by Riker Kane
“Redgrave realized the mistake he made after he lost you. He figured out a way to stabilize me so I could come get you. It’s only temporary though. We have to get out of here quick.”
My father’s smile softened but it was still there. “It’s too late for me.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“This thing… Lynx… This is his dimension. He siphons Mana from everything crossing into his domain. He’s been doing that to me for the past seventeen years. Look at me, Zo. It’s been too long. I’m… I’m barely hanging on.”
I shook my head. “No… That can’t be. C’mon. I’ll carry you if I have to. Just follow my lead—”
I grabbed his arm but my hand slipped through him completely. I reached out again in a desperate attempt to hold him but the result didn’t change.
“My essence is fading,” he said. “I don’t have much time left. But you do.”
“No… No! I didn’t come all this way just to say goodbye. Dad, you can’t—”
“Listen to me, Zo. We’re in a cage right now. A cage you can break. I can give you what Mana I have left in me. I can strengthen your gauntlets so you can do it.”
“I won’t do it! I won’t leave you behind!”
“Dammit, Zo!”
He squeezed his hands tight around my shoulders to make sure I was looking at him.
“You have to do this. There are other people depending on you. This was the way it was meant to be.”
I turned away from him. The reality of the situation was slowly dawning on me. The reality I had no choice but to accept. I didn’t even fully understand it. The only thing I knew for sure was I had to listen to him, the one man I’d trust over anybody.
“What are you?” he asked.
“Huh?” I slowly turned toward him.
“What are you?”
I thought about it for a moment. “…Superstar.” I hadn’t said it since I was child. The memories it brought back made me laugh.
“When your mother was pregnant with you, that’s what she called you. She knew you were destined for something amazing before you were even born. And she was right. I held on this long because I thought someone would come. You don’t know how proud I am to see that it’s you. To see you now. This is the greatest thing I’ve ever done. You are the greatest accomplishment your mother and I could have asked for. It would be impossible to ask for anything more.”
I’d lost my mother. The grandmother that raised me. Now my father was saying goodbye without saying it.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m always with you. Grandma… Mom… We’re all with you, Zo. Just because you can’t see us doesn’t mean we’re not there.”
“Dad…”
He pulled me close and squeezed his arms around me as much as he could. “I love you, Zo.”
I put my arms around him. His body was fading in my grip but I didn’t let him go. My eyes closed but the tears still leaked down and wet my cheeks.
It felt like only a second before he pulled away from me.
“Use the gauntlets to break your way out of this cage,” he said. “Beat Lynx and get back and tell them there are others like him. That’s how we’re gonna win this war.”
I swallowed hard to regain my composure and nodded. “I’ll do it.”
He took a step back. His chin up, he smiled proudly. It was the same smile he’d been giving me this entire time. “What are you?”
“…Superstar.”
“I’ll always be with you…” He closed his eyes and his whole body began to fade into the dark red energy flowing all around us. I watched the energy slowly move toward me and into my gauntlets until it was gone.
There was nothing at first. But a second went by and my gauntlets began to shake more violently than they ever had before. The display brightened and I was able to read it.
SYNERGY with ENZO DRAKE
Oliver Drake - Level MAX: Unlock Slayer Overdrive
Jade Conrad - Level 5: 20% power increase to all abilities
Alisa Bosworth - Level 5: 20% speed increase to all basic attacks
“What…” I swiped through the touchscreen and saw the new stats of my weapon.
SP-002 SLAYER GAUNTLETS
*Amplified Melee Damage
*Amplified Strength
When Slayer Overdrive is active:
*Increased HP
*Amplify All Stats
*Amplify All Basic Attacks
*Amplify All Abilities
*Increased Endurance Loss
Added Core Abilities:
Slayer Overdrive
Unleash the true potential of the Slayer Gauntlets
Revolver Drill
Swing both gauntlets 360-degrees, hitting targets on all sides
Power Shield
Activate a frontal energy barrier that blocks damage
Seismic Quake
Strike the ground to cause a tremor that stuns all grounded enemies
Earth Heave
Tear the earth from the ground and use it as a projectile
“Slayer Overdrive…”
I looked around the darkness around me.
“Time to get out of this cage.”
I closed my eyes and focused my energy. I clenched my fists and felt the gauntlets beginning to shake. They were vibrating so hard I thought they were going to slip off. But I kept my grip until heat warmed my palms.
“Whoa…” I looked down to see the gauntlets glowing red hot like they were on fire. A rush of adrenaline flowed through my body. I felt stronger. My feet felt like I was floating on air. The red aura surrounding my weapons moved until it was outlining my entire body.
“Break outta the cage…” I ran forward and leaped high enough to jump over a building. With all of my strength, I reared back and swung. I didn’t know what I was aiming for but I hit something. The gauntlet shattered the ceiling like glass. My momentum kept moving me forward until I was flying back into familiar surroundings.
The stars were all around me with the purple-red sphere shining in the distance. I was at the center of the galaxy, floating through the air until I came back crashing down onto the rock where I confronted Lynx before.
