Sky's enhanced sonic gun slipped from his grasp when the Blue Ranger yanked him from Haywire's back.
No! My gun! His breathing went ragged when he shot a hand down below, wishing he could still grasp his beloved gun as it fell. When he lost sight of it, he grunted and grabbed the Blue Ranger's claws.
Mrs Evergreen's new best friend sped up to approach the gestation facility at the centre of the volcano.
The air harshly combed his long green fringe all over his face. Sky's feet dangled and danced in the air, struggling to run over an invisible ground that didn't exist. Where is she taking me? To Endurance's metal nesting structure?
When the Blue Ranger slowed down, they soon disappeared out of sight behind the massive metal structure, leaving Sky's friends and family wondering where they were.
I wonder whether Mrs Evergreen knows what this sort of building is, and whether she knows there are eggs about to hatch. Things could get messy. And if I play my cards right, I could use those newborns to startle her and attack her.
A moment later, they landed on a squarish roof, which resembled a helicopter landing pad without no painted signs. The Blue Ranger unclasped its claws, making Sky land roughly as he rolled over and over while grunting.
As Mrs Evergreen climbed down from its back with a graceful swing of her long legs and a sly grin, Sky was trying to sit up, but his arms, legs, and back were full of bruises and making his life a real pain.
He panted and groaned as he dusted himself off. With a glare, he forced himself to kneel despite the pain.
"You said you'd give me a quick death," he said with a coarse voice. "Why didn't you order your ranger to drop me off while flying?"
"Because I want something from you," she replied as she took a couple of steps leisurely towards him.
"And what makes you think I'll willingly give whatever that is to you?"
"I don't know. Torture, maybe?"
She sprinted to him and, in the blink of an eye, she was already twisting his right arm behind him at an awkward angle.
Sky yelled in pain.
"This is nothing. And the Lifebringer will put everything back in its place soon enough. Which means I can repeat this as many times as I need until you break down and talk."
"About what?"
"About this precious little gadget of yours."
She toyed with Sky's long-lost time-skipping wristwatch.
My watch? What about it?
"My technicians have been unable to reverse-engineer it. They were lost so as to its workings. They could only tell me that it's already been activated, waiting for the next command."
"So?"
With a snap of her fingers, the Blue Ranger jumped on him and crushed his body to the cement floor.
Sky's mouth was ajar next to the dusty floor.
"Don't get smart with me," she said with a defiant attitude as she paced around them. "I want answers—clear and direct. No beating about the bushes, no defiance, no geeky technicalities that no one understands, no nothing."
"Fuck off," he whispered roughly while the Blue Ranger still had a claw over his chest, crushing his lungs on the floor.
She giggled and clapped her hands slowly.
"I find this funny. You think you can play the rebel hero, don't you?" She shook her head as she flashed a daring smile at him. "The sooner you realise this is futile, the better."
Sky groaned as he tried to break free, pushing the ranger's fingers up with shaking arms. The Lifebringer in him enabled him to match the Blue Ranger's strength. The latter had difficulty in keeping the teenager down and still.
Mrs Evergreen approached them and, with clenched teeth and a grunt, she sent a brutal kick into each of Sky's shoulders.
Sky yelled in pain and let go of the Blue Ranger's fingers, allowing his weight to crush him again.
"Why is this watch activated?" she asked. "How does it work? Why does it flash a brief push notification saying that there are only two attempts left? Attempts left to do what exactly?"
"Two attempts left... to fuck off, bitch."
"Stupid child," she whispered in anger. She squatted down and pulled his hair up. Then, she smashed his face onto the cement ground.
Sky's teeth and gums bled profusely.
She pulled his hair up again, forcing him to look straight at her.
"If I were you, I wouldn't spit. Because if you do, I'll rip your throat open."
"If you rip my throat open, how will I be able to give you the answer you need?"
She shook her head once more. "Kid, the more you talk, the more I want to kill you. Don't waste time and saliva like this, you moron. Tell me about the watch... and maybe I could be merciful with you... and your family and friends."
A long moment of silence ensued.
"So?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
A pebble-looking fragment of debris, which was casually lying near Sky's right hand as it lay flat on the cement ground, called his attention. He swiftly grabbed it and sent it flying at a mind-blowing speed into Mrs Evergreen's eye.
