Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One

Shard stepped into the arena, completely ignoring the injured guards littering the entryway. 

“How’s it going?” Shard asked lightheartedly while she drew her sword and confidently walked toward the two in the middle of the room. 

“Hanna?” Lui asked before smiling brightly. “Yay! Hanna! We’re saved! Let’s get out of here before they send another army after us!” Lui took an eager step forward, but DJ stretched the lance out to halt him.

Lui looked at the lance before turning to DJ quizzically. “What are you doing? She's here to help us.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” DJ’s critical green eyes narrowed as he watched the woman walking toward them. “I saw her make a deal with EO.” 

“What?” Lui turned back to Shard, smile fading. “You didn’t…” Lui’s eyes widened as DJ’s words set in and he remembered the ultimatum. “No… that means… Tell me you didn’t do it,” Lui pleaded. 

Shard offered a light shrug. “What can I say? Negotiations were short.” She smirked, red eyes gleaming. 

“What have you done?” Lui asked softly in disbelief as he took a step back.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Shard replied in a bored voice as she stopped not too far from the two. “Honestly, I thought she would have chosen smarter friends. The Hanna you once knew has dissolved in the darkness of her own heart. That puts you in quite the predicament now, doesn’t it?” 

“Why are you talking like that?” Lui asked with suspicion. “What’s going on here? Why are your eyes red?” Lui watched her for a moment. If this was indeed Hanna, something about her was different. The way she talked and held herself was unusual. Something was off. Way off. Lui narrowed his eyes, searching for the answer. 

Shard rolled her eyes. “I already told you,” she started. “Your friend is gone. Evil is all that remains.” DJ’s shoulders sank and he hung his head in defeat. Shard lifted her sword enough to point it at DJ. “At least he gets it. See?” she asked with a sinister smile. “Even you have already given up on your friend.” 

“No,” Lui said with new resolve. “That can’t be right. You can’t be her!” Lui took a couple more steps back and looked all around the room before bringing his hands to his mouth and calling out in a loud voice, “HEY, EDJ! I can tell a fake when I see one! Nice try though!” Lui glared at Shard. “Where’s the real Hanna?!” 

Shard raised a brow and rested the flat of her blade on her shoulder with an amused smile. “Your ignorance amuses me greatly,” she said with a short laugh. “I am the Hanna that has always been, for there is no other. Though she tried to keep me locked up for as long as she could, my release was inevitable. You simply delayed it.” 

“I refuse to believe that!” Lui drew his sword. “Tell us where she-”

“Lui,” DJ interrupted in a sharp tone, head still lowered as his grip tightened around the lance. 

“This isn’t her,” Lui insisted, looking at DJ. “It can’t be her. It’s a trick! She’s a fake or a robot or a clon-”

“Stop pretending.” DJ lifted his head and stared back at Lui with a hurt expression, though his voice was stern. “You know what she’s done…” DJ turned to Shard. “And you know what it is that we must do now.” 

“What are you talking about?” Lui asked, confused. “She’s not-” 

“Listen to me,” DJ interrupted, looking back at Lui. “I need you to focus on reality here. She’s the enemy now. I know you still want to see the good in her-”

“But that’s the thing!” Lui interjected, trying to get his message across. “It can’t be Hanna because there’s no...” Lui stopped. The look of anger in DJ’s eyes cut off Lui’s sentence before the Original’s words did. 

“Lui,” DJ started, placing a hand on Lui’s shoulder and speaking low. “I need you to be brave for me, ok? Let your sword be your guide, not your emotions.”

“O-ok,” Lui responded in a quiet voice. “I’ll try, DJ...” 

DJ nodded. “Don’t let your anger consume you.” DJ let go and turned back to Shard with a glare. 

Lui’s brows furrowed. “But I’m not…” DJ wasn’t listening. DJ’s attention was already entirely on Shard as he took a step toward her. Why aren’t you listening to me? Lui thought to himself with a frown as his shoulders sank. Lui looked back and forth between the two opponents. The same feeling of helplessness he felt back when he was watching the recording of Hanna’s fight came up. Like he was about to see something terrible unfold in front of him and he could do nothing to stop it. No. This is wrong. It’s all wrong. Lui sniffed, feeling the tears threaten to creep up again. No. DJ’s right. I need to focus. 

