Chapter 35: The distance between reality and dream.

Michael tried to ignore his fatigue, but even he couldn’t deny that his body was screaming in protest, begging him for a moment’s rest. Ruin, however, showed no signs of exhaustion. In fact, the only time Michael had seen the Kinetic come close to sweating, was when he and Jack did that monstrous exchange of Kinetic energies.

“K-Kazou,” Michael panted. He looked to his left to see the large Japanese Reinforcer dripping sweat, breathing even heavier than he. Kazou was not a weak man, far from it, yet not even he could continue at this intensity for much longer.

Everything in the terminal had been so thoroughly destroyed that now Ruin was attacking them using nothing more than bursts—there was nothing left to throw at them. He gestured with his hand, an exaggerated motion of chopping air, and Michael could feel the energy rushing at him. It would be enough to send Michael slamming into the wall almost fifteen feet behind him, probably ending his life, too.

Michael’s body tensed and constricted, filling with pain as he forced himself to draw out yet another bit of energy, just enough to throw his own burst back towards the one Ruin tossed at them. The two collided, and unlike Jack’s, which had created a massive detonation, Michael’s was overpowered, weakening Ruin’s just enough so that Michael was only thrown a foot backward, landing with a painful crash on his right shoulder blade.

Lying on his back, dazed and staring at the ceiling, Michael craned his neck to the right and looked at Sarah, who also seemed only moments away from collapse. A few minutes earlier she had yelled something about helping Jack, and while Michael no longer doubted anything the boy was capable of, it didn’t make it any easier to grasp.

Sarah had yelled at the top of her lungs, screaming about sealing something off that she’d claimed weighed more than a mountain, or something. At the time she seemed to be overflowing with power, but when she’d finished doing whatever it was she was doing for Jack, she too became just as exhausted and weakened as the rest of them.

“Oh, Ruin, Darling!” Requiem shouted out. “The woman is almost mine. Finish up, Darling. Kill these three so we can find our brothers and leave.”

Ruin paused, only moments from sending a burst into Kazou, and he turned to face his sister. “Forget those two,” he said. “I’m sick of Brother Andy, he’s pathetic. And Jack, well, you’ve almost killed us several times because of your insistence on taking the boy.”

Requiem’s eyes flared in outrage, and she marched over to her brother. “Did you just say what I think you did? We will not abandon our brothers! How dare you, Ruin?”

Michael watched Ruin’s lips twitch. It seemed he was trying to force himself to smile but struggled at it. “Dearest sister, you know I care about you more than anything in this world, don’t you? Sometimes plans have to change. I know in the beginning it seemed like we needed more family, but things have changed. We don’t need Brothers Jack and Andy. We have only ever needed each other. It has gotten us this far, hasn’t it?”

Requiem grabbed the front of his shirt and forced him to meet her maddened gaze. “They are our family now! I won’t let them be left behind. I won’t let anyone we love be left behind.”

Michael didn’t understand the exchange, but he was grateful that he was being given just a short moment to rest. Still lying on his back, he rolled his head and looked around the room. Without realizing he was doing so he began to laugh, a sound that resembled a hysterical grunting cough.

Just an hour earlier, the train terminal had been a neat and organized place, with people coming to and from, flowers and pictures hanging in every corner. There had even been a man playing guitar with a tip-cup. Now, it looked like an abandoned warehouse from the late-twenties. There were holes in so many parts of the floor that moving around was now a very risky endeavor. Every light had been broken, all the windows shattered, and broken soda cans were still spraying misty cola around the darkened terminal.

Vending machines roared with their built-in alarms, broken potato chips and other snacks were still being knocked around, some even falling into the dark tunnel below. Even the ceiling had been broken, or at least the glass part of it on top of the dome-shaped structure. It must have been shattered when Jack and Ruin unleashed their full powers against each other. Well, Ruin’s full power, Michael reminded himself. God only knew what Jack could do if he ever dug deep enough.

“Can……hear me,” said a broken, static-filled voice from Michael’s left pocket. He felt the first welling of hope. He reached into his pocket with a shaking, unsteady hand.

“It’s Mic—” he tried to speak, but his voice was tired, and exhaustion was washing over him. “Michael here, do you copy?” he forced out at last.

“This is Rebecca Alvarado, officer of Recon Team B. We’re still waiting outside as instructed, awaiting your orders, over.”

