Chapter 6 : Lincoln (Present)

Spikes embedded with red energy formed out of thin air and orbited Lincoln before slicing through the air and cutting the remaining three powered individuals down. They all hit the ground with a thud and they won't be waking up for a long time. Of course, He won't kill them, he needed them. Four years of his life had gone by when he thought he was the only one. Now there were six- no possibly more than that.

All six of them had unique abilities. Time Manipulation, Sound Manipulation, Lightning Bending, Fire Bending, Lincoln wasn't able to see the abilities of the remaining two. They were all equipped with wrist guards that could shoot orange energy, Lincoln had even fought someone with a similar wrist guard in his past. However, this one seems to be a newer version as it now also allowed for extra strength which explains how Edgar had punched Lincoln with inhuman strength at the beginning of their battle.

Lincoln also wasn't surprised he had to go overdrive to take them out. This was, after all, the first time he fought people with inhuman abilities. But to think he would use this sort of move when he made sure he wouldn't use it after the few experiences he had not long ago. Though, he seems to have had more control over his overdrive this time around.

Normally he wouldn't be able to control what he does for very long before his emotions would cloud his decisions and his body would act on its own. Not to mention he would be losing not just minor memories as an after effect. He would be forgetting something very important too.

He was the most powerful amongst the ones he fought, something which Edgar had already mentioned. However, Lincoln was not trained, so he could not imagine fighting someone who could control energy just like him. He would lose as that person would be much trained than him...

Lincoln shook his head and his doubts away; the battle wasn't over yet. He still had an army to stop. He disappeared leaving traces of energy behind and reappeared back to the battlefield. The sight he saw was a bloody mess, but he couldn't see any more fighting going on. He figured his and Dexter's team had already cleared everything up, but the casualties that they have taken were too bad... This probably happened when Lincoln was distracted by Edgar. The other five must've killed a lot of people before coming to attack Lincoln. To think Lincoln was confident with this battle...

He shook his head again and sighed.

He closed his eyes and fired off a message to Dexter asking him to pick the powered individuals up and bring them to the lab, where war prisoners were experimented on or just interrogated.

This would make their scientists' day, but not the soldiers'.

Moments later he got Dexter's reply, stating that he will get right to it as soon as they've done the damage count. Lincoln then sat on the ground and sighed. He still has time before the other after-effects of his overdrive mode kick in. He figured he'll rest anyways. He slowly lied down on the sand, pain spreading all over his body, he sighed again and stared at the cloudy sky. We won, but at what cost...? Lincoln thought to himself as everything suddenly went black.

He woke up to a bright light shining directly at his eyes, whispers echoed around the room, as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. He realized he could see what was happening around him even with the light blinding him. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Where am I? He thought as he blinked and took in the room. An odd sense of familiarity washed over him.

He saw himself in the mirror, things seemed normal enough. Two men, in doctor outfits, walked around the room. They didn't realize or didn't care if he was awake. He tried getting off the bed but was stopped midway when emotions of rage-filled his mind and he didn't know why. He was suddenly angry and confused. He looked back into the mirror... One second, he was looking at himself and the next he was looking at a blood-stained mirror. All he could see is blue hair and red energy in the background. An arm then grasped his...

He woke up with a scream, and the arm jerked away. His neck pulsated with pain from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. "Hey, you okay buddy?" A familiar voice said. Lincoln opened his eyes to see that he was still in the desert and his friend was looking down at him with concern written all over his face. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just... Just a bad dream." Lincoln said as his mind processed what was going on.

He had dozed off on the ground without knowing.

He massaged his head and sighed. Whatever he must have dreamt of doesn't exist in his memory anymore. It must've been an important memory... He shuddered. One thing for sure was that it had been a scary experience in Lincoln's past... But what was it...?

He took Dexter's arm and stood up. He immediately dusted his armour and looked around the empty desert. "How long have I been asleep?" Lincoln asked, noticing the field was now empty. Dexter shook his head, "I'm not sure. Soon after cleaning up, I joined you. I just woke up a few minutes ago." Dexter shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again. "It's 4 pm. So, we must have slept for at least three hours." Dexter said after checking the time with his Iris. "Three hours huh? I'm guessing our prisoners are waiting for us then?" Lincoln asked.

"I suppose. The leader was the first to be taken. So certainly, he will be chained up and waiting for you." Dexter said with a nod. "Well, I just need to talk to the leader anyways," Lincoln added. "I see. Will you be going now?" Dexter asked and Lincoln nodded. "Okay. Make sure to get something to eat first. It's way past lunch and we haven't eaten yet." He told him.

