Chapter 13: And It Burned

Tell me, what am I supposed to do when there is nothing left I need to? For most people, the answer may be to find something else to do or sleep until you find motivation or inspiration.

For me, the answer is to die, for what else is there to do when you have fulfilled the one thing you have devoted your life to?

Maybe I should've thought for a less cynical answer. As they say, be careful what you wish for.

➰➰➰

After leaving Ultimate Z's office, I went looking for Ultimate A. He must be involved in this somehow. I need to figure out just how much he knew.

"Intruder alert. Please get to your assigned rooms while security personnel handle the situation," I beard RAYA alert.

"Fuck," I muttered, getting ready to run. But before I could, I was surrounded by agents with guns pointed at my head, one, a little too closely.

"Stay right there, love. We wouldn't want to hurt you before at least getting something out of you," Rogue F smirked.

Two can play at this game.

"Love," I smirked, "My patience has run out after you tortured me for days on end."

"It wasn't torture if you liked it. Admit it, love, you liked the pain you oh-so-rarely felt," he taunted, making me grit my teeth.

He was right.

As much as I'd hate to admit it, I did enjoy it. Sometimes it's hard to handle the inner pain that lingers on after tragedy, hard enough to want you to replace it with physical pain.

Rogue F told half of his men to stand down and get to their assigned rooms, saying that he could handle it from here. He waved his hand and an agent brought two chairs in.

"Sit," He commanded, doing so himself.

I sat, looking at him in the eye.

"How'd you get in here?" He asked.

"Testing me, love?" I raised my eyebrow before answering, "I know every inch of this place. Helped design it, really. We were 10 when the Ultimates declared this our evac site."

Rogue F chuckled, grabbing my chin, "You forgot I helped too." He hastily let go of my face, glaring at me. "Why are you here? What did you find out?"

"One question at a time, darling," I smiled sweetly.

"Answer the question, Phoenix X."

"Everything."

➰➰➰

The boiling water rushed down my back as I screamed.

I chuckled, "The one thing they didn't replace with something prosthetic and you're gonna ruin it too."

"Where is Alpha Q?" Rogue F asked.

"Oh, how far we've gotten from having playdates to being in a torture chamber with you," I smirked.

He grabbed a pair of wires and flipped a switch. If he thinks I'm going to break because of physical pain, then he doesn't know me as well as he thinks.

"Where is Alpha Q?"

"Hell," I whispered, "Not to worry, love. We'll see him again. That, I'm sure of."

He pressed the wires upon my skin, making me jolt numerous times, and he didn't give me the satisfaction of passing out.

"Where is Alpha Q?" He asked again.

"Why hasn't it hit you that I will not break? Go on, burn me alive, cut my fingers off one by one. The answer will be the same. I don't fucking know, get that in your fucking head," I spat out.

Rogue F turned a chair and sat, "Alright, fine. Let's say you truly don't know where he is-"

"I don't."

"What do you know about Project Apocalypse?"

"What, you're gonna ask the question multiple times before changing torture methods?" I grinned, "How about you come closer and I'll tell you. We wouldn't want anyone listening in, do we?"

"What do you know?"

"I answered this already, Rogue F. I know everything," I leaned forward, the chains on my hands keeping me still.

"How?" he asked.

"Remember what we were trying to do before you all captured me and put a taser in my stomach?"

"The tablet," He growled.

"Yes, I finally cracked it. Good job, by the way, on the 'slow me down long enough for RAYA to catch me and put me in custody' thing."

He chuckled, "You believed it, didn't you?"

I shrugged, "I had my doubts. But I wanted to believe that we could've reconnected or something."

"You should've listened to your head, then," He stood up.

"I am," I said, pulling my hands free and punching him with the energy I have left. Torture drains you, that's for sure.

And I ran, as fast as I could and as long as I could. Soon as I knew it, I was just outside of the control room and about to bust through the door.

"Phoenix X!" I heard him again.

"Get out of my head, you demon!" I shouted, kicking the door in.

Weapons were pointed at me in the blink of a second.

I raised my arms, "We could've been friends for a moment there."

➰➰➰

"Why were we evacuated anyway?" I asked Yttria K.

Yes, she was alive and well. But the people surrounded us are not.

"There was a bombing," She answered simply. Right now, she is bound to a chair by chains.

"And how," I leaned on the control panel, "Are you still alive?"

Yttria K shrugged, "I got out."

"You forgot we're all agents here, YK. You're lying. Speak the truth or I'll force it out of you."

She chuckled, "Weren't you just tortured yourself? That's low, PX, even for you."

I smirked, "You were the one that set it off, weren't you?" I asked, watched her closely for any movement that indicates she did.

And I found it.

"I have one more question for you, YK. Where is Alpha Q?" I asked.

"He's dead," she spat, "You killed him, brutally with a pipe you found in a car."

Just like the rest, I see.

"You give my regards to Ultimate Z, and tell him that his minions are coming to visit. And if you happen to see Rebecca Azcarate, I said 'fuck off'," I smiled, slicing her throat with her own dagger.

I cracked my neck, feeling a little tiresome.

"Who else you gonna kill?" I heard him again behind me.

I threw the dagger and it hit a wall as if it was a dart on a dartboard.

"If you're still alive," I shouted into the air, "Come show yourself and kill me, you coward!"

When the silence cleared, I took some guns from the weapons case, gadgets that I'll probably need, and some gum. Then, I found some oil they use to lubricate the machines and poured it all around the room.

"Goodbye and good riddance," And it burned.