by Vee Bosse
“Jassa, I know you only have three bottles of All-Cure extract left, so we’ll have to conserve them at all costs. I can’t believe that we had to use it on the one that called himself number six...I can only imagine how powerful the other five in Jayce’s group are, let alone Jayce himself. Our only option is to reassemble, seeing as how the invasion from the East has likely been stopped by now...Jassa?”
Suddenly, all of the desperation that Haynes had felt a moment ago came welling up within him once again. He turned to his side to see that Jassa was lifeless on the ground next to him. “Shit!! Oh no, oh fuck no, come on! Doctor?! What happened?! Please tell me he didn’t hit you with his ultimate technique before I could close it!” He leapt to her side, trying to find any signs of a wound. There were none to be found. Suddenly, he could see her lips barely move to make out some weak words.
“Haynes, my cures won’t fix this. He hit me with some energy...my eyes are going dark.” Haynes looked around, panicked far beyond any realm of rational thought.
“There’s got to be something you can do! Something I can do...I,”
“Take my medical bag. Even if you all don’t have my medical knowledge, you still have the three bottles of All-Cure left. Use them wisely, Haynes.” Jassa’s consciousness was barely holding on to her body, seemingly on will power alone. “Haynes, for your kind words earlier...thank you.”
Her eyes closed, and Haynes could almost sense her slipping away. The doctor that had just saved his life with ease had suddenly lost hers just as quickly. Panic suddenly turned into tears, and then anger as he slammed his sword into the ground with all his might. “He...he was only number six. I should have...been able to protect her.”
The group of friends that had split up in an effort to save as many people as they could now found their own numbers dwindling, even after their efforts to save people had proven to be successful. Haynes took a few minutes to stare at the starry sky above, desperately trying to rationalize a way to ease the screaming pain inside of his heart. He collapsed onto a nearby corn stalk, losing control as his head crashed face-first into the Nebraska dirt.
Chapter Seventeen
Modern Day Judas
Four people sat lifeless, eating their lumpy nutrients amongst the other thousands of prisoners in the Haven Island chow hall. They were an obedient bunch, and yet these four guys that looked to be around eighteen years old were not as lifeless as the mass of other prisoners that surrounded them. “Did you get the serum?” asked Derek Maxwell. Woolfing Striyed nodded his head affirmatively, making sure to not alert the guards in the catwalk above to the fact that they were fully conscious.
“Good, I managed to steal just a little from the guards before. You three were the lucky ones that got a dose of it in your chow. We’ll need many more allies to escape from this hell, so slip it in some random bowls during our next meal time,” Derek said, purposefully gazing at his three new allies.
Killian Sarge, Woolfing Striyed, and Jordan Jaymes nodded at their newly appointed leader, determined to escape from Haven Island at any cost. Derek Maxwell was the one that could lead them out of there, even though they had no one else that they could trust at that moment.
“The guy with blue hair over there has been giving me a strange vibe. I’ve spied on the ones guarding his hallway, and his name is apparently ‘Christian Rivers’. Just a wild theory, but maybe if we make sure he wakes up, his unusually powerful aura might rub off on some other people, with our help.”
Derek’s whispered theory was as good as any, and as the four of them continued looking as mindless as they possibly could, they took turns shooting glances Christian’s way. Perhaps, he would be the one to instigate their rebellion, after all.
The scene shifts again to the four guys sitting around in Hubris’ lounge room that she had allowed them to stay in at Base Tasmania. Derek, Woolfing, Jordan, and Sarge all had uneasy looks, yet Derek’s usual wily confidence could still be detected. “So, Mary Hubris sends her funky robot, Blue Misty, over to Haven to rescue us before it’s blown to kingdom come. Now, she says that she wants to ‘unleash’ us? What gives, you guys?” Sarge’s honest integrity seeped from his question to the rest of his group.
