The Phenomena of Fireflies and Star... - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The Diameter
10:05 AM
Ames had never seen the Diameter up close, but it actually was quite a big structure. Intimidatingly big. The white paint made the reflection of light sting a bit, prompting Ames to lower his gaze. As his eyes fell upon the glass entrance up ahead, he felt a stray pulse of nervousness inside him. He was about to take on two large entities at once. Over a month ago, all he'd had to keep in mind was completing The Mastermind.
Now he was about to walk into the lions' den. What lay ahead could determine whether or not there was a tomorrow for Max and himself to speak of. He didn't want to have to do this. He barely recognized himself now.
'But they love power a bit too much,' Ames reminded himself. 'And they threatened and burdened the people I care about.'
That was a little too hard to forgive.
'Bring out the Signos in you,' he thought to himself. 'This used to be a piece of cake. It can still be.'
The lot was full of people in white suits.
'Top-notch gear, high-tech equipment, and sophisticated professional bearings,' Ames noted, observing the people around him. Busy with logistical work, he figured.
He was about to comment on his observations, thankfully remembering at once that he couldn't talk. Unless he wanted Max and himself to be discovered, which—of course—should never happen.
His sights latched onto a small group of workers approaching the entrance. He instinctively grabbed onto Max, managing his own weight as they hovered closer to the group, tailing the snappy workers quietly as they marched into the doors that parted for them.
Max lowered the both of them to the ground, and Ames made sure to be as inaudible as possible. The moment they made it through the doors, they sneaked off to the side, hands clasped together.
"I believe in the future that the superhumans promise," a familiar voice spoke through the speakers. Ames looked ahead, toward the large cylindrical structure that served as the spine of the building, the base of which had a unique working area encircling it. Its surrounding area was wide. The cylinder looked so majestic, and it housed a strange setup of machines—one machine on the ceiling and the other one reaching up from the ground—that he guessed was where the variant shards would be placed. "I believe that the human race is a powerful race. We are a race of apex predators tasked with protecting and nurturing the planet."
"This country is protected by Division."
Ames looked around him as they carefully walked forward, toward a spot that allowed them a good view of the interior around them.
The offices looked modern. Futuristic, even. They followed the circumference of the dome's first floor.
Ames counted three floors in total. Each of the two upper floors had a wide and spacious corridor that opened to the view of the cylinder and the open space surrounding it. The corridors had railings walling them. Ames could see from where he stood that each upper floor also had a circle of offices that followed the walls of the dome on their respective levels. There was, however, a trio of rooms on top of each other, one per floor, that connected directly to the cylinder, just like Max had demonstrated last Saturday with his holograms. Workers walked around, pressing away on high-tech tablets and discreetly discussing matters among themselves. It was a rather busy place, but it had good enough space for people who could fly. In fact, there was more than enough space.
"This is Division Director Emil Lazaro. Remember: superhumans are proof that we can be something more, that we are the future. Believe in the future."
'You must be joking,' Ames thought, shaking his head in disagreement. Max tugged on his hand. Ames looked at Max, understandingly clinging on at his signal. They flew off the ground again. Ames had gotten quite used to the swimming-like physicality of flying. It surely got them to places quicker.
'Third floor,' Ames reminded himself as they ascended the open space by the cylinder, flying over and past workers, who were preoccupied with their tablets and thoughts. Ames sneaked a peek into the cylinder as they soared by, seeing much better the tall pedestal-like machine erecting from the floor and reaching up to a good distance away from the heart of the octopus-like machine above it. He put his focus forward again, bracing himself as they made their way to the third floor.
'ID pad,' he recognized the small screen beside the metal door of the third-floor observation room that connected to the cylinder as it came into view, recalling the options they had. They'd decided that sneaking in with anybody who entered would be the best move forward. Luckily, one worker was headed for the door.
Ames prepared himself to make a quick move.
The moment they landed on the third-floor corridor, they sneaked their way to the person's back. Ames glanced behind himself, glad that nobody was behind them. When he looked forward again, his heart almost broke out of his chest.
He froze, shutting his mouth hard at the sight of the worker looking back in his direction, as if checking if anybody was following closely. Ames held his breath. Apparently, so did Max. It was getting uncomfortably long, how the worker was looking in his direction.
In fact, much to Ames's chills, it seemed like the worker was looking directly at him.
'Shit, shit, shit,' he thought, stuck in place with Max. It was a long, breathless, voiceless pause. The worker was a mere meter away. He was too close.
Much to Ames's silent alarm, the worker slowly lifted his hand. Ames slowly backed away, keeping his eyes on the hand that was rising gradually before him until it was almost at his chest.
Almost at his face, barely a foot away...
