Chapter 26: The Best Fight Scene in the Book (So Says Grease Monkey)
This chapter is dedicated to my amazing friend and writing consultant, Monique. Not only did she inspire the character in this book, but keeps me writing as well. All of her compliments and positive reinforcements do wonders, just like her advice. I definitely recommend checking out her page (@WritingGirl) as the only thing that matches her incredible personality is her writing. I'm sorry this chapter came so late, but happy belated birthday!
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Monique
Finally I get a chapter! Let it be known that Richie is a huge book hog. Regardless, I am, by far, a much more entertaining writer than my team.
So there I was, epically battling Harlequin, various tools on javelin (Zach was also there, but he's irrelevant). While he just aimlessly blasted holes in the wall (at least it seemed like that), I was busy constructing a makeshift EMP, hopefully to shock these maniacs to the stratosphere and back. For a short while, Harlequin disappeared; literally disappeared! Zach checked the destroyed stairwell, while I crept around the inside walls to see if she somehow snuck through. All of the sudden, she tackled me through one of Zach's craters. We struggled on the floor in a tangled mass. I ended up on the bottom, doing my best to keep her sharp nails out of my face.
"This is for the stasis room!" She screamed as she raised her claws in an attempt to scratch me. Before she even get close, Zach blasted her off of me, sending her sprawling across the room all the way to Jenna, Richie, and The Jester by the opposite wall's open windows. Zach pulled me up while wildly firing cover shots. On my way up, I saw Time Queen winding up to knock out a defenseless Mitchell. I grabbed a jagged rock and threw it at her, hoping to hit her in the arm. Let me tell you, I was more than happy when I did one better: I hit her square in the chest. She was knocked off balance, giving Mitchell enough time to scramble for his bat and give her a good whack.
"You okay?" Zach mindlessly asked.
I flashed him my famous are-you-kidding? look and he rolled his eyes in response; gotta love family. Harlequin came charging again, this time wielding a broken pipe. We dodged, but as Zach came up from his roll, he fired in Harlequin's direction, missed by an inch and exploded the wall behind her. Zach stared at me questionable as I watched in dismay at the fountain of water that resulted. Harlequin grinned with delight as the water slowly surrounded her, seemingly endless as it gushed from the wall. Richie was so mesmerized, if it hadn't been for Jenna, The Jester would've pulverized him with a heavy hit from her sledgehammer (which looks vaguely familiar).
Still, that didn't faze Harlequin who was totally engrossed in the giant undulating bubble that surrounded her. If not for Zach and his quick thinking, I'd be doused and flat on the floor. As Harlequin forced a geyser of water in our direction, Zach jumped in front of me, letting loose with his iGun. The blast held the funnel back, but Harlequin was relentless. Zach was doing incredible, but he clearly wasn't okay.
His face was scrunched with focus and and drenched, but not with water, with sweat. He looked at me with pain in his eyes. "Hurry!" he pleaded. "I can't hold this for much longer!"
I lit up with panic. There's no time to build something and with the bubble, I don't have a clear shot at Harlequin. Luckily, we engineers always find a fix.
"Richie!" I yelled. He threw a Baby Kindness over his shoulder, which The Jester sadly deflected. He didn't turn to me, but cocked his head to let me know he was paying attention. "Toss me Kindness!"
Luckily, the kid is smart enough to not ask questions. He threw a Baby Kindness my way, just hard enough so I could catch the hilt without being stabbed, and sprinted back into his fight with The Jester, down one weapon. I slid under Zach and Harlequin's dueling blasts. I caught a glimpse of Zach who was clearly about to collapse. He tried to say something, but the noise of the various battles of the room blocked it out, although I'm willing to bet it's something along the lines of "HURRY UP!". I pulled from my pockets two stray wires; before you question my habits, it is evidently handy to keep wires in one's pocket so don't argue with me.
I wrapped the wires around the blade and flicked Kindness's yellow button, sending lightning arcing up the blade. Before I executed the plan, I prayed to every deity in existence that I don't electrocute my friend.
Apparently they were listening because as I thrusted the knife into the stream, Zach saw what I was doing and dodged away from the geyser. Harlequin screamed as arcs of lightning jumped from the stream and throughout her protective bubble. Her shield dissipated and she crumpled to the floor, motionless.
Overcome with relief and joy, I turned to congratulate Zach on not being a total idiot, but to my dismay, he too lay on the floor, looking just as dead as Harlequin. I furiously sprinted at his motionless body, sliding next to his side. "Zach? Zach?!" I hurriedly pressed two fingered against his throat and practically wept with relief when I felt the pulse. I sat there for several minutes, which may not seem like a long time, but with the epic battle raging on behind me, it felt like forever. His iGun had shrunk back into its bracelet form, but was smoking. Zach's sleeves were torn and scorched, his arm red with burns. After several painstaking minutes, I finally heard Zach quietly groan. He didn't open his eyes or speak, but softly clutched my hand.
