Heartbreaker
"Why were you so cold back there?" Jadyn hissed.
Everyone else was in the sleeping quarters taking a well-deserved rest. Alex and Jadyn sat in the cockpit quietly arguing, although the quiet part was quickly becoming nonexistent. Alex tapped another button on the control panel and a small holographic map of the universe appeared.
He answered her without looking up. "We did not have time to be gentle. He had to make a choice quickly."
Jadyn stifled a huff and carried on checking the system updates. "You told him his uncle died and that he had to come with you on a wild adventure all in the same breath! You could have at least given him time to process the information."
"And we would not have gotten off the planet," Alex snapped. "Would you have rather had us killed just so he could have a few seconds to grieve?"
Jadyn glared at her boyfriend. "You do not know those are the only futures."
"But that was the most probable future should we have lingered any longer," Alex struggled to keep the anger out of his voice. "He can grieve now, so I do not see the point of this argument, Jadyn."
Jadyn balled her hands into fists. "That is completely beside the point, Alexander! Why are boys so idiotic?"
"Same reason girls are," retorted Alex.
Jadyn ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Tell me, Holy One, with all of your great wisdom: why did we deliberately walk into the trap, then?"
Alex turned away from her and stared at the displayed map. "Because we would not have had another shot at getting near Nicholas. He started term the next day and…" Alex broke off.
"And what?" Jadyn questioned sarcastically.
"And the school is more heavily guarded than the imperial crèche," Alex said in a lowered voice, still studying the map.
Jadyn jumped out of her seat, annoyed at being ignored. "Well, you spend time with your precious plans and maps. When you are finished with that, then we can discuss this further."
Alex nodded and muttered. "If you call this a discussion…"
Jadyn whipped around, her face white. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I was just stating that," Alex looked up calmly, "…that this is hardly a discussion. This is you driving me insane for events that were beyond my control. I cannot change the fact that magic destroyed your family but I did what was best for all of us back there. And I'm sorry if it seemed a bit cold to you, but you are hardly one to judge such events."
Jadyn's face contorted as her muscles tried to display all of her emotions at once. Without a word, she spun on her heels and ran out of the cockpit. Alex frowned at her reaction and stood up calmly. He followed her at a slower pace thinking over his words. He had acted out in anger and frustration but still he had not expected such an explosive result. He found Jadyn sitting in the mess hall crying. Alex calmly approached her, but when she looked up, her glare froze him on the spot.
"Get out of my sight," Jadyn shook with barely suppressed rage. "Get out." When Alex did not move, she stood up and screamed. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU…!" she fell silent as sobs overcame her.
Alex hesitated but when Sharon came through the door behind him, he turned around and strode out. He pushed passed Nicholas roughly and did not respond to the calls of Kei and Hannah. Finding his way back into the cockpit, Alex settled himself in front of the map. With a wave of his hand the door sealed shut and he programmed a new code for the lock. He needed to be alone at the moment and he certainly did not need to see him.
Mathew stared at the destruction in front of his eyes. They had changed their course the second the news report of an attack on New Sweden had reached their ears. Jason was next to him muttering something in a foreign language; to Mathew's trained ear, it sounded like a prayer. He did not think now was the best time to ask if the Imperial Guards were religious and bit his tongue to stop himself from asking. He shook his head as another mangled bloody body was lifted past him from the rubble. The use of atomics on human beings was not only illegal: it was despicable. It was lower than witches in Mathew's eyes and the fact that a witch had supposedly done this was even tougher to stomach.
"Let's get moving before the investigators get to us," Jason finally returned to speaking in common tongue. Mathew nodded and the two disappeared into the crowd.
Once safely back on their spaceship, Mathew broached the question. "Are you religious?"
Jason nodded. "The Imperial Guards have their own church: The Religion of Shai. Have you ever read the Dune novels?" Mathew nodded. "So you know of the Fremen religion, the Religion of Muad'Dib. We took aspects of those two fictional religions and combined it with that of the creeds of the Jedi Order. The perfect religion for unwavering royal subjects…the perfect religion for the Empire."
"You believe my father should have enforced this religion on our subjects?"
Jason smiled. "The Imperial Guard within me would have rejoiced; the friend of your father would have wept in shame. Religious freedom is one of the few things that has so far kept the Empire together despite the other encroaches on the rights of its citizens. No Emperor has dared enforce a religion. Religion is a powerful tool when left alone by the government and a dangerous weapon when provoked by those in power."
"But back on New Sweden you said a prayer, I think," Mathew stared out of the cockpit window. "You were praying for their souls to go join the final battle…to go to Valhalla."
"For Shai to bear their souls to Valhalla and prepare them for the final battle," Jason corrected. "Valhalla is the final training grounds for warriors before they are called on to defend us at the end of time."
"Superstitious crap," Mathew muttered.
Jason surprised Mathew with a chuckle. "Perhaps, but I prefer that thought than the thought of this being it. So stupid or not, right or not, this is what I believe."
Mathew nodded and turned his attention to the book he had bought on New Sweden. Jason slowly returned to figuring out possible places their targets could be heading to. The book was on the life of his great-grandfather especially the conflict between the Vong and the citizens of a jungle paradise in the Third Quadrant. The Vong had poisoned the world when the citizens had refused to leave the planet peacefully; the citizens had retaliated and attacked two of the major spaceship production plants effectively, almost crippling the transportation services of the entire Empire. No one could figure out how the ragtag group had done this but the Vong eventually relented. They gave the citizens the antidote to the poison and the Emperor signed an order isolating the planet from all uninvited visitors.
"Do you know anything about this war?" Mathew questioned.
Jason shook his head. "Most of the information known to the public is in that book. Your grandfather had all the reports and tapings of battles, even the spendings of the Vong erased from all the recording systems. Most of the officials that dealt deeply in the conflict disappeared. It was a massive cover-up and yet nothing of the sort was ever written. My mentor became the head general of the Imperial Guards because of those events; that was the most he ever told me about them."
"You weren't alive back then…I mean, it only happened thirty-five years ago." Mathew frowned. "How old are you?"
Jason remained silent, pensive. Finally, he smiled. "I'm thirty-one. Why: how old do I look?"
"Oh, in your early twenties," Mathew quickly stated. "It is just looks can be deceiving and you were the head general under my father. You could not have been out of the school more than a year before you were promoted to top rank."
"I never went to the school," Jason said softly, "I was trained privately in the Imperial Castle especially for the rank of general. I have never been anything else but a general. When I was fourteen I was officially handed my papers naming me the head general of the Imperial Armed Forces, although my mentor did the job until I was twenty. I was fifteen when I impregnated my soon-to-be-wife and just shy of my sixteenth birthday before I became a father to twins. They lived on Arrakis Prime and so did I, when I was not running around the universe for your father."
"Ok," Mathew stopped the man, "I get it. You were very young when everything happened."
"Yes," Jason nodded, "and…" Jason fell silent.
"What?"
Jason shook his head. "Nothing, Mathew. You should get back to the training floor and practice your swordsmanship. Those who we are pursuing seem to be very capable with the weapon." With those final words, Mathew knew the conversation was officially dropped.
"You really should go talk to him," Sharon stated wisely. "You are both being idiots and his pride is not going to let him be the first to admit that."
