Mark ignored the fire that blasted against his chest. It barely slowed his mad charge for Project Zero. All he knew was that, in a matter of what seemed like seconds, he was in Zero's face, his fist of fire connecting with her jaw as he yelled something incomprehensible.
Zero flew back, propelled by the force of Mark's fist. She should have been dead, but she wasn't. She had been given the ability of Resurrection; she couldn't die. At least, it would take a lot to kill her. She was alive again by the time she hit the ground, but was given no rest. She felt something heavy and metal hit her square in the back, a blow so heavy it should have snapped her spine in two. Zero was knocked to the ground, but she got back up with surprising speed, elbowing Gabe's metal jaw so hard that he fell back. Zero felt a bullet enter her chest, but she ignored it. It would fall out soon enough. She ran for Caleb, his swords whirling. Zero absorbed the concrete on the ground and blocked Caleb's swing with one arm. She brought her other arm up in an arc, hitting Caleb in the chest, knocking him down. She felt a hole open up underneath her, but she allowed herself to fall in. As the hole closed, she absorbed the dirt, becoming one with it. She traveled through the ground until she was just underneath the Terrakinetic, that is, the one who controlled the earth, and came out behind him, kicking him in the back. She shook the dirt off and teleported behind the four-armed man without having to see him coming. She kicked his neck, and he went down. Good. Four down, seven more to go. She ducked under a fireball and jumped over a stream of water, bringing her heel down on Byron's helmet. He didn't fall unconscious, but he was stunned for the moment, which allowed Zero to come down and connect her fist with his neck and then his face. She turned around, elbowing Phoebe in the chest. She could see a bullet coming at her head, but she ducked before Stephen could pull the trigger. She teleported to where he was, pushing him from his perch. He recovered, though, teleporting to the ground. Zero teleported down to him, and their intricate dance began. They teleported around each other, trying to strike but missing each time.
"You are a most formidable opponent," Zero said, ducking under a blow and trying to sweep her leg under Stephen's. He was gone, though, before her heel could connect with his ankle. She teleported behind where Stephen would show up next, but he dodged her, teleporting above her. Zero ducked back so that, when he landed, she was behind him again. He teleported away quickly. "How are you-?" She began to ask, wondering how he could be anticipating her every move so precisely, as if he, too, were a Premonitionist. Then she looked up and understood. Kyle Hunter stood several yards away, guarded by Mark and Kaytlen. And…Stephen? Impossible! She was fighting Stephen now-oh. Zero realized that she was looking at Ashley, who was disguised as Stephen. Suddenly, that Stephen disappeared and appeared next to Zero. Zero teleported away, knowing where to go. She landed there, but Stephen dodged out of the way. Zero knew she could barely handle one Stephen, let alone two, that were helped by Kyle's future broadcasts. She teleported next to Kyle, but had two Stephens on her tail. She had to make these few seconds count. She lifted her hand, but saw fire coming at her. She teleported out of the way, making the fire fly past her and into a building behind them. It exploded, shaking the building. Zero could hear Kyle say, "Oh, that isn't good." The building began to lean, the metal groaning. "Get Phoebe!" Kyle shouted. Looking over, Zero could see that most of the Unnatural had begun to wake up, including Phoebe. Zero, at first, wanted to go and knock her out again to keep her from holding the building up, but she acted against that instinct. She had a better plan.
Instead of going away from the crashed building, Zero teleported right underneath it. She would bait the Unnatural to her, and that would be their demise.
Phoebe woke with a headache. She wanted to go back to sleep and rest it off, but she couldn't; she saw Mark saying something to her.
"Phoebe!" he yelled, "We need you out here!" Phoebe stood, rubbing her head. She immediately saw what Mark was referring to. She saw Zero fighting with-was that two Stephens? Above them, a building was falling, threatening to crush them.
"You have to hold it up," Mark said to her. Phoebe focused on the building, telling her Bodysuit to tell her how much the building weighed.
It soon became obvious that she was not going to do it.
"I won't be able to," Phoebe said, looking at the warnings that flashed across her screen in a flurry.
"You have to."
"I've never held anything up that heavy before. Even with my Bodysuit, I won't be able to do it."
"Yes you will," Mark said. Phoebe looked up at him. He had been encouraging before, but not like this. He spoke as if it was a widely known fact that she could do this, that it was obvious that she could hold tons and tons of weight up even for a short while. Phoebe knew she couldn't do it, but she had to. She lifted her arms, feeling every part of the building, every support, every beam, and lifting it upwards. It fought against her, but she managed to slow it nearly to a stop. Phoebe heard heavy footsteps near her and saw Gabe running forwards towards the battle between Zero and Stephen. "Wait!" she heard Mark say, "Gabe, stop!" But Gabe didn't stop. He ran for Zero, absorbing the concrete as he ran.
"I'll get him!" shouted the four-armed man Phoebe hadn't met yet.
