For a moment, my whole world stopped- everything froze as though it was suspended in time. My heart slowed down, sounds reached me like I was underwater, and my bones felt horridly brittle. I couldn't breathe and my lungs were burning, but I refused to inhale the air that suddenly seemed toxic. I was afraid.
And then, it all came crashing down all too fast, realization spreading like fire, and I was burning.
I was caught in a tornado of negativity, and in that infinite moment when the only parent I'd known for so long stared at me like he'd never seen before, I thought there was no escape from the feeling of utter hopelessness that was going to swallow me whole and lose me forever in its depths. I was drowning and Easton was watching me with a rope in his hand and a sneer on his face, turning his back as I lost precious oxygen.
"Cameron?" Evelyn called uncertainly, her voice sounding like shattering glass, but it was enough of an anchor to lodge itself in the pit of my stomach and yank me back to reality from the abyss of darkness that was my own mind.
Air filled my lungs once again, blood pumping through my veins so loudly, I thought I might go deaf. I was still alive, and Easton looked like he'd rather I was dead.
Easton had always been the perfect spy, and his motives were almost impossible to read. I had never thought of how that could harm me until now, when I had pretty much been lured into death trap, and to make matters worse, I wasn't alone.
"How could you?" Jordan whispered, sounding very much like a threatened snake and I could imagine him wanting to squeeze the life out of my godfather like one, too.
Easton turned his head by the smallest fraction in acknowledgment of Jordan's angry demand, and as the barest trace of light finally fell upon his eyes, I caught sight of the war that was waging itself within the once familiar orbs. They were glittering like two darkened jewels, and in that moment, he had never been easier to read. He was angry, and bitter, and so, so scared. It baffled me when his face was void of all feeling, but his eyes were positively screaming with caged emotions that were begging to be let out.
If Easton had led us here, then why on earth was the internal conflict taking place? Could it be his conscience pleading with guilt? No, if that would've been so, none of us would be in the predicament we had found ourselves in.
Whatever the case, my resentment had finally caught up to me. Bitterness surged through me like black waves, lapping powerfully and destroying all thought of remotely seeing reason to empathize with the man before me- the stranger who had worn a mask of love and honesty only to reveal the knife he'd wanted to stab my family with. Forgiveness and affection were out of the question. I did not know the stranger who looked back at me with those angry eyes.
I saw a betrayer and a cheat- someone who was standing in my way and creating obstacles between me and what was forcefully taken from me.
My godfather was gone, or maybe he never existed, but the powers that rightfully belonged to me and my family weren't out of reach, and I'd be damned if I fell weak now and let them go. Cataclysm was wasting my time.
The self-pity was gone and fire was replacing it, flowing in my blood vessels and consuming my mind in a quiet rage akin to the starting of a storm. The air seemed to cackle with electricity and the want for retribution. My fingers curled into fists and as I exhaled, tension seized my muscles and bones. Every single one of my senses seemed to have sharpened to make up for letting my guard down earlier, and what little of my magic remained in my core swirled against the limitations constraining it like waves hitting a rocky cliff.
I looked up at Easton with absolute venom in my expression, so much so, I missed the split second of shock that flitted across his face before it returned to a blank canvas that I thought I knew. "I suppose this is where we fight each other, then?" he drawled, devoid of any further emotion.
Slowly stepping back, never looking away from him, I could almost sense Jordan and Evelyn looking at me and waiting for my move before they made theirs. "I'm afraid that's typically how the story goes, Cataclysm," I seethed quietly, so quiet it could've been lost to wind, but the corridor was silent and all though my words weren't loud, they were heavy and so, they seemed to echo.
A second of no movement passed, then Easton nodded and all at once, men were filing into the corridor from both ends, forcing Eve and Jordan to move in further until the four of us- Easton, Jordan, Evelyn and I were left in a small ring at the center with opponents on either side. Easton looked at us like we were far beneath him as he spoke, "That would've been the case had we not been anticipating this. In case you haven't figured it out yet, you're going to have to be taken prisoners."
The three of us glanced at each other and nodded simultaneously. We would go down -this we knew- but not so easily. We had a plan of our own and backup was still arriving. It occurred to me that since this was an ambush, the first trio had already been apprehended or were in the process of being detained in that very moment.
