He knew the feeling was a lie.
Somewhere below, the Aegis held firm to Billy’s dreams; he held Meredith. Getting no response to his communications, he leaned over the edge, hanging upside-down and surveying the observation level. The hostages, and even the guards, had left for lower floors. No one remained after SkyRise’s attack, the building’s security having ushered them away.
Billy fingered the specially-prepared hypodermic needles in his pocket, peering over the conglomeration of debris. If this had been part of the Aegis’ plan, he hadn’t shared it. They had expected to lure the heroes out of hiding, to pit them against Stephen Detch, and to defeat the villain at all costs. His instructions had been simple: sneak in when the dragon wasn’t looking and plunge the needles into his metallic hide. As Billy understood it, the poison inside would do the rest.
The ruined walls and gaping hole marked that a struggle had taken place, but all seemed peaceful now. Billy jumped, landing with a soft pat and looking about the wreckage. Detch had never shown himself, and now that everyone was gone, he wondered if his job was over. Had the Aegis’ plan failed? He peered down into the crater in the middle of the floor, wondering what action to take.
A subtle rumbling caught his attention. At first, he hadn’t noticed it, another of the city’s background noises, but it intensified with a steady rhythm until all other sound was engulfed. Billy looked across the surrounding cityscape as the entire structure began to shake. The world seemed to tremble, and the vibration grew until it could no longer be relegated to anything natural. It deafened him, rolling the floor with shockwaves of extreme power.
Somewhere nearer the horizon, a furious storm gathered, steel grey clouds twisting and webs of lightning shattering the uneasy sky. The front closed the distance between them with an impossible speed, and before the sound even met his ears, a colossal force blew the building’s top floors to dust. Everything before Billy’s eyes disintegrated, blasted clean from the remnants of the structure.
The might of the explosion slammed into his whole body, bits of steel and concrete scraping across him. The shrapnel was nothing compared to the sheer concussive power that punched him in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs and clearing all thought from his head. There was no time to react, no time to do anything. He was hurled into the cluttered air, surrounded by what had once been the structure’s upper portions.
Cut free from the building, the avalanche of debris started its fall to the street, 110 stories below. Billy somersaulted as his mind struggled to piece together what had happened, but the speed of his descent hindered cognition. He fell as any other errant fragment, spinning and bouncing from the nearby rubble.
Grabbing hold of a larger block, he did his best to steady himself. It twisted, but using his ability, he clung fast. Looking around, he spied another large chunk and jumped. His hands and feet touched it, and he was glued into place.
His mind now clearing, Billy took stock of his position, hoping to use it as a stepping stone to the glass facade hurtling passed. Even on this current mass, the distance to the skyscraper’s side was too great. He would have to jump again.
Poising for another leap, none of the boulders between him and the flat expanse seemed large enough to aid his advance. His heart pounded, thundering in his ears, and the street rushed to meet him at a frightening speed. He had no time to reconsider his position. Within moments, he would be crushed to a bloody pulp, and if the abrupt stop did not kill him, the rest of the building falling atop him would.
He looked up, watching the shadow of an even larger piece of debris cover him. Unthinking, he jumped at it, taking full advantage of his abilities to stick to this new platform. He scurried along its side, hands and feet blurring with hectic motion.
His body crossing the block’s center point, the added weight shifted it in the air, rolling him again toward the ground. Billy used the speed, jumping as the momentum slung him at the wall. He leaped at its apex, traversing the open divide and falling another two stories.
He slammed against the glass and stone of the building’s side, breaking an arm and cracking three ribs upon impact. His limbs outstretched, he tried to slow his downward progress as his body slid. His fingers searched for purchase.
Decelerating, he watched as the rest of the debris continued toward the street. It landed in a million deadly fragments, smashing vehicles and people alike. He turned from the carnage, unable to watch further. The air around him clearing, he crawled to a small ledge, resting upon its thin support.