Once I collected myself from overwhelming joy, I carefully slid my arms below Zach's armpits. "Zach, I'm going to move you." I proceeded to half carry- half drag my friend to the corner of the room where he was less likely to get hurt. I rest him against the crook of the wall and ran back to the fight.
It wasn't going well: Brianna was slumped against a window, trying to defend Time Queen's strikes but was obviously exhausted; Mitchell was trying his best to protect her, but had run out of grenades and was now wielding the bottom half of a snapped steel coated slugger; Jenna looked fierce as always, but was struggling against Time Queen's influence; and doing worst of all, Richie, who was pinned to the center floor, struggled to hold the shaft of The Jester's sledgehammer above his head via the crook of Kindness's hilt.
The Jester noticed me standing alone in the center of the room.
"You children are absolutely infuriating, but I must compliment your work! This sledgehammer is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You do great work, Grease!"
Now I remember why that sledgehammer looks so familiar; I tricked it out for Headmistress in the event the Academy was attacked again! I didn't know Headmistress would use it to try and kill us. Oops.
Richie craned his neck to see me. Despite the struggle, he managed to get out a sarcastic comment, "Really Grease?! Did you trick this one out too?!"
I shrugged nonchalantly in response. What can I say? Mama loves her toys.
Sadly, Richie's sarcasm jogged The Jester's memory that I did indeed trick it out, and it isn't going to help us in the slightest. She shrieked with delight at her sudden enlightenment and flicked a hidden switch on the hammer's shaft. The end facing Richie opened and left him barely enough time to turn away from the wall of flames that charred the ground next to him.
"Grease!" he screamed, panic evident in his voice.
I scooped up the still electrified Baby Kindness and pitched it at The Jester. It turns out I'm incredibly lucky because even though I miss The Jester by a mile, it pierced Time Queen arm, causing her to lose control. Mitchell knocked Time Queen upside the head, while Jenna, now free from Time Queen's power, sprinted across the room, stuck her lacrosse net over The Jester's face, and pulled her off of Richie.
Jenna and The Jester were furiously going at it. I tried to find something to help, but all there was were debris. I pitched rocks at The Jester, but my aim was terrible. More often, I'd get closer to hitting Jenna.
Finally, I decided to give up on the long range and move in. However, my last throw accidentally hit Jenna in the head, stunning her. The Jester shoved her backwards with the front of her sledgehammer, throwing Jenna against the wall where she slid to the floor, unconscious.
I ran to Richie, who was now on his side and struggling to get up. In the meantime, The Jester dragged Jenna's limp body from the wall into the center of the room.
She stood over her, relishing the moment. "You children are so naive. We've come across one another before. It is your fate to join me!"
"What are you talking about! We don't-" I furiously exclaimed.
The Jester quickly interjected, "A fair once came through each of your home towns. I recall the children happily clapping as my friends and I performed. I saw each and every one of you at these fairs and something told me you children were special. So, I slipped a prototype into your cotton candy, popcorn, or elephant ears, it really didn't matter. And look at you children now; I was correct. Sadly, the prototype was merely that. It didn't take full effect. But now, I have the complete serum!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial of dark green liquid.
Suddenly, Jenna jumped from The Jester grip and knocked the serum from her hand. It rolled away next to an open window.
The Jester raised her hammer over her head and Jenna braced for the impact. "Enough!" she screamed. Before I could stop him, Richie summoned his left over strength and sprinted at Jenna. He grabbed her hand and threw her aside, leaving him in front of The Jester. She brought down her sledgehammer, missed Richie, but cracked the floor where the stood. I watched as the floor began to sink and before I knew it, I was on my feet. The floor caved in, creating a crater in the second floor. Cement, The Jester, and Richie tumbled into the low light of the lobby. I slid to the edge and stretch my arm. I locked onto Richie's arm and tried to pull him up, but I felt myself slipping too. I looked around, but everyone was out: Zach and Astrid passed out at different ends of the floor, Time Queen and Harlequin weakly struggling to rise, and Jenna lay just outside the radius of the crater on her back, immobile.
I slid further and further into the hole until I finally fell in. For a few seconds, I went airborne, but I grabbed a steel rod that jutted from a loose piece of concrete in the floor. Richie looked up at me with pain in his eyes.
"Let go!" he pleaded. "I'm dragging you down!"
I shook my head no in response. I was terrified that if I said another word, I'd lose my grip and we'd fall. My hands grew numb with agony, so much in fact that I couldn't feel that grooves in the steel digging into my skin.
I felt Richie trying to wiggle from my grasp; I guess hoping I wouldn't fall too. Before he could, my hand slipped from the rod and we plummeted into through the hole.