And he was still there. His back was turned to me but it was so quiet he had to have known I was there.
“It appears you are more formidable than I anticipated.” He slowly turned back toward me, an expression of boredom on his face. “Unfortunately for you, being more formidable will not change the result. I will enjoy drawing the rest of your essence from you.”
“You should’ve taken the deal.”
My whole body was engulfed in some type of energy. A red flame aura surrounded me completely. I could feel how much stronger I was. Now it was time to put it to the test.
I dashed forward in a blur faster than I’d ever moved before. BANG. A right hand caught Lynx in the jaw like a bullet. A left hook cracked him in the same spot and turned his head the other way.
BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. Right. Left. Right. Left. I rotated punches so fast my arms didn’t even look like they were there.
Lynx stumbled back, blood splattering from his mouth as he failed to keep up with me. I grabbed his robes to keep him from falling over then worked my fist like a piston, knocking his head so far back his neck snapped.
I wasn’t done with him though. Not like last time. His eyes were no longer glowing. His body was limp. All I needed was one last punch.
I reared back and landed an uppercut on the underside of his chin so hard his head separated and went zooming into the space above us until disappearing completely. His lifeless body fell to the ground and dark blood poured from the open wound on his neck.
With Lynx dead, I realized just how much the gauntlets were draining me. I breathed hard but stood my ground, knowing it wasn’t over.
“Now I just need to figure out a way to get the hell out of here…”
“I already told you. There is no escape from death.”
&
nbsp; Lynx’s voice filled the air like it was coming from a speaker. I spun around but there was no sign of him no matter where I looked.
“Formidable. But still not good enough.”
His body on the ground began to stir. It moved like there was something inside of it moving it around. I stepped back and watched his remains stand up straight. Suddenly, a flash of red light from above zoomed down and cracked the body, splitting it in two like it was struck by lightning. The remnants of the pale figure fell to the ground but standing in its place was something else.
A Shadow like the ones I encountered in the Wasteland. Only this one was twice as big. Red energy engulfed its body like it was on fire. There was a warmth coming from the aura that grew stronger as it took a step toward me.
“Insignificant.” Lynx’s distorted voice came from the red Shadow. It had no mouth or any other facial features but I could still hear it clearly. “You will not survive.”
“You’re not gonna kill me. You can’t beat me.”
“You’re already dying. Look at yourself.”
I glanced down and saw my entire body beginning to phase in and out like a ghost. “Shit…”
“If I do not kill you, you will still die here. There is no escape.”
I couldn’t lose now. Not when I was this close. “You’re the reason my father isn’t here. You’re gonna pay, asshole.”
“You will not—”
WHAM. I dashed forward in the blink of an eye and caught the entity right in the chest with a left hand. The blow sent the Shadow stumbling through the dirt. I was on it quickly, pounding my fists down onto its back with the hardest punches I’d ever thrown. I hit it so hard I made a crater in the ground and sent dirt flying in every direction.
“Raaaah!” The glowing red Shadow screamed out and a blast of energy like a bomb went off sent me tumbling back. It cleared enough space to pick itself up from the hole I dug for it.
“Pathetic.” The Shadow raised its arms. Suddenly, the space above me began to move. Beams of red energy formed like portals appearing. A shower of red missile blasts came crashing down on top of me like meteors.
“Power Shield!” The barrier formed and burned red like the rest of my body. The weight of the meteors pounded against my shield but my Power Shield was strengthened as everything else was. Explosions of dirt in every direction made it hard for me to see anything beyond just a few feet. I held on until the bombardment stopped. The dust settled and energy began charging up in the sky. I couldn’t give him another chance to get ready.
“You gotta do better than that.” I stomped my way forward until I was close enough to get back to the Shadow and crack it in the head with a right hand.
The Shadow fell onto its back and readied another blast. But my barrier was back up to block it without much trouble. Another right hand sent it moving back before it could send more fiery meteors crashing on me.
I could sense the Shadow beginning to weaken as it slowed getting back up. But my body was beginning to fade. I was having trouble keeping my footing. Even my fists were harder to clench.
“This is my dimension! There is no escape!”
“Dammit…”
I zoomed forward but the Shadow was there to meet me, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me from the ground. I struggled to break free and my body continued to fade, making it harder to connect properly.
“It is over.” Lynx’s voice was filled with more loathing than before. “Return to your cell and accept your fate. Stop wasting your essence in this foolish attempt to defeat me.”
The Shadow squeezed its hand around my throat. Everything was slipping away. I couldn’t think straight and I could reach it with my punches.
I only had one chance left. My instincts took over and I kicked my feet up. I wrapped my legs around the Shadow’s arm and with all of my strength tugged and pulled as hard as I could.
“Gaaaah!” Lynx yelled out as I ripped his arm off completely.
I fell back to the ground as Lynx stumbled back.
A split-second.
That was all I had.
That was all I needed.
