Luke didn't know what he was thinking. He wasn't even sure what he was thinking. Everything that was happening to him right now was pure instinct.
He had woken up and seen the two beams in the sky. And he'd known instantly what they were. He'd seen them up close in action when fighting Swarm the first time. Gabriela. And there was only one reason she'd do that.
He didn't know where the power came from but he flew up into the air, going so fast that he didn't have time to wonder how. The beams cut off a few seconds later but it didn't matter, he'd flown high enough that he could pinpoint the location. And he just flew, on and on, zeroing in on his target, until he landed right in front of it.
With a burst of power, he walked through the door. It was just as he feared. Gabriela was restrained. And there was Swarm with all his microbots.
Luke knew he shouldn't be here right now. The battle with the dirt monsters had taken everything out of him. He was bleeding out at that moment and he was pretty sure he was running on fumes' fumes at this point. But he refused to budge.
"Give my friend back," he said.
"Luke?" Gabriela questioned.
"Luke Decker," Swarm remarked, tilting his head as he regarded him. "I must say, you've seen better days."
"Yeah well, had to take care of a few things first. Now, let her go and get the hell out of here."
"Or what, may I ask?"
"Or I'll beat your ass into the ground," Luke warned.
"Oh my!" Swarm laughed. "Well, I do admire your spunk, Mr. Decker. You've always had that in abundance. But you didn't stand a chance before and given your current appearance, I doubt you'd last even ten seconds against me."
"Care to test that theory?"
Swarm's smile faded, his expression turning hard. "I never really liked people like you. The jocks of the world who think just because they have prowess in some athletic abilities, it makes them infallible. Let me tell you something. It's not heart, or grit, or muscles that makes one powerful. All you need is your brain." He tapped the side of his head. "As long as that is powerful, you can do anything. And just look at what I've done." He threw out his hands, like a priest in church, and the microbots responded, lifting him up high. The rest of the bots surrounded Luke, ready to attack at a second's notice.
He didn't care. Travis had been right that day. Luke had been so focused on his own life, his own goals, that he hadn't seen it. But this was what he was meant to do. This was why he was given the power. This was his purpose. This was all their purposes.
When the colored costumes had appeared, he hadn't really known what to think about them. But now he knew. They were uniforms, which meant they were a team. His team. They had fought together against Swarm the first time and almost beaten him. And now, one of his teammates was in danger. Like hell was he going to let that happen. He didn't care that he was in pain or that his energy was so low it was laughable. All he cared about was helping his teammate.
"Are you going to just stand around and talk all night?" he asked. "Or are you going to fight?"
Swarm gave him a cold look. "If you want your death so badly, very well. Let's get this over with." He waved his hands and the microbots responded, going on the attack.
Luke took a breath, focusing. He didn't know how, but he felt it all. Every single microbot out there, every movement they made. He could feel it all in his mind. And he knew what they would do.
Dodge. He twisted his body to the right, just missing a spike of microbots. He started running, making right for Swarm.
Jump. He leapt to the side, the microbots covering the floor in front of him and filling them with more spikes. The floor was quickly becoming covered in them and he soon wouldn't have any place to walk.
"Enough of this!" Swarm raised his hand and the microbots followed, lifting up until they formed a massive wave above him.
"Luke, look out!"
Kind of noticed, Luke thought, taking in his surroundings and he immediately knew what to do. The wave came rushing at him, but Luke waited, needing it to be perfect. It crested and began its descent, crashing down on top of him, and he jumped, his power boosting him way up, right past the wave and to the ceiling where he grabbed hold of a rafter and pulled himself onto it.
"What?" Swarm stalked forward, looking around. "Where did he go?"
Luke smiled grimly. So it worked. He'd moved fast enough and at the right moment so Swarm wouldn't be able to see him. That gave him the time he needed.
"Hunt him down!" Swarm ordered, the microbots forming into humanoid figures that began stalking the area. But none of them thought to look up.
Luke propelled himself from rafter to rafter, his power pulling him through the air like there was a string attached to his back. As he made his way, he got a close look at the figures below and frowned. They didn't look anything like the ones that had attacked him earlier. Did that mean…?
He shook his head. No time to wonder about that. He had a job to do.
"Where could you be hiding? Come out and fight you coward! Your powers won't…wait. Your powers!" Swarm gasped and his head shot upwards. Luke cursed as the villain's eyes landed right on him. "Got you!"
Dodge. Luke threw himself to the side as an enormous pillar of microbots shot up, striking where he'd just been and smashing through the glass ceiling. He reached with his mind and pulled himself onto one of the overhead lights, groaning through the pain.
