Remy’s stumbled back, his breath coming in rapid, shallow gasps. As the flying capsule quickly lowered to the ground, he tried to speak but no words would come out.
“Are you okay?” Lyra asked over the cheers of celebration. “I think he’s having a panic attack.”
“Let me read your mind,” Jay said. “Come on, stop resisting.”
Remy loosened the mental barrier in his mind and Jay gripped his shoulder, fully processing all of his chaotic and trauma-filled thoughts.
“I understand. Wait. I hear screams, it’s already happening. You should stay here.”
Remy’s eyes widened, stretching an arm out, but it was too late. Jay darted out into the streets which were already packed with civilians ready to continue their day.
“Look at me, okay?” Lyra said. “Deep breaths.”
Remy reluctantly followed her instructions, his face heated. It took a full minute for him to calm down. “The Mantis Monster is here,” he finally muttered.
“The what now?”
“The S-tier Supervillain. Haven’t you heard of him?”
“No. I don’t like to keep track of human supervillains. They’re creepy.”
Remy had never agreed with Lyra more about anything: human supervillains were indeed creepy. Alien invaders seemed less frightening by comparison. Unlike the random extraterrestrial threats of the universe, these supervillains were often mutated abominations with ideologies that justified the most heinous acts.
Realising his hands were shaking immensely, he clenched his fists tight and took another deep breath. “Can I tell you something?”
“Yes.”
“When I was seven, I thought it was a good idea to watch a video on Sinister.net.”
“Oh no,” Lyra said, already wincing.
“Yeah. I watched one of Mantis Monster’s live streams. He slaughtered everyone. I remember seeing all the bodies and–” Remy attempted to laugh but failed. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good.”
“You don’t have to talk.”
“It’s fine. I remember seeing all the bodies and feeling the strong urge to click away but my dumbass had to watch until the…” Remy sighed. “Amelia and I watched cartoons afterwards. Looking back at it now, I think she knew the damage couldn’t be repaired. I became obsessed with the Mantis Monster’s activity since that night and checked for updates to see if it had been captured, but of course, it continued to massacre and now it’s fucking here of all places. What are the chances?”
“This is horrible…” Lyra’s upbeat and ecstatic demeanour had now faded and Remy spotted the terror in her eyes. She was probably remembering all the times she had reluctantly heard about S-tier massacres. “We need to find Jay and get back in the capsule.”
“No, no, no. You need to get back in the capsule. I need to back up Jay.”
Lyra threw him a look of confusion. “W-what are you talking about? You just gave a very convincing speech of why we need to stay the hell away from that damn thing!”
Remy straightened his posture and quickly wiped away tears. He raised a muscular arm, proudly smiling at his new gauntlets. “Your masterpiece needs testing. This is the perfect opportunity to squash an insect.”
“Your confident facade is fooling no one, Sleepy Man. You broke down in front of me seconds ago and you’re still shaking.”
“That is true,” Remy said, observing his trembling hands. He patiently waited for them to settle. “But still...”
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Wide Awake lesson 14 (Transcript Excerpt)
Wide Awake: Are you listening?
Remy: Yes.
Wide Awake: Whether or not you become a superhero, this is important advice. Put your phone down and listen.
Remy: How did you know I was on my phone?
Wide Awake: Because you’re predictable. Just listen. Never run away from your problems. I don’t care what the fuck it is. Face your demons head-on unless you want them haunting you.
Remy: That’s easier said than done.
Wide Awake: I never said it was easy, but trust me when I say it will make you considerably stronger. If I never overcame my biggest fears, I wouldn’t have become a superhero and a lot of people I care about would be dead.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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Remy ran, following a trail of half-eaten bodies. Only ten minutes had passed since his conversation with Lyra, but the Mantis Monster had already gone to work. It was closer to the afternoon than the evening yet the sun had fled from the sky, leaving only the orange glow of streetlights.
He came across the source of his childhood trauma on a wide city street blocked by four decimated hovercars. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he analysed the situation within seconds, pupils darting from left to right. His mental state was solid… despite the horror before him.
Tulip had been obliterated. Her metallic remains were scattered across the street in six separate chunks. Sky had also been destroyed, but there was a higher chance of the robot being repaired. Its torso was still attached to his head, though its lower half was nowhere to be seen.
The Mantis Monster was exactly how Remy had imagined. Its head was huge, triangular and bulging with compound eyes which granted it 360-degree vision. It stood around six feet tall on four legs with an elongated, slender body, and its two forelegs sliced about in the air, almost a blur even for Remy’s Super Vision.
Booming Cyborg and Slater engaged in a close combat fight yet, terrifyingly, it didn’t feel like a real fight at all. Remy only saw the two superheroes skilfully survive. Neither of them attacked, both of them solely focusing on ducking and weaving the supervillain's two front legs with spiked serrated edges. Jay was on one knee, his back facing Remy, and one of Booming Cyborg's green barriers encompassed him. They had healing properties which meant that…
Remy faced his cousin and grimaced at the sight of him. His clothing was shredded and dripping in blood. With one hand, he pressed against his throat which Remy assumed was the most critical injury.
