by Lucas Flint
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Trip!” I said, holding out a hand toward him as far as I could. “No!”
I rose to my feet and tried to walk over to him to see if he was still alive, but then there was another roar that forced me to stop and slam my hands over my ears to protect my hearing. I looked toward the lights, squinting until they dimmed enough for me to see exactly what I was up against.
The creature that stood in the tunnel looked like a full-sized grizzly bear, but like the tiger, it had obviously been cybernetically-modified to make it even deadlier than it normally was. Thick steel plates covered its back and limbs, while its eyes had been completely replaced with bright yellow lights that reminded me of headlights. Its claws were also metal and looked razor sharp, while a low whirring sound came from the creature’s body like gears were working furiously within. Its teeth appeared to be made out of the same metal as its claws and were probably just sharp, although I had no intention of finding out just how sharp they were personally.
“A cyber bear,” I said, taking my hands off my ears and turning to face the beast. “A cybear, maybe?”
The bear growled. It suddenly started making shifting and changing noises in its body, and then its back plate retracted backward and a small but deadly-looking laser cannon rose out of its back. A red dot suddenly appeared on my chest exactly where my heart was, which I realized was the laser cannon’s targeting system taking aim and locking on.
I immediately flew straight up into the air just as the bear fired its laser, which missed my feet by inches. I flew toward the bear, but the cannon aimed at me again and fired, forcing me to bank to the right to avoid taking a hit. The laser struck the ceiling behind me, but I ignored the debris it sent falling as I flew toward the bear.
I pulled back my fist and threw it at the bear’s face, striking the bear in the side of the face. The blow knocked the bear flat off its feet, causing it to fall onto its side, a stunned look on its ursine features. It did not get up again.
“Huh,” I said, lowering my fist and putting my hands on my hips. “That was easy. Much easier than the tiger, at any rate. Then again, Strike and I were tied together when we fought the tiger, so that’s probably why this was easier because I didn’t have to hold back this time.”
I shrugged and turned around, intending to go and check on Triplet and Strike, when without warning I heard whirring sounds coming from behind me. I turned around just in time to see the laser taking aim at me and, before I could react, it blasted me in the chest with a blue laser beam.
The impact of the blast sent me flying. I hit the wall on the other side of the tunnel and fell to the floor, stunned and in pain. My chest was smoking from the impact of the laser, but luckily my costume had protected my skin from getting fried. Even so, my chest still burned with pain, making me wince when I touched the spot. It had been a while since I took a hit like that, but now I remembered why I hated getting hit by lasers in general.
Shaking my head, I looked over at the bear, which had gotten back to its feet and was taking aim with the laser at me again. I was amazed that the bear had apparently only been playing dead, but I wondered if the cannon could move independently of the beast. It had to because bears weren’t exactly well-known for their aiming skills.
But it didn’t matter. I scrambled to my feet, but instead of flying, I activated my super speed and rushed to the side to avoid the laser, which fired once again and hit the wall where I’d been standing mere moments ago. Rather than run straight toward the bear, however, I ran toward the wall. Once I got close enough, I jumped and began running up the wall and onto the ceiling, avoiding the repeating blasts of the cannon as it tried to shoot me down. Despite my super speed, the laser cannon missed me by only a few feet each time, forcing me to run as fast as I could to stay ahead, aware that if I slowed down even a little, I would get blasted and possibly even killed.
When I reached the wall on the opposite side of the tunnel, I launched off it toward the bear, using both my super speed and flight powers to help me fly at super fast speeds. The laser kept shooting at me, but I easily avoided its blasts, diving in and out of the lasers that came at me like cannon balls.
And then I smashed through the laser, breaking it off of the bear’s back and crashing to the floor. The bear roared in pain as I landed on the other side of the tunnel and stood up, dusting off my costume as I turned around to face it. Sparks were flying off the bear’s back, which was now much more exposed thanks to the destruction of the laser cannon, which lay smoking at the floor by the bear’s feet.
