A large room. Modern furniture. A loud television.
And a man.
Danger.
Zeta’s powers released subconsciously and she took a step back towards the door.
“Zeta!” Roren called. “Watch out!”
Only seconds passed for Zeta, but the stimuli around her took an eternity to process. Her mind was not quick enough to come to terms with the current situation, especially with a new object now flying toward her.
A fist? No. A potted plant.
Roren stepped in, his forearm smashed into the ceramic blocking it from hitting Zeta’s face. The pot shattered and fragments flew into the air.
Zeta instinctively shielded her eyes, and when the shards dropped to the floor she took notice of the room around her once again. That brief pause, momentarily closing her eyes, brought her some clarity. She watched blood slowly trickle down Roren’s arm. She then transitioned to look at the man’s arm. He was going for another attack, a punch this time.
Still in range, he aimed for Zeta, most likely noticing her hesitancy amongst the duo.
Take care of her first, then the other was what Zeta assumed the man thought.
She raised her arms to guard against the hit, but she was not sure if she could hold up against an attack from the man.
Roren stepped in again by grabbing the man’s arm, and shuffled awkwardly to get between the both of them. He managed to push the man backward slightly, but the man only pushed forward. Roren went for a punch of his own, but the man easily dodged it.
“Zeta! Release your power!” Roren commanded. “Wake up!”
Zeta realized her mistake; her nerves were on edge. It must have only been a couple of seconds but she took that tiny slot of time to make sure she released her hold correctly. The current goal was to maintain her powers in the room around her on anyone but Roren.
“I relea—“ Zeta’s words fell short, her tongue not cooperating but Roren understood.
In a few strides, Roren lunged at the opponent. Right fist, left fist, both of which were misses, then a tackle to get the man on the floor.
Wake up. The words from Roren just moments ago echoed in her mind, and her head turned from left to right repeatedly to notice any reinforcements coming in. Still no sign of any.
Even with his powers, Roren struggled as he wrestled with the man, him being on top. The man’s legs continued to move. Did she release her ability on the man? No, she still had a hold. Were her powers still applied to Roren? No, it was not that.
The scene grew frantic as the man flipped Roren over, now displaying his dominance by weighing down on Roren. The man grabbed a shard leftover from the plant and drove it downwards.
Roren frantically pushed the makeshift dagger away.
Zeta needed to intervene and quickly. A tackle would do her no good, the man could easily push her away, or worse, guide the shard straight into her body.
She needed range. She needed to end the skirmish before support came and they became outnumbered.
Zeta spotted another plant. The pot must have weighed around 30 pounds, and it was so oddly shaped that she needed to hold it with her fingers carved into the curves of the pot. With both her hands and using the support of her legs, she lifted the pot and readied herself. She waited until Roren made eye contact, then she threw the plant. Roren grabbed the man’s head and guided it towards the pot. The pot smashed into pieces, stunning the man momentarily.
Two quick jabs from Roren’s fists and the man finally slumped over. His weight pressed against Roren’s, and Roren angrily shoved him to the side.
Zeta helped, kicking away any parts that still lay slightly on Roren. She grabbed Roren’s arm and hoisted him back onto his feet. He must have applied his ability on his legs since he was easy to pull back up.
She noted that he was capable of making his own legs weightless.
“He’s a strength user,” Roren huffed. “If there’s any more of them, then somebody tipped them off and knew I was coming here. Let’s hope that’s not the case. Usually, I like discretion and secrecy, but if they know I’m here, then a change in direction would be best.”
Zeta wondered why a strength user would cause them trouble, but then she realized. Roren’s powers were most likely counteracted when someone was strong enough to push through the strenuous weight. But, that was not the only reason Roren struggled. What was it?
She was still too weak, at least compared to an experienced fighter. Her powers numbed the man at best, but there was another thing too.
She was nervous.
Her powers usually worked fluidly, but being in the real world, where the stakes were higher, put a mental block upon her.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Zeta said. “You’re telling me we’ll have to face that again?”
“Yes,” he said. Roren spoke quickly, yet steadily. He placed his hands on Zeta’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Sorry, but that’s the way it’s going to be. I was hoping for a more covert approach, but I didn’t expect that guard to be that much of a hassle. The opponents we face won’t only be strong physically, but also mentally. You see how that man targeted you first? He noticed that weakness within you. I need you to warm up quickly, because that man we defeated just now was not warmed up, not expecting a fight. We caught him off guard. If you didn’t throw that pot, I’m not sure I could have managed him. Everyone else we meet from now on will be on edge, ready to fight. Ready to kill.”
Goosebumps raised across Zeta’s body. A slight tremble in her voice when she spoke, “I—I’m scared.”
“Zeta, I need you to understand. I’ll do my best to protect you, but it’s up to you too. You have to push through the jitters. You learn from experience and it does get easier when you get out on the field again, but you might not have another opportunity. Do you understand me?”
