by Lucas Flint
But then I noticed that Strike wasn’t sinking into the floor as quickly as he used to. Indeed, I noticed I was now starting to pull him out, slowly and surely, inch by inch, until finally, I pulled him free of the floor entirely. I saw Phaser’s hands grasp at the air for a moment like he was trying to pull Strike back in, but then they vanished beneath the floor and Phaser was once again out of sight.
“Thanks,” said Strike, panting hard. He rose to his feet, albeit slowly and uncertainly due to the poison in his system. “Sure thought I was a goner there for a second.”
“No problem,” I said as I also rose to my feet. “But we’re not home-free just yet. Phaser is still active and probably going to strike again any second now.”
“How are we supposed to defeat him?” said Strike. He gestured at Triplet’s fallen Thirds. “You heard Triplet. Aside from mental attacks, Phaser is basically invincible.”
“I know,” I said, glancing around every now and then to make sure Phaser wasn’t in sight. “But we have to stop him. He’s not going to leave us alone just because we asked nicely.”
“Still doesn’t change the reality of what I just said,” said Strike. “I’ve faced powerful bad guys before and survived—hell, I beat Tsunami once—but Phaser is way out of our league. Makes me wish Brains was with us right now.”
“Brains isn’t here,” I said. “We’ve just got to think. There must be some way to beat Phaser that we just haven’t thought of yet.”
Unfortunately, even I couldn’t think of how to defeat Phaser. Maybe if I better understood how his powers worked, I could do it, but I only knew what Triplet and Brains had shared with me, which was starting to seem like not enough.
A thought suddenly occurred to me and I looked at Strike. “I know what we can do. I’ll fly in the air and you use your foldable board to fly.”
“Why?” said Strike. “How is that going to help us?”
“By keeping off the ground, Phaser won’t be able to catch us,” I said. “We might even force him to come out just to get us.”
Strike shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
Strike unfolded his board and tossed it onto the floor, while I flew up into the air just a few feet above the floor. Strike soon joined me, using his magnetic powers to make his board hover underneath his feet like a platform.
“See?” I said, turning to look at Strike. “I feel safer already.”
But then, without warning, Phaser lowered out of the ceiling behind me and grabbed my neck with both of his hands. Although Phaser did not look very strong, his grip was crushing on my windpipes and I couldn’t breathe at all. I acted instinctively and few away, ripping Phaser out of the ceiling, who let out a yell and fell to the floor below, letting go of me at the same time.
Right before Phaser hit the floor, however, I turned around and rushed toward him. I caught Phaser in my arms and slammed him against one of the tunnel’s walls hard enough to make dust fall from the ceiling, putting one hand around his neck to make sure he couldn’t breathe or speak.
“Nice try, Phaser,” I said, “but I’m not nearly as stupid as I look.”
Phaser couldn’t talk due to my hand around his throat, but he did roll his eyes and phase through my hand and into the wall I held him against. In an instant, my hand was touching the cold stone wall that I had been forcing Phaser against less than a second earlier.
I cursed under my breath. “Dang it! Why didn’t I see that coming? Stupid.”
“Glad we agree on something,” said Phaser, rising out of the ground behind me suddenly. “Too bad it will be the last thing we ever agree on.”
I turned around just in time to see Phaser punch me. His fist didn’t connect with my chest, however. Instead, it went through my chest and out the other side, like my chest wasn’t even there.
You wouldn’t think something like this would hurt, but it did. My heart suddenly started beating rapidly and my blood pressure rose through the roof. Sweat broke out on my forehead and breathing became hard and labored. I gazed into Phaser’s eyes, seeing the glee in his eyes as he looked upon me with a grin on his ugly lips.
“What … are you … doing to me?” I said, barely able to get the words out.
“Inducing a heart attack, naturally enough,” said Phaser. “You see, my powers sadly don’t allow me to steal someone’s organs from their bodies, but when a part of my body phases through another, it disrupts your body’s natural rhythms. If my arm stays inside another person’s body long enough, it can kill them outright, which is what I am doing to you. Hearts are very fragile, you see.”
