The New Kid

Chapter 20

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Okay, so maybe that last one was a little shorter than I thought… n.n; Oops.

Isaac: As if you didn't know.

Don't you have some duct tape to be running from?

Isaac: O.O Duct… tape?

Jenna: (snickers and points back to his door where "Boo" is still written in duct tape)

Isaac: O.O eep… Run away!

o.O Wow, I think he just beat Felix's record escape speed. Anyways, welcome to the finale (a.k.a. next to last) chapter of TNK, and it's a long one. n.n This is going to be fuuuuuun.

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"Tch… tch… tch. Why must children these days be so stubborn?" Everyone froze, except Isaac who merely squinted up through the pain with one eye. Lord Babi sneered down at him from the doorway, the door itself hanging awkwardly on one hinge.

Isaac's hatred for the old man before him only made the pressure in his chest worsen. He gave a pained groan and lowered his head. Still gripping his chest with one hand, he slightly turned his left hand on the floor to see the blood on it from his side wound. It still hadn't occurred to him that it had long stopped hurting. The clattering of the guards stepping forward with their weapons met Isaac's ears before a small fit of anger took him again. Pressing his hand flat on the ground, his entire body flashed a golden light and another strip of stone spires shot up. The ones closest to him started small, but as they followed the path for the door they steadily grew in size before splitting routes and stopping the intruders short.

"If you don't want me to destroy this entire place, you'll let us all go and never bother anyone again." The command was stated breathily, Isaac now feeling as short of air as energy.

"Or what? You'll destroy a building and put more blood on your hands? You seem to forget who all is in this building that you are threatening-!" Babi's smirk faltered when he ducked some to the side, a ball of flame hitting the wall near the door.

Garet's lowering right fist looked to have a glowing red flame around it. "You're one to talk about forgetting." He glowered at Babi. Babi's smirk started to return as he seemed to shrug off the threat. That stopped again, though, when a bolt of lightning struck the wall on the other side of the door; a sphere of water landed above the door, drenching the men below; and another ball of flame hit where Garet's had. Looking back to the group, Babi realized he was now facing four more Adepts than just Isaac.

Iodem's voice rang out in the hall. "Protect Lord Babi!" More security came running and crowded Babi back into the hall. "Forgive me, my Lord, something is interfering with the radios…" He trailed off as he noticed what they were up against. Unfortunately, this happened just as Babi came out of his disbelieving stupor.

"You fool… They're all Adepts! And you did nothing to contain them!"

"I-I... Forgive me sir-."

Babi looked ready to chastise Iodem more, but was cut short by a shout in the room with the Adepts. Glancing back to see Isaac gripping his chest and the glow of Psynergy radiating off of him again, Babi ordered a quick, "Deal with this," before starting to lumber away. Iodem was left at a loss for words.

The guards, meanwhile, all had their weapons aimed either on Isaac or his friends. Isaac was sweating and breathing heavily, the building pain in his chest surpassing unbearable. He suddenly shouted again and a shockwave-like field of Psynergy flew out from him.

Mia was biting her lip as she continued trying to heal him, but the only help that seemed to be doing was keeping Isaac conscious. Felix was kneeling beside Isaac opposite of Mia to help support him, while the other three were standing in front of them as protection.

"Think we can just burn our way through?" Jenna muttered.

Garet chuckled a little at that idea, but Ivan cut in. "Isaac can't keep moving in this condition. Even if someone carried him, at this point he's like a bomb just waiting to go off. Probably the only thing that's held him back this long is that we're still here."

The flame aura around Garet's hands grew slightly as rings of Psynergy started to move up and down around him. "Yeah, well, that's just too bad, 'cause we aren't leaving him behind like this." The kneeling front row of guards seemed to notice something was up and aimed more towards Garet, but they were all caught by surprise when a wall of flame came at them. The men shouted and scurried back into the hall to escape the fire, then were faced with the task of putting out those that hadn't moved quick enough.

Jenna beamed at the retreat as Garet went back to the others. "Now that's burning a way out!" Psynergy rings then surrounded her as well before she sent a fiery plume through the doorway.

