The Iron Eagle soared through the air as Goldshift tracked Goldarm’s homing beacon. They’d just received the signal that the hostages had been found and were making their way towards his coordinates. Before they arrived, however, Goldarms got blips on his radar.

“Heads up,” he said. “Enemy fighters incoming.”

“Any thraxian strikers?” asked Silverwing.

“Negative.”

Silverwing snorted derisively. “No problem. The Iron Eagle can handle normal fighters easily.”

“I’m sure we can,” said Ironmind. “But they must know that. They’re probably trying to delay us so they can deal with the power users inside.”

Silverwing grimaced. That did make sense.

From her gun, Coppershot began aiming for distance targets, though took one glance at the mountain where the bunker lay. “Hold on guys.”

###

With cards swiped from one of the fallen guards outside, Goldarms and Joseph Kimball were able to unlock the cages, letting the power users go free. Beetle Brute was left where he was, much to his annoyance, and Blacksting still couldn’t move even after he was unhooked from the paralytic substance. SteelStar and Nosfeline stepped out determined, Green Angel left her cage breathing a sigh of relief, and Inferno man ran out, raising his arms.

“Freedom!” cried Inferno Man. “Glorious freedom!”

He was interrupted by Goldarms shooting his Gatling gun out the door. The golden man fired for a moment, and kept his gun pointed that direction even when he stopped.

“Enemy reinforcements are here,” said Goldarms. “I can only hold them off so long as I have ammo.”

“Heads up,” said SteelStar. “Looks like we’re going to have to fight out way out.”

“Wait,” said Green Angel. “Please, let me try and reason with them.”

“Oh, not this again.” Said Nosfeline.

“Please!” Green Angel pleaded.

Goldarms, reluctantly, let her step up to the door. She didn’t expose herself, but kept the wall between herself and the enemy.

“Gentlemen!” cried Green Angel. “Please, there’s been enough fighting.”

Nosfeline sighed. “I doubt she’s gonna convince anyone. Can you help me with this?”

She held up her hands, still wrapped in some sort of futuristic gloves. SteelStar turned to metal and ripped the gloves off her hands. Now completely free, Nosfeline stretched her fingers for a moment, then extended the claws from the tips of her fingers.

“Thanks,” she said, flashing him a fanged grin.

“No problem,” said SteelStar.

“You’ve already been found,” said Green Angel. “It won’t be long until the U.H.E. arrives in force, but if you let us go, I’m sure I can negotiate a truce. There’s no need to…”

She was answered by gunshots, and she had to flinch away from the door.

“I don’t think they’re going to listen,” said Goldarms, guarding the door as he pulled out a communicator. “This is Goldarms. Iron Eagle, where’s that extraction?”

“Sorry,” came Ironmind’s voice. “We’re under attack. Silverwing says these ships are more of an annoyance than anything else, but we can’t afford to extract you until we shake these things.”

“Understood,” said Goldarms, shooting down the corridor.

“Gentlemen, please!” said Green Angel, her face desperate.

“Sorry,” said SteelStar. “But it looks like we’re fighting after all.

“Wish I could help,” said Blacksting from his chair.

“You can,” said Nosfeline, walking up as more gunfire sounded at the door. “I can isolate the poison from your blood and remove it.”

She raised her claws. Blacksting looked at her skeptically, but weakly lifted his arm. Some of his chitin armor liquefied and absorbed into his skin, leaving that skin vulnerable. Nosfeline then stabbed his arm with the claws of her right hand, making him flinch. Raising her other hand, after a moment, a clear liquid began dripping from her left claws.

Meanwhile, Inferno Man eyed the doors angrily. “I know I’m ready for some payback.”

SteelStar grinned. “That’s first thing you’ve said that makes sense.”

Inferno Man just grunted. “Guess I would rather have you on my side than not, if I had to choose.”

After a moment, Blacksting clenched his muscles, suddenly breaking his restraints and standing up. Nosfeline pulled her claws away, and Blacksting covered his skin with chitin once more and then took a few moments to stretch. Satisfied he was back to full percent, he nodded to Nosfeline.

