by Huth, Jacob
He chuckled and pulled the cigar out of his mouth. “Defiant to the end. I’ll get straight to the point. I know you know about Armageddon and what he will be when he is completed,” he said. He began to pace. “My problem is this. I need your spike to add to him but Bunsen here says that we cannot extract your spike as we did with the other spikers. He says that your genes are expanded somehow and bonded to your body and have morphed. So what is it you have done to yourself?” he asked.
“Go to hell,” I said.
“Have it your way,” he said. He turned to Bunsen and said, “Turn the intensity up on your experiments until he talks.”
“Absolutely sir,” replied Bunsen.
Hades exited the room via the elevator. Just before the door closed, Hades stopped it from closing and said, “Zero. I will find out what I need to know one way or another.”
Bunsen typed away at a keyboard activating two mechanical arms. Each arm had a syringe one the end that plunged into my shoulders. The pain was too much for me to handle. I blacked out from the pain.
Flint visited me as often as he could. He convinced Bunsen to let him see me frequently because he wanted to break me personally. He made up some story about me and how I had tried to kill Ruby and rob them. Luckily Bunsen bought the story. Bunsen would leave the lab and Flint would fill me in on the plan and give me drinks of water. Flint was a kind man who cared deeply for his family. He was about six feet tall and had graying hair. He was built like an average man and had a calm and friendly demeanor. He was always very welcoming when I would come see Jet and entrusted me to watch out for her.
On the fourth day of being in the lab, Flint came in as he normally did. When he entered, he looked at Bunsen and said, “Pike in Weapons Engineering said he needs your help for a few hours.”
“I am supposed to continue to work on this traitor,” he hissed.
“I have the order from the top for you to help. They are developing a new weapon and need you there to oversee the engineering,” replied Flint.
“Fine but you have to stay here and stand guard then. I shall not leave him unattended,” he said.
“I will watch him. You better get there before they reprimand you,” Flint said pulling up a chair. Bunsen gathered his things in a hurry and shoved them into a briefcase. He scurried to the elevator and ascended to the upper levels.
“How are you holding up?” Flint asked.
“I’m trying my best. Each day that I refuse to talk, the experiments get more painful. Look at my stomach,” I said. Flint looked at my stomach and shuddered. I had endured a machine that Bunsen called the grinder. It was a clear rod that lit up when he applied pressure to the handle. He pressed me for information and when I refused, he laid the grinder on my stomach. The device created a thermo-electric current that tore my skin and seared the wound shut and sent an electric current through the tender area for maximum pain. Flint could barely look at the horrific red wound on my stomach.
“This is terrible. I am truly sorry. We are working as quickly as we can but the program that we are writing to mimic Bunsen’s security clearance is taking longer than expected. Kraken has a lot of safeguards in their programs. I am waiting for the transfer to come through on my datapad. It could come through at any moment. I got Bunsen reassigned for a few hours so I could buy some time,” he said.
“I can hang on a little longer. Just make sure that your program is foolproof. We can’t risk us all getting killed,” I said.
“Your life is the only one that matters now,” he said.
“That is not true. You have Ruby and Jet to take care of,” I retorted.
“Actually I don’t,” he said somberly.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Ruby passed on last night,” he said tearing up.
“Oh no. What happened?” I asked.
“Her body just gave out. I don’t know why but I gave her the daily medicine dose and she dozed off as normal. When I woke up, she was gone,” he replied.
“I am so sorry. Have you told Jet?” I asked.
“Jet has been stopping in to the house to check on our progress on freeing you. She stopped in just after I discovered that Ruby was gone. It has been tough on her without you and now the loss of her mother is…” he said getting choked up before he could finish.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said quietly.
He wiped his eyes and sat up straight. “Jet truly loves you, you know. I will get you out of here,” he said.
“Hopefully it is soon. Can you do something for me?” I asked.
“What is it?” he asked back.
“They have been continually injecting something into me on top of the interrogation and my body feels strange. Every time he injects me, he scribbles something into a black file folder. Can you read it and tell me what they have been doing to me?” I asked.
“Yeah let me find it,” he said. He stood up and walked over to the workbench. He rifled through the pile of books and folders until he found the correct file. He opened it and started reading Bunsen’s notes.
“What does it say?” I asked after a moment.
“It says that he has been injecting a chemical solution that he has engineered to alter genes but it doesn’t seem to be working on you. What is it that you did to yourself?” he asked.
“We found plans from the old rebellion for something called a spike amplifier. It magnifies the wearer’s power and we recently discovered that it has lasting effects on the genes. My spike is still amplified even without the gauntlets on,” I replied.
“That’s interesting,” he said setting the file down. He began to look at the other files on the workbench.
“Have you heard any chatter about Armageddon?” I asked.
“What is Armageddon?” he asked.
“It probably is good that you don’t know. That means they haven’t unleashed him yet. He is a man who they are funneling forty gene spikes into,” I replied.
Flint picked up a file and said, “This file is labeled Armageddon.”
“What does it say inside?” I asked.
