Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The Triad gunmen were the first priority, as none of us was bulletproof, except possibly Volcano. While the dragon goons were all recovering from the eruption, I sent poltergeists to snatch up small pieces of debris and used them to jam the workings of their weapons. The spirits I had placed in the bounty hunter's gear proceeded to destroy their tech. Blasters fizzled and armor began falling off in pieces. I had several rolls of capture tape from UA, which I used to bind the stunned and unconscious villains.

When I got to Bosuku, I found he wasn't just stunned. A large stone had smashed his helmet, cracking his skull. He was dead.

Shit, I thought.

This senseless loss is why I abhor the unnecessary violence of this world. He may have been a broken man, but now he carries those faults to the next life without the chance of restitution or redemption. Emily pleaded with me. You have to stop this, before the violence spreads and more lives are lost.

I'll try. But you can't save everyone.

Trying is better than not trying. Striving against the odds and without the guarantee of success is the essence of a hero.

I rolled my eye.

As the dust cleared, I saw the volcano crew were recovering from the shockwave faster than the other villains were. From the smoking and soot covered smudges on their costumes, it was clear that they were not completely immune to the power of their joint attack. Volcano noticed the fallen foes. "There's a hero here. Someone wrapped up these guys."

All three started looking for me. Volcano quickly spotted the open path to the wrecked train. The triad's dragon was down but stirring.

"Forget the hero, get the dragon blood," the big man barked, pointing at the train. "Giran's plan is fucked. Let's just grab the traitors' van, load up the stuff, and get out of here."

Ash nodded, holding her ventilator mask in place as she panted. "The Fixer … can negotiate a new deal with us … if he wants the drugs."

"I'll get the van," Gust volunteered as he started slowly sprinting in my direction, his legs trembling. The villains hadn't seen me yet. There was no reason for them to know I was in the van. That wouldn't last longer than it took the mover to get to me. I readied a few beanbags. From experimentation, I'd found that hacky sacks were less lethal at speed than rubber balls.

CRACK! The thunder dragon announced his attack on Volcano with a powerful two-fisted blow that pealed with a crack of thunder. This combination threw the massive man back a dozen yards to slide along the pavement, digging a small trench. The dragon's tail whipped out to snap Ash's legs.

"No you don't," she said as she leaped over the swinging appendage. She cartwheeled away, releasing a jet of hot cinders into the dragon's eyes.

"Arrgh!" Apparently, the dragon wasn't fireproof as he flung up an arm to protect his face and stumbled back. The cry was its own counterattack – sending shockwaves that knocked the woman tumbling back.

She landed in the midst of three of the dragon goons, who snarled and strained and ripped the capture tape apart.

"Hello boys," she said as they rose.

I guess the capture tape wasn't rated for super strength roid rage. I bitterly observed. Why don't you people have containment foam?

Maybe you can provide the formula to Power Loader-sensei? Emily replied defensively.

"Get her!" The goons drew hatchets and attacked Ash. One stretched his arm to pursue her as she dodged backwards. Another shot foot-long quills at her from his forearms, as other spines sprouted all over his body. The third flung his empty hand out at her. With a pop, Ash was facing the opposite direction, moving towards her pursuers.

"What the hell?" the smoky villainess demanded as she dropped a dust bomb and leapt over the spiky enemy in front of her. She had drawn her cudgel and was parrying the axes of Stretchy and Flipper. "A little help here!" she called.

"Don't be a baby. You can take them." Volcano urged. The other goons had also regained their feet and started attacking him, either with their quirks or with hand axes. He faced lighting, acid, and an enemy that detonated whenever struck – as well as a pissed off thunder dragon.

The villainous dragon was occupied battling the Volcanos. The goons were discovering their guns were useless. Nightwing was laid out on the roof of the freight car, unmoving. Not too far away my shadows heard a rending crash and a squealing of pneumatic breaks. The bullet train was making an emergency stop a few blocks away.

"Who are you?" Gust demanded. He had stopped a dozen yards from the van and was looking at me through a broken window.

