Apex entered the scene and boomed with a combination of a Sonic Wave and Point of Interest, radiating with golden energy. Five heads turned his way, all wearing the black goggles, but some were grappling with another. Trouble in the ranks of the criminals? Or maybe someone got greedy and tried taking a bigger cut of the loot.
The bank vault hung open, one of the Awakened likely an expert lock picker. It was about the size of an elementary classroom with several of the lockboxes on the wall cleanly opened and drained of their respective wealth. Apex only arrived on time thanks to information from his informant; otherwise, the criminals could have made a clean getaway.
“Stand down and I might spare you,” Apex said, raising an arm fully imbued by Goldshine.
“Wait! We’re not with them!” One of the black-goggled people pointed at himself and one of the other robbers.
Apex scoffed, amused by the attempt. They sounded so sincere, even raising their hands in surrender and dropping to their knees.
Meanwhile one of their companions pointed arms his way and glowed white.
“Wait, wait, don’t antagonize him!” a robber begged.
“He won’t see it coming.”
An invisible disk tried to slice his neck and was easily avoided thanks to Third Eye. The wall behind him thudded, a fresh cut across its metal exterior. Smirking, Apex watched the agape mouth of the attacker.
Grunting, the assailant sent three more invisible blades, each at a new angle. Apex leaned his shoulder back and took a calm step to the left, avoiding the attacks again. The wall behind cracked and groaned..
“He can see everything!” the man whispered, terrified.
Apex wasn’t going to contradict a reputation like that. Let the Underground believe he was even more powerful than reported. With a burst of Sonic Wave, he rattled his opponents’ heads, then charged forward.
A beam of pure lightning soared through the air, arcing for his chest, the other robber finally engaging as well. Apex twisted his arm mid-step and blasted the face of the masked woman with Goldshine, followed by another focused, disorienting Sonic Wave. She fell to the ground, grabbing her bleeding ears.
Turning his attention back to the first attacker, Apex was forced to bend all the way to a ninety-degree angle, avoiding a fist covered in metal, swinging for an uppercut. Two powers? Grabbing it as it sailed overhead, Apex twisted it. It remained whole, so Apex enhanced his strength with Goldshine and put more force into it. With a crunching snap, the metal arm broke and its owner cried out, grabbing desperately. Apex let out another pulse of Sonic Wave, followed by a Point of Interest to twist heads back and forth and hopefully dizzy his enemies in the small space.
Pulling himself back up to full height, Apex towered over the remaining three unbroken robbers. Two of them were kneeling in surrender. The last one held up his arms reluctantly, but looked like he was going to fight regardless of the hesitations. Slightly amused, Apex walked up to him, feeling no danger emanating from Third Eye.
“You sure you don’t want to back down like your friends?”
“They’re not my friends. And I’ll outlast you,” He was young, on the later end of his teens. Feet wobbled and his pockets were bursting with cash and gemstones.
The kid couldn’t claim he wasn’t offered mercy. Now it was time to dole out justice. Igniting his hand in Goldshine so intense it burst into golden flame, he bashed his fist into the robber’s gut. Coughing, the boy’s eyes lost focus immediately, slumping forward into Apex’s arm and being set gently on the floor.
“Smart move surrendering. Now, tell me where you work. And who sent you here?” Apex demanded.
“EUE!” The first of the two waved his arms desperately in front of him.
“Predator sent us!” The second was a girl with an atomic symbol on her clothes.
Frowning, Apex looked the two of them over, then nodded in understanding when he remembered the robbers fighting amongst one another when he entered. “An undercover mission, then. Do you know where their hideout is?”
“Undercover job? No, this was a regular deployment!” the first said, waving his hands even more frantically.
“Then…”
Apex blinked, shifting his weight away from his leg and hopping to the side, narrowly avoiding… A regular punch. Third Eye had warned him of a blow by the young man he had just knocked unconscious. Frowning, Apex slammed a palm into him and emitted a point-blank Sonic Wave, blasting him back into the vault’s concrete wall and knocking him out cold again. Shaking his head to himself, Apex looked back to the two EUE members and tried to catch up to what he was asking.
“Right. The goggles. Why wear the goggles if you’re not undercover?” Suspicion crept back into his mind.
“Because it’s our uniform!”
Apex shook his head confidently. “I’ve been chasing these criminals for the better part of two weeks. They all wear black goggles. Every one of them. EUE… Well, I don’t think I’ve run into any of them before.”
“You mean any of you before, right?” the male EUE member asked nervously.
“Just because they stole our uniform doesn’t make it theirs,” the other said indignantly.
“I think the news would disagree with you. And the citizens of Hammerton. And me, I already disagree,” Apex said.
