“You think he’s not a god?” Rob asked me. “You think he’s a human? He’s no mere human, you steaming pile of shit. We are the angels, and Richter is our god. The earth is our domain, and Atlas is our shepherd. He leads us. He guides us. He knows the will of Richter. But you—” he said, looking at me with evil eyes. His body radiated hatred. “You are the devil. You and your demons.” He glanced back at Drew, who was standing next to the door with a blank face. “You think you can save the humans. You think we can go back to the way things were. The world has changed, Tempest. We can never go back. This is the way things are. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can go about having heaven on Earth. Peace amongst the nations.”
I raised my hand, stopping Rob. “What was that you said?” I asked him. “Heaven on Earth?”
Rob hesitated. “Yes,” he said. “Heaven on Earth. We must prepare the Earth for Richter’s return.”
“Richter’s return?” I said, taking a step forward. “Listen to me. Richter is dead. I threw him into the sun myself.”
Rob jerked in his chair. He jumped around, trying to get out. “I’ll kill you!” he screamed, spit flying from his mouth. “I’ll kill you, Tempest! Say his name! Say it one more time, and I’ll kill you!” He jerked around in his chair so much that it tipped over and fell to the floor. He slammed his head, but after a few seconds of disorientation, he continued his attempts to break free.
I got down on one knee next to him. “What is Atlas planning, Rob? Tell me. What does he want?”
“I’ll kill you, Tempest! I’ll kill you!”
I sighed and shook my head, then turned to Drew. “I can’t get a straight answer out of these guys, can I?”
Drew shrugged and smirked.
I grabbed Rob by his shirt, lifting both him and the chair he was tied to into the air. I walked over to the window, and he continued to jerk about and shout at me.
With my left hand, I punched the window. The whole thing shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. I shoved Rob out of the window and held him dangling in his chair three stories above the ground. “What is Atlas planning?” I shouted.
“He will kill all the humans! He will destroy the false prophets who lead them!” he shouted.
I had a feeling that the “false prophets” he was talking about was us.
“I kinda figured that out on my own!” I shouted back at Rob. Of course Atlas was trying to kill us all. “What’s his end game? Why is he hiding? Why doesn’t he come here and end all of this?”
Rob’s eyes darted between me and the ground far below him. “A king rules from his throne!” he shouted.
I grunted in frustration and tossed Rob behind me, back into the room. He slammed against the wall, the chair he was sitting in shattering into pieces. He fell into a crumpled, shaking heap on the floor.
I ran to him in a split second, picked him up by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “What is Atlas’ end game, Rob? Tell me! What is he planning?” I shouted as loud as I could.
Rob winced from the pain in his eardrums. “Atlas will raze the world, clearing it of all who do not bow to the will and power of Richter!”
I slammed Rob against the wall even harder. “That’s not an answer! Tell me exactly how he’s planning to do that.”
Rob shook his head. “I can’t! The will of Richter cannot fall on sacrilegious, blasphemous ears!”
I pulled Rob in so his face was just inches from mine. The lion of anger and frustration deep within me was growing stronger and stronger. “You tell me what he is planning right now, Rob, or you will regret it.”
He didn’t answer.
I didn’t know how much longer I could hold the lion in. “Let me tell you something: Richter was a piece of trash. As you so eloquently said earlier, ‘a steaming pile of shit.’ I killed him. I threw him into the damn sun. He’s gone. He’s never coming back. Now, tell me exactly what Atlas is planning before more innocent people die.”
Rob looked at me, rage filling his eyes.
“What is his end game?” I said through gritted teeth.
Rob said nothing. I could see his jaw grinding his teeth in anger.
“I said, What. Is. His. End. Game.” I clenched my fists tight around his shirt, my muscles tensed up as tight as they could get.
Again, Rob kept his mouth shut. I could almost admire his fortitude.
I slammed Rob to the floor. He cried out in pain.
“Kane,” I vaguely heard Drew say from somewhere in the room. I could barely hear him over the roaring sound of my blood rushing through my head.
“Answer me, Rob!” I screamed, and I punched him in the face. It took a lot to hold back and not go full Tempest on him. “People are going to die! Tell me what Atlas is planning!”
Rob spat in my face. “Go to hell, devil.”
I slammed my fist into his face, sending blood flying across the floor.
“Kane, stop!” Drew yelled.
I raised my fist again, but felt a surge of electricity course through me. I was slammed to the floor, my body jerking and spasming from the Eximus coursing through me. The electricity traveled to my brain, blocking whatever it was in there that gave me my powers.
Drew had one hand on my shoulder, and in the other, he held a fistful of my shirt. He dragged me backwards, out of the room.
“You’re going to pay, Tempest!” Rob shouted, sounding like a crazed maniac. “You’re going to pay!”
Twisted Words
My body seized up from the Eximus. Drew shut the door, and then took his hands off me. I lay on the floor, the Eximus still going strong in my brain. It took a few seconds, but it began to dissipate. My head felt like it was in a fog, and my muscles were sore from the electricity.
“You good?” Drew asked me. He reached down a hand to help me up.
“That thing’s not on, is it?” I groaned.
