Balance of Power

by Stan Lee

  He remembered the day he’d first received the Zodiac power, in a subterranean chamber very different from this one. He hadn’t asked for the power, hadn’t wanted it. But since that time, it had helped him save a lot of people.

  He thought of his teammates. He remembered the battles they’d fought in the wastes of Greenland, the caverns beneath China, the Australian desert. He thought of his alliance with Ox, Dog, and Horse, who had once been his enemies.

  The vision persisted in his mind: the Zodiac team cut down, slaughtered by the Dragon’s power. And his parents, too. They’d always been distant, obsessed with their work. He’d never been close to them, never enjoyed a normal father- or mother-son relationship.

  But I don’t want them to die!

  Was that what would happen if he took back the power? Would he inevitably be forced to choose between his parents and his friends? Was the Tigers’ prophecy unavoidable?

  Oblivion, they’d said.

  The jiānyù grew warmer. It shifted and morphed again, back to a sphere of tarnished bronze. Its surface pulsed, thrumming like a heartbeat.

  “Tell me,” Steven said aloud. “Tell me what to do.”

  One more image came to mind. Kim, tired and hungry, held captive in a near-airless room. Desperate, scared.

  Powerless.

  He picked up the qiang and wiped the blood off its tip. Then he threw the jiānyù down on the floor and thrust the spear straight through it.

  The jiānyù seemed to shatter into fragments of light. Power, raw Zodiac energy, mushroomed, flaring in all directions through the room. Steven dropped the spear and took a step back.

  For a moment, time seemed suspended. Energy flashed and whirled in the air, filling the rocky chamber. Within its blinding radiance, images seemed to flicker and fade. Sharp teeth, quick and primal. Spectral animals: a charging horse, a screaming rooster. A spiral galaxy, mirroring the swirling pattern of the power itself.

  Just like the Convergence, Steven thought. That night in Hong Kong, when the Zodiac powers burst free into the modern world.

  He blinked and the spell was broken. The energy seemed to burn white-hot at its core in the center of the room. Then a dozen beams flashed outward, blazing through the walls and ceiling, leaving the rock untouched.

  No, Steven realized, not quite a dozen. The Dragon power wasn’t there. Neither was Rat—but that was a whole different problem, one the team would have to sort out another time.

  One power seemed to hesitate, remaining within the room. A bright orange light hovered, pulsing and shimmering, at Steven’s eye level. It seemed to be studying him, sizing him up.

  Steven felt his pulse quicken. He faced the orange light head-on. In its center he could see the old Tiger, shaking his head in despair. The man mouthed the word soundlessly, one final time:

  Don’t.

  A wave of doubt washed over Steven. Last chance, he thought. Just like at the Convergence. I could bolt. I could turn and run as fast as I can, find someplace where nobody’s ever heard the word Zodiac. I’d be free of all this, of the power and the burden and the legacy. Maybe we’d all be free.

  But there hadn’t been any real choice, that night long before. And there wasn’t any now.

  “Hit me,” he said, spreading his arms wide.

  He didn’t even see it coming. The light was everywhere at once, filling his body, blazing through every pore of his skin. It felt like ice and fire, like running and flying and swimming with the muscles of a god. It was as old as the cave and as young as Steven himself.

  It felt like coming home.

  He glanced down at the jiānyù. It lay melted and shattered at his feet. Its light had faded; no trace of the Zodiac energy remained inside its shell.

  Gone, he thought, looking around at the walls. Returned to its hosts, wherever they might be.

  Good or bad, they’re Zodiacs again.

  He opened his mouth and roared. The blazing form of the Tiger appeared above his head, echoing his primal cry. He flexed his arms and legs, reveling in the pride, the strength, the agility—the sheer physical joy of the Tiger’s gift.

  Then he turned and dashed out into the corridor. The Tiger leaped and ran, screaming its glory to the world, racing to join its brothers and sisters.

  THE CEILING IS two point four meters high, Duane thought. Roxanne lies point three meters from my feet; her breathing is shallow but steady.

  “I see what you’re doing,” Mince said. “Figuring the angles.”

