Alex Severo
It's pretty hard to confront two non-evasive fighters by using evasive techniques, but I manage to make it work. I've mainly been using Kya's power to erect ice walls to separate the two, as well as using Elektra's ability to redirect lightning bolts. I still refuse to try and tap into Lana's skill, because I don't think I have what it takes to use death to make me temporarily immortal. Despite the intense and enormous stretch of time this battle has lasted, neither Lana nor Elektra let up on their power use, and neither show signs of fatigue. Not even mildly.
I, however, am not used to holding grudges against people to the extreme. Or used to running around all over the place trying to kill someone with everything I've got. I'm exhausted already, and I wonder if I'll drop dead on my own without Elwood even having to be here.
I'm not afraid to die, or even about what comes in the afterlife. I'm just worried that my own end won't be swift. Lana said that Takumi was tortured to death in front of her by her father. Does Elwood have the same thing in mind for me? Or is tonight chaotic enough for him to just want me to cease breathing, rather than go through the elaborate plan of making me bleed?
I guess we're about to find out, because emerging in the distance is Elwood, taking his damn time. "Lana!" I shout, jutting my chin out towards the approaching outline. It's easy to tell who he is, even if you've never spoken to him. Elwood is composed of jagged edges and sharp points, every part of him like a weapon. His stride is fluid yet stiff, as if he knows every part of him is massive, lethal, and important. His shoulders make a straight line – pushed back and leveled. He carries himself similarly to Xavier; all-knowing, aware of the immensity of their bodies, willing to do damage if not for fun.
"What?" Lana barks, following my line of sight for a brief moment. Her chocolate brown irises fall darker in the night as they rest on her father. "Shit." Then, she looks to me, remembering that tonight is my last night. Her expression becomes vulnerable and urgent, like a deer caught in a hunter's trap. Both know that there's nothing they can do to change their situation, but they can't help but panic. "Alex..."
Even Elektra pauses her attacks and melees when we do, her mutated eyes taking in Elwood approaching in the distance. "Dammit," she hisses. "Better finish this quickly, then."
Giving it my all, I create a thick wall of ice, not as good as Kya's, but good for someone who's leaching off her power. The opaque substance blocks Lana and I from Elwood and Elektra's views. For the last time, I tug her into a kiss, cupping her soft-skinned, slender face, the rain moistening our lips as they touch. It doesn't last nearly as long as I wanted, though I wanted forever. The inevitability of my final moments make Lana mew a weak whimper, and I part from her mouth and pull her into a gentle hug, cradling her head and stroking her hair. "It's okay," I promise as a flash of lightning blasts from the sky and to the ground, shattering the ice. The light highlights Elwood's facial features, which are distinguishable with his proximity. More shakily, I repeat, "It's okay," hoping I sounded as sure as I wanted to be, but feeling less confident as time wears on.
Before either our opponents can see our intimacy, we tear apart from each other. The only thing good about the darkness tonight is that it hides my tears from Lana. And maybe, it hides her own from me, too. "Elektra!" I shout louder than needed, this way I keep the vibrato out of my tone. As I say her name, she summons a bolt of energy, letting it course through her body as she looks at me and listens. For protection, I also call upon the heavens for a weapon, letting it also course through me as my body takes on her markings.
"We've been through this before," she growls. "Remember?"
I do remember. We shot bolts right at each other and caused a giant explosion, right before she escaped Asylum and helped cause this enormous mess. "Put this fight aside for now," I plead. "Help us defeat Elwood, then I promise, we will stay to finish this fight."
"I can't do that," she tells me, vein map coursing with light, making her shadowed eye sockets look hollow. "I've waited for this for too long."
I glance behind her, where Leo, Kya, Sarah, and Xavier perch themselves on top of the stairs, gawking at Elwood. Where is Ren? Kya takes initiative and plunges down the steps, nearly slipping after every other step. Xavier teleports to the base of the steps, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Sarah clutches some sort of kit close to her chest while Leo tentatively descends, gun glued to his side. In the distance where Ace has been eliminating outlier shooters, he trains his sights on Elwood. "Elektra," I try again. "With all of us..." I nod at the others who group together. "We can kill him. This might be the only chance to do it. Please."
Behind me, I feel Lana's eyes glued to my back, totally immersed in the conversation and patiently waiting. Of course, she's willing to work with Elektra if it means killing Elwood and, subsequently, saving me. And obviously, I'm all for that, too. Without warning, Elektra steps forwards, pointing two fingers right at Lana and unleashing Zeus's fury. "No!" I shout, watching the trail of blue as it soars to Lana faster than one of Ace's bullets. Then, watch as it soars on past her, frying a gunner nearby with his gun focused on Lana.
