CHAPTER 13: BATTLEGROUND 1

Continuation...

Cyberman surges forward, his body humming with lethal energy. His right arm morphs into a plasma cannon, glowing with an ominous green hue.

"Jack, move!" I shout.

Too late.

A searing blast erupts from the cannon, engulfing Captain Jack in a blinding explosion. The impact sends him hurtling through the air, his body crashing through the upper wall of the building. He vanishes from sight, disappearing into the street below with a deafening crash.

I barely have time to react before Cyberman turns his sights on me.

I slam my foot into the ground, my arms sweeping outward. The floor beneath me trembles—then erupts. Jagged slabs of stone rise up, forming a thick barrier between me and Cyberman's attack. The plasma blast crashes into the rock, sending molten debris flying, but the barrier holds.

I don't hesitate. With a sharp twist of my arms, the stone wall breaks apart, and massive boulders shoot forward. Cyberman raises his robotic arm to block, but the sheer force of the attack sends him staggering backward. Dust and shattered rock explode around him.

But he recovers too fast.

Cyberman's chest panel slides open, revealing a pulsating core. Tendrils of crackling energy whip out, latching onto my body.

I let out a strangled cry. My nanotechnology armor begins to flicker, then fade, stripping away like dust in the wind, revealing my normal body beneath. My veins darken, thick lines of black spreading across my skin as my powers is siphoned away. I thrash violently, my eyes wide with agony. My energy drains fast—too fast. My limbs weaken.

Cyberman tightens his grip, his voice a cold, mechanical rasp. "You rely on borrowed strength. I take what I want."

"Then take this!"

Captain Jack is back.

He descends like a meteor, his photon-powered sword igniting in a brilliant blaze of blue and gold energy. With a fierce battle cry, he swings with all his strength. The blade crashes against Cyberman's arm, severing the tendrils of energy in a single strike. Sparks and flickering power surge from the wound as Cyberman recoils.

I collapse to the ground, coughing weakly.

Jack doesn't let up. He spins his shield onto his arm, crouches low, and launches himself forward with explosive speed. His sword cuts through the air in a flawless arc, aiming straight for Cyberman's chest.

Cyberman raises his forearm to block, but Jack twists at the last second. The blade feints high—then slashes low, carving a molten streak across Cyberman's side.

The cyborg growls and swings his plasma cannon like a hammer. Captain Jack ducks, rolling fluidly, then uses his shield to bash Cyberman's knee. The impact forces the villain off balance. Jack capitalizes—he drives his sword upward, its photon edge crackling as it slices a deep gouge through Cyberman's shoulder.

Cyberman roars, his systems struggling to compensate. He lashes out with a brutal backhand, but Captain Jack raises his shield just in time. The impact sends him skidding backward, boots digging into the ground.

I don't waste the opening. I slam my hands down, and a surge of ice explodes outward, racing across the battlefield. The frozen surface forces Cyberman to adjust, his footing unstable.

Jack takes advantage. He dashes in, shield up, sword flashing in precise, calculated strikes—each swing honed with lethal efficiency. He fights like a soldier, every movement disciplined, every attack purposeful.

Cyberman barely keeps up. Captain Jack feints left, then slams his shield into Cyberman's ribs. The cyborg stumbles—Jack follows with a vicious upward slash, his sword glowing with raw energy. The blade carves through Cyberman's chest, sparks and molten metal flying.

Cyberman staggers. His mechanical eye flickers. But he refuses to fall.

He slams his foot down, stabilizing himself, then swings wildly. Captain Jack blocks with his shield but is forced back.

I see my moment.

I summon ice daggers and drive them into Cyberman's joints—shoulder, knee, elbow—locking him in place. Jack nods in silent understanding. He takes a deep breath, grips his sword tighter, and moves in for the finishing blow.

With a roar, he leaps high, spinning mid-air. His sword crackles with photon energy as he brings it down with all his might.

The blade slams into Cyberman's core.

The impact sends a shockwave through the air. A burst of energy erupts from the cyborg's body, and he crashes through the floor, embedding deep into the rubble below. Sparks fly. His limbs twitch. His chest core flickers weakly.

The lights above me flicker, casting wild shadows over the wreckage.

Glass crunches under my boots as I push myself upright, every muscle screaming in protest. My lungs burn with each breath, but I force the pain down. The nanotech armor creeps over my bruised skin like a second layer, cold at first, then warming as the fire flickers to life in my fists. The dull orange glow lights up the shattered office—broken desks, splintered walls, and the bodies of my friends, battered but standing.

Captain Jack lands beside me, his sword humming with energy. Lycon Wolf stirs near the far wall, shaking off the weight of exhaustion, his claws gleaming under the sparking ceiling lights. I feel the tension in the air, heavy, suffocating.

