Chapter 22

The Brother

The Defender’s engines whined, the stress of speed they were putting the skyship under proving too much for its current state. Raymond still found himself wishing it could go faster, even with Kenny and Sal working the whole time they were in flight. He tapped his fingers, breaths coming in short cycles. He hated not knowing what was going on, and with so much land to cover still ahead of them, it made his muscles seize with worry.

“Relax, captain,” Jay told him. Not that he was much better, piloting the skyship forward. There were no other ships in the sky that night, but there was a bright orange in the very far distance. Raymond hated to think what that could be. “We’re giving this everything we can.”

“And it’s already taken us hours…” the captain remarked.

“There’s not much we can do when the engines are shot that bad, sir,” Emily reminded him. He didn’t need the reminder. Didn’t want it, either, not after what had happened. “All we can do in the meantime is prepare for what we find on the other end.”

“I know.” Or so he said. Every foot the skyship trailed closer found Raymond diving deeper into more turmoil inside his mind, hoping he’d be able to work it all out when he arrived at the Metropolis.

Had he made the right decisions? Leaving the Renegades there had been a risky move, but they were of no great threat on their own. Not on such a tiny island. The Reaper was a bigger concern, but Raymond could think of no possible way to counteract them. He felt pigeonholed into this course, knowing there was only one thing he could do. The Order didn’t matter when lives were at stake, yet he couldn’t help but doubt.

Emily sensed it, placing her hand on his.

“Captain, don’t worry. We’ve done the best we can,” she said, offering him a smile. He took comfort from that, squeezing her hand back. “We received valuable intel on the Order, but must act on a more immediate threat. Our choices have merit.”

“I’m just worried that I’m making the wrong ones.” She understood that, withdrawing her hand. With Jay, Bruce and Trent focused on piloting the ship, Raymond had free reign to face his lieutenant, fixing his glasses. “The Reaper…do you think they could be right? About the world needing change. About us…being similar.”

“I think the Reaper was attempting to worm under your skin, Raymond.” Her usage of his first name indicated how strongly she felt about this. “Perhaps there are things in need of change, but that’s always the case. None of that should include forcibly changing it. We take it one step at a time.”

“And what about when more forceful means are necessary? What if a threat or a decision can’t be made without forcing it?” Emily couldn’t formulate an answer. Not immediately in any case, and Raymond shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just on edge. Worried if we’ll need to fight, and if my sister’s all right. They just frustrate me, the way they challenge the Corps as if they know us, and they know better.”

“I understand the feeling, captain, but that’s why you have us.”

“She’s right, you know. Captain, where would you be without us?” Bruce said, pumping his fist. The skyship listed.

“Hey, keep it steady!” Trent scolded him. Raymond chuckled, appreciating the support he received from his squad. He appreciated it more when the door to the deck slid open, Sal poking her head out.

“Engines are almost repaired, captain, and communications systems are back online. Can’t bring weapons back in full, but it’ll do. We’ll be back to take over soon. Don’t you crash my ship, Jarvis!”

“Her ship…” Jay scoffed. Raymond let him, pulling out his tablet, and connecting to the closest channel he could find.

He didn’t like what he found.

“The Metropolis burns?!” Emily exclaimed.

“Sal, you better work faster!” Raymond’s order got some acknowledgement before he clicked on the headline and a reporter on screen.

“The Alliance Games have come to a tragic end,” the woman on the screen said. Her hair was frizzed, and she looked like she’d barely escaped alive with her cameraman. “The Multi-Maze Melee came to an abrupt finish when the tiers were set on fire, crashing into the stadium. Having just escaped I can tell you myself the situation inside, as the group calling themselves the Renegades have infiltrated and taken the spectators hostage in force, including President Nelson and President Parradyne of Lacardia. It would appear they infiltrated the Games by winning their way to the tournament proper in order to send a message. Their fellow competitors attempted to take the leader, Rico, down, but unfortunately-”

Her message cut off, replaced with Rico’s face. It was different from his encounter with the man in the settlement, but the eyes were all too recognizable. It wasn’t a perfect recording, hardly looking like it was staged, but the man’s statement was theatrical nonetheless, standing with a spear amidst cinders and screams.

