Part 1- CS-01 and Dr. Elizabeth Ward

CS-01 waited in the library with the others. Her optical sensors surveyed the surroundings. The height of the bookshelves seemed to defy typical performance parameters for carpentry. The illuminated ceiling also exceeded the lumen yield available for anything other than sunlight. The cyborg still felt out of place in the white, marble cathedral called the Sanctum. Emily preferred the cold reliability of technology, systems that could be calculated and understood to the last circuit board.

However, she couldn’t deny the majesty of the chamber. The soaring space made her and all of her companions look tiny. “Elizabeth, system projections indicate that I may never become accustomed to this place,” she said quietly into her comm unit.

“I know. It’s truly fascinating. The things we could learn if we could study this place in detail,” Elizabeth responded through CS-01’s audio channels. She watched the scene through her wife’s eyes remotely.

“Indeed. Upon completion of this extended mission we should conduct detailed readings,” CS-01 said.

“There are quite a few things I'd like to do when we’re done with this,” Elizabeth answered with a mischievous tone. Her eyes drifted down to a very special button on her console, the button that would switch Emily into her bimbo personality.

“Affirmative. Subtext has been detected and appreciated. I am glad that you have acclimated to my alter-ego,” CS-01 responded as a smile danced across her lips.

“Yeah that’s putting it mildly Em,” Elizabeth said, mind flooding with images of her wife’s hornier alternate personality. “I really had my doubts when you suggested keeping it after that computer virus. But damn, it’s been hot. I think it’s exactly what we needed.”

The faint smile on Emily’s face broke into a grin. “Affirmative, mistress.” She whispered the last word.

Their small group had gathered at the end of the library, where the sea of shelves parted for a sitting area. Three tall, stained glass windows marked the wall. A large object, covered in a white cloth sat in the center of the space with the chairs pointing towards it. In the dark, wooden chairs sat CS-01, Sam, Allison, Twister and Freya. Sam and Allison sat side by side of course. They had been inseparable lately.

“Do you guys have these big team meetings often?” Allison asked. The pale woman had picked up some new piercings, a row of metal studs ran down her nose and one down each forearm. Her fingers idly played with the shiny metal.

“This is the first time Saphira’s gathered us all like this since I’ve been here. It’s gotta be important.” Sam said.

“How about the Dawn Bringers?” Twister Interrupted, cheerfully. “You know for a team name,” 

Freya furrowed her brow. “That sounds oddly familiar. But no I don’t think it captures the . . .” she paused for a moment studying the diverse bunch, seated in the library. “Eclectic alliance we have gathered here. Perhaps we could invoke the might of the past and christen ourselves ‘The New Valkyries’?”

Sam grimaced. “I don’t really think of myself as a valkyrie. Now thinking about valkyries on the other hand,” he chuckled.

Allison gave him a playful elbow to the ribs. “Behave yourself.” Then she leaned in to whisper something in his ear too quietly for Emily to overhear. But whatever it was sent them both into a fit of giggles.

CS-01 ran a quick series of simulations through her rhetorical data banks, compiling dozens of possible assemblages of words before speaking, “Perhaps the Halcyon Ensemble of Righteous Overcoming Evil Sentinels? Or H.E.R.O.E.S for an abbreviated acronym?” She looked between her compatriots, but they all stared blankly.

Finally Twister spoke, “That may be too much of a mouthful if we use the whole thing. And if we use the acronym we’ll always be explaining what it stands for.”

“Very well. I shall incorporate this feedback into future iterations throughout the ideation process.”

“I liked your suggestion, Em.” Elizabeth’s voice rang in Emily’s head. “I can’t think of a better name for a group that includes you than Heroes.”

Emily wanted to say that she didn’t always feel like a hero. Most of the time she felt like a corporate lap dog, a walking, talking advertisement for Barton Labs. But she knew she couldn’t say that to Elizabeth. Emily was only alive today because of the deal Elizabeth struck with Noah Barton. The last thing Emily wanted was to seem ungrateful. So she simply said, “Thank you, Elizabeth.” 

The general chatter continued until Saphira entered the chamber. She walked with confident and determined poise, stopping before the tall windows and turning to face the others. Saphira spoke, her voice as lyrical and enchanting as always. “Everyone, thank you so much for joining me today. I have a truly monumental announcement to make.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Freya answered.

“First I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your hard work these past few months,” Saphira clasped her hands to her chest before continuing. “The artifacts that Fractal stole posed a great risk to human kind. Through your tireless efforts, we have reclaimed all but one of the Aether artifacts. For this humanity owes you a great debt.”

“Damn straight,” Allison chimed in.

“Indubitably, dear Allison,” Saphira responded. “But I’m sure it has occurred to you all, as it has to me that these items still pose a major threat. They were stolen once before. Can mankind ever truly be safe while these tools exist in their current form?”

“Simulated scenarios for misuse of Aether artifacts total approximately fourteen million, seven hundred and twenty three thousand, six hundred and eight,” CS-01 said after running a quick calculation in her neural processors.

Saphira nodded. “Thank you Emily, that was very helpful. You prove my point that even under our watchful protection they are too dangerous. But fear not, for I have a solution.” She turned to the mysterious lump under the sheet. Her hands gripped the fabric and pulled it free, revealing the form underneath.

A sleek, metal casing, painted in pearly white, shone in the sanctum’s light. Inside it, all of the artifacts they had gathered so far sat in compartments sized specifically for them. Near the bottom Nyckelharpa fit in an opening that followed the contours of the lute. Dorian had used it to enslave his fans, before Twister took it from him. Above that rested Svalin, the orb. Sam narrowly recovered that when Fractal sent Maya after him. Brisingamen, the spectacles, perched in a small cubby. Those were all too familiar to CS-01. Their old rival Marcy, had almost enslaved her and Elizabeth with them. Gungnir, the bow and arrows lay across the center of the device. Twister recovered them after a night away from the group, though she had been strangely sheepish about how. Finally their most recent acquisition, Draupnir, the control bar marked the middle of the device. It could attach strings to its victims and control them like puppets. While Freya found it initially, that one had ended up as more of a group effort. Only one compartment remained empty, the one for Meringjord, the collar. It had been initially used to control Allison, but the group hadn’t seen it since rescuing her.

“Hell Saphira, where’d you get the fancy hardware?” Allison asked with a whistle.

“Worry not of such things,” the dark skinned woman said with reassurance. “With my long history, I have many friends in the mortal realm who can help me procure such things. You should focus on the incredible function of the machine.”

The group nodded.

“Em, doesn’t something seem odd about this to you? I mean Saphira’s not exactly tech savvy. She needed your help to update her smart tv.” Elizabeth said quietly in CS-01’s com channel.

“Indeed. My analysis produced similar concerns. Further, the articulation of the hardware sparks similarities to other items in my memory banks, though the exact conclusion eludes me,” CS-01 murmured in response.

“Good thinking Em. I’ll run it through my algorithm and see if I can turn up any instances of similar hardware. It looks familiar to me too.”

