He pushed the green button, which he had re-wired to obey the undo command.

The depixelating process began. The reality around him disappeared into a tornado of white light, like the last time.

He clenched his fists as he took a deep intake of air and closed his eyes. I need to be ready for the fall and fight for my life, because I'll be sent back to the wolf-looking phoenixes' nest. I bet they're still hungry. And Mrs Evergreen will still be an annoying, power-hungry bitch.

When Endurance's dark and cold gestation facility pixelated into life, reappearing all around him under the dim light of the moonlight, including the lift shaft, the muscles in his entire body tensed.

It's working! I'm back. Yes!

Gravity became an illusion, since he was floating in the lift shaft. Light as a feather, his body was suddenly free from its constraints—at least for the time being. The air around him felt cold.

When the transition into the future was complete, the pull of gravity became fully effective on him. He resumed his fall.

The few seconds it took for him to reach the ground down below, he started spinning and then, he landed into a superhero-like pose, with spread arms and legs, and hinged knees to cushion the impact. When his feet met the ground, he crushed the cement, leaving a deep crater beneath him. Bits of dust sprang into the air and formed a dense mist.

Nothing else happened.

No hungry cries, no Mrs Evergreen bitching about the watch anywhere, no nothing. He was alone.

With a raised eyebrow displaying incredulity, he stood and watched all around him.

What is going on here? Why am I alone? Where are the wolf phoenixes? Where is Mrs Evergreen?

Did the watch take a few seconds or even minutes when re-adjusting to the present? I guess that could explain it.

Then, an ascending high-pitched squeak emerged from his time-skipping wristwatch. He turned to stare at it, tied to his wrist, with an intrigued gaze. But when smoke started coming out of it, he rushed to take it off. Unfortunately, it burnt his wrist again and the tips of his fingers.

Groaning with shaky fingers, he let the watch fall to the ground. He paced up and down, blowing his burns and grunting. He held his wrist with his other hand and bit his lower lip as he hissed due to the pain.

Damn! The bloody watch! I had forgotten about this side effect.

When he turned to watch it on the ground, the case suddenly burst open, and all the pieces and chips inside exploded. Broken tiny bits got scattered everywhere.

I guess it's been under too much pressure. Good. I wanted to get rid of it anyway.

A few seconds later, his skin regenerated thanks to the Lifebringer inside him. He sighed.

Then, a loud, robotic cry echoed in the facility's metal hallways, which made him turn his head towards the painful sound with wide-open eyes and a paler expression.

The wolf phoenixes? So, they're not gone. I wonder what's going on.

He sprinted towards the whining sounds. Emergency-painted signs reflected the dim moonlight filtering through the cracks in the structure. Bumping into some beams and metal walls due to the lack of proper light, he groaned.

When the moonlight shone brighter at the end of a hallway, he smiled and sprinted to it.

Please, God. Tell me I haven't screwed it up this time. Please, don't show me a future where Hazel and the rest are all dead. Please, please, please, make the undo feature truly work!

Panting, he reached the opening. A gruesome scene appeared before him, erasing the gentle smile from his face.

Most of the baby wolf-phoenixes lay dead, oozing blood and lubricant on the cold, damp ground, while the last two battled against a mud-and-blood-covered Mrs Evergreen.

While the woman was strangling those two wolf-phoenixes, one with each hand while clenching her teeth, Sky's friends, Kovak, and Halle were shooting at both of them. Despite their efforts, Mrs Evergreen had used and was still using those baby phoenixes as a shield, so no bullet wound could impact on her.

Orange-yellow sparks of light flew in the air as the bullets made impact against the metal parts of the baby phoenixes' bodies, while the deafening sound of that rain of ammo thundered in the air.

Sky instinctively covered his head. Unbelievable. She'd do anything to survive.

When they ran out of bullets, many threw their weapons aside in frustration. One of them was Hazel, with locks of sweaty hair plastered on either side of her face. Kovak glared straight ahead into Mrs Evergreen's eyes while a nervous tick appeared in his right eye and his jaw clenched. Standing right beside him was Halle, her hard countenance depicting an equal amount of anger at the same foe. The rest of the team stood behind them, near the unconscious bodies of Alistair and Naomi at the far back.

