Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Hanna stared at the sky, waiting for the nausea and headache to pass. White flecks drifted through the air around her, landing in her dark hair. Smoke from the destroyed castle still rose into the sky. A structure that large would be smoldering for weeks long after the fires were dead, but the sun was visible again as it sank into the horizon. Now its brilliance was blinding. Hanna numbly blinked at it anyway. She raised a hand to block the sunshine, not noticing that the borrowed parka slid out of place. Only then did she realize her fingers were trembling. Hanna watched her hand involuntarily shake as though it were a foreign object. That doesn’t seem like a good thing. When was the last time I could feel the cold? She let her arm drop back into the snow and squinted at the sun again. Is light supposed to hurt?

The sound of an engine approaching indicated Misty found what she set out to look for. “Hey.” Misty's boots crunched in the snow as she came up to Hanna. She glanced from Hanna to the sky and back, but whatever face she was making was hidden behind her snow gear. “Why are you- never mind. Here.” Misty offered her hand. “How do you feel? Can you stand?” 

Hanna rolled to her side and sat up without Misty's help. “I'm better,” she answered. “I just needed to lie down for a second. I'm okay now.” She offered the coat back to its owner.

“Keep it.” Misty jerked a thumb behind her. “I found two snowmobiles. I'll go grab the second one and we can work on getting your friends out of here. Don’t push yourself.” She turned and left again. 

Hanna watched Misty leave and stared blankly at the coat still in her hand. She warily stood up and went to check on the others. She went to EDJ first. He was still frozen and on his side. I bet he’d make a decent sled. She had half a mind to push the giant ice cube and see how far he slid down the mountain. With a good deal of effort, Hanna pulled the frozen statue into a more upright position. She didn’t see any weak points in the prison, but also didn’t trust him not to break out at any moment. At least the natural cold is keeping him from melting. She glanced at the sun again. Still… I can't let him get away… never.  With the minimal energy she had left, Hanna froze another layer of ice over EDJ. 

Misty was pulling up with the second snowmobile when Hanna finished. She pulled her goggles up again. “Err… Why are you covering that one with more ice?” she asked. 

“The one in ice is none of your concern,” Hanna answered coldly, moving toward DJ. The lancer was still unconscious, much to her disappointment.

Misty frowned behind her scarf. “...Ok. Whatever.” She shook her head, as though she couldn’t actually drop the subject. “But we really shouldn’t leave him frozen. He might die, if he’s not dead already.” 

That’ll be the day. Hanna snorted as she tied the parka around DJ. That will have to do for now. “He’s not dead and he won’t die. Leave it at that.” Her tone shifted. “Don't worry, if this goes smoothly, you won't become involved any more than you already are.”

Misty raised a brow. I highly doubt that.

Hanna turned to the acquaintance. “Do you think you can take my friend on your snowmobile? I’ll take the mirror on the second one. I can’t risk anything happening to…” she glanced at the mirror, faltering. “...to him.” The surface of the mirror was veiled in white. Whether it was ash or snow, Hanna couldn’t tell. She moved to the object and brushed off the glass. The outdoor lighting made it difficult to see much more than Lui’s face and even then it wasn’t clear. 

“Oh yeah, I can deal with that, no problem,” Misty answered lightly. “Don’t worry, I drive these things all the time. But we should move quickly.” 

Hanna nodded, turning back to Misty. “I will be watching you at all times. This doesn’t mean I trust you.” 

“I don’t blame you,” Misty answered in understanding, pulling down her scarf to speak clearer. “It would be difficult for someone to trust their friend’s lives with a complete stranger.”

Hanna thought about the situation for a moment. “Does anyone else stay at your cabin?” she asked.

“No one, just me,” Misty replied. “And don't worry. It's got electricity and running water and such.”

