Chapter Nine
Crusader's telekinetic blast hit Recyclo just as his other hand opened to form a second blade. He was thrown down the corridor away from me, and I was vaguely aware of light footsteps running towards me. My body was weak, sluggish and unresponsive, and I knew I was dying. It was only my incredible strength that was keeping me alive these last few seconds. I must have instinctively moved my hands to the gaping wound in my throat, as I could feel the blood seeping between my fingers. I tried to breathe but nothing happened – my windpipe must have been severed.
I felt a hand touching my neck and I could hear Annie's voice, soft and gentle, in my ear, "It's OK, Gary – you're OK."
I could feel the power surging from her hand into my body, and I realised she was healing me. For a second or two I felt dizzy and light-headed, then I managed to clear my mind and take control. I put my hand to my neck. The wound was gone, and my skin felt as if it had never been ruptured. I found I was breathing easily – it was as if there had never been any attack. Shaking my head to clear away the last of the dizziness, I looked up. Crusader was already advancing on Recyclo, her arm out as she tried to get a telekinetic lock on him, to hold him still. He threw a blade at her, but her other hand came up to deflect it away harmlessly. I got to my feet, swaying a little, putting a hand out to steady myself against the wall, and then followed her.
"It doesn't have to be like this," Annie was saying to him. "I know you're in pain. You don't have to do this. I can help you."
"I don't want your help! I don't need anyone's help!" Recyclo hissed.
"I know the damage that's been done to your mind. I know how much you have suffered. I can make it easier for you."
I wasn't telepathic but even I could tell that she wasn't going to convince him. Recyclo's grey eyes flashed with bloodlust and insanity, and he hurled another blade at my sister. This time she didn't even need to raise her hand; she blinked her eyes and the knife dropped to the floor.
"You can't kill me," she said. "It's time to stop killing."
"I will never stop killing!"
Recyclo raised both hands and from his palms came forth a white gas, filling the confined space of the corridor between him and my sister. Taken by surprise and delayed by uncertainty, Crusader reacted too late. The gas swarmed through the air towards her, and she shrieked with agony as it surrounded her. I saw her falling to her knees, screaming in pain, and I hurried forward to help her. The gas was around me now and I felt it stinging at my eyes and the back of my throat. Tear gas! My immunity to pain helped me ignore it, but I could only imagine the pain it was causing to Annie's ultra-sensitive eyes. She was curled on the floor, her hands over her face, sobbing uncontrollably as the gas attacked her senses. Recyclo was walking through the gas cloud towards her, either unfeeling or ignoring the effects of the gas himself. He raised a blade in one hand, and prepared to bring it down into the back of her head.
A jet of fire from my throat was enough to discourage him, and he jumped back to avoid the licking flames. I stood over Annie's trembling, agonised form, my fists clenched, ready to defend my sister. Recyclo backed away, his hands opening as he prepared to form new blades. I was too quick for him, and a right-fisted punch forced him to bring up both hands to form a metallic shield. He tried to rally, but I was too fast, kicking him into the wall. I was fighting with a furious frenzy now, along with an overpowering determination to protect Annie. I knew I loved my sister as much as I loved anybody, and right now I saw her as the most precious thing on the planet. An incredible feeling of love was flowing through my veins – I guessed her healing had something to do with it – and right now I wasn't going to let anything harm her.
Recyclo, however, wasn't going to give up easily. Before I knew it he was back on his feet, thrusting a half-formed blade towards my throat. I grabbed his wrist and used my superior strength to twist until he dropped the knife. With my left hand I threw a punch at his jaw, but he managed to block with another shield and the two of us broke apart, facing each other once more. The cloud of gas had dissipated and Annie was on her knees, her hands still covering her eyes, still crying and recovering from the torturous pain. I kept my attention on my opponent.
"To think I once called you friend," I spat.
"I was never your friend," Recyclo shot back. "I don't need any friends and I never have."
"Then why did you join the Brotherhood?"
"To kill. Until Pyro took that away from me. Then I had to kill him."
"He isn't dead."
"He soon will be."
I shook my head, "You won't catch him by surprise like that again. He's too smart for that."
"No, I didn't mean by my own hand. Something with a touch more inevitability."
"You mean the Plague?"
"No, not that either. It's – "
Annie shrieked, "Gary, look out!"
