Last Hope for Earth

by Jaime Mera

  With lightning speed he opened the door, flew down to the room and burst inside. The androids were quick, but Creator’s surprise and audacity caught them in a state of confusion as his arms split up into five spikes entering all of their heads and expanding to basketball size in their skulls.

  Creator stood straight as his arms retracted to normal length and muscular attributes. He expected at least one android to explode, but they only crashed onto the tiled floor with deformed hollow metallic heads. Creator looked down at his wrists with a tingle of pain as the force and speed needed to blow up the volume of solid Tantalized alloy in five square feet at the same time was a little taxing.

  He looked around, anticipating a triggered alarm, but his attack was so far unnoticed. “Huh.” He sighed, scanning for cameras. Something he normally would have seen, but because there were none, it was overlooked. It sort of puzzled him, but then again, why would they need cameras in the palace if they had androids all over. In addition it would have been an access point for spying on the palace from an outside source. Whatever the case, it meant he might be able to take out all of the androids on the level without alerting anyone else. With a new sense of urgency he looked at secluded androids and paths out of sight.

  He quickly flew through the opened door, into the hall and down to his next two targets. Before the androids could turn to notice him, Creator attacked them in like manner. Before they could fall, smashing onto a table and the floor, creator held his hands inside them, guiding them down to a soft clunk.

  With haste, he flew down halls and into rooms without a sound and took out ten more androids, before he got to Cynthia. He was about to open the door of her closet, but she stepped out in front of him. “I was wondering why everything was so quiet and it was taking so long.”

  “I tried to do this silently, but I guess it only bought a few minutes and seventeen less androids.” Creator said as an android found Creator’s handiwork and the hall started to fill up with energy flashes.

  Four androids appeared down the hall and three in adjacent rooms. Creator and Cynthia saw them and heard energy fizzling, plus foot work behind the nearby doors. Cynthia blasted the four androids in the hall while Creator shot his hands through the reinforced doors, hitting the two androids center mass in the heads.

  The last android bursting through a door in front of Creator, received a telekinetic bolt through his chest. The android didn’t explode, but recovered from the several feet of knockback, and charged at Creator.

  Expecting the explosive effect, Creator wasn’t fully prepared for the charge, but he quickly adjusted by turning to the side countering the charge and grappling the grasp of the android’s hands. The android swung clinging to Creator’s arm, hitting the door frame behind Creator with his feet. The deep groove on the wall and broken frame showed the density and force the android’s body had on inferior construction material.

  Creator felt a strong pull on his arm, then a stab on his side as the android punctured his lower left side with a spiked free hand. A bolt of heat erupted through the android’s arm, but Creator, quickly withdrew the android’s hand out of his body with a strong shove. The bolt ricocheted off Creator’s side and burnt a hole through the opposite wall almost hitting Cynthia.

  Before the android could continue on the attack, Creator jabbed his hand into the android’s head and bulged it out as before, with the android becoming dead weight by Creator’s feet.

  Mathew’s gunfire drizzled holes throughout the walls dispatching a dozen androids. Creator grabbed Cynthia’s arm, pointing at the floor. “Blast through the floor, big enough for us to enter.”

  Without hesitation, Cynthia strained as her hand lit up like a flare and the width of the hallway melted away down to the first floor. The temperature in the palace increased a few tens of degrees as Creator and Cynthia flew down to the third floor and killed everything in sight.

  Mini-gun fire erupted down the hallways, but the rounds were laser blasts, instead of the solid metallic projectiles used outside. Even though the walls could easily take 20mm armor piercing rounds, the laser bolts were penetrating three walls before dissipating. Creator took out the last android causing the chaotic spray of destruction, only to turn and see Cynthia holding her leg in pain. He looked beyond her hand, seeing the three inch deep hole on the meaty part of her upper leg but quickly healing. It would take a several seconds, but a lot could happen in that time, so he looked around assessing the situation.

  Mathew was on the second floor, bypassing the third as he and Cynthia were engaged. Cindy and Diana had already decapitated a dozen androids on the ground floor, with the concentration of enemy left being in the throne room.

  The area around them was clear so he stood next to Cynthia, as she recovered. “What happened, I thought they couldn’t harm you like that?” Creator kept a lookout.

  “The energy they’re using is different than anything I’ve seen. Normally, I don’t have trouble with physical or energy attacks, which are vaporized instantly when something touches me, but these androids are different.” Cynthia nodded her head as she let go of her healed leg with blood all over her hand and green skin tight costume. “Is that why you got the others to go on a wild goose chase?”

  Creator tilted his head. “Night is safer outside, and Cindy can protect the others better than anyone I know.”

  “Cindy?”

  “Yeah, with her powers, she can probably dismember all of the bad guys, but she can also keep people from being hurt. I on the other hand can’t make you disappear or immune to things. So, stay close to me and use me as a shield if you can.” Creator motioned her to follow him back to the hole she created earlier.

  “Why don’t I just make another hole?” Cynthia asked once she noticed where they were going.

  “Because the hole you made is outside the throne room and they seem to be ignoring it.” Creator flew around the corners and down to the ground level.

