Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1)

by Drew Hayes

  “Okay, he’s going to do a wide sweep of the block, then come back when- FUCK!” Hexcellent grabbed the side of her head, her knees buckling from the burst of pain. If not for Zone reflexively catching her in mid-fall, she’d have been splayed out on the concrete. As it was, her breath came in heavy, ragged gasps, and there were spots in her vision.

  “Impers?” Galvanize asked.

  Hexcellent could only manage a weak nod. Her brain felt like it had blades running across it. She’d never lost two of her summons in such rapid succession before; it was a whole new level of pain. Dismissing them didn’t hurt in the slightest, but when they were killed, their suffering channeled through the shared link. Each was a part of her, and she felt their destruction on a visceral level. That was why summoners could only have so many creatures, and why the creation of each one took untold effort. One only had so many pieces of their mind to spread around.

  “Damn,” Bubble Bubble said. “No more eyes in the sky.”

  “At least Zone got back before he was stuck out there,” Galvanize said. “If they saw and shot down Impers, we can assume everything non-metallic is probably a target. At this point, we’ll just have to move fast and hope for the best.”

  “Not yet.” Hexcellent pushed herself off Zone’s shoulder, using him as a prop. “We need protection.”

  “Forget it, you’re clearly in no shape to summon anymore,” Galvanize told her.

  “And will I be in better shape when the robots carve me to pieces?” Hexcellent shot back. “None of us are good in a fight, so we need protection. Something to sacrifice if we need a buffer between us and them. Huggles can be summoned again after I rest. That’s not true for anyone else.”

  “Galvanize, she has a point,” Zone agreed. “We might be able to take one of those things if we got lucky and worked together. But there’s a lot more than one out there. We’ve got no eyes and no heavy-hitters. We need help.”

  Galvanize looked at his team for a long moment before shaking his head. “I don’t like it. I think it’s too risky. But we all know that nothing I say will stop you, so instead of being a naysayer, I’ll offer encouragement. Hexcellent, do your best.”

  “Thanks, fearless leader.” Hexcellent straightened her back, held out her hand, and set her jaw. “And one of you assholes better carry me if I pass out.”

  Dark smoked swirled in front of them, expanding slowly but steadily. Sweat began to drip down Hexcellent’s face as she ignored the pain in her head, which was now turning to an ache that seemed to echo in her bones. She focused on bringing forth the product of her imagination into the real world. She knew every inch of Huggles, every aspect of the demon’s being, and she pushed that image to the front of her mind, then further into the cloud of smoke before her.

  It took almost twenty seconds, the longest summon Hexcellent had ever done, but when the smoke cleared, the familiar bladed arms of Huggles were there to greet them.

  “And that’s. . . how you do. . . that.” Hexcellent stumbled as she took a step, but Zone and Bubble Bubble both slid their arms beneath her shoulders. She was still conscious, though clearly not by much.

  “Team, we need to get out of here, now,” Galvanize ordered. “Run as quick as you can, avoid the robots whenever possible, and no matter what, don’t let anyone fall behind.” Without another word, he turned toward Mordent, made a quick motion for them to follow, and took off in a jog just slow enough for them to keep up with as they helped Hexcellent along.

  “He better not try to ditch us,” Hexcellent said. Zone and Bubble Bubble both chuckled, even though there was nothing funny about what Galvanize was doing. He’d taken the front position because it was the most dangerous.

  If anyone were going to be spotted, it would be him, and with as strong as the robots were, that might be a deadly choice.

  105.

  “Please tell me there’s a backup plan.” Owen watched in wonder as the six-legged metal monster fell from the sky. The beast landed with a thunderous crunch only two blocks away from where he and Jeremiah stood over the carved-up carcass of a smaller robot.

  “There is. . . sort of.” Jeremiah yanked his pen-device out of the robot’s chest and slipped it back into a pocket on his costume. “From what my people were able to figure out, the six giant mech-style robots are functioning as relay stations. The universal signal goes to them, and they broadcast it to the lesser robots. It’s a good way to make sure people can’t use one of the pawns to find the king—basically exactly what we were trying to do—but there are two weaknesses to the tactic.”

