by Lucas Flint
I nodded and then, feeling the power of flight flowing through me, shot out the broken window of Hernandez’s office. I flew in the direction of the warehouse, ready for whatever Robert had in store for me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Flying through the sky again reminded me why I loved flying so much. The wind in my hair, the way everything just sort of melted around me as I focused on flying to my next location, the way my aerodynamic suit allowed me to fly without obstruction … it was still an amazing experience, even knowing where I was going.
And best of all, it was fast. Within minutes, I spotted the warehouse where Dad and I had fought Master Chaos, the father of Robert, what seemed like a lifetime ago now. Police and SWAT vehicles surrounded the building on all sides and I also spotted more than a few G-Men at various points around the building, but no one was entering it from what I could see. Of course, that made sense, because Robert’s threats were probably serious.
Landing in front of the entrance to the warehouse, I heard someone nearby shout, “Bolt?” and I looked over and saw a huge man with a metal horn on his head walking toward me, his G-Men patch on his right shoulder glinting in the sunlight. Two police officers—including a guy who looked like the police chief—were following behind him somewhat timidly, probably because he looked twice as big as both of them put together.
“Iron Horn?” I said, turning to face him as the huge G-Men agent approached. I remembered him from the time he protected my school from Master Chaos last year. “I didn’t know you were here in Fallsville.”
Iron Horn stopped several feet away from me. The huge horn that grew out of his forehead, which was covered in special metal armor to protect it and make it stronger, made him look even more intimidating than he already did. “Director Smith assigned me to this mission. I was part of the team meant to capture Robert Candle at the university, but I came here when we heard news that Candle is holding a hostage in here.”
Iron Horn gestured at the warehouse with one massive hand. “But I don’t understand how you just flew here. I was told that Candle had stolen your powers.”
“I got ‘em back,” I said, patting my chest. My head felt a little light, but I didn’t tell him that, because I just assumed that it was one of the side effects of the serum. “Anyway, what’s the situation look like?”
“Grim,” said Iron Horn. “Though we have the warehouse fully surrounded, we cannot enter it because Candle has a hostage, a girl named Tara Reynolds. It is just like the situation last week, when he kidnapped that boy Malcolm Rayner.”
I nodded. “How is the hostage? I heard she was already hurt.”
“Yes, Candle has posted pictures on the Internet showing that she has been harmed already,” said Iron Horn. “As far as we know, she’s still alive, but how long that will last in Candle’s hands, we don’t know.”
“Given how crazy Robert is, I doubt that will last for long,” I said. “Well, I’m going in anyway. I’m the one who Robert wants, so our best chance of saving Tara is for me to go in and confront him.”
“I agree,” said Iron Horn. “But before you enter, do you have any powerless gas?”
“Yes,” I said. I patted the capsule in my pocket. “My dad gave me some before I left. I’m going to try to throw it at Robert and use it to take him down.”
“Okay,” said Iron Horn. “The police and the G-Men will be on standby to provide you with whatever backup you need.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Anyway, I’m going in now. If I need any help, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“All right,” said Iron Horn. “Good luck, Bolt.”
I nodded again and then walked over to the entrance of the warehouse. I stopped in front of it for a moment, feeling the capsule in my costume’s pocket again one last time before I opened the door and entered the building.
-
I was expecting to be attacked as soon as I entered the warehouse, like there was supposed to be some kind of an ambush. It seemed like the perfect set up for one, at any rate, but I entered the building without any trouble. Of course, Robert probably wanted to kill me with his own bare hands, which would explain why he didn’t set up an ambush.
Walking through the gaps between the crates, I was reminded heavily of the first time I came here. I had come here to fight Robert’s dead dad, Master Chaos, who had been threatening to come after my family and kill us. Thanks to a surprise appearance from my own dad, however, Master Chaos died and I had assumed I’d never come back here. I guessed that Robert wanted to have our final showdown at the scene of his own dad’s death, probably as some sort of poetic irony or whatever, though I was kind of surprised that Robert was even capable of thinking that way. Maybe he’s smarter than I thought.
Regardless, I kept my wits about me as I walked. I didn’t hear much aside from my footsteps, but in case Robert was hiding somewhere, I wasn’t about to let him take me down before I could fight.
But eventually, I heard what sounded like boiling water, which made me wonder if Robert was trying to make spaghetti when I finally reached the center of the warehouse and saw a large, metal vat full of bubbling green acid in the center of a cleared area. And Tara was hanging above it from a chain.
Tara looked awful. Her glasses were cracked, just barely hanging onto her nose, and she had a black eye. Her head was hanging limply on her chest, while the lower half of her shirt was ripped, revealing her bruised belly. She was also missing her shoes, though her feet didn’t appear to be broken or anything.
“Tara?” I said, stepping toward her, but then a familiar voice said, “Stop right there or she dies.”
I froze and looked over at a spot between two large crates. Robert Candle emerged from the shadow between the two crates, but he hardly looked human anymore to me. His hair was messed up and torn up in several places, he had a load of scars on his face, arms, and hands, and his clothes looked like something he had fished out of a dumpster. His eyes were bloodshot and twitched every now and then, making him look crazier than usual. He even looked like he had bulked up, which was odd because there was no exercise method in the world that let you gain those types of muscles so fast.