She yelled and covered her eye. Her legs and feet carried her a few feet away from him out of instinct as she cried. Blood seeped from between her fingers and trailed down her arm, dripping onto the floor.
"Stupid kid!" she shouted in a coarse voice. With her free hand, she grabbed a thick long wire and threw it at Sky like a javelin. Since she aimed and shot with only one eye, she missed him by a few inches. The javelin hit the Blue Ranger's claw and sank into his flesh and bones like a knife.
That sent the Blue Ranger away, screaming in pain and setting Sky free. The beast flew away and left them alone.
"I will never share knowledge with you!" Sky shouted as he sprinted towards her with murder written all over his face.
They clasped their hands together as they fought for dominance. Both pushed against each other with all their strength, but they were quite even. Small craters formed beneath their feet, crushing the cement into bits of dust. The floor began to crack near their feet, becoming unstable.
An ominous loud series of cracks later, the ground beneath their feet eventually gave in and both fell to the level right below, still with their hands clasped and pushing hard against each other.
"Killing Endurance will be like a walk in the park compared to fighting against me, kid," she yelled after expertly cushioning the impact of the fall with their knees and ankles. "You're not ready for this, like your father!"
"The Lifebringer coursing through my veins is more recent than my father's. I can beat you!"
She scoffed. "We'll see."
With a primal snarl, Mrs Evergreen let go of his hands, pushing him away with brute force. Then, she lunged forward, her fists like thunderbolts as she aimed a series of rapid punches towards Sky's torso.
He countered with a swift block, deflecting the blows with his forearms before retaliating with a barrage of kicks aimed at her legs. She danced away, her movements fluid and graceful, evading his strikes with a dancer's finesse.
Undeterred, Sky pressed forward, his fists a blur as he unleashed a flurry of punches towards her face and abdomen. She ducked and weaved, her reflexes lightning-fast as she parried his attacks with calculated precision.
"If you didn't want any tough adversaries," he said, "maybe you should've created an antidote to use it against me."
"Maybe I should've." She smiled wickedly at him. In a sudden burst of speed, she closed the distance between them, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that sent him staggering backwards.
Damn. This was only a ruse to get her talking. I was hoping she'd reveal there's already a cure for this, but there isn't. Regaining his footing, Sky launched himself back into the fray, his elbows and knees becoming lethal weapons as he aimed a series of strikes at her chest and arms, pushing her deeper into the facility until the sky was no longer visible.
She grunted with effort, her body absorbing the impact of his blows as she countered with a swift uppercut to his jaw, followed by a spinning back kick. The force of her strikes sent him reeling.
Her figure was all the more frightening under those eerie green emergency lights around them.
A brief giggle escaped from her lips. "You wanted to know whether there's a cure, didn't you?"
"Nah, I was just teasing you and considering my options," he lied as he wiped away a thin trail of blood from his lips.
She nodded and added with a smug face, "Consider this option: tell me what I want to know—or your father dies soon."
Sky glared at her as if he'd love to kill her with his eyes.
In a climactic clash of wills, their fists collided with a deafening crack as they exchanged blow after blow in a frenzied flurry of motion. Each strike reverberated through the air. Such was the raw power and determination that fuelled their duel.
"Why do you think I sank a sword into his belly for? Because I hate his guts?" She scoffed.
"The Lifebringer in him will regenerate any wounded organs and tissues."
"No, it won't." She smirked. "You see, I've been monitoring him all these years. I know what that obsolete version of the drug can and cannot do. You saw how badly he was handling the fight against me before, but you don't want to admit it."
Sky grunted and frowned deeply.
As they stood locked in combat, their bodies bruised and battered, neither were willing to concede defeat.
"He's my pressure point—to pressure you. You've got little time to save him, and you're wasting it all here, being stubborn and childish."
As the battle raged on, their fists collided with explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. He unleashed a flurry of kicks, his legs a blur as he sought to gain the upper hand. But she proved to be a formidable opponent, her own agility matched only by her ferocity.
"Tell me how this wristwatch works!" she demanded, yelling and displaying her bloody teeth.