Mrs Evergreen, unaware that Sky was standing a few meters behind her, smirked at them. Then, she started to take a few steps in their direction as she dropped the corpses of those two wolf-phoenixes.

Sky clenched his teeth as his eyes went wide open when he realised what that foul woman was about to do. Thank God they're alive, but now I just need to make sure they don't die here, right now!

Out of the blue, Haywire dived onto them and swiftly landed in front of Kovak and Halle in a protective stance. He roared at Mrs Evergreen with fury and started to run towards her. When he pounced on her, she dodged his attack in the nick of time. But before Haywire could roll over and try it again, she caught one of his claws by the ankle and twisted it until a bone-breaking sound was heard.

A loud, painful whine immediately followed.

Sky clenched his fists until they went white. No! Haywire! He sprinted towards his winged friend.

"Stupid beast," Mrs Evergreen whispered with a mocking smile full of disgust. "Try that again and I'll twist your neck."

She resumed her steps towards Kovak, Halle, and the rest of Sky's team.

"Hazel, and... kids, hear me out now," Halle said over her shoulder with a grave voice, but never breaking eye contact with Mrs Evergreen. "Drop your weapons and any other useless weight right now. Get Alistair and Naomi down the mountain and take them back home."

"But–" Hazel started to complain.

"No buts," Halle insisted curtly. She began to hyperventilate. "Now!"

Before Hazel had time to let that order sink into her brain, Haywire spotted Sky running to him, but with a sharp twist of his neck, he signalled to Mrs Evergreen and lowly grunted. Got it, big fella.

Sky changed his course and rushed towards Mrs Evergreen with the determination of a rugby player.

When he got close enough to her, he jumped forward and tackled her legs, making her fall head-on to the dark mud before her.

A loud splashing sound echoed in the night.

"What the–" she roared with discomfort as she tried to break free from Sky's strong hold of her legs.

"Go!" Sky yelled at the rest of the team. "Run away from here!"

"Sky!" Hazel yelled back with worry, a shivering hand shot forward towards him. The rest of the team was already carrying Alistair and Naomi far away from the battlefield, but they were still in sight.

"Don't be an idiot, young man!" Kovak shouted while Mrs Evergreen pulled and pushed at Sky's arms to release herself. "Despite the MS, she took martial arts classes when she was young. And you've got little experience in combat!"

"I can take her!" he insisted. "The Lifebringer will make the fight even."

"No!" Halle yelled. "Don't do this! Lifebringer or not, she could kill you!"

Mrs Evergreen turned to him and punched him in the face. A thick trail of blood emerged from the corner of his lips.

"I certainly will!" Mrs Evergreen said with glee and a dark tone of voice.

Halle clenched her teeth and displayed her canines as she glared at Mrs Evergreen. Then, she grabbed her shotgun with both hands firmly on the grip until her knuckles went white and rushed towards her with fury etched on her face.

When Mrs Evergreen was about to punch Sky again, Halle raised her shotgun and smashed the shotgun's butt on her head like a proud butcher would sink a meat cleaver into a thick and particularly tricky-to-cut piece of meat.

Mrs Evergreen's upper body and head fell, splashing mud all around her. Her skull cracked open, but soon the Lifebringer inside her started to re-tie all broken bones and torn tissues and skin on her head, earning a desperate breathing and hopeless stare from Halle.

Halle turned to stare at Sky, still grabbing the older woman's legs on the muddy ground. "You did well before to stall her, but you're not ready for this!" she insisted with a furrowed brow filled with worry. Locks of dark hair were plastered on either side of her face, with one going over her nose. "Come with us now before she wakes up."

"Listen to your mother, Sky!" Kovak yelled, his body halfway turned to flee the area like the rest of the team. "You can't beat her."

"If I can't, who will?" Sky asked, searing his gaze into his with determination.

An ominous silence was the only reply he got.

"Don't make things more difficult than they already are, son," Halle begged with a shaky voice and trembling lips. "Let's run away, now! Please!"