  Jeremiah scanned the area, pointing to two other giant mechs as they fell in their line of sight. “Most importantly, at least for the time being, from the way that the big bots are scattered about, I’d guess there’s a range limit to their relay capacity. That means if we take them down, the smaller ones depending on the signal might be cut off.”

  “Won’t be easy, but I think we can swing that,” Owen replied. Already, the Heroes around them were shifting focus, taking note of the new wave of bots that was pouring on to the battlefield from the innards of the giant mech. “What’s the second weakness?”

  “Those big ones must be connected to the master signal,” Jeremiah said. “So our original plan is still valid. If I can somehow get access to the receiver inside one of those, we might be able to track down the source.”

  Owen sized up the massive opponent that was already firing off rounds of bullets and lasers at every Hero advancing on it. “That is a lot of metal to root through for one little box.”

  “Which is why we should focus on knocking out the first five, especially if my theory on the signal range bears out. For the sixth, we take our time and see what we can uncover,” Jeremiah said.

  “The presented plan has merit, but current damage potential for Brewster is approaching catastrophic levels.” Dispatch’s voice came to their ears without prompting. It was easy to forget that, while she usually replied only when addressed, Dispatch was technically listening to everything one said while wearing a comm. That was how she knew every detail of a battle without Heroes having to constantly check in.

  “Jeremiah, I can only allow approximately half an hour for you to test your plan. Currently, evacuations of areas near the large robots are being undertaken, but there are too many of the smaller models to be allowed to spread. They must be taken out while they are centralized. Right now, we are saving as many civilians as possible. If you can neutralize the small units by stopping the large ones before evacuation is complete, I can allot more time. If you cannot, then all Manhattan-level Heroes will receive authorization to terminate the army.”

  Not for the first time, Owen was glad he’d never tried to go into the DVA like some of the other retired Heroes. The call to wipe out entire city blocks wasn’t necessarily a wrong one, as those robots could do a lot more damage if they spread out. Still, there was no way to completely evacuate this much of the city, no matter how many Supers the DVA pulled in. Casualties were going to be inevitable, but it might be less than what the city would face if it became overrun with robots. There were no perfect calls, only ones that might minimize the damage.

  “Understood, Dispatch.” Jeremiah licked his lips as he stared at the mech, eyes taking in every facet and weakness it presented. “Our best bet is probably to focus fire on one of them, show proof of concept. Once we know that destroying the large ones knocks out the smaller bots, we can shift to just taking out the big boys.”

  “We don’t have long, so tell me where I’ll do the most good,” Owen said.

  “There is one more item for Titan,” Dispatch continued, breaking into the short silence they presented. “You requested to be kept abreast of your team. They were, unfortunately, in the landing zone of another of the six giant robots. From what I’ve been able to track, it seems Hexcellent is injured, and they are still attempting to reach the Mordent building.”

  The ground beneath Owen shattered. He looked down, expecting atta
ck, only to realize that he’d shifted his weight without holding back. A second’s loss of focus and the world around him crumbled. “Dispatch, how are their chances? Do they have a clear path?”

  “They are near the central point where more of the smaller units are swarming. Even if we could spare evacuation personnel, their situation is too dangerous. I’m sorry, but they have very small, almost negligible, odds of surviving.”

  Owen’s eyes swept around to Jeremiah, who nearly jumped back at the ferocity on Owen’s face. “I need to go. I—”

  “I know. Dispatch had me patched in, too.”

  “Can you manage without me?”

  “Can I manage? Titan, look around; there are dozens of Heroes for me to work with. I can still easily make this happen. In fact, I’ll do you one better. Dispatch, have Gale join Titan and me,” Jeremiah said.

  Moments later, the wind-manipulator settled to the ground a few feet away, glancing back and forth between Owen and Jeremiah. “What do you need?”

