Title: Providence
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author's note: So, once again, the chapter was going to be really long, and I had to split it in half. This is the fight scene, and if you don't like violence, you might just want to skim over it. Although, since I don't like blood and guts either, nothing will be in the least bit graphic.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Weapons of World War Three (part one)
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
-Albert Einstein
We started out with fists, nails, and teeth. Then someone had the idea to bring in weapons, and so we used sticks and stones. And eventually sticks became a bow and arrow. And those weapons advanced into crude knives, and then daggers, and then rapiers and swords. So we invented shields. And then someone came up with a spear and a lance and someone else decided to make metal armor. And then the cannon came along, and the gun. And in response to the gun, we procured the bullet proof vest. And so someone else decided to create the bomb, and the grenade, and the missile.
And we ended up with the atom bomb and nuclear weapons and people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki being burned alive as their skin melted around their cancer-ridden bodies.
Still, it's nice to know that mankind has evolved, isn't it?
"How bad is it, Rath?"
Vilandra stopped at the sound of her brother's voice. She had been walking through the hallway towards her own rooms, but the rise and fall of words had caught her attention. Pressing herself flat against the wall, she listened with abated breath as her brother and betrothed's conversation floated around the hallway corner.
"Several believe that, because one of your own family betrayed you, you must be wrong. For your own sister to go against you plans… They're calling for your deposal," Rath answered.
Vilandra's breath caught in her throat. What had she done? She'd only wanted what was best for her the planet. She'd never meant this to happen…
"But there are some who are still loyal to us?" Zan asked hopefully.
There was a pause, then Rath replied, "There are some who are loyal to you, your Majesty. But they… They are calling for the Princess to be… punished for her crimes."
Vilandra choked back a sob. The only punishments for treason were exile or death.
"Khivar has succeeded in fracturing the planet by making the populace believe that your own family is fractured," Rath continued. "I do not know how much longer you can… delay some sort of answer. You must either forgive Vilandra, or…" He didn't finish the sentence.
"Laws apply to all. I cannot forgive her, because I would not forgive another," Zan mused. "But… I cannot exile or execute her either. I would not…"
"You must," Vilandra said, stepping around the corner to face her brother and betrothed. They both spun to look at her, confusion then dismay appearing in Zan's eyes. Clearly, this was not a conversation he wanted her to overhear.
"What do you mean, Princess?" Rath asked, breaking the tense silence.
But Vilandra didn't look at him. Her eyes were pinned on Zan, and she refused to break her gaze, even when he shook his head in denial of her words.
"You cannot afford to lose the support of your followers, Zan. You will not win this war without them. If the only way to prove that you are true and loyal to them above all else is to exile me, then you must do that." She did not know much about politics or war, but she knew every word she said was true.
"I will not," Zan said firmly.
"You have no choice," Vilandra argued.
"And just let Khivar win?" Zan exploded, his voice echoing through the empty hallway. "Do you not see, sister, that this is his plot all along? To tear us apart? I will not let him succeed."
Vilandra stared at him for a long moment, her eyes boring into his, a thoughtful expression clouding her features. "He already has," she replied at last, giving her brother a sad smile.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt her!" Max snarled, stepping towards Alex threateningly. The Seeker stood behind the skin king, one hand resting on Tess' arm. Michael stood to the side of Max, every muscle in his body tensed, ready for a fight.
"She attacked me," Alex replied, "and I only acted in self defense." But he was smirking, as though challenging Max to deny his words. As long as they had Tess, they had the upper hand. Max wouldn't let anything happen to the fourth hybrid if he could help it.
Michael rested a hand on Max's shoulder and said, "Let's make the trade." They couldn't afford to waste time with pointless fighting, not now. He glanced stealthily at his watch. It was almost time…
"Take me to the Granolith," Alex said, gesturing for Max to proceed him towards the hidden pod chamber.
Max and Michael exchanged a look, then Max said, "Let Tess go first."
"You want your precious Queen to return to you alive, then you'd better do what I saw," Alex replied, the smirk that had graced his lips replaced by a cool, thin-lipped smile. "You're not the one calling the shots."
Max nodded, his eyes traveling to Tess. "It's this way," he said at last.
"Are you out of your mind?" Tess asked, her voice rising in pitch until she was practically screeching. The blindfold prevented her from seeing Max, but she inclined her head in the direction of his voice. "You can't let them have the Granolith."
