Chapter Nineteen

 

Chapter Nineteen

Hanna wasn’t sure how long she was asleep or how long she had been in the plexiglass cage, only that it was still dark when she woke up. She stretched and yawned, muscles sore and body stiff. Taking out the flashlight, she waved it around to check her surroundings. There were no guards outside her cage, not anywhere obvious anyway. She looked down through the row of clear, plexiglass cubes. All empty. It was then she noticed a tray in the opposite corner of her own cage. How it got there, she had no idea. She made her way over to the tray and inspected the objects sitting on it. A few bottles of water, a couple sports drinks, individual boxes of cereal, granola bars, a bowl of fruit, and a few other shelf-stable snack options. There was also a small white box with a red bow sitting on the tray. The first thing Hanna did was check the seals on the food and water before proceeding to chug her way through two of the three water bottles on the platter. She munched on a granola bar, staring at the little box. She had half a mind to throw it against the wall without even opening it. But it did look pretty. 

Hanna ignored it and stood up to think. Come on, think of something. You practically built this cage yourself. Doesn't matter how he figured it out, I can still get out of here. Think. Hanna paced the cage. She started off running her hand along the walls as she walked. The more she thought, the faster she walked and the smaller her pacing circle got. She stopped in the middle of the cage, tapping her foot in irritation. Think. Think. Think. Tap. Tap. Tap. Hanna pulled out her phone. Dead. She put the phone away and ran both hands down her face. She took a breath to calm her nerves. “How’d I fall for such a pathetic trap?” she muttered to herself. She went back to the tray and sat next to it, grabbing another granola bar. The red bow on the little box caught her eye. So pretty… She stared at it the whole time she ate. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hanna reached over and picked up the little box. Taking the lid off, Hanna found a phone inside. She tilted her head and looked at it dubiously. She stared at the phone for a few moments before reluctantly taking it and setting the box aside. The phone was at full charge and already connected to the wireless network. “Well, at least it’s got internet down here,” she mumbled. She debated whether or not to access her email accounts on the enemy’s network, but ultimately decided against it. 

The screen lit up as the phone rang, startling Hanna into dropping the phone. It hit the ground with a bounce, but kept ringing. Hanna grabbed the phone and answered it. “...hello?” 

EDJ’s voice greeted her. “Enjoying the gift, dear?” 

“Pfft, no,” Hanna said quickly. “Of course not. I’m… borrowing your resources. Speaking of which, you need better internet.” 

“Are you having connectivity issues? Join the club.” EDJ’s voice taunted. “How are you liking your accommodations? Is it lonesome enough for you in that dark, silent hole?” 

“Quite,” Hanna replied defiantly. “The dark doesn’t scare me. I thrive in it. And I was enjoying the silence until you called.”

“Ah, forgive me,” EDJ said with a short laugh. “I thought I might rescue you from the boredom.” 

“Rescue?!” Hanna echoed in disbelief. She pulled the phone away and gawked at it for a second before resuming the conversation. “You’re the one that trapped me in here to begin with, you dingbat!” She could hear him laughing hysterically on the other end. It took a moment for the laughter to settle down enough for Hanna to get a word in and, by that point, she was angry. “I might be locked in a castle, but I’m not a princess. I don’t need rescuing. Least of all from someone like you.” 

EDJ chortled before he spoke. “I admit, I’m no white knight, but I can still be charming when the situation calls for it.” 

“And I’m supposed to believe this is you being charming now?” Hanna asked, still miffed at his audacity. 

“No, this is me being polite,” EDJ answered pleasantly. “You are my guest, after all.” 

“Prisoner,” Hanna corrected. 

“Oh, I was under the impression you walked into my castle of your own volition,” EDJ commented, absently spinning around in his big chair. 

“Yeah, because you almost destroyed everything,” Hanna said. “You threatened the world. You hurt my friends. You imprisoned me. All that I could almost forgive. But EDJ…” she paused. 

“Yes?” 

Hanna smirked. “Blackberry? Really?” 

“Make fun all you want,” EDJ replied. “You’re the one still trapped in the castle, princess.” Hanna frowned as he continued, “I’m only waiting for your will to break. After that, I might consider letting you go.” 

“Then I guess you’ll be waiting a long time,” Hanna said. “This cage will break before my will does.” 

“So confident.” EDJ chuckled again. “You’ll break. They always do.” 

Hanna blinked. “They? They who?” 

“The oth-” EDJ stopped himself and paused in thought before continuing. “Wait. Did you do any research at all before coming here?” 

“No,” Hanna answered, not sure how that was relevant or what research he was talking about. 

“Do you… even know who I am?” he asked. 

