“Just in case you think I’m bluffing,” says The Drone. “How about I melt the sprinklers in here as well so that the blaze has free reign? I can do that as well.” He aims his arm at the nearest row of sprinklers, which are only four out of six spouts in the entire room. “I’m not playing games.”
My heart feels like it’s fallen out of my chest. Every piece of paper in this room will be reduced to ashes within minutes if that fire isn’t put out.
Mae notices my change in emotion as I shuffle forward to get a better look around the edge of the chair. I want to rush out there and blast the heck out of The Drone - to douse the flames with a nearby fire extinguisher. But, Mae reaches out a hand and grasps my arm firmly.
“Shaun, no,” she whispers. “We need to get out of here!”
Over at the shelves, The Drone peers around the corner of the first unit. To the side, the flames start to spread to the wall, licking up towards the ceiling. In only a minute or two the flames will set off the sprinklers - and if The Drone destroys them, the paper in this room will still be destroyed. It’s up to us to do something.
But, there’s no way to act while hiding behind some chairs.
The only fire extinguisher in the room is just behind The Drone.
I go to pull my arm out of Mae’s grasp, but she tightens it and demands my gaze.
“No!” she says through gritted teeth.
“I can’t just sit here and let everything burn!” I shoot back under my breath. “I need to do something. That’s my father’s legacy!”
Mae presses her face so close to mine that I can feel the breath from her mouth as she speaks.
“What about your legacy, Shaun? You’re no good to anyone if you get captured, or killed! You need to get out of here, regain the high ground, and take down The Drone once and for all!”
I steel my expression, looking Mae directly in the eyes.
“Mae, I can’t,” is all I can say.
After a moment of our gazes locked, Mae forces out a breath and glances over at The Drone. He’s just walking around one of the shelving units. His face disappears, and for a moment we are out of his line of sight.
Mae nods.
“Fine. But, once that fire is out, we lure The Drone out of here and get this over with.”
“I want nothing more,” I reply.
We both come out of our hiding spots and creep towards the fire extinguisher, keeping an eye on the flames which are still manageable.
I pause at the corner where The Drone disappeared, listen for a moment, then determine that the coast is clear. He still can’t see me.
Within two seconds I dart across the rest of the empty space, snag the fire extinguisher, and rush back to the wall of flames.
“Hurry!” says Mae through gritted teeth.
“I’m trying…” I say, glancing every couple seconds over my shoulder at the row of shelves. The Drone is still behind them. Our time is running out.
At last I get the hose for the extinguisher unhooked and blast the flames with a stream of white foam. The noise is so loud that it’s obvious that The Drone has figured out where we are.
Still, I continue to spray the flames. They quickly become smothered and all that’s left is the charred ruins of the once beautiful counter and drawers. No sprinklers have come on to ruin everything, and the flames are finished.
“That’s it,” I say, turning to Mae. “We can get out of here now -”
But, my eyes widen as The Drone steps up behind Mae, towering over her. With a look of hatred on his face he grabs Mae by the arm and hurls her across the room.
31
Knocked Around
For a moment, an excruciatingly long moment, I feel as if time has come to a standstill. Every dust mote fluttering through the air is highlighted by the cold, artificial fluorescent light. They are like minuscule fairy-sized snowflakes, each going in their own direction.
Then Mae tumbles through the motes, sending them zipping in sharp downward spirals that encircle her flailing arms. One of those arms - the right one, is held in a vice-like grip by The Drone’s armored hand. Cold, mechanical fingers wrinkle her sleeve and cut off all circulation.
With Mae’s arm clamped in his inhumanely enhanced hand, Mae’s feet are lifted off the carpeted floor and she is swung around like an infant twirled in the air by a father.
Her eyes narrow behind the mask, her lips pull away from her glistening teeth, and she lets out a cry that comes from someplace deep within. It is not a sound that I’ve ever heard from her before - even when she was injured and in intense physical pain. No, this is an animalistic cry.
This cry is nearly cut off as The Drone hurls her into the air and sends her flying across the room. There’s not much of anywhere for her to go until the middle of her back connects with the end of one of the bookcases, slamming into the metal surface with a dull thud.
Immediately my mind has a horrible sense of deja-vu.
No, I think. Mae’s back cannot be broken. Not the way that The Drone’s back was broken all those months ago.
I let out a war cry and sprint across the room at The Drone. I don’t care that I’m supposed to be fleeing right now. I need to go avenge and protect my partner.
Two blasts of purple energy ignite between the fingers on each of my hands, growing until they are the size of baseballs. Then I let them fly.
One strikes The Drone in the shoulder. The other is too far off to connect and it smashes into the window behind him. Bits of glass go showering out of the side of the building, leaving a hole that grows as each heavy piece of glass crumbles until it’s big enough for a person to fit through.
I intend to shove The Drone through the new opening - maybe bringing an end to this story sooner than expected.
But, The Drone ducks down and my hands miss. To disorient me even more, I dive over The Drone and need to use my powers to keep from ramming through the hole in the window.
