The Ardent Saga Omnibus

by Nathan Howe

  Outside, she breathed in the fresh air. “Oh, that's so much better.”

  “Sure is,” Charge said next to her.

  Blazes jumped. “I thought you'd be in there. You had that smile on your face. You like this stuff.”

  Charge shrugged. “I like building things sure. But I enjoy punching bad guys and tearing them apart more.” That sounded about right.

  “You're crazy.”

  Charge grinned. “Let's go. Nothing we can do here. Better to start fresh tomorrow.”

  “What about Shocking?”

  “Said to meet them, bright and early. Hopefully, we'll know more.”

  The next morning Blazes arrived an hour before sunrise. She wasn't the first one on the team to arrive. Shocking sat in her office studying her little desk. “Morning,” she said without looking up.

  Blazes entered the office and sat on one of the chairs. “Did the techs get the reports back on the equipment we found yesterday?”

  “They did.”

  “And?” Blazes hoped Charge was wrong that it was a bomb.

  “Charge was right. They think it's done and ready for use.”

  “Damn.”

  “Plus, said a lot of new Mechajunks will be showing up.”

  “Just what we need.”

  Amaithinar hovered into the room. She yawned. “Don't you people sleep? This is too early.” She blurted this out slow enough that Blazes understood her for a change.

  “No rest when there's a bomb,” Shocking said. “We have to find it.”

  “So any ideas?” Amaithinar settled at her own desk. Even smaller than Shocking's but it fit her tiny Fey frame. It held miniature pencils and a phone she used as a tablet.

  “A few names have been circling around as the leader of the Mechajunks. We need to find this person.”

  “You think?” Amaithinar said. “Tell me something I don't know.”

  “No one likes a smart ass.” Shocking laughed, so did Amaithinar. Blazes sat there lost, wondering what they were doing. “You two will go bust some heads in.”

  “I love this,” Charge said.

  “I know. We have a conference with the big man.” She was referring to the leader of the Hero Coalition, Invincible. “He wants an update and Inferno is making me give it.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  Shocking's phone on her desk rang. She snatched it up. “Hello? Yeah.” She listened for a second. “Are you sure?” Another pause. “Okay. Thanks.” She slammed the phone down. “Great. You two need to get to the old Talos Incorporated building. Mechajunks attacking it, lots of them. Word is people are trapped inside.”

  “Aren't you coming?” Blazes asked.

  “Can't. I'll send someone else to assist.”

  “Okay.” Charge and Shocking rushed over the building taking a car. They sped through the streets of Azure City. The morning traffic picked up along the trip.

  A block from the building they pulled over. As they exited Heated landed next to them, and he wasn't alone. Blazes hoped he brought Inferno with him. It would make this trip easy. But next to him was an unfamiliar face. He had a mostly bald head except for a long ponytail and wore a martial arts outfit. Charge leaned over. “That's Guru.”

  “Who?”

  “He used to be a combat trainer here. Retired the year before we showed up for training.”

  “Oh. What's he doing here?”

  “I can hear you,” he said. “I'm here because retirement bored me to tears.”

  Heated leaned in. “Plus, being retired allowed him to help at a moment's notice. And there’s the fact he keeps hanging around my office.”

  “Humph,” Guru said. “Way to treat a guy lending a helping hand.”

  “One quick question before we go after these Mechajunks,” Charge said.

  “Yes, young lady.” Guru's eyes lingered on her.

  “Why is your codename Guru? I mean most make sense. But that is a weird one.”

  Guru's head tilted. “No one has ever asked me why I choose my name. But it's because I am a martial arts expert.”

  “Really? That is lame.”

  “Oh, and Charge isn't,” Guru said.

  “Point taken.” Charge pivoted away and powered up her shield. “Let's go.”

  Charge didn't bother to wait to see if they followed. Instead, she rushed down the street right for the building the Mechajunks assaulted. Blazes sighed. In her years working with Charge, she still hadn't gotten used to this. For whatever reason, it annoyed her. She worried her partner wouldn't make it out of one these pointless frontal attacks.

