Warning: Resonance unstable. Calibration incomplete. Host rejection detected.
Gerald lunged at Michael.
“I’ll finally teach you respect, boy,” he roared, claws slashing furiously towards him. “You’re all going to help me calibrate my new frame.”
Michael pushed David aside and backed away as the first slash came down between them. The claws flew past them, slicing the metal desk in two. It didn’t look like he had any resistance. It cut through like butter. Man those things are sharp.
“Michael!” LaNiye grabbed him, pulling him out of the way of another slash. “Focus!”
A combination of slashes whizzed past him, tearing into the chairs, more desks, shelves, and even the concrete walls behind him. Sparks and dust flew into the air as each blow sent shockwaves through the lab.
“Spread out,” David shouted. “We need to get out of here.”
Without warning, Gerald’s claws retracted and the armored spine compressed, curving forward into a ball and forming a protective shell. Then, with a burst of force, he launched himself across the room in Michael’s direction.
“Move,” Michael yelled, diving out of the way.
The armored ball crashed through the concrete column and ricocheted off the walls with terrifying momentum. It began spinning, before blasting off again, this time towards Zuriya and LaNiye. The two girls barely evaded the attack, falling to the floor of debris and shattered glass.
Next, it attacked Asante, who had attempted to collect the case of essence vials. The metal ball launched itself at Asante, who managed to grab the case but tripped while dodging the wrecking ball. Gerald uncoiled, springing from his form and presenting his claws as he approached Asante.
“I do believe that’s coming with me,” Gerald said.
Before any of them could react, Gerald snapped his leg with brutal force, landing a kick squarely to the boy’s side.
CRACK.
Asante’s body was hurled across the floor, slamming into a metal cabinet with a loud clang. He still clutched the case. But he collapsed to the ground, a pained gasp escaping him as he curled in pain.
Michael’s heart pounded in his chest seeing him slump to the floor.
“Hang on!”
CLANG.
Another slash blocked his path forward as Gerald’s claw tore a deep gouge through the concrete. Michael skidded to a halt, eyes wide at how close he had come to becoming sliced meat.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Gerald roared, eyes burning behind his helmet. He geared up to spin again.
Crap not this again.
Michael tried to dodge, but he was too slow. He tripped over rubble, scraping his hands as he slid across the floor just as Gerald released his spin and bolted towards him. He was only able to roll to the side. But he didn’t fully evade it.
“Yaaaa!” he screamed, his foot crushed beneath the ball. It felt like a car tire rolled over it.
Gerald crashed into another wall, kicking more dust into the air.
“You okay, Michael?” David called.
“He got my foot.”
“I’m coming.”
“No…help Asante,” Michael coughed, dust starting to irritate his lungs. If you can even find him in this cloud.
“Asante!” Zuriya shouted.
Gerald came back quickly, uncoiling and punching Michael square in the chest. He felt the chestplate of his frame short-circuit. Michael ducked under another slash, rolling on the ground until he found a pipe. He swung it hard, hoping he could crack the helmet or damage it at all.
CLANG.
It bounced off the helmet, reverberating through his arms.
“You sure got guts, kid. But you’re way out of your league now.”
Michael stumbled back, panting. Wraith’s last blow had dented his chest plate. Sparks fizzled across his frame. The limbs twitched as the wires were likely shorting. He thought that he should probably take it off before something bad happened, but then how would he stand to defend himself from Wraith?
He nearly dodged another oncoming blow. He tossed himself to the side as wraith’s metallic claws slashed at him, missing and carving deep gashes through the metal desks.
Michael, now back up. He was trapped. Wraith stalked forward, dragging his claws. Sparks flying from them, grazing against the metal. Behind him, the others were still fighting off his goons. But they wouldn’t hold out for long.
If I can’t keep him on me, he’ll go after the others.
Michael tried to push himself up again, but his limbs were tired. The frame was losing power.
“Looks like you’ve got nowhere to go this time.”
Then–
Something slammed into the back of his suit and a violent hiss. His suit lit up. Lines of blue light streaking through his limbs like veins. His frame whirled back to life.
[Essence Accepted]
Michael turned to find Asante clutching what looked like a cracked rib in one hand, and with his other shoved one of the essence vials into his spine.
Michael froze.
“W-what did you do?”
“Sorry, Michael,” Asante choked out, coughing hard. His eyes fluttered. It looked like he used what little strength he had left to jam that thing into his frame. “Don’t waste it.”
Asante collapsed to the floor. The suit still whirled in his helmet.
[Activating PRIMAL CALIBRATION]
His whole body shook as the suit made a loud noise. He wasn’t sure if this was a good thing. Even Wraith looked confused but interested in whether or not this new development would save him the trouble of ending Michael himself.
He thought he heard something from inside the helmet, or maybe he was imagining things. But he could have sworn he heard a roar rumbling from the frame’s core. The frame whirled some more. But he was only focused on Wraith. He was going to tear him apart.
He stood up, shakily, to his feet. Though it hurt his aching muscles, he faced Wraith.
Fear vanished. And his pain eased.
[Resonance accepted]
The suit clicked and adjusted. The simple metallic armor plate sprang forward, elongating covering his entire body in gold plates. It covered his arms, legs, and chest. His helmet grew, morphing into a lion’s head. His shoulder plates elongated, and a red fiery mane engulfed the helmet.
[Resonance complete]
[Code Name: APEX – LEO]
Wraith marched forward, his suit hissed as he rammed into Michael’s new frame. But Michael was prepared. This time, he was able to dodge.
