Burning Ice & Freezing Fire

Time!?

It feels like someone or something is holding and squeezing his lungs in a vice like grip.

Breathing appears to be impossible.

And he didn't know what it feels like when your heart...starts to panic because of lack of oxygen.

It's something entirely different from when you panic, yourself.

It's more violent.

Almost like a silent promise of a very slow and painful suffocation...

He barely registers the two voices, calling his name.

Close by and yet impossibly far away.

He barely registers getting lifted and placed on the bed.

He barely registers anything anymore.

Whose hard, shallow panting is that?

Whose hand is helplessly flailing around in the air, obviously searching for something to hold on to until it gets caught, hold, and reassuringly squeezed by two smaller hands?...

"...Robbie! Robbie Rotten! Talk to us! What is wrong??" Stephanie reflexively pushes the villain's hand she's holding in her owns down onto his hectically raising chest as well, next to his other one. She can see that he got trouble breathing, but she doesn't know why. Is he overstrained? But the man doesn't even seem to react on anything she does or says...

"Bessie! We need to do something!"

"I can tell. But what? I'm no doctor!" the woman looks at the girl sitting at the edge of the bed with the trembling, seemingly internally convulsing villain on it. Then she grabs the rucksack the two brought along and starts to rummage through it "Did he get that before? Did Sportacus say anything?"

"No! He almost collapsed, but...not like this!" with growing desperation, the girl tries to remember what the hero did earlier to calm his friend down again and hesitatingly raises one hand to carefully cup Robbie's hot cheek now. Her voice, unlike before, calm and low now, not trying with all might to raise above the noise of the panicky panting coming from the other "...Robbie, it's all right... Look at me. Please. Try to focus..."

The felf's eyes keep darting around the room pointlessly and his breathing doesn't steady either.

But...either Stephanie is mistaken, or he just very weakly squeezed her hand!

It's as good as nothing.

But even that has to be enough sometimes...

"It's gonna be all right, Robbie. Remember what Sportacus said?! You're strong! Just hold on!" the girl swallows hard, squeezes his hand again and softly strokes his cheek with her thumb, just like she's seen Sportacus doing it, and like her uncle comforted her when she was sick "...I'm sure, this will be over, soon..."

"...St... Steph..." the word is nothing but a barely audible whisper, but even Bessie hears it and looks up from the bag. Stephanie can't help a relieved smile and squeezes his hand again "I'm here! It's gonna be okay, Robbie! Just..."

"...Sporta...cus..." Robbie's eyes shortly meet hers, before they start to flutter shut and open again and again, his voice broken and audible strained while his breathing comes in very weak, slow intervals now "...Hurts... Where's...Sporta... Promised me...not to...leave me..."

"He didn't leave you, Robbie. He'll be here soon! Just hold on until then! Okay?!" Stephanie strokes his cheek again and tries to think of any encouraging words.

But it feels as if her usual positive nature has left her...

"...Too...much... Can't... Don't want you...to...see me...like... Sportacus... Please..." his trembling increases again, but his eyes barely reopen now after they've fallen shut again "...Need...you... Save...me..."

Then Robbie's body suddenly falls limp and his eyes shut completely...

"...Why don't you finally get it over with?!"

All facades have been dropped.

Sportacus is glaring at the other elf with openly displayed anger and hatred now.

Nine laughs out "Oh, but I'm already on it, young one!" he closes his hand around the great crystal and puts it safely into the small box at the front of his belt, before returning the glare just as intensely, his voice lowered to a dangerous hiss "You started this game, Sportacus! Hide and seek. Now we're playing! And I'm long not done yet!" he suddenly takes a step back "Guys. We're leaving."

Sportacus is completely taken aback, but unable to reply anything when he now watches the two security guards turn to head for the door while his precursor flashes him another wicked smile "I've waited years for this. Now I'm going to enjoy it! Rotten will pay for his stupid schemes, I had to undergo when I was hero here. And when I'm done with him, I'll take him back where he belongs since the accident of his birth happened! And you better not try to stop me, Ten, otherwise you'll get your sentence for treachery!"

"He's been a child back then! And you have no right to harm him in any way! This is against the rules! He..."

"He's a felf! None of our rules include these bastard species! There's only one rule for handling them: all's fair!" with this he turns around as well, but before he disappears through the door, he calls over his shoulder "It's about time for you to pick a side, Sportacus. Time's running out. For the both of you..."