Strike 3: The Returning Sunrise

by Charlie Wood

  “I will,” Nova replied. “But how are we hiding this evacuation from the Daybreaker?”

  Rigel turned and walked back into his office. “He’s not in a state to be aware of anything right now.”

  106 floors below Rigel and Nova, in the cold science lab in the Research and Development wing of the Trident, the Daybreaker screamed, with his head tossed back toward the ceiling. As his latest energy extraction continued, he clenched his hands around the metal straps across his wrists, and felt the blue electricity bursting from his burning biceps.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The morning after the Ruffalo Rock street festival, Tobin sat on the edge of the bed in one of King Ontombe’s guest rooms, with his arms resting on his knees. Across from him, his Strike costume was draped across a chair.

  “Good morning, Tobin,” Orion said from the doorway. “Are you ready for this?”

  “Absolutely,” Tobin replied. “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a beautiful day for an insane plan with about a million things that could go wrong.”

  Orion chuckled. “We’re all going to meet in the portal room in a couple hours after breakfast to go over everything. Is there anything else you want to do before we start? Anything else that might help us?”

  Tobin thought it over. “Is there a communicator here that can reach the museum?”

  ***

  Thousands of miles away, in the last prison cell on the left in the Museum of the Heroes holding area, Jonathan Ashmore lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His stomach was growling.

  Suddenly, the video communicator on the wall across from Jonathan’s cell blinked and turned on. On the screen, Jonathan could see Tobin’s face.

  “About time!” Jonathan said, quickly sitting up in bed and looking to the communicator. “Where the hell has everybody been this morning? I’m starving to death here. This is inhumane treatment, you know. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

  Tobin stared at the pale man from the screen. “You serious about how much you regret what you did?”

  The pale man rolled his eyes. “We really gonna have this conversation again?”

  “I can open the door to your cell right now,” Tobin replied. “How’d you like to earn your freedom?”

  ***

  Later that evening, with only a few minutes to go before their journey to Earth, all the superheroes gathered by Tobin, the Rytonian Rebels, and all the members of King Ontombe’s animal warriors were standing in front of the gigantic, swirling red portal in the Ruffalo Rock Castle airplane hangar. The group was over fifty people strong.

  Leading the group, standing in the front with the other heroes behind them, were Tobin, Orion, Keplar, and Wakefield. Looking to his right, Keplar noticed Jonathan Ashmore, who was transformed into his were-bat form, with his large, leathery wings extending from the back of his purple suit.

  “Hi,” Jonathan said.

  “You gotta be blurkoppin’ kidding me,” the dog groaned, rolling his eyes.

  Orion looked up at the towering portal. “So. We step through here, and if our calculations are correct, we’ll be standing right at the eastern end of Boston Common.”

  “And if our calculations aren’t correct?” Tobin asked.

  “We’ll end up right back here with some more time to kill while we think of something else.”

  Tobin nodded. “The more and more I hear of this plan, the more and more I like it.”

  Orion walked to the left side of the group and kneeled down by Scatterbolt, who was standing near one of Wakefield’s workbenches with Jennifer, Chad, and Keplar Junior.

  “Now remember what I told you, Scatterbolt. You are, under no circumstances, to leave here and come to Earth. You are to stay with Chad and Jennifer at all times, until this is over.”

  Scatterbolt narrowed his eyes, angry. “But Orion, this is really important! I could help you guys on the other side! You know I can, I’ve done it before!”

  “I know you have, Scatterbolt, believe me. I’ve seen what you can do in situations like this. But right now, you have the most important job of all: you have to stay here and protect Chad and Jennifer. They are completely defenseless without you if anything happens while we’re gone.” The old man turned to Chad and Jennifer. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Jennifer replied.

  Chad nodded. “Couldn’t agree with you more.”

  Orion turned back to Scatterbolt, pointing up at a glass-encased control booth on the second floor of the airplane hangar. “There’s a monitor up there in the booth where you can watch what is happening on Earth. But you will not—no matter what—let Chad or Jennifer see the monitor. Okay?”

