Nudge’s focus tunneled in on the claw, its owner’s body pressing against him. It’s metal fingers tearing anything it could reach. Nudge tried to grab the wriggling claw. Only for the thing to fight his grip.
Gritting his teeth, Nudge succeeded and grabbed hold. Before it could fight itself free, he pulled. With a wet pop, the battle with the appendage ended. The victor was left holding the defeated claw in front of his bloody chest.
From Nudge’s hand, wood crawled forward. Snaking outward until it encased not just the metal claw, but the robot behind. Cutting off its movements.
Nudge focused back onto his chest and the gaping wound. He’d already cut off the sense of pain, that was the first thing he always did when he was hurt. It allowed him to evaluate the injury based on what he was seeing. Not on some adrenaline dump of fear or pain.
The obvious problem he was facing now was the softball sized hole in his chest. The blood flowing from it coming in a close second. Then there were his organs. Nudge’s spleen was cut in half, and his colon was ruptured. He couldn’t fight like this. Regardless that he wasn’t doubled over in pain, his body would tear itself apart if he moved the wrong way. He had to stop and heal himself.
With a click of the tongue, Nudge pulled up a wall of vegetation around himself. The plants grew from his feet, outward and up until they reached his midsection. A rounded barrier to keep his foes out. At that point, the half formed ball curved back in on itself as it continued to grow. When the plants connected at the top, the result was a perfect sphere of living vegetation. Nudge encased in the center like a child in the womb.
From inside his protective shell, Nudge could hear the robots attack. Feel them pulling at his protection. With a few waves of his hand, Nudge sent vines expanding outward. A task they would continue until they were out of energy, or he commanded them otherwise.
While robots fought at his expanding fortress, Nudge ignored them and got to work. His wounds sewing themselves together as he watched. His spleen, that was in two sections, realigned itself with the help of thin vines Nudge grew in his stomach. With his understanding of his own body, the two sides of his sliced organ were aligned. Once ready, the two halves reached out. New tissue connecting them back together. Undoing the damage the robot had left behind.
With each passing second, Nudge’s condition improved. His injuries went from life threatening, to severe, to healed. Receding until even the memory of them was gone. No scars left on his virgin skin. After all these years, the process had lost most of its fantastic nature to him. All that mattered was it left him ready to fight again.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Nudge broke out of his living shell. Plants folding to the side as he rose upward. New shoots springing outward, fanning around him and taking out the robots that’d been too focused on breaking through the wall only a moment before.
With his new lease of life, Nudge fought on. Pushing back wave after crashing wave. With a heavy heart, Nudge knew what he had to do. What his team wouldn’t be able to do alone. Switching on his radio, Nudge called the fight in. He’d tried to create this team to deal with his past mistake and now that it was so close to failing, he’d make sure others would come and prevent him from making another.
“This is Nudge. I’ve engaged Bank-Breaker. Proceed to my location,” he panted out. His radio set to speak with the DCP. Once they knew what was happening, Heroes would swarm in. They would win this fight, with or without Nudge’s help.
Static. The sound of isolation in the modern day reached back to him. Nudge waited, deflecting blows from the robots and sending his own out in turn.
“I say again, this is Nudge. Backup requested at my location.”
“Haven’t you realized yet? No one is coming,” Bank-Breaker taunted from his new rooftop.
No one was responding to his calls. Had Bank-Breaker done something? Would it be hard for the man to suppress his calls, if only Source was here to explain.
It was obvious that Bank-Breaker didn’t have to be telling the truth. Nudge knew better than to trust what the man said at face value. Yet Nudge knew he was only deluding himself. No one was going to answer his cry for help.
A part of Nudge, the one still attached to the animal all humans descended from wanted to run. He couldn’t fight this mockery of humanity. But the other side of him fought back. Telling himself to think about things logically. Nudge had gotten word of this attack. That meant others would as well. Even if it took them longer, word was already spreading. It was only a matter of time until it arrived.
Which meant Nudge had to change his strategy. He had to balance what he was doing. If he burnt too much energy, there was no hope of lasting until help arrived. Especially as he had no idea how long that would be.
On the other hand, if he didn’t fight hard enough, he’d be dead before anyone else got here. With that balance in mind, Nudge fought on. With each burst of fighting he did the minimum to beat down the robots while at the same time preventing any major injuries. It was a balance he had some difficulty reaching. During each wave he was scraped and cut. Some of the luckier robots even landed more than just superficial blows.
