Crimson Red, Cerulean Blue
Chapter 16

(Lucas)

I stayed invisible.

How in the world did he find me?

I’d checked over and over again for bugs, stayed in the places where no one but criminals and bad news wanted to go, and spent pretty much all of every day invisible. So how in the world did he find me?

“I know you’re there,” Commander Fallon said calmly. “I borrowed a thermal eye camera from Orange Village and I can see you perfectly well. Don’t test my patience, Lucas. I just want to have a talk with you.”

Yeah…no. Somehow, I doubted that all he wanted to do was have a nice, long chat with me.

“No answer? Well, you’ve never been the chatty type, after all. Headed for Indigo Island, are you? Looking for a certain Miss Shine?”

I stiffened. How did he…

“You’ll find that I know many things you think I don’t. Be a good boy and show yourself, Lucas, and I might show you a little mercy. If you test me, however…” He stood up and looked directly at me, his icy blue eyes chilling me to the core. “I think you’ll find that I can be extremely unforgiving.”

The game was up.

I slowly materialized as Fallon’s smile grew wider. “Well, then. You do have a few smarts in your brain. Now, are you going to come quietly, or do I have to get violent? Argot is quite desperate to have you back, and we wouldn’t want to keep him waiting, now, would we?”

I didn’t reply, just drew my sword and prepared myself for the hardest fight I’d probably ever have. Fallon shook his head, pulling his own sword out of the scabbard.

“That’s a shame. You were a fine soldier. I’d hoped for you to at least die a quiet death. Not a painful one like this.”

“If you really cared, you’d just let me go,” I told him, teeth gritted. “I really thought you were different, Commander.”

“Different? Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations. Goodbye, Lucas.”

The sword flashed at me so fast, it was only a blur. Fortunately, I react pretty well to blurs, but even so, I barely managed to get my sword up in time to deflect it – only to find that the second Fallon saw me move, the blade changed directions, heading for my legs. I barely managed to block that one as well.

He kept me completely on the defensive, every muscle in my body tense, my mind completely focused. There was no way I could get in a direct attack, not with the inhuman speed he was attacking me with. It was all I could do to keep him from landing a direct blow.

I gritted my teeth and vanished, diving to the side. Fallon laughed and struck, slashing a gash in my arm. I hit the ground and immediately leaped to my feet, dodging the blow aimed at me and lunging at him, only to be blocked.

“Didn’t I tell you I could see you?” he asked, smirking as I fended off his blows. “So why keep up this useless charade? Why waste your magic in such a way?”

But it wasn’t useless. It was only by a little bit, but I knew that eye cameras couldn’t detect things as fast as normal eyesight. So that meant Fallon was also moving slower as well. And I only needed a little bit to have a chance of getting away.

I feinted at his chest, then dived, swiping at his legs as my momentum carried me past him. I ran for the wall, then activated my other magic and ran up the polished steel, the soles of my boots clanging. I winced at the jarring sound, knowing that it completely gave away my location.

“Now it’s getting serious, isn’t it? You’re going to be a fun one to take out,” Fallon growled.

I didn’t reply, just sprinted toward the door. He laughed.

“You think it’s going to be that easy? Don’t be stupid!”

He ran for the door too.

If he closed it, I was toast. No, I’d be beyond toast. Probably charred ashes. There was no way I’d be able to take out Fallon. He was too good. I had a good head start, but his legs were longer. Would I be able to make it?

Come on, Lucas! You can make it!

Five feet from the door. My boots clanged on the metal of the wall, my breath rasping in my throat.

Four. It was too close to tell.

Three. I had to make it!

Two.

One.

The door slammed shut with a sound of alarming finality.

But I was through. I made it just in time, and as an added bonus, slammed the door in Fallon’s face.

It was too early for celebration, however. We were still on a ferry in the middle of the ocean. And sooner or later, the door was going to open and…

“There’s no way you can escape, Lucas! You can run, but you can’t hide!” Fallon screamed, exploding through the door like my worst nightmares.

I didn’t reply, just ran for it. How the heck I was going to get out, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t gonna let him capture me. That would end up being ever so slightly bad.

I burst out onto the top deck, fully visible now. What did it matter if these guys saw me? I already had an Opposite on my tail.

I made it to the railing and stared downward. Down, into the crashing, pounding, extremely uninviting-looking ocean.

I really didn’t want to do this. But I wasn’t like I had a choice.

In front of a hundred astonished people and one very angry commander, I climbed over the railing and held my breath.

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered, and jumped before I could think about it too much. Unfortunately, my brain immediately told me, This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And I have done a LOT of stupid things in all my years.

But I didn't have time to regret it, because all at once…

Everything exploded into water.

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