From the prompt: "Liquid fire..."
"Up in Smoke"
Jade watched Asia lay Gabriel’s musket in the chest at the foot of her cot. He was numb – he’d seen so many die in the last week.
“Should we send in another regiment?” Christian asked quietly. He was doubling as Operations in the severely cut-down sector.
Asia nodded, pushing herself to her feet. “Send them back to Milan. Jade, keep an eye on them. It seems that advocacies are shifting every time I turn my back.”
Keith leaned against the desk, blue eyes silent of laughter.
“What does Hagalaz have against us?” he murmured.
Asia flipped the chest shut and folded the standard-issue blanket, placing it on the smooth wood. “I have the power he’s always wanted. For thousands of years, the command of Sector Five has eluded the grasp of anyone Norse. Sector Five has been an enigma, a mystery, the best of the world. Hagalaz believes we have a power that we do not. He wants this power, this non-existent persuasion that we, as Sector Five, have.”
Keith’s brow furrowed. “Hagalaz is a monster, delusional.” He whirled around the face Asia. “Why don’t you do it? You could wipe out every single one o’ them buggers in one go, you know you could.”
Asia cleaned a gun absently. “It’s not that simple, Keith.”
“Not that simple,” Keith sneered, eyes dark. “Nothing’s ever simple with you, is it, Asia? The direct solution is never the right one.”
Jade watched, open-mouthed, the outburst from agent to commander.
Asia set down the gun and turned to face her Weapons/Security subordinate. “This war is not to kill, O’Connor. We do not kill if we do not have to. We injure and capture at best. Annihilation is clearly not the answer.”
“This is all politics, Asia, politics,” Keith spat. He loomed over the girl, visage marred by fury. “You claim to be naught but a warrior, but look at you now, pussy-footing against the enemy.” His eyes narrowed, voice dropping to a chilling whisper. “Are you afraid, commander? Is that it? Are you frightened of your own power?”
Asia’s jaw set tightly. “Keith Matthew O’Connor, control yourself right now,” she hissed.
“Or what, Asia?” He tilted his head, eyes innocent and wide. “I’m not afraid of you.” He straightened up and took a step toward her. “How do I know that you’re actually more powerful than I am? How would you stop me from using my power?”
“By killing you,” she answered evenly.
Keith’s eyes glittered. “The same way you would’ve killed Lance?”
Jade looked at her sharply.
Asia met Keith’s gaze evenly. “Differently. Killing Lance quickly would’ve saved him from whatever Hagalaz had planned for him. You I’d kill to stop you from killing others.”
A dark light flared behind Keith’s eyes. “Have a go, then.”
Jade yelped and jumped back when Keith vanished in a puff of smoke, becoming a curl of flame that flowed, liquid and smooth, out of the tent.
Jade, recovering from his shock, stretched forth one hand. “Should I -- ?”
“No.” Asia’s eyes went dark. “Air feeds fire. What destroys it is water. Stay here.” She lunged out of the tent and began dashing across the sand after the sinuous tongue of fire that raced ahead of her.
(Keith, stop! I command you!)
Voices of a thousand roaring blazes filled her mind as a single chorus. (This is no longer about a Sector, Commander, it’s about family. Those men are the only family I have left, and a Gael avenges his family.)
(Keith, don’t make me -- )
(What?) He chuckled, low and throaty.
Screams erupted as Keith hit a tent, racing up expanses of cloth.
They were in Hagalaz’s camp already?
People screamed, fighting the flames with blankets and clothes, not daring to use what precious water the desert yielded.
Asia grabbed a blanket and began to help, all the while combating her berserk teammate with her mind.
(Die! Die! Die!) he chanted, bursts of flame wherever he lashed out. Asia snuffed one blaze, and another sprang up.
Keith glided for Hagalaz’s tent.
(Keith, don’t!)
The huge Viking stumbled out and cursed when he saw the chaos. Asia saw the tongue of flame flick upwards and stretched out a hand to recall him when Hagalaz turned and uttered a curse under his breath.
In a haze of disbelief, Asia watched as Keith was snuffed out by an old charm from ancient superstition.
Hagalaz invoked the rune of primal water.
A tendril of smoke curled lazily upwards. All watched, entranced. It vanished.
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© Agent Duo 2004