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Chapter Five“What the hell?” The ceiling exploded in above Athena and Psalm as some kind of armored soldier dropped in to the room. He looked like something out of a video game. The suit of armor made him nearly double the size of a normal man. The boots were massive in order to store the pair of jets that eased his landing. Each arm had a weapon of some kind: the right what looked like a wrist mounted chain gun, the left some kind of high intensity laser. Athena knew that with this much armament they had to be bad news. “No! They can’t be here already!” Psalm staggered off the couch as she tried to get away from the soldier. Athena doubted this was the girl’s fantasy cyborg, but she knew she was in for a fight nonetheless. She summoned her creation force, the ability to create solid objects out of a golden light she projected, and used it to form a massive battering ram. The ram smashed in to the soldier’s chest before he could bring his laser to bear. Despite his heavy armor, the force of the blow crushed him in to the far wall. “Come on,” Athena said. “We’ve got to find the rest of the team. Can you move?” Psalm nodded. Athena grabbed the girl by the arm and yanked her towards the door. Whoever or whatever dares to attack my school will pay, she vowed. She stopped short as she came through the door and in to the main hall, narrowly avoiding a collision with Thief and Devil Boy in the process. “Robots!” Thief said. “Or something like them. They’re everywhere!” “I know,” Athena said. “We’re going to have to take them down here and now. Strength in numbers, boys. We are Epsilon now. Let’s prove it. Are you with me?” “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison. “Get the lead out then. We’ve got a school to secure. And after that, these super-soldier bastards are going down.” ***** Flint secured Air Raid to the diagnostic center in the second floor med lab. The device, designed by a former student with the ability to create mind-numbingly high tech gadgets, served as an automated doctor, scanning for ailments and injuries. It could automatically treat dozens of conditions or give detailed instructions for what it couldn’t do. All in all a wonderful piece of machinery that had saved many a young epsilon’s life. It did little to assuage his apprehension. He knew the pain of lost comrades, and the situation leading up to Air Raid’s injuries made this far worse. He didn’t plan on losing another student and friend. The diagnostic system came online with a series of beeps. Flint saw Beauty jump as she watched a series of lights appear beneath Air Raid as the scans began. She looked to him to be on the edge of a total breakdown. “Calm down,” Flint said. “Right now we have no reason to believe the wounds to be anything more than superficial, first or second degree at worst. Most of them are barely noticeable. Let the system do its mojo, okay?” Beauty only nodded. Flint and Beauty stood beside the table as the scan continued, while Bobbi stood off to one side. She let her discomfort for the situation show as the worrisome surface thoughts projected by both Flint and Beauty made her head ache. She held one hand against her enlarged temple and tried to push the pain away. After two achingly long minutes, the diagnostic center beeped to signal it was complete. Flint walked over to a terminal screen to see the results. “Scan shows mild burns on seventy percent of surface skin. Most are superficial and can be treated with mild topical ointments. Some internal damage. The system will inject steroid nanoprobes to help fight the inflammation as soon as I give the command.” Flint pressed the button. “Probes injected,” the computer announced. “Air Raid should make a full recovery in a few days,” Flint said. “Now the best thing we can do is let him have some rest. Why don’t you girls head back to your rooms?” Beauty shook her head. “I’m staying right here with him until he wakes up.” “Suit yourself, but until we get some tests run on you, keep your hands to yourself. We need to find out if this was really caused by your powers returning or not.” Beauty hugged her arms to her chest and gave a faint nod. Flint knew she had no doubt she was the cause of Air Raid’s injuries. “I’m sorry,” Flint said. “Don’t beat yourself up though. You couldn’t have known.” He turned to Bobbi. “Let’s get you back to your room. It will be curfew soon.” The intercom buzzed to life behind them. Athena’s voice came in over it a few seconds later. “Flint. Come in, Flint.” A low rumble emerged from Flint’s rocky chest. “What now?” He stomped