“Thanks,” said Blacksting.

“Don’t mention it,” she replied.

“Hey, what about me?” asked Beetle Brute.

“What about you?” asked Blacksting mockingly, making Beetle Brute growl and Green Angel frown.

“You need me,” said Beetle Brute.

Blacksting shook his head. “I can’t trust you.”

“You can trust me to pay back these Sons of Purity,” said Beetle Brute. “I’ll even help you catch Thornton.”

“You’ve done just as bad as him,” said Blacksting. “I can’t trust you.”

Beetle Brute turned to Green Angel. “Would you let them leave me behind? To be killed by these people?”

Green Angel sighed. “I want to help you, but I can’t trust you either.”

Beetle Brute clenched his fists.

Goldarms unleashed some more suppressing fire before turning back. “Mr. Kimball. Please take Mrs. Angel to the back and look after her. She’s powerless without plants to control. As for you, Green Angel, if you really want to stop the bloodshed, I suggest you try to get some plants as soon as possible so you can tie these people up.”

Even as Goldarms shot down the corridor, Green Angel, gave him a thoughtful look.

“Come on, Mrs. Angel,” said Joseph, taking her to the back. As he passed SteelStar, Joseph looked away guiltily. SteelStar saw this and frowned, wondering who the man was.

“I’m almost out of ammo,” said Goldarms. “It’s gonna be a fist fight. And if we want an extraction, we’ll need to get outside.”

“No,” said Ironmind over the communicator. “You have a better option. SteelStar, they would have used a device to extract your electricity.”

“Yeah,” said SteelStar. “It connected to the floor.”

“Well,” said Ironmind. “All that energy had to go somewhere, didn’t it?”

SteelStar frowned. “Now that you mention it, they did say something about using me as a battery.”

“There’s probably a battery somewhere below you filled with your stolen energy. If you can get to that and restore yourself to full power, the Sons of Purity won’t stand a chance.”

“Awesome,” said Goldarms, firing a few more rounds. “It’s about time I got to see you in action, SteelStar.”

He was cut off by a blast from outside that shook the room as green light spilled through the door. The Sons of Purity had finally brought their stolen weapons.

SteelStar looked around. “I don’t suppose the rest of you would help with that?”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” said Nosfeline.

“I’m in,” said Blacksting.

Even Inferno Man nodded. “If it causes the Sons of Purity grief, then I’m all for it.”

SteelStar nodded. “Thanks.”

“There’s a staircase to the left that was guarded when I passed,” said Joseph. “That’s probably a good place to start.

The four other superheroes nodded to Joseph and then stood side by side. Joseph Kimball and Green Angel stood behind them fearfully.

“They caught us when we were tired and weak before,” said Blacksting. “Take comfort in knowing they won’t have that chance again.”

“Sounds good to me,” said SteelStar.

“Get ready,” said Goldarms. “I’m almost out of ammo.”

Everyone nodded as another of those green blasts shook the room outside. SteelStar raised his metal fists as he turned to the door. Nosfeline took an almost feral stance as she spread her claws. Inferno Man’s entire body shifted into flames in the vague shape of a man. Finally, Blacksting covered his entire body with chitin, even his mouth, and extended two chitin blades from atop his wrists. The chitin blades then made a warping sound as they vibrated on a microscopic level.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Goldarms unleashed one last round of bullets, the feed from his backpack finally running out. With no ammo, Goldarms hefted his gatling gun like a club. Every superhero tensed, ready to rush out the door.

Outside in the corridors, members of the sons of Purity slowly approached the door. The men to the front wore power suits and some carried experimental or alien weapons. One had a sleek looking blaster rifle with a green light coming out the barrel, one carried a solid metal hammer with glowing red lines running up and down its length, one bore a gauntlet with a glowing purple palm, and finally, another man had some sort of cylinder.

More men in power suits stood behind them, armed only with their fists. The rest of the Sons of Purity, lacking any sort of power suit, stood further back carrying normal rifles. Most of them looked nervous, keeping as much distance between themselves and the power users as they could. They couldn’t help but look on the floor at the men put down by Goldarm’s gatling gun.

