The Games Villains Play (7 page)

Donny called down to them as soon as he was close enough.  “Hey!
  What happened?  I missed it!”

It was Duke who answered.  “I got him, we
won.”

Donny looked around at all the people now wearing painted clothing.  Somehow Jay must have gotten his hands on a weapon and opened fire.  “Won is a loose term, looks like you lost a lot of your teamm
ates before bringing him down.”

Donny heard some mumblings that sounded like laughter.  He had
not
meant it to be a joke, but it was alright that they did
not
take it as seriously yet.  To them this is still just a game.

Donny ran the exercise a few more times, changing it a little each time to make it interesting.  After two hours of paint balls flying, Donny was disappointed to find that Jay had never been able to beat the whole group on his own.  He knew he should
not
be
surprised,
Jay was outnumbered 34 to 1.  But Donny could only imagine the odds his br
other could face at any moment.

That moment came sooner than Donny had hoped.  As the group stood around just after the finish of one game, changing the paint color in their weapons once again, the door swung open and half a dozen of the school’s faculty and staff walked in.  At first Donny did not recognize any of them, but then he noticed that one of them was the man who had come to test Jay at their house, then picked him up to go to the school.  It was he who spoke.

“I need everyone to go back to your dorm rooms immediately, you will all be informed of the situation when you arrive.  Do not stop anywhere else along the
way,
the school is in a state of emergency.”

After a moment where every student looked around at each other, they began filing out the door.  Donny could tell that many of the new visitors were looking directly at Jay.  He was actually surprised that his classmates were not noticing this as they paced by the group.  Jay seemed to understand the situation, and was not moving.  He stood there, covered in a variety of pain
ts, staring right back at them.

When the other students had all gone, one of the
group
went through the door and shut it behind himself.  Donny was relieved to find that they did not know he was there above them, and he made sure not to move, in fear that he might make a noise and reveal himself.  Donny suddenly remembered the man’s
name; it was Captain Williams.

Captain Williams broke the staring contest first.  “Decathlon, you are certainly a force to be reckoned with,
and we need your help.”

Donny was too far away to tell for sure, but it looked like Jay smiled at this. 
His response sounded confident.

“Where are my friends?”

“They are going back to their dorm rooms.  All the students were instructed to do
so,
it is
the safest place for them.”

“I mean the two friends who had kept such good track of
me over these past two years.”

Captain Williams gave a smile now. 
“They are prepping for battle.”

Donny could see that the two were playing a game with each other, but he
was not
sure what was true and what was false.  He knew what Jay meant when he spoke of hi
s two friends, but what battle?

“What are you asking of me?”  Jay questi
oned him, cutting to the chase.

“We are under attack.  A group of villains have arrived at the school, and we need all the hel
p we can get fending them off.”

“Why don’t you just ask them to stop?”  This
was not
so much a question as a statement
, and Donny knew what it meant.

“Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, a situation finds a way of getting out of hand.”  Captain William’s smile now faded, and he took a few steps towards Jay.  He spoke quieter, as if he were speaking a secret, but with no other noise around to get in the
way,
Donny was still able to make out the conversation.  “I am well aware of what you have discovered.  I am also well aware that you do not trust
me,
or anyone else at this school anymore.  That does not change the fact of what is going on.  The villains are getting wise, and
a large group are
now coming after
this school.  You are entitled to blame us for this if it would please you, but sometimes you must join one enemy i
n order to stop a greater one.”

Donny wanted to yell to his brother, to tell him not to trust them, no matter what they say.  He wanted to, but in
stead he kept quiet.

“There are many students at this school who are not ready for what is coming our way.  Do you really want to let them learn the hard way
?”  Captain Williams asked Jay.

Jay walked up to Captain Williams until he was right up to his face.  Donny could barely hear the words, but it sounded like Jay said nothing more than “Let’s go.”  Donny saw Jay continue walking past the captain towards the door.  When he reached it, he made one final statement.  “I will do this under one condition.  I want you to keep my brother out of this.  Whatever happens to me happens, but I want
my brother to stay out of it.”

Donny felt these words like a sting to his heart.  He knew what Jay had said was not meant for Captain Williams and those who had come to bring him to battle, but for Donny.  Jay was
telling him to let this happen.

Donny watched them leave the arena, then immediately turned and ran down the catwalk.  He got to the stairs and nearly tripped trying to make his way down them quickly.  He ran out of the storage closet, around the side of the arena, and finally reached the front door where his brother had left with Captain Williams’ group for battle.  He could not see them anywhere.  Donny fell to his knees and wept.

CHAPTER 6

THEY MOVED AT
a quick pace.  Jay looked around at the people Captain Williams had brought with him.  Not one of them
were
a reader.  Jay had a million predictions as to why that could be, but no way of narrowing the possibilities. 
Donny could figure it out.
  Jay thought to himself. 
Donny would know why
he didn’t bring readers along.

