The Elementals

Steel

Author's note: So this is the beginning of the end, I guess. I'm almost at seventy parts (thank you for reading through it all) and if I don't stop here where I have some sort of idea how to conclude, I'm going to go on forever until all the characters are dead, which I've already been informed (in all caps) by my dearest friend Madison (who this chapter is also dedicated to) that if that happens, she will do to me what she would like to do to John Green. Don't mess with a fangirl everybody. So I'm going to be dedicating these last chapters - I'm not sure how many there'll be - to all the people that stuck with my story through it all and - ok no that sounds stupid. Basically, if you haven't been dedicated or whatever, don't worry, I do appreciate you, so please be patient, it's coming :)

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Steel wasn't quite sure what to do. Terra was curled on the ground in a ball, rocking back and forth, Owen was nowhere to be seen, the helicopter was blown up, and sparks were falling down from the sky like searing hot raindrops as the pyrotechnic Elemental raced away.

To be fair, the day had started out normally.

Well, as normal as you can get with two part human teenagers with super powers and a rogue field agent all stuck in the same aircraft for over twenty hours. By the end of the ordeal, everyone was tired.

But rest became impossible when unplanned fireworks started lighting up the sky in front of the chopper, causing Owen to swear and jerk the controls right. The helicopter tilted sickeningly and before he could stop himself, Steel had gripped and bent a part of the door.

They were just outside of Alpine, Texas, a small town with a population of less than six thousand. The place had been experiencing "strange phenomena" of "alien lights" going off at random times. Sometimes they looked extraterrestrial: blue, green, and purple sparks lighting up the sky, and sometimes they looked like normal fireworks, like the ones surrounding the helicopter.

"Terra?" Steel called as Owen tried to level out the chopper and dodge the explosions. Steel's voice wobbled with the jerky shudders of the cockpit. "Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question. Terra did not look okay. She hadn't looked okay since they got on the helicopter in Nepal. Her face had gotten steadily paler with each passing hour, and she had steered clear of the windows and doors.

"Terra!" Steel tried to move to her, and then had to uncurl his fingers from the metal. He immediately regretted that decision as an explosion made the helicopter lurch to the left violently, causing him to fall to the floor. Still, he made his way over to the shaking earth Elemental and asked again, "Are you okay, Terra?"

She didn't answer, just gave a sharp cry as the floor shook beneath them.

"Steel." It was a shock to hear actual fear in Owen's voice. Steel stopped trying to calm Terra for a moment. "Jump." was all the former agent said, and Steel didn't need an explanation.

"Terra!" Steel snapped, slightly louder than intended but it had the desired effect and she looked up. "We have to jump. I need you to help break our fall."

Steel gave her time to process that, but not enough for her to answer and he grabbed her hand, pulling her up to the door of the helicopter.

"No!" Terra screamed, finding her voice. "I'm afraid of hei-"

She didn't get to finish, because with a massive explosion, this one larger than the previous ones, the helicopter started in a nose dive and they both fell out whether they wanted to or not.

There was a thunderous boom that shattered any silence within miles and along with it Steel's vision went black for terrifying moment.

Steel felt heat. Hot metal, scorching burning, he had to get away from it now-