How do you stop something built like a monster truck…with armor? How do you bypass armor?
He dodged another roll attack from Wraith as he collided behind him.
Slow it down? Nope. Bypass it? Find its weak points. It doesn’t have any weak points. Does it?
He grabbed the nearest object–a keyboard –and hurled it at Wraith. It bounced off the armor shell. He tried a wrench. A tray. A beaker of strange fluid. Nothing
“Keep throwing garbage, kid.”
This isn’t working. Need something stronger…more corrosive.
“Michael, duck!” LaNiye’s voice screamed into the cloud.
Suddenly, glass shattered behind Wraith as LaNiye hurled a plastic beaker at Wraith.
“Didn’t you already see him try to toss–what?
A horrible sizzling sound came as the helmet began to melt. In his confusion, Wraith failed to notice that LaNiye hurled two more bottles. One at his chest plate, and another colliding with his now-exposed face.
He howled in fury and pain. Smoke streamed off his corroding faceplate and chest. His claws spasmed as he desperately tried to reach his face or wipe away the burning acid quickly seeping into the crevices.
“Ahhhhh!” As Wraith flew into a furious rage. He tore through chairs, walls, and anything in his way.
“Argh. My face. Damn you brats. What is this?”
LaNiye dove behind a counter to avoid the slashes. She clutched her hands. Michael worried if she, too, had been burned. David shielded Zuriya as another claw swept overhead.
“Michael! Do something,” she cried
“What have you done?!”
Gerald tried to wipe his face, but he couldn’t reach it due to his armor and claws. He just continued to scream. His skin began to bubble and warp.
He likely can’t see, maybe they could escape–
“Rraaaahhhh!” Gerald flew into a frenzy of slashing around him. LaNiye jumped from the position and towards Asante by the crates as Wraith swung mercilessly around him, just hoping to collide with something.
“You rotten brats. Look what you’ve done.”
He’s still standing, but his armor is weakened, and he’s flailing around like a wild animal. If he kept this up, he could hurt the others.
Michael inhaled and charged at Wraith, aiming his shoulder at his weakened chest plate. Ducking under the first swipe, he rammed his shoulder into the melting chest plate with all the force he could channel.
CLANG.
Wraith, in his confusion, stumbled off balance. Michael didn’t waste time. He began swinging punch after punch. Focused on his denting chest plate
Wraith staggered back. But Michael didn’t stop. He twisted and landed a punch to the chest plate, then another and another. He spun low, nearly dodging another swipe, then returned to assaulting the denting chest plate.
“Get off of me!” Wraith yelled, swinging blindly–but Michael had already rolled to the side, lifting a crate, he tossed it at Wraith, who was completely caught off guard. Michael then hurled his full weight as he charged at him, shoulder first, colliding with a sickening crunch of metal. Wraith reeled, arms flailing about.The Dilo frame sank to its knees. Michael kicked it, causing the frame to land sprawled on its back in a thin puddle of acid.
[System–rrk–malfunction. Inv…alid us-ser resonance…]
Wraith groaned.
Michael leaped high into the air, aiming straight for Wraith.
“Arrrgh!”
He brought both fists down on Wraith’s chest. The impact crashed the ground beneath them, sinking them into the floor and indenting it from their impact. Michael punched down at his chest repeatedly, cracking the weakened armor until he felt Wriath’s body beneath.
Wraith coughed up blood from the impact, his suit twitching. More smoke leaked from the chunks between his remaining plates.
The Dilo frame sputtered.
Michael felt exhausted and staggered. Still, he should make sure he finishes the job. Michael’s frame whirled as it collapsed back to its base form.
No, no, no. Just give one more minute…
But the power drained. The frame felt limp on his body.
“Michael, we need to go,” David yelled. “It’s over, we can go now.”
“He’ll just get away. And he knows who we are now.”
“Can’t you hear the structure collapsing?”
Michael hadn’t really noticed it while fighting but David was right, the building sounded like it was gonna come down at any moment.
He looked over at Zuriya, who was trying to wake Asante. The boy was nearly unconscious, wheezing with every breath. His hand pressed against his side.
Michael nodded, rushing to Asante’s side. He and David on each side as they helped the boy to the stairs.
As they neared the stairs, Michael heard a sharp, rapid beeping cut through the silence.
Beep. beep. beep.
Everyone froze. Michael turned back just in time to see Wraith, still sprawled on his back, as he slowly lifted an arm, and in his hand sat a black sphere flashing with pulsing red lights.
From behind his cracked, corroded mask, Wraith smiled.
Beep. beep. Beep-beep-beep.
“Go!” David shouted.
Zuriya and LaNiye bolted towards the stairs. Michael and David tried to move Asante as fast as they possibly could.
“Ah! Ow!” Asante cried.
“Sorry,” Michael apologized, “but we don’t really have time to be gentle.”
They scrambled up the stairs, reached the firehouse floor, and dashed towards the way they came in.
Beep-beep-be–
Michael heard a sharp, thunderous crack split through the air like a lightning strike. The sound was deafening and shook the ground.
As they finally escaped the firehouse, there was a deep, roaring boom followed by the unmistakable weight of something massive collapsing.
Krrrra-koom!!!
A wall of fire and dust erupted into the sky as the firehouse was engulfed in flames. The group tumbled into the grass, as a sharp, thunderous crack split through the air like a lightning strike. The sound was deafening and shook the ground. When he turned back, the firehouse was gone.