“Robert,” I said as Robert stopped where he was. “As ugly as ever, I see.”
“Shut up,” Robert snapped. He pointed at Tara. “Make one false move and your girlfriend dies.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said in annoyance. “But whatever. No one is going to die today, except maybe you.”
“Except me?” Robert repeated. “What a joke. You don’t even have any powers. Idiot.”
“Says the guy who dropped out of high school to become a bad knock-off of his father,” I said. “All you’re really missing is the cowboy hat and strange sense of fashion and you would look just like your dad.”
“Don’t talk about my father,” Robert snarled. “You aren’t allowed to. You aren’t even half the man he was.”
“Your father was a monster who killed lots of people and probably would have killed much more if we hadn’t stopped him,” I said. I took a fighting stance. “But what does it matter? I know you don’t listen to reason, Robert. Like your father, you’re too crazy to listen to anyone who disagrees with your behavior.”
“That’s because I’m in the right,” said Robert. “I’m always right. I don’t need ‘reason.’ I just need power, as much power as I can get, because power is what will help me avenge Mom and Dad. Once I am the most powerful superhuman in the world, none of the people who made my life a living hell will survive.”
“That’s your goal, then?” I said. “Is that why you’ve been collecting superpowers? To become the strongest superhuman in the world?”
“It’s just a means to an end,” said Robert, “and that end is to kill you and everyone you’ve ever known and loved. I will make you feel my pain, make you feel it even worse than me.”
“But if I’m already dead, then how can you make me feel your pain?” I said. “You’ve clearly not thought
this through, but I’m not surprised, given how dumb you are.”
“Shut up,” said Robert again. “I don’t know why you’re acting so big, since you don’t have your powers anymore, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to crush your skull into powder and then stick your corpse on a pike for everyone to see what happens when they cross Robert Candle.”
“Ew,” I said. “But you know, there’s no reason to bring Tara into this. If it’s a fight you want, I’m perfectly willing to take you on without fearing for my friend’s life.”
“I don’t care,” said Robert. He punched his fist into his other hand. “I’m just covering my bases. If I hadn’t kidnapped your girlfriend, you wouldn’t have come out of your little hiding hole to fight me. This was the best way I knew to make you come out and fight me, and it worked. Who’s the dumb one now?”
“Still you, because you really don’t know what you’re about to get into,” I said. I rolled my shoulders. “Normally, I don’t like killing my enemies, because I tend to believe that the police should have a chance to arrest you and try you in a court of law. But now? I’m not even going to hesitate.”
Robert smirked. “Hesitate? What, you gonna take off your shoe and throw it at me?”
I shook my head. “No, Robert. I am going to kill you. After all the people you’ve killed, after all the powers you’ve stolen, after all of the stress and worry you’ve put me and my parents through, after kidnapping my friends … you are too dangerous to be allowed to live. I won’t hold back.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” said Robert. “I’m stronger than you. I can kick your ass six ways from Sunday. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember your own name.”
“Then bring it,” I said. “I’m ready when you are.”
But to my surprise, Robert shook his head. “Nah. I know you’ve got a trick up your sleeve, so that’s why I’m going to make sure I have an advantage over you.”
Robert suddenly ran at me. I thought he was going to punch me, but instead he ran past me, though I felt his hands reach into one of my pockets and grab something.
Then Robert returned in front of the acid vat and held up a clean, gleaming capsule with my powerless gas inside it.
“Hey!” I said. “Give that back.”
Robert smirked. “Why don’t you get it yourself?”
Robert hurled the capsule over his shoulder. It flew straight into the acid vat, where it melted, unleashing a small cloud of yellow gas into the air below Tara before it rapidly dissipated.
“There,” said Robert, wiping his hands together. “Now we’re equal.”
My hands balled into fists my super strength coursed through my veins. “So I guess it will just have to be an old-fashioned fight to the death, then.”
“Sure looks like it,” said Robert. “Gotta admit, I’m kind of surprised you’re going to fight, because I thought you’d be shitting yourself in fear now. After all, I—”
I didn’t let him finish, because I activated my super speed and ran at him as fast as a bullet. I punched Robert in the face, the blow sending him flying backwards. He crashed through several crates before coming to a stop inside a large crate full of what looked like bowling balls.
I ran over to him before he could get up, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and raised him up. His face looked bloodied and broken now, though he still managed to look at me in surprise.
“What?” said Robert. He actually sounded surprised. “What … was that?”
“That, my friend, was a punch to the face,” I said. I pulled back my other fist. “You remember that I said I was going to kill you? I wasn’t kidding when I said that. At all.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
My other fist flew at Robert’s face, but at the last second, Robert turned immaterial and fell through my hand, causing my fist to hit nothing but empty air.
I staggered forward from the momentum, but then Robert leaped out of the ground and flew straight through me. Immediately, a familiar cold sank into my bones and I fell onto ground, my teeth chattering.
