Ten, plus Croazoh.

Oh god. She put a hand to her chest. They had been through so much. The thought of coming this far and failing just completely undid her. Her chest was constricting and tears filled her eyes. Max? She looked around desperately. She could feel him, helping someone... but he was so distant. She swiped at her eyes and looked back at Croazoh. He was frozen. They all were. What were they doing?

“They’re waiting for their power to regenerate. It took a great amount to transfer them here.“ Nasedo’s answer confirmed her fears.

“You mean they’re really here?“ Maria reached out and clenched Liz’s arm with shaking fingers. “I thought maybe they were just... holo- holo-“

“Holograms,“ Liz supplied automatically.

“Right. Holograms.“ Maria’s blue eyes were wide with fear. “Oh, this is bad, isn’t it?“

Liz pulled her into an embraced, wishing words of comfort would come. But she was just... too tired to even try. This WAS bad. She still felt weak from healing Max and transferring into his mind, and Maria was no longer channeling the orb’s power. Only Nasedo stood with them.

“Weeping for your lost loves?”

The taunting voice sent chills down her spine. Liz released Maria and turned to see Croazoh, or the gray blob that she assumed was him, now unfrozen. He must be completely powered up now.

“You wish, metalhead. They‘ll be-”

“Don’t lie, Maria.” Liz looked at her with a pointed gaze. “There’s no point in lying to him. He already knows the truth.” Liz felt everyone’s attention shift to her. Maria was looking at her like she was crazy. But if Croazoh knew that Max was okay and trying to help the others, he would kill off the remaining bodies without even a fight. Liz released a little power into her tight airways, fighting off the asthma attack. Just as she began to breath easier, her sideways glance caught Isabel shimmering. They would see it!

Liz gasped and ran a few steps forward, feeling Nasedo tug on her arm, yelling at Croazoh as soon as she was forced to stop. “Why can’t you at least leave us their bodies, you bastard!“

“Liz...” Maria’s voice trembled behind her, but Liz ignored her and went on as Nasedo pulled her a step back. “You’ve already defeated us, we won’t be going home now. Why can’t you at least give us our dignity?”

From closer now, Liz watched Croazoh turn from a shimmering aluminum to a matte gunmetal gray. She had no idea what that meant. Had he bought it?

She heard Maria gasp behind her. Liz didn’t look, but she would bet her life that Michael had just disappeared, too. They must be working as a group now, each one healed transferring into another’s body and freeing that person. Liz quickly calculated the outcome. It would be faster that way, but that meant no one would be free to help she and Maria until most of them were freed. Only Nasedo.

“You forget yourself, hybrid. Humiliation and torment is all a part of the plan. There will be no dignity where you’re going.” A ripple of approving noises came from the back ten, but no one spoke.

Liz swallowed hard. Stay calm. They’re buying it. Let them focus on me, and NOT on the others.

“The Queen will not be going with you, you masochistic bastard.” Nasedo’s polite voice sounded strange uttering the curse. It was the first real challenge to Croazoh’s obvious stronger position and Liz felt the breath leave her. Nasedo pulled her back and positioned himself in front of her and Maria. The gray forms darkened with sudden intent. The build-up of power in the room took her breath away. Enormous... terrifying...

It moved at them with ferocity and Liz heard herself scream as her hands tried to block the attack. The blast struck Nasedo and consumed him where he stood.

Liz heard screaming and barely registered that Maria had officially lost it. She was hysterical, her wide eyes horrified by the bare space where Nasedo had been. Liz was dumbstruck. Nasedo‘s attempt at defense had been drowned by the tsunami of dark power.

He was dead- gone.

Her emotions couldn’t keep up. Now, nothing stood between Liz and Maria and the dark side of the room.

******

I’m going to die.

I’m going to die.

I’m a virgin and I’m going to die. Oh my god. Maria felt the rawness in her throat and moved a trembling hand up to touch it.

“Don’t move!” The loud voice stopped her. Tears filled her eyes. Helpless. Her gaze skittered over to Liz, wanting desperately to touch her, but she didn’t dare.

“What’s wrong, orb got your power?” Maria heard the amusement in Croazoh’s voice and it traveled down her spine like fire, stiffening her entire body in its wake. He really thought he could treat them like nobodies, like powerless wimps. Maria reached out her hand and clasped Liz’s.

