You know, I really should've updated sooner. I have three weeks off of school because of COVID-19, so I'm sorry. But I was working hard on my own novels and finished the third draft of my completed book. Anyway, this chapter is short so I'm going to update again today. Please enjoy and review!
Clary had truly never been more outraged. The fact that Jace would put her and Alec and everyone through so much pain just to... well, Clary wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to do. Clearly, he had some agreement worked out with Sebastian. At least, that was what Clary had gathered from the little more Isabelle had explained.
So, now, Clary was on her way to Black Angel's hideout. Simon and Isabelle trailed behind her. It was certainly a strange sight to see: Blindeye stalking through the streets with two civilians close on her heels. Most people would probably give anything to be those two civilians. Those were the people that didn't really understand what it meant to be a superhero.
"So, what's the plan?" Simon asked from behind Clary.
"We find Jace," Clary said without turning around, "and we get him out of there without giving him a choice."
"And Black Angel?" Isabelle wondered.
"I'll kill him," Clary answered and she even surprised herself. It was her brother, after all. Did she truly have the heart to kill him?
There was no more talking after that. The three walked in silence for about a mile until they arrived at the hideout where Isabelle had said that Jace had said that Sebastian would be here. Clary was praying it was accurate information.
The building in question was short and thick and rather unattractive. Clary pulled out her phone and put a blue pin on the map where she stood. Then, she circled the building finding that the windows near the ground led to a basement below the building. Clary told Simon and Isabelle to stay up there as she climbed in through a window and searched for Jace. Reluctantly, the two agreed. Not that they had much of a choice in the matter.
Knowing that turning herself invisible would do nothing, Clary did it anywhere. There was a bit of comfort in knowing that she was at least somewhat hidden. And maybe there was heat around her. Maybe there would be something that would interfere with Sebastian and his clones being able to see her with infrared vision.
It took an hour of walking through mazes of hallways before Clary even came across a clone. She took it out swiftly, hoping that there was no way for it to have contacted Sebastian or other clones. Trying not to think too hard about that, she continued on her way through the halls. It took another hour before she found the room she was looking for. The room with Jace in it.
This room had a large, human-sized contraption in it. It was very similar to the one that Clary had been put in before, only tweaked in a few places. Jace was unconscious in the machine which was not turned on. Clary knew this for an absolute fact because the door to it was open. Ergo, how she could see Jace. Racing forward, Clary placed a hand on Jace's cheek. He was cold.
Her nerves racking her body, Clary opened the window in the room and threw a ball of light out of it. After a few minutes, Simon and Isabelle found her.
"Jace is unconscious," Clary started to explain, "so I'm going to pass him through this window to you two. You guys are going to start leaving with him immediately, I will be right behind you."
It took a couple of tries before Clary successfully managed to get Jace out of the machine. She dragged him along the floor, barely able to keep him up. He was pure muscle mass and absolute dead weight. This was miserable. With even greater struggle than at the machine, Clary lifted Jace's body up to the window. Simon and Isabelle latched onto him and began trying to pull him out. Between the three of them, it didn't take too long to get him out.
Just as Jace's legs were free and thus his entire body was out, a door in the near distance echoed. Clary's heart started racing as she reached up and tried pulling herself out. She didn't even get off the ground when she could hear the sound of footsteps. Simon reappeared at the window then, his hand outstretched for help. But it was too late now.
"Go," Clary said, "run. You guys have to get him as far away as you can. Go to Magnus' apartment, Sebastian will guess mine or Jace's."
"But Clare-"
"Simon-" She was cut off when the door to the room she was in opened. Clary immediately closed the window and turned around to face her older brother.
The man's eyes went from the empty machine to Clary. He cocked his head at her. There were about a dozen clones surrounding him.
"This upsets me," he said in a tone that was far too neutral, "but I can't say I'm surprised."
Clary turned herself invisible but this just made Sebastian scoff.
"You do remember the infrared thing, right?"
"Of course, I do." Clary rolled her eyes. "But I can still have my fun."
