by Ross Buzzell
The second Disa’ani shows himself, Doug’s jaw clenches. He feels his body grow cold as he slowly takes on the form of the pallasite meteorite he came in contact with. Konner’s voice echoes in all of their minds as he speaks; they hear every word both he and Xero say to one another. Doug, Emma, and Danielle all keep silent. The tension in the air is palpable and it grows thicker with every passing second until it feels as if it is nearly suffocating. Part of Doug wants Konner to resolve the conflict peacefully, another part just wants to be down there and whaling on Disa’ani. Emma stands next to Doug, her foot tapping nervously and her fingers flicking, which must be some kind of tic. Doug nudges her.
“Hey, everything is going to be fine. Just follow directions and we’ll be fine.”
Emma gives Doug a nervous nod. Konner’s voice echoes in all their minds once again.
“But every once in a while, a miracle drops right out of the sky.”
Doug looks over at Emma.
“That’s my cue, a little hand?”
he asks, offering her his hand. She reaches out and touches him. In the blink of an eye, he is back in a dark room, looking at what seems to be a screen. The view is what Emma sees. He feels his stomach drop as they shoot into the sky; he hears Emma’s voice reverberate through the void.
“We’re high enough for you to reach terminal velocity. You ready?”
Doug takes a few deep breaths, nodding, more to himself than Emma. He is ready.
“Do it.”
Instantly, she splits with him. The vacuum of the void is replaced by a sudden pull of gravity. In his pallasite form, he picks up speed exponentially faster than he would any other time. His eyes are locked on Disa’ani as he dives headlong towards him. The fall does not worry him; this metal survived a fall from space, and something a few hundred feet off the ground wouldn’t do anything. Doug passes the top of the building he was just lifted from, rotating his body as he does. With his feet aimed directly at Disa’ani, his clothes flap in the wind that his meteorite body cannot feel. Doug gets closer. Now Disa’ani does not have time to move. Just as he looks up and makes eye contact with Doug, that is when it happens: contact.
Doug hardly slows down and doesn’t even feel the impact as either one of his feet plant themselves into Disa’ani’s breastplate. The force of his descent results in Disa’ani crumbling under him as both men punch a hole into the ground. They crash through a ceiling as the ground quakes from the impact. Rubble collapses into the room with the men. Disa’ani bounces off the ground and the momentum rolls him a few yards from Doug. Without a second thought, Doug lunges at Disa’ani, keeping his focus on his opponent and not what kind of basement they ended up in. Disa looks up at Doug as he attempts to push himself off the ground, but Doug is far too fast and slams his fist into Disa’ani’s helmet so hard that Doug actually feels the blow against his knuckles. This sends Doug back into the ground, a massive fist-shaped dent presenting itself on his opponent’s helmet.
He moves in for another attack. Balling up his fist, he aims for the center of Disa’ani’s spine. His fist comes barreling down, but Disa’ani rolls out of the way and the pallasite hand slams into the ground so hard the concrete gives way, burying his hand wrist deep in the man-made stone. Doug pulls on his arm, but the ground does not want to free him. He looks up to see Disa’ani climbing to his feet; he managed to hold on to one of his three weapons somehow. He draws back the spear, his eyes burning with a wild hatred as a trickle of blood oozes from his mouth. Disa’ani lets out a primal roar, spewing saliva and blood on everything before him as he thrusts his weapon at Doug. With hardly any time to think at all, he turns his fist back to its flesh form for a split second, allowing him to pull it free as it gets slightly smaller. The instant his hand is free, it turns back into pallasite just in time to deflect Disa’ani’s spear. Doug pushes himself off the ground, lunging himself at the Boronian who stands above him, and with his other hand, he slams his fist so hard into Disa’ani’s breast plate that the soldier is lifted from the ground and slams into the ceiling before dropping back to earth. The blow causes Disa’ani to drop his weapon.
