Even though the dome of ice overtop of the building had been destroyed, thick sheets still covered the outside of the building. These rose high enough that Mod and Arsenal couldn’t see past their own small battleground—

Not until Arsenal flew them both up into the air.

A minute ago, the three teams of Summit capes had been defending against simultaneous attacks by the Deep Ones. The soldiers had hive-mind coordination, but the attacks had been steady enough that the capes could fend them off.

Even at the beginning of the fight, Mod had doubts about the Deep Ones’ strategy—were they hoping to wear out the Summit? Or maybe they were learning about the Summit’s capabilities…

Either way, there was no strategy anymore.

Hundreds of Deep Ones were climbing out of the water and up the buildings. They swarmed up the sides, clambering over each other, so crazed they looked like waves crashing upon the walls.

TINA was right—the Deep Ones had reinforcements in hiding.

The Summit teams were still atop the three original buildings but now they were backed into the center of the roof. Krystal had conjured ice spikes around the edge of the roof, which slowed them down considerably. Cherry, McGuire, and the shadow mage hurled attacks at the fish-men as they reached the top, while the blue mage and Larian’s tree stepped forward to blast and bat away any enemies that the others missed.

As Mod and Arsenal closed the distance in the air, Mod felt the soft psychic link return and gained a deeper understanding of the battlefield.

Krystal seemed strained. She stood in the center of her allies, unmoving, solely focused on repairing the constant damage to the ice.

An ice mage on another roof copied Krystal’s spike defenses, but the third team didn’t have that luxury. Their team was huddled in the center of the highest roof and fighting for their lives. Fire and magic and explosions echoed across the roof. Serenity hovered above the fray, using her psychic power on the frenzied soldiers, slowing and confusing them. Tuke circled around, yanking unsuspecting soldiers off the roof. Meanwhile, the other capes hurled blasts and bombs with reckless abandon.

Even with Serenity and Tuke aiding them, the third team was losing ground.

“We need to help Serenity’s roof,” Mod said.

“Already on it,” Arsenal replied. She burned hotter and rocketed toward the building.

But something else was climbing out of the water, and it took Mod a second to realize that he was seeing one of the shock troopers.

Each of its limbs was longer than a soldier was tall. It climbed over the mass of soldiers like a giant spider, covering an entire floor with each step.

Arsenal veered toward the new monster, her and Mod clearly thinking the same thing.

“Party crasher,” Arsenal called out. It was a move similar to fastball, except that Arsenal was the lead.

She spun once, just enough to toss Mod upward. Momentum carried Mod through the air, and for a moment, the two of them flew parallel toward their target. Then Arsenal burned hot, accelerating like a missile.

The spider-like creature turned toward the new sound. Too late—

Arsenal slammed into the giant fish-man, tackling it through the glass. Both of them disappeared into the building. Mod was a breath behind them. His momentum carried him close enough to lash out with his whip and pull him through the shattered window.

Mod skidded to a halt beside Arsenal. Both already had their axe and blasters raised. They were standing in the middle of a suite of offices. Papers and broken furniture were strewn across the floor where Arsenal had crashed through.

The shock trooper crouched low across the room, its long limbs folded like a bat. Its entire body was sinewy, and its skin was stretched taut over sinewy muscle. Even as tucked and compact as the creature had made itself, its elbow was almost as tall as Mod.

The most unnerving thing was that it didn’t attack right away—not like the frenzied soldiers outside. A second passed where both heroes and the creature studied one another. Its eyes were wide and milky, but it didn’t seem blind. It stared right at them. Its mouth yawned, revealing thick tusks, and its voice was a high-pitched whine like ringing glass.

Arsenal fired.

Kinetic blasts sailed toward the creature, but it leapt out of the way and down a hallway. It moved with huge, leaping strides, like a cross between a frog and a spider, its limbs bending like the creature was double-jointed.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Arsenal’s systems hummed as she poured power into her shots—the next volley blew out the walls.

Mod followed the creature, keeping both his impact shield and axe ready. But inside his stomach turned from watching the creature move. It reminded him too much of Lou, the Freakshow’s contortionist.

He pushed the thought aside and focused on the battle at hand.

Arsenal was essentially firing blind, but even if she didn’t hit the shock trooper, the fish-men outside were getting shredded. A haze of dust clouded the air. Mod couldn’t hear anything over the sound of splintering wood, tile, and glass, as Arsenal shredded the entire floor—

But he felt the ground tremble.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

The shock trooper leapt around the corner, attacking Arsenal’s flank.