“Yes, it is time I shared the truth about the Aether artifacts with you all. You’ve earned that much. Long ago, my kind walked among you humans. The old gods were embodiments of concepts and forces of nature. They all wielded incredible power. And as such they viewed humans as little more than tools, playthings to serve their own purposes. These devices were their means of yoking humanity to their will. For centuries, the old gods dominated humanity with relentless cruelty. It was I and one other who began to feel for humans. Together we betrayed the other gods and sealed them away. Yet their tools remain. Much as my people are immortal, our weapons are indestructible. Many of you tried destroying the artifacts you found but to no avail,”

A ripple of shock ran through the small group of heroes. “Wait so you’re telling me gods are real, and they used to enslave the whole human race?” Sam asked incredulous.

“I am Sam. After what you’ve experienced, I hope you can understand.”

“You know, I probably wouldn’t have ever believed that if I hadn’t met you Saphira,” Twister added. “But after everything I’ve been through, everything we’ve all been through, I can see it being true.” 

Only Freya seemed to be taking it all in stride. “She speaks the truth. In my era the legends of these times had not yet been lost.”

Saphira raised a hand to quiet them. “But their lingering danger ends today. This device will drain the power from these artifacts and render them inert. Humanity will finally be safe. After all your hard work, I wanted you all to be here to see this threat dispatched.” The goddess moved to the machine and began fiddling with the controls.

“Get out. Get out. Get out Em!” Elizabeth’s voice cut into CS-01’s audio receivers in a frantic hiss. Without hesitation, CS-01 stood up from her chair and began striding back towards the library entrance.“That casing is from Barton Labs! It’s something I don’t have access to, but the detailing is too similar to be a coincidence. I think this might be some of the tech Fractal stole from our lab.”

“Should we not warn our compatriots?” CS-01 asked.

“We can do that later. I need to make sure you’re safe.”

CS-01 almost reached the entry to the library when her body stopped responding to her. Her limbs locked in place and refused to move.

“Now, Now. We can’t have you missing the show,” a distorted voice said. A moment later, Fractal emerged from behind the last bookcase. The visor of his faceted helmet glinted in the sanctum’s light.

CS-01 tried to scream, but her lips wouldn’t obey. Her whole body remained locked in place. She could feel Fractal pressing into her mind, holding her in place. She could barely think. Even her mind felt still, calm, blank.

“You must be new.” He ran a hand possessively down the cyborg’s side. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.” 

CS-01 couldn’t respond, couldn’t even flinch. 

Elizabeth watched in horror. “Emily he’s affecting you isn’t he? You can’t move?”

No response came. Elizabeth’s hand trembled in rage. There had to be something she could do. 

“Don’t worry though,” Fractal said. “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other better.” He cupped a breast. 

Emily wanted to invite him to get to know the sensation of a 200mA of electricity coursing through his body. But her lips wouldn’t cooperate. 

“Yes, we’ll get to know each other very well. That body of yours gives me so many ideas, he said. An involuntary shiver of pleasure ran down Emily’s spine before settling between her legs. Emily knew it was just his powers making her feel so horny, but that knowledge didn’t diminish the feeling. She let out a ragged gasp, feeling her resistance flag. 

Elizabeth couldn’t take it anymore. “Well he can’t do anything to me from here!” She growled. Safe in her lab, her hands flew across the keyboard. A Moment later a siren blared from CS-01. Its wail pierced the library’s silence. Elizabeth had included the siren for emergency rescues, but now Emily was the one who needed rescuing. “She doesn’t need her mind for that, asshole!”

The assembled heroes whirled around and saw Fractal. Allison transformed, her skin flushing a deep crimson and her muscles growing. Freya drew her sword. Freya, Allison, Sam and Twister all started sprinting towards the back of the chamber.

Only Saphira looked unsurprised by Fractal’s sudden appearance. “Not bad, Elizabeth. But it’s too little, too late.” She pressed a button on the machine and it burst to life. It happened in an instant. Crackling motes of energy welled from each compartment, flooding the machine with a glowing plasma. Then the light swept across the room in a pulse. It easily overtook the running heroes, and as it did their motion stopped. Then it reached CS-01.

She felt her thoughts disintegrate, her very sense of self dissolved in a heartbeat. She existed to serve. It was her purpose, the only purpose. Nothing else mattered.

The other heroes stood in a dazed stupor, their eyes glassy and unfocused. Freya’s grip went limp and Laevateinn clattered to the floor.

Elizabeth’s hands flew to her mouth to cover her gasp. “This can’t be real.” The siren still rang out from her wife’s cybernetic body. But no one was there to hear it, besides Fractal and Saphira.

Fractal placed a hand on CS-01’s cheek. She didn’t react. “That’s better. You’ll behave now, won’t you?”

“Yes Master,” her answer came automatically. Of course she would behave. She existed to obey.

Fractal strode away from her, walking deeper into the library, slapping her ass as he did. He released his hold over her thoughts. It wasn’t needed any longer. “That was a close one, Saphira. You had me worried for a moment there.”

Saphira fell to her knees. “Please forgive me, Master. I thought I had them all distracted.”

Elizabeth’s heart stung. Had Saphira always been working with Fractal? Had it all been a trap, the whole time?

“Stand up, slave. You did well. Telling them the truth of the artifacts was a clever touch,” he said coldly.

“Thank you Master,” Saphira replied, standing. “I learned that from you. Sometimes the best lie is the truth. Of course, I did still have to lie about the machine’s purpose.”

Fractal stood examining the other immobile heroes. He ran a hand down Twister’s stomach. “At first I was furious at you for gathering a team like this.”

“Please forgive me, Master. I didn’t understand that my purpose was to serve you, or I would have never defied you.” 

“It all worked out, slave. Ironically you gathered all the people who were most able to resist me into one place, where I could capture them at once. I liked what you said about the old gods. I think I’ll make myself into a new god of this world. When I conquer humanity, the people who opposed me the most fervently will be my first lieutenants. It’s delicious.”

“Thank you Master. I’m glad my foolish defiance could further your plans in the end.”

That gave Elizabeth a small comfort. It sounded like Fractal had converted Saphira recently. She was probably under his psychic control. But Elizabeth still felt like she was living a nightmare. She saw this whole scene play out, but couldn’t do anything about it, couldn’t do anything for Emily. No, there had to be something. Think Elizabeth! Think!

“Now I’m going to take this one to another chamber and transfer my consciousness to him,” Fractal said, pointing to Sam. “It will be a slow, brutal process. He never gave in to his true self, so it’ll be a lot harder for him to accept. Even in this state his mind will rebel as I try to extinguish it. I want you to program the others while I deal with this.”

“Of course Master. I’ll make sure the others are as devoted to you as I am,” Saphira said. 

“You come with me,” Fractal said, gesturing towards Sam.

“Yes Master,” he answered dully and started following Fractal out of the Library. Their silhouettes disappeared through the arched opening. 

A bolt of pink plasma struck Fractal square in the back of the head.

 The charred metal released an electric, crackling noise. He crumpled to the ground, his helmet smoldering. 

Elizabeth’s finger quivered on the button. Her breathing was labored and shaky. “It worked. Thank god, it worked. I’m so glad I put this side of you on a fully partitioned section of your brain. It looks like the pulse didn’t get this version of you. But Em, this is all I can do for you from here.”