"Time to get out of here- Huh?" Garet started to help Isaac up when the blond Adept used the helping hand to angrily make a break for the door. "Hey! Isaac!"

There was more gunfire as he appeared in the hall, but once again not a single bullet touched him. Without even lifting a finger, another wave of Psynergy plowed down all the guards with Iodem buried at the back.

"BABI!" Isaac hurried shakily after the old man, probably stepping on a few hands while getting over the fallen crowd, but not caring. He shouted the name again, slamming a palm against the wall he was leaning on when the miser quickened his pace. A line of smaller stone spires erupted from the wall to chase after Babi, then lowered down to the floor in larger sizes to steer him down another hall before stopping. The next hall was the same, and the turn after that, the spires forcing Babi to follow a certain path. The lighting flickered some, but otherwise stayed on.

Ivan smirked slightly as he scared the guards into staying down with a few zaps of electricity, then went after the other teenagers that had already moved down the hall from the storage room. The Wind Adept frowned to himself as they moved along the corridors. What was Isaac up to? They finally caught up just as Isaac staggered into the room he had driven Babi to and everyone froze at the door. "Here?" Ivan whispered to himself.

It was the same training room where Iodem had tried forcing Isaac's hand twice before. The room where the safety of the Adept's friends had been threatened, all because he wouldn't cooperate. The room where he had found out what really happened five years before. The main struggle had started here, and from the looks of it, Ivan guessed Isaac wanted to end it here.

Gritting his teeth, Babi turned to face his former captive. "Well, well, if this isn't a turn of events." He covered his lower face with a small cloth as he coughed.

Isaac nodded, his eyes fixed on the man. "You could say that." He stood a little straighter, even though it hurt.

Babi pocketed the cloth again. "I'm assuming it wasn't a coincidence that we just happened to arrive at this destination, then-."

Some of the equipment around the room began to glow and float a few inches above the floor. "I found out a few things while I was here," Isaac cut in coldly. "Why'd you do it, Babi? How many people have you murdered over the years, just so you could live a little longer?"

Babi smirked. "Enough to meet my means. I could have done it, too. I could have reached immortality, and I still can. You don't have to be alive to be of use to my cause, though it would have been easier for everyone if you had only accepted my offers in the first place. Think of the possibilities achievable through you. If immortality can be reached, then what human ailment could we not cure?"

"You still killed people, and killing people's families doesn't gain compliance points."

"That fool wouldn't listen to reason." Babi shrugged, getting frustrated. "Your father knew what you would be capable of, but he was completely determined not to even consider what could come of your abilities."

"So you had him murdered, and made me believe it was my fault."

"Having him disappear went beyond what we expected. The hopes were that he would either be severely injured or, yes, killed. It was a sacrifice made so your Psynergy would be of use sooner, since you would obviously have done anything you could to save him-."

"You still had him murdered."

Babi coughed before talking again. "As I said, it was a small sacrifice for a greater purpose. But you're still young, you couldn't understand if you tried."

"How odd it is, hearing such words from a man such as yourself." The blue-haired Lemurian stepped calmly through the group at the door.

Babi eyed the newcomer just as coolly. "About time you showed your true allegiance. Was only a matter of time until you would finally turn on me, Piers."

Everyone else, including Isaac, stared at the man they had come to know as "Picard," now standing there with hands in blue jean pockets, a baggy blue jacket over his white button-up shirt. Picard nodded slightly, not taking his eyes off Babi. "I never had a choice until now. You were careful to take away every other option I had."

"Wait a minute! Back up and hold the phone!" Jenna stomped a step through the doorway as Picard looked back. "You told us your name was Picard!" She pointed at him almost accusingly. "Why's he calling you Piers?-!"

Picard smiled sadly. "It was the name given to me shortly after my capture. It actually belonged to a former member of the company, but he passed away in an unreported accident before I arrived. To keep the official employee roster from changing and avoid an investigation of the death, I was given the chance to go by the name in order to maintain some minor freedoms. Otherwise, I would not have been allowed to leave the holding cells."