His muscles ached, and pain wracked his chest were the ribs voiced their distress. With his remaining strength, he keyed his microphone and spoke. “Aegis,” he said. “Stephen Detch is here.”
Chapter Forty
David pointed at the Aegis, struggling to make sense of the memory Red had exposed. He stepped closer, adjusting his grip on the rebar club, about to force more from the mercenary. Sybil silenced him with a slender finger, her image seeming to blur in his eyes. He looked around, trying to determine the phenomenon’s source, but it only worsened. Everything shook with a intensifying vibration, and the debris around them began to hop about the floor.
“What’s happening?” he asked no one in particular.
The Aegis looked at them. “Stand closer,” he commanded. A loud rumbling grew as he spoke.
David lifted the club. “What are you doing?” He yelled as their surroundings rattled with the fierce quaking. “Stop it.”
The Aegis knelt, but pushed his hands outward.
A soft pressure surrounded David, as if being hit with full-body gush of air. He felt it press against him and turned as the sensation passed. The Aegis seemed to be doing something, but nothing was visible or even uncomfortable. The mercenary knelt and waited. If this was an attack, it was subtle.
The soldier looked to Sybil, seeing the terror on her face. Before he could react further, everything in his vision exploded. In an instant, a stormy sky replaced the darkened office corridor in which they stood. Walls, furniture, and debris vaporized around them.
He raised a hand as the world detonated, but the coverage was unnecessary. While a whirlwind of shrapnel twisted around them, they remained unscathed. All seemed to stop inches away, striking an invisible blockade. It lasted mere seconds, and when the great wave of destruction moved on, David survived unharmed. He turned back to the Aegis, confused, but realizing the source of his protection.
The mercenary pointed his eye upward, and both followed the line of sight. Above them, a monster of immense power shimmered, leaden clouds churning about its dragon-like form. Chrome plates covered much of its skin, and the metal extended into deadly talons and an armored tail. Energy crackled around its entire body. Purple and black sparks leapt from the dark nether.
Worst of all was the creature’s smile. Malevolent glee beamed from its elongated face, and a demonic fire burned within its black eyes. Whatever its intentions, David had no doubts that it would kill them without the briefest hesitation.
“Helping them now, are you?” the thing asked, launching a bolt of dark energy towards them. The attack flashed and dissipated against the Aegis’ shield, causing the monster obvious displeasure. It descended, its threat seeming more genuine as it drew closer. Nearing them, it spoke with a bottomless voice that echoed within the mind.
“Is this what you call loyalty?”
The Aegis continued watching, his lone eye gleaming at the thing. “This is what I call necessity, Detch. You can’t kill all of us.”
Looking to Sibyl, David wondered why the armored man spoke as if he knew the thing. He hoped to see some clue in her violet eyes, perhaps some bit of information gleaned with her extraordinary powers, but she returned his questioning gaze. Despite her evident concentration, she had nothing.
“You’ve done your job well, Aegis,” the dragon retorted. “You’ve saved me the time of hunting each of them.” It looked over the trio with a renewed appetite. “Now, I will kill you all as one.”<
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David continued listening to the exchange, but no longer concerned himself with the words spoken. He knew an attack was coming, the verbal repartee a mere distraction from their coming doom. Watching the beast, he readied himself for the slightest indication of violence, adjusting the jetpack for an easy escape.
He did not wait long. As expected, it swiped a claw toward them.
Dashing forward, he aimed to defend Sybil against the beast’s lethal aggression. He tackled her nanoseconds before the talons slashed the space where she had been, scythe-like razors shredding empty air. With such strength and speed behind the claws, her warm body would have offered little more resistance.
They both struck the ground with a solid thud, farther to the monster’s right. Sybil was alive for now, but it seemed to make little difference as the dragon again lashed out. Metal claws engulfed David, lifting him toward the dragon’s fanged maw. It studied him with obsidian eyes.
“I have read about you. SkyRise, isn’t it?”
