EIGHT | 'KENOBI'
Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats: Elite Force but I do own Ventura 'Hex' Mallory and her original story-line and dialogue, as well as any other character who is a part of Ventura's family.
THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO Maya, Layla AND Nasa12325 FOR MOTIVATING ME TO START UPDATING THIS STORY AGAIN! I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER!
Hex was having an 'off' day. Actually, most of her days were 'off' days but this one had the witch seated in a chair, wrapped in a large, overly-fluffy blanket and eating sliced pickles from a jar. She had woken up feeling exhausted, like she had walked for miles during the night, which she was relatively sure she hadn't. But a lot of crazy shit had been happening lately, so she couldn't exactly say 'that could never happen.'
Bree, Kaz and Oliver were on the couch across from Hex, eyeing her in slight worry. She was being…weirder than usual…and that was saying quite a bit for all of the people living in the penthouse. The girl hadn't moved since the morning, when she had arrived in the living room and hadn't put down the jar of pickles either.
"Check it out, guys," Chase called, heading into the room with a box. "Mr Davenport shipped us a box from Mission Creek."
"As long as he's not in it, then yay!" Bree shrugged with a large smile.
Chase looked into the box, "Cool. It's some of our old technology."
Kaz picked up a slip of paper, "Hey, look, a Daven-note. 'Dear Elite Force, I'm converting the basement into a nursery for the new baby, so please keep this stuff in the penthouse for me.'"
"He's raising a baby in the basement? That kid's gonna have some serious issues," Oliver chuckled but his smile dropped when Bree sent him a hard glare.
"What's this?" Hex flicked her eyes up to see Kaz opening a small box.
"The cyber cloak," Chase told him enthusiastically. "It's a virtual body disguise. It can make you take on anyone's appearance. One time, I got stuck looking like Bree, and I had to go to the school dance with this guy named Jake."
"Same thing happened to me. Not the cyber cloak. Texting mishap." Oliver waved his hand, "Long story. I'll tell you about it later."
"And then I'll tell you how I orchestrated the whole thing," Kaz said, chuckling lightly and making Oliver frown. Kaz picked up an object, "Ooh, what's this?"
"Be careful," Chase advised. "That's a memory wipe. It can erase minutes, hours, even years of someone's life."
The fire-manipulator placed it carefully down on the table and Oliver picked it up, "Hey, if I use this on Skylar, maybe she'll forget all the stupid things I've said and wanna date me."
"It's a memory wipe, not a miracle maker," Bree smirked.
"So how does this thing—" Blue light beamed into Kaz's face and he blinked before looking down at the memory-wiper, "Oh, what's this?"
Chase snatched it off Kaz with an annoyed look on his face. Hex, still eating pickles, eyed the memory-wiper with a contemplative look on her face.
XXXXX
"Okay, team meeting time," the bionic boy announced to the team already in the lab, seated around the table. "Thank you all for coming."
"Like we had a choice. The pink hurt my eyes," Hex grumbled, still wrapped in the blanket she hadn't relinquished her hold on.
"We live here," Bree agreed. "Did you really have to post flyers in the kitchen?" She held up the bright pink flyer Hex mentioned.
"That was Oliver's idea."
Oliver looked proud of himself, "And I think the attendance speaks for itself."
Chase placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder and Hex and Bree rolled their eyes.
"Anyway, I have an update about our plan to warn all the superheroes about Roman and Riker. By using Kaz's computer password from Mighty Med, we were able to access the encrypted superhero communications network."
Oliver continued, "It's a secure way for superheroes to message each other without exposing themselves to the outside world."
"It's also a great way to share recipes," Skylar added. "Red Assassin loved my banana muffins." Hex shot her a look and Skylar blushed, quickly correcting, "I mean, the banana muffins I borrowed off Hex."
Skylar wasn't particularly good in the kitchen, Horace, Skylar's adoptive father, had found that out when she had caused a small oven fire. Lucky Hex had been there to put the flames out because Skylar had not been a help at all, preferring to shout directions from under the table she was hiding beneath.