"No, I can do this!" Sky insisted as he stood up, never losing sight of his enemy, still unconscious on the floor. "In fact, why not... behead her right now? Will the Lifebringer make a new head grow, though?"

"I have no idea, but it's possible," Kovak said. "My initial formula was aimed at restoring all kinds of tissue. I bet her research team built on it and a new head could grow. We would need something more... destructive than that."

"Damn," Sky complained, breathing fast as Mrs Evergreen's skull regained its original form bit by bit. "I don't know. We could burn her entire body."

"It's too damp due to the rain from before," Kovak replied.

"Jesus Christ!" Sky yelled. "Isn't there anything we can do to... stop her for good?!"

Kovak shook his head, annoyed. Halle's pale expression and shocked countenance denoted how fear was going rampant inside her mind.

Sky sighed with frustration as he ran a hand through his wet hair. "A pool of acid... big enough to fit her and... locked?!"

"Nice," Kovak said. "But we haven't got the time nor the materials to do that asap. Once the regeneration process ends, she'll be unstoppable again."

Sky clenched his teeth and fists and took a deep breath.

"Sky, just... Let's leave her and flee right now," Halle begged him further. "Before she regains consciousness."

"No! I have to do something, or else..." A nervous tick appeared in his eyes as his breathing became ragged.

This is me being an expert at failure again, but this time, the stakes are too high. When she regains consciousness, hell is gonna break loose again, and I'm the only one with the Lifebringer in me besides my father, now unconscious and for some reason unable to regenerate his wounds, and Haywire. Could both of us take down this despicable woman?

Halle stared straight into his eyes. "If you're afraid you've failed again, just... don't even think about it, okay?"

That comment made him meet her eyes with his.

"I don't care. Nobody will care," she said lovingly as she put a hand over his right arm. "Nobody will accuse you of failing if you flee right now. This won't count as cowardice, but as a wise move. We need to plan a new attack against her. I swear everything will be alright."

She spoke fast as her chest pumped air equally quickly.

"Don't even think of winning or losing," she added, taking a couple of steps towards him. "Right now, what's important is surviving this shit. Alistair's back... and..." She began to shake her head and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "And that's more than I could even hope for. I... I can't... I won't let her take anything else from me, do you hear me?!"

Her voice became rougher and prouder by the end. She dropped her shotgun and put both her hands on Sky's shoulders.

"Let's take your winged friend to one of the Elite's large vehicles down the mountain and flee... right now."

Sky swallowed hard as he stared deep into her eyes, which were pleading for him to listen to reason.

I haven't seen that genuinely worrisome look in her eyes since... since the time a homemade rocket I tested in our garden exploded when I was twelve. A metal piece accidentally pierced my right arm, and the bursting fire burnt my eyebrows and part of my hair. She was mad but worried like hell, just like she is now.

But an angry hand grabbed Sky's ankle, startling him.

Too late to flee.

Mrs Evergreen pulled Sky's ankle and sent his body flying in the opposite direction.

Halle and Kovak gasped and took a few steps away in fear. The rest of the team stopped walking halfway up the crest of the mountain and witnessed the brutal landing Sky took.

He crashed into a large metal plate with a sickening thud, the impact reverberating through his entire frame. The back of his head slammed against the cold, unforgiving surface, a sharp crack echoing in his ears as stars exploded in his vision. However, he was still conscious.

His shoulders bore the brunt of the collision, muscles and tendons screaming in agony as they absorbed the force. The pain radiated down his spine, each vertebrae feeling as though it had been jarred out of place. His back arched involuntarily, the metal's icy chill biting into his skin even through his clothes.

Sky's arms flailed helplessly as he tried to brace himself, the jarring impact sending shocks of pain up to his elbows and down to his fingertips. His neck snapped back violently, the sudden tension straining the tendons and leaving a burning sensation that seared deep into his muscles.

His head throbbed with an intense, pounding pain, the world around him blurring and spinning in disorienting circles. Blood trickled from a cut on his scalp, its metallic scent mingling with the acrid smell of burnt circuits and sweat.

Every breath he took was a struggle, his chest heaving with the effort as he fought to stay conscious. The clang of the metal plate and the ringing in his ears were the only sounds he could focus on, a harsh reminder of the brutal force that had just been unleashed upon him.

