It turned out that getting Neutron and her opposite, Quasar, together was significantly harder than expected.
The largest problem being, how to do it without taking either of them through populated areas.
Neutron was lethal at ten miles at this point, and Ice thought that Quasar was probably just as bad.
At least both of them, although surprised to be receiving telepathic messages out of the blue, were willing to work with them. Sweetwater didnât know what they would do if one of the Elementals refused.
âTheyâre not the type,â Inferno said, absolutely sure of himself. The situation had him and Ice both spooked, and he had an arm around his chillier half at almost all times. âIf we get a problem child, weâll know it immediately,â
âHow?â Sweetwater wondered, and watched as messages, transposed by fast-typing telepaths, popped up on the screen. It was the only way for the two electro-mag Elementals to communicate, but they were both very willing to do so once they had that option. âWhat makes you so sure?â
âYou can tell because they tried to limit themselves,â Ice said, and twined his fingers together with Infernoâs. They were so close that their powers were almost totally neutralized, and only the faintest wisp of steam curled between them. âNeutron was looking for a faraday cage to contain her blackouts. Quasar went north where his radiation couldnât kill anyone.â
âIf they didnât want a fix, they would head for cities and we would have a different problem,â Inferno finished. He pressed his nose into Iceâs hair. âIf that happened, we would try and bring them down. At our worst, we could do something about them.â
Sweetwater was desperately glad that wasnât happening, for all that they were right. While their partnership kept them both restrained, if they truly let themselves off the hook, Ice and Inferno could take on the new Elementals. It just happened that the manifestations of their respective Powers were more controllable than the new pairâs.
Of course, they would also probably die doing it. Sweetwater wondered at that kind of sacrifice. She hadnât expected it of them.
Ice gave her the side-eye and huffed his annoyance.
âIf the world dies,â he explained as if she was somewhat dim. âSo do we. If either of them go critical- and theyâre close- we die anyway. Might as well save the world, right?â
âRight,â Sweetwater agreed. That made sense, she supposed, and also explained why Ice and Inferno were being even more touchy than usual. âAre we ready to do this?â
âI think we are,â Ice said, and turned his attention on the view screens. More than a dozen teleporters and object movers- a very rare power that could move an object from one place to another- were gathered together. âAlright, listen up. The plan is to daisy-chain these two together. Pair up, one Mover to one âPorter. âPorters, grab them, Port to the next Mover in the line.â
He flicked a laser pointed up and over a map, detailing reach set of coordinates. âMovers, do not wait to send the Elementals onward to the next âPorter. As soon as you see them, kick them along the line. Speed matters. They know this isnât going to be pleasant, so donât waste your time on kindness. It might cost your life.â
The plan was relatively simple. Teleporters and Movers would pop in, grab the Neutron and Quasar, and bring them together in a predetermined location.
Executing the plan was more complicated.
Because of their radiation, both Elementals tended to overload whoever they were with faster than a long Port could complete. Instead, they would be making lots of little jumps.
Everyone was in radiation gear that would, hopefully, buy them a few crucial moments.
Ice was not optimistic, and made it clear to all of their volunteers that this might easily be a suicide mission.
They volunteered anyway. People changed when the world itself was in peril. Sweetwater was proud of them.
âYou think this will work?â she asked Ice as the teleporters vanished to scatter themselves across carefully-planned trajectories. Only the first two stayed, waiting for the signal that everyone else was ready. âWeâll only get one shot at this once theyâre both out of containment.â
âItâs a risk no matter what,â Ice said, and nodded as they got confirmation. âEveryone is in place?â
âLooks like it,â Inferno checked, and double checked. âYeah. Weâre set.â
âGood luck,â Ice said seriously to their two starting teleporters, who had the longest range, and the fastest jump-times. It was their job to write the two Elementals with range of the rest of the chain. âGo save the world.â
The two teleporters vanished.
Far-Seers stood ready, watching each step of the way and projecting what they saw on screens, designed for this exact sort of situation. The kind of situation where technology failed, and they were left scrambling for options.
Sweetwater held her breath as the chain began. On satellite, Quasarâs vortex of radiation began to unravel, poisonous red fading into softer blues and greens, and then the images came hard and fast, as everyone worked together to get the two Elementals together with a minimum cost in human lives.
Each landing point was left burned and irradiated, but that they had planned for. The landing points were remote, and easily managed. Containment teams moved in as soon as the Elementals were gone, and began cleanup immediately.
âWhere are we putting them?â Sweetwater wanted to know. She had been in charge of getting the teleporters together, and while someone must have told her the final destination, she didnât remember it.
âAbandoned military test site,â Inferno supplied, watching as people blinked in and out of sight almost too fast to spot. Shimmers in the air marked the thought-quick trail both chains blazed across the world. âSnowflake, you made arrangements?â
âThe place is already closed off, and we dropped some supplies to make things more comfortable,â Ice said, watching closely as each teleporter collected their Mover and popped into containment themselves as soon as their part was done, ready for decontamination. âNo casualties yet.â
âBetter than we hoped,â Sweetwater muttered, and sent a prayer out into the ether. They needed all the help they could get. âWill they react like you two?â
âWill they form a relationship you mean?â Ice asked, and didnât look at her, although he curled a hand possessively around Infernoâs bicep. âMaybe. Depends on them. I suspect one of the reasons we show up in pairs is because we happen to be very compatible with our opposite.â
âMaybe. Itâs not like thereâs a huge sample size to examine,â Ice shrugged as he drifted farther and farther into Infernoâs space and was welcomed there. âFar as I know, me and Inferno are the only two to survive longer than a few weeks, besides these ones.â
âTheyâre close,â Inferno interrupted their conversation. He was right. Sweetwater looked up just in time to see the last Mover reach out and send Quasar, who was only visible in flickers, to his final destination. Everything around him immediately began fading out of side, and everything metal, from the beams to the screws under his feet, began to glow, and then melt. âThereâs one...â
Neutron popped in a moment later, and then Quasar was sweeping her into a crushing hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and held on even as they sank to the ground, as close as they could be and still be wearing clothes.
A shockwave exploded in every direction, and Sweetwater was very glad their landing location was miles away from anything human. The sky lit up as streamers of aurora ignited through the cloudless sky.
âTheyâre like us,â Inferno decided as cheers broke out through the room. Finally he allowed himself a gruff, relieved smile. âThey didnât have as long to think about it, but I bet you anything theyâll be together inside a day.â
âInside an hour,â Ice said, and smirked smugly. He had a right to be proud. After all, the plan had been his, and it worked better than they ever dared hope. âWord to the wise, leave them alone for a while. Itâll take a week or two for them to balance out, and theyâll be unstable until they do. Also, weâre reading a whole lot of Hawking radiation, but thatâs not something we need to worry aboutâ
âWill they be able to control their abilities like you do once theyâre balanced?â Sweetwater suspected so and hoped not. For all their usefulness in this crisis, Ice and Inferno were still criminals. If Neutron and Quasar decided to do the same, there would be no stopping them. âDeliberately I mean?â
âProbably,â Ice said, and turned to get a better hold on Inferno, who wrapped them both in his coat. âNeutronâs a physicist, and Quasar was involved in some interesting matter manipulation studies before he vanished and turned into what he is now. I imagine theyâre going to want to study their shared condition before they go looking for something else to do.â
âWeâll deal with that when we get there,â Sweetwater decided, and watched as Neutron and Quasar managed to move inside the small, but comfortable housing to wait out the worst of their new situation. âWe have time to worry about it, thanks to you.â
