And we're back at it again! Thanks so much for returning. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. Let's get back to the story.
W~I~T~C~H
The last time Taranee had slept this good was . . . Well when she slept on Hootakah during her and Irma's honeymoon. Oh, such a wonderful moment in such a beautiful place. When she and Irma decided to make love for the first time underneath their moons and stars. Protected by nothing but a veil canopy atop a secluded hill nestled deep within one of their most beautiful forests. She would never forget that time, for she dreamt about it almost every night. The feeling of love increased whenever Irma was near. This night was cold, but as the Guardian of Fire, Taranee was forever warm, in one way or another.
Even now, sleeping on the couch alongside her mother the cold wavered around them, cocooning them in warmth and love, sealing Taranee in that dream one more time. There were the stars, free to observe without the veil obscuring their sight from their beauty. She could stare at them all day in Irma's arms. Somewhere out there, someone was watching them as well. Could they too fathom the love blossoming between them?
Taranee slowly swiveled her head to gleam her sight into Irma's matching the ferocity of love that lied between them. 'Twas the night of their wedding. The festivities had ended, leaving them once more with only each other. Their smile's slowly broke into a grin before their heads leaned in close. Eyes fluttered closed, Irma's hand softly found Taranee's cheek, holding her in place before the inevitable fireworks that sparked between them finally lit. A simple brush of the lip. Then…
"WAKE UP!"
Taranee shrieked and shot from her mother's embrace to her feet. Her hands burst into flames, her body posing for battle.
The rush of energy pulled her mother Theresa from her sleep. In a snap, her eyes popped open and she straightened in her seat.
"What, what, what is it?" She asked. Her blurry vision focused on Taranee and her position. She was in that... That Guardian form that would bring nightmares to poor little Tara if she were to walk in here.
"Taranee?" She asked.
Taranee stopped her frantic breathing and disengaged her powers. She took deep breaths to slow her heart. What was that? Someone… Someone shouting in her head.
"Sorry, mom," she apologized.
Theresa rose to her feet and placed a gentle hand on her daughter's cheek. "Are you okay?"
"I . . . think so," she answered. "But someone woke me up."
"Is anyone up?!" There it was again. No, not an it…
"Melissa," Taranee whispered to herself. She quickly replied. "Melissa, what's wrong?"
"Yeah," Hay-Lin tiredly added. "What's going on?"
"Did you and Will have another argument?" Irma piqued in.
"Not the first time," Cornelia commented.
"No—well . . . yes. But that's not the point. It's what we were arguing over."
"Which is…"
"Will's going to the tower on her own. I think she's already infiltrated."
"What?!" Hay-Lin shouted. Her piercing voice forced a twitch out of Taranee. "Why would she go alone?!"
Taranee asked the same question privately to herself. She knew they were planning on invading it, why would she go alone? Out of all the years they've known Will, she always had a reason for these things.
"I'm not sure, I guess she got some inspiration from somewhere. Will switches her personality, you guys know that. We have to get her out of there."
"Everyone meet up at the tower," Hay-Lin ordered. "We have to get to Will before something goes wrong."
"Ladies…" Cornelia said. "I hear sirens."
Taranee didn't bother to wait and listen. She turned to Theresa with eyes full of fire. "We're needed. I have to go."
"Wait, Taranee…"
She didn't. She jogged for the sliding glass door leading to the backyard and yanked it open. The moment she stepped out into the cool grass, she took off into the sky and circled back to head into the city, leaving her mother to watch her fly off into the distance, hoping for her safety.
Taranee flew ahead of the red and blue cruising through the streets below her and met up with the rest of the Guardians scouting out the building from an adjacent rooftop. She landed next to Cornelia yawning, surely irate from being robbed of her beauty sleep.
"So Will couldn't wait, huh?" She asked.
Melissa shook her head and answered, "No. You know how she is, when her mind is set, she takes action."
Ugh. Hay-Lin stated, "This isn't the time for reckless behavior." She closed her eyes and reached out to her. "Will, what are you doing?" No answer. "Will, this isn't funny. Say something."
