by Kipjo Ewers
His bright white glowing eyes added to his demigod stature while his humble dark brown smile made Erica’s heart flutter in the midst of the chaos all around her.
“Status on new player,” Erica asked.
“Unknown,” Maxine reported. “I am unable to get a reading on individual, his armor, or weapon. Unknown energy shielding is deflecting my scans. From what my scans can diagnose, energy he is emitting is on a cosmic level.”
“You mean like comic book,” Lady Tech swallowed.
“I mean like remnants from the first ‘Big Bang’ Miss,” Maxine elaborated.
Revenant descended to street level hovering. He clapped bringing Erica out of her school girl crush, and turned her golden prince’s smile into a scowl as he turned to face the leader of the Zombie Nation.
“Bravo… Bravo… a very impress display of power,” Revenant beamed. “And may I ask who might you be?”
He did not answer gripping his staff as he stood between him and Erica. To his right he could feel Wendigo also hovering about in a vibrating field of sonic energy itching to attack as well.
“Let me guess, the strong silent type,” Revenant scoffed, “you play it very well… but we all know this isn’t a comic book. The Draugr will be back any minute now, more enraged than ever. Carving a path of destruction right to you for embarrassing him, and while you managed to take all of us by surprise with that little light show of yours, I highly doubt despite that lucky shot that you are a match for me, Wendigo, or worse all three of us combined.”
In the middle of his speech, Rosann zoomed in standing next to a recovering Lady Tech.
Not far away Hard-On sped through the streets of Manhattan on the Ducati he borrowed, while Rogers sprinted at unimaginable speeds to get back himself.
“We’re here to break the first of many seals which will usher in a new world order, and we will not be stopped,” Revenant sighed, “…so please… just fucking die already…”
The Egyptian warrior’s staff came ablaze with raw unknown power, as he stood ready for Revenant, while Rosann braced herself behind Erica’s S.A.M. armor waiting for impact.
Rogers and Hard-On each arrived only a block away to see Revenant unleash his attack on their teammates. Hard-On yelled as he gunned it, while Rogers gritted his teeth picking up speed tearing up concrete under his boots.
A massive explosion forced Adrian to swerve to a halt, while Rogers continued to run through the smoke hitting Times Square. He came to a halt himself when he realized the true cause of the explosion.
The Egyptian never got the chance to test his might against Revenant.
A stunned Revenant hovered in midair, but not by his own power.
Gripping his neck was the mother of all EVOs, and she was none too happy.
“Dammit,” Sophia sneered, “and I just bought this jacket.”
CHAPTER 11
She stood hovering in the middle of a devastated Time Square. The energies channeled through her feet kicked up dirt and debris around her forcing those still alive within the vicinity both powered and non-powered to shield their faces to get a glimpse of her as she held the leader of the Zombie Nation by the throat. A purple aura of energy covering his body shielded his larynx from Sophia crushing it.
“My… you are extremely… powerful,” Revenant grinned.
“And the last person on the planet you want to piss off,” she sneered, “power down... now, or I will turn you into a husk.”
“I don’t... believe so,” he wheezed. “You see, the energy I wield is not a part of your appetite.”
“And what might that be?” she increased her grip.
“I’m not a scientist,” he choked, “But I am... pretty sure... it’s in the realm... of... dark... matter. I have... a talent for absorbing regular matter... converting and manipulating it to wield as... I please... in either... an energy or solid state... like right... now.”
“How about we test that theory of yours?” she growled.
“As much as I would like to,” he managed to chuckle in between choking, “she might have a problem with that.”
Revenant pointed to Wendigo, who extended her hand unleashing a vicious sonic attack on Sophia with no regard for the fact that Revenant was still in her grip. Luckily for him he increased his shielding to weather the storm of his own subordinate’s sonic blast ripping him from Sophia’s grip. He crashed through an office window while Sophia was driven through the brick wall part of a building; one floor below him.
The sadistic sonic wielder turned to the Regulators and the Egyptian demigod powering up his staff to take her down.
Blood curdling screams froze everyone in their tracks including Wendigo as the bodies of almost thirty innocent bystanders were ripped from their hiding places and levitated almost one hundred stories up.
The unknown source of the terrifying phenomenon was the cloaked child known as Anchimayen. He walked near the edge of the police outpost roof he stood on with his right hand slightly elevated to show he held the multitude of floating hostages in his telekinetic grip.
“I could snap their necks… like pigeons,” he gestured. “Ever see a dead body flop around before it hits the pavement? It’s pretty funny. Would you like to see?”
Everyone stood rooted with mirrored sick expressions on their faces. It was both hard and revolting to see and believe that it was actually a child carrying out such a heinous act and talking in so despicable a manner.
“Now here’s what we’re going to do,” Anchimayen began to dictate his terms.
Exploding rock and rubble interrupted him as Sophia, coming from whence she was buried, attempted to rush him.
“Careful lady!” he screamed, backing up. “All I have to do is close my hand!”
The chorus of screams overhead stopped her in her tracks mid hover.
