**Hey, ' guys! This chapter is special because part of it was co-written with IwishIcouldbeNumberFive! I'll mark the areas that she helped write with a '#####' above and below it. THAT DOES NOT MARK A BREAK IN THE STORY. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone would've read it as that, haha. A break is marked by 'xxxxx.' Also, my pen name has changed, but I'm not a new person. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
The Time for Ten - Chapter 14
All of the camp members are back-to-back in a very wide circle. Normally, the Mogs surprise attack us, but this time we are ready to attack them. As soon as the first ropes come down, One and Six slash them to pieces with their telekinesis. Mogs then start parachuting out of the spacecrafts. Even though there are so many, our powers are strong enough to hold them off. From Nine and Ella using telekinesis, to Six and One using water and weather, to Two and Three manipulating time, taking care of this army is a piece of cake. I work with James and Kal. Kal and I change wind patterns like crazy, while James combines his iron fists and telekinesis to create invisible punches that tear through the Mogs like they're tissue paper. As quickly as it all started, the Mog army is defeated, and the ship is quickly retreating. The Garde are extremely strong when they work together.
Everyone quickly collects their belongings after I tell them the news about Five. How the brainwashing and bracelets didn't work. We gather as a group and I start telling them the plan.
"Okay, so, Marina and Ella are captured in Washington D.C. We are all going there together, and then Six, Eight, and I will go inside to find them. The rest of you will stay outside and figure out a nice temporary base." I explain.
I get both nods and groans, but we eventually all come to a mutual agreement.
"Nine, you'll be in charge of the others while I'm gone." I tell him.
He puts his hand in a salute. "Whatever you say, captain." He says mockingly.
Nine's group grabs hands, with Kal in the middle. Six and I each grab one of Eight's hands, and then all of us are gone, once again separated.
We appear in a field outside of a small town. I'm guessing that it's the Mog town.
"Supposedly the base is just under here." Six says, lifting a small boulder off the ground to reveal a circular opening with a ladder.
"Perfect." I say a jump down the hole, using telekinesis to slow my fall.
Six and Eight join me at the bottom. The hall in front of us is pitch black, and not a sound can be heard. I light my lumen and shine it ahead to see nothing but a long hallway. Suddenly, I hear Eight and Six get knocked to the ground. Standing where they once were is Ella and a blond haired, blue eyed girl, about the same height as Six. I flash lumen in their eyes before Ella registers.
"Ella!" I say excitedly and hug her. I hold her by the shoulders an arms length apart. 'Where's Marina? And who is this?" I say with a head nod to the tan girl. Her eyes stand out because of how blue they are.
"That's Hayley, she's Number Fifteen. And Marina was hit over the head about three hours ago. We just now found this exit." Ella explains.
"Well we need to go back and find her!" I exclaim.
At this point, Six and Eight have stood back up and greeted Hayley. Then the five of us head deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels. We come to a fork in the tunnels, five forks to be exact. One tunnel goes straight, and there are two on either side going off in diagonal directions.
"Should we split up?" I ask. "We can cover more ground faster. Plus, with Ella nearby, we can communicate!"
"Sounds good with me." I say.
"Okay. I'll go straight. Six, you go left that way, and Ella left that way. Hayley, you go right that way, and Eight right that way." John tries to explain without confusing us.
"Lets do this." Six says and storms down her corridor.
The others do the same until I'm the only one left.
We will find Marina, no matter what the consequences, I think to myself.
xxxxx
I am walking down the hallway when I start to see cells in front of me. I think I should take that as a good sign. Almost every cell is empty, just the occasional human that I don't have time to help.
The part that makes this all worse is that I love her. I faintly remember us two on the ship to Earth. We always played together, shared snacks, and drew each other pictures. It was a great time.
Suddenly, a dagger whizzes by my head and sticks into the dead end wall in front of me. I spin around to see Five standing at a crossroads I passed a minute ago, Marina is his hand.
She has a confused look on her face, as if she doesn't know what's going on. She says something to Five, but I can't hear it.
"Did you hear that, Eight?" Five yells to me. "She's asking if your one of those Garde things we have to kill!" Then he takes off down the hall.
It takes a couple of seconds for the words to sink in as I chase after Five and the drugged Marina. Marina forgets who she is... I think to myself.
I follow the two in close pursuit down the hallway. They take a left, then a right, then another right, then a straight, and finally cross a bridge over the main intersection. They cross and before I get across, Five cuts the rope, and I go falling down the main intersection.
