The super villain looked around. In the distance he spotted a news helicopter, filming the whole scene. He smiled.
He flew straight for it.
“After him!” Luke shouted.
Ray used his anti-gravity power to levitate them in pursuit. Mastermind flew so fast. Quickly escaping. But Ray was starting to get good at using his power. He picked up the pace – and soon they started gaining on him!
Mastermind accelerated right up to the news helicopter. The video camera pointed straight at his face. Mastermind reached inside and placed his hand on the pilot. The pilot started screaming with blood-curdling horror, clawing at his face and chest.
His body began changing. Transforming. Uncontrollably. Into… into… scales… wings… a large tail… the pilot turned into a giant… purple dragon. He screeched with agonizing pain, fiery eyes going wild, as his body quickly grew larger and larger, enormously so, becoming way too big for the limited space inside the helicopter. The front windshield busted out. The frame started to buckle. The helicopter turned sideways, starting to spin out of control. The large dragon-man broke himself free, suddenly finding himself airborne, still completing his radical transformation.
He let out another loud ear-piercing screech as his wings began to flap and he started to fly on his own.
The helicopter, on the other hand, went into a tailspin and crashed into the side of a building. The camera man inside most certainly died. Fiery debris fell to the surface below.
Mastermind floated in front of his latest monster. Making eye contact, he said to the beast, “Kill them.” He pointed at Ray and the others.
The purple dragon obeyed.
“Okay…” said Ray, seeing the ridiculously large dragon coming right at them.
“I got this,” said Dawn. “Let me free.”
Ray released her from his power. She immediately began falling towards the ground. But she quickly transformed – into a powerful green dragon of her own!
The purple one got too close. It inhaled deep, something red lit up behind his nostrils, and suddenly fire spewed out of his mouth in a rushing stream.
“Shields up!” Luke shouted.
The fire instantly spread around his force field, just in the nick of time. For a second, they saw only the inside of the flames, all around them, until it burned off and passed completely over. The force field protected them. Although it did get a little warm for a second or two there.
“Nice one,” Ray said.
“Thanks,” returned Luke.
Dawn tried breathing fire. Could she do that too? She inhaled deep. Summoned it up. And… blew nothing but slightly warm air. Dammit. Wait, there had to be a way. Fire-breathing wasn’t a super power. He was a mutant. Nothing more. There had to be a way to replicate the same ability.
Dawn shape-shifted her insides. She wasn’t sure how she did it. But on her second attempt – there was fire. Beautiful, magnificent fire. Blazing out of her mouth like one badass flame-thrower. Oh heck yes. That felt good.
She aimed the fire right at the other dragon. Part of her flames scorched over Luke’s shield, but they were fine. The other dragon got burned. It roared aloud again, still ear-piercing, and immediately blew another stream of fire back at her.
“Ray, move us in between!” Luke shouted.
“Already ahead of ya!” he replied.
They moved in front of the fire stream. Luke’s force field blocked and deflected the wave of fire. Dawn was left untouched. She laughed, flew above the two guys, and then blasted the dragon with another fire ball of her own.
The purple one spewed another stream of fire. Ray quickly moved them up to block the fire blast.
This was taking too long. “Hold on guys,” Luke said. As soon as the other dragon stopped breathing fire, Luke immediately removed the shields, pointed his fist forward, and fired a cutting laser at the dragon’s wings.
It sliced off one wing, and then quickly, the other.
“Sorry guy.”
The dragon screeched out in unimaginable pain, and without his giant wings to keep him afloat, immediately began tumbling toward the ground.
Dawn dove down, caught the beast with her dragon-like feet claws, and descended slowly, landing them both gently on the ground. Hey, it wasn’t his fault he got mutated or mind-controlled. Somewhere behind that monstrous face was a human being.
The dragon still blew fire at her. But Dawn immediately jumped back up into the air and flew away. The newly-mutated dragon shot wave after wave of fire towards her, but he was stuck on the ground – and Dawn and the others quickly flew out of range.
