No!
Black oil surfaced, rushing along the split in the water, and Beleth emerged covered in his tattoos, seeming to move with the mist.
"Luke, behind you!"
He blinked and turned slowly—too slowly—and his eyes wandered.
Could he see her? Could Beleth? Or did the mist shroud her in white?
Beleth gave no hint. He trudged through the water toward Luke—quiet, like Death doing his silent work.
Lucy raised her sword, hoping to throw it, maybe hit Beleth in the neck or chest, but she might hit Luke, and she'd lose her only weapon.
She mustn't be rash. She had to calm herself, still her breathing, and think.
Beleth closed in on her twin, bladed hands raised and ready to strike.
Mist swirled around her, moving inside her. The sphere pulsed stronger, calling out to her.
Beleth had moved away from the sphere, and yet had been simultaneously drawn to it. He'd asked Luke to use the sphere on him back at the facility. Beleth had been trying to fight Steele's control this whole time.
What if—
Lucy moved fast, tackling Beleth and pushing them into the water. She grabbed onto him, sphere in hand, and pressed it against his arm.
Chapter 128 - Drake
They didn't stand a chance against this powered-up version of Steele, who used the earth they stood on as a weapon against them. Rocks and sharp obsidian attacked the small group, injuring many. Drake blocked Robyn and tried to protect Sam, but nothing flew at her. Darren cried out in pain as the rocks bit into his skin, and Gary tried to run to Greg, to protect him, but Steele pushed at them with an invisible force that immobilized them. Stone rose from the ground and encased their arms and legs, turning them into partial statues.
Norm buzzed through the air, using his own body to block rocks that flew at Robyn, blood staining through his shirt and dripping down his arms as Robyn screamed at him to stop. Steele floated into the sky and tackled him to the ground, then used the rock trick to tether him in place. Mary and Greg had no chance, their para-powers of seduction and the ability to manipulate electrical waves were not effective in hand-to-hand combat, and their weapons did nothing to damage Steele.
With most of the team already shackled to the ground by rock and stone, Steele turned, looking at something no one else could see, and grabbed at the air, his hand clutching a now-visible throat. Toby materialized, gagging, and dropped the syringe in his hand as Steele flung him to the ground and imprisoned him with the others.
Drake stood with Sam and Robyn. The rest of their team had failed. They'd all been fools to think they stood a chance against Steele.
Steele brushed a patch of dust off his shoulder, and stood victorious on his smoldering volcano, his gloating smile enraging Drake. With a flick of his wrist, Steele pulled the hovering camera closer to him, no doubt to use this as an example to the rest of the world of what he could do. He had created his very own, twisted reality television show, paying for his fifteen minutes of fame with the blood of his victims. Phones and iPads and televisions and computers all over the world would make him the most famous person on the planet, and his destructive exploits would be forever immortalized in film.
His display of power, combined with his careless disregard for humanity, would make him the ultimate villain and superpower.
Drake couldn't even imagine what more Steele would be able to do, if he also got Ana's abilities.
Before Steele began speaking, a black shape fell from the sky and landed in front of him, shaking the ground and causing Drake's friends to whimper in pain.
Sam's gun still held steady on him, her eyes cold and empty. If she hadn't been supercharged, he could have taken her, gun or not. But with those extra powers, he wouldn't get close enough to touch her before she threw him off the crater.
Drake recognized the man with the wings. He'd seen him once before, when they escaped the compound.
The man pulled in his wings, revealing Simmons beside him, clutching her bloody nose.
"I worried you had failed me," Steele said, "but it seems I underestimated you, Beleth. Well done. Thank you for bringing me my wife." He held his hand out to Simmons.
Drake was stunned. My wife? So Simmons was... she was his mother. How is that possible?
"Welcome, my dear. What happened to your nose?" Before she could respond, he brushed the question aside with his hands. "No matter. I have many great plans for you. Come." Steele gestured grandly, like a politician showboating. "Let us implement the final stages of my plan."
Simmons stepped closer to her husband.
Drake's heart beat double-time as adrenaline rushed through him. He had to stop this, but how? He called out to Sam with his mind, begging her to break this connection, to fight, but she stayed frozen and empty, gun held tight.