Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 20

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Camille saw him, but she was still trying to slow Scream Eagle down and didn’t have time to drop that to increase the gravity around Art.

Plus, again, in this small space, he moved as quickly as Jaclyn would have. She didn’t have time to do anything before he stabbed her with the palm claw in his right hand.

Art’s next move was to dive and roll past Julie, sinking the palm claw of his left hand into her thigh through her armor. As she fell, he turned toward the back of the room where Zola faced Haley, Sydney, Dayton, Daniel, and Jody’s unconscious body.

Well, sort of. Zola had been busy too. Continue reading Regression: Part 20 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 19

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As I flew toward the open windows, my implant summarized the feed from the tower to the degree it could—a series of pictures.

Scream Eagle rose toward the windows, gaining speed despite Camille’s control over gravity. A flash from Haley’s cam showed sweat on Camille’s brow, fists clenched, and mouth in a thin line.

Sean and Vaughn, meanwhile, were doing what they could. Sean whirled a circle of metal balls with enough speed that they turned into a ring reflecting the light of the sun and the room’s fluorescent lights. I’d seen what he could do with them. They made a highly mobile circular saw that could cut through more than you’d think. When used with his power, even if they shattered, he could continue to cut with the dust. Continue reading Regression: Part 19 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 18

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The sonic booms caused ripples in the golden glow around Artemis and shattered windows in the buildings around Justice Fist’s base.

Within a block of us,  a car alarm had gone off (maybe more than one), but, in the whirlwind of combat, that could have been a side effect of Power Burst’s scream attack on Cassie. It was hard to know.

That would have been interesting enough, but in addition, Jaclyn’s fist slammed into the filmy, golden shield around Artemis. This time, the shield threw out flashes of gold along with a blast of static in combination with another boom. Continue reading Regression: Part 18 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 17

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I aimed myself toward Jaclyn and Artemis, firing off six goobots as I did, aiming three at Artemis and the other three at Power Burst. Any distraction at all might help Izzy.

I wasn’t the only one with that thought.

As Power Burst dived toward the new crater created by Izzy hitting the ground, a beam from Cassie’s gun struck him. My HUD dimmed the light, but from the readouts, I could tell that she hadn’t been aiming to blind. Continue reading Regression: Part 17 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 16

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Amnesia Angel’s wings faded away, replaced by nothing—no glowing wings, no feathered wings, just holes for wings in the back of their costume where the wings had emerged.

The holes inadvertently answered another question I’d had, revealing a bit of bra strap. That didn’t necessarily reveal the person’s internal sense of their gender, but statistically speaking, it would most of the time.

Anyway, I didn’t have time to ask pronouns at that moment because she (?) was more than 50 feet in the air, powerless, and either dead or unconscious. Continue reading Regression: Part 16 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 15

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Was I willing to take a wound to take the angel out? I had a bad feeling that the right blow might kill me. Fighting with swords that arguably attacked your “soul” seemed like it might have different rules, and I hadn’t learned them yet.

That also meant that everything I’d learned about how to avoid killing my opponent also couldn’t be trusted.

Right now, I’d have to go with whatever worked. Continue reading Regression: Part 15 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 14

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The bad news? Amy had zero chance of telling me everything I needed in the next few seconds.

Considering Amnesia Angel’s speed, I doubted I’d have seconds. They rushed me, sword out and slashing.

I twisted to avoid them, giving the rockets extra power and hoping the reaction time I’d saved by sending commands to the Rocket suit through my implant made a difference.

It did, but not enough. I felt pain in my thigh, burning but not unbearable. A glance downward showed no physical damage,  the follow-through of the angel’s blade missing my right leg. Continue reading Regression: Part 14 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 13

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Much as I had in the jet, I felt Magnus’ attention. Strictly speaking, it was the presence of Magnus using Artificer senses through what I’d heard called the Galaxy Core Device, but whatever.

Along with that attention, I also felt burning energy coming this direction. It wasn’t a question of being able to pretend I wasn’t here and avoid it.

There was no time to get myself into that mode of thinking, no time to dodge. At the moment that I’d noticed it, it was here.

Except… Nothing happened. Continue reading Regression: Part 13 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 12

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As I drew near, I saw the angel’s blade and felt a dull ache in my mind, realizing that the being I faced had some connection to the Artificers.

I also realized that even though I’d gotten a decent sleep, I’d used my minimal Artificer abilities to the limit yesterday in the jet.

Except for the time I’d manifested Lee’s blade and fought Magnus (?) in that vision, I’d only ever managed to use my abilities defensively. Knowing how I felt, I wasn’t sure I’d even manage to do that now. Continue reading Regression: Part 12 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 11

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Vaughn, for example, hit him with lightning again, and Power Burst’s slower speed made that easier. And Vaughn didn’t only target Power Burst. He targeted all of them—Scream Eagle and the two others speeding after them.

The hit on Scream Eagle was, if anything, a disappointment. Whatever designers the military had used for Scream Eagle’s armor before he stole it (or Rook after that), they’d thought ahead about lightning. The suit sparked, but he didn’t fall over.

Put bluntly, Camille’s gravity already held him to the ground, where Sean’s balls pummeled him from all sides (heh). Continue reading Regression: Part 11 →

The Legion of Nothing: A Series of Online Superhero Novels (Updates Monday and Thursday)