“Good teamwork there guys,” said Dawn, flying alongside them still in dragon-form.
“Thanks,” said Ray, levitating him and Luke forward.
“I’m tracking Mastermind now. He’s headed for the shore.”
They weaved through the city buildings as fast as they could. Luke kept Mastermind locked on his heads-up display. Dawn flew up higher above the buildings. From his higher perspective, she could see just how many mutants there were.
It went on for city block after city block, mile after mile, as far as the eye could see. Nearly every person in the streets had been mutated into a monster. No way Mastermind could do all this on his own – could he?
They reached the edge of the city. The Atlantic Ocean greeted them beyond. Mastermind dove into the water.
“Where’s he going?” asked Luke.
Ray landed them safely on the ground, at a docking bay along the coast. Some large ships waited to be loaded with the various heavy crates that sat around – but no one was here to work anything. They had either ran away or already been mutated. One mermaid-like person sat along the edge of the dock, in the distance. When the creature spotted them, it quickly dove into the water to escape.
“He trying to hide from us or something?” asked Ray.
Luke shrugged. “Maybe. But I didn’t know he could breathe underwater.”
“I don’t think he can,” said Dawn, landing beside them as she returned to human form. “I saw him from above. He’s treading water behind that ship over there.”
Ray smiled. “Watch this.”
He held out both his hands, focused really hard, and concentrated on that ship. With all his effort, from across the dock, slowly, he began to levitate that massive ship.
It started rising. Water streamed down its sides. The ship rose higher and higher, little by little – until it was completely out of the water and several feet up into the air. Ray concentrated harder still, struggling with all his might, and lifted it even higher.
Luke and Dawn ran up to the edge of the dock. They looked into the turbulent waters.
Mastermind was nowhere to be seen.
Not in the water, anyway.
As the large ship rose even higher, they saw Mastermind floating in place, behind it, waiting for them, arms crossed.
“Impressive,” he said.
Luke aimed his cutting laser directly at the villain. “Give it up, Mastermind. We captured all your mutants. We’ve got you outnumbered. Surrender peacefully or we’ll—”
Mastermind rolled his eyes. Then he glanced down into the murky waters, pointing below. “Say hello to my little children.”
A giant shark leaped out of the water and onto the dock. Luke and Dawn dodged out of the way, with it between them. This shark had teeth that would give Jaws an inferiority complex – and, strangely, jellyfish-like tentacles hanging from its gums. And extra eyes across its forehead. Then the shark stood up – on its short little mutant legs – and they knew where this was going.
Ray released the ship. He blasted an anti-gravity shockwave at the shark monster. The creature tumbled backwards. The ship crashed into the water, sending a small tidal wave splashing over them. The shark caught the wave, which carried him forward back towards them – oops – and he crashed right into Dawn. She screamed as the beast chomped at her side, deeply stinging her flesh. She screamed out in unbelievable pain
. Blood poured out from her side – that thing bit off her entire arm! The wave subsided, the shark was now behind them. Dawn looked down at her severed arm, in shock. The shark monster turned around, stumbled on his short little legs, flopping back towards her, chomping for another bite.
“Dawn!” Ray shouted.
Luke fired the cutting laser straight through the shark’s head. He sure hoped that didn’t used to be a person. The monster fell over dead, coming to a loud wet thud as it hit the dock.
Ray ran up to Dawn. She was in terrible shock. She just lost an arm. Her whole body was shivering.
“Dawn! Dawn! Listen to me! Look at me!” He held her face in his hands. “I need you to use your power and re-grow another arm. You can do it, Dawn. I know you can. Hurry!”
She blinked. He got through to her. She concentrated enough. The wound started to close itself up. The massive bleeding stopped. Ray let out a sigh of relief. Slowly a new arm grew in its place. Small at first. Then back to a normal size. Good as new. Just like the old one.
