Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1)

by Drew Hayes

  The fear stripped away her mental armor, all the defensiveness and walls she’d spent a lifetime building. As she curled up on the concrete, waiting for the end to come, she felt the terror wash over her in a way she hadn’t since childhood. She wasn’t a corpie or a Super: she was just a helpless person, afraid of the approaching unknown, the coming darkness, wishing with all her might there was at least someone else there to hold her hand.

  Somewhere, in the deepest part of her mind, a familiar presence not felt in decades stirred.

  Hexcellent’s body spasmed, something like a seizure causing her to convulse violently. Her consciousness slipped away—a mercy as this finally separated her from the pain, which was growing even more intense. Above her, the robots stared at the sudden thrashing, unsure of what to make of it. They were so focused on her, in fact, that neither saw the massive, furry, elongated foot as it slammed down on top of them, grinding both to scraps.

  A soft paw reached down from the sky, delicately scooping Hexcellent’s battered, but not yet broken, body into its grip. Though still unconscious, she nuzzled into the fur, and let out a small, peaceful sigh.

  107.

  “What in the fucking hell is that?”

  Owen followed the direction of Gale’s pointing hand, squinting to see through the wind. His jaw dropped. Years spent as a Hero, dealing with Supers of every manner, had exposed him to many a strange situation. He’d seen the rules of reality twisted, if not outright defied, in more ways than he could have imagined back when he started.

  He had not, however, previously come across a twenty-story-tall bunny rabbit, standing on its hind legs, wearing a suit of medieval armor and breathing fire on the cluster of robots trying to attack it. As a few tried to run from the flames, it. . . well. . . hopped forward, smashing them and a large chunk of the street into oblivion. Owen took some comfort in knowing that it was apparently on their side, or at least that it hated robots.

  “Please tell me that’s some Hero I somehow missed in my research of Brewster,” Owen said.

  “Pretty sure I’d remember someone like that,” Gale replied. “By the looks of it, the smart money is either on shifter, summoner, or tech-genius creation.”

  “That shift would take hours, if not days, to get in and out of. Tech-genius maybe, but we’ve been on watch for that sort of stuff, so I can’t believe we’d miss it. As for summoner, I don’t know of any who can pull in something that big. Plus, combat bunny? Who. . .” Owen’s words trailed off as he remembered the night that he and the team sat around sharing embarrassing stories. Hexcellent had told them about her childhood bunny, but said she couldn’t call him anymore. Granted, she hadn’t described him as able to step over buildings, yet Owen’s gut still screamed that the coincidence was just a little too much.

  “Gale, can you sweep the area and get me coordinates on the big robot near my team? I need a few minutes here.”

  “Are you going to fight the rabbit? Because even for you, that’s a pretty big one,” Gale pointed out.

  “I really hope not,” Owen said. “But I may have just found one of my team. I need to check on her. And, if things go well, I might even get us a helping paw.”

  “Boooooooooo,” Gale jeered. “Fine, but I’m giving you the quick drop, and I’m coming back as soon as I find our target.”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Owen barely got the words out before a blast of wind sent him hurdling forward. He ripped through the air before slamming to the ground fifty feet in front of the massive rabbit. Its ears twitched and it turned to face him, those beady black eyes gazing down at the sudden new arrival. They weren’t natural looking, more like they’d been based on someone’s toy stuffed rabbit than one with actual eyes. It had the dual impact of being disturbing and reassuring, as Owen felt like his hunch might be on the money.

  “Hopcules, I hope?” Owen cupped his hands and yelled, in case the ears were just for show.

  The rabbit, only watching him before, turned further, giving him its full attention. Slowly, the creature leaned forward. Owen could actually feel the hot breath from its pink nose despite the distance between them. If this really was a summon, then it was incredible. To create something this big, this capable of independent action, surely put whoever made it among the top one percent of all known summoners. Even better, if it was still standing, then its creator had to be alive.