Drew laughed. “No, not unless you do something stupid.”
I grabbed his hand, and he lifted me up. I leaned against the wall for balance, and slowly felt my powers returning to me.
“You were getting a little carried away in there,” he said.
“I had it under control,” I said, trying my best not to sound as frustrated as I felt. I thought I did have it under control. Yeah, Rob was making me a little angry, but I was using that anger to our advantage. “He was this close to telling me, Drew.” I looked up at him, his face telling me he wasn’t convinced. “I’m telling you. This close.”
“Kane, stop it. He wasn’t close, and you know it. If you would’ve kept going, you would have killed him,” Drew said, his voice stern.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew Drew wasn’t right. He couldn’t have been. I wasn’t going to just kill somebody who was defenseless—I couldn’t have. Yet I couldn’t find the words to defend myself.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” he said, more to himself than anything. “It’s been a long day. We were attacked this morning, for crying out loud. We’re not in the right state to be questioning a prisoner,” Drew told me, as if it was the most ludicrous idea ever, and he’d been saying so from the beginning.
“Time isn’t a luxury we have, Drew. The attack this morning was the biggest one yet. We can’t just sit around and wait until we’re in the ‘right state of mind’ before we try to get some information that can save lives.”
Drew cocked his head to the side. “Okay, just so I’m clear, you’re admitting that you’re not thinking straight.”
I rubbed my face with my hands. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just—” I stopped, giving up in frustration. “Fine. Whatever. You win, Drew. I’m sorry for doing what I need to do to keep people safe.” I turned to walk away.
“Just because bad things happen to us doesn’t give us the right to do worse,” Drew said as I was walking away. “Do unto others, Golden Rule, you know, that stuff.”
I turned and raised my hands. “I didn’t go and blow up a camp of innocent civilians, but look wher
e that got us.”
“So, you’re saying you want to go blow up a camp of civilians?” Drew asked.
I grunted in frustration and stopped walking. “You know that’s not what I said, Drew. Stop twisting my words.”
“Alright, whatever,” Drew said, waving me off. “You go get some rest or whatever, and I’ll stay here and watch Rob. That’ll give me some time to think about what you really mean.”
I didn’t even give Drew the satisfaction of a response. I just disappeared in a blur, running away as fast as I could.
I WALKED INTO MY ROOM on the fourth floor of the hotel. I wanted to throw myself on my bed first thing, but I needed a shower.
I walked over to the open door that led to my parents’ room, adjoining this one. I was about to shut it, then I saw that my parents were in their room on their break. I walked in, letting out a sigh to announce my arrival. I sat down on the bed next to Mom, who was reading a book.
“Getting some rest before training with Selena?” Dad said from his spot at the table next to the window. He was writing something down on a notepad.
“Yeah, gonna take a shower and try to get a nap,” I said.
“I don’t think you’re going to have to try very hard,” Mom said with a comforting smile.
“I agree with you there. It’s been a long day,” I said as I rubbed my face, trying to scrub the tiredness from it. “What are you writing down, Dad?”
He looked at me above his reading glasses. “Just working on a schedule for the kitchen. We’ve got a lot of great people volunteering.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Thanks for taking care of the civilians while the rest of us focus on this whole Atlas thing.”
Dad smiled, and Mom patted me on the back. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “We know you’ve got it under control. But if you ever need any help with anything, you know where to find us.”
I nodded. “I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll talk to you guys later.” I stood to leave, but Mom stopped me.
“Don’t think we haven’t forgotten about tomorrow. What kind of cake do you want for your birthday?” she asked.
I stopped and slowly turned, groaning. “Come on, Mom. We don’t have time for any birthday stuff.”
“Nonsense!” she said. “It’s your eighteenth birthday! You deserve a cake.”
I hesitated before telling them about tomorrow. I knew Mom was really looking forward to my birthday, so telling her I wasn’t even going to be on this continent in 24 hours would upset her. “I’m actually not going to be here tomorrow,” I said.
They both looked at me with puzzled faces. I explained the whole thing to them, how Doug had been in contact with some people overseas and how Selena and I were planning to go tomorrow. “They want to put it to a vote tomorrow morning, but I’m sure it’ll go through,” I said at the end.
Mom got up from her spot on the bed and gave me a hug, her eyes misty. “I guess her son saving the world is the best thing a mother could ask for on her child’s eighteenth birthday.”
I laughed, as did Dad. “I’ll be sure to stop by and say goodbye before I leave,” I told them. With that, I left the room to go get some rest, having not given them a proper goodbye.
Street Fight
A knock at the door woke me from my sleep. I got up and walked over to look through the peephole. Selena was standing there, waiting for me to answer.
“There you are,” she said as I opened the door. “Drew told me you’d be here.”
I rubbed my head and turned around, then walked over to my bed. Selena followed me in.
“He didn’t seem too pleased with you,” she said.
I sat down on the edge of my bed and put my shoes on. “Yeah, we had a bit of a disagreement. At least I think that’s what it was. I don’t know—it’s been a long day. Everybody’s on edge. I’m ready to punch something.”
