The fight outside had calmed down. There’d been a rumbling, then what sounded like a gunshot, followed by silence. Inside the bomb room, panting and coughing broke the stillness.
“You held out far longer than I thought you would,” Imani said, catching her breath.
Maren leaned against a bomb pile at the far edge of the room, panting. A sliver of sweat descended her cheek. Good. She could complete the plan and not kill herself in the process.
“So I’ll give you this chance,” Imani said, stepping aside. “Get your boyfriend and run away. If you leave the traitor and don’t bother us again, Asaka and Dearil won’t hunt you.”
It was like her tongue scraped against sand within her mouth, her skin drying to the point of flaking, as she reached for all the water she’d seeped throughout the bombs.
“Why would you spare us?” Maren said.
“We both know the only way you survive this is by running away.” Imani’s stare was meaningful. “You look like someone used to doing that. I get it. So I thought I’d show mercy.”
“Bullshit.”
“You’re not bad people. Just... misguided. I don’t want to kill you.”
“Guess that’s good. I don’t wanna die.”
“So, what do you say?”
Nothing. Maren stared as if she didn’t trust Imani, but took a step forward, then another. Maren walked past Imani, who miraculously didn’t turn her ice on Maren. It appeared that, if Maren wanted to, the Cailleach would actually let Maren go.
Too bad for the terrorist, Maren had more to worry about than her own life.
Twisting, Maren sent streams so fast at Imani she didn’t have time to freeze them. None sailed through the terrorist’s skin, as Maren saved the bulk of her energy for what was to come.
Yelling, Imani began freezing Maren’s water.
Now!
Reaching into the very depths of her strength, Maren expanded the water she’d placed beneath the bomb stacks, and blasted them upwards in key places. Bombs tumbled throughout the room as Maren adjusted her aim, soaking the explosives and forcing water within them.
Dozens of ice chunks surrounded Imani. “Wrong choice.”
Maren bolted down the room. A whistling from behind grew louder. Maren ducked, letting two chunks sail by her, but a third smacked her in the small of the back, knocking her off balance. Maren twisted, whipping erratic water tendrils at Imani, which froze more than ten feet away from the terrorist. Imani, her ice in tow, ran after Maren.
Perfect. Maren rose then darted down the room. Now follow me on this merry chase!
“Flame Wheel!”
Mav brought the fire to his left palm, which he held in front of him, then whirled it around so it appeared a circle of fire floated before him. JJ, the tips of his first three fingers on each hand touching, settled behind Mav. A moment later, a large gust flowed around Mav’s back and shot the fire forward.
The flames expelled faster than Mav’s normal strength and at a higher potency than he could presently produce. The fire swirled within the wind, reaching for Dearil. The Time Lord ran to the side, but Mav adjusted his aim to follow Dearil’s path. JJ continued shuffling so his winds were at Mav’s back. The twirling fire and wind combo would have struck Dearil, had he not used the boulder as cover.
“With me,” Mav said.
He spread his arms wide, hopping to the side. Weaver Form 6: Side Gust, was all about agility and ferocity. Mav would apply pressure, while JJ’s support would increase both Mav’s speed and firepower. In short, Mav was the bullet, JJ the gunpowder.
Dearil was approaching Asaka, who stood beneath the walkway, holding his head.
“Burning Floor!”
Mav spread the fire at his feet. JJ’s winds blasted them forward, encroaching on Asaka and Dearil as if they were trees in a sudden forest fire. Dearil grabbed Asaka, threw him over his shoulder, then – strangely – ran toward the encroaching fire.
“More power!” Mav roared.
As the gusts expanded, blasting Mav’s fire onward and upward, Dearil shot into the air, clearing the fire by at least ten feet.
“Can your winds go that high?” Mav asked.
JJ took a huge breath. “They have to, right?”
“My man.” Mav raised his palms skyward. “Heavenly Swarm!”
The fires reached from Mav’s fingertips, forming ten separate lines which JJ’s winds increased and guided. Asaka and Dearil zipped to the side, avoiding the first strike. Then they flung themselves downward to evade the next.
“Keep with it!” Mav said, glaring at Asaka, still strung over Dearil’s shoulder. “We’ve almost got them!”
Asaka was already so close to being lost in the ether. A few more pushes would surely send him away. After that, Dearil would be easy to kill.
“Do you really think,” Asaka roared as they flew around, narrowly dodging the constant barrage of whipping flames, “that you’re the only one who can give more than they have?”
Asaka and Dearil stopped over the reformed chunk of ceiling, about thirty feet up. Then, they dropped.
“Faster, JJ!” Mav yelled.
The winds extended Mav’s fire, but not quickly enough. Dearil reached the top of the boulder, Asaka screaming and throwing his arms to the side. Large cracks sounded as the boulder ripped into many pieces larger than cars which flung toward the walls.
And Mav and JJ were directly in one’s path.