All the shooting had only made matters worse because a couple of the bullets had hit one of the support cables and damaged it to the point where it was very likely that it would snap soon.
Karis didn’t want to risk approaching the elevator since the cops were more likely to hurt the window washer than her. She thought again about just flying away, but she couldn’t justify that choice at this point. The police had blocked traffic so the fire department wasn’t able to get to the scene in time to make a rescue.
“Do you need a hand?” Diz thought to her.
“If I draw them away, can you get to the window washer?” Karis thought back.
“No problem,” Diz replied.
Karis started moving away from the building, not too fast since she didn’t want the officers to turn around before Diz could make his rescue. She even moved closer to encourage them to fire at her.
Diz ran up the building and grabbed the man on the elevator.
“Big mistake, pal,” the man said as Diz noticed the gleam in his eyes.
Slowing the world down even more, Diz let the man fall. Once he had changed his position, Diz was able to see that the man he had attempted to rescue was wearing a safety line that was attached to the elevator. He had never actually been in danger of falling.
Diz also noticed that the man was wearing a suit that started to glow. There was an electrical charge surrounding the supposed window washer that didn’t affect anyone.
“Where did you go?” the man shouted.
“Over here,” Diz announced as he continued to run around the building to keep from falling.
“Well get over here so I can zap you,”
“I don’t think that would be in my best interest,” Diz replied. “Who are you anyway?”
“Just a concerned citizen,” the man replied as he reached for the Diz.
“Do you have a name, citizen?” Diz prompted as he continued to run.
“You can call me Sha King,” the man answered with a laugh. “Do you get it? Sha King, shocking. I kill myself sometimes. Too bad I didn’t get you instead.”
“Well it was a nice try,” Diz admitted, “although your jokes could use some work.”
“You’re just jealous,” Sha King muttered. “Could you at least help me down from here?”
“And give you another chance to electrocute me?” Diz asked. “Fool me once and all that stuff.”
“I guess I can’t blame you,” Sha King replied with a laugh. “It is a charged situation.”
“Why don’t you hang out here and think about your life choices,” Diz recommended. “Hopefully the cops won’t start shooting at me.”
Diz ran off without waiting for a response. He had someone to see before things got out of hand even more than they already were. He sped through the crowd of officers until he found a face he recognized. Spotting Officer Karl Jones, Diz snatched him from the other officers and made sure to take his gun away and drop it on the ground.
“Would you stop doing that?” Karl shouted when they came to a stop out of sight.
“You didn’t want me to talk to you in front of the other officers, did you?” Diz argued.
“Of course not,” Karl muttered, “someone would have gotten shot in the crossfire, but you have to understand that the whole force is under orders to shoot you on sight. Not everyone agrees with the order, but we have to follow it.”
“That’s why I left your gun behind, Diz joked.
“I appreciate that,” Karl said as he looked at his empty hand. “So what are you two going to do now?”
“We’ve got a lot on our plate,” Diz grumbled as he paced back and forth. “We need to figure out a way to stop Mornigan.”
“I can’t help you with that,” Karl sighed as he took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t even help you with your problems with the rest of the cops here in the city.”
“I think we can avoid them,” Diz laughed.
“Don’t take too many chances, young man,” Karl advised as he put his hand on Diz’ shoulder. “I don’t think the Mayor will be content with that.”
“I guess you’re right,” Diz agreed. “Maybe we just need to give up on all of this hero stuff.”
“Don’t quit on us now, man,” Karl insisted, putting his hand on Diz’ shoulder. “We still need both of you. This city can’t handle this Mornigan problem on its own.”
“We won’t,” Diz agreed as he shook Karl’s hand, “not as long as we have at least one person believing in us.”
“Don’t worry pal,” Karl assured, “I’m on your side, but I still have to do my job.”
“I can understand that,” Diz replied. “Do you want a lift anywhere?”
“Thanks for the thought,” Karl laughed as he started down the street, “it will be a better story if you just leave me here.”
Diz shook his head as he watched the officer walking away. Diz turned to run back to wherever Karis had gone, but then he saw her landing in front of him.
“So what do you think?” she asked as she touched down on the ground and primped her hair.
“About what?” Diz asked back.
“What are we going to do about all of this?” Karis said as she spun around with her hands extended and lifted off the ground a few inches.
Diz walked over to her and took her hand in his. “I don’t have any better ideas than you do at the moment,” he replied. “What options do we have left?”
Karis lifted Diz into the air and embraced him as she floated into the sky with him. She took his hand and they flew side by side.
“I forgot how cool this is!” Diz shouted.
“We need to do this more often,” Karis agreed. “We really don’t take time to enjoy our powers.”
“I’ll have to take you for a run later,” Diz laughed.
Before Karis could reply, their air current was disrupted by a pair of objects that were out of sight before either of them could react to it.
“What was that?” Diz asked.