  Scatterbolt frowned. “But, Orion, I really wanna go with you guys. I want to help. I feel awful just sitting here while you guys are out there facing Rigel and the end of the world.”

  Orion nodded. “I need you to do this for me, okay, Scatterbolt? I know it might not seem like it, but it’s the most important job of all. We’ve already put Jennifer and Chad in enough danger as it is, and I don’t want any more kids getting hurt because of me.”

  Scatterbolt thought it over. He curled his lip and looked away from Orion. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Good luck.”

  Orion laughed and patted the robot on top of his head. “Thank you, Scatterbolt. We’ll see you when we get back.”

  The old man returned to the others. He faced the gathering of superheroes, rebels, and animal warriors grouped in the middle of the hangar.

  “Remember the plan, everyone,” Orion said. “When we walk through this portal, we will instantly be standing in Boston Common on Earth. For almost every single one of you, this will be your first trip to the other world, and it will be disorienting. Even with this extra-powerful portal, you will likely feel nauseous, light-headed, and weakened. You may even lose consciousness. But once you fight through the shock to your body, you will be ready to go, and ready to proceed.

  “Well before we reach the Trident skyscraper, I expect Rigel to be waiting for us. Nobody is to take a shot at him or make any kind of offensive move. I cannot stress this enough. We are going to Earth to talk, first and foremost. I want to settle this before a single shot is fired or a fight is engaged. When, and only when, an act of aggression is made against us, will we respond accordingly.

  “In that instance, what we spoke about this morning will take effect: half of the Rytonian Rebels will disperse into the nearby buildings to set up medical stations to tend to fallen heroes, while the other half of the Rytonian Rebels will stay in Boston Common and focus on the robotic Eradicator soldiers that are likely to be gathered with Rigel. King Ontombe and the animal warriors will take care of the squadron of Hooded Gores that are also likely to be there, while anyone with super-powers will engage the super-powered villains Rigel has amassed as part of the New Capricious Council. While this is occurring, some of you superheroes will stay with the Rytonian Rebels in the medical stations around Boston Common, waiting for me to call you when needed.”

  Orion stepped back into the front of the group with Tobin. They faced the portal.

  “So,” the old man said. “You ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” the boy replied.

  Keplar was standing on the other side of Tobin. “You want some big grand speech to get you pumped up, Tobes?”

  “Sure.”

  “Don’t get killed.”

  “Thanks, Keplar, that was great.”

  Orion turned around and faced the superheroes, rebels, and animal warriors gathered in the airplane hangar.

  “Are we ready?”

  The crowd responded by cheering in unison, holding up their weapons.

  “For Earth,” Orion said. He raised his bow in the air. “For Capricious!”

  The gathering of heroes roared even louder. Led by Orion, Tobin, and Keplar, the group stepped forward into the portal.

  ***

  On the other side of the red, swirling portal, Orion, Tobin, and Keplar emer
ged into the city that was once known as Boston but was now known as Harrison. As the rest of their allies slowly appeared behind them through the towering, electrified gateway that was now floating in the air, Tobin looked around. They weren’t in the green park of Boston Common as they had planned—they were instead standing in the middle of a dark, empty street, surrounded by old, brick buildings.

  “Um, this isn’t Boston Common,” Tobin said, as the Rytonian Rebels and animal warriors stood behind him, discombobulated and woozy.

  “It appears our calculations were wrong,” Orion replied.

  Keplar looked at the brick buildings. “Who did the math on this thing, Tobin?”

  “But look,” Orion said. “We’re not far away.”

  The old man pointed ahead. The green, lush park of Boston Common was only a few hundred feet down the street.

  “Let’s go,” Orion said, as the group began marching toward the Common. “Tobin, let them know we are coming.”

  Standing in the very front of the group, Tobin raised his arms into the air. As he waved his hands in a half-circle over his head, electricity shot out from his palms, spreading up toward the night sky in bright, flashing streams of energy. Thunder boomed in the clouds above them as they walked, with Tobin’s lightning bouncing off of the walls and buildings on either side of the street, lighting up the city in quick, blue-and-white flashes.

