Chapter Sixteen: Learning something New

When Terrel and Daniel covered themselves in their mechanical suits once more and left the cave, they promised that they would return within a day or two. Now it was the same group as before. Henry and Rachel were sleeping inside, exhausted from the day's events, yet Nathaniel did not rest as he was supposed to. Exodus found him kneeling before the Angel's Lake, murmuring quietly under his breath. Exodus let out a sigh, trudged over and sat beside his brother, gently placing a hand onto his shoulder. "So, she was…here?" Nathaniel asked quietly, and Exodus confirmed what he said with a pang in his heart. "It was a miracle she appeared to my brother if anything. For that, I am grateful," Nathaniel whispered, coming up from his kneeling position, turning and placing a hand on Exodus' shoulder as well.

"I still have a few things I would enjoy teaching you," Nathaniel said, standing and then also helping Exodus to his feet. "Brother you are too injured!" Exodus protested, but Nathaniel chuckled to his remark. "It will take more than this to make me give up." Exodus had to admit, it was admirable seeing how determined Nathaniel was. "What is it you wanted to teach me?" Exodus asked as Nathaniel took several small steps back to put a reasonable amount of distance between them. "This is something only my master could do, and she taught me. Now I shall be the one to teach you." Exodus nodded, and then Nathaniel flexed out his arms. "It is called the Hope Barrage, and it is incredibly useful to take down larger or more skilled opponents," Nathaniel explained. He then raised his right leg, allowed it to power up brightly, and kicked several times in the same place.

Lightning-like bursts of yellow erupted from the soles of his boots, and then he lowered his leg. Exodus had dived out the way of the blast and stared at his brother in amazement. "I can do that?" he asked, incredulous, and Nathaniel chuckled, quickly nodding his head excitedly. "Of course, you can! And I will be the one to teach you." Suddenly, Nathaniel charged forward, and Exodus dove to the side to avoid his brother's fist. "Come on, you have to do it in the heat of the moment! Find an opening to attack!" Nathaniel shouted, and then he attacked again. Exodus blocked a fist, ducked a second, spun around and aimed a kick, yet his brother was out of reach already. Exodus ran forward, jumping up into the air, raising his right fist and then punching down. Nathaniel parried the blow easily, and Exodus' fist hit the ground with a loud SMASH.

"Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Nathaniel yelled as Exodus spun from where he was and slowly rose to a standing position again, his fists raised. "Quoting the Matrix now?" asked Exodus, a grin on his face, and Nathaniel kicked through the air, sending a burst of lightning in Exodus' direction. Exodus ran towards it, and then skidded under the blast, waiting for it to pass before skidding to his feet and leaping forward. Nathaniel's eyes widened as Exodus threw his forward, and he barely managed to scrape away as Exodus crashed into the sand hard. He coughed in pain but scrambled to his feet, quickly turning to face his brother. "That was an attack I did not see coming at all. Well done, brother," Nathaniel said, not even a sweat upon his forehead as he nodded approvingly at Exodus.

Then Nathaniel spun on the spot, raising his left fist and punching it through the air. The shockwaves erupted and sent Exodus skidding back, his arms crossed in front of him as some sort of protection against the strong wind. Once it cleared, Exodus looked up to his brother, and saw the fist flying toward him. Exodus didn't know what came over him. He turned side-on to Nathaniel and raised his right leg, feeling the adrenaline pour into his veins as he let a rush of Hope course through him. Out of his foot came a flicker of Hope, sparking weakly and barely leaving his boot. Then the fist smashed into his chest, and Exodus flew back, flying through the air before coming back to Earth and crashing onto the sand. He groaned in pain, and saw his brother take a step forth, concern in his eyes.

His body protested, but Exodus ignored the pain and slowly climbed to his feet. "Let's…Let's continue," Exodus panted, and his brother nodded, grinning as Exodus winced. "Good work brother.' Exodus nodded, raising his fists once more. Nathaniel's legs flared up, and he leapt forward, almost flying through the air as he raced toward Exodus. Exodus felt Hope flood his systems as he jumped toward Nathaniel, his own fist stretched out as a grin swept across his face. Their fists flew to one another, and Exodus spun away at the final second, now raising his left leg as it powered up. It smashed into Nathaniel's right side, and Nathaniel let out a loud gasp as they both hit the ground. "Are you alright?" asked Exodus immediately as he rolled to his feet and helped his brother to his feet, who groaned in pain. "I'm fine," he grunted through gritted teeth against the pain in his ribs.

"Come on. You need to rest," Exodus whispered gently, helping his brother to his feet and then limping him back to the cave. Once inside, he leaned his brother against the furthest wall of the cave and patted him on the shoulder, smiling a little. "Thank you for teaching me," Exodus said, grinning at his brother, who let a grin appear on his face. Exodus looked around the quiet cave, and saw Henry and Rachel asleep, both on the sand but looking surprisingly peaceful. "Tomorrow, we take the fight to them," Exodus said determinedly, but then a rumbling sound shook the cave, startling Rachel and Henry, who both leapt to their feet and looked around in fear. Even Nathaniel let a look of fear pass over his face. "If…what Terrel and Daniel told us is true…. then the battle might already be here," he whispered as the clunking sound suddenly came to a halt.

Quiet ensued, and Exodus strained his ears, trying to listen to the sound maybe walking away. CRASH. A large, flat mechanical foot, as tall as Exodus, smashed through the opening of the cave, crumbling several large boulders before suddenly retreating. "That…must be Armageddon," whispered Henry, his voice terrified as he slid his helmet over his head.