Liam wove his way around broken robots, their remains scattered across the pet shop floor. Half worried one still had a little juice left in it and would attack if he strayed too close.

Once through that minefield, Liam reached the store’s window and stepped through the broken frame, careful to crouch under the stalactites of glass hanging from the top. The slightest of touches would be enough to send them crashing to the ground.

Avoiding the dangling obstacle, his foot crunched as it settled down on the cement outside the store. Broken glass fanning outward from what had been a window.

Liam was careful in how he moved his feet, trying to muffle the clink of the glass. With the echoes of fighting happening around town, it masked the noise of his passing to a large degree.

Pulling himself the rest of the way through the window, Liam was ready for an attack to spring forth. If not from Skip, then one of the many robots swirling around town.

However, the street was still. The last strands of gas wafting through the air. A stiff sea breeze blowing it away. It was an odd sight. The violence from the last few minutes was so fresh in his head, and the sounds from behind left an odd sensation in his stomach. How could there be stillness when people were fighting for their lives around him?

Thinking about the feeling, Liam decided it wasn’t worry rushing through him, but something sitting between that and anticipation. He was ready for the next step, yet dreaded it all the same.

Looking towards the beach, Liam found Skip, stumbling into a wall. Liam was tempted to attack at that moment, but held back. His former teammate could be hiding his true condition. Playing Liam into thinking he was in worse shape than he really was. Liam had to be sure before engaging again. If he miscalculated, the teleporter would be gone and Liam might not get an opportunity to face him like this again.

Skip braced himself, his shoulder leaning on the wall as he breathed in. Big, shuddering breaths that reverberated in the empty street. With an effort that looked herculean, the man pushed off the wall. He stood for a moment, swaying in the breeze. Liam could almost see the man’s legs give way, toppling him forward. Yet the man fought it off and held firm. After a moment to overcome his vertigo, the man continued his meandering walk away from the pet store.

Following behind the fleeing Cowl, Liam pulled out his second staff, extending the device in one clean movement. Without the electric tip activated, the motion made little sound. And judging from Skip’s movements, he hadn’t heard the subtle clicks.

As the two moved, Liam watched the man. Gauging him like the predator he was, stalking his wounded prey.

Satisfied with what he saw, Liam moved closer. With each step, the distance shrunk. Thuds of the other fighting throughout the town echoed down the street. What little glass was still in the frames rattled with each boom.

Pulling to within feet, Liam centered himself. With one attack, he’d end everything. His family would be safe again. His former teammates would be held accountable for what they’d done. All would be right with the world.

Liam’s target had stopped at an intersection, his head swiveling from one direction to the other. This was his chance. With a last breath, Liam sprung forward, his staff piercing outward. At the last second Skip spun low, letting Liam’s weapon fly over his head.

Liam was left staring down an empty street. One far enough from the pet store blast that some of the windows were still intact. In one of those window panes Liam saw his figure, standing alone, reflected back at him. From his angle, Liam thought the reflection shook its head. Skip had been faking his injury, and he’d fallen for it.

No sooner had the thought entered Liam’s mind than Skip was back. His counter attack landing on Liam’s armour. The blade Liam was used to seeing in the man’s hand was replaced with something else. At a quick glance, the device looked like an oversized nail gun. One with the nails stored underneath. Each projectile was closer to a sharpened bolt than the common carpentering nail. Easily a quarter inch round.

At point blank, the device went off. The thunk of the bolt sent Liam’s insides vibrating. However, a glance at his HUD showed the bolt had been deflected off his armour.

Liam shifted backward, trying to pull into a defensive position as another two bolts shot out. Both attacks ricochet against his suit’s hard exterior. One landing on Liam’s hip and the other on his forearm. Yet Liam could feel the tension with each strike. Even with the cushion of his armour, Liam was going to have bruises if he survived that long.

As Liam fought to find his defense a lucky counter attack knocked the bolt gun to the side. Before Liam’s followup attack Skip teleported. The Cowl appeared behind Liam and thrust the bolt gun into Liam’s back. Again he pulled the trigger and a bolt shot forth. It was like a sledgehammer landing on Liam’s shoulder, forcing him down to one knee.

Not waiting for the next attack, Liam pivoted on his knee, thrusting his staff where the attacks were coming from. Only for his attack to catch empty air.

Liam stood as he searched the area for the elusive teleporter. The sea breeze rustled a discarded newspaper and a screech sounded out from somewhere in the city. Yet his opponent was out of sight.

“Think you can take me by yourself?” A voice to Liam’s right taunted.

Liam spun to face it as he heard a thunk and an attack landed on his leg. The bolt was stopped again, yet this time it hadn’t been deflected. A Glance down showed the shining piece of metal sticking between two joint plates.

It wasn’t a crippling attack, so he’d deal with that later. With that understanding, Liam searched for his opponent. Spinning, Liam found the mobility in his right leg hindered. The bolt was preventing his joint from opening all the way. It was going to become an annoyance in short order.

Skip was in front of Liam when he next spotted the man. Liam pulled out a concrete foam grenade. Knowing it wouldn’t hit the man, but he still threw it. If it could slow down the pace of the fight, it’d have done the job.