  Only a few hundred feet away, in the center of Boston Common, the villains of the New Capricious Council awaited. Along with Greylock, Songbird, Ember, Zaius Moldron, and over a dozen other super-villains, there was also an army of twenty black-armored, robotic Eradicators, with their faces hidden behind gas masks and the tops of their hands equipped with laser blasters. To the right of the Eradicators, there was a nest of hissing, five-foot-tall Hooded Gores, with their two-clawed, vulture-like hands dangling out from the sleeves of their brown cloaks. As always, the demon’s faces were hidden in the darkness of their hoods—the only features visible were their glowing red eyes and their blunt, lizard-like snouts.

  Soon, the blue-and-white lightning snapping up to the night sky grew nearer, and the group of heroes from Ruffalo Rock emerged from the streets at the eastern end of Boston Common. As the superheroes, rebels, and animals marched toward the New Capricious Council in the middle of the city park, Tobin was surprised—based on sheer power-level alone, the heroes clearly had the upper hand. The Gores and Eradicators were sure to be a painful nuisance, but when it came to the matchups of heroes versus villains, the villains didn’t seem to stand a chance.

  “So, Greylock,” Keplar said, when the heroes stopped marching and reached the gathering of villains. “I see you were chosen to stand in the front as cannon fodder. Congratulations.”

  Tobin looked up at Keplar. “We’re standing in the front, too.”

  “I realized it as soon as I said it,” Keplar replied.

  Greylock—with his blinking red eye and half of his bearded face encased in metal—laughed, shaking his head. “Not quite, mutt. We’re your welcome party. We just figured we’d put the best right up front, to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

  Orion eyeballed the opposing army. Two very important members were missing.

  “Where’s Rigel?” Orion asked. “Where’s Nova? Where are they?”

  “Oh, they’ll be joining us soon, don’t you worry,” Greylock replied. “But I’m sure we can wrap this up well before they’re needed.”

  “Where is he?” Tobin asked. “Is he here?”

  “Who?” Greylock asked.

  Tobin narrowed his eyes. “You know who I mean.”

  Greylock chuckled. “Oh, you mean your nice little evil twin from the other timeline? He’s watching us, from up there.” The cybernetic man turned and pointed up to the top floor of the skyscraper. “He told me to give you a message.”

  “Which is?” Tobin asked.

  Greylock raised his metal fist and blasted Tobin in the chest with a devastating, red laser beam. The boy was sent flying backward, with the ‘S’ lightning bolt on his costume singed and smoking.

  Orion bellowed to his allies behind him. “Stand your ground!” he shouted. “Take back the city! By any means necessary!”

  And with that, the war began.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Even with all of the battles, car chases, and rooftop fights with super-villains he had been involved in over the past ten months, nothing could have prepared Tobin for the chaos of war. Green laser beams zipped by his ears. Explosions of dirt and rocks erupted all around him. Bodies of superheroes and super-villains alike flew over his head, either under their own power or because they had been hit with devastating energy blasts from an enemy combatant. Screams rang through his ears—both from leaders shouting orders to their teams and from people being shot with lasers from the Eradicators—and the clanging of swords, shields, and spears filled the air of the hot August night.

  Trying to focus through the deafening madness, Tobin ran ahead through the Common, swinging his electrified bo-staff at a Gore in his way and reducing the screeching demon to nothing but a smoking cloak. The boy knew he had only one goal, regardless of everything else around him: he had to get across Boston Common and reach the Boston Public Garden, where the Trident was rising up from the ground. He had to get to the skyscraper, as quickly as possible, to draw the Daybreaker out of hiding. It was the only reason Tobin was there, and he was the only one who could do it.

  But still, as Tobin ran across the battlefield, ducking behind statues and diving out of the way of laser beams, he couldn’t help but be consumed by the war. Looking to his left, he watched as one of King Ontombe’s warriors—a half-man, half-cheetah—roared with rage and pounced onto an Eradicator, ripping both of the black robot’s arms from their sockets. To his right, he saw one of the Rytonian Rebels drop to the ground, hit in both knees by a blast of red energy from Greylock’s fist. The green-skinned rebel writhed in agony, with his left leg bent backward with its bone exposed at the shin.