There was a shadow of movement from above Michael, and it took him a moment to realize it was the form of Kazou being tossed to the other end of the room. Somehow, Michael knew he wouldn’t be able to get back up again either. Looking once again to his right, he could see that now Sarah too, was lying on her back, breathing heavily. The two Psychs would start their killing soon.

“Rebecca,” Michael croaked. “We’re down.”

The voice from the other end sounded surprised, but determined nonetheless. “All of you?” she asked.

“Yes, even Paro. They don’t know I’m speaking with you. Listen to me. I don’t think you guys, not even all nineteen of you, will be able to handle these two. There’s no need for you to die with us. Just leave.”

“Negative,” the voice replied.

Michael coughed a laugh. “You can’t refuse an order from a Psych Operative,” he said.

“We just did. Hang tight.”

Michael groaned as his body was lifted telekinetically, hovering in the air for a moment before he was thrown in a direction he couldn’t discern. He was too exhausted to register the motion, and only realized he was thrown to the right when he landed next to Sarah with a grunt. Kazou was also sent piling on top of them as he hit the ground with a roll, coughing and moaning.

Ruin and Requiem came to hover over them, both wearing their fashionable madness to the fullest. Ruin had by far surpassed his sister’s menace, his face so contorted in lunacy that Michael felt tears come unbidden to his eyes just glancing at him.

“Who should we kill first?” Ruin asked.

“Darling, let’s start with the woman. I didn’t get to have any fun because of her meddling.”

Sarah cried out in disgust at hearing the two speak of her fate. Michael heard her screams and added his own. Not for fear of his life, but for fear of seeing the woman who he loved above all put through the grueling torture that these two had perfected.

“Come on now,” Michael begged. “Can’t ya start with me? Leave Sarah alone and I promise I’ll scream nice and loud fur ya. You like that, don’t you?”

Requiem cast her eyes down on Michael, but only for a moment. It was Ruin who spoke.

“No,” he said. “It’s personal now. You people have caused us a great deal of misery. I will start with the woman, because I know it will hurt more than anything I could ever do to you.”

Michael screamed at him, empty sounds devoid of words. He was too exhausted to make coherent speech—he was too worn to think, either. He simply shouted his rage at them, a bellowing sound that promised vengeance.

Sarah lifted off her back, floating up to hang limply in the air. Her eyes were unfocused and her whimpering stopped. Michael wondered if she still had the energy to scream, or even look at the two that would end her life.

“Show me, Sister. Show me the heart that keeps this one breathing.”

Michael tried to stand. He tried to draw power. But there was nothing he could do. Everything that could be done, had been, and so now, lying on his back and gazing up at the limp form of Sarah, he would witness the unspeakable—an atrocity so great that Michael promised himself that even if he somehow lived through the night, he’d take his own life to make up for Sarah’s.

“Do you see it, Darling?”

“I do. What a wonderful heart it is. I wonder what would happen if I—”

Requiem tugged on her brother’s arm and shook him. “Ruin! Guns! They’re coming from behind, shield us—now!”

Ruin spun around and Sarah fell back to the floor, unharmed for the moment. One of the few sections of the wall that had yet to be damaged detonated with military grade explosives, blowing the western section inward and sending large, rocky chunks rolling on the floor.

Before the smoke had finished rising, the thunderous sound of nineteen firing rifles filled the terminal. The flashing of the barrels casted the most light the place had seen in an hour. Ruin held out his hand, and Michael could see the exertion on the young Psych’s face. The bullets were pounding into his barrier, some almost breaking it while others bounced off and fell to the ground without much trouble.

Ruin began to sweat with the daunting task of fending off such a large quantity of bullets all at once. They poured into him, and each time they hit the barrier, there was a small spark of light in front of him. Then the bullets ricocheted in the opposite direction.

The recon officers wasted no time. When their clips emptied, the terminal quieted but for the sound of the shell casings clattering against the ground while the officers reloaded, ready soon after for another volley of fire.

Never in Michael’s life had he been so glad to hear the deep crackle of gunfire.

“Brother, Darling!” Requiem cried. “Can you hold them off?”

Ruin grunted. “I’m trying, Sister.”

The bullets assaulted the two Psychs, and Ruin fended them off as they came. For a Kinetic, it was one of the hardest things to do. Michael shook his head in disbelief while he watched the young Psych maintain his defenses for such a long period of time.

