edge and into the lava. Hunter caught her by the waist, his hands slick with sweat from heat and probably nerves. She spotted Drake and called to him, but he didn't turn, didn't hear her.
They were too far away. A chasm of magma separated them, with no way across.
No sign of Sam yet, either. Drake must have been chasing her. He ran away from Lucy, and soon he'd turn a corner and be out of sight.
She had to get him the sphere, if she could just get close enough she could throw it. "Drake!"
Still nothing.
Luke stopped behind them. "Guys, there's a Grunt behind us. A big red one."
Lucy turned and saw the beast. The red muscles on its arms pulsed, obsidian rock covering nearly half its body, crimson armor covering the rest. She looked into the Grunt's eyes, and gasped, shocked by the familiar gaze. "Adam?"
The Grunt flared its nostrils and stampeded forward.
Was she imagining it, or was that really Adam? If it was, Steele had altered him, turned him into another pawn, and that enraged her in a whole new way.
Hunter turned and pulled his sword. "The Grunt is mine."
"Don't kill him." Lucy gripped Hunter's shoulder. He nodded, and she turned back to the gap of lava.
"Luke, make a bridge."
"What?"
"Make a bridge over the lava."
Hunter looked to where she pointed and shook his head. "That's crazy."
Lucy ignored him and pleaded with Luke. "Do it."
He nodded, focused, and created a shield that would act as a bridge. It was nearly translucent save a slight shift in the air, like a rainbow one could almost see.
She placed one foot in front of the other, carefully finding her way over the bridge.
The shield wavered beneath her feet. "Drake!"
This time he heard her and turned. "Lucy!"
She moved forward as Hunter fought Adam behind her, and as Luke struggled to hold the bridge up. "You need to use the sphere. Hold it against Sam, and it'll reverse Steele's mind control."
"Lucy!" Luke's voice strained with tension. "You need to get off the bridge now. I can't hold it any longer."
She turned to see Adam moving past Hunter and coming for Luke. She couldn't turn back, not until she'd gotten Drake the sphere. She ran forward, even as the bridge cracked under her feet, and tossed the sphere at Drake, then fell through the hole and straight toward the bubbling pool of magma.
Her breathe came out in jagged hiccups as she tried to scream, then a stone slab flew under her feet. She fell hard on it, and rolled onto her back.
Adam stood above, looking down at her. A tear fell from his eye. "You gave me freedom." He flexed and pushed the earth up around him, imprisoning himself in that spot. "I won't let myself hurt you."
Adam, you're not lost—not yet. She still couldn't see Drake, but hoped he'd caught the sphere. She yelled to him, "Go get our Sam back!"
Chapter 130 - Drake
Drake caught the sphere and sprinted without pausing. Sam ran from him, no doubt trying to get back to Steele. He needed to find her first, but with her extra powers she was faster and stronger. He ran along the cliff, as if the trail were a rim around the stone—a very thin rim near rising lava.
The path curved before him, and Sam darted around a corner, disappearing from view.
He pushed his body to run faster. The heat built around him, warming his feet past comfortable. Another turn and there she was, still running, but closer. He pushed to reach her, but she turned and threw him back with a gust of power.
He hit the ground hard, and rocks tumbled down on him, crushing his arm.
Pain spiraled through his arm and shoulder. The rock pressed harder, as if alive, pushing his arm furt
her, trying to twist and break it, grinding down the skin.
As he struggled to free himself, Sam smiled, waved like a school girl, and ran away giggling.
Even without Sam powering it, the rock, more like a boulder, was impossible for him to move. He pushed and pulled and tugged at his arm, screaming from the pain, clenching his teeth against it, but nothing worked. Without his powers, he was useless. Toby had been wrong, Drake was no superhero.
He needed the drugs, but he'd lost even those. How could he ever think he'd succeed at this? Toby and Sam flashed in his mind. "I'm sorry. I'm just not the man you want me to be."
The memory of another voice flashed in his mind: Father Patrick's. "Can you accept who you are?"
The Father had known something like this would happen; maybe he'd even foreseen it. He'd known Drake would lose the drugs, lose his powers, and still the priest had held to his faith in the man Drake was, and in the man Drake could become—a husband and a father.
He snapped into focus, and refused to wallow in self-pity, letting it drown him once again. His arm, stuck at a terrible angle, bent backwards. He couldn't move it unless he could twist it at an odd angle to dislodge it. There was one way, but....
Crap!
Drake pulled his arm and then immediately pushed. A snap. A scream.
He shivered from the pain as he pulled his dislocated arm through the small space under the rock. Once free, he fetched the sphere, grateful it hadn't fallen off the cliff, and jogged forward clutching his arm.
Sam hadn't made as much progress as he'd expected, or it hadn't taken him as much time as it seemed to free himself, because she was climbing a steep part of the path just ahead of him. When she saw him, she jumped back down, a sharp piece of stone in her hand like a knife. She'd lost her gun in the lava when they fell, but she still had powers.
He considered his options. She knew martial arts, but she wasn't the best at it. He could street fight, but he'd always relied on his super strength, which he didn't have anymore. He tried to reach out with his mind, to connect with the real Sam, but he hit a wall. Still, he pushed mentally, hoping Sam could still hear thoughts, whether under control of Steele or not.
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