-Cursum Perficio-
A Psychonauts Fanfic by Digitaldreamer
Chapter Fourteen: The Door Opens
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And now we're up to the big chapter. This one is probably the most depressing one in the entire fic, I'm warning you now. Bad stuff happens. This fic is depressing. I'm sure if you've gotten this far you know that very well by now. This fic is so chock-full of angst that I'm truly amazed you've kept reading, and I think you for doing so.
I'm going to warn you now, people are going to die in this fic. I cannot say who does or how, as I don't want to ruin anything... but people are going to die. Will it be the characters you love? I can't say. While I would love to say I'm the type of author who can't stand killing off characters, I'd be lying. On the other hand, I'm also the type who enjoys both happy and sad endings... so really, things can go either way. I think it would take away from the suspense to promise that someone will live or die in a fic. Sure, spoilers are nice... but at the same time, it takes away a bit of that 'edge-of-your-seat' effect, to know characters simply won't die, so you don't need to worry.
So... on that note... well, suffice to say, you've been warned. There's not much else I can say... other than I apologize if this chapter sucks, and if it ends up being a serious downer... well, I'm sorry. I do promise things get better however, so I hope you'll keep reading!
Onward.
Suggested listening music is Cursum Perficio (Track 1), Memories (Track 10), and Angels by Within Temptation (Track 9) for the final fight scene. Possibly Rap is A Man's Spirit... Was... You Know (Track 12) for the very end. Whoo.
--
Thwock!
The sound of fist hitting flesh echoed throughout the cavern, followed by a wet thud. After a few moments of silence a battered gloved hand came up to gingerly brush against a bruised face.
'It's still there, but I wish it wasn't.' Raz thought as he let his hand drop, the appendage sticky with crimson liquid. 'Great, more blood...just what I need to lose.' He added grimly, letting out a heavy wheeze through a broken nose. His thoughts were scattered as another blow sent him skidding across the blood-stained glass, new star systems created behind his lidded eyes.
"Get up," Nereus commanded calmly, his footsteps ringing through the air as he came to stand before the teen once more. "Our lesson has not yet finished."
Raz let out a groan, cracking open one swollen green eye to gaze up at his captor. "Or what? You'll beat me worse?" He asked dryly, spitting out blood onto the ground. If only his powers were working... but no, whatever that shock had done, it had taken his powers with it, and considering the current state of his body, he was defenseless. There was nothing he could do but take it.
Nereus's eye twitched. Then, without a word, he drew back his leg and kicked Raz squarely in the stomach, sending the boy flying a few feet before landing with a heavy thud on the floor, leaving dark red smears in his wake.
The boy let out a choked cry of pain, hacking up more blood, then curling in on himself and clutching at his stomach. He was a mess, blood caking in his hair from wounds to his head, dribbling down his face in tiny crimson streams over bruises and a battered lip. His sweater was torn here and there, revealing slices across thin but muscular arms and legs, as well as gashes across his side that were deep enough to be painful, but not life-threatening. The worst were the weals across his back, however, criss-crossing across almost every inch, almost as if they had been made with a whip, an ugly checker pattern of gashes and reddish, torn skin. Bits of his sweater that weren't torn were soaked dark with blood, smears and droplets of the dark red liquid spread across the glass floor like some sort of twisted abstract painting.
Nereus stared coldly at him for a moment, then motioned with his hand. Raz rose up into the air and floated over to the blond, stopping when they were so close their noses were nearly touching. Sapphire eyes that blazed with cold fury met agonized, but defiant jade."How foolish can you be?" The blond hissed. "I am merely trying to teach you a lesson, and instead of learning all you do is give me more lip and make things worse for yourself!"
"Lesson?" Raz coughed out. Several of his ribs had been broken a long time ago, making breathing rather difficult. "Seems to me you just like seeing me in pain, you sadistic bastard. Haven't you had enough yet?"
The blond stared at him another moment, then, once again, merely gestured. Raz let out another cry as his body was bent at an unnatural angle, a loud CRUNCH coming from his spine. "Ah... AUGH!" The teenage Psychonaut choked out, his eyes squeezing shut and his teeth grinding together as he twitched.
"Sadistic? Perhaps. But I cannot help that you're beautiful when you're in pain, Razputin," Nereus murmured, a terrible smile twitching across his lips as he motioned once again.
Raz let out another cry as he was bent further back, another crack heard as he squirmed against Nereus's psychic hold. Why hadn't he just snapped in two yet!? Surely he should have by now, he may have been an acrobat but he sure he wasn't this flexible! He swore he could feel his spine slowly snapping bit by bit from under the strain, creaking and groaning as it was twisted into positions it simply was not meant to be forced into. "You... you sick-- GAH!"
"Sick?" Nereus repeated with a cold laugh. He then flicked his wrist, releasing Raz from his telekinetic grip and sending him slamming against the wall. Raz hit the metal with a loud thud, then slid to the floor with a groan. "Perhaps, but it's not as if you are much better, Razputin. Call me a sadistic bastard if you will, a beast, a monster, any name you wish to speak could fit you just as well and you know it," The blond sneered.
"Wh... what!?" Raz sputtered as he pushed himself to his elbows, his eyes widening.
Nereus smirked. "Ah... so here is where I've finally managed to get your attention. Haven't you noticed it yet, Razputin? Though I hate to be cliché, we're frighteningly similar, you and I."
Jade green eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am nothing like you," Raz hissed.
"Really now?" Nereus's smirk widened into a grin. "Are you so sure about that? Determination, stubbornness, a heavy streak of pride, leadership skills, intelligence, similar pasts... face it, Razputin, you and I are quite alike."
Raz snorted. "Yeah, except for one little detail... you're an insane, evil bastard, remember? I'm not," He grunted out through chapped, bleeding lips.
Nereus fell silent, sapphire eyes glinting dangerously. "Yes. I suppose there is one little detail where you fall flat," He drawled, one again levitating Raz into the air. Then, with a small twitch of his fingers Raz's arm was suddenly pulled back with telekinesis. "And that is why we are here."
There was a loud 'crack' as the teen's arm was snapped, bone snapping and splintering in an instant.
Jade green eyes shot open, pupils dilating as Raz cried out, trying to bite back the bile rising in his throat as bone grated against muscle and tendon. His vision blurred and turned yellow, but he wasn't allowed the haven of unconscious.
"See, this is where you and I differ. I understand my place. You do not. And that is why we are having this little lesson, so you can understand where you belong, Razputin. And that is beneath me," Nereus hissed.
Raz was barely aware of Nereus's words, the pain becoming shockingly worse as his arm was twisted even more, to the point where it snapped out of its socket. He was beginning to hyperventilate, breath coming out in hollow sounds like wind being sucked through a tunnel.
"Will you stop fighting me, Razputin? Am I getting through to you?" Nereus asked, his voice sickeningly sweet even as he put more pressure on the teen's arm, jolting the boy back to reality with a weak cry. "If you could simply say yes, we won't have to continue. Will you not try to run away anymore, Razputin? Will you serve me? Be my weapon?"
Raz hung there for a moment, breathing heavily. Then he shook his head. "N-no... no," He mumbled, his voice hoarse from screaming. What was he saying no to? Who? Why? He couldn't remember anymore... he just knew he had to say it, or something terrible would happen. He was nearly over the edge by this point. The combined effect of everything inflicted upon him was simply too much. Razputin was delirious from exhaustion, pain, and blood loss, his eyes glazing over, blinking rapidly as he labored to keep breathing, to stay conscious, to keep fighting.
