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... What Lies Ahead
"It was you all along!" Lucía shouted at Davos, her rage surpassing even that which she had unleashed in the Itayó Forest. "You killed my little brother! Why?!"
Davos's expression was smug as he spoke. "I believed he had the Clemons Cells, just like you. Sadly, he didn't, nor did your father. It seems your powers are inherited from your mother's side. Pity she's already dead."
Lucía's aura intensified, glowing brighter than ever, a sign of her escalating fury. Ivory braced herself for the fight, and I too readied myself. Meanwhile, Davos began to emit the same white, sparkling particles that Mateos had when creating his doubles. Shapes began to form from these particles, morphing into duplicates of Senator LaBorda, Mateos, and even Arlo – three of each, creating a total of ten Davos' on the field, including the original.
This provocation only fueled Lucía's anger. She began to radiate an intense light, the heat around her becoming almost unbearable, despite my icy defenses. The air crackled with tension as we prepared to confront Davos and his clone army.
As Davos' clones charged at us, Ivory stepped forward, raising her hand. Suddenly, she unleashed an invisible force, like a blast, that sent the clones flying backward, past the original Davos.
"What the hell was that?" I couldn't help but express my astonishment.
Ivory replied with a smirk, "I told you, I have more than two powers."
She then teleported directly to the real Davos, attempting to use her repulsion ability on him, but he remained unmoved, resisting the unseen force as debris and dirt swirled around him. Ivory's surprise was evident, but Davos quickly seized her wrist. Her body began to flicker erratically, like a glitching image, trapped in an unsuccessful attempt to teleport.
"How are you doing this?!" Ivory cried out, visibly shaken.
Davos released his grip with a sly smile, and Ivory teleported away in an instant, collapsing onto the grass beside us as she re-materialized.
The clones, meanwhile, had regained their footing and positioned themselves strategically around Davos, standing with an odd, measured distance between each other, as if bracing for an attack. The rain began to pour down, the storm's dark clouds now overhead, yet curiously, not a single raindrop touched the clones or Davos. It seemed he had erected some kind of magnetic field around them.
As Lucía gathered her energy, a radiant glow emanating from her, I turned to Ivory. "Have you noticed the field around him?"
Ivory nodded, "Yeah, this is going to be a problem."
Lucía stepped forward. She focused her powers on her hand, channeling its energy into a searing beam of intense light. But as her beam surged forward to the clones, it collided with a collective magnetic force field generated by the clones. Her beams of light shattered into prismatic fragments, leaving Lucía momentarily stunned.
"We need to break through that defense," Ivory said as she kept releasing waves of invisible force. This time, the force seemed to make contact with the clones and Davos, but they stood immovable as if their feet were rooted to the ground. I noticed the raindrops finally started to hit them, indicating a shift in their magnetic field.
Davos, with a sinister smile, stood confidently at the heart of the clones, his hands dancing in the air, manipulating the magnetic fields. The clones moved in sync, their bodies deflecting the attacks of Lucía and Ivory with ease, thanks to the magnetic repulsion they were forming. It seemed they were working together to make the magnetic field expand.
As I transformed the rain into sharpened ice, hurling it towards Davos and his clones, each shard was deflected before reaching its target. Gradually, the clones started to encircle us, tightening their formation.
Lucía, caught off guard by a repelled sun blast, stumbled into an unseen barrier as if hitting an invisible wall. Frustrated, she tried to punch through the barrier, only to be repelled again.
Lucía rejoined us. "He's trying to box us in, Ivory!" she warned, in a angry voice.
Ivory attempted to teleport away but was hindered by the magnetic field, her body flickering in and out of existence. "We have to find a way through," Ivory shouted, but her tone betrayed a sense of doubt. Davos' combined abilities had given him an overwhelming advantage. Yet, it was still three against one, even though he had three different abilities – we still had to find a way to break his defense.
I started to look for any change in them, as Lucía and Ivory kept throwing their blasts. Every time Lucía unleashed her energy, I noticed the blast was sent back in our direction, but Ivory's repulsion looked like they just withstand it, as the blast blew everything around them.
"Stop firing for a second!" I said to Lucía, then I turned to Ivory. "Ivory, keep blasting them with your repulsion for a few seconds, I got a plan. Lucía, wait for my signal to continue your blast, I'll need them for this to work." Ivory proceeded to send her blast as I ran between them, Lucía yelled out to me, but I had a theory; I think they change the magnetic field around them, depending on the attack, and when Ivory attacks, they close it very close to their bodies, so that they don't go blowing away, but with Lucía's, they expand their field and use it to protect themselves and deflect it towards us.
