Mod Superhero

Chapter 4.7 - Monstrosity

Serenity didn't reply. The moment dragged, and all Mod could do was defend his rooftop while the monstrosity closed in on his friends.

For the second time in two days, Mod felt hollow. Just yesterday, he'd felt the same nauseating, empty feeling after killing The Freakshow. Except this time it wasn't from what he'd done, it was from what he couldn't do.

There was nothing Mod could do to help his friends.

He didn't have the firepower... Didn't have the strength... Couldn't fly... He probably couldn't even distract the creature.

Mod had to hope that his friends could survive. Had to hope that all the time they'd spent training together would help.

Arsenal buzzed across the water again, zig-zagging to avoid the claws of the beast as it barreled through the streets. Tuke joined in. The water was even shallower now—the waves barely concealed the armored plates and submerged cars squealed as they were crushed beneath its bulk.

The whirr of helicopters rose in the distance.

Serenity said, "Team one, evacuate the roof. Say again, evacuate the roof!"

The creature surged forward and a bony face crested the water. It was fishlike and flat, but instead of scales, it was covered in a handful of thick armor plates. The rest of the creature was a deep blue, but the armor of its face was skull white.

The monstrosity bellowed.

Mod couldn't breathe. He batted away a fish-man's attack without looking. His eyes were fixed on his friends.

On the other roof, Krystal turned and conjured a platform of ice. Power and frost swirled around it and the platform expanded, forming a slide that stretched out to an adjacent building.

Cherry and McGuire went first, sliding quickly across the ice. Both lost their balance and fell, but didn't stop. Cherry raised a hand and blasted a hole in the wall, and the pair slid into the building and out of view.

Larian and the mages were next. After he left, his tree disappeared in a puff of darkness.

The monstrosity bellowed and slammed into the building. The lower floor gave way like toy blocks and the building leaned. The ice bridge shattered.

Krystal lost her balance and then slid backward as the building started to fall. Toward the monster.

Mod gasped. Through the psychic link, he felt a pang of surprise and horror.

Krystal tumbled over the edge—

Tuke swooped down and caught her. The monstrosity snapped at them with its claws, but they were already gone. The giant bird carried Krystal by the shoulders over the rest of her team while the building collapsed, chunks of it shattering against the creature's armor.

Mod's breath released. His friends were safe... for now.

Helicopters set down on the nearby buildings, the whirr of their blades drowning out the bellow of the monster below.

Serenity's voice echoed. "Everyone get on board!"

Ranged teams scrambled and leapt aboard first, with the defensive teams right behind them. The nonstop assault of the fish-men had finally slowed to a trickle. Arsenal flew between buildings, blasting away the few enemies that remained.

Mod watched as McGuire's team made it to the roof and began boarding their own helicopter. A breath later, all the Summit capes were in the air.

The monstrosity shook off the rubble from the collapsed building and lunged for the next—the one that Mod had been standing on moments ago. The building buckled and collapsed, and Mod felt like the world moved in slow motion. He watched glass shattered, metal buckle, and furniture tumble out.

Even as the helicopters rose into the air, Mod felt overcome by the scene.

Then a golden streak fell from the sky.

It fell like a comet and flared like a star. For a heartbeat, the world was a flash of gold. The air screamed and the world boiled. It slammed into the monstrosity and the creature's roar cut short.

It reminded Mod of two short months ago, when Paragon had appeared in the sky and stopped Amarque from destroying downtown Belport. Mod knew from the color that it wasn't the Savior of the World, but this was one of the next best things.

Golden Boy.

When the golden light faded and Mod could see and hear again, he saw chaos. The monstrosity slumped lifelessly in the water, a gaping hole blown through its center. Waves churned from the impact and rolled across Belport.

Then the creature's body began to rise out of the water and into the air.

Up.

Up.

Until the monstrosity was level with the helicopters. Golden boy was beneath it, holding tons upon tons on his shoulders—a tiny golden man holding up a mountain.

Out of the water, the monstrosity looked like a cross between an armor-plated lobster and a squid. But as titanic as it was, it was completely overshadowed by the Class 4 cape holding it up.

Golden boy turned and carried the monstrosity south, toward the ocean and out of Belport. Mod watched in awe. Even as the helicopter turned to fly back to base, Mod went to the other side of the helicopter to watch Golden Boy fly away.

Again, Mod felt incomprehensibly small and powerless, but this time it also filled him with hope.

That was the kind of power he wanted.

Something that would let him fight monsters. That would help him protect his friends, his city, and his family.

Enough power that he would never feel afraid again.

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