40. P O W E R : Finality

PART III.

"NO!"

Fisi swung around the spire, keeping his grip on it like King Kong, as Cameron exploded out of the roof, swinging the Sword of the Phoenix at him. She missed, but redirected herself in midair with her jet boots and glared down at the hyena god.

"Cameron, here! Switch!" Safiya called as she soared through the air, lobbing 01—which she'd been using in place of her own sword—at her former Avatar.

Cameron tossed the Sword of the Phoenix to its original owner and caught 01 a moment later before streaking toward Fisi, the enchanted sword flashing through the air.

Despite his large size, Fisi performed an acrobatic maneuver to dodge the attack, supporting himself in such a way that his legs were pointed up in the air and his hand remained wrapped around the spire. "Too slow, Icarus!" he taunted. "Perhaps you could try another angle?"

Cameron growled and spun 01 in her hand, preparing to attack again. She glanced down and watched as the Ω-Team arrived on the rooftop, all landing on the ledge. "About time you all got here," she snapped, her voice turned guttural by constant use of her Fallen abilities. "What took so long?"

The Founder Avatars all turned to look at her.

A chill suddenly ran down Cameron's spine, and despite the fact that the Omegas were all wearing helmets, she had the strangest feeling that their eyes were all oddly...

...blank.

"Shoot!" Cameron hissed, swerving in midair as Summer suddenly fired a blast of heat at her.

"Yo, WHAT?!" Zill exclaimed, raising a shield of fire to block a hail of ice shards courtesy of Winter. "The heck is wrong with you guys? We're on the same team!"

Cameron shot downward and slammed her palm into the the Tower, emitting a cyan shockwave that knocked all the Omegas off the roof. She glared at them as they immediately righted themselves in the air, then looked over her shoulder.

Below Fisi, she could see Eve still leaning against the rooftop entrance, not even facing the battle but examining her fingers as she weaved them through the air. Strands of black light snapped and popped in sporadic fashion, causing black sparks to fly from Eve's hand.

"Guys, it's Eve!" Cameron shouted. "She's controlling them somehow!"

"I'll take her!" Defender responded, veering away from the battle with the Exorcists to join the fight on the rooftop.

"Careful, Hatchet! We've already lost Fabian, Jack, and Gale!" Salvia called from the streets far below. "I—we can't lose you, too!"

"Wait, what? Gale? JACK?!" Cameron cried, putting her free hand on her head. "When did—how—?!"

"You didn't know?" Zill asked, glancing at Cameron. "Jack, he—he destroyed the drill..." He broke off, gritting his teeth as black tears ran down his glowing green face. "Auntie C went down with him, too. And Gale undid the Opening, but didn't have time to pull away from Cthylla," he finished, looking back at Fisi.

Upon hearing the news, Cameron felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. She hadn't heard any of it—she'd been so focused on the fight that the only thing she could hear beyond her enemies was the blood roaring in her ears. Gale...? Jack...?! she thought, her body shaking as scales completely covered her flesh and feathers began to emerge from her back. Why... WHY?!