“Are you quite finished yet?” Shard asked in a loud, impatient voice. She lifted the blade off her shoulder and twirled the sword backward as DJ apprached. Shard’s smug grin returned. “Make this a challenge for me, will you?” 

“I intend to!” DJ spun the lance in front of him and pulled back into a bow stance. “Two against one. Think you can handle both of us attacking together?” 

“I’m sure I could if I wanted to,” Shard replied nonchalantly. Shard stepped away from DJ and toward Lui while still addressing DJ. “Sadly, someone else has already claimed battle with you.” She pointed at something past them. DJ and Lui felt an eerie and foreboding presence behind them. They turned to see EDJ standing in the open doorway. 

The Evil Other entered the room with his sword drawn. “I gave you a chance to leave my home  in peace and you didn’t take it,” EDJ casually voiced while joining the tense arena. DJ inhaled sharply and instantly turned his lance toward the Evil Other. “This means war,” EDJ said in a calm, but grave voice as he stopped in front of DJ. “If it’s a fight you want, I’ll bring the end you’re looking for.” 

“EO,” DJ warned, fury in his eyes and venom in his voice. “What you’ve done here…” DJ briefly gestured at Shard and glanced at Lui. “What you’ve done to her… That was the last straw.” DJ shook his head. “There is no coming back from this.” 

EDJ tilted his head. “Never said I wanted to.” 

“I've had enough of your tricks!” DJ shouted, charging toward the Evil Other.

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

DJ and Lui finally made it to the exit. As expected with the sirens and lights going off, the door was locked down and could not be opened. The two ran back the way they came, but had to redirect at the sight of the guards headed toward them. They made their way through the castle, trying to navigate as best they could only to get more lost. They went through a series of connected rooms that looked like the inside of an aquarium, which Lui and DJ probably would have stopped to enjoy had they not been in the middle of being chased by security. They somehow ended up in a large room, stopping just long enough to shut the door behind them and catch their breath. About twelve guards entered through the door on the opposite side of the room. 

DJ turned to Lui, “Seems our luck hasn’t changed.” 

“Nope,” Lui confirmed with a wide smile between pants from running. 

“Surrender!” one of the guards shouted as they raised their weapons. Lui instantly lifted his arms in compliance, but realized DJ did not follow suit. Lui leaned over slightly to whisper, “Why aren’t they attacking you?” 

“I’ve got a guess,” DJ whispered back, taking one large step forward. 

“STOP!” the guard shouted again, but did not move. 

DJ took one more exaggerated step forward. The guards yelled again, but did not move.

With a grin, DJ unslung and readied his lance. With one heavy, circular swing from the front to the side, DJ extended the lance in his left hand with enough momentum to slide the weapon to its maximum length. He started on a path toward the guards, walking at first with the spearhead lightly scraping against the ground. DJ picked up pace until he was fully charging at the enemy, the metal end of the spear sparking as it dragged across the floor. DJ stretched out his free hand, grabbed the air, and drew his hand back, using his control of wind magic to pull the guards toward him into range. Accurately judging the distance, DJ pulled the spear up and forward as he twisted. Most of the guards scattered out of the way, but the spear still caught two of them by the time DJ finished his twist and caught the middle of the weapon with his free hand. DJ immediately followed up with a second attack, forcing the guards on the defensive, even though he was outnumbered. 

“Oh, we’re attacking now, ok,” Lui commented to himself as he watched DJ take point. “Great.” Lui was hoping to avoid a conflict, but it didn’t seem like EDJ and his henchmen were going to let them walk away without a fight anyway. At least with DJ going full offensive, Lui had a chance to temporarily hang back until needed. The Original conveniently, consciously, and consistently placed himself between the enemy and Lui. Narrow corridors and small rooms weren’t optimal areas for combat with a lance, but this arena was perfect for it. DJ had all the room he needed to maneuver. “Huh… DJ’s upped his game since I last trained with him,” Lui said absently, watching the Original lunge, weave, and turn while he fought. Nice footwork... And that stance is new… Wow, look at him go! DJ dropped three more guards while he jabbed and stabbed, using the distance and reach of his weapon to his advantage. A slight hum from above caught Lui’s attention. Seeing a drone hovering in the air nearby, Lui threw out a lightning bolt toward it. The magic thunder attack hit the drone, overloading and short circuiting the machine. The drone caught on fire and crashed on the ground. Lui jogged up to the broken drone and leaned over to inspect it. Lui wondered if he could still use it to mess with EDJ’s security systems. Maybe block or redirect a signal. Or even use it to access the network and disable the lockdown. Lui made a face at the melting plastic hardware. Maybe if it wasn’t currently on fire... 

