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Chapter 14

“The plan. You want to know the plan? The plan is to save Piece. The plan is to storm the 40th floor. The plan is to storm Olympus. The plan is to do whatever it takes to save him and save billions of people in this world. No one may know what we’ve done for the world. It doesn’t matter to me. I am fighting for one person right now and if saving him also means saving the world then so be it. I’ll take that chance. It happens tonight.”

I am talking to Bombard. Piece is standing off to the side. He has tried to talk me out of this a million times, but so far it hasn’t worked. I’ll risk my life for this and so will Bombard.

Bombard has been silent this whole time. He’s concentrating.

“So basically we have no plan,” he says.

He’s right.

I nod, “Nope.”

Bombard hesitates for a moment. This could be a suicide mission. This could all be for nothing if the Ambrosia kills Piece anyway. I’m willing to take that chance regardless. I look over at Piece.

Bombard smiles.

“Well then what are we waiting for?”

It’s late at night; the lights in 40-floor building go out. Everything gets dark.

“That’s the sign,” Piece states, “S.Dot turned the lights off for us.”

“Won’t she know we are coming if they do that?” Bombard asks.

I shake my head, “Victoria already knows we’re coming.”

I move forward toward the building. I am nervous but I can’t act scared…especially not with Piece and Bombard looking at me. They are almost watching me seeing if I’m really about to lead them into doing this shit. I can’t believe I’m honestly that crazy though.

As we run towards the building I notice security standing towards the front.

The man is on a walkie talkie saying something as soon as he sees us. He has been told to look out for us. He’s been told to expect us.

Without hesitating I use my mind to smash the walkie talkie. The man clearly has never seen anything like this before. His eyes get wide all of a sudden.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” the security guard tells us.

Bombard raises his hand. He’s going to hurt the security guard but Piece steps forward.

“Beat it,” Piece warns the security guard.

The security guard doesn’t seem to budge until Piece gives him a short push with his mind. At this point he is clearly freaked out. His eyes get wide again and he takes off the other way before saying another word. I know why Piece does it. He’s attempting to avoid anyone else getting hurt.

It doesn’t matter though. It’s too late. The guard has already contacted someone and from the lobby we can hear the elevators come down to the street level floor.

“It’s them…” Piece warns me.

“Who I ask?”

“You know who,” Piece tells me.

When the door opens we hear the clicking of heels at that moment. They are taking their time to meet us in the lobby but they are coming. Bombard plants his feet down and crouches down a little bit as though knowing someone is going to try to pull him. Piece stands next to me. He seems to have a defensive posture as well. It’s only a matter of seconds before I see the two ladies walk into the lobby.

Mal Tiffany and Kenicky are there.

“Did you think it would be so easy?” Kenicky asks.

She smiles a little bit. Mal Tiffany is standing there with that silent deadly look in her eyes. I’ve seen what kind of shit Mal Tiffany is capable of. Kenicky…is another story. The two women are standing like guard dogs to the elevators.

“Kenicky, I know you’re trying to protect your boss,” Piece explains, “But wrong is wrong. You have to know that. Isn’t there any human in this world that you care about?”

I realize he isn’t talking to Mal Tiffany. Whatever happened in the past with Mal Tiffany and her sister has made her a bitter woman. I don’t know what kind of relationship Piece has with Kenicky. He has a relationship with S.Dot. I’m wondering if maybe Kenicky may not be that bad after all. I’m standing there hoping she isn’t going to do anything but I’m sure even if she doesn’t Mal Tiffany will.

“Humans?” she replies to Piece, “What are ants to Gods?”

With that she pulls at Piece. Piece is flying toward her. I immediately can feel myself fighting to pull Piece back with mind. Piece screams in pain as the two forces are pulling him in separate directions.

“STOP You’re going to tear him apart!” I hear Bombard say.

I’m not sure who he’s talking to. Is he talking to Kenicky or me? I don’t have time to figure it out. Bombard runs forward. He uses his mind to shatter near by glass and aims the glass right at Kenicky. I don’t know if he wants to impale her with glass or if he just wants to distract her. He gets neither done. Mal Tiffany interrupts fracturing the glass into the smallest of pieces so that by the time it gets to Kenicky it’s nothing but light powder.

