The Project

The Stranger

-Arista's POV-

Cole looks petrified, held fast by the man who has come from nowhere. He looks to be about 27, dark hair and cold eyes that seem oddly familiar. Tattoos cover his arms, and he stands very tall. His face is worn, aged not by time but by events. Time seems to freeze as he holds a gun to Cole's head, and I feel my heart skip a beat.

"If anyone would like to continue, be my guest, but if one more of my men die you will lose one of your own." The man says.

Cole struggles against his captor and the man strikes him a vicious hit across the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the ground where he suffers multiple kicks to his side, every kick filling me with rage.

My vision is getting hazy and anger burns in my chest until the spots obscuring my sight succeed in blocking it fully.

-Nicks POV-

I can't save my brother...I can't save him, if I move he dies. What do I do? What can I do?

Suddenly I see the strangers face shift into utter shock as I process a vast amount of heat singe the left side of my body. Fire flies by me and the man barely dodges the ball of flame shot by a now hardly visible Arista, engulfed by fire and moving fast towards him, the scanty grass singing and dying behind her feet. Cole is flung to the side as the man attempts to shoot at the mass of living fire she has become, but the bullets melt before they reach her. I run to my brother and drag him behind some craggy rock outcropping and hold his now limp body against me, cursing my inability.

Do I stay with him? Or do I help her?

-Strangers POV-

The heat is not foreign to me, but I didn't think there was another. I know my gun is useless on her. I guess it is time to fight fire with the fire forced upon me from birth.

-Nick's POV-

I leave Cole in his safe spot, and run into the clearing to see the stranger has a mass of fire collected in his hand, juggling it as nonchalantly as one would a plastic ball. Arista has let her fire dim slightly, enough that merely her clothing and skin show, but even her skin has a red tint to it. Her hair is fire, the tips of her fingers have dancing embers flying from them. Fire swirls about her feet, her black clothing is almost indistinguishable from the smoke floating around her torso and hips. The second they took to measure each other is over and they fly at each other, fire combating fire.

I thought she was the only fire wielder? How can this be?

I focus everything I have on the waters beneath us, and try to summon it to me now. I have to help Arista. She is fighting with the anger her fire allows, he is cold and calculating with his. Her head is not in this, it is pure rage.

I feel the water start to surge to me, and I allow it to circle my body, before I command it to engulf the man attacking her.

-Strangers POV-

She does not seem aware of what she does, every action rushed and thoughtless. Slightly intimidating but no competition. Suddenly I feel the pain of my fire being extinquished shoot through my body, causing my very bones to ache.

How in the hell...?

That scared boy, the one that hid the child moments ago seems to be another element wielder as luck would have it, as water is levitating in the air around me, and droplets of it like needles are countering my fire and getting ready to douse me. I instantly send a stream of fire in his direction, and his focus is so intent on the water it hits him full force and knocks him to the ground as he attempts extinquish it. I smirk a little, enjoying my powers. Its been a while since I have had to use them.

Do they really think they're the only ones of their kind?

The girl continues to aim her fire for me, but I think it is time that I actually show her who the stronger fire wielder is. I gather my forces and send a wave of fire that will easily devour her, since it is not her own fire it should do her harm. Her flames dim for some reason and all of a sudden a massive gust of wind collides with my wall of fire and sends it back to me, through me, and towards the shack behind us. I whirl on my heel in horror as I see the dry wood connect with the fire quickly, and realize that all the equipment inside has to be salvaged or this will all be for nothing. I run inside the building, barely able to see from the smoke that is already thick, as I see the other member of their team, the blonde boy run by me out the door, singed but seemingly fine.

Damn them.

-Cade's POV-

It seems all hell has broken loose. Had I not been knocked out I could have probably prevented this melee but ah well, if people are going to be careless and idiotic who am I to stop them? I stop my steps outside the building.

What the hell did they do?

The corpses of our opponents litter the ground. Some burned, others filled with bullet holes. Nick is struggling to stand, his face bloody and his clothes burned badly, Arista has various cuts and smoke is emanating from her clothes as she seems to have just now fallen to the ground, a circle of blackened grass around her. I don't see Cole or 1997.

Bloody hell, it wasn't supposed to go like this.

-Arista's POV-

I don't know what I've done. Did I burn all these people? What happened when I caught fire?

All I remember is seeing Cole fall to the ground. The shack is sending flames high into the sky, and I see Cade running around for some reason. Nick is burned, badly.

Did I do that to him? Oh God, please don't tell me I did.

"Come here, hurry!" I hear Cade yell from my left, on the edge of the cliff.

I make my way there around the bodies to find him holding a gasping, choking '97.

Cade looks to me, at a loss. In a voice I don't even recognize as my own I say "Get him to the plane. I can use my wind to get everyone up there, and we can get the hell out of this place."

-Cole's POV-

Arista is slowly getting everyone back up to the plane. I pat the side pocket to my uniform, checking. The chip is still there thank God. Now this wasn't all for nothing. 

I wonder what is on it that was so important?