by Wyatt Kane
They weren’t the only people in the gardens. The fountain sat on a raised platform, and from where he stood, Ty could see perhaps half a dozen others wandering aimlessly by themselves or as couples walking hand-in-hand.
“But why are we here?” Ty asked. He wasn’t angry, not really, but his worry for Tempest had increased. He didn’t like it when she faced danger alone.
“I’m sorry,” Lilith said. “We’ll be on our way soon. I just wanted the chance to say thank you.”
“Thank you?” Ty asked.
The demon woman nodded. “You answered my questions. It gave me the confidence I needed so when Dinah approached me again….” Lilith trailed off and looked shyly away.
Ty understood. He smiled at her. “You’re welcome,” he said. “Now, do you think we can go to where we are supposed to be?”
“Of course,” Lilith replied. “But first…” It seemed she had a habit of not finishing her sentences. This time, she stepped in closer, her arms wrapped around him. Ty thought she would blink away, but instead, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
It was a soft, sweet kiss that spoke of more than just friendship. To Ty, it was an act of unexpected confidence from the demon woman, and it felt like a promise of things to come.
Lilith lingered longer than Ty expected, then broke away with an expression of pleasure on her face. “I think I’m going to enjoy this,” she said. A pre-device Ty might have thought her words ambiguous. He’d never been that lucky in life. But now, he was sure of Lilith’s intent. Her words reinforced the promise of her kiss.
“I sure hope so,” he said, grinning in turn. “But for now, we have things to do.”
The demon woman nodded, and plunged them back into that moment of cold.
When next they reappeared, Lilith still held him tight. This time, they were where they were meant to be, floating some 200 feet in the air above the old industrial plant.
42: Plant
Ty expected Tempest to be either hovering in the air or standing on a high point overlooking the skirmish. But she was nowhere to be seen.
Ty didn’t like it. It was with a sense of foreboding that he looked about, searching for any sign of the blonde superhero.
“Where is she?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Beneath them was a labyrinth of brick and iron buildings, metal walkways, silos, and chimney stacks, most of which looked rusted and derelict. To Ty, it looked like the type of place where homeless people might find shelter, where drug deals could be made without fear of observation, and where bodies could be disposed of with impunity. Normally it would have been deserted, with nothing but tumbleweeds blowing past to highlight the desolation.
But right then, there were people about, the Master’s mercenaries engaged in conflict against Rubio’s men, scurrying from one place to another and doing their best to stay out of sight.
It wasn’t silent. Shouts of anger and pain mixed with the sound of blasters firing and desperate cries as men sought to gain advantage over each other.
“I can’t see her,” the demon woman replied, a grim expression on her beautiful face.
Ty tried to call the blonde superhero via his device, but he got no answer.
“She must be around here somewhere,” Ty said. “Where are the device wearers?” He was worried, his heart beating loud and fast in his chest. Tempest was the perfect superhero. Strong, fast, durable, she had it all. But she wasn’t invulnerable. She could be hurt.
Lilith looked around again. “This way,” she said, and turned them about. As she did, a massive concussion came out of nowhere.
Boomcrack!
It was the sound of thunder and came with a shock wave that shook them both in the air.
“What the hell?” Ty said, but Lilith could only look at him in dismay. Whatever it was, Ty didn’t like it. “Hurry!” urged her.
The demon woman couldn’t fly as fast as Tempest, but was fast enough. In a matter of moments they were above an entirely different part of the plant, over an entirely different scene.
Where before they’d witnessed men doing their best to keep hidden as they fought, now they floated above an all-out battle in a wide dirt clearing.
There were men—and a few women—everywhere, doing their best to maim and kill. To Ty, it looked like the demo reel of a videogame battle. Except it was real. People were dying.
And there were device wearers among them. Even from above, Ty spotted Steam and Massive, both wreaking havoc, but they weren’t the only ones involved. In a clear patch of dirt, a woman wearing the uniform of a mercenary spewed liquid vitriol about her like she was a dragon. Everything the liquid touched melted as if in acid, and one of Rubio’s men screamed in pain as it ate through his arm.
Another large man with a device seemed to be grinning as enemies closed in around him. He was surrounded by a circle of pain, men and women clutching at their heads and writhing on the ground. Ty couldn’t immediately see what his power was, but then, just before a group of enemies reached him, he threw his hands wide as if preparing to embrace them and brought them together to clap.
Boomcrack!
It was the same massive concussion as before, but this time Ty and Lilith were closer. The force of it was enough to send them briefly tumbling, and Ty held the demon woman tight out of real fear before Lilith brought them back under control.
The people around the man fared much worse. They joined those writhing on the ground, some unconscious, others in pain. But nobody was immune to the man’s power, except maybe Massive.
It was like the battle had paused to allow the participants to recover, and it allowed Ty to see.
“There she is!” Ty cried.
The combatants had parted just enough, and Ty could scarcely believe it. Somehow, Tempest had been captured. She was on the ground, surrounded by the Master’s men and entangled in a net that reminded Ty of one once used on him. It was reinforced and electrified, but Ty had seen the blonde woman through the netting.
