15
The wooden door gave a faint creek that echoed through the spacious room as I opened it. At this point, I hardly cared if I made a large amount of noise; the time for stealth had already passed and they knew that we were here. There was no reason to keep hiding. Looking around as I walked in, I could see the room used to be a warehouse. A few shelves dotted the perimeter, some filled with various items. Windows near the ceiling were the only source of light, letting the sun shine through and create squares of pale yellow against the gray stone floor. From what Jam had told me after hacking Brandon's communication devices, which I still had no idea how he managed to do that, none of the leaders were on the first floor. And this was the only place that I hadn't checked on the second floor, so Tyler had to be here. I'd wanted to contact him and ask, just to be sure, since I knew he had access to the security cameras, but he never responded, so I decided to just take my chances instead. I'd already gotten this far without any problems, so I might as well continue.
The sense of someone watching me snapped me back to reality, and I glanced up instinctively to see a balcony that had been hidden in the shadows, preventing me from seeing it when I first arrived. But it wasn't empty. Standing there, his face and dark eyes hardened, was Tyler, staring daggers back at me. He was wearing some type of armor on his body from head to toe, but it wasn't made from any material that I've seen before. It looked to have been created from a kind of stone, but it was transparent, with a cobalt hue.
However, there was more movement in the shadows behind him, slight, yet distinct. Someone else was here, but it was too dark in the back to be able to see who or what it was. I wasn't too concerned about it though; there were more important things to deal with.
"Jason, I'm surprised," Tyler spoke, his voice low and menacing. My eyes widened; I hadn't expected a conversation to start up. "Out of all the Shifters in your small group, you're the last one I expected to come face me."
"Well, it shouldn't be so hard to comprehend," I retorted, regaining my composure. "With all the time we've had, my skills have advanced to equal your level, if not more. It makes sense that it all comes to this."
A smile played at the corners of his lips. "I doubt that. There is still plenty about Shifting that you haven't learned. And never will." With that, he began to raise his hand.
I was quicker. In a flash, one of the windows disappeared in a burst of Particles and reformed in my grip as a silver gun, already loaded and pointed at Tyler. I had practiced Shifting objects containing other objects for a while by now, so I was glad that it paid off in circumstances like these. However, no sooner had I aimed it at him, I heard the click of another gun being loaded behind him, from the shadows. The figure was also training a gun on me, but I didn't concentrate on that at the moment. Tyler didn't seem to notice it. A shocked expression had formed on his face as his hand froze in place. Then he let out a small laugh, returning his hand to his side.
"You must really want to kill me," he said casually. "There's another reason you've come to face me. Tell me, what is it? What made you-"
"You stole my powers," I hissed, my anger rising. "After you shot me with that Taser all those months ago. You weakened my Shifting abilities. I'm here to get them all back. And if killing you is going to do it, then so be it."
Tyler smirked. "Hate to break it to you, but it's not going to work the way you think. I may have taken the Particles within your body, but I'm not in possession of them. You'll only seal your own fate by doing this, and I don't think you'd want that."
My eyebrows knitted in fury. "Why don't you come off that edge and see if you're right?"
Tyler opened his mouth to respond, but then he took notice of something behind me, and his face became ugly with hatred. At the same time, footsteps filled the large room, and I couldn't help but glance back. I was surprised to see Aiden walking up to us, his fiery eyes fixed intently on Tyler.
"Jason, put the gun away," Aiden said quietly, once he was close enough, his lips barely moving.
A growl of fury came from above, and I spun around to see Tyler launch himself over the railing, eyes blazing. It was about 30 feet above the ground, but I acted instinctively, firing three times at his body. However, the bullets simply ricocheted off his armor as if I'd shot Nerf balls at him. He Shifted the rest of the way down, landing on the floor unharmed. I realized with a jolt that the blue coating must be bulletproof, which made me wonder if there was anything else it could withstand.
"You better run before you do something you'll regret," Tyler warned, obviously talking to Aiden.