With a long intake of hair, he pulled himself together by sheer force of will, stood up, cracked the bones on his neck and shoulders, and shouted with a rusty voice, "Go away! I'll stall her!"

"No!" Halle yelled.

"Idiot," Kovak said after a sigh.

Sky eyed at Haywire and saw his claw had already been cured by the Lifebringer inside him. "Haywire! Come, help me kick some power-hungry bitch arse!"

Haywire uttered a proud whistle filled with an aggressive kind of joy and rushed to fly and land right beside him, facing that foul woman with a deadly glare.

Mrs Evergreen smirked at Sky and Haywire as she walked towards them with a leisurely proud sway of her hips. "So, you came back to the future?" She scoffed. "You get a chance to rewrite the past and make everything convenient for you... but you don't make use of it?"

"How do you know I didn't?"

Sky's defiant question didn't register in her mind apparently.

"Because you'd be winning right now. If I were you, I wouldn't let my enemy become this powerful," she replied, with both her hands gesturing her body from chest to hips with pride. "I might've been an idiot before, for thinking I would be the one to travel back in time when I pushed the button, but you'll definitely regret coming back!"

She then sprinted towards them with murder written all over her face, with her long nails aiming at him.

Sky replied to her onslaught with a loud roar as he sprinted towards her as well.

As Mrs Evergreen and Sky squared off in the midst of the chaotic battlefield, their movements were a blur of speed and precision. With sweat glistening upon their brows and the stench of battle thick in the air, they launched into a frenzied exchange of blows.

"Haywire!" Sky yelled while keeping up with her blows. "Your sonic echo attack would be nice!"

While Haywire Mrs Evergreen's fists flew like thunderbolts, each strike proof of her formidable strength and agility.

Sky countered with lightning-fast reflexes, his movements fluid and graceful despite the exhaustion that weighed heavily upon him. His ragged breathing matched the ire-filled abandonment into which he surrendered his body.

Their bodies collided with bone-jarring force, the impact reverberating through the earth beneath them. Dirt and grime clung to their skin, mingling with the sweat that poured from their bodies in rivulets.

In the meantime, Haywire braced himself, summoning every ounce of energy and willpower deep within his throat. His feathers vibrated with growing intensity as he focused on Mrs Evergreen, his eyes narrowing with fierce determination. The air around him hummed with raw power as he aimed, muscles coiling in preparation.

Friends and family became powerless witnesses of that epic fight. With wide-open eyes, they watched and silently hoped for the best.

With a mighty roar, Haywire unleashed his sonic echo attack, the sound waves tearing through the air towards his target with devastating force. Sky dodged it in the nick of time, making sure Mrs Evergreen was lured into the right position to receive the full impact.

Sky rolled on the muddy ground and turned his head to watch the result.

Mrs Evergreen staggered as Haywire's sonic echo attack hit her full force, the sound waves crashing into her with brutal intensity. As she brought her hands to her face, her vision blurred, disorientation setting in as blood spilt from her eyes and nose, dripping onto the ground while she narrowed her eyebrows. She groaned and whined, clutching her head in a futile attempt to steady herself. But even as the pain wracked her body, the Lifebringer drug coursing through her veins began its rapid work.

To Sky's dismay, her wounds healed at an unnaturally fast pace, the blood flow ceasing almost instantly as her strength returned.

Once she was completely healed, Mrs Evergreen started to laugh like a maniac as she leisurely circled around the battlefield, her eyes searing Sky's as he stood up and startled circling too.

"Listen here, you pathetic excuse for a warrior," Mrs Evergreen said, glaring at him as she squared her shoulders. "Your recent feeble attempts at heroism are laughable at best. Neither you with the Lifebringer inside you nor this pathetic beast can truly harm me."

Sky raised an eyebrow at her while breathing hard. She scoffed as she wiped a thin trail of blood from her nose.

"Do you truly believe," she went on with sarcasm, "that you can defeat me? Kill me? That your pitiful tinkering with gadgets and gizmos could ever compare to my power, to my company's power? You are nothing but a coward, hiding behind your gadgets like a child hiding behind his mother's skirts."