"Keep quiet," the Seeker snapped, moving to backhand her. Unable to see, she could not duck the blow, and her head reeled backwards. She gasped in pain, but did not cry out.
Max lifted one hand to attack the Seeker, but Alex quickly interceded. Placing a hand on Tess' throat, he said softly, mockingly, "Do you think you can kill the Seeker, Zan, before I kill her?"
Max dropped his arm. "Take the blindfold off. She can't hurt you with her eyes."
Alex considered this for a moment, then said, "Very well. I'll take the blindfold off, on the condition that you, Ava darling, don't speak. Spare us the infliction of your voice." His words become icy as he added, "Or I may just go back on our deal."
"What are you do worried she'll say?" Max asked softly. "Does she have some secret that you don't want us to know?"
Tess hesitated. She knew that Khivar was worried that she'd tell Max and Michael that the skin king and the Seeker were planning on double crossing them. It had been a risky move on their part to confide that information to her, but she knew it had only been done in the heat of the moment. Not they had to deal with the consequences.
She wanted to tell Max and Michael, to warn them. But if she did, Khivar might just kill her. And that would not help anyone. She couldn't risk getting herself killed, because then Khivar and the Seeker would have no reason not to just kill Michael and Max. She had to stay alive so she could fight.
Which meant, no matter how much she may want to, she couldn't speak. She had to hold her silence, and let things play out.
Improvise.
"It's fine," Tess heard herself saying. "I won't talk."
A moment later, a rough pair of hands pulled the scratchy cloth away from her face, and she blinked into the morning light. She took a moment to survey the scene, her eyes traveling over Max's flushed face to Michael's guarded expression, to Alex's smirk, to the Seeker's threatening eyes.
She really hoped that Max knew what he was doing.
With the Seeker gripping tightly at her wrist, she followed Max towards the pod chamber. Once, she saw Michael glance at his watch, and wondered why the time mattered. She tried to catch Max's gaze, but he refused to look at her. Sighing, she turned her attention to the rocks beneath her feet, and climbed in silence.
The soft creak of footsteps on rocks, so quiet she'd almost missed it, caught Tess' attention, and she changed a look back in time to see something slip out of sight. Another alien? A human? A desert animal? She wasn't sure.
They stopped outside the pod chamber, and Michael gave Max and almost imperceptible nod. It was all about clockwork now…
Max raised his hand and ran it over the rock, revealing the glowing handprint. The rock surface slid slowly backward, opening the entrance to the darkness of the cave.
They'd crossed the final line now, and there was no going back.
Maria had come within about twenty feet of the group of aliens, when common sense kicked in, and she stopped running. Whatever was going on, she couldn't get involved in it, or she ran the risk of screwing everything up. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but clearly something alien was happening.
She hid herself behind a rock outcropping and listened to the exchange of words, her mouth falling open in shock when she realized what had happened. They were making a trade… to get Tess back.
But not Alex.
The anger bubbled within her. Why weren't they doing anything for him? Why weren't they trying to save him?
They were moving away from her now, and she crept after them, clinging to the shadows, trying to remain inconspicuous. Once, Tess glanced backwards, and she wasn't sure whether or not the blonde hybrid had seen her. Tess said nothing, just continued walking, and Maria too pressed on, wondering what would happen next.
They stopped at the cave, and she watched in surprise as Max opened the entrance.
What was going on?
"The Granolith is in there," she heard Max say. "Give Tess to us now."
"You know," Alex answered, his expression twisted into cold triumph, "I don't think I will." And he turned to Tess, hand raised, glowing with white and green dots, tiny specks of energy that would kill her instantly if they connected with her skin. She cried out, struggling to move away, but the Seeker held her firmly in place, refusing to let her escape. Max screamed out, a look of pure terror on his face, and beside him, Michael moved forward threateningly.
Maria had no idea what she was doing. She'd moved before she could even register that she was moving, and burst from her hiding place. Jumping forward, she tackled the Seeker and Tess, knocking them to the ground just as the flash of energy left Alex's hand and struck the rock where they had been only moments before. The rock exploded into tiny shattered pieces that littered the ground.
For a moment, nothing happened. No one moved, no one even dared to breath. Then Tess had yanked free of the Seeker's grip and pulled herself and Maria to their feet. Shoving the human girl in front of her, she scrambled for cover behind the nearest large rocks.
The entrance to the pod chamber was still open.
