Fire and Ice Ch. 05

"Mythril and Ember, what a pair you make. I seem to recall sending you, Mythril, to capture young miss Kendra. Instead, you fled, taking her with you. Then I send your brother for you both, and she seems to have turned him as well. Never underestimate the power of the pussy, huh?" Scott narrowed his eyes and began to concentrate.

Up on the metal tower, Dr. Mishkael Kentworth tapped at the side of his face. "Your temper seemed to have gotten the best of you last time we met, Scott. Last I remember, you told me how much you thought of me, and how sorry you were for your heinous actions, and as I recall, I let you go after a mere three months solitary work duty."

"Your face seems to have healed up real good there, Kentworth. Last I remember I was grovelling at your feet, begging for your forgiveness for turning you into Janus. How strange is it how life turns around on you, eh? But you shouldn't go tormenting people and calling them names. Its not nice."

There was a creak of metal that was all the warning Kentworth would ever get, besides Scott's smile.

The ice stalactite forming on the roof broke away, and slammed down onto the haughty doctor's shoulder blades, skewering him and driving him through the stairwell with a screech of protesting metal.

The guards began to look around nervously, and Marrack smiled as Kendra let loose a massive blast of heat down through the guards in front of her.

As the screams rose, Marrack threw Jakkurlnalazz into the air and his voice thundered into the courtyard. "Lek marrackna aktu-klal!" Jakkurlnalazz screeched in triumph and exploded, his form shimmering and crackling as it expanded rapidly under the bright, harsh lights.

As his skin settled, the demon stood at a height of about sixty feet. His shoulders were pressed against the roof of the courtyard, and his mouth was drooling.

He grinned down at the guards beneath him and flexed his shoulders, showering those beneath him with plaster and metal girders as his head burst through the ceiling. Rock began to fall, and Kendra gave a yell and scrambled for cover.

Scott screamed her name, and suddenly she was covered in ice. She felt the shield crack and squeak as rocks pounded in to it. A crack appeared above her, and she could see the rocks would pound through easily in a moment or two.

The pyrokinetic rolled over and concentrated, blasting her fire upwards until even the molten rock was burnt into gas. The thick, heavy smoke gave them cover, and Scott scrambled to her side, his head bleeding from a shard of sharp stone.

Marrack joined them and held his staff above their heads. His knees buckled as a massive slab crashed into them, but the staff's magic split the stone and halted its momentum. "What the fuck are we waiting for, an engraved invitation?"

Scott shook his head and held his hands up, trying to form another protective ice shield. It formed slowly, but held, at least for the moment.

"The others. We've got to find the others. Where did your little pet say there were?" Marrack shook his head as he lowered his staff and turned, looking for a way out. The ice around them gave the entire courtyard an eerie blue view.

All around them, the guards were either scrambling for cover or dead. Virtually no one was watching or caring about the three renegades.

"He didn't. He said he couldn't find two, and that the rest were dead. They've been moved or killed off, brother. It's over. We came in here to release them and take the Centre down."

"Jakkurlnalazz's kinda enjoying the minutes he has left up here and destroying the Centre for us. We should go. Even if I can get him back under control, I need to be somewhere safe for at least forty seconds. Otherwise, we're fucked all over again."

Kendra nodded and reached out, touching Marrack's shoulder with her fingertips. "You alright?" He looked down at his shoulder, a bullet hole through his arcane robes. Grunting, he twisted and offered her his shoulder.

She leant in closer and looked, then gave him a grin. "Went through. Couple of more inches you would have been dead." Marrack grinned and straightened, pointing with the tip of his staff.

"There's a line there, but I'd rather celebrate somewhere else." Scott frowned and reached up, trying to stem the steady flow of blood from his temple.

He was beginning to feel light-headed. He looked where his brother was pointing, a small doorway marked exit. The hilarity of the situation, of everyone running but no one getting anywhere brought a smile to his face.

"Let's get out of here, then, find a place to get you settled, so you can banish him." Kendra and Marrack nodded, and moved out to make their way.

Scott threw ice shard after ice shard and covered their retreat, and then suddenly they were inside the dark hallways once more. The way was blinding, twists and turns until none of them could figure out where they were.

