by Lucas Flint
“Uncle Jake?” I said, my voice weak from being crushed. “When did you get here?”
“I came with Shade and Blizzard,” said Uncle Jake. “I was supposed to remain outside and make sure no one tried to escape, but when I heard the countdown timer start, I knew you needed my help. Looks like I was just in the nick of time.”
Panting hard, I rose to my feet, using a nearby cloning tube for support. “Yeah, you were. Seth would have killed me if you hadn’t intervened.”
“So that’s Seth?” said Uncle Jake. His eyes darted over to Seth, who was still rubbing his head where Seth had punched him. His fists clenched more tightly. “Stay here.”
Before I could warn Uncle Jake about Seth’s power, he was off, his red fists trailing crimson streaks as he ran. When he got close enough to Seth, he immediately began pummeling him with punch after punch. Each blow struck Seth dead on, forcing Seth to raise his arms to protect himself. Of course, that left him on the defensive, allowing Uncle Jake to rain punch after punch down upon Seth without hesitation or slowness.
Watching Uncle Jake attack was amazing. Each blow came right after the last, some even coming before the last one had landed. I was seeing all of Uncle Jake’s pent-up rage against Seth being unleashed in multiple blows. And it really was a thing of beauty.
Then, with one final punch, Uncle Jake knocked Seth flat on his back. Seth landed hard on the floor and stopped moving. He was either dead or unconscious. It was hard to tell.
Panting hard, Uncle Jake lowered his fists, the red energy evaporating from them. His eyes were locked on Seth’s unmoving body, a grim smile appearing on his lips.
“Finally …” Uncle Jake breathed. “My sins have been forgiven …”
My eyes widened. Had Uncle Jake actually defeated Seth? It seemed impossible, and yet Seth still hadn’t gotten up. Even if he was just unconscious, it was still impressive of Uncle Jake to take him out like that. Guess the Ultimate Clone wasn’t so ultimate after all.
That was when I head rockets above and looked up just in time to see Mecha Knight soaring toward us. With his sword drawn, he was clearly ready to fight and he was heading straight for Uncle Jake.
“Jake!” I shouted. “Watch out!”
But Uncle Jake was too slow and tired. As he turned around to face me, Mecha Knight landed in front of Uncle Jake and drove his sword directly into Uncle Jake’s stomach. A look of shock and pain appeared on Uncle Jake’s face when Mecha Knight stabbed him, but when Mecha Knight pulled out his sword, Uncle Jake collapsed onto the floor, blood leaking out of his stomach as his body went still.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
I stared uncomprehendingly at Uncle Jake’s corpse. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Uncle Jake was dead, for the second time. Even if he was just a clone, he was still my Uncle.
Mecha Knight, to my frustration, did not seem especially concerned by this. He simply lowered his blade and stepped aside, not even looking at Uncle Jake’s body as it bled out all over the floor. In the background, I could still hear the timer counting down. It sounded like we had about five minutes left, but that was the furthest thing from my mind right now.
“You killed him!” I screamed. “You murdered my uncle! You monster!”
Mecha Knight did not respond, nor would he get a chance to, because Seth’s eyes flew open at that moment and he sat upright.
“Ow,” said Seth. He was rubbing his forehead in a gesture that looked like something I would do. “I did not realize just how powerful Fisticuffs’ punches could be.”
Then Seth looked at Uncle Jake and smiled. “Good job, Mecha Knight. It is a bit sad that Fisticuffs had to die, but I suppose that is what you do with failed experiments sometimes.”
With a grunt, Seth rose to his feet. His face was covered in bruises and his clothing was ripped in several places, but other than that, he looked surprisingly okay. He dusted himself off as he looked over at me, a wicked grin on his face.
“And then there was one,” said Seth. He gestured at Uncle Jake. “Don’t be so upset, Bolt. Soon—very soon, in fact—you will get to see your uncle again, along with your father and every other person you have ever loved who has passed. And Mecha Knight here will be the one to finish you off. Right, Mecha Knight?”
