To Be Like the Guardians

Part 2: The Protecting, Chapter 8: Stop

Beth stood in the dark, scanning the area as her veins still burned a little. The only other person she could see was Mother Nature. No one else had arrived yet. Large trees towered over their heads, casting shadows on shadows. In the middle of the clearing was a hole in the ground: Pitch's lair. What Beth had to protect.

"I wish you luck," Mother Nature said, and then she was gone, flying up into the clouds once more.

The only sound Beth could hear in the cool night now aside from the wind blowing was her heart beating in her ears. This was it. She had to do this. If she lost, she and Irene would be in even more danger than ever. They could die.

She crouched down behind a thick tree trunk. If she was going to win against Vaughn's slowing power, she had to be the first to strike.

Something that comforted her, however, was the lack of familiarity of the situation. No episodes. No losing control. She felt lonely, though. Like something was missing. But loneliness felt more comforting than losing.

Footsteps crunched on leaves in the distance. Many crunches, many people. They were here.

Beth peeked out from behind the tree just a little bit. Through the branches and bushes, she could see light in the shape of a human being. That had to be Graham. And behind him were about fifty other L.E.R. agents. Fifty.

This was not the greatest place for a battle. If she struck too close to a tree, it could catch fire. It could kill someone. She could control the voltage of the lightning to a certain extent, but not what it caused. If it was too close, she could burn everything down.

But she couldn't just not fight at all.

She tested her ability a little, made a spark run across her hand. It leaped to her other before disappearing, becoming nothing in the shadow. She had to do this. She thought of how angry Graham had made her when he lied, when he turned people against her.

Someone shouted as Beth made the first bolt landed smack in the middle of the group with a flick of her hand. It hadn't been very strong, but it was enough to harm. A chorus of voices and shouts rose up. They knew they were under attack.

Beth brought down a second bolt over their heads. A group of five went down, crying in pain. A third. A fourth.

"Come out wherever you are!" Graham shouted. "We know you're there! Come out and face us like a man!" But Beth was not a man, and she had no intention of coming out. "Er, woman!"

A fifth. A sixth.

Above Beth's head, something sliced the tree she was hiding behind in half. She ducked as the branches fell to the side.

"Where are you?" someone said.

"Remember Bennett's mission. We can't let this distract us," someone else said. "Get to the lair and shoot down."

Beth shot a few more lightning bolts at the group, but one of them veered off and nearly went too close to a tree. Lightning could be a messy power sometimes.

"Hurry!" someone shouted.

Scattered sparks flew over the agents, shocking some hard enough to leave marks.

"My hand, my Stunner- ow!" someone said.

"Fall back!" said another.

But that was when Beth could no longer move.

"You got her!" Lyle said as he came around the tree. Then he said to Beth, "We knew you were somewhere!"

Beth tried to flick her hand, to bring down enough lightning to knock him out, but she just couldn't move fast enough. Lightning wouldn't come if she wasn't fast.