"Which worked out quite nicely, I might add." Babi chuckled shortly to himself. "Isaac was still a questionable target until Piers here started trying to protect him. You see, Isaac, your friend here was the one who confirmed our suspicions about your Psynergy." Isaac looked from Babi to Piers again, but Piers only diverted his gaze downward. "His entire purpose for leaving Lemuria was to seek you out and defend you, by order of his king. But all he really did was lead us right to you."

"It doesn't matter if he did. You would've come after me eventually, just to be sure." Isaac tried taking another step towards the old man, but had to stop to keep from falling. "And if you can't have my Psynergy, then you'll just go after someone else, and someone else after that. If given the chance, you won't stop until there aren't any Adepts left alive with any form of healing Psynergy. That's why… I won't give you that chance."

Babi smirked, then laughed and shook his head. "You really are a piece of work, boy. Did you honestly think leading me here would do you any good?" He motioned around the room with one hand. "Look around you. If you keep me cornered here, you're trapped right along with me!"

Isaac was now partially hunched over with one hand on his knee, and visibly still in pain as the golden aura continued to loom around him, but his light chuckle made Babi's gloating grin falter. "Maybe so… but who said I planned on escaping?" Isaac hung his head slightly more at the sound of his friends' questioning murmurs, but straightened to grin weakly back at them. Or was the smile more sad than tired? "Security hasn't caught up yet. You should all get out of here while they're still distracted."

Garet clenched his fists and stepped forward. "How many times do we have to tell you? We aren't going anywhere unless you're coming with us."

"And how's that supposed to work out?" Isaac turned a little more towards them, making Garet fall silent. The Earth Adept looked so worn out by now it was amazing he was still able to stand up like this. He looked like someone they would expect to find in a hospital or… on a death bed. What hurt even more… was that he looked entirely ready to accept that end.

"Ivan was right. I can't keep moving in this condition, and there's no chance of me getting outside in time anymore." He winced and gripped his chest again before looking back to them, somehow still grinning reassuringly. "If I keep it in that long, it'll tear me apart. I can still hold it back long enough for the rest of you to get a decent head start, though- AH!" One leg gave out as another spasm of pain shot through him, making him collapse to the floor on his knees again.

Garet ran forward and shoved passed Picard, who tried to stop him, just as Ivan shouted, "Garet! Wait, he's-!"

They didn't hear what he was in Ivan's warning before another wave of Psynergy rushed out from Isaac, pushing everyone stumbling back a few feet. Even Babi had to raise an arm to shield his face and kneel down.

"G-Get out of here…" Isaac's voice cracked as he spoke, yet it was still determined and controlled. "What are you waiting for…? Get out!"

"He's right!" Sheba had appeared out in the hall. "Those rocky spike attacks he used don't appear out of thin air. They have to have materials from the earth to form, and a lot of those materials just came through several main pipelines and circuitry, not to mention did a number on the building's foundation and support." As she talked, the lights flickered again, and Jenna jumped slightly when she realized she was standing in the thin layer of water that was moving down the hall.

Picard made as though to step towards Isaac again, but stopped and emotionlessly stared at the boy instead. Felix came forward and dragged a reluctant Garet for the door, murmuring some form of reassurance. Isaac was short of breath and barely able to look up, but he did and locked gazes with the Lemurian. After a few quick seconds that lasted near forever to them, the corner's of Picard's mouth turned up slightly in a calm smile and he nodded. "He was right, you are a good kid." For some odd reason, Isaac relaxed a little hearing that and continued staring wordlessly. "I am sure Kyle- your father… is proud of you, wherever his soul may be." Speechless, the Earth Adept finally nodded and managed a weak smile.

The building's structure shook and brought them both back to the present. "Piers?" The Lemurian looked down at him again. "As my per- personal body guard… will you do a favor for me and make sure my friends get out of here safely?"

The Lemurian smiled again and nodded with a bow of the head. "Yes, sir." With that, Piers turned away and ushered everyone away and down the hall whether they liked it or not.

Sheba quickly took the lead and didn't look back as she directed them down the halls for the nearest exit. Though, a large part of her not looking back was due to the tears forming in her eyes. And she certainly wasn't the only one. "Security started to follow you, but they already made a break for it when they noticed the damages." No one answered back, they just kept running.

