4262 words without A/Ns is my record as of 8/17/21 Also the last chapter finished in 2020 yay!
*Tony's POV*
Lights seemed to fill the space as I swung the door open, followed closely by Ryan who had helped by kicking it the rest of the way and threw what little surprise we had out the window.
My eyes tried to focus on the surroundings and after a couple of seconds they did. A towering machine stood at the far end of the room almost taking up the entire wall. Pipes flowed out of it and along the walls plugging into either the walls themselves or the floor below.
About 30 feet from where we stood was a circular indent on the floor, the body of a girl laying in the center. The girl had red hair and was wearing a tiger onesie, it had to be Tina but something was wrong. She looked like she was in a moribund state as it looked like she was struggling to breathe.
My eyes quickly focused on a floating ball of light hovering just above her face, it made her look ghostly in the dim light. All I do is stay rooted to the spot as time slows down for me.
"Tina!" I could hear to my right before I saw Ryan dashing up to her body on the floor. I try to keep looking but my eyes wouldn't let me as I drag my head away from the scene in front of me.
After a minute my body rests against the wall as I try to take everything in all at once. A terrified girl standing over a control panel. Quickly I stood up from my position and walked over to her, her body tensed more as I came up to her.
"Stay right there and don't dare touch anything." I say looking her dead in the eyes causing her to step away from the control panel.
"Al-Alright I w-won't." she stammers before tripping over her own feet and having to use the control panel to support herself to stand again.
Ryan was attempting to get Tina back to consciousness when I looked back toward the two of them. However upon looking around one person was missing in the room that was supposed to be: Kelly.
The girl was nowhere to be seen, likely having gotten away before we had broken into the room. Yelling coming over in Ryan's direction however made it harder to wonder what was going on about the other situation. Darting my eyes in his direction I see him holding up the top half of Tina with a concerned look on his face.
"Tony we have a problem!"
*Ryan's POV*
Almost as soon as Tony opened the door with a little help from me I ran in. Instantly I went straight up to Tina's body laying on the ground a couple of feet away. When getting there I got onto my knees and started checking her.
Scanning over her she seemed to have no visible injuries, save for a few scratches and small marks where Kelly's wrench hit her in the side of the head which was to be expected.
Tina's breathing was slow and slightly labored as I watched her still trying to cling onto what looked like her life. My hand quickly went to her chest to listen to her heartbeat, my ears following to make it easier.
Thankfully it was still beating but it felt like it was quiet to the point where it was hard for me to tell if it was or not. Cautiously I pressed down her chest just in case but nothing happened with that idea.
Deciding to go for another option which was to do mouth to mouth I carefully lowered myself next to her and opened her mouth. Then slowly I started to try to get her to breathe easier.
It looked like it helped as Tina's breathing sounded like it was returning to normal but it soon faded again.
Then I noticed something: a glowing white ball of light hovering over us almost tauntingly. There was something about them that I can't quite remember though. Something Unicorn told us I think.
Something about a person's soul being an orb of light when it exits the body it's in. If anything it was worth a shot, if it works it works if it doesn't well we'll deal with it when we get there.
Quickly I get to my feet and reach up to the light. It seemed to have floated away slightly since I'm certain it was just above my head, now it's high enough to where it rested in my palm only when I was standing at my full height with my arm outstretched as far as it would go.
Nevertheless I clasped the orb in my hand and knelt back down beside her. The light in my hand started to move around in my grip, whether it was to return to Tina or not isn't a chance that I'll take.
Putting my hand against her mouth I let the light energy go inside her.. It did as quickly as I opened my hand. Deciding it would be a good idea just in case I lowered my head closer to her head and covered her mouth with my hand for reassurance that it wouldn't leave her body.
Everything around me was still for a moment, sure I could hear the echoes of Lily and Aqua scanning the room for Kelly but it sounded so distant to me. Then out of nowhere Tina's body moved, making me jump.
Her quick breathing alerted me to it immediately. Holding her head in my hand she looked at me in slight surprise.
"I'm alive?" her low voice whispered. There was something off about it though, it was like there wasn't anything behind it.
"W-Where's Kelly?" she asks this time a little louder in a monotone voice practically devoid of emotion as far as I could tell. "We don't know." I reply honestly looking behind at the group.
"Dang it." Tina said and then widening her eyes, noticing the change in her voice as well.
"Tony we have a problem!" I yell after turning to face him. Without hesitation Tony ran up to the two of us.
"What's wrong? Is Tina alright?" he asked with concern showing on his face. His eyes quickly caught Tina's green eyes and sighed relief for a moment.
"I'm alright Tony just a little... shaken." she explained with the same monotone voice. Tony noticed it quickly and sank to his knees. "They took your power I'm guessing." he guessed, glaring behind him at the girl behind a control panel who looked like they were quivering in fear.