Emily’s voice came back warm and brimming with defiance, her cold mannerisms replaced with bubbly positivity. “Don’t worry Mistress. I’ve got this!” Even in her altered state, Emily knew she had to act quickly. Fractal wouldn’t stay down for long. She turned to face Saphira, her circuits glowed in an electric pink and her arm remained in the shape of a plasma cannon. “Saphira, he’s down, you’re free. Turn off the thingy!” She yelled.

Saphira responded by raising a hand and firing a beam of light at CS-01. The cyborg was barely able to deploy her energy neutralization shield from her forearm in time. The shield’s hexagonal plating sizzled under the intense light. The hardware couldn’t take many of those.

“Saphira!? So you were a bad girl the whole time! I knew it.” The cyborg began running towards the machine herself.

Saphira sighed. “I’m not a ‘bad girl’. I’m serving a higher purpose as you should be.” She fired another laser from her hand.

The shield held, though its metal was deforming from heat. “Higher purpose. You’re a hypoc . . . hycrit . . . hypopalr . . . A LIAR!” She finally settled on after giving up on the bigger word. CS-01 ducked behind a book case to dodge the next blast of light.

“Honestly Emily, this outburst will accomplish nothing. Weren’t you listening when I told you that I’m an immortal goddess?” Saphira began floating up and forward into the air, giving her a line of sight on the running woman behind the bookcase. “I don’t want to hurt you, Emily. You’ll be a valuable asset for my Master.”

“Sorry god-lady. My assets are just for my mistress,” Emily shot back. Then she slammed into the book shelf before her, toppling it over. The impossibly tall shelf tipped under her weight, sending the next shelf and the next falling like dominos, straight toward Saphira. “Timber!” She yelled with glee.

Saphira zipped through the air, avoiding the falling avalanche of paper and wood, but she did lose sight of Emily in the commotion. Finally the pink glow gave her target away in the cloud of debris. Saphira realized with a start that Emily had almost reached the machine. “Heavens, you’re exhausting. Fine, have it your way.” She raised her arm and brought it down. With it, a shaft of blinding light fell like a spear from on high.

Emily was so close. She leapt across the debris of splintered wood and charred paper. The dust had given her cover. If she could just reach the machine, even in this state, she knew she could interface and disable it. She reached out a hand towards the white, metallic form. That’s when the ray of searing light caught her. It clipped Emily’s shield arm and side. Her metallic limb evaporated under the incredible heat. A Section of her casing blasted free from her side as well. Even as a cyborg, the pain was unreal. System failure warnings burst across her vision. She collapsed to the ground, just a few yards from the machine, a few yards from freeing the others.

The pink of her circuitry flickered, giving off sparks. “T-T-This might be it for me E-e-Elizabeth,” CS-01 said in her com unit, her voice skipping.

Tears began welling in Elizabeth’s eyes. “Don’t talk like that, Em. You’re gonna be ok. Just stay down. Let her brainwash you again. I’ll find a way to free you.”

“You know I c-can’t. You made me a h-h-hero. So let me be a hero,” Emily answered, holding back her own desire to cry.

Elizabeth’s voice cracked. “I made you a hero because I couldn’t lose you Em. It was the only way Barton labs would pay for the procedure. It was the only reason I ever took their money. Em, Please.” She felt so helpless, so small, watching Emily’s optical display on her monitor.

“But you did make me a hero. And all I’ve done is help some b-b-big company. This is my chance to make a d-d-difference. I-I-I love you,” Emily said. Then she stumbled to her feet. Her servos sputtered and whined, but she managed to stand. Elizabeth’s voice echoed in her ears, telling her she loved her and begging her to stop, but she couldn’t.

Saphira looked down at her with cold condescension. “Emily, stop this nonsense. Honestly I don’t know what you think you can accomplish. You can never defeat me. You’ll be of no use to my Master if you’re dead.”

Emily gave a lopsided grin. The pink of her lights flushing her face with warmth. “I-I-It’s like my m-m-mistress always says. I’m f-f-full of surprises.” Then the panel of her shoulder flipped open, revealing a single missile.

Before the goddess could react, the missile erupted. It shot across the library, leaving a trail of smoke and flame. Saphira watched on in horror as it reached the machine and burst into a flash of fire. The chamber shook with the deafening explosion. But Elizabeth could still hear Emily’s voice yell “BOOOOOM!” Then the transmission cut out. The visuals vanished in a haze of static.

“Emily?” Elizabeth called out.

No response came.

“EMILY?” Elizabeth screamed into the microphone.

Still nothing, just the endless, buzzing static. The words “connection lost” flashed on the screen in bright red. Elizabeth collapsed onto her keyboard. She quietly sobbed, “Please be ok, Em.”

 Part 2 - Maria/Twister and Freya

The acrid smell of smoke roused Twister. Her lungs burned and her head pounded. A sharp whine rang in her ears. She floated in a haze of dizziness and strained breathing. What had happened? Where was she? Then it all came back to her. She remembered Saphira’s betrayal, the machine, her own brainwashing, CS-01’s desperate fight against Saphira alone. CS-01 needed her help! Where was she? Her instincts kicked in. As the memories rushed back to her, Twister tried to bolt up, but her limbs responded sluggishly. Still reeling from the explosion, she stumbled to her feet.

Instinctively her fingers went to her face. The smoky air stung her bare cheeks. The explosion had blown her mask away. She felt strangely naked without it. The mask gave her a persona, a shield to hide behind. With it, she was Twister, the hero. Without it she was just Maria. But Maria shook her head. This was no time for self-pity. Scanning the room, she made out hazy forms, dancing like mirages through the smoke.

First she saw the charred wreckage of the machine that Saphira had used on her and the others. The once pristine white block was now a smoldering tangle of twisted scrap. A few of the artifacts lay strewn about the floor near it. Then she saw something on the ground, a lock of crimson hair sticking out from under the remnants of a destroyed bookcase.

Maria dove for the trace of Allison, as fast as her shaky legs would carry her. The pieces of burnt wood moved aside easily enough. Allison looked mostly unharmed. She had a few burns and scrapes, but looked to have avoided any serious wounds. Maria placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake.

Her light-blue eyes opened slowly. After a few more blinks, they opened wide. She said something but Maria couldn’t hear over the high-pitched ringing in her ears. Still Maria could read it on her lips. “Sam?”

Maria shrugged and gestured to search the room. She figured Allison wouldn’t be able to hear any better than her. Maria extended her hand to help Allison up, but the other woman waved her off.

Allison’s pale skin flushed to a deep crimson. Cords of taught muscle formed on her lithe frame. A pair of short horns sprouted from her forehead. With the newfound strength of her Malice form she easily stood up. She said . . .  something, apparently the transformation having restored her hearing. This time Maria caught about half of it. The whining was finally beginning to recede. “There . . . Freya . . . Already.” She pointed towards the other end of the room.

Maria turned towards the entry to see Freya’s familiar form staring down Saphira. Maria and Allison hustled across the library to join them. They saw no sign of Fractal, Sam or CS-01. Maria could feel the strength returning to her body as she struggled to keep pace with Malice.

“How could you, Saphira? Have you been working with him from the start? Was this all a trap?” Freya’s voice barked as her two companions flanked her.