Any Telekinetic could make a decent burst if they were trained, something that would send just about anyone or anything packing. With bullets, they were too fast to see. You never knew when a bullet was about to strike, so when someone held a gun to a Kinetic, there were really only two options.

If it was just one or two gunman, then you could try ripping the weapons out of their hands, but if it was several, the only thing you could do was maintain a continuous stationary burst. It was an exhausting—and sometimes crippling—exertion of power, one that required you to literally pour energy into one location and maintain it until the men who were firing at you, well, stopped firing.

“Is there anything you can do here, Sister?” Ruin asked. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off for.”

The bullets continued to fly at them, the sound of gunshots filling the air. The brightness of nineteen automatic weapons created an almost blinding display of flashing lights. Ruin took one step back, then two, before he was shuffling backwards with his sister, sweating and struggling to maintain his defenses. If only Michael or Kazou could still move, now would be the perfect time to finally put an end to the two. It was nothing more than a wish, however. Michael couldn’t bring himself to speak let alone stand.

“Buy me some time, and I will handle them, Darling.”

Several moments passed before yet again the recon officers reloaded, intent on beating Ruin down until their bullets finally penetrated his defenses. This time, Ruin did not seem content to allow them a third round of fire. He gestured with his hand and threw a burst of kinetic energy in their direction. His stamina amazed Michael. Ruin had yet again been brought to the point of exhaustion, and he was already recovering and building back up his momentum.

The officers were thrown back, not hard enough to be fatal, but hard enough to knock all nineteen men and women off their feet.

Requiem grinned. The officers were quick to get back to their feet. Before the first officer came to a full stand, he collapsed back down again, followed soon after by the rest of the officers. Some were still rising to their feet when they fell back down, others had not yet begun to stand. Michael knew she wasn’t killing them. She was putting them into a shallow sleep, an extraordinary feat for a single Path to knockout that many people at once.

“There’s no time to toy around anymore,” Ruin said with a disappointed sigh. He removed a small knife from the back pocket of his dark jeans. “I’m ending this now.”

He spun around and knelt down, placing his knee on Sarah’s throat. She coughed, and Ruin slowly brought the knife down on her neck. “I really wanted to play with this one,” he said. “But I guess we’ll have to settle for this.”

The knife closed in on Sarah’s throat, and Michael struggled for all he was worth to save Sarah, whimpering but unable to move. This was it. They were going to die after all. Closer and closer, the knife approached her throat. A sadistic glee spread on Ruin’s face as the knife drew nearer.

There was a whooshing sound, like that of a sword cutting through air. A sharp looking rock raced across the terminal, smacking with an audible crunch into Ruin’s forehead. Instinctively, Ruin dropped the knife, clutching at the trickle of blood falling over his eyes. He looked enraged, livid, and he howled in pain as he scanned the room for the source of his misery.

There was a loud crash, and another section of wall was blown out, admitting a limping, bruised man. Blood was falling from his mouth, his arms, and almost every part of his body. But he was far from dead—his eyes burned with the intensity of a collapsing star. His hands were balled into fists, each knuckle smothered in dark red blood.

”You know …” he said to no one in particular. “There are a lot of things in this world I don’t like. I don’t like being yelled at. I don’t like when Jack makes stupid comments. I don’t like long lines, or people that snore too loudly. But now there’s a new thing, something I hate more than anything. I don’t like people who drop freaking buildings on top of me!”

Michael cried, as unmanly as it was, joined in by Sarah. “Paro!” he called, finding his voice.

Paro looked beaten to a pulp. He was bruised, limping, and not a single part of him appeared to be in good condition. Ruin and Requiem walked over to him.

“This one lived?” Ruin asked.

“It seems that way, Darling, though it doesn’t look to be by much. We should kill him first, I think, yes? He’s the only one still a threat to us.”

Ruin gestured with his hand … and let out a sound resembling a squawk when nothing happened.

“I’m sorry,” Paro said to Michael, Sarah, and Kazou. “I never intended on letting you guys fight them. You’re not quite ready for these types of Psychs. Someday, but not yet.”

“Darling—do something! Throw another burst at him.”

Ruin was sweating, his eyes widening in fear and confusion. “I’m trying, Sister! I have been.”

