Brothers of Chaos (The Unstoppable Titans Book 1)

by Jerry Hart

  Having had the wind knocked out of him, Owen lay on his back, looking up at Michael, who was grinning. He raised a fist, ready to pound Owen’s face in, but suddenly a flash of metal rammed Michael away.

  Owen was astonished—and very grateful—to see D standing over him. Chris had gotten him to work. And now Owen was on his feet again as Michael slowly got to his. Owen didn’t even think about his next move; he just did it.

  As fast as he could, he ran over to Michael, grabbed his arm, and then tossed him over to D. The robot grabbed him in midair and slammed him down, making a small crater in the roof.

  Standing back, Owen watched D slam Michael down on the ground repeatedly. A final slam put him down for the count. D stood over him, placing a metallic foot on his chest. Owen got ready to finish him—the murderer of his friends—personally, and so help Michael if he even thought about telling Owen his shoes were untied.

  Before he could even blink, however, Michael shoved the robot off of him and jumped to his own feet once again. He looked tired and angry, with blood pouring from his mouth and nose. He ran toward Owen. They collided and fell over the edge.

  * * *

  Chris ran up the stairs to the roof as fast as his feet would take him. He burst through the door and looked around for Owen and Michael, but all he saw was D. The robot was looking down over the roof’s edge. Chris’s heart skipped a beat. He ran over to join D. He too looked over the edge, but all he saw was the swimming pool … and two dark figures floating in it.

  * * *

  Owen woke with a start. He had no idea where he was when he opened his eyes. Everything was blue and blurry. He wondered if he was dreaming again as he looked around. There was a swooshing sound, far removed from the soothing electric hum he was used to in his dreams. This was something different.

  He suddenly caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. Someone was floating toward him, someone with red hair and murder in his eyes.

  Michael!

  Owen realized where he was and what was happening. He and Michael had fallen into the Olympic-sized community pool. There was shattered glass from the skylight floating in the water. Michael punched Owen in the face. The force of the punch sent him shooting through the water like a missile, and he hit the side of the pool so hard it cracked the concrete. Any air he had left in his lungs was forced out by the collision. He tried to get to the surface, but Michael was already swimming toward him. He grabbed Owen’s foot and pulled him deeper into the pool. Owen felt his fingers wrap around his neck.

  He felt like his neck was about to snap.

  He grabbed Michael’s arms, trying to pry them apart, but he was too weak from the lack of oxygen. But he had to do something.

  He grabbed at Michael’s arms again, but instead of pulling them apart, he held fast, then kneed Michael as hard as he could in the stomach. As if in slow motion, Michael flew backward to the other end of the pool.

  Owen crawled out of the water while he had a chance and lay down on the concrete, too tired to run away. He was gasping for air.

  * * *

  Chris tore down the stairs to the ground floor. He had told D to go back to the room and stay there; he didn’t want anyone seeing the robot.

  He finally made it to the pool. He looked around and spotted a dark figure lying next to it, breathing heavily. He could tell immediately it was Owen. He rushed over and kneeled down next to him.

  “Owen? Are you all right?”

  Owen didn’t answer. Chris took note of his appearance: He was extremely pale, as if he were sick. Chris was about to pick him up when a huge splash erupted from the pool, covering him in water. A figure landed next to him and Owen.

  Chris felt his body leave the ground. He was airborne, Owen and Michael growing farther away. Suddenly Chris hit the ground on the other side of the pool and was out like a light.

  * * *

  Owen had seen everything. He saw Chris run up to him and ask if he was okay, and then he saw Michael jump out of the pool and throw Chris away like he was garbage.

  He felt something on his stomach now. Michael had placed his foot on it and was pressing down, making it impossible to breathe. Owen tried to push the foot away, but he was too weak. A bright light began clouding his vision.

  Suddenly the pressure was gone. Michael was looking at something in the background. He looked back down at Owen.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” he said, and was gone in a flash.

  Now Owen saw something else. He wasn’t sure what it was; it hovered over him, white and misty—completely indistinct. It almost looked like a ghost…

  He knew now he was dying. What he thought to be his spirit, his soul, was floating away from his body. He reached up to grab it. He could feel it in his fingers; it was warm to the touch. It was like grabbing water.

  The mist stopped flowing and stayed still over his body. After a moment, it returned to Owen. He could feel his senses slowly coming back.

  Now he could hear voices somewhere in the background.

  “Are you sure he’s the one?” a voice asked.

  “Yes,” said Michael. “I saw it.”

  The one for what? Owen asked himself.

  He didn’t want to find out. He tried to move, to muster enough energy to stand, but he couldn’t. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl away.

  He didn’t get very far, however, because something pressed down on his back, holding him in place on the wet concrete.

  It was a foot.

  “Where are you going?” the unfamiliar voice asked. “You can’t leave. We need you to do something for us.”

  * * *

  Chris came to moments ago and saw a blond guy talking to Owen across the pool. Chris didn’t recognize him, but he recognized Michael, who was standing behind him. Whoever the blonde was, apparently he was friendly with Michael, and therefore, no friend to the Unstoppable Titans.

