Chapter 13 – Free's Lesson
"Why do I have to be partnered with Mamoru?" Angel glared daggers at Free. She gripped Sid and Sully, in pistol form, tighter turning her knuckles white.
It had been four weeks since Angel and Evan's solo mission. The rest of the gang had healed up enough to get Stein's approval to begin training. They were gathered in the Gallows mansion's backyard with Free.
"Because I said so." Free said.
"Do you see how many openings he has in his defense?" Ange; thrust Sully in Mamoru's direction.
"What?" Mamoru's face turned an unusual shade of red. "Me defense is just fine."
"Really?" Angel turned both her weapons on him, her middle fingers sliding comfortably over the triggers. She shot at his right shoulder, left knee, and above both his ears. Mamoru barely dodged the first two bullets, and the ones aimed for his ears missed on purpose. "See?"
"I wasn't ready!" Mamoru raised Mark, in his hammer form, he was about to swing at Angel but Free stopped him with one look. "Sorry."
"I don't want to hear any more complaints. Angel and Mamoru are team one, Gold Star and Evan are tea two. I want to see teamwork from all of you in this sparing match. The losing team has to clean my ball and chain." Free grinned. Looks of horror filled their faces. Free's ball and chain appeared to have never been cleaned, ever. "You have ten minutes to hide and talk over a plan. When I give the signal, you fight."
Gold Star and Evan tore off across the backyard heading toward the garden. Angel followed Mamoru to the hedge maze. Mark, Sid, and Sully returned to their human forms once under the cover of the maze.
"Goldie and Eva excel at close quarters combat so they'll be expecting an attack from afar." Mamoru said. He knelt down in the soft dirt and began drawing with his fingers. "We should slip through the maze and wait for them in the trees over here." Mamoru had drawn the exact layout of the mansion with the hedge maze of the left side, the woods lining the back yard, and the garden on the right. He pointed at the middle of the woods.
Angel shook her head. "Evan knows I waould do something like that."
"What if we just attack them?" Sid said scratching at his chin.
"Because that's exactly what Mamoru would do and Gold Star would except it." Mark played with his eye patch.
"So, we're at an impasse." Sully said. His blue eyes carefully scanning the drawing. "Gold Star and Mamoru know exactly what each other would do, same with Evan and Angel."
"Then we do something completely unexpected," Angel said.
"Like what?" Sully asked.
"Free never said we had to stay on the Gallows property." Mamoru's violet eyes lit up.
"Exactly," said Angel. She quickly explained her plan to the group. They all agreed to it without argument. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bright green flash light up the sky.
Let the games begin.
"It's been twenty minutes since Free sent up the signal. Shouldn't something have happened now?" Masa asked. She sat on a bench in the garden's greenhouse tearing the petals off a tulip.
"Be patient. Mamoru and Angel will come to us." Gold Star sounded like she was trying to reassure herself.
Evan ran his fingers through his white hair causing it to stick up even more. He was beginning to rethink their strategy of waiting. He had figured Angel and Mamoru would have attacked them by now, but everything was silent in the yard. His pocket started vibrating, and he pulled out his phone. He frowned at the caller.
"Isn't calling the enemy breaking some sort of rule?" Evan asked.
"I had to make an exception since you have no idea where we are. I'll give you a hint: the building was burned to the ground but a part of it survived." He could hear her smirk.
Evan shut his eyes as realization dawned. "You left the grounds?"
"Free never said we had to stay." Angel hung up.
He put the phone back in his pocket. "They're at the DWMA. In the dungeon."
Gold Star raised an eyebrow, "Cheaters."
"Free never said we had to stay." Evan quoted Angel.
Masa stood up brushing petals off her lap. "Well then what are we waiting for?"
"They'll have a trap set up," Gold Star said.
"So, we spring it," Evan sighed.
Angel heard the great doors leading into the DWMA's dungeon open. Two sets of footsteps clattered down the stairs. She glanced at Mamoru and gave a small nod. She hit the send key on her cell phone at the same time he did. She listened as the footsteps stopped then nodded at Mamoru. The two meisters faded into the shadows heading in opposite directions. Angel stopped in an empty cell catching Sid and Sully as they transformed. Her heart began beating faster with anticipation.
Heavy footsteps drew closer to her. Eva wasn't trying to stay quiet. He entered a large cell, his eyes fixating on Angel. The cell's door slammed shut behind him, neither of them moved.
She smiled. Her middle fingers itched to unleash bullets. "Glad you could make it."
"So, your plan was to lure me and Gold Star here, then divide and conquer?" Evan shoved his hands into his red sweatshirt pockets.