Jadyn continued to brush her already perfectly untangled hair. "And so I should just, what?" She frivolously gestured, "Just allow his fat head to grow even bigger?"
Sharon rolled her eyes. "You are willing to keep yourself from being happy in order to try and teach him a lesson?"
Jadyn's hand paused halfway through a stroke. "I'd not be happy with a snob. Tried that once, remember?"
"Alex is not another Lukas," Sharon said through a smile. "You are simply overreacting."
"Because I cannot be objective in this area," Jadyn snapped, her anger returning full-swing. "Because my family was screwed by magic therefore I will do anything to save someone else this pain. Right?"
Sharon shrugged. "Your words, not mine." Jadyn huffed and roughly opened a jar of powder sending it spraying everywhere. Sharon waved her hand in front of her. "You obviously aren't completely objective…you have always had the need to spare people pain.
"Oh, so because I'm a normal functioning human being, I must be irrational?"
Sharon reiterated, "Your words not mine and you are probably the most rational person I know. What I am saying, is Alex thinks logically to a fault and you use your heart long before your brain in this particular matter. And he simply isn't used to that. You are usually more stuck to rational thinking than he is."
Jadyn took a slow, calming breath. "You're right." She admitted. "But it still annoys me."
"Good," Sharon said with a huge grin on her face, "can't have you destroy the centuries of work women before us that portrayed our sex as unforgiving and cunning."
Jadyn managed a chuckle. "So what should I say?"
"That, my dear," Sharon slyly began, sliding off her chair, "is something you get to figure out yourself."
"Any word from our contact on Capitol City?" Alex questioned, looking pointedly at Hannah.
Hannah shook her head. "Still nothing, but we are also another week or more before there is cause to worry."
Alex watched Jadyn slip into the conference room with no emotion showing on his face. "Well, keep trying. We need to change shuttles before we enter the system."
Kei caught Jadyn's eyes and stood up from his chair. Alex frowned. "You are not dismissed. We still have not discussed the problem of breaking into the heavily guarded apartment—"
"Sir," Kei interrupted Alex's mild tirade, "we have plenty of time to worry about such things. At the moment, I have contacts to connect with and I am sure it is the same with Hannah." Despite his words, Kei sat back down calmly.
Alex glanced at Jadyn with worry in his eyes. "I want a plan by the end of the week."
Hannah and Kei stood. "Of course, Holy One." The two Fremen walked out of the room without a sound. Jadyn watched them depart and as Hannah closed the door slowly she took a deep breath.
"Alex – ahh – we need to talk." She spoke softly, never looking at Alex.
Alex came around the table and sat down on it. "I'm listening," his tone completely professional.
Jadyn brushed the hair out of her face in silence, still avoiding the orbs she knew must have been studying her for an answer. She knew in a second the emotional turmoil Alex was going through but he quickly fixed the leak in his mental defenses. She closed her eyes and finally forced herself to meet his gaze. "I am sorry for the pain this will cause you, Alex." She reached out and placed her hands in his. "But we moved far too quickly. My life changed suddenly in a blink of an eye and I did try to seek out from you something you should have never had to give. I like you, Alex." She could not stem her emotions back and dissolved into silent tears.
Alex pulled her into a strong but trembling embrace. He remained dead silent but inside he was reeling. "Jay, I – I love you. I would—"
"No," Jadyn hushed him, "no, don't say that. The past is the past. I love you Alex, but I need time to arrange my life. I need to figure out who I am." She pulled completely out of his embrace. "Alex…I need a break."
Alex found it hard to swallow with his dry throat as his muscles refused to respond. He opened his mouth trying to speak, but found that his vocal chords were not working either. He finally looked away and stood up, walking back and forth thinking over everything.
"Alex," Jadyn pleaded trying to stop him, to force him to look at her, "Alex, please."
Alex finally stopped and looked at her. His eyes were completely withdrawn as was his tone. "All right. If that is what you truly want – then fine."
Jadyn stood still waiting for something more; Alex blowing up was better than this. He was like a defeated man. Alex began to pace again and Jadyn slowly backed out of the door. She wandered down the corridor until she ran straight into Nicholas.
"Sorry, Jadyn," he muttered pulling her back to her feet, "I was off in my own – Jadyn are you alright?"
Jadyn nodded, "Fine, Nicholas."
"Please," Nicholas gently touched her cheek, "call me Nick, everyone does."
"Alright," Jadyn forced herself to not run away, "Nick it is."
"Now, are you sure you are alright?" Nicholas asked with concern.
Jadyn nodded and forced a smile, "I am quite alright. It is my parents' anniversary, is all."
"Oh," Nick bit his lip, "how many years have they been married?"
"Twenty-one," Jadyn quickly responded.
"That is nice. Good for them," Nicholas would have continued but Kei exited one of the nearby doors. "Well then, Jadyn, see you around."
Jadyn nodded and carried on down the corridor keeping her strong mask on until she reached the girls' sleeping quarters. There she collapsed on the nearest bunk and sobbed heavily. Sharon arrived sometime later and lay down next to her, stroking her hair and offering a shoulder to cry on.
The planet that burned as brightly as a small star, Capital City, was the largest planet habitable by humans in the known universe. Coruscant was a relatively natural planet when compared to Capital City. The colossal gas giant had been surrounded completely by artificial orbiters until the actual planet could be seen no more. These orbiters were fused together to create a single metal orb. This was the headquarters of every single economic driving force in the Empire. The Imperial Family lived here and the Imperial Council had its headquarters on the single moon that orbited in the planet's atmosphere; it remained in orbit only because of two giant repulsors. This was the planet's power; whoever ruled this planet, ruled the universe.
Alex turned off the hologram, snapping out of his ideological thoughts. They were a day away from Capital City and in two smaller shuttles. The girls were a few degrees to the west of them on a similar trajectory to enter Capitol City's atmosphere slightly north of the Imperial Palace. Alex was thankful for Kei keeping Nicholas busy with honing the teen's skills with his own recently built plasma sword. Despite his best efforts, he still could not bring himself to be kind to the teen. He had managed being pleasant on passing when Jadyn was present but he was not sure how he would react if he was left alone with the boy.
The radio crackled to life. "Shuttle 12252006 please announce your intentions."
Alex grabbed the microphone. "I am on holiday with two friends. We heard this planet had the best women in the universe."
There was silence; Alex cursed himself for adding the last past. "Too true. Scan in you and your two friends' picture travel passes."
Alex pulled out the three small cards that had been left in the shuttle by its previous owners. He placed all three cards in the socket next to the radio on the control panel and waited as the computer chugged away at transmitting the data. The cockpit fell silent once more and Alex waited with bated breath.
"Welcome to Capitol City. Please continue on your trajectory and enjoy your stay." The radio crackled one last time before cutting out rather abruptly.
Alex let out a sigh of relief and left the cockpit to inform Kei and Nicholas of their success. He reached out across the vacuum of space to brush against Hannah's consciousness. There was a mild hint of glee which Alex returned; they had made it through the first hurdle.
"So how much longer before we arrive in port?" Nicholas questioned when Kei entered the tiny galley.
Alex frowned in the younger teen's direction before answering. "If we are allowed to keep our current trajectory and there are no solar storms – half a day."
