by Stacy
"Search the rest of the house," Alaric said, addressing the entire team but sending her a steel glare. "They must be hiding in one of the bedrooms or something."
They fanned out, each User traversing the dark floor to different corners of the mostly open ground level of the house. They searched every closet and pantry space, but they each returned, one by one, a very short time later as empty handed as they left.
"Anything?" Alaric asked.
"Nothing," Stella said. "No sign of anyone."
Suddenly the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
"What the fuck is going on?" Michael asked.
"Earthquake!" Stella yelled above the rattling of the wood beams throughout the house.
"It's not an earthquake," Bobby said. As the teams Mover, he must have recognized the force that was shaking the house down to its very foundation because he said, "It's a trap!"
"They're outside!" Alaric yelled. "They're trying to collapse the house on us, and bury us under the debris! Get out now!" But the floor boards had already started to come apart. Drywall fell from the ceiling, hitting Stella hard and knocking her to the floor. In a flash, Alaric was by her side. He threw the drywall across the room, and tried to get her back to her feet, but the house was shaking so violently, he could barely stand.
A long wooden support beam that ran across the ceiling broke off at one end and hit the floor.
"Go!" Alaric shouted, but his companions stumbled and fell as they tried to reach the open door.
From beyond the portal, Alaric could just barely make out the image of Evan, standing with his arms pointed at the house. The man's palms were up and he was clearly exerting himself to his limits. Evan had a strained look on his face. His teeth were bared and he was shaking almost as much as the house was.
Then the floor gave way and the roof caved in on them as the wall support collapsed. Alaric saw nothing but black.
Chapter 11
Evan grimaced in pain and finally keeled over as the strain from bringing down the house put him on his hands and knees.
"You okay," Barber asked as he rushed to Evan's side.
"I'll be fine," Evan said. "Just need to catch my breath." Evan heaved in and out, and Carter wondered if he would pass out from over exertion.
The abandoned house was no more than a pile of rubble after Evan was done with it. The foundation broken into chunky fragments, it's walls had been shredded apart, and the ceiling caved in on itself, condensing the entire structure to a meager pile as it crumbled into the basement level. The picket fence that surrounded the home now stood taller than the whole of the disintegrated house. Evan had done an exceptional job at flattening the building, and burying the All Americans in the process.
"Well, that should hold them for a while," Ryker said.
"If you think that's going to slow down the All Americans," Carter said, then paused for a moment as he stalked over to stand before the rubble. "Then you don't know them as well as you think you do." Carter bent over and picked up a broken piece of two by four that used to be a support beam along one of the homes outer walls, inspected it, and then used his powers to light it on fire. He tossed the little torch onto the pile to join its friends.
"What are you doing?" Ryker asked. "You're going to set them on fire now? What are you trying to kill them? I thought we were just going to hurt them."
Carter was grinning from ear to ear as he took a few steps away from the debris, turned, and shot a blaze from his palm like a flame thrower. The aged wood of the destroyed home went up like kindling. The orange and yellows flickers, jumped from one broken beam to the next, spreading like a forest fire. Soon enough, the whole pile of debris was aflare.
"That oughta do it," Carter exclaimed.
The fires rose above head height and black smoke billowed into the sky.
"You've lost it," Ryker said. "You're really going to hurt somebody, and bad."
Carter's companions took a step back away from the flames as the heat became too much to stand next to, but Carter didn't move a muscle. He basked in the heat like a lizard sunning itself on a warm day.
"Are you forgetting that they came here to capture you and have you killed?" Carter asked.
"So that makes killing them okay?" Ryker asked.
"Uh, guys," Barber said.
"What!" both Carter and Ryker shouted at the same time.
"We've got a problem," Barber said pointing to the fiery debris.
Carter peered into the flames and found a piece of burning wood being jostled about ever so slightly.
"Get ready," Carter said and as he did the debris exploded, sending fiery missiles flying into the air, only to fall back down upon them like flaming rain. They put their hands over their heads, but the flames bit at the skin of all except for Carter. Being impervious to fire meant that he only had to watch out for the bigger pieces that threated to smash his skull. The foursome was showered in the fiery debris, but they were all still standing after the deluge was over.
"Well that was fucked," Evan said.
"Indeed," Alaric said. "That was indeed fucked." They turned in unison to find Alaric standing amid the burning debris. His suit was smudged with black streaks of charcoal, his hair looked singed, but he otherwise appeared unharmed. Likewise, his companions, who were just then getting to their feet, seemed to be just fine judging by the way they popped up after Alaric had blasted the collapsed roof off the place.
"Bobby," Alaric said. "The fire."
Bobby nodded and spun in a circle, sending out a wave of mental energy that fell over the burning debris like a blanket, snuffing out the fire. Wisps of smoke from the smoldering debris wafted around Alaric and his companions.
"I see you've made your decision," Alaric said.
"And I see you've made yours," Carter responded not missing a beat. "Was there really any other way this was going to end?"
"I guess not."
"And are your friends aware of the types of decisions you make as their almighty leader?" Carter asked.
"What's he talking about?" Stella questioned, and she coughed as she took in a lung full of smoke.