  “I’m a friend of Hexcellent’s,” Owen yelled. Talking to a rabbit was a bit odd, though given its size and armor, perhaps it shouldn’t have been. “I wanted to make sure she was safe.”

  Hopcules peered at him warily. Owen had no idea how much it knew about Hexcellent or her life; he just had to hope that as long as she trusted him, it would be enough for the bunny. Moving in closer, the nose sniffed him twice. Evidently, this satisfied some unknown test, and it held up its right paw, uncurling its fingers, which Owen was certain real rabbits didn’t have, to reveal the battered but breathing body of Hexcellent.

  On instinct, Owen took a step forward, and immediately the paw closed. He started to protest, then thought better of it. What was he going to try that the rabbit wasn’t already doing? Owen wasn’t a healer; he couldn’t fix her wounds. And he’d have to protect her from the robots flooding the city while she was unconscious. Confident as Owen was in his abilities, even he could concede that a giant fire-breathing monster who knew only loyalty might be better suited to the task.

  “I’m going to come back with a healer,” Owen yelled. He didn’t know if Hopcules understood what a healer was, or if the rabbit even had a grasp of the English language, but so far their communication had been going well. Besides, he didn’t have a lot of other options. “Someone to make Hexcellent better. Keep her safe until then.”

  Hopcules snorted, and Owen had to wonder if an imaginary bunny was annoyed with him for trying to tell it to do what it had already planned. That thought alone made him really want a beer, but as Hopcules pulled back up to a standing position, turning to the new robots that had begun to pour into the area, Owen also felt a sense of relief. One member of his team, at least, was safe.

  “Dispatch, this is Titan. We’ve got a giant summon shaped like a rabbit that’s probably hitting a few people’s radars. Let them know it’s friendly, and anyone who attacks it without cause will personally answer to me when this is over. If you can get me a healer to the location, we might be able to start using it as a more precise resource.”

  “A healer? Is the rabbit injured?” If Dispatch felt at all odd asking such a question, it didn’t come through. Much as Owen wanted to chalk it up to her usual demeanor, the truth of the matter was that this probably didn’t even register on her weirdness scale. After all, she was in the ear of every Hero across the country. There was no telling what manner of crazy shit she’d witnessed.

  “The rabbit is fine. Its summoner is in bad shape, though. All it’s doing right now is keeping her safe. Once she’s conscious again, she can give some proper orders.”

  “Titan, please repeat. Did you just say that the summoner who called forth that thing is unconscious?” This time, he did hear the shock in her voice, and it only took a second to realize why. Usually summons disappeared when their creators went down. They were, after all, manifestations of their creator’s thoughts. When the thoughts ended, so did the summons. At least, that’s how it generally went. Every Super was different, after all.

  “Confirmed, summoner is out, and the rabbit remains,” Owen told her. “So, maybe double time on that healer.”

  “Resources are tight, but I’ll see what I can do,” Dispatch assured him. “Also, Gale has requested a direct connection to your comm.”

  “I accept,” Owen said, and seconds later Gale’s voice came blasting in his ear.

  “Titan! Jump as high as you can right now. I’m en route, but there’s no time to waste landing. I found the big bot and your team, which are in the exact same place. We’ve got maybe a minute or two before they’re in
deep, and I can’t fight one of those on my own. They need our help, now.”

  Without pause, Owen pushed off so hard that the ground buckled under his power as he went flying upward. Nearby, he could see Hopcules smashing apart every robot that came near it. Personally, Owen had always thought dogs to be the best of all pets.

  But he was beginning to see the appeal of rabbits.

  108.

  If having to (they hoped momentarily) leave Hexcellent wasn’t bad enough—which it certainly was—the Mordent team found as soon as they emerged that they weren’t the only ones moving. The giant mech was also making progress, though it had gone through structures rather than darting around them like the Supers. It had been what caused the collapse, no doubt; it seemed to be chasing a few people that were trying to escape from its sight. The only actual upside of walking into the mech’s shadow was that there was so much chaos, a few people in costumes didn’t draw much attention.

