p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius was stiff, frozen like a statue as he stared at his brother. Alive. The message his eyes were giving was clear, but he couldn't seem to register it all at once./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""It makes sense," Beecher stroked his chin. "Grace and Scott came back to life because The Presence is changing the past. It makes sense Josiah would be here too."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Who the hell is Josiah?" Boomer inquired./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox's gaze travelled from the team, to Josiah, and back to the team. She sighed in frustration. "There's no time to explain! The Presence and the Mind Worm are on Earth. We need to stop them before—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""—Before they use Lloyd and devour what's left of Earth," Josiah finished for her. "I know. We're preparing to send an army."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher raised a brow. "You know everything that's going on?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah blinked. "No shit," He laughed. "Etrius and I are the superiors in command of this army. Speaking of… Etrius, why the hell are you staring at me like I'm some kind of ghost?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher slapped the back of Etrius' head, snapping him out of his stupor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher gestured Tobias over. "Destined One—Wrinkled One—Wise One—emwhatever/em, do that thing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Tobias frowned. "The thing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""The thing! The thing you used on Grace and Scott to make them remember. There's no time to explain everything verbally."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Tobias grimaced, approaching Josiah. "Hold still," He said to the uncertain Josiah, before placing two fingers on either side of his head, and implanted the flashes of memories into his mind./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A translucent glow shimmered in Josiah's emerald eyes before vanishing. He grimaced. "Damn."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"He glanced left and right before ushering the team inside the command room. He shut the door behind them, locking it. He stopped when he saw Josiah the Girl's emerald eyes. He glanced at Etrius. "You named her Josiah?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius couldn't answer from the lingering shock./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah waved him away. "Whatever. You weren't like that yesterday."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We can't send an army after the Mind Worm or the Presence," Beecher tried to keep everything on track, since Etrius wasn't being very helpful at the moment. He noticed The General decided to stay outside. Good. Things could get heated quickly if The General made his presence known. "They're using Lloyd as a vessel, and we need him to fight back. Using lethal force won't solve anything – it'll only make things worse. Now that you're back, he'll fight harder."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah typed something up on the monitor, bringing up images of several security cameras around the city. A dark cloud circled the sky, forming into a funnel of darkness. The once-populated streets were abandoned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer ran his hands through his hair. "How many times does the world have to be in danger?! And I still have no idea what's going on here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""I still can't believe…" Josiah couldn't finish, but the team heard his thoughts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emI actually died./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We need to get going," Beecher said, shaking Etrius out of his stupor once again./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah nodded, before speaking through the base's megaphone, and ordering all rebels to stay within the base, unless ordered otherwise./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We'll explain on the way," Beecher told Boomer to keep him from asking any other questions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""I'll bring Lloyd back," Josiah said as he marched towards the door. "And by God, I'll rip him out myself if I have to."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The team each had mini cameras attached to their headgear that projected on the monitors, and earphones in their right ear, so Nox and Josiah the Girl could stay in contact with them while they fought. They could've stayed in contact through mindspeak, but the Presence had the ability to absorb their powers and immortality. Angel watched the scene on the monitors from behind Nox's chair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Each screen had each of the team members' perspective./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Plisskin's voice crackled through their earphones. His mouth was moving, but his voice sounded electrified through the speakers. "emThis is where I drop you off. Send those bastards to hell and take our planet back./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emFor the eight-thousandth time./em Boomer thought disdainfully. emSeriously, how many times does the world have to be in danger?