I cracked a grin. “Might want to have a doctor take a look at that, buddy. Could be serious.”
To my surprise, the bear stopped roaring and instead looked toward me. It then crouched down, making me think that it was about to jump at me, so I prepared to run underneath it should it try something like that.
Instead, however, the bear’s claws retracted into its feet and were replaced by treads, of all things. Tank treads, to be more specific, while its metal plating extended until the bear was practically covered head to foot in a thick, metallic shell that looked nearly impenetrable. The only thing it was missing was a cannon, but given how I had just ripped off its cannon, that wasn’t terribly surprising.
“Holy cow,” I said. “You’re a Transformer, too?”
Abruptly, the bear-tank-thing shot toward me, its treads making it move much faster than it should have. Taken by surprise, I held out my hands to catch it, but the bear tank slammed into me and pinned me to the wall, squeezing the air out of my lungs. I gasped for breath and struggled to push the bear tank off me, but it was too heavy and I lacked the support necessary to be able to push it. Although my super strength had kept my spine from snapping like a twig upon impact, it was only a matter of time before the bear tank crushed me under its weight, which meant that unless I did something quick, I was definitely going to die.
I banged my fists against its metal shell, but it was too thick for me to do any real damage. I even tried to electrocute it, but my electricity was practically useless against its shell. I doubted Longworth had designed this thing to counter my powers specifically, but it was doing a pretty darn good job of that anyway, making me fear that this thing was going to crush me to death and then go and finish off Triplet and Strike.
A second later, however, the bear tank was yanked away from me as though it was attached to a rope. Gasping for air, I fell down onto my hands and knees, breathing in and out rapidly and wincing at the pain in my ribs, but then I heard a pained roar and looked up to see what where that had come from.
The bear tank was now hovering in midair, almost making me think it also had levitation powers until I noticed Strike holding out a hand toward it. Strike was still lying on the floor, using one arm to prop himself up, while his other hand was pointed toward the beast. He looked tired and barely conscious, yet he still held the bear tank in the air with his magnetic powers like it was nothing.
“Bolt!” said Strike. His voice was much weaker than usual. “I got it! Hit as hard as you can before I drop it!”
I didn’t even hesitate. I shot into the air and slammed both of my fists as hard as I could against the bear tank, putting all of my strength into smashing into its shell.
The impact of the blow sent the bear tank flying through the air until it crashed into the wall on the other side of the tunnel hard enough to send dust falling off the ceiling. The bear tank then hit the ground and stopped moving, although this time I could tell it was because it was out for the count now and definitely was not playing dead.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Panting and sweating from the effort of the fight, I slowly lowered back down to the floor and touched my ribs gingerly. Even that light touch made them hurt, forcing me to pull my own hand away from my rib cage instinctively. I didn’t think any of my ribs were broken, but they were definitely hurt and would probably keep hurting for a while.
But I had to put my own pain out of my
head for now, because Strike was lying flat on the floor again and I couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or even dead. I ran over to him and stopped by his side, kneeling next to him as I looked at his face.
His skin was paler than normal and his breathing slightly ragged, but aside from that, he seemed normal. At least he was conscious, which was good because it meant he wasn’t dead.
“Hey, Strike, how do you feel?” I asked. “Can you get up?”
Strike groaned. “Not sure. I might be able to, but not on my own. I’ll need some support.”
A groan nearby made me look up and see Triplet sitting up already. He was rubbing a bruise on his forehead that hadn’t been there previously, though he looked more annoyed than in pain at the moment.
“Ugh,” said Triplet. “What happened?”
“You got knocked out by that bear’s roars,” I said, nodding at the fallen bear tank. “Strike and I managed to take it out, though, so we should be fine for now.”
Triplet looked at the bear tank with a mixture of fear and relief. “I barely escaped that thing the last time I saw it. Glad it’s dead, at least.”