  Cynthia flowed closely as Creator came on the main hallway into the throne room. The ten meter wide entryway was elegantly decorated with gold and red carpeting with modern person-size metallic sculptors of people, mythical creatures and extinct animals along the walls. The walls themselves were plain as if someone had gone through the area taking down portraits and things lighter than the metallic statues.

  A short man dressed in a dark red and white outfit stood several meters away from the throne room main entrance. A large white spot on his chest with smaller sized spots extended to his extremities. It was corny if it had not been for the threatening scorching red aura around his hands.

  “This might be harder than we thought.” Creator said as he stopped short of the doors. “We’ll wait for the others.”

  “Who’s the superhuman?” Cynthia asked sensing his energy level now that she was close to him.

  “He’s an ex-con, who fought Hellfire decades ago. I think his name is Crimson” Creator went over all the information he could remember about the villain who disappeared after his twenty-year prison sentence was completed.

  “So that’s bad.”

  “I’ll rather go outside to fight the spiders.” Creator smiled as he turned his head to look at Cynthia and then behind her as Mathew came into the hallway.

  “Is everyone here?” Mathew asked.

  “Cindy, you here?” Creator whispered.

  After a short pause, the power went out with emergency lights keeping the dark corners bright. Not that it mattered since all the androids and most of the people in the building could see in the dark. “I guess not, but we should be fine.”

  “Well that didn’t do much.” Cynthia looked at the mild decrease in brilliance.

  “Power goes to other things besides lights.” Mathew replied walking next to Creator, sensing the danger beyond the throne doors.

  “So…” Mathew was interrupted by a crash through the doors.

  Crimson plowed into Creator while two androids flew towards Mathew and Cynthia. With a reflexive quick
draw, Mathew blasted the android about to collide with Cynthia. The energy bolt hit the android forcefully pushing him in the opposite direction.

  Creator and Mathew were taken by their assailants through the length of the hallway, past three walls and out into the lawn. The anticipated concrete cracking sound was superseded by loud hollow thungs, leaving a trail of two large holes towards the outside.

  Creator flipped Crimson with his flight ability grinding him into the artificial turf and concrete foundation. Crimson held tight to Creator’s wrist as he fired an amber glowing bolt inches from Creator’s chest. The heat burned Creator’s skin for an instant, before he opened a hole through his chest, letting the fire bolt continue up towards the sky. Creator’s hand deformed into a watery like material extending around over his wrist and reconnecting to his forearm. Crimson’s grip pressed on a wrist that withered away in a millisecond, as Creator flew up and blasted Crimson center mass with a telekinetic energy bolt. The bolt encompassed Crimson, the ground and concrete behind him succumbed to the force as a partial silhouette of Crimson’s upper body remained intact, ten feet into the foundation.

  Crimson’s custom was shredded into nothing, exposing his bare chest. With an angry stare, Crimson shot a beam of fire at Creator, which was dodged, and continued to be evaded as the fire was moved, trying to hit Creator in mid air.

  Mathew had better success as he shot the android in the head, having never let go of his specialized handgun. The android didn’t explode or stop functioning, but it was dazed. With the android holding his shoulder, Mathew used his feet to stop the backward momentum. Mathew’s density increased a hundred fold, with his feet sinking half a foot into the ground, creating two trench lines. Mathew focused his energy and directed it through his gun. With a penetrating punch on the android’s temple, he fired perfectly into the impact area as he withdrew his fist. The android’s head bulged out as an invisible bullet had exploded inside. The knockback however was more revealing as the android’s head jetted out away from Mathew, taking along with it the rest of the body, spinning like an aircraft propeller a hundred meters to the far perimeter wall.

  Mathew turned towards Creator as a large fireball came down on top of Crimson. He looked up to see Starfire soar down next to Crimson, now lying in a smothering crater.

  “Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier.” Starfire’s body was drenched with red and yellow flames.

  Creator flew back into the palace yelling, “He’s all yours.”

  Mathew followed suit by jumping toward the opening and running to assist Creator.

  Starfire kept her gaze on Crimson who was cautiously rising to his feet. “I assume Datan doesn’t want you to destroy the block, but I’m here now, so you have to fight me.”

  “I’m not as weak as before, Starfire.”

  “Good, then this will be fun.” Starfire reached down and grabbed his wrist, pulling him with her, flying a mile up.

  Creator saw Cynthia, unconscious by Datan’s feet. The androids in the twenty meter room were lined up in a semicircle facing the open entrance. The room opened up to the second and third stories making it spacious with the added extended sky lights at six foot intervals. Numerous metallic posts resembling miniature podiums behind the androids were work stations for the management of the city, if not the country. The color scheme was a white on light tan, but the green light coming from the ceiling gave everything a nauseous green tint.

  Another superhuman stood to the right of Datan. Her name was Teesha, but her elegant body was somewhat diminished by piercing and threatening deep flat black eyeballs, but to Creator, it was stylish. The third superhuman he saw was one of the androids, which would have interesting if he had time to contemplate it. Creator flew several paces into the throne room, stopping short of the nearest androids left and right of him. “Surrender Datan, or I’m make you.”