Derek sat forward in his chair, rustling his brown hair that almost resembled an ostrich feather duster. “Meh, she’s a crazy bitch. She has the gall to stand there and say that the resistance serum that we slipped into Christian’s bowl wasn’t the reason that they woke up on the island, and that they had it in them before all of this went down. I wouldn’t mind seeing Hubris dead, given that Christian and all the other fodder tagging along behind us have served their purpose in helping us escape from that hellhole. Honestly, let them die if it’s going to happen. I really couldn’t care less about carrying around weaklings as we make our way back to North America.”
Sarge felt uneasy upon hearing Derek’s harsh words, yet Woolfing nodded with a look of admiration for their leader. However, Jordan remained seated in silence, seemingly not interested in taking either side of the issue. “Well, don’t you think that they can help us get back to North America? I mean, who knows how easy it will be to get away from Hubris and out of Australia. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if some of the elites at Haven Island were able to escape before the explosion.” Sarge’s retort was met with an indifference from Derek as he stood up, preparing to lead his group into an assault against Mary Hubris’ facility.
“I’m really not worried about it, either way.” Woolfing nodded at Derek with approval, while Jordan stood up, waiting to follow his friends as they led the charge forward. “I honestly don’t know how I woke up, but I did, and now it has been just us four for so long. We are the originals, and if Christian and the others want to follow our lead in this fight, then so be it. It’s as I always said, guys,” Derek said, pointing his finger forward, signaling for Sarge to kick down the door; Jordan took care to begin charging his Corona Energy to ensure that there would be no obstacles that stood in their way.
“Us First, Always.”
The scene shifts to present day, as the four guys sat around the campfire; they had decided to settle down after reaching their destination at a Washington D.N.C. park, just south of the capitol of the Western Latitude. The District of New Columbia was the center of power for the leader of the Western Latitude, yet they had chosen to keep the traditional name of ‘President’ for its leader, considering that the United States of America still held on as the major political power throughout the previous decades.
“I’m glad that Winkle gave us rides on her dragons so that we could reach the West Coast so quickly from Old Mexico,” Sarge said, as they all enjoyed the cooked fish that they had caught from the nearby river.
“I don’t know if I can get used to this old-fashioned way of cooking, although it does have a quality that we might be missing with our food ionizers these days.” Woolfing said, as Jordan also contently bit into a charred fish.
“So, we came out here to make sure no one tried anything against the President, but does it even really matter?” Woolfing quipped, while Derek abstained from the fishy meal in front of him.
“The people of this Latitude don’t even pay very much attention to what happens in Washington anymore, yet it’s the military’s elites that get all of the attention nowadays. But, people keep to themselves, and that makes the populace complacent.” Sarge said, finding himself stuck in a pool of thought.
“But, I guess it never hurts to be thorough. I’m thinking that coming out here was a good idea, since we have those reports that say Jayce’s elites are wanting to take the major cities. I’m sure we will find one of his guys out here...after we eat, of course.” Sarge let a carefree smile come over his face at Woolfing’s words, while Jordan nodded his way in satisfaction. Sarge’s electric hammer sparked with energy as it sat next to him, considering that it got them their tasty meal in no time at all. “You’re really quiet tonight, Derek.”
Sarge’s words seem to pass throug
h Derek, almost as though he were made of water. Without even a word, their leader stood up and turned around, opening his black coat as though he were pulling a weapon out.
“There’s nothing left to say. You guys...are annoying me these days.”
What Sarge, Woolfing, and Jordan were not able to see is that Derek had pulled out his small, black pocket knife, and slashed three miniature voodoo dolls that hauntingly resembled his three subordinates’ clothes and facial features to a tee. The cotton inside of the dolls’ guts spilled out, leaving a gash that rendered the dolls unsuitable for even a donation to the local thrift store. “Ack...ugh,” All three of them instantly suffered the same gash to their own abdomens, as they fell backwards from their tree log benches in sudden desperation and pain.
“I’ve made the decision to leave you three behind from this point on and take up my own business as #5 in Jayce’s Shadow Project. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse...sorry, guys. It won’t take long for you all to bleed out though.” Derek refused to even turn around, leaving the three of them to lie beside the dying fire as he began to walk away.