“Stay where you are,” said the man with the blaster. “We’ll do most of the fighting. You only need to keep the non-bulletproof power users from escaping.”

“What about Nosfeline?” said one of the unsuited men. “She gets stronger when she drains blood, doesn’t she?”

“These are military grade power suits,” said the leader. “She’ll never get through them. And if she gets past us, shoot her. What do you think those guns are for? Good grief, someone has to man the guns. Do you remember what happened the last time one of us tried to use a normal gun in a power suit?”

The other man gulped, remembering. The power suit had crushed the gun, causing a misfire that hit a civilian. They needed special weapons in conjunction with the power suits, and they just didn’t have many of those.

“Just target Green Angel, Nosfeline, and Inferno man when he’s turned organic,” said the leader. “You get the chance, and you can mow them down faster than we can. Now,” he turned forward. “You five, check out the room.”

The men the leader had selected approached the door slowly, their bodies tense. Closer and closer they came, balling their hands into fists so they could attack at a moments notice. Once they were within arms reach of the door, someone shouted.

“Now!”

Goldarms burst out the door, swinging his gatling gun. The bulk of the weapon struck three men and sent them flying. In the confusion, SteelStar ran out and punched a power suit helmet, sending the guy staggering back. Blacksting rushed out and sliced his a few of the men down with his vibrating stinger, while Inferno Man threw blasts of fire that blasted men away.

The counterattack came swiftly.

Goldarms knocked down a few more men before an alien hammer was swung in his direction. The strange weapon blasted the gatling gun out of Goldarms hands, clattering to the floor behind him. Shocked, Goldarms was forced to back away as the Son of Purity swung the weapon again.

SteelStar punched few more men, his Valtarian boxing skills on full display, until the man with the gauntlet aimed his palm and unleashed a purple ball of energy. The energy blasted SteelStar back until he crashed into the wall behind him. Dazed for a moment, SteelStar still had enough presence of mind to roll away as a blast struck the floor.

Blacksting took a shot to the arm from a green blast. Though it staggered him and left a few cracks in his armor, he gritted his teeth and ran forward, jumping to crawl on the wall as he dodged more blasts. He them jumped at the man and leaned left, letting a blast go right past him as he raised his arm to slash the blaster in half. The man dropped the halves of his weapon and pulled another one from his belt, a baton that crackled with electricity. Blacksting them sparred with the man, vibrating stings against electrified stick.

Nosfeline, crouched low, watched the eyes of the Sons of Purity carefully. Her claws couldn’t penetrate those power suits until she gained more strength, so she’d have to target the unsuited men. She just needed a moment where none of their eyes were on a specific path, and she’d be able to reach the men in the back. With the Sons of Purity distracted by the other power users, her moment would open soon.

“Almost,” she muttered.

And then she was off! As she zigzagged through the power suited men, crawling on walls and jumping over heads, most of the enemy didn’t realize she was there until she was already past them. Moving as a blur, she quickly got past the power suits and dove into the crowd of ordinary men to the back. She quickly sunk her claws into one, draining his blood as his eyes went wide with shock. For a moment, the rest of the men were too surprised to react, but they quickly raised their guns.

Nosfeline threw the man she was holding and sped away. Some were knocked down by the unconscious man flying through the air, and the others shot empty air as Nosfeline appeared next to them, her claws in their flesh. Nosfeline fought this way, moving quickly and stabbing her claws into each of them. She was agile enough that when a gun was pointed in her direction, she was already out of the way by the time it went off.

With every drop of blood she drained, she could feel herself getting stronger. By now, however, the men without power suits fled, and the men with them ran to intercept her. Nosfeline tried to penetrate a suit to get at the man inside, but her claws were deflected by the sturdy material and she was forced to backflip away from his punch.

As she landed, she gritted her teeth. “Not yet.”