"You can't keep this up forever!" Swarm warned, another pillar forming next to him.
Luke knew he was right. He was barely holding it together as it was. His shirt was soaked in his blood and he felt more drained than ever. He needed something new now. But…he couldn't touch the ground. The second he did, those microbots would grab him and that would be it.
The memory hit him so fast, it whirled his mind.
"The ground is lava!" his sister yelled, leaping onto the sofa while Luke jumped on the recliner.
"I thought we were playing tag?"
"We are. But this is more fun."
"Well, I'm still it, and I'm going to get you." Luke thought carefully before grabbing two books from the shelf and placing them on the floor, standing on them. He then began sliding them carefully across the floor right for Amy.
"That's cheating!" she complained, though she was smiling.
"Hey, whatever works!" he grinned back, coming right for her.
Luke grinned again. It was a crazy plan, and might last him ten seconds if he was lucky. But it would get him close and that's what he needed. And it would take Swarm by surprise.
"Have another!" Swarm cried, the second pillar shooting up. Instead of dodging it though, Luke leapt right for it. Just before he hit it, he focused what power he had left to the soles of his feet and slid right over the microbots. It was just like he was back on the ski slope, except with much smaller skis that were also invisible.
"What?" Swarm gaped as Luke slid all the way to the bottom, so surprised he hadn't even tried to attack him the way down, though Luke didn't think that would last long. Still, he was close now so he had to make this chance count.
He charged forward and Swarm responded. Jump. He leapt to avoid the new spikes forming. Duck. He ducked under a reaching arm from one of the figures. Sidestep. He moved just before the area where he was practically exploded upwards. He saw every movement as it was happening. He saw the tentacles forming behind him and ducked out of the way before they could strike him. He saw the figure leaping at him and jumped out of the way. He saw the spikes growing beneath him so leapt aside before he could be impaled. He saw the hands forming to grab at him and ran past them. No matter what Swarm threw his way, he saw it and avoided it, all the while getting closer.
Almost to the end zone, he thought. Just a few more…
He felt it coming fast, too fast and way too big to avoid easily. On either side of him, two massive blocks of microbots formed up into walls that were about to crush him between them. He looked ahead and already knew he wouldn't outrun them. Only one thing to do then.
"Time to die, hero!" Swarm bellowed, clapping his hands together with the walls rumbling towards each other. At the same time, Luke pushed off with all his power, propelling himself straight up again though not as high this time. He landed on top of the blocks and took a second to catch his breath, readying himself for what came next.
He felt it form below and started running too slowly. The spike shot up like a bullet, striking him right in the back. He yelled in pain, stumbling. At that second, three more spikes shot up, hitting him in the shoulder, the leg, the hip. He almost fell to his knees, the pain shutting down his mind, but he caught himself and kept moving.
"Luke!" Gabriela cried. "Come on, you got this! Keep going!"
She's right, come on Luke! he yelled at himself. Just a little further. You've trained harder than anyone else. This is nothing compared to all that. So come on!
He was pretty sure that last bit was wrong, but whatever. He refocused his mind and just managed to avoid the next spikes, sliding through their attacks. They tore through his shirt and one did managed to hit his foot, but only a glancing blow. He kept moving, refusing to stop.
"Alright, let's try this!" Swarm brought his hands down and the giant blocks of microbots collapsed below Luke. Fortunately, he felt it coming and just pushed off from his foot shield, landing smoothly beyond the fallen bot pile.
"How are you doing this!" Swarm roared.
"Go Luke! Kick his ass!"
Luke kept moving, refusing to stop. He ignored the pain across his body, remembering his father's training. When the going gets tough, pain is just an illusion. You can push through it and surpass your limits. Of course, his dad was probably talking more about muscle cramps and tears rather than stab wounds, but it still worked. He pushed past it all, just focusing on the constantly shifting microbots and how to dodge them.
"I've had ENOUGH!" Swarm roared.
Luke felt the ground rumble below him and stumbled, almost losing his grip on his foot shields. He focused, looking for the strike path and froze. All the microbots were moving, rising up to completely surround him and box him in. He was trapped.
"Luke, get out of there!" Gabriela yelled at him.
Trying to, he wanted to yell back. He tried running forward but knew it was to no avail. He couldn't make it through this. Even the way up was blocked.
"Did you really think you had a chance?" Swarm laughed from behind the wall of microbots. "You are nothing to me. Now die like the pest you are!"
The bots swarmed him, coming from all sides, and he knew he was done for.
"No."
The world seemed to hold still just before a wall of force surrounded Luke, pushing all the microbots away. Even Swarm almost fell backwards from the power.
"I…won't…go…down!" Luke cried. He had no idea where this power was coming from. He thought his brain was going to explode from the pressure but he kept it up. He couldn't die now. His friend, his teammate, still needed him. And he wouldn't let her down.
"Why won't you die!" Swarm roared and sent another wave of bots at him but Luke just shoved them aside as well, a shield forming around him. The microbots pushed against it but he just pushed back. He ignored the strain, the exhaustion. He couldn't afford to fail. He had to keep going.
"Take this!" All the microbots attacked from the front, trying to hold him back but he refused to give even an inch to them, screaming out as he kept going forward.
He felt it coming from behind and tried to move before it struck but it was too late. He could only take it, the microbot spear striking him through the stomach.
He coughed and spluttered, his lips feeling wetter than normal. He felt pain blossom from his belly but it was a dull pain. He could ignore it. He had to. He had just been distracted, that was all. He would do better, put even more power and energy. He could still win this.
"Luke!" He heard Gabriela call out but it was like she was underwater. Or maybe he was. It was hard to tell right now. He just knew he had to get to her. But…he couldn't move. Why couldn't he move? He looked down and saw his blood-red shirt. Oh…
"This is the end for you, Mr. Decker."
He swayed on the spot, still trying to move forward. But his legs just refused to respond. His vision was going black. Was this it? Was this how he was going to die? He couldn't. He still had things he wanted to do. This couldn't be it…could it?
He felt his body shake and realized he just fell to his knees. He wanted to get back up but didn't have the strength. His legs felt like they were made of jelly and even that feeling was fading fast. He was supposed to be the strong one on the team. The powerhouse. The leader. The one who never gave up. So why couldn't he move?
His body moved again and he realized he was falling forward. This was it. There was nothing more he could do. He had failed.
"Just remember son. Your teammates are your family out there. You've got to protect them and fight for them with every bone in your body and they'll do the same for you. Cause when you've got a team as loyal as that, you're unbreakable."
Omar. Bruce. Sally. Roderick. His team.
Ralph. Kim. Wayne. His friends.
Mom. Dad. Amy. Buster. His family.
Travis. Franklin. Sumin. Madison. Emily. Gabriela.
His hands shot out, striking the floor and holding him in place before he could fall.
"What?" he heard Swarm say but he ignored it. He was struggling to even breathe right now, but he was still alive. And that was all he needed.
He summoned his power around his wounds, forming barriers to prevent any more blood from leaving. He tried to get up but his legs still felt like jelly so he just lifted himself up with his power until he was standing again. He looked right at Swarm dead in the eye and raised his fists.
"H-how?" the man gasped.
I should be dead. My power is practically drained. I barely have enough energy to stand.
He took a step forward.
So why…
He took another step, and then another.
Why do I feel…
"How are you doing this?" Swarm asked as he took another step.
Why do I feel…like I just can't lose?
"That's not possible!"
Luke took one last step and then launched himself forward, his power shooting right towards Swarm. He just gaped, not having time to react as Luke raised his fist, bringing all the power in his body and beyond into it, and striking Swarm directly in the face.
The man hovered there for an instant, as if his body was still coming to terms with what just happened, before he was sent flying back, the power hurling him across the room and into the wall. He then crumpled down onto the ground.
Luke was still standing, fist raised. "That's where Travis struck you before. Your mask is where you control the microbots. Take that out and you're finished. Without the bots, you got nothing."
Silence followed and Luke thought they were done. He thought that was it, that that one punch had finished it and it was all over now. That he'd won.
Then Swarm chuckled. He looked up and stared at Luke with interest, the fear in his eyes gone. "So that's it," he said as he got up. "Now I see. You've Awakened. That's where all this power is coming from."
Awakened? It was getting hard to think straight.
"Very impressive. You actually had me going for a bit there. But in the end, there was only going to be one victor. Besides, did you really think I kept control in my mask?" Swarm shook his head, tutting. "I implanted control nodes all over my body. You would need to strike me in a hundred spots at once to take me out. And we both know you can't."
Luke moved to take another step but then his body finally gave up on him and he collapsed to the ground.
"Luke!" he heard Gabriela yell faintly but there was nothing he could do. It was taking everything he had not to die right then and there.
"A noble effort, but in vain. Now-"
There was a bright burst of light, a shattering sound, and then a shadow fell over him, blocking him from Swarm.
"Get the hell away from my friend."
