Ultraviolet
Chapter 16
Forget Me Not
"I see you've made it, Violet. Too bad your parents were… indisposed and were unable to join us on this flight." The helicopter lifted off, making its way out of the cave, with the lead Specialist at the helm.
There was white gas all around, diffusing through the wide space though staying mostly below waist level. Violet's sprint took her closer to the fleeing Specialists with each passing second. Suppressing a cough, she approached the Specialists' helicopter. "Mom? Dad?"
"Save it, Violet. They're sleeping by the side…" It was the other female Specialist. "You know what the choice is; chase the bad guys or revive the parents. Oh and who knows what we'll do with these stuff," she said with a smirk, indicating the trolley of blood samples they stole.
"Why don't you just cut the crap and get on with the introduction," Violet retorted, as she scanned her eyes around the cargo area behind the Specialist's helicopter. It was rather wide, plenty of space for a fight.
Groping under the thickening mist, Ultraviolet found the main artery in her mother's neck. Pressing down on it like she was taught, she detected a pulse. At least they're alive, she thought.
"Last call, Vi. We're leaving without you…"
At least they're alive…
"Terabyte, Specialist for tactical and technical. I'm quite well trained in combat too… It's my speciality, you can say," she laughed at her own pun, never once looking at Ultraviolet
The super was slightly taller than Ultraviolet, with a build most females would love to strive for, but few would actually achieve. Her muscles were well toned, but not over-sized, with a healthy tanned skin. Her jet-black hair was left hanging like Ultraviolet's, but much shorter than hers was.
"'Terabyte'? You sound more like a techno geek to me," Ultraviolet taunted, hoping to probe more into her powers.
"Well… not exactly. Perfect memory, to be exact. I'm gathering all data on your fights, observing your style, gauging your speed, strength… I know all your weaknesses… I can read all your moves. Anything I've seen, I'll remember."
Leaving Ultraviolet thinking about her words, Terabyte made for first strike with a leg sweep. Caught unaware, Ultraviolet was brought to the ground. She had to roll away from Terabyte's raised foot, which barely missing her stomach. She didn't expect it when Terabyte's fist smashed down on her cheek, almost breaking her jaw.
"I'll enjoy taking you apart piece by piece," Terabyte sneered in Ultraviolet's face. Dragging her up to her feet, Terabyte flung her into the wall, leaving Ultraviolet to pick herself up. Still Terabyte came with her next attack: a kick that left a dent in the wall as Ultraviolet rolled under the attack, turning invisible in the process.
"Finally… More of a challenge," Terabyte said as she backed away from the wall, moving towards a more open area. Meanwhile, Violet was circling around her opponent, waiting for her to let down her guard. You think you know everything about me? Ultraviolet questioned mockingly as she approached Terabyte from the back.
Aiming for the perfect spot, Ultraviolet threw a punch towards her exposed skull. There was no way she could have seen or anticipated that… was there?
With lightning-quick reflexes, Terabyte blocked the blow, following up at once with a right fist which fell short of dislodging a few of Ultraviolet's teeth. Fortunately it was out of Terabyte's range, and it missed. The two Supers fell back to regain their nerves.
"For your information, you only attack three main regions of an opponent, and I've got all of them covered," Terabyte informed. "That is how to use your powers, Violet. You could have learnt that and much more with us…"
That was no fluke… Ultraviolet realised. She knew exactly where I was attacking, and had a plan against it… I can't defeat such powers… unless….
Unless she came up with something new… something not recorded in Terabyte's memories. Something that is totally unexpected…
Maintaining her invisibility, she decided a frontal attack could work. This time, her low kick connected with Terabyte's shin, bringing her down with a satisfying crunch. Finally… she exulted silently, feeling another glimmer of hope… for a split second at least.
Terabyte's head snapped up before she responded with a leg sweep, which brought both Supers sprawled on the floor. While Ultraviolet climbed painfully to her feet, Terabyte was up in a flash, searching for her invisible opponent.