There was no response from Mecha Knight. I knew Mecha Knight was still technically under Seth’s control, but I still felt betrayed by his murder of Uncle Jake. I also wondered how Shade, Blizzard, and Edge were doing against Phaser and the Neo-Killer, but I pushed such thoughts out of my mind in order to focus on surviving my current situation.
Seth sniffed. “I can practically smell the despair radiating off your body, Bolt. You may have ruined my plans, but you will never get to live long enough to watch my empire crumble. You will be killed at the hands of your own mentor. Isn’t that ironic?”
I bit my lower lip. My powers still hadn’t come back yet, and it was starting to look increasingly unlikely that they would in time for me to save myself. “Maybe you should spend less time talking and more time getting out of here. The timer is still counting down.”
“I don’t care anymore,” said Seth. “I am a god. I will survive any explosion, no matter how big or powerful. I cannot, however, say the same about you.”
Seth looked at Mecha Knight. “Mecha Knight, finish off the brat. Let the cold steel of your blade taste human flesh once again.”
Mecha Knight showed no indication that he had heard Seth. But he did raise his sword, Uncle Jake’s blood dripping off the tip of his blade. I knew that there was no way I could beat Mecha Knight now. I was too tired, weak, and powerless. I just had to hope that Mecha Knight would kill me quickly so I wouldn’t have to suffer.
Mecha Knight took one step forward. His blue optics locked onto my eyes … and then he gestured, ever-so-slightly, with his head at Seth. It was the tiniest, most subtle gesture imaginable, but at the same time as clear as day. I nodded once to show that I understood.
Then Mecha Knight, without warning, whirled around and slashed his sword in a vertical line directly across Seth’s chest. Blood exploded out of Seth’s chest as he screamed in pain and agony. He fell to his hands and knees, clutching his bleeding chest as Mecha Knight looked down upon him with his cold, blue eyes.
“What …” Seth coughed up blood. “How …”
“Valerie freed me from your control,” said Mecha Knight in his usual monotone voice. “Of course, it happened moments after I killed Uncle Jake, but it was still just in time for me to finish you off. I only pretended to be under your control so you would lower your guard and give me an opening in which to kill you. Looks like it worked.”
Seth looked up at Mecha Knight with pleading eyes. “Jack, please. We were friends. Colleagues. You, me, and Genius. Don’t you remember the good old days? Back when we were younger and more idealistic? Don’t you want a physical body again? I can still give you one, one just as good as your old body, if not even better.”
Mecha Knight raised his sword above his head. “I don’t want anything you have to offer. Goodbye.”
Before Mecha Knight could bring his sword down on Seth’s head, Seth’s eyes flashed red. With a yell, he fired a red lightning bolt—similar to mine—at Mecha Knight. The lightning bolt struck Mecha Knight in the chest and sent him flying. Mecha Knight slammed into the wall above the door and fell to the floor, where he lay as unmoving as a stone.
As for Seth, he slowly rose back to his feet, still clutching his chest. But he was grinning now, grinning a wicked grin that made him look like a monster.
“Wounded gazelle gambit,” said Seth with a chuckle. “Always works.”
He winced at the pain in his chest. “Unfortunately, I will still need to have this fixed. But that won’t be a problem. Just as long as I can get out of here.”
At that moment, I felt power flow through my body, which was how I knew my powers had returned. But Seth didn’t, so I was determined to use that knowledge to my advantage.
Pu
shing myself off the tube and still looking weak and tired, I said, “Sorry, Seth, but you’re not going to any hospital tonight. Or ever again.”
Seth turned to face me. He seemed amused by my words as if I had told him a great joke. “You lose your powers. You watch me kill your uncle and your mentor. And still you choose to fight me? Truly, you are either the most foolish idiot ever or a brave hero. I can’t decide which.”
“That’s what heroes do, Seth,” I said. I punched my fist into my other hand. “We fight for what’s right even in the face of hopeless odds. That’s a lesson you might want to learn from us.”
With that, I rushed toward Seth, though without using my super speed. Seth’s smile never faded as I drew closer and closer to him. He didn’t even try to defend himself. He was probably planning to let me punch him so I could break my hand against his tough skin. He was about to be in for a big surprise.
