Severe floated down to the lobby through the elevator shaft and pulled the doors off with her powers. The several dozen soldiers in the lobby opened fire immediately on her, their bullets bouncing off the metal doors that Severe was using as a shield.

Using her powers, Severe grabbed the elevator she’d discarded on the top floor and brought it crashing through the dozens of floors above and down onto a group of soldiers crushing them to death.

“Fall back men!” the commanding officer shouted to his men.

“I think not.” Severe said.

The elevator began to swing around the lobby by it’s cables, the many soldiers flew in many directions as the swinging elevator struck them with great force. As a few soldiers made it away from the elevator they were sliced in half and worse by the elevator doors that Severe had sent flying around the lobby to finish her foes off. Her attacks stopped as the last soldier fell in separate areas of the lobby.

“Now to finish this.” Severe thought as she floated out of the elevator shaft and toward the entrance of the building.

Fantasy landed in the lobby and almost threw up when she saw the maimed bodies of the soldiers courtesy of Severe.

“My God, I have to stop her.” she thought to herself as she followed behind her deranged teammate.

To Be Continued…

<center>Part II: The March Of War

Chapter VII: The End Of The War</center>

Severe flew high above the city, her mind scanning the people below for information about where the Malta main base of operations was. She knew that there were easier ways to find the location, but she hoped that this way would allow her the satisfaction of a surprise attack.

“Severe, please slow down so I can talk to you.” came Fantasy inside her head.

“Leave me to my mission.” Severe told the young woman.

“This isn’t your mission! Our mission was to rescue Manticore, and we haven’t done that.” Fantasy said.

“Manticore was not there, I did not sense his presence in that building.” Severe said.

“Please, if anyone can hear me, this is Thomas Kinson, I’m a hero like you and I am being detained by Malta.” a man’s voice said inside Severe’s head.

“Keyword?” she asked the man.

“Yes! Who are you?” the man asked.

“I am Severe, I am with the Freedom Phalanx Reserve.” she explained. “I have to say, I’m very confused, we rescued you yesterday from another Malta facility.” she added.

“No, that was an imposter put in place to sabotage your team.” the man told her. “Is everyone on your team alright?” he asked.

“I don’t know, we all split up into teams of two to rescue members of the Freedom Phalanx.” she said.

“Follow my thoughts, come rescue me and we can put Malta down together.” the man said.

Severe honed in on the man’s thoughts and followed them deeper into the heart of the city. Fantasy followed behind her teammate, unaware of the recent developments.

Jesseca sat next to Brianna as she rested after her tests, all of which found nothing wrong with her. Jesseca watched her teammate sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, her thumb again firmly locked into her mouth. Smiling, Jesseca stroked her friends hair softly and almost instinctively kissed her on the forehead. “I’m here for you Brianna.” she whispered quietly to the sleeping girl.

“She doing ok?” Sue asked form the doorway.

Jesseca turned and nodded. “How’s ‘Lysa doing?” she asked.

Hannah nodded. “Knight’s hopeful that she’ll wake up soon. He said the surgery went well and she’s pretty much out of the woods.” she explained.

“How are you holding up?” the two asked eachother in unison. With a smile they both agreed that they were ok, just worried about their teammates.

Hannah came over to the bedside and hugged Jesseca. “I’m glad you’re ok Jess.” she said.

Jesseca returned her embrace with a smile. “Same for you.” she said.

“Attention team, Sue is awake if you want to visit her.” Knight said over the P.A. system of the base.

Jesseca and Hannah left Brianna and went to Sue’s room.

“Hi guys.” Sue said weakly as Jesseca and Hannah entered the room, and joined Ataris, Knight, Hanako, and Samantha around Sue’s bed.

“Do you remember what happened?” Knight asked.

“Some Malta cowboy attacked us with a giant robot and I went Super Nova and destroyed it.” Sue explained.

“What’s Super Nova?” Hanako asked.

“It’s a move I’ve been working on, this was the first time I used it for real. Basically it’s a huge blast of my power that uses my whole body as a conductor for the energy.” she said. “Is everyone else ok?” she asked.