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In the training room, tears stung at Isaac's eyes as well as he hung his head again, the building still shaking around him. Babi stood straight once more and started for the door. "I must give you credit, boy. You're the first to almost prove more trouble than you were worth. But, no matter. Once your corpse is dug up from the rubble there won't be a thing you can do to stop me anymore. Oh, and don't worry about your dear mother. I'll make sure she's… taken care of." Babi smirked back at Isaac as he lumbered away. When he faced forward again, however, it was to see a large portion of the wall crumpling and collapsing, blocking the door and making it impossible for the old man to go any further.

"That's what you think…"

Babi growled at the Adept, but he quickly took to wildly scanning the room for another way out. What Isaac didn't expect to hear was a window breaking from the floor above them and a rope or cord ladder dropping down.

Saturos landed in a crouching position near the ladder and stood, sword drawn. Vines shot up from the ground to hinder him, but the Proxian merely burned them away with a wave of his hand.

"My Lord, if you'll follow me." Babi hurried over to his rescuer and started up the ladder, Menardi just visible at the top making sure it was supported. Without showing any change in his emotionless expression, Saturos turned to face Isaac. After a few seconds more, he smirked. "And here you were supposed to be something special, yet this is all it takes to make you give up. Pathetic." His cape furled behind him as he started for the ladder and climbed.

Isaac gritted his teeth and tried standing to follow, but his knees were barely a few inches off the floor before they came down again. The ladder blurred and cleared with his vision, and he could just make out the two forms disappearing through the window.

The ground rumbled as the unburned vines writhed. There was too much energy being released even for them. Entire wall sections were crashing down, followed by the beams they had helped support. Behind one fallen wall cover across the room, a pipeline cracked and burst as a vine circled it. A large pool was quickly forming below it as the wiring around it sparked. Isaac squinted over at what was happening, but could do nothing even as the first fires started appearing around the chamber.

Meanwhile, Sheba was constantly being forced to change the escape route. Water was covering several halls by now, and the sparks coming from the lights and cracked walls above the shimmering surfaces was more than enough reason to find a different way. Piers knew the layout of the compound better than anyone, but even he couldn't determine which path would take them outside without getting badly injured.

Jenna shouted when she noticed Mia had paused behind them. "Mia! Come on!" Mia glanced over her shoulder at them, but then started back in the direction they had just come from.

"Mia!" Her arm was grabbed so suddenly it jerked her backwards a step. Looking back, she found Garet holding onto her upper arm. "There's nothing we can do this time-" As though to prove Garet right, an explosion could be heard and a wall of flame blew through the last intersection of halls they had turned at. Pieces of the ceiling and upper walls crumbled and fell, blocking the group from any return trip.

"No…" Mia stood in shock. There wasn't any turning back now, no second chance.

"Come on," said Garet carefully, recovering first and pulling her away. Ahead of them, Felix was having the same trouble trying to keep Jenna moving forward, but more sounds of explosions within the building got them running again.

"Hurry! The exit is not much farther now!" shouted Piers from the lead as they turned the last corner and the doors came into view. Another explosion was heard nearby, and a section of wall they had passed only seconds before was blown across and through the opposite side of the hall.

The force of the blast tripped up the two bringing up the rear and they fell hard to the floor. Garet glanced back to see a cloud of orange racing towards him and Mia and, being the fire Adept, pushed her back down as she rose and tried to shield her. But when the blaze was almost on them, thick vines shot up and weaved together in a solid green wall. Small spouts of fire burst through minor gaps, but the two teenagers didn't have time to study it before their friends were pulling them up and dragging them away again.

Piers threw open the metal double doors as he reached them and stood to hold one while the others ran past. Before letting the door close, he cast one more look at the vines that still held back the fire. Isaac… You truly are a great Adept. May Sol and Luna protect you. With that, the doors closed, and Piers joined the others as they scrambled up a sloping hill behind the compound. With nothing left to defend, the rigid vine wall slackened and was near instantly vaporized. A plume of built up flame erupted past and out of the doors, blasting both from their hinges.

