Battle of the ULTRAs (14 page)

A
n hour searching
the desert and still no sign of Daniel Septer.

The air was humid and scorching. As much as I was resistant to the intensity of the weather, even I was struggling to breathe right now. The sand stretched on for miles. There were no sounds here, nothing but total silence. My mouth was dry, my lips chapped. I had no idea where the ULTRAbots had taken Daniel to.

I stopped and put my hands on my knees. I’d been using my powers to fly around this place and try and track Daniel down for a while. But it was useless. There was no sign of him. Plus, using those powers seemed to be taking it out of me more than anything.

I licked my dry lips. I could teleport anywhere and go grab some water, I knew that. But I’d made it this far in my search for Daniel as it was. I wasn’t giving up.

A voice in my head asked me why I was doing this. Daniel Septer was still Nycto. He might be my brother, but he’d done some terrible things. He’d hurt Ellicia. He’d threatened my family. Besides, I was strong enough to take Saint down alone.

But another voice—a stronger voice—answered. Yes, Daniel Septer was Nycto, and it didn’t matter if he was family or not, he’d still done some terrible things. But then again, Daniel was forced into a harsher upbringing than me. I’d had my sister. I’d had a loving family all around me. Sure, there were a few bullies I had to deal with, but nothing I couldn’t handle with the help of my friends.

Daniel didn’t have that support around him. He was bullied badly. His family life wasn’t great at home, as far as I knew. He had a reason to be angry. Maybe if I’d been in his shoes, I’d have turned out the same way.

The truth was, Daniel was strong. He could help me take down Saint.

And he deserved answers about our sister. I wasn’t going to let her fate be a loose end to him.

I was lost in my thoughts when I saw movement in the distance.

I activated my invisibility immediately, then realized if they were ULTRAbots it wouldn’t make the blindest bit of difference. I fell to my stomach. Dragged myself forward, right to the top of the sand dune.

Daniel was crouching in the middle of the ULTRAbots. He looked… well. Worryingly relaxed.

The ULTRAbots around him just stood there, not budging.

Weird. It reminded me of the ones that’d tried to fire at me not long ago. They’d shot toward me, but they’d missed. Was something going wrong with them? Or worse—did Saint want us both alive for other reasons?

When I saw the ULTRAbots turn around and lift their guns, I knew I didn’t have much more time to speculate.

I ducked their shots. I bolted over to the other side of them with my super-speed, knocking one of their mechanical heads from their shoulders.

I leaped into the air above them and blasted a step of ice into the sky. The ULTRAbots fired at it, distracted by it.

Then I crashed down and stood in the middle of them.

Daniel was on his feet now. His eyes were wide. He looked alarmed.

“Well?” I said, tensing my fists so ice covered them.

Daniel looked at me for a second.

Then he tensed his fists and joined me in the fight back.

I slammed into the chest of an ULTRAbot opposite me. It pushed back with clear strength, dodged my punched, blocked my blasts of ice.

I teleported behind it when it swung at me and wrapped my arm around its neck.

I squeezed tight, feeling the ice creep up my wrist and into my forearm. The ULTRAbot kept on struggling. I saw the ice shifting from my arm to its face, covering it.

Then it elbowed me in the stomach and knocked me back onto the sand.

It walked over to me. Daniel was occupied with ULTRAbots of his own. It lifted its gun. Held the trigger.

I gritted my teeth.

Clapped my hands.

Above, a wormhole opened up. It lifted the ULTRAbot away, as well as those surrounding Daniel.

They tried to fire back. They tried to struggle free. But they were being lifted away, and there wasn’t anything they could do about it.

When they’d disappeared through the wormhole, I clapped my hands and loosened my grip on my powers.

“You okay?” Daniel asked.

“Am I okay? Are
you
okay?”

Daniel raised his hands. “Hey. I’m just asking.”

“Well I’m fine. Now I’ve got you, I’m fine.”