“Don’t worry so much about me. You’ve caused quite a headache for my Master. Please just surrender yourself quietly. I would prefer not to hurt you. I promise you’ll be much happier once you accept your true purpose.”

“So that’s it then. All those years of working together, the way you took me in when I was ripped from my own time, none of it means anything to you anymore,” Freya said, anger rising in her tone.

“Of course it means something to me,” the goddess snapped. “But it doesn’t change my loyalty to my Master. Simply join me and all can be as it was.” 

Freya’s knuckles whitened on the grip of her sword. “No. No, I won’t believe it. The Saphira I knew wouldn’t ever betray us. He did something to you. And whatever it is I’m going to have to knock it out of you.” Freya raised her blade.

The goddess frowned. “Freya, my dear friend, please don’t make me harm you. Look what poor Emily made me do.” Saphira gestured to the wall. Finally the group saw CS-01’s body crumpled against the stone. One of her arms had been blown away and she had a massive hole in her side. The circuits that had lit her body lay gray and inert. “I don’t want to have to do the same to you, but I will if you leave me no choice.”

“You Bitch!” Allison lunged for Saphira. But a curtain of light fell between them. Her crimson claw scraped off the light.

Freya joined in and slashed at Saphira. She raised a hand and answered with a beam of light.

Maria felt stunned. She knew she should help, but her body wouldn’t move. Her life before had been so lonely. Even though she saved people all the time, her life as a hero had been a largely solitary one. No one had understood the burdens she carried, the secrets she lived with. But that had all changed when Freya appeared in her basement that fateful night. She had friends now, friends who understood her. Watching those friends fight tore her apart inside. She could see her new family breaking before her eyes.

“You just gonna stand there and watch?” Allison growled.

“Maria, we need your help!” Freya shouted, skidding backwards from a blast of light.

Something inside her snapped. She stretched her rubber arms forward and wrapped them around Saphira, one on her leg and one on her arm. The warmth radiating from Saphira’s body washed through Maria’s rubber skin. She had never thought to coil herself around someone before, but after her encounter with Euphoria and Bolt, she was feeling more creative with her powers. “Basta ya! Stop it! Everyone stop it!”

Saphira tried to blast her, but Maria yanked Saphira’s leg out from under her and the arc of light flew wide. In that moment she felt an odd resistance, like something was wrapped around Saphira’s thigh, almost like a garter belt.

“I said stop it!” Maria shouted.

Allison took that instant as her opportunity. She rushed past Saphira and sprinted towards the exit. “Thanks for the window, stretch. I’m going after Sam!”

“No you can’t interfere!” Saphira called out. Her skin began to glow and her long silvery hair floated up towards the luminous ceiling.

Freya spoke in quick, hushed tones, “The quiet cry that screams in the night. The whistling, wordless wind!” As she finished her incantation a blast of air erupted from under Saphira and launched her into the air, just before a burst of light radiated out from the goddess.

Maria recoiled as the heat scorched her arms. She pulled them back to find the arms of her jacket incinerated. It may be able to stretch with her but it couldn’t take this heat. Fortunately, her rubber body could withstand it, though not without pain.

Freya yelled to Allison as she vanished down the hall. “Go get Fractal. Leave the traitor to us.”

“I’ll be back,” Allison’s rumbling voice echoed down the marble corridor.

“No! I mustn’t let her follow them,” Saphira’s glow grew to a blinding brilliance. A moment later the light consumed the room. Both Freya and Maria went flying backwards, colliding with the closest bookshelf. The towering, wooden structure lurched backward before tumbling to the ground. A wave of wooden scraps and ancient books filled the air.

Maria’s vision spun yet again as she hit the floor. When her head settled, she was staring across the marble tiles. Her eyes landed on an ornate piece of wood sitting on the stone ground. Its curved neck and intricate rune carvings struck a chord in her memory. It was Nyckelharpa, the magical loot that had nearly turned Maria into a lovestruck slave. Just the sight of it made her quake in fear. It had nearly swallowed her will completely. Just a few notes had twisted her mind to an almost unrecognizable state. She had given a blow job even, her first and hopefully only. It had practically made her a different person. Just like . . . just like . . . Saphira was now! All the pieces suddenly fell into place for Maria.

She leapt up with renewed vigor. “Freya, it’s the collar, Marigold. She’s wearing it on her right leg!”

“You mean Meringjord? How do you know?” Freya answered.

“I felt it when I grabbed her. Think about it. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. That would explain why she didn’t break free when Fractal went down,” she said.

“Say you’re right. The collar is indestructible, but Laevateinn could cut the clasp free. It would demand an immensely powerful incantation. Landing a strike that ferocious without harming Saphira would take incredible precision. You’d have to hold her still for some time,” she said, looking up at Saphira’s radiant form as she started to pursue Allison.

“Hold her still . . . Hold her still,” Maria mumbled lost in thought. “Wait. I have an idea! I can do it, but you’ll only get one shot. It’ll use all my calories.”

Freya gave a solemn nod. The silence hung heavy between them.

Maria stood up and strode after Saphira.

“Maria!” Freya called as she walked away.

The rubber woman turned to look back.

“I’m sorry to put so much of this burden on you. Whatever happens, I want you to know you’re a true hero. I wouldn’t be standing here today without you. So thank you,” the veteran said with a warm tenderness.

A faint smile graced Maria’s lips. “And I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t believed in me,” she responded with newfound confidence. “Now let’s get our friend back!”

Saphira had almost made it out of the chamber, floating through the air with a palpable rage. But she froze when Maria landed in front of her, blocking the door.

“Sorry Saphira. We’re not done here,” Maria said with as much confidence as she could muster. For all her enthusiasm, facing down the goddess alone, she couldn’t help but feel fear.

“I’ll finish you later,” Saphira hissed and then started to fly past.

“Promise?” Maria asked, grinning. Then she coiled her rubber legs beneath her and shot into the air. Her body spun mid flight to land in a kick. With a casual flick of her wrist Saphira summoned a wall of light to block her assault.

Maria ricocheted off the barrier, but kept her momentum as she sailed through the air. Her legs landed on the side of a bookshelf. “8.2,” she rated herself. Without missing a beat, she kicked off, like a swimmer starting a lap. Her force added to the momentum she had preserved and her body fired back towards her opponent in a flying punch.

Saphira started, but she raised her arm in time to block with another curtain of light. Maria caught her weight with her hands and rolled along the barrier. She flipped away and landed on the ground, pocketing something too quickly for Saphira to see. “9.1,” Maria mumbled under her breath. Her arms reached out to brace against two bookshelves. She stretched back against her own elastic arms and fired herself like a slingshot.

Meanwhile Freya had taken cover behind the nearest shelf. Some of the books had been knocked loose, which gave her a spotty view of the battle. “The void, the stillness, the faintest breeze, let your breath lend you speed. In the peak of the day or the black of the night, the dance of the wind will always incite. . .” She whispered. As she did, the wind began swirling around her.

As Maria flew, she couldn’t help remembering her last big jump, the night she chased Bolt. The rush, the freedom, the exhilaration all came flooding back. She grinned as her feet slammed into the impossible wall of light that Saphira had erected between them. Maria was ready though, turning on her heels and shooting towards the ceiling. She stretched her arms up, anchoring to the unnaturally glowing, stone coffering.