over to the com and pressed the button to reply. “Flint here. What’s up, Athena? I was about to turn in.” “We’ve got a situation here, Flint. “Some kind of armored squadron of soldiers is breaking in to the school. They are heavily armed and none too friendly.” “Please tell me this is a joke, Athena.” “Can’t do that, I’m afraid, old friend. I have Devil Boy, Thief, and Psalm heading to the second floor. We need to get the students in to the secure areas and mount an assault. “Psalm? Who’s Psalm?” “She’s the new arrival, but stay focused here.” “I’ll secure the med lab and meet you outside. Air Raid’s recovering.” “Is Beauty there?” “Yeah, as is Bobbi Kwok. I’ll keep them in the secure lab with Air Raid. I’m on my way now. Flint out.” Flint turned back to the girls. “You two be all right in here?” Beauty and Bobbi both nodded. “Good. Don’t open the door for anyone and I’ll be back as soon as the Academy’s secure.” Flint charged out the door and stopped only to make sure the girl’s secured the lock behind him. No one would be able to get passed the steel reinforced doors and walls without the proper security code now. He charged down the hall and prayed the kids were all right. ***** Athena wrapped another cyborg in a sheathe of golden energy. She used the massive hand of energy like a vice and squeezed him in to unconsciousness before hurling him across the room. Devil Boy and Thief scrambled the students out of their rooms as Athena continue to hold her own against soldier after soldier. She began to worry that there were just too many foes for her to hold off. She formed an energy shield as another blast from a chain gun hurled towards her. A blast from another soldier’s energy weapon struck a moment later. She didn’t know exactly what the energy beam would do and she dearly hoped she wouldn’t find out. “Athena, behind you!” Athena twisted around at Psalm’s voice to see another soldier charging at her, this one with a pair of machetes in hand. She willed an energy shield in front of her, but it was too late; he was too close— Flint burst threw the wall and slammed in to the attacker. The soldier crumpled at the blow and fell to the ground, his armor crushed and him unconscious. Flint moved in to stand at Athena‘s flank. “Where do we stand?” “We’re almost locked down,” Athena said. “Devil Boy, Thief, what’s the students’ status?” “Almost secure,” Devil Boy said. He helped Mitch, a massive fourteen-year-old whose body was naturally inflated. He could float like a balloon or release a blast of concentrated air, but he also moved at a snail’s pace. Devil Boy got him through the door and closed it behind him. “Mitch was it,” Thief said. “We’re good to go.” Athena turned to their newest arrival. The norm girl seemed uncomfortable and tried to look away. “I don’t want to introduce you to the student populace during this crisis,” Athena said. “The kids, with their powers, could react… poorly. Can you hold up with us?” Psalm nodded. “At least, I’ll try. I’ve been in my share of scraps, but nothing like this.” “Try to keep clear,” Flint said. “And stay near Athena, she can protect you best if needed. “We’ll handle the rest.” “All right, Epsilon,” Athena said. “Let’s go!” ***** Beauty sat in the med labs, arms crossed across her chest as she looked at Air Raid lying silently on the diagnostic table. She refused to take her eyes off him. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so freaking sorry.” Bobbi rested a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the sudden touch. “Don’t do that, Bobbi! I could have hurt you!” “Calm down, Beauty. I touched your shirt, not your skin. We’ve been friends long enough for me to know that.” Bobbi glanced over at Air Raid, before bringing her eyes back to Beauty. “Why don’t you come away from there for a few minutes. You don’t need to keep beating yourself up. You didn’t know. How could anyone know your treatment wouldn’t last?” “I should have known. I shouldn’t have hurt him like this, dammit!” Beauty pulled away from Bobbi and looked back down at Air Raid. “You couldn’t know that, Beauty. Nobody could have—” Bobbi trailed off suddenly. “What is it?” “I feel another mind nearby. Someone’s here. A normal human. He—” She stopped and rubbed her temple as she concentrated. “He wants us all dead.” Beauty looked around the room. “Where? Where is he?” Bobbi clutched her oversized skull as she tried to concentrate. The degen teen was naturally telepathic, but Beauty knew she had issues with focus. “I think—” Bobbi said. She looked up. The ceiling deteriorated as a blast of energy shot down between the two teenagers. Beauty