"I'm not too hungry and the sooner I have my answers the better," Lincoln said. Dexter sighed and shrugged. "Okay buddy, your call. You need to take care of yourself more though. And I don't have to tell you that do I?" Dexter said with a sad look. Lincoln nodded, "I'll try." He said and they walked in silence to the walls.

Dexter looked up, "Magnificent structures created with the hardest of rocks. We had to even make sure no one wages war on us for five whole years." Dexter commented. "Yeah. And I wasn't there to see it being built." Lincoln stated. "Yeah well. You did get to see it being finished, didn't you? I guess that's a good thing?" Dexter replied trying to make him feel better. "It isn't that big of a deal so yes," Lincoln said, much to Dexter's dismay, as they entered the gates and they finally shut behind them.

They parted ways, Dexter picking up a lift to go get his late lunch and Lincoln going directly to the laboratory towards the far left of the west gates.

After a few uneventful minutes, Lincoln found himself standing in front of the science department building, the same place he was taken to four years ago when he had been a mere combat specialist who had just escaped an unbearable fate. He took a deep breath and entered the building as a flood of emotions washed over him.

He then took the elevator to the twenty-second floor where the main laboratory was situated. Few more floors and they'd be in the upper Imperiale. He exited the elevator and walked down the corridor, not quite remembering this part of the building when he was supposed to. Of course, this was one of the minor memories that have been wiped from me for using my power. He thought to himself.

As he entered the laboratory, Doctor Kira Alexander got up immediately and bowed respectfully. Lincoln remembered the doctor had been Japanese which was why he addressed him in such a formal way. "Ah General, what a pleasure is it to see you here. Come, come along this way, our prisoners have already been stabilized." The doctor's excitement was evident in the way he spoke. Lincoln nodded and followed the doctor.

"I see. So, you're saying these people have possibly been granted their powers the same way you have?" The doctor says after Lincoln had explained his thoughts as they walked through a series of corridors.

"Yes. And I'm here to find out if that is true. I have not been able to get much information out of their leader during battle. Or at least, I can't recall his exact words, but I believe he said 'artefacts'. And if these people possess more than one artefact to grant people abilities, there's a possibility we'll have another war at our hands. One in which we won't be able to win, not by a long shot." Lincoln said, while his tone was calm, he was anxious inside. He had to go overdrive to defeat six, what will he be able to do if that number had increased?

Doctor Kira nodded as he processed what Lincoln had theorized. "I may have discovered something that might be able to help you. As you said these people have been given abilities from artefacts, that is indeed true, at least to an extent it is." The doctor said. Lincoln slowed down, "What do you mean?" "Well, with your permission we have kept your medical record of you four years ago when we first examined your power if you recall." The doctor reminded him. Lincoln nodded and asked him to continue.

"And we have seen a rather shocking similarity between your records and theirs'. Though our technology is still limited in that field, so it was not able to identify it. However, yes it seems to be the same traces of energy, as you put it. But it seems to be weaker, no much weaker." The doctor explained.

"Actually, it is quite similar to the energy we humans share now that I think about it. Yet there are some distinct characteristics of the signature they share, the prisoners' energy signatures seem to have more colour than that of us humans, but much less colour than you. As you know we humans have green energy, a discovery we only realized after you examined us with your energy vision. These people have greener than blue. And yours has a mixture of different colours, but you already know that." The doctor explained before increasing his pace again.

Questions ran through Lincoln's mind upon the doctor's words. He remembered his energy vision ability. The one he used to discover that he had four different colours of energy inside his body, while an average human had only one. That one energy is what he depicted as natural energy, which is green in colour. One other he knew about was possibly kinetic energy, which was blue. And the other was red, which he depicted as plasma energy. However, he wasn't sure about the last, which was purple.

He had also never thought of looking at Edgar and the others.

They reached the entrance of the interrogation room Edgar was held in, and Lincoln snapped back to reality when the doctor started talking. "You know what to do. All I need you to do is ask him a few questions. Ask him things like where his power had come from, how many more people might have it if more people like him are being produced and things like that. Violence can be used, as long as you don't kill him, which I trust you wouldn't do." Doctor Kira explained. Lincoln nodded, "I have a proposal for him too. One in which I don't think he'll accept." Lincoln said and entered the room before the doctor can reply.