“I guess this really does make us even. In a way.”

I nodded. “I guess it does.”

I stood up and grabbed Daniel’s arm.

“What—”

I blasted us away from this desert.

When I opened my eyes, we were back in the middle of the ocean, the torrential rain still lashing down, waves crashing below.

“I think I preferred the desert,” Daniel said.

“Yeah, well, beggars can’t be choosers.”

“What is that?”

“What is what?”

“That saying. I’ve never heard that before.”

“You’ve never heard ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ before?”

Daniel shook his head.

“You’re kidding, right?”

He kept on shaking his head.

I was about to pull him up for not hearing of that phrase before when it dawned on me again why we were here. What I was here to do.

I looked ahead at Saint’s tower.

By my side, Daniel looked on, too.

“You ready to do this?” I asked.

Daniel nodded.

I started to move forward. “Wait. Back at the desert. When I found you. What was happening?”

Daniel frowned. “Hmm?”

“You were just… there. And the ULTRAbots weren’t doing anything. Why was that?”

Daniel hesitated for a moment. Then he shrugged. “Damned if I know. Now are we getting on with this suicidal plan or what?”

I saw a flicker of Nycto in Daniel’s eyes. A look that I didn’t like.

It was gone just as soon as I’d seen it.

“It looks like we are,” I said.

I took a deep breath and drifted toward Saint’s tower.

I
led
the way toward Saint’s tower, clueless to how events were going to unfold.

The night sky was jet black. The storm above didn’t seem to be letting up, neither did the severity of the waves below. Just up ahead, I saw Saint’s tower. It was a remarkable construction when you really took the time to look at it. Jet black, but with a glimmer of jagged silver, much like the edges of his armor. It shot right up into the sky, far above the clouds. He’d built it—with the help of his ULTRAbots—in a matter of days at the very start of his conquest. He didn’t have a tower last time during the Era of the ULTRAs. Clearly now he meant business.

There was a humming noise in the air similar to the noise the ULTRAbots made. I figured it was the collective buzz of all the ULTRAbots in there, working away. There was an energy and a life to this place even on the outside. But it was a life that made me feel… unsettled.

I kept my fists gripped tightly in case I had to use my powers fast. There was a smell of burning rubber in the air, so pungent I could taste it. I couldn’t wait to be away from here and done with what I had to do. Hopefully, that would be sooner rather than later.

“Watch yourself.”

I felt Daniel’s hand on my shoulder. He pulled me back.

“We have to be careful when we approach. The second we enter that place, the ULTRAbots will be triggered about our abilities.”

I felt that resistance in my mind. The same resistance I’d thrown back at Controlla when he’d stood outside my cell and tried to invade my thoughts. I closed my eyes. “Not if we focus.”

I didn’t feel anything at first.

Then I felt the push of Saint’s tower like it
was
alive.

It was a magnetic feeling, but like two ends pushing against one another. I knew if I let go of my focus, I’d be able to hover in there, but the whole tower would be alerted to my presence. But if I pushed back hard enough… I could break this resistance.

“You’re being speculative again,” Daniel said.

“Speculation’s gonna win us the war.”

“You know, I don’t like it when you have these lofty ambitions.”

“Then go home. I’ve got work to do.”

Daniel didn’t go home. Instead, he closed his eyes and joined me in pushing back against the resistance of Saint’s tower. We pressed against it, together. I could feel his push too, and I knew that if we focused enough, we could bring this whole thing down and head inside.

And if I failed, Daniel could go on and defeat Saint. I was at ease with that now.

“It’s not working,” Daniel said.

“Keep focusing.”

“What good’s focusing when it’s not working?”

“Just keep focusing.”

Daniel sighed. Then he returned his focus to pushing back against the forces of the tower.

In my head, I saw Saint’s mask. I felt myself being submerged under water, my sister beside me. Then I saw myself looking down over her open grave. I’d thought she was dead. Mom and Dad’s whole world had been torn apart that day, and Mom would never know the truth about what happened to my sister.