Doug kneels down; he wraps his pallasite fingers around the alien weapon and instantly feels a surge of power flow through him as if it makes him physically stronger. It does not surprise him; he is from a line of miners, and they would have mined the ore to make this weapon. He feels it pull towards Disa’ani, but with almost no effort at all, he keeps the spear in place. Doug looks down at his opponent, whose hand is outstretched as he gasps for air, having been hit so hard by Doug that it not only winds him, but actually hurts him. The draw to Disa’ani is so miniscule it reminds Doug of the time he played tug of war at a church picnic and a five-year-old wanted to play him one-on-one, and like Disa’ani… it did not end well for the five-year-old. Doug draws back the spear; initially, he aims for the weakness around Disa’ani’s neck. It will be a swift, clean kill, one that is better than he deserves. After a moment’s hesitation, he draws back, aiming for his shoulder instead. Doug plunges the spear at his opponent, but the sound of metal glancing metal and a violent shudder through the spear puts Doug’s aim off just enough for the head of the weapon to bury itself in the concrete ground.
With a swipe of his arm, Disa’ani knocks the feet out from under Doug. He drew his other two spears to him. They are the reason Doug missed. With both of them on the ground, neither can get a good killing blow on the other. They spin away from each other and pull themselves to their feet. Disa’ani has one spear in both his hands, and the second floats in the air. Doug has no real training with a spear, but when he learned to fight, he was taught how to use a bow-staff. He grabs the weapon in the middle and spins it around his body a few times, using the stall to watch how the floating spear moves. He rests the spear on the back of his forearm. With his free hand outstretched and his palm facing upward, a smirk forms on his face as his heartrate and breathing is steady. Just like in a scene of one of his favorite movies, he is outclassed and outnumbered, if you count the second spear, armed with a staff-based weapon, and now he unintentionally set himself up to execute the main character’s signature taunt. Doug draws his four fingers towards himself rapidly, twice.
Disa’ani charges Doug, his levitating spear moving in for a quick kill. With an easy spin of the weapon, Doug deflects the attack before knocking his opponents attempt at a jab off to the side. He brings the counter balance at the base of the spear down onto the top of Disa’ani’s helmet with such force that it dents the alien metal again. The impact causes a deafening “clang” to ring out and the reverberation through the weapon jars Doug’s hands, even in his current form. Disa’ani staggers back and pulls his hand towards himself. Doug instinctively dodges his head to the right just as Disa’ani’s free spear passes right by him, missing him by an inch. Doug charges Disa’ani, using the spear in a way it is not meant to be used and clearly in a way Disa’ani was not trained to defend. The speed at which Doug spins the spear, and his ability to get close, makes it easy for him to deflect any attempt at a jab with his medium-ranged weapons, all the while making quick, precise strikes to his abdomen, arms, legs, and joints. Each strike does not do much damage, but that is not the point. Doug is trying to weaken him in the early stages of the fight so that during the late stage, he won’t be such a threat.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Doug feels a percussive force hit him in the chest hard enough to lift his feet off the ground and send him tumbling backwards. Doug was so preoccupied with Disa’ani’s spears he never kept an eye out for the feet and he pays the price by getting kicked in the chest Spartan-style hard enough that it actually hurts a little. He won’t let that stop him, though, and in a flash, Doug is back on his feet. Instead of getting in close initially, this time, he grips the center of the spear, and with all his strength, throws it at Disa’ani. Now, with something to distract him, the lethal projectile heading straight for his heart, Doug leaps at his opponent, drawn back and ready to attack. Just as h
e anticipated, Disa’ani leans to one side and lets the spear pass him, then throws his hand up and the weapon is immediately drawn to his back. With a wry smile on his face, he turns his head to look at his opponent, who, by the look of shock that quickly overtakes him, the thought is still a good distance away. This is when Doug unleashes every ounce of strength in him and punches Disa’ani square in the forehead of his helmet. Disa’ani leans into it in an attempt to brace for the impact, accepting its inevitability. As Doug’s hand makes contact, he feels the metal of the helmet buckle, and much to his surprise, as his attack follows through, the helmet shatters like glass, exploding into hundreds of tiny pieces. Disa’ani staggers back, letting out a cry of pain as blood begins to pour from his hairline. Doug notices that his weapons are still in hand and that his opponents knuckles are still white. He isn’t about to give up.