Elektra points a finger at Lana. "We aren't done. But Cerberus has a point. You up to it?"
Solemnly, Lana nods, gripping her daggers so tight that skin might split on her palms.
Wearily, Elektra eyes me. "Quite the pair of lungs for a man who hardly spoke around Asylum," she notes, flicking her gaze from me to Lana, then back to me. "Interesting." And without another word, Elektra stomps towards her friends in a way that only she could manage.
Discretely, Lana nudges my arm. "We're not letting you go so easily."
Queasily, I smile. "I appreciate it."
Together, we side by Kya, with Xavier acting as her hounding bodyguard once again. Everyone's here and accounted for. Everyone, that is, except for Ren. I elbow the silver-haired girl. "Hey, where's -?" And when she looks at me, I already know the answer. It's written in her red-rimmed eyes, trembling bottom lip, and eyebrows creased in loss. I sigh, patting her shoulder. Even though Ren considered me the enemy, it was always apparent in our brief encounters that Kya and Ren meant a lot to each other. "I'm sorry."
She sniffles and looks away, eyes piercing right through Elwood. "I don't want to talk about it now. We have business to deal with." Her unusually calloused face softens up as she adds, "But...thank you. And I hope your efforts for keeping Elektra and Lana alive pay off. Personally, I don't like Lana, but if she stays away from us, then I wouldn't mind it if she walked away unscathed."
"One day, your forgiving nature is going to work against you," I warn. By the look she gives Xavier, I can tell it already has. Kya agreed to stay out of the fight, and that no matter how it ended, she'd help the older Walker. Now, the worst-case scenario has happened, and she has to stick to her word because she's Kya, and promises with her mean certainty. "But...thanks," I mimic.
Elwood makes it within 100 paces from us, pausing and surveying us all. "Good," he coos, voice gravelly and grave, but slick with deception. "Everyone's here." Going down the line of us, he acknowledges us all, one by one. "The Flash of Death, my bitch of a daughter..." his iceberg blue eyes rest on me. "Nice to see you again, Alex." My stomach churns. The circular white scars on my back tingle as they remember the electrocution they endured. My fingernails throb with the memories of being yanked out. My tongue runs over an empty socket in my gums, where I once had a tooth.
Continuing, he moves on to Kya, then Xavier. "The pacifist, the traitor..." Then Leo and Sarah. "The useless boy dragging down the group, and the little Voodoo Doll. Now, I do believe we're missing a member. Where is the master of the dojo?"
Kya steps forwards. "Right here. The previous master is..." Suddenly looking like she's run 100 miles, Kya's shoulders slump and her breathing gets shallow. Slowly, the drenched grass around her turns to ice. Her fingers curl into tight fists, which shake with fury.
Aggressively, Xavier whips out his katana, smashing the growing radius of ice, startling Kya, who jumps back and gapes at him. A harsh hand clamps down on her shoulder, and Xavier hisses, "Ren is dead. He's gone, he's not coming back, and it's time to accept it. Look at what his mourning over me for years did to him. It made him weak."
It was hard to decipher Xavier's true intentions in that little speech. Was he throwing Ren's death in Kya's face, not satisfied with the feeling of ripping someone she cared for away from her? Or, was he trying to help her escape the same fate Ren suffered? Was he trying to keep her strong? If so, was it for his personal gain in the deal, or for something else? Whatever it was, it wasn't my problem.
For me, I have bigger things to worry about.
"I'm flattered, nonetheless," Elwood leers, putting his hands on his hips, posing similarly to Superman, though the only "super" thing about him is he's a super dick. "All of you, gathered here to take care of me? Seven against one seems a bit unfair, no?"
Eight if you count Ace, who stays in the background, crouched low somewhere with a rifle in hand. But who's counting? "What is it?" Leo inquires, voice taking on an uncharacteristic malice. "We all know you have a power. What is it?"
Lana tenses beside me, eyes wide and round. She didn't know, but then again, the others have more sources to reference to identify a supernatural being; various powers, Sages, and God knows what else. Still, one powered Elwood can't possibly take down all of us. Clearly, we have him outnumbered.
"I'm a man of mystery, Mister Hernandez," Elwood replies, coyly splaying his hands at his sides, a white-toothed grin glinting in the night. "Now, before things get to bloody..." he cracks his meat tenderizer hands, each pop as loud as Elektra's thunder. "I have a proposition. From what I've heard, you lot are a big fan of such things."
Next to me, Kya shudders. Making a deal is what contributed to Ren's death. Xavier glares down at her. "Get it together!" he furiously whispers, angry at her for no reason. Perhaps it's a way to cope with the guilt. I've learned Xavier has an odd way of viewing the world and dealing with his emotions. Unlike his brother, Ren, who bottled his sorrows up until that bottle exploded, Xavier considers pain as a lesson on why it's important to always be strong. It's like he's conditioning himself for worse things to happen, and now, with Kya, it's like he's trying to condition her, too.