With each blow exchanged, the ground beneath them and the entire gestation facility trembled. They moved with a grace and power that defied human limitations thanks to the powerful innovative drug coursing through their veins, their movements fluid and precise as they sought to outmanoeuvre one another.
"He... he would rather die than let me spill my secrets to someone like you!" Despite Sky's best efforts, her strength proved to be unmatched, her blows landing with bone-shattering force. But he refused to yield, his determination fuelling his resilience as he fought on with unwavering resolve.
"You might be right, but the point is... would you let him die because of that?"
I've had enough of her brainwashing and shit! In a final, desperate gambit, Sky unleashed a devastating uppercut, his fist connecting with her jaw with a resounding crack.
With a gasp of pain, she staggered backwards, her defences momentarily faltering.
Seizing the opportunity, Sky pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of strikes that left her reeling. With a final, thunderous blow, he delivered a knockout punch that sent her crashing to the ground feet away from him.
Panting, sweating, and staggering, Sky approached the seemingly unconscious woman. He unclasped his time-skipping wristwatch from her wrist in a hurry and walked a few steps away from her, never ceasing to stare at her so as not to lose control of the situation, just in case.
The silence then was deafening. Only the ragged sounds of his breathing could be heard against the backdrop of a feeble rain, hitting the metal and cement outside of the facility.
Sky took a moment to check on his watch. It still shows there are two attempts left to go back in time, just like she said. Good. No one's used it but me, that first time that night when I stood on the nearest corner to the Control Tower and missed hitting Haywire with my sonic gun. I should disable the remaining two options—maybe the watch entirely. If it fell into the wrong hands again, who knows what disasters might follow?
A pair of strong hands pulled him from behind. A ruthless kick met the lower part of his back, sending ripples of acute pain into his nervous system.
Sky yelped and fell, losing control of the watch. His eyes travelled up slender legs and body until he found his foe's eyes.
"You thought I was done, didn't you?" Mrs Evergreen said with a smug smile. "This belongs to me now. Tell me what these buttons do, and where and when I will be sent to when I push them."
"Not gonna happen," he replied in a coarse whisper.
"Maybe I should just... go with it, right? Experiment instead of planning and knowing everything in advance."
Damn it! If she goes back in time, she'll remember everything that's happened—but I won't. Nobody else will. She'll be able to do as she pleases with each and every one of us. Before we know it, she could have us all sent to prison... or killed. My father. Naomi. My friends. Myself. Maybe even my mother. Would she kill her because she's defied her trust now, but not before?
Before she could tie the watch back on her wrist, Sky found the strength to stand up and fight once more.
With lightning speed, he closed the distance between them and tackled her like a rugby player. The impact sent both of them sliding towards what looked like a lift shaft without the lift, but the watch travelled further, reaching a tormenting closeness to the edge.
In that dimly lit facility, Sky and Mrs Evergreen grappled fiercely, their hands locked in a desperate struggle. The air crackled with tension as they jostled for control, their movements fluid yet tinged with exhaustion from their previous battle. Despite their fatigue, neither combatant showed any signs of relenting, their determination etched upon their bloodied and dirt-streaked faces.
"You won't get away with this," Sky whispered in fury as she cracked some of her fingers backwards.
"We'll see about that," she replied in a coarse voice. She grabbed the watch, cracked her fingers back into their rightful place, pushed Sky onto the ground nearer the lift shaft, sat on top of his chest and belly, and then cracked his fingers backwards.
With his head dangling from the edge, Sky cried, his voice echoing in the deep guts of the facility.
Surprisingly, his cries triggered new ones from thin, baby-like voices that left both humans startled for a moment.
Below them, a few floors down, newly hatched phoenixes prowled like voracious wolves, a splice between phoenix and wolf, their needle-like teeth gleaming in the dim light as they eagerly sought their next meal.
Sky and Mrs Evergreen cast wary glances towards the hatchlings, their awareness of the imminent threat adding an extra layer of urgency to their struggle.
Damn! The hatchlings are born. This is gonna complicate things now. I wonder where my friends are. I wish they could handle them! Do they even know, though?
But even as the hungry phoenixes circled below, Sky and Mrs Evergreen remained locked in their own deadly dance, their focus singularly fixed on hurting the other.
