Enhancer 3

by Wyatt Kane

  It would have been easier if the Architect’s fabricator had been mobile, but in Ty’s mind at least, it was a workable plan.

  And if Bain proved to be more troublesome than expected, there was always a backup option. They could take his arm off at the shoulder instead.

  When they were ready to go, Tempest looked hard at Ty. “Just so we’re clear,” the blonde superhero said, “our target is Bain. It doesn’t matter who else is there. We have to gain control of these devices. And we have to destroy them.”

  Ty nodded. He flexed his shoulder, testing it out.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Dinah asked, echoing Tempest’s earlier question. But while Tempest had been referring to his psychological state of mind, Dinah seemed to be more concerned with his injury.

  Again, Ty nodded. “I can barely feel it,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

  He believed he was telling the truth. He’d faced Bain one-on-one before, and with the new capabilities he’d built into his shield, he knew himself to be more than the man’s match.

  “Then let’s go,” Tempest said.

  <<<>>>

  For the second time in two days, Ty and Tempest flew through the gloomy, New Lincoln sky toward a confrontation. Ty couldn’t help but feel his usual combination of emotions. There was fear, certainly. To not fear feel fear in the face of real danger wouldn’t have been natural. But there was excitement as well, that they were doing something proactive. And real determination to do what he needed to do.

  Taking Bain out of the game once and for all would give their side a significant advantage.

  Ty also felt an ominous sense of déjà vu. The last time Tempest had flown him to a confrontation hadn’t ended well. Steam had gotten the best of him, and only Tempest’s swift actions had prevented worse injuries yet.

  But this would be different. Bain was a known quantity. Tempest or Ty could both handle him by themselves. The Master’s chief henchman should stand little chance with both of them working together.

  Yet the sense of déjà vu remained. This mission was a little too similar to the last. Even though the earlier one had been about disrupting a drug shipment and this was more about maintaining their advantage, Ty felt like he was trapped in a game, trying to complete a level he’d failed before.

  He shook his head as he and Tempest flew, trying to dislodge the thought.

  “Are you okay?” Tempest asked, her voice right beside his ear.

  “I’m fine,” Ty replied. “I just don’t want any nasty surprises.”

  “If anything unexpected happens, we’ll just leave and try again another day.”

  Ty wasn’t sure he believed her. In his mind, Tempest was a force of nature. The only time he’d seen her back away from a fight was when she’d had no choice. If Ty hadn’t needed her help, she would have battled on until the end.

  Yet he didn’t argue. Nor did he ask where her head was at around Lilith. To him, it was a good thing that the demon woman had returned to the mansion, but he figured it would take time for Tempest to fully accept her.

  Instead, he looked out, watching the New Lincoln buildings come and go beneath them.

  In only a few minutes, Ty thought he was starting to recognize where they were. The warehouse where Bain had taken Dinah shouldn’t be far away … there! Ty saw it in the distance, approaching quickly, with the ruined parking lot beside it, evidence of Tempest’s last battle with Bain.

  He didn’t need to point it out. Tempest had seen it as well, and was already slowing. “Somewhere around here,” she muttered.

  At the same time, Ty’s device pinged an alert. He answered, and Dinah appeared in holographic form. “Lilith can sense you approaching the target building,” she said, all professionalism and efficiency. “You are within half a mile of it. At your 10 o’clock. You should be able to see it from there.”

  Tempest had slowed down enough that Dinah’s voice was clear. Ty scanned the buildings below until he saw one matching the image that had been on the screen in the den. “There,” he said, pointing.

  “Got it,” Tempest said. Dinah’s image gave an approving nod. “We’ll be here if you need us,” she said, and winked out. Tempest started her descent.

