“The Fracture of Team Starlight” (80.5) (Kalei)

Zoey stabbed the Sharai Dagger down into Zeta's back, then shoved her out onto the floor with her foot, closing the energy wall again. She cried out, writhing in pain as shadowy tendrils of energy swirled around her. The scream Oka let out as she desperately tried to reach her girlfriend was one of the worst sounds I'd ever heard. I'd seen what those daggers could do when Ovie and 09 used them on each other, they turned into giant monsters, and it took all of us to beat them. But now I could turn into a giant monster too, so maybe I could stop this before it got really bad.

I couldn't just stand around, this was the point I had to start acting. Not worrying about the consequences, I told myself to shift to Downside, thinking I'd just hold Zates in an ice thing or something til we got her through this.

And...nothing.

Hey, Downside! We need to shift right now!

Downside's voice, my own but also not? That voice answered back.

You didn't confess to Marmalade like I told you to.

"Now now, asshole!" I said.

"Whoa!" Zoey laughed. "Are you talking to me? Or are you saying that to Zeta?"

"No, I'm not! Talking to..." I growled.

"OK, Raytris, now it's Kalei's turn, let her go." Zoey said.

As soon as my feet were free I leapt at the energy wall, firing as much ice as I could at it. It didn't do anything.

"And you go for me first?" Zoey said. "Do you want Zeta to just hate you now? Not even gonna help her when she's about to go full monster mode? Or worse?"

I landed on the ground, then bounded to Zeta. I thought about making a big ice cylinder around her like I did with Chickadee when I had to stop her one time, but that felt wrong. I just made enough ice to hold her arms and legs in place. Her eyes were black and red now as she fought whatever dark energy was coursing through her. Oka kept shouting, but her words were basically just tear filled babbles at this point, not that I blamed her for it of course.

"Zeta, listen to me," I said, trying to sound calm. "I dunno if you can fight this, or, I mean I do! You can fight this! You have to try. Please, we don't want to go down this road and fight."

Zoey scampered over to us, leaning over and knocking on her energy wall.

"Hey, actually, listen to me instead," Zoey said. "Doesn't it just break your heart, Zeta? Your best friend was hanging out with Jeans of all people, and didn't have the guts to tell you. But you could get revenge in the most perfect way possible? Just give in. You'll feel so much better after you smash Kalei's face in, I promise."

I tried to look Zeta in the eyes. I didn't know if she was even processing anything at the moment or if she was basically out cold, body moving by Endoran energy or whatever the hell. But I tried to give her a look that said I was her best friend and I was sorry for what I did.

"Zeta. Please. It'll be OK," I said. "Everything she's saying is wrong, I can't stand Jeans, I just wanted to help Aira. You fought this before, right? It'll be nothing this time, it's just this random girl, we can stop her..."

I thought I could really do it, just pull Zeta through this by talking to her.

"Maybe they were friends, Zeta," Zoey said. "Think about it, maybe Kalei and Jeans have been talking all this time. Maybe they were talking about you. Maybe they were friends, maybe something more, and maybe she'd start taking her side over yours. Doesn't it make you want to just lose your mind?"

Zoey gasped.

"Oh my god, wait, wait!" she said. "Zeta, did you know that Kalei saw your dad at the Taramin Labs and didn't tell you? Didn't even tell the teachers or those useless detectives or anyone! Maybe she's working with him too!"

"How do you...?" I said. "I told her that, I just said we ran into him, I'd never work for that..."

"I was at the Taramin Labs, remember?" Zoey said. "And I have very good connections there and saw the security footage, dumbass. So I saw you sneaking around Zeta's dad, fighting the sprite of her mom. It's like you're trying to ruin Zeta's life, that's my job!"

"Zeta, please, I was gonna...I mean, if they had the footage they knew he was there, right? I didn't..." I said, trying to remember if I did tell anyone about that run in with Arctus Kathron. "He made a retention sprite of your mom, and..." This was all such a blurry mess, I couldn't even keep track anymore. I realized with growing dread that I was too late. Nothing I could say now could stop this. Zeta's body was shifting and contorting. Sharai Daggers were the same energy or similar energy to the devil serum I took, but more unstable. And that definitely seemed to be the case as Zeta shifted into what looked like a tiger made of Elka, but one that still had those black and red eyes, that pale blue tears streaked down from. She hunched her head down low as she scurried away from me, like a sketch of a shadow slinking away into comforting darkness. The pain in her eyes and the bleak demeanor were too much for me, I had a brief thought that it would have been better if she did try to fight me.

Then a tendril from those shadows shot out, wrapping around my waist, and I realized that maybe just the slinking away was the better option. Still in a tiger-like form, Zeta approached again, the tendril coming out from her back. Even though she was approaching me now, she still looked like a cornered animal, like a wild cat that scratched out of self-preservation.

This isn't her. She's transformed from that Sharai thing, she's out of her mind, I thought as she slammed me onto the ground. Well, even if this is her, I maybe have this coming.

"And here we go! Friends duking it out, finally!" Zoey said. "Not quite the dramatic showdown I wanted, I reaaaally wanted that slap."

Zeta slammed me onto the ground again and again, wailing out in pain as she did so. It hurt me too, but the power boost I had from Downside meant I could stand a few more crashes into the ground before it was an issue.

Alright, Downside, I thought. I need you right now. We have to stop her. We won't hurt her, we just have to...do something. Can you please help me out now?

I felt like an idiot needing to argue with myself to use my powers like this, but I didn't have the luxury of coming up with another option at the moment. I needed to shift into Downside, or everything was going to get much worse.