Racing towards the Davos clones amidst Ivory's relentless repulsion blasts, I braced myself for the impact of their magnetic field. But to my surprise, as I weaved through the clones, I felt no resistance – my theory was correct; the magnetic field wasn't expanded when Ivory used her repulsion.
Quickly, I unleashed a swirling mist of ice around the clones. "Lucía, now!" I called out, barely able to catch my breath. Lucía responded with a torrent of her searing sun blasts. As predicted, the Davos clones scrambled to adjust their magnetic field, focusing on deflecting Lucía's fiery onslaught.
The shift in their defense created the crucial opening I needed. But as I exploited this vulnerability, a crushing force suddenly enveloped me – Davos' magnetic field reacting to my presence. It felt like invisible walls closing in as if it was crushing me, squeezing the air out of my lungs, every breath a struggle against an unseen force.
Despite the overwhelming pressure, I focused on the ice forming on the clones. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I expanded the frost, locking some of them in an icy grip on the clone's body. The magnetic field's intensity faltered under the strain, but it was still a battle against Davos' overwhelming power.
Through the haze of pain and effort, I managed to call out to Ivory, "Now, teleport me back!" In an instant, I felt Ivory's hand on me and then we were back next to Lucía side, just as the ice fully engulfed the immobilized clones.
Exhausted and on the ground, I watched as four of Davos' clones shattered into fragments, their forms dissipating into a mist of white particles. The particles swirled in the air, drawn toward Davos, who absorbed them with a triumphant smile.
His voice boomed across the field, "Now, let's see how you handle this." The atmosphere around us grew tenser as the remaining five clones regrouped, spreading out in a calculated formation to encircle us.
Struggling to recover from the crushing force of the magnetic field, I tried to muster some strength but I couldn't. Ivory and Lucía prepared to face Davos and his five remaining clones. The dark, storm clouds overhead looked like they were mirroring the brewing battle that was about to happen.
Ivory teleported in rapid bursts, appearing and disappearing in flashes, disorienting the clones. Each reemergence was marked by a powerful burst from her palms, sending shockwaves that knocked back Davos' clones. Her movements were a blur, as she continuously caught the duplicates off guard.
Lucía, meanwhile, was glowing with the remnants of her solar power. She focused her beams of intense, searing light towards the clones. These beams sliced through the dark, stormy sky, and their heat was so intense that they evaporated the falling raindrops, creating a surreal mist amidst the chaos. Together, Ivory and Lucía are getting the upper hand. We might win this after all.
But I guess Davos realized the tide was turning too and acted with desperation. With a twisted snarl, he gestured wildly, and suddenly, more clones began to materialize around him, their numbers rapidly increasing. The field was soon swarming with duplicates of Davos, each one mirroring his sinister smile.
I tried to get up again, I had to get up. I needed to help them defeat this sociopath. I pushed myself to my feet, slowly and painfully. My hands were covered in a layer of crackling ice, drawing energy from the core of my being. As I focused, the air around the battlefield grew colder, swirling with snow and ice. I unleashed a ferocious blizzard, a maelstrom of icy fury that clashed violently against the clones' magnetic fields
Ivory, seizing the opportunity, teleported herself and Lucía to where I was. Ivory then used her repulsion power, propelling the combined forces of the blizzard and Lucía's sunbeams, creating a small storm of ethereal display – where the cold blue hues of the blizzard met the warm golden glow of the sunbeams, as they surged forward towards Davos and his clones.
The clones began to disintegrate in the middle of the blizzard, one by one, their forms dissolving into the wind. Davos, now standing alone, looked visibly weakened. Through sheer force of will, we were able to stop him. Finally, a well-earned victory.
Davos' voice carried a chilling edge as he acknowledged our efforts. "Impressive." he hissed, an unsettling grin spreading across his face. "That was a good warm-up! Now, with all my clones reabsorbed, I can confront you at my full strength." He slammed his hand onto the ground, and an overwhelming wave of magnetic force erupted from it, far more powerful than anything we had faced before. The force slammed into us like a physical blow, pinning us helplessly to the ground, our bodies pressed against the earth as if held by invisible shackles. The intensity of the force was suffocating. Is this his full strength?! We're never going to beat him.
As Davos stood poised to claim his victory, the unexpected happened. From the heart of the storm, giant rocks came flying out of nowhere towards Davos. With quick reflexes, Davos narrowly evaded the first rock, a look of surprise on his face. More rocks followed, a barrage of earthen missiles that struck the ground with thunderous impacts. Davos caught off balance, shifted his focus to repelling the onslaught with his magnetic powers.