“You’re DJ’s Evil Other,” Hanna answered, not really sure where the conversation was going. “What else is there to know?” 

“Oooh boy. One of us hasn’t done our homework and it shows.” EDJ tisked. “You really didn’t bother figuring out anything else before trying to confront me?” he asked. 

“No,” Hanna repeated.  

“The string of missing people in this area over the last few years hasn't come up at all?” EDJ persisted. “And the missing heroes in the guild? That's not suspicious to you in any way?”

“For the last time, no,” Hanna answered, annoyed with the questions. “I’m not affiliated with the guild and I'm a little busy for other countries' problems.” 

“Well, there’s your first mistake,” EDJ muttered condescendingly. He paused. “Do you even know why I'm on all those wanted lists?”

“I don't care why,” Hanna answered, irritation seeping through every word. “My job is to bring you in regardless of what you've done.”

“Dear, ignorant, little princess… to know the enemy is to know yourself.” EDJ shook his head as he spoke. “The fact that you made it this far at all should say something to the stubbornness of mankind… Oh well, this should be fun.” 

“Are you going to let me out?” Hanna asked, not expecting a positive response, but figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask. 

“No,” EDJ responded. “Get used to the silence. I’m going to give you plenty of time to think. Call me when you want to renegotiate a proper surrender.” Once again, EDJ hung up on her. 

Hanna glared at the phone for a minute before putting it down. “I’m not going to surrender,” she muttered to herself. “I’m not going to break. I need to find a way out of here.” Hanna started pacing the cage again. 

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Hanna jumped up, drew her sword, and rushed toward EDJ, hitting the glass wall as hard as she could with her blade. It did nothing. She smacked her fist against the wall. EDJ placed his hands behind his back and strode up to the ledge in front of the cage, an evil smirk on his face. 

“What is this?!” Hanna demanded, seething with anger. 

“Ultra-reinforced plexiglass,” EDJ answered calmly with a smile. “It can’t be broken by even the strongest warrior, let alone a trapped little bird like you. It’s shatter-resistant, crack-resistant, bullet-resista-”

“I get the idea,” Hanna interrupted, fuming. “You tricked me.” 

“Tough luck,” EDJ said, tone indicating her predicament was her own fault. “You should’ve paid better attention to your surroundings.” 

Hanna growled and slammed her fist against the wall again. “This is suspiciously the same kind of cage I was planning to put crazy people like you in… How did you find out about it?” she asked, completely frustrated at the turn of events. 

EDJ tilted his head. “I talked to your friends, didn’t I mention that? Lui was particularly helpful.”

EDJ kept his tone lighthearted, but carefully watched Hanna’s reaction. 

“He… he told you?” Hanna asked, frustration melting into doubt. 

EDJ nodded. “Ah yes, I think I remember him mentioning something about a plexiglass cage when I tortur- er… I mean… interrogated him.” He smiled when Hanna’s eyes widened. 

“You hurt… and you threatened Lui?” Hanna asked, eyes turning to the side. “He didn’t tell me that…” she whispered. 

EDJ continued talking. “It’s amazing how persuasive threats against loved ones can be, you know. He sang like… well, like a canary. All I did was tell him that your life was in danger if he didn’t talk…” 

Hanna’s head snapped up to scowl at EDJ. “Monster,” she whispered before instantly raising her voice to shout at him. “How dare you use me against him?! As soon as I get out of this pathetic trap, you will pay for this! I can promise you that!”

EDJ grinned, happy to watch her fury from the opposite side of the glass. “Are you ready to wave that white flag yet?”

“Never!” Hanna flew back as far as the plexiglass box would allow and rushed forward to attack the wall again. Once. Twice. Three times.  

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” EDJ asked with a chuckle. “I was not expecting this much fire from a cryomancer.” 

“LET! ME! OUT!” Hanna shouted, smashing into the wall over and over again with the exact same results as she had the first time. The wall remained intact.

“What’s with all the screaming?” EDJ asked with a raised brow. He took a breath and raised his hands apologetically. “You know what? It’s been a long day. I can see you’re upset and not thinking clearly. I’m gonna leave you alone in the icebox to cool off for a bit. Okay?” 

Hanna stopped when she realized the cage was lowering into the floor. “EDJ!”

“It’s taking you to the dungeon,” EDJ quickly explained, watching the cage descend. “I’m going to have some of these nice guards meet you down there. You’ll be fine. This is for your own good. We’ll talk again when you can be civil.” He smiled and waved at her. As soon as the cage lowered far enough, the panels in the tile floor came back up and slid into place, covering the hole. EDJ’s smile dropped and he turned to head back to the control room. “Clean up this mess,” he commanded to the guards as he walked past the red on the floor. When he entered the control room, he looked around. The AV tech was nowhere to be seen, but he spotted the tech’s assistant. “Cassidy,” EDJ said, calling her over. “Where’s Chris?” he asked when she stepped forward. 

