Ultraviolet

Chapter 8

Natural Born Killer

Analyse the situation before deciding on your next move. Study their weaknesses. Use the environment around you to complement your powers.

Her father had taught her that during one of their night patrols, yet her father… was the man who had betrayed her family, especially her mother. She winced, amazed at how rebellious that sounded. Mom would have forced her to do some serious self-reflection if she ever caught her saying that. Snapping out of her thoughts, Violet turned her attention to more serious matters.

Her eyes locked with Dash's. Violet knew that he was reckless, given his speed and his knack for getting into trouble. He'd use his legs first before using his brains to solve most problems. He would probably attack first.

Next was Elastigirl. With her powers, she was likely to attack at a range, using her long limbs to steal attacks from all directions, from where she least expected it. However, she'd be less effective up close.

Mr Incredible was the advocate of using brute force to eliminate obstacles. Violet knew that she couldn't withstand a blow from him outright, maybe she could outsmart her father and somehow use his size against him.

In typical Dash fashion, he broke away from the formation, charging straight towards Violet. She had expected it, casting a force field around herself before Dash could reach her. With its superior reaction speed, the robot swerved around the edge of the force field, circling around Violet, waiting for her to let her force field down.

It was a test of endurance for both Violet and Dash. Violet's eyes focused on a single spot, watching the red streak pass her every second, even as the force field sapped her strength. She needed a plan, anything that could at least slow down the robot.

The swirling red in front of her gave her an idea. Taking a deep breath, she gathered the last of her energy for a single force field. Concentrating on a single thought, she counted off the seconds for her final attack.

Five… Four… Three… Two…

The force field surrounded Dash, trapping it inside the sphere. Violet held on as Dash made contact with the smooth walls of the force fields, carried forward by momentum. Its sheer speed was unstoppable, even as its metallic frame brushed against the insides of the force field. Its lightning-fast limbs stirred up tons of sand as it struggled to slow down. Violet could catch glimpses of the robot under the flurry of sand; it circled around the inner edge of the force field, tumbling head over heels before coming to a halt.

The mechanical hum faded under the force field and the sand settled back to the ground. Taking it as a sign that Dash was down, Violet inched closer to the force field, not daring to release the force field even as she noticed a mound of sand roughly Dash's size on the ground.

The last specks of dust fell into place, as Violet took a step forward hesitantly. She won't be surprised if it sneaked an attacked her, but she did bring down the speeding robot and that brought about a sense of victory.

She knelt down beside the quaking pile of sand, ignoring the weird clicking sounds coming from it. Taking just a second to prepare herself, she swept off most of the sand in front of her. Each passing moment left her heart pumping faster.

"Dash…" She murmured as she stared at the supine body in front of her. Now resembling a flailing cockroach, Dash's limbs jerked, in slow motion, matched with the clicking sounds Violet heard earlier. "Mechanical limbs," Violet smirked, "don't mix with sand." Whatever was holding this robot together was probably clogged with sand, impeding its movement.

Violet had been so relieved she nearly didn't notice a large shadow hovering over her. Within a split second she leapt out of its way, turning invisible as she went. Sheer strength, capable of crushing her body, smashed down on Dash's robotic form with a bang, barely missing Violet's legs. It climbed to its feet, dragging its fists away from the molten slag. It was the robotic replica of Mr Incredible, complete with potbelly and cropped short hair.

Violet maintained her invisibility while getting up, careful not to make any sudden movements. She had no idea how to take down someone with such strength. She backed away one step at a time, with a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something.

That something happened to brush along her back, attempting to feel for its target. Violet's head snapped back in time to see it retracting slightly. The long black glove, emboldened by its success, whipped forward with its fingers outstretched in an attempt to grab Violet. There was no time for Violet to react. The fingers wrapped around Violet's neck, not too tightly as to suffocate her, but tight enough to make her start gasping for breath. The elongated arm started to pull back, dragging Violet along with it. Violet could feel her boots heating up from the friction, thankfully the thick soles were hardy, or she'd have to deal with her boots as well as these irritating robots.