But what was he fighting? Who was he fighting? Why?
He wasn't sure anymore. He just knew the room was spinning and blurring and the pain still wasn't stopping...
Nereus stood there for a moment, blinking. Then he made a disgusted sound, waving his hand and allowing Raz to drop to the floor in a heap, the teen's arm snapping back into place.
It was there that Raz stayed, heavy, shuddering breaths rocking his thin frame as he lay there, face-down upon blood-stained glass. Fingers just barely twitched, green eyes hidden from behind eyelids that simply seemed far too heavy to keep open at this point. He couldn't have moved if he tried, he barely had the energy to breathe, his body was contained in one constant throb of agony. So tired, he just wanted to rest. No, he had to keep that up... just breathe, breathe...
"Well, Razputin? I will ask you but once more, give you one last chance to end the pain..." There was Nereus's voice, a whisper in his ear, tickling it and making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, chilling him to the bone. "Will you submit?"
Raz weakly turned his head and forced one glazed green eye open to stare into Nereus's face, which was deceptively kind, gentle, loving... why shouldn't he just give in? Why couldn't he...
No. There was that voice in the back of his mind, insistent, the voice of a young girl, strong and confident even when he felt anything but. No, Raz, don't do it.
He couldn't disappoint that voice.
However, he couldn't trust his own, so Raz just gave a weak shake of his head.
Sapphire eyes narrowed. "I see. Very well then, you leave me no other choice."
Raz remained where he was, panting for breath, eyes squeezed shut as his face remained pressed against the glass. Alright, he had said no, where was the pain? But no... there was none, aside from the consistent throb that already wracked his body. Before he could question this, Raz found himself hauled into the air almost gently, picked up by his front so he was face-to-face with Nereus once again. However, the blond looked different.
He no longer appeared angry, merely disappointed. If Raz hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that was sorrow darkening his captor's brow.
But Raz did know better.
"Well, Razputin... I'm afraid this is it," Nereus murmured, reaching out to caress Raz's face. The teen weakly jerked away, though it seemed more out of reflex at this point than anything. Sapphire eyes narrowed for a moment, then relaxed again. "Poor Razputin... I am truly sorry that it's come to this." With that, he began to walk towards the machine again.
Upon realizing where he was being taken Raz's eyes widened and he gave a weak struggle, shaking his head. "No... no!" He rasped out, though whether this was a plea or an act of defiance neither occupants of the room knew.
Nereus sighed. "Yes, Razputin, and that word is exactly why we have to do this. I am truly sorry, but you've forced my hand," He stated. With that, he levitated up to the ring, forcing out one of Raz's limp arms and locking it into the device.
The moment the metal clicked Raz gave a jerk, jade green eyes widening even more. "You...n-n--GAUGH!" His words were cut off as his now broken arm was locked into the machine as well, a loud crack resounding from it as splintered bone was forced back into place.
"Worry not, Razputin," Nereus tsked gently over Raz's hollow whimpers of pain. "That will heal once Vritra takes control. Not that it will matter by that point."
Raz shuddered, his breath coming out in weak gasps as he craned his neck up to gaze at his captor. "W-what are you--"
"You know, Razputin, when I first had this plan, I imagined you willingly at my side," Nereus cut him off, speaking in an almost conversational tone. "Foolishly optimistic, I know, but I had hoped you would learn... I hoped, and I hoped, but in the end it seems it wasn't enough. This world has tainted you far too well, leaving me with but one other option," He gazed down at Raz as he threaded pale fingers through blood and sweat-soaked spikes, sapphire eyes speaking volumes. Love, sorrow, pain, despair.
Complete and total insanity.
"I'm sorry, Razputin. I'm truly sorry. But I'm afraid you've left me with no options at this point." Nereus shook his head, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on Raz's forehead. "I love you. Perhaps someday you will understand that." With that, he moved back and lowered himself to the floor, turning his back on the teen.
Raz hung there in silence for a moment, baffled. Then he shook his head. "W-what do you mean? What are you going to do?" He asked.
Nereus paused, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as he gazed down at the floor. "Well now, Razputin. You're a Psychonaut, aren't you? You tell me. When you die in a person's mind, you're merely kicked out of that mind, correct?" Raz's brow furrowed in confusion, though he said nothing. "Yes, you're kicked out... but what happens if you die within your own mind?" Nereus continued quietly.
The goggle-headed teen blinked, then shook his head weakly. "I... I don't know. No one's ever done that before," He said quietly.
"Is that so?" Nereus turned to gaze at him, sapphire eyes glinting with malicious intent. "Well then, you'll be the first to find out." With that, he looked to the computer console and gestured with his hand.
The machine hummed and whirred as it came to life, sparks of energy crackling in the air. One by one the lights surrounding the ring began to light up, blinding circles of electric blue, each picking up in intensity as the next one came on. Raz hung in his bonds, watching with confused, simple fascination as the lights turned on, but the pain he had come to associate with them did not. Where was it? What was going on now?
There were six lights on each side of the ring, and then one, bigger than all the others, at the top. This one had remained dim throughout the past two days that the machine had been in use, though Raz hadn't exactly been in any condition to notice. However, now all six lights were slowly turning on one by one, the blue glow inching closer and closer towards the top. Eight lights, ten lights, twelve...
And then, at last, the thirteenth light flared to life.
The instant it did, an agony far more intense than any Raz had experienced tore through him as if he were being split in two.
-Silken, reddish brown hair billowing back in smoke, catching fire as it flipped and danced in the wind, curling and whithering almost instantly.-
Raz let out a piercing scream, jerking in his bonds, eyes widening. Another wave, another scream, pain as if every inch of him were being torn to shreds. What on earth... what was happening!?
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Nereus asked grimly, watching with an almost sad look on his face. "I'd imagine it would... I had truly hoped to not have to do this to you Razputin, but you've left me with no other choice. As you will not submit and allow Vritra to take control, I have no choice but to remove the one obstacle that is keeping me from my weapon. That obstacle, unfortunately, is you." Raz let out another piercing cry, which Nereus ignored.
-Flames lapping at pale legs, licking and eating away at skin and clothes.-
"You already know that you are not the true occupant of that body, Razputin. You do not exist. Your thoughts, your feelings, your personality, even your defiance now, it is all nothing more than a fabrication. Foolish though it may be, I... treasured this fabrication, and hoped that I could somehow salvage it. But no... I see now there is no other way. It hurts me to do this, you must understand, Razputin, but I have no other choice."
Raz let out another wail, thrashing against his metal bonds, eyes wide and desperate as he gnashed his teeth together. Reality and fantasy seemed to be blurring together into some sort of strange, terrible nightmare, a twisted mess of flames, a frigid cavern, swirling dark waters, nefarious sapphire blue eyes, and a girl he knew all too well.
-Amber eyes pierced into jade, gazing, accusing. "You did this, Raz. You did this."-
"You are going to die, Razputin," The blond said simply. "This machine is going to tear you apart, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. From that shell I will create my weapon, Vritra, and with it I will annihilate this world. From its ashes I will bring forth my kingdom, and thus I will bring forth salvation for all psychic kind." His voice grew quicker as he spoke, his face twitching in a terrible smile.
-The flames were growing higher, but he felt as if he'd been plunged in ice water, the chilling, slimy hand gripping at him and tugging him deeper and deeper, crushing the air from his lungs, drowning him.-
"The time is nearly here Razputin, don't you see!? I, the messiah, have come at last, and the rapture is nigh! Granted, it will be a great trial, but from this fire it will all be reborn! Isn't it wonderful, Razputin!? Isn't it!?" Nereus threw his head back and cackled, insanity dancing in his eyes.