Looking closely, Michael could see that dust and empty wrappers were moving as if by an invisible wind, yet it was only slight, and in no way resembled the massive power Ruin had been displaying all along.

You’ve gotta be kidding me. Michael thought to himself. Paro’s not even being moved an inch? Not even with all that force?

“Sit,” Paro commanded.

Ruin and Requiem shouted in surprise. One moment they were standing up straight, and the next they were thrown to the ground, slamming face-first into the marble floor.

“Or, you can lie down,” he added with a wry grin.

Paro walked over to Michael and knelt down before him. There was concern on his face. “Did … did anyone die?” he asked.

Michael struggled to form words but forced them out. “No, we’re all still alive—ah! It hurts. We’re alive, Paro. Everyone is still alive.”

Paro nodded. “Good, because I’d have killed them both if you told me any differently.”

Michael trembled. He’d never seen Paro use this much force before, never, not once in the years he’d known him.

“You guys did great. I’m so proud of all of you, and I’m sorry I let you guys get hurt this much. I should’ve known they’d do something crazy.”

Sarah tried to embrace Paro, but her arms were shaking. Paro walked over to her, bent down and completed the hug. Michael felt a pang of jealously—it was a shameful emotion. He forced it from his mind.

“I’m so happy you’re not dead,” Sarah said.

“That makes two of us.”

Michael brought himself into a sitting position. “Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on those two?” he asked.

Paro waved a hand at Michael. “Don’t worry, those two aren’t going anywhere. I’ve got them locked down. Right now, it’s you three I’m worried about. Speaking of which, where’s Jack and Melissa?”

“I’m not sure. They were off chasing Andy, but we haven’t seen them since,” Michael answered.

“You guys really tore up the place,” Paro said. His face lit up with astonishment. “I mean, how did you guys manage to do this much damage? Between the train tracks and now the upper terminal, this station will probably be out of service for a year.”

“A lot of it was Jack,” Kazou said with a grunt, clutching at his sides. He seemed to be in more pain than all of them.

“That, I can believe.”

There was an ear piercing shout from behind them, and Michael felt the return of fear. Even Sarah sat up to see what new trouble was heading their way.

“No!” screamed a voice. “I wanna!”

“Don’t even think about it,” answered another voice in a high-pitched yell. “You’re not running out there looking like that.”

“Too late, I’m already there.”

Scrambling into the terminal from the street-side entrance came Jack, Melissa, and an unconscious and shirtless Andy. Jack was wearing what appeared to be a cape made out of Andy’s shirt.

“You look ridiculous.” Melissa snarled at him.

“I’m here, everyone!” Jack shouted to the room, flinging his cape over his shoulder.

“I’m not doing it,” Melissa said, folding her arms in a position of defiance.

“But Melissa, you promised,” Jack insisted. Michael had no idea what they were talking about. “Are you someone to go back on your promises, Melissa?”

Melissa frowned at Jack. “Fine, whatever, just make it quick. This is going to be humiliating.”

Jack cleared his throat and addressed the room. “Prepare for trouble!” He shot Melissa an expecting glance.

Melissa sighed. “Make that double.”

“To protect the world from devastation!”

Melissa seemed to be forcing the words out. “To unite all peoples within our nation.”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“Okay, that’s it. This is ridiculous. Get inside, Jack!”

Jack scratched his head when he looked around the room, pausing a second to glance at each one of them. He shouted in surprise when Melissa ripped off his ‘cape.’

“Whoa, what happened to you guys?” Jack said. “You look terrible. Wow, Paro, you’re alive! I’m so glad you’re not dead or dying a slow painful death crushed between fallen beams!”

“Jeeze, thanks,” Paro mumbled in reply.

Andy was lying on his back with his hands bound beneath him, and Melissa dragged him by his left leg. She pulled on him without care, his head occasionally bumping into things as he scraped along the floor.

“Wow,” Jack said. He pointed at the subdued forms of Ruin and Requiem. “You guys already took down those two? Damn, I need to use some of this power. It’s killing me.”

Michael had no idea what Jack was talking about, and from the looks of things nobody did, except Sarah, who nodded at his words. Jack extended a hand toward the street-side entrance. There was a bang, and even more of the terminal was destroyed, chunks ripping apart.

“What did I say, Jack? Stop with that nonsense.”

“I can’t help it. I need to get rid of some of this power. It burns!”