Neither would I. Not completely.

Not if I didn’t break through this electromagnetic resistance.

I felt the push getting stronger and I knew it was because I was making ground. I gritted my teeth harder. Saw those painful images again, replaying them like a stream stuck on buffering.

“I—I think it’s—”

“Ssh,” I said.

I dug my nails into my palms and saw Cassie looking back at me in my head. Only she was older. Her hair was long. She was calling out for me, shouting for help.

Behind her, Saint stood smiling.

He dragged her further away from me, and I tasted blood as I bit through my bottom lip.

The push got stronger.

“I can’t hold on,” Daniel said.

I ignored him and kept on pushing back. My heart pounded so fast I thought it might burst out my chest.

Cassie.

I needed to know the truth about what happened to Cassie.

The only way I’d find the truth was if I came face to face with Saint.

The only way I’d find the truth was if I kept on…

A snap.

I heard a crack in my skull and felt the force back off.

I opened my eyes. Nothing had changed to look at, but the humming noise had weakened.

“Did you hear that?” Daniel asked.

I looked at his surprised face, then back at Saint’s tower. “I think we did it.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

We flew into Saint’s tower. There was a surprising lack of ULTRAbots around. From memory, this place had been absolutely buzzing with them the last time I’d been here not so long ago.

“It’s very quiet,” I said.

“It will be at this time,” Daniel said, climbing through an opening. “Now come on.”

“At this time? What is this time?”

He shrugged. “Changeover time. Come on.”

He ran off inside Saint’s tower. I wanted to ask him about changeover time and what that meant.

But whatever. I’d have plenty of time to find out when I found Saint.

I followed Daniel down the corridor. It still seemed weird in here. I’d been locked away in one of these many cells lining the tower. I could swear there’d always been more life around than this.

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s just up here,” Daniel said. “We should be able to change the ULTRAbots’ focus from here.”

He pointed at a door right ahead. My stomach knotted when I imagined what might be behind it. Saint. Saint waiting there for our arrival.

Something seemed off.

But Daniel was right in front of the door, and I knew I couldn’t just leave him.

“Wait,” I said.

“Come on, bro. All this way and you aren’t gonna let me open the door?”

“Just… just wait there. Let me go first. Please.”

Daniel shrugged. “Whatever.”

I put my hand on the door handle. I thought about teleporting myself inside, but I didn’t know what to expect on the other side.

“Well?” Daniel said. “Waiting for something?”

“If this goes wrong,” I said. “You know what you have to do. Right?”

I looked into Daniel’s eyes. There was sadness to them just for a second.

Then he half-smiled. “You don’t have a thing to worry about.”

I nodded. Then I turned back to the door. Held my breath. Lowered the handle.

When I saw what was inside, my body froze.

Ember was standing there. So too was Vortex. Stone. Roadrunner. So many other of the Resistance members, all with those bands of electromagnetic energy around their wrists, all staring at me.

At the front of the group, Orion.

“What’s…”

I went to walk in the room when I saw Saint standing in front of them, hands behind his back.

“Hello, Kyle.”

My chest tensed. “Let them—”

I felt a blast of electricity behind me as I tried to use my powers. My hands twisted against my back. I fell to my knees. Every time I tried to use my powers, that electricity shocked me even more.

“Sorry, bro. I mean that. Really.”

I saw Daniel Septer walk around me, walk to Saint’s side.

I saw them standing together and I knew the truth.

He’d betrayed me. He’d led me and the rest of the Resistance into a trap.

“So,” Saint said, his voice deep and echoey. “I think it’s about time we had a little chat, don’t you?”

“
S
o
, Kyle. Or Glacies. Or whatever you want me to call you. How does it feel to be on your knees, betrayed by your own brother, and imprisoned with the very ‘Resistance’ you’re supposed to be leading?”