“The Corps are the pathetic ones! See them squabble! See them flee! Some may stand and fight, but when push comes to shove, they don’t wish to protect you! Only themselves! How long are you going to continue to praise and rely upon people who couldn’t give one whit about you?!”

It was as bold a statement as any, made all the sharper with the knowledge of how many people he’d taken hostage. Raymond flicked to another channel, but every single one was displaying the same message over and over, perhaps with slight variation. He didn’t care to know much more when it all amounted to the same thing: Rico was declaring war on the Guardian Corps.

“So that’s their game…That’s why they wanted to kill the Reaper. Show how ineffectual we are,” Raymond said, every word issuing forth as a growl. “Let’s give them a surprise.”

He flicked his communicator, prepared to contact Corps Castle when the engine gave off a guttural noise that indicated it was back in action, at least for the short trip to the Metropolis. Kenny and Sal slid back inside the room, with the latter forcing Jay out of her chair. “Let’s fly.”

There was no time, and no need anymore, so Raymond stowed the tablet away, eyes trained on the horizon of the Metropolis. It was clear what the orange glow now was. He approached Sal and Kenny. “When you were fixing the comms system, did you do any tracking? Do we have an idea of where the Renegades’ signal is coming from?”

“What do you take us for, captain?” Kenny said, hiding his chortles. “We’ve been working on it from the second it came back online.”

“And there’s only one place it can be coming from,” Sal responded. “The Metropolis’s very own communications tower, where every channel and broadcast is monitored and sent from. I doubt they infiltrated just the stadium to send this message of theirs.”

“Excellent…then I’ll ask you to take them out. The citizens are the first priority,” Raymond said, his commands causing his subordinates to snap to attention. “Bruce, Trent, find out the situation on the ground in the Metropolis, itself. I don’t think they’ll go for high destruction like the Beastmaster did, but we can’t assume anything. Myself, Jay and Em will descend below to the stadium, rendezvous with Commander Chavez and help the people there.”

It was an unspoken realization that he was worried for his sister, caught in the center of Rico’s riptide that threatened to drown them all.

“Coming up on the Metropolis now, then,” Sal called out. From the viewing glass, it was an uglier sight than anything from a distance or seen on the television.

The stadium wasn’t quite ablaze, but there was smoke and fire rising from it. The news vans outside were abandoned, with a helicopter, just one, hovering over the Metropolis. There were no fires there, but Raymond felt there might as well have been with Rico’s message going over the airwaves. It was harder to see the goings-on inside the stadium, or who was captive and who wasn’t, but it couldn’t have been good if the plants of what was once a maze were left smoldering. Coming closer, Raymond could also see the pockets of dust or other explosions in the stands, indicating a likely unsuccessful counterattack.

The worst was yet to come.

“The stadium…it’s almost cracked in half…” Jay gasped. While the stands weren’t cracked, they may as well have been, given the giant chasm that had formed in the pit of the coliseum. Raymond shook his head, clearing negative thoughts and omens from creeping into his mind about what had fallen. “We need to get down there.”

“You’re responsible for safe landing,” Raymond instructed. He flapped his robes behind him, once more indicating him as a member of the Corps, and proceeded to the ramp that opened. The resultant breeze ruffled all of them, with Jay and Emily acting as vanguard to descend.

“You don’t need to say a word, captain,” Kenny said, flexing his muscles. “We’ll locate the signal and take it out. Bruce and Trent will take care of things on the ground. We’re Tempest Squad. We don’t fail.”

“I’ll trust in all of you.” The ramp finished opening and Raymond dashed, jumping off right over the coliseum. Jay and Emily were with him, taking no pleasure in the exercise. Jay swirled his hands around, the dense wind forming underneath their feet to create safe travel to the stadium proper. “I need you two to see to the presidents. It’s likely Commander Masters is there. I’ll rendezvous with Commander Chavez.”

Confirmation was unneeded, especially in lieu of the rising voices. Some were murmurs of doubt, others were whimpers of fear, while still others were gasping at shock over the hole in the ground. Raymond looked for a place to land, spotting a balcony that was empty save for an apparent trio of Renegades that were guarding it. He aimed the wind blade there, putting his body weight forward. They didn’t see it coming.

“Graah!” He and Jay let out a timed scream just before they brought themselves crashing into two of the three, knocking them into walls. They slumped. Emily landed more gracefully, but punched the remaining Renegade with little compunction.