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius was the first to kick down the rope, and Beecher made sure he moved quickly. They each in turn slid down to the streets, keeping their weapons and powers at the ready. Wind blew past them, as if being sucked in through a vortex./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox, Josiah and Angel watched the scene in tension./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""There!" Beecher shouted over the winds. Everyone turned to see a cloud of black matter descending over the center of the city, absorbing light, shadows, and even gravity itself. Etrius tightened his grip on his pistol and sword, leading the team towards the inevitable danger that wreaked of death./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Heavy rain pounded against them. Black rain. That's when they felt the power of the Mind Worm hit them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The rain roughly struck against the team, as if a physical touch, and they could almost hear laughter in the sound of the ethereal winds. The Mind Worm and The Presence's laughter. Their presence was everywhere, in the rain, in the air, the ground, fire, light and darkness. There was no escaping./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius wasn't planning on using his powers. Yet. He didn't want to kill Lloyd, since only an immortal could kill another immortal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm's form was suspended in the air, high over the city. He watched as the all-consuming darkness swirled in a vortex around him and The Presence, wreaking havoc in the city below. He inhaled the scent of death, a dangerous smile flashing across his face. The Presence put a hand on his shoulder, pride stirring in his eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Soon my son, this world will be ours," The Presence spoke. "A new eternity shall begin, and we will be its rightful rulers, as father and son. You deserve so much more, than to be locked away inside that forsaken Castle for Eons."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm shut his eyes and smiled. "Yes. But first, we must get rid of those bastard Descendants."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Presence glared down disdainfully at the team. He snickered. "It seems the Descendants have brought a new Mortal into our midst."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm glared down at Josiah the Boy with nothingness in his eyes. But deep inside, Lloyd stirred./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm descended to the ground, stopping before the team. His eyes remained on Josiah in particular, but in a curious way. "I don't believe we've met," The Mind Worm said with a sly smirk. "I don't sense any power from you. Perhaps you will be easier to tear apart than I thought."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm thrust his hand out, launching the team back, despite their invisible shields. Using the haze of dust to their distraction, they hid behind wreckage and went through with their original plan./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Back at the base, Nox, Angel and Josiah the Girl watched the monitors in anticipation./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer and Beecher went in from behind, while Etrius and Josiah remained in the front. Etrius nodded to Josiah, and he slowly crept out from behind the wreckage. The Mind Worm raised a brow at him. "They send a mere Mortal to fight. Ha! Cowards."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the sky, The Presence watched in anticipation, deciding to allow his son to enjoy the kill. It was his first, after all, and it was only fair that he allowed him alone to do it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm thrust out his hand, and Evils spawned from the darkness, forming a wide circle around the perimeter. Plisskin quickly busied himself, battling Flying Evils. But the team quickly noticed something strange. These weren't ordinary Evils. They were hybrids. The most common were Evils that stood on two feet like men… but had the Flying Evils' black wings fused into their backs. Others had larger fangs or claws. A few even had no skin, and Etrius averted his eyes, fighting the bile that rose in his stomach./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""What brings you here?" The Mind Worm asked with the slightest tone of mockery. "I spared your worthless lives. You're going to regret ever leaving that Castle and coming here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He stared at the Mind Worm right in the eyes, searching for any sign of his old comrade. "Lloyd? I need you to focus."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm darkened his gaze on Etrius, putting distance between him and Josiah. "We had a deal."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Funny," Josiah replied. "Never learned how to keep them. Angel is safe, Lloyd. She's far away from here. The Mind Worm will never reach her. You need to fight for control again, or out dimension, and dimensions far beyond will be enslaved."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm's right eyes twitched, and the glow in his eyes flickered. He leaped off the ground, ascending into the sky in a split second before anything could happen. The Presence stared at him. "What happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm blinked, then swallowed down thick panic. "Nothing. Let us continue." He chanted an incantation in the Ancient language, creating a circular motion with his hands. Heat curled around his fingers, then snaked out in different directions, layering the area in a supernova of ethereal light./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The team threw up invisible barriers to protect themselves from the unrelenting fire. Etrius grabbed Josiah, summoning a shield around them both. Heat clawed at the surface of their barriers, wearing away the exteriors of buildings. The sky took on a blended hue of red and orange from the intense heat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"By the time the attack was over, the team let go of their shields. Etrius screamed out, "ATTACK!