Remember kids, don't initiate an attack on a serial killer. That would be silly and won't end well for you. Also, it won't end well if he attacks you first.
Chapter 10
The spectators watched in horror as the two combatants circled each other. What the hell was Ashley doing, was the question running through everyone's minds. Except Magnus, she had a fair idea, even if she didn't like it very much.
Druitt laughed, a deep and booming sound at Ashley as she lunged for him, aiming a kick at his head.
"Did you really think I didn't see this one coming? I know what your old man's thinking, child. He cannot hide the truth from me."
Ashley rained blows down on him, forcing him back against the wall. His mocking laugh infuriated her and she redoubled her efforts, ferociously assailing him. He blocked and parried with his arms and managed to avoid some hits altogether.
"Why wont you fight me?" she yelled at him.
"I know what you're doing," he antagonised her in a sing song voice.
A solid left hook made contact with his jaw and he growled in anger, not so amused any more. He grabbed her fist in mid air as it moved towards his face and they stopped for a second, staring at each other.
"Idiot girl," he hissed at her. "He belongs to me. But, come and get him if you can, fool."
The roles reversed and Ashley went on the defensive as he attacked her, getting a lot more hits in than she had. She blocked and dodged in blinding speed as he furiously pummelled her. The others were at a loss as what to do, not wanting to get in a fight with Druitt who was frankly, the scariest man they had ever encountered, but also not wanting to leave Ashley to fight him alone. They looked to Magnus for guidance but she was focusing intently on the duel in front of her, the muscles in her jaw twitched at each blow which connected with either assailant.
With a roar of anger Druitt threw Ashley across the room where Henry kindly cushioned her fall. Henry helped Ashley up and for a moment everyone in the room all stood perfectly still, Ashley and Druitt's gaze locked on each other.
"Do you remember the last time I beat you?" he asked mockingly. "Or the time before that, daughter?"
He spat out the last word. It was the wrong thing to say. The one word which could wind Ashley up as no other could. She snapped, and with a snarl, ran for him, her hands heading for his neck. With a savage kick Druitt hit Ashley in the abdomen, temporarily winding her and knocking her onto the floor. She landed heavily and awkwardly on her right arm, pain flashed through her entire body making it difficult to see clearly. Magnus stepped closer to Ashley and raised her gun as Druitt sneered at them.
"You know what?" Ashley gasped, visibly struggling to get to her feet. "I know what he's thinking as well, and he doesn't want you at the controls anymore, psycho."
Druitt snarled and charged at Ashley, his movements full of clear intent. Without hesitation, Magnus fired her gun directly at him.
"NO!!!" screamed Ashley, she hadn't come this far just to lose him again.
Druitt's body twitched uncontrollably as the bullets ripped into him, but after the gunshots had finished echoing around the chamber, still he stood, a rueful smile on his face as he watched an unchecked tear trickle down Magnus' cheek.
"Helen, my love. I always knew you would be the death of me."
A shockwave of fear ran through Ashley, her anger dissipated in an instant as she watched as her father was gunned down in front of her. A horrible calm descended upon her as she regained her senses and control of herself. Time to finish this.
Druitt dropped to his knees, chuckling. Blood stained his teeth and a few drops fell from the corner of his mouth and splashed in the dust on the floor as Druitt watched, transfixed. Before he could say any more, or anyone could react, Ashley hit him full force in the chest, slamming her fists into him. To his, and everyone else's astonishment, her hands went right through his skin and into his chest. Her arms had turned to the swirling energy which appeared whenever she and her father teleported, however this time, the rest of her body remained solid.
"Get out of my father," she commanded the darkness, which stared out from behind his eyes.
He gazed at her, pure surprise written all over his face. She was beating him. He had never been beaten in a straight fight. This wasn't fair. She was even using the same powers that he possessed, against him, the bloody nerve of some people.
Sweat dripped from Ashley's brow, this impulsive new move which she didn't know she could do, let alone how she was doing it, was taking a lot of concentration.
"Nikola!" she roared, as Druitt began to convulse in her arms.
Tesla kicked a small metallic grey box along the floor to her, being sure to remain well out of the way of Druitt's flailing, always dangerous, arms.
"Step on it," he instructed her.
Ashley stamped a foot down on the pedal at the side of the box and it opened. A blindingly bright white light emanated from the interior shining upwards as a pillar of light, illuminating the entire room. Everyone shielded their eyes from the glare.
"Now!" shouted Tesla.
Ashley turned her entire body into teleporting energy but did not jump away from the scene, instead remaining in her pure energy form and passed through her father's body in front of her. A dark shadowy cloud of crackling electrical energy, like a mini thunderstorm, was forced out the other side of Druitt by her presence. The dark energy was, for a couple of seconds, the same shape and size as Druitt's body. Ashley rematerialized behind her father and caught his body as it dropped to the floor, unconscious. The electrical creature hovered for a second, perhaps in shock or maybe inhibited by its own rage, and was then sucked into the open box on the floor which closed after it.
Attention turned from the creatures imprisonment to the two combatants now crumpled in a heap on the floor. Tears ran down Ashley's cheeks as she held an unmoving Druitt in her arms, his tattered shirt was covered in blood and he was barely breathing.
"Get him to the infirmary, NOW!" Magnus screamed, while simultaneously running to get her medical equipment ready.
Bigfoot picked John up and out of Ashley's tired arms and carried him hurriedly to the infirmary next door, Tesla trailing behind, for once in serious silence. Ashley had her face in her hands futilely trying to stop crying. Kate kneeled down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" she asked, quietly.
Ashley dropped her hands and nodded, her teeth were gritted, she couldn't break down now. Her arm was throbbing, her ribs hurt and she was exhausted but there was still so much more to come.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say: What the hell was that?" Henry managed to stammer out.
"Magnus will look after him," reassured Will, looking mightily relieved now that the fight was over. "Are you hurt as well?"
She gave a non-committal hand flick in response.
"What did you do that to him for? He was going to help us," asked Kate, helping Ashley to her feet. "It would be kinda useful to have someone that bad ass on our side."
"He'd kill everyone," explained Ashley, groaning as pain tore through her ribs. "He wouldn't be a help, and the fighting and killing would only make him worse."
"What was that thing you did with your arms?" asked Henry. "That was new. It thought it was just teleporting you could do."
"Teleporting, amongst other things," said Ashley. "That was some of the other things." Ashley kicked the energy trap. "We need to get that thing to the SHU. Maximum EM resonance."
Everyone looked at it but no one went to touch it.
"I'd rather not go anywhere near that," said Will. "It might leak out, or something."
"It's like plutonium, you really don't want to be around it for too long," said Kate.
Henry didn't flinch as he lifted it up, intrigued by the strange machine Tesla had built. His examination of the device was interrupted by a beeping noise. Henry looked down at his PDA.
"Ahh crap, perimeter breach."
"Shove the containment unit over there. There's no time."
Henry put down the creatures prison and kicked it under a table up against the wall.
"It's too late. The Cabal are here."