I tried to push back against the bands around my wrists, but every time I did, a searing bolt of electricity rippled through my system. In front of me in this long, wide room, the Resistance crouched on their knees, all of them with the same bands wrapped around their arms. They looked exhausted, beaten, and bruised. I could tell from the smell of sweat that they’d had a tough battle on their hands too, and most of that battle hadn’t been above the streets of New York—it’d been here.

But there was one ULTRA, Saint aside, who didn’t have those electromagnetic bands around his wrists.

That ULTRA was Daniel Septer. Nycto.

“Traitor,” I said. It was about the only word I could gasp out right now.

“Oh don’t give Nycto here a hard time,” Saint said, patting Daniel on the back and walking nearer to me. “After all, he was only doing his job.”

“You fought beside me. I saved your life.”

“And he saved yours, I believe,” Saint said, speaking in Daniel’s place. Daniel couldn’t even look me in the eye anymore. “Brotherly love. It’s quite something, isn’t it?”

I stared over at Daniel and waited for him to make eye contact with me.

He didn’t. Not once.

“Why?” I asked.

Saint smiled. “Of course, I couldn’t just send Daniel your way and have him
suddenly
turn to your cause. There needed to be moments of bonding between you. Moments where he saved you and you saved him. There needed to be moments of doubt, too. And I’m absolutely positive you had moments of doubt about Daniel. But in the end, hope prevails. Isn’t that just a beautiful thing?”

“You’re sick. Both of you. You’re sick.”

“Not sick,” Saint said. “Just… pragmatic. I know what needs to be done to take the world into its next great age, and so too does Daniel.”

Saint stretched his hand in my direction and tightened his telekinetic grip around my throat.

“And
you
, my friend, are a very important part of the next stage.”

I pushed back against Saint’s grip, but that only increased the blast of electricity up my arms and spine even more. I knew I could push against it and fight it, just like I’d proven I could already…

Unless…

Shit. Maybe Saint had lowered the electromagnetic shields to this tower all along. Maybe I really wasn’t as strong as I thought.

“We needed you here very much,” Saint continued. “Of course, we had to make you
think
we wanted you dead. So there were moments where we put you in absolute peril…”

Being trapped under the falling buildings. The ULTRAbots firing near me, but never totally
at
me, other than the blast through my chest. Was that just a setup too? An illusion by one of Saint’s ULTRAs, or even by Daniel? Shit. That’d explain why I’d healed so easily. All of it was making a twisted kind of sense.

“…But all of it was engineered to get you right here. And here you are.”

Saint raised his hands. I could feel my anger boiling, bubbling to bursting point.

“My sister,” I said. “I know the truth.”

Saint laughed. “Oh you know the truth do you? You know the absolute truth?”

“I know you took her. You brought her back.”

“You’re right about that. But when you say you know the absolute truth, you’re wrong. Isn’t that right, Orion?”

Saint turned to Orion, who was on his knees. He was gasping. He didn’t look in a good way.

“If there’s one thing your sister was good at when she got her abilities, it was the power to get into people’s heads and make them forget. Brainwash them. She used it against your parents a few times. Made them forget she’d gone out with her friends. Made them forget they were annoyed at her. Just a pity she wasn’t around to make your poor grieving family forget she ever existed.”

I lunged forward. Electricity shot up my back, paralyzing me.

Saint chuckled. “It’s sweet. It really is. A family reunion. That’s what we all want, isn’t it?”

“What did you do to her?”

Saint’s footsteps echoed against the hard floor. “I figured if I had your dear sister, I could hone her abilities. Hone them so she could feed on the abilities of others. And when her abilities were fed, they became stronger.”

“What are you talking about?”

Saint crouched down and looked into my eyes. I could see his black eyes behind his mask. “Your sister is very much alive, Glacies. Not only that, but she’s the one responsible for the entire brainwashing program so far.”

“No,” I said.

