NOVEMBER 22

0058 EST

Sounds of gunshots ricocheted off unfamiliar corridors lined with rows of meeting rooms as Tristan and CJ scoured City Hall, climbing the staircase higher and higher towards the top level. The impact of an explosion radiated in their oncoming direction, catching Tristan and CJ off guard as they turned to each other, donning identical expressions of dread. Even though neither of them spoke, Tristan knew they were thinking the same thing.

It was almost physically painful for the two to leave their friends in the heat of battle, desperate to help but devoted to the cause. Bristol and Avi would be more than okay on their own against Phobos, Tristan knew that, but it was as if his heart was waging war on two fronts: he wanted to be up there with Liv, while also down below with Bristol and Avi.

Tristan opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a deafening roar of thunder erupting through the building. It was storming outside, he knew that, but it was almost as if this particular blast came from inside the building. Seconds later, another missile of lightning shook the ground. All around him, windows shattered, battering him and CJ with shards of glass, thunderous winds, and rainwater. The stairwell filled with the electric scent of ozone as the overhead lights flickered from the power surge.

Tristan fought against harsh, hurried breaths as the panic began to set in. He'd never seen anything like this before. He clenched his fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms as he turned to CJ. "Do we have records of any augmented with storm control?"

"Uh, not that I know of," CJ muttered. He eyed the flickering lights warily, as if whoever was causing the power surge would materialize from the dimming bulbs.

"Great," Tristan grumbled. "Just great."

A slow hum of a generator kicked on as they spoke, illuminating a small door to their far left. "Is that our stop?" Tristan asked. "Tell me this doesn't feel like a trap."

They quickly made their way toward the light. Fleeting sparks radiated off CJ's body as he physically hummed with adrenaline and anticipation. "Yep, this has gotta be a trap. So what's the plan?"

"How fast can you..." CJ's stern look halted Tristan's words in their tracks. Tristan paused, irked at both himself and the speedster."Okay I get it. Fast." He paused to survey the side stairwell in front of them. Lights from the emergency generators cast a barely visible glow through the darkness. Enemies could be hiding in every corner, waiting to strike, and they were going in blind. Tristan slammed his fist against the railing, turning it to ice and shattering it immediately under the glacial temperature. "Damn it, I wish Avi were here."

CJ tentatively put his hand on Tristan's shoulder. "Don't freeze me for saying this, put you need to pull it together." Ignoring the murderous icy look Tristan gave him, he continued. "Your sister is up there being tortured by Rune and wishing Avi was here is going to do nothing but waste time. Have some faith in us, dude."

At the mention of Liv, anxiety and adrenaline spiked in Tristan's blood. He would die before he let Rune torture her the same way he tortured him. Rune. Aaron. His brother. His own flesh and blood who had driven a spike through his leg and another so close to his heart. His brother who ruthlessly murdered hundreds of innocent people for personal gain. His brother who had killed his parents and would soon kill his sister for vengeance or whatever was driving this villainous crusade. But even after all the twisted things Aaron executed, Tristan didn't know if he had the strength or will to end his brother's life, even for the sake of his city.

He pushed away the thoughts of Rune from his mind, nodding at CJ despite himself. The only thing he needed to focus on now was saving Liv. "Thanks," Tristan muttered. "We don't know how many hostiles there are between us and Rune and the power outage is going to be a disadvantage. Because of your lightning, they'll see you but you won't see them."

CJ nodded, listening to the plan. His gaze took on a determined look Tristan had never seen from his companion.

"Do whatever you need to stop them," Tristan continued. "I mean it CJ. Whatever you can handle. These guys chose their path, don't show them mercy." He grabbed CJ's arm, trying to stress the importance of his next statement through his rigid gaze, piercing through to CJ's hazel eyes. "When you get to Rune, wait for me. You can't beat him on your own."

CJ winked at Tristan, "but I can try." With that he raced up the staircase, a blur of light arcing behind him. He paused at the first landing, turning back to the boy he'd left in his dust. "Don't worry about me, freeze pop. I'll be careful." He laughed, a sound unfamiliar in the midst of the battle. "Besides," he raised two fingers to his forehead in a departing salute, grinning wickedly, "I got this."