And all the others could do was watch as the wing of the building they had just escaped lost its support and was leveled.

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What's the matter, Isaac?

The other kids…they were saying things…

What kinds of things?

…Did you and Mom find me? Am I really… normal?

That depends on what's normal.

Like those other kids.

No. You're not normal compared to them.

…

You're better.

…How?

Because they are the ones being mean to others, they will never know the same things as those they have bullied. We learn from experience, Isaac, and no one shares the same experience. Even if two people are at the same place at the same time, their memories of that time and what they take from it will be at least slightly different.

But how does that make me better? I'm weaker than they are.

Strength isn't always in physical form, Isaac.

"Then…what is it?"

"You plan on staying here forever?" The new voice cut into Isaac's thoughts and brought him back to reality. From what he could tell, he was lying on his stomach on hard floor; the stench of burning fumes and the heat from the fire that was eating up the building around him were suffocating; and someone was standing nearby. Painfully, he opened one eye enough to see a pair of dark shoes a short distance from his face. "It won't be much longer before the rest of this place comes down. You've really done it this time."

"And what…" Isaac choked on his own words, his throat dry from the heat and dust building around him, "would it matter to you… Alex?"

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"Isaac…" It was all Mia could mutter as the entire structure of Babi's modern fortress caved in.

Jenna shivered slightly beside her, breaking into silent sobs on Felix's shoulder when he tried comforting her. "Not fair… It's not fair!" She hit a fist against her brother's chest, though there wasn't much force behind it. "He said everything would be alright… But it's not alright! It's not alright because he's dead! And it's all our fault!" Felix winced slightly at the beating, but said nothing as she started crying aloud.

Ivan was at a loss for words and stood in shocked, unbelieving silence. Mia slumped to her knees as tears slipped down her pale face. Even Sheba turned her back and took a few steps away to hide her own stinging eyes. She never had been one for tears, but her shoulders shook now more than she wanted to admit.

Garet stared grimly at the ruins as another wing caved in. "So, that's it, huh? After all that… just to get nothing."

Beside him and watching the wreckage as well, Piers didn't show any sign of agreement or disagreement. "We all choose our own outcome. Isaac chose his, and it was to save ours."

"But… you said yourself… it was your job to protect him." The Fire Adept's voice cracked some, so he fell quiet and tried swallowing the lump in his throat.

There was a pause before Piers answered again. "Then perhaps… he did not need protecting."

"Or he was just being a glory hound by playing the sacrificial hero." Garet turned, ready to knock the lights out of whoever had just said that. Unfortunately, Alex was safely out of reach and would have time to get away if any of the others gave chase. That, of course, didn't stop Jenna from trying as she stomped towards him, but was held back by her elbow when Felix grabbed it.

"You… you self-centered, egotistical, coward son of a-!"

"Hold on a minute before you fry me, Jen. Unless, you don't mind hitting a certain someone else at the same time…" He moved closer so they could make out that he was carrying something on his back. A little closer, and they could see the arms of a person draped over his shoulders. A little closer still, and…

Mia's eyes began to tear up again, and no one could believe what they were seeing even as Jenna faintly murmured the name, "…Isaac?"

"No thanks necessary. I only risked getting squished or becoming shish kebab or burning alive; but really, it was nothing," Alex answered sarcastically, kneeling down when he reached them to lower the limp teenager to the ground. "Ergh… he's heavier than he looks…"

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To be concluded in the epilogue.

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x.x Seven… pages… of finale chapter. Woooooooow. Now all that's left is the lovely epilogue of sorts to tie the rest of the story up… or does it? I've been getting asked by some if I'm thinking of writing a sequel (you know who you are), and right now I'm strongly considering it. I already know what it will be about if I do write one, so my main concerns about continuing the story as part of a series are just a) getting some work done on my other current fics first, and b) finding the time.

Whatever happens story-wise, only one chapter left to this part of the story. A special thanks to everyone who has reviewed and helped get the story to this point, and to all the readers for being so patient for me. Until the next update, this is Yuja, signing out.