It's been four years. I make no excuses. I just apologize.

I remember this plot bunny. I remember it.

I can't promise much, but I will try to finish this. I said I would. I'll see what I can do.

I don't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably mine.


Chapter 14

Bree

Bree didn't know how long she had been training with the sword. She just knew that when Mors showed up, she improved. She was getting faster, even without her speed. Lifting the sword was no longer an issue. She was still getting knocked around, but she was learning.

Normal people had to spend so much time building strength and skill. Not for the first time, but she wished she had her bionics back. It would help so much right now.

Apollyon tried harder than ever to convince her to stop. Or, rather, Chase did. He had an endless stream of logical arguments about why she should just let things go. There was no way out of there. There was no way to beat Apollyon, no matter how much she insisted she wasn't training for that. She didn't know what she was training for. Mors wouldn't tell her. He just smiled and told her to keep the sword up. Poses on stances on blocks on attacks were what filled her spare time, and polishing treasure filled her days. Chase didn't talk to her without Apollyon's interference.

She was honestly wondering if Chase did anything without Apollyon exerting his control anymore. He always seemed to be looking at something far away. Maybe he wasn't coherent anymore. She was just waiting for him to take the sword away from her, but he still refused to touch it.

Nobody else touched it. Apollyon could take it, in theory, but he didn't. It was almost like whatever energy Chase claimed it radiated was…anti-demon? Was that a thing that could exist here? She didn't know how this whole magic energy thing worked. Whatever it did, Mors only said it could cut through anything. If that was the extent of its power, she would have to figure out exactly what she was supposed to be cutting with it. Apollyon? There were seven heads. Even if she managed to get one, six more were ready to swallow her whole.

Maybe she was supposed to cut her way out of the lair without Apollyon noticing? If it could cut through anything, stone should qualify. That would leave Chase with Apollyon, though, and she wasn't going to do that.

Chase tossed a jewel onto a pile, watching Bree. "It wouldn't be a secret for long."

Ah, right, the Apollyon mind-reading thing. Secret escape plans were off the table, she guessed.

A hot wind hit her back, blowing her hair around. The stench of sulfurous breath made her wrinkle her nose. She hated when one of Apollyon's heads did that. She was sure her loved her reaction. She turned around to see which one it was this time. It was the second one from the right, a head with far too many horns for her liking. He blew air out of his nose in puffs, a draconic laugh. "You're a stubborn one." His tongue flicked out like a snake's, one of the forked tips touching her torso lightly.

Bree took a step back, brushing off her shirt. It was hard to tell where the slime of his spit differed from the sweat of the heat in the cave. "I'm not stubborn." She wrinkled her nose again, taking several more steps back so she could see Apollyon better. "I'm not even doing anything." She tossed a rag onto a pile of treasure, then rested her hands on her hips, huffing out a sigh.

"You're doing more than polishing my favorite sword." His massive eye swiveled over to another pile, his head tilted slightly. The sword was tucked into a pile of treasure she'd already polished, its hilt sticking up in the air. His eye swiveled back to Bree. "I don't want you touching it anymore."

Bree tilted her head, stepping towards the pile and picking the sword up. It was easy to lift now. She rested the blade flat on the palm of her other hand and held it up towards Apollyon. The other demons didn't like touching it. He probably didn't, either. He would have stopped her already. "If you want it, take it back."

The head recoiled, his lips pulling back in a snarl. She saw the build up of light in the back of his throat. The crackle of flames accented his words. "Insolent little-"

Bree's heart dropped. She attempted to activate her bionics out of pure instinct, but found herself going exactly nowhere as fire shot out from the demon's jaws. She raised the sword, ducking her head with a shriek. This was how she died: roasted alive by Apollyon. She squeezed her eyes shut tight.

It didn't hurt, surprisingly. She felt heat, but no pain. She expected having flesh burned away would be excruciating. She cracked an eye open to blinding light surrounding her, kept at bay by a thin, swirling blue barrier. She straightened up, lowering the sword and opening her eyes completely. She looked around, frowning. She was encapsulated in the blue, the fire around it, and despite the heat, she was okay. Her eyes widened slightly.

She would recognize Chase's forcefield anywhere.

The fire faded away rapidly. Apollyon's many heads were all focused on her now. She looked over her shoulder to see Chase with his fur on end, his ears pinned and his tail lashing. His hands were raised high, his eyes flashing with alarm. Bree turned around to face him. "Chase-"

The alert in is eyes faded out in seconds. The forcefield dropped away as he straightened up, a distant expression returning to his face. His gave his wings an irritated beat and straightened out his shirt, muttering under his breath as he picked up another jewel. "Put that thing down and stop bothering him."

Bree lowered the sword, staring at Chase. He just saved her. Apollyon likely wouldn't stop his own attack.

Behind her, Apollyon roared. "Put that down!"

Bree flinched as the cave shook around them, dropping the sword. It hit the ground with a metallic clang, chipping away a bit of rock on the cave floor. Some rocks showered from the cave roof, scattering demons around for a moment. Bree nudged the sword back to the pile with her foot, nodding. "Yes, sir."

One of the heads growled. "Good."

Bree shuddered and picked up her rag with shaking hands. Apollyon had gotten his message across, for now. She looked over at Chase, taking a shuddering breath. He had saved her life.

He was still in there, somewhere. It was more than a little reassuring to know Apollyon's grip wasn't absolute. She just had to draw him out again. If he was lucid enough for long enough periods, maybe they could work out how to get out of here.

Or exactly what she was supposed to be using the sword for.