Mal Tiffany doesn’t stop there.

“Learn your fucking place sewer rat!” she screams out at Bombard.

She uses a force at that moment that blows both Bombard and I back several feet. I end up losing my focus and losing Piece. I hit the floor hard!

Fuck!

“Piece!”

Piece is being sucked over to Kenicky. I can’t do anything to help him. I’ve already lost focus. I’ve already lost Piece. Piece is moving towards Kenicky now and there is nothing that I can do to stop him. That is when I hear something. A loud crashing noise as the glass walls on the street level floor all come crashing down. This does distract Kenicky! It distracts her enough for her to drop Piece at that moment.

I look over to my right to see what caused his explosion. Then I realize we aren’t alone. Within a matter of seconds Tonnet, Old Man Keeper and Prall run into the lobby.

“Tonnet…”

Fuck. I don’t know what she’s here to do.

How did she figure out what we were doing? I turn to my right at that moment and look at Bombard. He couldn’t have…he wouldn’t have risked Piece like that!

“I had to tell them,” Bombard stated, “We couldn’t do this alone…”

Fuck. He did. He told them.

I find myself running towards Piece at that moment. I grab him and move him to a corner. I feel surrounded at that moment. On one side the remaining Sewer Lineage and on the other side Mal Tiffany and Kenicky. They all want Piece for themselves. And I’m not going to let them have him. No matter what.

I move a desk in front of me. I move everything I can find in hopes of barricading Piece and I away from everyone else.

“Jamison…” I hear Tonnet say.

“Fuck that. No one is hurting Piece. NO ONE!”

I’m going crazy right now. I’m causing everything not nailed down in the lobby to move. I am losing so much focus but the chaos is what I need. Tonnet and the rest of the Sewer Lineage would want to kill Piece because he’s the bomb. Mal Tiffany and Kenicky want to take him away and hide him somewhere until he explodes. Everyone is trying to kill Piece.

“Jamison stop…we’re here to help!” Tonnet states.

I look over at her confused. I don’t expect it.

“Help?”

“What you guys are doing is stupid. We should kill Piece. We really should,” Tonnet states before stopping, “But the difference with us sewer rats is that if we had to choose, we’d choose differently from Victoria’s people. If we really, really had to choose between life and death…we’d always choose life.”

I’m shocked. I’m even more shocked when Old man Keeper literally runs across the room and punches Kenicky. No one is expecting it. No one expects that the Old man of all people is the one not using his mind and the one using physical strength. I watch as Kenicky falls on the floor completely shocked that he just did that.

Piece and I look at each other.

“Holy shit…” Piece is saying. He’s laughing. I can’t help but to smile as well.

Kenicky lifts up her face at that moment from the floor, “What the fuck? Did he just punch me? Did he just fucking punch me?”

Mal Tiffany is ready to attack us. I can see her getting started. She tosses the old man with her mind and before I know it Tonnet and Mal Tiffany are locked up. I can almost see the forces between them. The connection that Piece was talking about makes sense now. I can feel them trying to literally pull at one another and move one another.

Tonnet is more focused now then the first fight. She isn’t letting Mal Tiffany win. At that moment I’m looking at her shocked that she’s standing up for us.

It’s Prall that runs over to Piece and I.

“You guys should go,” Prall tells us, “Go get the Ambrosia…we’ll hold them off here.”

He’s right. I grab Piece by the hand. I don’t have time to thank the Sewer Lineage for coming here last minute to protect us. I don’t have to show my emotions. At this moment, the only thing that I can do is save Piece and make sure that they are not risking their lives for nothing.

Kenicky tries to stop us but it’s Prall who actually takes her on. Prall isn’t the best with psychokinesis but he manages to distract her by causing papers to float out of the offices in the lobby and scatter all around the lobby. The floating pieces of paper causes Kenicky to lose focus. The issue however is that with all this confusion I’m kind of lost as well.

“This way!” I hear a voice scream.

I turn and see Bombard.

I turn to Piece, “C`mon.”