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer improvised. He loaded his grenades with heaps of psychic power, launching them at the Presence and Mind Worm. Beecher fired Obsidian bullets, laced with anesthetics. The force of the grenades caught them off-guard, forcing them to descend to the ground. The Obsidian bullets hit their shield, a few managing to shatter it and hit the Mind Worm and the Presence. Their wounds took some time to heal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm and the Presence leaped back into the air, missing another attack from Etrius. Etrius spoke into his headset. "emPlisskin, we need air support./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emI'm running out of ammo,/em" Plisskin growled back at he fired at another horde of Flying Evils./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emWe need to get those two apart,/em" Etrius pointed at the Presence and the Mind Worm. "emIt's our only chance at stopping them./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emI'll give it my best shot./em" And it was the last they heard of him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Plisskin's chopper ascended higher above the black cloud of Flying Evils, propelling towards the Mind Worm and the Presence. He loaded his ammo exclusively made for Obsidian, aiming at the Presence's chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"And never let go of the trigger./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Presence threw up another shield, but it shattered like fine glass. He struggled for a moment before blasting away from the area, trying to escape the string or rising pain by just being emnear/em the Obsidian./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm fled the scene, but the team pursued him until they were far from the battlefield. Beecher and Boomer continued the assault with Obsidian weapons. The bullets fired too fast for them to feel the effects, but they had to pressure their accuracy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm drifted towards a damaged building, landing on his knees upon the rooftop. Beecher and Boomer exchanged glances. Boomer kicked down the door, running inside the building while Beecher kept his sniper aimed at the roof should the Mind Worm try to escape./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A lot rumble shook the ground beneath them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Shit," Etrius cursed, knowing exactly what was coming next./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The building began to crumble at the seams. The scent of chalk dust rose into the air, making their lungs feel scratchy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Dread filled Etrius from the tips of his fingers down to the core./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the roof up, the building began to lose balance. Boomer was still somewhere inside. Beecher glanced at the entrance, then back at Etrius./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius scowled at Beecher. "emDon't even fucking think about it/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher couldn't hear him. He shouted something inaudible at his direction, something like emI'll be back/em, and he disappeared inside the building./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""NO!" Etrius ran towards the destruction, but Josiah held him back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A blast of supernatural head radiated through the building, from the Mind Worm./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm leaped off the building just as it sank into the ground, as if made of sand. He landed on the ground, bleeding in several places where the Obsidian bullets had pierced him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius watched as the building collapsed, bringing a mushroom cloud of dust and decay into the air. Once the dust settles, Etrius darted for the rubble, searching among the debris for any sign of Beecher or Boomer. They were immortal. Being buried underneath the rubble of a fallen building wouldn't kill them… Would it?/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"There./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A familiar arm surfaced through the debris, trying to claw his way out. Etrius and Josiah hurled pieces of concrete and wreckage from Boomer's battered form. He was a mess – his skin was singed, his hair burnt to a crisp, open wounds running the length of his body. He coughed up blood, trying to speak, but the blood bubbled in his lungs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""His wounds aren't healing," Etrius took note, then added in a panicked tone. "emWhy aren't his wounds healing/em!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""It takes an immortal to kill another immortal," Josiah said, shutting his eyes and bowing his head. "That's the way the rules work. Whatever that heat blast was, it's powerful enough to kill a Descendant."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius' heart sank to it's lowest level. "What? No… You—emNo/em! This can't happen!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the base, Nox and Josiah the Girl watched the monitors with just as much shock. Josiah shut her eyes, turning away from the screen. She couldn't watch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer had always been there for her when she was first brought to Earth. He was like a brother to her. To watch him die tore her heart apart by the seams./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emNox/em, Boomer's voice vibrated weakly in her mind, being carried miles across from the city. emI'm sorry/em…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox surprised herself by the single tear that slipped from her eye. Tension raged between Boomer and Lloyd ever since Nox had chosen Lloyd instead. Nox knew that repercussions would follow if Boomer continued to criticize the two, but not this…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox turned around once she heard footsteps enter the room. Angel stared at the monitors, then at Nox. The three of them watched as Boomer's heart monitor flat-lined./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""It makes sense," Beecher stroked his chin. "Grace and Scott came back to life because The Presence is changing the past. It makes sense Josiah would be here too."