She flung a ball of light at Sebastian and all of his clones immediately disappeared. Clary ran forward to rush Sebastian while his defenses were down but he raised a hand and flames came out. Stumbling back, Clary stayed invisible.
"If I can't have Jace, I'm most certainly content with you." Sebastian stepped forward. His clones began to reappear one by one.
"Fine." Clary raised her arms knowing he could see the red shape of her body glowing. "Take me. Take my powers. Just leave Jace and Simon and everyone I love alone!"
"And what if I don't? The original agreement between myself and the Badger was that if I had him, I would leave everyone else alone. But now I don't have him. Instead, I have you. That means, there is no agreement for me to oblige by."
Clary clenched her jaw. She created a sword of color in her hands and swung toward Sebastian. He easily parried her with his own weapons.
"It was a fair agreement," Sebastian shouted. "Especially for him. A stupid boy fallen desperately in love and willing to sacrifice himself for the 'greater good.'" Sebastian hesitated, a smile twitching his lips. "Or sacrificing his memories and powers. My machine wouldn't have killed him, it would have just reverted his body and mind."
At this, Clary took pause. "Wait, what?"
Sebastian sighed. "I'm not so evil, you know." He twirled the sword in his hand. "I just want to make things right again."
Clary looked down at her hands. Would going in that machine really just take away her powers? Then, she could come out unscathed except for a lapse in memory? That almost sounded... worth it.
"Keep the agreement," Clary said, "that you had with Jace. Just use me. Wouldn't that be better anyway? Aren't I the one you really want?"
"No!" Sebastian shouted. "If either of you had to keep your powers I would prefer it to be you. At least you're blood. Jace is worthless."
Trying to keep her anger at bay, Clary shut her eyes tight. "He's not worthless."
"Before he got those powers, he most certainly was." The words came out as a whisper. Menacing and low.
"He is not," Clary started soft and then went loud, "WORTHLESS!" And with that last shout, she felt power surging through her. Not her own power radiating from her, but rather power coming into her body. When the feeling went away, she stared down at her hands feeling confused.
"What just happened?" Sebastian questioned and Clary looked up at him.
"Did you feel that too?"
"I-" Sebastian raised his hand and flexed his fingers but nothing came from it. "What?"
Clary followed in his example and raised her own hand. Only, when she flexed her fingers, fire came from her palm. Frightened, she immediately dropped her arm. "How did I do that?"
Sebastian cocked his head at her. "Your anger unlocked a new power." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And using it, you just stole mine."
Sebastian snapped his fingers and pointed at the machine. Without a word being said, his copies started heading for Clary. Two of them grabbed either of her arms and dragged her towards the machine. As they were pushing her inside, Clary started to panic a little.
"Wait, does this mean that you'll honor the agreement with Jace? Just with me instead?"
Sebastian thought for a moment, then he nodded. "I suppose I will."
"Thank you," she breathed.
"You know, I always loved you, Clary," Sebastian said as he put his hand on the door of the machine. "You're my only sister." He pursed his lips in thought. "But I think I would kill you if I had to. I think I would kill you even if I didn't have to." With that, he grinned and began to close the door. "See you in the past."
When Jace woke up, he had no idea where he was. Of course, he had been expecting to not know where he was. But the fact that he knew he had been expecting to not know where he was meant that something went wrong. He still had his powers. Or he still had his memories of his powers.
Sitting up so fast he gave himself a head rush, Jace looked around. He was in Magnus' apartment. This is another thing he wouldn't have known if that blasted machine that Sebastian built had worked. He could remember everything. Why could he remember everything?
Figuring that it would be good to test if his powers themselves worked, Jace stood up and ran in a circle around the living room. Yeah, his super-speed still worked. So then, if Sebastian's machine didn't work how did he get back to Magnus'? And what would happen now that their agreement was most likely off? This was all very bad. Excruciatingly, unexplainably bad.
"What the hell happened?" Jace wondered aloud staring down at his hands.
"I actually have a very similar question to that." At the sudden voice, Jace looked up. Before him stood Alec (the one that had spoken), Magnus, Isabelle, and Simon.
"Though I would like to add one thing," Magnus piped up, "I freaking knew it."
