---------- Millie ----------
I would have fallen over had the doctor not been gripping my arm so hard. Just before Ronan and the others had appeared at the door, the doctor had gone through some sort of change. He'd been in a lot of pain, as his injections and machine did they're work, but then when he woke, he was absolutely fine.
More than fine, in fact.
For some reason, the doctor thought it would be a good idea to kill me in Greenwich. In fact, it wasn't far from the Thames, where Haydn had drowned me.
Coincidence? Or just meant to be?
I hoped that Kate was okay. In fact, I hoped that everyone was okay.
"What now?" I asked, as the doctor half dragged me and threw me down onto a bench, right next to the fountains in the Naval College.
"We wait." He said.
"For what?" I asked. Not that I was really complaining at the fact that he was delaying my inevitable death, but I was curious.
The doctor didn't answer me, though, but instead seemed to be fascinated with his hands. I noticed then that they were glowing- one minute orange, the next green, then blue. Then, the fire materialised in his hand, followed by a green orb, and then the sparking ice. At the sight of the ice, I suddenly had a sense of longing to have it back. I sighed, but the doctor was grinning.
"This feels incredible." He said. "Imagine feeling like this everyday." He then looked at me. "I suppose you did. Sorry about that."
"It's all fake." I said, and rolled my eyes, having had enough of his shit. "Your power is just fake. Like a cheap can of beans."
He chuckled. "What an odd reference."
It was a bit random, but it was the first thing that popped in my head. "I had the branded Heinz beans." I said. "Your powers are like Asda's own beans. Cheap and shit."
"I can tell you right now that my powers are far from fake, Millie." He said, and came close to me, his hand on fire. I could feel the heat as he brought his hand closer and closer to my cheek. "Does that feel fake to you?"
"Stop!" I heard Ronan shout, just before the doctor was going to burn my face.
"Ah, there you are!" The doctor laughed, pulling his hand away and extinguishing the fire.
I turned to see Ronan standing there with Irina and David either side of him.
Shit. I'd really hoped they wouldn't be here- it was extremely likely that after the doctor killed me, he'd kill them as well.
"Finally, now we can get started." The doctor said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Irina didn't hesitate to step forward and throw something resembling a tidal wave, but made of air, at the doctor. But it was like the doctor knew it was coming, and he threw his own version of that at Irina.
His air seemed to slice through Irina's, and she was knocked backwards several feet.
How was it that this dude, who'd seemingly had his powers no longer than five minutes, was able to manipulate the elements with such ferocity and skill? How was it that he was able to overpower Irina?
Because they're fake, I thought. I then began to wonder whether I'd got the bean reference the wrong way round. What if our powers were the cheap Asda ones, and he's the one with the branded can?
I got up from the bench, and ran over to her, but not before the doctor grabbed the back of my collar. He yanked me back with a strength I wasn't prepared for, causing me to stumble back and onto the ground. It knocked the air out of me, and for a second I couldn't breathe.
David tried his luck, firing lightning at Doctor Geralds, but he wasn't quick enough. The doctor dodged it easily, and then he was a blur as he ran at David. David barely had time to comprehend that the doctor had dodged his shot before he was knocked down to the ground himself.
The doctor laughed, and then cheered like he were high on something. "This is amazing!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "You guys are making this too easy!"
I looked to see if Ronan was going to do anything, but he wasn't there. In fact, he'd teleported behind the doctor, and wrapped his arms around his neck. Then he frowned.
"What's wrong, Ronan?" The doctor struggled. "Can't teleport?"
I realised then that somehow, the doctor was preventing Ronan from teleporting with him. Then, the doctor's body seemed to project something out of it- perhaps it was a magnetic field of some sort. It was enough to fire Ronan off his back.
I went to get up again from the bench, and was just about to bend down to Ronan who'd landed just a few feet away from me when I felt an invisible force stop me. It felt like a pressure round my neck. I couldn't move, and when I looked up, the doctor had his hand outstretched towards me. Then, his hand started to glow a menacing red.
The heat started off mildly round my neck, but then it started to burn. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my eyes. I could feel each individual finger singeing into my neck.
"Argh!" The doctor wailed, dropping me to the floor. I coughed, not daring to touch the red-raw skin on my neck, but I did manage to look up and see the doctor on the floor. Ronan appeared just in front of him, and kicked him hard in the face. I heard the crunch from here, before Irina approached him with something black and shiny in her hand.
Her Black Prometheum.
She didn't hesitate to drive her blade straight into Doctor Gerald's stomach.
The doctor's eyes widened, before closing.
Ronan, David and Irina all came running over to me, helping me up from the floor. My neck was painful, and I struggled to move it without feeling like it would tear.
"It's okay, Millie." Irina said. "It's over."