  Mince stands three point one meters away, holding Jasmine by the throat. She called for assistance sometime between three point five and four point five minutes ago. No sign of the Vanguard soldiers yet, but they’ll be here imminently.

  “Don’t think it’s gonna save you,” she continued. “Being smart tells you what people are gonna do, but it doesn’t mean you can stop ’em.”

  Her dart-rings are aimed directly at me. If I lunge at her, she’ll fire them before I can cover point three meters of the distance. She’ll probably kill Jasmine, too.

  “You gotta have power, too.” Mince smiled again, that horrible unnerving smile. “Then you can do whatever you want.”

  Conclusion: I am helpless.

  “Mince,” Jasmine croaked. “You don’t have to do this. Don’t let your father—ARRGGKK!”

  The smile vanished from Mince’s lips. She tensed her arm, pressing tighter against Jasmine’s throat. Jasmine struggled, tried to pry Mince’s arm away. But it was no use.

  “I told you,” Mince said. “Shut up.”

  I’ve got to do something! Duane thought. But the equations, the cold facts of the situation, left him no options.

  He felt a tingle in his spine—and went instantly alert. The feeling was so faint, most people wouldn’t have registered it on a conscious level. But Duane’s memory was precise, perfect. He’d felt this way once before, and he instantly knew what it meant.

  The Zodiac power.

  The wall began to glow, a blinding light emanating from the other side. Mince whirled in alarm, then ducked. But she kept a tight grip on Jasmine, pulling her to the ground.

  The power flashed forth, leaving the wall undamaged but filling the corridor with light. Duane spread his arms and counted down silently: Point five seconds. Point four. Point three—

  Energy surged through him, filling him, electrifying every atom of his being. He barely had time to think, Hmmm. Miscalculated slightly, before the raging, snorting form of the Pig rose above him.

  Mince stumbled to her feet, wrenching Jasmine around in front of her.

  Duane’s mind felt alert, alive, open to every piece of information in the universe. Unlike most of the Zodiac abilities, Duane’s power wasn’t primarily physical in nature. It enhanced his own innate abilities, allowing his already brilliant mind to operate at many times its normal capacity.

  With uncharacteristic emotion, he remembered: This is cool.

  “Okay,” Mince said, “you got your power back. One of your little friends must have found the jiānyù after all.”

  Duane took a step forward. Above his head, the Pig roared silently.

  “But I’ve got your other friend.” Mince held Jasmine like a shield. “And she’s still out of luck in the powers department.”

  Jasmine glared. “Duane. Take her ouwggktt—”

  Mince sneered at Duane. “You’re the weakest Zodiac.” She held up her DIE hand. “What can your stupid information-processing power do, anyw—”

  Duane’s eyes flared. He shot a glance at Mince’s arm and the holo-projector on her wrist exploded in a shower of sparks. Mince cried out and shook her arm in pain.

  “That’s one thing it can do,” he said.

  Jasmine saw her chance. She jabbed Mince in the stomach and burst free. Jasmine stumbled, coughed, and slammed into Duane, knocking him off balance. They tumbled to the floor.

  When Duane looked up, Mince was standing over them. Her left fist, adorned with the rings labeled LIVE, was aimed at him.
Slowly, Mince turned to Jasmine and clenched her right hand into a fist.

  “C-can you take out her dart shooters, too?” Jasmine gasped.

  Duane shook his head. “They’re simple mechanical devices. My power only affects electronics.”

  Jasmine tried to speak but burst out coughing again. The word DIE hovered less than a half meter from her face.

  “You first,” Mince hissed.

  A low whine filled the air. Jasmine turned her head, looking around in puzzlement. Mince’s fists didn’t waver, but her eyes narrowed.

  Duane just smiled.

  The whining sound rose in volume, becoming a high-pitched shriek. Mince took a step back, raising her hands to cover her hears. “Stop it!”

  “It’s not me,” Duane said. “It’s her.”

  They all turned to follow his gaze. Roxanne stood in an action stance a short distance down the corridor, her mouth open in a feral scream. She looked fierce, furious, a righteous angel of vengeance. Above her head, the ghostly form of the Rooster cried out in unison with its human host.

