Shelly, Jessica, and Becky were captured by the Paladonic Knights. With midnight rapidly approaching, will they be able to escape, or is there a worse fate in store for them?
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Chapter 10
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Before It's Too Late
The air swirled around Shelly as hands flung her into the cell. Striking the back wall would have hurt a lot less if she could have shifted into a shield. Her metal surface would have clattered against the cement floor instead of her shoulder. Instead, nausea swamped her as she attempted the change. She felt too weak to crawl to a corner and vomit. It took most of her strength just to turn her head and spew what little remained in her stomach.
"You need to stop pushing yourself so hard," Jessica soothed her.
"I have to at least try," Shelly panted. "If I don't push myself, they'll break me."
"Do you know what's causing your problems with transforming?" Becky asked as she leaned over Shelly. The older woman was covering her mouth with one hand. Shelly's vomit gathered itself up, pulling away from her mouth and the floor, and then flew towards the bars of their cage. A moment before the ball of bile struck, it fell apart and hit the floor.
"Probably the same thing affecting your magic," Jessica said before Shelly could respond.
Shelly knew that wasn't true, but she was too tired to argue. Whatever was affecting her had happened while on Marchosias's island. She recalled that strange dream, with that creepy old man. Ever since waking up, holding any form other than her own was difficult, if not impossible. Then there were the voices. Or maybe it was only one voice? Something fought her when she changed, and she always ended up emptying her stomach.
It was her fault they were captured. Jessica had needed a weapon, but when she tried to shift, everything went wrong. How they knew where to set up their trap as Becky was dropping them off at the nearest portal, Shelly didn't know. The Knights were well prepared for them.
"Were you able to find out what time it is?" Jessica asked as she helped Shelly sit up.
This again?
she wondered, but didn't say out loud. "No. Late, I think. I didn't see any clocks or windows, but I saw a lot of people yawning as they hauled me away."
"Did they say what they wanted from us?" Becky asked next as Jessica stood and started pacing their cell. "Or did you hear anything about how they're dampening my magic?"
Shelly shook her head. "They're Paladonic Knights," she said with as much scorn as she could muster. "They want us dead. I heard them mention calling my dad. They laughed about it, as though we were some sort of joke."
"Your dad laughed that we were captured?" Jessica stopped her pacing and stared at her.
"No," she shook her head again. "The guards laughed about us. Made some comment about running a pound for stray animals that they wanted to put down."
"We have to get out of here," Jessica whined. "Soon. Now. At midnight... We—we just have to get out of here."
Becky turned away from Jessica and met Shelly's eyes. "If your dad knows you're here, then all we have to do is wait. He'll come for us."
"Does he know where
here
is?" Shelly asked, hating the way her voice trembled on the question. "And even if he does, I heard them say they were ready for him this time. They said it wouldn't be like last time, and they'd finally get their revenge for their fallen comrades."
Shelly felt the older woman pull her into a tight embrace. Becky shook, and Shelly realized that she was just as afraid as the other two. This wasn't the first time Becky was captured by the P.K.'s, though she didn't know much about that event. Her dad liked to brag and tell stories, but he rarely ever spoke about his time as a prisoner of the Knights. Whatever had happened, she knew it still haunted him to this day. Becky must have remembered her treatment by them as well.
Shelly thought about pointing out that there wasn't much her dad could do. He was no longer the Generator. For all intents and purposes, he was a normal human. He wasn't exactly weak, but he was literally powerless.
"He knows the President," Jessica spoke up as though reading her mind. "I can't see her letting us stay here very long. We can't stay long. We have to get out of here soon. Before it's too late." Shelly ignored her as she went back to her litany.
"Do you know what she's babbling about?" Becky whispered in her ear.
"No," Shelly whispered back. "All I know is she hates being on Earth when the time changes to midnight. No problem if it's one minute past, but she hasn't told me why." Something tickled Shelly's thoughts about that, but she couldn't pin it down. She was too tired.
"No..." Jessica muttered from where she paced. "I can't do that. I won't. They're my... But I'm
not
... No."
Shelly started wondering if her girlfriend had cracked. Jessica was usually so strong and confident. To see her like this now scared Shelly more than when the P.K.'s captured them. She pulled away from Becky and forced herself to her feet. It took more effort to stand than it should have, and a few unlady-like grunts, but she managed to make it to her feet. Her head swam as she stood and her shoulder throbbed. For a moment she thought she saw someone standing to her right. She faced the new person, but the spot was empty. She shook her head at her foolishness, but that was a mistake. She had to throw her arm out to catch herself as dizziness tried to swamp her.
"Are you okay?" Jessica rushed to her side.
"Yeah," Shelly tried to wave her off, be her girlfriend continued to fuss over her. "Just got a bit dizzy. I hope they feed us soon." She glanced at where her stomach's contents painted the floor. "Or maybe not."
"You need to rest," Jessica chided her.
"And you need to calm down," Shelly shot back. "You're wound tighter than a Cyclops with sand in its eye."