He opened it and started to scan the pages. “The latest entry says that they have hit a snag in the process. Armageddon’s body is rejecting all of the spikes. His body is breaking down for some reason. They have been synthesizing a gene spike that heals the body of any disease or injury. They have the test batches in this lab somewhere. They believe that the most recent batch will help him,” he said.
“Does it say where they are keeping him?” I asked.
“All it says is that he is being kept at location 49,” he replied.
“I have no idea what that means,” I said. He shrugged and sat down in a nearby chair. He continued to read the case notes on Armageddon as the time passed. After about an hour, Flint’s datapad chimed and lit up.
“It’s time. The program is finished,” he said. He linked his datapad to my shackles and activated the program to free me. After a few seconds, the locks whirred and popped open. I fell to my knees and subsequently flat to the ground. My arms had been suspended above me for days. This made them weak and numb.
“I am so weak,” I said. I reached up and removed my neural inhibitor from my head. I felt some of my strength return but I was still so weak.
“I have an idea but it is risky,” Flint said kneeling down next to me.
“I’ll try anything at this point,” I said.
“We can use the latest batch of the synthesized healing gene spike. I can inject you and the spike may stick and heal you,” he said.
“Find the chemical,” I said. He rushed off to the other side of the laboratory as I tried to stand up. I finally forced myself into a standing position but had to immediately lean against the table. Flint rushed back across the lab with an injector gun. There was a glass capsule on it that contained a red liquid.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Do it,” I said gritting my teeth. He plunged the needle into my arm and pulled the
trigger. The red liquid emptied out of the capsule and surged into my body. We waited for a minute for the liquid to merge into my body. I felt the pain in my abdomen disappear slowly. I looked down to see the injury from the grinder vanishing. The other various injuries I had sustained during my time in the lab began to heal. I felt my strength returning and my power thriving. I saw my clothes sitting on a chair against the wall. I retrieved them and dressed quickly.
“Are you ready to go? We need to move quickly,” said Flint typing away at his datapad.
“I’m ready. What’s the plan?” I asked.
“I just checked the security camera feed and the lobby is clear for now,” he said. “The next guard patrol will be through soon.”
“Let’s get moving,” I said. In the time we had been talking, I hadn’t noticed that the elevator was coming to us. The doors opened and revealed Bunsen who looked up and was shocked to see me free. He pressed a button on his wrist band and an alarm started to sound. I threw out my hands and knocked Bunsen back with a force blast. His body crashed through the back of the elevator and destroyed a transformer in the elevator shaft. The explosion incinerated Bunsen and destroyed the elevator.
“The elevator is gone!” Flint yelled over the alarm, “We are trapped.”
“We need to find a way out of here,” I said.
“You have no way out,” a voice said over the intercom. “Give up now. Our troops are on the way to your location.”
“We need an exit plan,” I said.
Flint started typing away at his datapad quickly and when he finished he said, “I signaled for help.”
“Who will help?” I asked frantically.
“Just wait,” he replied. A cracking sound began to come through the ceiling and a large plant crashed through. Vine slid down the root into the lab.
“We didn’t know if we would see you again,” he said.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I said climbing up onto the root. Flint followed behind us into the upper floors. We emerged into the lobby where a crowd of rebels were in a fierce gun battle with the Kraken guards. Flare descended into the lobby with her body engulfed in flames. She was donning her new disguise that she picked out. She wore a black Kevlar-like armor that seemed to be fire proof. She was wearing tight, black pants and black combat boots. She also had a pair of welding goggles on her face to cover her eyes. She barked a command and the rebel troops hit the floor. She unleashed two pillars of flame from her hands and lit the lobby on fire. The flames engulfed many of the Kraken troops.
“Hurry up!” Flare yelled. We ran through the doorway and retreated into the city square. The remainder of the rebel troops entered the square. Frost led a group of soldiers into the square and gave an order for them to set up in a blockade.
“Zero! We need to go!” yelled Frost.
“Not yet! I need to get somewhere that I can talk to the people of the city. They need to know what happened to me and that Kraken can be defeated,” I replied.
“We can go to the radio station where Kraken broadcasts their public announcements. You can get behind the mic and talk to the whole city,” Frost said.
“Good. We need to get there before Kraken mobilizes their entire army,” I said. Flint, Frost and I ran through the city streets while Flare and Vine stayed and commanded the troops in the square. We cut through alleys and side streets as fast as we could. The radio tower came upon us quickly. The small building had a large metal spire to broadcast their communications. I put my hand out while I was running to force the door open. I released a force blast and obliterated the door while I was still twenty feet out. We slowed to a jog and then to a walk when we approached the doorway.
“It would be much easier for all of us if you didn’t go in there!” yelled a voice from behind us. We spun around and saw the Trifecta standing behind us. Synapse, Golem and Prism stood together just a few feet away.
“It really was easy to fool you,” Prism said arrogantly.
“Prism, don’t gloat. It isn’t polite,” Synapse said.
“I should kill you where you stand,” Frost said gritting his teeth.
“I would like to see you try!” Prism blurted out.
