Wind Runner: The Complete Collection

by Edmund Hughes

  What is this place?

  “Everyone is equal here,” said Second Wind. “Everything is shared. This is what the world could be, if more people would open their eyes.”

  Malcolm shrugged.

  “How is this any different from what Rain Dancer did?” asked Malcolm. “You built a commune. Am I supposed to be impressed?”

  Second Wind’s expression darkened slightly.

  “Use your imagination,” he said. “Picture living in a world where all people, humans, demons, and sprytes were on equal footing.”

  “That would be great,” said Malcolm. “But people would still be people. What happens when there is a dispute here in your little town? You’re the one who settles it, right? But the only reason people listen to you is because you have the most power. It’s not like you’ve cracked the code to make a utopia.”

  “That sort of thinking is why the old world needs to be broken down,” said Second Wind. “People can be good on their own, if given the chance. And so can sprytes and demons.”

  Malcolm felt a headache coming on. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly.

  “You think I’m crazy,” said Second Wind. “There’s a certain irony to that, given how much of our personality we share.”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy,” said Malcolm. “But I do think you’re engaging in some serious wishful thinking.”

  “Really?” asked Second Wind. “You’re still blinded by what the champions told you, then. Still operating under the assumption that every demon and spryte is a single outburst away from mass murder?”

  This, coming from the ultimate mass murderer.

  “What I think,” said Malcolm, “is that you have it backwards. Everything you talk about destroying, communities, governments, the ‘old world’, it was all designed with the purpose of keeping humans well behaved.”

  “So you think the normal people will cause trouble, then?” asked Second Wind. “You think they’ll be the ones to worry about?”

  “You’re missing my point,” said Malcolm. “We’re all ‘normal people’ now. You’ve proven that with this little town. You’re a normal person, Second Wind. And you are the one these people are most under threat from. You’re the one that everyone is afraid of, and for good reason.”

  “They aren’t afraid of me!” snapped Second Wind. Several of the townspeople turned to look in his direction at the sound of his raised voice, but true to his words, none of them looked scared.

  “You’re the only one here who gets to do whatever they want,” said Malcolm. “How is this more stable than what existed before? Sure, Savior was powerful, but the champions would have held him accountable if he’d attempted even a fraction of what you’ve done.”

  “What I’ve done is built the foundation for a better world,” said Second Wind. “You of all people should be able to see that.”

  Malcolm shook his head. Second Wind glowered at him and glanced around again. He seemed to be making an effort to keep himself calm.

  “Look,” continued Second Wind. “Take a couple of hours and just… see what I’ve done here. Can you give me the benefit of the doubt for that long?”

  Could Malcolm give him that? He wasn’t sure. What he was sure of, however, was that he didn’t want to fight in the middle of a town filled with innocents. He slowly nodded his head, and Second Wind let out a small sigh.

  “Thank you,” said Second Wind. “I know how difficult this all must be for you. All that I ask is that you set any misgivings you might have about my methods aside and just look at the results.”

  “I think the results of all that you’ve done go a lot further than this little forest town,” said Malcolm. He bit back another, more biting remark, and walked away from Second Wind.

  CHAPTER 33

  Malcolm’s copy made no move to follow him, though he suspected that if he tried to take flight, Second Wind would probably stop him. He walked along the town’s dirt road, looking at the various buildings and structures.

  Though Olympus clearly hadn’t been constructed using advanced building methods, there was an elegant simplicity to the town. Malcolm realized that what he was looking at was a community built by superpowers.

  The ground was unnaturally level, and most of the buildings were constructed on foundations made not of cement, but hardened magma, summoned from the depths of the Earth. Even the logs that composed the walls of the houses looked to fit into each other with an unusual amount of precision, as though the trees had been coaxed into growing in a shape conducive for building.