Zeta nodded, although she was still out of it.
Roren and Zeta sneaked further into an open area, clearing any side rooms they came across. The mini-hall at the entrance would be a terrible place to get pinched into. At least this new area gave them space.
Two grunts appeared, then another two. Four in total, all powers unknown. Upon seeing them, she negated their abilities, but she still worried. The multitude of powers each person could exhibit and those possibilities multiplied by four overwhelmed her. If they were strength users as Roren assumed, and were capable of fighting against his abilities, trouble would arise.
She wished the facility taught her how to gauge someone’s ability, to see what they were capable of, to deal with any opponent she faced.
Roren continued to notice Zeta’s nervousness and shielded her behind him, his right arm raised as a physical and metaphorical barrier between them. It soothed her somewhat, but the act of the four combatants surrounding them canceled any effect that had. The quartet circled them until two decided to advance.
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“Negate!” Zeta tried to yell the word confidently, hoping it would boost the effects of her powers. Her eyes opened widely when she realized her powers worked as usual, her hold was firm.
“Her first!” One of them yelled.
“Good job!” Roren said as he kicked one opponent of the duo that advanced. The grunt flew into the air, and the crunching sound of broken bones echoed.
“Fuck!” The grunt screamed hysterically, holding at his ribs. He flared around in place. He was out for the count.
The guttural screaming caused Zeta to release her power’s grip slightly.
The other pair of the duo, took more caution against Roren, likely analyzing the scenario. He hopped in place, his feet creating craters on the ground with each jump. He was gauging the effects of Zeta and Roren’s abilities.
Zeta wondered how strong he was, but her thoughts were cut short when the remaining duo started their attack on Zeta. They slowed down to a walk, an effect of Roren’s abilities, but they continued and pushed on. Zeta’s powers continued to loosen too.
They were within arms reach when Zeta faltered slightly, forgetting they were still capable of upper body movement. One part of the pair grabbed her hair and yanked her in closer, while the other attempted to clothes-line her. A clean hit would have left her unconscious, but Zeta managed to dodge the attack somewhat. The air still knocked out of her chest and she heaved as she fell to the ground. Her power lost hold completely.
They immediately reached down for her, ready for their next attack, but she managed to roll away. Like horror villains, they approached her slowly and menacingly. She scrambled backward in an attempt to run like the damsel in distress. She would have moved farther away but the pain caught back to her. If it hurt this bad with an unclean hit, she wondered how she would truly react if she experienced the full brunt of an attack.
Roren was having trouble of his own. Despite a one-to-one fight, Roren’s opponent was landing hits left and right.
But, he was holding up on his own. Was she?
Zeta focused, then yelled again, “Negate!”
The remaining three opponents slowed once again, Zeta’s powers in effect. Although she was not sure how much longer she could manage a hold on the four. She was not sure Roren would be able to save her, but even if she could fend off her opponents, that left a power gap. Zeta would not be able to prevent physical attacks to her body.
A pressure pulsated on Zeta’s legs. She forgot where it had come from, but it was familiar.
Roren.
When he spoke of synergy, becoming more familiar with one another’s abilities, it was not just small talk.
“I understand!” Zeta said. She yelled again, to reestablish her hold. “Negate!”
Zeta roared, and despite the pain, moved forward. She ran and as if kicking a football across a field, swung her foot up, the pressure built up considerably just before contact, and forward against—
More jarring screams echoed. The man grabbed for his groin, yelling obscenities at Zeta.
With some remorse, she moved on to the next grunt, her momentum already leading her his way. The other man was stunned realizing he was next.
“Hey,” he roared. “Hey… Hey!”
She crashed into the man but made sure to jump with her shins aimed at his chest. Pressure built up again just before contact and this time she could feel the weight of her legs tumbling down onto the man’s thighs. Bones crushed yet again followed by screams.
The duo grabbed at their injuries as their cries filled the room. She shuddered violently as she listened to them until all she heard were whimpers.
Roren’s opponent became distracted by his teammates dropping one by one, and Roren took advantage. He positioned his leg up for a kick and aimed it for the man’s knees. The leg inverted and snapped into two, the segment only connected by ligaments that were so close to tearing. The man took one look at the knee and passed out.
Zeta cringed. “Your power is fucking terrifying.”
“You’re the one capable of removing someone’s abilities,” he retorted. “You slipped up a few times, but once you fully used your powers, it was a cakewalk. Good job.
“It looks like my assumption was correct. Someone expected us to be here. I’ll still have to confirm with Chloe and Jonas.”
The cries continued, and Zeta gave him an odd look. Roren was indifferent to the sobbing, but Zeta’s morality begged her to help them or at least leave the room. She stared at the man she made infertile.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She was unsure of what else to say, if anything.
The man cursed at her, but she felt she deserved it.