Chase pressed onto the cyber desk, "The network has gathered the locations of all remaining superheroes. It took some time since most of them use civilian cover identities to live undetected."
"Oh!" Kaz got up, "Which reminds me. I also have a civilian cover now. Secretly, I'm Kaz, a fire-powered superhero. But to the world, I'm Match Head, a mild-mannered regular Joe."
"Mild-mannered?" Hex scoffed.
"So your civilian cover has a superhero name?" Bree asked and Kaz frowned.
"Superhero name? I know, like, four Match Heads."
Chase clapped a hand to the fire-manipulator's shoulder and pointed, "Have a seat." The bionic turned back to the talk at hand, "My point is, now that the list is complete, we can warn all the superheroes if Roman and Riker are trying to hunt them down."
"Hey, Crossbow's on here."
Hex perked up, "Obi?"
Skylar nodded, smiling widely at her friend. "She taught me everything I know about being a superhero. She was my first real friend on Earth."
"Yeah, but I am your first best friend, right?" Bree pressed a hand to her heart.
"Uh, rude. What am I? Chopped liver?"
"No," Skylar shook her head. "Not even close."
Hex pushed herself closer to the information, "Crossbow first accepted me as something more than a supervillain. She actually petitioned to get me out of Mighty Max." Hex waved it off and looked more closely at the list, "Hey, Sky, the list says she here in Centium, undercover."
"I can't wait to see her," the alien girl said. "It's been years."
Hex sighed sadly, "Sky, you know we can't."
"Sorry, Skylar," Chase apologized. "I agree with Hex. No meeting up with superheroes. We never know who's watching. We can't take the chance of exposing their true identity."
"But Crossbow's in danger."
"Every hero is in danger," Chase corrected. "That's why using the network is the safest option. We can get the word out to everybody at once, and confirm when they receive it."
"Okay. I guess I won't get to see my friend." Skylar turned to Bree, "But at least I still have you, right, Bree?"
The other brunette turned her lips down, mimicking the alien girl, "Not even close."
She got up, leaving the lab and Skylar turned to Hex, who nodded and buried her chin deeper into the blanket. The alien girl tilted her head, eyes wide. Skylar had seen Hex like this a few times – sometimes it was just stress but usually it was psychic feelings and the only time Hex turned to blankets and pickles was when something very bad was coming.
XXXXX
"Stop being a child."
Kaz gave Hex a look, the witch laying on the couch, quite a few blankets over her, "I can be a child if I want, besides you have comic books, I don't."
Hex rolled her eyes. Kaz refused to stop bringing up the fact that even as a supervillain, Hex had a comic book series based on her. 'The Hexes of the Witch' was what it was called and Hex had never read it, mainly because of the bad title. Kaz had though and had once joked that the Hex in the comic was cooler than the Hex in real life…and then he'd run from a floating, cursed chainsaw.
The fire-manipulator turned back to what Hex had thought was childish – playing with the 'dolls' of Bree and Chase. "I'm Bree. Whoosh, whoosh. I'm Chase. Smart, smart."
"Kaz, what are you doing?" Bree demanded as she and her brother walked down the stairs. "Put those down."
"Why? They're just dolls."
"Action figures!" The male bionic corrected.
Kaz shook his head casually, "Chase, I've been on that side of the argument. It is a losing battle. Let's just admit it; we like dolls."
Chase ripped the action figures from Kaz's hands and hissed, "Action figures!"
Hex used her magic to gently take them from him and placed them in the box on the table.
Skylar walked into the room, Oliver following after her, "Hey, did Crossbow get her message yet?"
"Uh, no. But a lot of other superheroes have. The system's working, and it is all thanks to Match Head," Kaz patted himself on the back.
Oliver frowned, "All you did was give Chase your password, which you only remembered because you copied my password so you didn't have to remember one."
"And it worked."
