Chapter 24: Unexpected Ally

Caitlin awoke to find herself in a fairly dark place with very little light. Only a beam of light existed, which came from a little crack in the wall. The bars of the room were actually red lasers that could easily burn anything that touches it. She heard the others talking and something banging quite hard on one of the walls. She got up and realized that they were inside a cell. "Hey Cait," greeted Gloria.

"What do you mean 'Hey Cait'? We're stuck in a goddamn cell and all you say is 'Hey Cait' as if it's a good day!" Melissa shouted harshly.

"Melissa, shut your fucking mouth! I'm trying to keep everyone calm!" Gloria interrupted. Melissa turned her back on Gloria, but not without giving her a furious look. She went back to banging her head on the wall. "Why are you doing that?" questioned Caitlin, confused.

"Because we made a stupid mistake. I made a stupid mistake. And now I regret even standing there like an idiot," Melissa answered.

"You weren't the only one," Ashley added.

Ashley was angry and was sitting on the ground. Jessica's knees were near her face and it looked like she was crying or was previously crying. "I know we're stuck. I'm just trying to get you guys calm so we can—" Gloria continued.

"Calm? Calm? How the hell are we supposed to stay calm! Our city is about to be destroyed until nothing is left except smithereens, the people we've grown to know and love will die, and all you can do is try to get us from going crazy!" Melissa shouted in uncontrollable rage.

This made Gloria even more infuriated. "I'm trying to do the best I can! I know there's a way out! We just need to think of a plan!"

"What the hell are we supposed to do? Say abra kadara and hope for a miracle!"

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"I don't see you doing anything that could help us get out of this! All you're doing is banging your head on the wall like a freakin' dumbass! All you're doing is yelling! That really outta make everyone feel better!"

"How the hell are we supposed to stay calm? We're stuck in a fucking dungeon with nearly no chance of escape while that stupid bastard goes off and destroys our city and the rest of the world!"

"That's your problem Melissa! You give up to easily! You let your anger take over. You don't use your brain! You use your anger to help you! And you get pissed off for stupid things! You can't get mad at me for not being able to think of a plan! You wouldn't even be able to think of a goddamn plan! So don't take the blame on me!"

"Is that so? Well, if you think you're the best here, why not think of a fucking plan now! Yes I admit it! I do get angry for stupid things! But this time, I'm not about to let that bastard kill my family and my friends. You should be worried about them as well. This isn't about us! It's about them!"

"Yes, I know that! I know we need to think of our friends and family. But we need to be able to work together instead of try to slit each other's throats! Instead of yelling, we need to think together. But we won't get anywhere if you are fucking yelling at me!"

"For heaven's sake just STOP!" Caitlin yelled at the top of her lungs.

Gloria and Melissa finally stopped and stared at Caitlin. "We won't get anywhere if both of you are arguing! We have a destiny. And that destiny is to protect the world from destruction at all costs. And we won't fulfill it if you two are just yelling at each other and are ready to kill each other! Now…are we going to stop arguing or let the world be taken over?"

Gloria and Melissa looked at each other. Gloria sighed loudly and said, "You're right Caitlin. We shouldn't be fighting. We should be thinking of a way to get out." She held her hand out. "So I'm sorry for arguing with you, Melissa."

Melissa looked at Gloria's outstretched hand and then looked back at her. She smiled and said, "Fine. I'm sorry as well. We can argue afterwards."

"You've got yourself a deal," said Gloria with a small smile. They both shook hands at last.

"Yay, we're a team again!" Caitlin cheered.

"Nothing can separate us now. We'll be friends forever and nothing can shatter that friendship, not even Ation or that Cyberdemon," added Jessica, finally getting up. She held her hand out. Everyone placed her hand on hers.

"Yeah!" they shouted in unison.

"Now let's get out of here!" Ashley cried.

With their spirits and hope revived again, they did all they could to escape from the prison. For nearly an hour, they tried using their spells, powers, their forms, and other things. But nothing worked. The cell bars burned anything and had a hidden shield in front of the bars. The walls were as hard as never-ending layers of steel. They stopped and took a break. "We can't stop now," Ashley said.

"But c'mon, not even I could get through those damn walls or that shield!" Melissa exclaimed.

"We can't give up though. We have to—" Gloria was interrupted by a strange noise, like something very heavy was walking on the ceiling. So heavy in fact, small rocks started to fall from the ceiling. "Is that a good thing?" Caitlin questioned.

"I don't believe so," Ashley uttered.

Then a piece of the ceiling was rising and was soon thrown away by an unidentified person. Or more like unidentified black dragon. The dragon's head peeked into the hole and inquired with a toothy smile, "Did you miss me?"

Nobody recognized the dragon except Melissa. "Craig! Thank the gods you're here!" she exclaimed.

"That's Craig?" wondered Jessica.

"Of course it's me. You act as if you've never seen me like this," commented Craig.

"Craig, how'd you find us?" questioned Ashley.

"And how did you break the ceiling when we were unable to?" Melissa added.

"The walls are weak from the outside. As for how I found you, I have my ways," answered Craig.

"C'mon! We need to get to Tranquility. Let's make haste!" Gloria declared.

Craig planted his tail inside the cell for Gloria and the others to use as a rope to get out. But they heard one more person inside the cell. The person's pleas were barely audible. "Jessica, see who it is," Gloria ordered.

Jessica slid down Craig's tail. Her eyes scanned the entire room but she couldn't see anyone. The lack of light in the entire dungeon affected her vision. Her eyes were still trying to adjust to the darkness. "Hey, I'm in a cell three cells across from you," the girl said.

"Alright, we'll be there in a sec," Jessica declared.

Craig raised his tail and Jessica pinpointed where the girl was. Craig busted the ceiling and got the girl out. She was gently placed outside by the hole he created. Dirt covered her face and clothes. She held a rat in her hand, whose white coat was also dirty. The girl's hair was messy and looked tangled. It looked like she had been in the cell for a very long time. "Who are you?" Ashley asked.

"I'm Abby. I used to be Ation's servant," replied the girl.

"And he left you in that cell to die!" demanded Jessica.

Abby nodded in reply. Jessica grew very angry and uttered, "We're going to do all we can to defeat this guy. We'll make sure we get our revenge."

"Thanks," Abby said.

Everyone climbed on to Craig's back and he flew them to Tranquility, where Gloria, Melissa, Ashley, Caitlin, and Jessica would have their final confrontation with Ation. And this time, only one team would make it out alive while the other faced death.