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Who the hell is Josiah?" Boomer inquired./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox's gaze travelled from the team, to Josiah, and back to the team. She sighed in frustration. "There's no time to explain! The Presence and the Mind Worm are on Earth. We need to stop them before—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""—Before they use Lloyd and devour what's left of Earth," Josiah finished for her. "I know. We're preparing to send an army."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher raised a brow. "You know everything that's going on?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah blinked. "No shit," He laughed. "Etrius and I are the superiors in command of this army. Speaking of… Etrius, why the hell are you staring at me like I'm some kind of ghost?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher slapped the back of Etrius' head, snapping him out of his stupor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher gestured Tobias over. "Destined One—Wrinkled One—Wise One—emwhatever/em, do that thing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Tobias frowned. "The thing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""The thing! The thing you used on Grace and Scott to make them remember. There's no time to explain everything verbally."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Tobias grimaced, approaching Josiah. "Hold still," He said to the uncertain Josiah, before placing two fingers on either side of his head, and implanted the flashes of memories into his mind./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A translucent glow shimmered in Josiah's emerald eyes before vanishing. He grimaced. "Damn."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"He glanced left and right before ushering the team inside the command room. He shut the door behind them, locking it. He stopped when he saw Josiah the Girl's emerald eyes. He glanced at Etrius. "You named her Josiah?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius couldn't answer from the lingering shock./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah waved him away. "Whatever. You weren't like that yesterday."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We can't send an army after the Mind Worm or the Presence," Beecher tried to keep everything on track, since Etrius wasn't being very helpful at the moment. He noticed The General decided to stay outside. Good. Things could get heated quickly if The General made his presence known. "They're using Lloyd as a vessel, and we need him to fight back. Using lethal force won't solve anything – it'll only make things worse. Now that you're back, he'll fight harder."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah typed something up on the monitor, bringing up images of several security cameras around the city. A dark cloud circled the sky, forming into a funnel of darkness. The once-populated streets were abandoned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer ran his hands through his hair. "How many times does the world have to be in danger?! And I still have no idea what's going on here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""I still can't believe…" Josiah couldn't finish, but the team heard his thoughts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emI actually died./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We need to get going," Beecher said, shaking Etrius out of his stupor once again./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah nodded, before speaking through the base's megaphone, and ordering all rebels to stay within the base, unless ordered otherwise./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""We'll explain on the way," Beecher told Boomer to keep him from asking any other questions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""I'll bring Lloyd back," Josiah said as he marched towards the door. "And by God, I'll rip him out myself if I have to."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The team each had mini cameras attached to their headgear that projected on the monitors, and earphones in their right ear, so Nox and Josiah the Girl could stay in contact with them while they fought. They could've stayed in contact through mindspeak, but the Presence had the ability to absorb their powers and immortality. Angel watched the scene on the monitors from behind Nox's chair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Each screen had each of the team members' perspective./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Plisskin's voice crackled through their earphones. His mouth was moving, but his voice sounded electrified through the speakers. "emThis is where I drop you off. Send those bastards to hell and take our planet back./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emFor the eight-thousandth time./em Boomer thought disdainfully. emSeriously, how many times does the world have to be in danger?