Doug keeps up his momentum and lunges at Disa’ani. Grabbing his shoulder guard, he spins and throws Disa’ani up a small flight of stairs in the corner of the basement and into a wall, which crumbles upon his impact. Doug begins to march towards Disa’ani, who attempts to get up but is moving slow, which means the fight is almost over. As Doug gets closer, Disa’ani scrambles to his feet and runs up the rest of the stairs, followed closely by his remaining weapons. Doug instantly begins to run, chasing him up the stairs, yelling as he does.
“Get back here! I’m not done with you!”
Doug flies up the stairs, skipping three at a time. He is surprised at how nimble and fast this form is, given its source material. Doug reaches the top of the stairs and round their corner to see Disa’ani prepared to throw his spear, presumably at Konner. Doug’s linebacker instincts kick in and he charges Disa’ani like a quarterback with his back wide open. Doug lowers his shoulder, keeping an eye on his target. Disa’ani’s draw reaches its apex, and Doug gets closer. Just as the spear begins to obtain some forward motion, he makes contact, slamming his shoulder into Disa’ani’s ribs. He lifts Disa’ani off the ground before tackling him ferociously into the pavement. Doug pops to his feet. Straddling Disa’ani, he draws back, ready to deliver the final blow, when out of nowhere, a sphere of bright blue light encompasses him. He feels an immense heat engulf him, but his pallasite body prevents it from burning. Then, like a delayed reaction, he feels a force slam into him with so much power that he flies off of Disa’ani and skips like a rock into the marble side of one of the neighboring buildings, putting a massive hole in it as he does.
Doug slides to a stop. He lets off a groan, as that attack actually hurt, and he wonders where it came from until his eyes adjust to see four fully armed military officers standing around him. One of them has a grenade launcher slung over his shoulder. Doug puts both hands up, like a baby asking to be lifted by its mother.
“Sir, mind lending me that beautiful piece of machinery hanging off your shoulder?”
The officer hesitates for a moment but then gives in. He removes the launcher and hands it to Doug, who is still on his back on the marble floor, which he assumed would be cold, if he could feel it. He aims the weapon at the hole he has made as a wry grin wriggles its way onto his face. He was about to check off something from his bucket list. A shadow overtakes the hole and soon becomes visible. It is Disa’ani.
“You know, for being a general…”
Doug says in a proud tone before pulling the trigger. A hollow “whump” is quickly followed by a deafening explosion. The ammunition found its mark in the dead center of Disa’ani’s chest and the force sends Disa’ani out of the building. The officers are coughing as the room fills with dust. Doug pulls himself to his feet and hands the weapon back to the officer who handed it to him. His heart is pounding, as even with everything going on, that was the single most cathartic experience of his life and giving over such a beautiful piece of machinery is the hardest thing he has to do. Before he exits the room, Doug takes on his human form so that the soldiers can see his true face before saluting them.
“Gentlemen, thank you for the sacrifices you make for this country, for protecting me and my family from all threats both foreign and domestic…”
Doug slowly takes his pallasite form again and glances over his shoulder after dropping his hand.
“…now, if you will excuse me, it is time for me to return the favor.”
Doug runs back into the sunlight and out of the cloud of dust. Disa’ani tries to pull himself to his feet but has nearly had the fight beaten out of him. Doug keeps up his momentum and slams his foot into Disa’ani’s side armor enough to send him into a nearby fountain. There is a loud THUD and Konner flies past Doug before slamming into a statue.
“You almost done over there, because I could use a hand!”
Konner yells directly at Doug. He nods and runs over to a disarmed Disa’ani to ensure he is out of the fight for good. A stalactite forms out of his arm as he reaches his target. Disa’ani spits some blood from his mouth as he sits himself up.