“You’re the one with super speed,” Karis shouted back. “Why are you expecting me to see it if you couldn’t?”
“What do you want to bet this has something to do with Mornigan?” Diz prompted.
“You’re not taking my money, buster,” Karis replied as she started towards the ground.
“Where are you going?” Diz asked.
“You can’t fight as well in the air,” Karis explained. “If we have a problem, you need to be on the ground.”
Karis placed Diz on the ground in a clear spot in a small wood. Diz looked around at the trees and considered what he should do next as Karis lifted into the air. He was going to shout at her, but he saw something streaking through the air at her before he could say anything.
Slightly panicked, Diz rushed up a tree to get in a better position to help, but Karis, and whatever had hit her were gone. He looked around trying to find them, but as he looked another time, he saw the shape barreling towards him a moment before he could react, but he was able to tell that it was a squid that was flying at his face.
Chapter 43
Karis didn’t need to open her eyes. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway since she was blindfolded. She knew where she was, and had a good guess about what was going on around her. She heard that buzz that she knew so well. And this table she was strapped to was the same one she had been strapped to the last time she had been captured by Mornigan. Well, maybe it was just a similar table.
“Mornigan,” she shouted, “you’d better let me off this table before I rip this station to shreds. You know I can do it if you give me the chance.”
There was no response, but she did hear a voice groan beside her. She knew that voice since it was her own in a way. It had to be Diz, probably on a table just like hers.
“Did you get the plate number on that squid that hit me?” Diz muttered.
“Squid?” Karis asked. “I didn’t even see what hit me.”
“Well,” Diz bragged,
“I got to see the squid that hit me right before it happened. He was flying pretty fast.”
“It didn’t keep you from getting caught,” Karis replied.
“True,” Diz admitted, “but I did see it.”
“Enough of your prattling,” a voice that had to belong to Mornigan bellowed. “We have business to attend to right now.”
“Please don’t try to bore us to death,” Diz mocked. “Torture would be preferable to that.”
“I have something special in mind for both of you,” Mornigan chuckled as he removed their blindfolds.
Karis groaned as she saw that she had been right. She was back in the same room that Mornigan had held her in before. There were hints of the damage she had done that day the last time she had been here, but most of it had been restored to its previous condition.
“Couldn’t you have picked a better room,” Karis complained. “You can still see where I threw your robots against that wall.”
“I am afraid that this is where your story has to end,” Mornigan replied with a chuckle as he moved over to a control panel. “This is where I have the equipment that is going to give me what I need to conquer your world.”
“What’s that?” Diz mocked, “A giant hair dryer? Oh wait; I don’t have one of those.”
“Silence, imbecile,” Mornigan ordered. “I have discovered the reason that I cannot control the two of you and I plan to rectify the error that has given you your independence.”
“You won’t be able to control us,” Karis insisted as she struggled to free herself.
“You are right about that,” Mornigan acknowledged. “However, that is no longer my plan. I do not need both of you, in fact, I don’t need either of you.”
“Then why are we on these tables?” Diz mocked. “You just missed our pretty faces?”
“I am going to distill your genetic structures for the material that I can control. This will leave me with one being with the power to conquer your entire world,” Mornigan crowed.
“Why are you even telling us your plan?” Karis asked.
“My research shows that the villain is expected to reveal his plans at the moment of his triumph,” Mornigan explained. “I am only following the forms that have been established by your people.”
“You do realize that the heroes are supposed to use that time to break free and then beat you to a pulp, right?” Diz laughed.
“I have considered that possibility,” Mornigan replied with a chuckle. “You will notice, Diz, that your bonds have been reinforced to prevent you from vibrating out of them, and Karis has been secured so her flight will not be able to assist her in escaping like last time.”
“He’s right,” Diz groaned as he tried to break free, “I can’t get through.”
“Me either,” Karis replied.
“Then we may begin,” Mornigan laughed. “I’m afraid that this process will be extremely painful, but on the positive side, once it is over, neither of you will be alive anymore so it won’t really matter.”
“Lots of talk,” Diz said as he continued to struggle with his bonds, “but I don’t see anything happening yet.”
“I am still preparing the necessary components for the transformation,” Mornigan explained as he continued to work at the control panel. “I’m still not completely sure about the mechanics of the operation, but I will figure it out.”
“So, you are going to experiment on us?” Karis demanded as she floated off the table, but was stopped by the straps holding her down. “What happens if you get it wrong and you don’t get your super slave and we just die?”
“That will not happen,” Mornigan insisted. “Now let’s begin the process, shall we?”
Karis and Diz began to argue with him, but he ignored their threats and arguments. His work with the devices of his people had been very constructive, and this would be his greatest accomplishment, followed by the conquest of his first of many worlds.
Then he would journey home and his people would join him in becoming conquerors. They would turn back to those glorious days of ruling world after world, and Mornigan would rule all of them.
