Chapter 25
Armed with baseball bats, Magneta, Ethan and Zach ran towards the entrance of the conduit Magenta crawled through only a year ago.
Even from around the corner, they could hear the crackling laughter of Stitches.
"Great," Magenta muttered.
--
At the antigravity room, a figure was busy with her work.
Soon. Soon. Royal Pain thought as she reconfigured all the technology to allow herself access to the core of Sky High.
I will configure this and this school will fall…
--
Around the corner, away from Stitches' hearing, the trio finalized their attack plan.
"I'll try and distract him," whispered Ethan. "Since I could always just turn into a puddle if he tries to attack me."
"Good idea," agreed Magenta. "Zach and I will try to take him down."
Zach nodded.
"Good, on the count of three…" breathed Magenta. "NOW!"
As the Magenta and Zach materialized around the corner, Stitches immediately turned around and laughed.
Behind him, stood Royal Pain.
"Trying to get to the generator?" she said with arms folded across her chest.
A stun gun in her hand, she aimed it at Magenta. Magenta stepped backwards and made a sign of surrender. She dropped her baseball bat.
"That's more like it," said Royal Pain as she stepped advanced, her gun still pointing. "Now what other tricks are you hiding?"
"Not so fast!" said Ethan..
Wham! With a base ball bat, Ethan whacked her helmet, making a loud noise. He had turned into an orange puddle and surprised her!
Zach smacked the gun out of her hands then scrambled after it. He snatched it off the ground.
Royal Pain growled irritably but then laughed.
From nowhere, she pulled out another gun and started to shoot. Bolts of electricity filled the room.
Seeing the electricity zap around, the trio quickly ducked. Zach gripping onto the stun gun tightly.
Suddenly, Royal Pain stopped her shooting spree. She eyed Zach.
Zach, with his hands shaking, aimed at Royal Pain.
She smiled sweetly at him. "Go ahead. Shoot me."
Zach's hands were sweating. His heart was pounding in his chest.
"What are you waiting for?" Royal Pain shouted. "Shoot me!"
Zach looked down the barrel. And pressed the trigger.
Click.
Nothing happened.
Panic. He pressed the trigger again.
The room began echoing with empty clicks.
Royal Pain laughed. "Great prop isn't it? I made it all myself."
Promptly, Royal Pain snapped around and shot Magenta. Magenta collapsed immediately.
She gave a sinister laugh.
"Maj!" Zach shouted appearing by her side.
Pst! Zach stood for just a few more seconds before falling forwards.
Then Ethan materialized from an orange puddle beside her trying to wrestle the gun from her.
"Your strength cannot match mine," she began before she sent him to the ground with a punch to the head.
"Stupid people," she said looking at their bodies on the ground. It was satisfying to defeat them.
Her work with the generator was almost done. Just a little bit more…
--
Across the room, Steve and Josie heard their son's body land with a loud thud.
Josie was too exhausted to fly or call out. Steve wanted to dash to him to carry him away. But the path was immediately blocked by the levitated Magneto.
Then he felt a tug on his hand. Medulla was turning blue and his eyes were pleading for Steve's help. Steve tried to freed him but Magneto only gave a small evil chuckle. He was raising his arms.
Suddenly, there was a large rumble as the floor of the gym cracked apart and slabs of metal were resurrected. The Commander and all on the ground were sent sprawling towards the edges of the gym as the floor tilted.
A piece metal hummed past The Commander's ear.
He dodged it and it hit the wall behind him. Straining, he was still trying to pull the metal ring apart as Medulla barreled into him.
Snap! Finally the ring broke freeing Medulla.
Magneto was laughing.
Wham! A huge piece of metal slammed against his temple full force. He did not even hear Josie screaming, rushing to him, as he fell.
--
Seeing her boyfriend's prone body urged Layla into action.
Layla commanded thorned bushes to grow and willed them to capture Mystique.
It would only slow her down but…
Mystique roared and leapt at Layla's direction, extending her samurai sword sharp claws.
Layla dodged the slices in the air.
An thorned branch began to snake around Kari's body.
Will groaned but was awakening. Calling any last reserves of energy, he willed his body to move.
Kari's eyes focused on her target intensely.
Layla was desperately calling plants to halt the deranged teacher. And each time, Mystique slashed them away.
"You will die!" she roared, leaping away from the snaking plants.
His vision was blurry but Will could make out that she was charging at Layla like a bull with lethal horns and his heart was frentic inside him.
"Move!" yelled Will.
Layla was backing away but there was a wall only a few feet behind her…
Will flung himself flying across the room, towards Layla. At the very last moment, Will pushed her away sending her body flying across he floor.
Wham!
Then pain. Pure unadulterated pain. Gasping for air.
He looked down at his chest and found claws stuck in the right side. Kari then struck with another set of claws on his left side.
Layla cried out as she saw the look of pain cross her boyfriend's eyes.
For a moment, Will stared right into the sinister yellow eyes of the smiling Mystique.
"I got you," she whispered then withdrew the blood stained claws.
Falling to his knees, his body crumpled into a bloody heap.
Kari, claws wet with blood turned to face a frightened Layla, licking her lips.
--
Tending to her husband across the room, Josie cried out as she saw her son collapse.
Angry and distressed, she flew and almost punched Mystique who whipped around and blocked.
She was still smiling.
"Finish them Mystique," came Magneto's brisk command. "This game is over."
Josie glanced at Magneto, but the path of attack was blocked by Mystique. He quickly disappeared amongst the corridors, heading towards the core of Sky High where Royal Pain was.
Mystique smiled again, raising her claws. A fearsome predator happy to play cat-and-mouse with Josie and Layla.
Somewhere a voice screamed and fireworks burst.