July 1992

  A quick whistle is heard as Chris sucks the air from around the room, right before he bursts it toward Garcia and the others, who are bsted back by the sudden gale force wind. Tables, chairs and everything that was on the tables flying back with them. Chris shifts the wind and blows them to the left. The commandos struggling to right themselves and get to their guns.

  “Keep it up, Chris.” His dad encourages him as he moves around to his side.

  He intends to but can’t as a surge of chi. A fsh of light immediately followed by an explosion above them sends the group back onto the floor.

  Chris gets up, shaking his head. One of them just fireballed the ceiling above them, but which one? Once the dizziness fades, he sees one of the assassin girls holding Elle at knife point.

  “Very impressive, child.” The Russian guy yells out. “But I’m afraid you're out cssed.”

  “Let her go!” He takes a step forward, but the girl holding Elle steps back and tightens her grip. He stops, frustrated and furious.

  “She will be coming with us to Tailorton. Then back to Russia. We’ve managed to salvage some of Director Hariman’s work, to tell you the truth.” Garcia says.

  Chris’ mind goes into overdrive as he thinks of a way out of this. He’s even paying attention to what Garcia is talking about.

  “I won’t go.” Elle says through clenched teeth. Elle raises her hand to the ceiling, and a sound of wrenching metal pierces the air. Like pipes being over loaded. Her elemental power going haywire. “You ruined my perfect night!”

  Like a big gun going off, the ceiling explodes again, and the room is quickly flooded in water. Chris and the others duck but don’t need to. While everything gets drenched by the constant flow of water, they stay dry…mostly. Chris watches in amazement as she pulls a rge amount of water and surrounds herself and her captor in water. The assassin struggling and ordering her to stop. But the water cuts the assassin’s voice off. Elle gives Chris a wry smile as the two of them are completely engulfed in a sphere of water. The girl struggles to breathe then lets her go. Elle steps out of the water globe but leaves a hand in it.

  “Don’t kill her, Elle!” Simon says. Chris agrees.

  Elle surges her power and unches the water globe into the far wall. Leaving a huge dent in the pster and drywall. The girl colpses, gasping into the heap of tables and chairs.

  Chris spots Garcia and the Russian guy leaving via the side door. “Dad?!” He points.

  “Chris, you handle things here.” Larry makes for the door. “Me and Simon will go after these two.”

  Yeah, time to let go. Now to deal with the ones left, the military guys, and the assassins.

  The head merc guy holds his hand out to his men. They went back toward the main door and leave. Chris can see the lights of many cop cars fshing in.

  “Boss!” One of the mercs says.

  The ‘Boss’ looks, then tells them to use the other door and secure the area.

  “You’re not gonna get out of here.” Ariel yells to him, confident. “You shouldn’t have let all those other people go. From those lights, I’d say you have maybe a few minutes before they bust in here with tear gas.”

  “Let them. I’ve dealt with worse. Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Gulf War. These little mall cops are nothing.” He takes off his jacket and tosses it on the edge of a tipped over table. His chi fres, Spirit power. “Don’t worry, this won’t take long.”

  “We got this, mom. Watch after Mrs. Prowman.”

  “You kids watch yourselves.” Melissa tells them as her and Ariel back up behind the band equipment.

  “Okay, kids. Let’s see that elemental power of yours.” He sets ready.

  Chris then feels Elle’s power spike. All the water around them surges at the merc like a tsunami. The wall of water reaching from floor to ceiling rushes over faster than Chris can even react. It hit the merc with full force, smming him and the debris against the opposite wall, shaking the floor.

  ‘Damn, sis!” Jackson comments.

  “Well, that was quick.” Jerry says, then ughs.

  The water rushes back toward them, settling back into pce. Elle creates a space around them as before. Then the tables explode out and the merc stands up. His Spirit power evaporating the water on and around him creating a steam.

  “Nice.” The merc says, smiling.

  They’re speechless. Except Elle, who attempts to hit him again. But the man is too quick and unches a fireball one handed. Chris reacts and throws up a shield of air that deflects it into the ceiling, or what’s left of it.

  “Chris, torch!” Jackson quickly says and jumps to Chris’ side.

  He doesn’t waste any time in pulling the non-oxygen components out of the air in front of the merc. But before Jackson can ignite the oxygen, the merc dives and unches another fireball at them. This one is seemingly quicker than the first. It hits Jackson in the chest, sending him flying back. He writhes on the floor, clutching his chest and moaning.

  “Jackson!” Melissa shouts and runs over.

  “Why are you doing this?!” Ariel cries.

  “Oh, no reason. I just like a good fight once in a while. And I don’t get to challenge myself against elemental’s to often.”

  Chris has had it. He creates a ball of compact air and unches it at the merc. Chris alters the object’s course, sending it up then to the right, left, back up again, just as he puts up a hand to stop it. He’s hoping to confuse him long enough.

  Chris air speaks to Elle. “Remember that aerokinesis thing? Hit him with a…waterkinesis water ball. High water tension and all that.”

  Elle doesn’t respond verbally but does as he said. But she creates six. She spins them around. They orbit him rapidly.

  “Children. Please.” The merc thrusts his fist down against the floor, a shockwave of energy bsts outward, knocking everything around him away. Chris and Elle’s elemental spheres are dissipated.

  The mercs use their power to heat water instantly, spraying it on everyone.

  Elle screams and gathers a rge ball of water.

  “Elle?” Chris says. He could feel a rge amount of power surging from her.

  “You ruined my night. You ruined my fun. And you ruined my dress!”

  The rge ball of water Elle has ready shifts and morphs. The ripples on the surface going still until it’s as smooth looking as gss. Gss with spikes.

  Chris looks in awe as Elle hurls the spiked water ball at the merc. He dodges and the water ball sms against the wall. But to his amazement, the ball sticks in the wall, damaging it even more than it already was. Elle pulls it out and hurls it again. The merc bsts it, the ball briefly breaks apart, but it just reforms. Chris smiles. She has him.

  The merc looks around. Elle puts a spin on the ball, if it was to hit him, he’d be toast. She moves it toward him. Then shoots it forth. The merc misses then has to dodge again. He stops and points a hand their way, but is swept off his feet. Elle moved the water that is sitting about six inches deep out from under him. The ball of water picks up speed.

  “Elle, don’t kill him!” Melissa yells out.

  Elle looks back at her, her face rexing a bit from her mother’s words. She removed the spikes. Then sms the merc with the ball. He lets out a noise of defeat, then rexes.

  She lifts up the ball again, looking as if she was going to sm it down on him again, but Chris steps in. “Elle, let it go.” She flinches at his touch.

  Her skin is hot from the use of excess power.

  “It’s over, you got him.” Chris rubs her arms and mixes his spark, trying to calm her.

  He takes her in his arms as she leans her weight against him.

  “Dad?!” Jerry yells out.

  Everyone looks at him. That’s right. They were then out the door.