by Hayes, Drew
The seven swords suddenly lifted from the ground, tips pointing at Crispin and steadily advancing. “I’ll only kill you if you make me. So run, you coward. No hiding out or staying on the sidelines for you this time. You want to survive? Then let’s see how you do on your own, in a real battle.”
The swords moved faster, and Crispin took the hint, sprinting away at top speed.
Less than a minute later, a young man in a gray mask identical to those the others were sporting jogged over to her. “Did you just let him go?”
“No. I made sure he fell into the proper hands.” Charon threw a metal-covered arm around the guy’s shoulder and pointed to a nearby cluster of guards trying to break through the wall of fire. “Now, to me it looks like Slow Burn could use some help. What do you say, little brother? Charon and Styx, working together for a change?”
“I haven’t earned that name yet,” he reminded her.
“Oh? This looks like a hell of a proving ground to me.” Charon slapped him on the back and raced over toward the flames, with Styx following only a few feet behind.
* * *
Titan sent a shower of dirt into the air as he landed, his mighty legs not even quivering from the force of the hit. While the kids were wearing the blank masks, he, like any good Hero, always kept that part of his costume with him, just in case. Granted, he hadn’t expected Angela DeSoto to suddenly turn up and whip the students into a frenzy, let alone convince Conrad to transport them after teleportation. But then again, going to Lander meant always preparing for some degree of the unpredictable.
His plan was to reach Graham as quickly as possible; thankfully comms still worked so Dispatch was able to relay a location, although strangely Graham wasn’t surprised when Titan relayed the message of his arrival. That concern was swept completely aside, however, when he discovered his son mid-healing, the terrible wounds on his body slowly vanishing.
“Who did this to him?” There was no doubt in anyone present’s mind that if they pointed to someone on the battlefield, Titan would tear apart everything between him and that person, and things would only get more violent from there.
“Some guard who is already dead,” Mary explained. “Roy took the hit to protect the team, and Vince electrocuted the guy before he got off another shot. The guard’s own attack fell on his body and others near him, and when the smoke cleared nothing discernable was left.”
“Always knew I liked that boy.” With Roy in good hands and the attacker dealt with, Titan put his mind back to the task at hand. “Mr. DeSoto, we’re going to need to do a lot of paperwork when this is over. I authorized the kids as temporary emergency Hero assets, but for this many you’ll need to sign off.”
Graham gave a thoughtful nod. “I’ll do that, because they’re impulsive children, but I’m surprised you brought them into a fight like this.”
“They found out Crispin was here, sir. They were coming no matter what I said, so I thought better to at least be here and protect them rather than make them sneak off. And, to be fair, they are all in the final phase of their senior year.”
The sigh Graham let out was that of an old man more than a legendary Hero. “I don’t love it, but we need the help. Still, I do wish we had a little more than HCP seniors to throw into this battle.”
Nearby, a line of guards suddenly exploded as a brilliant glowing path appeared through them. At the end of that line appeared Victor, wearing his Bullrush mask for the first time in years, and proving with his initial strike that he hadn’t lost a step in his downtime.
“Oh, I called in more than just students, sir. We couldn’t leave Lander unprotected, but Victor was kind enough to come along. And I might have cashed in some favors for more help as well. We’ll worry about that if they make it in time though. For now, where do you want me?”
“Us.” Roy was sitting now, the last of his burns faded completely. He hefted his slightly warped bat up and put it on his shoulder. “I’m not going down from just one near-death injury.”
Tempting as it was to protest, Titan couldn’t imagine that Roy would listen to any objections he offered, not with friends in the fray. So if he was going to fight no matter what, then the safest place for him was at Titan’s side.
“Correction, sir.” Titan put a heavy hand on his son’s shoulder. “Where do you want us?”
306.
