Chapter 9: No Where to Run
The storm passed by nine PM and families of Metropolis had fled into their homes to hide from the Elementals. Starr tore the roof off City Hall and settled into the Mayors' office. Council men and women didn't challenge the 14 year olds' leadership out of fear for their lives, and she decided to make a few changes.
After he rocovered from the last battle, Manic called everyone to meet him and Cassia at her underground bunker in Westvalley. Tails, B.B, Falke, Mickie and Thompson all arrived at the same time and Cassia opened the blast door for them. After a quick meal, everyone huddled in an old train car that'd been buried underground for years, a place Cassia used as a hideout for a few months.
"Alright, guys, we uh - got a big problem. Bigger than Wulf House, or Mayor Tinsel... Starr is more powerful than Cassia and myself. And I don't know how to beat her." Manic admitted.
B.B got an idea. "How about combining your powers-"
"We already tried that, Beni. When we were on our way here, Starr saw us and we tried to fight her but we couldn't do a damn thing, her energy is just too powerful, even more than these Medallions." Cassia explained.
Tails looked up. "Wasn't Willard saying something about an antidote? I bet he had it at his head quarters!"
"Yeah, you're right, he was talking about that." Manic said. "Question is: is it still there."
Cassia put her jacket on. "Well, there's only one way to find out."
Manic stood up and stretched out, getting ready for a fight. He looked down at the fox. "Heh, you're still rocking the Chad look, eh."
He walked to the exit, waiting for a response but didn't get one. "T, I'm joking, bro."
Tails wouldn't move or say a word.
"Tails?"
Manic walked back to his friend and waved his hand in front of his face. Cassia looked over the rest of the group and suddenly realized none of them were moving.
"Manic - they're frozen or something, all of them."
"No, no, no, that's BULLSHIT!"
The green hedgehog touched Tails' neck and wrist to check for a pulse, and sighed in relief once he felt one. He checked everyone and was relieved to know they're all alive.
"It's some kind of paralysis." Casssia pointed out.
She and Manic made contact. "Starr!"
The Elementals raced back to the damp city streets to investigate. Every citizen outside was frozen in place just like the group. Manic glanced through the windows of various houses and saw entire families paralyzed as well.
"What the hell is she doing?!"
"She's got the whole city frozen except for us."
"And any other Elemental in town..."
Cassia pointed up to a giant LED screen. "Look."
WE INTERRUPT YOUR PROGRAM TO BRING YOU A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR TINSEL
Metropolis News LIVE went live on and Starr appeared on screen.
Hi, my name is Starr, I'm what you'd call an elemental. Basically I'm a superhero, watch this-
The teenager swung the camera around so it faced a few scared councilmen, then blasted one.
...there are other Elementals around the world and I know you're trying to hide but you don't have to out here. I'm inviting my friends to come to Metropolis and be free from the outside world.
Manic looked at Cassia. "Holy shit!"
"Did she just-"
"Yeah, she did! Let's go get Willard's antidote while we still got the chance!"
Manic's body illuminated jade green and he sped off toward the former Wulf House head quarters. Cassia followed close behind, watching out for Starr just in case she was still looking for them. As they broke down the rusty door and entered, Manic led the search for a vault or safe.
"Here," Cassia called out.
Two blast doors sealed off the Elemental Antidote, a bronze serum inside glass vials. Cassia tried firing energy rays at the doors but it wouldn't budge.
"It's sealed pretty tight." She said.
Manic snickered. "Haha. Tight."
"This ain't the time, douche. See if you can pry them open."
Manic and Cassia felt the ground shake violently around them, so the green hedgehog raced outside to see what's causing the earthquake.
"Annnnd here they come."
Dozens and dozens of Elementals arrived from out of town, all with different powers and abilities. Some flew through the sky, others had super speed, and a few swam through the ocean. Starr peered over the city and waved to her new friends to join her in City Hall
Manic rushed back. "We might get our asses kicked pretty soon-"
Cassia held the blast doors open and shouted, "So help me with this, you prick!"
Manic got beside her and pushed the doors open. Cassia took one step in the lab and both doors shot back out of the wall. Manic instinctively jumped in between and held them open before they closed forever.
"Grab it!"
Cassia stepped forward, then stopped to ask, "You got this, right?"
"Holy fuckin' shit, GO!"
She laughed quietly then made her way over to a file cabinet. She opened it and found two boxes full of Antidote vials.
"Is it there?"
"There's more than enough of this stuff to cure Starr and maybe half of those other Elementals outside."
Many of angry voices grew louder and dozens of footsteps drew closer.
"These guys could probably be persuaded so maybe just use the whole round on Starr."
A massive fox smashed through the head quarters and targeted Manic first, then another wave of Elementals joined.
"Fuck it, use it on all of them!"
Cassia jumped on the massive fox's shoulders and injected him with the Antidote. He growled in pain, then his ice powers slowly left his system.
"It worked!" Cassia called out.
Manic stepped over the fox and cracked his knuckles. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way to Starr... and I've got the perfect song for this occasion."
A quick press of the play button on his iPod and "Headstrong" by Trapt began.
The duo ran down the halls of Willard's head quarters and Starr's Elementals raced to meet them head-on. Manic ducked under a punch, stuck two hostiles with needles and pumped the Antidote into their bloodstream. Cassia leap-frogged over Manic and threw needles in every direction, nailing almost everyone in their way. Fire, lightning and other conjured weapons roared through the head quarters as Starr's friends tried their best to kill the two original Elementals. Manic and Cassia easily evaded attacks and countered with Antidote injections.
"They don't know how to use their powers properly!" Cassia said.