I was no doctor, but I could tell that Phaser was telling the truth. Even worse, I felt like I couldn’t move. My body was entirely focused on my heart, which felt like it was about to explode. I tried to draw breath but couldn’t. In my mind’s eye, I could see my heart explode in my chest, leaving me nothing more than a corpse fit only to be fed to Longworth’s beasts. Maybe that was the fate Phaser had in store for me, Triplet, and Strike.
“Stop!” Strike suddenly shouted behind Phaser. “Let him go now!”
Without taking his arm out of my chest, Phaser looked over his shoulder. This allowed me to see Strike, who was standing on the floor now, his board folded up and strapped to his back again. With his long, flowing cape behind him and his perfectly done black hair, Strike looked like a force to be reckoned with.
“Stop?” Phaser said. “Or what, you’ll try to punch me? You do know you can’t even touch me, right?”
“I’m not going to punch you,” said Strike. “In fact, I don’t even want to fight you. I want to take you up on your earlier offer to go to Longworth.”
Phaser paused and, although I couldn’t see his face, I could tell Strike had gotten his interest. “Really? Are you sure? Because if this is a trick—”
“No trick,” Strike insisted. “I’m no good at tricks. I just want to see Dizzy again. That’s all.”
I tried to warn Strike to go away, but Phaser’s arm was still through my heart, so all I could manage was a very disgusting-sounding hacking sound that neither Phaser nor Strike paid attention to.
Phaser tapped his chin with his other hand. “This might not be a trick, but surely there is a catch. There is always a catch.”
“You’re right,” said Strike. “In exchange for me going with you, I want you to spare Bolt and Triplet. You don’t have to free them from the maze, but don’t kill them, at least.”
“Hmmm …” Phaser seemed to be taking his sweet time responding to Strike. “Why can’t I just kill them both and take you as my prisoner? It would be easy, you know.”
Strike raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, Phaser, have you ever wondered what keeps this tunnel from crashing down on us all?”
Phaser tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean? It was built to support the ceiling. It’s not magic.”
I will admit to being as curious as Phaser about what Strike was getting at, but I was too busy trying not to die of a heart attack to say anything. I just hoped that Strike knew what he was doing.
Strike, however, shook his head. “I mean specifically. Tunnels like these typically require support braces of some sort to keep the tunnel from caving in and killing everyone inside. Personally, I don’t see any, but I suspect there are some embedded in the ceiling out of sight. Am I right?”
Phaser’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, there are. That’s how I got up to the ceiling. When I’m phased, I can still interact with objects to some degree, but only if I am very careful about it.”
Strike nodded. “I suspected as much.” He held a hand out to his side. “I wonder what would happen if I ripped those braces out of the ceiling. Do you think the entire tunnel system would cave in or just this branch? Furthermore, I wonder if your brother’s big, fancy mansion would survive such a collapse.”
“If you’re threatening to kill me, you picked a lousy way to do it,” said Phaser, although I could tell he was unnerved by Strike’s threat just the same. “Even if you c
ollapsed the entire tunnel on me, my powers would allow me to survive it. You guys wouldn’t, though.”
“I’m not threatening you,” said Strike. He put a hand on his chest. “I’m willing to give my life if it means saving Dizzy’s. I know Dizzy. She’s smart and resourceful. If she’s here, then I’m sure she would be able to save herself if I caused the tunnel system to collapse. Depends on where she is, I guess, but I think she could do it. Can’t say the same about your brother, though, who didn’t look all that resourceful the last time I saw him.”
Phaser actually gulped. He glanced up at the ceiling very briefly, but Strike must have noticed it, because he flashed a smirk, like he knew that he had finally gotten under Phaser’s skin.
“But I don’t have to destroy the tunnels and kill us all,” said Strike. “If you spare Bolt and Triplet, I will happily come with you to wherever you want me to go and participate in any experiment your brother needs me to do. You have my word.”