  Mince turned both hands toward Roxanne and fired. Roxanne cried out even louder, a scream of rage. The darts struck the sonic barrier and dropped harmlessly to the ground.

  All at once, the sound stopped.

  Mince looked down at her empty dart-rings, then back up at her attackers. Three angry forms moved toward her. Duane with the raging Pig, Roxanne and the now-silent Rooster, and angriest of all, Jasmine.

  “Okay, girl,” Jasmine said. “That’s it.”

  Mince glared at her, petulant. “What?”

  “I don’t feel sorry for you anymore.”

  Jasmine punched her in the face. Mince pitched backward, falling to the ground. Duane reached for Jasmine, who shook him off.

  “I’m all right. Just had to get that off my chest.” Jasmine smiled at Roxanne, shaking her hand in pain. “Welcome back to the party.”

  “I still feel like crap.” Roxanne stumbled. “But the Zodiac power…I think it’s purging the drug from my system.”

  Duane gestured down at Mince, who lay dazed on the floor. “What do we do about her?”

  “I’ll tell you what to do,” someone said. “Don’t move.”

  Duane whirled around; Jasmine and Roxanne mirrored his movement. Three large Vanguard soldiers stood in the passageway, blocking the way back to the surface. Their energy rifles were cocked and aimed, the tips glowing dangerously red.

  “Technically,” Duane said, “that’s what you want us not to do.”

  Jasmine and Roxanne stared at him.

  “These little details bother me,” he explained.

  Jasmine turned to the soldiers, an amused look on her face. “Better back off, boys.” She gestured at Duane to her left and Roxanne on her right. “In case you’re late getting the news, my friends have their powers back.”

  “These weapons have been optimized to deal with Zodiac-enhanced individuals,” the leader said. His eyes were hidden behind his helmet; his voice was magnified electronically. “The Dragon takes no chances.”

  “The Dragon,” Roxanne said, “isn’t here.” She opened her mouth to scream.

  The three guards swiveled their weapons toward her. The first one’s finger twitched on his trigger—

  But he flew backward, his body spinning in midair, his gun’s energy beam sizzling harmlessly against the ceiling. Duane thought he saw a flash of gray pants, a dark boot. The second man cried out as something incredibly fast—a dark fist? A red sleeve?—chopped into his neck. He went down, his energy rifle twisting around to strike him in the stomach.

  The last soldier stumbled back, trying to aim his gun. But before he could get off a shot, the newcomer leaped onto his back and wrenched off the soldier’s helmet. The man flailed, twisting his head around in the bulky uniform, struggling to see his attacker.

  When he caught sight of the raging Tiger, the man cried out.

  “G’night,” Steven Lee said.

  He leaned forward, still clinging to the soldier’s back, and slammed the man’s exposed head against the wall. The soldier groaned, dropped his weapon, and passed out.

  As his enemy crashed to the ground, Steven leaped into the air. He reached out with his arms and legs, soaring gracefully. As he touched down in a perfect four-point landing, the Tiger above him roared in triumph.

  Roxanne ran over to hug him. “That was awesome!”

  Even Jasmine seemed impressed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move that fast.”

  “Guess I was excited. It’s been a while.” Steven grinned. “What’s the matter, Duane? Don’t you want to tell me how great I was?”

  But Duane was busy scanning the room. His instincts—and his perfect memory—had kicked in again, enhanced by his newly returned powers. He counted the people in the corridor: Jasmine, Steven, Roxanne. Three soldiers lay on the floor: two unconscious, one dazed. But…

  “Mince is gone,” he said.

  Steven looked around, his Tiger eyes confirming Duane’s observation. The three guards lay on the floor, but there was no sign of Mince. In the confusion, she’d managed to escape.

  “Ah,” Roxanne began, “what harm can she do? I don’t believe I just said that.”

  “I can track her,” Steven said, pulling out his HUDset. “Unless…”

  “She’s shielded.” Duane gestured at the soldiers on the floor. “If we couldn’t see them, we’re definitely not going to find her.”

