Chapter Twelve: Earth, Fire and Water
As we followed the two fleeing mutants, we soon realised that they were heading west, towards the facility owned by my father; the genetics lab. It seemed as if Chris had been right, and that was indeed their base of operations. If we could intercept them and finish them – then we'd only have to worry about my father and the fourth of his mutants. It was at this point that I began to worry. Professor Xavier had described my father as a very powerful mutant, but just how powerful was he? Was he beyond our capabilities? We had no way of knowing right now, which meant it was imperative that we stopped Mindstorm and Inferno before they got back. Eliminating the two of them would make defeating my father that much easier.
"She's going to know we're following her, you do realise that?" Jacqueline was saying, as we jogged along the street, going west, "Mindstorm will sense us and know exactly where we are."
"Nothing we can do about that," said Chris. "As long as we can get to them before they can get to safety, we've got them. Knowing we're coming isn't going to save them."
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Can't you read Mindstorm's mind and see what they're thinking?" Chloe suggested.
"Nah, of course not. She'd sense it."
"So what? She knows we're coming after her anyway," said Chris. "You might as well try it. If they're going to try and trap us in some way, we can listen in on their plan."
"Yes, but the second she detects me, she'll stop talking about their plan."
"Read Inferno's mind, then."
"She'd still sense me. It would take her longer, though. OK, I'll give it a try. She'll sense me before too long, but I might be able to hear something useful. I'll read Inferno's mind and transmit their thoughts to all of you."
A few moments passed, then I could hear their voices.
Let me go back. I want to kill them.
Shut up, Inferno. We can't destroy them on our own.
So what are we doing, running away?
No, we're going to go back to base, find Antaeus, and wait for them there. They're coming after us, I can sense them.
I want to kill them. For what they did to my brother.
Chameleon was a fool. It was his own fault, running off like that.
Don't you ever speak about my twin like that, or I'll – !
Oh, do shut up. Damn it, that other telepath is reading your mind. Don't say or think anything.
There was nothing, and Jacqueline said, "She sensed me."
"Who's Antaeus?" asked Chloe.
"Must be the last of the four, the one we've not met," said Chris.
I frowned, "Wasn't Antaeus some guy from Greek mythology?"
"Yes," said Jacqueline. "A giant who was invincible until he was killed by Hercules. Antaeus was the son of Poseidon and Gaia."
"Gaia?" Chloe repeated.
Chris blinked, "How do you know that?"
Jacqueline shrugged, "I did a project on Greek history at school."
"OK. Well, I hope this Antaeus isn't some invincible giant."
We continued running down the road, drawing ever closer to the place where we would meet my father. In the distance a tall, glass-fronted building was visible, and I focused on it for a closer look.
"I can see the genetics lab," I said. "It's that big silver building sticking up above the rest. See it?"
"Yeah. Can you see inside?"
I looked through the wall of the building, into its interior, and scanned the first few floors, "Can't see anyone. It looks empty."
"It won't be. Keep looking."
I brought my gaze up to the top of the building. On the roof sat a small helicopter and a large communications dish. Looking through the walls once more, I examined the top floors.
"Ah, I can see somebody," I said to the others. "Zooming in a bit…it's my father."
"What's he doing?"
"Seems to be just working in a lab. Doesn't look as if he's expecting us."
"Good," said Chris, then he hesitated before saying. "Neil, you are aware, aren't you, that we're going to have to kill him too? I know he's your father, but…"
"I don't have a problem with that," I said. "He may be my genetic antecedent, but he's never acted as a true father should. I won't miss him."
"All right. Just so that's clear. Chloe, I know you're not entirely comfortable with this killing thing…"
"No, but I suppose you're right about it," said Chloe sadly. "They are our enemies. After all, the treatment, or whatever it was that gave them their mutations, warped their minds and made them evil. We shouldn't have the same compunction that we would have for hurting an ordinary person."
"Jacqueline, I assume you don't have a problem?"
"Half of me doesn't."
"Huh?"
Jacqueline sighed, "I suppose it's time I told you the truth. Neil already knows about my problem, but it's time I told you and Chloe as well. I'm going insane, Chris, I can feel it. When my parents disowned me, I didn't know how to cope with it, and I lost my mind for a while. My consciousness separated into two. We're both still in here."
"We?"
