Eric leaped off the roof of a building, colliding with the Air Nexian who’d made the mistake of getting too close. He could have shot a bolt, but the Air Nexians were already showing that they were fast enough to avoid getting hit by that. They still weren’t used to Eric’s melee approach to fighting, and he used that to his advantage. Even if shocking the Air Nexian brought both of them below the level of the current fight, it was an effective way of handling the problem.
This time, however, the Nexian, who he thought was named Ted Bell but couldn’t be sure, reacted too quickly. He caught Eric in the chest with a blast of air, sending him flying back into the building. Hitting the building out of control was painful, but he regained his momentum quickly enough, rocketing back up to the roof before Bell could fire at him again.
Edward was still several meters ahead of him, leading the Air Nexians on a wild goose chase as they tried, and failed, to pin him down with blasts of air. Even with Eric backing him up and returning fire, they were still outnumbered three to one, but Edward was too fast. He changed direction on a dime, and he seemed to flit from building to building as if gravity had lost its claim on him.
Up ahead, Kenta and James were both chasing after Nick. They’d whittled down the number of Air Nexians around him to less than four, and they got close to seizing the headband several times. But Nick moved like the wind itself, narrowly slipping out of their reach each time they tried to make contact. Neither he nor Edward seemed at risk of losing their headbands any time soon, which was a problem for the Thunder Nexus. They had great stamina, but their battle was far from subtle, and he knew that any second one of the other Nexuses might take notice and rush over to take advantage of it.
From time to time, the two mini-fights merged, with the combatants firing at each other from a short distance. More than three times, Eric had been forced to draw Nick’s attention or attempt to tackle him, all to keep his aim off of Edward. Edward hadn’t tried to attack Nick so far, but Kenta had saved them both from a sticky situation with his rapid-fire bolts, that powerful technique that only he in the Thunder Nexus had developed and mastered.
Eric watched as the Japanese immigrant ran out of his reach once again, darting to the left and right to avoid attacks from two Air Nexians following him closely. Matt Tupik shot up from the ground a second later, nailing one of them with a well-placed kick that sent them crashing to a nearby rooftop with an explosive grunt of pain.
Nick’s party was swooping in yet again. Eric ran in a quick circle to charge up a bolt that forced them to scatter, then dove to the side to avoid a retaliatory blast. The battle was so even that it was starting to look as if they’d never see an end to it. James ran past him, siphoning off some of his electricity, and tried to seize Nick, but yet again, the Air Nexian Captain evaded him at the last second, smacking him back down to the rooftop with a quick blast.
“This is getting us nowhere!” James roared angrily. “Eric, switch with me! You’re better at moving with your speed!”
He wasn’t sure if he agreed with that point, but he didn’t hesitate to follow the order. They flashed past each other close enough to boost each other yet again, and Eric threw himself off the rooftop toward Nick without warning. He got close enough to hear the grunt of surprise as Nick saw him coming at the last second and narrowly avoided contact.
“Looks like we’re fighting again!” Nick yelled, grinning wide as he veered suddenly in the opposite direction to put distance between them. “You’re not getting me out of the air again!”
Kenta lunged at him, hoping that he was distracted enough by Eric to not see him, but to no avail. Nick swooped around the Captain with a laugh. “So close, Kenta-san!”
Matt fired two quick bolts, forcing him to change direction yet again. Their greatest strength in this fight was that Nick had to stay low enough to support his allies, which meant that he was easily within reach of the Thunder Nexians each time they tried to leap at him. Eric gave chase, his brain working quickly, trying to see a path that was unpredictable enough.
Off in the distance, Edward was still putting up a good show. James danced around him, deflecting attacks and returning fire, but it was clear that both of them were tiring out. Nick seemed to have noticed as well, because he turned suddenly, rushing straight at Will’s son. Edward also changed direction, and the two charged toward each other as if it were a jousting march.
“Oh no you don’t!” Eric shouted, picking up the pace. He nearly tripped over the ledge of one rooftop as he put all his strength into his legs. He was just fast enough to get in range of Edward’s electricity, giving him a boost to dodge Nick’s first attack. Then he and Edward both turned sharply to face the opposite direction, chasing after Nick before he could turn himself.
“See if you can’t slow him down!” Edward suggested, his breathing now coming in sharp gasps. Eric guessed that he was seconds away from coming to a halt to catch his breath. If he did that, they’d almost certainly lose this prolonged match.
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“I’ll see what I can do!” Eric raced ahead again, feeling his own exhaustion mounting higher and higher. He was faster than Edward now, but his legs were starting to feel the strain. His thigh muscles were burning like crazy. Just a little longer, he told his tired body. Just a little longer, and you can rest for a bit.
As if sensing their plan, Kenta and Matt both appeared. The Captain fired several bolts at Nick, forcing him to slow down as he dodged. Matt lunged high, forcing Nick to dive down. This gave Eric just enough time to land safely on the nearest rooftop, gather strength in his legs, and jump.