Her ping breached the glass walls of the building, soared through the dark and silent halls of TechCom to Starfire walking them cautiously. All the cameras had been disabled with a snap of her fingers and the guards inside were on the floor unconscious. All thirty of them. A silly notion to think they could simply stop her with tasers.
"...sorry," she replied. She unlocked and pushed open another door on the top floor of the building. "Couldn't wait for you ladies. If anyone can get that information, it's me."
"Will, it would've been better if we went in together."
"Of course. But if something goes wrong, like I feel it will, then someone on the outside needs to know what the plan is. Don't worry, I have faith that you girls will get me out of here if something happens."
"Will…" Melissa muttered. "Please…"
Star sighed and felt along the walls of this one office she was treading. "I know what you're going to say. But this is what we do as Guardians."
"Will, you'd better not let anything happen to you in there."
Will didn't respond right away. This must've been Doctor Matthews' office. It certainly seemed like the CEO-type. It was darkened, the space behind his massive desk facing the door was nothing but a glass wall, offering a perfect view of Heatherfield, and books upon books lined the walls.
"I can't promise that, Melissa," she replied. "But I can promise I'll try. Hopefully that's enough. I'm in Doctor Matthews' office. Nothing looks strange. Let me poke around."
She walked over to his desk and began combing through all the files and papers lining the top, like a rat searching for food. There was little to be found, let alone a crumb. She strode around it and checked the drawers embedded inside. Printer paper, keys, a few codes for accounts, businessman stuff. Oh, what was this?
Star pulled out a vanilla folder with a label on it reading, "GUProject." Well that was interesting.
She slapped it on his desk and pinged, "Well, well, well, What do we have here?"
"What is it?" Hay-Lin queried.
Star flipped it open and skimmed the document. There were diagrams and pictures. Notes, phone numbers… "The Original GU Portal Project Files. Including his own take on the programs. If anything has any information about his true plans, it's this."
"Good, now get out of there, I don't like how you went in there alone. This is a seriously high-stakes mission with an equally-as-high-stake enemy. He's dangerous and we have no idea of his intentions. Besides, the police are surrounding the building."
The police? How? Star pinged her question and eagerly left the room with the folder in hand. "When did they get here?"
"I think an alarm was triggered when you broke in," Melissa predicted. "You didn't know that?"
Will poked her head out of the hallway and scanned amongst the silence. "Wasn't at the front of my mind when I broke in."
There was no way they would all get in there and be able to fight. Three of them would be out of their elements, leaving only three on the inside to fight against all of them. They were outnumbered.
She pinged to the girl walking that building's halls. "Well someone triggered the alarm. Will, you'd better hurry and get out of there fast."
"Alright, I'll take the roof." Will stepped out of the hall and made a right for the nearest emergency exit. If there was anyway to get out, it would be that. So focused was she on the task at hand that she didn't see the figure watching directly behind her from the shadows, armed with a single pistol in hand. Its arm slowly raised, pointing directly at Will's neck before the trigger was pulled.
A dart, smaller than anything Will's ever encountered embedded itself into her neck. Like a small bite, Will's reaction was a slap to the source. She wiped it to the ground and brought her hand around to investigate. Nothing was there. Strange.
Will proceeded and almost made it to the staircase, preparing to ping the message before it took affect. "Alright, I'm here at . . . woah."
Melissa asked before anyone else could, "What is it?"
Will stopped walking and steadied herself against the wall. Her legs were growing numb, her body slowly began to tire. "I . . . I don't know, I'm exhausted all of a sudden."
Melissa was prepared to fly through there, but Hay-Lin's hand upon her shoulder stopped her. "Can you continue moving for the roof? We'll meet you there."
"No, don't get near this building, something isn't right." Will clumsily fell to a knee, taking deep breaths before she collapsed in weakness. "Girls, I'm down. Something's wrong."
"Well you sure took your time, Guardian." Will's blood froze over and her eyes popped open. "I thought I wouldn't be able to have my fun with you." She slowly tilted her head back and trained her eyes on the approaching figure that stepped out of the darkness and into the light. Doctor Matthews, with a smile fit for a demon, walked into sight with his hands behind his back and a devilish grin upon his face.
It was a trap.