Paro limped over to Jack and looked down at the unconscious form of Andy. “I’m too wounded or exhausted to care about any of this right now, Jack, and I’m even willing to let that unauthorized use of destructive force slide. Just don’t let me see it again, okay?”

Jack looked worried. “Fine, I won’t use any more bursts, I promise … after this next one.” Jack once again sent another burst, creating another large bang, causing more sections of wall to be blown out. Pretty soon, there’d be no walls left. It was a miracle the building was still standing at all.

Melissa slapped him. “Cut it out, Jack! I’m serious. You almost killed us like, five times on the way out of that tunnel. Using power isn’t like going to the bathroom. You don’t just ‘get rid of it.’

Jack shook his head. “I’m telling you, it’s different for me. It burns, it really does. Okay, just let me use a little more, and then I promise—”

“No,” Paro interrupted. “We’ve done enough damage here. Let’s just grab these three and head back to H.Q. This time, no less than ten Psychs will stay with them at all times. I’m done leaving things to chance.”

The recon officers were getting back to their feet, and they rushed to once again secure the perimeter. Michael felt gratitude towards them. If not for their actions, the Psychs of Paro’s team would have died.

“Alright, I’m going to call for medical personnel immediately. We’re also going to need an emergency transport for the prisoners,” Paro said, regaining control of the situation.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Michael turned and felt a return of his previous terror. Approaching were the last four people in the world he wished to see.

“Cemmera,” he growled.

Jack, Kazou, Sarah, Paro, and Melissa, all turned their heads to see the four Op. team members glide confidently into destroyed terminal, watching their step and taking care not to fall through the several holes in the floor created during the battle.

They were all bloody, worn, and still injured from the incident at Alana’s home. Cemmera looked just as twisted as Ruin or Requiem, only her face was pulled back in an expression of delight. “Finally,” she hissed. “Finally, I will have my kills. I’ve been waiting for this. I need this.”

“No,” Sarah moaned, “after all of this, after everything we’ve been through, for them to just show up like this? No, I can’t accept this.”

Ruin and Requiem, still pinned to the floor, each let out a moan as well, remembering Sarah’s words and hearing the pitied ones she spoke now. Paro walked to meet them.

“You look like hell,” Cemmera said with a laugh. “Out of my way, Carebear.”

“Hold a minute,” Paro demanded. “I am the team-leader here, and I am personally declaring Jack Harris, Melissa Sayre, and all members of my team not-guilty of any illegal acts. I know you tried to murder Jack earlier, but I am here now, and I forbid it. Are we going to have a problem here?”

Cemmera laughed. “No, no, of course not, my dear, there is no problem at all. Consider that awful situation all cleared up, an accident if you will. We are not here for any members of your team, and as they say, let bygones be bygones, yes? No, we are here for those three. We have a signed kill order for each of them.”

Paro did not move. “Well, as I’m sure you can tell, we’ve already apprehended them. There’s no need for any killing, Cemmera.”

Cemmera grabbed his bloodied shirt and leaned her face into his. Her voice was a whispered hiss, spoken in an enraged, maniacal tone. “No,” she said. “No, I need this kill. I’m not leaving here until I’ve killed something, do you understand me? Get the hell out of my way.”

Michael felt the hopelessness of the situation. They had gone through so much to apprehend the Psychs, and now in the end they’d end up dead anyway, the Op. teams arriving just in time to make the kill. Michael had no doubt that they’d been watching the entire ordeal, waiting to see if Paro’s team got killed, definitely hoping for it. When that didn’t pan out, they made their move.

Paro closed his eyes, opening them a moment later with a saddened look. “You can’t have Andy,” he said. “By law, we were able to bind and secure him for a period of longer than ten minutes. He has been subdued, and you have no right to kill him while he remains in our custody.”

Cemmera growled but then nodded a moment later. “Fine, fine, I’ll settle for those two,” she said pointing at Ruin and Requiem. “If I don’t kill something soon, I’m going to lose it.”

Neil laughed—it was a disgusting sight. The Reinforcer was missing half his teeth. From what Michael understood, Melissa had ruined his face.

The two Kinetics followed Neil and Cemmera.

“Hey, Melissa, what are you doing?” Jack yelled. “Why are you covering my eyes? What’s happening?”

“Don’t watch, Jack,” she whispered. “Don’t watch.”