Daniel slowly regained his strength as he recovered from the effects of the poison. His alien blood had finally paid off. The smallest dose of the toxin would have killed a normal human, but for Daniel, it merely pushed his accelerated healing to its limit. Tommy and Francoise stood by him as he sluggishly began to stand upright. He stood up with a final neck crack.

  “I’m ready for another round.” Daniel cracked his neck the other way.

  “Are you sure?” Tommy asked.

  “One hundred percent.” Daniel coughed, gripping his chest. “Okay, eighty-five percent.”

  “But still, how?” Francoise ran her hand over her head. “Please tell us how you’re able to do all this.”

  “My powers come from the fact that I’m one of the last remnants of a presumably dead alien civilization located somewhere on the other side of the galaxy.”

  Francoise puffed her cheeks. “Fine don’t tell us.”

  “You asked, sister.” Daniel chuckled.

  Elena jogged over to the group.

  “Elena, did you and the others find it?” Tommy asked.

  “We sure did, Black. We followed the tank tracks to an elevator hidden in the wall.”

  “That has to lead us to the weapons factory,” Francoise said.

  “Finally. Let’s finish this.” Daniel punched his fist into the palm of his hand.

  ***

  The whistling of bullets flying through the air accompanied the chorus of screams from the two factions. Battle washed over the main factory floor. The police clad in gas masks advanced against their enemies the Santini gangsters. As dead or dying combatants littered the ground, they pushed forward, bombarding the gangsters with bullets and gas. But they retreated as the gangsters retaliated, firing lasers that ignited booming explosions of dazzling light.

  As the police reversed their advance, Daniel continued forward, meeting the gangsters. He incapacitated them with one thunderous clap. Still, as two charged forward brandishing a gun and a laser knife, he subdued them, roundhouse kicking one as he slapped the other. As he signaled to Norio to rally his forces, the police chief led the officers to the sealed steel doors of the restricted area.

  "I wonder what's behind there?" Norio asked.

  "There must be a key or something, but where could it be?" Fran?oise asked.

  "Let's find a solution fast." Norio looked at Daniel, signaling to him to open the doors, nudging his head towards them.

  Daniel quickly followed Norio's order, hurrying to the doors. Cracking his knuckles, Daniel hit them with several punches, knocking them down. As they went down, Daniel and the police met more laser fire from the gangsters inside and witnessed the doomsday pillar pulsing with radiant light.

  "Whatever that thing is, shut it down," Norio shouted.

  "On it, c—"

  A heinous screech echoed through the room. Daniel spotted its source as it descended upon him. "What the?" Marco Santini, a man-beast in his Pterodactyl form, snatched him in his claws, flying across the room.

  "Let go of me, you freak," Daniel bellowed.

  Marco squeezed Daniel, making him scream.

  "Not until you're bloody paste, Boy Scout."

  "I'm no Boy Scout."

  Daniel quickly shook his helmet off a little, revealing his mouth. And he bit down on Marco’s leg, making him release him, sending him falling through the air, and landing on a lab table with an ear-aching crash. Daniel shook off his fall, hurrying to the doomsday pillar. As he arrived, he found the control panel and searched for its off switch. Still, as Daniel spotted the three silver keys, preparing to turn one, Ophelia rammed into his spine with a headbutt. However, as Daniel dropped to his knees, he began laughing.

  "What's so funny?" Ophelia shouted.

  "I wasn't sure turning those keys would stop this thing until you tried to ice me."

  Ophelia readied another headbutt, seething. But this time, Daniel caught it, grabbing her face and slamming her head onto the floor. Daniel ran to the keys, turning one counterclockwise. He went to turn the remaining keys, but Andrea shot him in the hand. And Marco again descended on Daniel, catching him in his claws, squeezing him with the strength of a vice.

  "Shoot him dead, Andrea," Marco screamed.

  Andrea aimed his gun at Daniel's head.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Someone doesn't learn," Daniel said under his breath.

  As before, Daniel shook his helmet off a little, revealing his mouth. He bit Marco in the same spot, making him release him. As Andrea's shot went off, it missed Daniel hitting Marco's leg, and sending him crashing down.

  Again, as Daniel landed, he sprinted to the control panel, turning another key. Still, as he attempted to turn the final key, Andrea unloaded a salvo at him. However, Daniel avoided his shots until his gun depleted its ammunition.

  Andrea charged at him with a rage-filled roar similar to that of a terrible dragon.

  Andrea cut across the room, slamming into Daniel and knocking him away from the panel. And pinning him to the floor, his free hand became a razor-sharp reptilian claw. But as he prepared to stab Daniel, Daniel tossed Andrea off of him into the pillar, stunning him with its immense power.

  Daniel quickly ran back to the panel, turning the final key. The doomsday pillar swiftly deactivated, taking its radiant light with it as it died. And for good measure, Daniel removed the three keys, crushing them into pieces and smashing the panel with a single punch before Andrea's eyes.

  "No," Andrea bellowed.

  Andrea raced to a lab table with a big locked case on it. He angrily knocked away two police officers trying to block him, backhanding one and tossing the other several meters away as he reached his destination. He ripped the case open, revealing a laser gun that was over four hundred centimeters long.

  "Big brother, kill him some other way, please," Marco screamed, throwing his arms up wildly.

  "What is that thing?" Daniel asked.

  "Your fiery grave," Andrea bellowed.

  Andrea pulled the trigger, sending a colossal laser of blinding white light dashing toward Daniel. Daniel readied to dodge, but he saw two police officers in the line of fire and sprinted to protect them. The laser swallowed them all in an explosion, sending shockwaves throughout the room.

  "Enjoy your cremation, pest," Andrea said.

  Andrea walked through the fiery battlefield, surveying the rubble and numerous bodies across the floor. He found Ophelia unconscious. As he carefully picked her up in his arms, he spotted Marco struggling to stand and walked over to him.

  "Are either of your legs broken?" Andrea asked.

  "I-I don't think so."

  "Then get up we're leaving."

  Andrea walked to the elevator. But Marco forced himself to stand with an angry growl, following him.

  "Andrea, be honest. Are you out to kill me today?" Marco asked.

  "You wound me, little brother. I was confident you would survive the blast. At worst, you would be severely injured."

  "You know, there are times that if you weren't my brother—"

  "But I am your brother. So suck it up," Andrea retorted.

  The Santini siblings entered the elevator going upstairs. Daniel passed upwards from the floor with the police officers unconscious. As he deactivated his intangibility, Daniel dropped exhausted, gazing in horror at the aftermath of the battle.

  "Is anyone still alive? Norio Fa, Tommy Black, Fran?oise Arnoul, Elena Chavez," Daniel shouted.

  Daniel examined the room for survivors with dread-filled eyes. But as Tommy rose weakly amongst the rubble, Norio and Elena followed elsewhere on the factory floor. Converging on Tommy, the group found Fran?oise lying beside him.

  "Thank goodness you're all alive," Daniel said.

  "It's nice to know you care," Fran?oise said, summoning the strength to smile.

  "Everyone, before anything else, did you spot any more survivors?" Norio asked.

  "Chief, I have two out cold.” Daniel pointed to the officers he saved lying on the floor. “But I don't know how many more."

  "Also, Chief Fa, I can't seem to stand, and I have this terrible pain on my side." Francoise groaned.

  "My head feels pretty light as well," Tommy said.

  "W-we need reinforcements. There must be a phone," Norio said.

  "Boss, I was half-conscious, but I think I saw the Santinis go up the elevator. We can't let them get away." Elena punched her fist on the ground.

  "I'll take care of it. You guys dress your wounds," Daniel said.

  Daniel stood up, staggering to the elevator, and Elena followed him.

  "I'm coming too," Elena said.

  "Woman, you're already half-dead."

  "So? I'm helping you take down the Santinis, and you'll like it." Elena stomped her foot.

  "You out for justice too?"

  "And what if I am?"

  Elena tripped on a rock, falling onto the floor, but Daniel caught her.

  "I'm just curious.” Daniel laughed. “Let's finish this."

  As they neared the elevator, Daniel halted his walking, gazing at the doomsday pillar. Daniel quickly jumped to it, smashing it to pieces like a bullet piercing through glass, and leaped back to Elena.

  "What the hell?" Elena shouted.

  "I'm sorry, but it was too dangerous to leave in one piece. Now, if only I could find the schematics."

  "You're destroying evidence."

  "Really? Having pieces of an illegally constructed weapon in a facility owned by a notorious crime family with at least a hundred witnesses isn't evidence enough?"

  Elena scowled at Daniel. "What are you a lawyer under that helmet?"

  "I'm acquainted with their kind."

  ***

  Daniel and Elena exited the elevator and entered the parking area.

  "Now, where are they?" Daniel asked, looking from left to right.

  The Santinis quickly drove by in their car, a dark brown limo, shooting at them through an open window. However, as Elena was about to get hit, Daniel shoved her out of the way.

  Elena swallowed. "Thanks."

  "No p—"

  The Santinis changed course, turning around and aiming at Daniel. Daniel readied to meet the speeding car, standing resolutely in its path. Still, as it came, it revealed a battering ram pulsing with energy. As Daniel saw it."Again?" It rammed into him, pinning him against the wall.

  "Let's see you survive point-blank range," Andrea said.

  Andrea drew his gun, aiming at Daniel. But Ophelia took it out of his hand."Give it." Readying to shoot Daniel in his place. However, bullets flew through the car's glass from Elena’s gun.

  "That copper again?" Ophelia shouted.

  As the Santinis were distracted, Daniel picked up the car, tossing it at a wall and smashing through it allowing them to fall through the air. As the car fell, it skipped across the roofs of neighboring buildings, landing on the ground with an ear-pounding crash.

  "We'll get you next time," Andrea screamed.

  The Santinis drove off as Elena shot at the escaping car through the hole in the wall. Still, as she saw Daniel drop to the floor, she ran to his aid.

  "Elena, the Santinis?"

  "I'm afraid they got away."

  "We'll get them next time."

  Elena yielded a small laugh. "You're damn right, we will."

  Elena helped Daniel to his feet, draping his arm over her shoulder as they went back to the elevator.