Skip laughed as he caught the grenade. Letting it go off in his hand. In a second Skip was coated in foam. It’s tiny bubbles spreading over him and the ground around him. Then, as if he’d gotten bored, the man teleported. Leaving behind a rapidly filling hole in the cluster of bubbles.

“This is pathetic. To think, you believed you were chasing me. When really, I was just drawing you away from that annoying robot girl. If not for her, this fight would’ve already been over,” Skip said.

Before Liam could respond, the attacks started again. One after another, Liam tried to deflect the blows. Only to find more nails landing all over his suit. His armour slowly losing its integrity as bolt after bolt was fired into him.

…

Nudge pulled at Bank-Breaker. Aiming for the man’s important nerve centers, blood vessels, and organs. If he was going to do this, he wouldn’t take chances. He’d destroy every part of the man he could in one go. Killing the man in a hundred different ways in an instant.

While his power hummed, Nudge took aim at the parts of Bank-Breaker, he’d called out. Only many of them weren’t there. Or they were built differently than he’d seen in other people. It wasn’t uncommon for organs between people to be different, but those small imperfections were never at this level. Some of the man’s missing parts, like his kidneys, had metal spheres in their place.

While it was strange, Nudge paid the oddity little mind. He’d figure it out once the man was done for. Until then, he had a fight to win.

What should’ve been easy for his power, even without practice, didn’t materialize? Despite trying to tear the man apart in a hundred different ways, Bank-Breaker was left standing. All the man’s innards still in their strange arrangement. None even twitching in response to his power.

Nudge pulled again. Pouring more of his focus into the attack. He felt his body rock, but ignored the sensation as he lashed out at Bank-Breaker.

And yet again, nothing happened. The man was just standing there. Again and again Nudge tried, his power thumping in response. Energy rippling out from him, yet nothing changed. This shouldn’t be possible, Nudge screamed inside.

His confusion was left behind as the tugging on his body grew in intensity. Focusing on the annoying feeling, Nudge found a robot clawing at him. Its shining metal claws were scratching away at his suit. Shreds of fabrics flying into the air with each attack. A trickle of blood following suit.

With a thought, Nudge turned his vines on the machine. Like a shamrock colored anaconda, the vines wrapped around the squirming metal body and squeezed. In seconds, the machine popped like a water balloon. From within, wires and other parts spewed forth.

Another quick thought and the injuries over Nudge’s body closed. His flesh knitting itself back together like it’d never been torn. Even his uniform was sewn back together. Little strands of cotton needling their way through the fabric and pulling it all back together.

His powers were still working, the quick heal had proved that, if the living vines and cotton thread weren’t enough. But he wasn’t able to touch Bank-Breaker. Just what was happening, Nudge wondered as he turned back to the Cowl.

Below him, Tank had slowed. Her own momentum dulled by the deluge of attacks. Even she wasn’t able to push through the rising wall of moving metal. Her battle falling back to a fight of attrition. With each attack, her fists tore through the robots. Leaving a trail of broken parts in her wake. However, the numbers she faced seemed limitless. New robots continued to fly over the remains of those she’d laid to waste.

“Figured it out yet?” a taunting voice called to Nudge. Tank was fine for now. He could leave her down there while he dealt with their true opponent.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Nudge lied back. Bank-Breaker had done something. Yet, he wouldn’t give the man the satisfaction of knowing it’d affected him. By doing that, he might get the Cowl to tip his hand.

“Don’t give me that. You were trying to kill me,” Bank-Breaker called after a moment of thought. “I don’t blame you. I’m sure the guilt of letting me live all those years ago is weighing you down.”

This time Nudge remained quiet. The man was manipulating his power and trying to get under his skin. This could be part of a bigger ploy. Maybe Nudge’s lack of concentration was affecting his power and Bank-Breaker was trying to inflame that? The theory didn’t make complete sense, but it was all Nudge could come up with. Either way, he wouldn’t give the Cowl the satisfaction of knowing he’d been shaken.

“Do you want to know how I did it?” Bank-Breaker asked when Nudge remained quiet.

A group of robots flew by. Leaving enough space around Nudge that he knew they weren’t coming into attack. Yet close enough he had to keep an eye on them.

“The ships weren’t just for show. They were an experiment.”

“There were people on them,” Nudge called back. The memory of what the team found in the sea driving him to speak.

“I know. Someone had to be a test subject, and they all climbed into my petri dish.”

“How could you do that to people? Don’t you have a soul.”

“Of course I do. But after what you did to me, I swore nothing would come between me and revenge. Those deaths are on your hands, not mine,” Bank-Breaker shouted. His cloaked hand pointing towards Nudge.

“I didn’t kill them,” Nudge shot back.

“But you pushed me to do it. And the results speak for themselves. Your power doesn’t work on me.”

Nudge was quiet. Bank-Breaker was everything he wanted to stop, evil in the guise of a man.

“The last man begged for help. I had to gag him, it was getting to be too annoying.”

The world shook as Nudge reacted. Building windows shattered up and down the street as he attached, vines twirling around him in a maelstrom.

Laughter echoed from the rooftop as hundreds of robots rose from the far streets. Tripling the numbers they’d faced since they arrived. Nudge didn’t care, there were more ways than one to kill people with his power.

“I’ve waited so long for this!” Bank-Breaker called. A horrible rasping cackling echoing from under his hood.