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius was the first to kick down the rope, and Beecher made sure he moved quickly. They each in turn slid down to the streets, keeping their weapons and powers at the ready. Wind blew past them, as if being sucked in through a vortex./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox, Josiah and Angel watched the scene in tension./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""There!" Beecher shouted over the winds. Everyone turned to see a cloud of black matter descending over the center of the city, absorbing light, shadows, and even gravity itself. Etrius tightened his grip on his pistol and sword, leading the team towards the inevitable danger that wreaked of death./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Heavy rain pounded against them. Black rain. That's when they felt the power of the Mind Worm hit them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The rain roughly struck against the team, as if a physical touch, and they could almost hear laughter in the sound of the ethereal winds. The Mind Worm and The Presence's laughter. Their presence was everywhere, in the rain, in the air, the ground, fire, light and darkness. There was no escaping./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius wasn't planning on using his powers. Yet. He didn't want to kill Lloyd, since only an immortal could kill another immortal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm's form was suspended in the air, high over the city. He watched as the all-consuming darkness swirled in a vortex around him and The Presence, wreaking havoc in the city below. He inhaled the scent of death, a dangerous smile flashing across his face. The Presence put a hand on his shoulder, pride stirring in his eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Soon my son, this world will be ours," The Presence spoke. "A new eternity shall begin, and we will be its rightful rulers, as father and son. You deserve so much more, than to be locked away inside that forsaken Castle for Eons."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm shut his eyes and smiled. "Yes. But first, we must get rid of those bastard Descendants."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Presence glared down disdainfully at the team. He snickered. "It seems the Descendants have brought a new Mortal into our midst."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm glared down at Josiah the Boy with nothingness in his eyes. But deep inside, Lloyd stirred./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm descended to the ground, stopping before the team. His eyes remained on Josiah in particular, but in a curious way. "I don't believe we've met," The Mind Worm said with a sly smirk. "I don't sense any power from you. Perhaps you will be easier to tear apart than I thought."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm thrust his hand out, launching the team back, despite their invisible shields. Using the haze of dust to their distraction, they hid behind wreckage and went through with their original plan./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Back at the base, Nox, Angel and Josiah the Girl watched the monitors in anticipation./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer and Beecher went in from behind, while Etrius and Josiah remained in the front. Etrius nodded to Josiah, and he slowly crept out from behind the wreckage. The Mind Worm raised a brow at him. "They send a mere Mortal to fight. Ha! Cowards."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the sky, The Presence watched in anticipation, deciding to allow his son to enjoy the kill. It was his first, after all, and it was only fair that he allowed him alone to do it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm thrust out his hand, and Evils spawned from the darkness, forming a wide circle around the perimeter. Plisskin quickly busied himself, battling Flying Evils. But the team quickly noticed something strange. These weren't ordinary Evils. They were hybrids. The most common were Evils that stood on two feet like men… but had the Flying Evils' black wings fused into their backs. Others had larger fangs or claws. A few even had no skin, and Etrius averted his eyes, fighting the bile that rose in his stomach./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""What brings you here?" The Mind Worm asked with the slightest tone of mockery. "I spared your worthless lives. You're going to regret ever leaving that Castle and coming here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Josiah took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He stared at the Mind Worm right in the eyes, searching for any sign of his old comrade. "Lloyd? I need you to focus."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm darkened his gaze on Etrius, putting distance between him and Josiah. "We had a deal."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Funny," Josiah replied. "Never learned how to keep them. Angel is safe, Lloyd. She's far away from here. The Mind Worm will never reach her. You need to fight for control again, or out dimension, and dimensions far beyond will be enslaved."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm's right eyes twitched, and the glow in his eyes flickered. He leaped off the ground, ascending into the sky in a split second before anything could happen. The Presence stared at him. "What happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm blinked, then swallowed down thick panic. "Nothing. Let us continue." He chanted an incantation in the Ancient language, creating a circular motion with his hands. Heat curled around his fingers, then snaked out in different directions, layering the area in a supernova of ethereal light./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The team threw up invisible barriers to protect themselves from the unrelenting fire. Etrius grabbed Josiah, summoning a shield around them both. Heat clawed at the surface of their barriers, wearing away the exteriors of buildings. The sky took on a blended hue of red and orange from the intense heat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"By the time the attack was over, the team let go of their shields. Etrius screamed out, "ATTACK!