"Shit," Will cursed to herself. She had to act fast. "Girls, the information is back at my house. My bedroom. Grab it, read it, finish the mission."
She clumsily slashed open a portal and slid the folder through before Matthews could come any closer. When she closed it, he raised his hands from behind his back and revealed two devices of the same kind. A small black box with a single button in the middle. Only then did she notice the earplugs in his ears before he pulled their triggers.
Will lost her breath. Her mouth opened in a silent oh. her thought processes were scrambled. If the girls were contacting her, then she couldn't hear them. All she could experience was the shrill sound of someone dragging their nails down a chalkboard right in both of her ears. She couldn't escape this sound, and her body was too tired to protect herself.
Doctor Matthews kneeled down next to her and grabbed her by the hair. With a pull, he painfully made her face him. "Welcome to hell, Guardian. I'll be here when you wake up."
The fatigue slowly crept over Will and invaded her mind, pinning her down until her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and the approaching darkness consumed her.
"Will? . . . WILL!" Melissa had enough. They lost contact with Will and they were just sitting here?
She stood up from atop the building and attempted to fly, but Taranee grabbed her wrist. Those helicopters would spot her in seconds.
"Let me go!" Melissa shouted. "She needs us!"
"The building's surrounded and we have no idea where she is!" Taranee reasoned. "We'll be done in seconds. We can't hurt the civilians, Melissa, we have to fall back."
Melissa yanked her arm out of Taranee's hold and pointed to the tower. "We can't fall back without Will. I'm not leaving her."
"We have no choice. We have to move before—" Taranee never finished her sentence. A whizz buzzed past Melissa's ear before Taranee suddenly jolted. Her grip on Melissa's wrist slackened and she dropped back on the rooftop.
"Taranee!" Irma bent low and scooped Taranee into her arms. "What happened?! What . . . Oh no, oh no..."
A large red spot was building in Taranee's shoulder, accentuated by the hole in her uniform.
"Taranee's been shot!"
Cornelia immediately slapped her hand against the gravel rooftop of the building. A collection of stones rapidly gathered together and created a firm wall, just in time for another bullet to hit. She heard it impact the other side followed by another and another. Like rain pelting against glass. Bits of stone making up the building's ledge shattered and blew from their previous locations. They were spotted.
"They're shooting!" She shouted. "We have to move now!"
Blood pooling around Taranee's shoulder leaked onto Hay-Lin's hands when she picked her up bridal style. "Fall back, fall back!" She ordered. Then quickly took to the air.
Irma, and Cornelia followed, but Melissa stayed after. She cast the tower one last glance before flying after herself. They would lose the helicopters and guardsmen before they could track them. Then they'd be back for Will. Dammit, she told her not to go in there alone.
She quickly caught up to the group flying low over the ground. Hay-Lin was buzzing desperately ahead with Taranee breathing heavily in her arms. Pain sketched across her face. Teeth ground against each other.
"You're going to be okay, Taranee," Hay-Lin told her. "You're going to be okay." The shock of the moment rendered her silent.
Cornelia quickly caught up and suggested, "We can take her to Kandracar."
"No, we all know what magic does to the insides if it touches the flesh. We have to take it out manually. Taranee's mom knows how to remove bullets, we'll take her back home."
Hay-Lin swooped lower into the neighborhood and approached Taranee's backyard. The five of them gently landed on the grass and focused on the house. A single light was on and Judge Cook was sitting in the kitchen yawning and eating a bowl of cereal
She glanced up when they landed. The spoon froze in her hand when her eyes laid upon the figure in Hay-Lin's arms. Despite it being dark, she knew the body of her daughter when she saw her.
The spoon clattered into the bowl. She jumped from her seat and ran into the living room when the sliding door was pulled open. "Oh my god, what happened?!"
"She was shot, she needs help!" Hay-Lin shouted. "It was a trap!"
"Let me get my kit! Set her on the kitchen table!" Theresa cleared it off and moved for the sink cabinets.
Irma grabbed Taranee's legs while Hay-Lin kept at her arms. They lifted her into the kitchen and carefully laid her on the kitchen table. They had to act fast, blood was dripping to the floor.