“I said ’DON’T MOVE!’” The loud voice rang out through the room, but Maria wasn’t trembling anymore.

“You may be bigger, darker and uglier than us, but that doesn’t give you the right to order us around. So you’re evil. So you’re pissed at Liz and Max for failing to appreciate the only daughter you ever fathered. Big whoop.”

She suddenly realized that Liz was staring at her. Maria turned to look at her. “What?”

A sudden movement caught their eyes and both turned to see Croazoh sending out a dark wave in their direction. Liz gave a small cry and sent a small blast to intercept the blackness. The white stream was instantly grayed and made useless and the wave struck them both.

******

Joey was inside Justin’s mind. At least she thought she was. The forbidding forest that had appeared around her made her wonder.

“Justin?”

A small skittering sound made Joey flinch. She peered into the dark trees ahead. “Justin? Where are you?”

God, what kind of person has this in their brain?

“GO AWAY!” Joey felt a wave of pain that knocked her to her knees. He was trapped, as she had been. The forest around her began to fade. He was weakening.

“Justin, I’m here to help you!” Joey stood to her feet and tried not to be disoriented by the blank darkness.

“GO AWAY!”

What was wrong with him? Didn’t he want to helped?

“NO! I DON’T!” The echo was fierce in the emptiness.

But then Justin appeared, sitting hunched over on the floor. Joey walked on the nothingness to him. She knelt and reached out to touch him.

He tried to jerk away, but trembling overtook him and he fell over on his side.

Joey felt her heart clench. He was so proud- too proud! She found herself getting angry. “Would you just forget about yourself for two seconds, you jerk? There are other people who need your help right now. Like Michael and Delia. Don’t you want to protect them? Max said Croazoh has everyone trapped and we have to help fight him. We need you, Justin.”

Justin fell over on his back and covered his eyes with his hand. He groaned loudly. Joey was still unsure as to whether he was giving in or just too weak to fight anymore, but she didn’t care. She revved up her remaining power and found the cocoon that Max had told her to slash.

“This is going to hurt,” she warned Justin. He groaned again. She rolled her eyes and focused again, trying to ready herself for the pain.

******

Liz was flat on her back- again. Something tugged at her feet and she found herself flying across the floor, toward Croazoh.

“Liz! I can’t move!” Maria’s cry was desperate. “LIZ!”

Liz gritted her teeth, flipped over and grabbed at the tiles, finally thinking to smash a power bolt into the hard surface as she slid across. The power held her in place like a shimmering, living lifeline and it took every bit of her concentration to hold onto it...

Croazoh’s pull didn’t let up. Instead, she found herself being lifted up off the floor as his efforts increased.

“Trying to resist, Liz? Even when your friends are disappearing into thin air?”

Liz kept her eyes forward, where she could see that only four of the them were left. Croazoh thought they were dying. Good! She could feel her power weakening- again. Too much strain. Hurry up, Max!

She felt a small rush of emotion and knew that Max knew she was in trouble. He was healing someone... Christopher... he was coming...

Liz lifted her head as a figure suddenly appeared behind Maria.

“Isabel! Help me!” Liz screamed. But she could see that Isabel was barely even able to stand. She was trying to move forward, stumbling unevenly on the tiles. “Liz? Oh my god...“ She sank to her knees.

Liz looked away. It was hopeless. Croazoh was just playing with her, pulling at a fraction of his available power. He probably loved seeing her try to struggle. The thought made her want to let go.

Max!

She looked up one last time to see Michael appear beside Maria, kneeling before her immobile form instantly.

Michael!

*Liz?*

The brown eyes looked up immediately and he jumped to his feet like a man on a mission. “Stay here,” Liz heard him bark at Maria. Liz wanted to laugh. Maria was still immobile.

Before Michael got three steps, Liz felt goose bumps cover her body. The dark power was churning behind her. She looked back over her shoulder and cringed.

They were going to destroy Michael as they had Nasedo.

*Nasedo’s gone?*

She barely had time to turn back and look into his fierce eyes. Yes! Look out, Michael!

The blast still took him off guard.