A loud puffing sound came up, and Ames sealed his lips shut even tighter in the struggle not to gasp. It was the third-floor observation room's door opening and sliding aside. The worker blinked out of his curious trance, shaking his head as he turned and made his way to the open doorway.
"I was about to look for you, man," someone in a white coat said from inside the room, peeking through the doorway. "The hell have you been?"
"Just picked something up from my locker," the worker replied.
'Thank goodness,' Ames wanted to exhale loudly, but he couldn't.
He looked at Max, nodding at him through the tension and proceeding forward. They kept their steps quiet as they followed the man nimbly into what actually was a tall room occupied by quite a sizable team of researchers, barely making it through before the metal door slid back to a close. Ames cautiously followed, keeping his eyes moving as Max guided him to a spot away from the computers and the coat-clad researchers that worked on them.
The room was well lit, with fluorescent lights suspended from a strong truss grid. Trusses lined up the four walls of the tall third-floor observation room, and an intersection of two more trusses connected them by their midpoints, forming a truss grid of four large squares. The grid was elevated from the floor enough to be out of reach from even someone who could jump up fairly high and was situated below the ceiling just enough to allow for people to perch on top of its trusses. The trusses seemed to be wide enough to hold two people positioned beside each other, and the metal bars that composed them were close together and allowed for stability.
Ames pointed to a spot on the side of the truss grid that lined the dome wall. The curve of the dome wall wasn't drastic on that spot, and such a position would give them a good vantage point. Max carefully grabbed him, and they flew their way up to it.
Ames used his free hand to guide himself into a good position. It was a bit of a chore, but Max had already settled on his own spot. Ames managed to put himself in a good one-knee crouch, same as Max. The bird's-eye view of the room, permitted by the large square spaces in the grid, was generous with visual information. The working area formed a U, with some workstations directly in front of the glass wall that showed the interior of the cylinder. Ames could see more than half of the cylinder floor from where he crouched, and that really said something about the size of the structure and that of the entire dome. The view was clear enough for Ames from his position. Everything he could need to capture on his phone, he could see. Large computers occupied the workstations, monitors showing what Ames figured would be Diameter-specific programs. A special work desk with a wide top surface and a strong but narrow trunk like the body of a podium for a leg stood on a central platform, carrying three monitors being observed by one person. A man. He looked very familiar. When he glanced toward the door, his side profile came under good enough illumination.
'Mortez,' Ames recognized the man, exhaling through his nostrils as his disdain for the jerk resurfaced in an instant. 'No wonder you've got a big-ass ego.'
Ames wondered if Eliza had finally gotten wind that Mortez was more involved with the Diameter than she had thought. Judging from the office setup, Mortez's involvement seemed to be crucial. Supervisory.
"Is everything prepped for the transfer?" the arrogant specialist called out in an impatient tone.
"All systems good to go anytime, Doctor," one of the researchers by the window answered, barely glancing back. "Any word on the ETA?"
"Twelve noon sharp going strong, Lang," Mortez replied, typing something on his keyboard.
Ames carefully reached for the phone in his pouch. He pulled it out, going to the Notes app to quietly communicate with Max.
"I haven't seen a single Enforcer," he typed. Max took the phone from his hand.
"They should be here anytime soon," Max typed in response. "Before the variant shards arrive."
"What do we do till twelve?" Ames typed back.
"We wait," Max's reply. Thankfully, Ames had turned the keys volume down, too. "We wait patiently."
Ames began taking recordings, capturing everything in the observation room and taking in every face, every tech, and everything of value within sight. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be three security personnel in the room. Each of them had a pistol holstered on a thigh rig and an assault rifle safely strapped onto their white protective vests. Ames hadn't even noticed the vests they had on. It seemed like white really was the Diameter theme. The walls were pristine white, the floor tiles were white, and even the desks were white. As it appeared, violet was also the signature accent.
'Very sci-fi,' Ames noted, scoffing quietly.
One of the researchers walked toward Mortez, work tablet in hand. Ames aimed the phone camera on the both of them, zooming in and focusing on their faces.
"Doctor, incoming video call from Director Lazaro," the researcher announced, clicking onto her tablet and revealing an avatar of the Division Director. Ames aimed at the tablet screen, capturing the Director's caller avatar.
"Son of a bitch," Mortez muttered. It was a little too loud. A few researchers glanced at him for it. "What is it this time?"
Mortez took the tablet and tapped on a green button, revealing a screen of the video call. Ames zoomed in a bit more on the tablet to take a good recording of the Director's face. Director Emil Lazaro looked well around sixty years old. Most likely older. Stressed out but sophistically poised.
"Director," Mortez greeted, slightly exaggerating a thrilled tone. "How may I be of service?"
