ASBO-Boy - A Vue to Kill: Part 3

“Wait!” Arc-Light screamed as Vue threw punch after punch at her. She daren’t use a shock blast in case she hurt him. “I need to speak with you.”

“Squeeze! Where are you?” She cried out once more in between dodges. The drip seemed to have sauntered off somewhere. She felt herself getting more and more angry.

“Not interested,” Vue barked back as a punch swung past her head. In a moment of fury her self-control slip and she let loose with a wave of energy. The pins and needles in her hands tickled and she felt herself rise into the air. As Vue reappeared somewhere else she saw him get knocked back. She wasted no time gripping him by the collar.

“Seraph’s sister says hi, you little toe-rag.” She couldn’t resist knocking him out once and for all, but this time with her fist. There came an ominous roll of thunder and it didn’t come from her; she looked up to see the ground below her give way in a geyser of rock and dust, sucking everyone in the vicinity down into the ground. She caught a glimpse of Squeeze being held by a tower of flame, then they both seemed to vanish.

Their time was nearly up, she could already feel the beginning of radiation sickness sweeping over her. She couldn’t see any of the team. Time to make a decision. Grimly she picked Vue up and slung him over her shoulder.

**

“Squeeze! Malady!” Bark shouted in the darkness, he was beginning to cough with all the dust. The light from the helicopter swung through the gloom but it was impossible to see – the dust was as thick as fog. His mind began to race with all the thoughts of radioactive particles going into his lungs.

“Siren! Siren! Elixir! Beacon!” Someone was screaming in the fog. Bark thickened his skin and felt himself grow larger than he’d ever been before. Branches were beginning to poke through the skin-suit.

He couldn’t tell how far it was away but he could see a glow approaching. Bark felt the heat as the walking blaze became clearer – it was one of the Elementals. They froze as they spotted each other.

“What have you done?” Bark shouted.

“Nothing!” The walking flame returned. Bark felt a strange stand-off developing. Both of them were searching for their friends, but could he fight the urge to use the opportunity to strike down one of the Elementals? He remembered the hatred Squeeze packed into his rants about the Hounds and their sympathisers, the Elementals were one step worse. It looked like something similar had occurred to the walking flame.

“Stay away from me!” The Elemental shouted as he slipped back into the foggy dust. Bark didn’t need telling twice and drifted off on his own path through the newly turned mountain of rubble.

**

The helicopters were out in earnest sweeping the city that night. Arc-Light stumbled through the back streets of town past all the guards and used her old tricks to get through the gates. By shorting out the lights and creating a small degree of havoc she managed to divert their attention while she lugged Vue past them undetected.

It felt like hours, but eventually the alleys led her up parallel with Walter Road and St Helens into the Uplands and the house on Park Avenue. As discreetly as possible she managed to get into the back of the house and down into the basement where the others were gathered, waiting for their return.

Gwen was the first to rise when she heard the noise as Arc-Light descended the chairs. Adrenalin had powered through her exhaustion so she barely noticed as they bombarded her with questions. After several lucid minutes where the world swam around her, Gwen materialised before her like a vision in a dream.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“We got split up. I managed to get Vue out – but the others, I don’t know.” She barely registered the gasps and cries from the assembled. All she could see was Gwen’s face.

“You did well. Now sleep.” She whispered. Arc-Light felt herself slipping into the darkness. In her furtive, broken slumber she heard voices around her.

She needs to go to hospital –

What about the others? What about Malady? She’s only twelve –

We have Vue – that’s all that matters –

We’ll find them – don’t worry –

How is one boy worth all of the others? How can you be so cruel?

Because Vue might have the key to the cure – they’d all be saved –

What if they don’t want to be saved?

They won’t have a choice. No one deserves to live in a world with creatures like Helix. I want my brother to walk out of that tomb alive.

I hope the risk is worth it.