Phaser bit his lower lip. I will admit to being amazed at how Strike had managed to get leverage over Phaser. I always knew that Strike was smart, but I had no idea just how clever he really was. No wonder so many people loved him.
Finally, Phaser nodded. “Very well. Dear brother would kill me if I let him destroy his precious maze, even though it isn’t his to begin with. Besides, it would take too much time to dig out your bodies, which would probably be ruined by all of the dirt and rock crushing them into pieces.”
Phaser suddenly yanked his arm out of my chest. I immediately fell to my hands and knees, gasping for breath, but my heartbeat was already returning to normal now that the foreign object was out and the pain was practically gone. I prayed a brief prayer of thanks for my survival, despite not being very religious.
Then I heard footsteps and looked up to see Phaser already standing in front of Strike.
“No …” I said, holding out a hand toward them, “Strike …”
But it was no use. Phaser put one hand on Strike’s shoulder and then the two of them sank into the floor below out of sight.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I stared at the spot where Phaser and Strike had been standing less than a second ago, breathing hard. I half-expected Strike to rise out of the floor announcing that he had defeated Phaser, but realistically, I knew Strike was gone. He was wherever Phaser had taken him, sacrificing himself to save me and Triplet and maybe even Dizzy, if she was indeed here. I had no doubt in my mind that Longworth was going to perform all sorts of horrific experiments on Strike, yet he had given himself up anyway just to save us.
Damn it. Strike wasn’t just popular because of his good looks. He was a real hero, willing to give his life to save us. I wish I had thought of it first so he wouldn’t have to put himself in that situation.
My thoughts were interrupted by three groans. I looked over to see Triplet and his Thirds regaining consciousness. The Thirds were huddled around Triplet, who was lying on the floor with his hands on his head. The two Thirds both touched Triplet’s chest at the same time and then, one flash of light later, they were gone and Triplet was all by himself.
“Goddamn,” said Triplet. He sat up and rubbed his forehead, wincing at the pain. “Forgot how much it hurts to absorb both Thirds at once after they’ve taken so much damage. Sometimes, I hate my power.”
My heartbeat back to its regular rhythm, I sat up and said to Triplet, “Hey, Trip! Are you going to be okay?”
“Think so,” said Triplet, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve endured worse.”
Then Triplet looked around suddenly. “Wait, where is Phaser? And Strike?”
“They’re both gone,” I said. I leaned against the wall, feeling tired and exhausted. “Strike made a deal with Phaser to spare us in exchange for going with Phaser to Longworth. To see Dizzy, of course.”
Triplet cursed. “Dumb kids putting himself in danger to save his girlfriend. Why am I not surprised?”
I scowled. “Haven’t you ever had a girlfriend, Trip? Or someone you love? Or are you just a cynical old man?”
Triplet suddenly looked at me with the most heated expression I had ever seen on his face. “Don’t act like you know me, kid, or who I’ve loved. You might be able to lift cars, but that doesn’t mean you understand what I’ve been through.”
Triplet’s sudden anger threw me totally off-guard, so I said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just … frustrated.”
To my relief, Triplet nodded. “I understand. But you should still be careful about what you say. Otherwise, you might just regret it.”
“Right,” I said. I put a hand on my chest and shuddered. “I can’t believe how close I came to dying back there. A couple more minutes and my heart probably would have stopped entirely.”
“Did he stick his arm through your chest?” asked Triplet suddenly.
I nodded. “Yeah. Interfered with my heart’s rhythm.”
“I remember that,” said Triplet. “After he quit the NHA, he often used that method to kill anyone who tried to catch him. He killed quite a few NHA members between the time he quit and the time Brains killed him. I’m surprised he spared you at all, to be honest. Maybe his resurrection has made him a bit more merciful.”
“Mercy had nothing to do with it,” I said. I shook my head. “He just cared about himself. Strike threatened to bring the ceiling down on all of us if he didn’t spare us.”