Amid the chaos, a figure emerged from the surrounding trees. Dressed in a pristine white uniform, the woman walked barefoot across the battlefield. With a swift gesture, the earth beneath her trembled as chunks of earth started to rise and morphed into sharpened stone. Effortlessly, she flicked her wrist, sending the stone hurtling toward Davos with deadly precision.
"I am Arianna," she announced, her voice resonant with authority. "One of the Cell Seekers." Her eyes were fixed on Davos, her intent clear.
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Davos, now facing this new adversary, regained his composure. He countered the barrage of stone projectiles with his magnetic force, deflecting them with swift movements. The air was filled with the sound of colliding rock.
Arianna, undeterred by Davos' defenses, intensified her attack. She touched the ground with her feet, and instantly, the earth around her turned to stone. With a sweeping gesture, she manipulated the stony terrain, creating a wave of jagged, stone spikes that surged towards Davos.
Davos, now fully engaged in this unexpected duel, used his magnetic abilities to create barriers, the stones, continuing to shatter against the invisible walls he conjured. But Arianna's relentless assault left little room for him to counterattack. Arianna then feigned a direct attack, only to suddenly alter the trajectory of her stone spikes, bypassing Davos' defenses. The spikes, now unblocked, struck Davos on the side, knocking him off balance.
Seizing the opportunity, Arianna reached out, touching a large boulder, and in an instant, it transformed into a massive stone fist. With a powerful thrust, she sent the fist crashing towards Davos.
Davos, caught by surprise, was unable to react in time. The stone fist collided with him, sending him flying backward, his magnetic field disrupted by the sheer force of the impact.
As Davos lay on the ground, his face twisted with rage, he quickly scrambled to his feet. With a furious roar, he unleashed his powers with renewed vigor. Magnetic waves emanated from him in all directions, distorting the air and sending debris flying.
Arianna, calm and composed, watched Davos' frenzied display. She stood firmly, her bare feet rooted to the ground. As Davos directed a wave of magnetic force along with debris from the ground towards her, she calmly raised her hand, and the ground before her, rose, forming a solid stone wall that absorbed the impact.
Davos, realizing his usual tactics were ineffective, shifted his strategy. He conjured a flurry of metallic objects from the surroundings, directing them towards Arianna with his magnetic powers. But Arianna manipulated the earth to form a barrage of stone projectiles that intercepted and neutralized the incoming metal onslaught.
Davos, in a last-ditch effort, charged at Arianna, his face contorted with fury, hoping to take her by surprise. But Arianna, poised and ready, stomped her feet, causing the ground beneath Davos to shift and open, creating a gaping pit. Davos, caught off guard, stumbled and fell into the abyss.
As Davos tried to climb out, Arianna touched the ground with her hand and the earth responded by morphing into a colossal stone hand. She maneuvered the stone hand, guiding it to enclose around Davos, trapping him in its powerful grip.
Davos, now trapped, struggled frantically, his powers surging in an attempt to escape. But the stone hand tightened its hold, rendering Davos powerless. His attempts to break free grew weaker until, finally, his efforts ceased, and his body slumped, defeated and motionless, within the unyielding stone fist.
Arianna stood firm. She had successfully neutralized Davos, bringing an end to the intense battle. The field was silent, save for the sound of the storm.
As we were recovering from our immobilization, we watched her with both relief and warily. She alone could beat Davos, while we struggle against him. But now that Davos has been subdued and captured, will she come for us?
As the dust settled, Arianna approached us, her expression one of calm assessment. "That was a close one," she said, a hint of relief in her voice. "Observing him from the trees while you all engaged him gave me the edge I needed. If I hadn't done that, who knows how it would have turned out." She exhaled deeply, the tension visibly leaving her body.
Suddenly, her serious façade cracked into a more human expression, marked by nervous laughter. "Honestly, I was just a step away from losing my cool back there. I could've died!" Her laugh, tinged with genuine relief, echoed in the open field.
Ivory, Lucía, and I were still catching our breath from the battle's toll. I couldn't wrap my head around Arianna's sudden shift in demeanor. Moments ago, she seemed so self-assured and tense, and now, she seems so free.
"Are you planning to come after us now?" Ivory asked, her voice laced with a serious tone. She began to rise, her expression hardened, as if she was gearing up for another fight.
"Not at all!" Arianna replied, raising both hands in a gesture of peace. "Unless, of course, you attack me first. As of now, I have no orders to capture you yet."