It all left a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn't particularly keen on.
I brought my foot back in a defensive stance as Jordan and Evelyn got into their own fighting positions, and following that was the last coherent thing I can remember. Jordan ran straight for Easton, both the experienced and incredibly skilled combatants engaging in a show of strength and wits with an opponent perhaps neither had ever anticipated. Evelyn and I were quickly busied, an onslaught of robots and humans coming at us indiscriminately.
My mind blanked as I went into autopilot mode, mostly unaware of my own actions with the only thought on mind being 'survive'. Pain was flaring across my body, bruises blossoming like purple ink spilling across a page, and red painting the canvas of my skin, yet I remained unconscious to what I was doing. Some of the blood being my own, and some of it belonging to those I would most likely never see again. Adrenaline is an incredibly dangerous drug and despite my knowledge of this fact, I was relying on it to ensure my victory- however short lived and superficial it may be.
And as I knew it would play out eventually, it led to my own demise. I was injured and tired and hopelessly locked in a choke hold by someone significantly of much larger size than myself. Briefly struggling against the arm pressing against my neck and slowly cutting of my air supply, I finally gave up, acknowledging my defeat and falling limply against the owner of the arm, the muscle of it digging into my pharynx painfully, but it didn't seem appropriate to complain about my discomfort in that moment. Especially, when my body's need for oxygen, and the subsequent lack of it were causing my lungs to burn and seem unnaturally heavy in my rib-cage, leaving black and blue spots to dance tauntingly in my vision.
Very much like a rag doll, my weakened body was lifted with all the ease of holding up cloth and roughly thrown over a shoulder, the bone of which promptly dug into my abdomen, extracting an almost deluded groan from my mouth before I could even think of stopping it as a horrible ache overtook my senses. The adrenaline had worn off and reality felt like a kick to the face. Or maybe a shoulder to the stomach would seem more suiting of the situation.
The sharp metallic taste of blood suddenly seemed more prominent than anything else. I could taste it in my mouth and smell it on myself and others. I could see it on the hand that dangled numbly by my side as I was carried away, and all I could do was twitch my fingers as the only sign of protest.
I suppose that is what I got for being reckless. I'd forgotten I was only human in the moment when my seemingly boundless rage made me feel invincible.
All I could feel was a dull throb eliciting from my wounds and I wished to be numb. When had I gotten so weak?
Turning my head slowly, I could only watch and try not to cough up blood as my young blonde friend did nothing to fight being lifted off her feet and swept up in a member of the enemy's arms. She looked almost relieved at not having to support her own weight any further in the short few seconds before she let go of consciousness in a resignated sign of accepting her fate, however it may be. I couldn't even see Jordan and I can't remember whether it was due to the ever-prominent darkening blanks in my vision or because he was simply out of line of sight.
I do, however, remember accidentally meeting Easton's unwavering gaze and being mesmerized by the absolute chaos of emotions hiding beneath the surface of his eyes that made looking away seem impossible. As we walked further down the hallway and he got further away from us, he mouthed only two words to me and understandably, they left an imprint on my mind even as my eyelids suddenly seemed to be made of a metal too hard for me to lift any longer and I gave up, letting them slowly flutter shut and losing myself to the overwhelming darkness induced by my own exhaustion, once again reminding me of just how mortal we were.
Easton had never looked as haunted or shattered as he had then, his wide and frightened gaze darkening and begging for help which I could not give. If ever there was a time I had seen pure heartbreak and regret- such that it washes over you and surrounds you in a melancholy that doesn't even belong to you- it was then as the man who was responsible for raising my brother and I mouthed only two words to my dazed form.
I'm sorry.
Waking up was like breaking through the surface of an ocean threatening to drown you, when you gasp in all the air you can swallow in greedy gulps of sweet oxygen.
My eyes shot open as I sat up straight, coughing slightly as I tried to even my breathing and slow my racing heart. Hands ran up and down my back in efforts to soothe me and once I had regained composure, I looked up only to meet the worried gaze of my brother. Wordlessly, I threw my arms around his neck and he pulled me close to his chest, hands petting my hair and cradling me as though I were a fragile porcelain doll he was afraid would crack under his one touch.