"Are you the only one that knows about the pile of dead bodies you're leaving in your wake, Alaric?" Carter asked. "Or are you all in on the joke you've become?"
"Bodies? What bodies?" Bobby asked.
"Don't listen to him," Alaric said. "He's a criminal and a liar."
"No, he's not!" Barber shouted. "He's telling the truth and I've seen it." Barber extended his arms. "We've all seen it. There's a pile of bodies in the basement of the building you guys are delivering the Users to."
Stella and the other All American's looked at Alaric skeptically. Bobby even took a step back away from the man, but Alaric quickly changed the subject.
"Apprehend them!" Alaric yelled, and when his companions didn't immediately move, Alaric turned on them. "Do as your told! Get them now!"
Michael recoiled like an abused child at his outburst, and the others had stunned looks on their faces.
This time they went into action, Alaric having apparently scared them into submission.
Bobby was first to make his move, sending a wave of mental energy at Carter, but Evan stepped in between them and countered with a wave of his own. The impact of the two waves knocked Evan back, but Carter caught him and kept Evan from falling on his ass. Ryker went on the defensive, throwing down a wall of ice between the two parties.
"That should slow them down," Ryker said.
He couldn't have been more wrong. The ice shattered like broken glass as Alaric punched through the wall. On came the All Americans with Alaric leading the way.
"Stand your ground," Carter commanded his companions.
The flesh on the back of Barber's forearms ripped and his bony spikes popped out.
"I'm ready," Barber said.
"Me too," Carter agreed and with a growl, he charged right back at the oncoming All Americans.
Ryker, Evan, and Barber let out
similar cries of rage as they joined Carter in the full frontal assault. The teams crashed over each other like two rogue waves, but Carter and Alaric made sure they were aligned to hit one another amid the chaos. Carter jumped into the air and kicked out with both legs. Alaric accepted the blow to the chest, and his super strength proved too much for Carter. It was like kicking a concrete wall. Carter's legs buckled and he fell flat on his back, leaving him gasping for breath.
From the corner of his eye, Carter caught a glimpse of Barber swinging wildly with both spikes flying in round house punches right for Stella's head. She ducked and opened her mouth to throw a, no doubt, devastating scream at the young man, but Barber proved to be the quicker of the two. Barber threw a flurry of combinations, going this time for the body, and forcing Stella back on her heels. Barber fell over her, punching out three times before they even hit the ground, all three punches sending a spike deep into the flesh of her shoulder.
The distraction cost Carter a punch to the face. He put his arms up defensively in an attempt to block the next punch, but none came. A wave of energy fell over him and Alaric both, but Alaric took the brunt of Evan's wave of mental energy, sending Alaric spinning through the air.
Carter turned to thank Evan only to find his companion taking a fireball to the face. He ignited fires on both hands, despite knowing that his powers would have no effect on Luke. Carter threw down a circle of fire around Luke to buy Evan some sorely needed time to recover, and for himself to get to his feet. He knew that that his fire would have no effect on Luke, but being impervious to fire wouldn't protect Luke from a fist fight.
"You really think that was going to work?" Luke laughed aloud as he stepped through the fire unharmed.
"Seemed to work fine too me," Carter said as he landed a punch on the unsuspecting Luke's jaw. Carter knew very little about Luke, but he guessed that Luke was not as well trained in hand to hand combat as he was. His suspicion was confirmed as Carter blasted him once, twice, and a third time with an uppercut that knocked Luke out flat on his back.
A scream tore through the silence, only this was no normal scream; it was Stella. Her scream was no doubt a desperate attempt to dislodge the raging Barber from atop her and it worked. Barber was thrown through the air and landed on his side, gripping his blood filled ears.
"Help him!" Carter told Evan. "We've got this. We're beating them."
But his words rang false. They had knocked the All Americas down, but not out. Alaric, Luke, and Stella were getting back to their feet even as he spoke the words. Barber on the other hand just moaned and rolled back and forth in the grass. The young man was out of the fight, and it didn't appear he was going to get back up anytime soon.
Evan stood over Barber's prone body protectively. Ryker was still going back and forth with the All American's Changer, Michael. That left Carter to face off against Alaric, Luke, and Stella all on his own.
"Just give up," Alaric said. "You're outnumbered and outgunned. Your powers don't stand a chance against ours."
"We'll see about that." Carter kicked off his shoes and ignited his body from head to toe in flames. He wasted no time in blasting the fire from the soles of his feet to take to the air. He hovered a couple of feet above the ground with fire dancing all around him. "Let's do this."
Carter unleashed a fiery hell on the All Americans. He threw fireball after fireball on them, sending the three of them scattering. Alaric darted left, then right, then left again as Carter popped off three shots at him. Each time he dodged, Alaric closed the gap between Carter and himself. Alaric leapt into the air with his fist leading the way, but Carter was ready for him, and he simply flew to the side to avoid Alaric's head on attack. But it wasn't Alaric he should have been worried about. Stella was badly wounded, but had managed to get in position off the side of Carter. Worse still, she had lined herself up perfectly, so Evan and Ryker were also in the line of fire.