"This shit is too easy!" Manic laughed.
They took down the final three enforcers and walked out of the former Wulf House HQ. Orchid purple lit up the night sky and Starr nose dived down toward the duo. She blasted a needle out of Manic's hand and grasped him by the throat.
As he was flown into the sky, his iPod slipped from his pocket and fell to the street. "No, not my music!"
The iPod hit the ground and the song was abruptly changed to "Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones.
Cassia used the Crystal Medallion's energy to give her a speed boost and she followed Starr on the street. A neon pink aura surrounded her as she zoomed through the neighbourhoods.
"You're the cause of all this so you're gonna go down for it!" Starr shouted.
Manic struggled to breathe. "It's not like I intended on ruining your life by giving you awesome powers!"
"Shut up!"
Starr threw him toward the highway bridge that connected every island on Metropolis. He fell 18 feet then bounced off a metal beam, making a loud CLANG sound echo out.
"Ugh!...okay, that one hurt..."
Starr wouldn't let Manic up; she shot a ball of energy at his face which he blocked, then roundhouse kicked him in the side of the head which knocked him back to the ground. She stomped on him mercilessly and zapped him with a painful static blast that shocked his nervous system. Finally Cassia showed up and fired her own ball of neon energy at the teenager. Starr turned to Cass and Manic kicked her legs out from under her, dropping her face-first on the road.
Manic stood beside Cass. "I was never a fan of 2-on-1 brawls."
Starr looked up and fired an energy cannon blast so both Elementals sidestepped out of the way and the blast disintegrated a nearby car to ash.
"...but it seems to be the only way we're gonna win, soooo-"
Starr growled in a fit of rage and ran toward her opponents. Manic dodged every attack while Cassia counter struck, which made her even angrier. Manic sidestepped to the left and looked over the bridge, citizens who were frozen were now able to move.
"Cass, keep her focused on you, she's releasing them!"
"Get over here with that god damn Antidote!"
"Right, sorry, I'm coming."
Manic picked up a vial and drained it into a needle, then he raced back towards Starr.
"GET AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT NEEDLE!"
She fired a massive energy beam at Manic so he conjured a jade shield and fired back, while Cassia fired a crystal beam at Starr. The clash of the three beams connecting was devastating. A shockwave shook the whole city and everyone around, while some small buildings were demolished. Manic was thrown back twenty feet, Cassia fell off the bridge and into the water, but Starr stayed on her feet.
When she opened her eyes, one was jade green and the other was magenta purple.
"Wha - What's happening? (cough) What'd you do to me?!"
Manic groaned and looked up at the teenager, clearly not alright.
"Starr, just calm down - don't move"
He glanced back at the streets and watched as a random citizen was evaporated in a cloud of orchid smoke.
"Starr, don't do this! Leave them alone!"
"I didn't - do that!..."
The teenager let out a pained scream and clutched her head. Cassia resurfaced and swam to a nearby wooden platform. A police office aimed his gun at her, but he too evaporated into mist.
"Manic?"
"Working on it!"
The green hedgehog picked up the Antidote and ran at Starr. She knocked him down with a beam and made a run for it. Manic realized his friends were still in danger. Cassia didn't say a word as she raced back to the bunker.
"No, we gotta stop Starr!"
Manic growled and stood up, he had to inject Starr with the Antidote before she killed all the non-Elementals in the city, or worse, the world. He did his best to keep up with Starr but her abilities were far more powerful than his. Everywhere he turned, someone was dusted without warning. He stopped trying to catch her and instead followed the trail of orchid that streaked the air. He climbed to a rooftop and searched the streets, then noticed a pattern. He raced west and hoped he could cut her off at an intersection.
Time slowed down as Manic threw the Antidote-laced needle across the street toward Starr. She didn't feel the sting until the needle was deep in her arm. She fell to the ground as Wulf's Antidote immediately started to work, but not before taking two more unfortunate souls.
Manic pulled out his phone and called Tails. "T, you alright? (deep inhale/exhale) ...everybody still alive?"
Tails hesitated before answering "...I'm not sure about that Wulf House kid."
Falke Wulf leaned against a wall, half his right arm was slowly disintegrating into mist. Cassia arrived and ran toward him.
"Falke, No! Stay with me! You can fight this, come on!"
Wulf lost his balance and fell to his knees so Cassia held him up for support. Tails, B.B, Mickie and Thompson were unable to help in any way so they gave the Elemental space.
Manic could hear Cass pleading over the phone. "Tails, what is it? What's happening?"
Falke laid on his back and held on to Cassia's metallic hand. She continued to plead for his life but it was in vain. Falke shut his eyes and evaporated into purple mist. Cassia stared at the ground where he just was and froze. Mickie hugged her boyfriend and quietly sobs while B.B looked away.
Tails shook his head. "He didn't make it."
Manic hung up, faced Starr and grasped the needle, making sure to inject as much of the Antidote as he could into her system. Starr screamed in pain as her powers slowly began to leave her system, becoming a non Elemental once more. Police sirens sounded out all over town as both military and government agencies arrived to restore order in Metropolis.
Hundreds of automatic weapons were aimed at Manic so he put his hands up and appeared to surrender.
ON THE GROUND, NOW!
The wall of agents surrounded both Manic and Starr, their main targets.
"You know, guys...I've had a long night, and I'm not feeling this."
Starr shielded her eyes when a blinding jade light flashed and she knew Manic was gone. She, however, was taken into custody without resistance, being fitted with shackles in the back of a SWAT truck. As for the green hedgehog who kickstarted the chain of events, he would end the night by being put on the Mobius most wanted list.