She cast a brief glimpse at Halle across the battlefield, who was standing there, in shock at the mind-blowing display of might and the Lifebringer's great power to heal wounds and give both fighters superpowers beyond her imagination.

Mrs Evergreen went on, "And even when you achieve greatness, like creating the first time machine in the history of humankind, even then... you sabotage yourself. What a waste of talent you are!"

"The watch was just a childish and convenient way to get what I thought I wanted," Sky replied harshly.

"Like being an Elite soldier to impress your mother? To win her love back, isn't it?" She giggled. "Speaking of your dear mother, what a fool she must be to have ever believed that you could be pushed to become an Elite soldier through tough love."

At that, Halle swallowed hard and her eyes shied away from the battlefield.

"Who do you think planted that seed in her?" she asked with naughtiness.

The nerve! Sky clenched his fists and teeth.

"Like your aunt Naomi, she was someone I manipulated to my advantage, too," she went on leisurely. "I convinced them that tough love was the right way to bring you up. They made a pact following my suggestions. Halle should have realised long ago that you were destined for nothing but failure and disappointment. Your inability to pass even the simplest of tests at the academy speaks volumes about your lack of the right skills. And Naomi's always been too optimistic and naïve. She believed that any kind of person could develop an amazing potential. She was obviously wrong with her sweet approach. Some people are born to succeed; some others are born to be mundane or average... of little consequence."

"Why did you do this?" Sky asked, frowning as both still circled one another on the battlefield. "Why mess up with my life, an insignificant kid to you?"

"Because I knew you were not good enough to become a fighter," she replied, searing a burning kind of passion as she stared straight into his eyes. "Do you think I believe you're insignificant? No, never. I saw you... I saw you and I understood who you were, Sky Falcon. A kid with a gift... for technology, not for fighting. I knew you were a diamond in the rough since I first laid my eyes on you a long time ago. So, I planned a way to ensure you'd become the genius you are today."

"What?"

A deviant glint in her eye sent a cold shiver down Sky's spine. "Your mother's extreme tough love would strain your relationship. So, you'd turn to gadgets to fill the void. That's how true geniuses are born."

Sky's blood drained from his face. Haywire walked towards him and stood beside his human friend as a soft whine emerged from his beak. He leaned his forehead on the teen's side of his head in an attempt to comfort him.

Kovak then interrupted their banter as he yelled, "Don't listen to her, Sky! She wants to hurt you by weakening your resolve!"

"Oh, yes," she added with an ironic, high-pitched voice full of fake pity and mocking Kovak's warning tone of voice. "Don't listen to the big, wicked woman."

Her wicked laughter filled the air.

"With your father gone, I made it even easier to ensure your family life was a disaster." The playful way she uttered those words denoted how much she enjoyed causing psychological harm to her opponent, an ideal attitude for a true sadist. "I knew Naomi would step in with her naivety and her sweetness to make coping with your mother even worse. Admit it: you've been comparing them for years, haven't you? Wishing Naomi was your mother instead. Looking for her help in pursuing a career unfit for you, making your failures the perfect fuel to make the fire even bigger."

Bile rose up Sky's throat. "You're a monster! The drugs and pampering of the rich are nothing compared to this."

Sky took a glimpse at his mother for just a moment. What he saw pierced his heart.

Halle's face went ashen as the shocking truth sank in, her eyes widening with a mix of horror and disbelief. Her eyebrows knitted together, deep lines of anguish marring her forehead, while her jaw trembled uncontrollably. Her lips quivered, and her entire body seemed to slump under the weight of the revelation, shoulders drooping in utter defeat.

The guilt and remorse were palpable in her eyes, a glistening sheen of unshed tears reflecting her inner turmoil. Finally, she broke down, silent sobs shaking her frame as tears streamed down her cheeks, the raw pain of manipulation and betrayal etched deeply into her features.

"All geniuses are dysfunctional," Mrs Evergreen added with pride. "You're welcome."

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Sorry for the long chapter. Did you see Mrs Evergreen's manipulation coming? 😉

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar