Ultraviolet

Author's notes: To confirm what I said last chapter, this is the last update you can expect from me for some time now. I may publish some one-shots occasionally, but on the whole, I won't be as actively updating.

Chapter 28

Zero

The whirls of engines died down, as the silence of the forest engulfed the clearing. One by one, the Specialists filed out through the single door by the side of their helicopter. No more training missions; they were ready for their first task.

Each of them looked different too, after years of training. Lance, at eighteen years old, stood at the brink of manhood, with his signature sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. Serena was analysing the details of the mission, far from what a sixteen year old would be doing. Fifteen-year old Ken had stepped out of his rebellious phase, maturing in both his mind and body. Anna was the last to step out, not quite as confident as her siblings, but still prepared to enter her teen years.

The forest stood at the edge of a hill, on another uncharted island off the coast of mainland America. Illuminated by the midnight moon, the Specialists stalked past several of the forest's native inhabitants, while searching for the supposed 'ruler' residing in the depths of the hill's caves.

"We haven't got a clue on how to find this guy," Ken complained. Their mission file had only wanted them to find a mysterious Super hiding on the island, but all other details have been withheld. "And how would this help?" He held up two polished fangs, strung together like a necklace. One might mistake them for ivory, except it was much smaller, and carried the distinct scent of dried blood on it.

"Father must have his reasons for sending us here. Now quit whining and help find the cave." Serena prodded a nearby bush with a fallen tree branch she had picked up, sending a rabbit hurtling from within it.

"There are actually several caves above us; we just have to find the right one." Lance peered at the darkness above them, easily mistaken as shadows, but Lance could see that they were actually hollow cave entrances.

The trees swayed with the gentle breeze, sending the leaves rustling against each other. Anna gasped, clutching onto Serena as she pointed at a large oak tree. "There's… something up there," she breathed, her eyes sealed shut in fear.

Serena patted her back reassuringly; glancing up at the shadow perched on the branch. "Possibly just a bird," she muttered. "A large bird," she added, turning her eyes away from the shadows and to her younger sister. "C'mon, have a bit of confidence. You're a Specialist..."

"Not officially," Anna whispered back. She hadn't been promoted officially, but was still allowed to join with her siblings.

"Hey guys, there's a path here!" Ken called out, separating two shrubs to reveal a rocky path up the steep hill. No sooner had he stepped onto the path, when the shadow swooped down from above, knocking him flat onto his back. By the light of the moon, they could see fangs and claws, followed by a primeval roar that echoed through the woods. It sped back into the trees on fours, prompting Lance to bring up his rifle, training it where their assailant had gone.

"Come out, whoever you are," Lance called out. "It's a human," he whispered to Serena. "I saw hands and legs too long for it to be an animal. Anyway, wolves can't be camping out on trees…"

"Good observation; only a trained hunter would be able to spot that." A figure loomed out from behind a tree, and Lance jerked his rifle in his direction. "Of course I'm human; were you expecting to hunt a wolf?"

Stepping out into the open, Lance noted that he certainly looked like one. He was covered in shaggy grey fur, his limbs ending in paws and his teeth… long, sharp canine-like teeth, glinting in the moonlight. If no one knew that he was a super, they might mistake him for a half-transformed werewolf. A cloak shrouded his facial features. He spoke in a low growl, "I didn't expect him to send youngsters… and girls, for that matter."

"What're you talking about, and who are you?" Lance questioned, keeping the man in his rifle scope.

"He didn't tell you? Hunters should know what they're hunting before they set out, I thought he should know that by now…"

Lance was just as puzzled by his words as the rest were. What's with the hunter thing anyway? He thought, deciding to probe further. He had barely opened his mouth when the man leapt straight into the air, and before Lance could track his movements, he propelled himself towards Lance, swiping with his clawed hands. A swirling mass of orange filled Lance's sight, knocking his gun away. It fell with a clatter several feet away, while Lance felt blood trickle down his cheek, caused by the man's claws.

"Tell your master you failed," he growled, now back in a crouching position several feet off. Serena and Ken made to attack him, but Lance stopped them.

"We were sent to retrieve you… with this," he muttered, climbing back onto his feet. Ken held up the twin fangs, and their attacker hesitated.