“Well, I—”
“What is going on?” Apex declared abruptly, rolling his head around and locking back to the young man, raising his fists again. “What’s your deal? You don’t feel pain?”
“You’ll be the only one here left in any pain!” he said.
Eyes narrowing, Apex looked to the earlier two companions on the ground who had passed out in shock from their injuries. “Sure, kid. Just surrender already, it’ll be easier for…”
Tripping over himself, the young man charged forward and threw a handful of cash in Apex’s face while throwing a punch at his stomach. Apex let out a small Sonic Wave, splitting the gems coming for his face and throwing off the trajectory of his assailant’s arms. Kneeling down, Apex looked at him at eye level and grabbed both fists that came for his face, holding tightly with the grip of Goldshine.
“Stand. Down.”
“What are you gonna do—”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Breathing in frustration, Apex let the full force of his hands clamp down and fracture bones. The young man screamed in agony, falling back and holding his broken hands to his chest. Apex turned back to the alleged EUE members.
“Any proof you’re with EUE?” Apex asked, brushing himself off.
The two looked at the wailing teen in horror, eyes wide and hands cringing uncertainly. Apex hit them both with a gentle Point of Interest, forcing their eyes back on him. Their eyes went wider.
“You listening?” Apex asked, his tone flat.
“Yeah! Proof!” The man pulled out his wallet and fumbled with it, his arms trembling aggressively.
Looking back up at Apex’s unamused expression, he tossed the entire wallet at him with a yelp. Apex caught it with a flash of movement from his hand, so fast it cracked the air. Sure enough, behind a few credit cards was a EUE registration card. It was made of cheap paper and was probably printed in bulk online. Apex took some pride that their cards had some flair to them, even changing color in the light to match the aesthetic of HUE. Scanning the man’s EUE card, it said his name was Helios. Satisfied, Apex tossed the wallet back.
“She’s with you?”
“Yeah! That’s Atomic! Don’t hurt her!”
“Hang on just a moment.” Apex kneeled back down to the kid that was back on his feet, defiance on his face. His hands looked perfectly fine. “Self healing? Even when you’re knocked unconscious?”
The young man’s expression went surprised behind his goggles, mouth hanging open in shock.
“N… No.” The lie was somehow endearing to Apex.
“You gonna stand down, yet?”
“Never.”
Apex grabbed the side of his head and smashed it into the concrete floor, blood spilling from the wound. Hopefully, the damage Apex inflicted would keep him down until proper arrest.
“Apex!” Atomic shrieked.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill him, I just wanted to put him down for a while longer. Hey, what’s this?”
Digging into the bleeding teen’s ear, Apex pulled a skin-colored earbud out, looking it over with interest. Raising it daintily, Apex held it up to his ear, taking care not to place it inside.
“...almost there. Keep it going Biokinesis, I can hear you getting a rise out of him. Lightcrown would have never hurt such… Nevermind, just keep him distracted about a minute longer.”
Apex’s heart rate quickened. He’d waited to get connected to the man at the top for so long and now he was on the other end of the call. And he said he was “almost there.” Was he going to be at the bank in minutes? Grasping tightly to the earbud in his palm to block any microphones it might hold, Apex waved to the two EUE members.
“Either of you have a reconnaissance power? Something that can track a signal?”
They looked at one another and shook their heads. Frowning, Apex placed the earbud next to his ear again.
“Anyone still conscious down there? Apex doesn’t kill people does he? Oop, nevermind, I have eyes, I’ll get him right now.”
“Apex!” Atomic screamed in panic, pointing.
Third Eye announced the danger before the atomic girl even saw it. Apex whipped around and nabbed a dart fired at him, the air snapping loudly from the speed of his movements. If it wasn’t for his fifth power, Dexterity, his arms never would have had the speed or precision to stop the attack.
Looking up, Apex was surprised to see an android holding up an arm shaped as a gun, a small wisp of smoke trailing from it. The machine shot at him the moment it walked in.
“Wow, that guy can move!” The voice in the earbud laughed. “All right, Antiserum didn’t hit him. You guys are on your own.”
Apex’s heart drummed even louder, gingerly raising the dart to eye level. It was so small, just the size of his thumb. At most it could hold a milliliter or two of fluid. The Antiserum? Was such a tiny administration all it took to clear someone of their powers?
The bot ahead of him collapsed in a heap, like a switch flipped to turn it into a ragdoll. Apex looked at it, then to the EUE members who flinched at his gaze. Without looking, Apex launched a golden foot back, striking the freshly standing Biokinesis into another coma. The male EUE member wailed with his mouth shut tight.
