Chapter 50

…BEGINS…

Alexander hopped through the portal, swinging the tonfa to deflect a barrier-javelin Maximilian hurled after Annie.

The portals winked out.

He studied Maximilian. Technopathy was useless here; the Throne of Scales had wisely left behind anything that could be turned against them. Metallokinesis still limited Cash’s options, even now that he had closed the distance to Augustus, and it continued to weaken Maximilian’s chains as well.

Unfortunately for Maximilian, Alexander still had both Metallokinesis and Electrokinesis. And he knew exactly how he was going to deal with Raelene, now that he’d confirmed their reliance on her.

A shout rang from the side. Julia was trying to shake Annie off and fly to Raelene’s defense. “He knows, Max!”

Annie spun Julia around and hurled her through the wall, leaping after with bladed arms swinging.

Maximilian shifted his stance, feet planting and fists rising into a practiced guard.

Alexander wasn’t worried. He had no doubt the man outclassed him in martial combat, even before the injury to his shoulder, but all he needed to do was distract him. Raelene had to be taken out, and the single barrier inside the elevator wouldn’t hold.

He rushed forward, shooting the floating debris in the hallway against Maximilian’s shield. The barrier held until Alexander arrived and jammed the tip of the crackling tonfa through it. Then it shattered and dissipated.

Maximilian brushed the weapon aside with his hand, ignoring the electricity as easily as Julia had. Then he thrust forward with a single punch.

Alexander flinched at the pain but managed to block with his injured arm. The blow still sent him flying back down the hallway, sliding to a stop on his back.

He blinked, then gripped the wires wrapped around his arms and hauled himself up. His sternum burned, and the buzzing in his ears grew louder.

There’s no way he should be that strong.

Alexander looked past Maxmilian and cocked his head. “She can let you ignore pain and bolster your strength at the same time?” he asked, voice curious. “Or is it more than that?”

A chain burst from beneath his feet and sent him sprawling again.

“Cash!” Maximilian shouted. “Get Rooke!”

Cash disengaged from Augustus at once, speeding down the hallway. Blood streamed behind him as he ripped through debris without slowing. In a blink he slid to a stop at the junction, then blurred forward again, straight for Alexander.

Alexander staggered upright, only to take a foot to the gut and collapse again.

Another blur, a kick aimed at his face. A blast of force from Augustus struck Cash in the back, staggering him. More blasts countered Maximilian's efforts to assist.

Alexander seized the speedster’s ankle with both hands. Wire unwound from his arm and lashed up Cash’s leg. Panic flared in the man’s eyes as he blurred backward, ripping his leg free.

It was too late, though. Alexander flicked his good hand up, sending Cash spinning end over end into the ceiling.

Augustus conjured a portal beneath him. Alexander pulled his hand down, throwing Cash through it with a scream.

The portal snapped shut.

Alexander climbed to his feet and gave Augustus a grateful nod as the man stepped up beside him. With Cash gone, and no way back in a hurry, the fight looked to be in their favor.

Augustus strode forward, wand snapping out faster and faster, bolts of fire splashing against hastily raised shields.

Maximilian spread both hands. Dozens of thin barriers formed around him, layered thickest to the front.

Chains burst again beneath Alexander’s feet, but this time he was ready. Metallokinesis instantly seized them in place, and he only stumbled a step.

It was time.

He released everything but the chains, letting cutlery, pens, machinery, and scattered junk crash back to the floor. Then he extended his hands, reaching past Maximilian to their hidden support.

The elevator crumpled inward, and Raelene’s hiding spot became an instant deathtrap. The barrier holding it together flickered, then shattered, pieces dissipating into the air.

Raelene shrieked and lunged for the door, only for Alexander to slam it shut in her face.

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Maximilian glanced back and shouted. “Julia! Help Raelene!”

Julia spun at his call. Annie clung to her back, hands locked around her face, liquid metal spread across her head to blind her. Julia thrashed, trying to dislodge her, but Annie held firm. With a muffled roar, Julia vaulted upward, crashing through the ceiling. Annie was torn from Julia’s back, crashing to the floor, before rising to her feet.

A moment later, Alexander felt the elevator being ripped open from the level above. He could almost picture Julia’s fingers desperately prying it apart to reach her teammate.

Cash dropped through the ceiling hole, landing beside Annie. She swung at him, but he blurred across the room, shifting closer to Maximilian.

