ASBO-Boy - The Battle of Dyfatty, Part Three

"Understand this, you aren't getting what you want and you aren't going to kill these people," Helix said, commanding the room despite the fact that he was a foot shorter than the terrorists. With a wave of his hand their weapons faded away to atomic dust. The terrorists flinched away from him. "These situations follow a pattern. Hostages are taken, demands are made and invariably we step in and those responsible are never heard of again. You will walk out of this in one of two ways. Either dead or on your way to prison."

Vue felt his chest swell. Comfortable in the knowledge that the sitaution was in hand, he stood up. "Having said that," Helix continued, looking uncomfortable, "I am prepared to listen to you."

Vue shot a look at Helix. It was ignored. In a breath, Vue was gone and standing outside, near the concrete barrier. The others skipped over to join him, their faces concerned.

"What's he doing?" Physic demanded.

"He's listening to them."

"What?" Core asked, rubbing his arm.

"He's listening to what they have to say." Vue said, "He gave them the spiel he normally gives them, the scary one about no compromises, then he said he'd listen."

"I suppose he had to start making his own decisions some day." Core muttered.

"What do you mean?" Vue asked, his voice sharp. Her hand dropped from his arm.

"Well, Dr Euryale is always filling our heads with his way of seeing the world. They're so close. You can't be that close to someone and not question their beliefs." Core replied, looking at her feet. Vue started reading a million things into her words at once. Could she possibly be talking about them?

"Dr Euryale is right, though. There is nothing to question." Physic stated. "There is nothing else."

Core shrugged, clearly with more to say but biting her tongue. Vue couldn't deal with her and this at once so he decided to flash back to the flat and listen to the terrorists.

"I don't believe you." Helix was stating, his arms folded across his chest. The hostages had fled and the terrorists were standing in a half circle near him. They barely flinched when Vue appeared.

"Okay," the cynical terrorist said, pointing at Vue, "Take him for example. How do you explain how he can instantaneously jump from one place to another?"

"Evolution." Helix replied without thinking.

"Really? Do you know how evolution works? It's a slow process-"

"With big leaps here and there." Helix said emphatically. He knew this argument backwards. The Elementals were that big leap. A generation of children born with miraculous abilities. The next stage in the evolution of humanity. There would be others.

"I'd call being able to dissolve atoms a pretty unbelievable leap – wouldn't you?" The terrorist countered. "All we're saying is, open the locked door in the basement and tell us what you think of what's inside."

"What's inside – how do you know?" Helix demanded.

"We don't. There could be nothing. We suspect there's something pretty big down there." The terrorist replied quietly.

"This is ridiculous," Vue muttered, "Let's just take them in."

"Show me." Helix said, walking out of the door towards the stairs.

Vue didn't know what to think, he was torn between grabbing Helix and shaking him or going along with him. Both options were daunting. Helix, despite being their friend, was something else. He wasn't just an Elemental. The very definition of what it meant to be human had been rewritten with the genesis of Helix. His ability to unwrap the atom and put it back together was mind-boggling. The best Vue could do was jump around. Euryale kept him close, closer than the others; so to see him considering what the terrorists were saying was unsettling.

Vue dashed out of the door and rounded on Helix before he could walk down the steps. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because…" Helix considered, his face drawn with tension, "Because every fibre of my being is telling me not to."

Helix nudged past him and carried on down the stairs towards the basement. The terrorists followed behind, keeping their distance. When they were below ground, they found themselves in a long, bear store room. At the end was a door that looked as if it was trying to blend in. Why would there be a reinforced steel door in the basement of a block of flats? Vue had to admit that the room smelled stale and strange, it was clear that no one came down here.

Helix was shaking as he approached the door and put his hand against it. "There's no handle…" he muttered. Vue almost smiled – maybe they'd have to go back… but of course, this was Helix. Doors meant nothing to him.

"It's almost as if I was meant to open it," Helix said, his voice distant. The metal beneath his hand began to shimmer and fade away, tinkling into the ether with the tinkling of bells.