The room was designed to look like a control panel. There were a few buttons around the place. Most were used for interrogation purposes, to make sure the prisoner talks. There was one little red button in the middle used as a microphone as the glass separating the prisoner and the interrogator was soundproof. However, it was designed in a way the interrogator can hear what the prisoner says but the prisoner won't be able to hear what the interrogator is saying without the use of the mic.

There was no one but Lincoln and Edgar in the rooms. The prisoner looked like he had seen better days, scars were all over his body, and he had been blindfolded to make sure he wouldn't attempt anything, a measure which Lincoln appreciated. Being in an unknown field of things, a lot of measures should be taken. They still didn't know the extent of Edgar's powers, so precautions must be taken.

Lincoln focused on Edgar's surroundings and created two clones to his left and right. One of the clones took off his blindfold. The prisoner jolted awake. He examined his surroundings before turning to look directly into Lincoln's eyes with a death glare. "You...". Lincoln pressed the button and started talking. "Greetings, we've held you captive, with no way of escaping. But we will minimalize your punishments if you can give us the answers we want."

Edgar's answer came relatively quick, "It depends on what you ask." "You will answer everything I ask you," Lincoln said with finality. "Then you may punish me however you want. I won't be telling on my comrades even if my family's lives were on the line." Edgar said, not a hint of fear in his eyes.

Lincoln sighed. "I'm already used to this play of words. Nothing you say will change my mind. So, you either speak or meet the consequences." Lincoln said. However, this wasn't the entire truth. Though a lot of people had tried to play him by saying things like this, to think Edgar would even suggest the torture of his family for the sake of his country. How far was this man willing to go for his honour.

"I don't care. I will only answer what I can. And if that's not going to work for you, I can just shut up." Edgar replied. Lincoln realized how his personality was nothing in contrast to his words. He couldn't believe this man, he feared nothing. Lincoln's eyes flashed red as one of the clones blasted Edgar in the chest sending him and his chair falling backwards.

The whole concept of clones was that they can be created with very little energy. And since energy was everywhere, it will begin to suck in the energy in their atmosphere, therefore completing their form and making them deadly weapons if needed. However, while their offence is lethal, they can be destroyed relatively easily.

The prisoner grimaced. "You've already found my weakness..."

Lincoln smirked, "Yes, I know. I came relatively quick in understanding the limits of your power, even though I've battled you only once. Back when I attacked you with my clone, I saw that your time manipulation had not worked on it. The clone still moved in normal speeds and got to you anyways." Lincoln explained. Edgar groaned, "I knew that energy particles have a different time and space, so if I slow time, energy would still be able to move but a little slower, which is why you even realized that time had slowed down." Edgar explained. Lincoln nodded, while it seemed like the clone had moved at a normal speed, there was a slight change in its movement as it came down to attack him, which told Lincoln that Edgar had attempted to slow time.

"I only used that move a few times on you, yet you've already analyzed its limits. I'm impressed." He added. "I still need my answers," Lincoln said steering the conversation back to where it started. "If you don't talk, my clones will blast your body countless times till you decide talking is wise," Lincoln added.

"Very well, I want to see you try," Edgar said with a confident smirk. Lincoln squinted his eyes and nodded slowly. Suddenly just as his eyes flashed red, a hand landed on his shoulder. Lincoln blinked to see Edgar standing in front of him, the bulletproof glass behind Edgar was now broken and his breathing patterns were rapid.

The clones have already started blasting at the chair, in time disintegrating it. "How..." Lincoln said before ducking to dodge a sound blast. The vibration passed him to blow another perfect circle in the bulletproof glass. He recognized this power as his eyes went wide, how and when did the prisoners escape?

Lincoln blasted the wall to his right and jumped out of the building. While in midair, he held both of his palms sending a beam of energy through the hole in the wall into the room inside. The intensity of the attack sent him a further away from the building until finally dissipating. However, once the dust had cleared there was no one in there.

Lincoln: The prisoners have escaped. I'm not sure how. I was attacked by the one that can manipulate sound. The leader had probably escaped with them.

Dexter: WHAT? This is not good; I'll be there asap.

Lincoln then warped back into the room.

How? How did they escape? The wall on Edgar's side of the room was blasted open in a perfect circle.

Edgar couldn't just slow time, he could stop it too.

The multiple empty rooms behind Edgar's interrogation room were all blasted open in the same way. It looked like a tunnel, and judging by the dust that still hasn't cleared they couldn't have gotten too far; Lincoln was way too fast for them anyways.

He disappeared, leaving energy traces behind. He would have to move fast if he needed to catch them.