"Boys, boys, you're both pretty," Hex mumbled from her fort of blankets, a comment that only Skylar and Chase heard due to their super-hearing. Chase snickered and sat beside Hex, cuddling up to her when he felt that her skin was ice-cold.
"Something's wrong," Skylar said, already thinking the worst. "She should've checked in by now."
Hex sat up and motioned for her best friend to stand in front of her, "Sky, calm down. Crossbow is way too smart to be taken down by some supervillain-wannabes. Don't worry about her, okay? I'm sure she'll get back to us when she thinks she can."
Skylar didn't calm down, even with Hex's gentle empathetic prods, "And what if she doesn't? She's here in Centium City. Roman and Riker could be tracking her down just like they did with us."
Chase got up from the couch, "Look, I've done the math, and this is the best way to spread the word. There's a ninety-eight-percent chance that the message will get to her."
"Which means there's a two percent chance that it won't."
"Hold on," Kaz stopped Skylar from walking out of the room and made a face as he did the math. "Yeah, that's right."
Skylar rolled her eyes and stalked from the room and Hex turned fiery green eyes on Kaz, "Really, flame-brain. You had to stop her to work that out?"
XXXXX
Hex froze mid-step up the stairs, her spine locking as she suddenly felt freezing cold. Her psychic abilities gave her dreams but she could block them – the feelings of a cold hand gripping her heart? Not so much. Something wasn't right and Hex knew it. Instinct pushed her to go into lab and she appeared in the lab, Bree telling Kaz about the action figures they'd confiscated off him.
Hex's eyes widened and she lifted a hex orb, "Guys, step away from him." She looked at 'Kaz', "Please, I don't want to have to hurt you. But if you're going to try to kill my friends to get that list then we're both not going to get what we want."
Bree and Chase immediately stepped back, fists up, ready to fight and 'Kaz' turned into a cloud of black smoke and back into Riker. The shape-shifter shoved Hex away from him and Chase moved to catch her.
"Riker," Chase growled, pulling Hex closer to him protectively, one of the witch's hands curling into his shirt at his waist and the other summoning magic to her.
"I'm taking that list," the shape-shifter told the trio, noting how Chase and Hex hadn't moved away from each other. "The only question is, how much I have to hurt you to get it."
Chase and Bree exchanged a look and Hex's face remained closed off, not showing an ounce of the pity she actually felt for the boy in front of her.
The witch lowered her hands and gently froze time, something that she had recently learnt to do after hours of pouring over her spell books – and even then, it only worked for a few minutes. Hex gently moved Chase's arms so she could step away as she spoke, "You don't want to do this, do you?"
"I have to," Riker snarled. "What did you do to your friends, villain?"
Hex hid her flinch at the word. "I froze time. Sit." She indicated the desk chair and when he didn't move, she rolled her eyes and said more forcefully, "Sit." Riker sat. "Roman tells you what to do. Orders you around. Do you even want revenge?"
The younger boy furrowed his brow, "You took my father's powers."
"I did what I had to do to save his life," the witch corrected. "But he didn't see it that way because a villain took them, not a hero. But I'm not a villain."
"Yes, you are," Riker denied Hex's claim. "Do you really think I believe you're helping these heroes because you're one too?"
Hex let out a short laugh, "I'm not a hero but I'm certainly not a villain. My father is Mordred." Riker's eyes widened at that, "And he forced me to become a villain because my brother died. I don't want that for you."
"I don't care," Riker muttered after a moment. "You made my father a villain."
"Just…wait…" Riker paused, letting his fists lower. "Pretend and I'll make sure that we take down your father. You don't need to stain your hands like I was forced to."
The boy's shoulder slumped in something akin to agreement. Hex unfroze time just as Riker struck his fist out at her and she shoved her energy into him, purple magic slamming him into a wall and holding him there, "I don't think you understand, Riker. You will not hurt my friends."
XXXXX
"Roman, stop," Riker instructed as he ran into the park. Roman was holding Crossbow, just about ready to kill her. "Don't do it."
