Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) (55 page)

“Jeremiah, I can only allow approximately half an hour for you to test your plan. Currently, evacuations of areas near the large robots are being undertaken, but there are too many of the smaller models to be allowed to spread. They must be taken out while they are centralized. Right now, we are saving as many civilians as possible. If you can neutralize the small units by stopping the large ones before evacuation is complete, I can allot more time. If you cannot, then all Manhattan-level Heroes will receive authorization to terminate the army.”

Not for the first time, Owen was glad he’d never tried to go into the DVA like some of the other retired Heroes. The call to wipe out entire city blocks wasn’t necessarily a wrong one, as those robots could do a lot more damage if they spread out. Still, there was no way to completely evacuate this much of the city, no matter how many Supers the DVA pulled in. Casualties were going to be inevitable, but it might be less than what the city would face if it became overrun with robots. There were no perfect calls, only ones that might minimize the damage.

“Understood, Dispatch.” Jeremiah licked his lips as he stared at the mech, eyes taking in every facet and weakness it presented. “Our best bet is probably to focus fire on one of them, show proof of concept. Once we know that destroying the large ones knocks out the smaller bots, we can shift to just taking out the big boys.”

“We don’t have long, so tell me where I’ll do the most good,” Owen said.

“There is one more item for Titan,” Dispatch continued, breaking into the short silence they presented. “You requested to be kept abreast of your team. They were, unfortunately, in the landing zone of another of the six giant robots. From what I’ve been able to track, it seems Hexcellent is injured, and they are still attempting to reach the Mordent building.”

The ground beneath Owen shattered. He looked down, expecting attack, only to realize that he’d shifted his weight without holding back. A second’s loss of focus and the world around him crumbled. “Dispatch, how are their chances? Do they have a clear path?”

“They are near the central point where more of the smaller units are swarming. Even if we could spare evacuation personnel, their situation is too dangerous. I’m sorry, but they have very small, almost negligible, odds of surviving.”

Owen’s eyes swept around to Jeremiah, who nearly jumped back at the ferocity on Owen’s face. “I need to go. I—”

“I know. Dispatch had me patched in, too.”

“Can you manage without me?”

“Can I manage? Titan, look around; there are dozens of Heroes for me to work with. I can still easily make this happen. In fact, I’ll do you one better. Dispatch, have Gale join Titan and me,” Jeremiah said.

Moments later, the wind-manipulator settled to the ground a few feet away, glancing back and forth between Owen and Jeremiah. “What do you need?”

“I need you to take Titan to his team,” Jeremiah told her. “Dispatch can give you the coordinates, but time is of the essence.”

“I’m sorry; did you just ask me to play taxi while there’s a giant robot a block away tearing up my town?” The wind seemed to pick up as Gale spoke, swirling around them in a not-so-subtly threatening manner.

“No, I’m asking you to help me diversify our efforts.” Jeremiah pointed to the mech under all-out assault from the other Heroes. “We need to kill one of these things, and soon. But there’s always the chance that the one we got is a lot stronger than the others, or has a secondary relay. It’s the one that was dropped on the Heroes; we need to assume that wasn’t an accident. Titan’s team is right on top of another one, farther into Brewster, possibly under attack from it. Now, Titan, what are you going to do if you come upon one of these things trying to kill your team?”

“I’ll kill the son of a bitch first,” Owen said without hesitation.

“Exactly. So, if I’m going to split off two Heroes to try and topple one of the other big bots, I’d like it to be a pair that actually has a chance of succeeding: the leader of the strongest Hero group in Brewster and a living legend.” Jeremiah patted both of them on their shoulders. “Can you think of any other duo with a better shot of pulling it off?”

“There might be others that are a better fit, but I can promise you there are none more motivated.” Owen turned to Gale, whose skepticism was beginning to melt. “Please, help me get there. I promise, I’m going to help keep your town safe.”

“I’ll do it, but I’m not so sure even the two of us can bring down one of those,” Gale said.

“If it’s attacking my team, it’s going down.
Trust me
.” For a moment, Owen was gone, all the gentle kindness and tempered power of a man who’d seen too much vanished. In his place was Titan, the Hero whose name was whispered among criminals like a demon’s curse, the man who no Super had managed to stop, who’d used his bare hands to rip apart many an allegedly unbeatable foe.

In that instant, Gale did trust him, and she felt a surge of pity for any who tried to get in his way.

“Just don’t get motion sick,” she warned. “I’m not the gentlest ride when I’m in a hurry.”

106.

               Things were going okay, until the building collapsed.

While their situation wasn’t perfect, so far they’d managed to avoid being caught by any robots.
Hexcellent had even started running under her own power as the worst of her headache finally began to ebb. However, avoiding being caught was not the same thing as avoiding detection, and as they ducked and veered between alleyways, the sounds of pursuit could always be heard
at their backs. For possibly the first time since joining Mordent, every one of the team members were all simultaneously grateful to Mr. Greene; without his ridiculous exercise requirements, their stamina might have flagged out already. As it was, they were weary, but knowing they were only ten minutes or so from the potential safety of Mordent gave them all the energy needed to push through.

Then, unfortunately, a three-story building next to the alley they were in tipped forward, pushed by an unseen force on the other side. Bricks and debris began to rain, the only warning they got as the building started its descent.

Bubble Bubble reacted quickly; instead of throwing an orb around herself, she made a series of them overhead to create a sort of canopy to protect them as they ran. It wouldn’t be enough to actually halt the building, which was already more splinters than structure, but it might let them make it to the other side. Zone was only a few feet ahead of her, not daring to leave the safety of her orb-canopy.

