Dedicated to palenomian101 ~ Check out 'Sparrow, Sparrow' for NaNo (and it's amazing hand-drawn cover!)
---
Chapter 6 - “Special”
---
Shift fist-bumped Kione, leaving their knuckles intact for a few more seconds than was customary.
The green flecks swirled around Shift’s curled fingertips before recognising the orange colour in Kione and morphing to meet his shade. As usual, the orange colour made Shift want to cringe. He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the task Kione had set - making one of his tinkering toys come to life and cross the table.
“You gotta feel it,” said Kione after a few productive seconds of nothing. “Get all up in that machinery, feel its gears, the way they move and respond to the colour.”
“Y’no it’s a little weird when you talk about it like that,” said Shift. “Especially while I’m ‘all up in there’ as you put it.”
“Hey man, the tech feels as the tech feels.”
Shift rolled his eyes and concentrated. Somehow, he worked the colour into the machine, creating it as an extension of his senses that could interact with each individual part of the tech Kione had created. He pushed on the gear, causing something to start spinning.
Figuring a second poke could only help, he did so and promptly snapped two internal belts, crossed a wire and caused the whole thing to explode.
The things leg landed across the table. “The whole thing didn’t have to get across, right?” asked Shift.
Kione picked up the pieces and stared at them. “Apparently these things aren’t spark-proof after all. Remind me to demo test the new equipment I design on you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Kione gathered the pieces, holding them up. “Go again or done?”
“Done,” said Shift, leaning back in the chair. “If I have to shift any more orange colour today I think I’m going to explode.”
Kione clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. “Bah, I don’t know what you find so hard about orange in particular. It’s one of the more versatile colours--“
“Yea, yea, I’ve heard that before,” said Shift. He shook his hand, trying to get rid of the last remnants of orange colour from his system. His own green was much more comfortable. “I still hate shifting it, even more than purple.”
“Hey, you’re still the only green colour I know that’s capable of doing it,” said Kione. He offered a hand and pulled Shift to his feet. “Most of them just turn parts of their body into some other material or do the animal aspect thing. Impressive until you’ve seen it six hundred times.”
“Heh. Give me the usual green colour abilities any day if it means I don’t have to shift orange,” said Shift.
“You’d miss it if you couldn’t shift,” said Kione. “Any idea how Raph’s girl is today?”
“Well enough to hold my OmNom bars to ransom before we came here.” Shift caught Kione’s suspicious look. “She was playing around, chill.”
“I ran that background scan on her last night like Raph asked. It was as he suspected, she dropped off when she was fourteen, eventually written off as killed by a villain named Shutdown. Since then, this girl’s been living completely off the grid.”
“Fairly impressive for someone that young in this day and age,” said Shift. He waved Kione after him and started walking to where Raph was talking to Athira.
Kione caught up. “I went a little deeper, turns out Shutdown was found dead in a building two days after Raph reported Athira missing, close to where he attacked Zoe. The Elites never determined a killer, although it appeared as though his heart simply stopped working.”
“Any mention of someone using black colour?” asked Shift. “If it’s actually black, that’d be a fairly big tip off of where she’s been.”
“Actually,” said Kione, pooling his colour into an orange screen in front of them while they walked. Images of various sites, most areas of significant rune use flashed across it. “I did look that up. Most of the references I found to someone using black colour were all linked to similar events across numerous cities. Events similar to those we’ve been investigating, except if I’m right, she’s been doing it for years now.”
Shift thought about it for a moment. “So we’re going ahead with what we discussed last night?
Kione nodded. “But--“
“Let me guess,” Shift interrupted. “Raph wants me to tell you what I sensed when I was in contact with her colour last night before we go ahead definitely.”
Kione whistled. “It’s scary how you do that sometimes, man.” He let the screen fade. “So... were you able to get a read on her?”
“I feel like she’s motivated,” said Shift, choosing his words carefully, listening to that part of himself that read a person by their colour. “I think if her goals align with ours, she’ll be a valuable addition.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
They were within earshot of Raph and Athira now. Athira looked shocked. The expression on her face suggesting she wasn’t entirely aware of her physical surroundings, wrapped up in some mental thought.
“So you’re not working with him, then?” said Raph. Athira looked at him, her eyes clearing as she came back to reality. “I didn’t think you were, but we couldn’t be sure.”
It took her a second to reply to Raph’s question. “Definitely not,” she said with conviction. “I was following the colour disturbances around the city, and it led me to him. I figured he might’ve had answers for me.”
“We might be able to help you with that,” said Kione.
Shift moved to stand beside him. Facing the ring of earth, he saw Talia watch them with interest. Her eyes flicked between Kione and Athira, who was now examining everything with a much sharper interest than before.
Talia frowned but kept floating rocks slowly to different locations and trying to make them balance.