“Uh, I think he stepped outside,” she offered. 

EDJ nodded. “Go see if you can find him. The timing was off by five seconds.” 

“Ohhh, he… uh… he said he didn’t think anyone would notice,” Cassidy said with an awkward grimace. 

“I noticed.” EDJ frowned. “He’s not coming back, is he?” Cassidy shook her head. “Whatever. You’re the lead AV tech now. Enjoy your promotion.” He sent her away with a wave and plopped into his large chair. He leaned to the side, resting his chin on the back of his hand. Not really thinking about it, his fingers reached for the thin chain around his neck. He sat in thought, watching the screens. 

*************************************

It was dark on the way down to the dungeon level. Too dark for Hanna to see anything. Too difficult to tell how far down she was. The platform came to a stop the way an elevator does, with an uncomfortable lurch. Hanna waited. Movement, light, voices, anything. When nothing else happened, Hanna sheathed her sword and pulled out her flashlight. Shining the light through the glass walls, Hanna could tell she was in some sort of dungeon with similar plexiglass cubes. All the other cages were empty. Shining the light up, whatever hole in the ceiling this cage came through was already covered. Hanna huffed and sat with her back against the glass in the corner of the cage. She pulled out her phone, but was not surprised to see it had little reception and the battery was almost dead anyway. She thought about texting Lui, but then remembered EDJ still had Lui’s phone. Frowning, she put the phone away and realized she had something else in her pocket. Hanna pulled out a crumpled napkin and stared at it. She smoothed the crumples out until it regained its origami swan shape. Her shoulders sank the longer she stared at it. With a sigh, she put the swan back in her pocket. She turned off the flashlight, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rested her head on her knees. 

****************************************

-Hybrid Hero Project HQ; Ukraine; May 11th, 2009-

Mariah sat at the kitchen counter staring at her phone. “Anything from Hanna?” Kandi asked as she rolled out a ball of dough on the table. 

“No,” Mariah answered, putting the phone away with a frown. “Last I heard, she was going to Everest.” 

“Where’s that?” Kandi asked, rolling the dough into a large rectangle shape. 

“Another place far away from us,” Mariah said with a shrug. She folded her arms on the counter and buried her face into an elbow.

“Don’t worry,” Kandi said while brushing melted butter over the dough. “She’ll be okay. She always is.” 

Mariah lifted her head just enough to look over her arms. “One day, she won’t be.” 

“And that’s why she has us!” Kandi said cheerily, pink apron coated in flour. “Stop worrying! Either go help her or stay here, but quit moping about it!” 

Mariah blinked at her, fox ear twitching. “I guess you’re right.” She sat up and smiled. “I guess I should stop worrying. Hanna always comes back, even if it takes her a while.” Kandi nodded with a bright smile, sprinkling cinnamon sugar over the dough. “I guess I’ll go train then.” Mariah stood up, grabbing her bow and quiver from the seat next to her. She watched Kandi gently roll the dough into a log. “How long till those are done?” 

“Like, two more hours,” Kandi answered, carefully slicing the dough into rolls. “They have to rise again.” 

Mariah rolled her eyes as she walked away. “Baking is such a long process.” Kandi giggled in response. 

*************************************************

-Mysterious castle; Mount Everest; May 11th, 2009-

Lui stared up at the castle with big eyes. “Woooooaaaah.” He turned to DJ. “This castle is huge! Iul built this?!”

“Looks like it,” DJ answered, giving the open doors a suspicious glare from the rock they were crouched behind. The only sound was the wind. There were no guards and the doors were wide open. Everything in him screamed “trap”. He turned to see Lui staring back at the castle, mouth agape in amazement. “Let’s go.” DJ stood up and moved back the direction they came, away from the castle “We need to find another entrance.” 

“But the door’s open,” Lui said, pointing back. “Maybe it’s already been cleared.” 

“And maybe it’s Iul trying to be one step ahead of us,” DJ answered. “I’m not taking that risk. We find another way in.” Lui followed DJ away and around the castle. What exactly they were looking for, neither could say, only that they would know it when they saw it. “Get down!” DJ suddenly dropped into the snow with Lui close behind. They sat still for a few seconds before DJ raised his head. 

“What is it?” Lui whispered, lying two feet back from DJ in the snow. 

“Guards,” DJ whispered back. “Five of them. Looks like they’re on break.” He patted a few pockets before turning to Lui. “Did you bring any grenades?” The way he asked made it sound like a completely standard and reasonable question. 