Sky pushed a hand into her cheekbones, crushing them, while she hit his elbow and broke it.
With each twist and turn, they fought tooth and nail, their superhuman powers amplifying the intensity of their clash. In their eyes burned the fires of resolve, undimmed by the blood and grime that marred their once pristine forms.
Eventually, Sky pushed Mrs Evergreen away from him, but she lost control of the watch in her hand, which was sent flying into the lift shaft.
"NO!" Both of them yelled.
Sky jumped into the void to get it. Let's see whether real life is like that good old game, Super Mario. After grabbing it, he pushed his feet to the opposing wall of the lift shaft, making his body bounce back. Hoping to reach the opposing wall until he found a hole or the next floor below and roll into it to land more or less safely, he turned his face but found no hole, no floor, no safe place to land—only the face of the devil, Mrs Evergreen.
She had jumped right after he had. Her body collided with his as both endured the cruelty of gravity.
The wolf-like phoenixes entered in a state of frenzy down below as they detected meat raining from the sky, their hungry cries intensifying in the lift shaft.
"Give it to me!" Mrs Evergreen yelled over the whining cries of the baby wolf phoenixes.
As Sky and Mrs Evergreen plummeted down the lift shaft at breakneck speed, their bodies locked in a deadly and desperate dance of combat. Their hands became a blur of motion as they grappled with each other amidst the chaos of their descent as they struggled for the watch.
Fingers clenched into fists, they exchanged blows with ferocious intensity, their knuckles bruised and bloodied from the relentless barrage. Each strike reverberated through the confined space of the shaft, the sound of impact echoing like thunder in the narrow confines.
Their faces contorted with exertion and determination, sweat mingling with the grime and blood that adorned their weary visages. Yet, despite their fatigue, neither Sky nor Mrs Evergreen showed any sign of relenting, their eyes blazing with a fierce resolve.
With every twist and turn of their bodies as the air flew past them, they fought for control, their movements fuelled by adrenaline and sheer force of will. The dim light of the shaft cast long shadows across their tangled forms, adding an eerie intensity to the already frenzied battle.
Sky grunted. Only one of us can survive and go back in time. The other will die eaten by these wolf phoenixes.
As they continued their downward descent, the stakes grew higher with each passing moment. He fought to push the red button just to save his arse, but she blocked him at every turn.
Mrs Evergreen momentarily got the upper hand by snaking an arm around Sky's forearms, forcing Sky's hands together, clasped and holding the watch between them. With her free hand, she got closer to the watch. She smirked and said, "See you in hell, loser."
She pushed the red button on the watch.
Just like she suggested herself she should do—she was experimenting, spurred by Sky's latest attempt to push a certain button.
Time froze.
They were not falling anymore. The baby wolf phoenixes stopped crying and moving altogether. Sky's long green fringe remained in the vertical position the air had combed it in.
Idiot. The watch is touching my skin, not yours. Sky smiled. The metal part of the device at the back, the case back of the watch, must be touching the individual's skin.
Then, a blast of light engulfed everything around them—and Sky's body began depixelating, sending him back in time.
The gentle white light that surrounded him lulled him into a sense of tranquillity he had never felt before. He survived. He closed his eyes and let go of a long exhale.
However, the moment he heard a loud cracking sound, he opened them with a startle.
The white light was no more. The heavenly tranquillity had vanished.
His feet were safely on the ground. City paving stones were beneath his feet. He lifted his face to see where he was. He was standing, hidden in the nearest corner, the Control Tower fully visible before him.
A burning sensation made him flinch and take the time-skipping wristwatch off. Panting, he observed how the device had branded a round mark on his wrist.
What the fuck? He narrowed his eyes at the currently fuming device.
The cracking sound that startled him echoed again. A violent Haywire, still under Endurance's influence, was attacking the tower over and over... just like the night Sky had hit him with his brand-new sonic gun.
Oh, shit. Now what? Do I have to do it all again from the start?!
Hello, my sugar cubes!
Well, did you enjoy the fight? Is Mrs Evergreen dead in the future? Will Sky need to do absolutely everything again to save his loved ones and the city from both Endurance and Mrs Evergreen from the past?
Stay tuned!
XOXO
Mar