My energy charged as much as I could. The red aura burning around me grew until an inferno was engulfing me. My fist clenched, I fired an uppercut right into the red Shadow. BAM. We both went flying into space, zooming through the clouds and past all of the stars. I held on for as long as I could then reared back, slamming the Shadow with lefts and rights as we floated in space underneath the purple moonlight.
“No… No!” Lynx screamed out helplessly as the Shadow’s energy began to fade. “You are not strong enough.”
The aura around the Shadow began to burn even hotter. A blindingly bright red energy full of fury and anger that would’ve made anybody back down threatened me.
But it wasn’t gonna stop me. “This one’s for Dad.”
WHAM. I cocked back and thudded a massive right hand into the center of the Shadow’s chest, punching a hole right through and vaporizing it into a cloud of red energy. It wafted like mist through the space around me before fading into nothingness.
Lynx wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I waited for his voice but it didn’t come. Everything down to his essence was gone.
“Shit…” I looked down as I tumbled back down to the ground. I managed to aim myself properly and land on my feet, sending more dirt and debris all around me.
My lungs were burning. My muscles were sore as shit. My vision was blurring. Sweat drenched my entire body. Cuts and bruises dripped out whatever blood I had left in me. And that wasn’t even the worst of it because my essence was still fading and my body was disappearing.
The ground suddenly began to rumble. It was so violent I had trouble standing up straight.
But then I saw it. A purple Obelisk forming just a few meters away from me. Next to it was a portal of blue energy.
With no time to waste, I used my last bit of strength to rush up to the Obelisk and shatter it into pieces with a lariat. I kept moving forward until I was able to tumble through the energy portal. I didn’t even care where it led me. Anywhere but here.
I stumbled forward. My feet kicked but there was nothing underneath me. My surroundings turned black until my momentum stopped. My face and body crashed against whatever it was in front of me with a hard thud.
I stayed in my position. It was hard. Cold. A quick glance and I saw I was against something polished. There was no other place I’d ever been to that had black granite like this. I wanted to pucker my lips and kiss it.
But when I opened my eyes and regained my vision, I saw something right in front of me. A black loafer so shiny I could see my reflection. My eyes worked their way up to see the suit and the man it was attached to.
Thomas Higashi stood before me, flanked by enough LOD guards to make sure I didn’t try anything. Not that I could. The red aura around me was gone and the gauntlets in my hands were nothing but charred metal husks, steaming like they’d just been pulled out of a volcano.
“Detain him.”
I closed my eyes and didn’t resist the dozens of hands grabbing at me.
47: Consequences
After a brief trip to the building’s Med Bay, I was hustled back into my confinement cell. They gave me the same bottles of water as before and added a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings. The possibility of it being poisoned wasn’t likely since they couldn’t stop what I’d already done. Then again, maybe someone with the Legion was spiteful enough. I didn’t care enough to worry about it at this point.
I was in the middle of a bite as the green lights around the door lit up. Higashi stepped inside, just enough to make sure the door didn’t slide closed on him.
I kept eating like he wasn’t even there. With my injuries healed, all I could focus on was how tired and hungry I was.
“They’re fine,” he said. “Your companions. We recovered them in our Med Bay after their Recall Boxes activated. It appears Dr. Redgrave thought ahead and made sure they were sy
nced properly.”
“Redgrave’s a smart guy. A real asset to what you’re doing. It’d be a shame if anything happened to him.”
“Dr. Redgrave and your companions will be dealt with accordingly. That’s not the issue we need to discuss at the moment.”
Higashi pulled out a chair and took a seat in front of me. I took another bite of my sandwich, my chewing the only thing breaking the silence. He had his eyes on me but I was more focused on the table.
“The data from your communicator is being uploaded into our database. It appears proper readings were able to be made, even with Anarchy’s instability.”
“Glad I’m helping you guys out.” I gave him a grin but he wasn’t in the same mood as me.
“Tell me something, Enzo. What did you see when you were out there?”
The thought of keeping my secret crossed my mind. There was no reason for me to do that though. “It was like being in space. Not on the moon like all of those videos. But the kind of space you see in movies and on TV and what you read about in books. So many colors. So many lights. Burning stars and comets shooting by. Asteroids floating in the air. I was floating on a rock myself.”
“Was that all you saw?”
“I saw the Herald I was gunning for. Lynx. He sent me somewhere. Some… prison. Can’t explain it really. It was like standing in an endless room of nothing but energy.”
“And your father? Were you able to locate him?”
I took another bite of my sandwich while I thought about it. The bittersweet feeling was hard to swallow.
“He was there. He told me…”
Higashi leaned forward. “What did he tell you?” His eyebrows raised just enough for me to see how curious he was.
“He told me Lynx was in control of that dimension. Lynx mentioned something about not being like the others.”
“The others?”
“The other Heralds, I guess. The ones who are trying to come to Earth and kill us all. Some collective or something. Don’t know exactly what he’s talking about. What I do know is Lynx isn’t a threat. Crushed the Obelisk like Jade taught me and the world collapsed after I sent him flying through space.”