Nicholas slumped onto the table. "I need a decent shower."
Alex suppressed a growl. "Half a day won't kill anyone and I cannot enter any faster without risking burning the landing foils."
"When did you become such an accomplished pilot?" Kei inquired with a chuckle. "This is your first time off planet."
"My father taught me a lot about flying," Alex struggled to keep the anger out of his voice. "He probably wanted me to become an Imperial pilot before following his footsteps in his career."
"Which was?" Nicholas asked innocently.
The air crackled with Alex's barely controlled power. "Not that is makes any difference to you, he was an Imperial Guard."
"Oh – right," Nicholas blushed with embarrassment. "That was why my father knew your father. Sorry, I forgot."
Alex took a deep breath. "It is something easily forgotten."
Kei spoke up before Nicholas could respond. "Nick, we should return to your training. Inform us when we enter the atmosphere." He said the last part to a retreating Alex. Alex nodded his head and continued up the corridor toward the cockpit without another word.
Nicholas sat in the middle of the galley floor with his eyes closed. In his right hand rested the hilt of his plasma sword with his thumb resting on the activation button. He listened closely to the faint humming of the softball-sized metal orb hovering a couple of feet in front of him. The training orb was armed with a low-powered blaster and was controlled by a remote held in Kei's hand. Nick took a breath and heard the humming change to a higher frequency. There was a millisecond of absolute silence before the hiss-snap of the plasma sword was joined with the sound of a single shot. The next second Nick let out a hiss of pain as another welt joined the dozen or so others.
"You are relying on your hearing," Kei reprimanded. "You need to use your magic."
Nicholas's eyes shot open. "What magic? I've done absolutely nothing extraordinary in my life."
"Rashid chose you for a reason," Kei stated with more than a hint of a threat. "You are one of the Power of Five. You must have some sort of power. Alex could sense things, Sharon could sense imminent danger, and Jadyn can read people's minds. Alex has also developed telekinesis and the powers of His Holy One. You must have some passive power."
"Why?" Nick snapped in uncharacteristic anger. "Because perfect Alexander can use magic not seen in generations? Because my how-many-times great uncle was a powerful witch? What makes me so damn special that I can use magic?"
"Because," Kei answered evenly and logically, "you are the heir to Kyle Potter. Because if you can't, the future of humanity no longer exists."
"Thanks," Nick said closing his eyes again, "no pressure."
Kei sighed and turned off the training orb. "Perhaps your powers still need to grow a bit more. Let's practice your swordsmanship again. Without magic, you are going to be at a disadvantage in battle. You will need to be more proficient with your plasma sword than the others."
Jadyn sat in the small bedroom, if one could call it that. It was a tiny room with a single bunk and a small metal box for storing personal items. On the side directly opposite the sliding blast door was a giant window that gave the occupant a clear view of the surrounding space. At the moment, most of the glass was taken up by the massive planet or rather the planet city. Jadyn, however, could have cared less if the view was of her home world, the volcanic planet, Pompay. Her mind was occupied by thoughts of her fight and break up with Alex. She knew intellectually that it was the best thing for both of them; their lives were stressful enough without the added burden of an intense relationship. Yet, she still had a nagging feeling: the "what if" conundrum.
And then there were these sudden feelings of warmth around Nicholas. She knew what the teen was going through. She had lost her family because of magic but so had Alex. She could not understand why Alex could not see that. But the feelings she felt when she was around the dark-haired teen were more than those of sorrow and empathy. She was attracted to him and it made her feel fear. Alex and Nick already could barely be around each other; if she fell for Nick, Alex may just snap.
She shook out of her thoughts as the spacecraft shuddered when they entered the dense atmosphere of the gaseous giant. Reassembling her mental shields, Jadyn rose from her wooden stool and unlocked the blast door. She found the corridor empty as she had expected; most sane people remained in a bed or strapped in a crash net during the descent from space into the atmosphere. Gripping the handrails tightly, she slowly made her way to the cockpit, almost crashing to the floor twice along the way. She reached the cockpit and opened its blast door.
"Buckle up," snapped Hannah as she strained to keep the spacecraft on trajectory.
Jadyn took the seat reserved for the radio technician and slipped the lap belt over her waist. "Any word from the others?"
Sharon shook her head. "They can't risk talking over comm lines and Alex hasn't reached out telepathically. Why?"
"No reason," Jadyn mentally sighed. "Just wanted to get caught up."
Hannah cursed profusely and pulled one of the joysticks hard back as another spacecraft shot past them; missing them by a meter, if that. Their spacecraft shuddered and buckled as the sonic waves crashed into the hull. They passed through the vacuum created by the other spacecraft before Hannah finally corrected their path.
"Bloody idiot," Hannah grumbled once again.
Jadyn clicked a couple of buttons. "The authorities are requesting a video report. Should I comply?"
Hannah shrugged, "Better than not replying. Sharon, try and warn the boys that we may have company at the landing pad."
Jadyn got started with the various tasks required to upload the images captured by the small video camera mounted on the hull of the spacecraft, just behind the cockpit front window. Sharon closed her eyes and blocked out all outside distractions. She hardly practiced telepathy as it was not her primary power but Alex had insisted that she gain some basic understanding for an occasion exactly like this. She took a deep breath and as she let it out she allowed her presence in the world to expand. There were billions of voices whispering faintly. She tried to ignore them and continued her search for Alex's mind. Some couple hundred meters ahead of them was the guarded familiar presence of Alexander. He first pulled back at the feeling of her touch but soon opened his mind.
"We have a problem," she thought and heard it faintly echoed.
Alex's response was a few minutes in coming. "What happened?"
"We almost crashed with a manic driver. The police requested a report." Sharon sent back.
Alex's concern could be felt for all but a second before he shoved it aside. "Thanks for the warning. Tell Hannah to implement plan B when she starts the landing sequence."
Sharon drew back into her own mind feeling a massive headache as she regained the feeling of her own body. "He says to use plan B, whatever that means."
Hannah nodded but did not verbally respond. Jadyn was still battling with the out-of-date software and trying to explain to the police why the video had not been transmitted yet. Sharon rubbed her temples and moved to take over the job of transmitting the video to the central police computer. She got the job done in a couple of minutes and smiled at the look of relief on Jadyn's face. The radio crackled once again with the voice sounding a bit more pleased. Then it continued to ask questions which Jadyn answered to the best of her ability without destroying what remained of their cover. Finally they let up on the relentless assault of inquires and Jadyn fell back into her seat looking strained.
"How'd you get the upload to work?"
Sharon shrugged, "My dad works on dated spacecrafts as a hobby. You kind of get used to all the versions of software."
"Well I hope plan B works, otherwise we'll be spending a couple of days in the interrogation rooms of a police station."
Both teens glanced at Hannah who seemed to have not heard the statement. With nothing else left to do until they began the landing sequence the girls relaxed in their chairs. Sharon risked taking a tablet to deal with the mounting headache. Jadyn lapsed back into thoughts of her private problems being careful to not drop her mental shields.
Mathew walked back into the cockpit to see a planet he was not expecting to see for a long time. Capitol City was lit up by as if by a sun despite them entering from the night side of the planet. Mathew spotted the giant castle that he once considered home before he took his seat. Jason looked over and punched in something on the control console.
