The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 14: Goodbye

Ray stood in shock not knowing how to react to the situation. He knew he had no choice since Baron and Terah would have made him do it anyway. As if his body ignored all his commands, he moved into attack position. And so did his friends. He knew it wasn't going to end well, but he also knew resisting would be pointless.

Ray could see his "masters" leaning on the left wall, concentrating to control the Conquerors. Though it sounded less childish than "The Specials", he still didn't like their new team name at all. It was a horrible but stark reminder that what they were going to do would enslave worlds and obliterate those who resist. Rob and Rook stood at the front, their weapons aimed straight at them. Ray knew Rob wouldn't shoot, but would other recruits do the same?

Half a minute passed by, and finally Chris grew impatient. "That's it! Conquerors, destroy them!" Another command registered in his brain and soon Ray was throwing fireballs repeatedly. And again, he never thought that was possible. PROTECT's fighters dodged and dropped. Rob just kept on staring at him as if his trust in their freedom was never going to let go.

"Kids, break out from it! I know you can!" His mentor's words struck him like a massive crater right in his heart. He knew he should try. With all his brain power and remaining control, he managed to get five words out in a lash of anger, thinking of what might happen as a result of his uncontrollable strength.

"Get out of my head!" Ray yelled. And it seemed to work, because he could see Terah and Baron both squeezing their heads in pain through his infuriated vision. Though the mind control wore off for only five seconds, it was enough time for the Conquerors to retaliate. The standby guards played hard in defending the traitors from getting burned.

"Enough!" Chris shouted, though no one knew where the voice was coming from. "You will pay for your insolence! PROTECT, if you do not wish to fight for real, then you'll just have to defend!" With that, Ray's "masters" vanished into particles like Chris, and the compelling urge to fight Rob and the group took over almost instantly. The Conquerors' minds were set on their targets.

Ray saw doubt and the increasing worry in his real mentor's eyes. But he had no choice. He ran. He ran as fast as he could, regretting every step. His friends ran too, their powers ready to be unleashed on their own organization just for some training session. They clashed, and they did it as if no one ever knew each other. The lone Conquerors did their part, but PROTECT's side had specials gadgets of its own.

Ray pushed a body down as he felt a sharp punch prick his spine. He looked up, only to see his attacker get thrown high in the air and on the ground by Sam. Even if he was doing it too, he still couldn't believe his best friend would do something so ruthless. Not even a small tint of the real friend he'd known for almost four years.

Sarah scared a man by leaving a trail of blazing laser beams on the floor until his back touched the wall. She punched him square in the face before kicking his stomach repeatedly. Ray knew she felt bad, but again, couldn't stop. Carson tackled a woman and, with superhuman speed, dragged her by the legs until her body crashed sidewards against the wall, leaving her on the floor. Jane had blown three weak men away, falling into more on the way.

The emotional girl that had become Ray's friend by simply being helpful held up two hands in a stiff claw position. Ray and his three other "teammates" froze in place behind Jane, while the opposing faction huddled like a small horde just waiting to get blown away. Ray was able to look around, and realized he hadn't seen Rob in the chaos of the battle. Wherever he was, wherever he is, Ray hoped he wasn't in their battlefield.

Suddenly, from the empty space in the air, came rushing out grey, gusty wind, swirling around a vortex that continually increased in size. Ray stared in awe as his hair swung around wildly. And when the two room-sized cyclones reached the ceiling, Jane put her hands in front of her, as if she had an energy ball in her hands. Then, following her command, the cyclones rushed forward, blocking the left and the right groups of people.

But to make things worse aside from not being able to walk without falling, the strong concentrations of wind made a never ending loop around PROTECT's small group. This harshly sucked the oxygen out of their lungs, leaving individuals to choke and fall on their knees. Ray saw the commotion through occasional gaps and wished it would stop.

After about fifteen seconds of the near-death situation, Jane put her hands down, causing the gradual disappearance of the cyclones. Everyone was on the ground, still grabbing their necks and taking deep breaths.

"Congratulations!" came the assistant director's voice. "Your group proves to be well trained. You remaining twenty will be Conquest's new elite squad, alongside my Conquerors. Meaning you all will be brainwashed. Anyone who objects will be obliterated."

PROTECT's group didn't move, surprised at what they heard. Ray was glad they did so, because he didn't want to "obliterate" anyone. The guards moved in, motioning a person one by one to stand and follow them outside. Still, Ray didn't see Rob at all. Next was Commander Rook. Ray never really knew the man, but he did visit them during training. But all Ray wanted was to see the man who helped him control his powers. Rob was like an older brother he never met before.

The recruits were waiting on the side in a straight line as more joined them. But, just as the last few men stood up, a guard collapsed on the floor. Ray froze when he saw Rob punching another one. This time, guards with guns rushed to the scene.

Ray was heartbroken when he didn't see anyone else helping the rebel. Even though guns were dropped, and more guards fell, Ray wished he could close his eyes before something bad happened. But he couldn't. Soon four men firmly held Rob's arms and legs. Ray felt a command, stronger than any other. He walked forward, until he stood a few feet away from Rob.

His hands ignited, and his eyes glowed yellow. No, he wasn't going to let them control him. He wasn't going to hurt Rob. But the fire burned brighter. His two hands were placed in front of him. He felt tense, and felt as if nothing bad was going to happen. But he knew they were going to make him do it just to show their power. That was his first command anyway, to 'Destroy Rob'. It was set from the beginning.

He felt a tear slowly drip down from his eyes. At least Rob would die a successful coach, rebelling against what he knew was wrong. And with no effort whatsoever, Ray whispered to his friend. "I'm sorry." Saying his goodbye, a beam of light shot out from his palms and into Rob's chest. The young man looked up at the boy one last time and smiled at the sight of his latest success.

The heat stopped for a second, but returned with much greater strength, forcing Rob to fly across the room until his back smashed into the wall. As the four guards stepped away, Rob landed face first on the floor, thin smoke evaporating from under his body. Now the Conquerors stood in a horizontal line, facing their fallen friend.

Tears consumed all five faces, as they kneeled down in despair. Ray felt worse than anyone else. He killed Rob. Even if it wasn't him, he didn't stop the command. He couldn't. Now their closest friend they met since they arrived was gone. All of a sudden Ray felt insecure. No one was there to guide them anymore. But from deep down in his heart, Ray heard a small but convincing voice. "Kids, Break out of it! I know you can!" It was Rob.

Then, as if he regained all control, he swirled around to face Chris, Baron, and Terah. "Well done, Ray. You did what a true Conqueror would do," Chris said, putting his hands on the boy's shoulder. This time Ray trusted and followed his new command. He put his hands on Chris's arm. It immediately turned bright red.

"Let's do this." And upon saying that, Ray punched the man's stomach with fiery impact. Chris retreated into the arms of two guards. They had done it. They broke the mind control, just what Rob wanted them to do. Now it was time to fight to honor his death, by getting revenge.