Damn, I mentally cursed. I'm too easily distracted by the multiple inputs. Can't do what I used to.

"I'm a hero and you should surrender now." I said plainly. Always identify yourself and offer them the opportunity to surrender was drilled into us in both the Wards and at UA. Attacking first was frowned upon.

Gust laughed, his bill-like mouth stretching into a bizarre grimace. "You're kind of cute," he said as he raised his hands, his flat orange fingers splayed unnaturally wide. "So I'll go easy on y…"

He wasn't very tough. A single beanbag to the sternum sent him tumbling, rolling to a stop several yards away – unconscious. His breathing was labored, but his heart rate was steady. A cracked breastbone and some dislocated ribs at worst I figured after a quick remote examination. Like he said, easy.

Volcano and Ash were occupied with the Nine Head Dragon forces, having reached something of a stalemate. I was trying to decide who to take out without giving one side or the other an advantage.

While they are occupied, might this not be a good time to help Nightwing. He is in considerable danger. Emily reminded me.

That's a good idea. I agreed. I was still trying to adjust to this body's limits on multitasking. It was too easy for me to forget things in the middle of stressful situations. I wondered if it was a body chemistry thing.

I bounced around the battle, skirting the perimeter to get to the train. Seeing Greedo and Jeeta had come to near the ongoing combat. They were muttering complaints but keeping their voices down to avoid drawing attention.

Not wanting them to be crushed accidentally, or for someone to take advantage of their helpless state, I knew I had to move them. The issue was I had to get closer to grab them. A wall of wisps burning dark mixed with some visible shadow fire came together to create a curtain to camouflage the mercenaries and me as I moved them. Once that was in place, I had my geists roll them out of the middle of the fight, while reinforcing the capture tape with monofilament and zip ties.

I deposited them thirty yards away from the battle.

When I reached the train I found Nightwing in half-dragon form, blood seeping from his ears, his scales dented and discolored. I imagined that was bruising, but couldn't be sure. He must have been right over the Volcanoes when they erupted.

I tried to lift him with my spirits. He was too heavy. Then I used them to boost my own strength. He was still too much. "Ugh, what have you been eating? Come on …"

I glanced over at the fight. Several of the goons were down. Ash was taking them on one or two at a time, her cudgel versus their axes. Quirks played a role, but it was mostly martial arts and wits. She seemed to be enjoying herself, smiling and bantering. The goons were getting angrier and more sloppy with each foiled attack.

"Come on – big, green, and scaly," she teased as she danced out of the way of a clawed hand. "Can't catch me?" She leaped over a spread of flying quills, only for them to impale one of the other goons. She landed, spraying a cloud of dust to hide the club swinging on the porcupine's head. Two more Triad fighters down.

Volcano and the thunder beast were more evenly matched – two Brute/Blasters with attacks the other was not immune to. Neither were bothering with subtlety or finesse. They were pounding on each other. If it continued, it would likely come down to endurance or luck. It reminded me of Lung – and not just because of the dragon thing. At the moment, no one was paying attention to us.

I tried dragging Nightwing, rather than lifting him. Bracing on the corner of the roof with my feet, I pulled with my legs as well as my poltergeists. He shifted forward and I managed to keep him moving until we tumbled off the roof on the sheltered side of the car. Reinforcing my stealth shield, I pondered what to do next – run or fight?

I had the evidence that the Bounty Heroes were corrupt. I had been ordered to run if attacked – of course, that was by the corrupt heroes. I could run, but that would leave the drugs to the winner of the fight and Nightwing to their nonexistent mercy.

I could fight. Taking out brutes like Volcano or the thunder dragon was never easy, but I had accomplished it in the past – though never without a cost either to myself or the brute. I would have to fight for time while finding their weaknesses. Time that might let my call get through or some of the pro heroes that had to be involved in the larger crisis to join in here. I hated relying on anyone else. Too often in the past the other heroes had either not been there when I needed them, or were not up to the task if they were in place.