  Guru laughed. “What are we waiting for?” He leaped into the air to join her. He removed the shield he had on his back and readied it to use as both a weapon and protection. Heated jumped away as well.

  Blazes jogged behind them. By the time Blazes arrived at the building, all three were in the middle of a skirmish with the Mechajunks. Outside at least a dozen surrounded the three. Blazes paused a safe distance away. This wasn't going to end well for this group. Heated handled larger groups on his own and Guru being a trainer should be able to as well. And then the wildcard was Charge.

  When the actual fighting started, it didn't last long. Seconds. Each of the trio easily took out the Mechajunks. Blazes had never felt as unneeded in her life. She was a powerful Ardent and hero in her own right. But these three had something she lacked. The attitude to take out people with no fear.

  “That’s it?” Charge said.

  “Just the warm up,” Heated said. “Reports are hundreds in the building now.”

  “All right,” Charge said. “Let's get ready to dance, partner.” She waved at Blazes.

  “Oh, so now I'm needed?”

  Charge shrugged. “You're always needed.” She smiled.

  “You two start at the bottom,” Heated said. “Guru and I will take the top. Meet in the middle.”

  Blazes nodded. Both men leaped into the air and landed on the roof of the ten-story building. “I wish my powers provided some sort of way to jump or fly,” Charge said.

  “Not me,” Blazes said. “I'm good with my feet firmly on the ground.”

  Charge stepped back quizzically. “Wait. Are you scared of heights?”

  “What? Me? No.” Blazes walked away. For the first time in memory, she beat Charge into a building. And, she was immediately attacked. “Damn.” She ducked as a metal arms swung over her head. A fire sword appeared over her and sliced the arm, Charge had arrived. “Thanks.”

  “No problem, partner. And, this is why, I'm supposed to be first. You can't handle a punch like me.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Meanwhile, a Mechajunk lay on the ground with his severed metal attachment. Blazes turned to him. “Why are you here?”

  He smiled. “To help Babel.”

  “Who's Babel?” Charge asked. She leaned over to the man with a Mohawk made of metal spikes. Blazes cringed at the pain of putting those in.

  “She's our leader. She will blow this city up. It will be a new Mechajunk utopia.”

  Charge rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. So, what are you doing here?”

  “This is the first step.” Charge glanced at Blazes before kicking the man in the head and knocking him out.

  “Okay. That was ominous,” Blazes said. What a Mechajunk utopia would consist of, baffled Blazes. Perhaps twisted metal buildings all near collapse.

  They continued into the building, this time Charge took her usual position in the lead, and they cleared the first floor. Slowly, they progressed up the building. When they reached the middle floor, Heated and Guru were already in battle with the majority of Mechajunks in the buildings. And in the center of the group was a sonic bomb. Just what they needed. Blazes didn't want to become dust today. They had to stop this and fast.

  Blazes ignited her fire. With the three of them, they could burn the building down in no time. Blazes wondered why it felt like most of the Ardents were fire-based. She knew more Ardents who were than not, unlike the te
lepaths who were rare.

  She shook her head as a Mechajunk kicked her in the side. “Ouch.” She threw a ball of concentrated fire at him. Singeing his already mangled clothes a little more. None of the members of the Mechajunks group ever wore new clothes or ones not riddled with tears and large holes. Must be a hazard of having metal limbs attached.

  “Leave one awake for questioning,” Heated ordered over the madness. He used a sword larger than Charge's. Ruthlessly, he swung in a large circle, taking out half a dozen in the one move. A second later, he sent out a short burst of flames so intense, it sent the ruffians running. Blazes smiled. Charge asked him how to do that many times in the past, only Heated and Inferno had the ability. Some of the Phoenixies had something similar. When asked, Heated always grinned and said maybe in time Charge would learn. Until she did, it frustrated her.

  Soon, only two combatants remained. Charge rushed in, jumped into the air and hit one in the chest. He was knocked to the ground and Charge held her sword over his throat. With one safe for talking to, Guru did a quick round kick on the last one. The Mechajunk dropped like a sack of dirty laundry.