“Enough Prism! Your incessant shouting is grating on my nerves!” shouted Golem.
“Would you two stop?” Synapse said rubbing her brow.
“Flint, go inside and get the broadcast ready while we take care of them,” I whispered. He nodded and slipped inside quietly. Frost formed a dagger out of ice in each hand and cracked his neck.
“You three still have a chance to walk away from Kraken,” I said.
“Why would we walk away from the money they pay us? We make a fortune enforcing Kraken’s law,” Prism said. He stepped up to the front of the group. His outfit was ridiculous looking. He obviously cared greatly about vanity since his appearance was so generic. He wore a black and gold jacket with silver pants. His boots were also gold and tied his flamboyant ensemble together.
“The money you make cannot be better than having freedom,” Frost said.
“I would expect nothing less than that from a slum rat,” Prism said. Frost became visibly angry as he clenched his fists tighter and tighter. Prism saw this and knew he was getting a rise out of Frost. He knew that Frost would attack and began the process of duplicating himself. His body looked as if it were shaking violently causing multiple versions of Prism to come out. As the first two copies were about to take full form, a loud bang broke the tense silence. Prism’s face went blank as the copies rescinded back into his body. A large bullet hole was placed in the middle of his chest. I looked up in shock and saw Pan crouching on the rooftop holding his rifle. Prism fell to his knees and clutched at his chest. Golem turned his enormous foot to stone and kicked Prism over.
“He was an arrogant prick,” he said in his deep voice. The stone that consumed his leg started spreading all over the rest of his body. Frost ran at Golem with his ice daggers drawn. He leapt and tried to plunge the daggers into Golem’s chest but they were shattered against his skin. Golem backhanded Frost and launched him across the street into a wall. He turned his attention to me and began to walk towards me. I broke into a sprint which prompted him to do the same. I raised my fist as I sped towards him and struck his head sending us flying in opposite directions. I hit the wall of the radio center and Golem rolled across the ground tearing the pavement up as he tumbled. He finally came to a stop and slowly pushed himself up. I stood up and noticed that Synapse was sitting on a crate with her feet up. Her black boots rested on a metal railing while she picked her fingernails. I didn’t even notice while Golem regained his footing and hurled a broken down car at me. I was barely able to react and bat the car away with a force field. He slammed his fists into the ground and cracked the pavement. He picked up large pieces of stone and slung them at me. I focused as best I could to maintain the integrity of the force field. A seemingly endless barrage of stone slabs was halted as Golem was hit with shots from a long range rifle. The bullets entered from two different directions. I knew that Pan was still at his vantage point but when I looked in the other direction, I was shocked to see Jet firing from another roof with a mask covering her mouth. It was a cloth piece that was covering her mouth and tied in the back behind her head. The momentary lapse allowed me to make a move against Golem. I threw my hands up and lifted Golem in the air. He struggled and grunted but was held stationary by my power. I could feel his life force inside my mind. I didn’t know why, but Golem being inside my force power must have given me the ability to monitor his life force. My spike was morphing even after an extended period of not wearing the amplifiers. I started to move my hands together and as I did, his body began to crack. I was making the gravity on his body greater causing him to break apart. I finally clapped my hands together and Golem was crushed into gravel. The Trifecta was falling apart before my eyes. I heard Frost grunt as he stood up from where he was tossed.
“Are you alright Frost?” I yell
ed over.
“I’m fine. Just a little sore,” he replied.
I heard a cough from Synapse and turned with my hands up ready to fight but she was still sitting with her feet propped up on the crate. She was clicking the fingernails on her thumb and index finger. “I know when I’m outmatched,” she said without looking up.
“You aren’t even going to put up a fight?” Frost asked.
“Those two fools have always been too quick to rush into a fight. I have saved their asses more times than I can count. I know when a power shift is coming too. Hades is finished,” she replied.
I lowered my hands. “You could join us,” I said.
“I don’t think that your rebels would be happy if I joined up,” she said laughing.
Frost pulled me aside and said, “Why are you offering to let her join?”
“She is powerful. We will need her especially if they unleash Armageddon,” I said.
“She has lorded over our city on Hades’ payroll for years,” Frost said.
“Look,” Synapse chimed in, “I don’t really care who wins this war. If Kraken succeeds, I continue to get paid. If you win, the city is free and I can come and go.”
“Or you could be held accountable for your actions,” I said.
“Who do you suppose would have the authority to do that?” she asked.
“The people of Marsh City. We are going to liberate it and give them the authority to run this city,” I replied.
“How very noble,” she said.
“Now if you were to help us, I could probably convince the people of this city to see that the good outweighs the bad things you have taken part in,” I said.
She sat and pondered for a moment. “I can lend a hand,” she said. She stood up and held out her hand. I shook it and heard a commotion coming from the end of the street. Pan began flashing a light to signal us. I looked up and he pointed down to the end of the road. A large group of soldiers were moving towards us. The army was taking their formation.
"We need to get inside!" Frost yelled.
We ran inside the broadcast center and slammed the door shut.