"So they came here?"
Jason nodded. "It seems their ringleader is just as spontaneous as your aunt."
"Why come here?" Mathew questioned. "It is a suicide mission."
"And blowing up the head of the planetary government's house of New Sweden was not?" Jason countered.
Mathew waved his hand dismissively. "Ok, but here? This is the most anti-witch planet in the universe. Everyone will be out to get them if they accidentally show themselves."
Jason shrugged. "None of my contacts have been able to figure out what they are up to. All my contacts know is that they seem to have just as many people in high places as we do."
"And they have not turned those people in…because?"
Jason resisted the urge to role his eyes. "Not everything is as black and white as you were brought up to believe."
Mathew remained silent, stunned at the belittling tone Jason had used. Jason continued to plug in the requested information by the central computer while studying another set of data in strange symbols. Mathew did not bother to ask what the data was about and instead turned his attention to a free display screen. He brought up the news reports and was stunned to see the video clip and a teen with a golden yellow plasma sword ripping through a crowd of armored Imperial Police.
Alex waved his hand in annoyance sending policemen flying everywhere. The smoke from what remained of their spacecraft was clouding his vision. When the air cleared for a second, Alex spotted the thousand cameras filming the battle and cursed to himself. So much for a quiet arrival. He pivoted out of the way of a blaster bolt before throwing his plasma sword into the crowd of policemen to his right. He held his hand out. guiding the sword effortlessly through the crowd wounding or killing a large number of that patrol group before having the sword return to his hand just in time to return a couple of neon green blaster blots.
He spotted the other three plasma swords, all various shades of gray, a few feet away. He closed his eyes for a second and heard the sounds of fearful surprise as the policemen in between him and them were lifted off their feet and thrown into a nearby wall. The three teens ran through the gap between the attackers and huddled back to back with Alex. The four of them fought in the circle trying to figure a way out of their predicament.
"We could use the spell again," Sharon suggested.
Alex shook his head. "We may injure too many innocents."
"What about disappearing into the earth?" Jadyn said in between blocking attacks.
Nick slammed his foot into the rib cage of a policeman who got too close. The policeman collapsed to the floor coughing up blood. "Err – I haven't learned that trick yet."
"Doesn't matter," Alex said quickly, his feud with Nick forgotten in the heat of battle. "Concrete is too compact for that to work. Where are Hannah and Kei?"
"Kei disappeared with Hannah just after we arrived." Jadyn answered. "They weren't detected as far as I know."
Alex nodded. "Perhaps we have some hope after all."
Jadyn was about to respond when a deep voice swept over them. "Surrender witches, and Alia says she may be lenient."
"Tell Her Highness to go fuck herself!" Alex returned, searching for the owner of the voice.
There was a ripple of anger but none of the policemen moved to attack. The voice started up again. "Then you will beg for death before the end."
There was a crackle of lightning and Alex found himself thrown to the floor from the simple momentum of the assault. He ignored the pain and sprang to his feet to the obvious surprise of the attacker because the electric attack stopped. Alex, in no mood to be hit by the attack again, shoved his hand out in front of him sending the policemen and hovering cameras flying off the edge of the platform. He activated his blade once more and charged into the small remaining crowd. But before he could reach the crowd, he found his feet cemented to the floor.
"You are certainly powerful," the voice said with a chuckle, "but I have been at this much longer than you have."
Alex struggled against the attack but the force only became more pronounced. "Show yourself, you coward!"
"As you wish," the voice stated. Alex turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw a shadow step forward. "You recognize me, don't you: from your dreams." Alex struggled to catch his breath as the creature continued to glide forward. "Yes! I am the remaining shadow demon that helped Count Potter and Emperor Halliwell vanquish the Avatars. But I am now much more than just a mere pawn of the Source. I have evolved and was protected from the curse," The demon paused in its advance.
Alex was still fighting the bonds and he was empowered by a sudden surge along his connection to the other three teens. The surge was enough to free him from the attack and he swung his plasma sword at what he assumed would be the demon's head. The plasma sword passed straight through the demon but the demon appeared a couple of feet back, unharmed. Alex raised his hand in a move to send the demon flying off the edge, but instead was struck back by a powerful telekinetic blow.
"You are no match for me," The demon taunted, "at least, not yet."
"Istalri!" Alex hissed.
Giant red flames erupted from both of his palms and engulfed the shadow demon. The demon screamed in pain and Alex spun around. Without looking back, he charged through the stunned crowd of policemen running for his life. He felt back for a second to check that the others were following him and was relieved when he felt that they indeed were. The sounds of an angry commander washed over them and only made them run faster. Alex spotted a parked speeder and waved his hand starting its engines. The others jumped inside and Alex shot off into the air amid a storm of blaster bolts.
"What the heck was that thing?"
"What dreams?"
"Watch out!"
Alex simply ignored the shouts and questions of the teens. He was exhausted by the battle and did not have the mental stability to get into to a revealing conversation with them. He reached out and brushed against Kei's and Hannah's minds informing them that they had escaped and to meet them at the planned destination. The two replies were brief and Alex feared that the two Fremen had not made a clean escape as Jadyn had suggested. Careful to not let his fears spill through his connection to the others, Alex drove the speeder faster and further into the underworld of the planetwide city.
He slowed the speeder down to a bearable speed once they had dropped a couple hundred stories. This close to the artificial surface of the planet the air was hot, humid, and rich in ghastly smells. The lights were not consistent this far down and as such Alex was forced to turn on the speeder's lights or risk crashing into something. He suddenly stopped the speeder, jerking his occupants painfully in their seats.
"What's wrong?" Sharon inquired.
Alex forced his eyes back open. "I'm falling asleep – someone else needs to drive."
Nicholas jumped at the chance and Alex, sighed too tired to be vengeful. "Keep on heading straight down this air path until you come across a giant sign for a strip club. Park the speeder and wake me up."
Alex switched seats and promptly slipped into unconsciousness.
He was stirred an hour later to the sounds of head pounding music and Jadyn leaning over him. He nodded and sat up, feeling a little bit better. Alex reached out for Kei and Hannah and felt they were still a couple of blocks away. He opened his door and climbed out of the car, gripping the door to keep himself from falling.
"You ok?" Jadyn asked worried.
Alex nodded, "My legs just need a second to get their blood flow back."
"Who are we meeting here?" Sharon questioned.
"Where are Kei and Hannah?" Nick added.
Alex tested his ability to walk without the help of the door before answering. "Kei and Hannah are on their way here. And we are meeting Hannah's contact in there." He pointed to the door of the strip club.
"But we're not…" Nick stopped speaking as Alex started for the club stumbling every few steps.
Alex answered the unfinished question. "But we have magic."
The girls glanced at each other before quickly following Alex. Nick was a bit more hesitant but he overcame his fear and caught up to the group easily enough. Alex paused on the sidewalk and waited for the others before walking up to the bouncer. He waved his hand subtly as he stated that he was meeting someone. The bouncer's eyes dazed over and the door swung open. Alex stepped through and continued past the various booths without waiting for the stunned group to follow. None of them had seen him ever use that technique. He reached the booth that Hannah had sent him a day before. Carefully, Alex pulled back the curtain and slipped inside pressing the button to indicate the booth was taken.