  “Good,” Heated said and walked over the older one Charge held in place. “What are you doing?”

  “A test for Babel.”

  Heated walked around the man on the floor rubbing his chin. “A test for your leader?”

  “Yes.”

  “Charge, you think you can disarm this?” Heated gestured to the bomb.

  “Not a chance. That is way beyond my skills.”

  “Okay.” Heated went on his comm device and informed the Hero Coalition of the situation. “Time to leave.”

  Back at the Hero Coalition, Blazes stood in a holding cell with Shocking. The thug they captured sat across a table from them. He was firmly secured in place. He wouldn't be going anywhere. ”I'm not telling you anything,” he said. His left leg was metal from the knee down and his right arm from the shoulder. His face had a metal plate that covered half. The exposed side left was wrinkled.

  Shocking sat down in the chair. “Listen. Those bombs you have won't set up a utopia. They'll destroy the city. Collapse every building.”

  “And?” he struggled against his restraints. “From that, we'll build up from our sewer home.”

  A grin formed on Shocking's face. “Your hideout is in the sewers? Fitting since you are the filth of the city.”

  “Damn,” he cursed. “Babel will save me.”

  Blazes didn't think so. Shocking leaned in. “You have more bombs. Tell me where they are.”

  “No.”

  Shocking pulled her razor sharp sword from her back. She rubbed the cold steel across the man's good arm. “It would be a shame to remove this before you have the time to get the proper replacement.” If a limb was removed, the process of attaching a new limb had to be done in a certain amount of time. It's why most people didn't have it done. You must remove the limb intentionally.

  “You wouldn't.”

  “Try me.”

  The man gulped. “I don't know them. Babel has the plans.”

  “Then tell me how to find this Babel.”

  The man hung his head. Without moving, he said, “In the sewer, under city hall.”

  Shocking leaped up from her chair. “Thank you.” she walked out of the room telling the guard to make sure the thug didn't leave. The Ardents rushed up to her office. Inside, Charge sat with Amaithinar. When the door opened, Charge spun. “Please tell me, you have something.”

  Blazes nodded. “We do.”

  “Great, let's go.”

  “One second,” Shocking said. “I have to inform Heated.”

  After telling the big guys, Heated and Inferno, they shuffled down to the car lot and checked out a vehicle. Blazes worried about running into the heart of the Mechajunks home turf. For a moment, she wanted to voice those concerns, but she kept her mouth shut. Charge would say she was a chicken. City Hall wasn't a long ride from the coalition building, yet the trip lasted longer than normal. By the time, they arrived, several members of Azure PD stood around the building. A man with a bushy mustache walked over. “Captain Briggs,” Shocking said. “Figured you be the one here.”

  “Can't keep me in my office. We've found several access points to the sewers around here.”

  Shocking nodded. “Thanks. Take us to the closest one. Have your men guard the others and mop up the stragglers. If you want help, I can have more Hero Coalition members arrive.”

  'No, no. We can handle these thugs.”

  “Good.” They walked over the open manhole cover.

  Charge leaned over. The fumes that rose crinkled her nose. “That smells. I can't believe they live down there.”

  Captain Briggs walked over. “You'd be surprised at how many people live in places like this. Those looking to hide from us or feel discarded by us.”

  “But still. The smell.” Charge leaned away. “You can go first, boss.” She gestured to Shocking.

  “Oh, the infamous Charge scared of the mean sewers of Azure City. We found her fear.” Blazes grinned.

  Charge blushed. “At least, I'm not afraid of flying.”

  Shocking jumped into the sewer with Amaithinar hovering down right behind her. This might be the one time that Blazes wished she could fly. She'd be able to keep her feet off the ground and out of the nasty water that waited below. Taking one last breath of fresh air, she lowered herself into the darkest dirtiest place she'd ever been. She reached to her uniform and activated the light. The others did the same. Seeing their surroundings was worse. The brick had been covered in years or centuries of grime. Shocking marched forward, sloshing the water on the ground in her wake.