"You lying son of a…" Max slammed both hands forward, knocking Alex off his feet. His entire body was crackling with pent up electricity and his eyes had darkened to a dangerous black.
Alex waved a hand, throwing Max to the ground. He pulled himself to his feet and eyed the two hybrids contemptuously. "And you're a fool for actually thinking I would carry through."
Behind the rock, Maria turned to Tess and whispered, "You have to go help them!"
"I can't," Tess explained, holding up her wrist. "This bracelet, it's preventing me from using my powers. I can't get it off…" The sound of explosions caused her to look up in time to see Michael fly backwards and hit his head against a rock, momentarily stunned. "No…"
Maria looked at Michael, then at Tess. They had to do something, but what?
Meanwhile, the Seeker advanced on Michael. Max struggled over to his friend, trying to defend the fallen hybrid against both Khivar and the Seeker.
Maria glanced down at the bracelet on Tess' arm and frowned. Reaching up into her hair, she pulled out to bobby pins and snapped them in half. Holding the broken pieces of thin metal, she reached for Tess' arm.
"What are you doing?" Tess asked, confused.
"Picking the lock," Maria replied as though it was obvious, rolling her eyes and focusing on the bracelet. "It's an alien contraption, and I doubt Khivar was really worried that you would be able to pick it…" Sure enough, the bracelet fell away a moment later.
Khivar, an alien who despised all humans as weak, would not have known that simply locks could be easily broken. He would have made the bracelet so that it could not be removed by her own powers, of by those of the other hybrids, but he would not have protected himself against the skills of pathetic humans. And that was the very reason the bracelet wouldn't fail.
Tess briefly reflected on the irony of that.
Then she stood up and used her newfound powers to throw the Seeker away from Max and Michael.
"Maria, stay here," Tess instructed as she leapt into the fray.
Her first aim was to close the entrance to the cave. They could not afford to lose Khivar inside, or he might gain access to the Granolith and escape. Once she had completed that task, she turned and rushed to Max's side, ready to fight.
And then several things happened at once.
Michael rose to his feet, clambering unsteadily but with the air of someone who refused to give up. He lifted his gaze to the Seeker, and raised a hand.
Alex twisted his fist in a strange movement, using his powers to telekinetically choke Max. Deprived of oxygen, the hybrid king fell to his knees, gasping.
The cry of "Max!" caught Maria's attention, and she turned to see Liz appear, as though out of nowhere, on the rocks below them.
Max caught sight of Liz, and felt as though someone had just removed the ground from underneath his feet. What was she doing here? How could she be here? It was bad enough that Maria had shown up, but now Liz… what if they got hurt? He couldn't protect them all.
Alex, too, turned towards Liz, and that momentary distraction was all Tess needed to strike the skin king with the back of her open palm. He faltered, losing his concentration, and Max was able to breath again.
Liz climbed the last few steps and raced towards Max, ignoring the danger all around her. She bent down next to him, pulling him to his feet and pushing him away from the fight. "Take a breath," she instructed. "Just focus on breathing."
Max gasped, but nodded. The world was fading in and out of focus, the lack of oxygen screwing up his vision. Behind Liz, he saw Tess fighting to keep Alex at bay, saw Michael battling with the Seeker. He had to get back to them.
"No," Liz said, shaking her head as she read Max's thoughts. "You're not any help to them until you are breathing again, and you know that." She glanced to the left, saw Maria, and her eyes widened. But she pushed her confusion about her friend's presence out of mind; now was not the time for questions. "Stay here, with Maria, until you can stand on your own," Liz ordered.
Max wanted to protest, but the lack of oxygen made him to weak to argue. Liz did have a point.
And then he watched as the brunette did something incredibly brave and incredibly stupid. Picking up a heavy rock, she threw it with all her might, striking the Seeker in the stomach. The alien fell to hands and knees, and Michael used the momentary respite to come to Tess' aid. He and the blonde hybrid managed to overpower Alex, pushing him away. He staggered backwards at the same time the Seeker struggled back to his feet.
"Liz, take Maria and get out of here," Michael called over his shoulder, sparing a quick look of concern for Max. He didn't like the pale blue tinge to the king's lips. Max was still gasping for breath… that was not a good sign. How much damage had Khivar done?
Liz didn't argue. Maria seemed about to protest, but Liz grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the fighting. She'd taken only a few steps when another figure appeared before her, and she froze, eyes widening in surprise.
It was Matt.