Each attack aimed at him, Nudge analyzed. Looking to see how much damage it would do. If the damage had to be healed now or if it could be left for later. Time and his energy making him triage each injury.
Even as he tried to balance himself, Nudge was taking a beating. Each exchange left him hurt worse, and closer to failing. And more than that, the injuries were leaving him slower, and vulnerable when the next wave started.
Two robots rushed in from behind as Nudge took a moment to assess a wound on his leg. The wound was something he’d be able to leave for later. While the blood loss from it was a concern, Nudge was creating more of the red liquid by the second, to replace what was seeping out. However, when he healed the next serious injury, he’d get to the leg as well.
The robots grabbed onto his back. Each holding on with one arm as the other raked into his flesh. With a vine, Nudge flung the two of them away. Part of his skin, where they’d been gripping, was torn off as they were sent flying. The Hero didn’t even bat an eye at the gory display.
Around Nudge, the world was turning black. His vision was fading. Nudge pulled up another sphere of plants and began assessing his damaged body. Nudge found a punchered lung and a shredded heart. Both must’ve happened during the previous attack. His brow grew wet with a cold sweat. If they’d had another few seconds, he would’ve been done for.
The walls of his sphere vibrated as robots fought to get in. Nudge pushed out, causing the plants to spring forth, then got to work on himself. He didn’t have the time to worry about marauding robots right now.
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Trying to buy himself some time, Nudge created a temporary heart outside his chest. It wouldn’t last long, but it didn’t have to. Once it began to pump, he connected the new organ to his blood vessels and let it do the job of his injured organ. Free for the second from the prospect of death, Nudge was free to clean up the damage inside his chest. Removing torn tissue and soaking up the blood.
Then Nudge thought back to how his heart originally looked. He’d studied it hundreds of times in the past, and the memory came to him in a flash. Down to the cellular level the image was there like a fleshy blueprint. Then, he began to reshape a new organ. This one was a carbon copy of the original. Everything in the perfect place.
Once the organ was complete, he disconnected the temporary heart, letting it fall to the side as the new one took its place. As the organ fulfilled its job, Nudge turned to his lung. Like he’d done with his heart, Nudge remembered what the old organ looked like and recreated the new one in its image.
In moments Nudge’s lung was repaired and he was able to shake off the cold creeping up his back. The effort of his quick response left Nudge winded and sagging. He didn’t want to admit it, but he’d been closer to the black curtain than he’d ever been before.
Finishing his work, Nudge opened up small windows in his cocoon and regarded the battlefield. The city looked grim. The fighting had torn down walls and blown off roofs for blocks. Metal corpses littered the ground like they’d been lined up for slaughter, yet more machines were in the air. There was no way they’d be able to deal with all of them, his team was going to lose before help arrived.
Just then, as he was losing all faith, he spotted something odd. Three robots, which had been flying in perfect formation with another five, broke off. That alone wasn’t of much note. What was odd about these three was the new direction they raced. They were coming in low and fast, from behind Bank-Breaker.
The man himself either noticed Nudge’s confusion, or sensed something was wrong. Regardless of what it was, he turned at the last second and saw the rogue robots. A hand came up to cover his head as the robots swarmed onto him. Metal claws raking over his body. All the other robots, over the entire battlefield, turned at Bank-Breakers howls. Then, raced towards the scene like it was a choreographed move.
The three rogue machines continued to tear at the Cowl. The man tried to defend himself. But six flying arms were more than he could contend with. The three rogue machines dragged the man down, one pinning him to the roof while the others continued their attack.
Nudge watched on. Hoping that this was it. Only for the other robots to arrive and save the day. They grabbed their misbehaving brethren and tore them to shreds. Pieces of metal sent flying from their husks like they’d gone through a wood chipper. There was no mercy for the rogue robots. Though the traitors didn’t let up either. Through their destruction, they still tried to reach their former master.
Yet even with their destruction, the attack didn’t end. Three new robots, ones who’d come to help destroy the previous traitors, took up the mantle of the ones now laying in parts and attacked Bank-Breaker.
By this point Bank-Breakers flesh was torn. In many areas, metal was exposed underneath the missing skin. Black oil mixing with the man’s red blood as it pooled from his wounds.
Through the swarm of robots, Nudge watched as the scene played itself out a couple more times. Robots would attack Bank-Breaker, only for the other machines to destroy them. Just for another three new machines to go rogue.