"Why not?"
"I've got the list, but they've already sent out the alert," the younger shape-shifter explained. "The other superheroes know we're coming. Let's keep her alive so we can use her as bait – to draw them to us."
"Good idea."
Chase, Hex and Bree ran into the park. "Don't move!"
Riker narrowed his eyes, "They must've followed me."
"They'll be sorry they did," Roman commented as he effortlessly threw Crossbow to the ground and Hex raised her hands to catch the woman with her telekinesis just before she landed painfully.
Roman and Riker gripped each other's forearms. Skylar moved back nervously, "Stand back. They're making their swarm."
Roman pulled away from his brother with a frown, "It's not working."
Riker turned to Roman, "Probably because I'm not Riker." Riker hit Roman roughly in the stomach, making him fall and pressed his fingers behind his ear, his image shimmering to reveal that Riker was actually Bree, using the cyber cloak. The bionic girl smiled, "You just got cyber-cloaked."
'Bree' put her fingers behind her ear too, revealing it was actually Kaz, also using the cyber cloak, to impersonate Bree. "That's right, and I was Bree."
"Why?"
Hex huffed, "That's what I'd like to know."
"I don't know," Kaz shrugged. "I just wanted to use the cyber cloak."
Roman gripped the front of Kaz's shirt, "Where's my brother?"
Bree moved closer, "In an industrial freezer so he can't shape-shift his way out."
The fire-manipulator unlatched the shape-shifter's hand from his shirt and Hex shoved him back with her magic. The team began to circle him.
"Give it up, Roman," Chase said threateningly. "You've been outsmarted. Now you're outnumbered."
Roman flipped back, away from the team and grabbed Crossbow, something none of them had expected. The teenagers ran forward as Roman lit his arm up with electricity, "This is interesting. How about a trade?"
"Crossbow for your brother," Kaz offered.
"No," Roman told them bluntly. "Crossbow for my brother and the list." He neared his electrified hand closer to the hero.
Oliver frowned, "That's not a fair trade."
Bree made a noise, "Yeah, 'cause up to this point, he seemed like such an honorable guy."
"Don't do it," Crossbow told the group even as Roman's electricity neared her.
"That's my offer. You can take it, or say good-bye to Crossbow forever."
"Stop!" Skylar surged forward, making Roman pause. "We'll take the deal."
"Skylar, please don't," Crossbow begged.
Kaz leant forward to mutter, "If Roman and Riker get that list, they'll take out every superhero on it."
"We'll find a way to stop them," Skylar stated but Hex could feel the desperation and worry radiating off the alien girl.
"And what if we can't?" Chase retorted, "You're putting the life of one hero over all the rest."
Skylar waved her arm out, disbelieving of her friends, "I can't just let her die. If she was your friend, you'd take the deal."
"She is my friend," Hex hissed back. "But because she's my friend, I'm not taking the deal. Crossbow would die before she let villains win and that's what you're doing right now."
Skylar's lips curled into a scowl, "You're a villain. Stop pretending to be a hero. We don't need you."
Hex flinched back, away from Skylar and Crossbow couldn't keep the horrified look off her face. Skylar and Hex were like sisters and Skylar had just said that to the girl who had always stood by her. The witch was ashamed of being a former supervillain and Skylar had stooped so low as to calling her something that she hated – Hex didn't only call herself an anti-hero because she was one, she called herself an anti-hero because it hurt to hear the word 'villain' aimed at her, even more from her friends.
The teenagers shifted until Bree finally said, "She's right. Not about Hex being a villain but about Crossbow being her friend. I'll get Riker and the list." The girl super-speeded off.
"Good choice," Roman mused as Bree reappeared with Riker. "Let Riker go." Bree shoved the shape-shifted forward and he stumbled to a stop beside his brother. Roman reached out a hand, "Now the list."
"Like Hell," Hex raised her brows, tossing a hex orb into the air and catching it again. "Give us Crossbow."
"Same time," Roman offered instead.