"That's…" They were interrupted once again when an arrow whistled between the two parties, sinking into the ground. The wolf-man sniffed the air, letting out a growl. "Orion," he whispered. "I thought you sent these children against me…"

There was a soft thud as the newcomer landed beside them, on the Specialists' far right, instantly suppressing their laughter. He was dressed up like Robin Hood, with a feather cap, leather tunic and calve-high boots. A quiver of arrows was slung on his back, and in his hands, a wooden bow carved from mahogany wood, lacquered a dark brown. His voice was a similar low-pitched growl. "I won't deny myself of the greatest prey on Earth, for none has ever survived the great hunter Orion."

The hunter stuff suddenly made sense to Lance; the wolf-man must have mistaken them for this 'Orion' guy's minions. What did the fangs have to do with him, then?

The wolf-man spat in contempt, glancing first at Orion, then at the Specialists. "I have hunted many great Supers myself, and I believe the title belongs to me." Lance had heard of Super-hunting mercenaries before; was he one of them? "I, too, have never failed in a hunt. However, you haven't succeeded in bringing me down."

"Yet," Orion added, fitting another arrow in his bow. He drew the string back, faster than the eye could see, and let it loose. It streaked towards the wolf-man, as he leapt away, but Lance could see that it was too late. It sank into his leg, bringing him down to the ground. Orion fitted another arrow, aimed at his heart this time. "Victory is mine," he exulted, and Lance saw Orion's fingers relax…

"Ken, now!" The command was useless, for he could already feel the burst of speed as time sped up for him. The arrow seemed to have passed through a viscous fluid, for it slowed down rapidly under the effects of Ken's power. Lance snatched the arrow from midair, rolling on the floor to lose the extra speed. Ken gradually relaxed his powers, knowing Lance would be slowed for a few seconds at least.

"We'll bring you back safely on our father's orders," Ken assured the wolf-man, throwing the fangs in his hand towards the injured Super. Serena and Anna had already engaged Orion in a hand-to-hand combat; Ken watched as Serena snapped the bow into two pieces with a chop.

"What good is a hunter, without his bow?" Serena taunted, as Anna delivered the final blow to Orion's temple. He seemed stunned for a moment, and fell to the ground, unconscious.

The group gathered around the injured man; he had pulled out the arrow, and was using a piece of ripped fabric from his blood-soaked pants to make a bandage. "I thank you," he whispered, lowering his head in gratitude.

"We're just doing our job." Lance replied, speaking for the whole team. "Now, will you explain who you are and why we might be finding you?"

"My name is Bloodhound, a mercenary specialising in hunting Supers. As you can see, my record is a hundred percent so far." He pointed at the fangs hanging from his neck. "These were actually mine; I issued them as tokens of appreciation to those I owe, promising to return any favour for free if they were returned to me. I recognise this; your 'father' saved me when I was just about your age."

Orion stirred, regaining conscious. "No, please don't…" he pleaded, backing away from the group. "I… I can't be made mortal. Please, don't kill me!" Sweat beaded his forehead; his eyes wide open in fear. It was a total change from the hunter they had fought just a few seconds ago.

Bloodhound raised his eyebrows. "Interesting… he appears to be hallucinating."

"He is," Anna replied, smiling in pride. She pulled her switchblade from her pocket, and before anyone could protest, ended Orion's misery in a splatter of blood.

"You kill without remorse, young lady. Commendable… In fact, all of you…"

"Merely a product of training," Lance said humbly. "We should return to our base, if it's fine with you. Our father wishes to see you at once."

"And you should know what happens afterwards," Lance finished, fully aware that his siblings were all in various stages of dozing off by then. Serena was in a daze, occasionally sitting up at the climax of one story, only to slump back into the sofa when it was over. Anna stifled a yawn, her head nodding off every few seconds, only for her to snap back to an upright position. Ken was more blatant in his attempt; his snores punctured the entire story-telling session.

"But still, it's been two years since you've got Bloodhound… What did he do until then?" Violet was still as awake as she had been four hours ago. Draining her cup of its fifth refill of hot chocolate, she glanced at the clock. It was just past three a.m., which was rather late… Or early, depending on how she looked at it. She resisted the urge to crack up in laughter, before she told herself that the sleep depravation must be affecting her sanity.