  Tobin couldn’t run. He couldn’t just dash to the skyscraper and leave everyone behind. He had to stay and fight with them.

  As the boy caught his breath and crouched behind a thick tree, he heard Orion through his earpiece.

  “Remember, Tobin: you are the only one that matters here. Do not engage anyone that you do not have to. Stay back, and wait for the right opening to break away and reach the skyscraper.”

  From across the park, Zaius Moldron dashed toward Tobin and leapt into the air, baring his fangs and spreading his razor-sharp fingernails wide. The boy spun around and fired a lightning bolt from his bo-staff, sending the grey-and-blue furred chimp soaring across Boston Common in a flash of electricity.

  “I get that Orion, but it’s a little tough. I’m not about to just stand around here and wait for an opening while you guys do all the fighting.”

  “All this fighting has only one purpose: to draw the Daybreaker out. If you aren’t around here to get his attention and send him back where he came, none of this will mean anything. Stay back, Tobin—don’t get yourself hurt, and don’t get yourself taken out of commission.”

  “So you just want me to wait around and watch until I can reach the skyscraper and the Daybreaker shows up?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say wait around and watch. A few lightning blasts here and there wouldn’t hurt.”

  “That I can do.”

  Tobin jumped out from behind the tree and swung his bo-staff, sending a wave of blue electricity tumbling along the grass. When it reached a group of four Eradicators surrounding Aykrada, the burst of lightning sent the robots scattering like bowling pins. This allowed Aykrada—whose body was turned to tan-colored stone—to escape and help a Rytonian medic drag an injured Shigeru Knight to safety.

  Looking toward the front of the battle, Tobin was struck by just how many of his friends were there, fighting for him, and fighting for Earth. At the edge of Boston Common, he saw Mad Dog John, engaged in battle with
the super-villain named Songbird. Even though the giant, orange-furred, pointy-eared hero had nearly two feet on the white-haired, beautiful super-villain, she was still in control—Mad Dog John was currently surrounded by swarming, three-foot-long spirits with black eyes and the pointy beaks of crows. The ghosts were flying in and out of his shaggy fur, causing Mad Dog John to panic, his face stricken with terror. He batted at the ghosts and screamed, frantically trying to fight off the screeching white spirits—which, because of his mission debriefing, Tobin knew were causing Mad Dog John to live through his worst nightmares. This continued until, finally, Orion ran toward them, leaping over a fallen Eradicator and pulling back the string of his bow. The red-tipped arrow zipped through the air and struck Songbird, exploding in a flash against her multi-colored, prism-like dress and knocking her into a nearby wooden gazebo.

  But Mad Dog John wasn’t the only one fighting for the people of Earth. Agent Everybody was there, too, firing his ray gun at approaching Gores and dissipating them into billions of molecules. Adrianna was nearby, flipping and cartwheeling among the laser fire, swinging her double-sided spear at the villain with burning skin named Ember, sending him splashing into a small pond, causing a burst of steam to erupt into the air. As Tobin looked up, he even saw Adrianna’s brother, Jonathan. Transformed into the were-bat and dressed in his tattered purple suit, he flew down at Greylock and grabbed the super-villain by the shoulders, before flying back up and letting go again, causing Greylock to plummet to the earth, where he was suddenly at the mercy of a very large, very angry King Ontombe. Pounding his chest, the eagle king swung both of his arms downward like a club, bashing Greylock into the smoking, charred dirt.

  Then there were the Rytonian Rebels; one squadron was firing their laser rifles at the Eradicators, while another squadron was applying medical aid and rushing injured heroes into the surrounding buildings around the park. Tobin still couldn’t believe it: here was a group of Rytonian soldiers fighting against Rigel and Nova—their own former leaders—all for the safety and rescue of Earth. Who knows, Tobin thought to himself: many of the rebels probably still had friends and family who lived in Harrison—friends and family who would never speak to them after this, no matter the outcome. And yet here they were, fighting alongside Tobin, facing down an army of super-villains, demons, and robotic soldiers, all for the sake of saving Earth. They were risking their lives to save a people—and a world—they had nothing to do with.