by Nate Phelps
“Partner?” I asked, bewildered. “What do you mean?”
“I think we work well together. This game we’ve been playing for nine months has grown tiresome. I’m sick of following the calls. It was a good distraction for a while, but it’s turned me into a dog fetching sticks.”
I was shocked. Johnny wasn’t going to take calls anymore? What about my project?
“I was a cop before the serum,” he continued. “I always had a partner back then. Why not now?”
“But… what will we do?”
“Find Thirteen, for one. That little weasel is still running around somewhere, I bet.”
“But…” I didn’t know what to say—the strongest being in the known universe wanted to team up with me? How was I supposed to respond? “I’d have to go through the Agency’s application process and get combat training, and I don’t know if you know this, but my accuracy with an actual gun is way off.”
Johnny shook his head. “What are you talking about? I don’t want to work with an Enforcer. You’d be terrible at it.”
“Oh, thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome. No, it’s those tools of yours. I didn’t realize how clever they were.”
“They’re not really meant for policing work. I made them to help keep the city together.”
“Who cares what you made them for? You caught a half dozen criminals in Sanitatem, and you killed a Crawler. Don’t be dumb. You’ve got the instincts for this and you’d be good at it.”
I was overwhelmed by his praise. Where was this coming from? Not long ago, he could barely stand me and now he wanted to work together on equal footing? It was such a radical change in attitude that I didn’t know how to take it.
Did he really think I could reapply my tools to become some sort of crime-fighting sidekick of his? And why was that thought so freaking exciting?
“That’d be…” I paused and scratched my head. “That’d be fun.”
“Yes,” Johnny grinned. “Yes, it would.”
Sarah was going to be jealous, maybe even angry.
My excitement tempered as I remembered the favor I was supposed to do for Dr. Henry. Before I got too carried away with any ideas, I needed to clear this out of the way.
“Dr. Henry thinks there’s something you aren’t telling him. He wanted me to talk to you about it.”
Johnny glanced at me with raised eyebrows. He was silent for a minute.
“That old man is much too observant,” he mumbled. “He’s not wrong.”
I waited expectantly, my curiosity piqued.
Johnny sat up straight. “I’ll tell him tonight.”
“What is it?” I asked, unable to help myself.
He gave me a blank smile. “You don’t want to know.”
“We’re partners now,” I argued. “That means you have to tell me all your secrets.”
“Does it now?” Johnny grinned. “That would take quite a while.”
I didn’t move. For some reason, I really wanted to know whatever it was. I’d never had such open access to Johnny and I had lots of questions. If I got him talking, I was also going to ask about what had happened between him and Sarah.
“Fine,” he said. “It’s good that you’ve met Thirteen because it all started when he first showed up. You see…”
Our watches began beeping in furious succession.
I held mine up in alarm as one red emergency notification after another rolled in—the device didn’t have time to pause the vibration before the next hit, all calls for Johnny and I. I counted fourteen before they started coming too fast. I’d never seen anything like it.
We activated our trackers and leaped off the edge of the wall. It led us directly to the center of the city. I saw the cause of the calls long before we arrived. The Tower, my home, was engulfed by hungry, orange flames.
Chapter 12
“Help them!” Johnny pointed down to the terrified people streaming out of the doors. “I’ll check the upper floors.”
He shot up all the way past floor twenty and smashed his way inside. My impulse was to follow him, to check on Professor Laevis, and Gerald, and my other classmates.
Reluctantly, I did as instructed and joined the dozen or so Enforcers that were already working to evacuate the terrified students and workers. We were lucky—most of them didn’t live in the school like I did and would have gone home for the day by now. The young children should have been cleared out hours ago.
We pushed our way into the lobby, past a decently sized mob of terrified people. An Enforcer directed me to help some of the older people so they didn’t get trampled as they escaped. I held my arms around two terrified women as the others shoved past us and I managed to get them through the doors. Once they were safe, I went back for more.
We evacuated as much of the building as we could. Johnny would have to do the best he could to help the rest.
Finally, the lobby cleared as we got the last few stragglers outside, moving the evacuees further down the street. The fire fighters had arrived and they were diverting water from the river through a large hose, but it wasn’t going to do much good as the flames were traveling up the tower like a giant match stick.
I took to the air to see how Johnny had fared. On one of the nearby rooftops, I found a small group of terrified people. These must have been the ones he had rescued from the top floors. They were in bad shape, with dirty faces and loud coughs. I turned my attention to the building, trying to catch sight of Johnny. His skin would be more resistant to the heat, but he had to breathe just like the rest of us.
I spotted him as he kicked out a window near the top and descended with several more beleaguered people, one of which was holding on to a large case. He dropped them off and returned. I realized the one holding the case was Gerald. He leaned over and wretched over the side of the roof.
I landed next to him. “Gerald! Where’s your dad?”
He coughed and wretched some more, pointing a shaking finger back at the building.
Oh no.
I soared back into the air and counted the floors till I got to twenty-seven. After circling the floor, I didn’t see him. I made my way down systematically—maybe Johnny had already found him and was dragging him out now.
