Union

four

JUNE 23RD

0646 EST

The instant feeling of crippling vertigo racked through Bristol's body like a rogue wave, something too powerful that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't resist. She collapsed to the floor, her scream reverberating off the metal walls surrounding her. Each one of her nerves felt like they were on fire, her stomach filling with a widespread panic.

She could hear the muffled sounds of the battle waging around her, but she sank into a visions of her worst nightmares. She tried to fight them, but they were so vivid, so natural, so...real. There was no oasis left in Bristol's mind, only demons and shrouds of her worst fears come to life.

"What're you doing to her?!" Tristan bellowed, and Bristol felt the temperature drop a bit with his anger. She knew he probably tried to charge him, but Phobos simply knocked him away, adding more force to his attack on her.

The tempest in her ears roared as images of Tristan, CJ, and Avi lied unconscious on the ground, puddles of blood spilling from their unmoving bodies. She stood before them, watching them in horror.

This is your fault. All your fault. Your secrets did this to them. If you weren't so afraid of controlling the other elements, they would be alive.

Bristol winced, tears spilling. She saw herself collapsing next to each of them in turn, checking for some kind of sign that they were still alive. No pulse, no breathing, no nothing. Bristol stood, her blue uniform stained with the blood of her friends. Her cerulean clothes didn't resemble the calm Caribbean waters that stood for her strength, but a deep ocean after a shark attack, a spill of blood filtering through the waters.

She screamed out in agony, her cheeks wet. Phobos wasn't done yet. She saw flashes of monstrous tidal waves, herself trying to tread water as the waves pounded her beneath the surface. She heard rumbles of thunder, saw the darkness of the ocean at night.

Paddling to the surface, Bristol gasped for breath. The night was pitch black, the waves a deep shade of navy. She could make out the shape of a wave forming in the distance, but then the clouds cleared and a bolt of white-hot lightning came racing down from the heavens above.

The feeling of the strike probably would have sent Bristol back into some sort of traumatic shock if Phobos hadn't averted his attention to someone else on the team. She gasped for breath, rolling over as fits of coughs racked her body. The sounds of the sudden battle were clear. This was real. Her nightmares weren't.

With a pounding heart, Bristol gazed at the scene before her. Phobos was apprehended by Avi, whose resonations were probably distorting his attempts to spread fear. Tristan was freezing his hands and feet together into makeshift cuffs, but he didn't realize his mistake.

Phobos's powers weren't exerted through his limbs, but rather his mind. Just one intense look from those piercing gray eyes and you were a victim of your own mind, your own fears come to life. That's why Avi's resonations were working.

However, even Avi needed a break. She stumbled backwards, gripping the wall nearby Bristol for support. A black and red streak darted into view as alarms echoed through the hallways. CJ had most likely pulled the alarms, gone for help, but he didn't see the torture he was about to give himself.

With Avi trying to maintain her energy, Phobos was able to recuperate. And his gaze was locked on a certain brown-haired speedster. Even the fastest boy alive wouldn't be able to outrun the monstrosities of Phobos's powers.