One thing Jay did know, it was a good thing they did
not
bring a reader, as the reader would easily have picked up on Donny’s mental images.  Jay knew his brother was brilliant, and in two short days Jay had realized Donny had it in him to lead a group such as the one he had assembled for the simulation team.  Donny could take care of himself, yet Jay feared for him.  Even as Jay ran off to battle, a battle that he knew neither side wanted him walking away from, his only fear was that Donny would get into trouble an
d he would
not
be there to help.

They brought Jay into the school’s infirmary, where there were two men waiting.  Jay could see at once who they were.  He had never before seen their faces, except through each other’s eyes the day before in the arena.  It was their mental images that allowed him to so easily identify them.  It was a little different from what he was used to, because they were no longer trying to pry into his mind, but rather had thoughts and fears of their own.  Still, there was a familiarity within them that helped put Jay at ease. 
I suppose you can’t spend two years in each other’s heads without forming some sort of bond,
Jay thought to himself.  The two men smiled, showing they had i
nadvertently heard the thought.

“Mr. Decathlon, w
e need to prep you for battle.”

“It’s not Mr. Decathlon, just Decathlon.  So what is the plan, are you going to debrief me on the situation?”

“No sir, the situation is
simple,
the villains are attacking the school.  We just need to give you a quick shot.  This will allow us to monitor your vitals and get you proper he
lp should we see any problems.”

“No.”

Jay said the word before even thinking over the issue.  After it was said, however, he would stick by the decision.  For better or worse he trusted these two, but he did not trust the people who employed them, nor did he trust what
would be placed inside of him.

“Sir…I mean, Decathlon.  This is very
important,
it can make the difference be
tween life or death out there.”

“I said no.  You guys know what I know, you watched as I pulled the information from your heads.  They want to monitor me, yes, but it’s not my vitals they are interested in.  I am a threat, you both think so, and you have reported so.  If you are genuinely concerned for my wellbeing, then I appreciate that concern, but I wi
ll take care of my own vitals.”

Pl
ease, Jay, we want to help you.

I can see that,
and I believe you are genuine.

Then why won’t you take thi
s?

Because this mind is m
y own, and I intent to keep it.

The two spies looked at each other with sad faces.  They both knew
something that they
would not…could not… tell Jay
.

“Very well.
  We wish you th
e best of luck in your battle.”

Jay could see this was not meant to be encouragement, as much as it was all that could be said to keep them from saying more.  Whether they wanted to or not, as they wished him luck,
that same sentence could be seen coming through as a mental image.  Only it was a little different, in that there w
as a stress on the word “your”.

The spies tapped on the door of the room, and it was opened from the outside.  It was Captain Williams.  He looked at them, and they shook their heads.  Captain Williams gave a single nod, and motion
ed for Jay to follow him.

“They are currently all staying together, according to our sensors
,”
Captain Williams began.  “But they are close enough now that the Hermes could break
away and be here in moments.”

They walked around to an open space, where the school grounds bordered the desert.  Jay could see a few people there waiting.  He was a little surprised to see that many
of the teachers were not there.

“The rest will be here shortly
,”
Captain Williams stated.  He could not read minds, but he was ready
with the answers nevertheless.

“Who is leading the group?  Who sh
ould I be getting orders from?”

“That would be me
,”
Captain Williams replied.  “They are getting too
close,
we cannot wait for the other teachers.  Decathlon, now is your moment, we need you to go stop their
motion until the rest arrive.”

“Just me?”

“Yes, we only have a few Hermes here, and you are the only one strong enough to last more than a few seconds.  Do
not
worry we will
be joining the battle shortly.”

Jay did
not
like that he was being sent in alone. 
I guess this makes sense, send me in and it’s a win-win for you.
  Jay turned to Captain Williams with all the confidence he could muster.  “Mr. Williams, I’m warning you right now, if I don’t see you leading a group to back me up soon, I swear to you I will switch sides and lead them against you.”

Captain Williams looked right back into Jay’s eyes.  “Boy, I promise you, you will not be alone with the villains for long.  I give you my word that we will join you out there soon enou
gh.”

Realizing time must be getting
short,
Jay turned and dashed off into the dessert. 

IT WAS GOOD
that there were a few Hermes there where he left from, because he was able to use their strength long enough for him to get in sight of the villain forces.  There was a large dune blocking his view of the group until he was nearly to them, but once he made it over that dune, the whole
group of villains were
visible.  To his horror he could see who was leading them. 
Out in front marched Brain, with Hammer and Hummer on either side, leading a group that must be close to one hundred.
 

Jay was close enough now to draw off of their powers, but he tried to fight it.  Somehow he felt like having their abilities meant he had to actually fight them, but with or without, deep down he knew a fight was inevitable now.  Brain was clearly the leader, but he gave no orders.  Instead, they all merely began running at Jay.  Hummer arrived at him first, and to Jay’s surprise she wailed him in the gut immediately upon arrival.  She got in two more hits, both landing solid on his face, before he managed to shake himself off enough to begin dodging the blows.  He refused to hit her back, but with other Hermes now starting to arrive at him, he needed to get her out of the way.
 