  Chris made an attempt to stand but found it difficult. His whole body was in pain, including his head, which was throbbing. He saw the blond stranger and Michael pick Owen up and leave. He had to stop them. Chris made an even greater attempt at standing.

  This time he was successful. He ran to where the two had carried Owen. He saw a silver Jetta speed out onto Calhoun Street.

  Wherever they were going, he had to get there too, and fast.

  CHAPTER 20

  Owen heard a car honk but could see nothing except streetlights and the sides of buildings from the backseat. He could tell the car was speeding, and Michael and the blond stranger were in the front seats, but he had no idea where they were going. He was still weak from the pool fight.

  “Where are we going to do this?” he heard Michael ask.

  “There,” the stranger said.

  Owen assumed the guy was pointing at something but he couldn’t see where. Suddenly the car made a sharp right. Owen was pushed back against the seat, as if the car were going uphill. He looked up through the window and saw a low concrete ceiling and a lot of columns.

  This had to be the six-level parking garage that was a few blocks from the condo.

  Suddenly the car stopped and the driver’s-side window lowered.

  “Jason, what are you doing?” Michael asked.

  “Getting a ticket to park,” Jason replied. “It’s free. There’s no point in making a scene. It could make things difficult for us. If we’re interrupted, we might not finish at all.”

  The car was in motion again. Owen could hear voices in the distance. He wanted to scream for help, but he knew whoever it was would be no match for Michael, and Owen didn’t want to get innocent people killed.

  He decided to keep his mouth shut and, once his strength was back, he’d take Michael and Jason out himself.

  * * *

  Chris jogged down Calhoun Street, looking left and right for the car he’d seen Michael and the stranger driving. He patted his hoodie pocket for reassurance; they were there, all right.

  Suddenly he stopped at the c
orner of Calhoun and 3rd Street. He had caught a glimpse of something silver driving up through the parking garage in front of him.

  It was the Jetta.

  He crossed the street and ran up the nearest stairwell of the garage, heart racing with every second that ticked by. He knew what he was going to do when he got up there, but he was afraid of how things would turn out.

  For him and for Owen.

  * * *

  Owen felt the car pull into a slow stop. Jason got out as Michael looked back at Owen from the passenger’s seat.

  “It’s showtime,” said the redhead.

  Owen was pulled forcefully from the back seat. Michael carried him, feet off the ground, toward Jason. Jason saw them and an angry expression grew on his face.

  “Put him down, damn it!” he spat. “We don’t want to look suspicious. Not now.”

  With a sigh, Michael set Owen firmly on the ground. Owen looked around; they were on the top level of the garage. There were only a few cars parked around and there were no people present.

  The moon was shining brightly upon the three of them. The stars were more visible than Owen remembered them ever being before. Maybe it was fear making him more aware of things; he didn’t know what was about to happen, and it truly frightened him.

  That was when he noticed Jason carrying a backpack. He set it down on the ground and opened it, placing himself between Owen and the pack.

  Owen tilted his head, trying to look around Jason to see what was inside but Michael held him fast.

  “You’ll see what it is in a minute,” he whispered in Owen’s ear.

  Jason turned to face them, holding in his hands what looked like a dark-red bowling ball.

  No, it wasn’t a bowling ball.

  It looked familiar to Owen, so very familiar. Jason walked toward him, holding the ball before him, an evil smile on his face. The closer he got, the more Owen grew afraid. It was slowly dawning on him where he’d seen this ball—this orb.

  His dreams.

  He had built it himself. Or, at least, he thought he did.

  “Now,” Jason said to Owen, “you’re up.”

  * * *

  Chris frantically searched the second level. He didn’t see any Jettas anywhere. There was so much ground to cover, so he ran around with no clear path. He thought of screaming for Owen, but figured a sneak attack was best; he wasn’t as strong as Owen, and if Owen was still in Michael’s possession, that had to mean something was wrong with him, that he couldn’t fight.

  Chris continued to search for a few more minutes, and then when he was satisfied—and frustrated—he made his way to the stairs, up to the third level.

  * * *

  “What do you mean?” Owen asked as casually as he could. “I don’t know what to do with this.”

  Jason, still holding the dark-red orb in front of them, scoffed and shook his head. “You do know what to do,” he said, casting an uneasy eye toward Michael.

  “What do you guys want with it?” Owen asked.

  “What we want,” Jason said, stepping closer and grinning, “is for you to turn this thing on so we can use it. That’s all.”

  “What makes you think I can get it to work?”

  “I know you can because I can’t,” said Michael. “You and I are two pieces of a puzzle, my friend. I know you dream about making the orb. I do too. You and I made this thing, in a different life.”

  Owen had no idea what to make of this. It was similar to what Nikki had told him. He looked at the orb again. He and Michael had made it? In a “different life”? Was that true? He only had a vague sense of its purpose.

  Yet, he could remember vividly how it felt in his hands: slimy and warm.

  Evil.

  That’s what it was: evil. Even though he didn’t know exactly what it would do, there was no way he could activate it for them.

  He wouldn’t.

  “Do you know what it can do?” Owen asked Michael.

  Michael looked down at him and grinned. “Oh yeah.”