“By something, you mean me?” Selena said with a smirk, crossing her arms.
“Hey, this whole training thing was your idea.” I stood, ready to go.
The two of us walked out of the room and began making our way to our sparring location. “So, what was this whole disagreement—or whatever it was—all about?”
I shrugged. “I got a little aggressive with that guy you brought in earlier. Drew had to pull me off him. We got into a bit of a fight, but our emotions were running high and my adrenaline was pumping. I was just being stupid.”
“So, what you really mean is that you were pissed that Drew brought you down a peg?”
I rolled my eyes. “You can call it whatever you want, Selene.”
“You really want me to punch you hard, don’t you?” she asked.
I smirked. “I don’t know, Selene. You tell me.”
“Call me that one more time and you’ll see just how hard I can hit,” she said.
“Well if it’s anything like how you’ve punched me in the past, it won’t be too bad.”
Selena and I spent the rest of our time walking, talking to and teasing each other. When we reached the parking lot at the edge of our camp, we cleaned it out and used it to practice fighting each other, the craters and cracks all over the concrete evidence of our sparring.
“You’re probably already warmed up after this morning,” Selena said as she stretched.
“Unfortunately. Those Supers were no joke. Just ask Nep,” I said with a chuckle.
“How bad was he hurt?” Selena asked.
“Not too bad, obviously, or else I wouldn’t be joking about it. He definitely got his bell rung, though.” I nodded towards Selena as she finished her stretches. “You seem warmed up as well. Run into any trouble while you were scouting?”
Selena shook her head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. I wasn’t even spotted while I was flying around Boston.” She shook her head. “It’s not looking pretty. They’re going through the city like a plague. They’re destroying everything, forcing people to join the Legion or die. Most are joining gladly, though. Anybody smart enough is long gone from the city. The only ones left behind are those asking for trouble or wanting to join.”
“What about Atlas? You see him at all?” I asked, nervous about her answer.
Selena shook her head. “Nobody’s seen him, or if they have, they aren’t saying a word. Apparently he’s staying hidden, ‘ruling from his throne’ or some such shit.”
I nodded. “I’ve heard the same thing. I can’t help but feel something’s not right.”
“Of course it’s not,” she said with a scoff.
“You know what I mean. Relatively speaking, something’s not right. Atlas doesn’t seem like the type of guy to not constantly be in the limelight. He didn’t even come to Dallas when the Legion atta—”
My sentence was interrupted by Selena slamming her fist against my chest. My body was launched backwards and slammed through a convenience store across the street before being stopped by the front counter.
Selena appeared in front of me, offering her hand. “Don’t let your guard down, Kane.”
I rolled my eyes and grimaced as my body healed itself. I grabbed her hand and jerked down on it, trying to bring her down to the ground with me. She didn’t budge, having expected my move and bracing herself. I let go and fell back.
“Also, don’t be predictable,” she said with a laugh.
I grunted in annoyance as I grabbed her hand once more to pull myself up. Once I was up, I could tell she had relaxed her muscles and was no longer bracing herself. I jerked her in close and, using her momentum against her, slammed my hand against her chest. I knocked her off her feet and slammed her to the floor, causing the ground to crack underneath her from the force of my blow.
Selena placed her left hand on my right shoulder and in one fluid motion, flipped me off her. Now I was the one being slammed to the floor, as she flipped me to her right and pressed her knee against my chest.
I went to hit her with my right hand, but she grabbed my wrist. I tried to hit with my left hand, and
she did the same.
My legs, however, were still free.
I pulled them up and kneed her hard in the back. She fell forward, inches from my face. I head-butted her as hard as I could, and she went flying backwards through the counter of the convenience store.
I shot up from the floor and flew out into the open. I hovered above the parking lot, waiting for Selena to come flying out.
Right on cue, a few seconds later, Selena flew at me fast and hard, just like I’d predicted. I dodged her fist by a few inches, and she went soaring behind me. I reached out and grabbed her foot as she flew by. I redirected her momentum and slammed her to the ground.
I flew down to where she lay. She jumped up from the ground and charged at me. Now she was really angry.
She launched a punch at me, but I blocked it. She punched again, and I swooped my head out of the way. Her next punch came a little faster, as did the next. Both I dodged with ease. Our speed increased, and so did the power behind her punches. For one punch, however, her speed faltered. I parried that blow, and punched her in the gut during the opening she gave me.
This left my body open for attack, however. She grabbed my shoulders and brought my body in for a knee to the gut.
The air shot from my lungs like a bullet, and for a split second my head grew light. I shook the stars away as I breathed in a quick lungful air. From the corner of my eye I saw Selena’s fist coming in fast. I stood up straight, and her fist swooped through the air where I had been leaning over seconds earlier.
Her missed punch caused her to falter, and I launched a volley of attacks at her exposed side. Selena stumbled backwards, the perfect distance away for a solid kick.
And give her a solid kick I did. I slammed the bottom of my foot against her chest, and Selena went flying backwards, skidding across the ground before coming to a halt at the edge of the parking lot.
I ran to her side in a split second. She was lying on the ground, catching her breath. “You good?” I asked.
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