Apex stared at them hard, but his mind was elsewhere. How was he supposed to test the Antiserum? Could he administer it to the Biokinesis kid and see if a paper-cut remained open on him? No, he should study the makeup of the fluid, see if he could reproduce it before testing it on a live subject. Or maybe he could go to the source and find more.
Glancing back to the collapsed bot, Apex leaned a head toward it as he thought through members of HUE. Any trackers? No. Naomi was savvy enough to crack a signal, given enough time. But how well could she focus these days? It felt like she was spending more time sleeping than awake. And her skin was so tight on her body it was almost translucent. Quickly, his gaze fell back to the two still awake.
“Does EUE have trackers? Someone that can trace this bot and dart to its origin?” Apex asked.
“Sure,” Atomic said immediately. “We have MacTrack.”
Apex nodded and the EUE members finally relaxed their postures. “Good. I need an audience with him. I can pay if that’s necessary, just make…”
A high-pitched hum caught Apex’s attention. Sharply, Apex’s focus locked back to the bot and dart in hand, both crescendoing in an unbearable whine. Third Eye blaring urgently in his head, Apex snapped into action.
“Brace yourselves!” Apex commanded.
“Against what?” Helios asked.
Rapid firing, Apex let out several chaotic Sonic Waves. One to throw out the dart of Antiserum, one to blast the bot outside of the vault, and one to launch himself forward to the vault door. The vault trembled like it was in the midst of an earthquake as Apex grabbed onto the giant metal door and heaved it shut with help from Goldshine and bursts of Sonic Wave. Just as it sealed, the room shook even more violently as two explosions went off outside.
Breathing deeply, Apex’s head was killing him, a monumental migraine bashing away at his head. Too much power at once. Closing one eye, he placed a palm on his head as he slouched down. Grimacing, Apex realized that in his intense movement, he obliterated the earbud in his hand with Goldshine. No more connection to the scientific madman. And there was nothing to track.
“Thanks, Apex,” Atomic said, staring at him in awe.
Helios was in a defensive fetal position, arms over his head and knees as high as he could bring them. Raising his head like a turtle popping out of its shell, Helios sighed in relief.
“I told you I would outlast you!” The teenager stood from the other end of the vault.
“Kid. I’m seriously not in the mood,” Apex said, his voice icy.
Maybe true justice would come at taking him down permanently. Half measures allowed for future criminals who were more experienced. A quick decision now could save people later.
The young criminal stopped cold, the tone in Apex enough to cause him some hesitation. Then, gritting his teeth, he stomped forward, determined. Apex raised a hand, his fist shining in blinding golden energy, a flame surrounding it and waving in a frenzied lawlessness. Then Atomic stood in Biokinesis’s way.
“You’re not just dealing with him anymore,” Atomic warned, holding a hand out on his chest.
“And what are you gonna—”
Yelping in shock, the kid tripped back and grabbed at his collar that was closing in on his neck. In fact, all of his sleeves and even the length of his sweater tightened up on him, until it was pinching uncomfortably on skin. In his hesitation, Atomic tapped both of his shoes with light kicks, shrinking them down to a few sizes too small.
Gagging as he pulled his collar away from his neck, he looked shaken but confident. “Is that it? Just make me cramped enough to slow me down?”
“I could keep shrinking your clothes until your ribs puncture your intestines if you want,” Atomic said casually.
The young man looked like he was considering it. Atomic looked at Helios and flicked her head toward the teen. Trembling as he recovered from the Sonic Waves, Helios approached the criminal as he raised his fists defensively. Helios reached out an arm, and the boy slapped it hard.
“Oww. That stung,” Helios complained, stepping away and nodding to Atomic.
The young man tried to lunge at them, but stuck in place and fell forward like his legs were poles in the ground. To Apex’s surprise, his shoes had completely melted into the floor, becoming one with the concrete. And because of the shrunken shoes, he wouldn’t easily be able to pull them off. Feet locked into cuffs glued to the floor. Fully restrained.
“Good work you two,” Apex said, hand still resting on his head. “It’s just a shame that we lost the ability to track them with the bot, earbud, and dart gone. And I’m going to have to burn through this vault door since it’s locked again, and I don’t think the bank will be very happy about that.”
Atomic pointed at the two passed out Underground members. “Why don’t we just take their earbuds?”
“And we can just wait for the lock pick to wake up if you don’t want to blast a hole in the place,” Helios added.
Breathing controlled and headache only slightly reduced, Apex lowered his hand to regard the two with full focus and a shred of respect.
Maybe EUE wasn’t as insignificant an organization as he originally believed.
Now that we're almost 50 chapters in, new poll to scan for favorite characters