"I really hope that's true," Tristan murmured, but CJ was already darting up the staircase. Though he and CJ have had issues in the past, fear desperately clutched his heart all the same. Rune wouldn't spare a second thought before killing CJ, and Tristan wasn't fast enough to reach the top of City Hall before that would happen. He thought of Bristol and Avi too, not sure if they were winning their own battles or even still alive. Each one of the Union's fates were at the mercy of Rune; the thought chilled Tristan more than any ice ever could.

With a deep breath to orient himself, Tristan began to race up the steps toward the top level, toward his hostage sister, toward his brother and greatest enemy, and toward either triumph or his most devastating loss.

--

Tristan reached the top floor of the building, the lights from the generator guiding his way. The door stood out amongst the darkness, and as Tristan approached, he could feel the temperature begin to drop as his adrenaline began to take hold. Memories of every training mission, every lesson, and every strategy flew through Tristan's head at hyperspeed. It was moments like these he'd trained for, yet it felt as if none of that would help him now. What was waiting for him behind that door was fate, and Tristan didn't know if he wanted to meet it.

A creaking noise tore Tristan out of his anxieties, and his eyes flew to the door. Slowly, it swung open, revealing nothing but pure darkness and...silence?

Tristan frowned, but approached with caution. He flexed his fingers, whirls of ice and snow materializing at his will. The energy was enough to give Tristan a little light as he entered, but this darkness wasn't natural. It seemed to snuff out any light it could find, and Tristan's powers were next.

Liv was inside somewhere. So was CJ, and inevitably, Rune. But where?

A violent cry pierced through the silence, equal parts fear, hatred, and defeat from a voice Tristan knew as well as his own. "Tristan?"

As if responding to the sound, the darkness cleared from the room, enough to reveal the wall of ceiling-to-floor windows opposite the door. There, in the corner along its perpendicular wall, was Liv bruised, bleeding, and chained. Sobs wracked her body as she stared into the darkness at something Tristan couldn't see.

"Liv?" Tristan's voice cracked; he'd never seen her like this. Liv, so fiery and tenacious and brave, reduced to a shroud of her former self.

Tristan swept forward, but at the sight of him, Liv writhed in a twisted cry of fear. "No!" she screamed, full of absolute panic. "Get out! Don't come any closer."

Tristan ignored her desperate pleas and raced to her side. Icy blasts shot from his open palms, allowing thin tendrils of ice to curl its way around her shackles. The sturdy metal froze to its breaking point, but defrosted moments later. Rune's magic kept Liv's manacles tight around her wrist and even ice couldn't shatter them. Tristan pulled Liv into his arms anyway, careful not to hurt her further.

Liv collapsed into Tristan's embrace as if each bit of her energy had been sucked from her soul. Her wet tears burned into his shoulder. "I couldn't save him," she whimpered, sniffling. "I'm so sorry Tristan, I couldn't save him."

"What are you talking about?" Tristan asked. "You couldn't save Aaron?"

The anguished look on Liv's face morphed into one of surprise as her teary eyes flitted from his own to the dark room behind him. She didn't say anything, still looking at something past Tristan but slowly shook her head.

"Liv," he said in an attempt to draw her focus back to him. "Where's CJ?"

Liv opened her mouth to speak but her eyes rolled back into her head, her body going limp. Panic flooded Tristan's body as he scrambled to press his fingers to Liv's neck. A faint pulse fluttered there, and while that took away some of Tristan's fear, it wouldn't be enough. He needed to find CJ and get Liv out of here.

In an instant, the darkness cleared, absorbing into one familiar form, illuminating in the center of the blinding white room. "I'm surprised it took you so long to ask," Rune laughed. He swung his arm behind him, gesturing to a body in the corner, crumbled and lifeless.

A quiet gasp escaped Tristan's lips, unable to form words as he took in the gravity of the situation. CJ was dead. CJ was dead because of his brother. CJ was dead because Tristan wasn't fast enough to save him. "You monster!" Tristan screamed, his voice breaking.

Tristan shot to his feet, launching icicles from his fists. They flew towards Rune, but with a wave of his hand, they fell to the ground and shattered.

"Careful, Tristan," Rune said, his voice cold. "Wouldn't want to say something we don't mean, would we?"

"You're a coward," Tristan spat. "We know who you are and you still hide behind that mask."