I accept this as my second end. I've been fooled by Five twice, both times trying to save a Garde. But this time I'm the one being saved, because all of a sudden I'm in Nine's arms.
"You little dip-shit. Never follow someone onto a rope bridge if they're trying to kill you." He tells me.
Using his super strength, he tosses me back up to the ledge, and I grab on to pull myself up.
When I stand up, I see Five ducking around a corner. I run down the hall and fly around the corner to find Five jumping through two sliding doors. I charge as fast as I can go and am just able to make it through the doors before they slam shut with a clunk.
Five is standing in the middle of the room, his right hand holding the two balls, his left twirling a Mogadorian dagger.
"I knew you would come. You can't last long without Marina." He taunts me.
"Shut up. What do you want from me? I already noticed you tossed Marina somewhere." I respond.
"All I want is for you Garde to be dead."
"Isn't that an ironic statement?" I question.
Five lunges at me for this. I side roll and he summersaults, then we both spin around to face each other.
"You do realize what I've done with Marina?" He asks casually.
"You drugged her."
"But with what, you may ask." He responds, slowly walking closer.
I raise my eyebrows. Five is now standing face-to-face with me.
"We gave her amnesia."
And with that, I slam Five backward with telekinesis and he slams into the wall, dropping the balls, which roll across the floor. The dagger remains in his hand.
"Where did you put her?" I ask strongly.
"I would never tell you." He replies calmly.
I take the dagger out of his hand and place it on his neck, letting a little blood come out.
"Where is she?" I ask with a small growl in my voice.
"Down the hall... On the left..." He squeaks with the dagger slowly being released.
Still holding him to the wall, I find some rope in the corner. I tie Five to the four ventilation shafts around the room, allowing him to hand in midair in the center of the room.
"Try getting out of that." I say proudly as I crush the balls and snap the dagger in half.
Then I walk out of the room and down the hall in search of Marina.
xxxxx
#####
Five has thrown me into a room, and then run back out. He warned me not to leave or else I could be killed, so I stay put. After about ten minutes, the guy he tried to kill walks in the door, which closes behind him. He looks at me and then sighs.
"Marina, you're okay!" He says and runs to me. "Has the amnesia worn off? You do know you are one of the Garde, right?"
I stare at him with wide eyes, not understanding what he said.
"Did you not understand? Mar, you've been brainwashed." The guys says to me.
I don't understand... What's he talking about?
"Where's Five?" I demand in a low voice. "What have you done to him?"
"Mar, Five is a traitor. He killed me. You have to believe me." He says desperately while he looks deep into my eyes.
I shrug him off. I don't understand... Why is he doing this? He looks strangely familiar, too.
"Stay away from me" My voice is shaky as I brandish my small dagger in front of me. "You're lying!"
Where's Five? I need him to help me.
Suddenly, he rolls to the ground and grabs my legs, pinning me to the floor.
"Mar... Please. You need to understand. You and me, before you got kidnapped, we were a thing." He says pleadingly. Then he leans in and kisses me.
I push him off in disgust and slap him hard as I scoot away, trying to protect myself. Fear and terror pounds through my veins as I watch him.
"Stay away from me!" I scream at him, the panic clear in my voice. "I know what you did to me! I know you tried to kill me! Five told me!" I shriek, trying to get away from him.
I realize with shame that I'm sobbing.
But beneath all the terror and fear and confusion, my lips are burning in a very good way.
He scoots closer to me. "I did no such thing, Mar. Five is the one who tried to kill us."
As if on cue, an infuriated Five kicks down the door and stands in it's frame.
Five's here... But I don't feel safe anymore. What's going on? I try to wrack my memories to get any I can, but all I can remember is water and a chest and a kiss. My head starts to hurt.
"Stay away from her" Five snarls as he strides forwards, coming towards me. Something in him seems like a threat; he's more menacing that the guy in front of me. I scoot back away from Five, suddenly nervous of him too.
"What's going on? Why can't I remember anything?" I demand, trying to be brave.
He glares at the guy, then back at me. "What did this idiot tell you?" He yells.
I try to talk, but nothing comes out. I'm too taken aback by the sudden action.
"I said, WHAT DID HE TELL YOU?" Five screams as loudly as possible.
