Consuming Fire

Chapter 41

Jet laughed. Someone nearby was crying, a mournful, wrecked sound that made breaking down and giving up that much harder to resist. But the fight went on and bullets still splayed around her. Hunter had no time to grieve. She only had time for revenge.

Mikayla was busy stopping Joshua from slicing Agents in half with ice stakes. Leaving Joshua to fight hand-to-hand instead of with his powers, Hunter dove for their biggest threat with fire blazing. Jet and Hunter rolled around on the shore of the lake, throwing punches where they could. Hunter blew fire into his face, scorching his hair as he yelped in pain.

"That's for Sammy, you piece of shit!" Hunter screamed.

Before he could use his telekinesis to float her too, Hunter raised her fist and threw it down on his nose, feeling the break just as she had on her first day at ICE.

"That's for Dr. Rosenthal," she growled.

Jet coughed blood from his open mouth, chuckling to himself. "Oh please, that old man was history anyway. I was only doing him a favor."

Infuriated, Hunter brought her knee into Jet's stomach and he puffed air out of his lungs, moaning in pain.

"That's for Mosi. You play with fire, Jet, you're gonna get burned."

"Could you not think of anything more cliché?"

Next second, Jet had knocked her knees out from under her and threw her to the side, sharp rocks pressing into her back.  

"Want to know something hilarious? Jack woke up the other day."

Jet held one of her arms down with his foot and the other with his hand. His finger appeared in front of her eyes and started slicing the skin around her neck. Hunter kicked furiously, but it did no good. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming in pain.

"He was asking for you but you weren't there," he pouted. "He gave in to his dark side and joined Team Evil with me and Dr. Wolfe, isn't that great?"

The fire erupted inside her and all at once, her body was aflame. She gripped Jet's hands as he tried to jump away from her and held on as tight as she could, feeling his flesh burn.

"Jack will never be like you," she growled in a low voice that wasn't her own.

Jet screamed and kicked and twisted until one of his hands came free. He flicked his finger and her wrist bent back, forcing her to release him. Hunter ignored the agony of her broken wrist, the fire burning so brightly through her veins that she glowed.

Hunter went to throw a fireball at his face when suddenly, Jet's body seized. His eyes widened. A bubble of blood fell from his mouth and he looked down at his chest where an icicle the size of a carrot protruded from his stomach. Jet's legs crumbled and he fell, revealing Joshua, who stood behind him.

"Thanks," she breathed. Hot blood oozed down her neck from the cut Jet gave her.

"Anytime," he replied.

Hunter looked around, trying to make sense of the chaos. Were they winning? Was it over? Was there a point in fighting anymore?

As an Agent approached her with a raised gun, a voice shouted over the chaos.

"STOP!"

Surprisingly, the Agents did. They looked back to the line of trees that led to the cabin where an Agent whose suit was still unmarked by dirt or blood was emerging, followed by half a dozen strangers dressed in normal clothes.

"The fight is over," said the Agent.

"Says who?" called Mikayla as she lay over Jet's body.

"Says me, you whiney sack of-" The Agent began to shiver, and before Hunter could blink, he was Zac.