“Dawn, are you okay?”
Dawn slowly lifted her hand to her face. She wiggled her new fingers. She smiled. She was a little light-headed from the loss of blood. But she’d be okay.
“Oh thank God,” said Ray.
They embraced in a hug.
Luke looked back at Mastermind, still floating there. The villain shook his head in disappointment.
“Pity,” said Mastermind.
“No more of this,” said Luke. “You’ve gone far enough.”
“I’m just getting started,” replied Mastermind.
“Like hell you are!”
This was going to end – right here, right now. Luke raced forward, activating his armored suit’s hydraulics, jumped up into the air, leaping forward with superhuman strength and speed – and collided directly into Mastermind.
Chapter Eleven
Last Breath
Back at the apartment, Charlie continued watching the news. Still with the volume muted, and closed captioning on.
Mastermind’s “obey me” video still repeated. They seemed to replay it every five or ten minutes. It was ridiculous. That damn video was all over the place. Charlie flipped through the channels. It was on that channel. And the next. Oh look, there’s a repeat of the president’s message, telling everyone to get their so-called “cure.” Next channel: more Mastermind. Channel after that: sports. Channel after that, more Mastermind.
Wait, what was this?
Something different. Charlie turned up the volume.
“Lord Mastermind has just released a new video,” said the anchor man, “with apparently new information. We’re the first network to bring you this breaking news update.”
New video? Could that be—?
It switched to the “new” video. It started out just like the old one. Mastermind’s face – clear, in focus, and in high-definition – filled the television screen. This was being broadcast in homes across America – and hopefully, soon the world.
“I am Mastermind,” he said, smiling. The next words in the video used to be: “Your new god. Bow down and worship me.” But that wasn’t what he said next. The video abruptly cut back to his first “I am” – and then immediately cut to several seconds ahead – “a disgusting plague on this planet. You” – another rough cut to – “will” – cut – “be so lucky” – cut – “to kill” – and – “ME!”
Nice job, anonymous hacker friend. Not the smoothest editing work ever, but it just might do the trick.
“Kill” – edit – “ME!” – cut – “Do not” – cut – “bow down and worship me.” Charlie laughed. Nice touch. Then it repeated, over and over again: “Kill – ME! Kill – ME! Kill – ME! – NOW!” It showed Mastermind smiling again. And then cut to: “Share this video with everyone you know.”
Charlie suddenly felt an urge to kill Mastermind – right now. And if he saw Mastermind in person, he just might. Charlie had never killed anyone in his life before. He shook his head quickly. Tried to shake it off. The mind control was working. Against Mastermind this time.
The TV switched back to the news anchor, who suddenly had a strange and confused look on his face. “Um, apparently Lord Mastermind… I mean, just Mastermind, wants us to kill him now.”
Impact!
Luke crashed into Mastermind.
Heavy metal armor suit against mortal flesh. Mastermind felt that. Hard.
The two splashed down into the water.
Mastermind pressed his hand against Luke’s armor. He tried transforming Luke into something – perhaps a giant ugly fly, or a disgusting little ant, or some other annoying and bothersome insect mutant. But nothing happened. His power didn’t work on technology. It was just armor. Just metal. Not a living thing. Luke’s suit remained unchanged and intact.
Luke instantly teleported the two of them away.
A flash of light – a rush of water – and they were gone.
Back in the wide open and barren Mojave Desert, they reappeared with another flash of light. Water splashed down onto the thirsty soil around them.
Luke tossed Mastermind to the ground. The villain crashed hard into the hot and rough sand. Luke, standing tall and proud, stepped over to him. “I have every right to kill you,” Luke said. “Not a soul in the galaxy would side with you. You must pay for your crimes, Mastermind. And I’m here to take you down.”
Luke held out his hand, aiming his cutting laser directly at Mastermind’s head. The laser battery charged up. Yield increased to 150%... 300%... 500%... 1,000%!
“Any last words?”