  After several minutes of walking and no sign of any Mechajunks Blazes wondered if they had been lied to. “Are you sure about this?” Charge asked. “I think he said this so we'd have to live in the shower for the next week.”

  Clangs rang through the tunnels. “Never mind,” Charge said.

  “Coming from the right,” Amaithinar said. She nocked an arrow. She was the only dry one in the bunch.

  Shocking glowed now with her powers activated. The electricity she produced was brighter than any of the lights they had. Blazes leaned into Charge. “Can you use your shield here?”

  Charge paused for a moment. “I should be safe. I tested it a few times with water. So long as it doesn't get submerged, I'll be safe.” Charge activated it. She didn't glow with the electrical shield she created.

  “Be ready,” Shocking said. She held both her swords in front of her. She sneered as she rounded the corner heading in the direction of the sounds.

  Charge right behind her. Both Amaithinar and Blazes a few steps back. If a fight happened right then, both didn't want to be around for the initial assault. Voices sounded. This hallway led to an open section of the sewers. Blazes couldn't help but wonder why in the world they even build this? What did it serve? On the right, a dozen Mechajunks stood dumbfounded. A second later, they screamed in alarm. “We're under attack. Just as she proclaimed.”

  A siren rang. Blazes ears stung. Now, she'd be smelly and deaf for a week. Damn Mechajunks. The more she dealt with them, the more she disliked them. She'd never understood the group. More of them stormed into the room. Blazes couldn't believe her eyes. How many people joined this group? Didn't they know it was a criminal organization? Known for robbing people to pay for the body modifications. At least forty men and women stood in front of them in varying degrees of modification. They spread open like a sea to reveal a man who was almost completely modified. All that remained was his head and neck. He stomped the floor and rushed for Shocking.

  Shocking smirked. Right before he reached her, she sidestepped him. He moved slow and clunky. She didn't bother to attack. Charge spun with her fire sword and sliced both legs off. He dropped to the ground unable to move. “Next,” Charge said.

  The group of goons rushed all at once. Charge smirked. She jumped into the center of the group spinning with h
er sword. Shocking did the same. Both revelling in the moment. It worried Blazes how much they found joy in this. Amaithinar fired arrow after arrow. To Blazes, it appeared as if Amaithinar didn't even aim, but her shots always hit. In the centeron the space, a pile of motionless bodies formed around Charge and Shocking, Blazes fired balls of fire at the edge of the group. Several of the Mechajunks went running away screaming in pain from the fire she slung around. She did her best not to harm her friends. Soon, the number of thugs standing started to dwindle. When they realized they didn't stand a chance, they fled. Shocking screamed in the center when none remained. She clanged her swords together. Her face covered in blood and sweat. The fear she instilled increased when she looked like this.

  “No sign of this Babel,” Amaithinar said. She hovered over to the center of the room. Many of the bodies on the floor groaned. Some completely out. “Any guesses?”

  The room darkened. “You wanted me?” a high pitched voiced asked. A petite woman without any modifications walked into the chamber. She wore a skin-tight bodysuit. As she neared, her fingers grew turning into giant metal claws. She moved swift like a cat. She bounced around. Barely standing in one place.

  “You're an Ardent,” Shocking said. It surprised Blazes. “Figured as much,” Shocking continued without pause. “What, you too chicken, to follow your group and enhance your body.”

  Babel hissed. “I need no modification, for I am already perfect,” she purred angrily.

  “Humph,” Charge said. “I wouldn't go with perfect. You're kind of ugly.”

  Blazes couldn’t believe what they were doing. It seemed like they were just making her angry and ready to kill.

  Babel lunged at Charges slashing Charges’ electric shield. It sent Babel back withering in pain. “Cheater,” Babel sneered baring her razor-sharp teeth. It sent chills down Blazes’ spine. Babel frightened her.

  Charge shrugged. “Me? What about all these guys.” she gestured to the Mechajunks. “That's cheating.”

  Babel hissed doing her best to ignore Charge and appear intimidating.