"Hey!" The scantily clothed woman cried out before softening her voice. "You're too young, cutie. I can't lose my license."
Alex smiled but still took a seat. "I'm here for other help, thank you very much."
"Oh," The lady turned around and pulled on a robe, wrapping it tightly around herself. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"Information," Alex said softly or as softly as possible considering the loud music rumbling through his gut.
"That's pretty vague, sweetie." The woman took out a long stick of some sort of drug and lit it. She sat down with her legs crossed seductively. "I have a lot of information to share."
Alex sensed the other teens waiting outside and gave them permission to quietly slip in. "These are some of my friends," Alex stated over the woman's cries of shock. "I have another two coming; they should be here in a little bit."
"Well, I hope I'm getting paid for this," the lady muttered. "I'm going to lose my job when my boss realizes I have four underaged kids in my booth."
Alex handed her a blank plastic card. "An untraceable transfer of a million units to your account will occur a day after you insert that into any banking console."
"Very well, cutie," She pocketed the card. "My name is Temperance."
Alex nodded. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Alex and these are Jadyn, Sharon, and Nicholas."
Temperance's blue-green eyes lit up in surprise. "Hannah sent you!"
"She and another Fremen will be joining us; they are my other friends." Alex made his tone especially calm. It would do them no good to be caught.
The professional hooker took the hint and simmered down. "The information is on that stick over there." She pointed to a small gray rectangle on the table about the size of a stick of gum. "Just do not use it on a public computer – you will trip a security alarm."
Alex nodded and Sharon picked up the stick placing it in her belt. Alex returned his attention to Temperance. "Is there anything else we should know?"
"Yes," Temperance bent closer, "Alia has demons working for her. Some of them are extremely powerful. It seems Nihilus's death was a signal for the demons to step out their hideouts."
"We have already met one of her new assassins," Alex coldly stated.
Temperance raised an eyebrow. "So the prophecies were true," there was awe in her voice.
Sharon suddenly sensed danger. "Alex, we'd better go."
Alex frowned. "Alright, thank you for your help." Alex stood up. "I am sure Hannah taught you to erase your memories."
Temperance nodded and fell into a trance. Alex slipped out of the booth followed by the others and they quietly snuck out of the club. As they reached the door Alex saw the danger Sharon had sensed; two Imperial Guards with the insignias of General entered Temperance's booth. They stepped through the door and briskly walked to their stolen speeder. Alex reached out to Hannah and Kei warning them of the Guards and to remain hidden until he called them. Once they were up in the air, Alex allowed himself a moment of sorrow; another innocent sacrificed to protect them.
Jason pulled the cloak tighter as they walked through the crowd of various creatures. Jason had worked the underground of Capitol City during his days as an Imperial Guard and yet it still sent chills down his spine. Despite this being the same planet that housed the Imperial household, the underworld was considered the second most dangerous place in the Empire.
"How many more blocks do we have to cover?" Mathew questioned under his breath.
Jason slowed his pace. "Ten or so. The attack occurred a few blocks away from a famous exotic dancing club."
"And it is confirmed that plasma swords were used?"
Jason nodded. "Not officially, but the pictures that my contact sent me show cauterized wounds too large to be caused by a blaster bolt. The only weapon I know of that can cause those wounds are plasma swords."
Mathew fell back to pace and they continued on in silence. When they reached the stripper club both of them were surprised to see police tape surrounding the area and thirty or so robotic investigators swirling back and forth across the blacktop of the parking lot. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves the two fell back into the streaming crowd, who seemed oblivious to the crime scene. Mathew reached out trying to discern from the few humanoid police what had happened. He got the sense of a death and repressed tension between two groups. Slowly the memories flashed across his mind's eye. The Imperial Guards had followed four teens to the club and had murdered the person the teens had seen while torturing her for information.
"It's a murder investigation," Mathew whispered.
"Are our targets the suspects?"
Mathew waited as a fat frog-man pushed passed them. "No…two Imperial Guards that were following them have admitted to killing the stripper."
Jason nodded. "Well then, let's hurry up and get to our targets before they do. Imperial Guards on their trail complicates things."
"Why?" Mathew questioned, but Jason just pushed onward through the crowd. Mathew frowned before following the ex-Imperial Guard deeper into the underworld of his home world.
"Okay Andy, let's do the scene one more time," the director called out, "but this time, be a tad more aloof. Remember: you believe you're above this girl."
Andy was a teenager almost sixteen years old with blonde, almost white, hair except for some strange reason, the hair closer to his roots was pitch black. He had mesmerizing dark blue eyes that told of the cunning and pride the teen possessed. He still had a boyish face, but puberty was finally taking its toll. Andy was probably the most famous and rich teenager in the Empire and had the attitude to go along with it. He smiled at the director, to which the old man gulped.
"Or not…"
Andy shook his head. "If you think I can improve, then let's do it again."
This movie was his first romance film, his previous expertise being action-adventure. His mother, the only person in the film business not afraid of him, had suggested that he do a film for his billions of female fans. So, here he was, three months later shooting a "lovey-dovey" flick with the hottest teen actress in the business. He glanced over at his co-star as she had her make-up redone for the -nth time. Taking his place behind the fake door, Andy waited for the spoiled girl to take her place, crying in the "mud."
Andy sat back in his trailer pretending to listen to his mother's ranting and raving. He did not really care for the warnings and 'stay out of trouble' lectures; he had spent most of his life in the world of the nightclubbers like most actors and actresses. Tonight, he was taking a beautiful girl out for her first time clubbing and he wanted to get ready. Instead, he was stuck in the most uncomfortable seat in the house listening to his fifty-year-old mother treating him like a four-year-old.
Finally, he had had enough, "Mother, please! I've done this before."
"Yes, but the attacks!" his mother scowled.
Andy rolled his eyes. "You've already assigned half a battalion of body guards to me for the night. I want a date, Mother: not an interrogation."
"You could be a target," his mother's voice became even more grating on his nerves.
He reached for the button to cut the connection. "Look, Mother: I can handle myself and I'm not even going to that sector. I'm aiming to impress, not chance the poor girl away." He tapped the button before his mother could respond. He walked to the door and opened it. "No one is to bother me, David."
The giant, well-tattooed head of security gave the teen a nod. Andy shut the door and turned on the shower. He got out his best pair of tight dark blue jeans and a clean white shirt with a faint gray pattern of snakes running vertically. He pulled a white wifebeater out from the pile of various styles and colors of undershirts. He climbed into the shower and washed quickly using the soap, shampoo, and conditioner made especially for him. He heard the phone ring once again and simply turned up the volume of his music.
When the teen returned to his bedroom, he noticed his shirt was lying on the floor but thought nothing of it. He had put the shirt pretty close to the edge of his king-sized bed and pure natural silk was rather slippery. Getting dressed, Andy headed outside of the trailer and waited on its steps for a second as the head of security signaled the various body guards into speeder identical to the one he would be driving for the night. His speeder parked right in front of the trailer, his date already seated on the passenger side. Andy walked around and the driver got out of the speeder.
"Thank you," Andy handed the man a small tip, "but I'll be driving myself tonight."
The man looked at David who grudgingly gave his consent. Andy nodded and started up the engine. "You're in for one hell of a night, Ashley."
"Good evening to you, too," Said Ashley with a big smile.
Andy smiled back and guided the speeder into the line of other waiting to get onto the airway.
"So, have you decided on a name for the film yet?" Ashley tried to start up a conversation.
Andy pushed his way in between two industrial speeders. "Yeah. I think Heartbreaker is a fitting name."
"Sounds sad," Ashley stated.
"Or proud," Andy countered jokingly.
She smiled, "I guess. But you aren't too far from the truth. I sure you've broken a good number of hearts whether purposefully or not…especially in your last holo-flick. Your first kiss…"
Andy smiled. "Well, I hope that it wasn't my last or my best."
"Funny," Ashley giggled.
Andy tilted the joystick and the speeder fell out of the airway. "Well – we're here."
"The Hole in the Wall?" Ashley questioned.
"Yip," Andy opened Ashley's door and nodded his head at her thanks, "Believe me: it is anything but a hole in the wall."
Alex read over the note Rashid had given him when he had informed Alex, Jadyn, and Sharon of the plan to reconstitute the Power of Five. The note contained the codeword that would tell Andrew that they were friends. He was still worried about their plan; Andrew's disappearance definitely would not go unnoticed. Once they did this, the war would truly be a reality. The fact that Alia was teaming up with demons told Alex that the Empress knew something of the history of magic and what the disappearances could possibly mean.
"Are you positive that no one saw you?" he questioned once again.
Hannah nodded, a hurt look in her eyes. Alex felt sorry for causing it but he had a feeling that they were missing something. "I've been doing this for over forty years. I can place a homing beacon on a vehicle without being noticed."
"Ok, but I still want you and Kei to remain hidden and watch out for anyone following us." Alex stated as the taxi neared the place where the speeder they were tracking had stopped.
"Understood." both Fremen whispered softly.
The taxi slowed to a stop and the brown insectoid driver turned around with four of his claws outstretched. Alex handed the driver the money with a large tip whispering that the taxi driver might want to leave quickly. The speeder shot off just as Sharon stepped out of the door. Alex shook his head and turned back to see Hannah and Kei already disappearing into the darkness of the parking lot. He led the way following the tracking signal to the speeder and then into the club.
They split up when they cleared the various security points, each with a vivid picture of their target in their mind's eye. Alex was careful to keep the telepathic connection open despite its draining nature. He preferred to be drained of energy than having any one of them be caught in a trap without the others noticing. Alex headed in the direction of the bar area while pretending to enjoy the music.
"One Hot Shot, on the rocks," Alex stated when the robotic bartender questioned him for the fourth time. The robot did an iris scan and Alex tweaked the internal wires so that the scan aged him a couple of years. He let out a mental sigh when the robot started making him the drink. Paying for the drink, he left the bar carrying the small glass with him. Alex slipped out a small but powerful sleeping pill and dissolved it in the drink; he then pulled out a small syringe and filled it with the concoction. Quickly, he threw the syringe at the obvious bodyguard, who was sneaking up on Jadyn. Alex telekinetically guided the makeshift dart into the spinal column of his victim and the guard collapsed the second the syringe depressed.
"I guess they know who we are as well." Jadyn sent along with a feeling of gratitude.
Alex nodded and disappeared onto the dance floor more determined to find Andy quickly. The longer they were in this club, the more danger Jadyn—no, all of them, were in. He spotted a boy with blonde hair and slowly made his way over to the place he had last seen the him. Then, without warning, a light swung directly into his face, blinding him. Alex felt the worry of the other three teens before the pain of being kicked in the kidney caused him to lose focus and drop the connection. Blinking rapidly to rid himself of the spots dancing in his vision and the tears in his eyes, Alex failed to see the next attack as well. A powerful kick caught him in the ribs and he felt at least one of his ribs crack.
He widely waved his hand and smiled when there was a muffled yelp of surprise. When no other attack occurred for a few seconds, Alex reckoned the person he had sent flying was his attacker. He got to his feet and looked around, but everyone around him was continuing to dance and rave as if nothing had just occurred. He moved toward the edge of the dance crowd, doing his best to ignore his bruised kidney and broken rib and reopened the telepathic connection between the other teens.
"They definitely do not like us."
Jadyn's concern was the most evident but the other two were also worried. "Are you ok?"
Alex closed his eyes when a customer bumped him into a table. "I've survived worse."
"I think I have Andrew in my line of sight." Nick sent.
"Ok," Alex hesitated, thinking, "Keep him in your sights, but do not approach him. I think it is best if we are all together when we make our move."
Alex waited until the surge in customers died down before he left the relative safety of the table. Despite all the techniques he had at his disposal to defeat pain the pain from the kick in the kidney was too much for him. He had to pause closer to the bar to catch his breath and he also used the time to analyze his surroundings. There were at least another twenty bodyguards in the crowd with another four or five aggressors. Alex also focused on the positions of his allies. Jadyn was nearing Nick from the left while Sharon was approaching from behind Alex.
He continued forward, walking a bit slow so that Sharon could eventually catch up to him. Sharon arrived sooner than he expected and she tried to help him walk. The pain, however, of having his arm strung over her shoulder was worse than walking hunchbacked. They continued cautiously once Alex caught his breath. By the time they reached Nick, the pain was dulled enough that Alex could stand up straight. He ignored their concerned looks and focused on the blonde teen Nick believed to be Andrew.
"Ok," Alex stated once he was satisfied that the boy could be Andrew, "Nick, you go talk to him. Jadyn, you watch out for any enemies and Sharon, you distract the girl he's dancing with."
The unanimous response was the three teens walking off to finish their assigned tasks. Alex leaned back in Nick's vacated seat, carefully examining the closest enemies' minds for any thoughts of aggression. He watched as Sharon skillfully engaged her target in a conversation and slowly moved the girl a safe distance away from Andrew. Alex allowed his eyes to wander over to Jadyn. Not seeing any danger to her, he returned his focus to Andrew and now, Nicholas. Nick was talking to the guy and from the wave of excitement, Alex guessed they had indeed found the final piece to their puzzle.
"I thought you said they would not be able to use active powers yet," Mathew snapped, brushing himself off.
Jason shrugged. "Perhaps he has some Halliwell blood."
"Oh," Mathew's stated sarcastically, "That's all?"
"Look," Jason whispered, "you took on Nihilus single-handedly. I thoroughly doubt a kid is going to be much of a match for you."
"Yeah, but," Mathew paused forcing Jason to lean in closer, "this time you want me to…" Mathew never finished the sentence. He had felt someone touch his mind and he strengthened his mental barriers. "They are far more advanced than you believe."
Jason's eyes were shut tight and Mathew guessed the adult was struggling to keep his shield around his mind up against the powerful presence. "Perhaps," Jason spoke between heavy breaths, "we should be a bit more cautious. Let the bodyguards weaken them before we spring our trap."
Mathew nodded. "Fine. I'll return to stalking the witch." Mathew disappeared into the crowd. Jason sighed and headed toward the door. The easiest place to catch them would be at the only exit.
The mental warning occurred too late for Alex to do anything but duck his head. He looked up slightly to see the innocent hit with the dart writhing on the floor. He turned around dropping to a crouch next to his chair. He spotted the man with dark shades and a blaster resting on his right hip. Alex stretched out his fingers and the man fell flat on his face. Alex focused on the man's mind and tricked the organ into thinking that the man's body was on fire. With the man rolling on the floor screaming in imagined pain, Alex turned his attention on the scene enveloping Nick and Andrew.