“Why...Derek?!” Sarge managed to gasp one of his usual inquiries as he lay wounded. Derek humored him by stopping, and sighing in indifference.
“Along with that invitation to join the Shadow Project, I also was given proof from Dylan Rook. Proof that, in fact, this whole thing has been one ridiculous lie. Dylan and Jayce were the ones that woke me up. You three, and Christian with his gang...you’re all biting the hand that fed us to begin with. The proof that he showed me was undeniable. Dylan was the one that first slipped the resistance serum in my food at Haven Island.”
“Biting the hand that fed us!? You fucking idiot, he wants to kill millions, and start his own utopia! You...you’re crazy!!” Sarge managed to yell in fury, a bitter look from betrayal had taken root in all of their eyes. Derek, still without even turning around, opened his coat again, and removed his knife from his holster.
“You see? This is why you three are in the position you are now. Just die, already.”
Derek had resolved to cut out the voodoo plushie’s throats this time, but his knife never made it to its target. Woolfing had gotten to his feet first, and threw a volley Derek’s way to great effect. The large explosion from his fist was a bright shade of blue and orange, and Derek was barely able to dodge it in time. “You piece of shit! All you had to do was ask us, with whatever that ridiculous proof is that you supposedly saw. Remember what you always said? Us first, always!?” Derek got to his feet, laughing with a coarse and unenthusiastic smile. “The deal extended to me didn’t involve you three. Sorry, Woolfing...fun while it lasted, I guess.”
“Screw that, Woolfing! Don’t you realize what Jayce and his ass hats are going to do?” Sarge was ready to throw a punch Woolfing’s way, right before he went full speed at their former leader. But Jordan suddenly stepped forward, a sight that was not often seen unless Derek had given the order.
“Sarge. Please, fight with me against Derek. Woolfing, if you get in our way, I’ll start off by sending you off, for good.” At Jordan’s rare words, Woolfing’s eyes went wide.
“Well, I do have to thank you for using you Corona ability to close our wounds off. Honestly, I always liked you Jordan. You’re quiet, and that’s cool.”
Derek allowed a curious smile to come on his face, as he grabbed ahold of the three voodoo plushies once again, preparing to deliver a finishing blow that Jordan’s Corona abilities would be no match for.
“You three, you think that you can stand up to me? The one that woke you up in Haven, that led you all the way here...I know all of your abilities like the back of my hand. Woolfing Striyed, dodging that unexpected punch just now was easy enough. You can bend kinetic energy at will, charging it up in your fists to create impressive explosions. Sarge, you developed the ability to manipulate electricity, and now you channel it through your giant mace. Most impressively, Jordan has an aura energy that aligns itself with the sun’s coronas; you can manipulate matter as though you have telekinesis, even summoning the force of the sun to make anyone or anything float all the way up to the sun itself. I know what not to do, and how to expose all your weaknesses. This won’t be very difficult.”
The three of them looked at each other, and decided not to become concerned with how much Derek knew about them. “If you know about us, then keep in mind that we know about what you can do as well. You developed a ‘voodoo’ ability, meaning that all you need to create voodoo dolls is to capture someone’s DNA by simply touching them, and you are then able to manipulate the fibers in your coat to weave those dolls at superspeeds, channeling that voodoo energy into them. A stab is all it takes to instantly kill your opponent,” Sarge said, satisfied with his analysis of the situation.
“We may be disadvantaged from the fact that you have already created voodoo plushies linked to each of us, but we can still use our abilities to kill you before you get the chance to swing your little knife. Three on one...I love those odds! Treacherous bastard!” Woolfing said, as he gathered kinetic energy into his right arm, causing his skin to transform into a black, wavy appearance.
Sarge then added, “So what if you and your new buddy were the ones responsible for waking all of us up? At least Christian and the others have some integrity. They rebelled against the bastards who got in our way and got strong, and now, even if we owe Jayce and Dylan our freedom today, we won’t let them have their way with the innocent people in this world. We’re stopping you, Derek!!!”
