by Eric Burney
“Easy…I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help. We both are.”
Standeval stepped into view and tipped his bowler hat.
“Salutations.”
Michael sat up.
I must have bumped my head a little harder than I thought. What on earth are you two doing here—together?”
“We’ve come to even the odds. And by the looks of things, we didn’t arrive a moment too soon.” Standeval extended a hand and helped Michael to his feet. “Where is the boy wonder, by the way?”
“He and Nick headed down that corridor there. It leads to the blast doors. The plan was for them to draw as many of these bastards as they could away from here. As you can see, that didn’t work out so well.”
“I’m not surprised. They are well organized,” Viktor said.
“You sound like you admire them.”
“Respect, my boy. Always respect your enemy. You’ll be wise to remember that.”
“Whatever. If you’re going to help, we should get moving. I’m not sure if Kara was able to get the blast doors open and we’re running out of time. We need to get them open now before the device goes off.”
“I know. So, here’s the new plan. Standeval will stay here and watch your back while you work on getting them open. I will go locate Charlie and your friend.”
Michael was wary of Viktor’s intentions, and rightfully so. The last time he laid eyes on him, he was kidnapped by the raving lunatic. But they were up against the clock and a relentless foe. He didn’t see any other option.
“OK. But, I warn you: don’t screw us on this. If you do, I swear, I’ll spend the rest of my days hunting you down.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Viktor said with a politician’s smile. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
Chapter 82
Nick caught the last remaining guard with a nasty combo, knocking him to the floor and looked around for more. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
“That was fun. Now what?”
“Now we pray they get these doors open in time. It's all up to them.”
I looked up at the massive blast doors. The cold hard steel was several inches thick and weighed a ton. There was no way we would ever get them open manually.
“Should we go back?”
“No. We stick with the plan. There’s no need—”
I froze mid-sentence. Something felt off.
“What's wrong?”
“Kara’s in trouble.” The words left my lips with as much certainty as if I was standing right next to her.
“So, we go back then.”
I didn't say anything for a long while, mulling over what to do in my head. If I went back for her, we would lose more time we already didn't have. I had to stay the course and pray she would be alright. The mission was bigger than us.
“No, I said finally. We see this through.”
“Look,” Nick said, “I know you—”
The elevator chimed.
“Great. What now? What are they going to throw at us next?” he muttered, moving into position beside me.
We both readied for the next wave of Evolution’s defenses. The doors to the elevator slid open. At first, it appeared the car was empty. Then, a barrage of missiles shot out like an impressive display of fireworks. I held up my hand and froze them in place. With a flick of the wrist, the projectiles slammed into the wall to our right and exploded harmlessly. The lights inside the elevator flickered off and on repeatedly. Nick and I both strained to see inside, knowing there was no way the threat had just originated from thin air. The sound of laughter drifted to my ears—an eerily familiar laugh. One I knew all too well and once welcomed.
“What on earth?” Nick asked, shooting me a look of confusion.
“Get ready. Cain’s here.”
The moment I'd been dreading had finally arrived. And then the lights went out completely.
“Oh, great. My suit helmet came equipped with infrared. Too bad it’s damaged.”
When the lights returned, Cain was standing there in the elevator, flanked by a striking brunette dressed in all black. I assumed the missiles had been her handiwork.
“Charlie,” he said with a hollow smile, “I see you didn't heed my warning.”
“I know you didn’t really expect me to.”
“Yes, you’re right. I have to admit; I am a little excited to see you here. You have a front row seat to the beginning of Earth's transformation. I've got goosebumps!” He feigned an exaggerated shiver. “What about you?”
“I don't think so. Show’s been canceled. So, you can take whatever’s left of your failed revolution and crawl into a dark place, somewhere far, far away.”
“That was a really good comeback,” Nick whispered.
“Thanks. I've been practicing.”
“This won't end well for you,” Cain warned, his eyes turning a fiery shade of green.
“Let me be the judge of that.”
I was done talking.
I lunged forward, throwing my full weight into a knockout punch. Cain took a step back and leaned away from the attempt like a seasoned boxer. The slight smirk perched on his lips did its best to shake my confidence.
“It's going to take much more than that, my friend.”
Cain reached forward and, using telekinesis, rendered me completely immobilized. I fought to get free, struggling against the invisible bonds.
Nick sprinted into action, trying to help—and was promptly rewarded with an all-out assault from Cain’s female associate. Nick had little trouble ducking and dodging her explosive projectiles, and before long he was within arm’s length. He didn't get any closer. Nick was lifted up like he'd been sucked into a violent tornado, then spat out like yesterday's trash.
Working free from Cain’s grasp finally, I ran to his side.
“You alright?”
“I'm not sure. I think I might have broken something. You don’t see my pride lying around here some place, do you?”
Nick searched the ground around him.
“He's too powerful to attack alone. We do this together.”
I grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.
“OK, then. What's our move?”
“Let's play another round of Who's the Fastest.”
“Yeah, I like your thinking. Let's do it!”