"Yes. My own mind has aged and learned as my life has progressed, but the other mind is still stuck as a seven year-old girl. She's been in my head since that day, and my mental health has been getting progressively worse. What Neil did, going in and helping me take back control of my body, it helped, but I'm still going crazy."
"But even a split personality doesn't give you two totally separate minds."
"I know. It must be because I'm a telepath, and my mind can separate from the body – or something. I don't know why it happened, but it happened. Anyway, I just want to get this whole thing out of the way and kill Rosiçky before I lose my mind completely."
"It can't be that bad."
"It is."
"Can't the Professor help you?" asked Chloe.
"I don't know. Maybe."
I said, "Once we've finished off my father, we'll contact Xavier and see if he's willing to help, OK?"
Jacqueline closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded slowly, "I suppose it's worth a try. I can hardly think straight at all any more. The only respite I get is when I'm outside of my body, reading somebody else's mind. It's only then that I'm not stuck in my own head with a traumatised seven year-old screaming at me."
"We'll do it," Chris promised. "We'll finish these four off, then we'll go back to Xavier's. I'll apologise to him on bended knee if I have to, if it will convince him to help you."
She smiled, "Thanks, Chris. Under that bitter exterior, you're a different person, you know that?"
"Hey, don't get all sentimental on me," he grinned. "You'll just embarrass me. Come on, we need to focus. How are we going to beat Mindstorm if she's more powerful than you both?"
"Should have brought that elephant with us," I said, and Chloe smiled.
"We just need to use a bit of cleverness," Jacqueline said. "Inferno's gone crazy at losing his brother, so we can easily manipulate him into a mistake."
"Where are they now, incidentally? Are we gaining on them?"
"Yes. They're not far from the labs, but we're nearly on them."
"I can see them," I said, looking into the distance. "Up ahead. Inferno's still limping. Mindstorm's actually having to use her telekinesis to move him faster."
"Good, that means she's using up her power," said Jacqueline.
Chris said, "Chloe, if you see any animals that might lend us a hand, give them a shout."
"I don't see any. There's a few pigeons flying around, but you know I can't really do it with birds yet."
"We're close, even I can see them," said Chris, pointing up the street. "OK, here's what we'll do. Jacqueline, hit them with your power. Even if it doesn't hurt Mindstorm, at least it'll keep her busy. Chloe, you look around for any animals you can find, or just stay out of trouble if there aren't any. Neil, you and I will take them. Use your berserk attack."
"Inferno has the same gift," I said.
"I'll worry about Inferno. You go for Mindstorm."
"Oh, thanks. Pick the easy target, why don't you?"
"Hey, can you change into liquid to avoid him breathing fire at you?"
I shook my head, "No."
"And you have some telekinetic ability yourself, so that'll help against her. Here we go!"
Mindstorm must have realised she couldn't reach the lab in time, and had turned to face us. Jacqueline raised her hand, and sent a burst of psychic energy towards our enemies. Mindstorm raised her hand to block it, but it had given Chris and I the time we needed to move towards them. I lifted my arms to block the psychic blast I knew was coming, and was only slightly knocked off balance when Mindstorm fired it at me.
I thought of Chloe being hurt, of what my father had done to me, and anger flowed through my veins. Entering my berserk attack, I charged towards Mindstorm. She was preoccupied with blocking another attack from Jacqueline, and I swung a fury-enhanced punch towards her, smacking solidly into her face, knocking her off balance. She screamed, the first time I'd heard her speak without using telepathy. I leapt on top of her, forcing her to the ground, and punched her in the jaw once more. Mindstorm was shocked and weakened. I could sense it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chris and Inferno, grappling together, matching each other blow for blow, move for move, one fighting in an insane frenzy of rage, the other calmly and fluidly using his knowledge of martial arts. They were the clashing balance of opposites, like fire and water.
Neil! Look out!
I heard Jacqueline's telepathic warning a second too late, as a huge hand grabbed me from behind, and hurled me into the air. I found myself sailing up, over Chris and Inferno, and used my own telekinesis to slow my upward movements, then bring myself back down to earth. I looked over to see who had attacked.
A giant stood over Mindstorm – he had to be at least seven feet tall – and helped to her feet. Her petite form looked almost doll-like beside his massive frame. He wasn't just tall, he was heavily muscled and in all dimensions he was about one and a half times the size of an ordinary human. This had to be Antaeus. He clenched his fists and began lumbering towards me, surprisingly fast for one so large. I panicked. The balance of power had suddenly swung back in their direction. Chris was getting the better of Inferno, but there was no way I could stand up to the colossal Antaeus. How much power did Jacqueline have left to keep distracting Mindstorm?