Mastermind grinned.
“Disarm yourself,” Mastermind said, looking directly into Luke’s helmet visor. “Lower your weapons, bow down, and worship me.” He smiled like the devil. “Now.”
Luke lowered his arm. The laser stopped charging. He bent down on one knee.
Mastermind started laughing. He rose up.
Luke lowered his head.
“You will obey me.”
Luke looked back up. “Not in a million years!” His metal-armored fist – backed by amplified suit hydraulics – thrust up into Mastermind’s stomach with one super-powered mechanical punch.
Blood spit out of Mastermind’s mouth. All the wind knocked out of him. The man stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell back to the sandy earth.
Luke rose to his feet. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying, Mastermind. But my heads-up display is translating everything for me to read.”
Luke punched him again – hard.
The super villain spun over, falling to the ground again. Mastermind stumbled to his feet a second time – and bam! – another punishing impact from Luke’s armored fist.
“You killed my parents!”
Another unforgiving pound. Bones cracked.
“You killed Ethos!”
Another pounding thrust. More blood flew out of his mouth.
“You killed countless others!”
One, two, three punishing hits. Mastermind fell to his knees, nursing his injuries.
“You mutated all those people!”
Luke kicked him hard with his mechanical boot. Mastermind spun into the air and landed on some painful rocks – right along his spine.
“You turn good people into killers!”
He laid his boot on Mastermind’s neck, ready to crush it with the slightest pressure.
“Tell me why you should live.”
Choking, coughing up blood, struggling to breathe – Mastermind whispered, “Please.”
“Mercy?” Luke asked. “Like you showed all those people back in New York?”
“You’re killing me!” Mastermind struggled to say. He couldn’t breathe. He squirmed uselessly, suffering intense pain from several broken bones throughout his body, unable to move or escape out from under Luke’s foot.
Luke leaned down – his helmet to Mastermind’s face. “Tell me why I should care.”
“I… I…” Mastermind gasped for air. He squir
med. He reached into his pocket. His hand gripped his Astaria crystal.
Luke didn’t notice. He was all up in Mastermind’s face. What should he do with him? Use the cutting laser to slice off Mastermind’s tongue? Can’t control anyone if he can’t speak. Or maybe he’d burn out both eyes. No eye contact, no control either. And neither one of those would kill him. But they definitely would disable him.
Mastermind’s trembling hand drew an unevenly-shaped circle along the ground at his side.
Luke’s heads-up display flashed a warning message. “Astaria energy detected.”
What? Luke looked over. Mastermind finished tracing the circle. Barely two feet wide. More oval than circular. Was he trying to escape?
Luke grabbed Mastermind’s wrist. The villain dropped the crystal.
He stepped off of Mastermind, reached down, and grabbed him by the neck. Luke lifted him effortlessly into the air. This suit was awesome. Easily amplified his strength a hundred times. Mastermind’s feet dangled in the air as he held onto Luke’s arm, trying to break free.
“Going somewhere?” Luke asked.
Mastermind couldn’t release himself. His feet kicked and dangled in the air. He tried to pry Luke’s hand open from around his neck – but the suit’s hydraulics were far too strong. Just then, Mastermind noticed something, up in the sky.
“There you are,” he grinned.
Luke’s HUD suddenly alerted him to a new presence. A mutant had just appeared in the air – seemingly out of nowhere. Luke looked up behind him.
It was that bat guy again!
“Kill him!” Mastermind ordered.
The bat mutant looked down, seeing an armor-suited man holding his master captive. Echo swooped down.
Luke tossed Mastermind aside like the worthless garbage he was. Luke faced the bat mutant. “I don’t want to fight you,” he said. “We don’t have to be enemies.”
Mastermind shook off his disorientation and raced back toward the crystal. It laid there by the still-glowing outline of his new portal.
“Master wants me to kill you,” said Echo, “and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Tell me, stranger, when’s your birthday?”
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