The Undoing Of Villains | ✓

thirty two

(a/n: dedicated to Aquakitten0  for the amazing support & votes! and now ... into chapter 32 !)

thirty two 

SHE SPRINTED, appearing as little more than a blur. I wasn't surprised to see her cloning herself in the process, three separate, angry versions of her lunging at me from different directions. I refrained from commenting anything remotely ironic, focused instead on bending my knees, locking my arms into place as I prepared myself to meet the force she was propelling with in my direction. 

The clone from straight ahead knocked into me first – well, tried to. I crouched down swiftly, pressing my vividly pulsing hands to the ground. Come on, work. Channeling my energy into the ground, it propelled me upward, toward the ceiling of the glass walkway. 

Glancing down, I saw the clones' heads swivel upward, identical glares etched into their faces. A quick, snarky grin flashed across my face before I wiped it clean of emotion, intent on retaining a cold, calculated focus. I needed to be on my toes, ready for anything, if I wanted to win this fight. And I was going to. I had talked myself into doing this, so I would focus whatever energy I had left in my body to reach that goal. 

As gravity caught hold of me and dragged me downward again, I pushed my hands together, the red glow growing in size, then swung my clasped hands in a downward arc – red spilled across my vision as the ball crashed into the ground, red light spilling across the floor, reflecting from the windows. The color turned the air a dizzying red, as if a thin mist of blood has suddenly mixed into the atmosphere. 

The clones staggered back, two of them turning hazy, fading in and out of focus. The one in the middle – the real Tetra – remained fully visible, although her features were pinched in pain and concentration, face contracting to both snarl and frown at the same time. She launched at me again, at the earliest possible convenience, digging her heels into the ground and tensing her calves as she burst toward me from my side. 

I raised my arms as she collided, knocking the breath out of my lungs as her weight crashed down onto my ribcage. My spine thudded against the ground, bouncing once, twice – we skittered to a stop a few metres back, and I clamped my hands around her shoulders, pushed with my power, pulling a howl out of her as the red glow of my hands grew warmer and warmer – and then my vision switched.

As it had done once before, I could only see the glowing, thin neurons of her body. The fully mapped network of them, all pulsing and glowing, firing off signals as she prepared to strike at me again. Momentarily stupefied, it made me miss the punch from the side, and it slammed into my solar plexus, my lungs in return screaming for air. The next fist cracked against my cheek, a sudden, vivid pain blossoming across my face – it manifested into an insistent throbbing, undoubtedly leaving a mark. 

Shaking my head, the vision of her neurons disappeared as my normal sight kicked back in. I wasn't focused enough, apparently, but at least I had a better view of the next fist, heading toward my already sore ribs. Hopping back, I swung out with my leg, knocking her off balance.

Wobbling, Ingrid glanced up at me, a wild frenzy lighting her eyes as she bared her teeth. Her unbalance bought me a second to glance toward Xandra – she'd already gone. 

Thank the stars, planets and everything in between, I thought, relieved to find at least one part of the plan in progress. One vital part. It all balanced on these few precarious moments, where our actions would define the city's future. 

Ignoring my throbbing cheek, I matched Ingrid's glare with one of my own, and then she charged again. We duelled for another while, and I barely had time to direct my powers her way as she quickly threw punches and jabs, attempting to deaden my nerves and limbs or simply throw me off focus. When I could, I forced a blast of energy into my punches, attempting to create some space between us so that I may breathe.