I'd forgotten about Chloe. From the alleyway where I'd last seen her, came three Alsatian dogs, running towards Antaeus. Snapping at his legs, scratching him with their claws, quick and nimble enough to avoid the clumsy blows from his huge fists. I took advantage of his distraction to run up behind him and deliver a solid kick to his groinal area. It would have left any ordinary man writhing on the ground, but Antaeus was no ordinary man. He turned to swipe at me with one hand, and I dived to the floor to avoid him.
Nice try, but Antaeus doesn't feel pain, came Mindstorm's voice, one of his gifts.
Thanks for the tip, I shot back sarcastically, getting to my feet.
The giant, ignoring the dogs, was striding towards me again. Even using my berserk attack, I knew I had no chance of defeating him hand to hand. I had to use a bit of cunning, a bit of cleverness. I looked around for some trap that I might be able to spring on Antaeus. Would he fall for something like that? His general appearance didn't suggest he'd be challenging for Nobel prizes any time soon, but appearances could be deceiving. And Mindstorm would probably warn him if I tried anything sneaky. So what to do? Leading him away from Mindstorm seemed like a good idea. I hurried up the street, away from the rest of them.
Mindstorm noticed me instantly, and began following, walking backwards, keeping her attention on Jacqueline. The two of them were still exchanging their psychic blasts, firing, dodging, blocking. With Mindstorm's back turned, I wondered about the possibility of attacking her from behind, but to do that I'd need to get past Antaeus. Easier said than done. The dogs were still biting and scratching at him, but he appeared not to notice.
"You die," he said to me, speaking in a slow monotone that implied the lack of intelligence I'd suspected.
I needed a plan.
Jacqueline? How did Hercules defeat Antaeus?
Lifted him off the ground and crushed him. Antaeus drew his power from the earth so he was vulnerable while in the air. I wouldn't recommend getting close enough to this guy to try it.
The giant stretched out his arms, and opened his huge hands, running towards me. His intention was clear: to choke me to death. I continued backing away, looking around for anything I might use to my advantage. Mindstorm was still following the two of us, and Jacqueline was following her, the two female telepaths still locked in their duel. Squinting up the street momentarily, I saw Inferno lying motionless on the ground, and Chris hurrying to my aid.
Chris? Is Inferno dead? I asked.
I didn't have time to check. I don't think so. You need help?
Yes.
On my way.
Sprinting past the preoccupied Mindstorm, he leapt at Antaeus from behind, delivering a two-footed kick to the back of the giant's head. It might have maimed or even killed a normal man, but Antaeus merely turned his head to see what had happened. Chris scrambled to his feet and ducked one of the huge fists as it was swung at him.
"Come on, big guy," he taunted. "How good are you?"
Antaeus tried to punch him once more, but Chris dodged easily, and grinned, "Bit slow, aren't you?"
The colossus gave a grunt of annoyance, and threw another punch, missing again.
"Really, this is getting quite predictable," Chris said, faking a yawn. "Can't you do anything else?"
Look out! I heard Jacqueline yelling, but I couldn't tell why.
Then I could. I felt my body rising from the ground, and I looked over to see Mindstorm, her arms raised, lifting myself, Chris and Antaeus into the air. Hang on – why was she lifting Antaeus? What did she have in mind? I felt my ascent begin to slow, as Jacqueline tried to counter, but Mindstorm was too powerful, and we rose higher and higher into the air. Eventually we were level with the roof of the laboratory building, then we were above it. Our upward motion stopped, and she set us down on top of the building.
"OK, that was strange," Chris said. "Why'd she do that?"
I knew why. On the roof, several stories above the ground, we were much more vulnerable. Chris could dodge and duck Antaeus' blows all day long if he was down on the ground, but up here…the giant could simply force him into a corner, and there would be no escape. Antaeus was clearly taking a few moments to fully understand what had just happened to him, and this gave Chris and I the chance to prepare ourselves. There was one door, leading down to the lower levels. If we could get to it, we could escape. Unfortunately, the same simple concept had occurred to Antaeus, and he moved over to block the door.
"Here's a plan," I said. "Chris, get him over to the edge. Piss him off, get his attention, lure him over to the side, away from Mindstorm. I'll use my telekinesis to throw him over the edge."