Tristan was met with silence before Rune's infamous mask of shadows dissolved into wisps of smoke, revealing his true face. Aaron's face.

"Any other demands?" Aaron drawled. He stared at Tristan, unblinking, a dark statue in onyx armor.

Tristan tried to get his breathing under control, channeling as much of his energy as he could. The temperature in the room began to drop, frost forming over the shattered conference table that had once stood within it. This was his territory now, this was his city, and he would not let Aaron take that away.

"Yeah," Tristan said as his fists began to glow with an electric blue light. Flurries of snowflakes began to surround him. "Give Mom and Dad my best."

And with that, Tristan threw his hands forward. Every ounce of anger he had toward his brother shot from his palms in the form of ice expertly crafted into daggers. Aaron lifted his hand and a wall of shadows deflected the icy projectiles before consuming them entirely and flying right back for Tristan. Tristan leapt out of the way in the nick of time. The impact from the icicles hitting the wall behind him sent unfamiliar shivers down his spine.

"Weak," Aaron taunted, his voice sounding like it was coming from every direction. Tristan stared him down, feeling a bit like a caged animal, ready to pounce. This was the battle he'd been waiting for. For months, he'd imagined coming face to face with Rune, ready to take him down, and yet it was not going the way he had imagined in his head.

His friends and Liv were down for the count, CJ potentially dead. Tristan thought of his parents, burnt alive in their own home by their own estranged son, who was watching Tristan behind emotionless eyes. He'd turned on his own blood, fueled by the hatred that took the place of his heart.

Beams of shadowy, violet energy shot towards Tristan then, and he scrambled to raise an ice wall in defense. One beam caught his forearm, burning away at the royal blue Kevlar of his sleeve. Tristan bit back the pain and willed the ice wall forward, a monolithic block that even Aaron had to scurry away from in order to evade.

Tristan shook his head. "I'm not the weak one here."

"Oh?" Aaron cocked his head to the side, a gesture Tristan normally associated with Liv. The likeness was uncanny, and Tristan wished it wasn't. "Then maybe you'll start putting up a fight."

Aaron spread his arms and from the darkness behind him came shadows with glowing violet pits for eyes. It was something out of a nightmare, maybe one Tristan had even had as a kid, but he forced himself to stand his ground. If his brother wanted a fight, Tristan would deliver.

But not like this. Aaron's sorcery was too advanced for Tristan's powers, strong on their own as they might be. Any attack Tristan served would immediately be blocked, deflected. Aaron was trying to weaken him, and then he'd make the final blow. He'd kill him like he killed their parents, and Liv would surely be next.

No, augmented abilities wouldn't be the key to Aaron's undoing, not now. Fortunately, Tristan knew something, deep in the recesses of his memory that belonged to the idea of an older brother rather than the shroud before him. Aaron had never been much of a fighter.

So when Tristan released his control on the ice wall, all frost and snow disappearing from the room, and leapt towards Aaron, the sorcerer hit the ground with him.

Aaron grunted, immediately rolling to try and gain the upper hand, but Tristan was quicker. He brought his fist down on his brother's face, ice that formed shattering on contact. He raised his fist again, letting layers and layers of ice quickly frost over his knuckles, ready to end his brother with one final assault.

"Wait," Aaron gasped, his voice different. Emotion flooded his hurt expression, in a way Tristan hadn't seen from his brother in years. Though just as quickly as it came, the empathy disappeared and the familiar twisted expression returned. Aaron seized his opportunity through Tristan's momentary distraction and fought for control. He grabbed Tristan by the collar and shoved him right back down, the impact making white spots dance before his eyes.

"You're too easy. Do you really think you can beat me?" Aaron said from behind gritted and bloodied teeth. He swung his fist into Tristan's face, again, again, again. "I am not something to be beaten."

Before Tristan could respond, a flicker of movement caught his eye. Between accounting for his brother's fists and blinking, it would have been easy to miss, but not now, when Tristan was at floor level.

CJ's eyes were open, dancing with electricity. When Tristan met the speedster's gaze, he gave a little smile, paired with a wink. He was alive. The whole thing was a ruse.

A plan. A trap.