"Tony, why would Tina's power be connected to her not being able to show any emotion?" I ask him which makes his hand go straight to his neck. "Well you see..." he started but was cut by Tina questioning how I knew about this.
"The quick answer is that our powers are mental abilities so emotions are tied to our power so when that goes so do they." I explained trying not to trip over his own words.
After the explanation, me and Tony grabbed her by the shoulder and helped Tina to her feet. "Thanks, now let's find Kelly." she said with the same voice but a somewhat determined smile.
Aqua and Lily noticed what was going and came over to us. We exchanged breaths of relief at Tina being alive and started looking at the girl that caused all this.
"Think the girl there knows anything?" Aqua asks, gesturing toward the girl by the control panel with her head. Lily looked in her direction and stared directly at her, causing her to look away frightened.
"Wouldn't be surprised but we should be careful, they look scared of us." Lily admitted looking at the floor. Lily cautiously walked up to the girl who immediately hid her face from all of us. As Lily's ears flopped down over her head I cupped my hand to mine.
Unfortunately they were talking in a volume too low for me to hear. So at this moment, we're all left in the dark about the situation.
Before I knew it though Lily came over to report on anything that she got. Sadly though there was nothing.
"Lydia told me that Kelly set something off and when she could see again they weren't there. However the door never opened before us so nobody's left." she reported rather grimly, Kelly's location despite it though has been narrowed quite a bit unless there's an escape somewhere else.
Goldy steps in front of me while putting her hand above her eyes to see easier. "Does anybody see that?" she eventually asked, pointing over to the corner of the room. My eyes followed where she was pointing and something caught the light where I was looking.
"Let's investigate, shall we?" I ask slightly rhetorically. "Yeah I can sense something." Tony started putting his hands to his temples "She's close."
I started walking over there followed closely by Tony who almost bypassed me. "Hey Lydia girl!" Aqua's voice burst out which caused me to turn toward the back.
The brown-haired girl looked over at the piercing light-blue eyes of Aqua and shifted on her feet nervously. "Get over here! We don't want you out of our sight." she commanded ruthlessly at her.
Not wanting to see what would happen if she didn't, she cautiously walked her way over to us, holding her head low to the ground not wanting to make eye-contact.
When Lydia came up Aqua turned back clearly satisfied at the results. Tony gave a low grunt at this but said nothing otherwise.
Coming across where Goldy had alerted us to, we found a small door outline in the wall. Before any of us could do anything however, Goldy jumped in front of us and turned the knob that led into what looked like a back room of some sort.
Not even seconds after the door opened Tony ran ahead with Tina to find Kelly as it was the only place she could have gone.
"Now where are you?!" His yelling echoed off the walls, sounding louder than what felt like was needed.
Glancing around the room, the huge machine that was built into the wall of the last chamber carried over to this one. This portion however was pretty small, only taking up half of the wall this time.
To the right of where we were standing was a massive portal dug into the side of it. For some odd reason it held a resemblance of our portal in the old daycare, as it looked like a cave entrance.
My hand went to Tina's shoulder almost instantly which surprised her a little.
"Doesn't that thing look familiar?" I ask her, pointing over to the massive hole in the wall that served as what I could assume is a portal.
"Yeah, it looks like the portal from the last daycare but I wonder what it's being used for." Tina answered not turning to face me, and instead looking on toward the interior of the room.
Eventually she stopped moving and I followed her gaze which rested on a single person on the far end with their attention focused on the machine in front of them looming over it with something in their hands that almost gave off a warm glow.
Lily pointed her ears up to hear them better while the rest of us stood back and watched them. She put her ears back down after hearing nothing understandable. That was when Tony started to walk up to the person, getting ready to pull out his knife as he did.
The person let out an innocent-sounding giggle before turning around to face us. "You seriously thought you'd have the surprise after knowing that I knew you were coming?" Kelly chuckled looking over all of us.
"It looks like you've also got my new worker." she remarked seeing Lydia from the glare that she gave Aqua. Tony was pointing his knife at her face with that same creepy smile on him.
"I'm just gonna take a guess and say that you're also here for this..." she started pulling out a bottle from behind her back, it gave off a warm glow to it and made the room brighter. "My power!" Tina shouted trying to show anger.
"...Though I'm not giving it back. I need it to activate this portal and get what I've been wanting all this time." she continued stepping back over toward the device. Tony's eyes felt like they were giving off heat as he stared onward.
"Give it back. Or I'll make you!" Tony stepped forward still keeping his knife pointed at her. Quickly my lightsaber was put into my hand ready for an attack as well, Tina doing the same.
"Just give me a minute and you can try." she says, stealing a glance over her shoulder looking smug while opening the bottle to put it in the machine.
Her hands got the container open in no time at all still with a knife pointed at her throat. Tony knows what the right time to attack is and I trust what he has in mind. He doesn't wanna risk Tina by doing it too early.
Kelly's free hand hovered above the metal as she got ready before firmly grasping a weapon next to her, clearly preparing for the fight she'd inevitably get into with her enemies only feet from her.
She dumped the contents on the bottle into the machine, knowing she was ready with that being the only thing that defended her.
"Now that that's done we can get started." she told us turning around and locking eyes with Aqua behind me which they quickly broke.
Tony nodded and turned to us quickly. "One of us has to disarm or destroy that portal before it finishes." We all looked around at each other before Lily spoke up. "I can but I'll need help." her ears sticking high to listen for Kelly.
Kat volunteered to our surprise revealing her pistol. Tina gave Lily her slingshot for this situation before we broke out of our mini huddle and went back to staring at Kelly.
She was holding some sort of magic staff or wand looking thing with a golden handle and the alluring blue glow that surrounded the tip, practically flowing out of it.
"Alright then come at me!" Kelly called planting her feet firmly on the ground ready for our group's charge.
Tony rushed at her with his knife aimed for the chest almost immediately which was avoided from a careful spin on Kelly's part.
Lily and Kat ran over to the machine at around the same time. Hopefully to get the thing deactivated before there was any reaction.
Aqua pushed Lydia back toward the door not wanting her to be able to help Kelly in any way. After she did her whips formed in her hands ready to go for a kill. She and Kelly quickly got into a fight.
Looking over at Lydia to see that Goldy was standing by to watch over her I grabbed Tina's arm. Knowing what I meant she ripped out of my light grasp and made her weapon blaze to life, me doing the same.
If me and Tina got in the middle of the two's fight than it'd be three on one so we pushed closer into the two.
Kelly heard the sound of us approaching and swiftly turned around before hitting our weapons back with hers and using her other hand to counter Aqua's go at her throat. Aqua's whip broke temporarily and made it reform into a dagger for a strike.
"You fight well." Aqua took a compliment with a smirk as her dagger collided against Kelly's staff, breaking and reforming every time.
"Yeah, says you." Aqua tells her as Kelly brought her weapon down to sweep her opponent's legs which were jumped over. A loud crack echoed at that moment as a bullet sailed past both of them.
Kat had fired in hopes of getting Kelly dead and ending this soon. "Kat, don't waste the ammo." Lily scolded her while still working on the portal.
Aqua continued her assault, getting Kelly to raise her staff to her face in defense before making her tumble backward with a swift kick to her shield.
"Alright I think that's enough time to finish this." Aqua said while walking toward the girl's body on the floor. Her hand reached out and grasped hold of her staff before she giggled lowly.
"That's what you think." Kelly replied, her turning colder. She pushed herself up with feet and pushed Aqua back to get her out of range.
Me and Tina stood there stunned with what had just happened, that was until Lily's call broke our focus. "Tina the machine's down, get over here." Tina ran over to her and Kat and stood by over there.
Lily gave her something out of my sight and she took it. The substance glowed before Lily got her to drink whatever it was. Probably her power if I had to guess after she held her head in slight pain.
Kelly looked angered by the exchange and turned to Aqua. "Let's see how you do when I'm finished with you!" Nobody could have ignored her scream as she violently slammed her staff down.
The giggle that came out of her was unnerving to say the least. The blue mist that enveloped the tip flowed out more as she got the staff charged.
"It's time to have you pay using my power." She slammed her weapon down again, ready for her plan. Lowering her staff she pressed down on the top and activated it, a blue wall of light burst from the center point as it was lifted by its holder.
There was a quick gasp from Lily at what was happening before yelling out. "Don't look at the light." Everyone did as she instructed despite not knowing why they were in the first place.
Kelly moved the staff in a circle around her though everyone looked away from it before it reached them. Aqua however didn't and as she was looking over at everyone else she was hit by it. Can't blame her for not reacting in time though, the beam was going pretty fast around the room.
As soon as Aqua's eyes met the light her body went rigid and just stared ahead with no response.
"Now that I have you I have to check if it worked. Aqua, to your knees." she commanded, and with a fair bit of resistance Aqua did exactly that and stared at her annoyed.
"So I can control you and you can't do anything about it." The girl grunted and tried to ball her hands into fists to no avail.
Without looking away I grabbed Tina and shook her to get her back to her senses.
*Tina's POV*
Pulling away from Ryan's grasp I take a deep breath. Am I back to normal? Ryan was unmoving so I looked to where he was looking.
My head is still shaking with the force of a ship, but I got myself to look up to see Aqua down on her knees. The eyes, the first thing I noticed as they seemed slightly darker than normal, looks like I did get my powers back.