"Don't do it!" Crossbow interrupted. "Skylar, you've done all you could to protect me. Just—just keep the other heroes safe." She turned to Hex and looked pointedly at the hex orb, "Do it."
Skylar shook her head stubbornly, shoving Hex away just as she was about to throw the orb. Crossbow trusted Hex enough to know that Hex wouldn't hit her but Skylar was doubting her, "No. I'm not just gonna let you die."
Skylar snatched the list off Bree and slapped it into Roman's hand. As soon as he had it, he shoved Crossbow forward, Kaz catching her. "This is it! Everything we need to wipe out the rest of these pathetic heroes. You keep this safe." Roman tossed the list to his younger brother and Crossbow raised the weapon she was named for, an explosive arrow hitting the list in midair. The list exploded into dust and Roman screamed, "No!" and fired electricity at Crossbow.
The hero went flying back, smashing into a rock. "Crossbow!"
The teenagers ran to Crossbow, all but Hex, who was glaring dangerously at Roman and Riker. She felt her friend's pain, their grief, the feeling overwhelming the empathic witch like a tidal wave. And then Hex felt nothing, a wave of nothingness just washing over her that the witch couldn't explain. Hex raised a hand and fired a hex orb into Roman's chest, making him scream out in pain. Hex's face didn't change, remaining blank as she hit him with another orb. Riker stood to the side, fear on his face, finally realising what kind of enemy they had made but Hex didn't turn to Riker at all, not feeling that he was truly her enemy.
"Don't let them win," Crossbow gasped out as she lost her strength. "Hex will kill them, you have to s-stop her from doing something she will r-regret…" She coughed once and fell still.
"No," Skylar breathed out as Crossbow's head lolled to the side.
"One superhero down," Riker growled.
"And now it's time to exterminate the rest," Roman threatened even as he lay on the ground in pain. "List or no list."
Skylar yelled out a battle cry, throwing herself at Riker. He caught her and Skylar back-flipped, kicking Riker with enough force to send him flying. Roman was already screaming in pain as Hex applied more pressure to his chest with the glowing hand of curses she held on him. The shape-shifter pushed the witch away with a lot of effort, breathing in heavily.
The two brothers reached for each other, ready to turn into the black swarm, but Skylar spun, sending an energy blast into them. Hex reached out, tendrils of purple magic snaking into Roman and Riker's minds, beginning to make them see things they wished they'd forget and manipulate their emotions.
"Forget this," Riker cried, regret swimming in his mind as he tried to justify why he was hurting people, even when his heart told him not to. He shoved himself of the ground, "I'm out." He became a black swarm for a moment before he turned into a bird and flew away.
"Riker. Get back here, you coward!" Roman yelled to his brother. He struggled up, "This isn't over." He copied his brother, becoming a bird.
"Oh, I think it is," Hex said quietly, emotionless and the teenagers shifted. This wasn't the real Hex, their Hex. This was someone else entirely – the Hex before leaving her father, before getting to Mighty Med. Her magic caged Roman in and her eyes began to glow, an eerie look on her blank face. "Skylar was right – I should stop pretending to be a hero. Because I'm not. You don't honestly think you'll get away with killing my friend, do you?"
She laughed – a cold, evil sound – and gave a fake sigh and clicked her fingers. A jagged star – a pentagram – burnt into the back of Roman's neck, the bird squawking in pain, frantically trying to get out of the witch's grip. "That's a curse and it means I'm coming for you. Just a matter of time, so I suggest you learn to sleep with one eye open."
The witch released Roman and he flew off quickly. Hex made an 'hmm' noise and turned around, "Now, where was I?" She didn't seem to see her friends in front of her, completely empty, as she clicked her fingers, magic tugging Crossbow into the air carefully, "Oh, that's right. Saving your sorry ass…again."
Skylar, Oliver and Kaz exchanged scared looks, the alien girl sighing sadly, "This is my fault. I—I made her like this again."