Lui’s eyes widened. “No,” he answered, with a face that indicated the request was, in fact, not standard or expected. “I can throw a rock and clap really hard,” Lui offered in consolation. DJ stifled a laugh and turned back to watch the guards. “They’re moving,” he said after a moment. He watched all but one guard leave and go through a camouflaged door in the castle wall. The remaining guard stood watch alone. “Ok, there’s one guard left. I think we can take him.” DJ glanced back at Lui with a wide grin. “Ready?”

Lui grinned back. “Ready!” 

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Hanna blinked, struggling to process the information. “You… you… I did all of that… and you… and the door…” She turned from EDJ to the door behind her, confused and disheartened. After a moment, she turned back to EDJ, rage in her blue eyes. “Oh, you’re in for it now.” She spun her sword forward as it started glowing, though the light was very faint. Hanna smirked. “If your plan was to demoralize me, it backfired. I have even more reason to lock you up now.” She started circling, revitalized. 

EDJ smiled as he matched her speed. “It almost worked too.” 

Hanna sneered at him. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” she asked. 

“I was voted third-smartest supervillain,” EDJ replied. “You’ll find my picture in the dictionary next to mastermind. I’m kind of a legend.” 

“So smug.” Hanna narrowed her eyes. “Bet you won’t look so smug with your face smashed in.” 

She could have sworn his eyes lit up when he grinned. “Bring it, harpy!” EDJ shouted.

Hanna launched into the air straight for EDJ with her sword raised high. “AAAAUUUGGH!”

All the lights died and the room returned to pitch black darkness. Even the orange light from EDJ’s sword disappeared. Hanna landed on the ground in a crouch and her sword clattered as the edge bounced off the floor in front of her. All at once, ultra-bright light flooded the room, temporarily blinding Hanna. “ACK!” She squeezed her eyes shut and forcefully opened them several times, trying to adjust to the light. Hanna let go of her sword when an arm looped around her neck and pulled back. In panic, she grabbed the arm and covered it in a layer of ice. She ducked out of the assailant’s grasp and dove for the ground. Vision almost adjusted, she grabbed her weapon and turned to see a guard on the floor behind her, yelling and clutching his ice-encased arm. Two more guards ran toward her. Hanna froze the ground in front of her. One guard slipped and fell, the other dove over the ice in an attempt to tackle her. She dodged the second guard and turned to kick away another. Hanna saw a guard rushing toward her out of the corner of her eye. She spun and cut him down with her blade. 

“Hold,” EDJ commanded. 

Hanna stood panting as all the guards around her halted their advance. She turned to see EDJ in the back of the room, sword sheathed. Quite a few guards had filled up the large space between them. Where did they all come from?! Hanna thought. 

“I think that’s enough bloodshed for today, don’t you?” EDJ asked as he slowly walked up between the guards. Hanna watched a couple guards pick up the fallen one and drag the body away, leaving a red smear on the white tile. Another one guided the guard with the frozen arm out of the room. It was then Hanna noticed panels jutting out from the walls. Hanna frowned and pointed her blade at EDJ. “You sure are going to a lot of trouble just to stop one girl,” Hanna said. “What’s the deal here?” 

“Just taking no chances,” EDJ said with a shrug before looking down at the red on the floor. “... and apparently I was right in doing so.” He looked up at her. “What say you to a truce?” 

“A truce?!” Hanna balked. “Why would you want a truce?!” 

“Look around you,” EDJ said coldly. “You’re surrounded. Sure, you could continue to resist and fight. You might even win… but after spilling how much more blood?” 

Hanna bit back the guilt and covered it with anger. “Don’t pretend you care about what happens to your men!” she spat. 

“You’re right, I don’t,” EDJ agreed calmly. “They knew the risks when I hired them. It’s about resources, not sentimentality. You’ve made quite a mess trying to get to me already, I’d hate for you to wreck your way through any more of my castle unsupervised.” EDJ waved a hand and took a more agreeable tone. “Listen, I’m a negotiator at heart. You put in the work, so I’m willing to meet you halfway.” He smiled. “Name your terms. What’s in it for me if I surrender?” 

Hanna still glared at him suspiciously. “How do I know I can trust you?” she asked.. 

EDJ laughed cynically. “That’s the best part. You can’t. You’ll just have to take that risk.” Seeing Hanna still internally debating, EDJ raised a hand. The guards all raised their weapons. “I could just settle this fight now,” he reminded her. “Name your conditions.”