“Longworth is even crazier than we thought,” I said. “Or maybe more creative, depending on how you look at it.”
“He’s nuts,” said Triplet as he slowly rose to his feet, dusting off his pants and overcoat. He looked over at us. “How is Strike? Is he okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Strike. He winced and put a hand on his chest. “I just feel so weak, like I’ve come down with the flu or something like that. Not sure I will be able to walk on my own.”
“I’ll help you,” I said to Strike, holding out a hand. “No way we’re going to leave you here by yourself. If that bear is here, then there are probably even more monsters like it nearby.”
Triplet bit his lower lip. “Strike will slow us down, but I guess it can’t be helped. Can you still use your powers, at least?”
Strike nodded. “Yeah. That’s how I helped Bolt take down the monster in the first place.”
“All right,” said Triplet. “We’ll just have to hope that the poison injected into you will work its way through your system after a while. Until then, we’ll have to be extra careful about getting into fights with these monsters.”
I looked from the dead bear to the destroyed drone, thinking about what just happened. Then it clicked in my head. “Trip, I think we should keep our eyes out not just for the monsters, but also for the drones. In fact, I think keeping an eye out for drones is even more important than being aware of the beasts, because the drones, I think, are how the beasts find us.”
“No doubt,” Triplet agreed. “I don’t think it’s at all a coincidence that the bear attacked us as soon as we discovered the drone. My guess is that Longworth uses the drones to follow our movements and report them to the monsters, allowing the monsters to get the jump on us when we least expect it. Pretty good strategy, if I do say so myself.”
“Good for Longworth, maybe, but bad for us,” I said. “If we can’t even see or hear the drones until it’s too late, it’s going to be very hard for us to destroy them before they summon more monsters.”
Triplet put his hands into the pockets of his coat, a grim expression on his face. “You’re right. That’s why we need to find the exit and get out of here as fast as possible.”
I nodded and helped Strike to his feet. Like Strike said, he seemed to have difficulty standing up on his own, much less walking. He had to lean on me for support, which definitely did slow us down, but it wasn’t like we had any choice. We weren’t going to abandon Strike on his own down here, to become food for whatever freakish scientific experiment Longworth had prowling around down here. No man left behind and all that.
Even as we walked, still following the trail of the arrows, I could not help but look back over my shoulder every now and then, but I did not see anything or anyone behind us. I definitely didn’t see any drones, but that didn’t mean very much, given how silently they could move. I just hoped that Longworth had run out of drones to send after us.
After a while, the tunnel branched off into two separate paths, one to the left, one to the right. The arrows pointed us to the right, so naturally, we went down the right tunnel, although cautiously, of course, because we had no idea what might lie ahead of us.
“So,” I said to Strike as we walked, trying to loosen the tension somewhat with conversation, “where are the rest of the New Heroes if you don’t mind me asking?”
Strike shrugged. “Slime and the Lightning Triplets are still back the home base. They wanted to help me find Dizzy, but I told them to stay there in case of emergency. Dizzy might be part of the team, but I still see this as being very personal.”
“I see,” I said. “I know what you mean. Blizzard was in trouble not too long ago. Everyone was concerned about her, but not as much as me, I think.”
“Probably,” Strike agreed. “I haven’t been able to sleep well at all since Dizzy’s kidnapping. I’ve been worried sick about her and what her kidnapper might be doing to her. Frankly, I’m even more worried about her now after what Triplet told us about all those girls being kidnapped.”
“Yeah, it’s freaky,” I said. “Whatever is going on, Longworth seems to be behind it. The only question is, what is he doing and why?”
“I don’t even want to think about it,” said Strike with a shudder. “I keep worrying that he might be performing all kinds of gruesome, ugly experiments on them, like—”
Triplet suddenly stopped and held up a hand, forcing Strike and me to come to a stop as well.
“Trip, what’s the matter?” I said. “Did you see someone?”
