Ultraviolet
Chapter 20
Beyond Violet
Ultraviolet's eyes peeled open slowly, taking in every detail around her. Her opponent was calmly flexing his fingers, crouching down in a defensive position. She took the chance, swinging the dagger in her right hand as she strode forward, aiming for the kill. She could see, for a fleeting moment, her opponent looking up with a smirk over his face.
Ultraviolet's dagger cut air as he dodged it within a split second, reappearing several feet away. Ultraviolet stopped for a second, using her momentum to leap into the air with yet another slash. This time, he literally disappeared out of sight as Ultraviolet landed, panting as she looked around for her opponent.
"You never learn, do you?" Ultraviolet whirled around, just as her opponent's feet landed softly behind her. How did he get behind her so fast? Clenching her teeth, Ultraviolet lunged forward again, thrusting the dagger straight towards his chest…
Her arm was halted when he grabbed her wrist, smashing it on his knee and forcing her to drop her weapon. With a swift kick to her shin, she was down on the ground. Ultraviolet was sure that it was the same move Phobia had used on her earlier in the day… no doubt he was their teacher.
His arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her to her feet. "It's useless… You should have known it was useless coming up against me. Now I'll send you to the ending you deserve…"
"Let her go!"
The shout successfully distracted her opponent. With a tug she pulled herself free, scrambling away from her captor while stealing a glance to whoever had saved her.
The Specialists were framed against the main entrance. Lance, with his handgun trained on his mentor, took a few steady steps towards them, while the team followed closely behind. Ultraviolet glanced first at the Specialists, then at their mentor, who was wearing a stern frown.
"I remember clearly telling you that if you failed me, there's no returning here? Serena, surely you would have remembered… But I must congratulate you on taking out quite a number of enemies outside… that's quite a first for you guys…"
Lance, as the leader, spoke up for the group. "We came here for Violet… Now let her go and we'll leave in peace."
"Let her go?" He echoed, laughing as though he just heard a joke. After a few seconds he was serious again. "Why would I? You know what plans I have for this girl."
Ultraviolet was about to attack again, enraged at being referred to as 'this girl', but she was restrained as Lance shouted once again. "Violet! We'll get you out without risking your life." Turning back to his mentor, he continued. "In exchange for this…" Signalling to Anna, she wheeled out the trolley of stolen blood samples. "We know that you want this badly…"
"Bad enough for me to give her up?" He glared back at Ultraviolet, as though seriously considering the thought.
"Only you know the answer to that," Lance countered, maintaining eye contact with him all this while.
"You already know the answer, my dear child." As soon as he said that, more robot guards surrounded the Specialists. Ultraviolet gave a scream or protest. She was the cause of all this fighting, and she should be the one who should settle this. To her right, the Specialists were engaging the robots with extreme speeds, taking them out before they could get up. A series of gunshots littered the silent room, rivalling only Ultraviolet's scream.
"Wait!"
At that moment, the Specialist felled the last robot. The fighting ceased as everyone in the room stared intently at her.
"I'm the one you're after… I'm the one who should be fighting for my freedom." Lance was about to interrupt when she cut him off. "No, Lance, I can do this." She turned back to her adversary while the Specialists watched on, silently observing the scene before them.
All the distractions seemed to fade away from Ultraviolet's vision as she focused on a single target. Keeping her mind as blank as possible, she let a single thought surface from time to time: She had to win, by any means necessary. This was the final battle; the fifth she had today. The more she stayed stationary, the more battle fatigue seemed to spread through her body.
For a moment Ultraviolet closed her eyes, as her mind was shut off for just a second…
She felt movement in front of her, signalling for her to open her eyes. Her arms came up in time to block the first blow; Ultraviolet's fist shot up in a counter-attack, but hit nothing but air. Her opponent's foot connected with her chin a second later, sending her reeling. His next attack was halted by a force field, and for a second both froze. As soon as Ultraviolet dropped the force field, the pace escalated, with Ultraviolet sending futile blows to her opponent, and him returning in kind.
Ultraviolet barely had time to think of her next attack; her body guided her actions in the fight. Her punches were mostly blocked, but a couple of shots still managed to hit their mark. Her opponent's attacks were few and far between, but each hit seemed to take a piece out of the fatigued Ultraviolet. Soon she found her strength weakening, as her heart felt like it was going to give way at any minute. She aimed for a kick to her opponent's head, but again found her attack swiping nothing.
"Still too slow…" he muttered, delivering a kick to the defenceless Ultraviolet. As she fell to the ground, she noticed an object gleaming at her opponent's feet. It was the dagger she had used just a few minutes ago. Reaching out for it, she hid it inconspicuously between her gloved fingers as she slid her palm face-up in one fluid motion. Still he did not seem to realise she had hid a hidden weapon. Satisfied, she rolled away from him, baiting her opponent to come closer.