I’m holding his hand and pulling him toward the elevator. We make a mad dash. We’re running through endless streams of floating paper, forceful objects and smashed glass. The lobby of the corporation has turned into a battle ground. I can feel Piece holding onto my hand tighter and tighter. I can tell he is nervous.

By the time we get to the elevator Bombard is holding it to let us in. As the door closes, Piece is the one who enters a code into the elevator to get us to the top floor.

I can almost hear his heart racing.

“That was intense,” Bombard is saying.

He’s smiling. He finds all of this very thrilling. I have to admit, this shit is kind of crazy. Everything is going so fast. I don’t forget about Piece though. Piece is standing in the corner of the elevator as it goes up. He isn’t saying anything. He’s just standing there silently.

The look on his face says it all.

“Piece…are you ok?” I ask him.

Piece is shaking his head, “Man I don’t want anyone else to die for me. They are fighting down there. That shit isn’t funny. More people are going to die.”

He’s changed. It’s a far cry from the Piece that was causing trouble back then. I wonder what changed him. As I look at him he is clearly emotional about this. He is clearly upset. He looks like he is on the brink of crying. I grab him and pull him close at that moment. I hold him for a second. I know it is making Bombard feel awkward that I’m doing it but I don’t care about Bombard right now. Right now I just care about Piece.

“They chose to come. They chose to fight for you.”

“I was a dickhead to Tonnet.”

“What if I’m not worth it?” Piece asks.

“You are,” Bombard states at that moment from the front of the elevator, “I convinced them that you were. I know that you chose…him. I know you chose Jamison but I let him know just the kind of person you are Piece. You aren’t a trouble maker. You are life. Sometimes life is tricky and sometimes life lets you down. But that’s why the Sewer Lineage is fighting to begin with. Don’t you get it? We’re fighting for life? And the others…they understood that.”

“Bombard…” Piece states.

Piece lets go of me at that moment and he walks over to Bombard. He hugs him. Bombard is making Piece feel better. I have to admit a little bit of jealousy comes out that Bombard is making Piece feel better about all of this when I wasn’t.

Bombard looks over at me, “You wouldn’t mind if I sneak a kiss would you?”

“What?” I ask.

“Hey I know you two are going to be together,” Bombard admits, “I give up. I support it. But the least I can do is get a kiss. A small peck from him. You know how hard it was to convince Tonnet and the others to come out today? Do you have any idea?”

Fuck. I look over at Piece. He raises an eyebrow. He’s laughing at my reaction. It takes a lot to amuse Piece. This shit is making me sick.

I look over at Bombard and give him a hard look, “One peck…and it never happens again. NEVER happens again. Agreed?”

Bombard looks at me, “Yeah yeah sure.”

“Say it Bombard.”

“I agree. It won’t happen again.”

Bombard looks over at Piece at that moment. My heart is racing to see Piece kiss someone else but I have no choice at this moment. Bombard came through for us. A kiss wasn’t too much to ask. Was it? So I watch in horror as Bombard leans over and grabs Piece close.

Then he starts kissing Piece! Tongue action. He’s going in on Piece almost immediately. His tongue is digging in Piece’s mouth. Piece doesn’t expect it and hell neither the fuck do I!

“Hey! I said a fucking peck…” I interrupt at that moment.

“Holy shit,” Piece is laughing amused as Bombard is still kissing him, “Bombard…wait…Bombard are you ok? I just tasted some blood…”

Bombard pulls back. His nose is bleeding. It’s draining down to his mouth.

“What the fuck?” Bombard asks.

Piece looks over at me.

I raise my hand showing my innocence, “I didn’t do a dam thing. What the fuck is happening to him?”

Piece and I look over at Bombard. He’s acting strange. He’s finding it hard to breathe.

“My chest is caving in,” he says.

I’ve seen this before. I’ve fucking seen this move before.

“Small Queen,” I say.

“How the fuck is she doing this and she’s not even on the elevator?” Piece asks, “HOW THE FUCK IS SHE DOING THIS!”

