V.I.R.A.L

Chapter 141: Inner Conflict

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. This peaceful slumber was paused as faint whispers slivered into an unexpected streamer.

"Alton… Alton… Time to wake up son of mine."

Alton shot up in a panic from his chair panting. He felt a chill forever running down his spine as the whispers rang through his ears taunting him. Scarlett was fast asleep on the sofa. Taking long deep breaths, Alton calmed himself down, collapsing back into his chair. The moment he did so, a cold set of breaths snapped at the back of his neck. Alton stiffed up in utter fear as a devastating voice whispered in his ear. "This is a very nice place you have here Alton. You got here all by yourself? I'm proud of you son of mine."

Alton was frozen with fear as the voice chuckled. Building up the courage Alton spun around, moving from his seat, finding no one there. Thoughts burst through his mind as he scanned the room like a frenzied animal being hunted.

"How long did you think it was going to take before I found you? Or did you hope that day might never come? I thought you to be smarter than that."

Alton didn't move from his spot, the voice always bouncing around the room, taunting his every sense.

"You work fast, though don't you? Not even seven years on and you're already mingling with a new team. Did you not learn anything from last time? How many times must I keep teaching you the same lesson until it's burned into your mind?"

Alton flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder he didn't look behind, he dared not to. He felt a rough beard rub against his cheek. "I will make up for my sins. You will die."

Alton jumped back, ready to strike a frozen bombardment at hand to find yet again nothing. Nothing apart from the front door wide open. Feeling like his heart could rip from his chest Alton pinned himself against the door glancing out into the corridor. It was lifeless and silent as ever, but Alton persisted staring out into the darkness for what seemed like an entirety.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett yawned standing idly by confused. "Did you see something?"

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Alton choked on his breath as he shook his head slowly still dazed unsure if what he witnessed was real or not. Closing the door behind him, he doubled locked it turning to Scarlett. "No, must have been my imagination."

"I don't see why you must keep watch for? Syndicate won't find us."

"You sound so sure of that."

"What are you trying to say?" Scarlett questioned an eyebrow raised.

Alton sighed, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter… I'm going to keep watch."

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"I'm not keeping watch for them."

"Who? Don't tell me."

Alton looked weary as he began shaking his leg. "My father, I know he's back. He's taunting me."

"Is this what's been keeping you up at night? Why you have not been getting much sleep? How can you be certain?" She questioned.

Alton held out an old family photo, one from which he was torn. "I first started having visions of him after the tournament. Then I found this photo on the floor. I haven't seen it in years I keep seeing him… I think. These days I can't tell if it's actually him or I'm going crazy."

Scarlett stared at the photo of a man with long white hair and crystal blue eyes. "Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped."

"Not with this. Not against him. You've seen nothing like him before."

Scarlett remained silent, handing the picture back. "You could have come to me." She glanced at Alton's bedroom. The door locked from the outside. "I've said it before, and I will repeat it, I don't like having her here. Whose to stop her slitting your throat in your sleep? I know you care about her but putting your own life at risk."

"I've been putting my life at risk from the moment I started streaming Scarlett. The more Team Rhapsody grows the more attention I get. It would only be a matter of time before he finds out. I wasn't working two part-time jobs before just to avoid using my powers. It was to hide from him. Nothing the Garden could make Zinnia do is in comparison to what my father will do."

Scarlett looked down at her phone on the tableside as it buzzed. Staring at it, her eyes widened. "Found you. I knew Clara would pull it in the clutch for me."

"What's this?"

Scarlett flipped her phone around, showing an address. "I found where Syndicate's hideout is."

"How on earth did you do that?"

"Does it matter? We can bring them down now. You've got to back me up on this one."

Alton stared at his bedroom, nodding. "Ok. Let's go."

Scarlett smiled, slipping her shoes on. "I knew I could count on you, Alton. Let's finish this."

****

"Holy shit, you were right. What the hell are the Syndicate family doing in some scrapyard?" Alton whispered perched on a railing above them.

Scarlett leaned forward staring down her enemies. "I don't know, and I don't care. I'm going to end this!"