His captive just let out another cry, in far too much pain to even grasp the fact that Nereus was speaking. Fire, water, a soft voice whispering in his ear, sneering soft promises of fate, mocking him, belittling him.
-The fire licked and bit at her pale skin and she glared at him even though she should have been screaming in pain and oh God why can't he move? Is it all really his fault? Is it? What did he do?-
Nereus's laughter tapered off and he let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Granted, it is truly a shame, that by the end of it you will no longer be by my side... but I suppose sacrifices have to be made," He murmured, glancing up to Raz's agonized face again. "I promise you, Razputin. Though you can no longer be at my side in my kingdom, your suffering will not be in vain." His smile returned, twisted and wholly, completely wrong.
"You are the sacrifice that must be made for this world. Though you are stained and dirty, worry not, I will make you pure as snow," Nereus murmured, still smiling, though once again with a hint of sadness. "Won't that be wonderful? You will be payment for the sins of this world, Razputin. Though it will be hard for both of us, I promise you, your legacy will go down in history. You will be known as a martyr. Your sacrifice will be celebrated throughout the entire world. Not a soul will hear your name and not understand what has been done for them. All for your memory, Razputin, it will be wonderful."
Raz's screams were going weaker along with his struggles, his breath coming out in short gasps, his body shuddering due to pain and exhaustion. The brief rush of adrenaline caused by new-found agony seemed to have tapered off ages ago, leaving him tired and light-headed. He wanted to scream, to fight for an escape, to make it all end somehow... but he simply didn't have the strength anymore.
-And he saw her standing there, watching him, and she's telling him not to lie and he doesn't know what to say because he swears he isn't lying but oh God she's so beautiful even when she's burning...-
The teen let out a shuddering gasp as pale fingers brushed against his cheek, sapphire eyes piercing into his as Nereus leaned close, silvery blond pressing against matted reddish brown. "I'm sorry Razputin. I know it hurts. But it's nearly over now, I promise. Soon enough the sacrifice will be complete and everything will be alright. You will be mine," Nereus murmured as he caressed Raz's face, crimson blood smearing on pale fingertips.
Raz shivered at such close contact, which only made Nereus smile. "You know how it goes, Razputin. I've told you many times. This is fate, and you cannot escape it, no matter how much you wish for it," He said, leaning in even closer, so close that he could feel the boy's shuddering breath on his face.
-"Your fault." She whispered, her hair whipping in the wind as the fire consumed her as if she were some sort of dying shooting star, the water enveloping him in it's cold embrace, crushing him as he watches her and sobs because he's starting to think she's right. She's right, she's so very right, but he doesn't know what to do and the fire is just growing higher and higher and God how he just wants it gone.
She's beautiful even as she burns, and it hurts to watch but he can't stop and God how he wants it to stop because he's just so tired...
She's beautiful.-
Nereus let out a soft laugh, pulling away as a pink tongue shot out to lick away some of the crimson on his fingertips. His smile widened in a grin. "Beautiful. But beauty is a fickle, tiny, fragile thing, it cannot last forever... it will grow to its most stunning form, and then it will whither away and die... a full circle." He sighed.
"Cursum perficio, Razputin. It's time to bring this to an end."
--
"Damnit!" Lili cursed, aiming a swift kick at the base of her cell door. The great steel door gave a hollow clang, but didn't get so much as a dent. The brunette made a sound of frustration, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists.
"Sweetie, please don't swear," Milla spoke up from where she was leaning against a wall, though it was a rather half-hearted scolding.
"Well, I can understand her frustration. This is rather inconvenient," Sasha commented from the other wall. The three of them had been locked into a rather small, stainless steel cell, which was made painfully bright by the sterile white lights overhead. There was a single opening, that being a window in the door, which was about three inches high and ten wide with bars stretching across it. All four sides were extremely thick, which ordinarily would have been no trouble for a psychic. Unfortunately, it seemed these cells were designed especially with psychics in mind, meaning they acted in the same manner as a GPC would, rendering their powers useless.
"Inconvenient?" Lili repeated, amber eyes narrowing. She then let out a growl and kicked at the door once more. "You think!?"
"Anger management much, Zanotto!?" Bobby Ziltch's sneering voice came from somewhere outside the cell, likely in one a row or so down from theirs.
"Shut up, Bobby!" The brunette snapped, her voice ringing through the room.
"Bobby, don't antagonize the Lili human. I don't believe even these primitive earth containment devices could protect you.," Chloe admonished.
"Yes Chloe," Bobby mumbled, sounding strangely subdued.
"So... uh..." Elton trailed off, swallowing nervously. "That didn't go so well, huh?"
Oleander gave a low growl from another cell. "That bastard just got a lucky shot, that's all!" He snapped. "I could have taken them!"
"We had our asses handed to us, man," Chops pointed out. "By small children."
"We did not!" Oleander barked. "They just... oh, shut up, there were a lot of them!"
"Well... I reckon they were kind of being controlled by some kind of otherworldly force," JT said quietly.
"And there were many grown adults as well, Mister Fir," Maloof spoke up. "I assure you, had they been regular children, we would have been fine."
"Next time Mikhail sees man who hit tiny boss, he will be sorry," Mikhail muttered, the sound of knuckles cracking echoing through the cells.
There was a collective sigh throughout the various cells.
"It figures Raz would choose the gay, evil super-genius to get kidnapped by as opposed to the boring, regular type that carries his cat everywhere and cackles evilly once and awhile," Milka groaned.
"He's gay?" Chops repeated, sounding shocked. "Seriously?"
"Well, yeah, of course he is. What straight man would wear boots like that?" Phoebe asked.
"I don't know, I thought they were kinda snazzy..." Elton commented.
"Maybe, but those pants he's got are waaaay too tight," Quentin drawled.
"Actually, the little miss does have a point, I reckon he might be a little queer." JT agreed.
"That reminds me of a story I heard about gay people once." Vernon suddenly spoke up, earning a collective groan. "It all started when--"
Lili let out a shriek of frustration, pounding her fist against the door. "Guys! We've been taken captive by a psychotic maniac who's holding my boyfriend hostage so he can take over the world! Now is not the time to be discussing which way our captor swings!"
Silence for a few moments. "Sorry, Lil," Elton finally said, sounding embarrassed.
"Yeah, sorry. We were just trying to lighten the mood a bit, that's all," Chops muttered.
The brunette let out a sigh, leaning her forehead against the doorframe. "It's fine," She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But seriously, we all need to work out how to get out of here so we can rescue Raz..."
"Oh, what's the point!?" Crystal suddenly wailed. "There's no way out! Our powers are useless in here, and even if we get out there's no guarantee that things will end up any different! Raz is doomed! The world is doomed and it's all my fault! I'm so stupid!" She sobbed.
"Whoa... h-hey, Crystal, it's okay..." Clem said quietly, apparently trying to get her to calm down.
"Oh, come on now, darling. Don't talk like that! Shhh, relax, everything's going to be alright." Milla cooed gently, trying her best to comfort the distressed cheerleader from where she was.
"Settle down over there, soldier!" Oleander barked. "We may have lost the battle, but not the war, damnit! You have to suck it up and be prepared for anything, including death!"
There was a loud sob from Crystal's cell.