If a robot tried to position itself next to Bank-Breaker and protect him, it’d be the first to turn traitor. Yet, if the entire group backed away, a traitor would be able to dash from the batch and get to Bank-Breaker before the others could respond.
Looking around, Nudge spotted what he’d expected to find, Wire on a nearby side street. Her hand raised as she looked on. Concentration etched into her face. Her eyes unblinking.
“Get the young one!” Bank-Breaker shouted through a gurgle of blood. For a moment, Nudge hoped the man hadn’t found his youngest teammate and was talking about the machines. But that hope was short-lived.
The swarm of robots took to the sky. In seconds they spotted Wire and as a flock they headed towards her. Even from a distance, Nudge could hear a yip from the woman as she took off running.
Nudge looked around. There were still a few robots around Tank, keeping her pinned. Yet he and Bank-Breaker were alone. His first instinct was to go to Wire’s aid. But another idea won out. Without needing another signal, Nudge attacked. Every plant he could grab raced forward. None stayed around him as he put everything into this one attack.
The living wall moved down the street. Flowers, vines, bark, and leaves jumbled together in their attack. Bank-Breaker turned his head to the noise, but it was too late. His mouth opened into a silent scream as the plants arrived.
With the force of the earth itself, Nudge’s plants tore into the man. The Cowl’s eyes were wide with understanding. Points of black surrounded by an otherworldly sky of white. Nudge stared into them. Hoping to find some shred of humanity, or anything that showed there was more to the man than what was on the surface.
Then it was too late. Bank-Breaker was no more. He was torn apart. His body flying into pieces, little more than metal parts remaining. And Nudge’s answer was shredded with it.
With Bank-Breaker’s demise, the robots fell as well. The clang of metal a drumroll signaling the finale of the fight. In that moment, as the street chimed with falling metal, Nudge joined in. His legs giving way as he fell to the ground. Utter exhaustion seeping into him. For a moment Nudge allowed it to overwhelm him. Allowed himself to feel human. Then he washed it away with his power. There was always more to do, and he couldn’t afford to be weak. Least of all right now.
Wire was already there as he rose back to his feet.
“How are you?” the younger Hero asked. Her eyes taking in the blood soaking his suit.
“Just fine,” Nudge said. Brushing off his teammate, he looked around, making sure nothing was going to jump on him and start attacking. That would be just their luck.
“Your suit is covered in blood,” Wire said. The obvious statement bringing Nudge back.
“For someone with my power, this is just a scratch,” Nudge lied. “Do you know if the robots are actually destroyed or are about to ambush us?”
Wire looked at the machines for a moment, “No, they’re gone. I can’t move them. Something fried their circuits a moment ago.”
“Must’ve been a kill switch. Bank-Breaker was always proud of his inventions. He likely didn’t want anyone copying his work.”
Wire looked back to him. Her eyes went back to the blood again. Unconvinced in Nudge’s posturing as he brushed off some dust from his suit.
“Where is Source?” Nudge asked. Trying to bring attention away from his shaking hands to something else.
“He’s guarding the gas bomb thing and Skip.”
“He took the man alive?”
“Yes,” Wire said. The statement carried more in it than the simple words.
Nudge hadn’t expected Liam to take the man alive. Hadn’t he been after Mel? After how Liam reacted to her being attacked, Nudge assumed the Cowl was bound for the same fate as Bank-Breaker. He wouldn’t even blame the kid if something happened during their fight and Skip was killed. He doubted the public would care either.
While the two were talking, Tank walked around a mountain of robots that marked her own battlefield. Nudge had done a number to the machines in his fight, but Tank left his efforts to shame. Moving her neck to the side, a crack echoed down the street.
“Well, that was a bigger fight than I expected,” Tank said with the casual attitude of someone who’d just finished a light workout. Looking at the woman, Nudge couldn’t find a scratch on her.
“Bigger than any of us expected,” Nudge replied.
“We won though,” Wire said.
“That we did,” Nudge replied.
“So what’s next?” Tank asked.
Nudge felt a pit growing inside of him. For decades, he’d been living for this moment. His entire being had pushed him here. But now that he’d arrived, he was left wondering what would follow.
“What now indeed,” Nudge said as he looked down the street to the beach beyond. People were already gathering. Realization the fight was over, sweeping through them. With a step, Nudge moved to meet them. Duty calling him to act.