The Exterminated

“We’re not actually going to go in there, right?” Vicky looked around. “It’s a trap, right?”

“Obviously.” Jin snapped. He tried his best to seem calm, but Nikoa could see the tension in his neck, in his jaw.

Jin reached behind his neck and took off the disc, returning to his normal form and stuffing the disc into his pocket. Nikoa and Diran took that as reason enough to do the same.

“Clock’s a-ticking,” another voice crooned over the arena’s speakers. Grayson.

“Just go,” Jack snapped.

“What?” Diran snarled, glaring at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Jack?” Eddie took a careful step towards him. “What are you talking about?” Eddie inched closer, his brows arched in concern.

“Just do what they say.” Jack’s voice was low and resigned. He didn’t look at anyone, he just closed his eyes and hung his head.

“Jack?” Vicky whispered. Her eyes widened. “Jack, where’s Jesse?”

Jack didn’t look up. “They took her.”

Nikoa’s eyes widened. It all made sense now. He glanced at Kate to see what she would do. She was watching Jack with a surprisingly calm expression, but her eyes flashed with something he couldn’t place.

Jack turned and swung himself through the metal bars. He glanced back once, then started walking towards the center of the arena.

Vicky moved to follow him, but Eddie held a hand out to stop her, his expression unreadable.

“Everybody get in the arena,” Kate ordered after a brief pause.

“What?” Diran turned the full force of his glare on her.

“Don’t question me right now,” she snapped. “Get in the arena.”

The others wasted no time in following her orders. Nikoa jumped through and looked back. Diran and Kate were still glaring at each other. Diran snarled and gave in, climbing through the bars of the fence. Kate rolled her eyes and followed him through.

Nikoa reached out and ran a hand across the bars as they walked away, letting his metallic dust sink into the metal. He closed his eyes as they walked across the dirt of the arena floor, reaching out with his mind to the metal, feeling his way through every inch of it so he’d be ready to control it.

When he opened his eyes, they were standing in the middle of the arena. He looked out into the darkened stands, trying to find the two members of the Revengeance in the dark shadows.

The lights around the top of the arena flashed on, lighting up the stands.

Jeremy sat near the top of the stands, on the edge of the row. Next to him sat a girl who looked almost exactly like Jack; same dark hair, same skin, same freckles, same eyes. Jesse.

Grayson sat on her other side, trapping her between himself and Jeremy. Even from down in the arena, Nikoa could see his eyes sparkling with excitement, and he shuddered. Whatever Grayson was smiling about almost certainly would not bode well for them.

Jeremy leaned forward and held a microphone to his mouth. “Glad you could join us,” he said, his voice booming through the speakers.

“Jeez, could you turn it down a bit?” Jin yelled. “We get it, you hacked speakers, it’s not exactly a grand accomplishment.”

“I take it there’s no actual tornado,” Kate yelled, cutting off the banter before it could actually take off.

Jeremy grinned, proud of his work. “We thought it would be best to… clear the area.”