David struggled to break free from the iron grip. He flattened his back and pushed with both hands against its thick fingers, but the creature’s grasp did not budge. Even against the suit’s enhanced strength, the metal monster tightened its fist around him.
“Oh yes, Lieutenant Mead. I know about you,” the creature said, licking his lips as he spoke. “You. And Miss Sibyl here.” He eyed her with a mixture of hatred and lust. “I’ve studied each of you. I know your powers, and your weaknesses.” The hand brought him nearer to the beast’s mouth. Hot, moist breath gushed across David’s face.
Its fingers relaxing slightly, another set of metallic talons closed in around the apparatus on David’s back. He felt three long gouges open against his shoulder blades, the beast ripping away the jetpack and mangling the attached infrastructure. Trying to push again, David felt the suit malfunction and his strength give way. The hand imprisoning him again crushed inward.
“And you, my friend, are not worth my attentions.”
Smiling, the monster lifted an arm, and flung David across the rooftop and out over the emptiness above the streets. He heard Sibyl scream as he was launched, helpless against the force. There was little she or anyone could do except stare in horror as he arced over them and fell into the chasm between skyscrapers.
For a moment, David could see her panicked eyes as his descent began, but the rising building soon blocked his view. Instead, the street below grew larger as he accelerated towards it.
Chapter Forty-one
Sybil’s head throbbed with the effort of battle, trying as she was to penetrate the monster’s mind. It wielded some sort of mental attack of its own, violent, psychic power pressing against her and dulling her senses. She felt her awareness dim as the onslaught kept coming, pushing her more and more into herself.
She fell to her knees, concentrating on a different target.
“David!” She screamed within her mind. “David, listen to me.”
In response, she heard nothing. Despite her best attempts, contacting him was difficult, the monster hindering her ability. She couldn’t be certain if her telepathic messages were even reaching the doomed Lieutenant, let alone receiving any communication back from him. She tried again, knowing that time was limited. At any moment the man would hit the street at a lethal speed. His sole chance required her action. She forced more thoughts his way.
“David! You don’t need the suit. The power is within you.”
If it hadn’t been for the Aegis’ ever-present shield, she would not have lasted long, and she knew it. The monster slammed its tail to the ground next to her, causing more stress fractures to spread across the surface upon which they stood.
The dragon was fast, faster than she could ever be, and each attack seemed to weaken her new protector. The Aegis’ shields split under the constant fury, and he struggled to keep the dome in place. Each weak spot was a failing that they could little afford.
Sybil jumped, avoiding a sweep of glowing-hot talons as they again broke through. The claws issued a wave of colored energy, striking the Aegis’ armor and pushing him further away. He recovered, and Sybil was once again protected, but the strain was showing. His resistance would not last forever.
She tried again, fixating on the falling Mead. “The suit was a sham. You’re one of us, David. You can fly with your own ability.”
Before she finished the thought, terror struck her, breaking the hopeful connection. Her awareness came back to the monster, and its preternatural influence took hold.
Hidden fears unlocked themselves within her mind as the dark, inhuman form drew closer. She saw the rage in its eyes, and the likeness somehow reminded her of Ricky, the man from which her aunts had protected her so long ago.
He stood over her bed, staring down at her thirteen-year-old self. “Wake up, brat” he said, slurring his words as he took another drink.
She could feel his vicious thoughts, like eels sliding against her skin, and she rubbed the purplish-green patch he had already left upon her wrist. Pulling the sheet up over her head, she hoped for safety, but he grabbed and yanked it away. There was nothing left between her and the sweaty, fat man.
He lunged at her.
Sybil rolled, dropping off the side of her bed and dashing to the window. Aunt Joan had left it halfway open, allowing the rhythmic cicada-song to lull her to sleep. She dove through it, landing on the balcony outside and continuing to run. She could hear him calling, but didn’t stop, running until the lights of the town receded behind her.