When I was only a few feet away from Seth, I activated my super strength and charged both of my fists with red electricity. Seth’s eyes widened in horror when he saw my fists sparking with power, but I was too close for him to dodge now.
With a yell, I punched both of my fists directly through his slashed open chest. My fists punched through his skin, bone, and arteries and burst out through his back. Seth gasped, but before he could do anything else, I channeled all of my electricity through my fists and into his body.
Seth screamed in pain. His body’s temperature grew higher and higher, his skin frying and bubbling, until, quite abruptly, his whole body exploded.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The explosion knocked me back. I slammed into one of the cloning tubes, cracking the glass, and fell onto the floor. I was surprised by how powerful that explosion had been. My whole body ached from the blast, not helped by the fact that my costume was now covered head to toe in Seth’s blood and guts. Think I also got some in my mouth, depending on what that weird taste in my mouth was, but I didn’t want to dwell on it too long.
With a groan, I pushed myself up and looked at the spot where Seth had been standing mere moments before.
It was a blackened crater, with nothing to suggest that Seth had been standing there at all. I was shocked at how much the explosion had destroyed him. I hadn’t realized I’d been channeling that much power through my fists. Guess I was stronger than even I knew.
Shaking my head, I got to my feet and ran over to Mecha Knight. Kneeling beside him, I said, “Mecha Knight, are you there? Can you hear me? Mecha Knight?”
To my relief, Mecha Knight stirred. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, albeit somewhat awkwardly. Aside from the black spot on his chest where the lightning bolt had struck him, he looked to be in good shape.
“Yes, I am,” said Mecha Knight. He rubbed his chest. “Seth Richards’ attack knocked my systems offline briefly, but I think I should be okay now. I will need to have my armor repaired, however, or at least inspected to make sure it is okay.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank God. I thought you were dead there for a moment, like Uncle—”
I was interrupted by a loud coughing sound coming from nearby. Looking over, I saw Uncle Jake was the one making the coughing sound. He was still lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, but he seemed to be conscious.
“Uncle Jake!” I rushed over to him and knelt beside him, doing my best to avoid stepping in his blood. “Jake, are you all right?”
Uncle Jake looked up at me with surprisingly weak eyes. “No, Kevin, I am not. I am dying. There’s nothing you can do for me.”
“Don’t say that,” I said. “I can get you to St. Francisco’s. Or, hell, I could get you to Hero Island. Healing Touch has healed sword wounds before. He can have you fixed up in a—”
“One minute left until self-destruction,” said the computerized voice over the speakers. “Fifty-nine seconds … fifty-eight seconds … fifty-seven seconds …”
“Bolt!” said Valerie in my earcoms. “I am sorry, but I was unable to deactivate the self-destruction sequence. Blizzard, Shade, and Edge have already evacuated via Shade’s shadow travel. Your Teleportation Buckle should allow you to escape as well.”
“What about Phaser and the Neo-Killer?” I said. “Where are they?”
“Shade managed to capture the Neo-Killer, but unfortunately Phaser got away,” said Valerie. “Anyway, there isn’t much time left. If you want to survive, now is the chance.”
“Leave me,” said Uncle Jake, waving at me. “There’s no saving me now. Even if you did get me out of here, I am going to decay soon anyway. I have no reason to live anymore. I’ve redeemed myself. My sins have been forgiven. I can now rest in peace.”
“But you’re my uncle,” I said, trying to fight the tears trying to sneak out of the corners of my eyes. “I’ve already lost you once. I don’t want to lose you again.”
Uncle Jake smiled up at me weakly. “I am sorry, but this is how it must be. I am not even real anyway. My death won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.”
“But it will matter to me,” I said.
Suddenly, a cold, metallic hand fell on my shoulder. I looked up at Mecha Knight, who stood above me with his usual expressionless face.
“Bolt,” said Mecha Knight, “it is time we go. We don’t have much time left. Less than thirty seconds before this entire place blows up.”