Nick was fighting a tall man who was obviously an Imperial Guard. Andrew was arguing with another bodyguard. The Imperial Guard pulled his hilt from its holster but never got the chance to activate the sword. Jadyn stood with her fist still outstretched as the man dropped to the floor unconscious. Nick and Jadyn walked up to the bodyguard and forcefully moved the man out of the way.
"We need to go," Jadyn said evenly.
Andy frowned, snarling, "Why should I go with you?"
"Because we're allies," Alex sent while still crouched next to his chair, "Don't give up, it is not the end." Alex retreated from the teen's mind in order to send another Imperial Guard flying into the air.
"Who the heck was that!" Andy questioned, but his tone was softer almost humble.
Jadyn pointed in the direction of the battle between Alex and the Imperial Guard. "He sent you that message. We're all in the same predicament – well, if you accept to come with us."
"Don't give up it is not the end," Andy muttered to himself. He looked Jadyn in her eyes. "How did he know my father's code?"
"We don't have time to explain everything," Jadyn spoke calmly. "I'm sure Alex will answer all your questions when it is timelier."
"At the moment," Nick continued, "we need to get out of here."
Andy nodded and started to follow Jadyn with Nick trailing behind him. "What about my date and Alex?"
Jadyn spoke as she continued to make her way to the door. "Sharon will lead your date out of harm's way before joining us. And don't be too concerned for Alex – he is more powerful than he looks." Inwardly however, Jadyn was almost crippled by her fear for Alex's safety.
Alex moved as quickly as his injuries allowed him to blocking the various kicks and punches with telekinesis. He spotted Jadyn and Nick heading for the door with Andy and sighed in relief. The distraction however, gave the guard the opening she needed to land a powerful punch on the same side as Alex's already broken rib. Alex hissed in pain as he stumbled backwards. This time, instead of allowing the pain to cripple him as it had with the other attacker, he used the surge of emotions to power his attack. The Imperial Guard crashed straight through the wooden bar and remained dead still. Not waiting to see if the Guard was dead or just unconscious, Alex charged out of the club, shoving people aside with telekinesis.
He arrived outside to see Sharon retreating in the direction of where the taxi had dropped them off. He gathered up his strength and ran after her, not noticing the stunned man lying next to the entrance to the club. He followed Sharon into an alleyway a block down from the club and was nearly run over by a speeder. Alex nearly sent the speeder flying on its side when he noticed its occupants.
"Hurry!" Andy hissed.
Alex smiled but his eyes were filled with sarcasm. "Hello to you too, Andrew."
"Andy," Andy said as he shot his speeder forward. "And you must be Alex."
Alex nodded. "Any idea where you are supposed to be heading?"
Jadyn answered for the newcomer. "Kei and Hannah contacted me. They said to head back to the old hideout."
Alex slumped in his chair. "If that is what Hannah suggested, then do it."
"I can conjure," Nick stated a few minutes later breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I used it to knock out that attacker at the door."
Sharon nodded politely. "I wondered what happened to him. For a second I thought it was Alex but then I saw the hair color."
Alex frowned and sat up slightly. "Why did you think it was me?"
Sharon shrugged, "He just had a similar presence to yours."
"Oh," Alex fell back into silence.
Jadyn changed to topic. "So now what do we do?"
"Stay hidden," Nick suggested.
"Yeah," Andy stated, "my vote is to not get caught. How'd you know the code?"
"Rashid gave me a note with that saying written on it," Alex mumbled. He opened his mouth as if to speak but then shut it again and closed his eyes.
"Do you have any idea how to reconstitute the Power?" Jadyn rephrased her question.
"I had a dream on how the Charmed Ones first got their powers," Alex said softly still not opening his eyes. "I've reworded the poem so that is it not for just one witch – it's the best I've got."
"So what is it?" Sharon asked.
"Not here," Alex opened his eyes, "wait until we're back at the hideout."
"Are you ok?" Jadyn inquired.
Alex nodded, "Sore, but I have it under control. We're being followed."
Just as he said that, four fighters dropped out of the sky and fired upon them. Andy swerved hard to avoid the blaster bolts and the speeder skimmed the side of a building spraying sparks everywhere. Alex pulled out his own blaster and unbuckled himself.
"That thing isn't going to penetrate the shield of those fighters, never mind their hulls!" Andy stated.
"You worry about keeping us from falling out of the sky," Alex snapped, "And I'll worry about what my blaster can and cannot do."
He fired one bolt into a suspension wire for a giant billboard. The sign swung into the lane of traffic and crashed into the side of one of the fighters. Alex waved his hand and the sign slammed into the building and remained there. He then focused his attention on the nearest fighter and twitched his finger. One of the fighter's flaps bent the wrong way and the fighter went spiraling into another of the fighters. Both spacecrafts burst into a giant ball of flames. Alex turned around and buckled back up, struggling to catch his breath.
"There's still one more," Andy started to say.
Alex nodded, annoyed. "Military protocol is for the last remaining fighter of a squad to try and return to base so that an eyewitness report of the battle can be filed."
"You really believe that they are going to stick to protocol?" Andy snapped. "They fired in a public area without any warning!"
"We haven't been shot at yet have we?" Alex retorted. "Just get us to the hideout. We need to perform the spell soon."
"We just…" Jadyn fell silent. "They weren't the followers you were concerned about."
Alex shook his head. "That demon is tracking us – and he had friends."
"Demon?" Andy inquired his eyes wide.
"Just drive," Sharon commanded smoothly. "We've been through too much for us to fail now."
They rushed into the rundown motel leaving the engine of the speeder idling. Hannah and Kei were waiting outside the door when they reached the fifth floor. Alex walked passed them and shoved his hand out in front of him; the door broke into splitters which embedded themselves in the opposite wall. No one questioned his actions and they quietly filed into the room. Alex was already rifling through one of his shrinkable backpacks. He struggled to stand, holding a large book bound with a thick black cover.
"This is the Book of Shadows of the Will family – my Book of Shadows." Alex said as he faced his silent audience. "I refurbished it and have been translating spells in my spare time. All of us must place our right hands on the book. Hopefully some of its locked ancient magic will help make this ceremony work."
The four other teens approached slowly and land their right hands on its cover. Alex placed his right hand next to theirs and the book seemed to glow and shudder underneath their touch. Alex took a deep breath. "The spell is in ancient English. I will transfer my knowledge of the spell to you and you can try and say the incantation with me. Ready?"
They nodded as looks of determination, apprehension, and fear passed over their faces. Alex sent the incantation with as much knowledge as he could on how to pronounce the words.
"Hear the words of the witches
The secrets we hide in the night
The oldest of the gods are invoked here
The great work of magic is sought
And on this night and in this hour
We call upon the ancient power
Bring your power unto us.
We want the power.
Give us the power!
And as we will so mote it be."
The room glowed a blinding white and the book grew scalding hot, but none of them dared to remove their hands. As the pain became unbearable a soothing sensation enveloped their minds. The white glow of the room died down and was replaced by the golden light of the book. The golden light washed over the teens before a final flash of white.