"I got five NAIs and two superiors on the way," the Director said plainly.
"Is Alpha going to be in on this?" Mortez inquired, audibly struggling to keep a polite tone.
For a moment, Ames was confused with the Alpha name drop.
'Oh,' he realized shortly after. 'He's talking about Channel.'
"No," the Director replied. "Battle Cry and two NAIs are ahead of the others. Sun Dancer's got the pod secured. He has three NAIs with him."
Ames looked at Max, who gazed back at him understandingly. They would have to keep the lowest profile they could. Having Enforcers around meant buying themselves time in the instance of an attack. It also meant an added layer of difficulty. At least, this had been predicted.
And if Malign and Current attacked, they would have to deal with seven superhumans. Hopefully, the Enforcers wouldn't need the help of an eighth superhuman.
"Are you sure we won't be attacked?" Mortez's follow-up question got Ames's attention. "By the rogues still on the loose? With all due respect, sir, they'd have a window of opportunity. The only one left. They could take the shot."
The Division Director shook his head, a gesture as stubborn as it was overconfident. It inevitably gave Ames a sense of foreboding.
"Falco is ours, Doctor," the Director said. That didn't translate right to Ames's understanding. "Division has already installed a supersuit around the city, and it has since extended its protection across the country. Now, Division and Wang are hand-in-hand in the Diameter. Have faith. They attack us, and they will be reduced to ash."
"Okay, sir."
"Prep the Diameter for Sun Dancer and the others."
"Okay, sir," Mortez confirmed, ending the call with a discreetly sharp poke on the red button on the screen and returning the device to the researcher, who walked back to her station. "That stubborn blindness is gonna' get us in trouble someday."
'I like this,' Ames thought, smirking at the idea of Mortez and Lazaro not having the smoothest relationship. Tension between high-rankers meant potential logistical problems. Ames didn't exactly want them disoriented. He wanted them preoccupied and unassuming. The researchers may be involved in the most ethically questionable studies, but they were still people. Ames kept that in mind.
As for the superhumans, for as long as they were on Division's side, they would be a necessary advantage. Ames couldn't change the fact that superhumans existed, but he could help in making sure that great power such as that of the Creaton—or any variant of it, for that matter—wouldn't fall in super-terrorist hands or wouldn't be abused. He had his opinions about the whole thing, and he wasn't about to change them so easily, even if he knew that he could be more specific with what or who he was aiming his opinions at. There were bad ordinary people, too, after all.
But there didn't have to be more bad people, especially ones with gods-among-men status.
He ended his recording and put his phone back in his pouch.
One more important takeaway for Ames was that Mortez was also worried that they could be attacked. That meant that Max was right about that window of opportunity being an issue. Max was also right about the presence of Enforcers, both old-timers and NAIs, which Ames figured would be the New Age Initiative Enforcers. The only missing variables were Malign and Current. That part remained as questionable as it was probable. If they tried anything, this was where they would fight their last.
Ames would make sure of that.
He didn't know how. He didn't know if he would even actively participate in any conflict, which was best left to those who were currently employed to deal with it, anyway.
All he knew was that what they were about to do could be distantly viewed with misunderstanding eyes, but they would be doing it for the good of all.
Also, Ames wondered how Max was doing. Being in a familiar setting such as this was sure to be of, at least, some discomfort. He leaned sideward, whispering his concern right into Max's ear. Max gave him a thumbs-up.
Beeping sounds came up from below. They had a strange pattern to them. Ames had heard those sounds before somewhere.
Somewhere involving Harvey.
'Morse code,' he realized, trying to decipher the pattern. 'Battle Cry.'
The sound seemed to be coming from the guards. They proceeded to press onto their watches, making the beeping sounds stop.
"Battle Cry has arrived," Mortez announced, nodding at the guards. Ames watched attentively as the security guards excused themselves and made their way out of the room. It was rather curious. He felt Max leaning close to his ear.
"Courtesy," Max whispered. "They're heading out to salute to the Enforcers as an act of respect. It's weird, I know."
"It makes sense," Ames whispered back. "It's just extra."
"Thirty more minutes, tops," Max informed him. "Prepare yourself."
Ames nodded at Max in response.
'Thirty more minutes,' he thought to himself, letting out a breath. 'Thirty more minutes.'
"I believe in the future that the superhumans promise."
The audio Ames had heard earlier was playing again. It was frankly starting to make his skin crawl. It had been twenty-five minutes, and the Director's voice, which had no musical cue to preface it, was a shocking intrusion to the silent focus of their stealth.
"I believe that the human race is a powerful race. We are a race of apex predators tasked with protecting and nurturing the planet."
The guards had decided to wait outside the observation room for the arrival of the other Enforcers. Perhaps the variant shards had already arrived. That could be why the audio was playing again. Ames took out his phone, prepared for any quick recording that he would have to do.
"Everybody, sharpen up," Mortez announced, standing up from his seat and making his way toward the glass wall. The other researchers stood up, too, neatly lining up before the glass. "It's here."
"This country is protected by Division."
'It's here...,' Ames thought, taking a deep breath and giving Max a telling gaze.
"Follow my lead," Max whispered, gesturing for him to keep his eyes on the glass wall. "Patience. Stealth. Don't forget."
Ames looked forward, through the glass wall, at the pedestal in the cylinder.
He started recording, aiming his phone camera at the interior of the cylinder and watching as people walked into it. The people walking in were dressed differently, but Ames immediately recognized them to be Enforcers. A tall, beautiful, and athletically built woman in a chrome pink battle suit with a complementary helmet led the other Enforcers as she walked.
'Battle Cry,' Ames realized. 'And some unfamiliar Enforcers. They're definitely NAIs.'
"Today," a voice spoke through the speakers. Ames jumped up a bit at that, noticing right after that Mortez was leaning over a microphone. "Today marks the next big step in evolution. It is a scientific triumph. A human triumph. A vision of the future."
Sun Dancer followed after the new Enforcers that Ames didn't know, assuming a position opposite to Battle Cry. The other Enforcers occupied the spaces between them, forming a C halfway around the pedestal. A large, strange-looking pod with fogged glass walls and a metallic skeleton was then rolled in from somewhere out of view. Perhaps from somewhere in the first-level observation room. Ames couldn't tell.
Ames zoomed in on the pod, observing in fascination as it was being lifted up the side of the special pedestal by the wheeled apparatus it had rolled in on before finally tipping into place at the pedestal's apex. The wheeled apparatus's elevated platform was then lowered before the whole thing was moved out of view. The heart of the metallic machine above the pod began to extend downward, connecting to the top of the pod via metallic pipes. A loud puffing sound erupted from the linkage, making the onlookers outside the cylinder back up in surprise.
After a while, the fog in the pod began to dissipate, revealing special vials contained inside of it. From within the vials came the most enchanting lights that Ames had ever laid eyes upon. The lights changed and danced from color to color, like stars twinkling in the galaxy. He gazed upon the crystalline shapes at the hearts of the vials. They were obscured by their own brilliance.
'They're beautiful,' he thought, adjusting his aim with the phone camera after noticing how he had swayed off to the side with it.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Mortez continued, pausing emphatically.
"This is Division Director Emil Lazaro. Remember: superhumans are proof that we can be something more, that we are the future. Believe in the future."
"Welcome to Project Apolaki."
The applause that erupted in the room was loud, but the applause from everywhere else in the Diameter was competently loud. So competently loud that the room's metal walls couldn't silence it. The celebratory mood of the applauders was palpable.
Ames could feel creeping sensations on his skin as he gazed at the dazzling shards and as the applause continued to roar in the room.
'Apolaki, huh?' Ames realized, recalling the myth. 'Some god complex, Division has.'
'Will Malign and Current even dare at this point?'
'Everything looks secure--,' Ames froze at a sudden puffing sound that was followed quickly by a wash of darkness. The others were less discreet. Startled screams erupted at once, dying down a couple of seconds after. 'What the hell? A power outage?'
The illumination from the pod, however, remained.
"Doc, did we just overload in power?" one of the researchers inquired in concern.
"No, it can't be that," Mortez's voice replied. "We measured everything precisely. As always."
The emergency lights, which were LED, activated, illuminating the space. The room wasn't as bright as normal, but the illumination was good enough. Still, some spots were dimmer than the others, and the light from the pod washed upon the area weirdly.
The door hissed as it slid open, two of the guards moving swiftly into the room.
"You two, stay put," a voice instructed from outside, presumably coming from one of the guards that had left the room earlier. "I'll assume position here."
'Why did that not sound reassuring at all?' Ames couldn't help but think. 'Is it...'
'Are they really here now? Like Max predicted?'
'Malign and Current?'
'It could be just a power outage...'
'A really well-timed power outage...'
He wasn't exactly scared. He wasn't nervous, either.
But if what Max had predicted was coming true, then a battle was sure to ensue.
Ames hadn't exactly been in a battle before. The encounter with Malign over a month ago had ended up being an assault and an attempted murder. This was a necessary move, what he and Max were about to do. All Ames had to keep in mind was to follow Max's lead. Max had been right about his predictions so far. That was impressive.
And knowing his precision, this could be very, very dangerous very soon.
"It's happening," Max whispered.