“Jay, let’s move.” Jay created another blade of wind for the two of them to hop upon before jetting off. Raymond, now in the stadium, took stock of his surroundings.

No one had noticed his landing yet, too consumed in the chaos, but he could see all the movement. People were bound to their chairs, and those that weren’t were tightly reined in by armed Renegades, out in numbers. There were so many people, it was impossible to see who was where, but it was obvious that Rico was nowhere to be seen. Unless one counted the screens, of course, where things switched between his message on repeat and the shots of the stadium held hostage. Worse than that, however, were the Guardians proving his claim right, a group of youthful, inexperienced boys falling over themselves to get to a free corridor. The Renegades weren’t even trying to stop them.

Raymond snarled to no one, but reached his hand out, twisting one of the nearby metal railings that rimmed the coliseum to turn it into a sturdy plank, crossing balconies. He leapt on it and ran the length. To this, the Renegades did take notice.

“That’s the captain of Tempest Squad!”

“I thought Maria said he was at the island base, captured!”

“Who cares, just take him ou-gh!” Raymond’s hands clapped together, his feet clearing the way to the balcony and working the metal into chains that snaked themselves around the enemy, leaving them collapsed. He hit the floor in a roll and came back up in front of the fleeing Guardians, each still trying to push others out of the way.

“And where do you Guardians think you’re going?” he asked, grabbing the first one and pushing him and the others back with little effort.

“Haven’t you seen what’s going on here, captain? It’s insane!” the lead boy said. Raymond drew his blade, the glimmering sword offering a gasp of hope from the crowd behind him. He didn’t afford himself a pleased look. “We gotta get out of here before they kill us all.”

“Kill? Have they killed anyone yet?” The gray that freckled their faces indicated the answer. Raymond withdrew his sword, eyes flitting to the side. One of the nearest Renegades was readying an attack, aiming a magical cannon right at him. “You are Guardians! Those who have passed the trials! Who gave you permission to abandon your duty in a crisis?”

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“What are we even supposed to do, captain?” another asked. “There are civilians here. Any attempt we make will hurt them, and just invite more retaliation back on us. We have no use here.”

“No use? Are you Guardians or not?!” The cannon fired in the direction of the four. Raymond twirled, his sword becoming a hammer that struck the new projectile. As it transformed, the lightning that came from it zapped the attacking Renegade, dropping him in his seat. The crowd cheered, which led to more eyes being placed on him. “You have been through the trials, and that means you should have a handle on whatever is thrown your way.”

“The trials didn’t prepare for something like this! Even our own team got…”

“Childs, there you are!” In a whirlwind, Amelia’s voice was accompanied by some screaming Renegades who smacked against the walls. The commander landed, her blonde-white hair fluttering out in her approach. “I wasn’t expecting you to get here, but once I saw the Defender, I sure was grateful.”

“Commander!” Raymond saluted her, but she had no time for such formalities. “I’ve sent Jarvis and Emily to help the presidents. This is a massive operation they’ve undertaken.”

“You don’t say?” was the woman’s dry response. Past her, the fleeing Guardians took their chance, to which Raymond snarled. Other Guardians were elsewhere, pushing citizens down and dueling Renegades over the confused and panicked populace. The video playing ad nauseum was all but ignored now.

“Commander, my sister and the rest, where are they?” Amelia huffed, flicking a finger back. Her wind ripped off the bindings of the people there, which they all cheered for. She didn’t answer his question.

“Right now, we need to focus on taking the enemy out. Never imagined it’d be the Renegades. They seemed to play so fair during the tournament…” Amelia shook her head, blowing her bangs upwards. “Childs, I need you to free anyone you can to fight. Benjamin, for example. I can’t move around while freeing citizens and our fleeing comrades don’t make this easy.”

Seeing more of the Corps flee from the situation only reinforced her claim. “Isn’t Benjamin your fiancée from Lacardia? How can he help us?”

“He’ll let us bind the Renegades. Then we won’t have to focus too much on attacking them. Matthew from the Academy should help as well. I believe he’s sitting with your parents. Their magic combined can help us out greatly.” The commander was facing away from him as she said all this. He moved to get in her eyeline, wondering what she was staring at, but she tore her eyes and locked jaw away from the chasm in the midst of the field. “Can you do this, Childs?”

