by Nathan Wall
The splashing of water pouring out from ruptured pipes slowly pulled Jarrod out of his haze. He sat up with the blinking emergency lights as the sole source of illumination for inside the building. Large chunks of aurascales had torn off and scattered around his immediate area. He crawled around, hovering his bare hand over as many metallic cubes he could find to assimilate them into his armor.
When the armor reformed, spreading across his face, it corrected the balance of light in the building, allowing him to see one constant image even though the lights swayed back and forth from light to dark. He found the line of Argus’ impact crater and followed it to a massive chunk of concrete and rebar which had been dug up and splattered everywhere.
“Help me,” a naked man called out—speaking in a language Jarrod didn't understand—stumbling around in the dark. He fell to his knees, grasping at Jarrod's body. He bled from the nose and kept looking up at Jarrod.
Taking the man by the hand, Jarrod put the individual’s arm around his neck and picked him up. The man laughed as he tightened his grip, squeezing Jarrod. The force brought him to his knees. The man began to shapeshift with his body growing four times in size. It was Argus and he chuckled as his face morphed into that of a bull.
His grasp went clear around Jarrod’s waist, slamming his ragdoll into the floor, walls, and then threw him through a support column. Jarrod skidded to a stop, looking up to see Argus charging after him. Unable to jump out of the way, Argus rammed his shoulder into Jarrod and drove him through the shopping center, back out into another street, and under a large bridge with the river not too far in the distance.
The blades shot out from over Jarrod's wrists. He jumped clear over Argus and slashed down on his back, landing behind his foe. He stabbed three more jabs into Argus’ kidneys and spine and then jumped to the right as Argus turned around to swipe. A large boxy television sat amongst the debris. Jarrod picked it up, propelled himself off a nearby taxi, and smashed the TV into Argus’ face, splintering the TV into hundreds of pieces.
Argus staggered around. Jarrod ran toward him. He jumped, kicking the ball of his right foot into Argus’ stomach and swiped his left heel across Argus’ face. Continuing with his momentum, Jarrod twirled around in the air and grabbed Argus by the horns. Yanking down, Jarrod drove Argus’ face into the street. Still holding the horns, Jarrod flipped onto Argus’ back and snapped one of the horns off his head. Holding it like a dagger, he drove the horn into Argus’ right eye.
“I want the old man,” Jarrod emptied his lungs in a powerful roar. He stepped away from Argus and spread his arms out wide. “Show yourself.”
The struggling grind of a tank engine made its way around the large oval hotel and shopping center behind Jarrod. Two trucks carrying dozens of foot soldiers pulled up behind the tank and emptied its men into the streets. They took position behind abandoned cars and cement walls. On the other side of the street emerging from a rift and surrounding Jarrod were hundreds of Crill, Cyclopes, and Satyrs.
Argus screamed, rising to his feet. His battle axe appeared in a flash of pink light. He grabbed it by the shaft and twirled it around. With his horn still lodged in his eye, he let out a thunderous yell, and those he commanded engaged the Russian troops.
Machine gun and artillery fire littered the air as the Crill swarmed in on the Russian troops. Two Cyclopes picked up a truck, tore it in half, and then threw the pieces toward the vehicles, smashing one.
Jarrod jumped through the wall of machine gun fire, evading every bullet with his blue armor guiding him. He grabbed hold of a light post, swung around three times, and used all of the kinetic energy to sling himself feet first into Argus’ chest.
He rode Argus like a surfboard, sliding along the street, back underneath the bridge. The concrete tore the flesh from Argus’ body. Jarrod sprang into the air and landed on his feet, crouching down. Argus rolled over and stood, continuing to swing his axe. He charged at Jarrod.
Jarrod jumped from one concrete column to another that supported the double-decker bridge, evading Argus’ errant strikes. The dust settled and Argus stood alone, underneath the shifting structure. It moaned as the columns crumbled, bringing the entire bridge down on top of Argus.