We wait.

Silence.

Then, I hear it—a low, mechanical chuckle that crawls up my spine.

Across the debris, Cyberman's mangled body twitches. Sparks jump from the twisted metal of his limbs. I watch, jaw clenched, as he starts to rise, his movements jerky, unnatural. His eyes flicker—cold, furious.

Captain Jack shifts beside me, tightening his grip on his sword. I steady my breathing, letting ice swirl around my fingers to cool the fire threatening to burst from my chest.

Lycon Wolf's muscles coil, ready to pounce.

Cyberman's grin widens, his broken body assembling itself like some nightmare puzzle. The sound of gears grinding echoes through the ruined space, and I can feel the dread rising in my gut.

"This is getting fun," he rasps, his voice a distorted mockery of a man.

Before I can react, a figure drops from the fractured ceiling. Golden Prince. His boots hit the floor with a soft thud, but his eyes are anything but soft. They lock onto Cyberman, calm, but his hands crackle with photon energy.

"There he is," Cyberman sneers. "The golden boy who decided to work with traitors."

"It's over," Golden Prince says, his voice steady, but I hear the steel beneath. "You can't defeat the six of us."

Cyberman laughs, a harsh, grating sound. "No, I'm not done."

"I know you're desperate to avenge your wife," Golden Prince continues, his tone softening just a fraction. "But this? This will end everything. There'll be nothing left to rule."

Cyberman's grin fades, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not destroying Earth. Just New York. And from its ashes, I will rule the Earth."

I'm about to step forward, to say something, anything—but a voice echoes from the shadows.

"You're forgetting something."

Cyberman's head snaps up. "What?"

A blur of motion—and suddenly, Zetacode is there, a streak of lightning in human form. His fist slams into Cyberman's back with a thunderous crack, sending him stumbling forward.

Golden Prince fires. A blinding burst of photon energy erupts from his fists, colliding with Cyberman's chest. The force of it rattles my teeth, and I watch as Cyberman crashes through a glass partition, the sound of shattering glass filling the space.

Cyberman groans, dragging himself up. His eyes lock onto Zetacode, and I see it—recognition. Rage.

"Pleased to meet you again, Zetacode," Cyberman snarls.

Zetacode's jaw tightens. "Zack, stop this madness. Don't destroy everything over vengeance."

Cyberman's eyes darken. "You took my wife from me. You destroyed my life. Why should I stop?"

Jack steps forward, sword glowing brighter. "So you choose to be the villain?"

Cyberman shakes his head, a bitter smile twisting his features. "I'm not a villain. Just a man with bad luck."

Suddenly, Zetacode blurs into motion. His fist rockets toward Cyberman's face, but Cyberman's robotic arm snaps up, catching the blow mid-air. The sound is deafening, metal against flesh. Sparks fly.

I don't think—I hurl fire from my right palm, the flames licking across the distance toward Cyberman's shielded form. The heat blasts back at me, but I don't stop. I bring up my left hand, doubling the inferno, pushing harder.

Cyberman roars, and a laser beam rips from his eye. It slices through my flames like paper. Before I can dodge, it slams into my chest, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. The world spins as I crash through a wall, glass and debris raining down around me.

Pain flares hot and sharp, but I force myself up. My heartbeat pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else.

I see Zetacode darting behind Cyberman, lightning dancing across his fists. He strikes, but Cyberman absorbs the energy with his right arm, the metal plates humming ominously.

Captain Jack leaps into the air, his photon sword aimed for Cyberman's head. But Cyberman is too fast. He catches the blade mid-swing, shoving Jack back like he's nothing. I hear the sickening crack as Jack slams into a support beam, the concrete splintering.

My blood boils. I won't let this stand.

I rip chunks of the floor loose, the tiles glowing red-hot in my grip. With a roar, l hurl them at Cyberman. He morphs his arms into twin blades, slicing through most of the burning debris—but not all of it. A few hit, detonating on contact. The explosion sends Cyberman flying through a maze of cubicles, the walls collapsing in his wake.

Before the dust settles, Lycon Wolf charges. I can feel the ground trembling beneath his feet. His claws flash in a blur of motion, seven precise strikes that reverberate through the building. Cyberman blocks two—only two. The rest carve deep gashes into his armor. Lycon follows with a brutal kick to the chest, and Cyberman crashes through another wall, slamming into a copier that explodes in a shower of sparks.

Cyberman groans, dragging himself upright just as Golden Prince swoops in, photon blasts raining down like meteors. Cyberman dodges, but not fast enough. The beams scorch the floor around him, collapsing part of the ceiling.

