The Pyramid Chronicles: Tyche Point (#1)

Chapter Nine: Blackout

It wasn't Ash, but a soldier that brought Eric a bottle of water and a sandwich—peanut butter and jelly, of all things. The soldier didn't say a single word and left before Eric could come up with anything to ask it. He sat on the cot and ate, wondering what made Claudia so sure she could make him join Scorpion. How long until she tried again? Eric uncapped the water bottle and took a long drink.

A popping sound came from the direction of the glowing cell bars. Eric jumped to his feet and backed up to the opposite wall. There was another pop, and the red beams flickered twice before going out entirely.

A heartbeat after they disappeared, the lights went out.

Eric stood in stunned silence for a moment before some part of him had the sense to move his legs, to get out of the cell while he had the chance. He stumbled blindly through the dark until he was sure he was safe, should the power come back. He stuck his hands out in front of him and walked. His fingers brushed cold concrete.

The door out of the cellblock was somewhere to his left, and there were two soldiers on the other side. Eric crept toward the door, listening for any sign of movement. Nothing.

Eric paused when he found the door handle and focused on steadying his breathing. Once he opened it, he'd have to act. He tightened and untightened his right fist. He could fight a couple of robots. At least here, he didn't have to worry about his fire getting out of control. It wouldn't spread in the concrete tunnel, and any damage he did do would be a good thing, anyway.

Eric yanked the door open. Well, he tried to. It was much heavier than he expected, and his initial pull only moved it a few inches. He yelped in surprise, grabbed the handle with his other hand, and pulled harder.

More darkness waited on the other side. Eric stepped through the doorway, swallowed, and lifted a shaking hand. Fire burst to life in his palm.

The light glinted off the visors of the two soldiers staring at him. They each held a gun.

"Return to your cell and wait for the power to return," the soldier on the left ordered.

Eric extinguished the flame.

"We are using night vision," the soldier warned. "Do not attempt to escape."

For a moment, Eric considered giving up and going back. But fire waited at the tips of his fingers. His powers threatened to come to life, ready to break free whether he gave them permission or not.

Night vision. Maybe he could use that against the soldiers, at least for a few seconds. Long enough to get past them. He lifted his hands slowly and took a step back as if he planned to return to the cell. He mustered all his energy and let the heat take over.

Fire exploded from his palms.

The blasts were bigger than Eric had expected. One of them struck the soldier on the right and sent it crashing to the ground. The other missed, leaving the remaining soldier free to lift its gun.

Fortunately, Eric's hunch that the sudden bright light would screw with the android's senses seemed to be correct. The soldier took long enough to aim that Eric was able to lunge forward before it could fire, acting purely on instinct, his hand entirely engulfed in flame. When he grabbed the soldier's arm, it hissed and let off smoke. The gun slipped from its grasp and clattered against the floor.

Eric lifted his free hand and fired another blast directly into the soldier's face. It staggered backward, smacked into a wall, and collapsed.

He didn't want to wait around to see if the soldiers were still functioning. He raced into the darkness, bracing himself for whoever—or whatever—might appear to stop him. Quickly realizing that it would be all too easy to collide with solid concrete, he held out his hand and lit a flame to light his path.