  At first glance, Ty couldn’t tell what these buildings were. Perhaps another warehouse of some sort, but if so, the design was quite different from the one where they had fought Bain before. Perhaps a factory of some sort instead, he thought. Either way, it was not a singular structure, but a tight grouping of half a dozen, all with a similar architecture. Dark and blocky, they were like the curved shells of massive bugs, squatting like concrete bunkers down below. Ty thought they looked tough, as if designed to withstand heavy bombardment.

  Once again, Ty thought of Rubio’s ambush. In his mind, these concrete bunkers would be a great place for another attempt.

  Again, he shook his head. His earlier experience had put him on edge. There was no way Rubio or anyone else could have set a trap for them. Nobody knew what they were planning.

  “Which building?” he asked Tempest.

  “The screen showed him in the biggest one,” came her reply. “If he’s moved, Dinah would have said so.”

  It made sense. Tempest took a moment to circle the building in question. Perhaps Ty’s paranoia was contagious, or maybe it was a precaution she would have taken regardless. Either way, there was little to see beyond the few vehicles parked out back. There was certainly no hidden mercenary army ready to pounce. Satisfied, the blonde superhero brought them down to land in an area that looked like a loading dock, with wide steel doors gaping open.

  Although it was darker inside than out, Ty could make out some sort of machines within. The building, he thought, was some sort of foundry.

  They didn’t go in immediately. “Check with Dinah and Lilith,” Tempest said. “Find out exactly where he is.”

  Ty did as Tempest asked. After a quick discussion with Lilith offscreen, the holographic image of Dinah gave them an answer.

  “He’s right in the middle.”

  It was enough for Tempest. “Time to turn on your shield,” she said.

  Ty didn’t hesitate. “Activate,” he said, and at once his shimmering energy shield coalesced around him.

  “Shall we?” Ty asked.

  Tempest accepted Ty’s invitation. “Yes, let’s,” she said.

  23: Déjà vu

  Together, they went in.

  Just like two normal people, walking in from outside as if they had every right to do so. The blonde superhero, who never looked out of place regardless of where she was, and Ty, a fairly ordinary-looking man with messy hair and a shimmering field of blue energy around him.

  At first, Ty couldn’t see anything of interest. The building was almost as large as an airplane hangar, but instead of being filled with planes, there was heavy machinery everywhere. If Bain was in the middle, he was hidden behind great chunks of steel. Nor could he see anyone else. As far as Ty could tell, the place was deserted.

  They looked at each other. By unspoken agreement, they moved further in.

  Both of them were taken completely by surprise when someone called out, “Now!” and the metal doors slammed shut behind them.

  <<<>>>

  Ty’s heart pounded in his chest. Instinctively, he spun and crouched into a defensive pose. There were a dozen men behind them, although where they had come from, Ty didn’t know.

  Rubio’s men.

  Beside him, Tempest spat a curse. “How in the hell—?” she started. But Ty didn’t care. All he knew was that somehow, it was indeed another trap, set not by the Master, but by Rubio Vecoli. Which meant that Steam would be somewhere nearby.

  It was almost beyond belief. Ty was immediately confused and afraid, but most of all, he found he was angry that he and Tempest had walked into two traps on two different days.

  Without hesitation, Ty unleashed the wrath of his shield cannons. A blinding flash of blue brilliance arced from him toward the men
at the door and erupted among them, tossing them about as if they were nothing. At the same time, Ty shouted to Tempest.

  “Bain isn’t here! It’s a trap! Can you see a way out?”

  Even as he spoke, Ty became aware of more of Rubio’s men emerging from behind the foundry equipment.

  Usually, it was Tempest who acted decisively in any conflict situation. She was the more experienced of them, and the strongest. She would normally act before Ty could even figure out what was going on. But this time, she hesitated, clearly conflicted. Her instinct was to engage. To take the fight to those arrayed against them. And she easily could, as well. So far, the men Ty had seen carried only blasters. Pop guns as far as Tempest was concerned. They couldn’t hurt her.

  But they had agreed. If Bain wasn’t there, they were to leave and try again at another time.

