by R. L. Ullman
But Ravager is a trail of gas fumes right now. According to the Herald, it needs to be in solid form for me to do any real damage. The last time I saw it turn solid was when it cracked Protaraan like a walnut, extracting all of its life energy for nourishment. If I wait for it to do the same to Earth, it could destroy it.
So, how am I going to blow it up?
Hang on.
Blow. It. Up?
Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way.
Okay, so I’ve got the Orb of Oblivion—the cosmic parasite that specializes in one thing other than rudeness—mind control. And for all his gaseous grossness, Ravager clearly has a brain—a mind of its own.
I know what to do.
“Orb,” I command, “make Ravager retreat.”
“What?” the Orb says. “I’ll do no such thing.”
“Oh, yes you—”
“EARTHLING,” Ravager bellows, regaining my attention. “WHAT IS YOUR DECISION?”
Really? Like it couldn’t have waited another second. I could try stalling for more time, but I’ve got a feeling that isn’t gonna work. I’ve got no choice. Here goes nothing. “Thanks for the generous offer,” I answer. “But I’d rather die an epic failure, than ever be a herald for you!”
“THEN THE FATE OF YOUR WORLD IS SEALED.”
Suddenly, Ravager shifts towards Earth in double time! A feeling of dread washes over me, but there’s no time to second guess myself. I’ve made my decision and now I’ve got to get down to business!
“Orb!” I command. “Make Ravager retreat!”
“No w—”
“Enough!” I demand. “You are the Orb and I am the Orb Master! You will do as I say! NOW!”
I recall the Orb telling me it hid part of itself from Elliott 2. That’s how it was able to transfer to me. Somehow, it never allowed the other Elliott to take it over completely. But for this job I’m going to need the Orb—the whole Orb.
I drive deep into the Orb’s conscious.
The Orb screams. It pushes back.
But I’m too strong.
I dig deeper.
It squirms, trying to avoid my pressure.
But I won’t be denied.
I surround it. Trap it. Seize it.
And then, I break its will.
I feel the Orb yield. Open itself up.
And I take it all.
The Orb is mine. Fully mine.
Then, I focus my energy on one thought.
BRING BACK RAVAGER.
A massive wave of orange energy explodes out of the Orb and grabs hold of the beast, wrapping around its vaporous middle, cinching tight. Ravager lurches forward, pulling me with it. But I yank back hard, dragging the monster backwards.
Ravager SCREAMS—an other-worldly, primal scream—like a cranky child pulled from its high chair before finishing its meal. The cosmic monster loses its grip on Earth, its tendrils flailing. But it’s not going down without a fight. It fires a shockwave back through the Orb, stunning me.
But I hold firm.
I pull harder, reeling it in like a fish. When I finally get it clear of Earth’s atmosphere, I begin part two of my plan. I remember Captain Justice 2’s Distorter. How it made people think something was there, even when it wasn’t. And I know what I need to do.
“Orb,” I command. “Trick Ravager into thinking he’s consuming a habitable planet.”
“Yes, master,” the Orb responds.
Suddenly, Ravager’s wispy molecules blow up and out, forming a gigantic balloon shape, larger than Earth. Ravager has wrapped itself around the imaginary planet.
Now, it’s time to end this once and for all.
“D-don’t … do it,” the Orb begs. “Please …”
What? How is the Orb still resisting me?
“No dice,” I say.
Suddenly, Ravager turns solid. It thinks it’s going to crush the imaginary planet.
This is my chance.
“You’ll destroy Earth, you fool,” the Orb says. “You’re too close. It’ll be wiped out in the explosion.”
Oh, jeez! I didn’t think of that.
And then—
“Do not listen to it,” comes a strange voice. “It is manipulating you. Act now.”
“But what about Earth?” I say.
“We will protect it,” comes another voice. “All of it.”
“No,” the Orb says. “That’s not possible. You’re dead! You’re both dead!”
“Act now!” urges the first voice.
“Orb,” I command, “get into the sphere. All of you.”
I feel a rush as the Orb leaves my body.
Then, I measure the weight of the pulsating Orb in my hand.
And hurl it as hard as I can at Ravager.
With incredible velocity, the Orb flies through the vacuum of space, straight and true.
But as it reaches Ravager, something amazing happens. Millions of those tiny flecks leave Ravager’s body, forming a barrier in front of Earth.
“Now,” comes the second voice, bringing me back to reality. “Do it now!”
I reach out and connect to the Orb of Oblivion. And then I make one final command.
DETONATE!
As the massive explosion begins, I’m covered by tiny flecks of light.
And then everything goes black.
***
It’s dark. At first, I think someone’s turned out the lights, but then I realize my eyes are closed. My whole body is sore. It feels like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck. How long have I been lying here? Am I dead?
