Ultraviolet

Chapter 13

Unveiled

Violet tightened her grip on Phobia's wrist, digging her nails into her skin and adding pressure on her main artery. She knew that Phobia would either drop her weapon or risk having her blood circulation cut off. The pained look on Phobia's face spurred Violet on to use more force on her opponent, causing her to cry out. Unable to sustain it any longer, she dropped the switchblade, staring into Violet's eyes as though begging her to release her grip too.

Violet did release her grip. Flinging her opponent's hand away, she followed up with a curled fist to her opponent's gut, knocking the wind out of Phobia and leaving her rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach.

With Phobia's guard down, Violet pounced on the lithe body, raining hammer blows upon her head. Each blow brought back painful memories of her being tormented in some way by the Specialists; the pain they caused her, at least, was being vented on this… girl.

Like they way they treated her.

Was she becoming more like them now?

She didn't care if it were true. Relenting in her attack for a second, she reached for the fallen switchblade, murderous look in her eyes. She lowered the weapon until it was just a few centimetres away from Phobia's neck. Phobia didn't resist this; instead she merely closed her eyes, as though accepting her fate.

"Finish me off. He'll leave me with nowhere to go anyway. Just finish it right here."

Violet's fingers were trembling as she brought the blade down against Phobia's neck. Around her the crowd was muttering among themselves. A small group of punks were calling her to kill her.

To kill her…

Was this the Super they wanted to see? One who would kill on a whim, or for revenge? Was this the Super that children would look up to, when they say that they wanted to be just like them?

Was she becoming more like them now?

The entire park waited with bated breath for her life-changing decision.

Violet loosened her grip on the plastic handle of the switchblade, tossing it into the snow several feet away. Climbing to her feet, she addressed the crowd in her best superhero voice. "Alright, show's over. Get on home, people."

Mumbles of disappointment spread through the crowd as they departed the area, leaving the two Supers alone. Violet reached down for the fallen Phobia, offering a gloved hand. Phobia blinked a couple of times, before reaching out with her own. Grabbing it in a firm handshake, Violet pulled Phobia up to her feet.

"You spared me … Not many can do that, especially after all we've done…" A tear rolled down Phobia's mask, down her cheek and dangling on her cheek for a second before it tumbled to the ground.

"Yeah and I beat you up real bad just now, so I guess we're even," Violet replied with a smile. Staring back at her was the girl she had wanted to kill just a few minutes ago. The urge to kill was so strong, but she knew that she couldn't afford to have such feelings again.

Maybe next time she won't be able to control it…

"You were strong… Strong enough to break from my powers. Not many people have the mental prowess to even resist it…"

"Wait a minute, what exactly are your powers?"

"My powers affect… certain parts of the brain and how it perceives reality… In short it makes your imagination go haywire, you'll start to see illusions based on your fears… But they're just exaggerations of the truth. Like that switchblade there… you must have seen something like a sword, right?"

Violet gasped in realisation. That explained the weird occurrences just now, like the appearance of a Velocipod… probably just a Frisbee… Bloodhound was just another dog… the crimson sky… the crowd chants… All these were just part of her fears, magnified by her own insecurities.

"No one can separate themselves from their fears long enough to recover, most people just go crazy after a while. But you were able to escape from that little control I had over your mind. Not even after seven years of training, I guess I'm just not fit to be part of…"

"Seven years?" Violet echoed, "And you're not much older than me…"

"I'm younger by a few months actually… seven years was the least I could do before they allowed me on such a mission. This was supposed to be some kind of promotion test." Violet observed the younger Super. She may be younger but she must have gone through much more than she had. Come to think of it, she had no idea how she won this fight.

"And all you did between then was to train?" Violet questioned, intrigued by what they did.

"We have all sorts of training, lessons, physical education… Basically what you get in schools… with something extra…"

"So it's just the four of you?"

"Yeah… I guess that's what makes it different… We can't have as many friends like you can." She paused, smiling with a sigh. "Well I've got to go… find a place to stay…" Whirling around, she took a few steps before Violet called her back.

"Wait, Phobia…"

She stopped, turning to look back at Violet. "Call me Anna now. I doubt I'll ever get to use that name again."

"Why can't you just look for the others?"

Anna hung her head low, speaking in a meek voice now. "He told us that if we ever failed… even on one mission… We're not to return as the Specialists." Her voice trailed off and Violet felt a pang of pity hit her like a sledgehammer. She was now homeless… because she failed to complete her mission.

"And this 'he' you're referring to is…"

"You can say that he's our father, mentor, teacher, saviour… He made us who we are today, and I am, in many ways, indebted to him for bringing me up." She brushed aside more tears gathering in her eyes. "Now I must go. Goodbye, Violet."

Before Violet could reply, she was sprinting away in the opposite direction, fading into the evening fog. Violet felt a tinge of pity for her, despite her actions before. She may have done much to hurt Violet, but now she's just a lost teenage girl. Maybe she should call Anna back… offer a place for her to stay…

Yeah, and get scolded again for harbouring a criminal in their house.

It was then Violet noticed that the sun was setting, leaving an orange tint in the sky. She had to be home too. Surely her parents were worried, especially after her solitary confinement of a few weeks. Sighing, she put on her jacket and peeled off her mask, looking around the almost-empty park before heading for the gate and the long jog home.

Violet's finger hovered over the doorbell, just about to depress the button when the door swung open.

"Violet, you're back!" Her mother's hands extended forward, pulling her into a hug. "We were so worried for you, especially after Tony called and asked if you were at home… Where did you go?" Wrapping her arms around Violet's shoulders, she ushered Violet to the sofa, making her sit down. "Wait here, honey. I'll get you a warm cup of cocoa."