Tristan tried not to let his excitement show as Aaron landed another punch. As his fist found purchase, Tristan used the momentum, stealing it to shove Aaron away from him with an icy blast. The sound was like a shockwave as he soared across the room, hitting the bay of windows.

Tristan pushed himself to his feet, stalking atop broken glass and detritus of battle towards his fallen brother. Aaron glared up at him, bruises blossoming on his pale skin. Anger raged in his eyes.

"Clever," he spat. "But it won't be enough."

Aaron waved a hand and the broken glass across the floor began to levitate. He threw his hand towards Tristan and the glass shards obeyed.

Only Tristan never moved, and the glass never touched him.

A blur of lightning ensured that it wouldn't, and as CJ skidded to Tristan's side, he outstretched his gloved hand to Aaron to display all the glass he'd collected. "The shadows I get, dude, but glass? Really? Talk about grasping at straws."

Aaron gaped. "You should be dead."

"Not so fun being on the delivering end of that line, huh?" CJ asked.

Aaron glowered, pushing himself to his feet. Something was different now, Tristan could feel it. Power and rage began to emanate from Aaron's body, so much so that Tristan and CJ took careful steps backwards. Shadows began to flood the room, nightmarish figures lurking in the darkness. It was then Tristan realized that quip had bought them time, but it had not saved the day. What would?

"You insolent children!" Aaron roared as the thunder outside began to grow louder, as if he was the one controlling the storm. Tristan assumed it might very well be possible. "You're the ones granted with these abilities, hardly able to do anything but cower behind those with more strength."

Tristan flexed his palms but the ice inside him did not obey. Alarm hit him with a pang, and when he glanced at CJ, he found his hazel eyes wide with shock as well.

"A disarming spell," Aaron taunted, practically singsonging with pride. "Ingenious, isn't it?"

"Didn't know that was a new synonym for cowardly," Tristan retorted, venom on his lips.

The storm of shadows began to grow stronger, filling the room. Aaron spread his arms, furthering its progress. Purple light seemed to ring his wrists, dark magic at its rawest, waiting to be used.

"I intended to tear the Contingency limb from limb for their disgrace," Aaron said, his voice deathly low, "but I'll be satisfied with their sidekicks. For now."

Aaron manipulated the raw magic into two twin bolts of darkness, each poised for Tristan and CJ. It was lightning, dark lightning, ringed with violet, harnessed from the storm of shadows beyond.

"Goodbye, Tristan," Aaron said, and then flicked his hand towards him and CJ, the bolts obeying their master's command.

A bright light flashed before Tristan's eyes and he wondered if all those things people said about dying were true, that it really was a light at the end of a dark tunnel. But the light wasn't headed towards him, only further away, and it wasn't until Tristan felt hands on his shoulders, yanking him to the ground, that he saw he was not in the afterlife at all.

The door to the conference room had been blown open and standing before it was Bristol, her hair whipping around her as the air pressure in the room dropped. Lightning circled around her clenched fists. Her brown eyes electric, ringed with blue as power surged through her.

It had been Bristol all along. Bristol summoned the storm outside, used it to her control. She gave Tristan a quick, knowing look, and then stalked further into the room, likely to deal with Aaron.

The hands at Tristan's shoulders pulled him around and Tristan met Avi's glowing green eyes, exceptionally luminous in the darkness. He was out of breath, frightened, and thoroughly impressed, that the only word he could manage in that moment was, "Wha...?"

"Long story," Avi chimed. "But come on."

She hauled Tristan to his feet, before hurrying to do the same with CJ. The speedster's eyes were wide with amazement as Bristol parried Aaron's blasts, dark and bright lightning turning the room electric. He hurried over to Tristan. "Did you SEE that?"

Tristan shook his head, pinning Avi with a look. "Did you clear the--"

"Yes," Avi cut him off. "All hostages are safely outside of the building and awaiting extraction from local law enforcement." She turned her focus towards Bristol and Aaron, the former of which was beginning to get overpowered. "Now there's one last problem to worry about."

Bristol cried out as one of Aaron's bolts caught her leg. She stumbled, shooting a quick look to her friends as she backed over to them. "I don't know what you all are waiting for. The angry villain in the corner is sort of your cue!"

Avi was the first to attack, her cyborg arm raised. Small beams of potent green energy shot towards Aaron, briefly stunning him.