Pulling away slightly so he could look at my face, Noah's expression was one of relief and anxiety all at the same time. "Are you okay? They brought you in and you were passed out and bleeding. Don't ever scare me like that again!" he rushed out in a single breath before embracing me once again without waiting for my response, rocking our bodies back and forth.
"What about you? I'm better, but you don't look completely unscathed yourself, you know," I muttered against his shoulder, referring to his own bruises and cuts, the ones that seemed like silver against the skin that belonged to my warrior of a brother.
Sky crouched down beside us as the two of us untangled our limbs from around one another. The blonde pressed a kiss to my forehead, breathing a sigh of relief which fanned out across my face like a reassurance of her survival. "We've been better, but as long as all of us are alive and together, we'll live," she stated.
I nodded, sitting cross-legged as I rolled my stiff shoulder and sighed when it popped in its socket, bringing relief to my sore muscles. The initial pain had subsided, leaving behind a dull throb that pulsated through my body everytime I inhaled. "They bothered with treating us," I observed, running my fingers along the gauze wrapped tightly around my arm. "Why?"
"Maybe they don't want their shiny new toys all cut up and marred with the very imperfections they caused," Jordan scoffed from somewhere behind me and for the first time since I woke up, I actually examined my surroundings.
Annihilate had kept us in a plain white room with only a single white painted door in one corner of the room. No furniture, no added details. Just pure, maddening white everything- floor, walls, ceiling.
My gaze landed on Evelyn laying not too far away from me, her hands folded against her stomach and her face displaying the epitome of relaxed ease as her long blonde hair spread out around her head like a halo. She would've looked like a stereotypical angel had it not been for the bruise blossoming a vibrant purple across her temple or the dried blood streaking a dew strands of her hair.
I knew she was still alive, but it was painful to look at her like that and so, I turned away. "Where are the other two?" I asked in a whisper to my fellow occupants of the room.
"They never showed up. I think Ryder warned them of it being a trap thanks to him watching through those glasses," Jordan shrugged.
I exhaled in relief and nodded, grateful that no one else had gotten hurt. Turning my attention to Scott who had been watching silently from a corner, I smiled wryly at him. "What about you? How are you feeling?" I questioned, and although it may not have entirely seemed like it, I was genuinely concerned for my friend as he looked blankly at me for a second, emotionless eyes looking back at me from the green mask he still wore.
Or, at least, they seemed emotionless at first glance. If you looked closer, you'd find that the truth was pretty much the opposite and all sorts of emotions were passing through- too quickly to register, but with all the violence of a forest fire.
"Like crap," he smiled dejectedly. "The whole plan pretty much went to shit the moment we made our appearance. We've been rotting here for hours now."
Sky exhaled slowly, shakily. "He's right. It's been so long, Cam. We're losing precious time, but we're all injured and I don't know what to do," she mumbled, digging her palms into her closed eyes frustratedly .
My eyebrow rose, and I moved closer to her, pulling her hands away and holding her wrists, forcing her to look at me. "Sweetie, we're injured-sure- but we're healing really fast, too. Didn't you notice? I'm assuming you guys had it equally bad if not worse than what we did and still, you look fine for the most part. I thought I was actually going to die with how bad I was feeling, but aside from a stupid headache and really stiff muscles, I'm alright, too. We're gonna get out of here," I whispered the last part to her- so softly I thought she might not have heard, but her grateful glance back at me was the confirmation I needed to know that she had, in fact picked up on my words.
Sky may not have had her enhanced hearing, but she still listened to the details when it mattered.
The blond male sighed, walking towards us in the center of the room and crouching down. "They'll be here soon enough to get us out," he murmured lowly. "After so long of working together, I can practically feel what Aerofire's planning in my gut. Call it intuition, but I can feel it."
Somewhere behind us, Evelyn stirred, groaning as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes which probably felt like they were throbbing due to a pounding headache. "Listen to the guy. Ollie's probably incapable of waiting any longer all on her own. They'll be here," she stated, stretching her arms over her head and sighing in relief at the release if built up tension in her muscles.