Hanna nodded. “Good. I need someplace to keep them safe… preferably without anyone else around.” It wasn’t so much that she was trying to hide as it was the fact that she didn’t want to deal with any more people. Especially when she didn’t know who was in league with whom. She was taking a risk trusting Misty at all, even though the stranger displayed nothing but kindness to her and her friends. “I still don’t understand why you’re so willing to help me,” Hanna muttered. 

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Misty said with a smile. “It’s what I’d do for any of my friends.”

“Friend?” Hanna’s head snapped up in surprise and confusion. She herself had been the least friendly person throughout the entire exchange. And what could she say about her actions toward the people closest to her? Half the time, she felt like she needed a neon sign above her head warning others: not friendly. Maybe then they would leave her alone, even though being alone was the one thing she feared above all else. Friend. Hanna pursed her lips and looked away in humiliation. In a low voice, she said, “I would highly recommend not becoming my friend.” It would only cause you unnecessary sorrow.

Before Misty had a chance to answer, the unconscious man moved. “Ack!” She jumped back, not expecting the body to move at all, but quickly regained her composure. 

DJ woke up, lifting his head slowly. “Wh-what happened?” 

“DJ!” Hanna rushed to his side. “You had me worried! Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I seem to be fine…” he answered slowly, still getting his bearings. 

Hope it’s not the same way Hanna uses the word ‘fine’, Misty thought.

Hanna helped DJ stand, though he needed support. “This is Misty. She’s agreed to help us,” she said while gesturing to the stranger. Misty waved at him pleasantly. Hanna lowered her voice. “She says we can use her cabin to warm up. It’s too cold for you and Lui here. I don’t know if we can trust her, but… I don’t know what else to do.” 

“I had the strangest dream…” DJ said absently. “A far-off memory… I thought I saw…” He did not finish his train of thought, but vacantly stared ahead. 

Hanna frowned. “DJ? Did you hear anything I just said?” 

“Huh?” DJ might have been able to come up with a more coherent response had he been fully aware of what was going on. At the moment, he was still fighting brain fog and gravity. “How long was I out?”

“I have no idea. A couple hours maybe?” Hanna answered. It had been roughly forty minutes. She was not known for having a firm internal grasp on the passage of time.

DJ straightened, seemingly able to stand now without assistance. “How’s EO? And Lui?” he asked.

Hanna stepped back and toward the mirror, pausing long enough to point to the ice block. “I just covered EDJ in a few more layers of ice. And Lui… he's…” She let out a heavy breath and shook her head. “Nothing's changed.”

She sounds pretty worried about him. At least I have names to go with the faces now, Misty thought, taking in the information without interrupting. She noticed DJ staring directly at her, green eyes focused. 

He tilted his head quizzically. “Straw?”

Misty blinked at him. “Why would I need a straw? I don’t have a drink.” 

“Well, that’s maddeningly unhelpful,” DJ mumbled, gaze drifting away as he lost awareness of his surroundings again.

Whoa, he’s really out of it. Misty turned to Hanna, who was watching DJ with an obviously heightened level of concern. 

“DJ?” Hanna started carefully. “Snap out of it. What are you thinking?” 

DJ frowned. “I'm not sure what I'm thinking… my mind isn't working too well right now for some reason… cheeseburgers…”

“Are you sure you're all right?” Hanna pressed. 

“Positive!” he answered enthusiastically. DJ took one step forward and fell face first into the snow. 

Misty winced. Oh boy. 

“We have to get you off this mountain right now.” Hanna went to her fallen friend, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder and lifting. “Help me carry him.” 

Misty complied, rushing over the help on the other side. “Oof! How much of this dead weight is his armor?!” she complained, struggling a bit. 

“Rude,” DJ weakly cut in. 

“My bad.” Misty rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize you were still conscious.” Hanna refrained from commenting, wearing a grim smile. They successfully got DJ to the closest snowmobile before Hanna went back for the mirror. 