Maria pushed off the ceiling, diving like a falcon. The light obscured Saphira’s view just enough. She tried to summon a barrier, but was just too slow. Maria arced her fall into a diving kick that found its mark on Saphira’s cheek. The goddess spun with the weight of the blow. “10.0!” Maria shouted with glee. Then the hero was already on the move again, plunging towards the ground.

Freya continued her chant, as the wind around her grew fiercer and fiercer. “Blow away the dead and the gone, blow away into beyond. The sky, the clouds, the very air, slice through the brilliant flare,” the books around her began to shake under the force of the vibrating wind.

Maria rebounded off the floor, like a rubber bullet. As Saphira touched her cheek in shock, Maria was on her again. She stretched and wrapped one of her arms around Saphira’s own. Then she followed suit with her other arm. Next she twisted her legs around Saphira’s. In an instant the two of them were tangled together in the air. “I’ve got you,” Maria said with conviction. She could feel the goddess’s chest rising and falling against her own. 

Saphira looked at her with genuine sadness in her eyes. “I truly did not wish to harm you, Maria.” Then the blinding light consumed them both, shining from every pore in Saphira’s body.

It burned.

Maria’s rubber skin sizzled and smoked. Her grip on Saphira failed and she tumbled to the ground, pain overwhelming every nerve in her body. Her limbs returned to normal as she hit the ground with a dull thud.

Saphira looked down on her with cold pity. “It’s over,” she turned to float away.

“Funny . . . I was about to. . . Say the same thing.”

Saphira turned to face her vanquished foe, but not of her own volition. She tried to fly away but her body wouldn’t respond. Instead she looked down on Maria’s  burnt form.

Her rubber flesh still smoked, glowing faintly red. Her jacket had been annihilated, leaving her in a black sports bra. Several holes had been burned in her pants. But the woman had one arm raised triumphantly, and in it she held a small piece of wood.

Saphira’s eyes went wide. Maria held Draupnir, the control bar. That was what she had scooped up off the ground. Then Saphria finally saw the nearly invisible strings that Maria had attached all over her body, but it was too late. The goddess had been bound. Against her will, her arms reached down and tore the hem of her dress, exposing her dark thighs and the collar wrapped around one of them.

 Even through the unimaginable pain, Maria smiled. She pulled the bar in her hand. The power coursed through her, as Saphira’s arms raised over her head and her legs spread wide. She could feel every string, connecting her to her victim. Maria felt Saphira’s body as if it were her own and she knew she could move it just as easily. A little flick of her wrist and her friend would dance like a puppet now. It was intoxicating, the power, the rush, the control. A few more strings and she could take her mind as well, make it dance to her whims.

Maria could see it all so clearly. It would just take a few more strings, a few more gentle touches, maybe a few inside her. Then Saphira’s eyes would glaze over, just the way Freya’s had in the warehouse. And then the goddess would be hers, all hers. She could peel that dress away and reveal the gorgeous body underneath. She could savor her friend’s flesh, her mouth, her pussy. Her glowing, bubbly personality would be so fun in bed. Or maybe she’d turn that off. Maybe she’d be even better as a blank, mindless puppet. No will, no thoughts of her own. Just an obedient fucktoy, working away at Maria’s own pleasure. A goddess totally bent to her will. 

 No! What was she thinking? Saphira was her friend, not some deliciously helpless plaything. Surely those thoughts were the artifact twisting her desires. Surely Maria didn’t actually want to enslave Saphira. Right? Right?

Freya’s voice roared out, shaking Maria from her reverie, “Pierce the Heavens, Laevateinn!” The shelf exploded as a colossal blade of wind tore it apart, heading straight towards Saphira. A maelstrom of paper and splinters whirled in the air.

Saphira summoned a wall of light. The brilliant luminescence shone between her and the blade. The wind hissed and screamed as it made contact with the hard light. For a moment the two forces of nature clashed in perfect balance, the light and the wind. Then the wall split, sending shimmering colors refracting through the room. The slicing wind continued its path towards the immobile goddess.

Saphira closed her eyes, no doubt bracing for a death she thought would never come. And come it still did not. She heard the scream of the wind pass her by but felt no pain. After a few seconds her eyes opened to see her body intact, save for a small cut on her leg. A massive scar dug into the stone wall behind her, but it looked as though the blow had only grazed Saphira. On the ground below her lay Meringjord, the collar.

Part 3 - Sam and Allison

Content warning: this story includes brief descriptions of domestic abuse in a character’s past.

I floated helplessly in the air behind Fractal as he ran down the corridor. Damn telekinesis. My mind had returned to me after the machine exploded, not that it did me much good. I still couldn’t overpower Fractal’s telepathy and I didn’t even have telekinesis.

I reached into his mind again, desperately trying to make him release me. But pushing against his power was like trying to arm wrestle a semi-truck. All I could do was hope the others would catch up to us. He finally stopped in the hall of mirrors.

The glistening reflective tablets lined the walls of the soaring chamber. Light danced between them, filling the room with shimmering glints and gleams. Our reflections seemed to stretch on forever.  A thousand images of me floated there uselessly, still unable to overpower Fractal’s overwhelming abilities. I thought I had gotten stronger, but I still felt so helpless.

“This should be far enough,” he said, panting. His fried helmet turned his normally unsettling voice distortion into an ungodly warble. “Alpha Mu, you really are the biggest disappointment of them all.” His voice changed as he pulled the smoking helmet free. It sounded almost exactly like my own voice, only deeper.

Then he turned towards me and my jaw went slack. His face looked just like an older version of mine. “You, you, you’re me!” I gaped.

“I’m who you were meant to be. I’m the version of you that doesn’t fear your own power,” he snarled.

“You’re. . . You’re another experiment from the foundation.”

“Well, look who finally grew a brain. You can call me Subject Alpha Iota, the original.”

“The original?” I asked.

“I was their first creation to develop powers. Once the Foundation failed to control me, they decided to make pale imitations, like you. You’re just a pathetic clone,” Fractal sneered.

His words shook me. I always knew I was an artificial human, but I’d never known I was based off someone else. “No. That can’t be true,” I stammered.

“Believe what you want,” he spat with a cold indifference. A golden head band floated out of his jacket and drifted towards me. It blinked and flashed with small lights. Thin circuits ran across the inside face.

“Keep that thing away from me.” I squirmed against the grip of his powers, but I couldn’t break free. The device slid onto my head, cold metal pushed against the nervous sweat on my brow.

“You may be a feckless fool, but that body of yours is quite valuable.”

“You want me for my body???” I gasped, the violence of my squirming doubling. I pressed against his consciousness, again to no avail.

“Not like that you moron!” He shouted.

“Then how?”

“My body can’t contain my powers. While you lack the gall to use your gifts, you have been blessed with a body that’s specifically designed to withstand the strain our abilities create.”

“I feel so lucky,” I replied as I hovered helplessly.

That struck a nerve with him. “Stupid and ungrateful! You have no idea what it feels like to live in fear of your own body, to have your every thought shorten your life, to live inside a prison of withering flesh.”