Ames felt his heart reach a short pause. Max's words echoed in his mind for a bit. He cracked his neck to release the tension that was stubbornly protesting against his self-control.
He looked back at Max, who looked more than ready to get moving.
"Let's do this," Ames replied, nodding at him to express confidence. There was no assurance to a justification of such confidence, but it was there to stay. Whatever it was worth.
"KHRAKKHS!"
A loud crackle erupted, and Ames's attention snapped back to the cylinder as screams shot up again.
"What the hell was that?!" one of the researchers shouted out in surprise.
"Was that..."
"Was that lightning?!"
"Oh, shit. Everybody, stay down and stay calm. Down and calm. Now."
Ames could tell from the slightly illuminated silhouettes that Mortez was barking out instructions.
"Secure the place," Mortez instructed, pointing at the guards. "This isn't a power outage. This is Current."
"KHRAKKHS! SHRRAAKS!"
Ames struggled to mute his gasp. An electric flash of blue moved around outside the cylinder, shooting off to different places in the dome and reducing the onlookers into a frightened, screaming mess.
He aimed the phone camera at the interior of the cylinder again after realizing that his aim had strayed once more, but he couldn't see the Enforcers anymore. They were gone.
"Everybody, get out now!" a booming voice echoed throughout the facility. It was a female voice. An alto. It was so powerful that the room shook because of it. The glass wall shook, too. It surely had to be Battle Cry. "Get these people out of here! We got this! Now!"
"KHRAKKKHSSH!"
A blinding blue ball of electricity exploded outside the cylinder, close to the glass wall, followed by an explosion of outcries from the researchers. Ames had managed to capture it in his recording.
"That's good enough," Max said, tugging at Ames's arm. "Get ready."
Ames obediently stopped his recording, shoving the phone securely into his pouch and grabbing onto a nearby truss bar.
"We need to go!" Mortez shouted, tapping his workmates and pointing toward the door. "Guards! Get them out of here now!"
"But, sir!" a guard protested.
"Now!" Mortez insisted, rushing to the door.
Ames's eyes widened at the sight of something approaching the glass wall. It was coming in fast.
He couldn't scream.
The figure crashed through the glass wall, much to the panic of the researchers cowering by it. It barely missed Mortez, who dived out of the way just in time. Ames felt Max's arms protectively wrapping him up as the figure crashed onto the wall below them.
'Fuck!' Ames thought in alarm, struggling to maintain steadiness at the sudden shake of the room. He could see the figure below. 'An Enforcer. NAI.'
All eyes were on the female NAI, and the guards were frozen in their confusion as they stared at her.
"Get these people out of here now!" the NAI shouted, whipping out her hand and unleashing a beam of energy at the door, blasting it open. "Everybody, move!"
With that, the researchers scurried toward the door, noisy in their panic as they rushed out of it. It was almost a stampede. Mortez, however, seemed to be having a difficult time. He leaned against the wall by the door, clutching his side.
'Oh god...,' Ames gasped at the sight of a large shard of glass poking out from Mortez's side. His white coat now had a thick red stain on it, expanding as he continued to bleed.
The NAI flew off again, blasting off like a cannonball as she went back into the cylinder.
From below, unseen, came the intimidating sounds of explosions and energy emissions. Concussive sounds shook the place, accompanied by shouts of struggle and aggression.
Chaos. Pure chaos.
One of the guards followed the others to watch their six while the other one went straight to Mortez's aid.
"Go help yourself!" Mortez grunted, but the guard was insistent.
"Don't be stupid! Let's move!" the guard shouted, assisting Mortez out of the room.
Ames had to admit. He really, really wanted to help. Mortez may have been an asshole, but he was still a human. As wrong as he was with his beliefs, perhaps in his mind, he believed he was doing something for the good of all. Just like Ames was.
"We can't stay here," Max whispered, grabbing Ames and floating themselves down.
"Are we gonna' help?" Ames asked in a whisper as they landed.
"We'll see," Max replied, looking around the room. "We'll get to that, eventually."
Ames looked at Mortez and the guard one more time. They were really struggling in their attempt to escape. He truly wanted to help, somehow, but that could derail the plan.
"What else are we looking for?" Ames asked, grabbing Max by the arm. As far as he knew, they were still invisible. The noises of battle continued outside the room. The shaking of the entire dome hadn't stopped. "Max, let's go. We can't stay put."
"Okay, okay," Max responded, grabbing him by the shoulder. They hastily made their way out to the corridor. They had the evidence they needed. This would be good enough to start a conversation.
Mortez and the guard were still lagging in the distance.