If it were any other enemy, Arsenal would’ve had time to turn and defend herself—the fish-man was still ten feet away. But instead of pouncing, it slashed at her. Its sinewy arm and dagger long claws reached across the entire room.

Mod threw himself shoulder-first into Arsenal, knocking her to the side. At the same time, Mod raised his shield. A single gruesome talon scraped across the shield, while a second swept over Mod’s head, and the third slashed across his legs.

Mod winced and lashed out with his axe, slashing across the creature’s forearm—cutting deep enough that he felt the blade stop at the bone.

The shock trooper pulled back its limp hand and hissed as it disappeared around the corner.

Arsenal grunted in frustration, then rocketed after it. She burst through the wall and disappeared from view.

Mod tried to run after her but pain shot through his right leg. He stumbled and caught himself. Mod looked down to find his right calf had a deep gash. The creature’s claw had cut clean through his suit.

Mod could still put weight on his leg, but he didn’t dare jump or run on it. He grit his teeth as Arsenal and the creature burst through a nearby wall.

Just out of reach.

Serenity’s voice felt distant. “Liara is down, but alive.”

Mod sucked in a breath. Their teams would feel the loss of every fighter, but at least they were alive. …Mod’s very next thought felt shameful:

At least it wasn’t one of his friends.

Outside, the swarm of fish-men was still climbing the buildings. Gunshots sounded—they were distant, but reminded him of the report of the Fast-Response Drones. Hopefully, TINA had brought reinforcements…

Even if they killed the shock trooper, they still had an entire army to deal with.

Crash! Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Mod’s mind raced. He couldn’t chase after the shock trooper; it was far too fast. But even if Mod was crippled, he could still help. He just had to listen, then he could cut it off. Then together, he and Arsenal could corner it. Mod turned to follow the sound of the creature—

And came face-to-face with a second shock trooper climbing through the windows.

And a third.

The two new fish-men climbed through the splintered remains of the office. They ignored the war outside and the commotion inside, and stared directly at him.

Mod’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his axe. “Arsenal… We’ve got two more.”

Mod popped a handful of smoke pellets. Through a haze of infrared and UV, Mod saw the creatures lunge for him. For a moment, it felt like he was underwater, surrounded by sharks.

He rolled across the room and grabbed a sonic grenade out of his utility belt. The whine of the sonic drowned out everything, except the rumbling of Arsenal’s battle as she chased the third shock trooper through the building.

Mod had no idea how much the creatures relied on sight or sound. They lived in the deep sea, so the smoke pellets might not impair them a lot, but he was willing to bet that the combination of attacks would turn things in his favor.

The fish-men paused, their heads twitching in irritation at the sound. Mod could just make out their gnashing teeth in the infrared glow. They scanned the room, looking for him.

Arsenal and the third fish-man crashed through a wall behind Mod and then through another wall to his left. The other two enemies turned their heads toward the sound.

Mod slipped a noise maker out of his pouch. Then he grabbed a chunk of broken furniture and tossed both things across the room.

Both fish-men turned toward the distraction.

Mod didn’t miss his chance.

He lunged for the nearest creature, axe swinging in a violent arc. It slashed deep across the creature’s back. Mod pivoted and slashed twice quickly across the creature’s side, disemboweling it before it could turn. It fell to its knees.

Mod lunged for the second creature, narrowly avoiding its claws it swiped wildly. He was an arm’s length away from its body—almost too close to use his axe effectively, but safely within the creature’s massive reach. Mod slashed quickly across the fish-man’s arms, then across its throat. He heard the spray of blood hit his mask.

The fish-man bore down on him, mouth wide. Mod recoiled, but fell and landed on his back. The infrared glow of the creature’s teeth grew large.

Mod clutched his staff tightly and propped the end of it against the floor. The crippled fish-man fell neck-first onto the blade, impaling itself. Its gnashing teeth slowed but didn’t stop.

The whine of the sonic cut off suddenly, and Mod glanced over to see Arsenal standing in the smoke. She fired kinetic blasts through the broken windows, picking off fish-men soldiers as they tried to climb past outside.

Arsenal scoffed. “Two of them? Show off.” Thankfully, she’d escaped with just a few scratches on her exosuit.

A snarl from the wounded creature brought Mod back to the moment. He didn’t wait. He twisted the blade, nearly cutting the fish-man’s head off. Then he got up and checked the other enemy before breathing a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” Arsenal asked, pointing at Mod’s injured leg.

Mod waved away her concern. “I’ll be fine.”

Serenity’s voice cut in. “If you both are done, we could use you up on the roof!”

~ ~ ~