Bab 27: Chapter 27: All Caps
The familiar disorientation of teleportation fades as I materialize outside Lady Ruin's obsidian throne room. The hallway stretches before me, its black walls gleaming with an otherworldly sheen that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. The air here is always a few degrees cooler.
As my vision clears, I spot Jackie standing in front of the massive doors, her usually composed demeanor shattered. Her grey eyes are wide with panic, her black hair disheveled as if she's been running her hands through it repeatedly.
"What the fuck, Tyrell?" she hisses, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.
I force a grin, though she can't see it behind my helmet. "Hey, Jackie," I say, injecting as much playfulness into my tone as I can muster. Maybe if I act casual enough, it'll diffuse some of the tension crackling in the air.
Jackie's not having it. Her eyes narrow dangerously. "Don't 'Hey Jackie' me," she snaps, taking a step closer. I can see the muscles in her jaw working as she grinds her teeth. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
I sigh, the sound echoing slightly in my helmet. "How bad is it?" I ask, bracing myself for the answer.
Jackie's laugh is sharp and humorless. "Lady Ruin is pissed off, Tyrell," she says, emphasizing each word as if I'm a particularly slow child. "And I mean royally pissed off. I haven't seen her this angry since... well, ever."
I shrug. "It'll be fine, I've got this under control."
Jackie's eyes widen in disbelief. "Under control?" she repeats incredulously. "How could you let Luke die? That was your one job, Tyrell! Keep him safe!"
"What? No, he didn't die," I lie, the words flowing smoothly from my lips. It's not entirely false. Luke is very much alive right now. The fact that he did technically die for a bit... well, that's just semantics.
Jackie's brow furrows, doubt creeping into her expression. "But the news..."
I wave a hand dismissively. "Fake news, Jackie. You know how the media is. Always blowing things out of proportion for ratings."
From beyond the door, Lady Ruin's voice booms, the sound reverberating through the hallway like a thunderclap. "GET IN HERE!" The sheer force of her command seems to make the obsidian walls tremble.
I look at Jackie confidently, my helmet tilting slightly to the side in a cocky manner. "Well, duty calls," I say, my voice dripping with false bravado. I can almost feel Jackie's eye roll as I push past her, pressing my hands against the giant doors.
They swing open with surprising ease, revealing the vast expanse of Lady Ruin's obsidian throne room. The cavernous space stretches out before me, its walls and floor a seamless expanse of polished black stone that seems to swallow light.
At the far end of the room sits Lady Ruin on her throne. Even from this distance, I can feel the weight of her gaze boring into me. Her iconic silver helmet shines in the light, its gleaming surface betraying no emotion. Yet somehow, I can sense the fury radiating from her in palpable waves.
I stride forward, my footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. As I near the throne, I force a casual air into my voice. "Hey, boss," I say, as if I'm greeting her at a coffee shop and not in this chamber of barely contained rage.
Lady Ruin's head tilts ever so slightly, and even through her helmet, I can feel the contempt she has for me in this moment. It's like a physical force pressing against me, threatening to crush me where I stand.
"Speak," she commands, her voice low and dangerous, like the rumble of an approaching storm.
I take a deep breath, my mind racing to concoct a story that will satisfy Lady Ruin without betraying Luke's trust. The weight of her gaze feels like a physical pressure, threatening to crush the lies out of me before I can even speak them.
"Well, you see," I begin, injecting a note of uncertainty into my voice, "it's complicated. Really complicated."
I can almost feel Lady Ruin's patience wearing thin, so I hurry on. "From what I could gather, there was some kind of incident at Skye's place. I didn't see it happen, but suddenly Skye was zooming through the sky, faster than I've ever seen her fly before. She was carrying Luke. She flew him straight to Star Tower's med bay."
"I don't have x-ray vision," I continue, shrugging helplessly, "so I have no idea what really happened in Skyes' apartment. Could've been anything from a paper cut gone wrong to a freak accident with a gun."
Lady Ruin remains silent, her posture rigid on the throne. I can feel sweat beading under my helmet, but I press on.
I sigh deeply as if the weight of the situation is getting to me. "When I finally got a chance to talk to Luke, I asked him point-blank if he died. He said no, and that's all I know."
