Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who reviewed! I appreciated them all, especially those from Matchbox Dragon, ToraNoKo123, and Serennog. Thank you so much.
As you might have suspected, this story is winding down to a close. There will two more chapters after this one (both of which are very nearly completed).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High, or any of its canon characters.
Chapter Thirteen- Heroes vs. Villains? (Pt.2)
Cell block 493 was closer than I'd thought it would be. On the way there we ran into two guards who were obviously under Jana's influence. They shuffled along the corridor and there was no place to hide. We stopped, frozen as they made their way toward us and…passed right by.
"They can't see us," Warren whispered softly as he watched them leave.
"I don't even think they can hear us, with all the noise we made back there," I whispered back.
We reached the end of the corridor. Warren stood against the wall and peered around the corner. Silently I crept closer, looking out below him.
It was just as the closed circuit television had shown. A simple, harmless looking door: silent, yet strangely foreboding.
There was no door knob and no handle. I put my hand against it and pushed. It wouldn't budge.
"How do we get in?" I whispered.
Without a word, Warren pulled out a small, thin metal rod from his pocket. He lightly stroked the front of the door. There was a small almost imperceptible click.
I gaped at him. "Where did you-"
"Lifted it off of one of the guards. Now get ready," he murmured.
I knew what he meant- I powered up immediately.
"On three," he mouthed to me.
.Three.
Warren pushed open the door. It swung in silently. I didn't know what to expect as we walked inside- but it certainly wasn't this.
It was so dark I had to dim my light so I could see better. We were in a very small sparsely furnished room. There was a little table with a couple of books lying on it and a chair. There was also a shelf, filled with more books. There were no barred windows, like on TV- there were no windows at all. Straight ahead another door stood, a regular door. It was closed but I heard voices. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized Paul's.
I rushed towards the room, but Warren caught me by the shirt so suddenly I almost tumbled.
"No," he mouthed urgently.
Angrily, I shook him off and made to go again. But again, he grabbed me.
"Wait," he bit the word out silently. Slowly, quietly, he walked toward the door with me in tow, not trusting me enough to let me go. It was too dark inside to see anything, but the voices were clearer than ever.
"So is this what you've come here to do?" said an unfamiliar but strangely amused voice, and I heard Warren give a sharp intake of breath. I knew immediately who it was.
"Like you don't deserve it," Paul's voice whispered and I could almost feel the hatred that emanated from it. Shrugging off Warren's hand, I no longer felt the need to storm in there. At that moment I felt frozen to that spot- it seemed that nothing in the world could move me from that place.
"You think you two are the only ones I've wronged?" I heard Battle say. I noticed then that his voice sounded labored, as if he was having trouble breathing. In the dark I glanced at Warren to see if he had noticed as well. He was shaking, but looked as if he was trying to suppress it. It seemed he couldn't move either.
"It doesn't matter!" Jana suddenly shouted. Her voice sounded distorted, inhumanly low. "And after tonight, neither will you."
"You won't kill me," Battle said. "You can't bring yourself to do it."
"Are you kidding me? What the hell do you think I've done to you the past several times?"
"But you always bring me back, don't you? When it comes to it, you can't kill me…properly."
"Maybe she can't. But I can." Paul's voice sounded closer than ever. "I just let Jana get it out of her system. Then as soon as Lisa gets here, she can have a crack at you. But in the end, I'll be the last thing you'll ever see."
The sudden flash of anger in Warren's eyes made me ready. He shot past, with me right behind him. We burst into the room, powers activated and ready.
Unlike the previous room, there was a window in here- covered in some kind of strange colored glass. Orange light from the buildings outside shone on the whole scene. It looked as if a tornado had ripped through the place- broken shelves, torn sheets, everything was turned upside down. Paul and Jana were standing over the prostrate figure I knew to be Barron Battle. The man had a solid build, like Warren. Yet somehow he seemed fragile looking and I couldn't place why until my eyes adjusted to the shadows.
He was hurt badly. There were deep wounds in his side, which he clutched at feebly; it didn't stop the bleeding. He was deathly pale, yet there was a strange smile on his lips as he looked upon Warren- a smile that sent a tremor through me.
Paul and Jana had changed. Jana's eyes were completely black- dark veins were stark against her whiter- than-white temples. Paul had become the more sinister side of himself- his grey skin looked eerie in the pale orange glow that covered everything; silver eyes blinked in surprise at our sudden appearance. But what stood out more than everything else was the blood. It streaked their faces, stained their arms, covered their clothes. My previous light-headedness from Lisa's attack was coming back to me. What had they done to him?
"Get away from him!" Warren growled. He took a step forward, but Paul reached down and clutched Battle's throat.
"One more move and I snap his neck right now!" Paul shouted. Warren immediately backed down, but didn't take his hate-filled eyes away from my cousin.
"Paul, don't!" I cried, panicking. We had stepped into a proper nightmare; Paul on the brink of committing murder; Jana eyeing Warren and myself with more than a little bloodlust; Barron Battle half conscious and slowly bleeding to death, still with that perturbing smile on his face.