“What are you apologizing for?” He looked down at the injured adversaries. “Don’t worry about them. They’re strong for a reason. Strength users tend to have self-healing features so don’t feel too bad. Don’t forget they would have killed you if they had the chance. They still would.”
She closed her eyes and huffed air out of her nose.
“I understand that, but it still doesn’t feel good,” she said. “Let’s just continue and get out of here.”
“I’m going to frisk them for any communication devices. I’ll meet with you in a bit.”
She straggled over to the next room. She would have been faster if it weren’t for her slight injuries.
The room over had a muted television set, and she scrambled quickly for the remote, anything to drown out the previous room.
Upon unmuting, she immediately knew it was the TV they heard from the entrance. It blared all the more loudly at close proximity, while the bass rumbled beneath her feet. She frantically lowered the volume to a comfortable level.
Roren walked past and entered a balcony area. She took one last look at the TV, a commercial break, before following.
Outside, Roren peered into a telescope, his face pressed up against the eyepiece. He shifted the telescope around very slightly, taking long looks at whatever he was looking at.
“Look at this,” he said. He kept the telescope positioned at the angle. “What do you think is there?”
Zeta looked into the eyepiece. A string of words and sentences put together ran out of her mouth. “It’s a parking garage. Is Isaiah Delton there? But, if they knew Isaiah Delton was there, then why didn’t they get him now? Surely, it’s easier to capture him before he’s broadcast across the world. Wait. I’m still confused, which part of the plan are we doing?”
She was voicing her thoughts aloud but expected something from Roren. He did not say anything, so she looked up from the telescope.
She said, “Were we supposed to deal with the third party or find Isaiah Delton?”
“Bit of both,” he said. “Isaiah Delton is in that parking garage, but he’s held up by the producers. He’s not going to be released until the end of the show. We’re diminishing any third-party numbers. Chloe and Jonas are doing the same.”
Zeta said, “You’re telling me that he’s going to be on a highway just a few blocks away when they finally catch him? Sounds like a short chase, especially one for the finale of an episode.”
“They’ll probably just circle around until they meet back on that highway. Maybe they have product placements along the route they want to show more than once.”
A radio pinged, one in Roren’s hand. He must have picked it up from one of the grunts in the other room.
“Tower A, update? It’s been five minutes since our last request.”
Roren pressed and held onto a button as he spoke. “This is Tower A. We had a bit of a communication jam, so apologies for that. You know how the equipment is. As for our update, we see nothing so far. It’s quiet and we’re waiting patiently.”
“Good. Yeah, I can’t do much about shitty equipment. Keep us updated.”
Static feedback then silence.
Roren pulled out an object from his pocket. It looked like another walkie-talkie, but with more antennas. He pressed a switch on it and looked around. He found an overgrown bush and hid the object deep within its branches. He made sure that nobody saw him do it.
“What’s that?” Zeta asked.
“It’s a signal jammer. It picks up frequencies. It’s the only reason no backup showed up. Hopefully,they don’t find it or wander too far.” He looked in the direction of the room where the grunts were. “I doubt that’s going to happen. Come on. Let’s go.”
***
They headed down, this time using the elevators. The descent took them a minute, considerably less than it took maneuvering through the many halls of the buildings the first time around.
Exiting the elevator and the building did not take much time. They proceeded to another open area and walked towards another exit, then they were outside.
Jonas stood right outside the entrance. He leaned against a black-tinted car, different from the one before. This time the vehicle was white.
“Took you two long enough,” Jonas said.
“I was letting Zeta get some experience fighting.”
“Are you sure? Maybe they were a bit too strong for you?”
“I’m sure,” Roren said. “Did you two deal with anyone that could counter your abilities?”
“Nope, only strength users,” Jonas said.
“We had strength users too,” Roren said.
Jonas scrunched his face in thought, then laughed. “Somebody knew you were coming? That’s funny as hell. They must be scared as hell of you.”
“Fortunately, I had Zeta with me.”
“Yeah?” Jonas said. “How’d you do?”
“I’m alive,” Zeta said.
Jonas laughed again, then opened the rear door. “Let’s talk in the car.”
“Where did you get it?” Roren asked.
“The strength users tried to shove us in the backseat, but I took care of them, and stole it just to piss them off.”
“We took care of them,” Chloe corrected as she rolled down the driver’s side window. She turned the engine on.
Roren said, “Probably a bad idea to use an enemy’s vehicle, but I suppose I like a challenge. The nobodies have been acting like nobodies like usual.”
Jonas said, “Don’t worry about it. I radioed back at their base while Chloe detonated their other communication devices, even used that jammer just in case. We got everything covered, except maybe back-up, but that’s no issue.”
“Jonas, you drive,” Roren said. "Your power requires less focus than Chloe’s.”
As Jonas transitioned into the driver’s seat, he said, “I was thinking we could use it as camouflage to make capturing Delton easier. Zeta, don’t just stand there. Take shotgun or something.”
Zeta sat in the passenger seat while Jonas drove.