Before I could decide to join the fight – because that was where that debate was almost always going to land – Nightwing started to stir. I could see his wounds were slowly closing, the colors fading. Regeneration was apparently a draconic trait.

"Uugh…" he moaned. "Thunderer?"

"You mean the other dragon?" I asked.

"Yes, my brother. I have to stop him."

"Ain't family wonderful," I muttered. "He's fighting the Volcano guy."

"Can't let him get away with the drugs." Nightwing struggled to sit upright. "You destroy the dragon blood. I'll get Thunderer."

"I don't think you're in any shape to 'get' anyone." I looked at the freight car. There were a number of small crates carrying what I assumed was this quirk enhancing drug. I could burn it where it sat, but who knew what the effect might be. Burning an equivalent amount of heroin or cocaine out in the open like this would just give the whole city a buzz. This stuff might transform everyone that breathed in the smoke, causing random super-powered rampages in the middle of whatever chaos was already happening.

Just then a winged … thing came flying into the battle on the other side of the train – smashing into a group of goons. It was pale yellow with large bat wings and an exposed brain. It had protruding eyes and a gasmask covered the rest of its face. Its dark blue dress slacks and belt seemed somehow incongruous. Was this a transformed salaryman?

"What is that?" Ash cried, dodging the winged newcomer.

"More trouble," Volcano replied, shooting a jet of magma. The flying brain snagged one of the dragon goons in its lower talons and lifted him into the air, circling the battlefield.

"I'll stop him." Nightwing pushed himself to his feet and spread his wings. With a mighty beat, he lifted into the dark sky and began chasing the other flier.

Another unknown factor. I decided to take advantage of the distraction and targeted the dragon goons. While still on the other side of the train, I used a nail to puncture the human bomb. He exploded, knocking three of his comrades off their feet. One goon seemed tougher than the others. His skin was like an armadillo's – thick and pebbled. He withstood the blast and started looking for the attacker.

Thunderer, on seeing his brother, forgot his fiery opponent and leapt high, releasing a roar that sent both fliers reeling. The brain guy dropped the goon, who landed with a crack. Something got through his drug induced defenses.

"Come on," Volcano said. "While they're busy, let's get the blood and get out of here." They started for the freight car. Nightwing shot out a fusillade of metal feathers at them, causing them to dodge to the side.

"You're gonna stop us?" Volcano yelled. "I don't think so!" and shot a stream of lava. Still shaky from his wounds and the sonic attack Nightwing dodged it only to veer right into a pillar of smoking, choking ash from the female villain. A second stream of molten stone fouled his wings and sent him crashing to the ground.

Volcano started towards his prone foe when Ash yelled, "Leave him. We have to get out of here."

"Where's Gust Boy?" demanded the big guy.

"Don't know," Ash replied. "He never came back with the van. Someone must have taken him down."

"Shit. We can't just leave him. I made a promise to his mother." Volcano started looking around, just in time to dodge an attack by the thunder dragon.

"He's mine! No one gets to kill him but me!" the half-man roared, clawing at Volcano's stony skin.

The big man backhanded the dragon, knocking him to his knees. "He's all yours. Now where's my nephew?"

As the Thunderer struggled to his feet, the flying brain swooped in. Ash flipped out of its way. The thing grabbed the dragon man, lifting him into the sky, and flew away.

"Go get Gust. He must be by the van. I'll grab the blood." Volcano barked. Ash nodded and took off.

When her back was turned, I sent a beanbag at her leg. There was a crack as she went down. A braid of monofilament strands pressed against the critical areas on her neck muffled her cry and she was out in a matter of seconds.

While I was taking out Ash. Volcano had taken down the remaining goons on his way towards the train.

That just left the bug guy. I prepare a double pinch of capsaicin, flying it to his face and pulled to remove his mask. It covered his mouth and nose. Whatever was holding it on was proof against 100 kg of force.

"Who's that?" he demanded looking around.

I pushed the pepper concentrate into his eyes. He blinked then fanned it away with a smoldering hand. "That's not gonna work on me," he growled. "Show yourself."

Not good, but I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. I sent a handful of flash powder and exploded it right in front of his face.

