Only then Melanie began to cry.


Rachel had gone through the pounding, the screaming, but would not let herself despair. She paced quickly around the small cell, not quite being able to grasp her thoughts. Finally, in a burst of resolution, she sat down in the middle of the cell. She would think it through, now. She caught herself fidgeting with her pendant, so she took both hands and clasped it. She sat, not moving. What could she do? If only she could see things more clearly.

"Air Clear Perception!" she shouted, surprising herself. She was about to let go of the pendant when she remembered what she could do by holding it. Trying to stay calm, she slowly looked around.

Her cell walls were thick and hard, and the door had a strong lock and even stronger hinges. But beyond her cell, she could see the rest of the dungeon. There were other cells, and everywhere the lights flickered.

A few cells away on one side was Sarah, cursing at the predicament. Not far from her was Valerie, crashing and banging and yelling. To Rachel's other side was Veena, about to cry. Melainie was hunched over in a corner of her cell, looking miserable. Daina was in one of the cells, though she still did not move and barely breathed. In one of the corners were two strangers, adults in trenchcoats. Each in their own cell, they pounded on the door.

"Mulder!!!"

"Scully!!!"

There were people in the dungeon, who Rachel recognized as the principal and one of the secretaries. But there was something different about them, something evil. Rachel looked back to what she had learned from the mind meld. That strange, all-encompassing evil had to be the Negaverse!

"How long do you think we should leave them?"

"They have had two days, and were only in the sunlight briefly. But we had better wait until after the culmination."

"They will be our final achievement."

"And the two?"

"They have had almost no time, so we will wait a little longer for them. Actually, we should do them before the girls, for effect, you understand. That means we will put the time for the girls' serving further back."

"But it is worth it, for effect."

"Naturally. I will order the coffee to be delivered to the two, say, an hour after the culminating event? Meaning, perhaps two hours from now. Yes, that will work nicely. And the girls immediately after."

"We should announce the culmination over the intercom soon." "Yes, we'll do it right away. Should I say that it will involve our coffee-selling fundraiser?"

"Yes, do. But don't forget to mention that free coffee will be served there. We don't want anyone skipping before everything is fulfilled."

"Quite. How many do you estimate have not yet drunk the coffee?"

"Under a hundred, I should say. This will go quickly. Even if it takes a time to assemble and the remaining hundred resist and must have the coffee forced down their throats, which I doubt they will, it will be done in less than an hour."

"In just over two hours, then everything will be complete!" The two left the dungeon, leaving the door unlocked.

Rachel understood now, somewhat. There had to be some way to get out! Maybe she could use her crystal. But what use was clear perception and the movements of air? Was any place of the cell weak enough that a gust of air could create an opening? Rachel scanned the cell again.

There, in the insignificant crack between the door and the cell wall, where the bolt held the door shut, was a weakness. If a powerful enough gust of air, blowing at just the right angle, found its way in there, the change of pressure could move the bolt.

As Rachel did no more than think about it, the air began to swirl. Her hair was pulled every way as the air currents shifted. The wind whirled around, stronger, faster, Rachel at the middle of it all. Rachel felt her own self being moved by their air, up! Rachel slowly lifted off the ground as the wind built, laughing.


At this same time Veena was in utter despair. What could she do? Nothing, it seemed. Her eyes filled with tears, and though she tried to stop it, one tear coursed down her cheek. She brushed it away with a finger, and there it was as she held it before her, one tiny droplet of water.

Veena had been given control over water. It seemed weak, now, but water was one of the most powerful forces upon the earth. And Veena had to try something.

She held her pendant in both hands. What could she do? She thought of water, pure, wet, filling her cell.

"Water Formation!" Puddles formed on the floor of the cell. Trickles ran down the sides. In a moment there was an inch of water at the bottom of the cell. That amount rose steadily, so that less than a minute later Veena was in above her knees. But she did not mind being wet, even in all her clothes. The water was pleasant like nothing else. It rose above her head, yet Veena felt no need to breathe. She merely floated a little, letting it reach the top of the cell. The water pressure was building, but Veena was not bothered, as she was Guide Water.


Valerie was still crashing around her cell. She unleashed the fury meant for the teachers as she flung herself against the door. She pulled away, surprised to find that she had dented the hard metal. She pounded the door over and over, with her hands, her feet, her entire body. But never could she more than dent it. In a fury of frustration she looked for something to throw, but the cell was empty. Unthinking, she grabbed her pendant, yanked with all her strength, and promptly found herself on the floor. The chain had not broken, and in her yank she had enough strength to make herself flip over. She suddenly remembered, she was Guide Earth now! She had the power of the earth element! Valerie got up, filled with new hope, and put both hands on her pendant. The green glowed under her touch. She closed her eyes, thinking of what to do. She wanted to make the earth shake so that the walls of her cell would tumble down, leaving her free. Then she could help her friends. Valerie focused on the earth shaking, violently. The crystal glowed brighter and brighter until words sprang from Valerie's lips:

"Earth Quake!"

The ground began to quiver subtly. The quivering built until the metal of the cell buckled, building until the heaves were so large Valerie could hardly stand. Valerie was elated that her plan was working! She forgot about holding the crystal, and as she let go and opened her mouth to cheer, the cell made a violent heave and fell onto its side.

Valerie picked herself out of a corner, unhurt, as always. The cells WERE just metal boxes with doors! The door had popped open from the stress. Unfortunately, the door was now high above her head. Valerie jumped, but came nowhere near reaching it. What now? Perhaps she could make the ground quake again, in an attempt to flip the box so that she could exit. If only there were something she could use for a ladder!

But Valerie was guide earth! She was not only endowed with the ability to make things fall down; she could make things grow. This thought suddenly popped into Valerie's head as she patted herself absently in search of something, anything, to use step on or climb up. A seed that had latched onto her sleeve in the woods now dug into her finger. Valerie stared at it meaningfully before she placed it on the floor.

Valerie placed her hands on the pendant, and it began to glow.

"Earth Growth!"


Sarah was not thinking, merely cursing everything she could lay her words on. She cursed and cursed like she never had before. She cursed until she realized the walls were beginning to glow. What was this? She went up to the walls and was about to touch them when she suddenly realized they were glowing because they were white-hot. Sarah pulled her hands away, so quickly they touched her pendant. That glowed even hotter than the walls, and though Sarah felt no pain, the intensity of the heat surprised her.

"Fire! ****!"


The walls of Sarah's cell fell down, leaving her free. A tree was growing out of Valerie's cell, and Valerie had climbed up it, to her freedom.

Veena poured out onto the floor as the door of her cell burst from the pressure of the water. She lay in a puddle on the floor, free.

Rachel's cell door flew open in a tremendous gust of wind. Rachel had been floating in her cell, but once the air calmed down, she was flung to the floor. Now she crawled out, free.

The four gave a cheer as they saw each other, but the rejoicement died on their lips when they saw that Melanie and Daina were not among them.

"I know what's going on! We have to get Melanie out of her cell! And Daina!" Rachel cried, gesturing toward the two cells. "I'll blow the door in!"

"I'll break through with water pressure!" cried Veena.

"I'll throw the cell open!" cried Valerie.

"I'll curse the cell open!" cried Sarah.

"How about we throw everything we have at those doors!" Rachel suggested. Everyone agreed. Holding their pendants, they stood, ready.


Retreat to Part II.
Proceed onto Part IV.
Go back to Fanfic.
Return to central XFAF territory!