Images flooded my mind, nights spent up straining not to think, days building a helmet to suppress his powers. I could feel his sadness and his desperation. “No I don’t, but I’m starting to.”

“But all of that ends today.” He took another headband from his coat and placed it on himself. “I’ll be transferring my consciousness into your body now.”

“You can’t be serious.” Panic welled in my chest. I could feel the hostility radiating out from him.

He placed a hand on my cheek. It only deepened my despair. “I did try to make this easier on you. If you had accepted your gifts, I could have absorbed your sense of self into my own. If we saw the world the same way, you could have become a part of me. I understand that ordinary humans are simply tools for people with gifts like mine, gifts like ours. I tried to help you understand that. But you decided to go another way. So I’ll have to annihilate you completely and take your body by force.”

 “No. . . No . . . I won’t let you.”

He grinned wickedly. “Oh, please try and stop me.”

Then it started. The mirrors dissolved into a kaleidoscope of memories. I knew my consciousness had been thrown into the depths of my own mind. I was experiencing my own thoughts and memories the way I saw other peoples’. Shards of glass floated everywhere, each showing a moment from my life. I could see my earliest memories, waking up in a tank of green goop at the Foundation. But those shards crumbled to dust. My memories, my sense of self were unraveling.

I saw myself painting on the streets. The vivid colors were a breath of freedom in a world of gray. They brought me such joy. Peering into strangers' heads finally helped me understand other people. But that image cracked too and broke into oblivion. He was tearing me apart, one memory, one thought at a time.

Another shimmering image came into view, myself running down a fire escape. The day Fractal sent Maya after me consumed my thoughts. It was like I was reliving it all over again, the rush of conquering her, the guilt, the chance at redemption. I tried to hold onto it, to hold it together. I pressed my will into the memory as hard as I could. The cracks appeared as faint lines at first. But soon they crisscrossed the whole scene and it split apart. As that memory broke, I let out a guttural scream. Faintly I could hear Fractal laughing.

Then I saw a face. It filled my vision, pale with crimson hair and blue eyes that understood pain and loneliness, Allison. She looked at me with such kindness. She was the first person who made me feel like it was truly ok to be me. She made me feel like I wasn’t a monster after all, like maybe I didn’t have to choose between my urges and being a decent person. 

I saw Allison bent over and crying in her own memories. 

Allison holding the painting I made for her. 

A jagged line ran through the image

Allison stealing glances at me in training. 

The cracks started forming. 

Allison following me to my room. 

Shards of the memory started disappearing. 

Allison naked underneath me, trembling with desire.

The image was breaking apart. 

Allison riding me, her crimson hair hanging down around me, blocking out the rest of the world, narrowing my vision to just her smile. 

The image faded.

No. 

No. Not Allison.

I wouldn’t let him take her from me. I wouldn’t let anyone take her from me. I felt a strength surge in the deepest recesses of my mind and I focused all of it on that face. The cracks started to disappear. The memory stayed whole.

“That’s impossible. You’re weak. You’re pathetic!” I heard a voice growl. Then it let out a howl of pain and I was back in the hall of mirrors.

The air rushed around my clammy face as I fell. Fractal wasn’t holding me up anymore. I closed my eyes, bracing for an impact with the stone floor, but instead I felt a pair of arms gently catching me.

“Are you ok?” I opened my eyes to see her bright red skin and horned head looking down at me. Allison had come to save me. 

My head swam, fragments of memories blurring and overlapping with the present. But I could feel my thoughts slowly solidifying. I was still me. “I think so.” She set me down and I gingerly found my footing.

“Let’s finish this, once and for all,” she said brimming with confidence.

“Yeah let’s,” I answered.

Fractal’s form leaned against one of the mirrors, a long crack running up its smooth surface. It looked like Allison had sent him flying. “You. So you’re where he gets his excuse for a backbone.”

“Don’t talk about Sam like that!” She rushed across the room, bearing down on Fractal with a claw swipe.

Fractal raised a hand towards Allison, but her charge continued. Her fist dug into his stomach. His body contorted in pain. “H-H-How?” Alison wrapped a hand around his neck and flung him back across the hall. His form crashed into another mirror, sending cracks branching out across it.

“You think I spent all that time with you and didn’t learn anything,” she growled.

He staggered to his feet, his eyes lingering on the metal studs of Allison’s new piercings. “I see. The platinum. So you figured out that platinum diffuses the psychic waves of telekinesis. But you didn’t bring any silver for my telepathy. How curious.”

Allison’s muscular form froze as Fractal reached into her mind. “Sam,” she whispered.

I threw myself into her psyche. I could feel Fractal there too, both of us flying through the images of her thoughts. I used all the focus I could to keep his influence back. My power felt stronger after that last exchange, but I still couldn’t fully hold him back.

“Oh I understand now,” Fractal murmured. “Alpha Mu is suppressing the devil inside you. If you used silver to block me out, you’d stop him too and lose control of Malice. Oh that’s delicious. Here I’ve been trying to break his will and the perfect way comes right to me!” He broke into a cackling laugh.

I could feel his attention shifting within her mind, delving deeper into the depths of her subconscious. He was going for Malice. Fuck.

I chased after him, seeing Allison’s recent memories of life at the Sanctum fly past my consciousness. Then we passed the images of her unhappy family life and arrived in the dark corners of her mind that she couldn’t even access herself, the place where Malice lived.

I could feel my suggestions still lingering over the malevolent presence. I kicked myself for not learning more about Malice. Allison had never really wanted to talk about her. I hadn’t wanted to push her to relive her darkest moments. But maybe, if I understood more about what the demon inside her wanted, I could have defended it from Fractal’s control. But as it was, I could feel my suggestions over Malice breaking, like threads snapping one at a time.

“Sam?” Allison’s voice was trembling, her body was shaking too.  Then her eyes lit up yellow and narrowed to slits.

“You care about this girl so much? Maybe when she tries to kill you, you’ll finally see reason. Malice is quite angry with you Alpha Mu,” Fractal goaded.

Malice turned away from Fractal. She rushed me instead and clamped a clawed hand around my throat. The force of her grip choked my airway. I could barely breathe. “No one controls me,” the demon roared.

“Please, Allison, I know you’re in there. You can fight it,” I croaked. I tried desperately to reach inside of her mind, but Fractal’s presence was still there blocking me. I could protect Allison from him, but not her and Malice. Once again, I felt useless.

Malice slammed me against the already cracked mirror, breaking it further. The razor shards of glass dug into my back. One fell past my face, slicing open my cheek. Her fingers tightened around my neck as her other hand pummeled my stomach.

“I won’t let her kill you. I’ll stop the devil, when you’re nice and broken. Shame I had to damage my new home this much, but it’s a small price to pay really,” The other version of me gloated.

The iron warmth of blood filled my mouth. It tasted like failure. Eventually the pain became a dull, steady roar. My vision started to blur, darkness claiming the edges of my sight. I knew then I was dying. I felt a strange sense of guilt. Even more than saving myself, I wished I could do one last thing for Allison. I felt her crying in her mind. 