Even that shouldn’t have been enough to hold her, but as soon as they recovered from the concussion, the men around her resumed what they’d been doing: firing their blasters at her from close range.
“No!” Ty said, enraged and desperate to help her. “Leave her alone!” Then he turned to Lilith. “Drop me on them!”
But Lilith had also spotted someone, and her expression had turned from grim determination through to incandescent rage. Ty knew she hadn’t even heard him.
“Lilith!” he shouted at her. “What is it?”
It was enough to get her attention. “Bain,” she replied, her voice as cold as death.
Ty understood. He looked and saw the huge man wading into the fray, laughing as he ignored blaster fire as if it was nothing. He knew that to Lilith, Bain was a source of torture and pain, and she wouldn’t feel safe while he still had power.
He nodded. “Do what you must,” he said. “Just let me go!”
Lilith’s beautiful features turned into a snarl. Instead of simply dropping Ty as he expected, she vanished from within his arms.
Gravity took over. Ty started tumbling toward the ground and activated his shield. He flailed about in an uncontrolled way, twisting and turning as he fell, but even so he still managed to see Lilith appear next to Bain. He saw the huge man’s laughter turn into an expression of shock, and then both he and Lilith vanished again.
Ty let out a stream of curses as the ground came closer. His brain was still buzzing from the AZT-407 in his system, and he wanted more than anything to use the buff to give himself the power of true flight. If it had been up to him, he might have been tempted to just let the Master and Rubio wage war on each other and deal with whatever was left. But Tempest needed his help, and that was more important than anything.
As his shield slowed his descent near the ground, he briefly wondered why seeing Bain would trigger thoughts of the drug, but couldn’t see a connection. Then his world filled with violence and rage.
&nb
sp; His descent hadn’t gone unobserved. He was landing among the Master’s mercenaries, and as he twisted about so he could land on his feet, someone shouted an order.
“Shoot him!”
Ty gritted his teeth against the blaster fire that followed. He waited only until he was sure of his footing, then unleashed his shield cannons with a roar of pure rage, flinging mercenaries in every direction.
It was enough to attract the attention of the mercenaries surrounding Tempest. They turned toward him, their expressions filled with fear, and fired at him as if it would do any good.
Ty unleashed again, doing what he could to avoid Tempest, who was still caught in the net.
All at once, the way to Tempest was clear. Ty stalked toward her, intending to help, but there was little need. Cursing fluently, the blonde superhero threw the net off herself and stood.
“Are you okay?” Ty said as he approached.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice almost a snarl. “Let’s finish this!” she said.
Ty knew there were too many superpowered people in the fight for it to be that easy. He shook his head. Nobody else knew it but him, but this battle was effectively over.
“I have a better way. Let’s get to the top of that building and I’ll show you.”
He could tell Tempest wanted to vent her anger in some heroic way, but he stood his ground. “You’ll see,” he said, and grinned broadly.
At first, Tempest looked incredulous. Then, as if she couldn’t help herself, her lips quirked into a mirroring grin. “Okay, but this better be good,” she said.
As she moved in to gather Ty into her embrace, the air filled with an elongated, wailing scream that mixed rage with fear.
43: Endgame
It was Bain.
Ty and Tempest watched in astonishment as the hulking brute of a man appeared to grow larger and larger as he fell from the sky. It was only then that Ty understood what Lilith had done. She had teleported both of them straight up into the sky and let him drop in an imitation of Tempest pile-driving special attack.
The demon woman hadn’t released the man at the same speed Tempest might have done, but he still hit the ground with a thunderous crash and an obvious jolt that made the rest of the combatants pause.
Ty couldn’t see if Bain remained conscious or not through the cloud of dust that rose around him. But when Lilith reappeared and let out a howl of frustration and rage, he assumed the villain had survived. Before Ty or Tempest could even move, the demon woman blinked out of existence with Bain once again.
Ty and Tempest looked at each other. Surprisingly, the blonde superhero gave him a broad grin.
“You know, Dinah’s new friend is really starting to grow on me,” she said with a tone of approval that was akin to pride.
Ty smiled back. “Yeah,” he said.
Boomcrack!
The Master’s clapping superpowered villain wasn’t to be outdone. Once again, the battlefield shook to the sound of his power. Tempest and Ty were far enough away that they could hold themselves firm, but those unpowered fighters around them staggered, with some falling to their knees.
“Time to go,” Tempest said. Without ceremony, she picked Ty up and launched into the air.
They didn’t go far. Just to roof Ty had pointed out before, overlooking the battle. Tempest held him steady until he was sure of his feet, then they turned to survey the battlefield.
A new combatant had appeared. One of the Master’s men, he was small in stature, yet device he wore on his wrist gave him power. He was facing both Massive and Steam, and Ty knew that if it had been him, he would have been badly outmatched.
But the man was like a human Tesla coil, spewing jagged bolts of electricity in every direction. Neither Steam nor Massive could get near him without risk of being fried. Yet the small man had enough control that the clapping man and spitting woman could stand at his sides without being harmed.
They faced Rubio’s men together.
