The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 12: Conquest

Ray struck first. Flames went flying across the the hallway and elevator. But the escorts had weapons of their own. And they were not to be underestimated. One had a golden glaive, spinning it fast enough to deflect and extinguish the fiery attacks. While Ray just grew more irritated, Sam was losing badly to his muscular rival. The green veins and evident instability showed that the guard had some serum injected, meaning a simple trick could do the job.

"Look! What's that over there?" Sam yelled, pretending to look surprised. His offender sharply snapped out of concentration and glanced back, only to get five swift punches from Carson. They high-fived as the man plopped down in exhaustion. Next came the guy who sucked the life out of PROTECT's recruit. Carson dodged the electric band and jumped on the man's back. He kicked forward and connected with his opponent's knee, leaving the man to lose balance and kneel down. Sam then finished him.

Jane and Sarah both chased the assistant director down the long narrow hallway. That was all Ray saw before the girls took a left, and a glimmer of gold caught his attention. The glaive's end slammed into his right ear, sending a message of shocking pain through his nerves. He collapsed, seeing a fist approach a feet away, before he gave in to unconsciousness.

The next thing Ray saw after waking up shocked him. He was surrounded by his friends, looking down in concern. Though it was still blurry, the dark purple marks on their faces did not need clear vision at all. Ray stammered as he slowly got up, rubbing his aching ear. "What happened?"

His friends didn't respond. Instead, they moved away to give him more space. When Ray saw cracked grey walls he immediately spun around. Substituting a wall, lasers intersected and formed a grid as the main entrance. Outside their cell were more walls creating a hallway, where light came from at the end. "We're trapped," Ray finally said. "What happened out there?"

Sarah looked down. "It's our fault. We're sorry. Jane and I tried following after that Chris guy, who stopped here. But before he magically disappeared, the lasers were turned on, trapping us." Ray put his hands up, telling them he heard enough. "I understand," he said. "More guards would have come if we won anyway."

Everyone nodded. They were bruised and discouraged, and rest was what they needed. Now all five were sitting on the ground, until Sarah stood up. "We'll get our revenge."

* * *

Several hours passed, and they didn't possess powers anymore. Not because of weakness and tiredness, but because the cell was surrounded by an invisible force which was designed to temporarily disarm all powers within the area. Even Carson, whose reflexes slowed and became physically weak.

But suddenly, as Ray's eyes began to take a nap, a figure came into sight. Once fully awoken, he could now see two men walking towards their cell. By now everyone was sitting up, watching their two visitors as they crouched. "Hello again, Specials," the left one said. It was A.D. Chris! "This is Doctor Lok, and he will be observing and directing the Wash."

Everyone was in shock, but mostly Sam, since Lok was the one who had helped him recover after the energy drain. "You traitor!" Sam shouted, feeling pure rage surging through his body. "Why are you doing this!"

Lok just shook his head, covering a small smirk. "Boy, you don't even know half of what's going to happen or what is happening. Look, right now your precious watchtower is being destroyed, and so will be PROTECT. Now, I think two more friends want to pay you a visit."

Suddenly, Agent Terah and Baron both appeared as the two men stepped away. "Life is always full of surprises," Terah commented before forcing The Specials to follow them. No one dared to say anything, lest get a whack on the head. Besides, the teenagers were too shocked in disbelief that everything now seemed pointless. Two lefts, a long corridor, and a right. They were now facing what looked like an operating room, except the beds were instead a single machine. Lok put his hand on the metal thing in pride. "Now time to mess with your heads."

Five jaws dropped. This was the most frightening statement of all. Mess with your heads? What does that mean? They watched as Lok explained his obscure invention. "This is what I like to call the Washer. It cleanses the mind of all conflicting thoughts, and gladly replaces them with a peaceful, conscience-like guide. And that guidance will be from Terah and Baron. They will speak, and it will be a you-have-no-choice kind of command. But first, you must be clean."

Ray took a huge sigh of self-disappointment and hopelessness. He was going to be mind controlled by the betrayers, and who knew what he might do? They couldn't win even if they would try. None even bothered to try using their powers. The rest watched in fear as a guard escorted Sarah to the Washer first.

The Washer was simply a metal arm seat with two crane-like rods with white pads attached to the tips. Sarah took a seat and put her arm on the arm rest. But her wrists were locked in position, and the pads slowly pressed on her temples tight.

The scene was horrifying. Sarah screamed and shrieked, filling her friends' ears with pure horror of what might possible happen during the aftermath. She twisted and turned violently, but the metal rings restrained movement. After about thirty seconds of a horror film, the pads retracted. She was unconscious, and two nurses transported her to another room for recovery.

It was Sam's turn. Again, the process angered Ray to a level where he could not think straight. Next came Jane then Carson. Finally, it was Ray's turn. The pads were put in position, and Doctor Lok activated the Washer. First, a sudden burst of shock coming from his temples sent a wave of adrenaline. Next, he felt his body shake uncontrollably, as if something within him wanted to leave. But the most painful part was when a massive surge of energy convulsed his head, causing a terrible headache he never could've imagined was possible.

Ray took one last glance at Lok and the two betrayers. One last force of fury rushed to his head before blacking out completely. What ever happened, he was going to find his friends and get revenge in full form if it was the last thing he did.