Zetacode appears again—a blur, a streak of green lightning—and delivers a spinning roundhouse kick to Cyberman's neck. The force sends Cyberman barreling through yet another wall, smashing into a conference table that splinters beneath him.

I stand there, chest heaving, the heat of battle searing into my bones.

But he moves.

Cyberman's body jerks, the gashes across his metal skin sealing themselves with a hiss. Sparks flicker along his limbs as he straightens, his eyes glowing brighter.

"Interesting," he mutters.

My heart sinks. "No way."

But there's no time to think.

We strike as one.

Captain Jack leaps, his sword radiating photon energy. Zetacode sprints, his fists crackling with lightning, launching into the air for a devastating punch aimed at Cyberman's skull. I join them, funneling everything I have into a torrent of electricity that screams through the air.

From behind, Golden Prince fires another photon blast. I hear the ground tremble as Trivium descends, his lightning-charged axe cutting through the chaos. And just as the attack crescendos, Time Manipulator appears, his palms glowing, firing precise, searing beams of light.

Cyberman twists, faster than I thought possible. He parries our attacks, deflecting energy and metal with inhuman precision.

But he can't guard his back.

Trivium's axe slams into him, the photon blast and laser beams tearing through his defenses. The building trembles from the force. I watch as his body jerks violently, the metal screaming as it's ripped apart. Sparks fly, the lights overhead exploding in showers of glass.

Cyberman collapses to one knee, his metallic frame groaning under its own weight. But even as his body falters, his eyes—those cold, artificial eyes—burn brighter, defiant.

We tighten our circle around him, weapons ready, breath heavy in the tense silence.

"Yield, Cyberman. You've already lost." My voice is steady, but inside, every instinct is screaming to stay on guard.

He lifts his head slowly, a guttural growl rumbling from deep within his chest. "This isn't over."

And somehow… I believe him.

"Seriously?" Zetacode scoffs, flicking a stray spark from his fingertips. "You're really gonna die on this hill?"

Cyberman pushes himself upright, swaying slightly, his breath rasping like a broken engine. His eyes dart between us—calculating. I can see it. He's not done. Not yet.

I conjure flames in my palms, the heat pulsing against my skin. He's searching for a weak spot.

"What's he doing?" Trivium's voice cuts through the tension, his grip tightening on his axe.

I don't take my eyes off Cyberman. "He's hunting. Like a tiger."

Then it happens. Cyberman's gaze locks onto me, his lips curling into a malicious smile that sends a chill straight down my spine. Before I can react, he slams his fist into the ground with a force that ripples through the entire building.

The floor shatters beneath us. A shockwave explodes outward, tossing us like rag dolls. The walls crack, windows burst into shards, and my ears ring with the sound of destruction.

Mid-air, I catch a glimpse of him—his left arm morphing into a massive Fusion Cannon. He fires. The blast screams across the room and slams into Samuel, Time Manipulator, launching him out of the building like a ragdoll. Without missing a beat, Cyberman rockets after him, disappearing into the noon.

I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. Around me, the others groan, dragging themselves from the wreckage. Pain radiates through my ribs, but there's no time to feel it.

"Belteshazzar..." I grunt, forcing myself to my feet. "Samuel needs backup. You too, Trivium. He can't take Cyberman alone."

Belteshazzar grits his teeth, pushing off the ground. He gives me a sharp nod, then vanishes in a blur of speed, leaving only dust in his wake. Trivium grabs his axe, his knuckles white around the handle. He raises his left hand to the sky, and in an instant, a bolt of lightning crashes down on him. When the flash fades, he's gone.

I exhale, steadying myself. The room is a mess of debris and fractured light, the doomsday machine humming ominously in the background.

"What about the Doomsday Machine? How the hell do we stop it?" Zetacode pants, wiping blood from his lip.

Before I can answer, a familiar voice echoes through the chaos.

"Don't bother, heroes. We've got a plan."

I spin around to see Alex descending through the shattered roof, landing lightly amidst the rubble. Behind him, Daniel and Liam drop down, their faces grim but determined.

"We?" Zetacode raises an eyebrow, sparks crackling at his fingertips.

We all rise, following Daniel and Liam into the heart of the control room. The air is thick—like it knows what's coming. The hum of the doomsday machine vibrates through the floor, a low, menacing pulse that crawls up my spine.

I glance at Liam, who's already moving toward the console, clutching his laptop like it's a weapon. Sweat beads on his forehead, but his eyes are locked in, sharp and determined.

"Can you stop the machine without destroying it?" Daniel's voice cuts through the tension, steady, but I can hear the weight behind it.