"I may rely on my memories for tactics, but I'm not entirely stupid either. I have experience from other situations, and me being such a good fighter… you don't stand a chance," she proclaimed, smug look plastered over her face.
"I've heard that line so many times today, and look at your little team now… Half its original strength," Ultraviolet jeered in fake contempt, trying to stir up her emotions. "I'll still beat you…"
"Enough talk. Now it gets serious," Terabyte interrupted. "Use your cheap tricks if you want; it won't matter in the end." She turned around to face Ultraviolet, as they stared straight into each other's eyes.
Ultraviolet resisted the urge to tackle her to the ground. How dare she say that my powers were just 'cheap tricks,' while she uses hers without restraint? Ultraviolet thought. Deep inside, her mind seemed to warn her. She knew it herself: Terabyte was making her upset instead.
Ultraviolet dropped her invisibility, ready for Terabyte's attacks. Terabyte smiled in return, raising her arms to strike. Ultraviolet, not wanting to make a mistake, projected a force field around herself, waiting on the defence again.
"How long can you stay in there, Violet?" Terabyte laughed as she circled the spherical force field, occasionally touching the orb as though looking for a weak point.
"Not long," she admitted, dropping her force field whilst leaping into the air… but headed straight into Terabyte's raised knee instead. Flipping head over heels, she landed on the steel floor, vulnerable to all her opponent's attacks. Reaching down, Terabyte lifted Ultraviolet's left leg, holding it firmly by the ankle.
"I break this and it's over, Violet," Terabyte warned, putting a stop to Ultraviolet's struggle at once. "Now surrender, and I'll leave you an exit." There was a tense moment as the two female Supers stared into their opponent's eyes.
"Not without a fight," Violet uttered, hooking around Terabyte's thigh with her free leg and sending the older Super crashing to the ground. That left her some time to recover, as the two Supers faced off, back at square one again.
"You're quite good," Terabyte admitted with a grin. "I haven't had such a good fight in a long time." Glancing down at her feet, she half crouched to pick up two hollow steel pipes, maybe half an inch in diameter and three feet long. With a swift flick of her wrist she threw one to Ultraviolet, who caught it with her gloved hand. "Using a weapon against an unarmed opponent is dishonourable."
Ultraviolet looked at the weapon in her hand for a moment. She had never fought with any weapon, much less such a long and cumbersome one. She won't have an advantage… that's for sure.
"Ready?" Terabyte asked, almost too politely for a professional villain.
Violet's reply was a savage overhand swing, sending the sick sound of metal on metal resounding through their ears, as Terabyte parried it with her own weapon before switching to the offensive. Concentrating on defending, Ultraviolet managed to block off the next few attacks, occasionally coming up with a few failed attempts of her own as well.
"Game over…" Terabyte announced as she hit Ultraviolet's wrist, forcing her to drop her weapon. It hit the floor with a clang, rolling away into the far reaches of the cabin. The next swing was likely to finish her for good… if she did nothing to protect herself. Closing her eyes, Ultraviolet felt the weapon close in on her.
The force field shuddered as the pipe struck the spherical barrier. Violet's eyes snapped open, grinning at the glare from Terabyte. "What's the matter? Can't seem to get in?" Before she could reply, Ultraviolet dropped the force field, pouncing forward to wrestle the weapon from Terabyte's hands. Caught unaware, she was disarmed without providing much resistance.
Ultraviolet scrambled to her feet, grabbing Terabyte's ankle like she did moments before. "I break this and it's all over, Terabyte," Violet mocked, adding pressure to her opponent's fragile ankle. I'm going to enjoy every moment of this, Violet thought.
Without warning the ground under them buckled, sending Ultraviolet sprawled over Terabyte. "What's happening?" Violet asked, as panic flooded her mind. Aerial emergencies like that one off the shores of Nomanisan only made her more flustered. Shutting her eyes, she struggled to gulp deep breaths as she shut out any external distractions.
"Landing…" Terabyte muttered, scampering away from Ultraviolet.
Thankfully the landing didn't take more than half a minute, as the cargo hatch opened; revealing a snowfield amid rusting cars stacked ten high. They had landed in a junkyard.