He moved the table holding Diz beside Karis and joined their hands. Then he began making the necessary connects to his subjects.
Chapter 44
Karis imagined a large table in an office with off-white walls. The table was round and made of oak. It was supported from a central base that balanced on an oak block on the ground. The surface was smooth, but there was no veneer applied to it so you could still feel the grain of the wood under your finger tips.
Around the table, Karis imagined four oak stools. They were simple constructs. A round disk atop four legs held together with several dowels. Karis walked around the table several times adjusting the position of each of the stools so they were positioned precisely the way she wanted for this meeting. She considered her handiwork carefully as Diz walked into the room.
“So what is all of this?” he asked, moving one of the stools slightly to the right.
“I figured we should have a meeting space since there isn’t much time left,” she explained as she moved the stool back where it had been.
“You don’t believe all of that nonsense Mornigan was saying, do you?” Diz asked as he wandered around the room.
“I’m not sure what to think,” Karis admitted, “but I know that the four of us need to talk about it.”
“How much time do we have?” Gavin shouted as he burst into the room followed by Cacy.
“Theoretically we have an eternity here,” Karis replied as she sat at the table, “but that isn’t practical.”
“We need to figure out a way to get free so we can take Mornigan down,” Diz shouted as he ran around the table.
“Would you just sit down?” Cacy demanded and she sat in the stool across from Karis and rested her face in her hands.
“I’m sorry,” Diz replied as he continued to run, “but it’s hard to stand still right now with my body strapped to a table.”
“Have a seat,” Gavin insisted as he reached out his hand and placed it on Diz’ shoulder even though he was still running at high speed. “We need to focus on this moment while it lasts.”
“How did you do that?” Diz asked as he moved towards the seat on Cacy’s left.
“I don’t know,” Gavin admitted as he took the last seat at the table. “I just reached out, and there you were.”
“What are we going to do?” Cacy asked. “It seems like we don’t have any options here.”
“There is always a way,” Karis insisted. “We can’t lose hope. Gavin and I survived reentry. We are going to get through this.”
“Easy for you to say,” Diz argued as he took Cacy’s hand in his, “Cacy and I aren’t built for situations like that.”
“We don’t need to worry,” Gavin explained, “something very interesting is going to happen. Mornigan will not be prepared for it.”
“You seem awfully confident,” Cacy muttered.
“I saw something,” Gavin replied, looking over his shoulder. “I can’t explain it more than that right now. I have a feeling that you will feel more confident soon yourself.”
“We still can’t escape,” Diz muttered as he drummed his fingers on the table at high speed.
Cacy slammed her hand onto the table near Diz’ hand and the oak cracked under her arm. She picked up her hand and looked at it.
“Not even a scratch,” Karis noted. “That’s good, because I certainly don’t need to deal with a bruised arm in the future.”
“Never thought about that did we,” Diz chuckled. “We could have died at any moment from one of them having a simple accident, and now Mornigan is going to rip us apart.”
“I don’t think he is,” Cacy mused as she continued to consider her hand.
“Do you feel funny?” Karis asked everyone in the circle.
“We are being lifted from this place to face our destiny,” Gavin announced. “There is nothing to fear.”
“Easy for you to say,” Diz jeered. “I may have the strangest life ever, but I want to live it.”
“I just want one clear swing at Mornigan,” Karis growled as she punched her fist into her other palm.
“I wouldn’t mind one of those too,” Cacy grinned as she tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear.
“Do you remember that one time I muttered about the time was near?” Gavin asked.
“How could we forget?” Diz muttered. “You ruined a nice moment.”
“Well, the time is now,” Gavin announced as he stood up off of the stool. “We cannot hide here forever, and if we leave now, we will give Mornigan a surprise he won’t forget.
The room faded and the light around the foursome began to grow brighter. They each grabbed a hand to the left and right of themselves. There was a feeling of confidence that grew from that moment of unity. There was something new on the horizon, something that no one had expected.
Chapter 45
Mornigan took a moment to consider his handiwork. At long last, he had accomplished his dream, well it would happen shortly once the separation process was completed. Presently he would have his human warrior with unlimited power to crush the planet below.
Mornigan practiced his evil laugh, a staple of the role of evil conqueror. It still needed some work, but it was getting better.
Mornigan checked all of the wires connected to his subjects. Everything was in place, and their hands were connected just like they must have been the night Mornigan had sent out the probe to activate his assistants. That was the way to fix the error.
After making a third check of the connections, Mornigan moved over to the control panel. He looked forward to having an assistant that could appreciate his genius. It would have to wait though.
“I now throw the switch,” Mornigan announced to his imaginary minion.
Karis and Diz started to glow as the machine started its purpose of extracting genetic material from his enemies. He hadn’t expected the light to be so bright. He had to turn his head until his helmet filter adjusted to the new brightness levels.
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