  Tempest’s internal struggle was brief. After only a moment, she nodded. “The walls are concrete. I could probably punch a hole through them, but you need to distract them, get their attention. I’ll see if I can open the door.”

  With that, the blonde superhero left him alone to face the approaching men.

  Some of them had already started to fire. But Ty’s shield was up to the task. Blaster fire from such a distance meant nothing to him. He watched as Tempest reached the door and decided he wasn’t playing anymore. With a guttural roar that any God of War might have been proud of, he again let loose with his shield cannons.

  This time, it wasn’t a single convulsive blast, but rather a continuous stream of energy that he directed all around him in an expanding circle. All of Rubio’s men caught in the conflagration were blown off their feet. Whether they had their own shielding didn’t matter. They couldn’t stand against the fury of Ty’s power. He kept pumping energy into his cannons and turning around until none were standing.

  Only once all the enemies he could see were down did he relent. He couldn’t tell if they were dead or alive. Somewhere, he heard someone groaning, but most were silent. A few wisps of smoke rose from the bodies.

  When he’d first let his power erupt, Ty had killed a dozen of the Master’s men at once. He had been distraught about it. The sight and smell of the dead had been enough to make him retch. He’d swore an oath to himself that he would do all he could to prevent such carnage again.

  But now, only a few days later, he had done it again, with the full knowledge of what his power could do.

  Part of his soul experienced guilt. But mostly, that guilt was smothered by a combination of justified rage that Rubio should send his men against them, and a sense of something that felt like betrayal.

  How had Rubio managed to spring this trap? It shouldn’t have been possible!

  Nor was the conflict over. Tempest was trying her strength against the steel door, but it was like a vault, and Rubio’s men had locked it tight. The steel groaned under her efforts, but didn’t give. Ty started to stalk toward her. He intended to add his strength, augmented by the power of his shield, to hers, or to simply blast their way through either the steel doors or the concrete wall beside it.

  But before he had taken more than a couple of steps, he heard a sound that froze the blood in his veins.

  Slimy, malignant laughter, as if a sneer had been turned into a semblance of humor.

  It was an ugly laugh, a jarring, disturbing laugh, filled with a maniacal glee that might have suited a comic book villain.

  Ty knew who it was before he even turned around. Steam. The superpowered criminal he’d faced just the day before, and against whose powers Ty had yet to find an answer.

  “Tempest!” Ty called.

  “Ty Wilcox,” the slimy voice of Steam pronounced. Ty turned around to face the man, and saw the translucent figure standing maybe twenty paces away. “Look at what you have done,” the villain said. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you. And neither did Rubio, to be fair. To take out so many without any hesitation. I do believe that if you were one of us, Rubio might even be proud!”

  “Tempest! How much longer?”

  In response, the screeching sound of metal being strained to its bursting point stopped, replaced by a repeated whump! whump! whump! that sounded like massive hammers on industrial anvils. Each pounding collision was punctuated by Tempest cursing out loud.

  “Give me a minute!” she spat between two attempts.

  At this, the vile, steam-powered minion of Rubio laughed again. “My, my,” he said, the words sounding like he was gloating. “And here I was, thinking you might try to attack. Who would have thought? Tempest Flaire, the greatest living superhero of our time, trying to escape. Guess what, my pretty one. You won’t find it easy. This building was designed to withstand a direct nuclear strike, and that includes the doors. You might have better luck digging through the concrete at your feet and tunneling under.” He paused, then added, “Rubio chose this location very well.”

  Tempest didn’t pause in her efforts for a moment. But she did offer a reply. “Ty! Keep him busy!”

  It was all Ty needed to hear. Even though he knew he couldn’t hurt the villain, he was going to do his best. He had to buy Tempest time.

  If they couldn’t escape, they would have to face Steam where they were.

  And, from past experience, Ty knew they couldn’t even touch him.