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer improvised. He loaded his grenades with heaps of psychic power, launching them at the Presence and Mind Worm. Beecher fired Obsidian bullets, laced with anesthetics. The force of the grenades caught them off-guard, forcing them to descend to the ground. The Obsidian bullets hit their shield, a few managing to shatter it and hit the Mind Worm and the Presence. Their wounds took some time to heal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm and the Presence leaped back into the air, missing another attack from Etrius. Etrius spoke into his headset. "emPlisskin, we need air support./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emI'm running out of ammo,/em" Plisskin growled back at he fired at another horde of Flying Evils./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emWe need to get those two apart,/em" Etrius pointed at the Presence and the Mind Worm. "emIt's our only chance at stopping them./em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""emI'll give it my best shot./em" And it was the last they heard of him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Plisskin's chopper ascended higher above the black cloud of Flying Evils, propelling towards the Mind Worm and the Presence. He loaded his ammo exclusively made for Obsidian, aiming at the Presence's chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"And never let go of the trigger./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Presence threw up another shield, but it shattered like fine glass. He struggled for a moment before blasting away from the area, trying to escape the string or rising pain by just being emnear/em the Obsidian./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm fled the scene, but the team pursued him until they were far from the battlefield. Beecher and Boomer continued the assault with Obsidian weapons. The bullets fired too fast for them to feel the effects, but they had to pressure their accuracy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm drifted towards a damaged building, landing on his knees upon the rooftop. Beecher and Boomer exchanged glances. Boomer kicked down the door, running inside the building while Beecher kept his sniper aimed at the roof should the Mind Worm try to escape./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A lot rumble shook the ground beneath them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""Shit," Etrius cursed, knowing exactly what was coming next./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The building began to crumble at the seams. The scent of chalk dust rose into the air, making their lungs feel scratchy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Dread filled Etrius from the tips of his fingers down to the core./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the roof up, the building began to lose balance. Boomer was still somewhere inside. Beecher glanced at the entrance, then back at Etrius./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius scowled at Beecher. "emDon't even fucking think about it/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Beecher couldn't hear him. He shouted something inaudible at his direction, something like emI'll be back/em, and he disappeared inside the building./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""NO!" Etrius ran towards the destruction, but Josiah held him back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A blast of supernatural head radiated through the building, from the Mind Worm./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mind Worm leaped off the building just as it sank into the ground, as if made of sand. He landed on the ground, bleeding in several places where the Obsidian bullets had pierced him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius watched as the building collapsed, bringing a mushroom cloud of dust and decay into the air. Once the dust settles, Etrius darted for the rubble, searching among the debris for any sign of Beecher or Boomer. They were immortal. Being buried underneath the rubble of a fallen building wouldn't kill them… Would it?/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"There./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"A familiar arm surfaced through the debris, trying to claw his way out. Etrius and Josiah hurled pieces of concrete and wreckage from Boomer's battered form. He was a mess – his skin was singed, his hair burnt to a crisp, open wounds running the length of his body. He coughed up blood, trying to speak, but the blood bubbled in his lungs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""His wounds aren't healing," Etrius took note, then added in a panicked tone. "emWhy aren't his wounds healing/em!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;""It takes an immortal to kill another immortal," Josiah said, shutting his eyes and bowing his head. "That's the way the rules work. Whatever that heat blast was, it's powerful enough to kill a Descendant."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Etrius' heart sank to it's lowest level. "What? No… You—emNo/em! This can't happen!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"From the base, Nox and Josiah the Girl watched the monitors with just as much shock. Josiah shut her eyes, turning away from the screen. She couldn't watch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Boomer had always been there for her when she was first brought to Earth. He was like a brother to her. To watch him die tore her heart apart by the seams./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emNox/em, Boomer's voice vibrated weakly in her mind, being carried miles across from the city. emI'm sorry/em…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox surprised herself by the single tear that slipped from her eye. Tension raged between Boomer and Lloyd ever since Nox had chosen Lloyd instead. Nox knew that repercussions would follow if Boomer continued to criticize the two, but not this…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox turned around once she heard footsteps enter the room. Angel stared at the monitors, then at Nox. The three of them watched as Boomer's heart monitor flat-lined./p