Recyclo's talking had put me off my guard, and I barely reacted in time as his arm flashed through the air, flicking another blade at my face. Throwing myself to the ground, I heard the blade thudding into the wall where I had just been standing, and I reacted in the only way I could think of, exhaling another column of flame in his direction. He dodged to the side and I got to my feet. Annie was hurrying towards us, and Recyclo's head snapped round to face her. He was trapped between the two of us. My sister was already lifting her hand to try and get a telekinetic lock, while I filled my lungs and prepared to flame him once more. Recyclo took the only option available to him, kicking open the door of the office nearest to him, and ducking inside. Annie and I ran to the doorway and got there at the same instant. There came the sound of glass smashing as Recyclo broke open the only window inside the office. He turned to hurl a blade in our direction, causing both of us to duck instinctively, then he kicked the rest of the window frame to the side and jumped out.
My sister and I hurried to the window and looked down. I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting to see, but I doubted Recyclo would have deliberately thrown himself to his death. I could hardly make out a thing in the darkness outside, but Annie squinted downwards and said, "He's slowing down his fall somehow…"
Of course. I had seen him do it before. He was using his power to create some kind of lighter-than-air gas, possibly helium, enabling him to descend slowly and safely.
"Come on, we've got to go after him!" I said, grabbing her arm. "Use your power to get us down there! We've got to get him!"
She concentrated for a moment then sighed, "I've already lost him. I just can't get a telepathic lock on him at all. His mind's completely warped and destroyed. You know I have trouble reading Marina's mind because it's all messed up inside – but hers looks ordinary and tidy compared to his."
I stared into the darkness outside, but I could see no trace of our fleeing enemy. It was a pointless exercise anyway. If Annie couldn't find him, I certainly couldn't.
"So what do we do now?" I asked.
"Let's check on that woman."
I was half-expecting Mystique to have disappeared when we returned to Van Gaarde's office, but she was still there, sitting on the floor, clearly still recovering from the loss of blood. She had morphed back into her true form, and she looked up as we entered.
"Are you OK?" I asked her.
She nodded, and I marvelled once again at the healing power of my sister. When we had first got here Mystique's body had looked so savagely attacked that it was a miracle she was alive at all. And yet here she was, as good as new…almost. Perhaps Annie's healing wasn't as effective as I thought, for a wound had remained on Mystique's figure. Three identical slashes on her abdomen had clearly not been restored, but that was little cause for complaint considering she ought to be dead. I suspected it wasn't the first time she had cheated death.
"What happened with Recyclo?" she asked.
"He got away," I said.
Her eyes widened, "What?"
"Hey, we tried our best. He was just too fast for us at the end. I know there were two of us and one of him, but…"
"No, that isn't what I meant. He's got the antidote!"
Annie looked at her in horror, "Are you serious?"
"What?" I asked.
"Recyclo's got the vaccine! It was here!"
Mystique nodded, "I've been keeping an eye on it ever since it was brought here. I know the Plague has begun to attack mutants as well as humans. My intention was to send the antidote to Pyro at the first opportunity. Unfortunately Recyclo came here before that opportunity arose."
"What happened?"
"He just went crazy. It was terrifying. He was just attacking everything, anything that moved. I think he came here for Van Gaarde. I tried to defend myself but he was fighting on a different level tonight."
"Why did he want to kill Van Gaarde?" asked Annie.
"For revenge, of course. For the way he had been treated as a child."
"Of course," I said. "Pyro told us that Recyclo had been kept in a laboratory. He never mentioned anything about Van Gaarde, though."
"I expect because Recyclo never told him."
"But what does he want the antidote for?" I asked.
"To stop us from using it," said Annie. "We have to go after him. There's no other choice. Damn it! Now I wish I hadn't let him go so easily just now!"
"What if – " I began, when something on Annie's person began buzzing.
She reached to her belt for a communicator, and switched it on, "Crusader here."
"We need your help," came a voice from the other end – it sounded like Storm. "The Horsemen are moving faster than we anticipated, and your father still hasn't recovered. Get to us as soon as you can. I'm transmitting co-ordinates."
"Got them. We're on our way."
She switched off the communicator and turned to me, "Come on, we'd better hurry."
"What about Recyclo and the vaccine?" I demanded.
Mystique had got to her feet and she replied, "I'll handle that. I can follow him no matter how well he tries to hide his tracks. Once he stops somewhere I'll let you know."
"What if he tries to kill you again?"
"He'll fail. He caught me by surprise this time. At first I thought Pyro must have sent him and I assumed he wouldn't try to attack me. I won't be so careless next time."
"All right. Good luck."
"Likewise."
She headed for the door and was gone.