  “Tell me, and maybe I’ll do what you want.”

  “How about you tell us or we’ll kill you.”

  “If you kill me, you’ll never get that thing to work.”

  Jason lost his grin. “What if I told you it will bring about world peace?”

  “I would tell you I didn’t believe you,” Owen replied.

  “And then I would tell you that you were a fool,” Jason said. “Our plan is to end all world wars and bring about a more peaceful existence for everyone, including you.”

  “How is this going to accomplish that?”

  Jason stepped closer. “Turn it on and find out.”

  Just then, Owen kicked Jason in the stomach, sending him flying against a parked car.

  His strength was back.

  But just as he was about to swing around and take down Michael, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He felt dizzy and dropped to the ground. His vision became extremely blurred, the pain in his neck intense.

  He looked up and saw Michael lowering his arm after delivering the strike. Then Michael ran over to Jason and helped him to his feet. Jason was groaning and bent double. He looked at something Owen could not see. He walked toward that something, which was blocked by a few parked cars.

  Owen heard a scream, and then he saw Jason drag a young brunette back to where he lay. Michael grabbed him and held him in place, facing Jason and the girl. Jason pulled out a knife from his pocket and held it to the girl’s throat.

  Owen knew what this was. He knew what Jason was hoping to accomplish by having a hostage.

  And he hated himself for the decision he had already come to.

  “Turn it on, Owen,” said Jason.

  Owen looked at the orb on the ground, and then back at Jason and the young girl, who was squirming in his grip. She had to be in her mid-twenties. Her black eyeliner began to smear from the tears which started pouring down her face.

  “Turn it on!” Jason said more forcefully.

  “No.”

  “What?” said Jason.

  “I’m sorry.” Owen was apologizing to the young woman, and for a moment, he could see she had understood; her eyes seemed to be pleading with him more intensely.

  But he couldn’t do it. It was something he and Chris had agreed to (Alyssa and Daniel had refused to accept such a policy): If either one of them were ever in a situation where few could be sacrificed to save many, they would do it.

  Owen found himself in that very situation now.

  He shook his head. Jason pressed the knife against the girl’s throat, drawing blood. She tried to scream.

  “What’s your name?” Jason asked her.

  “Hope,” she cried out.

  “How fitting. Well, Hope, this guy in front of us has chosen to let you die rather than do something as simple as help us turn on that orb.”

  She looked at the orb between her and Owen.

  “How does that make you feel?” Jason asked.

  “Please stop.”

  “I will once he turns it on.”

  “What does it do?” asked Hope.

  Jason looked taken aback by this. “Does it matter?”

  “Is it a bomb?”

  “Far from it.”

  Suddenly Hope turned and punched Jason right in his crotch. He keeled over in pain. She got up and ran away from the scene.

  “Run!” Owen screamed. “Get help!”

  Michael tossed Owen to the ground, grabbed the knife from Jason, and threw it with such force Owen couldn’t even see it; he could only hear it piercing the air.

  What he did see, though, was Hope’s head exploding in a shower of red. Her body dropped to the ground.

  * * *

  Chris watched the scene with increasing agitation. He felt helpless as Michael and his friend harassed Owen. He watched as they shoved a dark orb in his face. He watched as the stranger grabbed a girl and held a knife to her throat.

  Then … then he watched the girl run
for her life only to have her head explode, her body dropping a few feet from him as he hid behind a car.

  He didn’t know what to do. He had concocted a plan that involved blowing these guys to hell with a Buster or two, but Owen was too close to them. Chris had to come up with another plan that didn’t involve harming his best friend.

  Then again, he saw how Owen had handled the hostage situation moments earlier, not giving in to his captors’ demands for the sake of one person’s life.

  Should Chris do the same?

  * * *

  Owen was too tired to move. He lay on his back, looking up at the sky, at the stars twinkling above.

  “Isn’t there something you can do, little brother?” he heard Jason ask desperately.

  “Well, there is something I’ve been experimenting with,” said Michael.

  “Do it.”

  Michael appeared over Owen, blocking his view of the sky. He held his hands out in front of him now, placing them on either side of Owen’s head. For a moment, nothing happened…

  Then the most horrible feeling overcame Owen. A terrible rumbling filled his head, literally making his face shiver violently. He felt an immense pressure in his head; it felt like it would explode at any moment.

  Suddenly images started appearing in his mind: He saw Daniel, and the silly way he’d fallen out of the tree house when they had taken out that vampire at the Trails. Owen wanted to cry at the sight of it.

  He’s dead, an unfamiliar voice reminded him. No more softball.

  Now he saw the orb being constructed under his delicate hands. His long white fingers touched the surface, first running them around the top, then down the middle, and then finally drawing three circles at the base. As he did this, yellow lights appeared where he had touched. When he finished, the orb glowed from within.

  Instantly the images in Owen’s head vanished as if they were wiped clean from his mind. He could see nothing at all for a moment; his vision had grown to a white blur.

  “I got it,” he heard Michael say, though he sounded as bad as Owen felt. “I know how to do it.”

  “Then do it!” Jason barked. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Les did something to me earlier. I feel sluggish.”