“He is right,” said Uncle Jake. “Get out of here now, while you still can.”
Emotionally, I wanted to hold onto Uncle Jake for as long as I could, but I let go of his arm and stood up.
“I won’t forget you,” I said to Uncle Jake as I put my hand on the Teleportation Buckle. “Even though we didn’t talk much, I will make sure you are never forgotten. Okay?”
Uncle Jake’s weak smile grew a little stronger. “If you must. And if there is an afterlife for clones like me … I won’t forget you, either.”
“Ten seconds left,” said the computerized voice. “Nine … eight … seven … six … five …”
Without further ado, I twisted my Teleportation Buckle and Mecha Knight and I vanished from Vault Z just as it exploded.
CHAPTER FORTY
One week later …
“It’s snowing,” said Blizzard. She held out a hand and caught a snowflake on it. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
I frowned as I looked up at the gray clouds from which snow fell. “Weather forecast said it wasn’t supposed to snow today. I swear, those guys could say the sky was blue and I wouldn’t believe them.”
Blizzard chuckled and hugged me closer. “Hey, at least we got our date. Besides, if it gets too bad, I can always use my powers to make it go away for a little while.”
“Using your fantastic powers over ice to make sure it doesn’t ruin your perfect date,” I said. I grinned. “Sounds just like something that a woman would do.”
Blizzard rolled her eyes. “Just don’t drop me, okay? Because unlike you, I can’t fly. Or survive falling five hundred feet. Although the view is beautiful if I do say so myself.”
The two of us were flying over Showdown. Just like I promised Blizzard, we were finally concluding that date that got interrupted what seemed like a lifetime ago now. Only instead of walking through the park, we were flying through the sky, taking in all of the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations that the city of Showdown had put up to get the people into the holiday spirit.
It was nice to just relax for once and not have to worry about fighting supervillains or criminals. It was just me and Blizzard, enjoying each other’s company, not worrying about anything other than our own enjoyment. Of course, I had to make sure I didn’t drop Blizzard, who I held bridal style, but there was no way in hell I would ever drop Blizzard, not in the least because she’d probably kill me before she died from the fall.
But my arms, as strong as they were, were starting to get tired, so I flew us over to the top of a nearby building and landed down on it. I gently lowered Blizzard, who stood up and stretched her arms and legs.
“That was great,” said Blizzard. She turned to face me, a soft smile on her face. “Best date ever.”
“Hey, it’s not over yet,” I said. “We’ve still got the Christmas party back at the Braindome. You know, the one Vanish has been planning since Thanksgiving?”
“Right,” said Blizzard. “Personally, though, I’m not one for parties. I think I’d like to spend a little bit more … personal time with you, if you know what I mean.”
My grin became even bigger. “Oh, don’t worry. I definitely know what you—”
“Bolt?” said Valerie in my ears all of a sudden. “Are you there?”
“Val?” I said. I reached up to turn off my earcoms. “I thought I told you not to contact me while I’m out with Blizzard unless it’s important.”
“My apologies,” said Valerie. “I am well aware of your orders, but recently I have received a message from someone calling himself Sean Richards. He wishes to speak with you over the phone regarding the Seth Richards situation.”
I froze. “Tell him I’m busy.”
“He says it’s urgent,” said Valerie. “He also claims to be the son of Seth Richards and the father of Edge, for what it’s worth.”
I bit my lower lip and looked at Blizzard. Blizzard was not looking at me. I could tell she was as tired of interruptions as I was, but I realized that Blizzard was just going to have to wait a little while longer while I spoke with this Sean Richards guy.
“Fine,” I said, turning away from Blizzard. “Connect me to this Sean guy and I’ll see what he wants.”
“Very well,” said Valerie. “I am connecting you now.”
Valerie went silent and I only heard static in my ears before a voice I had never heard before said, “Hello? Is this Bolt?”
“Yeah, it’s him,” I said. “Is this Sean Richards?”
“Yes, it is,” said Sean. “It’s good to finally meet you, Bolt. Or at least talk to you. I dearly hope I am not interrupting you while you are in the middle of anything important.”