Lili let out a sigh. "Come on Crystal, pull it together. Now isn't the time to fall to pieces. I'm... sure with your help and everyone else's we can find a way to get out of here and rescue Raz," She said, trying to mask her irritation and sound encouraging.
There was a light sniffle. "Really?"
The brunette's eyes narrowed as she tapped her fingers on her folded arms. "Really or whatever. Just get over it."
Another sniffle as Crystal fell silent for a moment, then finally mumbled a small "''Kay."
"Lili?" Dogen's voice came from the cell next to theirs, so small and quiet Lili could barely hear it. "Are we really gonna be able to get out and rescue Raz?"
Lili bit her lip, amber eyes darkening. "I... I don't..." She trailed off, shaking her head. No, that wasn't the way to be thinking! If she started doubting herself, she'd never rescue Raz, and that was something she Would Not let happen. Not if she could help it. "We will. We have to," She stated, her hands clenching into fists once more.
But how?
After a few moments of silence Lili made another frustrated noise, kicking at the door. "Damnit!" She cursed.
"Kicking will do you no good, Miss Zanotto. These doors are enforced to handle psychic fists. Compared to that, any sort of physical blow is nothing." Sasha stated from his spot on the wall.
Lili scowled, her eyes narrowing as she turned to glare at the German Psychonaut. "Oh really? What do you suggest then!? I don't see you doing anything to help!" She snapped, putting her hands on her hips.
"I'm thinking," Sasha stated, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Something which I imagine you would benefit from, Miss Zanotto, as opposed to futilely smashing at a door that you know full won't budge."
The brunette stared at him for a moment, then flushed, glancing down at the floor. "Oh... right," She muttered quietly. "...Sorry, Sasha. I'm just... you know."
"It's alright sweetie," Milla said with a smile, patting her shoulder. "We understand that you're stressed. But you need to relax... we'll find a way out of this."
Lili sighed, flashing a small, grateful smile. "I hope so."
"Agent Vodello is right, Miss Zanotto," Sasha said, adjusting his glasses. "Now let's think. I am sure sooner or later we can work out a way to get out. Preferably sooner."
Lili let out a sigh, falling back against the wall. "Right. I just hope we can come up with some way to get these stupid cells op--" She was cut off as the cell door suddenly gave a mechanical whir, followed by several clicks.
Finally, with a light swish, the door opened.
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Well," Sasha said, blinking. "That was... sooner."
"No kidding," Lili commented, her eyes wide.
"But... how?" Milla gasped, staring at the open doorway. "I don't think we actually... did anything..."
Lili frowned suspiciously for a moment. She glanced to the left, then to the right, then finally back at Sasha and Milla. Finally she poked her head out of the doorway, baffled. The other former campers were peeking out of their cells as well with expressions ranging from confused to amazed to positively thrilled.
"Whoa... how did this happen?" Chops wondered aloud.
"Who cares? We're free, losers!" Bobby sneered.
"Yaaaaaay! Freedom!" Clem and Crystal cheered, jumping up and down.
Oleander gave a suspicious growl. "I doubt things are that easy..." He muttered as he glanced around, trying his best to see even with one of his eyes nearly obscured by a black bruise.
Lili watched the excitement with a small frown, brow furrowing suspiciously. No guards either... this was way too convenient. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?" She muttered as Elton and Milka gave each other a "I'm-so-freaking-glad-we're-alive" kiss.
"You don't need to worry. I've had things set up so the guards will leave this area alone for awhile." A quiet voice said from behind her.
Lili jumped, then spun around to see Inoue standing there, her blonde head bowed, eyes cast to the sterile metal floor. Her pale hands were clasped behind her back and she shivered as she spoke, but she was making no move to stop the prisoners from leaving their cells.
"You?" Lili's eyes narrowed, hands clenching into fists. "You work for Nereus. You're the one who used mind control on all the kids. Don't tell me you're the one who let us all go. If this is a trap, I'll--"
"Ah!" At Lili's harsh voice Inoue let out a yelp of fear, bringing her arms up to cover her face out of panicked reflex. "I-I know! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just wanted to help! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Sorry?" Gloved hands carefully eased Inoue's arms back to their sides, revealing Milla's kind face. "Darling, relax, it's alright. We won't hurt you," The Brazilian Psychonaut said gently.
Inoue shivered again, staring up at Milla with wide eyes. "...Y-you won't?" She stuttered, shocked.
"No, sweetie, of course not," Milla murmured, flashing her a warm smile. Sasha, Lili, and Oleander hung back, looking somewhat apprehensive but curious... they didn't appear as if they were going to attack her. For the most part they were just trying to let Milla do her thing. "Come now, relax." The blonde let out a shuddering breath, her shoulders slowly easing, her shaking easing up somewhat.
"Good. Now then darling, what is your name?" Milla asked.
"...Inoue," The blonde murmured quietly.
"Inoue, hm? What a beautiful name." Milla murmured, threading gloved fingers through tarnished golden hair, calming the small girl.
Sasha frowned, looming over the two. After a few moments of silence he finally adjusted his sunglasses and spoke. "Well then, Inoue, are you the one who has been controlling all of the children?"
Inoue gulped, face paling.
"It's alright, darling, you don't need to talk. Just nod or shake your head," Milla coaxed.
Inoue nodded.
"I see... and you've been helping Nereus against us, have you not?" Sasha asked, raising a brow at her.
The blonde shivered, her eyes going to the floor. "I-I'm sorry, sir. He's my big brother," She said quietly.
"Your brother?" Lili repeated, eyes widening slightly.
"Compelling..." Sasha murmured.
"Weird... who'd have thought this little pipsqueak would be related to that guy?" Oleander muttered.
"Y-yes. He's my big brother... and I love him," Inoue murmured. "That's why... that's why I was willing to do all this.. .because I love him, and I swore I would do anything for him." She shook her head, tears coming to her eyes as her face crumpled in despair. "But this... this isn't my big brother! My big brother would never... no, no, this isn't right! I can't just stand by and let him do this anymore! I won't!"
"Oh my... you were the one who set us all free, weren't you?" Milla asked, her thin eyebrows furrowing as she tried to understand what had happened.
Inoue nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I-I know my brother said not to... but... the way he is now, that's... that's not my big brother. My brother would never do anything like this...he's killing our new brother...and new brother is nice...I don't want him hurt anymore..."
"New brother?" Lili repeated, blinking. "You mean Raz!?"
The blonde nodded again. "I... I don't want him to die. I don't want my brother like this... I don't want to do the wrong thing anymore!" She cried. "But... but... no, no, I was taught to never... never... ooh!" She put her face in her hands and began to cry in earnest.
"Oh, sweetie..." Milla cooed, putting her arms around the blonde girl as she cried. "Shhh, shhh, it's alright... you don't have to do the wrong thing anymore. Everything's going to be fine now, okay?"
"But... but... big brother's going to be so, SO mad at me!" Inoue sobbed, throwing her head back as tears slipped down her cheeks. "A-and he'll yell at me and... and... daddy always said I was supposed to listen to him! I've never gone against orders before! Oh, what'll I do!? What am I... what am I... ooh!"
"Shhh... shhh, you don't need to cry anymore," Milla said gently, patting the girl on the back. "That's not going to happen, I won't let it. None of us will, okay?" Inoue let out another sob as she pressed herself into the older woman's arms.
"Sheesh..." Oleander muttered as he watched the girl sob, feeling a sharp pang in his chest. It reminded him a bit too much of his own memories of his father. "What the hell did that bastard do to make her like this?"