But Kya isn't having any of it. "Don't talk to me and don't touch me."
"What's the deal, bigshot?" Elektra asks, sighing impatiently, treating this whole thing as if she has somewhere better she could be right about now. "I don't have all night." Poisonously, she looks to Lana, who deals back a glare just as vile.
"Should Reaper and Cerberus aid me in the fight, I'll let the boy live."
Shocked, Kya whips her head to me, Lana doing the same. "You were going to die?" Kya ghastly questions.
"Alex, this is our chance," Lana urges.
I ignore Kya, the answer quite evident at this point, and turn to Lana. "Can we really trust Elwood, though? Something tells me that guy has no qualms about lying. Plus, there's seven of us. He can't take all of us on at the same time. He's bargaining for his life right now."
"You're not going to switch over, then?" she clarifies, looking a bit displeased, but understanding where I'm coming from.
"No."
"Alex, I'm not letting an opportunity like this slip past us," she fiercely quips. "If you don't go to Elwood's side with me and give it your all, then..." Lana pauses. Her usual threat of killing her target has expired with me, and now she searches for something else to hold over my head. "Then I'll kill all your Asylum friends; each and every one of them. I'm not bluffing, Alex."
I know she's not, and that's what's scary. Lana grew up ruthless, her father viewing people as play things and tools, trying to raise her to be that way, too. It's easy for her to use a life as leverage, especially when it comes to things that matter to her. I don't approve of that technique, but I can't get mad at her for behaving the way she was brought up.
A cold hand gently rests on my shoulder. Weakly, Kya grins. "It's okay, Alex. You're a person. You should do everything you can to keep your life. I'll understand."
Lana leans past me, looking at Kya as if she's just realizing that Kya isn't exactly "mortal enemy" material. For a split second, the two lock eyes. Lana gives Kya a grateful nod, and Kya exchanges the favor. "Okay," I huff, taking Lana's hand, now uncaring of who knows about how close we've become. "Let's go, then."
We join Elwood's side, his presence overpowering and intense. I feel like I could repeatedly throw myself against a rocky seawall and feel 10 times better, compared to merely standing by Lana's bastard father. "Now, how about another deal..." Elwood hums, extending a finger and running it down the line until he stops at Xavier, who seems unaffected by this all. "Ah, yes...Xavier, I believe I do have a piece of information I've been keeping from you for this very moment."
"You knew you'd be up against us all?" Xavier inquires, perking up an eyebrow. "Doubt it. Why else send a platoon of shooters and four supernatural agents? You expected us to be held up."
Elwood chuckles, a smile looking out of place as it stretches his stubbled face. "On the contrary, in fact. Why do you think I only appeared now?"
Leo shrugs, trying to act carefree, but his tone carries gravity. "Caught in traffic."
"I was watching," he preens. "Clearly, those agents were untrained enough to word with Supernatural Detaining. This was their test. If they took care of you, it would be a bonus, but I expected I'd have to show up some time or another."
"Even with Reaper and Cerberus, you don't stand a chance," Kya sasses, reserving her kindness only for people who have earned it.
"I will have Xavier at my side, too," Elwood enlightens. "Because I've received query from him long ago, searching for a boy who ran away from home. Now, if you're interested, Xavier...I can lead you right to him."
Xavier shows hesitation, his fingers drumming against the hilt of his katana, his eyes scanning Elwood for any physical tells of a lie. "Yeah, right," he eventually snarks, snorting. "Now you've just really pissed me off."
"Would you like to see a recent photo of him?" Elwood asks, reaching into his back pocket, pulling out a printed image and handing it to me, shielding it from the rain with his giant hand. "Here, take this to Xavier."
I take a peek at the boy in the picture, who's hair is cut short and eyes are wide and round. He looks like a kid who wouldn't harm a fly, but there's the absence of happiness in his eyes. I tread over the space between SD and Asylum, then hold the picture out to Xavier. Eagerly, he grabs it, eyes greedily scouring the paper. He doesn't register recognition or confusion, but maintains a stoic expression as he hands back the paper.
"Well?" Elwood asks. "Join us and I'll take you right to him."
Unsurely, Xavier looks down at Kya. "It's Malakai," he says.
Kya picks apart his face, trying to figure out what he's really trying to say. "So?"
He shrugs. "I've got to get to him."
I could've punched Kya in the gut and she'd look just the same; jaw dropped, eyes wide and teary, fists trembling. "We had a deal!" she shouts, getting on her toes to get closer to his face, which doesn't help much.