Kione wiped his towel over the back of his neck. “Indigo has been investigating the cause of the disturbances and consequently Reader’s involvement in them. I think it’s more or less the same thing you’re interested in, considering you were at Starpoint tower.”
Athira folded her arms. Defensive. “And of course, you know my exact reasons for being at the tower. I couldn’t have just been sightseeing I suppose,” she said.
“Sightseeing is a little less than what we’ve come to expect of the Owl,” said Kione with a grin. “It’s be a little disappointing, to be honest.” When Athira wasn’t forthcoming with additional words, Kione pursed his lips. “Tough crowd. Anyway, the Elites are interested in whether Reader knows anything about something they refer to as ‘Rathe’, and want him for questioning.”
In the background, Talia dropped her rocks and stalked over to them. No one but Shift seemed to notice, intent on Athira’s sudden change.
“What do they want with Rathe?” Athira asked cautiously.
Raph’s reply was interrupted by Talia. The elemental hopped over the side of the ring in one swift movement and pushed Raph out of the way and planted herself between him and Athira.
“So what, she’s been around a whole day and a half and you’re all already divulging whatever information she asks for?” said Talia. She turned back to Raph and poked him in the chest with one hand, the other on her cocked hip. “Not like you, Raph.”
“Tal, I don’t think--“
“Don’t you ‘Tal’ me, Raphael Dukehart,” she said. “Not when you’re running around like a lovesick rabbit making eyes at a known criminal.” Talia threw her arms in the air. “Sure, person we’re supposed to be bringing to justice, come into our tower! Have our spare room! Come see our training facility! Would you like access to our secure files while we’re at it!”
No one answered her. She looked between Shift and Raph as if expecting some kind of back up. “How can you trust her? She won’t even tell us what colour she is, let alone what she’s doing here and in the same place as Reader!”
Everyone was silent. Talia held Raph with her glare, leaving Shift and Kione to fidget uncomfortably.
Shift wanted to tell her to shut up, that they’d been through this as a team last night while Athira was in the spare room, doing whatever it was she was doing. Yet saying that meant admitting that they’d been trying to play on her tentative bond with Raph to get information and a potential ally out of her, something he knew she wouldn’t hang around long after learning.
Besides, some part of him wasn’t entirely sure that she was wrong.
*+*+*+*
Apparently the elemental still wasn’t done.
Always the elementals, thought Athira. Always the special little butterflies.
“What, nothing to say? No one?” She stepped closer to Athira. “How about you? Suddenly speechless?”
Athira gave her a bored look. “Something I wish you were at the moment.”
Talia narrowed her eyes. “Oh good, she’s deemed me worthy enough to open her mouth.”
Athira could feel her control slipping and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Talon would be telling you that she’s not worth it. Definitely not worth igniting the runes for it.
“Since we’re at it,” said Talia, her voice sweet and innocent. “How about you tell us something we don’t know about you? A colour, some history perhaps?”
“There was this blue elemental once that annoyed me so much I gave her in time out in another dimension,” said Athira dryly. “She might have a friend soon.”
Shift repressed a laugh. Talia’s head snapped around, and he found something in the roof that demanded his immediate interest.
“So we’re threatening now, are we?” Talia snorted. She looked around the rest of Indigo. “And the rest of you seriously still don’t think she’s a purple, screwing with your minds? Come on. Even before violet and indigo merged and formed a bunch of super psychics there were criminals running around pulling this crap.”
Athira massaged her temples. Yup. Should have just left. “I’d really like it if you’d shut up now, please.”
“Or what?” said Talia. “Am I getting too close to the truth? Elementals are more resistant to purple Colours, you know. It’s why I’m the only one that has any logic when it comes to you!”
“Saying you have logic is a bit of a long-shot after this.”
The ground shook.
Kione backed up a few steps. “Uh, Tal, maybe you should just chill for a bit, yea? We can talk about this back inside, okay?”
Talia locked her eyes on to Athira’s. Blue power flared to life around her.
“This is training, isn’t it Kione?”
“Uh, yea, but--“
“Then that’s all this is. Training.” Talia dropped her voice. “You saw what I did to the tower, Owl. You wanna see what happens to people who think they can screw with my team?”
Athira couldn’t help the smile pulling at her lips. She thought collapsing one tower was bad?
“I assume the same thing that happened to Reader - escaping unscathed while your friends go about being crushed.”
Raph tried to grab Talia but it was too late. A slab of rock burst from beneath her feet, sending her out of his reach. He swore. “Talia, don’t do this!”
“Or what, you’ll tell the Elites you’re harbouring a criminal Raph?” she called from above. “There’s more than one way to find out a person’s true colour. Throwing rocks at them until they tell you usually works.”
“How eloquent,” mumbled Athira.
Talia gestured and a wall of solid rock shot up from the ground, blocking Athira from the rest of the group. The wall was probably intended to protect Raph, Kione and Shift from any exploding rocks, although it wasn’t going to stop Athira.
