Chapter 17: The End of the Fight

The helicopter hovered over the smoldering ruins of Galewood, its rotors cutting through the heavy air. Inside, Lisa Warner and her crew remained tense, their eyes glued to the camera’s feed, still broadcasting live. The camera was focused on the two survivors below—two men who had somehow managed to stay alive amidst the devastation. The world was watching, and so were they.

“They’re slowing down,” Rick muttered, his voice tense as he focused the camera on the taller man struggling to drag his companion. “They’re running out of steam.”

Lisa nodded silently. The taller man—his clothes torn, his face smeared with dirt and blood—was clearly exhausted. Every step looked like agony. He dragged the other man, who was barely conscious, his head lolling, his glowing red eyes flickering as they moved.

“They’ve been through hell,” Lisa whispered, more to herself than anyone else. “But they’re still moving.”

Then, something shifted in the distance.

Rick’s camera caught the movement first—dark shapes, cutting through the haze of smoke. Figures, fast and deliberate, moving with precision.

“Wait… What is that?” Rick muttered, zooming in as the figures took shape. “Are those… soldiers?”

Lisa leaned forward, her heart pounding. The figures—clad in black, armored gear—moved like a well-trained military unit. Their helmets and tactical gear gave them an imposing, almost mechanical presence. But it was the insignia, emblazoned on their shoulders, that made Lisa’s stomach drop.

“It’s the Academy,” she whispered, eyes widening. “They’re wearing the Academy’s insignia.”

Rick zoomed in closer, capturing the distinct symbol of the Academy—a bold, geometric emblem that marked the metahuman containment division. The Academy had always been shrouded in secrecy, and for the first time, millions of viewers were seeing their forces in action, live on air.

“They’re not here to rescue them,” Lisa realized, her voice barely audible. “They’re here to capture them.”

The strike team moved in swiftly, surrounding Jake and Levi in seconds. Jake’s eyes widened as he noticed them. His body tensed, instinctively pulling Levi closer, trying to protect him. But there was no escape.

The first shot rang out before Jake had time to react—a high-velocity projectile that struck his shoulder with deadly precision, sending him crashing to the ground. The camera captured every brutal moment of it, zooming in on Jake’s face as he screamed in pain, blood pouring from the wound.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Jesus Christ!” Rick gasped, his voice trembling. “They just shot him!”

Lisa’s heart raced, her breath caught in her throat. This wasn’t an extraction. This was an attack.

“Stay with it, Rick,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “Don’t lose the shot.”

The Academy’s strike team didn’t stop. They moved in swiftly, two of them breaking off to flank Jake as he lay crumpled on the ground, writhing in pain. His groans echoed through the camera’s audio feed, raw and desperate. He tried to push himself up, his hands glowing faintly with energy, but before he could react, one of the soldiers delivered a brutal kick to his ribs, sending him back down.

“He’s trying to fight back,” Lisa said, her voice tight with horror. “But they’re not giving him a chance.”

Jake struggled to rise again, his palms flickering with the last remnants of his power, but he was no match for the speed and precision of the Academy’s forces. One of the soldiers swung a baton, hitting him square in the stomach with a sickening thud. The impact sent Jake sprawling, his face hitting the debris-covered ground.

“No… no…” Lisa whispered, her voice trembling as she watched Jake collapse. “They’re… they’re taking him down.”

The camera zoomed in on Jake’s face, bloodied and dazed. His body twitched, and the glow in his hands faded. He was barely conscious, his breath shallow, his body limp on the ground.

“That’s enough!” Lisa shouted, unable to contain herself. “He’s down! He’s—he’s not a threat anymore!”

But the strike team wasn’t finished. One of the soldiers raised a weapon, the Academy’s emblem gleaming on their sleeve, and aimed a stun gun at Jake’s chest. With a flick of the trigger, electricity surged through Jake’s body, sending him into violent convulsions.

“Stop it!” Rick yelled, his voice raw with disbelief. “They’ve already taken him down! What the hell are they doing?!”

Jake’s body finally went still, his chest heaving as he lay unconscious on the ground. His face was slack, blood still dripping from the wound in his shoulder.

And then, without pause, the Academy’s forces turned their attention to Levi.

Levi, barely conscious, had been slumped against the debris, his red eyes flickering weakly. He wasn’t a threat. He couldn’t even stand. But that didn’t stop the soldiers from closing in on him with the same ruthless precision.

One of the soldiers stepped forward, raising a high-voltage baton. Without warning, they struck Levi in the back, the impact sending a shockwave through his body. Levi’s glowing eyes widened in pain, and he let out a broken scream as he collapsed to the ground.

“No… no, don’t!” Lisa’s voice broke as she watched the brutality unfold. “He’s—he’s not even moving!”

But the Academy’s forces didn’t stop. They surrounded Levi, one of them grabbing him by the back of his white hair and dragging him upright. His head lolled weakly, his body convulsing as they shocked him again, this time slamming the baton into his side.

Levi’s scream echoed through the feed, raw and guttural. His glowing red eyes flared for a moment, then dimmed as the pain overwhelmed him.

“They’re… they’re torturing him,” Rick whispered, his voice hollow with disbelief. “Right in front of us.”

Lisa’s hands shook as she gripped the microphone, unable to speak. The Academy’s forces weren’t just neutralizing Levi—they were brutalizing him. Every jolt of electricity, every vicious strike, seemed designed to inflict maximum pain.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the soldiers stopped. Levi’s body hung limp in their grip, his eyes barely flickering. His white hair was matted with dirt and blood, and his chest heaved with shallow, broken breaths. He was alive, but barely.

“They’ve… they’ve neutralized them,” Lisa said, her voice hollow. “Both of them.”

The camera stayed focused on the aftermath as the Academy’s forces began securing the two men, binding their wrists and ankles with reinforced restraints. Jake’s body lay motionless on the ground, and Levi was slumped over, barely conscious.

“They’re taking them,” Rick said, zooming in on the insignia. “The Academy.”

With cold efficiency, the soldiers hoisted Jake and Levi’s limp forms, dragging them through the wreckage toward an armored transport vehicle that had appeared on the horizon. They were disappearing into the smoke as quickly as they had arrived, leaving behind only the echo of violence and the ruined city.

Lisa’s breath hitched, her hands shaking as she watched them go.

“Cut the feed,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “Cut it.”

But it was too late. The world had already seen it all.