shoved Bobbi away, taking special care not to make any skin to skin contact. The young telepath sprawled to the floor. Beauty pulled the gloves off her hands. The cyber-soldier dropped down through his new entrance to where the girls had stood a moment before. The soldier raised his chain gun but Beauty moved faster. She let her acid-field flare to full power. Her specially treated clothes began to disintegrate at this level but she didn’t care. She shot a burst of the high intensity acid at the soldier. His gun melted in to slag instantly and took much of the armor plating on his arm with it. “You…little…bitch.” The soldier’s words came out in staccato pitch. Robotic. “Screw you,” Beauty said. She lunged forward and unleashed her full field forward. The soldier screamed as his exposed flesh instantly burned away and his armor melted in to slag around him. He dropped to the floor, unable to move in the now useless armor. A faint moan emanated from somewhere inside the armor, before he fell silent. Bobbi climbed to her feet and looked won at the soldier, than up at Beauty. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” Beauty shrugged. “I don’t much care either way. I won’t let them hurt Air Raid. Or you, for that matter.” “Thanks, I think.” Beauty turned away and walked back to the med table and Air Raid. It’s all right, baby, she thought. Somehow we’ll find a way through. ***** “Hit them hard and fast, kiddies!” Flint charged forward and slammed a massive fist in to an invader. The man and his armor crumpled at the blow. Devil Boy charged past a moment later, literally spitting flame at another soldier as Athena struck another with a giant fist. Behind her, Athena could hear the sounds of Thief’s twin escrima sticks hitting metal over and over again. Athena kept a solid energy shield over Psalm and herself while shooting another occasional burst of her creation force towards a cyber-soldier. Her charges didn’t seem to need that much help. Flint, Thief, and Devil Boy worked like a well-oiled machine despite this being only their second battle as a team. They tore a swath through the invaders’ ranks. Devil Boy laughed maniacally as he leapt over her field. “We’ve got ‘em on the run now!” He unleashed another blast of his fiery breath at one while bringing his hoofed foot up and around to strike another on his exposed face. Athena realized he was right. The few remaining soldiers fell back towards the inlets they tore in the ceiling upon their arrival. In unison, their boot jets activated. A moment later, only their casualties remained. “Is it over?” Psalm said. “I think it is,” Athena said. “Flint, get a hold of your friends at the Department of Metahuman Affairs. We could use some clean up here.” “You’ve got it.” “Thief, Devil Boy, I want you to check on the students. Make sure everyone’s all right.” “No prob,” Devil Boy answered. Athena turned back to Psalm as the others rushed to their duties. “You all right?” “I will be,” Psalm said. “For now.” “For now?” Psalm nodded. “Those soldier’s armor? They looked like the cyborgs in my visions. Don’t you see? This is only the beginning.” ***** “What’s going on with you?” Devil Boy said as he and Thief walked down the hall. “You’re not talking to me lately. I know it’s been a rough time the last few days, but I thought you and I were buds.” Thief continued walking. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” “Uh uh,” Devil Boy said. “you can’t just brush me off like that. Not after all these years of our friendship.” “Look, it’s not you. I just am missing my life from before, y’know without these powers, living life to its fullest. None of this kill or be killed crap.” “I thought you hated your old life? You used to tell me about the horrible things your dad used to do to you and your brother.” “Yeah, but life was still simpler. I don’t know. Maybe I just miss my family, problems and all.” “Hey,” Devil Boy said. “I’m your family now. I mean us, the team.” “I guess. I tell you, I’m just homesick. I’m sure I’ll get over it.” “Don’t be,” Devil Boy said. He grabbed Thief by the arm to stop him. He smiled awkwardly as he looked down at the shorter Thief. “I guess you’re right. I—” Thief stopped short as Devil Boy leaned down and kissed him full on the lips. Thief couldn’t move, he was stunned. His eyes were wide as Devil Boy pulled back. Devil Boy saw the confused look in Thief’s eyes. “Look, I—”
“No,” Thief said. “Not now. I can’t handle this. “ He turned and rand down the hall and away from his friend. Devil Boy covered his face to hide his tears.
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