Inferno Man kept throwing blasts of fire as bullets passed through his flame body. A moment later, the fire man heard a hissing sound. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he ducked to cover just as a wave of water flew over him, forcing him back to his organic form. Hiding behind a corner, bullets struck where he’s just been, and Inferno Man scowled as he backed against the wall, the man with the canister spreading water everywhere. Realizing he wasn’t going to be much help with that weapon in play, he came up with another idea. Seeing a nearby vent, he waited a moment for the water to dry, then turned to flame and slipped into that vent, his flame body warping to fit.

SteelStar retreated, ducking behind a corner as another energy ball came his way and blasted a chunk out of the wall. SteelStar was then faced by two men in power suits and traded blows with them. A couple of well timed blocks and punches to the helmet knocked one of them out swiftly. SteelStar then grabbed the other man before stepping outside the corner.

When the man with the gauntlet aimed his shot, SteelStar swung the two of them around until the man in the power suit was struck by the purple energy ball. SteelStar then quickly reached down and grabbed a chunk of rubble from the wall, leaned back as another energy ball soared past him, and threw the chunk like a baseball. The stone struck the gauntleted man in the helmet, knocking the man out cold.

SteelStar then raced another Son of Purity for the gauntlet. The pair of them dived and grabbed the weapon at the same time, pulling it off the unconscious man’s hand and wresting for it. With a power suit, he was strong enough that SteelStar couldn’t shake him off easily. SteelStar gritted as they rolled on the floor, each trying to get the weapon for himself.

Goldarms leaned right, left, and backward as the man before him swung the hammer, making small explosions when it hit the wall. A few more power suited men tried to punch Goldarms from the side, but a few elbows to the face and backhanded fists knocked them down with one blow. Their attacks barely hurt, but when that hammer managed to catch him in the side, Goldarms definitely felt that. He staggered back, clutching at a dent in his metal torso.

Blacksting parried the electric stick with his stingers, the weapons sparking as they collided. A few other Sons of Purity tried to attack, but Blacksting cut them down easily, his stings going right through those power suits. While he was distracted, however, the other man struck him in the arm, the electricity lengthening the cracks on his chitin armor as he cried out in pain. The other man didn’t get time to gloat, however, as Blacksting was on him in a moment.

Nearby, the man with the water generating canister aimed his weapon at Blacksting now that Inferno Man had fled. With his fellow Son of Purity in the way, he didn’t have a good shot, so he waited. He’d blow that bug away the moment he got the chance.

Nosfeline dodged and weaved through bullets as she stuck her claws into the enemy and drained their blood. She could still feel herself getting stronger, but every time she tried to claw a man in a power suit, she still couldn’t get through. Soon a bullet grazed her arm, making her clench her teeth.

“Come on,” she said, avoiding a power suit punch.

SteelStar wrestled with the man in a power suit, but he could sense the electromagnetic signatures around him. More men would intervene in a moment, so SteelStar knew he had to go quickly. SteelStar headbutted the other man, which made both their head’s swim. SteelStar, however, kept his head and raised his knee to push the two of them apart. They rolled away from each other, the purple gauntlet in SteelStar’s hand.

SteelStar put the gauntlet on and raised it as he felt a sort of switch in his mind. Flipping that mental switch, he released a ball of purple energy from his palm, blasting a man in a power suit away. SteelStar stood quickly, and then aimed the gauntlet, blasting a few more men away before they could reach them.

SteelStar grinned. “Now we’re talking.”

Goldarms dodged the hammer a few more times, the red energy leaving cracks in the walls. Goldarms realized he was getting nowhere, so as he elbowed a few other power suited men in the face, he decided to make a risky move. If his timing was off even a little…

The other man swung the hammer, and Goldarms reached for the handle. Just barely, Goldarms managed to grab it, the head of the weapon an inch away from his wrist. An inch closer, and his arm would have been demolished. Goldarms then yanked the man forward and punched him, sending him flying.

A couple more men tried to attack him, but Goldarms hefted the hammer, swung it, and the explosions sent the men flying. The rest of the men around him fled, and Goldarms held up the hammer approvingly.

“I’m so keeping this,” he said.