Alexander glanced around at the aftermath, all from less than one minute of combat. Even Augustus looked battered, hair disheveled and his suit torn. And the buzzing in Alexander’s ears had risen to a crescendo.

He didn’t know what was causing it, only that it pressed on him from every direction. Whatever it was, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. He would not risk his team against an unknown threat, especially not for what amounted to a training bout.

He locked eyes with Maximilian. It gnawed at him that, despite all the preparation, Maximilian stood there untouched. And yet, with that same preparation, they’d uncovered much about their opponent’s abilities, and shown that the gap between Grimnir and the more experienced Throne of Scales was not nearly as wide as they thought.

“Fall back,” Alexander said, struggling to keep a straight face under his mask. “I’m setting off the charges and bringing the building down.”

His bluff worked. Cash’s expression soured, and Maximilian spun, dismissing and re-conjuring chains that tore into the elevator.

Alexander let him. He turned for the maintenance closet, trusting Augustus to shield his back. Draven surprised him, phasing through the wall and rushing for the team. He slipped through every obstacle without slowing.

Alexander realized he couldn’t sense him again. He can turn invisible and phase through matter, but maybe not both at once?

Talia stumbled out of the room, blood running freely from her nose. Annie joined up with her, then jogged after Alexander. He pulled open the closet and ushered them into the waiting portal.

At the far end of the hall, Raelene was finally pried free. Julia had ripped the elevator apart completely, grabbing the others before slowly floating up the elevator shaft.

Alexander turned and stepped through the portal with his team.

Unbelievable. You become a supervillain, and everyone just accepts you might blow up a building without even checking.

The portal closed behind him.

“We have a problem,” Augustus said.

Alexander nodded, rubbing his ear. The buzzing had grown so sharp he had to grit his teeth. “I can see that.”

They were standing on the side of a road. Which was not a problem in itself. The issue was that they were standing on the side of the road right outside the facility they’d attacked, instead of several blocks away with many buildings between them and the Throne of Scales he could sense rapidly climbing toward street level.

And the street was empty.

“How did this happen, Auggy?” Talia asked.

Augustus shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Alexander cut them off. “Just get us out of here. And make it fast. They’ll be here in seconds.”

Augustus began to conjure another portal.

It was immediately obvious that something was wrong. The portal wavered in place as it formed, cracked, and collapsed.

“Auggy, now is not the time for performance anxiety!” Annie snapped with nervous humor.

Augustus tried again, with the same result. He turned to look at Alexander and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t anchor the magic at the destination. It’s like trying to open a portal to Mars or something; it’s out of reach.”

It was too late.

The Throne of Scales burst through the front door of the Santiago Systems building, coming to a halt on the other side of the road. They looked just as confused as Alexander felt.

Maximilian and Draven stood unscathed, while Cash clutched at a wound, blood seeping between his fingers. If looks could kill, Raelene’s glare alone would have left Alexander dead and buried. Julia’s suit had been torn in several places, streaked with blood from where Annie had scored some hits.

For the first time, Maximilian looked uncertain. He glanced both ways along the street, taking in the complete absence of people and vehicles, then stepped forward.

“What trick is this, Rooke?” he growled.

Alexander tried to answer, but found his mouth had stopped working. Confused, he tried to move his arms, then his legs, panic setting in as he found none of them working.

Around him, nobody else moved either. Across the road, the Throne of Scales also stood completely still. Only their eyes shifted, much as his own were.

Then text ran across his vision.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Congratulations, EARTH_1. Initialization is complete. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Dream you have chosen is: Superpowers, supported by Cybernetic Augmentation.

Cultural Acceptance: Unstable.

Launching…

Quest System… Complete.

Bounty System… Complete.

Reward System… Complete.

Achievement System… Complete.

Technique System… Updated.

Skill System… Updated.

Multiversal Combat System… Complete.

Complete.

Warning: This universe is the origin of the Dream, and its existence is being challenged by competing Dreams. You Dream of power. You Dream of control. You Dream of cfornefeldiocmt.

AS DO WE ALL.

Solution: Defend your Dream. Destroy the Dreams of others. Or Die, consumed by theirs.

YOU CREATED THIS. YOUR FEAR. YOUR GREED. YOUR DESIRE.

Phase One begins… now.

Continue the Dream.