  “I need you to take Titan to his team,” Jeremiah told her. “Dispatch can give you the coordinates, but time is of the essence.”

  “I’m sorry; did you just ask me to play taxi while there’s a giant robot a block away tearing up my town?” The wind seemed to pick up as Gale spoke, swirling around them in a not-so-subtly threatening manner.

  “No, I’m asking you to help me diversify our efforts.” Jeremiah pointed to the mech under all-out assault from the other Heroes. “We need to kill one of these things, and soon. But there’s always the chance that the one we got is a lot stronger than the others, or has a secondary relay. It’s the one that was dropped on the Heroes; we need to assume that wasn’t an accident. Titan’s team is right on top of another one, farther into Brewster, possibly under attack from it. Now, Titan, what are you going to do if you come upon one of these things trying to kill your team?”

  “I’ll kill the son of a bitch first,” Owen said without hesitation.

  “Exactly. So, if I’m going to split off two Heroes to try and topple one of the other big bots, I’d like it to be a pair that actually has a chance of succeeding: the leader of the strongest Hero group in Brewster and a living legend.” Jeremiah patted both of them on their shoulders. “Can you think of any other duo with a better shot of pulling it off?”

  “There might be others that are a better fit, but I can promise you there are none more motivated.” Owen turned to Gale, whose skepticism was beginning to melt. “Please, help me get there. I promise, I’m going to help keep your town safe.”

  “I’ll do it, but I’m not so sure even the two of us can bring down one of those,” Gale said.

  “If it’s attacking my team, it’s going down. Trust me.” For a moment, Owen was gone, all the gentle kindness and tempered power of a man who’d seen too much vanished. In his place was Titan, the Hero whose name was whispered among criminals like a demon’s curse, the man who no Super had managed to stop, who’d used his bare hands to rip apart many an allegedly unbeatable foe.

  In that instant, Gale did trust him, and she felt a surge of pity for any who tried to get in his way.

  “Just don’t get motion sick,” she warned. “I’m not the gentlest ride when I’m in a hurry.”

  106.

  Things were going okay, until the building collapsed.

  While their situation wasn’t perfect, so far they’d managed to avoid being caught by any robots. Hexcellent had even started running under her own power as the worst of her headache finally began to ebb. However, avoiding being caught was not the same thing as avoiding detection, and as they ducked and veered between alleyways, the sounds of pursuit could always be heard at their backs. For possibly the first time since joining Mordent, every one of the team members were all simultaneously grateful to Mr. Greene; without his ridiculous exercise requirements, their stamina might have flagged out already. As it was, they were weary, but knowing they were only ten minutes or so from the potential safety of Mordent gave them all the energy needed to push through.

  Then, unfortunately, a three-story building next to the alley they were in tipped forward, pushed by an unseen force on the other side. Bricks and debris began to rain, the only warning they got as the building started its descent.

  Bubble Bubble reacted quickly; instead of throwing an orb around herself, she made a series of them overhead to create a sort of canopy to protect them as they ran. It wouldn’t be enough to actually halt the building, which was already more splinters than structure, but it might let them make it to the other side. Zone was only a few feet ahead of her, not daring to leave the safety of her orb-canopy.

  Galvanize, by virtue of being in the lead, was already clear of the collapsing obstacle. He had halted, ostensibly to wait for his team, and was gesturing at Bubble Bubble frantically. At first, she thought he wanted her to hurry, so that was what she did, manifesting more orbs in front of her as she ran, trying not to think about the toll that creating so many was taking. Already, her hands were starting to shake, but she pushed through. It was only when she got closer that Bubble Bubble realized Galvanize had been pointing past her to where she’d been running from. With a heart suddenly full of dread, Bubble Bubble looked over her shoulder.