Then I saw him. There was a silhouette on floor twenty-five in one of the windows. I rushed closer and saw the wild white hair. He pounded against the glass with his purple gloves, sinking to his knees as he did.
“PROFESSOR!”
I rammed my shoulder against the window, but it held firm. He looked up and saw me. His chest heaved as his lungs searched for clean air. He waved me off. Ignoring him, I hit the window again. It was too strong. I took out the sword and attacked the glass furiously. The tip of the sword cut deep grooves, but I couldn’t leverage it in a way to utilize the sharpness of the blade. It was because of that stupid twisted part on the end. I stabbed with the blade and the two-inch tip sunk in. I dragged it down hoping to cut a hole, but it was awkward and slow going.
Laevis’ coughs became more and more violent. He dropped onto his side.
“No… Get up!”
I backed away from the window and then used Shania to boost towards it, flipping at the last moment to ram my feet against the window. The glass refused to give way.
Growing continually more desperate, I shot a glob of foam over the grooves and then took out an ice pick, spraying it. The reaction took effect again. After the expanding slowed, I slammed it again. Shards of frozen foam exploded outwards, but still, the window held.
I went back to my sword and cut with the tip again, cursing that I’d stopped in the first place. Professor Laevis’ coughing slowed.
“NO! JOHNNY!”
The world erupted around me. The sound was so loud it hit me like a wall. Below, glass and flame erupted from the center of the building. A blast of smoke and heat rushed up slamming into me and tossing me aside. I tumbled backwards the world spinning in hues of black and orange. My shouts hadn’t stoppe
d, but I couldn’t hear my own voice.
The cool night air returned and I could see the sky again. I twisted my glove to the left to counteract my spin. This leveled me out somewhat and I regained control. The Tower screeched and buckled as I watched.
Johnny erupted from one of the top floors and landed hard on the street, his clothes smoking. Metal continued to grind and complain as the tower bent and slowly tipped forward.
There were shrill screams. I saw the evacuated survivors fleeing down the street. They had moved a fair distance away, but not far enough—they weren’t going to get out of the way in time. I hovered there, unable to do anything but watch.
Johnny stood in the center of the street, facing off against the massive structure as it tipped towards him. He jumped onto a nearby building and crouched low. His next leap crushed the edge of the roof he’d been standing on. Sentinel and building collided with a thunderous crack as he struck it dead center. Broken glass sprayed out, looking like a fine mist from this distance, and the Tower buckled again. This momentarily stopped its decent and tipped it back.
Johnny’s efforts afforded the survivors a few precious moments. I lost sight of him in the chaos and falling debris. The Tower slowed, stopped, and then tipped forward again. I put the sword back in my belt, turned, and engaged Shania. The shrieking of metal hit a crescendo right before the structure came crashing down on the street. I was hit twice again, once by the wall of booming sounds that rattled my bones, and then the powerful rush of air that shoved me in the back like a giant hand. Struggling to maintain control, I landed on a high riser and stumbled, falling to my knees. A cloud of black smoke and ash rushed over me, stealing my vision and burning my eyes.
Struggling to breathe, I pushed off and rose high into the air until I got above the deathly cloud. The Tower had collapsed several of its close neighbors. I had no idea if the survivors had escaped.
What about the professor? I tried to get closer to the debris, but the fire was still burning and the smoke was unbearable. My hands shook. He couldn't have survived.
A patch of smoke billowed upward and I saw a figure emerge, landing nearby—Johnny. I followed him.
He shook dust and ash from his hair and coughed loudly. Then he spit and shouted angrily at the wreckage. I stayed back as he vented his rage, feeling like doing the same myself.
He noticed me. When he spoke, his voice was muted. “What happened? How did it fall?”
I moved closer to hear him better. “I don’t know.”
Something caught his attention. He pointed at the base of the Tower and I turned to look. What I saw didn’t make sense. It was mostly intact. The top had fallen off, almost as if the building had been severed in the middle. What could have done that?
The smoke danced about in the wind and as I looked, I saw a lone figure standing on a metal girder in the center of what was left standing.
“A Sentinel?” My dull hearing had no problem picking up this furious accusation from Johnny.
He launched himself towards the tower, landing on a metal beam not twenty yards from the person we’d spotted. I hovered to his side and ripped the sword from my belt. A coldness was welling up inside of me.
Whoever it was, crouched down, wearing clothes that were burnt and tattered like Johnny’s. Their face was obscured by the smoke and sparks that swirled around them.
“Did you do this?” asked Johnny.
The figure did not reply, but looked up to acknowledge us.
“Stand up!” Johnny ordered.
The figure did as they were told and the smoke cleared enough for us to get a good look.
Shock ripped through my body.
It was bald and pale with an oversized mouth that curled into a malicious grin. A Crawler. But it wasn’t a normal Crawler. The skin was greyer than the usual, and the eyes, while dark, still had pupils. It stood like a man, exhibiting broad shoulders and lean arms, coiled with muscle, the hands ending in claws.
I stared in horrified bewilderment. Had this creature just ripped the Tower in half?
“No,” said Johnny. I looked at him. His face was twisted, as if he was in pain. “Please tell me you didn’t do it.”