“So you’re going to kill me now… that’s not very heroic!”
he taunts, and as much as he would love to put the soldier down, he would not be able to bring himself to do it. He shakes his head.
“No, just taking you out of the fight.”
Disa’ani grins.
“Too bad…”
Disa throws his hands into the air and Doug feels a sharp pain in both his back and his chest with pillars of cold traversing the inside of his body. His feet go numb, quickly followed by his fingertips as his vision blurs. His lungs begin to burn as a copper taste fills his mouth. Doug looks down, and in the background, he can hear the blood-curdling scream of Danielle from high in the sky as each and every one of Disa’ani’s spears has pierced his pallasite form and completely impaled him through the back, ensuring to sever the spine in more than one place. Tauntingly, Disa’ani stands to his feet. Doug has gotten too cocky and it costs him.
“Who kind of sucks now?”
Disa’ani tauntingly asks as the pallasite falls away and Disa’ani grips the head of one of his spears and slowly twists it. An electric fire, both hot and cold, surges through his body with pain unlike anything he has experienced before. Doug lets out a scream of agony as the last of his pallasite form completely vanishes, leaving only his vulnerable flesh left. The agonizing pain dissipates, which Doug attributes to shock.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Emma land, and instantly, Danielle separates from her and begins to run towards Doug. Disa’ani pulls on his weapon; Doug feels it move within him but reaches up with his waning strength to keep the spear inside so that Disa’ani can’t use it on Danielle or Emma. Disa wrenches Doug’s hand free and begins to pull on it again, only to cause Doug’s body to lurch forward. A sensation washes over Doug, something similar to when he picked the spear up for the first time. The tingling numbness in his feet and hands goes away, the cold of the metal is no longer felt, and the taste of copper in his mouth evaporates. Disa’ani pulls on the spear again; this time, nothing moves. Slowly, the spear begins to slide from Disa’ani’s hand as each weapon slowly makes its way back into Doug’s body. Instantly, Doug feels his body grow stronger than before, and as the spears are drawn into Doug, his skin turns into pure Energynium. Doug stands to his feet, Danielle stops running, and Emma stands in shock. Disa’ani attempts to punch him, but Doug catches his fist and holds it in place like it is nothing. With his free hand, he grabs Disa’ani by the throat, who sputters as he is lifted from the ground.
“H…grrkk… how?”
Doug looks at his arm; he is from the line of miners… it only makes sense.
“Boronian powers, Boronian metal, a perfect fusion… Thanks for the upgrade.”
Doug feels the earth quake beneath his feet; he looks over to see Xero on top of Konner, giving him a beating that makes the one Disa’ani take look tame. Using all of his incredible new strength, Doug throws Disa’ani at Xero, whose collision knocks him off of Konner. Danielle marches up to Doug and slaps him in the face. He doesn’t feel it.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
she yells, Doug can’t help but laugh.
“Sorry, doll… time to go to work.”
Doug throws his arm out as he runs towards Xero. A blade forms instead of a stalactite. He charges Xero, ready to join in the fight, but the behemoth has other plans. He notices the new target draw his sword back and slam it into the ground so hard that a massive shockwave hits Doug so hard that he flies back and skips across the ground. He quickly pulls himself back to his feet; the shockwave causes a ringing in his ears and his lungs burn as if they almost burst. He is thankful that Danielle and Emma were a good distance behind him because that would have burst their lungs. He hears Emma scream in pain. Whirling around among the rubble and devastation, he sees Emma is in the fetal position, holding her chest as blood oozes from her ears. Danielle is already over her with her hand on her shoulder; her eyes are fogged over with a lightly blue haze. Doug glances back to Konner, who points at Emma and yells,
“GO! I WILL HANDLE THIS!”
Doug nods as Konner returns to his battle. Doug turns, facing his original position, and sprints towards Emma. Taking his human form, he slides to a stop next to Emma. He looks up at Danielle with worry.