That gave CJ the clearance he needed to further the damage. He ran around and around the room, lightning of his own making forming in his wake. Bristol took it upon herself to add further energy to the cycle, before helping CJ direct it towards the sorcerer, forcing him to his knees as lightning coursed up and down his frame.

Avi stalked to stand before Aaron as Bristol and CJ each grabbed one of the sorcerer's arms. They looked up at Tristan. Your turn.

Each step Tristan took felt like it was shaking the very ground he was walking on. Rune--Aaron--glared up at him as he approached, but it was a tired look at that. He knew he'd lost; he was just struggling to accept it.

"Go on," Aaron said. "Put me out of my misery."

Tristan raised a hand and the temperature in the room obeyed. His friends' breaths turned into clouds at the sudden cold. Frost lined the windows, threatening to shatter what was left from Bristol's lightning storm. Tristan splayed his fingers, the energy forming in his palm-

"Tristan."

Tristan spun around to find Liv, still slumped against the wall but now conscious. She watched him with tired eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Don't."

Tristan knit his eyebrows together. "Don't?"

"He-" Liv shifted, wincing at a flare of pain, "-isn't worth it."

Tristan held his twin sister's gaze for what felt like years. Could he really be capable of mercy at a time like this? Being a hero meant making tough decisions for the greater good, that's what he'd been told his whole life. His parents had killed to keep the world safe. Could he do the same?

Tristan turned back around. Aaron, bloodied and bruised and burnt, sneered at him. "Mercy." He craned his neck around as much as he was able to look at Liv. "You'll never make it in life, Olive."

"Hey!" Tristan barked. "Don't speak to her again."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Or else what-"

Tristan responded by promptly coating his fist with ice and punching Aaron in the face. His older brother slumped over, unconscious. Bristol, Avi, and CJ backed off, letting his body hit the floor as they got to their feet.

"I'll contact Priscilla," Avi said, eyeing Aaron's unconscious body. "She'll arrange something."

"For what?" Bristol asked. "An envoy to Shadowgate?"

Avi didn't answer as she left the room. CJ went over and nudged at Aaron's body with the tip of his boot. "The mighty Rune," he said without fanfare. "Can we get a round of applause, ladies and gents?"

"CJ," Bristol chided.

"What?" CJ asked. "I'm not allowed to make fun of him? The guy gave us hell!"

"The guy is still dangerous."

"Oh, for crying out loud."

While CJ and Bristol bickered, Tristan went over to where Liv was chained. She didn't squirm away from his touch as he placed his hands on the chains. "This might sting."

Liv nodded, and as Tristan gripped the chains, frost crept over them, beginning to shatter them away.

"You did the right thing," Liv said softly.

"Sparing his life?" Tristan grunted.

"Yes," Liv said. For a moment, Tristan thought she'd spew some very un-Liv-like wisdom on the nature of mercy. But then Liv set her eyes beyond Tristan's shoulders, to where Aaron lay, and said, "Death's too good for him."

Her shackles shattered into shards of ice, and Liv rubbed at her newly-freed wrists. Tristan helped her to her feet, and by the time he had, law enforcement was filling the room, led by Priscilla. Their caretaker took one look around the room, her blue eyes wide, and said, "What the hell happened here?"

"Oh, you missed it," CJ said. "Battle of a lifetime. Huge. Had to be there."

Priscilla released a shaky breath as she glanced at Aaron's body. "You stopped him. How?" Before anyone could answer, she shook her head. "Never mind, don't wanna know. I just need him taken to Shadowgate and out of our hair."

She crossed to go yell at the handlers carrying Aaron's unconscious body, and Avi reentered the room. The Union drew together along the shattered wall of windows, giving the extractors enough room to work.

"We did it," Bristol said, disbelief lacing her voice. "Why do I not believe we did it?"

"We did it together," Tristan said quietly, fixing his teammates with a look of pride.

Tristan looked out to the horizon beyond, at the city now safe from Rune and his minions. The plumes of smoke had been put out. No more screaming filled the streets. Helicopters and police sirens still pierced through the night, but they raced towards people in need of aid. The night was still dark and new, but for what felt like the first time in months, the brutal storm had passed. For what felt like the first time in months, Tristan closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and smiled.