Lili shook her head. "I dunno... but I think she can help us, and right now we could use all the help we can get." With that she stepped forward, leaning on her knees so she could look Inoue in the eyes. "Come on, cheer up. Raz isn't going to die and Nereus isn't going to hurt you. Not if I... not if we can help it," She said, offering a gentle smile.
Inoue pulled away, blinking up at the Brazilian woman with large, tear-filled eyes. "...But... big brother... what about--"
"It's quite possible that if things work out, perhaps we may find a way to save your... er... brother, as well, if this is truly not his ordinary state of mind," Sasha said, adjusting his sunglasses.
Lili winced at the idea of actually helping Nereus, but upon seeing Inoue's face she forced a smile. Ordinarily she didn't really care for kids, but for this one... she just couldn't bring herself to hurt this one anymore if she could help it. "Yeah... we're Psychonauts, after all. Fixing messed up minds is kind of our specialty," She said, putting her hands on her hips.
There was silence for a few moments. Then Inoue sniffled. "Really?"
"Really," Milla smiled, brushing away the tears in Inoue's eyes. "Now come on darling, no more crying. We've got some boys to save, hm?"
"We?" Inoue repeated.
"Indeed. We could most certainly use the help of someone who actually knows this base," Sasha said with a smile.
Oleander grinned, rubbing his chin. "A man on the inside, I like it!" He said, eyes flashing. Inoue flinched slightly at his scarred face, but after a moment she relaxed as she considered the offer.
Lili nodded. "Yeah... so what do you say, Inoue? Will you help us?"
Inoue blinked up at Sasha, Milla, and Lili, then glanced behind them at the rest of the former campers, whom were giving her mixed looks of confusion and sympathy. She reached up to swipe at her eyes, then nodded, a look of determination coming to her face. "I wanna help."
This was met by smiles and cheers of encouragement from everyone, which drew a small almost-smile from the blonde.
"Alright," Lili said, her expression becoming one of grim determination once the cheers had died down. "We don't have much time. Let's go save Raz."
--
"Man, this is so dull..." A guard muttered as he slumped back against a plain steel wall.
"Dull?" The guard standing on the other side of the double-doors repeated. "In case you didn't notice, the base was just attacked."
The first guard snorted. "Well, yeah, but I missed all that... and now there's nothing to do but play guard duty for the boss. How boring is that?"
"Well, yeah, but... well, hey, look at it this way! Just a bit more waiting, and then it's a free ride to paradise," The second guard said with a smirk.
"Yeah, I guess you're right... man, it seems pretty unreal, to think we're almost there... I just joined for the money, it's not like I had anything going for me back in the slums," The first guard muttered, scratching at his greasy hair. "But still... I can't believe we're almost there."
"Yeah, it's pretty crazy..." The second guard drawled. "I'm just-- whoa!" He jumped, eyes widening as he realized Inoue was standing right in front of both of them. "Whoa-whoa... uh... L-Lady Inoue!" He stuttered, snapping to attention. "I didn't see you there!"
"Me either!" The first exclaimed, straightening instantly. "Sheesh, nearly gave me a heart attack... you move like a ghost. N-not that that's a bad thing or anything, eh heh..."
Inoue just stared blankly up at him.
"Um... you want to go inside?"
The blonde nodded.
"Well, um... Lord Nereus says he doesn't want anyone inside there... but... uh... well... you're... well... alright." The first guard hastily punched a few buttons on the pad on the wall. The doors slid open with a 'woosh!'. "Well uh... there you go, ma'am." Both guards bowed.
Thus, they didn't see when Milka and Chloe lost their invisibility and cracked them both over the head. The guards slumped to the ground, unconscious, as the rest of the campers lost their invisibility.
"Well, that was... certainly easier than last time," Chops commented.
"No kidding," JT said.
The group stood in silence for a moment, then Lili brushed past them all. "Well, come on then guys. Raz can't wait any longer." She snapped, grabbing Inoue as she did so. "Come on Inoue, you can show me how to get him loose." With that, the two ran through the door.
"Well, she's certainly in a hurry," Sasha said, blinking.
"What do you expect? She's in love," Milla murmured, smiling. With that, the group hurried after them into the main cavern of the base.
They all stumbled to a stop within seconds of entering, however, to keep from running over Inoue. She had stopped in her tracks and was staring ahead, her visible eye widened in horror.
Assembled across the central floor were at least a hundred of Nereus's soldiers. Children with glowing blue eyes, men and woman of varying shapes, sizes, and ages, some with the tell-tale glow, some without. And there, at the front of it all, stood their leader. Nereus's sapphire eyes glinted dangerously, his hands at his sides, scarf and the ends of his trenchcoat billowing around him by their own accord.
"Well now. I set this all up, expecting a second round... but to be betrayed by my own flesh and blood? This is a surprise," Nereus hissed.
"B-brother," Inoue stuttered. "I-I can explain!"
"Oh, no, it's alright, my dear sister. You needn't explain," Nereus said gently, his voice sickeningly sweet. "I think I understand perfectly clear what is going on here. It seems with all the attention I've been paying to Razputin I've neglected you, and now you've strayed from the correct path." He flexed his fingers, blue energy crackling at their tips. "My poor, poor little sister. Don't you worry, you will be dealt with soon enough."
Inoue backed away, shivering. "N-no..."
"You leave her alone!" Milla snapped, stepping out in front of the child, emerald eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you speak to your own sister like that!?"
"Why, Agent Vodello!" Nereus gasped mockingly. "First you stick your nose into my dear Razputin's ordeals, and now my family matters as well!? My oh my, we have quite a rude streak going on here!"
"Raz!" Lili shrieked, apparently ignoring the blond for the moment. Her boyfriend hung beyond the soldiers and Nereus, strung up in the machine, his entire body completely slack, his head hung low, his body not even giving the slightest twitch."Raz!" She called again, hoping for some sort of reaction, some sort of sign to show he was okay.
He didn't move.
"Raz!" She repeated, amber eyes wide.
Still nothing.
"Raz! Raz, come on!" She pleaded. "Say something! Anything! Crack one of your stupid jokes, give an angsty rant about how we shouldn't save you, something, anything! Hell, just please move! Please, Raz!"
No response. If Lili didn't know any better, she would swear he was dead.
"He can't hear you, Miss Zanotto," Nereus said coolly. "As far as he is concerned, you no longer exist."
"Shut up, you bastard," Lili snapped, blinking away tears. "I don't care what you say! He can hear me, I know he can! And we're getting him out of here, whether you like it or not! I'm not leaving until he's with me, end of story."
Nereus's eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose it's a good thing you'll be dying here, seeing as you'll at least be able to keep your promise about not leaving," He hissed.
"Brother!" Inoue yelped. "P-please! This is wrong! You must--"
"Hold your tongue, Inoue!" Nereus snarled, fixing his furious gaze on her. "Do not make things any worse for yourself! If you speak so much as another word, you will sorely regret it! You will have no right to call yourself a Galochio any longer, do you understand me!?"
Inoue fell silent, shivering. "B-but..."
"Now then." Nereus fixed his gaze back at the rest of the group. "Shall we?" He drawled, his eyes flashing blue.With that, he crossed his forearms before him, beginning to murmur under his breath.
However, nothing happened.
"What?" The blond gasped, eyes widening. He glanced around, for once showing a slight hint of panic. Finally his eyes fell upon the computer console and he let out a curse. "Of course! Vritra's power... it's only leaking out in small amounts, but it's canceling out the wave! Damn it all!"
"What's wrong, Nereus?" Lili sneered as she slid into a fighting stance. "Your stupid trick not working?"
Nereus scowled, turning to glare at her. "It is no matter! That is all Vritra cancels out. I can crush you all just as well with Indra's power," He hissed, levitating a few feet off of the ground, energy crackling around him.
"Bring it on, pretty boy!" Bobby sneered, cracking his knuckles.
"Yeah, we can take it!" Elton declared, apparently feeling slightly more confident than usual. His girlfriend gave a grim nod beside him, falling into her battle position.
"Pretty boy is very thin. Like twig. Snap easily, Mikhail thinks," Mikhail stated, his eyes narrowing.
Nereus chuckled, watching as the former campers and their consolers slipped into their fighting stances. "My, aren't you all confident? Fine then. Things are far more interesting that way." He flashed a terrible, twisted grin.
"Get them."
With that, the two groups charged. A hail of psi-blasts burst throughout the cavern, a multitude of neon streaks ricocheting throughout the room, clothing and objects erupting into flames, the water around them rising into the air as if it were alive. A full-scale, winner takes all psychic battle.
And there, standing alone in the center of it all, motionless, was Inoue. She watched her brother with wide eyes, frozen. Finally her knees gave way and she collapsed to the metal walkway, unnoticed in the chaos.
"What have I done?" She whispered.
The cavern shuddered as rocks were torn from the walls and telekinetically thrown, shouts of adrenaline-fueled rage and pain coming from just about everywhere. Elton let out a cry as he was thrown across the room, only to be cushioned by some rather creative aquakinesis by his girlfriend. He flashed her a weak smile, which she returned, and then the two were off again.
JT and Chops stood back to back, taking out soldier after soldier with their combined psi-blasts, each rarely, if ever, missing a shot. "Excellent as usual I see, hombre," JT commented.
Chops grinned even as sweat beaded across his brow. "Thanks, partner."
"Inoue! Inoue!" Milla called out as she narrowly dodged a psi-blast. "Darling, come on, you have to move!"
Inoue remained where she was.
"Inoue!" Lili called. "Come on! You're the one who hypnotized all the kids, right!? Call them off! You said you wanted to help, so help!" She cried, pulling up a shield to block a sudden burst of flames from one of Nereus's soldiers.
Inoue didn't move. She was completely frozen.
"Nice try, Miss Zanotto. Unfortunately for you, my little sister knows her place," Nereus sneered as he shot a blast of energy at Lili. Lili grit her teeth as she fought to keep her shield up, the magenta bubble wavering against the sheer power of the blond's attack. "Besides," The blond continued. "Even if she were going to consider helping, there's nothing she could do. My poor sister isn't psychic, the only thing she can do is lay the Galochio curse, which I can then use to control them. The only way to remove that would be to kill the one who laid the curse, in this case herself. And I'm sorry, dear, but that's not going to happen."
Lili grunted as she stumbled back, her shield flickering. She was almost out of power, and Nereus wasn't letting up!
Fortunately for her, Sasha came to her aid, firing a perfectly aimed psi-blast at Nereus. Nereus's attention snapped to Sasha, and with a quick gesture a wall of blue energy shot up to block the attack. This tiny splitting of attention was just enough for Lili to drop her shield and roll away unharmed.
She skidded to a stop, panting, absently noting the rust brown stains smeared across the glass floor. Her eyes narrows as she traced her fingers over the stains, reading the barest flashes of pain. "Raz..." She whispered, looking back to her boyfriend. "What has he done to you?"
Throughout the fight, Raz still had yet to move. Were it not for the faint traces of his aura flickering around him like dying embers, Lili would have sworn he was dead. She wasn't sure what scared her more; the fact that he looked like he was dead, or the fact that he wasn't, but wasn't moving either.
"Raz!" She called out, trying to get his attention. "Raz, come on! Say something!" The brunette was then forced to roll out of the way as another psi-blast was launched her way, driving a sharp psychic kick into the gut of the soldier whom had attacked her.
As her attention was forced away, she didn't see the small twitch Raz gave.
Raz had no idea what was going on. He had long ago lost the strength to scream, to even whimper. He was scarcely breathing, there was no way he had the energy to force his eyes open and register the chaos going on around him. Not that it would matter, as he couldn't have seen it anyway. Raz's world was one of utter agony, trapped in a nightmare of swirling flames that consumed everything he knew. He couldn't have known that his friends were all right there, fighting for him, risking their lives for him. As far as he knew, they were all dead and gone.
So when he faintly thought he could hear Lili calling out to him, it hardly mattered. As far as he was concerned, she was already dead, burnt to ash by his own two hands. So what was the point in fighting anymore?
"Hey, hey, hey!" Crystal attempted to cheer as she dodged a blow. "Um... um... uh, I can't think of a cheer!"
"Neither can I! Um, uh... here!" Clem cried, telekinetically tossing a boulder and knocking out the man who had been attacking the other cheerleader.
"Burn!" Bobby snarled, setting several soldiers at once aflame with pyrokinesis. "Yeah, that's right! Who's the camper with the lowest number of badges now!?" Chloe came dropping out of the sky, taking out each of the soldiers the bully had set on fire with a single blow.
Quentin levitated over his attackers, using aquakinesis to knock them off of their feet. "Whoo, right on!" The red-haired boy grinned.
Phoebe grinned as flames flared around her. "I didn't know you were that good with aquakinesis!"
"Er..." The teen flushed. "Well, I had to make sure I had something in case you had more 'issues', ya know?"
"Hey!" Phoebe huffed as the flames flared even higher. "I'm over that now!"
Quentin gave a nervous laugh. "I know, I know! Chillax... besides, it worked out in the end, didn't it?"
Phoebe just rolled her eyes.
"Well now, Agent Nein, you are indeed quite skilled." Nereus commented nonchalantly as he blocked another blast from the German Psychonaut, then with a wave of his hand sent forth a whip of water.
"As are you." Sasha grudgingly admitted as he dodged the lash of the whip, sending forth several more blasts. Nereus once again shielded against this with ease, then flipped backwards to avoid a blow to the head from Milla. Milla hit the floor for a moment, then floated back into the air, emerald eyes flashing.
Nereus chuckled at this. "The reports don't lie, you two make an excellent team. Unfortunately, I don't think even your skills are going to be enough," He drawled, gesturing. Again the water hovered around him, writhing in the air like snakes.
"Well, how about this then!?" Oleander snarled as he suddenly dropped from the sky, his spikey shield flaring to life.
Nereus leaped to the side once more, scowling as bits of blue flared up to deflect the sharp bursts of psychic energy. "Ah, Morceau Oleander. I see they haven't put you in an asylum quite yet. I'll have to be sure to better defend my knees," He sneered, sending a burst of water at the short man.
The coach deflected it as he came to stand beside Sasha and Milla, giving a growl. "You take that back!" He snarled, sending forth a multitude of psiblasts.
Shimmering blue flared up the deflect the blasts as Nereus cackled. "I don't believe I will. Besides, it's not as if it matters... soon enough I will have destroyed you all soon enough," He drawled as the water swirled around him once again.
"Go ahead and try!" Milla snapped.
A smirk. "Gladly."
The cavern shook once more, bits of rock and crystal raining down from the ceiling, parts of the walkway becoming dented and twisted, glass shattering. The water churned as if it were a living, breathing beast, threatening to consume the various soldiers and campers whom levitated and battled above it, a seemingly endless dance of blinding beams of light and psychic fists that were narrowly dodged. Smoke and electricity poured through the air as delicate machinery was shattered, but went ignored in the battle.
The battle raged on and on, and there at the center of it all, motionless, was Razputin. He let out the weakest of breaths, not even noticing as the cavern rocked and shook, giving no reaction even as a neon orange psi-blast whisked by mere inches from his face. He thought he could faintly hear people yelling... was that Sasha? Milla? Oleander? Lili?
Why would it matter if it was? It was probably all just another illusion... but what was reality, and what was the dream he was immersed with? He couldn't tell anymore. Everything hurt and he was just so very tired. He was a monster inside, the Psychonauts had abandoned him, his friends were gone, his family was gone, Lili was gone... what was left?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Mikhail's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he telekinetically went through enemy after enemy, only vaguely registering snaps and cracks of joints and spines as he picked them up, twisted them, then tossed them away like broken dolls into the churning waters. Maloof stood at his side, using psi-blasts to take out any his bodyguard happened to miss, sweat slicking his brown hair to his forehead, his breath coming out short.
Vernon, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. He let out a cry of pain as he was thrown back, then slammed to the ground, where he remained, unconscious. Fortunately, before he could be hurt any more Dogen was again at his side, taking out the nasally teen's attackers with a bit of difficulty. "Lili!" He called out. "There's too many of them! We can't keep this up forever!"
Lili spun around as she knocked out yet another soldier to see Dogen, then gave a curt nod. The shy boy was right, they were running out of time. They had to grab Raz and get out of there. She shot a glance at Nereus, eyes narrowing.
The megalomaniac was currently occupied with Sasha, Milla, and Oleander. Annoyance was etched across his face as he dodged all of their attacks at once, then sent forth a wave of power that they all only just barely avoided. Oleander was admittedly a bit out of shape after years of spending time only as a camp counselor, and even as senior international agents, Sasha and Milla were having trouble. On the other hand, Nereus, while powerful, seemed to be finding that with all the chaos going on eliminating the three wasn't quite as easy as he'd thought it would be. His attention was focused on them for the moment, at least.
Lili would have to make a break for it and hope for the best. She grit her teeth, shot a final glance at Nereus, then fixed her gaze on the control console and broke into a run.
Nereus dodged another one of Sasha's psi-blasts, letting out a growl. "Oh, come now! This was amusing at first, but I'm getting annoyed!" He hissed, energy crackling at his fingertips, all hints of playfulness gone from his face.
"You're the one who made the mistake of not taking international secret agents seriously, darling." Milla said as she levitated a few feet off of the ground, a large burn covering her left shoulder. Sasha sported several wounds of his own, a large tear revealing a shallow, but rather nasty gash in his side. Oleander was panting beside them, covered in bruises and bleeding from a head wound.
"Yes, a foolish mistake on my part. But worry not, I won't be making it twice." Nereus hissed. "Now then, let us..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing. He then spun around to see Lili making a break for the control console for the machine holding Razputin. "You! Stop!"
Lili's eyes widened, a sinking feeling coming to her stomach as she realized she was caught. "Shit," She breathed, but continued to run. Just a few more yards!
"Oh no you don't!" Nereus snarled. "You've gotten on my nerves one too many times, foolish girl! DIE!" With that, he thrust his palms forward, releasing the power he had gathering within them. A great pillar of blinding white energy shot forward, aimed straight for Lili's heart.
Upon hearing this, Inoue's eyes shot open. No, no, she couldn't just sit here! She had to stop this! The blonde let out a shout and jumped to her feet, rushing across the glass floor. "Brother!" She cried out. "Brother, no!"
Oleander, Sasha and Milla spun to see the pillar of energy go streaking past, expressions of horror flitting across their faces.
"LILI!" Milla shrieked.
"NO!" Oleander screamed.
"Miss Zanotto, MOVE!" Sasha cried out, though of course logic told him that there was simply no way his warning would have any effect. Neither he, Oleander or Milla could possibly get there fast enough to get Lili out of the way, and Lili just wasn't moving fast enough.
She was going to die.
Lili only just barely heard Nereus shout, heard the sound of energy crackling through the air. The brunette then squeezed her eyes shut and dove forward, desperately swinging out her psychic fist in hopes of connecting with the control system, praying it would somehow work. "RAZ!" She screamed.
Time seemed to slow down. Nereus's attack cut through the air, almost as if it were moving in slow motion, burning away molecules as it passed, an expression of rage twisted across his face. Lili fell, desperately reaching for the controls, hoping, praying. The battle raged around them, the cavern shuddering as if it were dying, rocks and boulders raining down from the sky, smoke and steam mixing together, clouding the air, electricity sparking and crackling.
And there, at the center of it all, hung Raz, his body shaking as he fought to breathe, jade green eyes fluttering half open, a sheen of sticky blood and sweat covering his pale, beaten frame. All he could see at this point was a shapeless blur, and even if he could see... what would he see? Would he see her burning again? He was so sick of that. God how he hurt, and he was just so sick of hurting at this point... so very tired of it all. Tired of hurting, of fighting, tired of the nightmares and the lies and just... everything.
There was nothing left. And he just... didn't have the strength to keep going.
Raz took a final, shuddering breath, his entire body heaving with the motion. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen the way his aura flickered, like the death throes of a dying candle. He could have sworn he faintly heard Lili calling for him... but no, she couldn't be, because she had died... hadn't she? Yes, yes, she was dead, they were all dead, and he was just so very tired...
"...I'm sorry Lili," He breathed out, his eyes falling shut once more as he slumped forward.
The light flickered out.
Time sped up again. There was a confused shuffle, then a light thud as two small hands shoved Lili forward.
And then the blast finally connected.
A great explosion rocketed throughout the cavern, shaking the entire area, a great white ball of flame with the occasional spark of blue. The stone walls shuddered as they collapsed, rocks and boulders falling from the sky. Holographic computer screens vanished instantly, consoles gave loud warning beeps before they were smashed inward, sparks flying through the air. Glass shattered and there were screams as the central floor buckled and collapsed, sending the fighting soldiers and Psychonauts spiraling into the water below. Black smoke filled the air, obscuring all sight and leaving nothing but confused shouts and shrieks.
Finally, the waters settled, and there was silence.
This silence lasted about half a minute, however, before it was shattered by a loud, piercing scream. The smoke billowed away to reveal Razputin floating in mid air, clutching at his head and screaming. It wasn't the same as his previous screams, however. This was a primal, lifeless cry, like an animal's dying shrieks.
Nereus blinked, then stood to his feet, watching Raz writhe in midair with wide eyes. "He's..."
"Razputin?" Sasha's brow furrowed from where he knelt in the water, which was now only about two feet deep due to so much of it evaporating.
Milla watched in shock, her emerald eyes wide. "Razputin..."
Oleander gaped up at the screaming boy, at loss for words.
"Raz..." Lili whispered from her place on a half-sunken sheet of glass. She then turned to Sasha. "Sasha! Sasha, what's going on!? What's happening to him!?"
Sasha shook his head, his face one of numb horror.
Raz let out another shriek, curling in on himself until he was in a ball. He remained like this for a few moments, his entire body shuddering, his fingers gripping so tightly that he was drawing blood. Fire erupted from his lithe form, curling around him almost protectively, shredding apart his sweater and jacket, hiding him away from the world as he cried.
And then finally, with a keening wail, Raz was silent.
"...Razputin?" Nereus asked, his voice oddly quiet. "...Are you..."
Raz uncurled from his ball, arms and legs stretching out. He flexed his fingers, letting out a weak, shaky breath. The flames slowly began to ebb away, flickering away to reveal him floating there. Then he threw back his head and let out a loud, feral roar. The few flames that were remaining flickered at his back for a moment, forming great, fiery wings like that of a phoenix or a dragon. After a few seconds these vanished and he hung there, silent.
All was quiet for a moment. Then, Nereus started laughing. He was giggling at first, then that giggling tapered off into a loud cackling, which transformed as he threw his head back and let out psychotic, completely ecstatic laughter. "At last! I have done it!" He exclaimed between peals of maniac laughter, throwing his arms out. "Behold! My weapon is complete! I present to you...Vritra!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the air.
"...Raz," Lili murmured, amber eyes wide. "Raz... no... no... what's..." She sunk to her knees, staring up at what her boyfriend had become.
"...The power... my God... it's pronominal," Sasha whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I had no idea Razputin was... I had no idea..."
Even from where he was floating, the power radiating from Raz was insane. It was pure, raw, undiluted power, so great all the psychics there could barely stand to look at it in its brilliance. It was power, great and terrible.
This wasn't Razputin. This was a monster.
"Inoue!" Milla's voice suddenly cut through the silence, drawing everyone's attention to her. The Brazilian got to her feet and stumbled through the ruins of the cavern, finally falling to her feet in a circle of crimson water.
There lay Inoue, her white dress wet and stained with blood. Her blonde hair framed her pale face, which was covered in burns. A great, deep, clearly fatal gash was spread across her back, smoke still coming from the wound. The flash surrounding it had been charred black, like a smoking crater.
"Inoue!" Milla repeated, pulling the ten-year old into her lap, not caring that the little girl's blood was staining her dress. "Inoue! Come on now darling, open your eyes!"
The blonde let out a weak moan, then cracked open one dulling sapphire eye to gaze up at Milla. "Mn... I... I did i,." She whispered, shuddering. "I... I helped... I did it..."
"Ah... so there's my explanation for how the Zanotto girl is still living," Nereus commented nonchalantly, as one would comment on the weather. "My foolish sister jumped in the way. That would also explain why half of my soldiers seem to be unconscious, her spell is fading because she is dying. It figures," He shook his head. "My poor, stupid little sister... she had such promise... but in the end, she threw it all away. Foolish girl... such foolhardiness is not worthy of the Galochio name."
"Shut up!" Milla snarled, tears in her emerald eyes. "Don't you dare speak of your sister that way! She's far greater than you'll ever be!"
Nereus stared down at the girl in Milla's arms for a moment, disgust written across his face. "She is no sister of mine," He hissed.
"M-miss..." Inoue coughed out weakly, drawing Milla's attention back to her. "M-miss... please--"
"Shhh, shh! Don't try to talk, darling," Milla said gently, trying desperately to stem the bloodflow. "You're going to be fine, don't worry." However, even as she spoke, she knew it was useless, that it was a lie.
This little girl was going to die.
Inoue shook her head, reaching up to close a small, shaking hand over Milla's gloved one. "N-no... it's okay... I know... it's alright," She whispered, then gave another wet cough Scarlet splattered from her pale lips and down her front, staining Milla's white gloves. "I... I don't mind. I-it's the first real choice I've ever done on my own... and I'm happy."
"Inoue..."
"I'm happy... because... I finally figured out. You guys can help my brother... right?" She asked. "T-that's why I... saved the girl... she said she would help my brother."
"Oh, darling..." Milla bit her lip, holding Inoue close. "Don't worry... don't worry, we'll save your brother, I promise."
Inoue let out a weak, shuddering breath. "G-good. Good. As long as... as long as you save him... it'll be okay. It'll be okay... because I know the answer to the question now."
"The question?" Milla repeated, brow furrowing.
"Y-yes," Inoue whispered haltingly. "When I... talked to... Razputin, is that his name? Yes, Razputin... he asked me who I was... and said I needed to ask myself... and now I finally know the answer," She let out a small, happy laugh, the first time she had probably ever done so even as tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I know... who I am. And I'm so... so happy," She whispered as her grip on Milla weakened, the light in her eyes flickering. "I'm... I'm Inoue. I'm a person, I'm not a tool... I'm me."
"Shhh... it's alright darling... it's alright..." Milla whispered, holding the girl close even as she wept, her shoulders shaking.
"Yeah... I'm tired and cold... but I'm... happy I could finally help," Inoue let out a soft sigh, returning what was likely to be one of the only hugs she had ever had. "I just hope... big brother will be okay. I... I still... love him."
Inoue Galochio died with a smile on her lips.
Milla bit her lip, letting out a choked sob as she held the dead little girl close. Another child dead... another one gone. And even though she had barely known this little girl, it seemed to hit so close to home anyway. The death of a child always did, both from memories of the dying screams of many in a fire so long ago, and from the pain of those she knew now. It wasn't fair.
"Agent Vodello...Milla," Sasha said quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder as he stood knee-deep in the water, feeling his heart sink. Milla shook her head, laying down Inoue, then turning and throwing her arms around Sasha.
All was silent, respect for a dead little girl hanging in the air. Or at least it was until Nereus started laughing again.
"My poor, poor foolish sister... she went the wrong way in the end, but that is alright. I don't need her anymore anyway," The blond cackled. "The children, my soldiers... I still have plenty of an army anyway! It is no matter, anyway! What use are soldiers now!? I need no one!"
"You truly are sickening," Sasha muttered."That child cared for you... and all you can do is laugh?" Milla shivered at his side, fighting for some sort of composure.
"You bastard," Oleander growled, hands clenching into fists. "How could you do this!?"
Nereus giggled. "She was a tool, nothing more, nothing less. What should it matter if she dies? I have no need for her anymore. No... I have Vritra now, and that is all I need." He looked back to Raz once more, sapphire eyes gleaming with complete, utter insanity as he threw back his head and laughed yet again.
Raz made no noise as he floated there, the remains of his sweater and jacket hanging off of him, his torn and tattered scarf floating around him by its own accord. The former campers were all just coming to, their eyes widening as they beheld their former peer.
"Is that... Raz?" Chops gasped.
"No way..." Bobby murmured.
"Well then... it's been fun, Psychonauts, but I'm afraid our time here has run out," Nereus stated, giving a small, mock bow. "I do congratulate you on shattering this base... I have several more, however, so worry not, I will be fine. Besides, I have my weapon... I have no need to be secretive any longer." He chuckled.
"It is finally time for the rapture to begin."
"What... what do you mean by that?" Elton croaked out, clutching at his head from where he had been hit earlier.
Nereus's grin widened. "Oh, you will know soon enough, my dear child. Now then..." He glanced up at Raz, smirking. "Go on then, my dear weapon. Give them a taste of your power."
At Nereus's words, Raz's eyes shot open, revealing soulless orbs of black. Orange energy began to crackle around him, though he didn't even move. He then reached out his right hand, holding it before him as he gazed down at his former friends. He saw the campers gaping at him with expressions of confusion and horror, Oleander's eyes wide with shock. Sasha's mouth hung open, Milla staring at him with red eyes and shaking her head, pleading silently as tears streamed down her face. Please, no more deaths...please.
Finally, his gaze settled on Lili, whom had remained silent all this time. She shook her head, amber eyes wide.
"Raz... Raz, don't--"
Raz flicked his wrist, and an explosion of energy rocketed through the area. Lili saw a flash of orange, and then all she knew was black.
--
To Be Continued...