Once she was comfortable, Hay-Lin gripped Taranee's face and stared into her pain-filled eyes. "You're going to be okay," she said. "You're going to be fine."
Taranee nodded and whispered, "I know I'm going to be fine. It's just a flesh wound, stop being so dramatic. We just have to pull it out and patch me up."
Theresa came back with a pair of latex gloves, some rubbing alcohol, a cloth, and a tweezer. "Oh my god, oh my god, what happened tonight?!"
"It was a trap." Melissa walked over to Taranee with tears in her eyes. "Will stormed the tower but somehow the police found out and stormed the entire building. They were waiting for us. Taranee got hit when they started shooting."
They seemed to have swallowed off more than they could chew tonight, and Taranee paid the price for it. Theresa was upset, but more important matters were at hand right now.
"Alright, everyone stand back," she directed. "I need light and breathing room."
W~I~T~C~H
The lack of light attracted Will's eyes when she came to. It was cold, it was damp, it was dark. Her body felt out of proportions. Ugh, what did that monster hit her? Crazy bastard. Where was she?
Will blinked a few times to get her bearings back. She was in a cold room, a rather large one big enough to be mistaken for a gymnasium. But why did she feel weird? Like her limbs were… Uh oh.
Her limbs were tied down, and not to a chair. She seemed to be strapped to something hard and metal. A tilt of her head showed that something was a machine, bound and connected by multiple components and their wires. She seemed to have become a part of it.
Her forearms, legs, and chest were contained in different pods, glowing with the colors of those remnants on her body. What was this doing to her? Or, rather, what was it going to do?
Directly across was a steel door leading out. A small slit that made up the window revealed light on the other side. A few inches across from her, positioned on a rolling cart was a single computer monitor that he more than likely got from this very building, that damned Doctor Matthews.
"Melissa, can you hear me?" She thought. No answer. As a matter of fact, it felt a little different. Usually when she spoke with the others she could feel them on the other side. She felt nothing but her own mind. "Can anyone hear me? Taranee? Melissa? Irma, Hay-Lin, Cornelia?" Nothing. She was alone.
Will pulled against the containers keeping her arms and legs down. They barely budged. She could feel the power that they had over her body gathered in her wrists and her ankles. Like water waiting for the floodgates to open. What the hell was his plan?
The handle on the door was pulled down, creaking with age and pulling Will's attention away from her limbs to the front. There he was, walking into the room like he owned the world. He was dressed in a suit and tie, shiny dress shoes, and a serious expression, ready to do business.
He walked up to Will and a small smirk played at his face. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake up," he said.
"And I was beginning to wonder when you'd show your true colors," she bit back. She watched him walk behind the machine out of sight. "So, what's your little master plan?"
A laugh escaped his mouth before he answered, "Wouldn't you Guardians like to know."
"Well we're not back for a carnival."
"All you need to know… Is that you are a part of it." Doctor Matthews walked back into view with a pair of black rubber gloves on, pushing into sight a cart full of materials that pulled Will into sudden anxiety. Torture devices. Scissors, clamps, belts, a bat, a large knife, and a freaking hammer.
Will swallowed hard. She had a grave feeling that protecting herself was out of the picture. She tried using her powers, but all that came out was a deep hum from one of the containment units holding her hands.
Doctor Matthews set the cart to the side and calmly approached Will, chained up a few inches higher than him from the ground. He reached out and grabbed her chin, keeping her in place. "You and I are going to have some fun. You have something on you I need."
Will bared her teeth and hissed, "Fuck you."
"Uh uh uh." He yanked his hand up, forcing Will's head to bang against the machine. She cried out and dropped her head back down before he grabbed her by the hair, pulling it back up to face him. "Be respectful, Starfire. I know who you really are, Wilhelmina Vandom. You managed to get your hands on the Remnants before I could. But you didn't even bother to use them to their full potential."
"Because I'm not a monster."
He had enough of her mouth. No one interrupts him while he's talking. He let Will's head go, pulled back his arm and swung into Will's cheek. Her head shot to one side before it was followed by another that threw it back. She lost air in her lungs when he jabbed into her ribcage then once more into her cheek. The pain was unbearable. She hadn't felt anything like this in years. Her powers… They were being routed somewhere else. No wonder she couldn't contact the other Guardians.