The guy takes this moment as a chance to tackle Five, and he does so. They go sprawling across the floor. I scoot farther away again, my head throbbing and myself in just an odd little panic. The new guy gets hit square in the jaw and goes flying back. Five stands up and storms to me.
I stand up to match him, feeling stronger. "Stop it!" I scream at him, and his face jars with rage.
He grabs my arm, tight. "What did he tell you?" He snarls, and something in me snaps. I glare at him viciously, not sure who to trust now.
"He said you killed him! That you tried to kill me too! That there was something going on with me and him" I hiss back.
"Let her go." A meek request comes from the new guy.
Five just laughs and then shoves me against the wall, making my head crack against it. My vision goes blurry and then I act out, lashing a kick at Five's knee. He stumbles and I push him away from me as I try to escape.
"You little fucks!" Five snarls, lunging out for me, but the guy gets there and grabs him before I can get attacked.
I stumble away, breathing quickly as more tears stream down my face.
"What did you do to my memory?" I shriek at Five.
Five attempts to jab the guy in the gut, but the guy counterattacks it. Five then tries to punch the guy in the head, but the dagger I had earlier is now through Five's hand, the new guy having held it in front of his cheek.
Five screams in agony.
The new guy runs over to me. "Heal yourself, quickly." He says.
"I can heal?" I respond, not knowing I had that legacy.
Five lunges for the guy and wraps his hands around his neck. I can see a blade pressed against his neck, and that blood is beginning to trickle down his throat. I gasp and watch as the guys' eyes begin to close.
A pain so strong and horrible races through me and I lunge forwards, tackling Five and keeping him away from the guy. I punch his nose and then pin him to the ground, my mouth in a snarl.
"What did you do to my memories?" I repeat one last time, my grip on his through tight. Five gasps for breath, his eyes wide and almost scared.
"They're still there!" He gasps out. "Just not within reach" He taunts me. He drives his knee into my stomach and I'm winded, rolling back onto the floor. The guy gets to his feet and staggers over.
"So, Eight, how are you enjoying my new recruit?" Five asks and points toward me.
So the guy's name is Eight, I think to myself.
"She's already been un-brainwashed, asshole." Eight says.
Without Five noticing, I place my hand on Eight's leg and start to heal it.
Eight notices that I have my dagger once again, and that it is pointed toward Five.
"Marina is on the side of the winners." Five says with a sneer.
"Well if you're so fantastic, why are there still Garde alive over two decades after the war started?" Eight retaliates.
Anger flashes through Five's eyes.
I still can't remember everything, but I do have something. I'm standing on a lake front with Eight, and we're laughing and having fun. And that proves to me that he's telling the truth, not Five.
I stand up and reach for Eight's hand, instinct leading me to do it. Five's eyes flash when he sees that, and then he laughs.
"Oh, she wouldn't tell you, would she?" He sneers, laughing at Eight. "She wouldn't tell you about us." He cackles and I frown, not getting it.
"What?" Eight's confused and Five grins triumphantly.
"Marina's not as innocent as you think she is... She's already been with me, in every single way"
"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" I tells Eight with wide, earnest eyes.
"Don't worry, I would never believe this piece of shit." Eight tells me calmly.
Five's nostrils flare and his eyes squint. "You wouldn't know a piece of shit even if you were living inside of one- oh wait..."
Eight suddenly lunges at Five and gives him an uppercut.
I watch as Five topples back, going out cold as he crumples to the floor, unconscious. I take a step back, running my hands through my hair as I take in the scene.
"I didn't- I wouldn't do anything with him." I fret, biting my lip.
But the worst thing is I can't remember anything except that I woke up a couple of days ago with a crazy headache and no recollection of myself. What if I had done something and I didn't know? Tears begin to pool in my eyes as I bite my lip.
"Marina, I know you would never do anything. You love me, and I love you." Eight says, and leans in for a kiss. We hold it for ten-seconds.
We pull away as Five twitches on the floor.
"We need to get out of here." Eight says.
"Just one more thing..." I say and plunge the dagger into Fives thigh.
Five moans but nothing otherwise.
"Okay. Let's go." I finish confidently.
Eight and I walk out of the room arm-in-arm, leaving the long and excruciating fight behind us in the room with an unconscious Five.
#####
**Hey, guys! So I hope you enjoyed this collab chapter! Did the arrow idea make sense? Please review, for the sake of me and IwishIcouldbeNumberFive!
-Chase