Asylum

The Last Showdown

Elektra

Supernatural Detaining split themselves in two – half charging up the dojo stairs, half swarming me while Ace worked outside the group, getting in shots whenever he could. Everything was like the gang wars I remember – loud, impulsive, and instinctual. But one thing from the biggest war I've ever had was missing: Reaper. This is the frontal battle she wanted so badly, so where is she? For years, her goal has been to make me bow to her, even if it was done by cutting me down at the knees. Now is the chance to do it, so why isn't she here? Where is Reaper and Cerberus? Kya and Ren's brother?

There's another crucial player who isn't in the game yet, as well: Elwood. I felt him here through the storm, but I can't see him, and now that I'm engaged in the thrilling act of fighting for my life, I can't exactly pause to feel him out under the clouds. Perhaps they've sent out a pack of troops to weaken us, or to see our battle tactics so they know how to defeat us. It doesn't matter. I plan on winning either way.

I ditch my gun as the fight wears on. Eventually, it becomes more cumbersome to haul a gun around than to maneuver my own body. Now, it's easier to tumble and roll out of the way of bullets. Heavily, I rely on the lightning. Due to the fastpacked exchange of shooting, dodging, and retaliating, I can't get many fatal shots in. Instead, I end up zapping thin bolts through their legs, or penetrating their shoulders and sides. There's no blood when I use my power – only charred flesh and raw insides.

From the corner of my eye, I see a man aiming his sights on me. Their guns aren't much different from ours, but the sounds they make when they fire are slightly different. I can tell who is on our side and who's not. I can spot the miniscule twitch his index finger makes – the one everyone does right before they pull the trigger. I drop to the ground into pushup position, acting like I weigh a ton. The spray of bullets soar overhead and I vault myself into a forward roll, knowing that the arc of ammunition is coming for me.

Quickly, I summon a strand of lightning, feeling it course through my veins before I point two index fingers to the man, frying him right in the chest. He ceases, the gun shooting wildly and nailing a few of his own men, before collapsing to the ground. Elated with the small victory, but confined to limited time, I move on, ready to take down every single one of these bastards.

Sprinting over the short grass, I'm taken aback when all the air is sucked out of my lungs. Something solid strikes me in the abdomen, knocking me off my feet and onto my back. But it doesn't make sense. Nothing is here. The closest person to me is over 20 meters away.

I start to pull myself up when something heavy crushes my neck. Clawing at it, I'm befuddled when I grasp something solid and hefty. My fingernails dig into whatever it is – this phenomenon of weight disguised as air. I scratch off flakes of something that feels like fabric. Then, materializing right in my own hands as I gasp for oxygen, a man makes himself known. Long black hair hangs around a pale face, where two sets of icy, shimmering blue eyes glare at me. "Do you know how expensive these were?" he growls, gesturing to the leather boot pushing against my neck.

Hooking my palms under the boot, I use my strength to push against him, barely giving my pipes enough room to inhale the tiniest sips of air. "Waste of money," I grumble, fighting the force of a man's body with only my arms. Logically, I know it won't be enough to get him completely off me. At this point, it's fighting back long enough for someone else to help him. Still, I scramble for a way out.

I don't have the focus or arm freedom to summon lightning, so my ability is out of the question. The gun I dropped is too far away to reach over and shoot this guy. My legs aren't flexible enough to lift over myself and knock Mr. Invisible in the head. However, at his side, there's a black metal staff, which I assume he used to hit me in the first place. If I can someone yank that out of his grip and use it against him, I might not need anyone to help me out of this.