He ignored it. "Bright and hot don't hurt me. Nothing you've got is gonna stop me. Give up. Come out. And I'll take you down easy. Make me hunt for you and you're going down hard."

I tried the monofilament chokehold, but couldn't put enough pressure on his neck to get to the arteries. Each type of spirit had strengths and weaknesses. While shadows could penetrate objects easily, my poltergeists and fire spirits did not actually work inside people, though they could target through very small openings. As I couldn't focus all my poltergeists on the small blood vessels, the chokehold was useless if the neck could withstand the pressure I could bring to bear.

"Trying to tickle me?" he said then started spraying lava to build a wall around him.

I wrapped him in monofilament. He melted it. I pelted him with nails, ball bearings, and debris. He ignored it or knocked it out of the air. "You got nothing!" he said as he closed the magma cocoon over him. I could sense the geists I had on him moving quickly underground. He was fast.

I was preparing my rail gun, something I was hesitant to use on a person because it was so powerful. But nothing else I had was affecting this guy. My one advantage was that he didn't know where I was. I floated a 1cm ball bearing back and up a hundred yards. If I missed or blew through, I didn't want the round continuing into the city. The ground made a great backstop.

Volcano was closing fast. I was moving away when I felt the ground heating below me. I flipped upwards, landing on the train roof, just before he erupted from the pavement. Molten tarmac splattered across my left arm, quickly melting through my costume. I scraped it off with my geists, but not before it had burnt my skin.

"Arrgh," I groaned, wishing I could shunt the sudden pain into my spirits.

"Got you!" he crowed. "You can't hide from me."

As he trained his massive rocky glove on me, the bore of his lava spout looming large, something grey hit him from behind – propelling him forward through the train car and out the other side.

The creature that had hit Volcano lurched into a stooped stance and looked up at me with four eyes set into another exposed brain. It was horrible. A cross between a zombie and a weird medical experiment. As viscerally disturbing as any Case 53 I'd ever encountered. Obviously related to the flying brain, but somehow vastly more unnatural.

Before I could react, two elongated arms shot out and grabbed the sides of my head. The creature jerked me forward, but I managed to get my legs in place between us. I was kicking out with all my strength, as I collected a swarm of fire spirits around his grisly head and commanded them to burn.

The creature opened its rubbery maw and released a high-pitched wail, but didn't release me. Then a small fast flier rocketed into the back of the creature. Its arms splayed wide, freeing me as it crashed through the wall of the freight car and landed in the pile of drug containers – cracking them open like eggs.

Glowing green fluid splattered across the inside of the car. The creature's tongue – split like multiple tentacles – stretched out and licked the dragon blood from the walls.

On the other side of the car, Volcano was charging towards us.

"No!" the fiery villain yelled, his right hand rising, magma roiling in his palm. I saw – like I was watching a movie – his blast would go through the car and engulf me and the little man in the yellow cape who had knocked the creature off of me – roasting us and engulfing the drug in flames.

Back in the present, I fired the poltergeist railgun – aiming for his shoulder. The small steel ball tore through stone, flesh, and bone. The kinetic energy passed into the brute's body. The explosion of gore sent the lava-filled arm flying in one direction and the massive body in the opposite. He hit the ground hard and stopped moving.

"You killed him?" the little man complained.

"No," I said. "He's not dead." He was bleeding heavily from the massive wounds. Knowing he was at least partially fireproof, I sent fire spirits to cauterize the injuries.

"What are you doing?" the man tried to grab me. I used my scarf to keep him at bay.

"Trying to keep him from bleeding out."

"But the fire will kill him."

"He's a lava blaster. The fire won't kill him, but blood loss will." I argued.

In the train car, the creature was bubbling like a melted wax figure. Its muscles were expanding. Its head was on fire. Its tongues were whipping around. Its green skin was deepening in color and growing scales. It was mutating before our eyes.

Behind it – past the unconscious body of the Volcano – Thunderer and the five remaining dragon goons were closing in.

Things had just gotten much worse.