I'm sorry Gabriela, he thought, his mind fading fast. I should have saved you. I failed you.
And then he was gone.
Before now, whenever Gabriela thought about Luke Decker, she considered him to be the stereotypical jock. Always laughing and having fun at his lunch table, making a ruckus. Always seemed to be the center of attention. Other than that, she hadn't thought about him much.
Now, she wished she had. As she watched him fight against Swarm, covered in blood and looking like he would collapse at any moment and yet somehow still going, she wished she knew this version of the guy sooner.
"Luke!" she yelled as he finally succumbed to his injuries, collapsing on the ground. She had been struggling against the microbots for the whole fight, hoping that with Swarm distracted they would be weaker, but they were as strong as ever. She doubled her efforts, doing everything she could to break out, but she couldn't even use her power…
No. She could use her power. She stared at Luke's fallen form and felt the anger and fury rise within her. He was like this because of her. Because she needed saving. He had gone beyond his limits to help her. The least she could do was return the favor.
She poured everything she had into her hands, letting them glow hotter and hotter. Swarm had said that he designed the microbots to absorb the energy levels she had during the school attack. Well, then she'd go beyond that, push her power to the point where even all these bots combined couldn't contain it.
She could feel it, her hands overflowing with the amount of energy she was pouring into them but she didn't stop. She could see them now, glowing even through all the microbots enveloping them, and she also saw some of the bots themselves begin to glow.
With one final burst, her hands practically exploded and the microbots around her sparked before falling away, freeing her. She dropped to the ground and managed to land in a crouch right in front of Swarm, blocking him from Luke's body.
"Get the hell away from my friend," she growled, her hands glowing so hot they looked like they were made of lava.
"How-" Swarm blinked before glaring back at her. "You kids are just full of surprises. But it doesn't matter. You think just because you made your hands burn brighter that you still-"
"Man you really like to hear yourself talk, don't you? No wonder everyone kept falling asleep in your classes."
Swarm glowered at her through his mask. "What?" he asked dangerously.
"Everyone at school talked about it. I myself couldn't pay attention during one of your monologues. I had to relearn everything at home. You weren't teaching us, you didn't do anything to try and get us learn. You just kept talking like it was a sermon."
"Because it was beneath me! Being a ridiculous science teacher to you…vermin was not my destiny. I was meant to-"
"Oh my god, there you go with the whole 'destiny' and 'meant to be' crap. Guess what? You deserved to get fired!"
The microbots rose up and formed into spears all pointed right at Gabriela. "Care to repeat that?" Swarm asked.
"You heard me. I see your problem now. You got fired because you stole money from other projects just because you thought yours was better."
"Because it wa-"
"Then, when my dad helps you get another job, you still hold it against him years later and let it turn you into…this."
"It was his fau-"
"And to top it off, you decide not to only take revenge on him, but really on his daughter. Wow. You're just a petty, insecure, bully who sees himself as some sort of next Einstein and when things don't go his way, blames the whole world on his mistakes and refuses to take any responsibility for himself." Gabriela shook her head. "How pathetic. And we're actually taught how not to become someone like you."
If rage was a superpower, she was pretty sure Swarm would be god-like as he seethed at her. She wasn't so sure if making him mad was the smartest plan there was, but she needed to get off that her chest. Besides, it bought her some time. If Luke had seen her lightshow, maybe the others had as well.
"I have wanted to kill you for so long. I'm done waiting."
The spears moved to strike but Gabriela was faster. She threw her hands out wide in an x formation and her powers followed through, shooting out of her orange laser beams that cut through all the spears, causing all the microbots to fall back down.
"Impressive, Ms. Fuentes, I will admit," Swarm said. "Like Mr. Decker there, you are pushing beyond your limits and thus what my microbots can absorb. Very clever. But how long can you keep it up, I wonder?"
Not long, Gabriela thought. It already felt like her hands were in an oven and she was beginning to pant. But if Luke could push past his limits to help her, she could do the same. She just had to hold out until…
"Let's see you survive this!" The microbots washed on either side of her, forming into two waves ready to crush her between them. She grimaced, knowing there was no way she would be able to use her powers on them. I'm sorry Luke, she thought, looking back at him. But I…
The glass above her shattered and what looked like an indigo manta ray flew down to them, Sumin standing on its back. At the same time, there was a blur of movement and suddenly Emily was standing, followed a second later by Madison and then Franklin, who was in shopping cart for some reason, as well as Travis.
Gabriela almost slumped over in relief. She held out. She'd done it.
"Don't worry Gabriela," Sumin said, indigo light pouring out of them. "We have come to help."