  Steven was overcome by a sudden wave of emotion. Seeing his friends in action again, their Zodiac avatars blazing above them—it was like coming home. Fighting alongside Duane and Roxanne…

  I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

  Jasmine staggered and raised a hand to her head. As Steven reached for her arm, he noticed the tiny cuts across her face.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Some of Mince’s poison…got into my system.” Jasmine gestured at the wall. “Think I better sit down.”

  Duane took her other arm. Together he and Steven led her over to a corner where the corridor twisted. “Thanks.” Jasmine chuckled. “Remember when I used to be the most powerful Zodiac?”

  “You still are,” Steven said. “Where it counts.”

  He saw the gratitude in her eyes. She’s still one of us, he thought, even without her powers. But she needed to hear me say it.

  He heard a crashing noise coming from just around the bend in the passageway. “Um,” he said, pulling Jasmine away from the sound. “Maybe you better sit over here….”

  The noise grew louder. And something else, too…

  Laughter.

  Three Vanguard soldiers tumbled around the corner, grunting. A huge yellow-furred arm reached out from inside the human tangle, flinging one man aside. A second soldier tried to raise his energy rifle, but an even larger foot with sharp curved claws caught him straight in the stomach. He flew back, gasping for breath.

  The Vanguards’ attacker stood revealed. He wore the same uniform as earlier that day, and the scar still dominated his face. But every centimeter of that face, and his body, was now covered with blond fur. His laughing mouth gaped wide to reveal deadly fangs.

  “Dog,” Roxanne said.

  Nicky—his Dog powers restored—turned to face the third Vanguard soldier, who cast a nervous glance backward at Steven and his team. He looked down at the floor, where five of his fellow soldiers had already fallen. Then he looked back up at Dog.

  “RAAHR!” Dog growled, lunging forward.

  The soldier stumbled back in fear, half tripping over one of his fallen comrades. Dog howled, then burst out laughing.

  Steven turned sharply toward the side wall. He could still hear crashing noises, even though Dog and the soldiers had already arrived. The sound seemed to be coming from inside the—

  “Get down!” he yelled.

  He ducked, pulling Jasmine and Duane down with him. The wall burst apart from the other side, filling the air with bits of plaster a
nd stone. A chunk of rock the size of a trash-can lid came flying toward them; Steven held up a hand to block it.

  And then Roxanne was there, leaning over him. She opened her mouth and shrieked, forming a sonic barrier. The rock bounced off and crashed to the floor.

  Steven looked up, waving away plaster dust. A man-sized hole gaped in the wall, revealing four more Vanguard soldiers. A huge figure, almost too big to be human, strode through them, jabbing and punching. He moved with heavy, measured steps, absorbing each of his enemies’ attacks and blocking them with practiced ease. Above his head, a fierce Ox with long curved horns snorted and raged in the air.

  “Man,” Roxanne said. “I’d forgotten how tough Malik is.”

  “He makes a pretty good hero figure,” Steven replied, “for a former villain.”

  He glanced over at Nicky. Dog held his last opponent in the air, stretched out at the end of a thick yellow-furred arm. Ox was holding his own, but the first two soldiers he’d thrown were starting to recover.

  “Should we assist them?” Duane asked.

  Roxanne turned to Steven, grinning. “You’re the boss.”

  Steven eased Jasmine down to a sitting position. He glanced nervously at the dazed soldiers strewn across the floor. “You okay here?”

  She grunted, reached over, and grabbed an energy rifle from one of the fallen soldiers. “Locked and loaded.”

  Steven smiled and rose to his feet. Roxanne and Duane jumped toward him, dodging as one of Ox’s opponents struck the floor.

  “Let’s go,” Steven said.

  Roxanne led the charge, her sonic cry forming a protective shield. Duane followed, surrounded by a halo of Zodiac energy. Steven leaped and ran, skirting the edges of the corridor with catlike grace.

  He reached out with his Tiger power and linked the three of them together, just as he’d done so many times before. He felt the fierce cry of the Rooster, the slow mastery of the Pig. The Tiger prowled among them, strengthening their abilities and drawing strength from them in turn. Steven’s already-sharp senses grew sharper, his enhanced reflexes guiding him at superhuman speed.