"What's happening?" Violet asked, frowning in doubt. Her mother seemed too… friendly… and her father… was just sitting at the dining table, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Dash was nowhere to be seen.

There was the sound of a chair being dragged across the tiled floor. Violet looked up as her father made his way to the living room, throwing down a newspaper on the table in front of her. "This was supposed to be the headlines for today's evening post."

Violet's queries multiplied as she unfolded the newspaper. The headlines screamed: 'Young Super's fight end in mental breakdown.' The next line read: 'NSA agent Rick Dicker announces removal of Super's ban; Mr Incredible's daughter breaks down against new villain.' The accompanying picture showed her clutching her head; face screwed up in pain.

"Wait a minute, I didn't break down… well not exactly…" Violet protested. "And how did they find out about this anyway?"

"Just read the article," her father muttered. Violet knew he was hiding his fury, and obeyed his instructions without question.

Mr Rick Dicker, agent of the National Supers Agency (NSA) had announced the lifting of the ban just hours ago, calling for Supers of all ages to register in order to fight crime again. Details of the registration will be featured in later articles.

Ultraviolet, daughter of famed super Mr Incredible, was the first Super in action after the ban of Supers was implemented almost fifteen years ago. Our reporters stumbled across the epic battle in Metroville Park, where the heated battle was already under way. Further investigation found that the young Super was registered just minutes before the fight, making her legally able to defend any part of the city should it come under threat.

Ultraviolet… was that her Super name from now on? Realising she had spaced out for a second, she went beck to the article.

Throughout the fight, Ultraviolet seemed shaken and out of focus, supposedly through inexperience. After barely fending off the villain's attack, Ultraviolet was seen using a force field to attack a dog and a Frisbee thrown in her path. This led to our expert's opinion that she may be mentally unsound and a complaint has been filed with the NSA calling for her removal.

Our reporters were unable to provide full coverage of the battle when Ultraviolet shouted for them to 'get away from her', even when the crowd was cheering for her. Mr Dicker denied an interview with any of the NSA's Supers, especially the Super in question, Ultraviolet…

Violet tore her eyes away from the article, resisting the urge to tear it in half. "How did they find out these stuff so fast? And what do you mean this 'was' supposed to be on the evening post?"

"Rick pulled some strings and it was replaced by a… milder article." Snatching the newspaper out of Violet's hand, he ripped it down in half, tossing the shredded remains into the bin. "You may want to explain yourself. What's that stuff on you breaking down mentally?"

Violet hung her head low. How was she going to tell him everything that happened without bringing up what happened when she was kidnapped? "It was this Super… Phobia… Her powers kind of exaggerate your fears… It kinda made me lose control for a while. I won anyway, so does it make a difference?"

"Of course it does! Our reputation is at stake. We can't have another ban on Supers for being mentally unstable. This is not for us to decide… the public can do more than watch us fight… remember how they brought us down…"

"Look, I can't control what powers my opponents have, how was I supposed to know what they can do against me? And what if it happened to someone else? Will you just ignore it if someone's reputation was at stake?"

Bob fell silent from Violet's argument, as both of them considered each other's words. Both of them knew that they have to watch their step from now on. They really cannot ruin the efforts to bring back the Supers.

Helen came back from the kitchen with four mugs of steaming hot cocoa, with Dash trailing behind wearily. Settling down between Violet and Bob, she glanced at the two of them. "It's nice that you two are thrashing things out now. Bob, I think we've placed too much pressure on Violet. Vi, you had to grow up so much in such a short period of time and that was not fair for you. But you still have much to learn. It'll take you some time before you can be a proficient Super."

Violet reflected on her past actions. Was there any way she could have done it differently? She knew she can't change the past, but she can definitely change the future. She'll keep those things in mind then, but exactly how she was going to do it was still fuzzy in her mind. Reaching out for her mug of hot cocoa, she took a few sips, savouring the warmth from the drink.

"And Bob, I can't believe you registered Violet as Ultraviolet. Kinda risky, don't you think?"

"Ah… Ultraviolet, Violet, Dashiell, The Dash… What's the problem?"

"The problem is that they sound too alike to be used for their Super name. We've been calling Dashiell 'Dash' since he was young. All his close friends do. So if you'd ask me who will link these two together… I'll say quite a lot."

"Haven't you heard of reverse psychology? The more you make it seem alike, the more people think 'Oh they can't be that obvious, right'. Besides, the kids like the names, right, Dash?"

Violet glanced to her left, where Dash had settled down. With a grin, he was nodding in approval of his name. "Just call me… the Dash!" he announced.

Violet looked back at her parents. "Ultraviolet… That's not a bad name for a Super."

"You see, Helen? They like it... Don't worry, everything will work out eventually," Bob reassured. "Besides, we can always change it later…"

The doorbell rung, interrupting the discussion. Dash automatically answered the door, revealing Frozone standing in the light snowfall outside.

"Hey, Frozone. What's up?"

"No time… they took the hospital…"

Trivia: One of the first 'spill-over' chapters I have… Violet's fight with Anna took three chapters! I've dumped in some info about the Specialists here. And mentioned in the chapter… Anna failed her 'promotion exam'… She's still not a full-fledged Specialist… and she's fired! That's so sad…

Oh, by the way, Anna's powers were not inspired by Scarecrow from Batman… I realised their similarities only after watching the movie Batman Begins.

Due to the unfortunate addition of this chapter, it really didn't have much action, just a lot of talking. Codename S.P.E.C.I.A.L was supposed to debut as chapter name, but removed as it was a waste to be used on this chapter.