Tag Archives: the Rhino

Arc 6.7: When It's Over

When It’s Over: Part 9

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Joe decided to put Lee on hold with a click, and took Larry’s call.

“Rocket?” Larry’s voice came over the suit’s internal speakers. “I don’t know what half this stuff does, and I can’t turn off the translator, but this suit’s got amazing weapons. You want me to hit him again?”

The Nexus struggled to pull its legs out of the pile. It wasn’t going easily. He barely seemed to move one piece of concrete when another fell back into the hole he’d created.

Plus, something about the giant’s balance seemed off.

“Follow my lead,” Joe said, and hung up.

Continue reading When It’s Over: Part 9 →

Arc 6.7: When It's Over

When It’s Over: Part 8

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The Nexus didn’t even seem to notice the noise.

A rainbow of colors swirled around the Rhino costume as it blurred toward them, changing it from gray, lumpy armor with a horn to sleek, bronze armor with a metallic sheen.

It still had a Rhino theme, but it was bigger, and had a long bronze horn with a sharp spike on the end.

The bronze armor stopped, and voice came from it. It sounded almost like Larry’s, but not quite, and it didn’t speak in English.

“Je suis le Bronze Rhino!” Continue reading When It’s Over: Part 8 →

Arc 6.7: When It's Over

When It’s Over: Part 7

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Pressing the buttons on his palm, Joe made the suit turn upright and hover. As the Nexus flew toward him, barely slowing down and raising his arm, Joe wondered how good an idea this would be.

Bright shifting colors raced toward him, and passed to his right, quickly followed by the Nexus himself.

Joe turned in place in the air. It had seemed difficult the first time he’d tried it, but after more than thirty years in the Rocket suit, he barely thought as he did it.

The Nexus turned toward him, turning upright in the air and pointing the bracer at him.

Continue reading When It’s Over: Part 7 →

Arc 5.9: Spin

Spin: Part 5

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By the time our food came, anyone who had wanted an autograph had one. There weren’t that many people in the restaurant after all.

A fair number of them pointed phones in our direction. It didn’t make me feel better. It’d be really annoying if one of us accidentally used a real name. We’d probably see it all over the internet in hours.

Daniel’s voice popped into my head. It gets worse. One of them already called a television station, and they’re sending out a reporter.

What? It was all I could do not to say it out loud. Why didn’t you say something?

It’s no big deal, Daniel said. The nearest TV station is half an hour from here. Our food should be here sooner.

Hoping that no one thought to bribe the cooks, I looked over the room again, and didn’t see anything unusual. Continue reading Spin: Part 5 →

Arc 3.6: Targets

Targets: Part 24

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I didn’t even think about what I’d be hitting. I fired, holding the button down even though I knew it used more power.

I don’t think I panicked, but I can’t say I was thinking clearly.

Being rushed by someone who you know can kill you does that. Continue reading Targets: Part 24 →

Arc 3.6: Targets

Targets: Part 22

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Haley parked the car by the side of the road. As we got out, I couldn’t help but notice who wasn’t there–Jaclyn, Cassie and Julie. And that sucked because Cassie could have chopped them to pieces, Julie could have told them to stop, and had a pretty good chance that they’d listen, and Jaclyn…

Jaclyn could have done something. Physically, she was the only one of us who was in Prime’s army’s league. Plus she was a whole lot faster than any of them.

I couldn’t say that we were doomed, but part of me would have felt better knowing they were with us.
Continue reading Targets: Part 22 →

Arc 3.6: Targets

Targets: Part 21

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Off to our left, bright red beams lanced the ground, and then raked across the building I’d been in. It didn’t look like much–a concrete block with brown, wooden siding on the edge of farmland.

When the beams hit the back of the building, it exploded. I wondered if Travis had hit a gas line or if they had had an armory back there.
Continue reading Targets: Part 21 →

Arc 3.5: War

War: Part 11

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For a moment, Lee and I must have been the only people who realized that Prime was dead.

He grinned as I looked up from the head, and saluted me with the bloodied blade. In that moment, someone shouted, and it seemed like everyone turned to see him standing in front of Prime’s body.

“Rocket, grab the head and dump it someplace!”
Continue reading War: Part 11 →

Arc 1.4: In the Public Eye

In the Public Eye: Part 59

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Inside the police department looked like most institutional buildings — beige walls, tile floor, cubicles — but with the obvious addition of men and women in blue carrying guns.

We ended up standing inside a conference room. “We” in this case meant new and old Heroes League members, the Midwest Defenders, the FBI representatives, PsyKick, Larry, and a few police.

It was a big conference room — two, actually. They’d taken out the divider between two rooms as we came in.

The tables had been pushed to the wall and the sleeping bodies placed in the middle of the room. All the rest of us stood around the edges while Daniel, his dad, the Fed with the psychic helmet, and PsyKick deep probed their minds.
Continue reading In the Public Eye: Part 59 →