"We trained on a few missions, lay low for a while. Mostly, we did some sort of surveillance work, either on Supers or on major villains, including Syndrome." Violet raised an eyebrow in interest, prompting Lance to start another of his short stories. "Well, we got news that this new villain had bought this nearby island, and we…"

A sudden stream of light flooded the room, despite it being totally dark outside. The drone of a helicopter engine could just be heard in the background. Lance got up from his seat immediately, waking up his fellow Specialists in the process. "He's here," he muttered.

The rest of them knew what he meant. Their worst fears just came true; their father was going to hunt them down, right there in the Parr's residence. For the first time in that night, it looked as if Violet was not going to make it out of this alive, on one count if the house was swarmed with robotic minions, or if her parents woke up, or worst: if her neighbours found out about any of this.

"Let's go outside," Violet suggested, stealing a look at her parents' bedroom door. Any second now… if they came out… If they were outside, it won't look as bad… The helicopter engines were now beyond audible. Violet could barely hear the dogs barking next door.

The group, led by Lance, filed out one by one, as Violet closed the door behind them. Almost instantly, she was blinded by the searchlights shone on the Specialist's helicopter. Then came the massive voice, booming out from the helicopter itself, and Violet knew her chances were blown. At this rate, she was lucky if half the suburbs didn't hear this din.

"I hope you learnt a lot from this; now are you ready to return home?"

"I thought you won't let us return after we failed you?" Violet heard Lance shout to the nothingness that was beyond, still blinding because of the light. She saw him adjust a small microphone attached to his earpiece, obviously communicating with his adopted father.

"It was just for you to have some exposure outside of your sheltered life." Violet glanced at the lights being turned off upstairs, mirroring the sight in every other house she could see.

The four Specialists exchanged looks at one another. "We owe it to him," Serena started, but Violet cut her off.

"No, you don't! You can change… Look, I can tell my parents. They'll find someone to take you in. You don't have to…"

"You can't, Violet, and stop trying. No one would take us in, not after what we've done... Besides, he's not gonna kill us, so we'll be fine."

The incessant barking and barely-audible yelling from the households around seemed to come to a standstill, and Violet knew that they have pulled off the time-altering trick. In a flash, they were gone, and the drone of the engines faded into the dark. Violet felt several eyes staring in her direction, and in reflex, turned herself invisible. Thankfully, she had her Super-suit on.

"Whatever the heck that was, I'm calling the cops!"

The last yells died down, and tired neighbours went back to bed. Violet watched, rooted to the spot. She waited until the last light dimmed before she revealed herself, turning around and walking right into her parents.

"Mom, Dad… You're awake!" Violet jumped in mock surprise, but even the worst lie-detectors would have went off right there, as her parents came out of the front doorway, followed by a sleepy Dash behind them.

"Did you expect us not to be?" Helen demanded, pointing at the sky. Oh no, Violet thought. If it wasn't a lifetime of grounding, she could be exiled to some distant relative, never to hear from a Super again… Dash was suppressing his laughter, almost confirming the fate that was coming…

"Rick would want to hear about this," she commented off-hand to Bob.

"Hmm… I'll get him on the phone tomorrow."

"Both of you get back to bed," Helen ordered, shepherding her children back into the house. Bob walked ahead with Dash to tuck him in again; while Violet slowed down to have another talk with her mother.

"Thanks for trusting me, Mom."

Her mother brushed her fingers through Violet's hair, before patting her on the shoulders. "I don't think you'll like it other wise. But remember, use this freedom responsibly. One more of such incident and it's…"

"I know, Mom... back to grounding." Both mother and daughter shared a laugh for a second, before they stopped outside Violet's room. "Thanks, Mom… for everything."

Helen kissed Violet on the forehead. "You've said it so many times already… now get back in bed," she ended with a smile.

The door closed behind Violet, who shed her Super-suit and put on her pyjamas. Out on the horizon, she thought she saw a flashing dot. Was it the Specialists? As a Super, the next time they crossed paths, they'll be on different sides of the fight again. And this time, she won't hesitate to land them in jail if it will make them repent.

Until then, she thought, it's time to sleep…

End notes: It's finally over… I've been planning for this for a long time, and I think I'll feel kind of empty knowing that I'm done with this fic… The first multi-chaptered story I've completed so far…

Special thanks to: All my readers, especially if you reviewed.