"That's not going to happen," he replied unemotionally.
I frowned in annoyance; I'd been hoping to face off against Tyler alone, partly to prove myself.
"What happened with Kaitlyn?" I whispered to him.
Aiden shook his head. "The plan's changed. I'm not fighting her anymore."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I didn't care very much. What mattered right now was eliminating Tyler once and for all. I turned to face him, Shifting the gun in my hand into a Particle sword. Aiden stepped up beside me, forming one of his own.
Tyler scowled at us. "Why bother putting up a fight at all? Your army has been wiped out, and you're hopelessly outmatched, not that you'd know. Just surrender."
I looked down at the ground, feeling my rage burn and my grip tighten. I was trying to wait for the right moment to attack, but he was making it harder to do so. I attempted not to concentrate on his words.
"We came here with a mission to take you guys out," Aiden replied boldly. "No point in stopping here, since we're so close."
"So close, yet so far," Tyler sneered. "You attempt to advance any further than where you stand, and you'll be dead within seconds. Your little friend Jam was smart to stay back and not assist in his brother's fight. You might want to consider it."
At this point, I couldn't control myself anymore. From all the things he'd done to us, this entire conversation was the one thing that drove me over the edge. I raised my head, then took off in a flash, sword ready to spear through his body. I was aware that solid material couldn't penetrate the armor that he wore, but Particle weapons could be a different story, seeing as they could go through anything. Aiden's voice came behind me, but I blocked it out, making it sound like a low echo in my mind. I didn't care what he was saying; finishing off Tyler was all I could think about. Once I got close enough, I swung my sword, intent on cutting through his chest and wiping the smug expression off his face.
But it never reached.
Immediately, another Particle sword clashed with mine, halting my advance, but it wasn't Tyler's. Someone else had swept in to aid him. My eyes widened in horror and shock as I stared in disbelief at this newcomer. His eyes were dark, blazing with hatred and utterly familiar. Panic filled my mind as I froze in place, unable to move.
"You have gotten better," Kaitlyn grunted, struggling to push her sword off of Lin's as they stood in a standstill.
"You seemed surprised," Lin retorted, feeling sweat on her forehead. The two of them had been at it for a few minutes, and they were pretty evenly matched. "We've been training for five months. What'd you think would happen?"
Kaitlyn smirked. "I've been doing this for longer than you have. And there are definitely still things that you could never do in terms of Shifting that I can." Then, she kicked Lin hard in her leg. Lin, not expecting this, fell back, favoring her limb, which freed up their block.
She just barely managed to fight off Kaitlyn's strikes and slashes long enough to regain better leverage before she started pressing the offense. Gradually, she began driving Kaitlyn down a side hallway leading to a collection of offices and a stairway back down to the first floor. Occasionally, Kaitlyn would try to Shift a heavy object, such as a door or a ceiling tile, over Lin's head in an effort to clobber her, but she'd end up dodging it right before it hit. Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Kaitlyn tried a different tactic, and began Shifting all around Lin in an attempt to disorient her. This ended up working out better, and she managed to score several hits on her, despite being countered by Lin most of the time. But, Kaitlyn was still quick enough to solidify her sword, deliver a cut, and then vanish with her reformed Particle sword before Lin could do any damage.
Eventually, Lin began to grow exhausted and in pain. The cuts on her arms and sides were bleeding badly, and the constant assault was becoming too fast for her to keep up with. Something had to change, and instantly, a plan formed in her mind. The next time Kaitlyn reappeared in front of her, Lin focused on the section of ceiling about five feet in front of her, and it immediately turned into a stone wall just as she stabbed her sword at her. It stopped inches from her chest, being trapped in a solid expanse of rock, separating her from Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn gasped in surprise, then tried to pull her sword out, caught off guard. Lin took a moment to catch her breath, then went right to work fixing up her wounds. A stack of papers from behind her burst into Particles and reformed into a pack of liquid nurem in her hand. Upon applying it to her cuts, they healed instantly, the blood clotting and the skin sealing up. It was a big relief, but she had to hurry up before Kaitlyn was on her. Sure enough, the wall dispersed into Particles seconds later, with Kaitlyn glaring at her hatefully.