“Darius is still in a coma, Elysa is out of surgery and should make a full recovery, something happened to Brianna and she thinks she’s five years old again and that Jesseca is her sister, and Severe and Fantasy have yet to check in.” Knight said.

“Why did this happen?” Sue asked.

“Keyword was an imposter, he set us up.” Ataris told her.

“I’d like to get my hands on him.” Sue said.

“He’s already dead.” Knight told her.

“That’s too bad, I would have enjoyed making him suffer for this.” Sue said.

“I think we should let you get some rest and be alone with Darius.” Knight said and ushered everyone out of the room. “Holler if you need anything Sue.” he said on his way out.

Sue waited for everyone to leave the room before she got out of bed and went to Darius’ bed. “Please be ok.” she whispered into his ear as she hugged him.

<center>***************</center>

ars.

 

Severe hovered outside the building where the real Keyword was being held, Fantasy had caught up to her and was hovering next to her.

“I think we should get the others to come and help us.” Fantasy said.

“We don’t even know if they’re still alive.” Severe told her.

“I just think we might be getting in over our heads with this one.” Fantasy said.

“Then stay here.” Severe said and flew at the building, using her powers to blast a hole in the front of the structure several stories up and entering.

Fantasy sighed and followed her teammate, afraid of what was going to happen when there was no more blood for her to spill.

Severe broke two soldiers in half as they attempted to bring her down when she entered the building. Then she turned several hundred bullets back onto the soldiers that had fired them when she came to a locked down area of the building, an area where she knew Keyword to be being held.

The door ripped from it’s frame and was sent flying through several walls before Severe entered the room. She saw a man laying on an examination table, tubes and needles protruding from him. “Keyword?” she asked with her mind.

“Severe, thank Atlas you’re here, please help me.” he said.

Severe gently pulled the tubes and needles from him with her powers and helped him off the table. “We’re going to get you out of here, but first I have to finish something.” Severe explained to the man.

<center>****************</center>

“Sir, Severe and Fantasy are in the building and they’ve freed Keyword.” the old man’s bodyguard said as he entered the room.

“Ready my helicopter, I think it’s time to get out of here. Begin the self destruct sequence for the building.” the old man said.

“Yes sir.” the old man’s bodyguard said, and left the room.

“Pity the experiment has to end this way.” the old man said.

<center>****************</center>

Severe headed up a now hollowed out elevator in her pursuit of the leader of Malta and her childhood tormenters. Entering the top floor of the building Severe was confronted by two large Titan robots. In a matter of seconds the two robots were overloaded and forced through the wall behind them revealing an office with an old man inside of it. “You!” Severe shouted.

The old man’s bodyguard went for his weapon and fell quickly as his skin was peeled from his body.

“That is just a taste of what you’re in for.” Severe threatened as she lifted the old man with her powers and brought him face to face with her.

“You’ve turned out so much better than I could have anticipated.” the old man said.

“Who are you really?” Severe asked the man.

“Dr. Xavier Malta, head of the Malta Group.” the man answered.

Fantasy came up through the elevator shaft with Keyword and turned away from the sight of the skinned bodyguard. “Severe, this is too much, you’ve become no better than them.” she said.

Severe turned to Fantasy and smiled. “I’m just tying up a few loose ends.” she said and looked back to Dr. Malta.

“What would your parents say if they saw you now?” Fantasy asked her, hoping that she would be able to talk her teammate down.

“My parents are dead, how dare you speak of them!” Severe shouted as she tossed Dr. Malta aside and pushed Fantasy back into a wall with her powers.

Fantasy gasped as she hit the wall and remained suspended in the air. “You only think they’re dead, but they aren’t, they’re here.” she said.

“Liar!” Severe hissed and put more force behind her attack, taking most of Fantasy’s breath away.

“It’s true, look behind you.” Fantasy managed to choke out. Using her powers, she created a fantasy for Severe of her parents coming to see her after so many ye