I advanced on the left, and Nick to the right. With focus and precision, we advanced, throwing an assortment of combined attacks at Cain. But he either blocked everything we tried or deftly moved out of the way. Then he countered with a few strikes of his own—jaw-rattling shots that staggered both Nick and myself. It didn't matter how fast we moved or tried to outmaneuver him. He was everywhere. He laughed again, toying with us as a kitten would a ball of yarn.
“You don't want to do this,” I tried reasoning with him.
Cain smiled, his confidence unwavering, and froze Nick in the midst of a running attack.
“Yes, I really do.”
Nick went flying. Leaping into the air, I caught him and slowed his plummet. Hovering there, I surveyed the landscape. We had a big problem in front of us. We needed to find a way to get an advantage.
“I'm really starting to hate this guy,” Nick scowled. I set him down somewhat awkwardly.
“Come on! Is that the best you got, Charlie?” Cain taunted from across the corridor.
I flew at him like I'd been shot out of a cannon, unleashing a forceful burst of energy that struck him solidly in the chest. Cain tumbled over backwards and crashed into the elevator doors, which broke the blow with enough impact to leave a noticeable imprint.
When he looked up, the taunting smile was gone, twisted instead to an expression of surprise. That was a good sign. At least now I knew he could be hurt.
Cain’s eyes blazed a fiery emerald green, and for the first time I saw why: Twin beams of energy erupted from them. I was able to shield against the majority of the blast with telekinesis, but I was unable stop the powerful surge in its entir
ety. I was struck hard on the left shoulder and screamed in agony. A portion of my suit was scorched where I'd been hit.
“Now you will feel the pain I felt when you left me to die.”
Twin beams exploded from his eyes again—powerful, blinding rays of energy. This time, it was Nick who did the saving, shoving me out of harm's way. Unfortunately, he paid dearly for the action.
I scrambled over to Nick and rolled him onto his back. The energy beams had penetrated the metal alloy plating on the lower right side of his suit, just underneath the rib cage, leaving a sizeable hole. Microcircuits sparked and blood flowed from the damaged site.
“Why? Why did you do that?” I asked, applying pressure to the wound. I was heartbroken and angered, unsure how to come to grips with the fact Nick had just risked his life for me.
Nick grimaced through the pain and managed a labored smile.
“Y… you know me. Always have to be the hero.”
He tried to laugh, coughed instead, and blood spurted from his mouth. He was in pretty bad shape. He removed my hand from the wound and placed his own over the area. His breathing had become labored.
“Go... finish this. I'll... I'll be fine.”
We locked eyes for a brief moment, both knowing the obvious truth.
I wheeled to face Cain, waves of rage building inside me like a river about to breech the dam.
Chapter 83
“Do you know what you’ve done? LOOK at him!”
I was seething with emotion.
“Freddy, if you’re still in there, if there’s an ounce of humanity left inside you, please, STOP this!”
I may as well have been talking to a brick wall.
“You just don’t get it, do you? I’ve told you repeatedly, my name is Cain now. And as for your friend, casualties are a part of war. You should know better than to expect sympathy from me. Every single one of your friends will suffer before I'm done with you. So far, it seems that plan is coming to fruition.”
I couldn't bear to listen anymore. Frustration and anger got the better of me and I lashed out at Cain with an uncontrolled array of energy blasts, catching him on both the right cheek and left shoulder.
Barely fazed, he responded with a stinging blast of his own that made my teeth rattle, but I kept coming. We collided violently midair, locked in a mental and physical struggle for the upper hand. Round and round we circled, like two young bulls locking horns, neither of us giving an inch.
And then Cain’s eyes began to glow brightly once more. I knew what was coming, but this time, due to the close proximity, I was powerless to stop it. The full brunt of the twin energy beams struck me square in the chest, propelling me backwards into the unforgiving steel of the blast doors. The impact forced the back of my head to strike the cold steel with a loud thud. Fallen and disoriented, stars clouded my vision and a loud ringing flooded my ears.
Cain landed in front of me and advanced, closing the gap between us. His lips were moving but, try as I might, I was unable to make out the words. Everything slowed to a crawl around me. I felt as though I was having an out-of-body experience—watching things unfold like I was in front of an old black and white TV set, forced to watch a silent film. And there was nothing to enjoy about this horror show. Images flashed and time transpired, one millisecond at a time. My eyelids grew heavy, weighted down by invisible anchors. Each blink was like a frame-by-frame breakdown view of footage. Cain inched closer and closer with each flutter of my lids, eager to continue the assault. An ominous grin stretched across his face.
Then, someone else came into view, slipping behind Cain unnoticed. Due to the altered nature of my vision, I was unable to identify the mystery man. He gripped Cain firmly by the shoulders and heaved him into the air.
I only caught bits and pieces of the scuffle: a radiant burst of kinetic energy. Two men trading vicious blows. Cain and his female companion retreating. I was barely conscious at this point.
I labored to lift my head up and focus on the man as he slowly approached. Blinking incessantly, I tried to adjust my focus and identify the possible threat in front of me.