Alex opened his eyes to find the book lying on the floor with a golden pentagram engraved on its originally blank cover. He also spotted his glasses and bent down to pick them up before realizing that he could see perfectly fine without them, also realizing he could bend over without the shooting, stabbing pain crippling him.
"Everyone ok?" Alex questioned.
He got a couple of mumbled yeses and a couple of nods of the head. He looked over to see how Hannah and Kei were and smiled at the looks of awe on their faces. He started to check himself out more thoroughly: his ribs and kidneys were perfectly healed as far as he could tell. He also felt completely regenerated as if he had just had a complete night's worth of perfect rest. It was then that he noticed that he felt in fact, much more powerful than he had. He went on to check the connection between the girls. The connection was there and so were two more, the one to the two boys. However, the connection was different. While he could still keep them out of his mind, he could feel an underlying power flow separate from his personal power. He knew instinctively that this was not the other's powers, but something much more powerful. It was the power of the Power of Five.
"Alex,' Kei interrupted his thoughts, "we had better hurry. Even in this neighborhood, a flash like that is bound to have been phoned in."
Kei turned around to start out the door but instead was sent flying further into the room. Hannah also met a similar fate. Alex jumped up motioning with his finger at the book. The book slid back into his backpack and the backpack shrunk back to the size to a small quarter. He directed it into the pocket on his belt before turning his full attention to the intruders. Four massive green-skinned reptilian creatures stood in the doorway flanking the shadow demon.
"You thought you had defeated me," The shadow demon hissed, "but it takes more than a little fire to defeat me."
"Well then, try this on for size," Alex taunted before flexing his fingers. Two of the shadow's guards clutched their stomachs before bursting apart, showering everyone in black ooze.
"Impressive," the demon stated in a tired voice, "you have a new trick. But so do I!"
The demon motioned slowly muttering softly, and a wall of black flames engulfed Alex. Jadyn screamed in a mixture of fear and anger only to find herself staring at an unharmed Alex. Alex smiled reassuringly before turning to face the demons.
"You'll have to do better than that."
The demon yelled in anger and the windows exploded sending shards of plastic flying everywhere. Alex waved his hand and the shards heading for him and his friends changed direction catching the two remaining guards unawares. Where the shards hit, the demons flames erupted—which eventually engulfed the entirety of the demon—before the demon exploded, leaving behind a pile of ash. Alex sent a number of the shards in the direction of the shadow; the shards passed harmlessly through it. The shadow flung out its arms and the whiffs of its arms enclosed the teens in a blanket of pitch-black smoke.
"Garjzla," snapped Alex in annoyance. A brilliant yellow ball of light appeared in his palm causing the shadow to retreat. "So you don't like the light much?" Alex threw the ball of light at the demon that easily dodged the attack.
"I'll kill you for that!" The demon charged and waved his hand, sending the other teens flying out of his way, crashing into Alex and conjuring a dagger. The demon drove the dagger at Alex's head but his hand came to a complete stop. Alex's eyes glowed slightly and the demon crashed into the roof before falling back to the ground. Alex rolled out of the way and activated his plasma sword.
Alex tried to cut the demon's head off but the plasma sword buckled and the usually straight blade contorted as to not touch the demon's body. The demon laughed and reached out with its hand, stretching for the plasma sword. Alex fought to keep the blade still but the repulsion was too strong and he deactivated the blade before he lost his grip on the hilt. Thinking quickly, Alex flexed his fingers again praying that it worked. The demon stumbled backwards with a giant hole in its middle. As he started to advance again Alex repeated the motion, blasting another hole in the demon.
"You're still not powerful enough to vanquish me," The demon taunted.
There was a commotion in the doorway and Alex risked a quick glance. Imperial Guards and Police were entering the room and battling the other teens and the two Fremen. Alex waved his hand in the demon's direction returning his attention to his own fight. The demon almost flew out the window but somehow the demon managed to deflect enough of Alex's attack to remain inside the room. The demon snapped his hand in front of himself calling a massive fireball to life. With a flick of his wrists, the demon sent the fireball soaring toward Alex. Alex threw his hand out in front of himself and the fireball got deflected harmlessly into the wall.
"Can't keep doing that," The demon stated as he chucked another dozen fireballs in Alex's direction.
Alex raised his hand and flexed his fingers, hoping to blow the attack up. Instead the attacks froze in midair, along with the majority of the occupants of the room. Alex dropped to one knee as his strength was sapped by the spell. He waved his hand and the room slowly reverted back into motion, the fireballs flying back at the demon. The demon, still a bit surprised by the turn of events, barely stopped the attacks from reaching his body.
"Still think I'm weak?" Alex yelled.
The demon chuckled and disappeared in a whiff of smoke to reappear behind Alex. "You're still young." The demon kicked Alex in the shoulder sending the teen to the floor.
Alex crashed to the floor but still redirected his momentum to his advantage as he dodged another dozen of the demon's fire balls. Alex felt a swelling inside himself and then a great feeling of weakness. He spun to see the numerous Imperial Guards and Police unconscious on the ground along with Kei, Hannah, Nick, and Sharon. Jadyn and Andy were busy fighting a man who, when Alex saw his face, nearly caused Alex to cry out. He was so focused on the man who he was now certain was his father to witness Mathew vanquishing the shadow demon with a spell. Alex watched in horror as Jason knocked Andy hard on to the floor. Andy did not get up. Alex rushed forward to help Jadyn but a leg caught him in the stomach.
"You're not going anywhere," Mathew hissed.
Mathew waved his hand and Alex found himself under the fourteen-year-old's mercy. He felt Jadyn's fear for his safety before she was knocked unconscious by a punch from his father. Alex's anger boiled up with in him.Vindr. Mathew's control over his body disappeared and the teen would be Emperor was knocked over by a powerful gust of wind.
"You leave them alone!" Alex yelled as he jumped up activating his plasma sword.
Jason caught Alex's plasma sword with a crimson blade of his own. Jason slipped his blade further down Alex's golden one and Alex dropped the hilt as his hand blistered. Jason stared into his son's eyes before Mathew jabbed Alex in the back with a dart. Alex slumped to the floor.
"Pick up his hilt." Jason ordered.
Mathew did as Jason commanded before asking, "Why aren't we going to kill them?"
"Because we need them," Jason said evenly. "You will see everything clearly soon enough." Jason bent down and picked Alex up with ease. "At the moment however, if you argue with me, I'll knock you out as well."
Mathew wisely shut his mouth and followed the Imperial Guard out the room. Jason taped up a biohazard sign on the entrance to the elevator. That would stop anyone else from entering the floor until they realized that it was a fake. They rode the lift down in silence. Quickly they got into the speeder before Alex started overcoming the sleeping drug.
"Bind his hands and feet," Jason said softly. "And set them on to the highest setting. Can't have him throwing one of us out the window with his powers."
The speeder sped away into the night sky of Capitol City, leaving behind Jadyn, who had been chasing the two attackers. Jadyn continued to run for another five blocks before collapsing to her knees, crying. She now knew how she felt about Alex without a doubt in her mind, and her heart was crushed because of it.
THE END
TO BE CONTINUED IN
HARRY POTTER
AND THE
ENDLESS WAR