"Let me kill them," Jana said smoothly. "Make a clean job of it."
"No," Paul said at once. The look he gave me was a mixture of anger, betrayal and surprisingly, distress.
I could feel Warren growing increasingly impatient beside me. I had to keep them talking, until I could figure a way to end this.
"Paul," I said as softly and encouragingly as I could, "Please…just step away from him. Don't do this."
But Paul shook his head vehemently. "No, I'm not backing down Anna! The best thing you can do is leave."
"Don't think for a second that I'm going anywhere-"
"Just let me kill them!" Jana's eyes glinted. She took another step forward, one hand outstretched toward us. "All I need is one touch…"
"You bring that hand any closer and I'll burn it clean off!" Warren's eyes were darting back and forth between Jana, Paul and his father. I watched Barron Battle closely- he didn't look good at all. I had to do something.
"Stay back Jana," Paul ordered.
"They'll interfere!" Jana protested. "Once Lisa gets here-"
"I said, stay back!"
"Oh, Lisa isn't coming. Trust me."
Jana blinked at Warren's words. She was about to say something but thought better of it. She glanced resentfully at Paul, but stayed where she was.
Paul turned his silver gaze to me. "So this is what it comes to, Anna? Going against your own family, to join him?"
"Who I joined has nothing to do with it-"
"It has everything to do with it!"
"No Paul!" I was screaming now- furious at him, at everything he'd done. "I'm not the one who's changed! Look at you! You've lost everything we've ever stood for!"
"You're wrong," Paul snapped. His hands grew tighter around Battle's neck.
Immediately Warren made to move, but I quickly stepped in front of him. "Anna," he said in a warning tone but I shook my head, indicating that he give me a chance.
"Paul," I said quietly, "Move away. You're not going to kill him. I won't let you."
Paul wouldn't budge. His eyes were filled with anger, holding onto mine.
"I said move away, Paul. I know Lisa and Jana got to you. But you can't do this anymore. Understand that it's over. It's all over."
For a moment, everyone fell silent. All that could be heard was the shallow breathing of Warren's father, whose eyes were now closed. Paul swallowed once, twice, his face revealing…nothing.
Then suddenly he stood up straight, letting go of Barron Battle who slumped heavily to the floor. His expression became clear, filled with determination and an apparent sanity which, I came to realize, wasn't sanity at all.
"You are not my cousin," he whispered hatefully.
He lunged at me. Warren immediately hurled a fireball at him, but he missed- Paul was moving ridiculously fast. In my initial shock, I powered up too late. Paul caught me hard across the jaw and I went down. I heard Warren give a sharp cry and the impact of several fireballs; Jana was screaming in unrestrained fury.
Paul bashed my head against the ground once. Before he could do it a second time, I punched him with all the force in my body. I heard a dull crack; Paul roared in pain and anger. Light burst from my hands and I aimed it towards him. But he grabbed my wrist, and it flew out wildly. He struck me again with an open palm and this time his nails caught my left cheek, slashing my face. I screamed, sending out another jet of light which hit him directly. It propelled him clear across the room. Paul crashed into the bed frame nearby, destroying it completely. He tried to get up again but to my surprise, sank bank onto the floor.
I got up quickly, spitting out blood and wiping it from the gashes in my face. Warren and Jana were still at it- flashes of fire mingled with a dark shadow which seemed to be emanating from Jana. In the fluctuating light I saw the limp form of Barron Battle, too close to where they were fighting. I went to him and turned him over. Before he could get caught in any crossfire, I pulled him to the far side of the wall where he'd be safe.
Battle was in bad shape. His clothes were partially torn and he was bleeding a lot more than I'd previous thought. I grabbed a sheet that was nearby and rolled it up, placing it under his head. Slowly, he looked up at me. And I gazed into the eyes of my family enemy, the one who began all of this.
"You look familiar," he murmured weakly.
"I guess I would. You hurt my dad," I said tonelessly.
He gave a short laugh, coughing as he did so. "You're going to have to be a little more specific than that, little girl."
Suddenly I was wrenched backward. I lost my balance and fell as Paul threw me to the ground. He immediately turned to Battle and reached down for him, murder blazing in his eyes.
I threw a surge of light, knocking him sideways. But he was back on his feet in an instant, snarling viciously.
For the first time in my life, I no longer recognized my cousin. He had made himself into a creature, a monster. My light blazed protectively in front of me, but I was petrified. Of what he'd done, of what he might do.
I heard an explosion and felt the ground shake. I didn't want to take my eyes off of Paul, but I couldn't help myself.
Warren was standing over Jana who was lying on the floor. Her eyes were partly open, but unseeing. Her right arm was horribly burnt and blackened, from the top of her shoulder to the tips of her fingers. She didn't move.
"No," I whispered. "Warren, what have you-"
"She's not dead," Warren murmured. He nudged her sharply with his foot. She gave a low jerky gasp, her body convulsing in pain. Warren turned a dark gaze to Paul. "Are you going to give up?"