“My parents are here?” Amelia answered by pointing to where they likely were, surrounded by a whole patch of Renegades. It wasn’t going to be easy. He thought of asking once more about his sister, but with Amelia so harried, he asked something different. “Commander, if I can ask, how did this all happen? Tempest Squad discovered a secret base of theirs, but I never could’ve imagined they’d manage to control the television channels or infiltrate this entire stadium at a mass level.”

“It really wasn’t that hard, once you put your mind to it.” Amelia acted before asking questions, the commander creating spears of wind in the air that shot, alongside her spinning blades. They just missed impaling the young woman on top of the doorway of stone, for she flipped down, landing with a smirk. Raymond reformed his blade. “Take a secret desert passage and an old base and you get free passage to move lots of people in without anyone checking credentials.”

“Ah, the witch of the Renegades. I was wondering when you’d show again since you taunted my charges,” Amelia created darts now. The woman flicked her hair with confidence, her earrings jangling. “Tell me more, before I pepper your body full of holes!”

“Ooh, so hasty!” the woman giggled out. The darts flew, but she flipped back. A piece of metal railing twisted and curled, blocking the rest of them, but leaving dents in their place. Raymond’s arm quivered at a display of his own magic. “Since you’re so interested, James is an electrical whiz. He got a job at the comms tower, while some others got in selling concessions. Once that was in place, we were all set for making a message when everyone gathered. The only part left to chance was actually getting in the tournament itself, but Rico made that a cinch. Though I won’t deny my own contributions. Whoa! Careful there!”

Amelia had fired another volley of wind, which the woman blocked with metal. Raymond charged at her, not letting her speak more as he slashed. She ducked under the blade, her body shining with light. When she resurfaced, he was facing himself. “What the hell?!”

“I would’ve liked to mimic the commander, but unfortunately, her magical ability is just a little too high for me,” the woman said, but in his deeper voice. She was clothed in the same attire as him, but looked and felt completely unlike him. His weapon transformed, the sparks of lightning zapping across the woman’s cheek. “Oh, don’t ruin such a handsome face, captain. Not that I like being a man, but your magic is more on my level, and I don’t want you marring an otherwise beautiful physique.”

“I don’t think you care, Maria.” Amelia’s curt tone identified her next attack. From one hand came a gust that blew a group of Renegades back on the stairs, while the other gave creation to a vortex that trapped Maria in its circling form. The bending metal cut through it, dropping the woman into a crouch on all fours. “Childs, I gave you an order. Get moving!”

“No! Stay and join the party! What will the people think when they see two Guardians fighting each other?!” Maria sounded too excited for words, even as Amelia blitzed her, a windy fist smashing into her face. “I want to see what the world’s gonna look like when that happens. How much of the Corps will be left?”

“Commander, fight well!” Raymond flicked his fingers, taking Maria’s supply of metal and twisting it into a ladder that led to the very top of the coliseum. Maria shouted some unknown taunts at him but he favored the ladder over them, climbing up the rungs with alacrity. A tempest shuddering across his figure identified Amelia’s renewed assault, mixed with a cackle and worried cheers.

Those sounds became irrelevant when Raymond reached the top. From here, he could see the Metropolis and a burst of fire. The Defender was on the assault, but wasn’t unopposed. He held faith in his squad and began to run across the top of the coliseum. The top box where the presidents were was still barricaded, with Emily and Jay stuck in a mess of Renegades that were attempting to hold them off. The same was seen all over, those Guardians that were fighting back locked in stalemates, unable to fully retaliate.

He could also see morale was low. The chasm leading into darkness under the night sky couldn’t have helped.

Raymond doubled his speed, but kept his balance, racing for where he saw his parents. His sister’s teacher was with them, along with the man named Max, unable to retaliate. Thankfully, none of the Renegades there saw him coming along the edge of the arena, sword drawn and ready to leap into the fracas.

That didn’t stop the stone underneath his feet from churning. Just a light tremor, but enough for him to dodge forward into a roll and spring back up, the fist missing him from beneath. His sword changed to liquid again, the shocks racing along the stone to strike the fist beneath. The man it was attached to emerged.