"We did," Xavier confirms, using his hands to push her back down flat on her feet. "Tonight was my last night to kill Ren, and keep your safety as my top priority."
"You're forgetting the last point," Kya interjects. "You couldn't fight anyone but Ren."
"If I look the part without hurting anyone, then we can all still be fine," Xavier insists.
"The only way to look the part is to hurt us. If you go over there, then I'm not helping you."
Xavier walks to the other side, laughing. "Yes, you will."
"No, I won't," Kya continues.
"You will, and it's simply because you made a deal. And no matter how everyone else acts, you'll still always keep your word," he taunts. The sad thing is that nobody denies it or supports Kya. This could be because Xavier is exactly right. Kya's soul is too forgiving to stoop so low as to discredit promises made by her tongue.
Barely even a whisper, Kya bites, "I hate you."
Now, I feel guilty for abandoning her side because with Xavier helping Elwood, there's a good chance someone is going to seriously get hurt, if not die. Ren's already fallen. Who else has to go down with him? Moreover, the way things like this usually work is that one or two of us gang up on an opponent. Who am I supposed to attack? Who is Xavier going to attack? Good God...who is Elwood going to attack?
I size up the opposition. Lana and Elektra are going to go at it. If they didn't, then one or both of them need to go to the hospital. Kya shoots daggers at Xavier, but Xavier looks everywhere but her, as if to let her know he's not killing Ren and his girlfriend. Instead, he sizes up Leo, who gives everyone the dirtiest looks he can muster. Nothing is clear in this awkward stand down, but that doesn't stop Elwood from shouting, "Fight them. Now. Or everything is off."
And because Lana and I want me to stay alive, and because Xavier wants to see his youngest brother again, we charge into the crowd. Predictably, Lana charges Elektra, and the two continue their dual. Sarah dashes to the top of the stairs, where she meticulously unpacks that tiny kit of hers. Leo cocks his gun and aims it at Xavier, letting his finger spaz on the trigger, unleashing sprays of bullets. Like he's straight from some ninja movie, Xavier unsheathes his katana, the enchanted blade severing the bullets shot his way.
Meanwhile, Elwood rushes Kya, using his bulky strength to dominate her. Despite her willowy frame, Kya holds up pretty good, and it might just be that willowy frame that allows her to dodge most of Elwood's blows. She's frantically trying to keep up with his surprising speed, so her use of water bending isn't efficient right now. Whatever punches connect from Elwood to Kya are detrimental; uppercuts lift her off the ground, jabs make her fall backwards, and hooks make her stumble sideways. It's not because Kya is weak, but because Elwood is just freakishly strong.
Because Elwood is too occupied to notice who I really help, I try tapping into Kya's power to try and keep Lana and Elektra from murdering each other again. However, I find that there's nearly nothing of Kya's to even tap into. Desperately, I grasp for her strings, but it's almost like their strength is...draining. As if there's a balloon that has a tiny leak and it's slowly deflating. Out of curiosity, I poke around Elwood's strings, curious as to what his power might be, as well as what fuels it.
Shockingly, his strings grow stronger and stronger, to the point where they're like titanium. He's draining Kya's power. And I'm willing to bet my life that the added strength goes to his physicality. Elwood is more than a lumber body – he's freakishly physical because that's his power. He leeches of someone else's power to make them weak, and it contributes to the pack behind his punch.
He can't be beaten with a power because he can take it away. As for bullets, I'm sure with a gift like his, Elwood could develop skin like a rhinoceros.
That's when I realize that whether or not Elwood put a price on my head that he was willing to pay for, I would still be fighting for my life against him. Because if there's one thing I know about ability like Elwood's, it's that it takes a leech to beat a leech. If I can use his power, then I could drain his power and become stronger. It's just a matter of who grasps onto the other's strings first.
It's time to end the Therapist. Nothing about this battle was quite personal to me until Elwood was added to the equation. By the time I realized I had feelings for Lana, and she was the daughter of the man who traumatized my life, everything about this became personal.
With a new sense of confidence, I run to Elwood as he throws Kya around like a rag doll. He kicks her in the chest, and when she yelps, Xavier's eyes snap to her fallen figure. Deflecting the last of the bullets, he ditches his fight with Leo and charges to her side, still set on protecting her for his own interest. When it becomes Xavier and Kya against Elwood, the monster turns back to me, and all my confidence is lost when he demands, "You help me against these bastards or I'll wring your neck with my daughter's." I meet Elwood's side, completely feeling like a traitor. "I'll drain Xavier's power. You use Kya's power. It's probably the most useful."
Obediently, I harness Kya's ability, mutter a "sorry," and do Elwood's dirty deeds.