"I wish I could tell you more," I add, spreading my hands, "but that's all the information I have. The media's blowing it way out of proportion, as usual. You know how they love to sensationalize anything involving supes."
Lady Ruin sits motionless on her obsidian throne, the silence in the cavernous chamber growing heavier with each passing second. I can feel the weight of her gaze boring into me, as if she's trying to peel away the layers of my deception with sheer force of will.
The tension in the air is so thick I could cut it with a knife. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears like a drum. Sweat trickles down my back beneath my red jacket, but I force myself to stand tall, to meet her unseen eyes with what I hope is an air of confidence.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Lady Ruin moves. She tilts her head back, the motion slow and deliberate, until she's staring up at the vaulted ceiling of the throne room. A long, drawn-out sigh escapes her, the sound amplified by her helmet into something almost otherworldly.
"You are an idiot, Tyrell," she says, her voice a mixture of exasperation and something that might be amusement if I didn't know better.
I feel a flicker of annoyance at her words, a spark of defiance igniting in my chest. Sure, I may not be the smartest guy in Utopia, but I'm far from an idiot. I've survived things that would have broken most people, outsmarted enemies that outclassed me in every way. But I swallow my pride, forcing my voice to remain steady as I respond.
"I gave you one job," Lady Ruin continues, her fingers drumming an ominous rhythm on the armrest of her throne. "One simple task."
"He's alive, isn't he?" I counter, unable to keep a hint of defensiveness from creeping into my tone. "I did my job. Luke's safe, he's walking and talking, and he's not six feet under. In my book, that's a win."
Lady Ruin's head snaps back down, her attention fully focused on me once more. I can feel the air in the room shift, becoming charged with an energy that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. She splays her fingers out, the gesture slow and deliberate, as if she's considering unleashing some terrible power.
But I stand my ground, my posture radiating confidence even as my heart races.
"Gods a lot stronger than you have tried to kill me before, Ruin," I say, my voice steady and sure.
Lady Ruin lazily pulls her hand back, the gesture almost casual, as if she's reconsidering swatting an annoying fly. The charged energy in the room dissipates, leaving behind a lingering static that makes my skin tingle beneath my suit.
She clicks her tongue at me as she shakes her head slowly, the movement deliberate and controlled. When she speaks, her voice is low and dangerous, each word dripping with barely contained menace. "Fail me again, and I really will kill you."
I can't help but roll my eyes behind my helmet, the bravado in my voice masking the tremor of fear that threatens to betray me. "Yeah, yeah," I drawl as if brushing off a minor inconvenience rather than a death threat from one of the most powerful beings in existence.
But I'm not done. I've got a point to make, and I'll be damned if I don't make it now. "But if you want me watching him full time," I continue, my voice gaining strength, "you can't be pulling me away to fight random people or to talk down here. I mean, even right now, he's alone."
Lady Ruin stiffens, her posture shifting from languid menace to alert concern in an instant. "He's not with Super Star?" she asks, her voice a mixture of exasperation and disbelief.
I shake my head, feeling a small thrill of satisfaction at having caught her off guard. "No," I reply, my tone matter-of-fact. "I was told to come here right away."
The words have barely left my mouth when Lady Ruin surges to her feet, her cape billowing around her like living shadows.
"WHAT?!" she roars, her voice a bombshell that reverberates through the chamber.
"Well, get the fuck out of here and go make sure he's safe!" she shouts, her voice echoing off the walls. The command is tinged with desperation, a frantic edge that I've never heard from her before.
I hesitate for a moment, my mind racing. "I need a few rocks," I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
Lady Ruin doesn't even pause to question my request. She splays her hands, fingers spread wide, and the air between us shimmers with an otherworldly energy. It's as if reality itself is bending to her will. In a blink, a handful of dark stones materialize in the space between us, hovering for a moment before dropping into my outstretched palms.
Quickly, I stuff the stones into my pockets, keeping one out. "Alright then."
"Get going!" Lady Ruin's voice cracks like a whip, the panic in her tone unmistakable now. Her hands are clenched at her sides, trembling slightly with barely contained emotion.
There's no time to dwell on it. With a nod, I grip the remaining stone tightly and focus my mind on Star Tower. The world around me begins to blur and shift, the obsidian throne room fading away as the familiar sensation of teleportation takes hold.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone