by Drew Hayes
The training with Alice and Mary might not have increased his raw force as much as they’d hoped, but it had damn sure helped train his reflexes. Alex jumped up and spun around, noticing a small smoking spot on the ground where he’d been standing, and faced the opponent who’d managed to sneak up on him. Jill stood there, her arm still raised and a small device glowing on her gauntlet. She was barely recognizable; the suit she wore had clearly undergone some serious modifications. It gleamed in the fake sunlight, dark metal flowing across her body, little notches and bumps giving away the various devices that she could call to action with a mere thought. All of it was topped off by a helmet with two barely-visible eye slots. It should have greatly obstructed her vision, but Alex knew Will’s craftsmanship too well to count on such an oversight.
“Nice dodge,” Jill said, her voice somewhat muffled by the apparatus enclosing her head. “You’re getting better.”
“You, too; you’ll have to tell me how you managed to avoid my mental detection,” Alex replied. As he spoke, he brought down the same telekinetic force he’d used on Will in the second match, pressing on her like she was a sandwich in a panini press. Unlike Will, she didn’t immediately buckle. Her suit had either been formatted to increase her strength or somehow counter this exact strategy; knowing Will it was probably both. She did begin to go down slowly, her shoulders hunching and knees buckling outward. He was about to turn up the pressure when the song hit his ears. It was a song of slumber, one that made his head swim with visions of soft pillows and thick blankets.
He glanced to the tree line and sure enough, there was Selena, singing her siren’s lullaby. Alex switched into sound repelling mode, but the necessary focus meant he had to release Jill, who immediately called forth two new glowing devices to the gauntlets around her wrists.
“You were right,” Jill called to her teammate. “Having Will create a sound negation device was a good idea.” The handy doodad allowed her to fight in close proximity to Selena without falling under her spell unless Jill willingly deactivated the system. It was a good thing, too. Alex’s ability meant he could very effectively counter either one of the girls in combat. Both of them working in tandem, on the other hand, now that was a task they doubted he’d be able to handle.
* * *
“Things aren’t going too hot, are they?”
Mary glanced at Nick, whose face wore an expression of practiced disinterest. If he’d been asking because he cared, one wouldn’t know it from looking at him. Mary was used to that part; what concerned her was how unsurprised he seemed at the idea that their team was in trouble. It was especially impressive since she hadn’t given him any updates since they separated.
“How did you know?”
“I didn’t, I merely suspected. You’d be feeding me information about each person’s victories if they were having any. Since you’re silent I’m assuming it means they’ve hit a few obstacles.”
“Too soon to tell,” Mary replied. “But a few of them are in some tough fights. Vince and Camille are facing Shane, Alice is squaring off with Violet, Roy and Thomas are about to throw down, and Alex just got ambushed by Selena and Jill, with one of Julia’s clones watching from a safe distance.”
Nick made a clicking sound somewhere in his throat. “Fuck. That is not an ideal lineup for us.”
“A couple of them could swing our way.”
“Sure, but not the most important one.”
“I think you’re underestimating Vince,” Mary said.
“I doubt it,” Nick shot back. “I’ve spent more time working with him than anyone else in this group. I’ve run endless scenarios in my head to try and prep him for as many of them that are winnable as possible. I think it’s safe to say that right now I know Vince’s abilities better than anyone else, himself included.”
“Except his father,” Mary pointed out.
“Allegedly. That cute little tip hasn’t been proven yet.”
“Yet?”
Nick gave a curt nod. “Keep me updated on their fight. Once I know how it shakes out, I’ll know how to proceed.”
“You have a plan for if he loses?”
“I have a plan for everything. I have a plan for Zeus blasting down through the ceiling and declaring himself the king of Naples. Just because I have one doesn’t make it particularly good.”
“I see.” They walked in silence for a bit longer, Mary redirecting them a few times as their target changed direction. Eventually Mary’s curiosity was too much, and reading Nick’s mind was no help as he was purposely obfuscating by doing complex math in his head.
“So, are you going to tell me what the plan is?”
“Make an offering to Nyarlathotep, one of the ancient dark gods of the abyss, to come and challenge Zeus for the throne. I figure if one god is real, why not others? While they duke it out, I hightail myself to safety. Then avoid Naples for the rest of my life.”
“I meant what’s the plan for if Vince loses?”
“Oh, I’m not going to share that one,” Nick said. “You’d hate it anyway. Far too much of a long shot.”
174.
The trees were on fire, that much was evident to anyone nearby as well as to any students who took notice of the rising smoke and orange glow. Although Vince hated to damage property, he would have doubtlessly found the sacrifice to be worthwhile in exchange for defeating Shane. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case.
Vince’s arms were both extended, his hand open with small waves of heat still emanating from them. Rather than being aimed near Shane, which he’d intended, they were facing a cluster of trees that were crackling as the flame turned them into kindling. Vince couldn’t see them, he could only feel the vine-like appendages that had wrapped around his arms, jerking them to a new target at the last minute. Before he could even think of shifting his focus, those same restraints flexed against his arms. The next sensation Vince was aware of was searing pain and a sticky dampness down to his elbows.
“You always use your hands to aim,” Shane commented. “It makes you predictable.” His irises and sclera were gone, or at least they had turned so dark that they may as well have vanished. It gave the illusion that Shane’s face bore empty sockets, ones that opened to a twisted void of a dimension encompassed in utter blackness. It was, to say the least, a bit unnerving, and not just because of the strange visage it gave him. Even after spending the year with him in Close Combat class, Vince and Camille were both impressed by his shadow manifestation and manipulation ability.
Vince was currently thinking less about how impressive it was and more about how much pain he was in. His arms were hanging uselessly: whatever muscles Shane cut had taken away Vince’s ability to lift them above his waist. Trying to focus through the pain, Vince set his eyes on Shane and began to draw upon the electricity stored within.
“Enough.” Shane made a quick hand motion, and Vince felt his feet go out from under him. A few attempted motions confirmed that several muscles in his legs had been severed. This time Shane hadn’t tried to wound, he’d gone for incapacitation. Vince lay in the grass, his eyes still focused on his opponent, but another quick motion flipped him over and changed that as well.
“I hate to do this,” Shane said, turning his attention to Camille. “I actually sort of enjoy both of you. You support your team, you train hard, and you conduct yourselves with behavior appropriate for aspiring Heroes. Regardless of Vince’s origin, I respect his ability. That’s why I have to take him down; he represents too great an unknown factor in this game. Camille, you are simply collateral damage since you could revive him.”
As Shane talked he manipulated the shadow on one of the larger trees, first turning it into a blade with which he sliced off a branch, then thickening it into a tendril which he used to heft up the tree limb he’d just cut down. He carted the branch over and set it, surprisingly carefully, down on top of Camille.
“There, that should keep you from going over to him,” Shane said once the task w
as done. “You can breathe, right?”
Camille couldn’t form words; the seething rage at seeing Vince sliced into ribbons had her head pounding and her tongue thick. Instead she stared daggers at him, but took a strained breath to ensure she was capable. Anger was well and good, but if she asphyxiated she wouldn’t be able to go help Vince once Shane left.
“Okay then, on to the next task.” Shane walked over to Vince, careful to keep a healthy distance, then flipped him onto his back and pinned him down with the same branch acquiring technique he’d used on Camille. While his power was similar to Thomas’s, the ability to strike from any area and to manipulate his shadows into bladed weapons made Shane a far more deadly opponent. Had he taken a different route, he could have been a world-class assassin. As it was, he spent much of his training learning ways to utilize his ability so it wouldn’t be deadly. That was why his major was biology; it was why he studied anatomy in his free time. That was why he knew what muscles he could cut without causing a target to bleed out.
“There are a lot of stories about you, Vince,” Shane said as he lowered the branch in place, making sure it rested heavily on but didn’t crush his captive. Shane was careful to move around as he talked, changing direction frequently. Even injured and pinned, giving Vince a stationary target was asking for trouble. “How you stood your ground against Coach George, how you dominated Michael in the first match this year, and, of course, your neat trick against Thomas during last year’s midterms. You’re a strong guy, and I’ve trained with you in combat enough to know you’ve got hand-to-hand chops.” Shane finished adjusting the branch and stood a few steps further back.
“That said, you need to understand the gap between those in the middle and those at the top. Dean Blaine outlined it for us during the first year. Only the strongest can move on, because only we have a place in the Hero world. People depend on us, I know you know that. You’re the kind of guy who fights all the harder when there are people who need him. I respect you for that.”
“Thanks,” Vince gasped from under the limb. “Didn’t seem to help much.”
“You’ve got a Hero’s heart,” Shane said. “You just don’t have a Hero’s strength. I’ve taken you out as painlessly as possible, much more gently than some of the people who don’t share my sentiment would have. Just tell me who has your orb and I’ll be on my way.”
“No,” Vince rasped. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“Can’t say I’m really surprised,” Shane sighed. “You’re the type that would let me peel off his skin before he said a word that might lead to his friends being hurt. I had to try, at least. I could probably get it out of you, but it would take far too long to be worth it. Oh well, I suppose taking out two of my rival team’s most useful members will have to be good enough.”
He moved quickly and carefully, being certain not to enter Vince’s field of vision. Even in exiting Shane’s motions were deliberate and thought out.
Vince tested the heft holding him down and found it unmoving. If he’d had both arms he might have been able to pull something out, but with his injuries there was no chance of conventional escape. His head thudded softly as it fell backward onto the grass. It felt strangely good to lay there, motionless, staring up at the false sky. Time was running out, and he needed to think of something.
It was either that or accept that this was his last day at Lander.
175.
Violet couldn’t really fly. It would be more accurate to say she floated, decreasing her density until she was able to stay aloft on air currents. Upping her speed or changing direction was just a matter of increasing a small part of her body’s density and casting it in the direction she wanted to travel. For example, she could punch to the left while making the nail on her index finger heavier for half of a second, resulting in her whole body being moved forcibly. This technique, while effective, was also very strange to see in action: Violet’s navigation mimicked the jerking of an epileptic squid. That said, it worked.
Alice dashed to the side as Violet whooshed by, hand clutched into a fist that would have no doubt become much heavier right before impacting Alice. Violet kicked backwards and reversed trajectory, reorienting herself and coming around for another attack. So far Alice had managed to dodge effectively - she had more practice thinking in three-dimensions than her opponent - however, she also knew she was in very real trouble if Violet should manage to land a blow. She could increase the gravity around Violet, but that was difficult given the girl’s constant movement. Not to mention that Alice didn’t know how much of that force Violet could ignore by becoming less dense. The one thing she did know was that she was only going to have the element of surprise once, and then it was gone.
“You’re quick,” Violet said, pausing her formerly ceaseless barrage to catch her breath. “To be honest, I’m a little impressed. I thought you’d have tried to escape by now.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“Because you don’t have any way to win. Your power only lets you fly, and now that I’ve come into your world, it’s just a matter of time before I catch you.”
“I suppose it’s just not in me to walk away from a fight.”
“It most certainly is, and you’re neither stupid nor overly prideful. So that means you think you’ve got a shot at winning this.” Violet’s smile was wide, showing too many teeth for it to be taken as a friendly gesture. “You’ve been sandbagging.”
“I’d prefer to say that I just haven’t had the chance to showcase my talents,” Alice replied.
“Then consider this your opening night. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a good tussle, so bring it on. Let’s see what you can really do.”