“As I was about to say,” he continued, “my associates and I, the ones you have not captured will be leaving right now. When we are at a safe enough distance that you cannot follow us, bodies will start dropping. Whether they’re alive or dead when you catch them, depends on if you stay put. So don’t try to follow us. You hear me, bitch?”
He turned his attention to Erica, who had a look of disbelief that he actually called her the b-word in public.
“Don’t try to send one of your stupid gadgets to follow us,” he warned, pointing at her. “I will know, and the blood of these people I now hold will be on your hand. Are we clear?’
“Crystal, you little inbred bastard,” she acknowledged.
“Revenant!” Anchimayen yelled out. “You dead?”
The leader of the Zombie Nation peered out of the office window he went through dusting himself off.
“Why, no, my dear boy,” he acknowledged, “and a spiffy little plan you conjured up on your own.”
He stepped out using the dark matter energies he controlled to hover. He turned to Sophia a couple of feet off from him.
“It was an utmost pleasure meeting you,” he smiled, “hopefully we will meet again under better circumstances.”
She threw him a murderous scowl, while she wondered what he meant by his statement. Revenant and Wendigo took off first, followed by Anchimayen carrying a still unconscious Jiang Shi via telekinesis. Sophia and everyone else readied themselves to begin catching people.
“Where the hell is Blitz?” Adrian looked around.
In the mayhem everyone had forgotten about their electricity wielding teammate. A massive explosion caught everyone’s attention taking place on 42nd street between 9th and 10th avenue. A violent blue and white electrical discharge erupted in an attempt to keep something back.
“Sergeant,” Erica prepared her armor to take flight, “I think you and Hard-On should back Blitz up. The four of us should be able to do this.”
“Are you sure?” Rogers asked.
“I got a clear visual the second they start to fall,” she confirmed, “go.”
Rogers nodded hopping on the backseat of the Ducati.
He held onto his left shoulder still toting his large rifle as Adrian gunned the bike heading to join the new battle between Blitz and the Draugr.
“Alright people,” Erica tensed up. “Get ready to go H.A.M.”
The moment appeared to stand still forever, until the screams erupted again, while Lady Tech’s sensors instantly detected the change in elevation.
“Go! Go!” she screamed.
Sophia was the first in the sky catching those who believed they would die that day. She did not have time to take them back to the ground, so she dropped them off on the top of buildings.
The Egyptian followed her lead doing the same. For those he could not reach, he pointed his staff at. It glowed and emitted a solid gold energy construct of a bowl that he used to catch people. It moved about expanding as it captured more and more free fallers.
No one had time to be amazed as a few got by the faster of the four. Erica safety snatched up three before they hit the pavement, while Rosann put the Ghoul’s abilities to good use. She darted about leaping into the air catching one. As the last two came down at the same time she pushed her legs to overdrive.
“Erica! Get ready to catch!” she screamed.
She leapt into the air grabbing a bawling woman by her leg before she hit head first, swinging her back up into the sky. She then twisted and dived snatching a twelve year old boy before he hit the pavement. She held him close as she crashed into the side of a parked car.
Erica was there to catch the woman. Her heart quickened as she landed setting the catatonic woman down rushing over to her teammate who struck the car brutally hard and seemed unresponsive.
“Rosann! Rosann!” she nervously yelled.
Rosann groaned cricking her neck as she came to. The first thing she checked on was the precious package she caught still clinging onto her for dear life.
“You okay there, honey?” she stroked the top of his brunette-haired head.
The rattled boy shook his head acknowledging he was okay. The additional silver lining was when the boy’s mother ran up hysterical with tears taking him from her.
“Thank you! Thank you!” she cried.
She held her child with all of her strength while he held his mother just as tight.
Rosann nodded slowly getting to her feet as the regenerative healing she stole from the Ghoul repaired whatever injuries she sustained.
“I don’t ever want to do that again,” she looked at Erica.
“Me neither,” she agreed. “And if it wasn’t for Dennison and the Gold Lan…”
Erica paused her statement, looking around.
“King Tut,” she searched the sky, “where’d he go? Maxine?”
“Unable to detect him, Miss,” she answered. “I detect no energy or departing flight pattern.”
“You mean he just vanished?” Rosann asked.
“It appears so,” Maxine confirmed.
A loud popping sound broke their attention on the mystery of the vanishing super powered Egyptian as they looked up again to see Sophia jetting toward 42nd street between 9th and 10th avenue. Their eyes widened remembering the rest of their team was in mortal combat with the Draugr over there. Rosann took flight again on foot, as Erica powered up her thrusters following her.
˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜
Sophia arrived in a matter of seconds to witness the beast of a man taking on the combined strength of Rogers, Hard-On, and Blitz barehanded.
His body smoked from the electrical attacks Oliver repeatedly rained down on him. Even with Rogers arriving on the scene hitting him with high-powered energy rounds from his rifle, the Draugr would not fall. Instead, he chose to rage and fight on as he attempted to swat a faster moving armored skin Adrian with a New York Taxi. Adrian ducked and dodged his first two swings, and then stood his ground throwing a powerful right destroying the back half of the vehicle. The monstrous Titan once again revealed his amazing speed smacking Adrian with what was left of the vehicle. He went flying like a long hard drive baseball crashing through the front entrance of the McDonalds where he took out the front counter and then the soda machine.