Then I felt Robert’s hands grab the back of my suit and throw me. I flew through the air crazily before I crashed into another crate, this one empty, and lay there dazed for a moment before I saw Robert flying toward me from above.
Activating my super speed, I got up and ran through the crate just as Robert landed on it and sent chunks of wood flying everywhere. I managed to dodge most of the debris, however, and ran at Robert again, throwing another punch at him, but Robert dodged it and responded with a punch of his own.
But I caught Robert’s fist and twisted his arm, making him cry out in pain before I socked him in the face. But then Robert smashed his head into mine, the blow dazing my senses and sending me staggering backwards, letting go of his fist. My head felt like it had been cracked wide open, like an egg, but I recovered just in time to see Robert coming straight at me.
I flew straight up into the air, allowing Robert to rush by underneath me. But then Robert jumped into the air as well and tackled me, sending us falling down to the floor again.
When we crashed onto the floor, I didn’t waste any time in throwing Robert off my body. He rolled across the floor several times before coming to a stop, but he was back on his feet in an instant, as was I.
But we didn’t reengage right away. Instead, we started circling each other, looking for an opening in which to attack. Robert looked even worse than he did just a few minutes ago, panting and sweating, even bleeding in some places, while I just felt tired because it had been a while since I last fought this intensely.
“Ready to give up yet, Robby?” I said, panting and sweating as we circled. “Because I can do this all day.”
“Don’t call me Robby,” Robert growled.
He suddenly slammed his foot on the ground. A tremor shook the floor, knocking me off-balance, and then Robert zoomed toward me. He body-slammed me, sending me flying. I crashed through another crate and was stopped by a final crate that cracked under the impact of catching me.
Shaking my head, I looked up in time to see Robert flying toward me again. Without thinking, I flew toward him, pulling my fist back.
We met halfway and hurled our fists at each other. The impact of our fists colliding into each other sent us both flying to separate ends of the warehouse. I smashed through a catwalk near the ceiling and rolled several times across the floor before I came to a stop, dazed by the impact of our blows. My hand hurt, but I ignored the pain and forced myself to get up back to my feet.
Then I looked up, expecting to see Robert coming at me, but he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had been knocked out by our collision? Or maybe he was still recovering and hadn’t yet managed to get back on his feet?
Then I heard something flying and saw a huge crate coming straight toward me. I immediately ran away, using my super speed to avoid the crate, which crashed loudly onto the floor where I had been standing mere moments before.
Skidding to a halt, I looked up in time to see Robert coming at me again. He landed on the floor in front of me and starting throwing punches at me, but I blocked them with my own fists, although his fists came so fast and so furiously that I had a hard time keeping up.
But one of his fists went too wide, giving me an opening. I slammed my fist into his gut, causing Robert to gasp in pain, before I brought my other fist down on his head. Robert smashed into the floor so hard that he created a crack where his forehead hit, but I didn’t allow him to get up.
Instead, I kicked Robert over and slammed my foot down on his chest. I raised my fist to smash his face in, but then Robert’s body suddenly became transparent and my foot sank through his chest.
Then Robert rolled away from my foot and, turning solid again, jumped to his feet and unleashed a deluge of oil from his hands. The oil quickly went under my feet, causing me to lose my balance and slip. I fell flat on my back onto the oil, briefly stunned by the impact, and before I could do anything, Robert gra
bbed me by the neck and then flew us into the air.
He immediately threw me at several crates. I crashed through the crates, smashing through wood and metal, until I burst out from one of them and rolled until I hit something hard and solid. Dazed, I shook my head and looked up to see that I had rolled to a stop in front of the vat of acid that Tara was hanging above, putting a small dent in its side.
That was when I noticed that Tara was waking up. She was blinking and shaking her head, a confused look on her face as she looked around the warehouse.
“Ohhh …” said Tara. She blinked. “Where am I? What happened?”
“Tara?” I said. “You’re awake?”
Tara looked down at me, but she must have noticed the acid vat, because she gasped and tried to jerk away, but since she was hanging from the ceiling, she only succeeded in swaying back and forth awkwardly. “Help!”
I was about to tell her that she just needed to calm down and wait for me to help her, but then I heard a yell and I looked over to see Robert flying toward me. Before I could get up to dodge him, Robert landed in front of me, grabbed me, and threw me behind him again.
I landed hard on the floor, and before I could get up, Robert slammed his foot on my chest, squeezing the air out of my lungs. Then Robert grabbed me by the collar of my costume and started punching me in the face over and over again, each blow hitting me harder and harder. His blows came so fast and so viciously that I couldn’t even respond; it was like getting punched in the face by a piston over and over again.
“This is for my father,” said Robert, though I could barely hear his voice in between his punches. “This is for my mother. And this is for my life, which you have completely and totally ruined!”
I heard Tara screaming, but I couldn’t react. Robert's punches had left me too dazed to react. I could barely even think.
Finally, Robert must have gotten bored of beating me silly, because he eventually stopped punching me. It felt like my face had been shattered into pieces, while my brain felt like it had been shaken and bounced around like a basketball. I felt blood leaking from my nose and the corner of my mouth, though I thought the damage was likely more extensive than that.