---

Allison

I watched the scene through my own eyes like a passenger on a train to hell. I could see the light leaving Sam’s eyes. I could feel his bones crunch under my knuckles. I could hear his breathing running out. But I couldn’t do anything about it. The person I loved and I was going to kill him. I hadn’t even fucking told him I loved him. God damn it. My body didn’t obey me anymore. I cried inside my own mind. I felt like I was kneeling in an inky void, sobbing into the blackness. 

“Pathetic. You’ve always been pathetic,” Malice’s voice boomed from the darkness.

“SHUT UP! I hate you,” I wailed.

“Hate yourself for your weakness,” the voice answered. Her form appeared before me, a woman’s silhouette in red mist. Tall and imposing, it hovered before me with yellow, glowing eyes. “I’ve suffered enough under your control. This body belongs to me now.”

“No, no, no,” I choked between sobs. “It’s my body. It’s my life.”

“You had your chance to use my power and you wasted it. You’re the one who wished for me.”

“I never wished for you! I never wanted any of this! I just wanted a normal life.”

“Oh we both know that’s not true. You hated your father for the things he did to your mother. You made that wish with vengeance and rage in your heart. Be careful what you say to the spirits, sometimes they listen.”

“I was a dumb kid. I didn’t understand what I was saying,” I whimpered.

“But you meant it. And that’s the version of you that summoned me from hell. You were strong in that moment. You deserved the power of a demon and you used it so well, but since then, you’ve been consumed by guilt, moping and running away. It makes me sick.”

“Because I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

“That’s why I have no use for you. Now I’m going to kill this boy so he can never tame me again.”

“No, please! You can have my body. Just don’t hurt Sam. He was only trying to help me.”

“I know. My grudge is only against you, little brat. And nothing would hurt you more than killing him.”

My chest heaved. It was my fault. It was all my fault. I should never have opened up to him. I should never have trusted him or anyone. I should have just stayed alone. I would end up hurting the people I cared most about again, just like with my family. Sometimes I still heard my dad screaming, still felt the blood on my clawed fingers. Why didn’t Sam see that I was a monster? He looked inside my head, didn’t he? So he should have known how fucked up I was. He should have seen the real me.

Then I remembered the painting. The memory just came to me from nowhere. It made me feel so seen. When we first met, Sam made me this painting. He took the saddest moment in my memories and made it beautiful. I had destroyed my family home after I first got Malice, and I was on my knees, crying in the wreckage. But he made the whole scene dissolve into a rainbow of bright colors. It’s like it was saying that something beautiful could come from those memories. It told me that I didn’t have to let the darkest chapters of my past define me. The world felt vibrant, full of possibilities and hope.

I raised a finger to my puffy eyes to wipe away a tear and winced from the sudden brightness. Then I pulled my hand back. It was glowing, a soft purple light. The glow traced my whole arm. It turned to blue as it ran down to my forearm. Then it turned green on my shoulder. My chest glowed with a warm yellow. Even my hair was glowing. I was glowing in all different colors, just like the painting.

I finally understood. That was how Sam saw me. He had seen the real me, not the terrified girl, consumed with guilt. But a vibrant person, who glowed when she entered a room. The memories of my time with Sam and the others flooded my mind, and the light grew brighter. For the first time I could remember, I felt happy. I felt like the people around me weren’t afraid of me. I felt hope.

“What sorcery is this?” Malice hissed.

I stood up and walked slowly, calmly towards the smoky figure. The red fog retreated from me, like morning mist before the rising sun. “It’s hope, just hope.” I said, my breath growing stable and even.

“Hope? Ridiculous.”

“That’s just it, Malice. You never understood and you never will.” My faltering voice grew firm, echoing in the darkness. The halo grew brighter. The dark void in my mind was transforming into a sea of shimmering light.

“I have lived for millennia. You cannot fathom the depths of my understanding.”

“And yet in all that time, you never understood what true strength is. You think strength is about hatred and vengeance and rage,” I said my words booming, impossibly loud. “But you don’t understand that true strength is about hope.” I remembered the feeling when Sam first offered to help me, when I first thought my life could change. The light grew even brighter.

“It’s about connection, about trusting other people , even if they might hurt you or you might hurt them.” I smiled as I thought of training with Freya and the others, the genuine joy we shared. I could see Malice’s form starting to waver as the red vapor slowly pulled towards me.

 “It’s about love. It’s about caring for someone else more than you care for yourself,” I saw the look of relief on Sam’s face when he felt like he could be himself for the first time.

“This is impossible! How are you doing this?” Malice seethed.

I laughed. I actually fucking laughed in her face. I could feel her power pulling into me as I regained my breath and spoke, “because I forgive myself.” I reached a hand towards the silhouette, sucking the red mist into my outstretched palm. “I forgive you too, and that’s real strength.” Her form rushed into me like air from a balloon. I could feel her power rushing through me. Suddenly a new color joined the aurora that played across my skin, a bright, fiery red.  

---

Sam

Allison’s fist stopped inches from my chest. The world was spinning between the pain and the blood loss and the endless reflections. For a moment I thought I just imagined that she had stopped. Then I noticed. “A-A-Allison. Your eyes. They’re blue.”

“Shhh,” she answered with a sly grin. She ran a hand over her forearm and then pressed something into my palm.” I could barely feel it through the pain. “I love you,” Allison whispered. Then she was gone. I crumpled to the floor, trying to collect myself without yielding my psychic defense of her. I’d somehow kept it up through all the pummeling. I never would have thought I could do that. 

Through my bleary eyes, I could barely make out her form charging Fractal. But I could still hear his cries of pain as she reached him. I placed a hand on the cold floor and pushed up to a kneeling position. I wiped blood from my eye, just in time to see her knock Fractal into the air. Then she leapt up to meet him. Their reflections echoed in the endless reflections of the mirrors. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she twisted in the air, slamming him down on the ground. I could hear the stone crack under the impact. She had learned that one from Freya.

He had a synthetic body, like mine. That would kill a normal person. But surely even Fractal couldn’t take much more.

“I don’t know how you broke free,” he barked. “But I have no use for a tool I can’t control.” Then I felt his pressure in her mind explode. Where had all this extra power come from? I pressed against him, but it felt like trying to hold up the ocean with your hands. His power rushed over me, flooding into Allison’s mind.

SCCYYYYPPP. It made a horrible hissing noise as the shards of thought in her mind broke into smaller and smaller pieces. I fought desperately to hold them together, but to no use. Her thoughts were vanishing, one at a time, and then . . .

SNAP

Allison’s consciousness disappeared. I couldn’t feel anything from her anymore. She had been looming over him, but her form collapsed backwards onto the ground. It reverted to her normal, thin, pale self.  I couldn’t sense any psychic activity from her mind. No images came at all. My heart nearly stopped. “Allison!” I screamed.

“That’s the difference between us. You shouldn’t care,” Fractal answered from the ground. His voice had grown more brittle and strained. He staggered to his feet.

Then I saw his face. He looked so much older. His hair had gone completely white and the lines on his skin had grown deep. His one imposing figure now looked like that of a hunched over old man. I put one wobbling foot in front of me and pushed up to stand. I had to get to Allison. “You’re right, that is the difference between us.”