And as she said it, I knew the both of them were right. I trusted Ryder, Dan and Ollie to come to our aid when we were so hopelessly caught at a dead end, able to do nothing but wait for them to make their presence known. Despite the heart stopping shock of seeing the momentary truth of my godfather, I refused to lose faith and my surety in them.
As the thought of Easton crossed my mind, my eyebrows furrowed in a bout of mind-numbing confusion. He had been Cataclysm this whole time, and since I knew this as fact, I could see how puzzle pieces were falling into place as things began to make sense and the hazy fog of smoke lifted. However, I knew not of what could be his reason to have made a choice as dark and drastic as he had, nor when he had become so willing to hurt us.
And the silently uttered apology. Had I imagined that? Surely I had not been deluded enough.
Easton had always been a mystery to me. As someone whose career was dependent on being an enigma, I had written it off as simply something you picked up after being a spy for so long, however, it had never occurred to me of just how little I knew the man who was supposed to be my legal guardian. He wasn't around much, but when he was, we never talked about him or his past. Figuring it was classified information, and not caring enough to be bothered by it, Noah and I had always been more engaged in catching him up with our own lives when we were away from him. To most, he was the epitome of what perfection seemed to be in the field of espionage. To my brother and I, he was the last of our family and he took care of us like we were his own.
He had never failed to bring back souvenirs from his missions all over the world- even after Noah and I began going on missions of our own. When he was around, it was Easton who tucked us in, read to us, watched movies with us, tended to us and cracked horrible dad jokes. Not once did he try to replace mom and dad, but he never fell short of filling the gap their death had left as our caretaker.
You'd think that with how serious and immensely important his job was, he wouldn't be as invested in our personal lives. Easton didn't fail in that department either. When I fought with Sky, he'd be the one to give me advice. It was him who I talked to about my first crush and when I got into my first relationship (with a fellow agent two years older than myself), Easton was there through threatening my boyfriend and bringing me ice cream when we broke up.
When did we lose that man to Annihilate's right hand? When did Easton become Cataclysm? When did my godfather agree to putting the closest thing he had to children in danger? Or had I just refused to see that side if him? Had I failed to read in between the lines I thought I knew?
Then what on earth did that apology mean?
Once again Easton had left me with no idea on where to begin in trying to understand him and it all left my head spinning, my mind caught in a whirlpool of unconnected and exhausting thoughts.
"Do you hear that?" Noah uttered in a hushed whisper, shattering through the cage my brain was threatening to encapsulate me within.
All of us fell silent, barely breathing in an effort to identify the sound my brother was referring to. And then we heard it.
The muffled noise of a struggle going on outside- yelling and footsteps and the sounds of bodies hitting surfaces. We looked at each other, and despite myself, I felt a flame of hope flicker to light. I prayed it would not be so rudely put out.
For a moment, it was silent -inside our prison of sorts and outside it- until the quiet sound of melting metal filled the void left by the absence of distinguishable sound waves. A hole appeared in stark contrast to the white door, its edges burning a hot red and then it was kicked down to reveal two familiar figures in the doorway.
Absolute relief filled my veins, overtaking all senses as I could do nothing but stare in utter awe at the sort of fury Aiden and Ollie were emitting. Was this what the feeling of being saved brought? It was no wonder the public looked at heroes with such respect and admiration. It took the two of them not even a second to have their gazes sweep over us in a silent assessment of the damage dealt to us.
"Well," Eve began, grinning in spite of her scratchy voice, "talk about timing."
Ollie returned her wide smile with a watery one of her own as she zoomed towards the petite blonde and promptly engulfed her in a crushing embrace, tears dripping down her pale cheeks in reflection of her frustration and consequent relief.
It must have been hell for the three of them with no knowledge of our whereabouts.
Aiden and Scott were locked in an affectionate display of their own friendship and we let them have it despite the dire need of getting the hell out of our current location seeing as back up must not be far away. Finally, with reunions set aside and composure regained, it was the complete team (minus Ryder who we were informed was currently in the main control room of the very base we were walking through) that exited the room.
I felt the adrenaline begin to pump through my blood once again in anticipation of the battle sure to come, only this time, I would not succumb to it in a fit of unplanned rage.
We still had more we needed to accomplish, and we couldn't afford any more setbacks.
It was time to retrieve Ragnald and our powers along with it.