“Lui?” Hanna knelt in front of the mirror and gently brushed the surface off again. The wind was stronger and they were quickly losing the light. His image appeared clearer now. “Can you tell if DJ’s alright?” Hanna asked softly. “I don’t know if you caught any of the conversation with Misty. I’m still not sure if she can be trusted. I don’t know… I just don’t know… What do you think?” 

Misty walked up behind Hanna and peered over her shoulder at the mirror. A blonde person looked back at her, head tilted in an uncannily similar manner as DJ had done moments ago. Misty waved at the man in the mirror. 

When Lui spoke, his words came through muffled, weak, and broken. “DJ… ok… maybe… Misty… good… fix…?” 

“Well at least someone believes me,” Misty said with a small laugh. She narrowed her eyes in thought. How did he get stuck in a mirror? How is that even possible? This is more critical than I thought. “Can you walk around in there?” she asked, trying to understand his situation better. 

The figure in the mirror blinked and twisted around in confusion. His mouth opened and he spoke, but the only word Hanna and Misty both caught was “...no…” 

Hanna frowned. Why is it so hard to hear him? The breakdown in communication was making things difficult. How will we ever be able to get him out if we can’t even hear him? 

“...Hanna?” 

Lui’s faint voice pulled Hanna out of her head. “Huh?” she looked up. “Yes, Lui… What is it?”

“We… get… off… mountain…?” he asked. 

She gasped and jumped to her feet. “Right! Sorry!” It was as though she only now remembered they were all still on the side of Mount Everest next to the ruins of a burning castle as the sun set and weather grew worse. Hanna turned to her new friend. “Misty, can you direct us to your cabin?”

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Six

Sarah walked down a busy hallway. She crossed a skybridge, making her way to a second building and down some steps. She stopped at a door and let herself in. The apartment was empty, save the large falcon sitting perched in an enclosure in the corner of the room. 

“Hey, Talon,” Sarah said as she moved to a desk serving as a workstation and logged into the computer. The bird trilled at her. One of the bedroom doors opened and a woman with long brown hair and puffy blue eyes stiffly walked out. Sarah glanced at her watch before turning to her roommate. “What happened to you? You’re normally up by now.” 

“Eve went missing.” Misty yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I was out searching all night.” She went to the enclosure and let Talon out. “Hup.” The creature hopped onto her arm.

“Ohhhh,” Sarah replied. “Oh, that’s not good.” 

“Tell me about it,” Misty answered as she brushed the falcon’s feathers. She turned back to Sarah with surprise, as though only now remembering she wasn’t supposed to be here. “What are you doing here?” Misty asked. “I thought you were on an undercover mission or something.” 

“I was,” Sarah confirmed. “Someone else crashed it.” She turned back to the computer to pull up the recording of the events on Everest, inviting Misty over to see it. “It got ugly quick.” 

Misty stepped closer to watch. “What in the world,” she said in disbelief. “Who? What?”

Sarah shrugged as she answered, “I have no idea. Maybe the Hero’s Guild? They have a habit of butting in. Either way, it wasn’t one of ours.” 

Misty continued watching the footage. “Have you reported this yet?”

“Of course,” Sarah replied. “That was my first stop. This is my second. The boss wants you on immediate clean up.” 

“This is crazy,” Misty muttered to herself. “I’ve seen Evil Others, but never as bad as this. This is… That’s…” Misty shook her head. “That’s like… Eve bad. This is serious.” 

“There’s a reason he was on undercover surveillance,” Sarah said, also shaking her head. “He’s one of the worst.” The footage ended abruptly in static. “The castle exploded and the survivors are trapped on Everest,” Sarah continued. “The boss is expecting an international response over this. We need to get there first.” 

Misty let out a breath and looked at Talon with a frown. “I just got back,” she said hesitantly. “If I don’t find Eve, something terrible might happen.”

Sarah swiveled in her seat. “Something terrible has already happened because of someone else’s Evil Other. Are you going to let yours stop you from helping them?” 