“No,” said Triplet. “But I heard someone. Listen closely. Footsteps.”
Strike and I both went quiet as we strove to hear the footsteps Triplet spoke of. It took me a couple of seconds before I heard a couple of footsteps somewhere in the darkness up ahead. It did not sound like a monster, but I still prepared myself for battle anyway just to be safe.
“Those sound like a person’s footsteps,” said Strike. “Is there someone else down here other than ourselves?”
“Possibly,” said Triplet. He rested one of his hands on the gun inside his coat. “Regardless, be prepared. Even if it’s a person, that doesn’t mean they’re on our side. Could be Longworth or maybe someone working for him.”
I nodded and looked ahead. The footsteps were growing louder and louder now like the person was close, but I still couldn’t see them. It made me a bit anxious, but I tried to remain calm. We had managed to defeat two of Longworth’s monsters by now, and they had been tough and vicious, too. Whatever he was sending now surely couldn’t be any worse than what we had already killed.
Finally, I saw a vague outline appear in the dim lights up ahead. It was shaped like a person, but it was still impossible to make out any real details. I couldn’t even tell what their sex was, just that they appeared humanoid.
Triplet drew his gun and pointed it at the outline. “Stop right there! Or I’ll shoot.”
The outline, however, didn’t even slow down. It simply kept walking at a slow, steady pace, like it was taking a nice stroll through the park on a sunny summer afternoon. It didn’t even say anything. It just kept coming and coming and I still couldn’t make out many details other than its general shape.
Triplet didn’t hesitate. He pulled the trigger multiple times, shooting out several bullets in rapid succession, the gunshots echoing off the enclosed walls of the tunnel, but it seemed like none of the bullets hit their target.
A chilling chuckle—closer to the sound a hyena would make than a human—came from the outline all of a sudden. “Mieko, Mieko, Mieko. Out of all of the superheroes I knew, I thought you, at least, would know better than to shoot at me. But I guess I was wrong. Or maybe you just don’t recognize me.”
For the first time in a while, I saw fear cross Triplet’s face. He didn’t lower his gun, but his hand did shake slightly. “No. It can’t b
e …”
I was about to ask Triplet who it was when the outline materialized into existence. It stepped into the light, allowing me to see for the first time just who this mysterious figure was.
He was a tall, athletic man wearing a purple costume that looked an awful lot like mine, except he was missing a mask. His head was completely uncovered, showcasing his crazy blue hair that stuck up in all directions like the hair of an anime protagonist. His skin was chillingly pale and his eyes were bugged out, one of them even twitching. He appeared unarmed, but that didn’t mean he was harmless.
“Who are you?” I said. “One of Longworth’s lackeys?”
The supervillain chuckled again. “Lackey? More like equal. Because if it hadn’t been for my brother’s help, I wouldn’t even be here at all anymore.”
My eyes widened. Now I knew why Triplet was so terrified of him and acted like he had just seen a ghost because, in a way, he had.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” said the supervillain. He spread his arms wide. “I am Conan X. Longworth, but perhaps you know me better as Phaser. And let me tell you, being alive again just feels great.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Impossible,” said Strike. He coughed several times. “You can’t be him. Phaser died years ago, killed by—”
“It’s him,” said Triplet. He didn’t hide the distaste in his voice as he looked upon Phaser. “I knew him when I was in the NHA. Looks and sounds just like him. He’s even wearing his costume.”
“This old thing?” said Phaser. He ran his hands down his costume in a way that seemed sensual, which just made me uncomfortable. “It’s a little outdated, I will admit, but my dear brother kept it for me for the day when he would bring me back to life. That’s true brotherly love right there.”
“You should be dead,” said Triplet. “I saw your body. I was even at your funeral.”
Phaser smiled, revealing crooked, yellowing teeth. “You were? How sweet of you. I thought you hated me after I left the NHA. I guess you still have a soft spot for me after all.”