I open my eyes, expecting to see either angels or devils. What I find instead is pretty darn close, because standing on opposite sides of the bed are two familiar faces.
Order and Chaos.
I shoot up. “B-But you’re dead?” I say. “I saw you both killed on Arena World.”
Order smiles, his teeth still perfectly straight. “One cannot kill the very fabric of the universe. Instead, let us say we were temporarily displaced.”
I try to make a sense of what he’s saying, when suddenly it all clicks. Those tiny flecks attached to Ravager. Those voices I heard in my head. All of those shiny particles that protected Earth.
“So, wait a minute,” I say. “Those tiny flecks on Ravager? That was you guys?”
Chaos brushes some lint off his leather jacket. “Yes. And I can assure you having a simple thought when you are scattered across the galaxy is nearly impossible. So we were glad you finally arrived when you did. You followed our plan to a tee.”
“Plan?” I say, confused. “What plan?”
“Our plan to restore our power,” Order says. “After your colleague surprised us on Arena World we were dispersed into millions of atoms. Together, we gravitated to the strongest source of cosmic energy we could find—Ravager. We clung to the monster, but being so weak, we did not have the power to reassemble ourselves. To do so, we required a large influx of cosmic energy.”
“As you surely noticed,” Chaos continues, “without my brother and I to manage the rules of the multiverse, things started to go array. We knew we had to act quickly, otherwise everything we had built over an eternity would be undone in the blink of an eye. And while I like disorder, I like it on my terms. So, we merged what little strength we had, and focused our combined power to redirect Ravager away from his diversions, and towards your planet.”
“What?” I say. “You mean Ravager coming to Earth was your fault?”
“Yes,” says Order. “Because we needed you, Orb Master. With the threat of Ravager looming, we hoped you would realize the need for an Orb of Oblivion. And given your exposure to the duplicate heroes of Earth 2, it would only be natural for you to find your way to their world. If you successfully recovered the second Orb, we knew you had a chance to destroy Ravager, which would release enough cosmic energy for us to restore ourselves to our proper forms.”
“So good job, kid,” Chaos says.
“And the Orb?” I ask, bracing myself for the ans
wer. The Orb has been stuck to me like Velcro. Every time I think I’m done with it, it comes back with a vengeance.
“It is gone,” Order says. “You have nothing to fear. The Orb of Oblivion, all Orbs of Oblivion, are no more.”
I feel a tremendous sense of relief. Finally!
But then I feel angry. I mean, this whole time I was just a puppet in their plan. Earth was just a chip in their game. This whole entire thing was a scheme to get me to free them. I feel like I’m going to explode.
“Do not be upset with us,” Order says, reading my expression. “Your actions have saved what is left of the multiverse. The ‘Blur,’ as you call it, has ended. Structure and discipline have returned.”
“For the moment,” Chaos says with a sneer.
“Indeed,” Order says. “And your world is safe. We thought it a fitting reward for all you have accomplished. And we have also agreed to bestow upon you a gift.”
“Reluctantly,” Chaos adds.
“Gift? What gift?”
“You will receive it when the appropriate time comes,” Order says. “Farewell, Elliott Harkness, you have done well. You are truly a hero. Perhaps the best of your kind.”
“Wait!” I say. “What’s this g—”
But then, everything vanishes.
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE …
I never thought I’d live to see two genius rats debate over the stability of unstable molecules. But I guess it’s better than the alternative.
Since Order and Chaos dumped me back on the Waystation, I’ve been trying to sort through everything that’s happened. I can’t believe they played me like the thimble in their galactic game of monopoly. They were using me the whole time, I just didn’t know it.
The odds of me beating Ravager must have been a quad-trillion-billion to one. Yet somehow, I got it done. Now that I saved Earth and stopped the Blur, I hope I never see those two cosmic clowns again.
So, sitting in the lab watching both TechnocRat’s go back and forth over the technical fitness of the Jump Ship is a welcome distraction. And speaking of distractions, the combined Freedom Force successfully turned back the Skelton invaders, but Keystone City looks like a war zone. Fortunately, no civilians were seriously hurt. I don’t think the Skelton can say the same.
According to TechnocRat 2’s readings, Earth 2 is still there, which I’m thankful for. After all, Grace 2 just got her dad back and I’d hate for her to lose him again. Plus, they get a chance to rebuild their world without the threat of Elliott 2.
I wonder what he and the Watcher have been up to. I can just see them sitting around a campfire exchanging ghost stories over s’mores. Of course, Dog-Gone 2 probably stole all the marshmallows.
My Dog-Gone is lying by my side. I think he’s forgiven me for sneaking off without him to chase after the Herald. When I materialized in the Galley, he pounced on me, licking my face until I nearly drowned in slobber. Then he demanded ten doggie treats which I was more than happy to pay up.
