Here it comes :D this chapter owns a tinciest bit of swearing, or what could be considered swearing to some people :P enjoy….
Trudy and Murk walked into the house beneath Gordon's old mansion. They were both tired, covered in blood and leaning heavily on the other.
"What happened?" Murk asked immediately as they entered the lounge room.
"We got him." Dexter told them. "Memory is treating his injuries as quick as she can. She's in Charlie's bedroom."
Trudy frowned. Trinity was shaking and clutching the back of the couch in a white knuckled grip and swaying side to side unintentionally. Dexter and Skulduggery were sitting bolt upright on the couch and Shudder was looking out the window.
"What's wrong?" Trudy asked.
"Val," Dexter breathed deeply. "Valkyrie didn't get out. She stayed to help us get away."
Their reactions were not what he expected. They just nodded and breathed deeply. Something in their minds were clicking but they didn't say anything.
"Doesn't that make you angry?" Dexter asked confused and annoyed.
Trudy just ignored him but Murk gave him a weird look.
"It's time." Trinity told them. "We have to go."
"Damn," Trudy cursed. Tears filled her eyes. "I don't think I can do this."
"We have to. We can't not." Trinity said quietly.
"It's too cruel." Murk muttered.
"What is?" Dexter asked angrily. He was sick of being out of the conversation. He was sick of not knowing the plan.
"He's sleeping peacefully." Memory's voice announced and she walked into the room. Everyone stood up. "We have to get Val out of there. She'll be at the Continuum in Dublin."
The continuum was the center of the mortals' realm. It was situated in the middle of Dublin. A massive sky rise, taller than any in the world and a tribute to mortals and against sorcerers and mages. Everyone hated it but those who built it. It was also crawling with Cleavers, mage hunters and the common mortal psycho.
"You'll probably die." Shudder commented.
"We need to get ready first." Trinity told them. "Don't disturb us."
They walked past them and towards the stairs.
"Wait," Memory cried and everyone froze. She turned walked right up to Dexter and kissed him straight on the mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist. They broke apart and Memory was smiling.
"Always wanted to do that." She muttered and then walked up the stairs.
"Hey, hey, hey." Skulduggery and Shudder turned on him, like the evil best friends they were, as soon as they heard the door close.
Five hours, they had been up there for five hours.
"What are they doing?" Skulduggery demanded angrily as he paced.
Dexter was still smiling. He couldn't help it.
Finally they heard the door open and the four walked out of Freddie's room and down the stairs. The change in atmosphere was terrifying. The air was electric. They looked the same, but they were not in any way injured.
Trinity's head had healed, Murk and Trudy were no longer covered in blood, and Memory wasn't wearing her jacket.
Shudder, Dexter and Skulduggery stared open mouthed at them.
"We're going to get our sister back." Trudy told them absently. Her voice was different. It was dismissive, strong, commanding, bored?
"We're coming with you." Skulduggery told them.
Murk turned to him. His eyes were dark green like seaweed mixed with the darkness of the deep sea. "You can't come. But he can."
Everyone blinked.
"Who?" Dexter asked.
"Lord Vile of course. No doubt he wants to save Darquess." Trinity smiled. A twisted smirk changed her features to a dark, dangerous beauty.
"Um, no." Skulduggery stumbled.
"Pity." Memory muttered. "Let's go."
The four turned and left the house. Slinking into the darkness beyond.
"Come one." Skulduggery said and they rushed after them.
They reached the Continuum completely out of breath. They didn't see anyone along the way but the continuum seemed quiet, still, like a sleeping dragon. Their every instinct was to turn and run far away and as fast as they could.
They entered through the unguarded door. There was blood everywhere. Dead bodies smashed, curled in balls, or decapitated. A red alarm sounded around the building.
All three of them could feel the power radiating from the inner building and higher up. They rushed off towards the power.
They found more and more dead bodies. More blood, more death and a new power.
Skulduggery felt Darquess' power. Valkyrie was safe, in a way.
They reached a massive room full of computers. There were only five dead bodies here and they had been killed cleanly and their bodies stacked in a corner.
The five friends stood in the middle of the room near the main computer. Memory was breathing hard and a gold symbol was slowly starting to cover her body. She had one hand on the computer and the other holding Darquess' hand.
Darquess' other hand rested on a giant eye symbol drawn on Memory's side. Murk touched one on her stomach. Trudy held one on her back and Trinity another one on her side. They were all breathing deeply and the air seemed thick with power.
The symbol on Memory creeped under her shirt up her neck and across her face. It glowed brighter and brighter and the four holding her chanted louder and louder. Her mouth opened and suddenly she was screaming. The others started yelling.
Skulduggery, Dexter and Shudder fell to the ground. Light filled the room and slowly started to fade.
The five suddenly dropped, they just fell.
Skulduggery rushed to Valkyrie's side and checked her pulse. It was still strong. He sighed in relief, she was still alive.
Memory coughed. She was the only one not unconscious. They huddled around her.
The symbol had stopped glowing and had now turned into ugly, painful looking burns. Her gorgeous face now ruined. She coughed and Dexter held her lightly off the ground.
"The mortals," she coughed. "The mortals will stay asleep for forty eight hours." She coughed.
"Don't talk. When you're better we'll talk." Dexter told her gently but she shook her head.
"Every mortal has lost their memories of the last fifty five years, and the computers have been almost completely wiped." She coughed.
Dexter was just shaking his head in disbelief.
"You must use Fletcher to remove all the evidence. Our heaven on earth will be back." She burst into a coughing fit.
"How, how did you manage it?" Skulduggery asked.
"My brother, Freddie." Her breathing was ragged and every word caused her pain. "He experimented with the symbol alphabet. He found a symbol that could erase memories. He died proving it. To erase all the mortals' memories you needed a lot of power."
She broke into coughs and tears leaked from her eyes.
"We needed the power of at least five world breakers. Five people with the ability to destroy the world, we found them but needed Fletcher. And someone to take control. We needed Skulduggery." Memory coughed. "So much power going through me, it burned my whole insides."
"No," Dexter gasped, "we'll help you somehow."
She shook her head. "I'm dying. I wish we had more time."
"I wish we had more time too." Dexter muttered and held her close.
Skulduggery stood up and walked to the window. The whole city was silent with people lying asleep in the street. He pulled out his phone and dialed Ghastly's number.
He answered almost immediately.
"We have a job to do. We're going to change the world back, or at least we're going to do the best we bloody well can." He told him.
He'd bring their heaven back. Memory's sacrifice would not be forgotten.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
wow, that was sad :( Memory is dead. There is one last chapter to round everything up. Please review and you'll get it within four or five days :P
