Blood Flower

Chapter 10

"...the Eximinae can all control a different aspect of the universe. There are those who control nature—fire, water, air, and plants. Those who bend the laws of physics through time travel and flying. And there are also those who control people's minds, or project their feelings onto others."

"Aside from that, some Eximinae can also control time. I'd use that to stop Yulia from meeting Grampy Markov."

"Shut up, Motto. I'm trying to teach you and these other guys about the Third Eye."

Cassie was strutting around the room she had created in her mind. It was large enough for all the members. She was writing on a whiteboard with a green marker.

"Now, each of us in this room, except for Motto, have one of these powers. Obviously, my power is getting into others' heads. CB's is the projection one."

"So what's our plan to get out of here?" Kai asked.

"We break down the defenses from the outer shell to the innermost one, until we get to Markov. Problem is, they used this method." She drew an hourglass-shaped figure on the board. "The defenses are strong, then weak, then strong again."

"So once we break through each layer, we'll get to Markov. Then what?"

She made a squelching noise. "We grab the key, and we kill him."

"Kill him?!" Kai sputtered. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. Let me count the reasons," she said, angrily scribbling on the board. "He tried to kill your friends, he tried to kill me, he tortured us for countless years, and did I mention, if your friends don't miraculously appear here to save you, you're going to die in less than a week?!"

"There's always another way, Cass."

"Don't you see?" She was storming towards him. "This is never going to stop. He won't stop until he has power over the whole world."

She paused.

"Sometimes, you don't have any other option except to kill."

***

"So she was mad, and that anger rubbed onto us?"

Outside the ward, the girls sat huddled. Natsuki had just finished surgery on her back.

"Yes, like an...emotional pandemic," Irina said.

"What about me? What's my power?" Yuri asked.

"Judging from how you saved yourself from falling to your death, it's flying. You too, Libitina."

Sayori ate more of her chocolate bar, her teeth stained brown. "Anyway," she began, "the riddle's answer is the moon, right?"

Monika nodded. "We're going to have to bring the flower to the light of the moon tonight."

"I'm doing it," Yuri said. "Libitina will watch over."

"Excuse me."

They looked up.

"I'm Emma Huang, your friend's doctor. We managed to extract the bullet, but we did find that it was also laced with a compound scientists call KATH-21, which is a chemical that originates from outside the solar system. It was used in Walter Woods's prototype time machine, to heat up the particles to make them move at the speed of light. Anyway, she'll have to stay the night here."

"Natsuki's going to become a mini-Flash?!" Sayori yelled.

"No. But she will be able to produce heat at will."