“And I bet the kid could have, given the kind of power he wields,” said Triplet. He slowly stood up and dusted off his overcoat. “Sometimes, I’m glad the INJ got their hands on Strike. A young superhuman with that kind of power would be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.”
I also rose to my feet, but I had to lean against the wall for support. A part of me kept worrying that Phaser would pop out of the wall behind me and pull me in, but of course, Phaser was gone and likely wasn’t coming back for a while, if ever. I just hoped that Strike knew what he was doing and was going to keep Phaser from coming after us again. Phaser could have easily killed us earlier and it really seemed like dumb luck that he hadn’t.
“In any case, we’re alive, and that’s what matters,” said Triplet. He looked over at me. “Can you walk, Bolt?”
I pushed myself off the wall and took a couple of wobbling steps forward before stopping. “Think so, but I’m going to have to be careful because I’ll trip if I’m not.”
“Same here,” said Triplet. He worked the kinks out of his neck and grunted. “I forgot just how strong Phaser was. He’s no Omega Man or even you, but his lean physique is very deceptive.”
“Tell me about it,” I said with a wince. “So what do we do now?”
“Now?” said Triplet. He shrugged. “Keep moving forward. It isn’t like we have any other option.”
I looked down the dark tunnel ahead of us, unable to see much other than the dim lights that lined the walls on either side of the tunnel. “If we keep going like this, it’s only a matter of time until Phaser comes back or we find a way out of here and confront Longworth.”
“Looks like it,” said Triplet. He looked at me questioningly. “Are you afraid?”
I gulped. “Yes.”
Triplet, to my surprise, nodded. “Good. If you had said no, it would have told me you were an idiot who didn’t learn from his mistakes. By admitting you are afraid, you’re going to be far better prepared to fight Phaser when we run into him again.”
“When we run into him again?” I said. “How do you know we will?”
“It’s inevitable,” Triplet replied. “Longworth won’t be happy with just Strike. He knows we can take down his monsters. Longworth strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn’t take chances. I imagine he’ll send Phaser back to finish us off, probably very soon.”
“How are we supposed to beat him if he comes back for round two?” I said. I looked down at my hands. “Bullets don’t hurt him, my fists are useless, lightning powers don’t work on him either … he’s practically invincible. Even Strike did
n’t really defeat him but outwitted him. I have a feeling we’re not going to be able to outwit Phaser the next time.”
“I don’t have any more answers than you do, Bolt,” said Triplet. He looked down at his feet. “But I also know we won’t have much choice in the matter. We can either turn around and run around the maze, not knowing where we are going, or keep going forward and risk running into Phaser again. I know neither option is good, but that’s just how life is sometimes.”
I looked at Triplet suddenly. For the first time since I’d known Triplet, I didn’t really see him as an older, distant figure who knew and understood life better than me. Instead, I saw another man—one older and more experienced than me, that was true—who, like me, didn’t have all of life’s answers and was trying to do his best with what he got.
It was a bizarre feeling and I didn’t quite know how to react. Was this another part of growing up? Coming to the realization that the adults you knew in your life were not as powerful or all-knowing as you thought they were? It made me feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, now that I noticed it, it was impossible to ignore.
Triplet holstered his gun and looked at me. “Well, kid? Do you need any help walking or—?”
I shook my head. “No, thanks. I think I can walk on my own. Feeling better now that there isn’t another man’s arm in my chest.”
Once again, Triplet nodded. “Then let’s continue and see what awaits us ahead.”
So the two of us continued walking down the tunnel. I did not know what Triplet was thinking, but I knew that I was now a lot less confident about what lay up ahead than I was when we first got in here. I felt just like I did when I fought the Neo-Killer, only even worse, because at least the Neo-Killer could be touched.
Phaser could not. And that made all the difference.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Luckily for us, we did not run into Phaser or any of Longworth’s other beasts. Indeed, the tunnels were eerily quiet, although every now and then we would hear the patter of mice as they darted across the floor in the darkness.