  Datan’s straight face stare responded as he rapidly reached down and held Cynthia’s throat, raising her off the ground, her body dangling lifeless in front of him. “You will soon be like this woman.”

  Creator reassessed the situation. Cynthia’s life was important to him even though she was in the past, technically a criminal and possibly a murderer. The eight androids to the left were enough to slow him down if he tried to attack Datan. The other nine androids on the left would be hampering Mathew, so he would have to do something to take them all by surprise. “Wait a second… You think I will surrender to you if you don’t hurt her?” Creator picked up his hands in front of him as if pleading with him to stop applying pressure on Cynthia’s neck. The androids moved several steps toward him as Mathew came into the throne room, leaping by his side.

  Datan’s crushing grip choked Cynthia, but her unconscious mind kept her from feeling death’s calling. Creator clenched his teeth as he focused on targeting Datan’s exposed foot. Something Datan wouldn’t be expecting to protect with Cynthia’s body. He wasn’t sure the telekinetic bolt would do anything to release her, but there was nothing else he could come up with.

  Cynthia’s complexion was pale, but to Creator’s relief, Cynthia turned into a partially transparent phantom before disappearing from Datan’s front and grasp.

  Creator gladly unleashed a large bolt of telekinetic energy ripping through the air with a sonic boom drowning out any noise in the palace. The bolt hit Datan in the gut, pushing him back into the throne platform and far wall. The impression of Datan’s large silhouette continued through the wall into another chamber.

  Mathew’s rapid fire almost sounded like a burr, hitting almost all of the androids center mass or on a limb. But the uncanny knockback created by his energy pistol pushed the androids out towards the outer walls. The damage was moderate to extreme as half of the androids quickly recovered and counterattacked.

  Teesha dodged Mathew’s burst of energy projectiles, running up with lightning speed in front of him, as Creator flew at the charging androids nearest him. Mathew twisted his stance blocking Teesha’s hand and foot assaults. Teesha seemed to know how to fight, but to Mathew she was going to lose by going head to head with him. Mathew instantly increased his density, weighing a hundred tons, grabbing Teesha’s wrist and swinging her over his head, trying to plow her into the metallic floor. To his surprise, she flung her feet underneath her body as she too became heavy causing the floor to seem like mud burying her feet into the thick metallic foundation. Both stood interlocked with hand to wrist contact, immoveable as if they were playing a deadly game of mercy.

  Mathew yanked his wrist out of her grasp, firing point blank several inches out of her reach into her chest. The impact of the energy didn’t push her back like the rest of the unfortunate targets, but instead noted a very loud clank. She in like turn used the opening to wedge her free hand at his neck.

  Her steel like fingers hit his throat, but the pain intended for Mathew, she felt as several bones and fingers cracked on impact. “Aaggh…” Teesha pulled back an inch, her focus going to the unexpected sudden throbbing pain.

  Mathew used the second of paused initiative to twist his wrist out of her grip, and swing his pistol hand around the back of her head. With the other hand he locked it behind her neck and pulled as hard and fast as possible into his rising knee.

  Teesha’s nose and cheek partially caved-in as Mathew’s pant fabric split open between his skin and her steel like flesh. Mathew let her drop to the floor as an android punched him on the left temple.

  The android’s fist was much harder than any other android or superhuman he encountered in the past. Mathew’s head shifted a few inches as a repeated combo of knuckles put him into a daze.

  Creator dispatched four androids as Datan emerged out of the wreckage and came back in front of the throne. Before he could advance any further, a large red glow on the ceiling took everyone by surprise. The ceiling melted away as pillar of fire hit in front of Datan, continuing into the ground several meters. The liquid metal dripping from the car size hole in the ceiling revealed Starfire enterin
g the room, floating a story above Mathew.

  “You’ve lost Datan. Call your people to cease hostilities.” Starfire commanded.

  Several androids teleported away as Datan backed away from the heat and molten ten foot hole.

  “If I have to go, I’m taking you all with me.” Datan looked at a standing android as if he knew an invisible execution order.

  An intense flash filled the room. Two heroes looked towards the north, but Creator kept his stare on Datan who also looked towards the north in disappointment and confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  Creator flew with blinding speed in front of Datan, grabbing him by the neck and stabbing into his gut with his other hand. “That was my friend.” Was all Creator could say as the shock wave of air shook the city, knowing a nuclear explosion’s effects.

  Starfire watched the several megaton nuclear explosion many miles away from the city, but even at that distance, it threw up a massive dust storm into the outskirts of the city. Night was nowhere to be seen, as it was intended to detonate on the roof of the palace. The electromagnetic wave cut power to any emergency lights, but nothing happened to the androids or South American forces.

  Blood seeped out of Datan’s mouth as Creator tighten his choke hold and kept his hand inside of Datan’s intestines. “The hero is now a killer like me.” Datan struggled to smile.

  “No, he is a hero, but I’m not.” Mathew jammed his pistol’s muzzle between Datan’s eyes and fired. The energy was very different from his usual projectiles and a steady beam burned through Datan’s head, also causing a massive exit wound, converting brain matter into a black spray of ash and gunk.