Ames looked to his right. Down below, just outside the cylinder, the NAIs were taking turns in attacking Current, who, while not invulnerable to their powerful blows, was fighting back just as hard. Their strikes were coated with energy, and they were as graceful and coordinated as they were fierce. Current was really handling the gang-up well, unleashing strong strikes and kicks of his own, his fists and feet entailed by streaks of blue electricity.
And then something crossed Ames's mind.
He paused, alarming Max.
"Come on, Ames!" Max whispered harshly. "Not from here!"
"Max!" Ames replied, grabbing onto the railing as he looked over it. "Malign's not here."
"What?"
"Malign's not here."
Ames watched as Battle Cry joined the scuffle below, flying into the fight and pummeling Current repeatedly in the face before grabbing him by the neckline of his azure suit and throwing him up.
To Ames's direction.
'Shit!' Ames thought in alarm, diving out of the way as Current crashed through the railing and hit the curved ceiling, the resounding impact causing tremors and streaking cracks. Ames found Max safe in a three-point pose a few meters away, staying alert as he stared at Current. Ames then noticed that Max's hand was aimed at him.
'Why's he aiming at me?' Ames wondered, realizing the answer almost immediately. Max was keeping their shared invisibility field up after its sudden stretch.
"SKREEEE!" a sharp avian shriek pierced through the air, stunning Ames painfully and forcing him to cover his ears. He watched through squinting eyes as Battle Cry flew up to Current's location on the ceiling, hitting him with her powerful shriek as she approached and shoving him harder against the curved surface with it. When she closed the distance, she met Current with a kick to the face before throwing him down to the first floor again. She followed him swiftly after. Ames crawled toward the railing for a good view, seeing Sun Dancer catching Current with snake-like constructs made of fire before slamming him down to the side.
'Current's too durable,' Ames realized, watching as the fiery serpents stemming from Sun Dancer's body started striking down on the ground, chasing Current as he scrambled away, barely staying composed...
Until he disappeared in a blue flash of electricity and reappeared in a ready pose.
Sun Dancer spun around, absorbing the fire constructs into himself before releasing a thick stream of fire that smacked Current off his feet, sending him crashing into a glass-walled office.
"Come on," Ames felt Max grabbing him by the forearm and guiding him up to his feet.
"Max, Malign's not here," Ames repeated, pointing at the fight below. "It's just Current. Why is that?"
"I don't know, but we need to get clear first," Max insisted, pulling Ames close and securing him. In the next second, they were flying off the floor, diving over the railing, and gliding through the open space toward the first floor as the battle continued and the sounds of powers being unleashed rocked the building.
'Almost there!'
'Just a few meters!'
Ames heard a pained scream coming their way from behind. He took a quick look.
"Look out!" he cried out in alarm.
It was too late.
An Enforcer had been thrown in their direction, and the superhuman was coming in fast. Ames felt himself being spun around, and a voiceless gasp escaped his lips as the body collided with Max, breaking them off of their trajectory. He could feel Max's defensive hold on him tightening.
The impact rocked Ames's system as its force flowed through him in a blink.
"Ackh!" Ames gasped at the crash. Hard and loud. Max took the impact the most. Ames felt the force, but he couldn't feel the pain. Their bodies continued to sweep across the floor, out of their control. "Max!"
Ames wanted to check on Max, but he couldn't move.
They slid to a rough stop. Ames was left with a good view of the battle near the cylinder. It was getting even more violent.
'But Max...'
Ames grunted as he slipped away from Max's grasp, rushing to check on the man. Max looked hurt, but he was conscious, and his face was distorted in a mix of anger and disbelief.
Ames's hands went straight to Max's face, clasping it to examine it.
"You hurt?!" he demanded. "Tell me if you're hurt!"
"No, I'm good!" Max replied, struggling a bit as he got up. That didn't look good at all. Ames stood up quickly, checking out Max's back. He gasped in a spike of pure worry at the sight of the tears on the upper garment and the revelation of deep gashes on Max's back. They bled. "Max. Max, you're bleeding."
"What?" Max asked, turning to look at him. "It'll heal. It'll heal. Don't worry."
Ames caught Max's eyes focusing on the area behind him. Ames turned to follow Max's gaze, to a nearby office with glass walls, catching a glimpse of their reflection. Their invisibility had been turned off.
Much to Ames's surprise, their faces in the reflection began to turn, glitching into new faces that he didn't recognize.
'Illusory disguise,' Ames realized.
"Ungh...," a pained groan sneaked in from near the entrance, before which they stood a few meters away. They turned toward it, finding the Enforcer—one of the NAIs—clutching his chest in pain.
He looked young.
Very young. Barely eighteen years old. Perhaps even younger.
The NAI had crashed against the wall, roughly two meters away from the entrance. He was now struggling to sit up.