“I’m sorry,” h
e said aloud, then caught her fist and flipped her over his back, tossing her away into the side of the dune.  He did
not
have time to see if she was alright, because immediately the other Hermes’ were at him, and he was forced to dodge blows left and right.  He could dodge them easily, as there appeared to be no plan of attack at all.  They made a big circle around him, giving him more speed than he had ever even imagined.  He
could not
even see his own movements, but rather the moment he thought to move in a certain way, he immediately found himself in the final position of that movement. 
What is
more, they were not attacking together.  The few who were closest to him would attack, and if they got knocked away someone else would then move in.  Jay would have no chance if he
were
set upon by the lot of them, but
it was
as if they were not tryi
ng to win, but merely to fight.

Soon the Titans and Prometheus led by Hammer and Brain arrived, and their strategy was much the same.  Now instead of just Hermes in a big circle around him, there was a combination of power types around him at any given time.  He felt his own power growing quickly, so that now he
could not
just move fast, but his strength was getting out of control as well, and he had complete access to any and all of their minds.  It was disorienting, as there must have been billions of pictures now in his head, so many that it was almost back to a blackness, the normal black of one who did not have the ability at all.  His strength was growing too fast for him to keep proper track of.  Jay made a quick motion with his right arm, but there was another arm in the way that he had
not
noticed, and he could feel the bone of the arm shatter like an icicle under his touch.  There was a cry of pain, barely heard over the constant rustling of so many feet in the sand, but strongly felt in Jay’s head.  The one
who’s
arm he had just broken was so close to him that their mental link was nearly total, and all the pain felt by whoever this was could also be felt by Jay.  Jay grabbed his arm and recoiled, finding it hard to believe that his own arm was not
really injured.  As he bent over in pain fists began to pound down all over him, but with his strength as it was even the hits of the Titans felt like lit
tle more than a hard rain.

It was now to the point where Jay could not move, in fear that he would inadvertently touch someone and destroy them.  He slowly moved his head to look up, and to his relief he could see people from the school coming over the dune.  He could immediately see that the professors had never arrived, as the group coming towards them was the same small group who had been waiting on the edge of the desert.  Jay watched as they made their charge, coming closer and closer to the circle of villains.  When they arrived at the circle something peculiar happened; instead of an epic battle commencing, the circle merely opened up.  The villains continued to get out of the way of the group, until they were close to where Jay was now waiting.  Jay now noticed that there was one there whom he had
not
noticed before.  With the group from the school came a man in a wheelchair.  He was being pushed by Captain Williams, and all of the villains were clearly leaving them well enough alone.
 

It was clear now that those from the school were not here to fight the villains, but to join them.  Now the meaning from the spies became completely clear; this was Jay’s
battle,
and Jay’s battle alone.  The villains had not gotten out of control, they were as under control as ever.  They
are all here to bring down Jay.

Well they are failing, aren’t they?  I am getting stronger from all the power around me
, Jay thought.  He looked at all those around, punching and kicking at him without leaving any mark.
 

Then he looked at the man in the wheelchair.  Immediately Jay began to feel weaker.  It
was not
so much that his strength was decreasing, or his speed, or mental capabilities, but more that he was losing control of it all.  He tried to lift his arm, but it took a huge effort to get it away from his side.  His legs began to wobble, and once he looked down at his legs, his head wanted
to stay down.  With great pains he lifted his head to look at Captain Williams.  Jaw saw a smile of contentment spread wide across his face.  Captain Williams walked over to where Jay stood hunched, still receiving hits from many of the villains.  He leaned in close, but none of the hits got close to him.  “
It is
not just abilities that you can inherit.  My friend here graciously volunteered to come out of his retirement to do a job that only
he could do.  Bring you down.”

With those final words Jay felt his legs give out from under him, and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

DONNY LAY QUIETLY
on his bed, listening to the speculations as they flew around the room.  After calming himself by the arena, he had made his way quickly back to his dorm room, which he had found closed and locked tight.  He had never seen the door shut before, but now that it was he had noticed how thick it was, clearly designed to withstand an attack from Titans.  It took considerable persuasion for them to let Donny into the room, even after he had told them his name.  Apparently they had been instructed not to open the door for anyone who
was not
a known teacher.  It was their fear for the safety of their smallest resident that they finally opened t
he door and ushered him inside.

The Titans with which he roomed were discussing their thoughts on what could be happening out there.  A couple of them suggested original ideas, like one boy who submitted the possibility that a huge sand storm was burying the school, but most of the students in the room had it figured out.  Donny neither confirmed nor denied, and they did
not
look to him for it
either; why would they?  Nevertheless, he knew they were right when they speculated that the villains had finally come to attack the school.