Chris nodded, and began yelling insults at Antaeus. The giant growled angrily and lumbered over towards him. I prepared to fling a psychic blast in Antaeus' direction, when I sensed something was wrong. Detecting Inferno's presence behind me a second before it was too late, I ducked to avoid the column of fire that spewed from his mouth, and kicked out at his injured leg. Where had he come from? Mindstorm must have lifted him on to the roof as well.
"Neil, telekinesis please!" I heard Chris yell.
He was being forced towards the edge of the building, Antaeus advancing slowly, leaving Chris less and less room to retreat into. I raised my hand to push Antaeus over the edge, but Inferno grabbed my arm and pulled it aside. I couldn't use my power. Elbowing Inferno in the face, I pushed him aside and raised my arm again.
It was too late. Chris was standing on the edge of the building, Antaeus directly between the two of us. If I fired a psychic blast, I'd knock Chris off too. There was nothing I could do. Inferno was momentarily stunned, and I watched in stunned dismay as Antaeus moved to knock Chris over the edge.
Chris leapt towards Antaeus. It was foolish to say the least, the last brave action of a doomed man. Or so I thought. Chris changed into liquid in mid-leap, flowing cleanly around Antaeus, and landing harmlessly in a puddle on the other side of the giant. Solidifying once more, he kicked the colossus in the knees. Antaeus lost his balance, and teetered on the edge. I raised my hand and pushed him off the side of the building. He gave a startled grunt, and fell out of sight. I winced at the sickening crump as he hit the ground several stories below, then turned to face Inferno. He was on his feet, and running for the door that led to the stairs.
"He's going to warn my father!" I yelled.
"I'll take care of him!" Chris shouted. "You check on Jacqueline!"
Inferno was almost at the door that went downstairs. Chris sped towards the fire-breather, tackling him to the ground, and the two of them went rolling down the stairs to the floor below. I hurried to the edge of the building and looked down, zooming in for a better view. My eyes widened in horror at the scene unfolding below. Jacqueline lay on the ground, unconscious or dead. Mindstorm was on her feet, her arm raised, Chloe suspended in mid-air in front of her. Turning her hand this way and that, Mindstorm was causing various parts of Chloe's body to twist or stretch in ways that they were clearly not meant to, and my girlfriend was shrieking in agony. Mindstorm was torturing her.
Fury burned throughout my body like a volcanic eruption. I screamed and went into my berserk state. Jumping off the side of the building, I used my telekinesis to slow myself until I touched down safely on the ground. Accelerating towards Mindstorm, still mad with rage, I pulled back my fist to knock her pretty face into next week. She sensed me, and turned, raising her other hand. I was thrown backwards, and I felt my adrenaline rush dissipate. Pain registered, and I struggled to get to my feet. Mindstorm had returned to using her power to torture Chloe, and I knew at any moment she could get bored, and snap Chloe's neck. I forced myself to stagger towards her, but another psychic blast knocked me to the floor, and this time I didn't have the strength to get up. There was nothing I could do. Chloe was going to die.
Slowly, almost impossibly slowly, Jacqueline raised herself from the ground. Unseen by Mindstorm, she grabbed the smaller telepath from behind, putting her hands firmly on either side of Mindstorm's head. Chloe was released from the telekinesis, and Mindstorm raised her hand to try and throw Jacqueline away from her. She couldn't. Jacqueline held on as tightly as she could, and suddenly both of them began screaming; Jacqueline in pain, Mindstorm in fear.
"What's happening?" Chloe yelled.
Suddenly it became clear to me.
"She's going dormant in her mind!" I shouted. "Remember what happened when she tried to use Cerebro? She's burrowing into the depths of her mind and she's dragging Mindstorm in with her!"
They continued screaming, Mindstorm losing control and shrieking with genuine terror. Then she slumped and her body fell forward to the ground, lifeless. Jacqueline swayed for a moment, then collapsed. Chloe and I ran over to her.
"Is she all right?" Chloe gasped.
"I don't know. She must still be in the depths of her mind. They must both be in there."
"But Jacqueline can regain control, right?"
"I don't know that either. She did it last time, with my help. But with Mindstorm in there – they'll both be fighting to take control of her body!"
"What are you going to do?"
Kneeling by Jacqueline's side, I put my hands on her forehead, establishing a telepathic link, "Whatever I can."