  “Fuck me,” Zone muttered, gazing up at the machine with wide-eyed terror. Galvanize grabbed his shoulder and jerked him forward, snapping the shirtless man out of his trance.

  “Come on! We either run or die, and my legs can still move.” Even as the words left his mouth, Galvanize knew how hollow they were. The street before them was sheer madness with the smaller robots swarming across the ground. Add in that the way behind them was blocked and that the giant bot could easily reach them with one step of its insect-like legs, their chances of surviving the next few minutes were looking slim. But Galvanize had faced death before. Not every rescue they went into was without risk, and he refused to let death take him standing still. Whether by crushing legs or a murderous robot, death would have to at least catch them.

  They raced along the fractured city streets, trying to take cover by nearby buildings. All thoughts of direction were gone from their minds; Mordent was no longer their goal. Now, all they cared about was surviving from one footstep to the next. They picked their paths strategically, minimizing their contact with the robots whenever possible. It was a game of numbers, one that was quickly turning against them. More and more of the smaller units seem to rain down from the sky, and the places to hide were quickly running out. Something gigantic could be heard stomping around a few blocks away, which they all took to mean another mech was in the area. It was a bad scene and only getting worse.

  Then, almost as if a beam of light from the heavens shone down to show him the way, Galvanize spotted something that gave him hope. A small alley, its entrance almost completely obscured from view, which would take them in the opposite direction of the robot hordes. It might even give them a chance to circle back for Hexcellent, if luck was on their side. . . and since they would have to race all the way around the giant mech to reach the exit, luck would pretty much have to be.

  Silently, he tapped Bubble Bubble and Zone on their arms and pointed to the alley down the street. It was hard to see, as the giant mech’s legs blocked out so much of the view, but eventually they realized what he was showing them.

  “We’ll never make that,” Bubble Bubble told him. “There are too many small robots on the periphery. We’re barely hiding from them as it is; if we try and go all the way around we’ll be caught for sure.”

  “Probably so, but we still have to try,” Galvanize said.

  “What if we went under it?” Zone motioned to the ample space between the robot’s legs. One could drive a bus under there and still have ample clearance, so it wasn’t an issue of space. But Galvanize couldn’t imagine that the area was undefended, not on a machine built for such destructive ends.

  “It’s probably more dangerous underneath,” Galvanize speculated.

  “Seeing as the edges are definitely going to get us killed, I’m weirdly okay with ‘probably more dangerous,’” Bubble Bubble said. “Whatever we do, let’s just do it soon. Time is against us.”

  Despite all the preparation and training that PEERS teams had to undergo, the decisions that resulted in life or death often happened in split seconds. Galvanize knew they had to move and the alley might be their one shot at living. His team was right; the long way was basically a guaranteed death. Risky as running under a giant killer robot might be, it was the better choice.

  Of course, that didn’t mean either choice was actually going to keep them alive, but Galvanize shoved that thought out of his mind as he raced forward, motioning for the others to follow. They sprinted in the one direction no one else was going: toward a mech currently knocking down entire buildings.

  It struck Galvanize that the world seemed to go curiously quiet as they ran between two of the six metal legs. All the madness that had been filling their ears was somewhat blocked by the impossibly big structure around them. It was peaceful, though not in a way that brought him comfort. No, this peaceful was like that of a cemetery, or a watery cave left unexplored for centuries. It spoke of darkness buried just beneath the surface, waiting for a chance to arise once more.

  That chance didn’t take long to surface. They were no more than ten feet along in their journey when Galvanize caught sight of a red glow in the corner of his eyes. No time to think: another split second decision that might cost him, or his team, their lives.