Seeing enough, Sophia let off a powerful eyebeam blast blowing the rest of the taxi out of the Draugr’s hand staggering him.
She then darted, slamming him into the side of a theatrical building leaving a large crater pattern where his back hit. Erica and Rosann arrived in time to see her pinning him by his throat against the side of the building. Despite her show of strength, the Draugr refused to surrender violently struggling to break free.
“Give up,” she warned. “It’s over!”
It would not be over, as the Viking Goliath with a burst of strength powered out knocking a surprised Sophia backwards.
He did not even hesitate as he hauled off cracking her with a vicious quick short left ringing her eardrum staggering her. He followed up with a thunderous right haymaker to the face. The force of the blow while she was airborne sent her careening through the main glass window of the Madame Tussauds Museum killing a Beyonce wax figure. Her back cratered against the wall shaking the building and sending a wax figure of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson falling flat on its face separating its head from its body.
She shook her head from the cobwebs as the ringing in her ear left as quickly as it came. She could hear the monster standing outside laughing at her.
She could not call it a sucker punch as she literally walked right into it. Despite his immense size, the Draugr was disturbingly fast and powerful as her jaw and skull radiated from the blows she took. She had to end this fight quickly. The only upside to it was for once she did not have to hold back, this was her opportunity to cut loose.
“Is this the whore everyone is afraid of?” howled the Draugr. “I’ll split her in half with my…”
He never finished his crude statement, because he never saw Sophia exploding from out of the museum delivering a flying right cross to his jaw almost taking his head off. Where he needed two punches to send her flying, Sophia only used one. The hit hurled the behemoth through the front entrance of a BBQ, and through a wall dividing the restaurant and a Broadway music stage. He totaled the stage on impact obliterating it as it finally halted his momentum. Scaffolding and light fixtures no longer secure rained down on top of him burying him.
Back on 42nd Street, Sophia stood waiting as the Regulator team watched from a distance. They began to move in to rally around her, but she held a hand out motioning for them to stay back.
“It’s not over yet,” she narrowed her eyes.
As she predicted from the thundering footsteps getting louder, an enraged Draugr with his pride wounded torn through the BBQ creating a much larger exit. In his eyes, were the intention to murder Sophia in front of a live audience with his bare hands.
Standing her ground as the immovable object, Sophia timed and tanked the unstoppable force with a devastating gut shot halting him in his tracks. Staggering backwards, he clutched his abdomen spitting up blood and bile. He roared in defiance frothing at the mouth. He forced himself to stand tall despite possible torn muscle and shattered ribs. She doubled him over again using her weak left hand for another body blow causing more internal injury.
As he hobbled around on butter legs unable to suck air into his lungs. Sophia got into a boxing stance stalking him.
She was quick and vicious hammering both sides of his skull with a furious left followed by a right. It was a set up for a ground shaking near head removing jumping uppercut seen in a popular video game minus the trademark yell.
The devastating punch launched the Draugr into the air pass many of Manhattan’s major skyscrapers. Sophia wasted no time going airborne after him. She purposely passed him on the way up to set up for the kill. As he came within range she unleashed a right cross that sent a shockwave shattering glass within her vicinity.
The Regulators watched as the one-man wrecking machine that gave them hell almost an hour ago flew
lifeless across New York City via a single devastating blow.
His point of impact was somewhere in the middle of Central Park.
Not giving the Regulators a second look, she flew to where the Draugr crash-landed. Rogers broke into a run heading for Central Park on foot followed by Adrian in his metal form keeping up. Rosann still wielding the Ghouls’ abilities sped ahead of them, while Blitz took flight followed by Erica in battle riddled armor.
˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜
Eight minutes later Rogers and Adrian were the last to stand by their teammates at the edge of a massive trench within Central Park.
At the end of it, Sophia stood over a downed, defeated, and unconscious Draugr.
Rogers ran and slid down to where Sophia now stood over the fallen behemoth. Nonchalantly he strolled over standing next to her looking down at the monstrous beast of a man that nearly demolished all of Times Square if not for her. He appeared to be shaken from mortal coil if not for the shallow breathes and slight rising of his wall for a chest.
“Don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t…” Abe began his thank you speech.
Choking and gurgling replaced it, as Sophia grabbed him by his throat with slide of the hand speed lifting him into the air.
“What the?” Hard-On slapped his right metal bracer transforming again into his metal form, to square off against the strongest of all EVOs this time.
Rosann and a powered up Blitz prepared to attack as well. Rogers’ hand held high signaled for them to stay back, preventing another battle.
“You know, after you left my island,” Sophia bared her teeth at Rogers as her eyes glowed brighter, “I came to have a sliver of respect for you, Sergeant. Until I realized you were just another bureaucratic lying sack of shit.”