I screech to a halt and tumble like a swimmer continuing his laps when my eyes come to rest on The Drone. He didn’t crouch down merely to avoid me. He straightens up, removing the shard of the Vestige from Mae’s armband. With the piece removed, he tosses the fabric away and closes his fist around the piece of the medallion.
“At last,” he says with the light from the medallion flickering in his eyes. “It’a mine.”
32
Inside Out
The Drone looks up at me with a devious smirk.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he says.
His hand clenches around the shard and I see a shift in his posture. It’s as if energy is coursing through his veins. His legs straighten and his shoulders broaden. I wonder if the Vestige is reversing his paralysis.
There’s no way to know for sure because his lower body and arms are still clothed in that suit of armor.
The Drone tilts his head back, opens his mouth, and inhales a lungful of air. Then, like someone who just drank a refreshing beverage, he smacks his lips.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” he tells me.
Beside him, Mae lies in a crumpled heap, her body crushing one arm while the other is slumped over her stomach. Her mask has come off and lies scattered to the side.
I clench my jaw and squeeze my hands into fists.
I can’t let The Drone take Mae’s shard away.
In an instant I throw my hands out in front of me, shooting two blasts of rippling energy through the air at The Drone. But, he must have been thinking ahead because now, with the shard in his possession, he’s able to deflect my pulse blasts as if they are nothing more than annoyances.
He bats one blast off to the left where it connects with one of the storage shelves, sending papers flying all over in a mini-hurricane. Then he catches the other blast and holds it in his hand. The ball of energy begins to spin, hovering over his palm, contained by his curled fingers.
The glimmering ball of energy grows exponentially until the light from it nearly blinds me. Then Th
e Drone hurls it in my direction.
I barely have a chance to dive out of the way as the ball passes by, singeing my sleeve and burning part of my upper arm. With a muted crash, the energy bursts against the far wall of the archive, sending lamps, paper holders, and a stack of books flying in all directions.
I land on my hands and knees with a painful jolt.
The Drone just stands beside Mae, mocking me as he laughs.
“You wouldn’t give up the Vestige,” he says, tucking the shard of the Vestige inside a compartment on his armor. There’s no chance I can swipe it away without getting in there, which takes away the chances of his powers being neutralized. He fixes his eyes menacingly on me. “Now I’ll just have to take the medallion by force.”
In the blink of an eye it looks like The Drone has teleported, but in reality he’s used his super speed to close the gap between us. He wraps a hand around my neck and squeezes. I’m lifted off my feet, my throat closing up. Haziness descends on my vision and I try to pry The Drone’s fingers from the cords of my neck, but his mechanical enhancements combined with the Aberrant powers make him inhumanly strong.
“Let’s take this outside,” The Drone says with his face only a few inches from mine. “I think you deserve to be knocked around a little.”
My eyes stray to Mae’s crumpled body on the floor. Bits of data flash across my visor, assessing her vitals. I have just enough time to read that she has a steady heartbeat and is breathing when my surroundings become a giant blur and I’m dragged outside by The Drone’s super speed, lifted high into the cold night air. The windows of the skyscraper zip past me as we climb higher and higher, clearing the rooftop and the spotlights secured there.
I feel like I’ve been here before. That’s because I have been here before, except last time I was hovering over a lake instead of a skyrise in Boston. If I fall, there is nowhere down below that will save me. There is no water to land in. Only the concrete jungle.
The Drone climbs up higher until we are thirty or so feet above the rooftop, then he stops. His arm is outstretched so that even if I tried, I couldn’t reach the section of his armor where he put the shard. I’m too busy trying to breathe at the moment anyway.
Thunder booms above us and the clouds light up in various sections, flickering to life and then settling back into their moody blackness. The rain is light and barely makes any dent in The Drone’s armor, but the drops are getting steadily stronger as the clouds open up. Every drop that strikes my body feels on the verge of being snow in the November air. It’s just on the threshold and begins to soak my clothes, numbing any part of my body it comes into contact with.
The Drone’s pale face stands out against the inky cloud covering, even through the streaks of now dried blood where Mae marred his face. The blood is reactivated by the rain and starts to wash away, staining the collar of his shirt.
“Such a disappointment,” The Drone says. His villain persona suddenly melts away and he seems to be just a normal person for a moment. His eyes look saddened as they survey me pinned in his grasp. “You could have done what your father never would have done. You could have joined me and had total dominion over the world.”
Even as I struggle for breath, I can’t help but let out a single laugh.
“You honestly think...that any of us...will achieve world domination?” I manage through strained breaths. “You’re dreaming!”
Bill scowls.
“Everything starts as a dream,” he answers me. “Even your father’s empire. I used to think that he was the biggest dreamer out of everyone.”
“His dreams weren’t corrupted,” I say. “He was trying to...help people. You’re just trying to control...them…”
His hand closes tighter around my neck, cutting off my words mid-breath. The cold visage of The Drone lowers over Bill Flagrant’s face once more.
“Nobody ever helped me,” he says. “So, I’m helping myself.”
Stars burst in front of my eyes and I fear that I’m going to suffocate, however, a new pain takes those worries away as The Drone swipes one of his armored feet beneath me and catches my dangling legs. They are both battered by the solid machinery, and I feel something tear within one of them.