He’s panicking and he has every right to be. Bombard is bleeding so much and right when we hit the top floor he falls over. My heart is racing. Piece and I look at him. Piece is panicking as he goes over to Bombard. He is checking Bombard’s pulse.

No!

No…this isn’t happening….

She is attacking us without even seeing us. She is attacking us without even being in the SAME FUCKING ROOM AS US!

“Jamison…”

“Don’t tell me what you’re about to say Piece,” I tell him, “Please don’t…”

I know what is coming. Piece stands up. He’s done checking Bombard’s pulse. The elevator doors open. No one is standing on the 39th floor. The hallway that leads to the stairs to the 40th floor is completely clear. Victoria is nowhere around us.

“He’s dead,” Piece states.

Fuck.

Piece is losing it. He’s crying right now. There’s nothing I can do to console him. I could sit there and lie to him and tell him everything was going to be ok. He told me on the way up here that people were going to die because of him and right now it’s already begun.

Bombard is dead. His body is laying cold in the elevator. It’s not moving. It’s just…there.

I can’t console Piece right now so I do the only thing I can. I grab him by the wrist.

“We need to keep moving.”

“NO! LET’S GO BACK!”

“I’m going. I’m going to face her. If you want to stay here with Bombard that’s fine. I’ll go get the Ambrosia I’ll bring it back to you. But I’m going. With or without you,” I tell him.

I’ve made up my mind.

“Don’t you see this?” Piece is asking shedding tears, “She can kill so easily. She will KILL you Jamison. Don’t you know that? Let’s leave. Let’s leave now. It’s not fucking worth it. I’m not worth it.”

“You’re the only thing worth it to me,” I reply, “I love you Piece.”

I start to walk away before he can continue trying to convince me not to do this. He’s tearing up chasing me down the hallway now attempting to stop me. He isn’t just using his body. He’s using his mind but they don’t stop my steps. I’m more focused than ever.

I’m struggling to get to the staircase and sooner or later Piece realizes that my will is something that he can’t stop. I saw what Victoria has done to Bombard. I understand it and it’s completely fine. I’ll take that risk. I’ll fight even if there is a chance I’m laying right next to Bombard.

By the time I get to the 40th floor…Piece can’t even talk anymore. He’s breaking down. He’s crying.

“The two of you have caused me so much trouble…,” the voice of the Small Queen says.

It takes me a minute to find her but I do. There she is. Victoria Cass. She’s sitting on a lounge chair. She has a white gown on that flows that overlaps the chair. The chair swallows her small frame. Victoria’s evil stare almost glows in the darkness. I feel nothing but hatred towards her. She’s killed Aunt Gloria. She’s killed Bombard. She was a small monster more than a queen.

“You bitch,” I finally say to her.

It’s the only thing that can come out of my mouth at that moment. I mean every word of it. Piece is sitting there crying next to me. He’s given up before we even started. He is scared for me. That’s why he’s crying. He doesn’t think I’m a match for Victoria.

He’s probably right.

I take a step towards her and I can feel a pain in my chest. It feels like my chest is collapsing in on me almost immediately.

“STOP! STOP IT!” Piece screams at her.

Piece flies across the room. He literally LIFTS off the ground in an attempt to attack Victoria. He doesn’t make it halfway across the room before his body is misdirected into a wall. He hits the wall so hard that I hear a crack. I wonder if he’s broken his back or something. Fuck. Piece is laying on the floor struggling to get up but the impact of him hitting the wall seems DEVASTATING.

I take another step towards Victoria.

My chest hurts so bad right now. Then I feel the nose bleed.

“You may think I’m such a bad person, Jamison,” Victoria stated, “But every villain is a hero in their own mind. And I just wish you saw the bigger picture. Piece’s father saw the big picture once. These humans have polluted this Earth. They’ve filled this Earth with their hate. All I’m trying to do is hit the reset button on the world. You know? Try it over with a race that can fix the problems that humans have caused.”

I take a step towards her, “It’s genocide. It’s murder.”

She smiles at me, “It necessary. I grew up a scientist. I warned people about global warming. I warned people about climate control. No one listened. Mankind has used technology in the worst ways possible. You know what our greatest weapon is Jamison? Do you have any idea? Our greatest weapons are our minds. It’s what separates man from beast. And now the mind is going to be what separates us from man.”