Hex had been hollow and cold once but meeting Skylar and Crossbow had changed her. But now Crossbow was dead and Skylar had been just as vicious as the witch had been. Oliver rubbed a hand over Skylar's arm, feeling destroyed at seeing his sister-figure like that and the trio of superheroes followed silently behind Hex.
Bree and Chase looked at each other and Bree smiled lightly at her brother, knowing how he felt about Hex, even if he didn't know it himself yet. "We'll get her back."
XXXXX
Crossbow was spread out over the cyber-desk, hair falling off the edge. Skylar was hovering over her, teary-eyed as Hex sat to the side, still appearing to feel nothing.
Bree moved to her friend's side, "Crossbow sacrificed herself so the others could live. That makes her a true hero."
"She's gone, and it's all my fault," Skylar said, not looking up.
"Nobody blames you."
The alien girl looked up at the bionics, "Well, you should. I messed everything up."
"No," Oliver walked forward, arms crossed. "I'm the one who offered to take you to Crossbow. I couldn't stand to see you hurting."
"Thanks, Oliver," Skylar nodded slightly. "But I started this. And now, I have to live with it."
Hex nodded, picking at her nails, "She's right, you know. It's not Oliver's fault – I certainly blame Skylar and she really did screw everything up." They looked up sharply at the witch, Skylar's eyes filling with tears. Hex stared back vacantly, not affected by the alien's glossy eyes, "You caused this. Crossbow wouldn't be dead if you had let me hit Roman with a curse and he wouldn't be going after superheroes anymore. He'd be dead."
The witch paused before she said coldly, "I have always trusted you, even when you were evil. But you've never really trusted me, have you." It wasn't a question. Skylar went to defend herself but Hex cut her off, "Crossbow is dead because of you. It's your fault, Skylar Storm, now stop sniffling and get over it."
"You're only saying this because you've become like a robot. Emotionless," Chase fired back and gulped when Hex got up, pressing her torso against the boy's to glare into his eyes.
"No," the witch snarled, eyes alight with a look that predators usually regarded prey with. "My heart is broken. Aside from Mal, Crossbow was the only person to ever really love me for me, not my power. And Skylar has taken her from me. That's why I'm getting Crossbow back." She turned to Kaz and Oliver. "Kaz, Oliver. Tell them."
Oliver shifted, she'd never really called him 'Oliver' before. She usually called him 'Ollie'. Kaz noticed too that Hex hadn't used a nickname for him either. Hex was definitely taking Crossbow's death hard and they were scared she'd never get her emotions back.
Kaz cleared his throat, "Crossbow's gloves are powered by Horologian pearls."
"Just like the self-regeneration paddles at Mighty Med," Oliver continued.
The fire-manipulator looked up at the others, "We can use the energy from Crossbow's gloves to repair the damage to her body. Hex was told about it by Crossbow when she healed her before in the past."
"We just need to direct the energy into her body instead of away from it."
Hex had reminded the boys of the power of Crossbow's gloves but hadn't told them how to redirect the energy. Now, she was watching in what was similar amusement – because emotionless Hex didn't really feel anything, let alone amusement – as they figured it out.
Skylar jumped, "That's a great idea."
Oliver and Kaz pulled the hero's gloves off and Kaz instructed, "Turn them inside out." The pair put the gloves back on her limp hands and stepped back. Crossbow began to glow and shake, the Horologian pearls doing their job.
Hex moved closer and pressed a hand with her own glowing magic to Crossbow's forehead, "Time to wake up, Kenobi."
Crossbow stilled and the glowing stopped. Skylar's heart dropped, thinking that Hex had killed the older superhero and Hex took one step back, watching in silence.
Hex had always called Crossbow 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' after the character from Star Wars, the mentor of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker. Crossbow had retaliated by jokingly calling Hex 'Sabrina Spellman' after Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The nickname from the young witch was the first thing Crossbow heard as she shot up with a gasp, her body being rejuvenated and healed by her gloves.