Paul took two slow careful steps towards him, swiftly glancing at me. "You'll have to kill me first."
Warren raised his arms, fire blazing. "Fine," he said shortly.
"No! Paul-"
"Don't you dare talk to me!" Paul bellowed. "You are nothing, Anna!"
Warren couldn't contain himself any longer. In an instant, a fireball was heading straight for Paul but I deflected it with a burst of light energy. It hit a small shelf nearby, shattering it into pieces. Warren gave a yell of anger and glared at me, before rushing Paul. They smashed into the wall. Jana, who had managed to prop herself against it, dove out of the way.
I tried to get a clear shot at Paul but it was impossible- I risked hurting Warren as well. He scorched Paul badly on the leg and Paul slugged him just above the left temple. Warren stumbled backward, stunned. He barely recovered before he was sent flying. He shook his head trying to clear it, when Paul moved to attack again.
I made a snap decision. With a cry, I tackled Paul violently. We fell to the floor. Recovering, Paul snatched up a piece of the broken shelf and aimed it at my throat.
He was going to kill me.
In a great panic, I sent forth a burst of light more powerful than anything I thought I was capable of. It struck Paul and he flew backwards, landing hard in the debris that was once a bed. Too hard.
Everything was still; no one moved. Then slowly, Paul raised his head and looked up at me with an expression of vague confusion. At first, I didn't notice anything odd about him. Then I saw it: the dampness that blossomed on his shirt…around the broken wooden stick protruding from his chest.
No. No. No. No. No.
It was a dream. A terrible nightmare. It had to be. In a sickening daze, I rushed over to his side. Dimly, as if from a thousand miles away, I was aware of Warren and Jana shouting something. But I couldn't care about that.
Paul had changed back to his regular form. He didn't take his gaze away from me, still with that dazedly confused look on his face. He tried to say something in between gasps which were becoming increasingly difficult.
Jana was in shock. She dragged herself from where she lay to Paul's side. She whispered in a horrified voice, "What have you done? What have you done?!"
"Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- it's going to be okay. I'll fix this, I'll fix it, I swear," I said in a rush. Turning to Warren I screamed, "Get help!"
Warren immediately ran out of the room to the door beyond. I saw him press the metal rod against it. But nothing happened. He tried it a few more times, but it wouldn't open.
"Won't work son," Barron Battle called out weakly. "Key's useless from the inside."
Desperately, Warren began slamming his body against the door, futile as it was. Finally he shouted in frustration, slamming his fists against it. He wouldn't turn around.
Paul starting gasping harder now, which made me freak out even more. "No! There has to be a way out of here!" I yelled. Not knowing what else to do, I tried to pull the stick out. Paul cried out.
"Don't!" Jana shrieked. "He'll bleed to death!"
"He's bleeding to death now!" I cried, but instantly regretted it- Paul gripped my arm feebly, the confusion now gone and a desperation replacing it.
"Anna…." His voice broke heavily on the word.
"Shh, it's going to be all right, I'll fix it- just hold on, oh God please, I'm so sorry-"
"Anna-" he struggled to say the words, "I…can't…"
He suddenly stopped. Slowly, he lay back and went still. His deep brown eyes remained staring at me, frozen in an expression he could no longer feel.
I stared back at him, completely numb. Then gently, I rested his head against my shoulder and held him in my arms, stroking his hair softly. But it wasn't me. There was no way it was me. It was another girl losing her cousin, the one she'd known and loved all her life. Everything that was happening, must be happening to someone else. It had to be. It had to be.
But Jana's sobs broke through my shock and denial. And struck me with an idea.
"Jana! You can fix it- you can bring him back! Do it, Jana! Bring him back!" My voice sounded hysterical to my own ears. Even so I was infuriated when Jana simply sat there, staring at me as if I'd lost my mind.
"I'd never do that," she whispered slowly, shaking her head.
"You have to!" I screamed at her, clutching Paul closer. "You have to!"
"I can't!" Jana yelled just as loudly. "Don't you get it? He's gone. Even if I did make him alive again, it wouldn't be him. It'd just be me making him walk and talk. But there'd be nothing going on inside. I could never do that. Not to him."
I just kept shaking my head. I couldn't understand. She'd brought other people back just fine; why wouldn't she do the same for him?
Jana forced out the words through gritted teeth, "I didn't take his life. So I can't give it back to him. Not properly."
"You're lying!" I burst out at last, after seething at her for several moments. I hated her, with everything I had. I didn't believe her- I wouldn't. I rocked back and forth, holding my cousin in my arms. Everything and everyone else was forgotten.
Warren suddenly appeared and knelt beside me. I turned to him in tears, silently pleading for help that he couldn't give. He reached out and closed Paul's eyes. His face held a somber regret; he wouldn't look at me.
In the terrible silence, a loud click was heard. Soon afterward Lisa Kline appeared at the door. She was flanked by several guards, all of whom looked very much alive. Her bruised face surveyed the scene- and her eyes rested on the one that I cradled in my arms.
She stared at him for a couple more moments. Then she screamed.