This time it was Alice who surged forward, utilizing her superior speed and maneuverability to come down on Violet, dropping a fist directly toward her throat. She almost pulled it off; however, what Alice had in flying practice, Violet had in battle experience. She rolled to the side at the last moment, sending Alice’s punch into her shoulder. The blonde girl was momentarily thrown off kilter, and Violet used that opportunity to wrap both arms around her torso. As soon her grip was firm, Violet turned up her own density, sending them downward and dragging Alice out of the sky.
“Good effort,” Violet said as their pace began to increase. “A little quicker and you might have gotten me.”
“It isn’t over yet,” Alice snapped. “I’m betting this landing hurts you, too.” She focused on decreasing their gravity, slowing the descent as much as possible. She still had a plan, but it required Violet to be much denser.
“You’d be surprised how tough I am when I get heavy.” Violet was impressed the blonde could haul this much weight. She turned up her own ability, making herself even heavier. They began to fall faster, and Violet cranked it up even more. She would be sure to cushion Alice from the blow, but it should be enough to keep the girl grounded for some while.
Alice didn’t reply this time; her attention was on the approaching tree tops. She had to time this perfectly: otherwise Violet would just shift back again. Her mind grew empty as she focused on the gravity that enveloped them. Alice had already done more in practice than just excuse herself from its hold or turn up the knob on others: she’d also changed the very direction it pulled in. It hadn’t been easy, and she’d never tried something this delicate before. They passed the first tip of a tree and there was no more time for debate or doubt.
It was showtime.
Violet’s arms were ripped away from Alice’s body as an unseen force yanked them in opposite directions. At the same time, she felt her own rate of descent increase dramatically. This wasn’t just losing the counterforce of the flier: she was moving much too swiftly for that to be the case. As Alice bobbed overhead, a quickly shrinking point in Violet’s line of sight, it all came together.
“Gravity. You sandbagging bitch,” she muttered. The next sound was the tremendous crash of a college-aged girl whose weight was currently in the hundreds of t
ons smashing into the ground. It caved into a crater of impressive size, uprooting a few trees and sending who knows how many rocks flying. She’d have likely fallen much farther if not for the special material Lander’s walls, and more importantly floors, were made from.
A less dense item would have been damaged beyond repair. As it was, Violet felt like she’d gotten her bell rung pretty noticeably. It would take her a few minutes to shake it all off, but she wasn’t out of the fight yet. She looked up from her giant crater and saw Alice still floating above her. It was hard to see at such a distance, but Violet noticed the floating form seemed to be making motions with its arms. She had just enough time to wonder what on earth that girl was doing before she noticed the rumbling sound that was filling her ears.
Trees, rubble, and other sizable debris began careening over the lip of the crater, crashing down the slope to land at the lowest point, directly on top of Violet. Violet felt the burdens fall on top of her, not heavy enough to do any damage but certainly making her inevitable escape more difficult. She could lower her density enough to become insubstantial, but that meant a brief moment where she’d be normal and pinned under an ever-increasing mountain of crap. Her only other option was to weaken each hunk of debris piece by piece until she was able to get out.
Well, she had told Alice to bring it. Violet made a note to congratulate her friend when this was all said and done. Assuming she made it out before the start of summer vacation, of course.
176.
Roy and Thomas had never squared off before, though they’d spent enough time in the same social circle that each was familiar with the other’s abilities. At least, that’s what Roy thought before their match began. He’d expected to be battling against energy tendrils or maybe some straight up blast attacks. What he hadn’t expected was that Thomas might have been expanding his own repertoire since the match with Vince and Alex over a year ago.
The tree shattered as Roy was hurled through it, splinters tearing his uniform but failing to pierce his skin. Idly Roy wondered if he’d be holding up so well had this fight happened earlier in the year. He highly doubted it; right now the only thing keeping him conscious was the amount of damage he could take, and even that was beginning to reach its limits. He pulled himself up from the grassy ground and looked around, trying to locate his opponent. It didn’t take long; the one drawback of Thomas’s technique was that it made him easy to spot.