He was staring at them, his face pale, his eyes filled with horror and confusion and fear. But his gaze traveled beyond Liz and Maria, settling on Tess, who was throwing bolts of energy at the Seeker.
"What the hell…?"
Tess turned at the sound of his voice, and met his gaze across the rocks and sand. She opened her mouth, lips parting slightly as though there was something she wanted to say. But he wasn't looking at her face anymore, he'd shifted his stare to her glowing hands.
The Seeker moved towards Tess, but Max had risen from his hiding place and interceded, raising a protective force field around Tess. The Seeker's attack bounced harmlessly off of it.
Tess ran to Matt's side, but he flinched away from her.
"What are you?"
"Matt, I can explain everything later, but you need to get out of here," Tess said. She dragged the human boy behind another set of rocks and gestured for Maria and Liz to follow. It was becoming quickly apparent that even though Max, Michael, and Tess outnumbered the Seeker and Khivar, they were still out a serous disadvantage. They just weren't strong enough, and they didn't have the knowledge or skill to win this fight. Especially since there were only three of them.
Which begged the question, where was Isabel?
"What is going on?" Liz asked as she crouched next to Matt.
"How did you…?" Matt shook his head. "How are you…? What are you?" he repeated, eyes accusing. "God, are you even human?"
"No," Tess said, throwing caution to the winds. "I'm not. But I'm on your side. Max, Michael, and I… we're good. And we're trying to protect you from the other two… they're bad." It was a very simple way of explaining everything, glossing over all the details, but Tess didn't have time to explain everything. She had to get back to Max and Michael before someone died.
"Alex Whitman is evil?" Matt demanded.
"No, he's possessed," Tess replied, and at Matt's incredulous stare, she added, "I'm not kidding. Look… Matt… I just need you to trust me…"
"Why should I?" Matt interrupted.
It was, Tess reflected, a very good question.
"What happened?" Liz asked, cutting into the conversation again. "Tess, what is going on?"
"The Seeker kidnapped me and made a deal with Khivar. The two of them arranged a trade with Max and Michael… me for the Granolith. But Khivar broke the trade and attacked. I don't know if Max and Michael have a plan…" Tess trailed off. She didn't know much of anything right now.
"What? What's the Granolith?" Matt asked, confused.
"You were kidnapped?" Liz questioned, surprised.
Tess raised an eyebrow. "Max didn't tell you?"
Before Liz could answer, however, there was a cry, and the four of them turned in time to see Michael fall to the ground. Both Liz and Maria made moves towards him, but Tess held them back, shaking her head.
"Stay here. You're safe. If you go out there, you're just a liability," she ordered, running towards Michael. She didn't look back to see if the humans had listened to her. All she could do was pray.
"Get away from him!" Tess hissed, exploding the rocks at the Seeker's feet, causing him to fall backwards. She bent down next to Michael, searching frantically for signs of life, and felt a rush of relief when he slowly opened his eyes and blinked up at her.
"Tess…?"
"Michael, get up!" Tess instructed, pulling him roughly to his feet.
Michael stared at her, blinking as his vision began to swim before his eyes. There was blood on the front of his shirt, although not enough to indicate a fatal wound. Out of the corner of her eye, Tess saw Max lifting a hand to create a shield of green energy around them. Momentarily safe, she focused on Michael.
"Where's Isabel?" Tess asked urgently. "What's the plan? Michael? Michael, focus! How are we getting out of this?"
Michael stared at her, dazed, then glanced at his watch. "It must be taking longer than she thought…" he whispered.
"What? What is taking longer?"
But instead of answering, Michael sank too the ground, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head as he passed into unconsciousness.
At the same moment, the Seeker thrust one hand towards Max, knocking the hybrid king off balance. The shield around Tess disintegrated as Max struggled to catch his breath from the attack. The Seeker was moving towards Max triumphantly, prepared to finish the battle. Alex had turned his attention to Tess and Michael, now unprotected.
He raised a hand, his fingers dancing with white and green lights, his eyes glittering with cold victory, and Tess, still standing protectively over the fallen Michael, didn't have the chance to defend herself.
It came to her, in a flash of realization.
They were going to die.
"No!"
Tess felt something collide with her and she crashed to the ground, her head striking against the pointed rock. Her vision swam before her, and she tried to cling to consciousness, desperately wanting to stay awake. Something heavy was crushing her, and she shoved with all her weight, pushing and pulling, clawing her way free.
