Ultraviolet

Chapter 12

A Fight with Fear

The fallen snow crunched under Violet's boots, while her hands hung loose by her side. She wouldn't admit it, but there was a tremor of fear through her every bone even as she walked on towards her adversary. This was her first solo appearance as a Super. What if she made a fool of herself? What if she couldn't protect the innocent people out there? What if…

Stop it, Violet, she chided herself. Just do what you usually do and leave the rest aside for now.

Her eyes were focused on her target: the female Specialist left behind to 'take care' of her. Once again she was up against a Super with powers unknown to her. It was disturbing to know that she will never be at an advantage against these villains.

In less than a minute, maybe, the world will see Violet Parr in action.

Her eyes slid towards Tony, who had just helped up the last child in the lake. They were both doing their part for the community, Tony as a helpful citizen, and Violet as a Super… though the amount of credit she'll be getting may be much less than his.

"Well… Here comes our young hero, here to save the day," a cold voice came from behind, causing Violet to stop in her tracks.

What the… Violet thought through gritted teeth. When did she get behind me?

Violet whirled around to face the petite female Super. Her Super-suit was mainly black, accompanied with yellow down her shoulders and below her waist. Her mask was a simple black one like hers, adorned with red gems along the side. Her blonde shoulder-length hair was kept back in a ponytail.

"Your attention seems to be elsewhere."

Violet's breathing quickened, she felt her heart pumping faster as adrenaline flushed her system. She should be ready for anything her opponent could possibly throw at her. Yet her opponent remained calm… was this really too easy for her?

"I'm Anna, junior member of the Specialist," she introduced herself, the corner of her lips curled in a grin. "But you can call me Phobia, your worst fear." Violet did not reply, choosing to wait for more information to be revealed about this Super. "It ends here, Violet. I can't let you proceed any further."

Violet focused, feeling her body disappear into the off-white of the snow around her. Catch me if you can, Phobia, she dared her opponent silently, backing away softly while keeping her eyes transfixed on her opponent's unwavering calmness. A tiny shiver was spreading across her arms, as a chill spread down to her legs, resisted only by the warm blood flowing through her body. This Super-suit was not meant for winter battles.

Phobia did not seem to care about the fact that Violet was invisible. Instead she bent down, rolling in her palm a tiny ball of snow. Drawing the snowball back, she hurled it straight at Violet's position, catching her in the face before she could react. How did she… Violet thought, brushing the wet stuff off her face.

"That wasn't too difficult. Your boots leave footprints, which gives away your position. Come on, put some effort in it; this is getting boring."

Violet winced; once again she had made another beginner's mistake. Her parents would have come up with something better… But her parents aren't here now; nor will they be with her once they get too old for the Supers action. She had to face up to this herself so that she won't make these mistakes again.

Violet dropped her invisibility, ready to take on Phobia with her bare hands. Her opponent widened her grin, getting into combat stance herself. Violet counted off the seconds, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Violet struck out at Phobia, jabbing straight at her, only to have it blocked away. Immediately she retaliated with a kick to Violet's shin, bringing her down to her knees. Violet cried out in pain, grabbing her shin as she nursed the sharp pain resulting from the swift counterattack.

Phobia's boots popped into Violet's limited line of sight. Before she could attack, Phobia had her hands on Violet's face, fingers pressing down on her cheeks. Tiny jolts of electricity seemed to pass between Phobia's fingers and Violet's face; it almost felt like she was going to electrocute her.

Wait a minute… Violet thought, she called herself 'Phobia', so what does that got to do with electricity?

There wasn't much time for Violet to muse over such seemingly trivial things, as Phobia did a back flip, landing in a crouch several feet away before straightening up. Violet tried to get up too, before her legs gave way and she fell back on her knees, though the pain in her leg had subsided.

Violet clutched her head the moment she was down, attempting to shake off the dizzy sensation spreading through her head. Her vision blurred, and for a brief moment she thought her arms were invisible, even though she wasn't using her powers. Just what was happening to her?

"You must be feeling the side effects of my powers. Don't worry, they'll be gone in a few minutes. You'll feel much better soon," Phobia assured. With her blur vision, Violet saw her opponent pull out something long and black from her belt. With a touch of a button, Violet noticed a thin blade ejected from the black plastic cover. It was a switchblade.

Despite the pain in her head, Violet felt a laugh escape her mouth. The last time she came up against a switchblade, she disarmed that guy in like, five seconds. There was no way she can win with that weapon, no matter how strong she was. Rubbing her eyes, her vision cleared and within a second she was up on her feet, ready for a fight.

"You're going to fight me with that? Don't make me laugh," Violet taunted, taking a couple of steps towards her opponent.

"Really? Look again." Violet's head jerked down, noticing plastic and metal meld together into a thin long mess. Violet's eyes widened as the metallic bits extended, first just a few inches, all the way until it lengthened slightly beyond one metre. The molten metal hardened in just a few seconds, reshaping to form a sword, not unlike those from medieval movies. The sheer weight of that sword should have made any teenage girl drop the weapon, but she held on using only her right hand. Perhaps it was her training that allows her to wield a sword with ease, but a nagging voice in Violet's head tells her that there is more to it than strength alone. It must have something to do with her powers. "Let your worst fears be unleashed," Phobia proclaimed

The moment she said that, the sky was flushed crimson red, as though blood has been spilt all over it. The clouds remained white, though they were shifting… forming shapes of fairytale monsters that once haunted her childhood nightmares. Towering over her, they looked like they would strike down on her in any minute.