  Malcolm made his way to the gardens, spotting the little spryte girl he’d seen before in the middle of a patch of strawberry plants. The berries were bigger than any he’d ever seen before, easily the size of his fists. The little girl’s face was smudged with red juice and black seeds, and she grinned as Malcolm’s eyes met hers.

  “What’s your name?” asked the girl.

  Malcolm hesitated for a moment before answering.

  “It’s Malcolm,” he said. “What’s yours?”

  “Chelsea.” She gave him a speculative frown. “That’s Zeus’s name too, you know. His real name.”

  “Is it?” Malcolm chuckled. “Well, I guess lots of people have the name Malcolm. It’s a pretty common name.”

  “I forgot my name,” said Chelsea. “I knew it when I was little, but then I forgot it when my skin changed color.”

  Her skin was pale green, almost the same color as her eyes. She reached down toward another strawberry plant, and all of the berries seemed to lean in the direction of her fingers.

  “How do you know your name is Chelsea, then?” asked Malcolm, in a teasing voice. “What if it’s really Gertrude? Or Petunia!”

  “It’s not!” giggled the girl. “My papa told me my name was Chelsea. He told me over and over again until I believed him. It wasn’t fun back then. I always had to hide.”

  “Back before you came here,” said Malcolm. “It must have been very tough for you.”

  Being a child spryte, back when the Champion Authority hunted monsters indiscriminately. I used to be a part of that, even though I never had to go after any little girls.

  Malcolm felt uncertainty settling onto his shoulders, heavy and obnoxious, like water soaking into his clothes. He sighed and slowly shook his head. Chelsea seemed to notice his shift in mood.

  “Do you want a strawberry?” she asked.

  “I would love one,” said Malcolm.

  She picked one of the massive berries and passed it to him. It took Malcolm several bites to eat it, and the juices dribbled onto his fingers.

  “Did you like it?” asked Chelsea.

  “It’s the tastiest thing I’ve eaten in a long time,” said Malcolm.

  The weight of choices to come hung on his shoulders as he walked back through the town. The Champion Authority, for all its faults, had held to its convictions. Monsters were a black and white issue, and emotion never entered into the equation.

  Of course, Savior used to issue pardons like it was going out of style.

  It would never be that simple for Malcolm. He couldn’t see sprytes and demons in that kind of light. He smiled, realizing he was thinking about the issue without really taking the fact that he was one of them into account. Was he a monster, deserving of execution?

  No, he wasn’t. But some monsters were. Malcolm found his mind wandering. He thought about his brother Danny, and all the people he’d killed before he’d gotten control of himself and made a real attempt at living a peaceful life. Was Second Wind any different from Danny?

  The question veered to close to his own blind spots. He might as well have asked whether he, himself, was deserving of absolution for any of the terrible things he’d done. The lies he’d told to Tapestry. The truths he’d kept from Rose. Malcolm was the last person who had any right to plan about what Second Wind’s fate should be. And yet, at the same time, he was the only person with the power to hand down judgement.

  He
kept walking, heading out of the town and through several large clearings nearby. He wanted to put space between himself and little Chelsea, and her father, and all of the truly innocent people and their peaceful lives. They were happy little hostages, even if they didn’t know it, and regardless of Second Wind’s intention.

  Malcolm had put nearly a mile between himself and Olympus when his copy finally caught up with him. Second Wind fell from the air, landing directly in Malcolm’s path. He was still wearing his costume, and rather than seeming regal, or even ridiculous, now it just looked sad to Malcolm. A desperate attempt at dressing up like a hero. A distraction from his own blood soaked hands, soiled so deeply that nothing could ever wash them clean.

  “You aren’t convinced,” said Second Wind. “I can see it in your expression. I hope it’s just because you’re me, rather than both of us being so easy to read.”

  Malcolm didn’t smile.

  “I’ll give you a chance to surrender,” he said. “Second Wind. Malcolm.” It felt so strange using his own name to address his copy, but what other name was there for him, underneath?

  Second Wind laughed, but it sounded forced and bitter.

