The back of Kai's lips bared at his teeth as his shaking fingers clasped around the hilt of his blade. His mind spun as his vision struggled to focus. He was disoriented, caught off guard, but he should've expected it.
Ajax stopped at nothing, so it only made sense that Matthews didn't either.
A seething anger pulsed through his body. He'd barely known Echo before his untimely demise, yet he felt this hole in his gut. No one deserved to die like that. He wanted to mourn. He wanted to exact revenge on Primus for every death they'd caused.
Back at home, he'd always wondered whether or not his father would escape from war alive. For the longest time, his greatest fear had been the faces of two sullen officers at his door.
Oh, how the tables had turned. At the moment, his greatest fear was if he'd and his friends would escape this battle...this war... outside of a body bag.
Death had arrived early for Agent Owens, and it was now on his heels. It was on all of theirs, catching up to them ever-so-slightly. He couldn't sit around feeling sorry for himself or his team. He needed to avenge his fallen teammate at all costs.
They'd successfully made it through this wave of super soldiers, but there were more coming. Each wave would be stronger and more devastating than the last, but he'd make it through it. All of them would.
At least, he hoped they would.
His eyes settled on Elliott. He normally referred to him as Dr. Matthews, because at one point, he'd respected the man. That respect had evaporated into nothing. The man remained in the middle of the battlefield, with that smug face he always wore.
Kai's blood boiled at the sight of it.
Reactivating his bio-shield, he brought his sword up in an offensive position. He was prepared to charge into battle once more. But was so focused on getting his revenge on Elliott, that he'd forgotten who was standing right next to him.
Before the boy could move towards his target, Ajax materialized before him, kicking him in the stomach. He hunched over as a dry cough flew from his lips, accompanied by a few sprinkles of blood.
"Can't get rid of me that easily." The man taunted, swinging his energy-charged blade at the boy's legs. He was obviously intending to sever one of them.
Judging from how his skin had handled the man's energy blade in the past, he figured that letting it touch him a second time wouldn't do him much good.
Operating on impulse, he hopped off of the ground as he found himself flipping sideways in midair. Using the momentum to his advantage, he stuck his leg out as the sole of his foot caught the temple of his opponent. Disoriented, Ajax staggered sideways as Kai landed on his feet.
Attempting to follow up on his surprisingly acrobatic attack with a sword slash, he swung his blade downwards in the direction of a fallen Ajax.
Unfortunately, his blade failed to make contact with the man before he teleported once more. Kai's sword struck the metallic surface, scraping it.
Unable to recover before Ajax materialized beside him, his skin registered a blunt impact across his left cheek. Ajax had struck him across the face with the hilt of his blade once again. This time, however, the weapon's hilt had been charged with energy, leaving a small burn mark along Kai's cheek.
Blood flew from his mouth. He winced a little, but shook it off as he recoiled with a jab from his shield. Ajax infuriatingly teleported, appearing behind him once more. Kai was only able to turn around halfway before Ajax's foot collided with his chest.
Kai felt himself being thrusted backwards as his back pounded against the metallic floor. The man had teleported behind him.
Ajax jumped into the air, clearly intending to skewer him with his blade from behind. Luckily, Kai had memorized his teleportation patterns. According to what he'd seen so far, Ajax usually teleported before or during his attacks.
This time, he hoped it was during. He launched his shield forwards in advance, having anticipated where the man would appear.
Ajax materialized directly in the path of the holographic disc, the tip of his sword aimed downward. The shield struck him in the chest with a loud pang, rolling up to his pale chin as it ricocheted off, returning to its containment matrix a second later.
Executing a kip-up onto his feet, he squinted in opposition at the man before him. Adam and Dylo could deal with Matthews. For now, he'd exact his burning revenge on Ajax. Even with his tactics and improved fighting style, he desperately needed to change the tide if he was going to have any shot at defeating him.
Luckily, he'd thought of the perfect strategy.
Shuffling away from his opponent, he threw his sword to the ground and deactivated his bio-shield. The man arched an eyebrow in confusion.
"Thought the mighty Ajax was more than a sword." Kai taunted slyly, hoping that the man would give into his scheme. The moment that Ajax went for his weapon, he'd use his Magno-glove to call his sword to him, giving him the advantage.
Luckily, he took the bait. Ajax huffed, a venomous smirk engulfing his face. It was almost as if he was entertained by the boy's apprehension for him. He threw his sword to the side. The weapon struck the floor with a clang, the purple aura around dissipating.
"Oh, I'm much more than that." Ajax sneered, assuming a standard fighting stance as he wiped the blood from his chin. The edge of Kai's shield had made a small cut on the bottom of his jaw.