Seven helicopters soared into the immediate area and laid waste to anything that wasn't Russian. Jarrod took cover in the shopping center and waited for the commotion to pass. When the Crill had gone quiet and the Russian forces had left, he exited and walked back toward the crumbled bridge. He pulled off large chunks of concrete, digging down to find Argus unconscious and in human form.
Jarrod's hands trembled as he felt Argus’ life force call out to him. He grabbed hold of Argus’ neck, pulled him from the rubble, and held him in the air. His eyes started to glow a pale blue as Argus’ body shriveled. A beam of blue energy erupted around the two and Argus was eviscerated into a plume of ash. When the light dissipated, Jarrod stood alone with his armor shinier and more studded than ever with the sinister rush of adrenaline making him feel invincible.
* * *
Hershiser and Shah approached Oreios’ cell, locking down every passageway they rushed through. Several video cameras followed them as they walked the halls, no doubt transmitting their whereabouts back to Elliot.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Shah asked, pulling his keycard out from under his shirt and hesitating to swipe it along the keypad. “There's no turning back from this.”
“We can't trust anyone.” Hershiser nodded, removing his card as well. They scanned the cards across the keypads and the last door slid open, revealing two guards standing outside of Oreios' cell.
“Stop. We have orders to take you in,” they said, drawing their weapons.
“It was a valiant effort,” Shah said, raising his hands.
“What? You're just giving up?” Hershiser scowled at Shah.
“It. Was. A. Valiant. Effort,” Shah uttered through his firm smile.
He pulled a flash beacon out of his sleeve and winked at Hershiser. They both closed their eyes and the flash blinded everything in the hall. Hershiser pounced forward and quickly knocked the two guards unconscious. He walked over to the security station and pressed several buttons in sequence, unlocking Oreios' cell.
“Come out, now,” Hershiser yelled.
“Are you sure?” Oreios called back. “I'm quite fond of my head.”
“Come out or lose it,” Hershiser replied.
Oreios stuck his hand around the corner, waving a white cloth in the air. He then poked his head around and walked into the hall, looking down at the two incapacitated guards with a smile.
“Am I missing a party or something?” He laughed, walking up to Hershiser. “Or are you in the early stages of a midlife crisis?”
“We need your help,” Hershiser said.
“That's a statement I've heard far too often.” Oreios shook his head, walking back toward the cell. “The answer is no.”
“I can give you your freedom.” Hershiser grabbed him by the arm. “Please.”
“Anyone who has to say ‘please’ is in no position to grant anything.” Oreios pulled his arm out of Hershiser's grasp. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I would rather not piss off the people you're having a spat with.”
“I wouldn't be here if I wasn't desperate, true.” Hershiser entered into the cell and stood in front of Oreios. “But I'm willing to go the extra mile and show you how serious I am.”
“Shawn, don't,” Shah warned, shaking his head.
“Relax.” Hershiser held his hand up, looking at Shah. He then turned his focus back to Oreios, pulled out a small metal cylinder, and stuck it to the collar around Oreios' neck, unlatching it. “You help me and I'll have the power to make sure you're never hunted down again.”
“You're naive if you think this ends here.” Oreios smiled, shaking his head. “But I'll bite… just for a bit.”
Machine gun fire peppered the halls and the bullets tore through Shah, splitting his head open and piercing his torso
. Hershiser ducked to the ground, while Oreios stood tall. Shah's blood spread out in a crimson puddle.
“The wonderful thing about catching someone in the act of treason is that no one asks a question when you gun them down without a trial.” Elliot laughed, his voice echoing down the long corridor. “Come on out, Shawn and I promise I won't shoot.”
“He's lying,” Hershiser whispered.
“Oh, you think?” Oreios rolled his eyes. He pressed his back to the corner of the cell and looked back down the hallway through the reflection of a shiny metal desk. “Bub, I'm no longer on a leash. Shall we see how rowdy this fight can get or do you wish to keep your anonymity?”
“Oreios, my old friend...”