“Yes. And you’ll meet her soon. Only she’s… well, she’s different now. There’s a strong chance she won’t remember you. Don’t be too alarmed by that. It’s nothing personal.”

“You’re using her. You’re using her to—”

“Make the world a better place. Restore some order to humanity. After all, isn’t that what we all want, truly? A return of order?”

I shook my head. “You’re playing God.”

“No. God wants free will for humans. I think free will is the greatest mistake in history. That’s what your sister is putting right. But we can only complete that goal if you join her.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Me?”

“You see, you’re stronger than you think, Kyle. You have abilities hiding under the surface that are just waiting to crash out. Abilities like your sister’s. The ability to get into minds. To change things.”

“I won’t do it. I won’t change anyone’s mind.”

“Oh you will,” Saint said. “You won’t have much of a choice about that. And when you’re connected to your sister’s powers, not only will you change minds, but you’ll control them. Forever.”

A bitter taste filled my mouth when Saint described the future to me. “I won’t let that happen.”

“You won’t have a choice. Anyway.” He turned around and walked in front of the ULTRAs. “All good ULTRAs need lessons teaching. So let’s teach you a lesson.”

He fired a blast above the room.

A massive wormhole opened up in an instant. Only it wasn’t like any I’d ever seen. It was deep black, flickering with electricity. It spiraled around like the head of a tornado. Whatever went in there definitely wasn’t coming back.

“How about flame-boy here?” Saint said. He dragged Ember from the ground and held him at the opening of the wormhole. Ember’s hair stood on end. Electromagnetic energy crackled across his body as he tried to resist the pull of the wormhole. “Shall we send him to oblivion?”

“No,” I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Please.”

Saint dropped Ember to the ground.

Then he pulled up Vortex by her ankle.

“How about this one?” he asked.

I lunged forward, then fell again. I tried to fight against the electricity, but it was no use. I was trapped.

“Ooh, you like this one. I’d be jealous if I were you, flame-boy. Seems like he cares about the girl more than he cares about you.”

“Stop this!”

When I shouted out, I looked into Daniel’s eyes. They were bloodshot. He didn’t look like he was enjoying this as much as Saint. If anything, he looked uncertain.

But he wasn’t doing anything to stop what was occurring.

Saint dropped Vortex back down. “Okay, okay. The girl’s safe. The girl gets away with it. You care about her, but not enough. We need someone else. Someone you really care about. Who could that be?”

My stomach tensed and my body froze when I realized who Saint was referring to.

He lifted Orion.

Orion didn’t fight. He just let Saint lift him.

“Please!” I lunged forward again and shook with every blast of electricity. Although I knew it could kill me, I didn’t care. I couldn’t let Saint throw Orion into that wormhole. I couldn’t watch my real dad die.

“Yeah,” Saint said, as he lifted Orion higher. “I think this is the one.”

“Orion!”

Saint smiled as he held Orion right in front of the wormhole. Orion stared down at me. There wasn’t any emotion on his face. Just a cold look.

“I guess it’s always been about you and me really, hasn’t it, old boy?” Saint said. “Well now it’s time to settle the score. Now it’s time to put you somewhere you won’t come back from, just like you did me. Only you really, really won’t come back from this place.”

“Orion, please!”

I knew my voice was falling on deaf ears. I looked at Daniel. His eyes were even more bloodshot. He was shaking.

“He’s our dad, Daniel,” I whimpered. “Orion’s our dad. Don’t let this happen. Please.”

Daniel met my eyes for the first time since he’d betrayed me.

Then he looked around at Orion as he got within inches of the wormhole.

“Never mind,” Saint said. “Too late.”

He threw Orion into the wormhole, clapped his hands and closed it.

I screamed out. I kicked. I did everything I could to break free of my ties.

But as the electricity burned my body, all I could see in my mind was Orion’s hard face as he looked back down at me.

Then, the moment he disappeared.

Forever.