"No! Wait! Stephen!" Mark called, "Gabe! Get back here!" One of the Stephens teleported back and changed, revealing the true identity of Ashley. Zero still remained locked in combat with the real Stephen. Gabe reached Zero, a man made of solid concrete. He jumped for Zero, who dodged out of the way. Gabe stumbled onto the ground. Zero touched his back, not violently, but gently. The metal on Gabe's Bodysuit traveled up her body until she was made of it. Her arm came up and down, connecting with Gabe's shoulder. He screamed, his arm falling off at the joint.
Phoebe's grip on the building slipped. The building fell further down. She managed to grab ahold of it again, but just barely. Zero brought her hand up again, this time going for Gabe's head. But, just as it came down, Stephen appeared in front of Gabe, fingers flying across his arm until the largest gun possible was resting on his forearm. He let the missile fly, and the following explosion caused Phoebe to lose her grip on the building until it landed on the ground.
"He was my friend," Oscar Baker said, "Gabe was."
Byron had been speaking to Oscar for the past few minutes, seeing what the Terrakinetic knew.
"You knew Gabriel?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That's interesting. Apparently, Caleb and Nellie both knew Mark. Sector Zero was trying to create Unnatural that we knew. But why?"
"My people are very ambitious, aren't they?" Byron heard the voice and knew exactly who it was. He stood and faced the man they had met in Sector Four.
"You're here," Byron said.
"But of course!" the man said, "Where else would I be?"
"Who is this?" Oscar said.
"An acquaintance of ours," Byron answered, "You said your men are ambitious. Who are your men? Who are you?"
"I'm surprised, Byron! You, with all of your brilliant intellect, know not my identity, yet?"
"No, I haven't," Byron said. He felt frustrated, all of a sudden.
"Think, Byron. Put all of the pieces together, and you will understand!"
"You caused the military occupation of Sector Seven," Byron said, thinking of what this man had done in their past together, "And you were able to teleport both us and yourself to my home without us knowing it. You must be very powerful, able to influence and have control over people."
"I'm flattered!"
"You said your people were very ambitious, and the only people able to create Unnatural exist in the Secret Service laboratories. You have to have control over both the military and the Secret Service in order to be able to do those things."
"Go on!" The man said, almost jumping up and down with excitement, "You're so close!"
"There's only one person in the world that could have so much power," Byron said, nearly falling over from the shock of the realization, "You're President Xandar."
"It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Byron!" Xandar said.
"But you're-"
"A Leonic? That's not entirely true, but that's a story for another time."
"Then what are you?"
"I am an Unnatural," the man said, grinning, "In fact, I am the very first Unnatural. Again, though, that's a story for another time."
"You're an Unnatural?"
"That is what I said, is it not?"
It all made sense to Byron now. How this man, who claimed to be President Xandar, was so seemingly powerful.
"But, if you're the President," Byron said slowly, "Why do you want us to leave? I thought you wanted us to stay so that we would defend you from the Leonics?"
"I have my reasons for wanting you to leave," Xandar said.
"That's exactly what you said last time."
"And it's exactly what I said this time."
"How long have you been here?" Byron said.
"I've been here for a long while," said Xandar, "A long while, indeed."
"And yet you didn't help us when we needed you?"
"I will admit, I am quite a sucker for a good show."
"You were watching when Stephen died? When the building came down?" Byron was yelling, "And you didn't help us?"
"I did not, you are correct."
"You, who are so powerful?"
"I will say that that cup of chocolate was good. Really added to the effect of the conflict."
Byron yelled in rage and lept at Xandar. He had barely left the ground when he froze, his mouth open in a silent scream.
"I wouldn't try that, Byron," Xandar said, "I am the most powerful person in this country. I can do several things you can only dream of."
Byron called out in his mind Mark!
He could feel Mark's attention swaying to Byron. Byron saw Mark throw a ball of fire at Xandar. The fire came closer and closer, but, as soon as it reached Xandar, dissolved into nothing as if doused with water. Xandar held eye contact with Byron the whole time.
"I'm not entirely devoted to not helping you, though," Xandar said, "So I'll give you an assist." Byron suddenly fell to the ground.
"In a few moments," Xandar said, "You will be under attack again. I might help you, but I could choose to not do so."
"What do you-"
Byron was interrupted by a crash. Metal groaned, and a huge pillar of fire exploded from the building, incinerating a large hole in it. The fire went out as soon as it had begun, and, out of the ashes, rose a large figure that seemed only half familiar.
It was Project Zero, but she had changed. All three of her eyes glowed bright blue so that they were blinding to look into. Her hair had been replaced by a bonfire that whipped and cracked over her head. She was encased in a skintight layer of metal. In her hand she held something that seemed like an oddly shaped rock.
Then she spoke. Her voice was lower than before. It resonated and echoed across Sector Five's center, a deafening yet dull roar.
"Surprised?"