The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

The Final Countdown

"James!" Hiroshi cried in fright. Tuatara hissed, looking back at James now splayed across the keyboard. Wormhole gritted his teeth before a larger portal opened over them. Several enormous boxes fell out, dumping down at them.

Hiroshi blasted one box aside, while Tuatara lunged up and slashed through two more. The final box tumbled down toward Jason and with his injured leg, he couldn't move in time. He instead shot his hands out and the box slammed down on top of them.

Jason was driven into the floor, the weight of the box pressing down on him. His muscles tensed as he struggled to hold it, but his sticky palms held the box in place. Jason gritted his teeth, his arms quivering but with a grunt of effort, he managed to push the box off and threw it aside.

He pushed himself to his feet, scrambling up. James was still lying face first against the computer, moaning in pain. Wormhole raised another hand, his blue eyes flashing. Before he could fire, Laureen broke cover from behind a computer and spat a jet of smoke at him. Wormhole adjusted his aim, a portal opening and sucking in the smoke.

As he did, a robotic voice blasted from the overhead speakers: "T-MINUS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SECONDS UNTIL MAIN GUN FIRES ON TARGET. ALL HANDS, PREPARE TO IMMINENT BLAST."

"Shit!" Jason screamed. He looked at James and cried, "Someone help him!" Hiroshi flew down and began shaking James roughly, yelling at him. Laureen also began to limp over, sucking in another gulp of air. Jason then charged at Wormhole, Tuatara springing behind him.

Wormhole concentrated and another portal opened up in their path. Jason's quick reflexes saved him and he sprang backwards, barely avoiding being swallowed by the swirling blue vortex. Tuatara's claws dug in the floor and in a screen of sparks, he stopped at the portal's edge.

Jason grabbed a nearby computer and tore it loose, flinging it at the old man. A smaller portal opened up in front of Wormhole and the computer disappeared inside. A secondary portal appeared above Jason, the computer dropping down from it. The computer slammed into Jason's arm, sending a shockwave of pain through it. The blow sent him reeling, his bad leg giving way and he flopped against the floor.

Jason raised his head, in time to see Tuatara spring at Wormhole. Another portal opened up beneath Wormhole's feet and in a flash, he was gone. The portal closed, mere moments before Tuatara reached, the lizard boy's claws slashing the floor.

Wormhole reappeared across the bridge, before the entrance doors. He yawned and said, "This is getting tiresome. You can't win."

Hiroshi spun around, aiming his glowing hands at Wormhole. Wormhole smirked and another portal appeared before him, sucking up the twin blasts. But at the exact same time, Laureen ducked low and spat a jet of fire at Wormhole's chair. Distracted by Hiroshi's attacked, Wormhole couldn't stop it. The fire chewed through the chair leg and Wormhole yelled as he toppled to the side, hitting the floor and flailing about with his cane.

"Oh no!" Laureen said with a mocking sneer. "I've fallen and I can't get up!" She then slapped James's shoulder. "Now professor! Do something!" James groggily rose, the back of his suit smoking and began typing away at the keys, his fingers moving a mile a minute.

A low mechanical creak echoed from behind Jason. Jason swallowed as he got up, swiveling his gaze toward the front of the bridge. There was an engine like roar and the smoke was blasted aside. Jacqueline staggered out of the smoke. Her suit had taken the brunt of the explosion and it showed. The front of it was badly damaged, covered in scorch marks and sparking. The mechanical noises it made now sounded strained. Jacqueline looked up, her exposed eye radiating murderous intent. Her thrusters were roaring to life and her metallic wings extended. She flew upward and with a scream, shot toward Jason and Tuatara.