"Scarlett wait!" Alton yelled, rolling his eyes. "God damn it."

Scarlett flew down slamming to the ground. The Syndicate members all flinched. "Shit it's Scarlett! Riley wants her alive, take her down!"

Alton dived down kicking one goon to the floor as he froze them. Both streamers were back to back as nearly two dozen Syndicate members began swarming the area. "Way to go, Scarlett, we have taken this fight a little seriously. Taken them out one at a time quietly."

"These bastards don't deserve quietly. I'll slaughter them all!"

"Oh, to hell with this!" Alton muttered covering himself in a thin icy layer of amour readying himself. "Let's get this over and done with."

A Syndicate member tried withholding Alton with their psychic array. This, however, didn't work as Alton smirked. "Perfect my new ultimate plan, I didn't just makeup on the spot is working."

"I'm blocking their connection to you, Alton…"

"Wow, way to kill the mood."

"Less talking more fighting."

"Whatever…" He bickered slamming his hand to the floor as the area froze over with gloomy dark ice. Alton slammed through it shattering the ice gripping one member by the neck. He threw him aside, freezing him to the wall. Another member tried getting the drop on him but a sudden ice shield formed behind him. Kicking the protection back the Syndicate member was knocked to the floor also forming over with ice.

A sudden form of explosions rippled through the scrapyard as Scarlett flew onwards throwing two members aside blowing more of the area apart. Alton had no choice but to push back as Scarlett's blinding rampage wasn't going to stop her even if Alton was a casualty in the fight. As he avoided the attack, his whole body was slammed to the ground. Feeling the endless weight crushing against him, Alton snapped as black ice rippled all around destroying all around him. Neither streamer showed any mercy as one by one Syndicate dropped like flies at the tremendous power. When the dust settled, Alton was staring at himself in the shroud reflection of ice. The last member of Syndicate fell as he held his hand out begging. "Please don't! I'll tell you anything."

Scarlett picked him up, holding him tightly. "Where's my sister?!"

"She, she knew you would find this place. So, she moved most of the stock to another location."

"Where?!"

"I don't know. I don't know."

Scarlett threw him to the ground growling. "This was a waste. I thought I could destroy Syndicate."

The Syndicate member cackled leaning on his elbows. "Destroy Syndicate. Scarlett, you cannot destroy us. You are us, and we are you. Why fight it? Join us again. Come home and be by your sister's place. It is your destiny."

Scarlett gritted her teeth, holding her hand out, blowing the member apart. She turned to Alton hissing. "If you're going to say that killing this scum is wrong, you can hold your tongue."

"Maybe that's something Zinnia would say. I'm not one to judge, these people most defiantly deserve whatever comes their way but just don't lose sight on the person you want to be. Once you go down that road, it's tough to stray from that path…"

Scarlett didn't respond as Alton looked at maps of the city. Scarlett stared at Alton's wall of ice. The colour was darker and more sinister with what looked almost like veins echoing through. "This looks almost nothing like your ice from a few months back. I've noticed your eyes. There always a tinge of yellow in them now."

Alton covered his eye, shaking his head. "Drop it."

"The more you use those ice powers, the more you lose control right. You should have let Helga seal them away for good."

"Scarlett." Alton pestered. "How about we ignore my issues and focus on why we came here." Knowing not to push further Scarlett looked at the map. "That's strange. This is a map of Rhinefield, yet it says, New York?"

Scarlett glanced at it clicking her tongue. "Hmm, I've heard of this name before… Old billboards and signs as well as newspaper clipping V.I.R.A.L withheld. I believe that was the name of the city before the fall."

"Why hide the name of the city for?"

"Doesn't matter. Look, locations that Syndicate has hit. It matches our encounters: the highway, The cult's hideout, the Orphanage and my home. There have even been locations that we didn't have a clue of. And look, their next potential place to strike. The Crystal Night Ball. That's next week."

"Harmony is meant to play there… This might be our clue."

"I spy with my little eye two intruders who don't belong."

Both streamers spun around seeing three Syndicate members in a different demon mask each with a matching horn. "No one likes snoopers."