Intense burning shoots up from my knee. I have the horrible realization that my ACL might have torn when The Drone releases his grip on my neck and lets me fall through the air.
I wave my arms around, trying desperately to steady myself in the air, but with one leg useless, I can’t stop myself completely. I can only slow myself a bit before I belly-flop onto the roof. The impact stuns me and I feel what little breath remained in my lungs forced out. A copper taste fills my mouth and I’m afraid that I bit my tongue.
I writhe in agony, trying to fill my lungs again. Every gasp feels like it will be my last, but after a minute or two I manage to breathe normally once more.
Then I look to the sky. There is no sign of The Drone. He might be hiding out in an attempt to play with me, waiting to strike again.
When I try to stand my injured leg will not support me, so I’m immobile. All I can do is crawl.
Maybe I can make it to the emergency exit and at least get off the rooftop? That’s about all I can do. I’ll use my good leg to propel myself with energy. I can even raise myself slightly off the rough surface of the roof with the energy from my trembling hands.
I just can’t lose the Vestige. If I do, it will all be over.
I glance around for the emergency doorway that leads back into the building, but before I find it, my eyes settle on The Cloak.
He walks over to me, towering above my injured body like another skyscraper. Rain falls around him, splashing me in the face and blurring my vision. The Cloak narrows his eyes at me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks.
33
Overcharge
Austin glares down at me as he blocks my path to the exit. Even as I lay on my stomach, I try to continue fighting. I send two energy blasts towards him, but he sidesteps them both before thrusting his hand out and squeezing it in the air between us.
My eyes roam around, searching frantically for any sign of The Drone. I am afraid of suddenly being double teamed, but The Drone is nowhere. He’s taken the shard of the Vestige with him. Maybe he’s left me to be finished off by The Cloak.
The rain comes down now in freezing sheets and my breath comes out in cloudy bursts as I grit my teeth against the pain in my forehead.
Austin stands in front of me with his arm outstretched like an orchestrator. His fingers are effectively squeezing parts of my mind, trying to manipulate me - to make me give in to his demands of handing over the Vestige. I thought that with his phone signal cut, The Cloak couldn't use his mind powers. But, here he is, entering my mind. Even as I try to fight his powers, my mind becomes foggy and heavy. My eyes widen as my arm trembles and begins to rise up. The armband securing the Vestige is illuminated in the spotlights that circle the rooftop.
“Just give up the Vestige!” The Cloak calls out over the pounding of the rain. His fingers curl sharply and my upraised arm becomes rigid. “The Drone got his, and now it's time for me to get mine. Don’t force me to do this the hard way and take it from you. You’ve been injured enough.”
The swirling in my brain surges, but I clench my jaw so tight that my entire upper body begins to tremble, and even as it feels like I am fighting against lead weights, I manage to wrench my arm away from Austin’s influence.
“You’ll have to pry the Vestige from my dead body before I hand it over to you!” I holler.
Austin gnashes his teeth and throws his arms down.
“Have it your way,” he says. Then he raises his hands once more and a flash of pain erupts behind my eyes.
Try as I might, I can’t muster the strength to defend myself. My own hands are useless as I double over on the rough surface of the rooftop. The bitter taste of bile bubbles up from the back of my throat and a red haze settles over my vision.
/>
It feels like my head is about to be split apart when the roof beneath me begins to vibrate. The vibrations surge for a second, then stop. Over and over they continue this pattern until they are undeniable, even through my pain.
I am able to look up and see Austin’s expression turn from determination into one of shock. His hands relax.
“What are you doing?” he asks, and for a moment I think he’s talking to me. I want to reply that I’m not doing anything - I’m being defeated - but then someone bounds over me in a gigantic leap.
It’s The Drone. He lands in between me and Austin, cracking the roof beneath his iron-clad feet.
“There’s only room for one of us,” he says, staring Austin down.
I can barely see Austin behind The Drone, but I can hear him unmistakably. His voice is strangled for the first time since I’ve known him.
“What are you talking about?” he says.
In answer, Bill steps forward and grabs Austin by the arms, yanking him off his feet. The smaller young man is nothing compared to the brawn of The Drone’s armor. Austin’s screams echo on the buildings surrounding us.
In one swift motion, The Drone bends Austin’s arm back and it breaks with a snap. I cringe at the sound, which is quickly mixed with Austin’s excruciating wails. Then The Drone tosses Austin to the side as if he were nothing but a broken action figure. Austin remains balled up, his screams echoing off the surrounding glass buildings.
I raise myself up onto one elbow, trying not to attract any attention, as I try to get a closer look at Austin. How can a broken arm take him down so easily? He should at least be standing up or trying to get away. But, he’s doing none of those things.
Instead, The Drone takes center stage in the pouring rain. His silhouette breaks through the streams of water as he comes to within four feet of me and raises his hand in front of himself. He’s examining something, and it takes a moment for me to make out the square shape of a bumpy, obsidian-looking stone. At least I think it’s a stone. Where did that come from?
The Aberrant Series (Book 3): Super Villain Page 14