“We've never been anything of the sort.” Oreios ground his teeth together as his nostrils flared. He spread his fingers out and pointed them at the floor. They began shaking as a deep rumble in the walls slowly grew to an audible roar. “This is your last chance.”
“OK, have it your way.” Elliot put his hands up and his men lowered their weapons. “We won’t do this now. Leave Hershiser to me and you can exit this place without incident.”
“Sounds good to me.” Oreios nodded.
“What are you doing?” Hershiser stood.
“I'm making a deal with someone who doesn't have to say ‘please’.” Oreios smiled, smacking Hershiser on the face. “I suppose this is farewell.”
“You bastard,” Hershiser yelled, spit falling out of his mouth. “I'll kill you.”
“Wow. Idle threats to make yourself feel strong. They really do nothing.” Oreios laughed, stepping out of the cell. He yelled back while he kept walking. “For the record, my parents were married.”
Oreios headed down the hall, past Elliot's men, and out of sight. Elliot walked into the cell, smiling ear to ear.
“It was a good shot, really.” Elliot laughed, gently motioning Hershiser over to the bed. He ran his fingers through Hershiser's hair, gently stroking his temples. “Be calm.”
He dug his fingers into Hershiser's flesh and snapped his neck around. Hershiser's dead body flopped onto the floor.
“Reminds me of the second lesson I learned when I was created. Always make sure your enemy is dead.” He laughed, looking at his men. “Which brings us to the third. Leave no loose ends. Kill Oreios.”
Six guards entered into the corridor, surrounding Oreios as he tried to find his way out of the complex. They drew their weapons and immediately opened fire. He clapped his hands. The walls and ceiling caved in, bringing in a rush of dirt and sand. Oreios then spread his fingers and cleared out a path into the next hallway, releasing the caved-in section behind him.
“Well, they didn't waste any time.” He smirked, rushing through the corridors. The walls continued to shift as doors and latches moved up and out, creating new passageways in an effort to disorient him. “It's like this place is alive.”
He ran down a hall and into a group of five guards. He morphed his hands into razor sharp rock blades and quickly disposed of them, slicing their throats and stabbing them through their hearts. In the distance he heard the tumult of collective marching. He extended his hand and pulled the dirt in, collapsing the far end of the hallway to block off the soldiers.
“Perhaps the only way out is straight up.” Oreios looked at the ceiling and then felt a burning sensation in his chest.
He collapsed on all fours, cringing as the shockwaves radiated outwards from the half starstone inside of him. His body split open, casting the stone to the floor. He rolled over to his side, his body pale. As his breathing normalized, he looked at the stone and saw the semi-circle purple center glowing. He picked the stone up, pointing the glowing center outwards, and a purple beam illuminated a path through the hallway.
The corridors of the complex shifted again, opening a clear path into the weapons chamber. The beam of light continued through, leading to a large room. Behind the bulletproof glass and sitting on top of a small podium in the center of a circular room, the other half of the stone radiated in unison.
The two sides began to glow even brighter as Oreios walked up to the glass. The stone shook in his hand and so did its counterpart on the other side. He tried to break through the earth and tear apart both rooms, but the walls and floors were built of sturdy aurascales. He pressed his half of the stone to the glass and it melted a way through. The other half of the stone flew off the podium and they fused together in one whole piece.
A large shockwave of purple energy erupted, sucking in all of the metal from the ceilings, walls, weapons, and vehicles which had been created from the substance. The stone grew in size, still pulsating as it tore apart the small section of the complex which was built with the aurascales.
Oreios tried to let the stone go, but it clamped down on his hand. The purple light pulsated again and sucked him through a rift, spitting him out in front of the catalyst. Oreios looked up to the observation room and then down to see he was in some sort of procedure chamber.
“I could feel it bring you here.” Elliot grinned, jumping down from the observation room and into the catalyst chamber. “It's been so long since I've felt the energy of a single starstone this powerful.”
“What's going on?” Oreios moaned, the energy from the stone seemingly tearing apart his insides. In a panic, he tried to hand it to Elliot. “I can't let go.”