Hanna straightened and reluctantly sheathed her sword. “How about this,” she started, one hand on her hip and the other in the air counting as she listed her demands. “You leave Lui and DJ alone. You promise to never hurt either of them ever again. You stop trying to kill me. Aaaand you give up.” She smirked. “Reasonable enough to you?” 

EDJ motioned to the guards to lower their weapons. They also backed up a bit, giving Hanna more space. “Well now, that depends on how you answer the rest of the question,” EDJ answered, slowly starting to circle again while still keeping a row of guards between him and Hanna. “What do I get in return?” he asked. 

“Your life,” Hanna answered with spite and watched him with suspicion. “And as long as you keep to the terms, I promise not to hunt you down and inflict terrible pain on you. How does that sound?” She crossed her arms. “I’d say that’s quite a bargain.” 

“Oh, so you admit to being the vengeful, bloodthirsty hero, do you?” EDJ asked with a smile, still circling. 

“I never said that,” Hanna replied. 

“You kind of did.” EDJ raised his brows, tilted his head, and nodded to the spot on the floor. “Your actions speak loud and clear, dear. But back to the issue at hand… I have one more condition.” He paused and looked at her with a thoughtful expression. “I really, really want to keep my awesome castle.”

Hanna stopped and considered it. I guess if you take out all the guards and traps and access to all the illegal stuff… It’s just a big, empty castle, she thought, chewing on her lip. He’s already isolated from the rest of the world here at Everest. We could secure the castle so he can’t leave… I guess that just ends up being more like house arrest for him anyway. He doesn’t have to be in a maximum security prison if he’s locked up here… I could live with that. 

Meanwhile, EDJ motioned for the guards to give her more space, seemingly in an attempt to relax the tension in the atmosphere. It worked. Hanna appeared noticeably less agitated. “I could be persuaded to let you keep it,” she started. “As long as you don’t plot anything evil and the conditions aren’t broken...” 

EDJ smiled politely. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Hanna raised an eyebrow, arms remaining folded. “I still don’t trust you.” 

“Nor would I expect you to,” EDJ answered, still smiling politely. 

Hanna found his smile creepy and off-putting, though there was no logical reason behind it. Perhaps it was his uncanny resemblance to DJ and Lui. Sure, his clothes and physical traits were different, not even mentioning the extreme difference in personality, but something about the face was still the same. Hanna dismissed the thought and focused on the situation. She was still surrounded, but had quite a bit of breathing room between her and the enemy, for which she was grateful. EDJ had been standing in the same spot for a few minutes now and it was starting to bother her. Where she once found his silence a welcome relief, now it was a growing concern. Was he waiting on something? Hanna narrowed her eyes and asked, “You’re not planning anything evil anytime soon, are you?” 

EDJ shrugged nonchalantly. “Just the usual plundering and occasional kidnapping, you know. Nothing too evil…” he said. “I can downscale.” 

Hanna frowned. “I’d prefer it if you stopped completely, but I guess it’s a start...” She nodded, mostly trying to convince herself. “Alright, I accept your truce.” 

“I’m happy to hear it!” EDJ’s smile widened, but he did not move from his position. 

Hanna suddenly got the feeling like he knew something she didn’t. “You’re seriously just going to give up like that?” she asked. 

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!” EDJ broke out into laughter. “NEVER! Drop the cage!” 

Hanna turned to see one of the guards flip a switch on a panel by the door. She looked up just in time to see large, glass walls drop from the ceiling. 

“What? WAIT!” Hanna dove forward, but not in time to escape the trap. The floor dropped out around the cage. Hanna flew up only to smack into the glass ceiling and fall back down. She sat up to see EDJ laughing at her. 

“You fell for it!” EDJ said almost in disbelief between laughs. “What now, genius?” 

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

EDJ stood up from his chair and gave all of the screens of the control station one more cautionary glance. Satisfied, he stepped over to one of the AV techs. “Chris,” EDJ started, hands together, “I shouldn’t have to stress the importance of this, but I’m going to anyway. Do not mess up the timing here, okay? If you get this wrong like Marco did last week, so help me, I will put you back where you came from.” 

The AV tech blinked at him. “Unemployed in Greenland, sir?” 

EDJ’s face dropped in disappointment. “No. In the ground,” EDJ clarified. 

“Oh! Heh, right. Yes, sir. I got it,” the tech answered and nervously saluted, though he was not required to.

“Make sure Tony is on pyrotechnics.” EDJ rolled his eyes and left the room. 