"Shouldn't you just stop trying to run?" Ultraviolet felt his feet stop beside her, and his breath on her cheeks. He was close to her now… too close for her to miss. Before he could say another word, she swung the dagger upwards, revealing it from under her fingers. Gripped firmly in her enclosed fist, the blade drew a semicircle around her faster than the eye can see, as her opponent drew himself back in haste.
It was too late for him. The sharp blade grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line where it cut. He reached for his face, feeling for the wound.
"Why you…"
His threat was unfinished as Ultraviolet went one step further. Whipping the dagger around, she stabbed it straight into his right thigh, sending him screaming in pain as she let go of the weapon, leaving it in its place. He tumbled to the ground as his right leg gave way, just as Ultraviolet climbed to her feet.
"Now you pay for your crimes, villain," Ultraviolet cried, making for one final attack, when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the Specialists around her. Behind her, she heard a weapon being cocked.
"That's enough, Violet. We don't want any one of you hurt. Just leave and we won't bother you again," he urged.
"Can't you see that he's exploiting you?" Ultraviolet said as she whirled around to face the Specialist. "He's using you, and you're playing straight into your ploy. You're the ones who should be stopping what you're doing."
Lance fell silent to this argument; instead he lowered his gun. "We owe him, Violet… Who else will have us out there?" Behind her, Ultraviolet heard Serena and Anna help their mentor to his feet.
"You can stop this, I'm sure there's people out there who will forgive you…"
"People like your family, Vi? They couldn't understand you, and now you want them to accept four ex-villains?"
"You leave me no choice," Ultraviolet announced as she turned around. Serena and Anna were holding up the villain, who maintained a straight face despite the immense pain he was feeling.
"Neither do you, Violet," The villain answered for Lance, as three more robotic guards dropped from the ceiling. Two of them delivered kicks to Serena and Anna, sending them on the retreat, while the third supported their master from behind. The Specialists gathered around Ultraviolet, stunned by this turn of events.
"Hold it," The villain called out to the Specialists. These aren't normal soldier robots I got here. With one push of a button I'll have the whole place in flames."
There was a brief silence, before Serena asked quietly, "Is that true, Lance?" Ultraviolet looked around at the Specialists around her. Their expression said it all: it wasn't a threat. He can, and probably will burn them to their death.
"It was a self-destructing bomb I developed, designed as a last resort for base defence, capable of setting this whole place on fire…"
The villain gave a curt but sinister laugh, interrupting Lance. "No time to explain, Lance. Make a decision now. Get to me with everything you've got, and lose everything along the way… or retreat?" The two robots supporting him was now helping him walk away from the Specialists and Ultraviolet, while the remaining one stood guard. Ultraviolet knew: this was the robot capable of blowing them all up.
"Violet, you have to trust us now," Lance commanded softly from behind her. "Your force field can stop it…"
"Wait, Lance." Serena cut off her leader, gaining the attention of everyone around before continuing. "You haven't even told us what that thing does, are you sure there's no other method?"
"There's no time to explain. Besides, haven't we got the best method there is? Vi, we trust you. Now do the same for us."
Ultraviolet felt four sets of eyes training on her, putting immense pressure for her. This was close to her limits now; she just wanted to shut it all out.
But she can't.
The cold stare from the robot was like a time bomb, ticking away till it explodes. Behind it was the retreating villain. She may have lost her only chance to bring him down. Yet the only thing that stands between them was…
The metallic body of the robot was ripped apart by the force of the bomb, sending flames spewing out more than thirty feet away.
Tiny cinders bounced off the force field, keeping the fire from reaching the Specialists and Ultraviolet. There was a brown fluid flowing from the charred remains of the robot, igniting as soon as it came into contact with heat. Within seconds the room was a burning inferno.
"That was what they could do," Lance muttered as the team stared at the destruction around them in awe. The flames were licking waist-high at the machines around them, burning away protective layers of metal while sparking off smaller fires in the machines.
"Right… now how are we getting out?" Ken asked, who had kept his silence up to now.
"I haven't thought of it yet," Lance admitted, earning shouts of dismay from the group.
"What? That's brilliant, Mr Leader," Ken joked in spite of the tense situation, as Ultraviolet felt herself pulled into a tighter spot. The fire was not getting any smaller, and there was only a circle of about ten feet around them that was not burning.
Ultraviolet's suit, meant to retain heat, was not meant to prevent them. She could feel sweat pouring out of her skin, accumulating all over her back and making her even more uncomfortable. This was it, she thought. I've failed to stop this villain and now I'm going to die from the heat. Just great…
Lance finally spoke after a moment. "Actually, there is one way out… for us four anyway. Our suits can insulate us from the heat, allowing us to escape, but Violet… I'm not too sure about you."
"Wait, there may be a way." Serena's words grabbed the attention of the five Supers. "There is an escape hatch around here. In fact…" She bent down and tugged at an almost invisible latch, revealing a dark hole. "It's almost like a slide, just hop in and you'll come out in the escape tunnel." There was another pause as the team turned to Ultraviolet. "You go first," Serena said, holding the hatch open for her.
