INFRARED – 8 (End)
A lot is happening.
Clay and the Don seem to be reaching Ivan, as Alia works with Wendy and Rhode to counter the Red Father’s assault.
Wendy is channeling Alia’s starlight power to blast fireballs, and Rhode calls winds to control the excess.
Clay calls out to Alia in the backyard of his house.
“We need some cover! I don’t have the strength to help the Don!”
Alia grabs Rhode roughly by the arm. “Follow that man, do whatever he says. If he gets hurt, I will rip your head off.” She practically tosses him in the direction of the Don and then she and Wendy go back to clearing the many fireballs that knock over trees and threaten to smash Clay’s house.
Alia wants to help Crude. She is taking a beating from the woman Ssin, who is apparently Clay’s sister Brittany under the influence of the Red Father. She watches as Ssin drags Crude with one hand by her neck to the front of Clay’s house, up the hill and toward the road. When she makes it there, she slams Crude face first into the asphalt. Crude struggles and Alia is about to leave Wendy to the fireballs, but then Crude manages to grab Brittany’s arm, and she flings the woman with all of her might down the streets. Crude stumbles to her feet, yells and then chases after her.
Alia looks to the Don, and Rhode is helping him to avoid the fireballs in the sky, but the Red Fathers is creating chaos.
“Wendy,” Alia says and she grabs the woman. They retreat long enough to strategize.
“The Don can’t do it,” she says to Wendy as they watch him and Rhode avoid the Red Father. “He can see how Ivan is being controlled, but he can’t steady long enough to do it.” Alia pauses for a moment, for long enough to connect to Clay’s mind. “And Clay is giving his all to Ivan to take back his body. I have a plan, but it’s on me and you now.”
Wendy smiles. “This is such an honor,” she says reverentially. “I will do what you say.”
Alia appreciates the confidence, but she knows that her plan is a Hail Mary. When she focuses on the Don, she knows that he can see what appears to be a leech on Ivan that is the lever of the Red Father’s control. If she can target it, destroy it with the starlight, all of this should be over. But Alia can’t see it unless she is looking through the eyes of the Don.
She has Wendy, who is able to mirror her powers, try to do the same with the powers of the Don.
“I can only do one mirror at a time,” Wendy explains to Alia.
The two of them concentrate despite the chaos around them, but after a few minutes, Wendy’s eyes glow green, and when Alia looks through her eyes, she can see the leech on Ivan, and she can focus on getting a clear shot from a vantage point that is closer to her own.
“On three,” she says to Wendy as the women concentrate.
Alia holds her hands before her body and she focuses all of her rage, all of the frustration that she has experienced since learning of the Red Father, at the leech on Ivan’s head. She does not yell, she doesn’t want Ivan to move because focusing through Wendy’s eyes is difficult, but the white starlight gathers, and then shoots like a laser. When it connects to the leech, the thing swells, and then explodes into a glitter of sparks that eventually dissipate. Ivan tumbles to the ground as everything affected by the magic of the Red Father returns to normal, as it had been before his coming. Even in a desert of central Africa, the rip in space, the doorway to the red realm shrinks to practically indistinguishable.
“Brittany!” Clay yells weakly, and Alia understands that she must no longer be hulked out and she is probably in danger from Crude.
“We’ll find her,” Alia says as she and Wendy race off in the direction that she had last seen the two. When they find the two women, Brittany is unconscious, and Crude is standing over her confused.
“Crude! Stand down!” Alia yells and she approaches cautiously with a hand up.
Crude transforms into her human form and she stands before Alia panting.
“Please help me,” she says breathlessly. “You the only one…”
“Come with us,” Alia says. She and Wendy carry Brittany back to Clay’s house, and the woman who was Crude follows behind them.
The group is very wary. They occupy the couches in Clay’s living room and the chairs around his dining room table.
The Don sits with Clay in the living room and they focus their attentions on Ivan, who has returned to his body, though he is weak and when he talks it is hard to understand him. He says words completely out of logical order and the two are worried.
“I hate to leave him like this,” the Don says, “So I will insist that he come with me. With time, I can restore him.”
“I hate to disagree,” Clay says, “but you’re not taking him anywhere. You can treat him here. You’re welcome for as long as you like, but you’re not taking him.”
The Don doesn’t doubt that Clay cares for his grandson, he just needs to be sure that he is not bringing trouble to Ivan, whether unknowingly or not.
“Very well,” the Don says. “Then I will return regularly to check his progress.” He hugs Alia and smiles at her. “You are a wonder and must come visit me soon. Promise me.” When she did, the Don left as unceremoniously as he had arrived.
Wendy and Rhode stare one another down in the dining room.
“Leave! Why are you still here?” Wendy yells, annoyed.
“Really?!” Rhode says, “I helped today!”
“And now it’s over and you’re the most evil thing left.”
Alia intervenes. “We’ve done enough fighting. You can be enemies some other time. Just part ways peacefully.”
Miriro, who is only visible to Wendy and Rhode, says to Rhode, “We won’t leave without the Chief.”
“The Chief isn’t here!” Wendy says, and Alia doesn’t understand. “We don’t know what happened to him when Alia killed the Red Father. He could be anywhere. So go!”
“Fine,” Miriro says, “we have done all we can today.” Rhode follows her out of the house obediently and when he is outside, the young man calls winds that take him away.
“I should be getting back,” Wendy says to Alia. “I will reach out soon. Sorry about my car in your yard, Clay.”
Clay laughs. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.” He hugs her.
As Alia and Clay watch Wendy drive away, he asks Alia, “What about her?” Clay looks to the woman who could be Crude who sits on the edge of his front porch, staring off into the distance.
“I’ll talk to her. Figure out what she wants to do. She’s from around here.”
“What’s next for you?”
“I don’t really know,” she says.
“You might as well stay here,” Clay offers. “I’m sure I can use the help, Brittany and Ivan are going to need someone to look after them when I’m working. Besides, everybody knows how to find you here and they might need the Alia.”
Alia smiles. It isn’t a bad idea.
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