“Commander Raymond Childs. Last I heard, you were in a prison cell on an island,” the man said. Raymond snapped his whip back. “You cannot interfere like your sister. Not while Rico has the floor. Don’t mess things up.”

“And just what did you do to my sister?!” Raymond didn’t give the man time to answer. He rushed forth, jabbing his blade in swift strokes. The man avoided them, diving underground and coming up between his legs. The captain backpedaled and swung his sword down, now becoming a giant axe that broke off chunks of the roof while the man escaped, popping up further down the line. “Let the people, and the presidents, go now. Perhaps I might grant you clemency from my wrath, Renegade!”

“Not a chance. Your time is over, Guardian.” He disappeared into the ground again, but Raymond wasted no more time fooling around.

“Metal Shock.” Raymond’s sword stabbed the ground, and the metal transformed, sticking itself into every flaw and imperfection of the stone that the man had dived into. The lightning that came from it coursed through the stone, right down the hole the man had traveled into. He screamed, popping back up with convulsions before he had the chance to attack. Raymond ripped his blade from the stone and ran at the man. He tried to defend, but Raymond offered no quarter, his fist sailing out in a haymaker that pitched him forward. “If my time is over, how about you go first? We will never surrender!”

The man went flying, unconscious before he hit the crowd. Before he did, Raymond stretched his hands out to all of the bindings on the people. His body slumped a bit, but with effort, he removed them, allowing the people there to dodge the man who crashed into their seats. Raymond leapt off, landing as nimbly as he could without breaking bones.

“Brother Carlton!” some of the Renegades cried, enough that they never saw Raymond storm them, a sharp shot of lightning knocking them to the floor. The people cheered, and the nearby Guardians stood up.

“Raise your swords, Guardians. Our work isn’t done until the stadium, no, the Metropolis is liberated!” he called. The rallying cry stoked the flames of his allies, and Raymond became more assured as he slid down to where his parents were, each recovering from the effects of the cuffs on them. “Mom! Dad! Are you all right?”

“Ray! Is that you?” his mother called. He skidded to the end of their row, running until his mother smothered him with a hug. It didn’t last long before she pulled back, her eyes full of tears. “Oh, look at my boy, so grown up. It’s been years since you called, that we’ve only seen you on television.”

“Pretty sure we’re all on television now, mom. You good, dad?”

“Good enough, now you’re here, Mr. Captain.” His father thumped him on the back, that pride felt through the affectionate blow. Raymond returned it.

“We’ll catch up after we’re done here. Mr. Matthew, right? I believe my commander has requested help from you and Mr. Benjamin,” Raymond said to the older man. Matthew needed no other information as seconds later, he was elsewhere in the stadium. The mousy man named Max was also moving, running to the edge of the stands while calling frantically for his charge. “Mom, you can still put up a good fight, right?”

“When I’m not chained to a chair, of course,” his mother said, rapping him on the head. “Who exactly do you think raised you?”

“Then can I ask for a little help. Escort the citizens out of here while the Guardians hold the Renegades off. In the meantime, where’s Mera?” His parents didn’t answer, but their eyes told the whole story. Looking to the side, towards the chasm, Raymond found a pit forming in his stomach and a ball in his throat. “Mom, Dad, where is Mera?!”

“She…she fell…Your sister and her friends…”

“Raymond!”

He didn’t care that he was disobeying orders. Didn’t care that there were more Renegades to fight. Didn’t care that his squad members were fighting a pitched battle. All that mattered was his sister was in danger, down in an abyss. Everything that had been reported or murmured assailed his head, and the worry increased tenfold.

“Lady Vivian! Lady Vivian! If you can hear me, please get up!” Max was screaming. Raymond vaulted over the edge of the stadium wall, sliding down the broken pieces of stone, mud and wood that were snarled there. He continued until his feet touched into the darkness. The lights from the stadium above still shed illumination on the floor that had fallen, stopped by bedrock.

It was a massacre. That was his first impression. Five people were strewn about the bottom, knocked out for all of them, bleeding for at least a few. Their weapons were scattered, from knives to a bow to a blade that was heart-wrenchingly noticeable. Raymond kicked stones aside, his limbs flailing with less control than he would have liked as his emotions ran wild for the one he knew most of all.