The unpowered combatants were, in Ty’s mind, inconsequential. This was where the true battle was.
He wanted to ask Tempest how she’d become caught in the net, but right then, his most important concern was what Tempest had planned.
“Do you really intend to aid Rubio against the Master’s men?” he asked.
“Yes,” the blonde superhero replied.
“Why?” Ty asked. He couldn’t keep the confusion out of his voice.
Despite the chaos on the ground below them, Tempest took the time to explain. “As tempting as it might be to let them fight among themselves, this is an opportunity to take out some of the device wearers who aren’t on our side.” She looked away, but continued to speak. “And doing so will wipe the slate clean between me and Rubio.”
Ty shook his head, and the wailing scream of Bain started anew. He looked up and saw the huge villain tumbling through the air once again, and judged he would land back in the small crater he’d made the first time.
“You don’t owe him anything,” Ty said. “Rubio didn’t fulfill his part of the bargain.”
“I know that,” Tempest replied as Bain smashed into the ground a second time. “But Rubio believes I’m in his debt, and even that belief is dangerous. This clears any confusion.” She offered a smirk. “And if Steam or Massive should be taken out in the crossfire, so much the better.”
Ty understood.
He and Tempest stood watch as Lilith popped into existence on top of Bain once again. Just like last time, she let out a shriek of anger, then teleported away with the big man a second time.
“Bain is a tough one,” Tempest observed. Then she turned to Ty. “What’s your ‘better way?’” she asked.
Ty grinned. He pulled out the first of is EMP grenades. “How good is your throwing arm?” he asked.
It turned out that Tempest throwing arm was very good indeed. From the top of the building, she threw two grenades, one after the other, toward the battling device wearers. Both grenades hit their target, letting out two distinct, visible pulses of energy.
The first grenade’s pulse encompassed the clapping man and the electrical man, and the second engulfed out the spitting woman and Massive.
As Ty had planned, it didn’t harm them directly. But it did take their devices out of play.
The sight of each device clicking open and falling to the ground carried with it the sweet taste of victory. Before the device wearers even truly realized what had happened, the withdrawal symptoms kicked in.
Ty had experienced the same symptoms himself and knew how debilitating they were. All four device wearers—ex device wearers—looked decidedly ill. The woman tried to spit acid, but was violently sick instead. Massive went down on one knee and had to steady himself with a hand. The other two looked at each other as if they were starting to understand, and slowly collapsed.
Surprisingly, it was the bigger of the two who was first, but the small man followed quickly after.
Only Steam was left standing. He looked around as if he couldn’t quite believe what had happened.
Ty had his third grenade out and ready, but he didn’t think he would need it.
“Listen to me!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. The remaining combatants were starting to sense what had happened. The fight had gone out of them, and many had already started to slink away. But several of the Master’s men, mercenaries all, remained, expressions of defiance on their face.
“Listen to me!” Ty repeated. “This day is done! Of those with power, only WE remain. Take your wounded and leave this place. Do it now!”
He didn’t bother to make any threats. The threat was obvious.
Into the silence that followed, Bain’s wailing scream returned. For the third time, he landed with a crunching thump in the crater he’d made before. But this time, Ty turned to Tempest.
“Take me to him,” he said.
◆◆◆
Tempest did as Ty asked. The blonde superhero flew swiftly and the distance was short. Yet by
the time they arrived, the Master’s men were already quitting the field of battle, leaving only Steam and a few of Rubio’s men behind.
Ty ignored them. There was nothing Rubio’s men could do to hurt him or Tempest, and if Steam wanted to try anything, Ty still had his final grenade.
For the third time, Lilith appeared over Bain. But this time, she recognized that Ty and Tempest were there and hesitated.
Ty could see Bain through a through the dust. The hulking villain lay face down in the dirt. He looked mess, with his military style clothing torn and blood visible through it from multiple contusions. Yet he was still conscious. Still moving, although the only sound he made was a groan.
Ty wanted to talk with Lilith, to make sure she was in control of herself, but before he said anything, Steam spoke up.
“Interesting toys you have there,” the slimy, steam-powered villain said, his voice like a puddle of old oil. “How many of them do you have, I wonder?
Ty barely glanced at him. “More than enough,” he replied, even though it wasn’t quite true. He could use the one he had against Bain, but then they would be defenseless against Steam should the man choose to attack.
“Do you really want to find out?” Tempest said. “Especially as we’re here at your boss’s request and have just saved your life?”
“Oh, I don’t think you saved my life. Not at all. There’s not much that can touch me,” the slimy man said, his voice filled with threats.
Tempest glared at him. “Take one more step toward us and you’ll be writhing on the ground like your friend.”
Steam hesitated. He kept grinning his foul, slimy grin, but didn’t take that step.
Ty turned his attention back to Bain, who had been cursing under his breath as Steam spoke. Now, he heaved himself over so he was on his back, and surveyed each of them with an ugly expression on his face.
It was enough to enrage Lilith. “Why won’t you just die?” she shouted. She was a true demoness, a being of fury and power, and looked as if she was about to launch herself at the man. But Ty held up a hand.