"We'll see." Kai retorted, getting in a boxing stance. His mind flashed back to that last fight they'd had in the facility. He'd been beaten to a pulp. He'd felt weak, vulnerable. It angered him to his core.
It was time for a little payback.
The fighting in the rest of hallway had resumed the instant Kai was attacked by Ajax. Troy took on Steel. Amber and Leo immediately resumed their battle against Rift. Sharpshooter had remained on the roof, picking off enemies from above.
Adam and Dylo shared a stern gaze before nodding and darting off towards Matthews, who'd flown off towards the Triton a few seconds before. On his way through the halls to the exit, Dylo whizzed past Steel, landing a flurry of punches to his face and abdomen.
Troy would've thanked him, but the blond was gone before he could get the words out. A yellow trail was left in the boy's wake as he was out the door in a blur of motion. Looking down at his wrist-mounted speedometer, he noticed that he was moving at a steady pace of 400 miles per hour.
"Dylo, you go ahead. You can get there much faster than I can." Adam commanded, utilizing his telekinesis to hover over the ground like Matthews did. Going all out, he could barely keep up with a jogging Dylo, but it was still more efficient than walking.
"On it." The speedster replied before shooting ahead, kicking up a large cloud of snow as he accelerated up to 500 miles per hour. The immense heat he generated while running counteracted the severely low temperatures of the surrounding environment.
But that effect wouldn't last long, so he had to hurry things up.
The Triton wasn't a lengthy distance from the main base, but it was shrouded by a miniature blizzard, obscured from any normal human's view.
Luckily, Dylo was superhuman.
The freckled runner nearly slipped as he skidded to a stop, his yellow aura dissipating from around him. His feet probably would've broken contact with the ground if it weren't for his upgraded shoes, which provided far greater traction than his original bio-suit.
He faltered under the shadow of the Triton, but regained his confident composure as quick as he'd lost it.
His brow furrowed as he peered up at the levitating doctor, his disheveled blond hair blowing in the chilly wind. His fists clenched as he stood to his feet, panting.
"Your speed alone will not allow you to emerge victorious, young one." Matthews condescendingly advised, landing on the ground with a soft thud. Bits of ice and snow crackled underneath his feet.
"Well, there's also my looks and my charm." Dylo panted as he began to plan ahead. His heart was practically thumping within his chest, but he masked that overwhelming fear with his usual quips.
"Dylo," Adam began, speaking to him telepathically, "I'm nearly there already. Try to use the snow to your advantage as much as you can. He can't use his telekinesis on things he can't see."
"Say no more." Dylo mentally replied, darting around the area in a flash of yellow light. It took about a full second for the man to get a good hold on something with his telekinetic abilities. He figured he'd be well off if he just remained in a state constant motion.
As his feet barely connected with the ground, the adolescent speedster continued to blissfully sprint around his hovering foe. A sharp, strong breeze of snow trailed behind him as he struggled to keep himself steady on the ground.
At this point, the vortex of ice and snow had completely surrounded Matthews, who was now struggling to suspend himself in the air. Dylo briefly gazed upwards through the layer of frost, smirking as he noticed the frustrated expression on the man's face, but frowned as he descended in his direction.
"Mere children should not meddle in the affairs of adults!" Matthews shouted as he swiped his arm outward, throwing a wincing Dylo into the metal wall as such a high speed that blood shot up from the boy's mouth.
Short spots of crimson marred the skin under his nose as he coughed up blood. His throat stung, and with the slowly decreasing temperature, that sensation wasn't going away any time soon.
The skies darkened as a sudden rumble of thunder jolted the speedster back to his senses. Dylo looked up, awestruck and panting as he chewed on one of his power pellets. Standing to his feet, he ignored the throb in his back... which was probably bruised.
The ground throttled, and the noise was like an extended thunder... only worse because the vibrations were coming from the Triton. Dylo gripped the jagged, blood-soaked concrete in an attempt to steady himself.
He was back in the museum all over again.
He and Adam watched as a blinding beam of purple light shot up into the black, void-colored skies. A fierce wind cut through the atmosphere, carrying the smells of blood and night soil. The leaves had begun to turn a darkening purple, preparing themselves for a bleak death.
Oh no.
"What the hell is that?" Dylo panted through his communicator. His eyes were glued to the beam of purple light as an eerie sense of dread hummed through his veins.
The Triton was beginning to activate. They were failing.
"It's.... it's the Expansion." Adam answered, awestruck as his voice quivered and shook as he slumped to the ground. "We're too late."
"My destiny has come to pass!" Matthews rejoiced, his bearded face illuminated by the violet light from the clouds. "This day marks the start of something that you cannot begin to comprehend!"