From the air, Talia leant over the side of her rock and smirked. “What, is this what it was like that night when you almost got Zoe killed? Didn’t wanna fight back?”
Rage kindled in Athira’s chest.
She heard.
“I must have missed the part where you were relevant to anything,” said Athira. “I’ve fought henchmen with a bigger clue than you, Talia. I’ll give you one chance.”
“You would have mindblasted me already if you were able.” Talia raised her hands. “Here, purple. Catch!”
The boulder came from the ground, catapulting through the air.
Athira came alive.
Her hand lifted automatically. Black colour enveloped her palm, leaving the white outline of her spread fingers visible inside. The boulder hovered mid air, blanketed in the same colour as her hand.
“You want my colour, elemental?” asked Athira. She placed herself atop the earthen wall and stretched her wrist. “My colour is black.”
Athira closed her fist.
The boulder shattered. She maintained her grip on them, weaving them around each other as Talia mounted a feeble attempt to regain control of the earth. Athira let her have one of the shards for a moment, savouring the triumphant expression that crossed her face and the way it cracked when Athira took it back.
Why don’t I do this more often? Her runes didn’t even burn. She felt powerful, in control. This elemental was nothing, what were the rest of them?
Talia stopped fighting for control of the shards. “How the hell are you doing that? It’s not possible! Once an elemental--“
“’--Has attached themself to their subject their control is near impossible to break’,” finished Athira. “I hear that every time I fight one of you. You always think you’re special because you’re rare. Because you’re different.”
“I didn’t--“began Talia.
Athira knew the excuses. “You did.”
In one movement, she pulled the rock from under Talia’s feet. The elemental screamed as she fell through the air, but Athira wasn’t done. Her colour caught Talia metres from the ground, wrapping around her torso and binding her arms to her sides.
Engulf her.
Athira commanded her colour to take the shards, swirling them around Talia’s body, growing faster and closer with each rotation. “How’s it feel to have no control? How’s that special helping you now?”
*+*+*+*
Shift and Raph looked on, able to do nothing but watch as Talia vanished into a storm of blackened shards. Every time they tried to scale the wall, a black tendril of colour would block their path.
“We’ve got to do something, Raph,” said Shift. The tendril twitched, as if it’d heard him. “I know she’s your friend, but you haven’t seen her in years, who knows what could have happened to her then?”
Raph shook his head. “This used to happen. When something upset her or made her angry, her entire demeanour would change. Talia must have--“
“Raph,” said Shift slowly. “Talia’s going to die if we don’t stop her.”
“I know, I know! I just...” Raph trailed off, pinching his nose. “That’s it. I’ve got it. Maybe. You have enough red left to get up the wall?”
The borrowed colour buzzed in Shift’s limbs as a reply. “Yep. Whatever you’re going to do, do it quickly.”
Raph ran to the left, separating himself from Shift. Colour gathered at his hand and morphed into a whip, attracting the tendril’s attention as he hit it.
“Athira!” Raph flicked the whip a second time. “Athira, remember Zoe!”
That had an effect. The tendril above them froze.
Shift took his chance. He morphed the last of the red colour into a grapple and fired up the wall, pulling himself on to the ledge where Athira stood. Green colour once more flooded his system, and he pushed its entirety towards his right hand and grabbed Athira’s outstretched hand.
The wave of power that struck him was nothing like the previous day. This was raw, angry, primal -- something that he understood with the deepest part of his being without ever needing to be taught.
Flashes of a dark landscape swept past his eyes as Athira’s colour leaked into his system, the green shifting to accommodate it. Fire spewed from bottomless chasms as shadows just beyond identification ran across the edge of his vision, centred on a cloaked figure running towards him.
She held out her hand, and Shift took it.
He blinked.
As quickly as it’d appeared, the landscape was gone and the figure with it. The training room was there as if it’d never left.
“Did anyone else see that?” asked Shift.
Athira glanced at him nervously and dropped his hand. Shift stared at her until she looked away, cradling her head with both hands.
Raph joined them on top of the wall while Kione ran to Talia, helping her up. Other than a gash along the side of her leg, she seemed to be unharmed if a little shaken.
“You okay, Athira?” asked Raph.
She took a deep breath. “I need that amulet back as soon as possible, Raph. You can’t trust me until then. Things have changed since I left, and...” She stumbled over the words. “I’m not the same as I was. I need that amulet to keep myself together now.”
Raph put a hand on her shoulder which she promptly shrugged off. “We can help you--“
“Just promise me,” said Athira softly. “Don’t trust me until I get it back.”
*+*+*+*
A/N - The Indigo train keeps moving down the plotline. Chooo Choooo. (Trivia - First time I've been above the average words per day and actually on track to finishing NaNo since I started 5 days late. Yay for playing catch up!)
Wordcount: 18,279