Misty rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’ll go. Let me get ready first.” She placed Talon back into the enclosure. “Sorry, boy. Everest doesn’t suit you. I’ll be right back.”

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

- Destroyed castle; Mount Everest; Earth; May 12th, 2009-

Heart still racing and head pounding, Hanna stared down the intruder, grip on her sword taut. The stranger lifted her snow goggles and pulled down her scarf to reveal the face of a young woman with blue eyes. “I’m Misty.” She took a step forward in the powdered snow. “And you are?” 

Hanna stepped forward as well, placing herself between her friends and the stranger, blade still raised. “One defending those she loves,” she answered. In a louder voice, she called out, “What do you want?”

“I came to see if you’re okay,” Misty answered, taking another cautious step forward. “Are you?” 

Hanna’s nose flared and she gripped the sword in front of her with both hands. “We’re just fine!” she called out in anger. “As long as you don’t try anything.” Misty took another small step forward. Hanna reacted by taking an even more aggressive stance. 

Misty paused and raised both her arms. “I’m here to help you,” she insisted. “Look, I’m not armed. You can search me if you want.” She stretched out her arms and turned in a circle, though it was hard to tell if she was concealing anything under all the winter gear. “Can you put the weapon down? I only want to help.” 

Hanna’s breathing would not slow and the pain in her head did not go away.“Who do you work for?!” she bitterly demanded. 

Misty paused for a few long seconds. She was taken aback by the question, but did her best not to show it. “I don’t work for anyone,” she carefully answered. “I come up to climb this mountain every once in a while. Kinda a personal goal of mine to reach the peak, you know? I haven’t made it to the top yet, but I still try. I get a little farther every time.” Hanna lowered her sword a little. Misty continued speaking and resumed cautiously stepping closer. “I saw the smoke, so I came running as fast as I could. When I saw you, I thought I’d stop and see if you needed anything. There was an avalanche a little bit ago too. It barely missed my cabin. They can be pretty dangerous. Super easy to get pulled in. Extremely difficult to get out. I wanted to see if anyone needed my help.” By the time Misty was finished speaking, Hanna had fully lowered the weapon, but still held her suspicious glare. Misty was close enough now to see the figures in the snow behind the woman in black. Blue hair, she thought as she studied the unconscious one. Not my first choice, but hey, more power to ya I guess. “Your friend doesn’t look so good,” she commented, pointing at DJ. “We should probably get him to a doctor.”

Hanna’s breathing was still erratic. If her hands were not currently clamped around the sword’s grip, they would have been shaking. Her stomach lurched, but Hanna stood firm as she glared at Misty. Stay awake. “Like I said, we’re just fine,” she managed to get out, tone anything but friendly. Perhaps it is a random encounter, but it’s too much of a coincidence. She might be working for EDJ. She might be here to finish me off. I can’t let anything happen to Lui and DJ. I can’t take that chance! How am I supposed to believe that she showed up here with impeccable timing and not be up to something?! The image of Misty standing in front of her doubled for a second. Hanna blinked and shook her head. Stay awake! 

“You don’t look so great either,” Misty said, watching Hanna with caution. 

“I’m okay,” Hanna answered, relaxing enough to step back. She finally sheathed her sword. A wave of nausea forced her to sit down in the snow. 

“I’m not sure what your standard for ‘okay’ is,” Misty started dubiously, “but you’re clearly not doing well. Are you injured?” She knelt in front of the momentarily deranged cryomancer to better assess what help she could offer. 

‘Yes’ would have been an acceptable answer. Between the multiple battles, death traps, castle explosion, and elemental energy overexertion, it was a miracle Hanna was still standing. Or sitting, as the case now was. Nothing was broken, that she was aware of, but she had a poor habit of choosing to ignore pain. Even a genetically enhanced superhero's body has its limits and Hanna surpassed hers. She grimaced, trying to keep the little contents of her stomach from ending up in the snow. “Why?” she weakly asked, allowing Misty to assist, but still suspicious of an ulterior motive. “Why are you so willing to help me?” 