Going to stand up I see Lily take a step forward causing Kelly to look behind her. "If any of you take a step I'll kill her." she warned before looking back. Aqua's arm went to her neck. "Or her." she mocked as a dagger materialized in their hand.
"Y-You won't get out of this, I'll escape you little..." Aqua trailed off slightly and her captor just laughed. "Don't be too confident. Now I think there's something I wanna undo." She looked away giving a low giggle as she thought.
Lily picked me up from the ground and helped me stand up.
"Oh I got it." the voice sounded sarcastic, this was somehow planned. Kat looked at Lily for an answer but got none. "How about this?" came from Kelly before Aqua bent down in pain gripping her head, the dagger falling from her grip and splashing into water and evaporating.
Kelly stepped away almost telling us to go help her. While she allowed it I quickly got up and ran over to her on the floor still holding her head in pain.
"Aqua are you alright?" I asked worriedly, putting my hand under her head to try putting her at ease. Her breathing slowed as she shifted to laying on her back. "W-What? W-Who's...? Tina?" she gasped recognizing my voice and looking at me. "You good Aqua?" I asked again this time a little easier, she looked confused.
"Aqua? I thought... My name was... Autumn." she asked, still holding her head "I really can't think straight at the moment, sorry." she apologized trying to make sense of everything. Footsteps alerted me to Lily's presence.
"It seems that Kelly messed with her mind but I'm not sure." She explained the best she could and helped me get her standing.
"Speaking of, where is she?" I ask looking around the room seeing nobody, even Goldy and Lydia haven't left their position at the door. Almost no noise came from around until a faint giggling echoed through the room.
"I'd be over here." Kelly said coming out of the shadows of the corner of the room. "What'd you do to Aqua?!" Lily almost commanded her. She chuckled again this time fainter than the last.
"Oh no worries she's fine, in fact I only made go back to how she was originally." her voice felt cold and cocky. Lily looked confused but didn't say anything. "What do you mean?" I say for her holding the same puzzled look.
Kelly laughed slightly "That's for you to find out about, but hopefully it happens before you all explode. I have what I wanted, if you wanna try they're in the portal. Bye-bye now." she said before running out of sight.
"Tina what's going on?" an exhausted voice asked, causing me to turn around to her. "This area is gonna explode, just don't worry Aqua." I explain offering a hand which she takes quickly. "I don't know who you're talking to but okay," she says, holding her head while watching Lily and Kat near the portal.
My head quickly went that direction "Lily you gotta find a way to stop this!" Lily took a glance at me before returning to her spot. "I can't disable them remotely, someone has to go do it. Cost of their own life maybe," Lily explained.
Aqua stood up and walked over to Lily with me following closely behind. "Lily, leave me to it. You all have to go," her voice felt selfless almost, it was unnatural to hear from her. "Aqua what's going on with you? you're not normally this way," I ask her, waiting for her response.
"My name is Autumn and I know. I haven't been the best at all but I wanna do this for you. Now go!" her voice was rushed as she went to the control panel.
A few seconds later the portal opened and something shutting down was heard. "The field preventing the portals is down," Lily exclaimed and quickly went to the door. Tony threw down one and had Lydia go through, telling her to stay put on the other end.
"Will you be okay?" I ask quickly, receiving a quick nod in response. "I'll be safe, don't worry, we'll see each other again Miss Garland." she reassured me with a smirk before turning around and heading to the portal.
I followed Lily back through to the other chamber before reaching the hallway on the other end. My legs went on autopilot as we ran hoping that whatever happened wouldn't cause more of the place to go down.
Something made me turn back for a second at one point, a quick bang followed by an orange light, the explosion. As soon as I heard Goldy call that the stairs were up ahead I slowed down, there was no way we'd die at this point.
We came to the ground-floor quickly and went out through the front door of the building. There wasn't any reason to panic, the danger had already passed and the fresh air made it feel like I was breathing for the first time in months.
My mom noticed our state immediately when we got to the car. "What happened to you all?" she asked worriedly as we got in, none of us answered. "Where's Aqua?" That question made me shrink back in my seat.
Everyone looked at me, their dirty faces and clothes showing what we've been through. Cookie and mom have no idea what happened to me or them. Ryan wrapped his arm around my neck for comfort.
"Aqua, or Autumn is more than likely dead," I just barely got out before tears started coming out to stop anything more, as I remembered the light at the end of that segment of the complex as it most likely went down.
Cookie gasped and looked down in the front seat. Those with me sat by me with the same experience and pain. Before too long the roar of the engine broke the almost perfect silence and the car started moving as we made our way back home
This was supposed to the last chapter but I decided that there's not much left and moving books would be stupid. It was supposed to end in a cliffhanger of Tina about to be crushed by a boulder.I may still use that but who knows. See you all next update