Lin stood up, throwing the pack away. Most of the damage had been taken care of and she was ready to fight, not rest.
Not that Kaitlyn was giving her much of a choice. She charged again, sword swinging, and Lin raised hers yet again to block, but was caught off guard by Kaitlyn's momentum, and was pushed into the office behind her as she tried to fight back. Eyebrows knitted, Lin glanced at a computer monitor, and it reformed into a rock above Kaitlyn's head, about to crush her. She returned the scowl, and the rock reappeared over Lin's head right before it would've struck. Her eyes widened and she jumped back, destroying the rock with a single thought. Kaitlyn gave her a knowing smile.
"So, you're one of them," she said slyly. "You know, it's Destroyers like you that are the reason for this 'pointless battle', as you put it. Their powers are too dangerous for this world, and we don't need any of that right now. So, it's our job to take them out."
Lin scowled, parrying the next group of Kaitlyn's attacks, pushing her back farther. Glancing behind her, she noticed they were getting closer to a balcony outside. In a desperate attempt, Lin Shifted the door above Kaitlyn's head, trying to distract her, but it was feeble. She glanced up, and the door dissipated into Particles, as if it was melting away under her hard gaze.
"You're a Shape Destroyer too," Lin growled. "You want to kill us, but you also have our powers."
"I may be a Destroyer, but I also have the balance to correct it. You don't, so with one accidental thought, this whole building could go up in thin air, and not easily come back."
"What are you talking about?" Lin demanded.
"I figured that you wouldn't understand," she replied casually with a shrug. "It doesn't matter, though. When I'm done with you, you won't have to worry about it."
Lin seethed as she slashed at Kaitlyn repeatedly, trying to inflict some damage, any damage. But Kaitlyn blocked all her attacks, slowly but surely driving Lin closer to the edge of the balcony. At one point, she felt the backs of her arms brush up against the cool metal railing, and she glanced back seeing a drop to the ground over 20 feet below. Kaitlyn wasn't letting up, so after yet another parry, Lin looked toward the top of the building, and instantly Shifted to the rook, which was just a huge expanse of stone and brick, completely flat save for a few wireless internet satellites that hadn't been used in years.
By this point, the sun was pretty high up in the sky, its heat causing the air to feel warm and sticky. But Lin barely noticed this as Kaitlyn materialized 10 feet away, now adorned in transparent armor colored blue. Lin charged this time, forming another Particle sword into her left hand, ready to destroy her once and for all. The two swords ricochet off the hard coating, issuing a metallic clang as Lin flew backward.
She caught herself in a crouch, breathing heavily, confusion and horror filling her head. Did that just happen? Does Kaitlyn have armor that can withstand Particle weapons? But how?
She didn't get to ponder this question for long before she realized her feet weren't on the ground anymore. Instead, she was up in the air, falling fast and hard toward the roof of the building, the wind roaring in her ears, and her stomach in her chest. She gave a scream of surprise, panicking on how to save herself. Her mind was too full of fear to try to Shift away. When Lin was about 100 feet away, Kaitlyn appeared inches away, giving her a hard shove. Lin rocketed diagonally to the side, rapidly gaining speed. At this point, if she crashed, she didn't think she would survive. But, seeing Kaitlyn had cleared her head, allowing her to think clearly again. She tried to face the roof, and concentrated with all her might. She felt herself flying through time and space until, finally, her feet touched back down on the stone.
She was about to take a quick rest before she realized that her swords were gone; she'd probably dropped them when she was in the air. It didn't matter, though, she could get new ones. Lin stretched her hand out toward another satellite and thought of it becoming a sword. But, at that moment, she felt something hard strike the back of her head, and all thought stopped.