I catch Grace 2’s gaze and she smiles back nervously. I can tell she’s anxious about making it home. While all the threats have been neutralized, there’s still the risk the Jump Ship won’t work. Traveling by wormhole was crazier, but more reliable with Wind Walker doing the driving.
You know, I never did hear back from Wind Walker. The worry on his face as he left was haunting. I hope he’s okay, but I’ve got a funny feeling he’s in trouble.
Suddenly, TechnocRat 2 puts down a wrench and declares, “The Jump Ship is officially operational.”
Ms. Understood 2 turns to my mom and says, “Well, I guess this is it.”
They hug and Mom says, “It was a pleasure working with you. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”
Ms. Understood 2 smiles and says, “Yes, but next time why don’t you visit us. Hopefully under less dire circumstances.”
“Deal,” Mom says.
The rest of the heroes all say their goodbyes.
“You know,” Grace says to Grace 2, “I’ve got to admit, I look pretty good as a brunette.”
“And I’m thinking of going blond,” Grace 2 says, hugging my sister. “Take care of that brother of yours.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Grace says, putting her hand on my shoulder. “But I think he’s proven he can take care of himself.”
Grace 2 gives me a big hug. “The next time you’re in town, give me advance notice so I can warn everyone else. See you soon?”
“You can count on it,” I say. “Thanks for all of your help. And say hi to your dad for me. Let him know he ended up helping me out in a big way.”
She smiles. “Will do.”
The Freedom Force 2 step into the Jump Ship.
“Captain?” TechnocRat 2 says.
“Ready,” Dad says, lifting the Jump Ship into the air.
TechnocRat scrambles up onto Dad’s shoulder. “Are you certain you’ve properly factored the difference in atmospheric pressure of—”
“—being inside a cabin in outer space?” TechnocRat 2 finishes. “The answer for the five hundredth time is ‘yes!’ Now, my dear Captain, if you will do the honors.”
The heroes inside the Jump Ship grab on to the newly installed safety rails—a welcome addition added by my TechnocRat.
Grace 2 waves at me.
“Here comes the heater,” Dad says. And then he rears back and launches the Jump Ship.
I cover my eyes. This better work!
Fortunately, the bubble vanishes before it hits the far wall. Hooray for unstable molecules!
“I hope he got those calculations right,” TechnocRat mutters. “Why, I’ve never met such a stubborn rat in all my life!”
We all laugh.
“I say we celebrate with some jelly doughnuts in the Galley,” Blue Bolt suggests.
“And peanut butter and banana sandwiches,” Shadow Hawk adds.
“I’m in!” Grace says.
The heroes begin to exit, but I can’t move! For some reason, I can’t lift my feet. It’s like I’m stuck to the ground. What’s going on?
“Elliott,” Dad says. “Aren’t you coming?”
Something tells me not to mention what’s happening. I have this strange urge to stay here. “No, you guys go ahead,” I say. “I’ll be there in a minute. Promise.”
“Okay,” Mom says, “We’ll see you in a bit.”
After they leave, I’m suddenly able to move again. But instead of heading for the door, I find myself walking to the back of the lab.
To the back corner.
To Makeshift.
Through all of this craziness, he’s been stuck here—hooked up to all of those wires and monitors.
A permanent monument of my failures.
“I’m so sorry, old buddy,” I say. “But if you knew what I did, maybe you’d be proud of me.”
I lay my hand on his cold, solid arm, when all of the sudden a strange orange energy flows out of my fingertips.
What’s going on?
It runs up Makeshift’s body and down the other side.
And then, before my eyes, he transforms from a cold, petrified statue, back to flesh-and-blood!
I catch him as he collapses to his knees.
“Makeshift? You’re alive!”
“What h-happened?” he asks. “Elliott?”
I don’t have a ready answer. And then I remember.
The gift!
I’m suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears stream down my cheeks.
“Hey, buddy,” Makeshift asks. “Are you okay?”
“Never been better,” I say, wiping my eyes.
“Man, I’m starving,” he says. “Got anything to eat?”
Good old Makeshift.
“Plenty,” I say, helping him to his feet. “Let’s head down to the Galley. There’s some friends and a furry food partner who are dying to see you.”
As we walk out, I look through the nearest porthole, into the starry expanse of space and whisper, “thanks.”
And a
million stars twinkle at once.
The EPIC ZERO COLLECTION BOOKS 4-6 IS AVAILABLE NOW!
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R.L. Ullman
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META POWERS GLOSSARY
FROM THE META MONITOR:
There are nine known Meta power classifications. These classifications have been established to simplify Meta identification and provide a quick framework to understand a Meta’s potential powers and capabilities. Note: Metas can possess powers in more than one classification. In addition, Metas can evolve over time in both the powers they express, as well as the effectiveness of their powers.