It had all gone crazy. A girl with a gun and a stun baton was leaping through the madness, every bullet and blow finding its mark while she effortlessly sidestepped all attempts to hit her back. Some creepy insect creature was prowling the sidelines, dragging off any guard who got too close to the edge. A kid with a weird electronic staff and his friend, who was surging with orange energy, were flanking the guards who went after Heroes, splitting the grunts’ focus and making them easier to take down. Whole sections of the battlefield were dropping, seemingly without cause as a madly grinning, cocky young woman stood nearby. Guards tried to rush her, but between the golden blades and slithering shadows protecting her, no one made it closer than ten feet in before getting sliced to the ground. Even the soil itself seemed to be against them: pits were opening beneath the guards, burying them to their necks and then sealing back over.
A flying woman with a spiked chain, a gal who was snapping her fingers and causing explosions, a guy with bone armor leaping around, guards talking about hearing a song and then keeling over, a short woman dropping people with a mere touch… it was insane. They’d known new Heroes might show up, but no one had expected the DVA to get so many powerful ones here so quickly. The tide was turning, yet the guards kept fighting. Death meant rewards for those they loved, and at this point it was either that or life in prison when the dust settled. To the end they would fight – not for Charles Adair, but for the families and loved ones they left behind.
* * *
One good punch to the temple, and the guard who had been firing off explosive charges from his fingertips was down on the ground. Their body armor made Zero’s job more difficult, but this was hardly the first group he’d fought to use such tricks. Their gear was good stuff, although not nearly on par with the protection of his own armor. Pulling off the helmets was mercifully easy, thanks to the fact that so few Supers ever thought to protect against someone attempting to do so. Once those were off, putting down his enemies was simple, especially as they panicked about being unable to use their abilities. That fear, the sudden sense of uselessness from losing their powers, was one of the many things his students trained hard to overcome. Powers or no, a Hero should never be truly helpless. Too bad for these guards, Charles hadn’t provided the same level of education.
As Zero turned to see who was next, a figure caught his attention. It was a man lacking any armor, sprinting through the battlefield with escape clearly his key intent. Instantly, all interest in the other guards fled Zero’s mind. Crispin. Crispin was here, alive, out in the open, and was obviously the reason so many of these goons were able to give Heroes a real fight. Crispin, the man who’d attacked Zero’s campus and killed one of his students, had a shot at freedom, however slender.
Without pause, Zero gave chase, superior strength and fitness making up for the extra weight of his suit. He’d warned Crispin in no uncertain terms what would happen if he left that cell. And if nothing else, Zero considered himself a man of his word.
* * *
Globe was slowing down. He was easy to track, still floating around the battlefield taking fire – no, drawing fire to keep it off his friends and fellow Heroes. The movements were losing speed though, the momentum wearing out. It was incredible that he’d survived this long, a testament to his focus and endurance. But sooner or later, everyone wore out. Globe would be no different.
Vince didn’t have a plan for what to do when he got there. No sudden inspiration or helpful plan dawned on him as he ran, leapt, and dodged his way through the madness. Maybe he was trying to get there to fight alongside Globe, or maybe he just wanted to say goodbye. It was a bridge he�
��d cross when he got there; the one thing Vince knew without question or hesitation was that he had to reach his father. This might very well be the last chance he ever had to see the man in person, and it wasn’t one he would let slip through his fingers.
A guard stepped into Vince’s path. Blood on the knuckles, deep footsteps left in the grass – either a strongman taking heavy steps or someone with enhanced density, most likely. Vince played the odds, dodging the guard’s clumsy punch before landing one of his own, nestled against the sternum and pointed upward. The kinetic blast from Vince’s fist sent the guard sailing overhead until he landed in a heap out of sight. Vince didn’t bother to see if he was coming back; there were already more guards in the way, more obstacles trying to bar Vince from his father.
An unfocused electrical blast dropped two of them, but a third raced toward Vince. His attack was cut off quickly as a figure clad in bones slammed into the guard, slicing and punching too fast to track. In seconds, the guard was a bleeding heap on the ground and Vince was staring at a familiar face.