"Yet." Ivory echoed, her gaze fixed on Arianna with suspicion. I wondered, did Ivory have a personal history with her, or was it just a deep-rooted hate towards the Cell Seekers?
"There's been quite a buzz about the infamous Ivory and her band of rebels. And in particular, about the leader of the revolution." Arianna said, turning her gaze towards Lucía. "But, we haven't received any concrete orders to apprehend any of you."
"Then what are you doing here, at my childhood home?" Lucía's voice carried a mix of curiosity and suspicion as she confronted Arianna.
Arianna let out a weary sigh, "Officially, I shouldn't be telling you this, but frankly, I'm tired of all this conflict. Governor Roses sent us under the guise of combating the Revolution, but our true mission is different. We are here to capture a fugitive that possesses Clemons Cells. He's been our primary target ever since he abandoned his former group."
The revelation about Cristofer and his group took me by surprise. Even Ivory was unaware of them. Just who exactly are the Cell Seekers?
Arianna went on, "Having someone with dual abilities out there, unchecked, was a risk we couldn't ignore. And it got worse when we discovered he was masquerading as a Senator. Unfortunately, we were too late to prevent what happened to Mateos. That's when I was assigned to monitor Senator LaBorda, who's been acting suspiciously these past weeks, to prevent anything else from happening. This, Davos person, seemed to be scheming something big, right up until you guys interfered."
Ivory scoffed at Arianna's words. "The typical tale from the Cell Seekers - always a moment too late to rescue anyone, meddling into affairs that don't concern you. You've learned well from your boss." Her remark clearly struck a nerve in Arianna, who suddenly tensed up again. "And where is Felix in all of this chaos?" Ivory pressed, her eyes narrowing.
Arianna's smile disappeared, replaced by the calm, controlled tone she had used earlier with Davos. "Felix is currently strategizing how to deal with all the Clemons Cells users involved in the revolution. Your involvement in the revolution inadvertently helped us. It drew out a group we've been tracking for years, Cristofer's group, surely you know of them." At the mention of this, Ivory's eyes widened in surprise. "They're harboring test subjects whose freedom poses a significant threat, as you've seen with Davos. We intend to capture them before they become even more dangerous."
Witnessing how effortlessly Arianna had subdued Davos, a worrying thought crossed my mind. None of us could likely stand a chance against her in solo combat. And if Felix is her superior, he must be even more formidable. How many more like them are out there, and what would happen if they decided to come after all of us?
"Okay!" Arianna's smile returned as she shifted gears once again. "I'll take care of Davos now." She glanced over at Davos, still unconscious on the stone hand. "As for you," she continued, turning back to us, "our paths are bound to cross again. Depending on the choices you make about this island's future, I might not be on your side the next time we meet."
We looked at each other, our eyes reflecting the exhaustion we felt. Without words, we all acknowledged the reprieve Arianna had given us, however temporary it might be.
Breaking the silence, I managed to muster a hoarse voice, "We're grateful for your help." I swallowed, feeling the dryness in my throat. "Without you, Davos would definitely be three times stronger right now."
Arianna gave a small nod, then, with a hint of unexpected lightness, she said, "Oh! And when you see Cristofer, say hi for me!" With that, she turned her attention back to Davos. As I watched her, a thought struck me. She knew about Cristofer's group, even when they've been hidden, and now she tells me to say hi to him on her behalf. Could it be possible that she was once part of his original group?
Lucía stood there for a moment, visibly shaken. After a deep breath, she spoke with a tremor in her voice, "I need some time alone. I'll drive back by myself." Her hands were slightly trembling, betraying the calm demeanor she was trying to maintain.
Ivory, observing Lucía's state, showed a rare glimpse of empathy. "Take all the time you need," she said softly. Then, turning towards me, Ivory's expression shifted back to her typical resolve. "We should head back to the house," she stated firmly. "There's a lot we need to sort out, and we can't afford to waste any time."
I watched Lucía as she walked away under the storm, the somber shadow of yet another tragedy seemed to envelop her. The urge to go to her, to offer some comfort, was strong. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but the words felt hollow even in my thoughts. How could I offer reassurance when I didn't even believe it? Everything that has happened so far, she's been in the middle of it. I see now how formidable she truly is. Even in that moment of solitude, she looked stronger than all of us combined.
Ivory placed her hand firmly on my shoulder, and in an instant, we were back in her house, also our base of operations. The room, with its well-worn furniture and the smell of microwaved food, brought a sense of comfort to me. I felt a hundred times lighter, I didn't know how tense my body had been.