It's over. The words kept repeating in my head, but it just didn't seem right. It was over? Surely not? I mean, it's not been easy, but it just seems...
Wrong.
"Are you sure?" I asked, but my voice was coarse.
I then caught sight over Irina's shoulder, and tried to yell, but no sound came out. Instead, we were all hit with a huge shock-wave of energy. We all flew backwards, landing hard onto the gravel along with big chunks of concrete. I wasn't sure where the concrete had come from, until I noticed the doctor had managed to smash the fountain to pieces whilst blasting us all through the air.
The doctor roared, but I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. And that wasn't because I was winded- something else was going on here. Something heavy seemed to be holding me down, like the thing that sits on you during sleep paralysis. I could only move my head, just enough to see that the others were experiencing the same thing.
"You lot are causing me a lot of trouble." The doctor said, his voice getting closer. "And quite frankly, it's beginning to piss me off."
He then stood over me, and then the weights were lifted. I sucked in a breath, and sat up, although the others were still glued to the floor. Before I even had a chance to ask if they were okay, the doctor grabbed my arm and yanked me away. I noticed that where Irina had stabbed him, he was fully healed.
Was there any stopping this guy?
"Your friends are gonna watch you die." The doctor said. "And then I'll kill them, one by one."
A fresh tear made its way down my face, as the doctor threw me onto the ground. I looked back at the others, who were all laying on their backs, their heads turned to face me. Irina had tears in her eyes, which just made me feel even worse. Ronan was the same. David was trying to keep it together, but wasn't doing a very good job of it.
Shit, I thought.
Was this really it?
If my body had any inclinations to get my powers back, now would be a pretty good time.
"Are you ready, Millie?" The doctor asked, although I guess it didn't really matter what my answer was. He was gonna do it anyway.
I looked him dead in the eyes, although it just made the doctor smile. He wouldn't regret doing this. In fact, it would only spur him on to kill the others, before continuing with his money-making science experiments, and giving himself a name. He'd be famous, for sure.
The doctor conjured something in his hands. I could see each element manifesting itself into the ball- it was about the size of a football. Clearly, it was taking a lot of concentration and energy to keep the others pinned down whilst he drew on this much energy, but he was succeeding.
I decided to get up onto my feet. If I was going to go, I may as well go standing. I may as well let the doctor think that I had some dignity left. Some sense of strength, even if I didn't really feel it myself.
My mind seemed to wonder then. A memory popped into my head, that I'd somehow forgotten. I guess I'd been so busy with everything, that I just hadn't thought about it.
My Nan was there, smiling at the forefront of my thoughts.
What was it that she'd said to me?
Look to your heart, and you will find what you seek. For what you seek never truly left.
What you seek... did she mean my powers?
I closed my eyes, preparing my body for whatever was about to hit me. The doctor had managed to increase its strength quite significantly- I could feel it from here.
I took a breath through my nose, and slowly let it out.
Believe in yourself.
My Nan's voice continued to echo through my thoughts. I'd probably see her in a minute- I'd have to ask her what she'd meant by the first bit.
I opened my eyes.
"Goodbye, Millie!" The doctor shouted like a maniac, but at that moment, I felt very calm. I heard the whoosh as he let his ball of energy fly at me, before it hit me in the stomach. The pressure I felt was immense, but it didn't hurt. I felt my feet leave the floor, and flew backwards, but I felt no pain.
Time slowed.
I opened my eyes, enough to see that I was, indeed, flying backwards, but very, very slowly. My legs and arms were outstretched in front of me, but there was something else. Something cold and sharp and familiar making its way from my core, right to the tips of my fingers and toes. I wondered whether I was dreaming when ice started to snake its way over my fingers, coating my hand like a second skin.
No, not like a second skin. Like it was replacing my body. Transforming it.
It continued to make its way up my arm, past my elbow and over my shoulders. I could feel it everywhere, going down my legs and up my neck, right to my face and over my head, until the ice was all I could feel. It was like every part of my being was the ice, and it felt incredible. I was experiencing the ice like I'd never experienced it before.
Then, I felt the others come back to me, one by one.
Fire.
Lightning.
Earth.
Water.
Air.
Metal.
I smiled, just as time seemed to return back to normal.
I didn't land on my feet- I landed hard on my bum, the ice shattering around me and skidding in all directions. Whatever the doctor had thrown at me, it had left a weird fog in the air, right where it hit me. Right where I'd been standing.
I heard him laugh, thinking that I was gone.
He was about to be greatly disappointed, as I hauled myself back up and onto my feet.
I summoned the air, and used it to clear the fog away. The doctor was looking at the others, who were still pinned down to the floor, but then I caught Doctor Geralds' eye.
He had to look twice, and then when he realised that I was more than alive, he lost all amusement on his face.
I didn't wait for him to say anything, and so started walking forwards, my ice at the ready.
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