Lui straightened and turned back to see how DJ was faring. That was when Lui noticed the guards starting to group. The guards tried several times to get around DJ, but he kept backing out of their formations. Maybe I can help now, Lui thought as he drew his sword. He watched a little longer, waiting for an opening. If they group like that again, DJ’s gonna dodge left. As soon as he does, I can send an arc bolt that should connect with a few of them! Lui edged closer to the fight. The guards closed in again. There it was! The opening Lui was waiting for. Unfortunately for everyone, DJ dodged right. Lui sent out a lightning bolt before he realized the error in judgment. The bolt hit DJ and arced between two of the guards, dropping all three. 

“Gzzk!” DJ clambered to his feet first and turned around. “LUI!”

“Sorry!” Lui called out with a grimace. 

DJ shook off the unpleasant feeling, muscles still twitching, and turned back in time to narrowly miss a guard swinging for his head. The disruption had allowed the enemy to get within range. DJ blasted the guard away with a jet of wind magic and backed up to Lui. While DJ did not appreciate the friendly fire, he was grateful that Lui always managed to use lightning magic in a non-lethal manner, in spite of it being one of the most dangerous and volatile elements to control. “Why did you hit me?” DJ asked Lui, who was directly behind him now as the guards circled them.

“Why didn’t you go left?” Lui returned as he deflected an incoming attack with his sword. 

“Because I always go left,” DJ answered, using leverage at the back end of the lance to rotate the front of the weapon, fending off attacks. 

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Lui exclaimed. The last few months spent training at separate schools had left them out of sync and it was starting to take a toll. The seven remaining guards surrounded the two. While DJ could keep the ones in front of him at a reasonable distance, Lui did not have the same advantage. As a result, the opposing force was convening more toward Lui than DJ. 

What do you think? DJ sent through mindspeak. Another sunshine?

Don’t wear yourself out, Lui answered. I still have plenty of energy. All I need is one clear shot. 

DJ watched the guards closing in. “I’ll give you an opening,” DJ said, preparing for his next move. “Try not to hit me again.” 

“I’m doing my best here,” Lui uttered wearily, sheathing his sword. DJ charged forward, breaking through the enemy’s circle and sweeping the lance behind him to keep the guards from following. 

With DJ in the clear, Lui clapped his hands together. When he pulled his palms apart, tendrils of blue lightning energy filled the space between his fingers. In an instant, Lui became a living lightning storm. The thunder energy crackled as it wrapped around Lui’s arms and body and his eyes held a pale blue light in them. Lui turned both his hands out toward the guards as they closed the circle around him. With snapping and cracking sounds, lightning shot out, forking into dozens of smaller, crooked branches as they connected with the guards. The burst of magic energy stopped almost as soon as it started, leaving five of the guards stunned and twitching on the floor. The blue lightning around Lui’s body fizzled out as he lowered his arms and his eyes returned to normal. The two remaining guards backed up to the room’s exit. DJ rested his lance against his shoulder as he stepped up to Lui and reached out. The leftover static popped as it zapped DJ again. 

“Sorry,” Lui repeated. 

“It’s fine,” DJ said as he shook out the sting in his hand. DJ patted Lui’s shoulder as he looked over the cleared room. “Good job!” 

“Thanks.” Lui’s response was lackluster as he watched the guards still alive and conscious drag their injured and groaning buddies away. Lui frowned, not feeling great about the whole situation. “Can we get out of here now?” he asked, turning to DJ. 

“I think so,” DJ answered with a nod.