  “Great minds think alike,” said Second Wind. “I came to offer you that same chance. Give me your hand. Let me take your powers from you, and I’ll allow you to live a peaceful life here in Olympus. This doesn’t have to be a duel to the death.”

  Malcolm considered the offer, or rather, the opportunity. If they both clasped hands, which one of them would manage to steal the other’s powers first? Perhaps he could overwhelm Second Wind, or surprise him somehow, and defeat him without a fight.

  No. I’ve only used my power absorption like that a handful of times. He wouldn’t make that offer unless he was sure he had the advantage.

  “No,” said Malcolm. “You’ve killed too many people.”

  Second Wind glared at him. “Then why come here with me? Why bother seeing what I had to show you at all? Were you just angling for another advantage? That doesn’t seem like us.”

  “I wanted to believe…” said Malcolm. “You don’t get it, do you? Everything you’ve done is as much on me as it is on you. I created you. I am responsible for you.”

  Second Wind flashed an icy smile. “Even now, you still hang onto that. As though the fact that you were the original means anything. It’s a little insulting, you know.”

  The wind whistled through the trees in the distance. Birds sang their hearts out, oblivious to what was about to happen.

  “We both knew it would come to this,” said Malcolm.

  Second Wind nodded.

  “True enough,” he said. “It has been a long time coming.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Malcolm stared across the field at Second Wind, feeling for his powers at the edge of his awareness. He didn’t want to make the first move, and for good reason. There was danger in going first, especially against an opponent who was already aware of his weaknesses.

  He’d developed a battle plan on the flight to Olympus, and had then thrown it out after more consideration. With Savior’s invulnerability, Malcolm had hoped that he could just wait out any attack Second Wind made against him, slowly tire him out, and then find a way to kill him that would overwhelm his regeneration.

  The flaw with that plan was that Second Wind could always fight with stealing his powers in mind, rather than causing damage. And if that happened, the fight was over. Both of them would be looking for an opportunity to strip the other of their abilities, and both of them would have to be on guard for it. It took too much concentration for Malcolm to focus on holding his invulnerability, and required him to sacrifice too much flexibility and responsiveness.

  Second Wind finally took the initiative. He charged toward Malcolm, his eyes filled with a determined, killing edge. Six green arms sprouted from his torso, appearing like a cross between jungle vines and Rose’s shadow tendrils. Malcolm dodged back, barely moving out of their reach, concentrating as he focused on manifesting one of Savior’s energy blasts.

  He’d only seen Savior use his energy blasts once before, and was unsure how exactly to do it himself, but the blast he had generated in space had given him an idea of how to create them efficiently. Malcolm pushed his energy into his palm using a method similar to how he’d focused Danny’s fire ability, and saw a sphere that looked a little like a small, blue star coalescing into his hand.

  Second Wind hesitated. Malcolm launched his attack, pushing the energy blast forward and watching as it took off on its own momentum. It missed Second Wind by less than a foot, striking a tree at the edge of the clearing behind him and releasing a shockwave on impact that made Malcolm’s eardrums reverberate with pain.

  He was already concentrating on forming another one when Second Wind struck out with a counter. The green tentacle arms shot out toward Malcolm, and Second Wind now held a sword made of pure white light in his right hand, which he brought down in an overhead cut.

  The sword extended outward, stretching to be at least ten feet longer than it had been originally. It missed Malcolm by a hair, and sliced into the ground beside him as effortlessly as a hot knife sliding through butter. Malcolm leapt backward, anticipating Second Wind as he reversed the strike into another pass.

  He hit the ground hard and slid across the grass, launching a second energy blast just as he came to a stop. This time, he aimed for the spot beneath Second Wind’s feet instead of at him. The blast only took a split second to cross the distance between them, but it was enough time for Second Wind to take to the air and dodge out of the way of the heart of the blast.