"Shall we continue outside, or stay here where it's warm?" Ultraviolet asked, trying to hide her shaky voice. She knew that she wouldn't live to see a few more minutes of this…
"It's fine. You won."
"What?" Ultraviolet exclaimed, as Terabyte hung her head low.
"You could have beaten me there," she stated.
"Like you couldn't have done the same?" Ultraviolet retorted, as she calmed herself down.
"True, but you fought back. And now we have no idea what the outcome will be." Ultraviolet couldn't believe they were having this discussion. Now they were discussing who deserved to win? "You'd better get going. Lance doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Ultraviolet's face registered a blank. Lance… had to be her last obstacle. From the cockpit up front she heard a seatbelt being unbuckled, as the Specialist stormed towards her. "I prefer it outside, Violet." The deep voice came from the leader of the Specialist.
She stared wide-eyed at the man called Lance as he grabbed, from among the stuff strewn around, a backpack, a thin long package and a couple of thermos flasks. Throwing one to Violet, he muttered before he wheeled out his stuff on the stolen trolley of blood samples, "Drink up. I'll regret it if you get hypothermia later. Serena, you know where to get yours."
"What about you, Terabyte? Where will you go now?" Ultraviolet asked as Lance disappeared into the thick snowstorm.
"I'm going to pick up my siblings before I come back for what's left of you." There was nothing sinister in her tone, but her choice of words, especially in the last part of the sentence, was disturbing to say the least.
"Your siblings?"
"Anna and Ken… Surely you've met them… I can't believe both of them were defeated like that."
Ultraviolet covered her gaping mouth in shock. Anna she knew was Phobia, whom she defeated this afternoon. Ken has to be that time guy, Chronomorphosis. They were actual siblings? That spawned a whole new bunch of questions. "They're really your siblings?"
"Not really," Terabyte said with a wince. "We just like to think of it that way. Some of us were orphans, some of us…" She looked away, brushing a tear from her eye. Ultraviolet must have hit a raw nerve, bringing up unpleasant memories. "Let me warn you. Lance is not known to show mercy."
Ultraviolet looked on as Terabyte headed for the cockpit. She had to be outside herself, facing her last opponent. Jogging out into the blinding blizzard, she had to shield her eyes, leaving her lost to where her opponent was. The cold was getting to her, despite the thick suit she had on. She suddenly remembered: the thermos flask Lance had given her. Unscrewing the cap, she breathed in the warm vapour escaping from the warm fluid underneath.
Here goes nothing, she thought. Scrunching up her nose, she took a sip from the warm drink. Sweetness spread from her tongue the moment the drink touched it, until she drank it up in one big gulp. The heat seemed to spread all over her body, until she was quite comfortable. She was also pretty sure that the blizzard seemed less intimidating, as she felt that she could see better through the snow. Around her were towering piles of used cars, waiting to be crushed to scrap. Still, there was no sign of her opponent.
"Lance?" Ultraviolet shouted against the raging wind, surprised if anyone can actually hear her through it.
A single bullet whizzed towards her feet, landing in the snow several inches from it. "That was just a warning shot. And call me Heatseeker…"
"Your powers?" Violet probed, asking the obvious.
"You must have seen thermal imaging before. Infrared detectors had replaced my eyesight, which allows me to detect all sources of heat. Right now, orange just stands out against the snow out in the open. Target practice don't get simpler than that, Violet."
Trivia: Again, a desperate cover-up as Violet can't beat the Specialist. Actually, I didn't think Violet could defeat any of them in a fair fight, but that's the story… and she won. By fluke, albeit.
Before I started writing chapters eleven to twenty, I started brainstorming for ideas for each fight. I knew, by Serena's ability, that this was going to be focused on fighting, and that's what I wrote. Each of the fights were supposed to highlight the respective Specialists' training and personality, and I think this fleshed out Serena quite well. Later, I realised that Serena's strange addiction to talk during combat was littered in this chapter, something I added to her personality months later.