  Hexcellent, who’d been only a step or two behind her when the collapse started, was all the way back on the far side of the building, standing next to Huggles. Maybe she had tripped, maybe the fatigue had gotten the better of her; whatever the reason, she’d been separated. In the chaos of trying to outrun a falling building, neither Bubble Bubble nor Zone had noticed.

  Bubble Bubble slowed and turned to try and head back, but even from this distance she could see Hexcellent shaking her head. It was too late, and they both knew it. If Bubble Bubble went back now, she’d get caught in the collapse, already there was too much debris raining down to deflect. There was a chance that she could put an orb around herself to survive it, but the shaking in her hands was getting worse. She’d already drained too much of herself. Even if she did survive, what good would it do? By the time Bubble Bubble got out, the others would be long gone, either safe or. . . caught.

  There was no way to save her friend. Hexcellent was clear of the building, but they’d all heard the robots getting closer. She was trapped, and it would be a matter of minutes until they caught up to her.

  “Fuck that.” Bubble Bubble turned back around and ran toward Galvanize again, Zone right beside her. Maybe she couldn’t go back for Hexcellent, but that didn’t mean she had to stand around and let her friend die. She would get out of here, double back down the next block, and reunite with the team summoner. Hexcellent had Huggles; she could survive for a little while, even against the robots. Hexcellent was tough. She could do it. She had to, or Bubble Bubble would never forgive herself.

  Unfortunately, they made it no further than the mouth of the alleyway before the massive shadow fell across them.

  * * *

  It was bittersweet, watching her friends run to safety even as the sounds of robots drew closer by the second. Hexcellent wanted to see them make it. It was her own fault that she’d stepped into a pile of loose rubble and gotten her foot stuck. If she’d called out, they would have waited, helped her get free, and turned the delay into five seconds rather than ten. But she hadn’t. She’d stupidly tried to struggle free on her own instead of counting on the people around her, and it had cost her a chance at safe passage. That was her mistake, though. She’d be damned if she let Bubble Bubble try and pay the price for her, which was why Hexcellent waved her off. It would be a comforting thought in the end, she hoped, to at least know her friends made it out safely.

  Heavy steps in the center of the alley revealed three robots, each built like the ones she’d seen from footage shot during the previous attacks. Their eyes glowed as they assessed her, though the sword-armed demon a few feet closer naturally drew more attention. There was no need for blustering. The situation had its entire context laid out before them: kill or be kil
led.

  “Slice ‘em up, Huggles.”

  The demon lunged forward, taking a wide swing with both of her arms. The robots stepped nimbly aside, but Huggles was faster than she looked and pressed the attack. One of those arms made it through the torso of a robot. Hexcellent was about to let out a whoop of joy; however, it morphed into a cry of pain midway up her throat as the other two robots used the opportunity to forcibly tear Huggles’ head from her shoulders until she dissolved back to smoke.

  As she released a dull, half-choked whimper, Hexcellent fell hard to the ground. In comparison to the pain in her head, the impact barely registered. Her vision was nothing but static and spots, and she was pretty sure blood was pouring from her nose. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire. She tried to take refuge in the fact that the pain probably wouldn’t last too long. After all, she was about to die.

  Despite what she’d expected, that thought provided no comfort at all; it only made things worse. She didn’t want the pain to end. She didn’t want to die. She wasn’t done yet, wasn’t ready to walk out of the world. How many years had she pissed away? And only now, when things were getting good, was she going to get killed. It sucked. Hexcellent tried to get angry, to force herself to rise from the ground and die on her feet. All she managed was to tilt her head slightly upward, gaining a view of the approaching mechanical legs.

  As fury failed her, fear set in. This was it. There was no last rally in her, and the Heroes were scattered. This was how she died. She wished Spyda was here, to whisper kindly with his poorly hidden accent. Or her team, to remind her that she’d managed to make a few friends in the world. Or Titan, though of course if he were here she wouldn’t actually be in danger, now would she? But they weren’t. Hexcellent. . . no, Hannah. . . was going to die alone, in the streets of Brewster, and that was what scared her most of all.