Galvanize, by virtue of being in the lead, was already clear of the collapsing obstacle. He had halted, ostensibly to wait for his team, and was gesturing at Bubble Bubble frantically. At first, she thought he wanted her to hurry, so that was what she did, manifesting more orbs in front of her as she ran, trying not to think about the toll that creating so many was taking. Already, her hands were starting to shake, but she pushed through. It was only when she got closer that Bubble Bubble realized Galvanize had been pointing past her to where she’d been running from. With a heart suddenly full of dread, Bubble Bubble looked over her shoulder.

Hexcellent, who’d been only a step or two behind her when the collapse started, was all the way back on the far side of the building, standing next to Huggles. Maybe she had tripped, maybe the fatigue had gotten the better of her; whatever the reason, she’d been separated. In the chaos of trying to outrun a falling building, neither Bubble Bubble nor Zone had noticed.

Bubble Bubble slowed and turned to try and head back, but even from this distance she could see Hexcellent shaking her head. It was too late, and they both knew it. If Bubble Bubble went back now, she’d get caught in the collapse, already there was too much debris raining down to deflect. There was a chance that she could put an orb around herself to survive it, but the shaking in her hands was getting worse. She’d already drained too much of herself. Even if she did survive, what good would it do? By the time Bubble Bubble got out, the others would be long gone, either safe or. . . caught.

There was no way to save her friend. Hexcellent was clear of the building, but they’d all heard the robots getting closer. She was trapped, and it would be a matter of minutes until they caught up to her.

“Fuck that.” Bubble Bubble turned back around and ran toward Galvanize again, Zone right beside her. Maybe she couldn’t go back for Hexcellent, but that didn’t mean she had to stand around and let her friend die. She would get out of here, double back down the next block, and reunite with the team summoner. Hexcellent had Huggles; she could survive for a little while, even against the robots. Hexcellent was tough. She could do it. She had to, or Bubble Bubble would never forgive herself.

Unfortunately, they made it no further than the mouth of the alleyway before the massive shadow fell across them.

*             *             *

It was bittersweet, watching her friends run to safety even as the sounds of robots drew closer by the second. Hexcellent wanted to see them make it. It was her own fault that she’d stepped into a pile of loose rubble and gotten her foot stuck. If she’d called out, they would have waited, helped her get free, and turned the delay into five seconds rather than ten. But she hadn’t. She’d stupidly tried to struggle free on her own instead of counting on the people around her, and it had cost her a chance at safe passage. That was
her
mistake, though. She’d be damned if she let Bubble Bubble try and pay the price for her, which was why Hexcellent waved her off. It would be a comforting thought in the end, she hoped, to at least know her friends made it out safely.

Heavy steps in the center of the alley revealed three robots, each built like the ones she’d seen from footage shot during the previous attacks. Their eyes glowed as they assessed her, though the sword-armed demon a few feet closer naturally drew more attention. There was no need for blustering. The situation had its entire context laid out before them: kill or be killed.

“Slice ‘em up, Huggles.”

The demon lunged forward, taking a wide swing with both of her arms. The robots stepped nimbly aside, but Huggles was faster than she looked and pressed the attack. One of those arms made it through the torso of a robot. Hexcellent was about to let out a whoop of joy; however, it morphed into a cry of pain midway up her throat as the other two robots used the opportunity to forcibly tear Huggles’ head from her shoulders until she dissolved back to smoke.

As she released a dull, half-choked whimper, Hexcellent fell hard to the ground. In comparison to the pain in her head, the impact barely registered. Her vision was nothing but static and spots, and she was pretty sure blood was pouring from her nose. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire. She tried to take refuge in the fact that the pain probably wouldn’t last too long. After all, she was about to die.

Despite what she’d expected, that thought provided no comfort at all; it only made things worse. She didn’t want the pain to end. She didn’t want to die. She wasn’t done yet, wasn’t ready to walk out of the world. How many years had she pissed away? And only now, when things were getting good, was she going to get killed. It sucked. Hexcellent tried to get angry, to force herself to rise from the ground and die on her feet. All she managed was to tilt her head slightly upward, gaining a view of the approaching mechanical legs.

As fury failed her, fear set in. This was it. There was no last rally in her, and the Heroes were scattered. This was how she died. She wished Spyda was here, to whisper kindly with his poorly hidden accent. Or her team, to remind her that she’d managed to make a few friends in the world. Or Titan, though of course if he were here she wouldn’t actually be in danger, now would she? But they weren’t. Hexcellent. . . no, Hannah. . . was going to die alone, in the streets of Brewster, and that was what scared her most of all.

The fear stripped away her mental armor, all the defensiveness and walls she’d spent a lifetime building. As she curled up on the concrete, waiting for the end to come, she felt the terror wash over her in a way she hadn’t since childhood. She wasn’t a corpie or a Super: she was just a helpless person, afraid of the approaching unknown, the coming darkness, wishing with all her might there was at least someone else there to hold her hand.

Somewhere, in the deepest part of her mind, a familiar presence not felt in decades stirred.

Hexcellent’s body spasmed, something like a seizure causing her to convulse violently. Her consciousness slipped away—a mercy as this finally separated her from the pain, which was growing even more intense. Above her, the robots stared at the sudden thrashing, unsure of what to make of it. They were so focused on her, in fact, that neither saw the massive, furry, elongated foot as it slammed down on top of them, grinding both to scraps.

A soft paw reached down from the sky, delicately scooping Hexcellent’s battered, but not yet broken, body into its grip. Though still unconscious, she nuzzled into the fur, and let out a small, peaceful sigh.

107.

“What in the fucking hell is that?”

Owen followed the direction of Gale’s pointing hand, squinting to see through the wind. His jaw dropped. Years spent as a Hero, dealing with Supers of every manner, had exposed him to many a strange situation. He’d seen the rules of reality twisted, if not outright defied, in more ways than he could have imagined back when he started.