  The ground underneath Malcolm began to shake wildly. He stood and lifted a few feet in the air. What he expected was an earthquake, and because of that, he was off guard when the Earth split open beneath him and hot, orange magma exploded up into the air. Malcolm concentrated and switched to Savior’s invulnerability power as hot, molten metal splashed across one of his arms. It didn’t hurt, and other than burning off one of his gloves and half of his jumpsuit, it left no mark on his flesh.

  Damn. That might not have done damage to me, but now part of my skin is exposed. I have to keep him at a distance.

  Malcolm looked down at the ground beneath him and saw hell on Earth. The burst of magma had become a pit a dozen feet across in diameter. The grass and trees nearest to the intense source of heat were already catching fire. It was some type of volcanic or geothermal manipulation, and it was scary. Malcolm had never been able to adequately picture just how Second Wind had destroyed all of those cities until that very instant.

  “You can’t win against me,” called Second Wind. “You will lose, Malcolm. Give up your powers, and I’ll let you live.”

  “Take them from me,” said Malcolm. “If you can.”

  They were both in the air. Second Wind flew at him in a burst of movement, the green arms flailing around him, making it hard to tell where his body was. His white energy sword swung in a vicious downward arc, but Malcolm flew out of the way, countering with another energy blast that went wide of its intended target.

  Malcolm had a headache, and it was getting worse by the minute. Using Savior’s powers along with his own wind manipulation was like doing calculus in his head while reciting poetry. The focus it took pushed him to his absolute limit, and he could tell from the way Second Wind was pressing on the attack that it was obvious to his opponent, as well.

  He lost sight of Second Wind for an instant, and felt the green tentacles close around his arms as he was attacked from behind. Malcolm let out a shout of surprise and called forth Savior’s super strength, twisting and flinging Second Wind away from him a split second before his hand could reach out and steal his powers.

  Second Wind didn’t manage to slow himself with his wind manipulation before hitting the trees. In some ways, that worked to his advantage, forcing Malcolm to go into the forest after him. The magma pool still flowed hot in the center of the clearing, and fire was spreading across the gr
ass and trees, threatening to engulf the entire area.

  Malcolm dropped back to the ground as he entered the trees, listening for sounds of movement amidst the crackle of the fire spreading across the forest behind him. Between the canopy of the branches and the smoke, it was almost as dark as night, and hard to see much beyond a few feet.

  He took a step forward and then froze, his instincts screaming to him that something was off. Malcolm dropped to one knee on reflex, and Second Wind’s white energy sword missed his head by only a few inches, cutting through the trees on either side of him.

  Channeling super strength, Malcolm caught one of the tree trunks as it fell and hurled it toward his right, where Second Wind had been hiding in wait for him. He was rewarded with a surprised cry of pain, and immediately began preparing an energy blast to follow up with.

  Second Wind retreated back into the air, recognizing where his advantage lay. Malcolm launched his energy blast in pursuit, the largest one he’d managed yet. It missed Second Wind, but exploded close enough to batter him with the shock wave.

  Malcolm took flight, hoping he could slam into his copy and end the fight, then and there. He took the risk, and paid for it. Second Wind’s disorientation was a feint, and he swung his energy sword in a surprise strike that took Malcolm completely off guard.

  He pushed himself back, but the tip of the bright weapon cut a gash in his shoulder. Second Wind reversed his swing, trying to sever Malcolm’s arm with it. Malcolm put more distance between them, holding a hand over his wound and feeling hot blood underneath his fingers.

  The longer this fight goes on for, the more the advantage tips toward him. I need to end this.

  Malcolm cut off his wind manipulation, letting himself fall back toward the magma pit for a few seconds. Second Wind hesitated, anticipating some kind of trick, as he should have. At the last second, Malcolm flew back into the trees, settling into a spot in the forest where the smoke was heaviest.

  Immediately, he began forming an energy blast, keeping it oriented behind his body and hiding as much of its glow as he could. He poured his strength into it, building it up into a larger sphere than any he’d tried before.