"SKREEEEEEEEE!"
Battle Cry's shriek tore through the air again. Ames looked toward the cylinder, finding the powerful screamer in a strong stance as she pushed with her focused shriek against a wall of electricity that Current had erected. The electric super-terrorist disappeared in a crackling flash again, reappearing behind Battle Cry and kicking her off to the side. Sun Dancer moved, gracefully directing the wheels of flames around him to whip Current in almost every direction.
"H-hello?" the young NAI by the entrance called out. It was an unnervingly uncharacteristic action. It was very vulnerable. Ames felt his instincts kick in again, and he broke off toward the poor kid, who looked at him weakly with what seemed to be delirium. Shell shock, maybe. "S-somebody, please... I-I don't..."
Ames couldn't help but picture out the boy as one of his students. He reached the young NAI, kneeling beside him. Ames didn't know how he was going to help the young superhuman, but he would, if he could.
"I'm scared," the boy sobbed, his eyes red in tearful terror. "I'm so scared. I-I don't wanna' be scared, please..."
Ames tried to pull the boy's hands away from his chest, barely managing to.
But Ames could see...
Ames could see the blood pouring out from the boy's chest.
Max reached their position, crouching down and holding the boy's hand.
The tremors in Max's breath made Ames's hairs stand on end. He looked at Max questioningly, watching the horror register on the man's face.
"He's dying, Ames," Max shared, the expression of horror on his face turning into that of sympathy. "Fast. And fear is his natural weakness. He started getting scared somehow, and it just drove him weaker and weaker. I can feel it."
"Remove the fear," Ames urged Max.
The young NAI's groans worsened, his eyes losing direction.
"Max, hurry," Ames pushed.
"Yeah, okay," Max said affirmatively, putting his hand over the boy. Ames could feel warmth pulsating from Max's hands. The boy was still suffering, however. Close to losing his consciousness.
A loud and violent crackle erupted from behind. Coming close. Much to their surprise, the boy gave a hoarse roar before sitting up and pushing them both aside.
The NAI's push was strong, almost like a shock wave, and Ames fell into a rough slide across the floor.
His eyes widened at the sight of a blue orb of electricity smacking the young NAI's chest, exploding on impact. The final croak from the boy's mouth echoed in Ames's mind just as he skidded to a stop.
The croak turned into a whimper.
And then silence.
"No!" Ames cried out, watching the boy fall back into a slump on the wall. Unmoving. Eyes open. Eyes blank. "No!"
Ames looked around quickly for something to defend himself with. There it was, underneath a pile of steel chairs. He pulled out his phone, which was miraculously neither cracked nor destroyed, and used the selfie camera to check on his disguise. He could see his own face. He looked like himself again. The illusory disguise had been deactivated. He quickly shoved the phone back into his pouch and continued with his plan. Thankfully, he hadn't crushed the phone in the crash-landing. He hurried to pick up his face mask, which had flown off his face and onto the floor nearby in the ruckus, and put it on again before making a move for what he'd found.
'I need that,' Ames decided, crawling toward the assault rifle, which was half-buried under the pile of steel chairs. An unconscious—probably deceased—security guard lay right next to the rifle. Ames took the weapon off the pile, proceeding to check its magazine. It seemed to still have a lot of ammunition. He put the magazine back into the rifle before pushing himself off the ground. He then turned the safety selector lever to semi-automatic and pulled back the charging handle. 'I'm done with this bullshit.'
Ames walked back to where he and Max had crash-landed, catching sight of the ongoing battle by the cylinder. A familiar fire burned inside of him. It was an irresistible need to fight back and give Current a surprise. Walking decisively toward the battle, Ames lifted the firearm the way he'd done with his grandfather's old hunting rifle, heading back in his mind to the time when he had first learned how to keep his shots consistently accurate. His target right now was out in the open. He stopped at a good distance, his aim poised and locked in. He aimed the red dot sight right onto Current, his finger creeping over the trigger. Current was being attacked left and right. The NAIs were taking turns in delivering charged strikes while the old-timers were alternating in their blasting.
"No!" Ames heard Max call out to him. He, however, couldn't put it to rest. It was as if time slowed down around him as his focus sharpened. He didn't have a clean shot on Current, who was charging up with electric energy with each hit, but he did have a clean shot on a sprinkler way up above.
The sprinkler was directly above the super-terrorist.
Ames aimed the rifle upward to the dome's ceiling, lining up the red dot sight with the sprinkler in a breathless heartbeat.
He pulled the trigger.
"BLAM!"
The sound of metal clanging popped up from the ceiling and water began to pour. Ames lowered his rifle to watch Current feeling the zap of his own electricity. The other superhumans flew out of the way as Current convulsed and sizzled.