Liam doesn't hesitate. "Yes, I can." He drops to his knees by the console, flips open his laptop, and plugs into the machine's terminal. The screen flickers to life, casting a cold glow across his face. His fingers are already flying over the keys, fast and precise.

Captain Jack leans against the wall, his shield strapped to his back, sword sheathed but ready. He watches Liam with a skeptical tilt of his head. "You're gonna hack that thing? This isn't some busted vending machine, Liam."

Liam doesn't even glance up. "Yeah, well, I've cracked government firewalls before breakfast. Let's see what Cyberman's got."

The rest of us stand in tense silence. I position myself near the entrance, eyes darting between the glowing core of the machine and the countdown ticking mercilessly toward zero. Zetacode paces like a caged animal, lightning flickering at his fingertips, his frustration almost palpable.

Lycon Wolf growls low under his breath. "We've got about five minutes before that thing turns this whole city into ash. You sure about this, tech boy?"

Liam's eyes narrow as streams of code flood his screen, scrolling too fast for anyone else to follow. "It's not about being sure. It's about being fast."

For a heartbeat, hope flares. The screen blinks—an access point. But just as quickly, it slams shut. The machine lets out a low, ominous hum, like it's mocking us.

"Son of a—" Liam curses under his breath. "He's using self-repairing code."*

Alexander steps closer, his voice tight. "What does that mean?"

Liam yanks out his earbuds, frustration boiling over. "Every time I breach a firewall, the system patches itself—stronger than before. It's like punching through a wall that rebuilds mid-swing. And Cyberman's not just sitting back; he's rerouting the controls faster than I can chase them."

The machine's core pulses brighter, the countdown accelerating.

I step forward, keeping my voice calm, even though my heart is pounding in my chest. "Can you stop it?"

Liam hesitates, his hands trembling slightly. Then he shakes his head. "If I keep pushing, I could trigger a backup protocol. He probably rigged it to accelerate the countdown—or worse."

The room goes silent. The kind of silence that feels like the world's holding its breath.

"So, we're screwed," Captain Jack mutters, his voice barely above a whisper.

Zetacode snaps his fingers, sparks flying. "Not yet. There's got to be another way to stop it."

Daniel's eyes sweep the room, realization dawning. "We're going to have to destroy the core manually."

Lycon Wolf bares his teeth in a grim smile. "Now that's more my style." He steps toward the machine, claws gleaming under the flickering lights, ready to strike.

"No, don't!" The words rip from my throat before I even realize I'm speaking.

Lycon freezes, turning to look at me, his eyes narrowing. "Why the hell not?"

I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of what I'm about to say settle in my chest. "You're not the one who will destroy it… I will."

Liam closes his laptop, his face pale, eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry. I thought I could outsmart him."

I place a hand on his shoulder, grounding both of us. "You did what you could. Now it's our turn."

We exchange silent nods—the kind that says everything words can't. This is it.

"Lycon, I need you to take Captain Jack out of here. Alexander, get Daniel and Liam back to where they came from. Zetacode, run as fast as possible. Get out of the blast radius."

Lycon grunts, grabbing Jack's arm. "Aye, Captain." They disappear in a flash, Jack protesting but not fighting it. Alexander doesn't waste time, pulling Daniel and a reluctant Liam toward the exit. Zetacode hesitates for just a second, his eyes meeting mine, then he's gone, a streak of lightning in his wake.

Now it's just me and the machine, its glow reflecting off the walls like a heartbeat. I reach for my communicator, my voice steady even though my hands are trembling.

"Samuel, wherever you are, I need you to return. Use your armor's energy to stabilize and direct the process while I overcharge it."

Static crackles for a second before his voice cuts through, strained but focused. "On it, Captain."

I can sense him—Samuel, the Time Manipulator—locked in battle with Cyberman somewhere above. The clash of metal on metal, the hiss of energy weapons, and the sharp, rhythmic beat of small missiles firing echoes in my mind. But I don't have time to think about that.

The countdown's still ticking, and the city's depending on me.

The sky roars as I thrust my hands upward, calling down bolts of lightning thick enough to split the heavens. The air crackles, searing heat brushing against my skin as I channel the raw power from the sky. My muscles strain, every fiber in me burning like fire, but I don't stop. I can't.

I scream, my voice lost in the deafening boom of thunder as I direct the surge toward the Doomsday Machine. The metal groans under the force, its circuits glowing white-hot, overloading with every pulse I send crashing through it. The ground beneath my feet trembles, vibrating with the energy spilling into the machine. I see sparks erupt from its core, its monstrous heart beating faster—too fast.

But I don't let up.

I push harder, feeling the electricity rip through me like a living thing, until the machine shudders violently, teetering on the edge of collapse.

And then—

To be continued....

Season 3 coming soon...