The rest of our crew was already here, doing their stuff, unaware that we had just teleported in. When they saw us, none of them got up at first but once they noticed our ripped clothes dripped in water with dirt all over our bodies and some blood on us, they quickly jumped towards us.
Ryan wasted no time; as soon as he saw me, he jumped over and wrapped me in a tight hug. Meanwhile, Fabian, with a worried frown creasing his forehead, approached us. Weirdly, his voice carried a mix of concern and urgency as he asked, "What happened?"
I was silent for a moment, processing everything that had happened and trying to put it into words. But so much happened in so little time, that I didn't even know where to begin.
"Did you manage to find Lucía?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah... And Davos." I replied solemnly.
Everybody, of course, was surprised at hearing the name 'Davos' and all started to talk at once, asking dozens of questions at the same time that I couldn't even make out one.
Ivory chimed in, "Guys, listen! We'll explain to you what happened, but give Ellion a second to gather his thoughts. As of now, everything has changed."
The silence was so heavy now in the room that I couldn't focus on my running mind. I still didn't know where to begin so I inhaled deeply and just started talking with whatever first came into mind, "Davos was the one behind it all, he killed the Senator and masqueraded as him. He also killed Arlo and..." My voice cracked as I thought about Mateos and how determined he looked to save all those protesters facing the police. I managed to hold it in and continued, "And Mateos. He killed Mateos in his cell. Absorbing his cells and power..."
I had my head down while I spoke, I didn't dare to look any of them in the eyes, especially Fabian, since he was the one who insisted on rescuing Mateos before something bad happened, but I didn't listen. I had failed as a leader.
Fabian came forward and strangely put his hands on my shoulders and said, "It's not your fault, there was nothing we could do. You were right before, if we did break him out, we would be in an all-out civil war right now." This was extremely out of character of him, but his words did calm the rattling turmoil of guilt I felt inside. "Then, what happened?" Fabian asked, eager to know more.
"Well, we fought him and he was insanely strong. We were about to lose when suddenly..." I was about to mention Arianna from the Cell Seekers came to save us, but I didn't know if this would scare the group more than they probably already were. I looked at Ivory as I paused, and she understood my hesitation.
Then, Ivory interjected "The Cell Seekers saved us, well, one of them to be precise. Arianna is her name, and she used her powers to stop Davos. She then proceeded to take him as a prisoner. But before she left, she gave us a warning, that if we continue the path we are on, they will eventually come for us too."
This was it, the group would definitely disband after this revelation. Powerful special USC officers with Clemons Cells abilities, like ourselves, chasing us. The death of a comrade by another Clemons cell user, and the fact that all of this, if it goes wrong will mean either being in a special jail cell by the Cell Seekers for life, or death. None were viable options for the group. No one in the right mind would continue on this path.
"Seems like we have our job cut out for us. We got to train more to be stronger, to defend ourselves against the Cell Seekers and whoever tries to go against us in the future." Ryan said with a confident voice, as Alexander got closer and embraced me. Like always, this group seemed to amaze me, whenever I think we are done for, they always know what to say and continue with their head held high.
"Next time, we'll all be there to defend each other. They'll be no match against us together." Charles said with a smirk on his lips.
I couldn't believe it, they still had hope. A tear ran down my cheek, as I tried to hide it away, Braden came from the kitchen with shot glasses and said, "A toast, for Mateos." As the others grabbed the glasses, he continued, "You might've been only with us for a little while, but at that time, you opened the door for us, for the revolution. It was thanks to Mateos that we are now known on the island, and made the government shake on their feet. Braver than any of us. We will always remember that it was Mateos, who ignited the first spark of The Sunspears." Braden then raised his glass and everyone followed suit, in a unified gesture of remembrance. "To Mateos." we echoed together, our voices mingling in a chorus of tribute. It was simple, yet the air was heavy as we stood in remembrance of our fallen comrade.
I stepped into the living room, I noticed inflatable beds and an array of sheets scattered across the floor. It was clear that everyone had come together here to ride out the storm. "Come, join us on the floor. You can relax now." Alexander suggested, shifting over to make room for me.
Although the invitation was tempting, something else was calling to me. The sound of the storm raging outside tugged at my senses. I needed a moment of solitude to calm my head, and I knew just how to find it. As everyone began to settle down in the living room, I quietly made my way to the sliding glass door leading to the backyard.
Stepping outside, I found shelter under a small overhang. It wasn't completely protective, but it was just enough to let me feel and hear the storm while staying relatively dry. Standing there, with the storm's rage enveloping me, I felt a sense of peace as it drowned out the storm in my thoughts.
END OF: REVOLUTIONARY INSURGENCY ACT