She didn't have control of her powers anymore.
"Do not interrupt me," he warned. He grabbed her face by the chin and forced her to look into his eyes. She had a growing bruise around her own and a split lip. "You had a chance to use the Remnants. But instead you let them go to waste. I will not. But first I'm going to have some fun."
He let Will's head go and walked back over to his little torture desk. Will looked up and watched him grab the bat, forcing her heart to beat faster. He stared at it briefly, thinking on his decisions before setting it back down and walking over bare handed. He flexed his hands and balled them into fists.
"You know I miss using my hands for everything. This world has everything done for them. How lazy, don't you think? Surely you know what I mean, living on other worlds."
"What are you going to do to me," Will whispered through her pain.
He walked closer until his face was so close she could smell his minty breath. "Whatever I want. But I can't kill you, even after all the trouble you have given me. I need an audience anyway for what's to happen next."
He backed off and got into a fighting position. She knew it was coming, her eyes closed the moment the fist connected with her face. Followed by another and another.
"You're probably wondering…" Three more hits to the face. Each contact was accentuated with a flex of the muscles. "What my goal is." Little droplets of blood spilled to the ground with each impact. "What my plan was…" Small grunts escaped Will's mouth each time he hit her until he pulled back one more time and smashed straight into her face. Will's face hit the machine once more.
Doctor Matthews grabbed Will's chin before she could fall into unconsciousness and slapped her awake. "Stay up, Guardian. We're not finished."
Will took ragged breaths. She spat blood from her mouth and avoided his gaze. He forced her to meet his eyes. "Ask me what I'm going to do with you."
Will didn't say a word. She kept her mouth closed for a good ten seconds. That wasn't an answer he wanted. He walked back to the cart and grabbed the bat. It was held in two hands, adjusted for grip, and swung into Will's ribs.
He heard a crack before a beautiful scream of agony left her lips. It was shrill and full of pain. Just how he wanted. The bat was tossed to the side with a clatter, the beat to her song of suffering.
He watched the tears fall down her face, the cries of desperation leave her mouth. He grabbed her by the face and shouted, "Ask the question!"
Her voice was quiet. Barely above a whisper. "Wh . . . What are you going to do with me?"
He let her face fall from his hand and walked around the machine. A few switches were flipped on. The whirring of motors grew in harmony over Will's moans of pain. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'm going to use the Remnants attached to your body and power up the tower. It's going to release a beautiful beam of light into the air and punch a nice hole into the veil.
"You're . . . You're going to kill people," Will silently warned him. She cried out once more from the jolts flowing through her body.
"I know." One more switch was flipped and an engine began to run from directly behind Will. She could feel the vibrations in her back. "But sacrifices must be made."
"What . . . what is your goal?" She whimpered. "Why . . . are you doing this?"
"It's simple." Doctor Matthews walked around the machine and grabbed the bat. He raised it up and pulled back. "My goal is…" He swung the bat, the sharp crack was all Will heard before the darkness claimed her. Blood poured out of her mouth and leaked onto the floor, leaving her motionless. She could be dead after taking a blow like that. Matthews checked her pulse. No, she was still alive. He would hate to lose his audience.
Doctor Matthews almost felt guilty, and would have been if this had actually been a child. Despite her being in the body of a teenage girl, this "girl" was in truth an adult old enough to be his daughter. Because of her he was now behind schedule. Because of her, the government wasn on him. At least those false documents were holding up.
He bent low to Will's face and said, "Sleep tight, Guardian. Because you'll never get to again."
W~I~T~C~H
Well that was a crazy chapter, wasn't it? The tables flipped rather dramatically. This story will be done by chapter 55 and we'll be able to move on to a sequel. Once again, sorry for the delay, I'm beginning to work out a schedule to rid of all this backlog I have going on.
Thank you guys so much for keeping up with this WIP, I know it's been pretty stretched out in concerns of time, but we're almost done. Just stick with the story.
Thanks, peeps!