Nosfeline was now reduced to fleeing from men in power suits as she chased down men without them. She just kept dodging attacks and sticking men with her claws. A couple of times she turned back and tried to claw the men in power suits, but she still couldn’t get her claws through.

“Come on!”

Nosfeline, now moving so fast she was almost a speedster, grabbed a man then spun him around to absorb some gunfire. The man convulsed for a moment before she threw him away and sped to another man. She managed to stab a few more men with her claws and get even more blood and tried once more to attack a man in a power suit.

Screaming, Nosfeline ran forward with claws extended. With every ounce of her strength, she managed to pierce the power suit, draining the blood of the man within. That man stiffened, his eyes wide, until he fell over. Behind him, some very shocked men in power suits watched Nosfeline nervously. Nosfeline looked up and grinned mischievously.

“Much better,” she said, before rushing forward and stabbing the next man through his power suit.

Blacksting kept sparring with the other man, sparks flying as their weapons collided. By now, the rest of the power suited men around them hung back, unwilling to get close to Blacksting’s deadly weapons. With them out of the way, Blacksting could put his entire focus on the enemy. He was good, but Blacksting was better, and soon, he cut the man down, his vibrating strings cutting right through the man’s suit as he fell with a cry.

The other power suit users fled, all except one. Using the same canister he’d used on Inferno Man, he released a stream of water, blasting Blacksting in the chest. Blacksting was knocked backwards a few feet, but he quickly attached his feet to the floor, and then slowly began walking forward, overpowering the stream of water with pure strength.

Seeing he as outmatched, the man ended the stream, threw down the canister, and ran away. Blacksting grunted, too tired to give chase, and then looked around. The rest of the superheroes had made short work of the remaining power suit wearers around them, and the rest of the Sons of Purity were fleeing. Now that the fight was over, the power users gathered in the corridor to plan their next move. Even Green Angel and Joseph Kimball poked their heads out from their hiding place.

“That’s all of them,” said Goldarms. “Anyone else injured?”

Only SteelStar raised his hand as Goldarms took a device from his belt. Though it was shaped like a microphone, he put it over the dent in his torso. Pressing a button, it activated a magnetic field that pulled the dent out of his torso and making him grunt from the pain. A moment later, Goldarms did the same for the dent in SteelStar’s torso, who found that even more painful than using his own magnetism.

“Hey?” said Nosfeline. “Where’s Inferno Man?”

“Down here,” said Inferno Man.

They looked down to see a head made of fire poking out through a nearby vent.

SteelStar crossed her arms. “Coward.”

“Hey,” said Inferno Man. “Give me a break. I couldn’t fight with that water device in play. Besides, I didn’t do nothing down here. I scouted the vents and found the generator. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to shut these guys down for good.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Blacksting. “Nosfeline, could you please escort Mr. Kimball and Green Angel outside? I’d like him safe as soon as possible, and I’m sure Green Angel can end this immediately once she gets some plants to control.”

Green Angel nodded to him.

“Sure,” said Nosfeline. “Let’s go.”

“And let’s get that generator,” said Blacksting.

“Follow me,” said Inferno Man.

And the two groups split up. Blacksting, Goldarms, and SteelStar followed Inferno Man as he slipped out of the vent and flew down the corridor. Green Angel and Joseph Kimball, meanwhile, followed Nosfeline.

###

Andrew Thornton strolled to his helicopter, his power suit covered footsteps echoing throughout the hanger. He knew the Iron Eagle was still out there, but he hoped his fighters would be able to hold it off. This whole operation had officially become a wash.

This was confirmed when he got a message on his radio.

“Sir! The power users killed our men and stole the weapons!”

Thornton gritted his teeth angrily. “Understood.” He then switched his frequency. “Henderson, tell me you got it hacked!”

“I… I haven’t,” said Henderson. “If we send it in now, it will kill indiscriminately.”

“Fine,” said Thornton. “I have the facility cleared, then we’ll send it in anyway. So long as none of us are in the area, we should be fine.”

Andrew Thornton wasn’t going to let those power users escape. He’d stop them, no matter the cost.