"I don't believe it," Bree exclaimed as Skylar rushed to hug Crossbow, Hex stepping out of the way of the alien girl. "It worked."
"Yes!"
"So they brought her back to life by turning her gloves inside out," Chase's dumbfounded expression cleared and turned into a sarcastic one. "Superheroes. I give up."
"Sabrina Spellman," Crossbow breathed, pulling away to see Hex. "You always were smarter than me."
"A padawan is only as smart as their master," Hex replied flatly but her lips twitched ever-so-slightly, something that only Crossbow saw, before the witch left the lab.
XXXXX
"Good news. All of the superheroes have received our encrypted message," Chase said as he and his sister walked into the living room from the hyperlift. "The only bad news is that Roman and Riker are still out there, and something tells me they're not giving up."
"Lucky I placed a curse on Roman," Hex commented, sitting on the couch. Her back was straight and rigid, so unlike the Hex that usually relaxed back into the couch for comfort. "I can find him or make him feel pain at any moment." She flicked her fingers, "That is what a Witch's Curse is."
Without another word to any of them, Hex left the room. Chase glanced at the others, each with a look of worry and slight fear. "I'll talk to her."
Skylar nodded, both encouraging and guilty. She hurt Hex, she knew that, but she'd been desperate to save Crossbow and even then, caused her death. The alien girl understood that the only emotion she could make the witch feel was anger and Skylar knew that when she needed comfort, Hex would go to Oliver or Chase. Oliver had been on Skylar's side and probably always would be, so Chase was their best bet to cracking Hex's tough exterior.
Chase trailed after Hex and stopped her just before she entered her room, "Hey, Ven, talk to me. Tell me what you feel."
Hex looked up at him steadily, silent for a few moments, just staring. When she spoke it was like her voice burst out without her permission, "I'm scared to grieve. To grieve my brother and Crossbow and all those superheroes we lost in Mighty Med. I don't even know why I'm so empty—!" Hex had softened slightly. She felt incredibly empty, like a cold hand was pressing on her heart and she didn't understand it at all. Hex grew cold again, "Now please leave me alone. I'm dealing with it, that's all that should matter."
She disappeared into her room and Chase was left staring at a locked door.
XXXXX
"First you fail to procure the list of superheroes," the ex-hero Rodissius snarled to his sons. They were in a large, dark room, shadows surrounding them. "Then you fail to capture even one member of this so-called Elite Force. And then Roman is marked with a Witch's Curse!"
Riker leaned back slightly to eye the glowing pentagram engraved into Roman's skin. It wasn't painful, or so the older boy claimed but it certainly didn't look normal, especially when it pulsed with purple energy.
"We'll get them," Roman promised as his father turned. "We just need more time. This mark won't affect me."
"We don't have time!" Rodissius spun around, yelling in his son's face. "It was my mistake to think that I could count on you, my eldest son, to make your father proud."
"Just tell us what to do," Roman prompted beside his silent younger brother.
Rodissius shook his head, "You've done enough. It's time to switch things up. A connection between the youngest bionic and the witch, you say?" Riker nodded his head and Rodissius smirked. "Call our partner, she will want to hear my plan but I'm sure that she is already working her magic. This time, the Elite Force won't know what hit them."
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'…our partner…she will want to hear my plan…magic…Elite Force…won't know… what hit them…'
Hex shot up with a gasp, covered in a cold sweat. The words echoed in her head – the one that gained most of her attention was 'partner.' A Witch's Curse was a minor connection between the witch and the person they cursed and now Hex could hear, ever so slightly, what a man was saying. Rodissius. And judging by the ex-hero's words, the Elite Force had a lot to worry about.
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So, we're seeing a lot of Dark!Hex this chapter and she's going to be back to her normal self soon but it's a bit of foreshadowing for the end of this book. What's happening with her, specifically about that 'cold' feeling?
And we've also got a new 'partner' entering the scene. I've got a hint for you, the 'partner' has been mentioned breifly before.
Please review, follow and favorite!
~ Raven