***************************************

The room was pitch black when Hanna entered, just as dark as the tunnel she was just in. The door slid shut behind her. She took a few cautious steps forward and held her breath. Something felt off. The entire castle felt off, but this room in particular made the hairs on her neck stand up. She was not alone. Hanna heard music start up, a single guitar riff, quietly at first then it increased in volume. The riff repeated before it was joined by drums then a bass. When the music picked up, different lights started going off in time with the tune, shining through smoke in the room. Multicolored lights flashed and highlighted a platform in the center of the room. Pillars of fire erupted from the floor closest to the platform and fountains of sparks shot between them. 

What’s going on here?! Hanna thought, understandably confused and on edge. 

Between the smoke and flashing lights, a hooded figure rose in the center of the platform. Backlit with explosions, wings snapped open on the figure’s back. Hanna stepped back and held her sword ready in front of her. The hooded figure also drew a sword and waved a hand over it, creating an orange glow that followed the length of the blade. Hanna could barely make out long gray hair and a sinister smirk under the hood from the orange glow and flashes of light. When the music peaked, the lighting adjusted to a more reasonable level as the opponents faced each other, though it was still dim. Hanna attacked first, launching herself at the hooded figure. As she swung her sword, the stranger pulled up his blade and blocked hers without a hint of effort. He smiled at her. “Hello, dear.” 

Hanna flew back, sword still poised. She stared at him with suspicion. “EDJ, I assume?” she asked. 

“The one and only,” EDJ responded, pulling back the hood. 

Hanna raised a brow, tone changing to one of annoyance. “Really?” She gestured to the stage lights. “A bit much, don’t you think?”

EDJ grinned. “It’s all about the presentation.” He popped his eyebrows and spun the blade forward, orange glow making a fancy circle. 

Hanna narrowed her eyes and frowned. “EDJ,” she stated loudly. “I’m bringing you in.” 

“Gotta catch me first!” His grin never faltered. “En guard!” 

EDJ attacked this time, swinging the sword upward, which Hanna parried. Hanna grimaced and twisted the blade, batting his away as she went in for a jab. EDJ countered and knocked her back. Hanna recovered by flying higher into the air and using gravity to her advantage with a downward strike. EDJ also launched into the air and parried her incoming attack again with ease.
“Give up!” Hanna shouted, furiously trying to gain the upper hand. 

“You first!” EDJ said with a laugh. 

Hanna growled and attacked again, swinging repeatedly. Her technique looked more like she was trying to use her blade as a blunt weapon instead of a slashing one. EDJ parried, countered, and batted away every attack she threw at him without bothering to dodge. He did not bother attacking as often as he would have normally either. He was taking his time, observing his opponent’s tactics and move sets. Hanna did not realize this, of course. Hanna landed on the ground breathing heavily, worn and spent from her trek through the castle and previous challenges. “Can we at least stop the music?!” she shouted. 

“Sure.” EDJ snapped his fingers and the music ended. “Better?” He landed and started circling her, which Hanna quickly matched to keep distance between them while she took a few seconds to recover. “What did you think of the entrance?” EDJ asked, taking long, relaxed strides. “I’ve been working on it for a while.” 

“Screams of ego and immaturity,” Hanna replied, taking many short, quick steps. 

“Aw, come on, you’ve got to be at least a little impressed,” EDJ said with a smile. “I recorded that riff myself and everything!” 

“Don’t really care,” Hanna responded, still circling. EDJ started laughing. Hanna pursed her lips and tightened the grip on her sword. “What’s so funny?!” she demanded. 

“You really haven’t noticed it at all, have you?” EDJ shook his head as he stopped walking. 

“Noticed what?” Hanna asked, also stopping. 

“The exit.” EDJ pointed a thumb to the open door behind him with a grin. He laughed again as Hanna frowned. “You heroes are so absolutely predictable,” EDJ started, still shaking his head. “The maze of life and death, the rooms, the monsters. You could have stopped at any point. You didn’t have to keep going.” 

“What… what are you talking about?” Hanna asked, trying not to let nervousness creep into her voice. “The doors always closed behind me.” 

EDJ nodded. “Yeah, when you entered the room. They reopened as soon as you cleared them, but you never even checked, did you?”

Hanna glared, nose flaring. “I wouldn’t have turned back anyway! I wasn’t going to leave without capturing you first”

“That’s exactly what I mean!” EDJ’s free arm swept out like he was making a point. “You were so focused on getting to me that it didn't even occur to you to leave! Forget asking for help, the exit has been open to you the entire time! On top of that,” He pointed to a door behind Hanna. “Had you checked the castle before entering, you would have found the back door. It leads directly to this room.” EDJ laughed again. “Give up. You know you’ll never defeat me.” 