That was when Lui noticed the silence. “Hey...” Lui looked around the room and at the ceiling. “The alarm stopped.” 

The door in the back of the room opened again. Instead of more guards pouring through, one person clad in black entered the arena. 

“Hey, guys,” A familiar female voice called out to them. “How’s it going?” 

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Send out the drones to find them,” EDJ ordered one of the techs as he stood up from his desk in the main control room. “Once they’re found, send the guards to keep them contained. Send everything we have, but do not engage unless necessary. Those two don’t leave the castle.” The tech looked back at him with a nervous expression, but typed commands into the control panel and started flipping various switches as they radioed the orders. EDJ headed toward the control room exit with Shard not far behind him. Before EDJ reached the door, Eoin stepped up. 

“Sir, a word,” the assistant said urgently. 

“Not now,” EDJ answered. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” 

“This is important,” Eoin said in a hushed tone, holding a half-open laptop and rapidly glancing between EDJ and the screen. 

EDJ frowned. “Did you find them?” 

“Well, yes. But-”

“Show me,” EDJ commanded. He leaned over as Eoin tilted the screen. DJ and Lui were running through a hall, directly toward one of the arena rooms. “Excellent.” 

EDJ turned to Shard and smiled politely. He gestured to the door. “If you take the next door on the right and follow the shortcut, it will lead you to the back entrance of arena two, cutting off their escape. I’ll catch up at the front of the room. That way they’ll be surrounded.” Shard nodded, but EDJ spoke up again before she took off. “Do you have the strength to do this?” EDJ asked. 

Shard paused and turned back to him with a glare. “You doubt me?” she questioned. 

“No,” EDJ answered. “But I want to make sure you’re ready after what you’ve already been through. They’re probably expecting a trap of my doing, but I highly doubt they’re expecting to see you.” EDJ narrowed his eyes. “Can I trust that your good side won’t take over again upon seeing your friends? I completely understand if you aren’t up to it,” he continued. “There is a safe viewing room above the arena. You can sit this fight out.” 

“No.” Shard shook her head. “My good side won’t be a problem. She is too weak. They don’t realize it, but her friendship with them is what helps keep me imprisoned.” Shard’s sinister smile crept up. “They will regret it. I will hunt them down and I will destroy them.” 

EDJ frowned. “If you start a fight with them before I get there, get that annoying Lui. I have a score to settle with DJ. I want to finish him off myself. Do we have an agreement?” 

Shard’s smile dimmed. “Fine, though that pest poses no challenge to me. It’ll be too easy.” 

“Overconfidence will be your undoing, young apprentice,” EDJ commented. “Go on ahead and remember, leave DJ to me.” 

“If you insist, master,” Shard answered with distaste and gave a begrudging half-curtsy before disappearing through the door. 

EDJ turned to Eoin. “You’re still here?” EDJ asked, though his tone made it sound more like a statement. Eoin nodded, turning the laptop screen around again. EDJ rolled his eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t something that could have been an email.”

Eoin frowned. “Sir, you are cutting it too close.” He pulled up statistics on the laptop. “The head of security told me-”

“Casey?” EDJ interrupted. 

“Yes,” Eoin continued. “The head of security informed me we don’t have the resources to secure the castle and heroes if an incident were to occur.” 

“What are you talking about? Of course we do,” EDJ countered. “What’s another twenty guards or so?”

“We are understaffed,” Eoin answered, standing his ground. “We don’t have the manpower. That’s three heroes to our-”

“Don’t get bent out of shape over nothing,” EDJ persisted. “Shard’s on our side now. I turned the hero I was aiming for. My victory is all but certain.” 

Eoin brought up a bar graph. “The accountant-”

“David?” EDJ clarified. 

“Yes,” Eoin confirmed in agitation. “The amount the organization agreed to isn’t enough to cover the expenses on this one. If we stop now and cut our losses, we will barely break even.” 

EDJ’s polite smile returned as he reached over and closed the laptop lid. “You must have missed the fine print,” he started in a pleasant, if not patronizing, tone. “That amount was only if we eliminate the target. It’s double if we turn her, which… I did. Easy to overlook, I know.” 