"How are you doing all these?" Violet demanded, taking her eyes off the skies and back on Phobia, who was standing with her arms crossed, totally disregarding the changes to the surroundings.

"It's my powers; that's like asking you how you turn invisible." She strode over to Violet, leaning closer to her until she was almost breathing down on her shoulders, whispering into her ear. "I know what makes you tick now…"

Phobia drew back, slashing her sword upwards while she backed away. Violet barely managed to bring up a force field in time to block the full-powered swing, feeling a tiny force pushing down on her every time Phobia struck her force field. Violet was back on the defensive again; she needs an opportunity to strike back.

Phobia stepped back for a second, before pouncing forward with an overhead swing. Violet took the chance, dropping her force field and jumping backward. With the barrier gone, there's nothing to stop Phobia's attack; her momentum carried her forward, till her sword struck the inch-deep snow, embedded in the soft soil underneath. Violet landed a few feet back, regaining her balance before aiming for a roundhouse kick straight at her exposed hands resting on the sword's hilt.

Phobia jerked her hand back in time to save her fingers; however her sword was knocked several metres away. Violet followed up with a forward thrust of her heel, connecting with Phobia's head and sending her reeling back. Violet could see Phobia's eyes widen, possibly the same look on her own face the first time she was in trouble. Now she knew… her opponent was scared of her.

Phobia took a while to recover back on her feet, giving Violet some time to take her bearings. A crowd was forming up around to watch them. This adds to the increasing pressure building up on Violet's mind. She can't lose this fight. Overhead, the crimson skies serve as a distraction more than anything. Violet knew that the more she stayed in this warped world of Phobia's, the easier it will be for her to slip up.

Phobia's eyes were fixed on a point somewhere far away, trailing it with her eyes as she panted to catch her breath. The way she stared at whatever was behind her, so intent there were literally tiny flames seared in her eyes, compelling Violet to turn around to find out: just what was behind her.

In the next few seconds, two things happened simultaneously, clouding up Violet's mind with too much information that she has no idea exactly what was going on. Her head jerked behind, catching sight of a giant metallic disc with swirling blades. It was yet another Velocipod. Violet was starting to notice the familiar drone of its blades in her ears. At the same time, there was sudden movement from Phobia. Before Violet could respond, she had scrambled across the snow, grabbing her sword and holding it out in front of her.

Violet rolled to her right, keeping both the Velocipod and Phobia in her sight. Just how a Velocipod get to the park without being noticed was a miracle in itself. Now she has to deal with two threats, not something every Super deals with on their first solo.

"I hate to interrupt, but look behind you," Phobia called out with a grin. All she heard was a growl; in reflex she rolled over to her left, throwing out her hands to form a force field. There was a bump as whatever was jumping out at her hit the force field at full force, landing with a thud several feet away. Violet dropped the force field and got up, gaping in horror as she saw what lay motionless in the snow. It was Bloodhound, the villain she once fought in her own home.

"Bloodhound…" Violet's voice trailed off as she remembered the brief skirmish they had. "But… he died right? He was poisoned by something…" Violet could feel the pain in her head overtaking her again. On top of this information overload came a shout from the crowd.

"Down with Supers!" For a second there was silence, followed by a couple more shouts. Within seconds it was becoming more of a chant, just like the one that brought down the Glory Days in her parents' time. "Down with Supers! Down with Supers…"

Violet resisted a scream. Their every syllable seemed to add to the headache building up. Her brain was throbbing, like a time bomb ready to detonate. Focusing, or even fighting, was impossible for Violet now. Over the chants, the hum from the Velocipod, the jeers and boos from the crowd and the laughs were the sounds of a camera shutter going off, accompanied with a series of camera flashes, turning out to be the ultimate trigger to the time bomb inside Violet's head.

"Get away from me!" Violet screamed, squatting down with her fingers stuffed into her ears and sealing her eyes shut. She didn't want to see or hear anything from outside anymore. Still the sounds seemed to slip through the gaps between her fingers, reaching her ears and echoing inside her mind. The bitter cold around her was adding to it all.

Alright, Violet… she thought, deep breaths...

Like a compressed spring she shot up, letting loose with a scream, silencing the crowd once again. The flashed of silver blades in front of her was exactly what she expected. With a swing of her arms, the force field came up over her, making contact with the Velocipod's hull, sending it careening towards the trees and over the heads of the people around. The Velocipod didn't land with a crash; it merely sunk into the snow.

Violet lifted her head, panting at the slight exertion from using her powers. Around her, most of the crowd was backing away, probably frightened off by her scream. One of them was nursing an injured dog. It didn't matter to her. They can only serve as distractions to her. Above her the skies had reverted to its azure hue, no longer the crimson which signified that she was under Phobia's powers. Her opponent was no longer wearing a smug grin. Raising her switchblade, she lunged forward with a straight stab, only to be blocked by Violet's forearm.

"Now we can fight," Violet uttered, relishing the fear in Phobia's eyes.

The people around them that remained were cheering now, cheering her on. Now was her chance to show them… now was the time to get revenge.

Trivia: This chapter remains the most read chapter from chapter ten onwards, and yet has the least reviews… warped…

The short references to Bloodhound and the Velocipod were part of Phobia's fear-inducing powers. Exaggerations of the truth, really. Bloodhound equals innocent puppy, Velocipod equals Frisbee. Get it?