Right now, Violet had more to worry about than the soles of her boots; the moment she came to a halt Elastigirl wrapped both her hands around her neck, squeezing down on her throat. Violet could feel the life literally choked out of her, even as she resisted the fingers with her own. She could feel her willpower weakening. So this is how it all ends… she thought, feeling numbness spreading from the tips of her limbs to her body, as her vision faded.

No! This is not how I want it to end!

Violet's vision cleared; there was a final surge of strength through her entire body. In front of her was the lunging bulk that was Mr Incredible, perhaps four feet away, with its fist raised to deliver the fatal blow. Violet pushed hard to maintain a tiny space for her to breathe. At the same time, she threw herself forward, swinging Elastigirl behind her.

The crunch that followed was massive, as Violet felt a shadow swoop above her, followed by a thud. The arms that were strangling her fell limp by her side, sending sprays of sparks raining down beside her. Gulping for breath, Violet's attention was drawn to the smouldering pile of steel that had landed several feet away, minus its arms. Also visible to Violet was a hole the size of a cinder block in the slender robot's back.

Violet took several seconds to regain her breath, simultaneously realising that Mr Incredible had not attacked her, although her back was so vulnerable. She whipped her body around, arms up and ready with a force field, but Mr Incredible no longer had its sights on her.

The robot punched the air around it, dodging an invisible fist and delivering a blow to an unseen opponent. Turning to its right, it blocked the nothingness beside it and gave a series of punches to where a grown man's torso and head would be. Violet noticed the red flares in its pupils were gone, its eyes were just black.

"The fist it drove through the previous robot… must have caused a short-circuit in some vital chips in its system!" Violet realised, climbing to her feet and cheering silently. She had survived! The feeling that washed over her was inexplicable; joy mixed with leftover fear from the intense battle. Within the short span of less than fifteen minutes, she was nearly killed more times than she could count. She laughed; a carefree sound, much needed to relieve the tension built up in her. Now all that's lacking was a trip home and about twenty days in bed.

Beyond the jungle foliage in front of her lay the exit to the next room. All she had to do was to wait for it to open. She circled around the malfunctioning robot of Mr Incredible, keeping both eyes on it. She didn't expect it to just stop moving without giving a fight, but immediately chided herself for having such negative thoughts.

A tiny voice quipped from the robot's mouth, barely audible to Violet, yet she caught every word. "System repairs complete. Switching to backup logic chips." Immediately the robot stopped its wild punching. Jerkily at first, it jerked its head around before catching sight of Violet.

"Oh great," Violet muttered, backing away from Mr Incredible and into something solid. Glancing around, she realised that it was the crashed Velocipod, forgotten in the heat of the battle. Scrambling back, she turned invisible and ducked behind the machine, heart pounding and mind racing to think of any other crazy ideas. Behind her, the robot continued its slow pace, lumbering awkwardly with its arms locked stiff by its sides.

She had just one idea. Rushing to the cockpit, she fumbled to unbuckle the safety belt from the pilot, eventually managing to pull the headless body from its seat. That was when she realised the first problem: The way the Velocipod had crashed had caused it to be balanced precariously on one of the blades, causing the cockpit to be facing downwards. In order to operate the thing, she had to be upside-down.

She stuck her feet into the cockpit, using her hands to push herself until she was seated, albeit upside-down. Feeling blood rush into her head, Violet stared blankly at the controls in front of her. There was a wide array of buttons, visual displays and levers sprawled on the control panel. "C'mon Violet, which button?" She whispered to herself, getting increasingly worried. Strong fingers gripped the Velocipod on the bladed region, threatening to toss the massive disc aside, with Violet still in it.