I’m fine, Jay said telepathically.
“Stop using your powers and let your body heal. The barrier could disappear any minute.”
Remy swallowed hard and inspected his gauntlets.
Two facts became clear to him.
Number one. They had to execute a plan fast.
Number two. Losing was not an option. Everyone surrounding him was Star Tech’s last line of defence before backup arrived.
“Don’t say anything,” Remy said. “Just listen.”
Jay nodded.
“When you're ready, assist them and communicate using your telepathy. Catch it off guard and try to distract it. Then I’ll join in and pulverise it.”
“Are you fucking insane?” Jay croaked. At least his throat had healed up. “You don’t know how to control the gauntlets, and you haven’t seen its movements.”
“I can see them!” Remy hissed.
“That’s not what I meant!” Jay hissed back. “That thing is a human. It’s smart, unpredictable and insanely fast. It will kill you before you can–”
“That’s why you distract it, Big Cuzzy,” Remy said.
Jay stood up. All of his wounds were healed and his eyes were focused and composed. “We can only give you seconds. Probably less than that.”
Jay took a few slow steps forward, issuing a series of instructions to everyone. Suddenly, he leapt into a portal, presumably summoned by Slater, and descended rapidly from above.
He swung both of his batons downwards, each one buzzing with electricity, and they crashed into the Mantis Monster’s triangular head. It barely hesitated and produced a sharp, rhythmic clicking sound. Chills ran down Remy’s spine.
Jay darted into a portal once more, suddenly out of range while Slater and Cyborg jumped back, letting off heavy machine gun fire. The Mantis Monster cut every accurate bullet in half with its deadly forelegs and scuttled towards them. Slater missed a spinning kick but Jay came to his aid, perfectly timing a block with one of his batons.
Jay gave a strangled battlecry, and a vicious beast emerged, the same one Remy had seen a glimpse of when they had trained against Sensei Hayato. His batons swung wildly yet precisely, and the Mantis Monster deflected each strike with equal ferocity, its forelegs swiftly, slicing the air in jerky movements.
Booming Cyborg lunged from behind, attempting to catch it off guard, but he howled in agony as his human arm spun about in the air. “Not yet!” His robotic arm exploded off his shoulders and clipped the Mantis Monster’s shoulder, sending it flying backwards.
Now! Jay telepathically boomed, but there was no need for the signal.
Remy had already timed his run perfectly, switching from a steady jog to an explosive dash. He let his rage fuel him with each step and at the exact point his feet left the ground, he knew the gauntlets would listen to him automatically.
There was no smart thinking or sudden revelation on how to control them. By pure luck and coincidence, the gauntlets had finally completely synced with the mind. The invisible percentage had simply reached one hundred per cent and as a result, he felt like the weapons had always been a part of him. It was as if a lost organ had been returned to him.
Remy’s right obsidian black glove rapidly expanded into an enormous, metallic fist, and he cried out in pain as his muscle fibres tore, violently compressed under the sheer weight of the weapon. He swung downwards, and the Mantis Monster catapulted to the ground, creating a satisfying–
BOOM!
And yet… the S-tier supervillain got up way too quickly. It made a sharp clicking sound, and for the first time, it spoke in a bafflingly normal, human voice. “You’re going to die slowly, young man.”
Remy tried to smile but it came up as a grimace. His right arm pulsated with a sharp, stabbing pain. “Nice to meet you too.” Both of the gauntlets shifted to another form—the brawling state where each gauntlet resembled enlarged rectangular boxing gloves.
The Mantis Monster closed the gap rapidly, scuttling with its four legs, before slicing in the air with its two front legs. Remy successfully blocked with the gauntlets and threw quick jabs. He kept his guard up between punches, waiting for the vicious retaliation.
None came.
The Mantis only evaded. It perfectly jerked its body from left to right until Remy was exhausted. He could barely keep his numb arms up. Panic seeded in his heart like a landmine before the Mantis Monster unleashed a blitz attack. Blood squirted in the air as multiple shallow yet excruciating cuts opened up around his body.
“No!” Jay yelled.
Remy’s arms drooped, his typical turtle guard broken. He staggered backwards, and fell onto his behind, dazed and immersed in his blood.
THUD.
A blurry individual slammed between him and the Mantis Monster. They wore a black suit with a wild crimson pattern. Remy’s jaw dropped, praying he had gone delirious from pain. No, no, no. Anyone but him. I’d rather die than be saved by–
Endless whipped out an arm and caught the Mantis Monster by its triangular head, perfectly predicting its swift, jerky attempt at evasion. With his large hand, he squeezed, gradually compressing the human insect’s head until–
SPLAT!
The number one-ranked superhero dropped to a crouch and gave Remy a perfect smile. A spotlight shone on them both as the voice of lively commentators boomed and hundreds of capsules littered the skies along with a large holographic display.
“Don’t worry. Everything is fine now,” Endless said.