Derek’s smile had now faded away, as he shook his head as though he was getting a headache. “Damn you guys, you won’t understand. You never did. Us first, always...that really means, ME first, ALWAYS!!!”
Suddenly, Jordan decided that he had heard enough. He extended his arms out, allowing himself to become engulfed in a sheath of brilliant gold Corona energy. “As far as justice is concerned, it doesn’t matter anymore who gave us these abilities, and who woke us up. Hubris is dead. Dylan Rook has personally killed two of the friends that we fought with. Jayce Wolfgain has killed dozens of innocent people needlessly, and has already announced his intention to become the global tyrant for ages to come. The only thing that now matters is stopping YOU!”
Jordan’s words were the finishing blow to their discussion. They all knew where they stood, and the question of what happened before that night became a ghost of the past. Sarge gripped his large mace, appearing to possess a resolve made of thick steel as he surged his electric aura through it, flashing brilliantly through the nighttime landscape. Jordan’s speech had also bolstered a fierce confidence into Woolfing, as he gathered his kinetic energy into his other arm and his feet; his limbs became black and course, resembling the skin of organisms from distant planets that had begun to be discovered when humans mastered light-speed travel a couple of decades prior.
“I get it, who the fuck you really were in the end. I won’t forgive you, Derek,” Woolfing declared, while Derek’s annoyance had peaked to all-time highs.
“I have things to do, and this has already taken much longer than it should have. You would all do much better without vocal chords.” Derek suddenly poised his knife for a quick and fatal blow, aiming to taking out their three necks as the plushies hung from the inside of his jacket.
“Not quick enough!” Woolfing yelled, lunging forward with incredible speed that forced Derek to gravity leap backwards to gain as much distance as possible. “I can read your movements! That’s nothing!!” Sarge made it clear that they would not be going easy on Derek. He leapt high into the air, as he had read Derek’s intention to gain distance for a fatal blow from the get-go. His electrified mace hammer was bearing down on his enemy, and the electric output from the blast would have likely been enough to interfere with various technology systems for multitudes of miles.
“Sarge! Watch out!” Jordan saw what Derek had done at the last second, and he struggled to catch his breath after employing his corona energy at the unreal sp
eed and distance needed to stop Sarge’s hammer. Suddenly, Derek was holding the doll up that looked exactly like Sarge, and it was apparent that Derek had attempted to let his enemy finish himself off with one massive stroke of his mace intended for Derek’s head.
“He can use our own attacks against us! His voodoo ability is tricky,” Woolfing said, now feeling a little more reserved about their powerful forward attacks.
“It doesn’t need to be my small, tiny pocket knife. Your own attacks will damage these linked plushies, just as well as mine would.” Derek said with a sly smile, feeling the urge to laugh in Sarge’s face as his anger slowly built.
“I wonder, with all of your talk earlier, how will you be able to counter my corona ability?” Derek suddenly found himself completely consumed in Jordan’s Corona energy; he wasn’t able to move, no matter how hard he struggled.
“How about a trip to the sun?” Jordan began to allow Derek to slowly lift off of the ground, as Derek reaching the sun was imminent with the Corona Energy locked on to his opponent in full.
“Jordan, you don’t seem to understand how well my voodoo aura is able to link to my targets. Look at yourselves,” Jordan sudden gritted his teeth in surprised frustration, as he realized that he, Woolfing, and Sarge had also become consumed in his bright, yellow energy as well; all three of them slowly began to lift off the ground, much to the Corona wielder’s chagrin.
“Damn, I never though the link would be this powerful, Jordan!” Woolfing yelled for Jordan to release the energy, so that they could come up with a different plan.
Sarge shouted in response to the predicament, “Guys, I don’t suppose we should consider sacrificing ourselves to take out Derek, should we?” Woolfing suddenly gritted his teeth, furious that any of them would have even thought of that idea.
“Fucking Sarge! Derek isn’t even worth it, so we don’t need to sacrifice ourselves to make him pay. We’ll figure out another way,” Jordan released the corona energy without hesitation, yet he mustered all of his aura energy to stop Derek another way.