  “To the side!” Galvanize yelled, leaping away from where he’d been standing moments before a searing beam of energy struck the concrete. Bubble Bubble and Zone had moved on his orders and managed to avoid the shots coming at them as well. However, now that he’d stopped, Galvanize looked up to the source of the attacks and felt his heart drop.

  All along the underside of the robot were at least two dozen glowing red circles, each of which could roast him and his team alive. Another three fired, but before they could hit, a wall of blue energy appeared in front of them.

  Bubble Bubble was stooped down, arms held out as she focused on keeping the orb around them in place. With every shot that landed, her body seemed to shake. Maybe if the day had just begun, she might have been able to keep it up for a while, but as it stood, Galvanize knew she was only buying them a few extra seconds. Maybe a minute, tops.

  Galvanize wracked his brain, trying to think of something, anything he could do to get them out of there. He considered Zone’s abilities, Bubble Bubble’s power, and what he could augment. But no matter how he turned their situation around in his head, nothing provided even a glimmer of hope. They just weren’t strong enough. Each of them might be Supers, but this was the sort of situation even Heroes would have trouble with, and none of them had power on that level.

  Galvanize had been determined to at least die trying, and now it seemed that was exactly what they were going to do.

  “Getting. . . tired. . .” More and more beams were locking on to them. Bubble Bubble seemed to be fading. Their time was almost up. All that remained were the few precious seconds she’d bought them, so Galvanize decided to make use of her gift.

  “Zone, Bubble Bubble, I just want you to know how proud I am of both of you, and of all we’ve accomplished as a team. No matter what happens next, try to take comfort in the fact that we are among the few who can say we left this world better than we found it.”

  Bubble Bubble’s arms fell, and the orb around them flickered out of existence. Galvanize, all his bravery spent on surviving this long, closed his eyes. He’d done enough; staring down a firing squad wasn’t the way he wanted to go.

  Instead of hot, searing pain ripping apart his body, however, Galvanize felt a tremendous blast of wind strike and send him spinning roughly through the air. When he finally landed and managed to pull his eyelids apart, he was no longer trapped beneath the robot.

  Instead, Gale was staring at him, at his whole team, who were miraculously unhurt. She floated above them, lit by the afternoon sun which they could once again see. Her wind had blown them some distance from the mech, which seemed to be distracted.

  “About time you dropped that shield,” Gale said. “I’ve been trying to get you out for the past thirty seconds. Titan, your people are cl
ear. Time to step it up.”

  “Titan is here?” Bubble Bubble asked, turning her head in a vain effort to find their Hero Liaison.

  “Sure is, who do you think kept that thing distracted?” Gale asked. “But now that you’re out, he’s going to stop playing so nice. And as soon as I get you three a little higher and safer, I’m going to help.”

  “Wait!” Galvanize yelped. “Hexcellent needs your help more; she got trapped a few blocks behind us.”

  Gale merely smiled as a new gust of wind began to lift them up from the ground. “Hexcellent is probably the best off of anyone here. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely see it from the rooftops.”

  109.

  “Titan, your people are clear.”

  Owen’s whole body tingled with relief at those words, aided a bit perhaps by the energy blast one of the robots nearby was trying to kill him with. It had been hard, letting Gale be the one to go save them, trusting her to make sure they survived, but part of being a Hero was accepting that no one was the best at everything. For rapid extraction, Gale’s abilities were better suited than his, and he was certainly the superior choice for a distraction. Still, ever since she’d left his sight and he’d begun ripping up robots and throwing them at the big mech, his heart had been filled with worry that something would go wrong. He’d already failed so many people who depended on him throughout his life. Losing his team might be one blow too many.

  But that hadn’t happened. Gale had gotten them clear and was likely lifting them somewhere safe before she rejoined the battle. Owen grabbed another robot and shredded it into two pieces, then hurled both at the mech. His projectiles weren’t doing any real damage, but he was definitely holding the thing’s attention, drawing occasional rounds of bullets and energy, neither of which caused Owen to so much as stumble.