Kendra turned a corner and smashed through a closed door, oily flames licking outwards as the wood exploded, and they were in daylight. The trio blinked as their eyes stung from the bright light, and Marrack rolled his shoulders.

He slammed his staff into the ground, and sat down, cross-legged, and began to chant quietly, though his chest still heaved from the run.

Kendra led Scott down the path a ways, where they left Marrack to his arcane murmurs, and sat down on a rock. They looked up, and saw a beautiful patio, looking down the valley below them. The neo-modern style suited the Centre perfectly, and there was a small fountain on the floor of the balcony.

There were several explosions from deep within the Centre, and an inhuman scream of rage and frustration. There was quiet for several seconds, and then more and more explosions rocked the foundations. The hills echoed with the demon's rage, and Kendra sighed.

"He must have gotten into the generators and the fuel tanks. Destructive fellow, your brother's pet." Scott nodded and took a breath. He looked up at the balcony and frowned, then jerked back as a bullet tore into his chest.

Kendra screamed and lurched over her husband's body, trying to drag him into the cover of the trees, but her scream ended in a coughed gurgle as she felt a sledgehammer blow slam into her back.

She twisted awkwardly, and cradled Scott's chin her hand, but his blank eyes didn't stare back into hers. He held her to him, and blinked, trying to focus.

"Con...consequence...consequen..." Kendra nodded and shook him, trying to keep him away, but slowly, ever so slowly, she understood his blank stare. His chest stopped moving, and slowly, the blue faded from the lustre it once held.

Kendra coughed again and felt pressure building in her stomach, but twisted around and stared back at the balcony. Dr. Helen Gillette smirked over the seemingly enourmous barrel of the pistol in her hand.

Kendra coughed again and tasted blood, but her eyes never left the balcony. Gillette looked down at the pair and shook her head amusedly. She'd seen Kentworth's rambling speech on the monitor, and wouldn't make the same mistake.

She thumbed back the hammer on the gun, and Kendra screamed in rage and the air warped in front of the balcony. Gillette frowned, and cursed as realisation dawned, diving for cover as an incredible explosion of fire rocketed towards the balcony, enveloping it in flames.

The onslaught continued for several moments, until Kendra fell back, exhausted. She coughed again and felt the wet copper of her blood coat her chin and chest.

She lay still for several heartbeats, feeling the pressure building up inside her chest and stomach. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and tried to sit up, but she couldn't.

Gillette dragged herself up to the balcony railing, and shook herself. Burnt remnants of skin flaked off, and she stumbled, slamming into the railing again. She was badly burnt, the remains of her hair a shining wax on her forehead.

Her hand shook as she tried to point the gun, but could barely lift it. Kendra moaned and tried to sit up, but had no strength, none at all. She merely lay slumped back against the rock beneath her and the body of her lover beside her.

Gillette began to laugh and rested the barrel on the twisted metal railing. Her right eye was a memory, and her features were flushed pink and crisped. Her left eye was filled with hate, and staring down at the creatures that had brought the Centre down to rubble. Kendra watched as Gillette thumbed back the hammer again. She had no energy left.

Kendra watched as the charred body gave a jerk, and Gillette's good eye opened wide, and her lipless face stretched wide in pain and surprise.

She stared down at the burst mess of her chest, and gasped, trying to regain the breath seeping out of the gaping hole in her chest. Marrack wrenched his staff out of her back with a grunt, and Gillette twisted in pain as the point drew out of her.

She tilted to the side as she spun, and a dry crack brought a shudder of pain from her as her hip collapsed, and her soundless scream sent shivers down Kendra's spine. Marrack stood, watching her impassively.

She tried to raise the gun, but the hand cannon was too heavy, too solid, and it hit the floor with a thud. Marrack bent down to look at it, and then threw it over the balcony, a cold smile on his face.

Gillette raised her hands to him, and Marrack's smile twisted into a derogatory smirk. He leant forwards, almost within reach of her. "At least you were a decent fuck."

Gillette's eye bulged in its socket as Marrack leant back and kicked, slamming his foot into her chest. Her charred, bloody corpse tumbled over the railing and landed with a thud.

