“You’re gonna pace until there’s a hole in the floor.” Arx said to Justin.
“The heroes have taken down several Shadow Krampus in Ka’an Dorado and he just keeps coming back. How can we send heroes in to help Director Nova if they keep fighting those shadow things?” Justin continued to walk.
Gar said, “Maybe Nova doesn’t need the help. EB and Quark are really powerful.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t like this. I feel...I feel strange.” Justin staggered and fell against a console as he gripped his chest.
Arx hit the deck on his knees and held his throat. “I...I can’t breathe...gah...” He gagged.
Gar panicked, “Justin, Arx! Someone help!”
A robot announced, “Calling Doctor Henderson.”
Gar turned around twice. “NightShadow?”
Nova’s voice burst through the comm, “JUSTIN!”
Gar grabbed Justin’s comm unit. “Director, Justin is on the floor in pain. I think he’s dying.”
The comm cut off.
“Director! Help!” Gar shook the comm device.
Dr. Henderson rushed in with an aide and quickly checked the two men. “This isn’t good. Arx is out, and Justin is...stay with me!” She pressed a device up against his neck. “I can’t get oxygen into him. Nothing is working. I don’t understand.”
Arx suddenly gasped and panted. “I...can’t...I can breathe. What...”
Justin did the same, gasping and then breathing as though he had just returned from drowning.
“Calm down, calm...” Dr. Henderson administered some medication and helped him sit up. The aide assisted Arx.
Two flashes of light appeared and both Quark and EB landed in the middle of the Operations center.
“Oh, my head.” EB flopped on his back. “That bitch, she got me.”
Quark turned into a toad, “Aw, crud. I almost croaked. Now, I’m a toad. Someone dump some water on me, or better yet, vodka.”
Justin stood with the help of Dr. Henderson. “No time for jokes, Quark. What happened?”
Quark, still a toad, answered, “I’m not entirely sure. She had control of everything. It was a plan. She knew we would come and Nova would try to use the heroes as a backup. She demanded Nova’s obedience. In exchange, she would spare our lives. I sorta lost focus after I heard all that. I guess he agreed to her demands, otherwise would likely be dead.”
“NOT A CHANCE!” EB roared and then grabbed his forehead. “Oh, no yelling until this headache goes away.”
“Where’s my comm?” Justin looked at his wrist.
Gar handed it back.
Justin clicked it on. “NightShadow? Where are you?”
NightShadow’s voice came through. “I was outside, checking on my defenses against the void, and something grabbed me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t use my powers. It was like I was frozen. I was just released. What the hell is going on?”
“Get in here. I think our plans just went down the toilet.” Justin changed the comm line. “Agent Justin to Krystal Fae, report?”
Krystal flew hard toward the looming shadow Krampus that swiped a massive claw at a dozen heroes. She spoke into her wrist comm, “This is the seventh Krampus I’ve fought so far. There’s another on the other side of town. Midgard is...” She dove and then zoomed hard to avoid a spray of energy from the monster’s eyes. Once stable, she continued, “Midgard is taking on a third in the Market District. I hate to say this, but we are hardly able to keep this city from being damaged.”
“Our priority is stopping Lady Echidna. Do what you can to move heroes toward the Capitol.”
“That may not be possible.” Krystal cringed when a massive explosion rocked the city behind her.
“What was that?”
Looking back, she smiled, “Looks like Midgard just smote another Krampus and I’m not seeing it reforming. And...” A second explosion echoed across the country, “there goes number two. All that’s left is the one in front of me.”
“Take it down and then get to Nova now. His life may be in serious danger.”
“Understood.” Krystal charged at the last Krampus while every other hero in Ka’an Dorado converged on the beast.
Punches, kicks, rocks, cars, and anything else joined hundreds of energy beams, bolts, and blasts the heroes could throw. This last Krampus exploded in a ghostly mist.
“Done.” Krystal said and clicked on her comm, “All heroes, to the Capitol Building.” She led the charge, only to find a new Shadow Krampus form as they approached the square in front of the Mayan pyramid shaped building. “This...isn’t right.”
The heroes went to work attacking it. Midgard body slammed it and ripped the shadowy head from the body and threw it away. It was a quick battle, but just as the heroes tried to cross the square again, another Krampus formed.
“Wait!” Krystal called out. “There’s something wrong.”
“I ENJOY MAULING THIS JERK!” Midgard yelled.
Krystal said, “But, he isn’t attacking... he’s just standing there.”
“What’s going on?” Justin asked into his comm.
Krystal came through. “Every time we defeat Krampus and then approach the Capitol Building, another Krampus forms. These are... not as strong as the others. It’s like a defender who can’t be beat, but isn’t really that strong. We can’t kill it, but we can’t get past it.”
“This isn’t right.” Quark said, still a toad on the ground. “Lady Echidna is just holding us back, keeping us from getting to Nova.”
“What’s she doing to my Buddy? I’m gonna go in and stop her myself!” EB hopped toward the lift.
“Wait!” Justin said.
“No. That bitch is just keeping us away. She’s doing something terrible to my bestest friend and I won’t have it.” EB jumped up and slapped the control to call for the elevator.
Justin said, “Look, I’m pissed too. But running head first at this won’t do much good. We have to plan.”
“So, we’re going back?” EB came back to Justin in a flash.
Justin nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s so strong. This may not be a good idea.” Quark said in a strangely croaky voice.
Justin straightened up. “While Nova is away, I’m in command. I say we organize ourselves and rescue our leader and friend. We’ve faced demons, monsters, dragons, and time itself. This creature calling herself Echidna is just another villain to be vanquished. She raised the stakes when she stole Nova, and I won’t have it. Quark, pull yourself together and work with NightShadow. We have to disrupt her power over the void. Arx, Gar, I want you to...”
The lift opened, and Chase stepped out with Santa at her side. She was pale and had to use her father’s arm to keep standing up straight.
“CHASE!” EB bound over to her and was hugging her leg.
She smiled at the affectionate bunny, but then gave Justin a grim look. “I know what you're doing. Nova told me you would. But you cannot do this.”
“What are you talking about?” Justin asked.
Chase kindly removed the bunny and then worked her way down to the front of the room with Santa’s help. “Nova connected with me while I was in that coma. He gave me knowledge about him, about this woman, and about his plan. He knew she would want him, need him to come to her side. Her love for him is psychotic. Using that, he would bargain for our freedom, for my life. But, he said to me, if I woke and he had not returned, to keep everyone from going to his rescue.”
Gar asked, “Why? We love him too. He’s our family.”
Chase went silent as she processed her thoughts. “He told me everything. He showed me his history. I’m still sorting it out. It’s like a nightmare I’m trying to piece together after waking. What I learned is what she is and who He is. Nova... he’s nothing we imagined. Both him and this woman are powerful beyond measure. If we go to his rescue now, we’ll all die. None of us is truly ready to face her.”
Justin asked, “That’s it? He commanded us to abandon him?”
“No.” Chase said, “He saved me, but we must now save the world. His last command he wanted me to convey to everyone is this; be clever.”
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