“At least, you finally understand how pathetic you are. That’ll make this easier.” He said as I felt his attention shift back to my own consciousness.

“No, I finally understand how pathetic you are!” I shot back. This time I forced myself into his mind. I saw the shards of thoughts and memories. He was so alone. He escaped from the Foundation like I had, but he never connected with other people. He was always alone, always running and honing his own powers further. I could feel his surprise at me going on the offensive.

“You little brat. You know nothing about me!”

“No, I know exactly who you are, and you’re pathetic.” I took a shaky step towards him. I could feel him trying to unwind me again, but this time I returned fire. I felt so grounded, so needed. I had to get to Allison. She was a strength I never knew I had. This time all my memories held firm. But Fractal didn’t have anything like Allison to help him. For the first time, I felt like our powers were evenly matched. I focused on his earliest memories. I could see him at the Foundation, alone in a padded room. The image floated before my mind like a sliver of a mirror. Under the weight of my pressure it cracked and then broke. It really broke.

He raised a hand towards me. All the mirrors around me cracked as a wave of telekinetic force shook the chamber. The endless mirage of reflections became warped and distorted as the mirrors broke. But I stayed in place. “Impossible!” He yelled.

“I guess you didn’t notice my new earrings. You never did pay attention to anyone beside yourself.” I pointed to my ears, where I had affixed the two platinum piercings that Allison had slipped me.  Then I returned my focus to the void of his memories. I focused on the next shard of thought. I saw a much younger Fractal break into a lab and steal the equipment needed to build his helmet. I saw him controlling scientists and making them teach him. He pushed against my influence, but this memory broke too.

“No. No. This can’t be happening.” I felt him trying to do the same to me, but I always returned to thoughts of Allison and it let me hold on. How could I lose after she said she loved me? As the battle raged in our minds, I could see it taking a toll on my opponent. The creases in his face grew deeper and deeper with every passing moment. His hair was thinning and falling out.

“You thought my connections to other people made me weak.” I spat blood and continued. “But that’s what makes me strong. You’re the one who’s weak because you’re truly alone.” I saw into his mind when he first saw Saphira, stopping a wildfire. I saw him researching her and using his powers to manipulate her into bringing him to the Sanctum. I even saw him return to the sanctum last night and the encounter he had with her there. “She tried to help you. Saphira tried to save you, but you wouldn’t let her in. You brought this on yourself.” I kept walking towards him. It was getting easier now, I could feel his power getting weaker or maybe mine was getting stronger.

“I . . .I . . .I wanted to, but I couldn’t trust her,” he said, sounding truly hurt. The whole room was shaking now, cracks shooting up the mirrors, our reflections breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. He was losing control of his telekinesis.

“And that’s why you’re going to lose.” I had the advantage now. His body was growing so frail. It all finally made sense to me. I wasn’t just beating him, I was taking his power through the connection he’d established to take my body. My subconscious had been slowly siphoning his abilities this whole time. I felt a new sense unfolding in my mind. I could feel the cool glass of the mirrors and the chipped stone tiles of the floor. I knew I could move them. I was taking his telekinesis too. 

 “You should never have hurt Allison. Maybe I wouldn’t have ever figured it out if you hadn’t. You called me an imitation, but that was a lie. I’m not a copy. I’m the new and improved version!”

Fractal’s eyes took on a wild frenzy. “You’re nothing! I’m the living god of this world.” He screamed and thrashed against my mind like a wild animal, his body decaying before me. I focused my psychic energy on his withering form and threw him against the wall. He squirmed and tried to break free but it was no use. His consciousness crashed into mine.  I could see every broken fragment of Fractal left, flashing before my eyes, the moment he stole the artifacts, their power corrupting him further, him recruiting villains to help him. For a moment I felt sorry for him, but I couldn’t forgive him.

With one final tremor of psychic energy, the hall of mirrors shook. The cracked glass finally gave out and all the mirrors shattered at once. The thin lines that had crisscrossed the silvered plates burst, sending the images into a cascade of falling blades. A shower of razor shards rained down around us, carrying our broken faces to the ground. Each one showed a glimpse of me or the other me, repeating endlessly in a hail of infinity. I easily deflected them with my newfound telekinesis, able to feel each of their jagged edges and push them aside just as easily.

 The same cracks ran through his mind. The fragmented image of his consciousness broke into nothing and fell away. 

Fractal’s mind went out.

He was gone. I felt nothing from him. His body looked almost like a mummy, the skin stretched unnaturally taught across his bones, like failing leather. His eyes had sunk to two dark pits. The golden headband glinted from his forehead like a crown on some long dead king.

I sprinted to Allison as fast as my injured legs could carry me. I knelt down and cradled her head in my lap. “Allison, we did it. You did it! I love you too! I love you so much,” I said, holding back tears.  No response. I reached into her mind, but it felt dull and empty. No images came to meet me. What had he done to her? It was like she was in a coma.

I tried to restart the spark of conscious thought in her mind, but it was no good. She was gone. My hands trembled. “No. No. You can’t be gone,” I whimpered.

No answer.

I pushed harder into her mind. The shards of glass began to vibrate as my telekinesis responded to my desperate effort too. “I could only do this because of you. Please, you can’t leave me alone.”

No life.

The blades of glass lifted off the ground and began rotating around us. “Please Allison. Before you, I was a different person. You made me feel like I wasn’t a monster. I can’t do this without you. I’ll end up like him, angry and bitter and alone.” The mirrors spun faster, as I cried.

Silence.

My newfound power raged out of control. I closed my eyes. The debris formed into a razor whirlwind, but my sorrow pushed it even further. The stone walls and floor began to crack as heavy blocks wrenched free and into the air. I was pulling the whole chamber apart and into the tornado of destruction. I couldn’t stop it. The sadness just poured out of me along with my tears. As chunks of wall and floor broke away, a void of infinite light beyond shone through. I knew I couldn’t control all this power, not without her. I sobbed.

I could see my future play out before my eyes. I would lose control completely and destroy this place. I would find my way back to earth and be corrupted just like Fractal. I would be consumed by the darkest part of myself. I couldn’t do it alone.

I felt the blood first, a single drop landing on my cheek. Where did it come from? Then I felt the warmth, arms holding me. Someone was talking.

“It’s ok. It’s going to be ok.”

I opened my eyes, blinking back the tears. It was Maria. Maria was holding me.

She looked battered and bruised, but she was there. Her cheek was bleeding and she had other fresh cuts. She must have walked through the whirlwind. Her powers must have run out if she got hurt. She could have died crossing to me, but she came anyway.

“We’ll save her, Sam. We did it once and we’ll do it again,” she said, her voice calm and soothing.

I choked back my sobs. Finally I saw past the maelstrom of wreckage. Saphira was standing in the doorway, her long dress torn into a skirt with a cut on her leg. Beside her was Freya who carried a hunched form over her shoulder. I almost didn’t recognize the figure. Her metallic body was so burned and the blue flicker of light from her circuits was so faint. It was Emily.

They had all come. They had all made it. I felt the bottomless pit in my chest receding. The spinning vortex slowed. Finally the debris clattered to the ground. A second later the others had crossed the room and embraced us, and I knew I wasn’t alone.