“It wants its master.” Elliot reached for the stone and a shimmering light emerged from it. “But, we can't have that.”
When Elliot's fingers touched the stone, a purple beam shot out from its center, disintegrating his chest into a large hole. A second larger blast erupted from the stone, evaporating Elliot in a cloud of dust.
The stone sucked in both of Oreios' hands and made him hover in the air, slowly moving him toward the metal-encased catalyst. Oreios' body trembled and the stone rattled. The encasing around the catalyst shifted, breaking through the solid nitrogen and opened a crevasse for the stone to fit perfectly inside. Oreios was released and blown back into the wall.
The gray aurascales from the basketball-sized starstone became one with the identical material from the catalyst. Purple light seeped through the cracks as the metal retracted, collapsing on itself. The purple light became blinding and Oreios shielded his eyes. When the light subsided, he lowered his arms to see a man who looked like Jackson, but whose features were uniquely his own, standing naked in front of him. Oreios' hands shook as his jaw quivered. He lowered his face to the ground, bowing in front of the naked individual.
“My Lord, Zeus,” he said.
Zeus, finally free after ages of hiding, looked at his hands and then at Oreios. He snapped his fingers and a full gear of sleek silver exoskeleton plating and purple aurascales washed over his body. He offered his hand to Oreios, who accepted, and then lifted his other arm toward the ceiling. Large purple wings spread out from his back. Lightning blasted through the complex, exposing the morning sky. With another flash of lightning the two were gone.
* * *
“The time is upon us,” Charon whispered to Lian, looking out over the chaos. Just half of the forces he brought with him from the other realm dismantled the city below. The other half lay waiting. Towers and old world buildings alike collapsed in on themselves in a sea of flaming oranges and reds. Civilians screamed as their dismembered bodies gushed into a river of silken crimson along the streets, flowing down toward the city center. “The second stage of our assault is nearing.”
“Why don't we just kill him now?” Lian asked, looking over at Austin, then behind him at Sanderson and Jackson. “Anyone who could help him be a threat against us is right here. He'll be useless once they're dead.”
“The Princess wishes to strip everything away from him.” Charon grinned. “We must make it so he has no place to call home.”
“Lian…” Austin coughed, his bones throbbing. He hunched over, sweating profusely. The infection from the wolf scratches on his back seemed to pump acid through his veins. “Pleas
e... it burns.”
“What's wrong with him?” she asked.
“I haven’t a clue.” Charon didn't bother looking at Austin. He smiled as over a third of Moscow went up in flames. He spotted Jarrod sprinting alone through the streets toward their tower. “The remake is on his way. It is time to set an example. Bring his friend over here and we shall hang him for the whole world to see.”
Lian nodded and walked over to Austin. She commanded a Cyclops to pick him up. When the giant leaned over to grab Austin, he bit at the giant's hand, causing the timid Cyclops to withdraw.
“What are you afraid of?” Lian laughed, walking over to Austin. “I'll do it myself.”
She grabbed Austin by the feet and dragged him. She looked at his eyes and saw that his pupils were dilated. His sweat was heavier. She knelt down next to him, entered his mind, and the snarling growl of a beast replied. She jumped back, scooting along the metal beams. Austin broke free of his shackles. His muscles bulged and his skin grew thick and dark. Long hairs sprouted all over his body.
He shivered, slapped his hands to his face, and rubbed his cheeks firmly. His body contorted and slowly shifted back to its normal form. When he stopped moving, Lian crawled up next to him. She caressed his clammy face, taking in his square facial features. Austin opened his eyes and smiled at her. He sat up and pressed his lips to hers. Lian entangled her arms around Austin, accepting his embrace. Her heart rate increased as Austin drew her on top of him. When he pulled his head back, the glassy look in her eyes was gone, and so was the lustfully obedient song that Maya had put on her heart.
“What are you doing?” Charon yelled, pulling his sword from his sheath. “We are to hang him.”