"Should I? I mean, Anna's younger, she should get out first…"
"I know how to take care of myself… I'm a Specialist! Besides, you can't hold out for long in that thick suit, you'd better go first… We'll survive." Anna's assurance was not enough to convince Ultraviolet.
"I still think…"
"Now isn't the time to argue, Violet," Lance interrupted. Nodding to Serena, the two of them grabbed Ultraviolet by her limbs, forcing her legs into the dark hole despite her protests.
"Hey! You can't do this…"
"Yes we can…" The team crouched around her, as she was held in an awkward position with her body halfway into the tunnel. Using her hands to hold herself up, Ultraviolet looked at the Supers around her.
"I'm sorry I can't fight with you guys… but if you continue to be misled by that villain, I will have to bring you down… someday…"
"The truth is… we're not sure on whose side we're on right now." There was a rumbling sound above them, as Lance glanced up. "We'll talk later. You go first, we'll follow up at once."
Ultraviolet nodded, looking into each of the Specialists' eyes, as they smiled back in return…
The moment was interrupted when there was a couple of screws fell down onto them, as they made out a shadow looming overhead. Everyone looked up at the falling piece of debris, a large metal plate threatening to crush everyone underneath.
"Go! Now!" Lance shouted as Ultraviolet released her grip. The air above her was momentarily heated, followed immediately by a cooling sensation as her head ducked into the escape slide. Though she was rapidly gaining speed, she could hear a massive crash behind her, before all noise ceased.
"No!" Struggling to climb back, her gloved hands scraped against smooth metal in a futile attempt. She had no way of knowing if the Specialists survived or not. As she slid on, she had only one thought…
They were innocent… just misguided…
The escape slide ended right where she had started: the cavern below the junkyard. Dragging her feet, she pressed the button that will lead her out of the cave, away from the Specialists. As the platform rose, she felt a wave of pity for the Specialists. She was the cause of everything… now they were gone…
The guilt struck her as she emerged from the subterranean lair. It was still dark, presumably about three a.m. in the morning. She was in there for barely two hours, and she was a changed person.
In front of her eyes she saw their helicopter…
She turned away from it, as though it had asked her what she did to its owners. She couldn't face up to it… She had to go home.
According to the road sign, the main road was about two miles away, and the suburbs was another ten miles or so, so by the time she started walking, Violet had plenty of time to reflect on her actions. Her rhythmic footsteps quickened as she thought, and soon, her brisk pace was just short of a jog.
Yes, they did wrong in the past, but they could be forgiven…
They knew the risk of being a Specialist, and they paid the price for being one…
They had skills beyond hers, surely they'll be able to escape…
The thoughts gathered, one after another, until she entered the neighbourhood. By then, the sun was up; the warmth bathed her tired body. She felt as though she would just collapse if she stopped; her fatigued body was help up by the effects of adrenaline. Her legs moved as though on autopilot, steering her towards her home.
It was early enough that most people were still asleep, a fact which Violet was thankful for, as she trudged unabated to the doorsteps of the house. Her hand shivered as a finger depressed the doorbell.
The door swung open as Helen's outstretched hand pulled the door open. Violet's eyes scanned the room; her mother was in fact seated stiff as a board on the couch, the dark rings around her eyes signalling a sleepless night before. Her father had his head propped up with his hand in his armchair, whose half-closed eyes opened the moment he heard the door open. Dash had dozed off with one arm sprawled on the sofa, the other clutching a soundly sleeping Jack-Jack. Helen sprung up from her seat in an instant, rushing to the open door, followed closely by Bob.
"Vi! You're back! You were away the whole night, we were afraid you… I mean, now that you're back, we can… I mean…" Helen blurted out, as she nudged Bob to say something. Bob was struggling to keep awake; managing only a yawn as Violet stood motionless in the doorway.
Violet pulled the mask off her face, keeping it in her hand as she muttered some inaudible words.
"Honey? Are you alright?" Helen asked immediately, shaking Bob awake to examine their daughter.
"…Not my fault… they were prepared for it…"
Helen waited as Violet finished her words, though she only caught half of it. Barely having time to process her words, Helen listened out as Violet's lips moved again.
"I'm home…"
With those two words, Violet collapsed into her mother's arms, taken by her fatigue. Almost at once, the world went dark as her body shut her off for some much-needed rest. Smiling, Helen reached for her daughter's mask, putting it on the table before helping Vi up to her room.
"Rest well, my dear child…"
Trivia: The last part of the story was supposed to show Violet's acceptance for this 'defeat', and that she did not sink into her 'solitary confinement' like in chapter ten. So much for a warm and fuzzy ending…
Oh, and Ultraviolet translates directly to 'Beyond Violet', but on the electromagnetic spectrum… not kidding… Ok, to spare all you non-physics people, Ultraviolet encompasses what this fic is about, Violet becoming a new hero without gaining new powers, and therefore becoming 'beyond' her old self.
With that, I draw an official close to the main story of Ultraviolet.