Chapter 27

Electrix was still carrying Kara in his arms. The earthquake had almost made him drop her. And now that ambulances were nearby, he couldn't wait to get her to them.

Warren and Pyro were still quarrelling as he quietly slipped away.

Kara moaned and tugged at his sleeve, which Electrix ignored. She was groaning more loudly with each passing step.

"Turn back."

"Kara?" Electrix cried.

Her eyes were still closed but her voice had strength in it. "Turn back…"

Shock hit every one of Electrix' bones. "No!".

Her eyes snapped open. She was pulling at his collar as though she was about to strangle him. She said in a low voice. "I… am not dead yet."

Electrix shook his head violently.

"Then put me down!" she said angrily.

Electrix could almost feel tears forming in his eyes. How could he live with himself if she died?

But Kara could feel him weakening. "Please… do this for me… find the others… Warren's friends… if they are alive… and get the them to help us… beat Magneto…"

Electrix frowned but finally nodded.

Satisfied, her body went limp again. Electrix sighed and headed towards the fallen school.

As he neared the crash site, medics were a blur as they carried out their duties, flittering from here to there.

Seeing the ambulance officers rushing around, Electrix was tempted to hand Kara over but instead, gently lowered her body in a park bench nearby.

"I'll be back soon," whispered Electrix in Kara's ear.

Kara nodded.

Then Electrix streaked towards the disaster zone to find the Sky High gang.

--

"Please young ladies," said a medic. "Please now step away and let the medics do their work."

Layla and Jubilee had followed the stretcher with Will's body on it.

"Come on," Jubilee said softly to Layla. "There's not much we can do."

Layla stopped, but could not help but stare as the Will's body disappeared behind a crowd of medics.

"Hey!" said a familiar male voice. Jubilee spun around.

"Electrix!" said Jubilee. Her hands were cracking with energy as she prepared for defense.

"Wait wait!" said Daniel, hands up in a sign of surrender. He glanced nervously at some nearby nurses and doctors who were whispering with concerned looks on their faces.

Jubilee folded her arms across her chest. Electrix gave one more frightened look at the humans surrounding them before locking eyes with Jubilee.

"Help us stop Magneto," He began.

Jubilee cocked her head incredulously. "How do I know what you are talking about is real?"

Electrix swallowed hard. He looked rather helpless.

"My word," he finally said. "It's all I have."

Jubilee and Layla glanced at each other.

"Look! Kara's dying… I can show you if you want, but you'll have to come with me," Electrix explained exasperatedly. "I can't bring her here."

"Then show us," Jubilee said.

Electrix nodded. "Then follow me."

--

The yellow taxi was screeching and swaying like uncontrollable ship on rough waters. Everyone was moaning as Pyro executed an ear-splitting left turn.

"Pyro!' Warren screamed.

Pyro's frowned in concentration. "You can't tell me you drive much better."

Warren gritted his teeth in response. Then his stomach flipped inside him as the car lurched again.

The car finally screeched to a stop beside the Tower. The group gazed upwards to see white radiant light seemed to be emitting from the top.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"No idea," admitted Pyro.

"We can't just stand here and let them release that kind of energy!" said Warren who clenched his fist.

"I say we try to burn the crap out of the thing," said Pyro.

"Let's get up there."

"How?" Pyro said.

Warren stared at the sign on a door near by. FIRE STAIRS, it read. For Emergency use only.

"Climb the stairs," Warren muttered. "We don't have any choice."

--

"I don't know if I can trust him," Layla said softly. They were about to leave the protective sea of medics behind with Electrix streaking ahead.

"If you're worried… I can go alone." Reassured Jubilee.

Layla shook her head. "No. I will come with you."

Soon, they entered a park. In the distance, an exhausted Electrix was lifting Kara's body from a park bench.

A concerned look crosses Jubilee's face. They rushed to Electrix' side.

In his arms, Kara was pale and so unresponsive - she looked like she in deep unconsciousness.

"She looks like she'll die," Jubilee observed.

Electrix shrugged in exasperation. "I know… but she insisted it. She wants to stop Magneto."

Jubilee and Kara guessed it was the magnetokinetic super they saw only moments ago.

"Hey!" came another familiar voice.

Layla snapped her head around. "Ron!"

"Where are you going?" Ron shouted. Then looked at the limp body of Kara. "She… looks like she needs help."

"Needs your help," corrected Electrix. "Please Ron. Drive us to Metropolis Tower."

--

Down at the bottom of the building, the door creaked open. It was pitch black as all the pyrokinetics stepped inside.

"It's so dark in here," said Warren, who could hardly see his hand in front of his face.

"Royal Pain must have shut off the main electricity and diverted it for her own use," came Pyro's voice. "Come on. We have to climb this thing."

"Pyro is right," came the deep but strangely comforting voice of his father. "Let's go. There's no time to waste."

--

"How much more longer…?" came Warren voice, all hoarse

Pyro eyed the ascending stair case which seemed to be sky high.

"A bit longer!" said Pyro. "Keep going!"

Everyone was sweating and panting.

"We're almost there!"

With a huge sigh, the group finally reached the top.

"This is the end," Pyro said. "There's no more stairs… how do we get to the balcony?"

Warren's hand brushed something with a metallic ring. Something – cold. He felt it. His fingers could grip around it.

"Hey Pyro," said Warren. "I think I've found something. A… ladder. I'm going up."

Pyro and Battle soon followed.

"Damn!" Warren said as he reached the top. "It's locked."

"Maybe we can blow it open with fire?" Pyro said. "Get back. Let's try it."

Warren nodded.

--

On the other side, Mystique folded her arms over her chest as she heard the noise of human chatter.

"Somebody's coming," said Mystique reverting to her blue skinned form and assuming an attack stance.

Magneto was guarding over Royal Pain as she assembled Oblivion. The seemingly random pieces morphing into an organized functional structure.

"Let them come," said Magneto. "We're almost done."

--

"On the count of three," Pyro said. "One. Two. THREE!"

Warren launched the largest fire balls he could, while Pyro enlarged and solidified them.

WHAM! The doorway broke open.

"Let's go!"