Misty paused and gave Hanna a weird look. “Because I want to,” she answered simply. “Because I know what it’s like to need help. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but by the looks of things, it’s been a rough day. You’re in bad shape.” Misty reached a hand out only for Hanna to recoil. “Please let me help you. You have to trust me.” 

Hanna shook her head. “I can’t give my trust away when my friends' lives are on the line. I will not have anyone else hurt them or me.”

Misty frowned, starting to get tired of the nonsense. “Every second we waste debating is another second you’re all out here in the elements.” She gestured to Hanna then to both DJ and EDJ. “You’re freezing, that one’s passed out, and the other one is in a block of ice.” She glanced at the mirror and did a double take when she realized there was a face staring back at her. “Is… is there a person stuck in there?” 

Hanna nodded. Misty stood and went to check on each of the incapacitated individuals, acknowledging Hanna’s watchful stare as she did so. Watching the woman continue to treat her and her friends with care in spite of the hostile reception, regret crept up in Hanna. She let out a long breath, already feeling the need to apologize. “The truth is,” she started.” I wouldn’t be able to fight you right now, even if you had weapons.” Misty turned to her curiously. “I wouldn’t normally have told you that,” Hanna continued. “But I need to get my friends out of here. It’s too cold for them. I have to get them out of here…” 

“Yeah, I noticed,” Misty said with a smile. “But I stink at fighting so I prolly would have lost anyway.”

Hanna swallowed her pride as she addressed Misty. “I’m sorry. Will… um… Will you… can you help me?” 

Misty grinned. “Of course, I’ll help you!” Not like that’s what I’ve been trying to do this entire time. 

“Thank you,” Hanna exhaled in relief. “I’m Hanna, by the way.” She gestured to two of the three behind her in turn. “The one in the mirror is Lui and that’s DJ.” She completely ignored EDJ. 

Misty nodded. “Pleasure. Like I was saying earlier, I have a cabin not far from here. It’s too far to drag them though and it would take multiple trips…” She closed an eye in thought. Without warning, Hanna collapsed into the snow. Misty jumped up and rushed over. “Whoa! Hold on, don’t you go passing out too!” 

So tired. “I’m fine,” Hanna insisted, still conscious though now lying in the snow and showing no signs of getting up. 

Misty checked Hanna’s pulse. “Yeesh, you’re cold. And your heart rate is through the roof.” 

“I might have... taken a shot of adrenaline before you got here,” Hanna confessed with hesitancy. 

Misty blinked at her. “What, like… literally?” Hanna nodded. “Was it for an allergic reaction or something?” 

“No,” Hanna admitted. “I needed the boost to stop the avala-”

“Are you insane?!” Misty interrupted, completely flabbergasted. “That kills people! You could have had a stroke! Or a heart attack! You might be having one now!”

Hanna winced, not anticipating a lecture in the middle of an already awkward situation. “I said I’m fine,” she repeated. 

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first ten thousand times,” Misty answered, shaking her head. “That was an incredibly irresponsible decision.” 

“But the ava-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Misty said as patiently as possible. “No matter the excuse, you shouldn’t have put your life at risk like that.” Hanna gawked at her, failing to comprehend why this complete stranger was acting like she cared so much. “Right now,” Misty continued, “We need to get you and your friends out of the cold and somewhere safe and warm. Do you have any method of transportation at all?” 

It took a moment for Hanna to answer, still dumbfounded by the turn of events. “There might be some snowmobiles.” She pointed off beyond the boulder. “By the castle.” 

Misty stood up, brushing off her ski pants. She unzipped her green parka, removing the layer and draping it over Hanna. She pulled up and cinched the hood of her secondary blue coat before adjusting her goggles and scarf  to cover her face again. “I’ll go find them. Stay here,” she instructed. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” With that Misty, crunched off into the distance.