“No…” I hear Piece say from the ground, “Logic isn’t the only thing that separates man from beasts Victoria. Love does too. We can love.”

“Love is nothing more than a thought of the mind.”

“It’s more than that,” I argue, “Love is a feeling. It’s seeing someone for the first time and knowing that you would do anything for them. It’s seeing someone for the first time and knowing that you are willing to die for them. That’s love.”

I look over at Piece. He’s crying still. I can see why. My nose is bleeding heavily. It’s looking the same way it did with Bombard right before he died. I grab onto my chest and make another step. I can’t focus enough to use psychokinesis. I can’t focus enough to use any of that but if I die, I’ll die trying to save Piece.

That is what love is all about.

“You people are fucking idiots…” Victoria replies, “And you’ll die for a race that you don’t even belong to…”

She clutches her hands at that moment and I drop to my knees.

I am hardly managing to do this. I keep going. I feel like I am going to pass over and die any moment but I can’t let myself die. Piece is depending on me.

“Where is the Ambrosia?” I ask Victoria.

She laughs, “You’re hard to kill. I’ll give you that. It’s right over there. There in that locker behind me. You won’t make it. You won’t make it two more steps…”

She is laughing. She is causing my lungs to collapse with Psychokinesis. She is killing me from the inside. And now I’m back on my knees after my next step. I look over at Piece. He’s reaching out to me. He wants to save me but his abilities are not working. I just look at him.

“I’m sorry…” I tell him.

I can’t do it. I’m dying.

Just at that moment when I feel like completely giving in and I am giving up all hope I hear something. I hear a rumbling. Followed by the rumbling is a rattle. And then what feels like an entire earthquake. I look over at Piece. Is it him? No.

Something else. Someone else.

Out of nowhere she appears. There is a broken window in the penthouse. We all turn to see what’s going on and I see her…

She’s covered in ashes and she’s bleeding. She looks beaten up but she floats into the room just in time.

Antietam.

“GO!” Antietam screams at me, “SAVE HIM!”

Antietam is alive! My mother is alive! Not only was she alive but she was here helping me save Piece. I couldn’t believe it. My mouth drops open and at that moment Victoria finally realizes how serious shit has gotten. I see her get up off her lounge chair finally.

“Mom!”

I can’t believe the words until they come out of my mouth. This whole time I’ve called her Antietam but right now I realize that she’s putting me before the world. She’s trying to help me save Piece. She’s being a mother.

And the two of them look at each other.

“GO!” My mother screams at me again.

My chest doesn’t hurt anymore! She’s distracted Victoria. I find myself focusing at that moment and I’m running again. I’m running as fast as I can. I see the locker behind Victoria. Victoria is maddened that my mother is still alive. She looks at her and she flies at her.

There is a surge of energy between the two. It knocks me clean off my feet!

I’ve never felt power like that!

I fall to the ground. At first I think I’m paralyzed but I have to do it. I have to make it for Piece. I get up. There is another blast between my mother and Antietam. A kinetic force is causing the entire building to shake and crumble. I feel like any moment this entire building will collapse. That’s how powerful this force is.

I can’t give up. I have to keep going! I have to make it.

I finally get to the locker. I finally see the ambrosia.

I turn to my mother and Victoria. The way they are going with all this energy it’s clear they’ll probably end up killing themselves in the same way their lovers killed one another. I can’t focus on that right now. If my mother dies I can’t let her die for nothing.

“Piece.”

“I’m here…I’m here…”

He’s right by my side where he needs to be. I see the gallons of Ambrosia. My heart is racing.

“I’m scared…” I tell him, “What if it doesn’t work. What if you never wake up again?”

Piece smiles at me and takes the Ambrosia out of my hands.

“I’ll see you again,” he tells me, “I promise.

Why am I crying then? If this is the only way possible to save Piece at all then why does it just not feel right? S.Dot said there is a chance Piece would never wake up again. What happens if he drinks it? What happens to the man I love?

“Time can’t keep us apart…” Piece says before he begins drinking…

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