He concealed his intentions until the last second, all to avoid triggering Nick. Even as he jumped, he made sure not to aim for Nick himself, but an inch or two to the side. It worked, and he got right in front of the Air Nexian, who put the brakes on, stopping as hard as he could before shooting back up. But Eric had already made his next move before he could get out of range, and one hand, crackling with electricity, hit Nick in the stomach, driving the air from his lungs.
In the next instant, Kenta had fired another two bolts. One hit Eric, doing no damage, and the second one struck Nick, stunning him for just half a second. In that tiny window, energy and speed restored by James, Edward appeared just over Nick’s shoulder, one hand outstretched for the headband. As it happens in so many battles at the crucial moment, time seemed to come to a standstill as Nick turned to face him, and Eric knew he had only one chance to ensure the success of this attempt.
He hit Nick again, this time without a little added electricity. It was only a light tap to the shoulder, but it spun Nick enough to make his blast aimed at Edward miss. Edward’s fingers closed around the strap of the headband, yanking it free. Then all three of them crashed down onto the rooftop. Edward actually slid off it, but caught himself on the lip before running straight down the side of the building.
Quick as a flash, Eric grabbed Nick’s forearm. The Air Nexian was still slightly stunned, and he wasn’t sure if he could regain his flight before hitting the ground. A fall from that height would surely be nasty, even if he were a Nexian. Judging by the pale color of his face, Nick had made the same realization and looked highly relieved as Eric pulled him safely back onto the rooftop.
“Thanks,” he gasped, flopping flat onto his back. “That was terrifying.”
“Don’t mention it,” Eric said quickly, also flopping down to catch his breath. “You did not make that easy.”
As they both laughed, staring up at the clear blue sky, they could hear Edward shouting. “I got it! I got it!”
“Target Edward!” a new voice shouted. “He’s carrying both headbands!”
Eric and Nick both sat up, looking around in confusion. A second later, Kenta’s shouting voice let them both know what was going on. “Water Nexus! Scatter!”
“Well, that’s my cue to leave,” Eric replied. “Good luck with that.”
He heard Nick’s rueful laugh as he raced back down the building, and then the sounds of fighting broke out around him all over again. He had no idea where any of his allies were, but he was sure that Edward had enough speed to get to safety. Kenta or James would most likely be supporting him in any event. Satisfied with a job well done but still exhausted by using his speed for so long, Eric ran away into the depths of the downtown section of the city as fast as his tired legs could carry him.
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The explosions and shouting of the Nexus above their heads was terrifying for the crouching members of the strike team. Even Jenna had to admit that it was unnerving, knowing that supernatural monsters were mere yards away, fighting so ferociously that anyone caught in the blasts would be destroyed.
“What if water comes down here?” Someone asked to Jenna’s right. “We’d be screwed if they spotted us now.”
“Shut up,” Jenna snapped, glaring at the man through her mask. “We’re so close, don’t chicken out now. You’re well-equipped and well-trained. Now quit your bitching and get ready to strike.”
He returned her glare with plenty of feeling, but his reply was cut off as their team leader echoed Jenna’s remark. “Silence, Ortez. We’re seconds away. As soon as they touch down, we strike.”
They’d followed the Water Nexus from the underground parking garage where they’d had a brief fight against the Earth Nexus. Their Captain had decided not to strike then, where the Water Nexus had too much of an advantage. Now, however, the odds were more even, and the monsters were exhausted after a fight and distracted by new opponents. Any second, the fight would come down to the streets, and Jenna would, at last, have her chance.
“How do we know they’re going to come down here?” Ortez asked his tone now a little sulkier after being told off. “The Air Nexus can fly, for crying out loud.”
“If they’re going to fight the Water Nexus, they have to come low,” Jenna pointed out. She quite literally pointed at the fountain they could see through the windows of the building’s entrance. “That’s where they’ll gather for their best chance. That’s when we’ll hit them.”
As if they’d been waiting for that exact point to be raised, a figure landed in the fountain, making a huge splash. Before it could settle, the deluge of water began to move unnaturally, following the young woman’s pointing arm and flying into the sky. Jenna knew that woman on sight. It was Olivia Smith, one of Rachel’s children. She felt her anger flare up at the mere sight of the woman, and she pulled one of the grenades off her belt.
“That’s as close as we’re getting,” she snarled. Even as she spoke, four more Water Nexians landed beside Olivia. “Let’s kill them!”
The Captain would have preferred to start in better conditions, but he saw the rage that clouded over Jenna’s eyes and knew there was no hope. He no longer had control over that particular beast. So instead, he directed her rage forward as the Water Nexus gathered itself for a new attack, completely unaware of their impending danger. “Go! Go! Go!”