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Hanna walked through the long hallway leading away from the arena. She was overspent, she knew it, but she still had a job to do. She had to reserve the strength she had left to deal with EDJ, if she ever found him. Regular-sized doors started showing up on either side of the hallway. Hanna went to the first open door and looked inside. People. Hanna ducked back out of sight and peeked again. Indeed, she finally found another living person in this cursed castle. Quite a few of them, it seemed, as she watched a group of people working around large machinery. A few guards stood around, but the people seemed to be unbothered and engrossed in whatever process they were doing. Hanna was about to lean in to figure out what the smooth-running machines were doing when the door suddenly slid shut in her face. 

“Sorry, you weren’t supposed to see that,” EDJ’s voice said. “Employees only.” 

“Were those printers?” Hanna asked, continuing down the hall. 

“Sharp eyes,” EDJ replied. “I run a little printing operation on the side in my spare time.” 

“If only you put your entrepreneurial skills to less criminal use,” Hanna muttered. 

“Why do you assume everything I do is illegal?” the voice asked. 

“Because you’re a villain,” Hanna answered, seeing another open door. “Illegal is your MO. You evil are all alike.”

“Wow, way to overgeneralize,” EDJ’s voice scoffed. “We can’t all be the goody-two-shoes and expect to get ahead in life. Money don’t grow on trees.” 

Hanna flew through the open door before EDJ had a chance to close it on her. “You’re not supposed to be in here either,” EDJ said over the intercom. Hanna looked around. This room was a lab storage room filled with specimen tanks on tables. No one else seemed to be in this room. Hanna walked down the rows of tanks, looking at them as she passed by. Some of the specimens were intact and she could easily tell what they were. Lizards, mice, cats, dogs, crocodiles, monkeys, there was even one tank holding something that looked like a much smaller version of the creature Hanna killed in the arena room. There were far more tanks filled with grotesque and half-formed creatures, abominations that failed whatever process EDJ was trying to put them through. Hanna gulped and her stomach churned in discomfort. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a strange scratching and half-growling sound. She was not alone after all. She crouched where she was and looked under the table. A red and white puppy was pawing at a box on the floor. As soon as the dog saw Hanna, it barked and hopped toward her. Hanna immediately jumped back into the air with her sword in front of her. The puppy barked again, jumping in circles around her with its tail wagging.

“Oh, you found Stitches!” EDJ’s voice said pleasantly. “I was wondering where he wandered off to.” 

“Shush!” Hanna hushed at the dog and looked around, making sure no one else heard the dog barking. When no one came running, Hanna looked back at the dog. The puppy watched her with big brown eyes, its tongue hanging out and head tilted. Its front end bowed while its back end wiggled in the air, indicating it wanted to play. Hanna tried suppressing a small smile. She lowered to the ground and let the puppy lick her boots, tail still wagging. “Another pet?” Hanna asked, watching the puppy, but not interacting with it. 

“Yeah, he’s not the best guard dog in the world,” EDJ’s voice answered. “Too much puppy in him, I think. He’s not the smartest either, but he does boost morale so I’d appreciate it if you left him alone.”

Finally giving in, Hanna crouched again and scratched the cute puppy’s ear with a soft smile. The dog barked again and, with a strange wobble, ran back to the box under the table. It was only then that Hanna noticed something terribly wrong. The dog’s back legs did not match its front legs. Not in the manner that the coat pattern was different. No, the back legs were from a different animal entirely, one with talons. Hanna stood up and took a step back in horror. “What did you do to it?!” Hanna whispered, all sympathy replaced with disgust. 

“What, Stitches?” EDJ asked. “Well, he didn’t have legs when I found him so…” 

“You can’t just splice living creatures together all willy-nilly!” Hanna exclaimed in alarm. “What’s wrong with you?!” 

EDJ drew back from the screen with a confused look and turned to one of the guards in the control room with him. The guard shrugged. EDJ shrugged and turned back to the monitor. “I don’t have time to answer that question. Besides, you’re one to talk. Humans aren’t born with wings.” 

Hanna frowned, watching the puppy paw at the box again. EDJ has to be stopped, no matter the cost. She reached under the table and pulled the box out. A tennis ball sat inside. How it got there and how the dog knew it was in there, Hanna didn’t know or care. She took the ball out and lightly tossed it to the other side of the room, distracting the dog so she could leave the room without it following. Hanna sighed in relief when the door to the next room closed behind her. Hanna figured she must have been wandering through storage rooms because this one was filled with dark screens, floor to ceiling. “You have a really weird layout,” Hanna muttered. “I still can’t get over the fact that you built an entire castle on Everest.” 