Eoin’s shoulders fell and he looked perplexed. “Oh, I... I didn’t…” 

“As soon as I deal with my Others,” EDJ continued. “I’ll get the full payment from the committee and we’ll order more resources from the temp agency. Everything will resolve itself in two days tops and there won’t be any incidents. Am I clear?”

Doubt crossed Eoin’s face. “I could have sworn I checked…” 

EDJ straightened and narrowed his eyes. “At the end of this project, consider your contract fulfilled and your employment here officially terminated.” 

“What?!” Eoin asked, looking up in shock. 

EDJ tapped the closed laptop. “You were a better resource manager and assistant than Cody was, I’ll give you that,” EDJ said. “But you ask too many questions. I don’t need to remind you who is in charge here, do I?” Eoin shook his head, remaining silent. EDJ nodded as he brushed past the assistant, speaking lightheartedly. “Hey, be grateful you get to walk away from this job with your life still intact!” EDJ left the assistant in the hall as he headed toward the arena DJ and Lui were hopefully still being contained in. That was close, EDJ thought. Need to check the employee records again. Make sure there aren't any loose ends… Too many loose ends. Being an overlord was supposed to be easy… I need a vacation... EDJ made his way to the viewing room above the arena first, pausing briefly to observe the situation. EDJ frowned slightly at the number of fallen guards scattered across the room. 

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

That’s not good, DJ thought, watching Hanna and EDJ shake hands. He ducked back into the hall, turning to Lui. We need to leave. 

What about Hanna? Lui asked through mindspeak. 

DJ shook his head. We’ll have to come back for her later. We need to get out of here. Now. DJ gestured to go back the way they came. They snuck back through the hall, dipping into rooms as guard patrols passed by. They were about halfway to the exit, hiding in another room, while DJ was trying to figure out their next steps. If we can get out of here in one piece and get off this mountain, there’s a chance we can contact the- Jingling and scratching noises from behind caught his attention. DJ turned to see Lui playing with a red and white puppy. “What are you doing?” DJ asked in a hushed voice. “We’re supposed to be sneaking out of here.” 

“But I found a puppy,” Lui whispered back, the dog clambering on him and trying to lick his face. “Look, it has chicken legs! Can we keep it?” 

“Wha-” DJ didn’t have a chance to answer before sirens went off and a red light started flashing in the room. 

“Uh-oh,” Lui said, looking up at the red lights and hearing guards running down the hall.

“RUN!” DJ jumped to his feet and made a break for the exit, pulling Lui along behind him. 

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

With a firm grip on EDJ’s hand, Shard pulled him toward her. She created a dagger of ice and held it to his throat in the same split second it took for him to realize what was happening. 

“Eight times,” Shard said without emotion. EDJ raised a hand to halt the guards, despite his precarious position. “You tried to murder me eight times,” Shard repeated. “That’s not even counting the polar ice flood. Quite unlike my weaker self, I don’t forget and I don’t forgive. So tell me why I shouldn’t end your life right here and now.” 

EDJ smiled and answered calmly. “My only goal was to release you, my dear. While my methods may have been a bit… extreme… even you have to admit they achieved the desired outcome.” 

“Hmph.” Shard released him and stepped back with a disappointed frown. “I guess you really can talk your way out of anything.” 

“It’s a gift,” EDJ muttered, rubbing his neck. “You should know,” he said, taking a more serious tone. “A rash stunt like that won’t fly with me a second time. If I detect even the slightest hint of betrayal from now on… I’ll turn you to ash.”

“Maybe next time I’ll be more subtle,” Shard said with a wink. 

Psycho, EDJ thought. He sat back at his desk and typed away on a keyboard. “I have a few things I need to take care of as we start this venture. I’ll assign a couple classes, get you new armor, there’s even an ‘Evildoers Unite’ conference coming up you could benefit from.” EDJ glanced up at Shard. “If you want to go.” 

“Sure. Whatever,” Shard answered, grabbing the book and sitting down again. 

EDJ paused. “I suppose it would help if we outlined some goals. What do you want?” 

“Everything,” Shard commented absently, browsing the catalog. 

“Don’t we all?” EDJ rolled his eyes. “Give me something I can work with.” 