Marrack leapt over the balcony and walked to where Kendra lay. His eyes moved over Scott's form, and then met her eyes. Wet with tears, she reached up for him. He hesitated, then sank down beside her. "Scott..." Marrack contemplated the truth, then made a show of leaning past her. He leant back, a false smile on his face.

"He's just unconscious. He'll be fine." Kendra shook her head, appreciating the lie none the less. Her hand gripped his coat and pulled him closer. Her breath was a whisper against his cheek, and the summoner quieted his breathing.

"Scott loved...you. You...you're...family." Marrack looked away, but Kendra grunted and her grip tightened. "You have to care...Consequence." Marrack looked around them and shook his head, not understanding. He took a breath, but Kendra coughed again, and vomited blood. Marrack closed his mouth and shushed her, but she angrily shook him.

"Consequence...is...our...daughter..." Marrack sagged back, staring in shock at her. "Two years...marriage...beautiful daughter. She's your family..." Kendra slumped back against the rock, her hand falling limply to her stomach. Marrack shook his head and tried to rouse her.

"Fuck, where, Kendra? Where do I find her? What do I do with her?" Kendra swallowed and coughed again, her eyes beginning to lose their light. She searched for her husband's cold hand, and gripped it reassuringly.

"Phoenix. St Helen of... the Lost ...Orphanage. Teach her to be true. Teach her to be real." Marrack stared at the woman who had just changed his life. His head slowly shook, and he remembered with a gasp that he had to breathe.

"I'm no father, Kendra. I'm not. I'm barely human. What do I know about fatherhood?" But he was alone on the mountainside. Off in the west, the sun was setting. The moon was already high in the night sky, and the valley was bathed in orange light.

Marrack held his head in his hands and felt something alien. His tears fell slowly down his cheeks.

Six weeks later

A dark figure moved among the ruins of the once grand Centre. The figure was clearly a woman, her swaying hips and coat tight against her chest made that obvious. She knelt down in the ash and mud, and slowly pushed back her hood.

Lotus looked around at the destruction caused by the Centre's arrogance and meddling. She slowly opened her jacket, revealing her bare chest.

On her right breast was a black, curving dragon tattoo, but you could barely see it for all the veins. Once, a demon had bitten her there, the creature's venom working its way through her system, until her lust was like the need to breathe. Marrack had controlled the beast, and he had promised to relieve her lust if she did what he asked.

She had done so, and now, Marrack was dead, dropped off the face of the earth. There was so much blood and destruction, it was impossible for her to imagine he'd survived it.

Distractedly, she began to play with herself, feeling her blood heat again in the rain. She looked up into the storming night sky and began to ride her hand as she sat in the mud and filth.

Nearly three thousand miles away, Marrack paced in a dark, open hallway. He was surrounded with nuns, something he would have at one time thought hilarious company to keep, but today was different.

He was nervous, and terrified, until at last he saw the sole reason for his discomfort. A large nun with a tender expression carried a small bundle of clothing in her arms.

Marrack straightened, almost at attention. His thin, vain beard was gone, and he was dressed in jeans, boots, a shirt and jacket. He'd foregone the tie, it not being Armageddon and all. His strange eyes were covered by his glasses, even in the dim light of the hall.

The nun moved up to him, smiling encourageingly. His hands began to shake as he took the weight of the babe in his arms. He was surprised at the size of the child, but had no idea what to do.

He looked at the nun in front of him, who tickled the tiny girl, who laughed in turn. The little girl reached up and took hold of his glasses off his nose, and began to wave them at him, laughing. The corner of his mouth edged up, and the nun smiled.

"Introduce yourself." Marrack swallowed, trying to wet his throat, and his colorless eyes slid into the electric blue of his brothers. The girl's skin was a chocolatey olive, a dark tan, and he smiled.

He brought his face close to his niece and smiled. "Hello Consequence. I'm your uncle. I'm your family." The blue eyes smiled at him.

The End.

*

(Thank you to everyone who has followed these characters and given death threats to ensure they keep being written about – {those were most helpful} and I hope everyone is pleased and understanding about this last instalment. Thank you all for your support, it means the world. I'm thinking of running along with a Marrack only storyline, let me know if you think you'd like it. Thanks again, Darlantan.)