On her hands and knees, she stared at the collapsed form in front of her, her eyes going wide with horror. Khivar had thrown a deadly blast of energy at her, and, unprepared as she had been, she surely would have died. But Matt had thrown himself at her, his body falling in front of her, protecting her from certain death…
She reached one trembling hand out towards the wound on his back, towards the blood that was seeping into his clothing. She didn't have to touch him, didn't have to search for a heart beat or breath to know… She could just feel it.
"Tess?"
Liz was there, pulling at her, trying to drag her away from the body, but she didn't understand. She pushed away from Liz, wanting to stay, wanting to hold Matt's hand forever, wanting to turn back time so that this hadn't happened, so that he was still alive.
"No…"
"Tess, he's dead. You can't save him. You need to come. Khivar's going to kill us if we don't move," Liz said, his voice rising in panic.
"No…"
Tess just stared blankly at her boyfriend's dead body as Alex moved towards them, a hand raised to attack. Liz looked up, fearing the worst as she stared into Alex's cold eyes.
"You murderer!"
Coming back to reality with the full force of someone who has just seen death, Tess jumped to her feet and flung herself at Alex. Forgetting that she had powers, forgetting that he had powers, forgetting that any harm she did would be felt by their human friend as well, she clawed at his face, her fingernails raking over his skin, her eyes filled with a fanatical light.
"Tess!"
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" Tess screamed, her voice shaking with emotion.
Liz was pulling at her, trying to drag her away, yelling something about how she couldn't kill Alex. Michael and Max were screaming something as well, but she couldn't quite hear them. It was as though someone had turned down the volume, and everything was just a buzz in her ears. She had no thoughts for anyone except the dead boy at her feet and the skin king before her.
She pulled back her hand, palm filled with white light, ready to kill.
"What's taking so long?" Kyle asked anxiously, pacing back and forth as he stared at Isabel.
Isabel bit her lip, worried. "I don't know," she admitted. "I can't… I can't seem to get in…" She looked up at the clock, and Kyle followed her gaze.
This plan had to work like clockwork, otherwise everything would fail. And they were running behind schedule. Kyle sucked in a sharp breath and left the room. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to consider the possibility that they had lost.
"Come on, Isabel," he whispered under his breath as he closed the door behind him. "Hurry."
Rath watched as his soldiers moved back and forth across the rocky hills. He fixed his gaze on the distant rising sun, felt the chill of the wind that bit into his bones. One hand fell slowly to the stun gun at his side, and he wrapped his fingers around the cold metal.
It had been two days since Vilandra has asked Zan to banish her, and the king had refused the request. He had promised the people a trial for the Princess, but he had postponed it indefinitely. And his action, which clearly showed that he valued his sister over the laws he had enacted, was beginning to rankle with his followers. How could he so easily forgive someone who had betrayed him?
Khivar had continually lead troops close to the city, and he was rapidly gaining support. Many who would not have supported him simply because they did not believe in overthrowing royalty had joined his side because he claimed to have the Princess' support. Others had joined because famine and disease were strong convincers. And many had joined because they could see that he was winning, and they simply wanted to be on the winning side.
The latest attack had been too close to the royal city for comfort, and Rath had lead soldiers out into the surrounding hills, near Khivar's camp, prepared to fight. So here they were, prowling through the night like thieves, like spies, ready to wage war.
Rath carefully removed the stun gun from its harness and stared at it. The metal was pulsating with energy that rippled through his fingers when he touched it. It was the latest in weaponry, it fed on the energy of whoever held it, thereby allowing itself to continually detonate without needing to be recharged. The blast from it was deadly, and could shatter entire cement walls.
The royal army had state-of-the-art technology at their disposal. Khivar had rumors and lies and speeches and spies at his.
A shout brought Rath from his thoughts, and he looked up in time to see a solider fall, hit by some sort of weapon. Then Khivar's rebels appeared, and the royal soldiers surged forward, throwing themselves into the fight. Cries rent the air as the battle began.
Rath lifted his weapon and thought of Vilandra, and of her betrayal. He had yet to speak to her since her revelation, and though he longed to, he simply did not know what he would say. How could he love her, knowing she had loved someone else? And yet… how could he not love her?
It was terrifying impressive, Rath reflected, how many ways there were for people to hurt each other.
So I know I wasn't going to kill Matt, and I didn't want to, but then, once again, the chapter decided to do what it wanted and disregard my own feelings...