“Mera!” he screamed. She didn’t move. He fell to his knees when he reached her. Raymond took his sister’s shoulders and shook, her half-shorn hair fluttering about. “Mera! Sis, wake up! Please, wake up!”

He began to fear the worst when he saw the gash on her cheek, still bleeding, while she didn’t move. Raymond tried to swallow the ball in his throat, to no avail. Tears of fury came to him, and he placed her back down. His watery eyes found Rico’s face on screen, his fist wishing to smash the man to pieces.

“Ray…mond…” His sister’s croak loosened his fist and he turned around. A cough followed and he saw his sister pulling at stones, attempting to crawl forward. Another noise, a wheeze, brought attention to Eddie and Vivian, the two hauling each other against the wall. The other two that had collapsed were stirring as well.

“Mera, you’re all right!” Raymond said with great gasps of relief. His sister clasped the hilt of the Earth-Splitter and, sticking it into stone, used it to push herself up. Her limbs were sluggish, that much was obvious, but she was pulling herself together. “You idiot sister. What happened to you?”

“Fought…Rico…” she gasped out. Her body was finally on its knees. One of her hands slipped, finding itself on a knife. She sucked in a breath for a moment, then picked the blade up and began to do so with the rest of her body. Eddie and Vivian were heaving their breaths, each leaning against a wall. The remaining, unknown two, were also on their knees, taking in as much air as possible. “Lost…that round…”

“That round…” Raymond said, unable to stop the scoff. He reached out, holding fast against his sister to stop her from moving. “You’ve done enough, Mera. More than. There’re no more rounds for you to fight. You just need to relax. Pull back, and I’ll handle the rest.”

It was too fast for Raymond to stop it, but Meredith’s hand slapped out, knocking his away from her. His arm flopped to his side, too surprised to move it when he looked at his sister’s eyes. They were burning.

Not just hers, but all of the other four that were gathered there. He stumbled back, while Meredith pulled herself up.

“No, Ray.” Meredith wasn’t slurring any more, and she didn’t look ready to collapse. A strange feeling came over Raymond as he looked to his sister’s piercing eyes. She was asking a question, asking for him to give something to help. Before he knew it, he was acquiescing and watching as the wound on her face closed up. It wasn’t healed, but there was no more blood. With that, Meredith stood. “This is our fault, and we’ll be the ones to…clean it up.”

“Don’t be a fool!” Raymond shouted. Shuffling indicated that his sister’s allies were gathering, each of them slow, but unrelenting, as they came to stand by her side. “You’re about to keel over, Mera! You already lost once! What do you think you can do now? Eddie, talk some sense into her!”

“No way,” Eddie said. He was gripping to Vivian, but standing tall. “This is our responsibility. We failed to stop Rico. Failed to keep Emil in check. Now everyone is suffering for it.”

“If we just stood by, we’d never be able to live with ourselves,” Vivian grunted. Her bow was back in her hands, her knees pitching forward until she was supported by the other girl there. Meredith’s back was pushed up by the other boy, the five holding each other. “This is our fight. Our tournament.”

“We might…be on different teams,” the other girl said, huffing with every breath, “but as long as we’re still standing, we can fight. We can make this right.”

“That’s right. No giving up until then.”

“What is wrong with you guys?!” Raymond shouted. The tears hadn’t subsided, now becoming those of worry. “You’re barely standing as it is! You’re about to fall over! If you go up against him again-”

“But we’re still standing!” Meredith screamed. She stood taller, more than she ever had before, and for the first time in his life, Raymond thought his sister was bigger than him. Older than him. “I’m so tired of it…Tired of watching your back as it walks away. Tired of needing you to save us. We need to stand on our own two feet! We need to be the ones to fight! We can’t just expect you to clean up our own messes and hope for the best. This is our tournament to fight, here and now. Rico is our enemy.

“And we’ll keep standing until he’s down!”

Raymond watched in awe as his sister reached up, sliding a knife beneath her hair and cutting it loose. The damaged part floated away, leaving her hair short, and her eyes clearer with determination than ever. Her friends matched that, each looking up to the light that invited them.

And Raymond knew he would never be able to stop her.

Then she opened her mouth for one final statement, and in his sister, Raymond Childs saw a leader and a Guardian, standing taller than the rest.

“Time for a second wind.”

“Yeah!”