"Yes."
"Shall we?"
Evan took a step towards her making no move to attack. Angel raised her weapons but didn't fire. They stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.
Angel shrugged. She swung Sully at Evan's head. He ducked under her, changed his forearm into a scythe, and caught Sid before she could hit him low. She tilted Sid up at Evan's shoulder and pulled the trigger. He yelped, stepped back, and rubbed at the singed fabric on his shoulder. She only managed to graze him. She took advantage of his pause by charging at him.
Mamoru engaged Gold Star in combat the moment she entered the interrogation room. He didn't give her time to gain her bearings. They blocked each other's blows with ease. A triumphant smile contorted Gold Star's features as she slowly pushed Mamoru back. Whish was exactly what he wanted her to do.
Mamoru twisted his head to avoiding the flying chain scythe that was Masa. Gold Star ran forward kicking where his hands held onto Mark. Mamoru moved his hands backing through the doorway. In the hall way he didn't have enough room to swing Mark around. Mamoru had Gold Star right where he wanted her.
"Surrender?" She yanked on the chain pulling Masa back to her.
"No." He grinned deflecting another one of her kicks.
"We both know you won't hit a girl, so how do you plan to win?"
He laughed, "Who says I have to hit you to win, Goldie?"
Her eyes narrowed, "Me."
Mamoru jabbed Mark's hammer head at her. She dodged the jab, Masa transformed into ninja knife mode, and Gold Star ran closer before he could Mark back into a defensive position. She reached out ready to execute her finishing move, but stopped short.
Angel held both her weapons in one hand. She reached out catching Evan's wavelength sparked hand. She manipulated her wavelength to contradict his on every level. Her hand felt like it was on fire, but she couldn't stop. Evan's face set in a grim expression. Searing pain coursed through them as the wavelength attack reached its peak.
The room exploded in a bright flash rocketing Angel backwards. She crashed into the cell's door and kept going. The steel door hit the stone floor making Angel's ears ring. She rolled onto her side coughing, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her weapons had slid to a stop next to her. Evan stumbled out of the room holding his sleeve to his mouth. Smoke flooded into the hallway.
"What the—" Gold Star began.
"That wasn't part of the plan!" Mamoru glanced behind him at Angel.
"I know!" Angel shouted between coughs. "Apparently, explosions occur when two wavelengths don't agree." She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.
"You did that on purpose?" Evan slumped against the wall, his nose bleeding.
"Well, I didn't think the whole room would blow up!" Angel reached out to pick up Sid and Sully, but one look at her bloody and blistered left hand stopped her. She glanced at Evan, his hand looked the same. She gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry."
He shrugged, "It'll heal."
"I think we need to get out of here." Mamoru said. He gestured at the smoke taking over the room. It wouldn't be long before they couldn't see or breathe.
"I'm going to need some help," Angel said.
In a flash of green mark transformed to his form. He slung Angel's arm over his shoulder and pulled her to her feet. Her legs felt like jelly so she had no choice but to lean into him for support. Masa changed and Picked up Sid and Sully, still in their pistol forms. Mamoru offered a hand to Evan but he waved it away. They left the dungeon and kept their heads down to avoid inhaling smoke.
"What was the plan?" Gold Star asked as they made their way through Death City.
Mamoru said, "While I fought you I was going to have you back me up so I was in front of the cell door. Then Angel was supposed to shoot the door so it came off its hinges, we rigged it to fall off. You and Evan would have been caught off guard and Angel and I were supposed to change opponents."
"That might have worked." Evan said, "Except for the door thing backfiring."
The sound of hands clapping drew their attention. Free stood in front of the group with a pleased smile on his face. "Congratulations you all pass." Free said, he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What?" Gold Star said.
"The point of the lesson was to have you think in ways your enemy won't be expecting," Free said. "Cassandra studies everything about something or someone before she takes it. If you want to beat her you can't think like you always have. You have to do the unexpected."
Mark had helped Angel sit on the ground, and now she sat ramrod straight. Free's eyes locked onto her. She understood his point. Angel needed to do more than just act like she was on Cassandra's side. She needed to show the witch she wanted nothing to do with Death or Kid. Her stomach turned. She had to become the type of person she hated most.
"You're dismissed." Free said.
"Angel," Evan touched her shoulder jerking her out of her thoughts. If he noticed her startled expression he didn't show it.
"What?" she mentally shook herself.
"Let's go get something to eat."
"Okay."
Voices drifted around Angel, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She was too busy thinking over every detail surrounding the betrayal she would commit in just two days.