“Chad.”
He was standing between Vince and Globe. Perhaps a coincidence, although Vince wasn’t too sure. Normally, Chad was the most reasonable man in the world. It should have been a simple matter to explain things and get him on the right side. Unfortunately, Chad had lowered his emotional controls earlier in the day, a fact he’d been open about. So it was unnerving, but not surprising, when Vince made out the twisted expression of rage barely visible under Chad’s jutting bones.
“Chad, it’s not what you think.” Vince still had to try. It was the right thing to do. It was what his father would want. “There’s a lot you don’t know, stuff I just found out and we really don’t have time to go into on the battlefield. The important part is this: Globe isn’t the bad guy.”
“Did he still kill Intra?” There was fury burning in those eyes, deep and painful and far past the point of reason.
Lying was a real temptation, but lying was what had gotten them all here in the first place. “Technically yes, but he was being manipulated. They both were.”
“It doesn’t matter. He took my dad away from me. He’s the reason I grew up hearing my mom cry through the walls every year on the anniversary of Intra’s death. Globe killed the first Intra. It’s only fair that the new one pay him back for that.” Chad turned from Vince, his eyes on Globe, and started to move.
Vince blasted off the ground, doing a quick horizontal leap to get in front of Chad. “No. He’s fighting off too many people right now. He can’t deal with someone that might be immune to his power. I won’t let you do this, Chad. You’d be hurting an innocent man.”
Tension rippled between them, a small island of peace among the dropped bodies and fighting nearby. Finally, Chad took a step back – not to give ground, but to put himself in a proper fighting stance. “Then it seems we are at an impasse, Vince.”
“I don’t want to fight you.”
“That’s a wise decision, and will make getting past you much easier,” Chad replied.
Taking a step of his own, Vince raised his fists and locked eyes with his classmate, fellow dorm resident, and friend. “I don’t want to. Doesn’t mean I won’t, though. I’m truly sorry about what happened to your dad, but I can’t let you hurt mine.”
“Son of Globe versus the Son of Intra. Well, I can’t say I wasn’t curious. Come on, Vince. Let’s see who really wants this victory more.”
307.
The trouble with fighting Chad wasn’t that he was impossibly powerful; Roy was stronger, Sasha had been faster, and Nick possessed a keener tactical mind. The issue was that he was so damn adaptable. It made finding a good strategy difficult, especially since few options would work more than once. Vince could darken the area around them, but that would leave him vulnerable while barely inconveniencing Chad, thanks to his enhanced senses. Attacking with kinetic strikes would leave Vince both vulnerable and in melee range, a very dangerous place to be. Absorbing kinetic constantly would cut off most of Chad’s attack options, but it would leave Vince unable to return any damage. Even if Vince was willing to play his most dangerous card, absorbing all the kinetic energy in Chad’s body, it probably wouldn’t work. Chad could will his blood to move even without the force of his heart.
Worst of all was the fact that Chad clearly had no intention of giving Vince time to get his bearings. He raced in, sending a bone-spike kick that would have wrecked Vince’s legs if it connected. Thankfully, the bone-armor slowed Chad down. Not as much as Vince might have liked, but enough to let him dodge. Vince returned the favor by firing off a quick blast of lightning, managing to catch Chad in the shoulder. It was a smaller shock, meant to stun at the most, in hopes of bringing him to his senses.
To Vince’s surprise, the jolt may as well not have happened. Chad didn’t lose a step as it hit. He charged in, swinging hard as Vince did all he could to dodge. Blocking was possible only if Vince was absorbing kinetic, and right now he was focused on trying to do some damage. With a lucky dive to the left, Vince got clear momentarily and hit Chad with another bolt, this one packing substantially more juice. The hit caused Chad to pause for a moment, if that, before he stormed Vince again, no sign of pain or weakness from the shocks apparent.