'Gotcha',' Ames thought victoriously as he watched his contribution to the fight play out.
Max reached Ames's side, grabbing the rifle's barrel immediately.
"That's good enough," Max said firmly. "You need to get out of here, too."
"We can finish him," Ames snarled in response, looking at Max right in the eyes. Max's own illusory disguise was still up. "And then Malign."
"He's gonna' blow!" Battle Cry shouted out.
Ames looked toward Current, watching in alarm as the superhuman began to glow in blue, streaks of electricity erupting from his pores as he began to levitate under the sprinkler's shower.
His blue turned into an even more electric blue for one last second.
In a flash, he exploded into a shock wave of electric energy.
"No!" Ames threw his arms up protectively as the crackling wave approached, keeping his grip on the rifle stable.
He could feel his surroundings going much brighter in a second.
The other Enforcers screamed out in pain.
"Ah!" Ames cried out, hearing the frightening burst of the wave's impact. But he didn't feel anything. "Huh?"
He lifted his head and lowered his arms, finding Max standing before him with arms outstretched, fists clenched, and maintaining a black protective construct stretched out like a wall before the both of them. The construct was so tall and so wide that it reached the dome's ceiling and the distant walls on both their sides.
'Black?' Ames wondered as he looked at the construct that protected them. He'd never seen Max use black before. 'Max?'
"M-Max?" Ames called out meekly, unable to speak at the spectacle. The wall of blackness blocked off the glow of the variant shards and the view of the rest of the dome. However, thanks to the noontime sunlight pouring in from the entrance behind them and the LED emergency lights that hung from the underside of the second floor's corridor above them, he could still see Max, as well as their surroundings within the protected space, clearly enough. Ames wondered if this was an advancement or a new variation of Max's powers. It surely looked incredibly intimidating. Max turned to face him. Ames instinctively took a step back, startled by the darkness that had occupied Max's eyes.
Max's own illusory disguise was now deactivated, and he looked like himself again. He was back in his original face. Still, something was significantly different: the black energy that emanated from his eyes. From his eyes, the darkness spread throughout his body, turning his skin into obsidian black. Golden rings shone through the blackness in Max's eyes, appearing like irises. He had never looked this frightening, but he looked eerily beautiful, too. Like a force of nature.
"What's going on?" Ames croaked unsurely.
"He's not dead yet," Max replied. His voice wasn't threatening, but it sizzled creepily. "I can feel him. But not his weakness. Not anymore. And the other Enforcers are knocked out."
'Not his weakness?' the thought stuck with Ames as he moved to Max's side.
"What's the plan?" Ames asked, cradling the rifle safely as the black protective wall started dissipating.
"Get ready," Max replied, darkness emanating from him like an aura. "We're neither invisible nor disguised anymore. This time, we go old school."
"You mean...," Ames wasn't quite sure what Max was leading into.
"From this point to the end of this fight," Max said. "I am an Uwak, and you are a Signos."
With the black wall completely gone, the rest of the dome's interior came into view.
Blue clouds of electricity flew about in the dome, coming together explosively at approximately ten meters away from them and stretching out to a humanoid form. Ames let out a sharp breath and assumed a ready position, aiming his rifle at the humanoid construct levitating before them.
"Sounds like a better plan," Ames remarked.
"Keep your face mask on," Max replied. "We can't get recognized."
The humanoid construct's electric emissions began to fade, reforming Current in his normal appearance, suit and skin back to full recovery.
Current glared at them, his powerful sapphire eyes piercing and mocking.
"Who the hell are the two of you supposed to be?" he demanded, his voice a sinister hiss with a deep bass undertone.
'This most probably won't hurt him,' Ames thought as his anger returned to its recent blaze like a flaming torch thrown into gasoline. 'But here goes...'
"The human who fried your ass," Ames replied, aiming at Current's forehead.
The super-terrorist's glare flared up in fiery blue as he prepared to smite Ames, but Max launched off like a rocket, crashing onto Current in a blink. Ames pulled up the stock of the assault rifle defensively as Max left behind a small shock wave and a trail of black energy.
The two superhumans crashed into the cylinder, breaking through its glass walls loudly.
"Hraaah!" Max's roar echoed throughout the place.
'I need to do something,' Ames thought, looking around him. He could wake up the superhumans, for one. Then again, he could help in some other way. He had to figure out how. He noted that water had stopped pouring from the busted sprinkler. The puddle hadn't reached far, luckily.
Something dawned on him eventually.
"Mortez..."
He hadn't seen the man escape. Mortez could be in trouble.
'I need to find him.'
With that in mind, Ames ran off to his right, eyes on a blown-open room that seemed to be a stairwell.