Violet was desperate enough to start jamming both hands on whatever buttons were in front of her. The Velocipod revved into action, blades spinning as the sharp blades ripped through metal. At the same time, the ejector seat was activated, shooting out of the cockpit and sending Violet far away from the wildly spinning Velocipod. The built-in parachute blanketed the sky, covering Violet as the seat came to a halt. With her vision blocked, the explosions were the only clue as to what happened to both machines.

Violet threw the parachute off her, scrambling to her feet to inspect the aftermath of her actions. The Velocipod had no mercy on the robot. Its blades had sliced through it, sending contorted parts flying to areas several metres away, before exploding against one of the walls.

"Dad…" She uttered, inspecting the debris around her, before stopping herself. That's not your Dad, Vi… she thought.

Violet picked herself up, eyes turned towards the door. All the robots were destroyed, surely she was allowed to proceed…

"There's still me… or rather… you." The voice was so much like her own, yet Violet knew exactly who it was.

Violet had been both dreading and anticipating it for a while, as she turned towards the source of the voice. It stood about a hundred metres away, almost a mirror image of Violet, but its metallic face was way different from Violet's. Its suit, too, was different. In fact, it was…

"The very suit you rejected. And I'm here to show you the power you were denied!"

Violet got a fleeting glimpse of the yellow-and-black suit before it disappeared. She followed suit, using her invisibility while scanning the area fruitlessly for her opponent, or any signs of movement.

"It's useless," it taunted, its voice getting nearer.

Violet's head snapped in the direction of the voice, backing away as she scanned the area around her. "I know you can't see me either," she called out.

"Can't I?" The voice was right behind her. Violet reacted by lashing her fist behind her, but hit only air. A kick to Violet's back sent her to the ground. Invisible hands grabbed her by her neck, barely lifting her upper body off the ground. It's not that strong, Violet thought as she lunged forward with a balled up fist, connecting with metal and sending it reeling back. This gave her enough time to stand up and deliver a kick to its metallic gut, followed by a punch to where its eyes would be. In reflex, it grabbed Violet and both fell to the ground, wildly swinging their arms in hope of hitting their opponent.

By the time they got up to their feet, Violet had lost track of her opponent. "And I thought the suit had some hidden powers, when it's just a regular one," she goaded, trying to stir up its emotion, make it reveal its position by accident.

"Oh yeah? How about this…"

Water spurted out from the ceiling, falling in fine droplets and covering the entire room. Violet realised that her opponent was now visibly outlined by the water deflected off its body. It was jerking its head around nervously, an obvious sign that it wasn't expecting this too.

The initial surprise faded; the robot scanned the room, calling out to Violet. "Well, it just means we can't use our invisibility." Turning towards the shimmering image that was Violet, it continued. "Let's continue."

Both of them appeared, conserving the energy that would be needed to stay invisible. The shower of water from above gravely affected Violet's visibility, forcing her to brush away any water droplets over her eyes. She wasn't sure if her opponent had the same problem; robots didn't have eyelids, water would slide off its face instantly.

This time, it was Violet who took the initiative for an attack, charging towards her opponent while sending mud splattering onto her knee-high boots. Her kick was blocked, instantly it responded with a series of punches, forcing Violet to cast a force field to protect herself. The robot circled around the force field, waiting for Violet to let down her guard.

"Let's see how long you can sustain that force field."

Violet dropped the force field, rolling to the side immediately to avoid its lunging kick. "You're fast," Violet called out, straightening up into a defensive posture.

"Only as fast as you are, Violet," it replied. "I'm just a copy of you. Whatever you can do, I can do too, and vice versa."

"Look, how can either of us win the other? We're equally matched in every way…"

"Just shut up and fight!" The robot blared; jabbing its fists at Violet only to have them blocked.

Violet responded with a kick, smashing her toes straight into her opponent's force field. Fighting herself was surreal; overpowering it was impossible. Recovering, Violet followed what her opponent had done earlier, circling around the spherical barrier. Violet knew that the force fields expended energy at an enormous rate. It'll let up within seconds.