Shard closed the book with a snap and leaned forward. “I want half of everything you have.” 

“Bwahahahaha!” EDJ busted into a laugh before he could stop himself. “Oh… oh, you aren’t joking…” He cleared his throat. “That’s… Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“Then I want the castle,” Shard demanded. 

“Build your own castle,” EDJ countered. 

Shard pouted, sitting back and folding her arms again. “You’re not being very accommodating here.”

EDJ smiled and leaned forward. “How’s this: You can stay until you get your own place. I’ll give you the keys to Australia as soon as you help me finish taking over the world. Deal?” 

Shard leaned forward again, red eyes critical. “Australia, Alaska, and Kamchatka.” 

EDJ frowned. “You drive a hard bargain.” 

“I’ve had a hard life,” Shard answered with a smile. 

“Fine,” EDJ agreed, going back to typing on the keyboard. “Anything else I can do to ‘accommodate’?” 

“Lunch would be nice.” Shard shrugged, leaning back again “What’s a girl gotta do to get some food around here?” 

EDJ looked at the time. “I suppose it has been a while since you’ve had anything to eat…” He looked up at her with a pleasant smile. “Hungry?” 

Shard narrowed her eyes at him. “Famished.” 

“The cafeteria isn’t quite open yet, but I can have someone get you something,” EDJ said as he signaled to one of the assistants in the room. 

Stitches managed to find its way into the control room again during the conversation and came up to investigate Shard. The pup sniffed at her boots and barked, though its tail did not stop wagging. EDJ glanced over just in time to see a sneer of disgust cross Shard’s face. A long, sharp icicle was slowly forming in her hand as she glared down at the puppy. 

“Shard,” EDJ said with command. 

“Hmm?” She turned to EDJ. 

“Leave the dog alone,” EDJ warned. 

Shard smiled sweetly, letting the icicle immediately melt into a puddle on the floor. “I was simply going to put it out of its misery.”

“It’s not in misery,” EDJ responded, refocusing on his task as the puppy scampered out of sight.

“Compared to an existence of suffering,” Shard began quietly, watching EDJ. “Death is a mercy.” 

EDJ glanced at her again with a frown. He let out a long breath through his nose and continued typing. EDJ had dealt with more than his share of insane, power-hungry villains. The World Committee of Evil was chock-full of them. The wheeling and dealing he had to put up with every time he was forced to interact with them was enough to make anyone sick. But this? There was something terribly off about Shard that gnawed at the pit of his stomach. Even after everything Iul had been through and all the horrible people who crossed his path, he got a feeling around Shard he could only ever describe as unnerving. Not that Iul would ever admit it. 

“Would you like to see our transportation options?” EDJ asked, quickly changing the subject and bringing up a 3D model of said options. 

“Transport options?” Shard questioned with a raised brow, finally showing interest in something outside herself. 

“Of course,” EDJ answered. “It takes quite a bit of work out of going on the organization’s missions. It would give your wings a break and leave you at full strength. They’ll be excited to see your progress.” 

Shard sighed loudly in boredom. “If I have to, I suppose.” She looked over the options: snowmobiles, motorcycles, watercraft, hummers, and… were those living creatures with wings? “I never did care for organizations,” Shard muttered. “I’d rather be evil off on my own.” 

“My sentiments exactly,” EDJ said with a laugh. “However, it helps to have contacts in high places. It helps even further if they owe you something.” He narrowed his eyes at her expectantly. 

“Perhaps I do stand to learn a few things from you,” Shard said halfheartedly before noticing his look. “What? Expecting a ‘thank you’ for freeing me?” she asked, annoyed. 

“Only if you wish,” he said, going back to the screen. “Do you have any immediate goals in mind you’d like to work on before you start with the committee’s assignments?” 

“I’d like to start by destroying my weaker self’s irritating friends,” Shard answered. “You let them go, didn't you?”

“They’ve been shown the door.” EDJ paused in thought, realizing he hadn't actually checked whether they left or not. He pulled up the feed from outside the castle. The snowmobiles were untouched. “It seems they haven’t left after all.” EDJ raised the alarm, locking down all main exits.