She screamed like a banshee. Carter took the brunt of the sound wave and was sent tumbling end over end through the air. Evan was next in line and he didn't fair much better than Carter. He was sent head over heels onto the ground next to Barber. The wave hit Ryker from behind and blew him forward right into the waiting fist of Michael.
The wave of sound was so powerful it blew the fire on Carter's body out, and he fell with a thud onto the grassy yard. The fall knocked the wind out of him, and Carter grabbed his stomach as he gasped for air.
"They're done." Carter heard Alaric proclaim, but he wasn't done, not yet.
Coughing, Carter rolled over to his hands and knees, stumbled to get up, and finally rose back to his feet.
"Come on you bastard," Carter said between deep breaths. "Come on!"
Alaric casually stepped over to stand in front of Carter. "I said you were done."
"Get fucked!" Carter threw a feeble punch aimed for Alaric's chin, but Alaric shifted his head to one side, avoiding the blow.
Carter didn't even see the punch, a devastating upper cut that Alaric put right under Carter's jaw. Next thing he knew, Carter was flying backward through the air. Everything was black.
"Get Barber and Ryker." Carter heard Alaric, despite not being able to see him. "Leave the other two."
Chapter 12
Barber rubbed his aching head before he could even open his eyes. When he did finally open them, he didn't like what he saw. He blinked a number of times, just to make sure it was real. He was laid out on a hard surface, and there was a sheet of glass between him and the outside world. He looked up, but there was only more glass, except for the very top of the cylinder where a tube connected with the glass. He guessed that it was for ventilation of some sort.
Slowly, Barber sat up and he yelled in pain as the pounding in his head got worse. He gripped the sides of his face and found dried blood running from his ears down onto his cheeks. The vein on the side of his head pulsed painfully. The last thing he remembered was being on top of Stella, stabbing her repeatedly, and then her letting out a scream that blasted him through the air. Everything after that was a blur.
Something from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Startled, he turned and placed both hands palm down against the glass and peered out through his translucent cage. Sitting calmly in a glass cylinder was Ryker. He had his legs crossed and his hands in his lap as if nothing were wrong with this scenario.
"Ryker!" Barber called, but the man didn't even flinch. "Ryker!" The sound of his voice reverberated throughout the glass tube he was in. Finally, as if Ryker could feel Barber's eyes on him, the man turned his head slightly to look over at him.
Ryker's lips moved as if he was saying something, but Barber heard nothing. He wondered if his ears were damaged much worse than he had originally thought, or if the glass tubes were really sound proof. Ryker said something again, stopped, and looked around confused as if he were finally catching on to the fact that Barber couldn't hear a damn word he was saying.
Barber slammed his palms against the glass, but nothing happened. His skin ripped as one of his bony spikes tore through the back of his wrist. He made a fist and punched the spike into the glass, but again nothing happened. Not even a scratch.
Ryker shook his head and pressed down the air with his right hand in a motion that told Barber to calm down. Barber fell back against the glass and slid down to a sitting position. He placed his hands on his knees, hung his head, and let out a sigh. They were trapped.
A flash of white passing in front of the glass caught his attention. Barber looked up to find a man in a white lab coat, carrying a clipboard and pen, staring at him. The man looked at him as if he were an alien creature, something to be studied and ultimately dissected. The man scribbled something down on the board and moved away. Barber watched him go, and as he did, he peered out past the man in the lab coat, past Ryker, and beyond to examine their surroundings.
There were dozens of empty glass tubes lined up against the far wall, and he very suddenly came to the realization that they were probably
not always empty. As it struck him he knew that, at one point, they more than likely held their now dead friends in them, and that at any moment, he could be joining them in the pile of bodies. A pile which, no doubt, lay just a few doors down. The memory of that vile horror scene resurfaced, and as it flashed through his mind, it made him shudder.
Even worse than the fate he may currently be subject to, Barber could clearly make out the image of Alaric, standing off to the side, with a grimace painted on his face. Barber wasn't sure why, and he didn't much care. As far as he was concerned, Alaric was a traitorous piece of shit, and he wished there wasn't an inescapably thick sheet a glass between them, so he could give Alaric a good reason to have a sour face. Barber wanted nothing more than to carve a permanent frown on the brutes face with one of his spikes, upside-down Joker style. That would definitely make him smile, and he did smirk a little at the thought, as well as the vision of what Carter would do to Alaric when he got his hands on him next.
Barber was confident that Carter would come for him. He knew the man was as tenacious as they come; he would never give up fighting. Carter would lay his life on the line for Barber and Ryker, but would he get there in time? Barber didn't even know how much time they had left. Any second now the scientist in the bleach white lab coat could come back and drain Barber of his powers, and every last drop of life. He sincerely hoped that Carter was on his way.
******
Carter heard a voice coming from far away. Someone was calling his name, but it was like the voice was somehow muffled. The world was rocking beneath him as if he was on a train ride. He tried to lift his eye lids, but they were too heavy. It was like there were weights attached to them to keep his eyes closed.
Then he heard a sharp smack and felt a sting across his face. He instantly snapped up to a sitting position, his eyes going wide.
"Barber!" he screamed.
"Calm down," Evan said kneeling over him.