Sure enough, the force field faded, but Violet had already lifted her leg up. It struck its target, sending the robot flying face-first to the ground. Violet took the chance to pounce on it, keeping it down in the mud. Its ceaseless struggle shook Violet, constantly threatening to throw her off, but she knew that it wouldn't be able to. Tiny electrical sparks emerged over the exposed neck of the robot.

Wait a minute… that can't be good… Violet thought, as a mild jolt of electricity coursed through her body. With a yelp Violet released her grip, jumping clear off the robot. It got up, turning to face Violet.

"Merely some built-in close-range defence, just one of the features…"

Violet stared as the robot stopped dead. The red flare faded from its eyes and its arms was hanging loosely by its side. Violet stood waiting for something, anything to happen, to give her a clue to what was happening.

"Playing dead?"

"No. It just ran out of energy." The voice of her captor boomed through invisible speakers, the only human she had spoken to all this while. "Count yourself lucky."

Violet smirked, unable to resist a chance to mock her captor. "What? Your little toy ran out of batteries? How lucky is that? It just saved me the time to destroy it myself…"

"Yeah, right, Violet. Look around you. That could have been your family you just destroyed. Weak little Violet killed her family…"

"Shut up!" Violet yelled to the ceiling, as water continued to rain down on her.

"We both hit a raw nerve there, didn't we?" Violet remained silent, as she surveyed the carnage around her. "Why don't you just move on and we can forget about this."

Forget this… Violet voiced out inside her head. No, I can't just forget this.

The water stopped, leaving Violet feeling more uncomfortable than ever. At the same time, the exit to the next room slid open beyond the thick jungle foliage ahead, shadowed by trees.

Each step sent mud splashing all over as Violet trudged past the immobile robot replica of herself, her eyes transfixed on it. She paused when she passed it, reaching out for its head and removing its headband.

"Just borrowing it for a moment…" Her voice trailed off as she slipped the yellow hair band in place, tucking her hair behind her ears.

She continued till the destruction was far behind her, escaping into the cooler climate under the trees. After an uneventful trek through the mini jungle, she reached the exit. Continuing into the tunnel connecting to the next room, she caught sight of towels hanging on the handrails beside the door.

"Wipe your boots clean," the voice commanded, as Violet grabbed a towel. As she bent down, it continued. "And dry yourself. Don't catch a cold, Violet. We still need you."

After all they did? After the numerous attempts to murder her? They still needed her? Violet remained silent, choosing to concentrate on getting dry. As soon as the towel was replaced upon the handrail, the door slid open.

The end is near, Violet…

Violet's footsteps echoed throughout the room as she treaded past rows of blank security monitors, panels crammed with buttons, a dozen workstations complete with piles of dossiers and a giant meeting table. The single swivel chair at the end of the table turned slowly to face Violet.

"Welcome, Violet, to the 18th level."

"It's you," Violet's fists curled up, her grip tightening as she imagined punching the person in front of her.

It was Mirage.

Trivia: Many interesting things about this chapter… First, it's the least read chapter among the first ten chapters.

Second, I didn't think Violet could take out all three Incredibles by herself, so if you'd read back, none of them were 'killed' by Vi herself. (Robotic Dash stopped due to sand clogging his gears, Elastigirl was taken out by Mr incredible, and the Velocipod took out Mr Incredible.) Now you know why it was there in the first place. Robotic Violet vs. Violet… Again, no way she can beat herself, given it was an exact replica. The energy thing was the only way she can walk away, and it showed a weakness in the Specialists' planning.

Last… the Mirage thing… One of the initial ideas I had for a 'finale' was to pit Violet against another female… not Kari, by the way. So Mirage was the perfect candidate. It also showed the Specialists' ruthless manipulation of anyone to achieve their goals.

So who's the 'Natural Born Killer'? I'm not sure myself. I don't want it to be Violet, but there doesn't seem to be a choice…