The creature flung itself off the girder with a snarl. It collided with Johnny and they disappeared into the smoking inferno below our feet.
“Johnny!” I coughed as I inhaled the fumes, directing Shania away from the building.
I backed up and watched, unsure where they would emerge. They burst out of the bottom. The Crawler slashed its claws across Johnny’s chest, causing him to cry out. It wasn’t an angry yell, but a cry of pain. As I pursued them, I could see the claws had left long, red marks across the Sentinel’s chest.
Impossible.
Johnny grabbed at the creature, but it moved unnaturally fast, darting out of his grip. It caught hold of his arm, spun him about, and launched him across the street. The Sentinel collided with an empty bus, bending it in half and toppling it onto its side.
I sheathed my sword and pulled out my foam gun. Maybe I could slow it down. The creature shot after Johnny, who dodged out of the way. He grabbed the front of the bus and hurled it at the Crawler. Too slow. It flipped over the top and slammed into him, grabbing at his throat. Johnny staggered and fell, kicking the creature away as it scratched his arm, drawing more blood.
I fired a large glob of foam. It hit the street, exactly where the Crawler had been a moment before.
Johnny swung at its head as it came again, but missed as it rolled behind him and landed a backhanded blow to the side of his head. The force of this hit took Johnny through a window and out the backside of the building with a sickening crunch.
I fired more foam, but the creature was gone again, moving too fast to even notice my efforts.
They moved through the city as I chased them, trying to keep sight of Johnny. The buildings shuddered as they passed through, their collisions as forceful as thunderclaps. I felt like a fly watching two giants battle. Men and women rushed into the streets, trying to see what was happening.
I caught up to the fight in time to see Johnny land a well-timed kick to the beast’s chest. It was tossed backwards, but caught the ground with its claws, recovering almost instantly. With a deafening screech, it came again. Johnny swung and missed as it barreled into his stomach. Asphalt cracked as they rolled.
The creature reared up and sunk its teeth into Johnny’s arm. His scream sent ice through my veins. He brought his elbow down on the Crawler’s head, knocking it off. It whipped a leg around, cracking Johnny across the jaw and sending him sailing across an intersection. He crunched against the side of another building and dropped to all fours on the street. The creature growled and clawed at its head, apparently dazed after Johnny’s blow.
I opened fire, raining gooey missiles down upon it. It looked up and hissed, darting away before the foam could reach it.
I retreated a safe distance, and when I looked back it was gone. There was no way it had run. It was probably circling around, planning to catch us unaware.
I rushed to Johnny’s side and helped him to his feet.
“What are you doing?” he asked, wiping blood from his arm with his cape. “You need to leave.”
“Take this.” I handed him my sword.
“That’s useless.”
“Just take it!”
Johnny did so, albeit reluctantly. There was a deafening howl, and we looked up to see the monster descending toward us. I got out of the way, but Johnny held his ground. He sidestepped and caught the Crawler on the arm with the blade. It hit the ground and tumbled. When it got to its feet, it inspected the arm. There was a deep gash, oozing dark blood.
The creature’s hollow eyes widened. Johnny placed his feet into a defensive position I’d seen Sarah use many times and raised the sword.
The Crawler let out another enraged howl and shot forward like a cannon. Johnny danced away and wove a deadly pattern with the blade, forcing the creature back as it eyed the sword.<
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I looked for an opening to use my foam again, but they were too close to each other; I couldn’t risk hitting Johnny accidentally.
There was another screech of pain. The creature now sported a cut on its left cheek, its face a mask of contorted rage. Johnny had the advantage now and he pressed it. The Crawler was forced back again as the Sentinel advanced, cutting deadly patterns through the air.
Sarah was incredible with the sword, but I’d never seen anything like Johnny’s display. The monster kicked off the side of building, hoping to get through his defense. Johnny spun out of the way and sliced the creature along its side.
I whooped from above. It was working—Johnny was winning.
The creature looked down at the wound and then up at Johnny. It squinted and I saw a deep intelligence there that filled me with dread.
Johnny leapt towards it, bringing the sword down in an arc. The monster dodged and circled him. Johnny swung again and the creature moved just enough to avoid the tip of the blade ripping into its stomach.
The tone of the battle had changed; I felt uneasy again.
“What’s going on?” I murmured.
Johnny made another desperate blow, just missing.
Too late, I realized what it was doing.
“Johnny, stop…!”
Johnny made a desperate lunge at the monster’s chest, falling for the move that the creature had baited him into as it shifted out of the way easily. Johnny had gotten too close.
Its teeth sunk into Johnny’s hand. He screamed and the sword dropped. The teeth released and a clawed foot caught Johnny in the side of the head, slamming him into the side of a brick building, dozens of cracks racing from the point of impact.
The monster was upon him again before he even had time to stand. A fist crashed into Johnny’s face and he bounced off the wall again. There was another blow to the ribs, to the stomach, and then a knee, dropping him to the ground.
My body was frozen, but I had to do something. Anything. My hand twitched, but I couldn't move. Numb horror wrapped tightly around me.