“I am under no obligation to make sense to you,” EDJ answered casually. “It's not my fault you thought I was normal.” The brief look on Hanna’s face indicated she agreed with him, though she didn’t say it. When she was about halfway through the room, all the screens turned on at once, blaring loud music. “AAUUUGH!” Hanna covered her ears and dropped to her knees. “NOOO!” Hanna looked up in shock, recognizing the music. Every one of the screens showed a man in a coat and striped shirt in front of a microphone, playing the same video in synchronization. “WE’RE NO STRANGE-” Hanna shot all of the screens with icicles, shutting them down and stopping the song before it got started. 

EDJ laughed so hard he fell out of his chair. He laughed and laughed until he wheezed. He was nearly gasping for air as he climbed back into his seat. “Ahhhhh, gets them every time,” he said with a chuckle. “Whew, that was funny. I needed that.” He looked back at the screen to see Hanna had already left the room. “Uh-oh, where’d she go?” EDJ flipped through the cameras. He pulled up the 3D model of the castle and moved through every possible location until he found Hanna. “Great, she found the shortcut tunnel,” EDJ said sarcastically and rolled his eyes. He tapped a few keys and buttons, sending a drone to follow her. 

Hanna followed the winding tunnel, fury on her face. “You sure are persistent,” EDJ’s voice said next to Hanna’s ear. She jumped and pirouetted, swinging her sword behind only to meet empty air. Hanna heard a light hum above her. Looking up, she spotted a tiny mechanical drone. She shot an icicle only for the drone to move out of the way. The lights in the tunnel cut off completely, leaving her in the dark. 

“Where are you hiding, coward?” Hanna demanded, pulling out her flashlight and sweeping the light over the empty tunnel. 

“Much closer than you think,” EDJ’s voice said from the little drone, cameras automatically switching to low light settings. 

“Show yourself!” Hanna growled. “Only a coward refuses to face his problems head on.” She continued down the tunnel, albeit at a much more cautious pace and in the wrong direction.  

“And you think running directly into danger alone makes you brave?” EDJ asked, watching with amusement. 

“Yes,” Hanna answered. 

“No,” EDJ countered. “That makes you a fool. It makes you a liability.” Hanna frowned as he continued. “You are completely cut off from help. You are tired, weak, and surrounded by your enemies. You may think me a coward, but this so-called coward will destroy you and your friends.” His voice shifted from one side to the other as the drone flew around her head out of sight. “All because you had to be the hero. Maybe you’re the one with something to prove.” 

Hanna sneered. “Only that I’m stronger and better than you. I can take you down easily! All you have to do is fight me. I won’t let you get away.”

“Maybe,” the voice continued. “But why is that so important to you? Who are you trying to impress?” 

“No one,” Hanna muttered. Finally realizing she was going the wrong direction, Hanna growled and turned the other way. 

“I’ve seen your records,” EDJ continued, voice eerily close. “I’ve talked to your friends. You’re impulsive. Reckless. Aggressive.” 

"You’re wrong," Hanna said. "I'm not any of those things."

"Hm, your actions thus far might say otherwise."

“So what?!” Hanna asked, frustrated that the tunnel was taking forever to get through and irritated at EDJ’s incessant babbling. “I’m determined to vanquish evil. That just makes me a better hero. I won’t rest until I bring you to justice.” 

“Justice?” EDJ asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched the screen. “Now there’s a fun word.” He paused for a moment, seemingly in thought. “Okay, let’s say you do get your justice. Lock me up and throw away the key. Once again, the day is saved, blah, blah, blah… You won’t stop there, will you? You’ll seek out the next threat. The next big bad boss and personally kick his teeth in.”

“What’s your point?” Hanna asked, swatting at the drone she could not see. 

“You go looking for trouble.” 

“Of course I do. That’s my job,” Hanna answered, seething. “I have to seek out evil and destroy it before it hurts the people I care about. For that, I will gladly put myself in harm’s way.” She smirked. “I even welcome the challenge.” 

EDJ’s voice went quiet for a moment, which Hanna enjoyed until he spoke again. “This front you’re putting on,” he started. “It’s not bravery. It’s obsession. And it’s not to protect people… it’s to hurt them.” 

“That’s not true!” Hanna shot back, anger flaring. 

“You’re a danger to everyone around you,” the voice whispered. 

“Your lies won’t stop me.” Hanna spotted a door at the end of the hall in the beam of her flashlight. Victory was just around the corner.

“Lies?” EDJ asked in surprise. “You think I’d stoop so low? Nothing hurts worse than the truth, dear. If you want something sugar-coated, eat a donut.” EDJ motioned to the guards to get in place as Hanna closed in on the door. “If it was only about stopping me,” he continued. “Why didn’t you bring your little friends?” 

“To protect them,” Hanna answered softly, reaching for the door. 

“From who?”