Then I gasped, unable to believe, fathom, or come to terms with what my eyes were trying to show me. Standing there was a face I would never have expected to see in a million years:
It was none other than my father, Viktor.
Chapter 84
“Hey... HEY!”
I blinked a few times and shook my head, hoping to vanquish the cobwebs—that what I was now seeing was some strange figment of my imagination. Maybe my brain had somehow conjured the image to snap me out of the haze I was in.
Slowly, painfully, I came to and regained my faculties. No, this was no mirage. It wasn't some figment of my imagination either. My old man was standing there in the flesh. Viktor had come to the rescue.
My rescue.
The unimaginable shock of this truth hit home all at once. I stared up into his beaming face.
“What are you doing here?”
“You know,” he said with a garish smile, “I keep getting asked that very question.”
His keen eyes surveyed the room before landing back on me.
“I'm here to right a wrong. This whole infallible mess is of my own doing. I understand this revelation couldn't have come at a worse time, but I refused to just stand by and watch you get hurt when I could do something about it.”
He took a step or so back while I climbed gingerly to my feet.
“So what’s the next move? I’m here and I’m not leaving until I make sure we shut this device down and stop Cain.”
“Easier said than done. What do you think we've been trying to do here?”
Those were two pretty tall tasks. Did I really need a wildcard like Viktor added to the equation? But with a race against the clock and facing the monumental task of defeating Cain, I couldn't risk looking such a powerful gift horse in the mouth. I had to trust my instincts. And, at the moment, they were trying to convince me Viktor was somehow being sincere. I know, crazy, right?
A loud series of beeps sounded, followed by the slow, grinding movement of the blast doors.
“Ah! Well, looks like your friend was able to get those doors open after all. With a little assist from your brother, no doubt.”
My neck swung back in Viktor’s direction so fast, I nearly gave myself whiplash.
“Standeval is here too? But... how is that even possible?”
Viktor brandished an arrogant smirk. You know, the kind a person flashes when they know something you don't and relishes in your ignorance.
“Haven't you learned anything from your guardians? My bloodline comes with some pretty extraordinary abilities, not the least of which is cellular regeneration. How do you think you survived your little dip in the river after our epic battle? It sure as hell wasn't luck. After just a few short hours of rest, your brother was as good as new. That's not to say we can't be killed. No, not by any stretch of the imagination.”
I looked down at the now-still body of my good friend, Nick with sorrow and regret. A lot of good it did to have such abilities if I couldn't even save the ones I cared about. Viktor seemed genuinely concerned by my personal tragedy, despite himself. It was expertly masked, but I noticed anyway. From what my mom had told me, he'd always had a hard time expressing emotion, and the passage of time hadn't made him any better at it.
“Son... perhaps there is a way.”
“A way for what?”
“A way for you to save your friend.”
Chapter 85
I felt numb. My mouth couldn't quite form the words I was searching for. Fortunately for me, my father could hear my thoughts.
“Yes, that's correct. You have the power within you to save him. But...”
“But what?”
I was on the edge of my seat with suddenly unexpected hope for Nick. Of course there was a catch. There's always a catch.
“What about Cain? What about saving this world you care so much for? He will unleash
the Orion device soon. Are you willing to risk everything in order to save your friend?”
“What do you mean I can save him?” I asked, perplexed.
It never had occurred to me that I might possess the power to save Nick. I knew my priority should have been to go after Cain, but I couldn't just let my friend die right in front of me and do nothing. Especially if I had the power to prevent it. We were all in this together. And we would see it through to the end together. As a team.
Viktor leaned forward and touched my shoulder gently. Talk about awkward.
“You have the power within you. You always did. You’ve already done it before. Your abilities are nearly limitless. You only need to learn how to tap into them. I can show you how.”
He knelt beside me, speaking in a calm yet assertive tone.
“Place your hands on his chest and close your eyes.”
I did as instructed, placing the palms of both hands on the mangled chest armor of my fallen friend.
“Do you feel it?”
“Feel what?” I asked, unsure of exactly what I should be experiencing. Viktor frowned.
“Concentrate; envision what you want to achieve and make it so. You can do this.”
I closed my eyes tighter and focused. And then, as if in a dream, I could picture Nick, alive and well in all of his silly goofiness. Behind all the machismo, he had always been a genuinely good guy I considered my friend.
As time passed, nothing happened. But then I began to feel energy swell within me unlike anything I'd experienced before. It felt as though millions of tiny soldier ants were crawling up my extremities. The sensation was overwhelming.
“Good! Now you feel it,” Viktor said, unable to contain his excitement. “Now use it!”
The energy flowed from my body and into Nick. His still body jerked, then went rigid, as though it had been hit by a thousand volts.
“Again!” Viktor shouted.
Again I released the energy from within into the lifeless body, and again it went rigid. But this time there was a noticeable reaction. Nick’s eyes shot open with a start and he drew in a deep breath of air. I leaned back, startled by what had transpired. I felt a little like the infamous Dr. Frankenstein, hoping I hadn't just made a horrible mistake. Nick took a second or two and looked around, understandably confused and disoriented, before his questioning eyes looked up at me.