  To shore up his doubts and concerns, Ty called on his anger. For the third time, he unleashed with everything he had, aiming all of his might toward Steam. As before, the full weight of Ty’s power was enough to knock the man back, but most of it just passed through him.

  Ty’s blasts of power were not silent. As well as the guttural roar that escaped from Ty’s throat, the sheer power he sent through the air gave voice to a sizzling crackle that was harsh to listen to. It was like the sound produced by a high-voltage Tesla coil, and it came with the acrid stench of ozone as well.

  But none of that mattered to Steam. Over and above the noises and smell, Ty could hear the villain laughing.

  Ty didn’t falter. He knew his only real chance was to focus his power on the man without pause, without giving him a chance to slip out of the stream. He did so, gritting his teeth and snarling in the face of Steam’s ongoing laughter.

  How long he kept it going, he didn’t know. All he knew was that the bands of power that broke away from his control arced through the air and left blackened scorch marks on the concrete and machines all around. Around them was a giant crucible, proof against molten metal at enormous temperatures. Ty’s ongoing blast turned that crucible into a glowing mound of superheated slag on the ground, bubbling and boiling into the concrete. And still the villain continued to laugh.

  Finally, from behind, there came a metal-rending sound that sparked a moment of joy. He thought Tempest had found a way through the door, that they would be free. He expected her to call him, or perhaps just to grab him and flee. But all he heard was a delicate grunt and the sound of someone collapsing to the ground.

  Ty didn’t even think. He ended his blast and spun on the spot.

  At first, he didn’t understand what he saw, it jarred with his expectations so badly.

  Tempest was the most powerful person he’d ever met. She was impossibly strong, and durable beyond measure. How could she be unconscious on the floor of the foundry?

  Yet despite this, the doorway was open again. Had she succeeded in opening it before she collapsed?

  Perhaps not. There was a man standing in the doorway

  Steam was panting and laughing behind him. Ty’s efforts had apparently hurt him, although nowhere near enough. “Ty Wilcox,” came the slimy, loathsome voice. “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Call him Massive.”

  The man carried the general features that most of Rubio’s extended family seemed to share. He was swarthy, with dark, curly hair, and a thick neck.

  A very thick neck. It was attached to a short, solid-looking body, but the one thing Ty noticed that scared him to the bone was what he wore on his wrist.

>   It was a device.

  24: Massive

  Ty didn’t even pause to think. Forgetting about Steam as if the laughing maniac had ceased to exist, Ty ran as hard as he could toward Tempest’s crumpled form. As he did, his device sounded an alert, but he ignored it completely. There was nothing more critical to him than reaching Tempest’s side and making sure she was still breathing.

  The thought of what he might do if she wasn’t felt like a weight on his chest. It made his blood run cold.

  But he wasn’t the only one heading toward Tempest. The squat, solid man at the door pivoted in a lumbering way and stepped toward her as well. Massive, Steam called him. And a small part of Ty’s mind acknowledged the name to be apt. While not large, there was something about him that seemed indescribably solid, as if he was made of pure titanium. And he was heavy! The concrete floor at his feet cracked as he walked.

  “Stay away from her!” Ty shouted. “I’m warning you!”

  The man ignored him. He took another lumbering step toward Tempest. Ty didn’t know this man from a stick of butter, but he was one of Rubio’s men, and that was enough.

  Still a few paces from Tempest, Ty once more unleashed a blast of power from his shield cannons.

  It was like Ty was a living jet engine and his blast was the engine’s exhaust. A powerful beam of blue fire burst from him and arced toward the villain. Massive was only a few yards away. Ty’s blast should have either blown him across the bunker or incinerated him on the spot. Ty wouldn’t have cared much either way. All that mattered was keeping him away from Tempest.

  But the man’s only response to Ty’s power and fury was to raise a hand in front of his face as if he were staring at the sun. He gave a grunt, leaned into the blast and, incredibly, waded forward another pace.