Plunging into the darkness, she found it a noisy, oppressive thing. The road disappeared beneath her feet, and the cool wetness of the bayou began. Losing her bearings, she took refuge in the hollow trunk of an old cypress at the edge of the water. She huddled inside it and waited for dawn, fighting to ignore thoughts of Ricky’s pursuit, and the tiny legs of the insects that found her.
__________
Red was climbing another flight of steps when the explosion hit. It shook the entire building, throwing chunks the size of cars tumbling toward him. Hearing the clamor, he flattened against the wall, shielding himself and allowing the most dangerous pieces to continue down the open center of the stairwell. As they descended, a terrible clang rose through the levels, reminding him of the vertical distance that he had travelled. His legs gained speed.
The building continued to rattle as he climbed higher, a great hole of daylight now visible above him. As he neared the second to the last floor, he realized that the end of his journey came a flight sooner than expected. Something had sheared off the top of Cronus Tower, leaving an irregular rooftop where none should have been. Sidestepping the rubble at the top of the stairs, his head broke the tattered opening left by the explosion. He ducked, allowing his eyes to rise just above the floor’s level, witnessing the unbelievable.
A monster, reminiscent of a metallic dragon, stood centered among them, crackling with energy. It lashed at both the Aegis and SkyRise, using its limbs and tail to full effect. The Lieutenant dodged the attack, grabbing Sybil and leaping to momentary safety, but the distance covered was too little. With another quick swipe, the thing trapped Mead in one of its armored claws. The Lieutenant shifted and grunted, but could not break free.
Desperate to aid his comrade, Red used his ability, trying to buy them some advantage in the struggle. The resulting sensations were not unusual. His power felt as it always had, like falling through a mind and searching for some handhold to arrest the descent. Images passed him, jumbled and difficult to comprehend, but he searched anyway. Old memories became clearer.
Red found himself on a darkened bridge, a boy lying in rubble. He whimpered as pain shot through his body, feeling the weight of a crumpled car atop him. The twisted machinery held him in place, allowing only his head any movement.
He sniffed. The air was laden with a sweet, chemical fragrance. Glancing left and right, he tried to find its source.
The costumed villain, Dr. Malorius, lay not far away, unconsc
ious. Another man stood over them both, his back turned to the boy. “Your mind-control gas won’t help you this time, Doctor,” the man said, looking down upon his conquered foe. “I have nothing for it to exploit. My conscience is clear.”
Stephen Detch made another sound, a reaction to the growing numbness in his limbs. The stranger spun to face him, revealing his identity. Captain Valour stepped closer.
“What’s your name, son?”
The boy told him, barely able to hold back the fear and despair. He knew that he was dying, feeling a sudden drowsiness threatening to overwhelm him. Stephen was lucky that Captain Valour was there; he knew that if anyone could save him, the hero could. He concentrated as the masked champion drew nearer, waiting for his escape from the weighty prison.
“Hold tight, Stephen,” Valour commanded. “The doctors will be here soon.”
Rather than lifting the car from Stephen’s body, Captain Valour returned to Malorius. He picked up the villain and left, running passed the pinned child and beyond Stephen’s view.
The boy waited, tears finding his eyes and an eerie cold penetrating his flesh. Sirens squealed in the distance, but none seemed to draw nearer. He stared into the night sky, shivering.
From that moment, everything Red found seemed tainted with ego and hatred, as if the man’s psychology had been poisoned. All thoughts pointed toward a single, all-consuming goal, an obsession stemming from his hatred of the hero. Even his true parents seemed to dissolve in the mania, replaced by images of Dr. Malorius, his new “father.”
Red broke the connection, stymied by the lack of compassion within the monster. Compulsion ruled it, and in this battle, his ability could offer them no aid.
He opened his eyes in time to see the beast rip the jetpack from Mead’s back, and toss him from the rooftop like garbage. Powerless to act, Red watched the Lieutenant soar overhead and beyond the building’s edge. His heart sank with his last view of the man.
Preternaturals: A Superhero Thriller Page 21