“Ahahahahaha!” Juggernaut bellowed out a nauseous laugh as he batted Kara through the air. The big man was slow, but whenever she tried to trade blows his power overwhelmed her. “You’re strong for such a little thing, the strongest I’ve ever fought!”
Kara ground her teeth, jaw tight as she shot the behemoth a scowl. Her body flickered, behind the giant before he could react. Feet braced against the ground, she drove a knee into Juggernaut’s back.
The big man tumbled forward with a clap of thunder, face planted into the earth. A spin of her feet brought Kara away from Juggernaut and face to face with the one called Farouk. He and his companion telepaths continued their mental assault, a drill that wormed its way into her mental barriers.
“Stay out of my head!” Kara’s fist slammed against a psionic wall, repelled less than an inch from the psychic's nose. The milk-white humanoid in blue armour snorted, hand extended to defend his ally. “Looks like I was right to pick you, it seems you need your friends to defend you from physical attacks…”
“Get over here, girl!” The Juggernaut’s massive palms closed over the space around her but caught only air. The Earth trembled as his hands clapped together, a small quake that tumbled Farouk to the ground. “Such a slippery little bird, I wonder… how long can you keep it up?”
Kara ignored the question and delivered Juggernaut another blow from behind. She bounced between the comically massive tank and his weaker companions, attention divided as she kept the big man on his knees.
The only woman in the group shifted her body to a translucent crystal and stepped forward, a more nimble combatant than Juggernaut’s lumbering form. Feet braced, she met Kara’s fist with her own.
Chimes rang out, a resonance that pushed the diamond woman back against the telekinetic barrier of her allies. Kara flashed the woman a grin, one that vanished as an oversized hand took hold of her from behind.
“I’ve got you now, little bird,” Juggernaut gloated as he compressed her with his fingers. “No more speedy little pokes for you…”
A flash of orange-black fur flickered across her sight, followed by a thunderous gong of sundered metal. Kara tumbled free of Juggernaut’s grasp, in control of her flight before she hit the ground.
“God damn mongrel!” Juggernaut’s voice was muffled, buried beneath his crumpled helm. His arms flailed, mighty haymakers that touched empty air. “Get back here so I can give you a proper round of obedience training!”
A huff that sounded suspiciously like laughter echoed from above, where her saviour hung upside down. Bear dog paddled in circles above the blinded Juggernaut, until the man ripped off his useless helmet and tossed it like a missile.
Bear twitched his muzzle, a lightning quick snap that caught the flattened helm and returned it toward the ground. The metal impacted on the psychic’s telekinetic defence, an impact that created a temporary vacuum around the intruders.
Air crashed back into place, a hurricane blow that tumbled Farouk across the lawn. Kara smiled as the psychic pressure dropped by a half. The too-white man was the only one that still attacked her mind, too weak to progress further against her defences.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
“Thanks, Bear,” Kara grinned at her furred friend, laugher on her lips as he gave a series of joyous barks. “How about you deal with the last of the little guys, while I figure out how to deal with Big-Boy over here?”
“The two of you should go help Charles,” a familiar voice echoed from above, one she hadn’t heard in years. Dan-EL floated free of the clouds, on course for the Juggernaut. “He’s in a bit of trouble, and Cain Marko is too much for either of you to handle.”
----------------------------------------
“This isn’t right…” Charles stood in his office, sunlight on his skin as he peered through the open window. Children played on the green, gifted students that brought joy to his heart. “What was I doing?”
“Professor?” A small voice called him back to the room and the child seated in front of his desk. Small and frail, she was truly pitiable, and yet… “Is everything ok?”
“Of course, little one,” Charles returned to his seat behind the desk and struggled not to frown. This girl… his skin crawled at the sight of her, some instinct that logic couldn’t dispel. “Now, let’s continue your intake interview, shall we?”
That's what he was doing. This child had just arrived, homeless and alone with a powerful psychic gift. Charles suppressed his unexplained distaste and forced a smile onto his face. She needed his help, not his judgments.
“Ok…” the girl returned him a half-smile, face tense and afraid. She fidgeted in her seat, uncomfortable on the wooden relic. “What was your question again?”
“What can you tell me about your life?” Charles probed at the girl's mind, but found only a black void. “You were found on the street. Do you remember how you got there, or if you have any family we can reach out to?”
“I grew up in the sewers, abandoned and alone,” the girl sniffed, eyes glazed with a layer of tears. “My brother tried to kill me when I was very little, but I managed to survive… he’s still alive, but the rest of my family are all dead.”
Deja-vu rolled through his mind, uncomfortable and stale in his mouth. Charles shook his head, a futile attempt to clear the fog from his brain. The girl raised her head, eyes dry and darkened. Her lips curled in a parody of a childish grin.
“But now, it feels like I’m finally home once more!” Shadows highlighted her tiny figure, an edge of midnight that captured his gaze. “All those years I spent in filth have come full circle, a karmic reward for my perseverance.”
“Who…” Charles blinked, limbs stuck as the air thickened around him. He rallied his mind, only to find his powers had failed him. “What are you?”
“You still don’t remember…” the girl scowled, face twisted with wrathful hate. The world faded around them, ink-black that spread out to replace his beloved school. “You took everything from me… EVERYTHING! Why don’t you REMEMBER!”
----------------------------------------
“How do you know my name?” Juggernaut scowled up at Dan as Kara and Bear dashed toward the house. Sinister moved to intercept, but a twitch of his biofield crushed the mutant scientist into the ground. “Hey… you’re that Superman guy! Sorry, but it’s my job to deal with you.”
Dan smiled as Cain thundered forward, one massive step at a time. Fist met fist, an explosion of force that caved in the ground below. A grunt slipped past Dan’s lips as he was pushed back by over a foot.
“Impossible…” Cain glared, wide eyed, at their interlocked fists. “I’m the unstoppable Juggernaut… NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!!”
Juggernaut took a step forward and lowered his shoulder. He used his body like a bulldozer, eyes filled with an unusual light. Dan drew in a breath and focused his ki. He met force with force, knee raised to clash against the wall of flesh.
The mansion beside them swayed, rocked to its foundations by the collision. Dan slipped backward to absorb the aftershock, numbed to the bones. Juggernaut roared, face twisted as he staggered back a single step.
“Time to move this fight elsewhere,” Dan slipped past his slow opponent and slapped a hand against Mr. Sinister's back. A chain of runes encircled the mutant, a barrier for both physical and mental movement. “You can stay here, Cal will be here soon to keep watch, and we’ve got much to discuss.”
Another push and he was behind Cain Marko’s back. Hand’s set like he was about to serve a volleyball, Dan punted the Juggernaut into the air. He followed behind the giant’s flight and drove a fist into his broad back.
Juggernaut cursed the heavens as he was launched towards orbit, arms spread wide as he flailed against the sky. Dan shook his head and chased after his target. Powerful, but stupid. Combined with his slow speed and limited mobility, Cain should be easy to contain.
“I’ll just put him in a distant orbit around the sun,” Dan smiled as he landed a kick to Juggernaut’s head. “It will take him years to get back to Earth, if ever. I can deal with Sinister and then pick this idiot up on my own time…”