Elsewhere, within the bloodstained walls of the Primus fortress, Bianca gazed through her force field as her widened eyes registered the slowly activating Triton. The ones inside felt the rumble as well "What's happening?" she yelled.
"That machine of his is starting to activate." Leo confirmed the girl's suspicions.
"Shit, Sharpshooter. I gotta go help him!" Amber remembered that the man had been up on the roof this entire time with no backup. Grabbing one of her arrows from her quiver, she notched the projectile onto her bowstring and headed up the staircase. Leo followed her, pursing his lips.
He didn't know if he'd have another moment like this with her. He didn't even know if this was the last time he'd see Amber. That was all the more reason for him to do this.
He took her hand, registering the confusion in her bright, gleaming eyes. His heart slammed against his chest, feeling as if it'd soon protrude through. He closed the distance between the two of them, his nostrils taking in the sweet, intoxicating scent of her brown hair.
Wrapping his hands around her slim waist, he pulled the girl even closer to him as she stood on her toes. Their foreheads touched, feeling each other's warm, curling breaths. In a hopeless world filled to the brim with war, peace was all that they felt in those few seconds.
Their lips fit together like two puzzle pieces as their breaths mingled. It was no longer than a few seconds, but lasted an eternity to them. After what felt like ages, their mouths parted.
Both faces came away having adopted the color of a rose, exchanging nervous smiles.
"About time, sparkle fingers." Amber slyly said to the boy as she grinned, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Now I gotta go. We have a job to do."
Leo grinned back, clutching his staff. "Alright, see you in a bit." Nearly tripping over his own feet, the boy jogged back down the staircase as Amber went in the opposite direction. Hopefully the two of them wouldn't be separated for long.
Amber nearly vomited when her eyes caught sight of Sharpshooter's gruesome corpse. The agent's had seemingly grabbed hold of him from each side and ripped the man in half. A pool of thick, nearly frozen blood rested upon the jagged concrete.
After she regained her composure, Amber kneeled on one knee as she surveyed the tarnished, snowy battlefield. Her crystal blue eyes identified Dylo and Adam, who were in the midst of combat against Matthews.
But she couldn't waste time loitering around. Immediately, she replaced Sharpshooter's position as she began unloading arrows onto the army of soldiers one by one. The difficulty was only increasing, however, as Amber found herself having to use two arrows to dispatch one mere soldier.
That machine was creating more powerful soldiers by the minute. They needed to shut it down at all costs. It was time to pull out her secret weapon. Reaching into her quiver, her fingers emerged clasped around a single, red-tipped arrow.
Notching the arrow, she squinted in opposition as her gaze narrowed. Pulling the arrow back to her cheek, she let it fly after her gaze became centered on the Triton. The arrow pierced through the thick, snowy atmosphere heading straight for the machine.
Amber's jaw dropped as the explosive arrow ceased motion, Matthews turning around facing her. Even from afar, she could register the man's arrogant smirk. Her shoulders slumped as she panted, exhausted from firing so many arrows back to back.
"Amber, get off the roof now!" Dylo yelled, landing a speeding punch on the man's face as Matthews sent the arrow heading back towards her, faster than before. Her widened eyes tracked the arrow as a burst of adrenaline coursed through her veins.
She took a deep breath, preparing for herself for what she was about to do. Her eyes glinted as her feet broke contact with the icy roof. Soaring over the explosive arrow, Amber turned around in midair as she pulled her last arrow from her quiver.
A swift firestorm disintegrated the roof of the building as Amber released her grappling hook arrow. If she missed this shot, she'd end up plummeting about seven stories to the ground.
It was like watching a slow motion scene in a movie. Feeling the heat from the explosion's flames, Amber watched nervously as her grappling arrow made it's way to the wall. Finding it's mark, the silver arrowhead buried itself into the concrete.
Amber swung through the bulletproof windows, finding herself two floors below as she safety-rolled absorb the impact. She could hear the roof caving in above her as she sprinted to get away. Directing her gaze to the floor as she hyperventilated, her eyes caught sight of the cloud of dust ahead of her.
Coughing heavily as her eyes watered, she knee-slid under the wreckage into the staircase as one final piece of debris sliced her forehead. It wasn't a sizable injury by any means, but it stung like hell. The dust agitating the wound definitely wasn't helping.
Panting, she began blasting her way through the rubble with her cryokinetic abilities, which were heavily augmented by the cold environment. Hearing a series of faint grunts and sounds of metal clashing on the other side, she sped up of her rate of fire.
She staggered to her feet as she tossed her bow and quiver to the side. Her quiver was empty and her bow had been snapped by the falling debris, so neither of the tools would be of much use to her. Her face and hair were covered in with soot. After she clawed her way out of this wreckage, she'd regroup with Leo and the others.
Hopefully everyone would still be alive when she got there.