“When did you become lightning proof?” Vince switched to absorbing. The onslaught was coming faster now as Chad found a rhythm. Blows smacked ineffectually against Vince’s skin, adding to his already impressive kinetic stockpile, until he saw an opening and managed to get a few feet clear from Chad.
“When one of our professors beat me with it,” Chad replied. “I am always learning, from victory and defeat, so it became obvious years ago that I needed a way to deal with electricity. Once it enters my body, it briefly becomes part of my nervous system, and with enough preparation that means I can control and discharge the energy before it hits anything vital.”
“I wasn’t actually expecting an answer.” Was he lying? Maybe it was a bluff to keep Vince from turning up the power and hitting him with enough force to bring Chad down.
“I know. But fighting you is wasting precious time, so I hope that if you see how pointless it is, you might give up.” Something like a chuckle bubbled from Chad’s throat. “What a silly notion. These emotions truly are clouding my thoughts if I entertained the idea that you could be convinced to stand down.”
Another rush, but this time Vince was ready. Summoning the last of Thomas’s energy, he created a giant orange hand between him and Chad, wrapping the latter in its clumsy fingers and hurling him upward, into the sky. The only time Chad was vulnerable, the only time he couldn’t completely dodge or counter, was when he was airborne. Militia had shown them all that, and Conrad had proven it. Even without the ground at his feet, Vince didn’t trust Chad not to counter more lightning. For his one shot, the best option Vince had was the oldest, truest one in his arsenal.
The air burned as Vince let loose a massive torrent of fire aimed directly for Chad. It should be enough to wound him, to slow him down and create more openings for attack. He could have done more, could have gone hotter, but Vince wouldn’t risk killing a friend. The world had senselessly lost one Intra already, there was no reason to let history repeat itself.
Searing flames found their target, slamming into Chad and coating him in fire. Vince held the shot for as long as he dared before finally letting the flames die away. As the last of the embers faded, Chad was revealed. Arms in front of his face, the minor burns on his skin were already healing. It wasn’t enough. Vince couldn’t seriously injure Chad without putting his life at risk, and they both knew it was a line he wouldn’t cross. Chad’s arms moved aside as he descended, revealing a grim smile – a smile that said it all. Chad knew that the momentum of the fight was swinging in his favor. But suddenly, the smile vanished, and a panicked look came into Chad’s eyes.
That alone was terrifying. Even in the few times Chad allowed emotion to poke through, it was usually something like anger, or j
oy, or sadness. Never panic. What was out there that even could make Chad afraid?
Landing with a roll, Chad sprang to his feet, running toward Vince. Only now, he didn’t have his fists up. “Throw me again!”
“What?” The sudden shift had left Vince uncertain. If it had been a tactic to lower his defenses, it would have been pure genius.
“Throw me again, jump up with me, and punch me to the northwest!” There was something new in Chad’s voice, an edge Vince had never heard there before. Desperation?
Vince opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Chad grabbed him by the collar before he could. “If you have ever trusted me, if there was ever any real friendship between us, then do this right now. Every second matters.”
There was nothing else to say to that. Vince did trust Chad, even with his current judgment. “I’m out of the orange stuff, so I’ll carry you up and punch from there. Northwest?”
“Northwest,” Chad confirmed.
Not wasting a moment, Vince grabbed Chad under the arms and then blasted them both off the ground, high into the air. When they reached the apex of the leap, Vince pressed a fist into the most bone-fortified part of Chad’s back and let off a burst of kinetic energy strong enough to send him shooting through the air like a spiny-bullet. Much as he wanted to see where Chad was off to, all the bodies-flying-through-the-air business was drawing attention, and Vince had to shift to absorbing bullets as he plummeted back toward the earth. He landed cleanly, taking in the force of the impact, and found that he’d managed to move about five feet closer to Globe than he’d been when Chad derailed him.
