universe!”
“I’m not done yet,” Yen growled. In rapid succession, Yen unclipped the other three grenades from his belt and launched them at the infuriated Terran. All three flew through the air in perfect arcs, guided by Yen’s psychic power. And each of the three, much as the single grenade had done previously, were stopped before coming in contact with Achilles.
One by one, the lights went out around the circumferences of the grenades as Achilles deactivated their detonators. Howling in frustration, Achilles waved his hand and the shell around the first grenade exploded outward, exposing the core within. Yen didn’t flinch as the shell rebounded off his psychic shield, glanced away, and disappeared into the surrounding darkness. Above the pair, as if in response to their own brewing anger, lightning split the dark sky.
“You’re not even listening to me!” Achilles yelled as the rain grew heavier, splashing across the surface of the pond. “You have incredible untapped potential, yet you struggle to think of anything except the most mundane of attacks. I can’t believe you would even waste my time with these… things.”
“One of your…” Yen began before the words faded away. He could feel his power building inside of him, rising like an unchecked tide coursing through his body. Swallowing hard, he continued. “One of your… biggest faults… is that you… underestimate people too much.”
Blue tendrils of power arced across Yen’s body, rolling as though his body were a lightning rod, conducting unseen sources of psychic energy. In front of Achilles, the grenades inched forward and the one of the far right flickered back to life. Snarling, Achilles focused deeper, shutting down the grenade once more.
“Here you are, nearly killing yourself, and for what? To inch a grenade just a little closer to me? In the end, I’m still more powerful than you will ever be. You’re just delaying the inevitable!”
“Nothing… is inevitable,” Yen gasped. His eyes watered as pressure built in his temple and the strain began to cause physical pain in his spine. Yen’s cornea was consumed with blue as the energy saturated his body. From within his mind, Yen could hear the joyful chorus of the psychic power crying out at its freedom. Shivering from far more than the cold, Yen concentrated harder.
The metal casings that had been blown free from the first grenade launched across the surface of the pond, reforming around the grenade’s core. With a flash of brilliant blue light, the shell reformed and fused together.
“Stop that!” Achilles yelled as the casing blew apart once more. This time, Achilles didn’t bother angling the shards of metal toward Yen. Instead, the shell flew away and splashed into the water, joining the remains of its previously dismantled brother. “You’re wasting both our time! You’re a fossil, Yen Xiao! You’re a has-been. You’re little more than a footnote in this war! When I’m done with you, history books won’t even remember you! Just lie down and die like a good puppy!”
Psychic power roared through Yen’s core. His head whipped backward in surprise as the energy shattered through Yen’s controls and countermeasures. Never before had Yen pushed himself so far or so hard. The anger which he struggled to contain merged with the psychic power and fed it, letting it grow like a sentient leech, feeding off Yen’s own essence in order to defeat so strong an opponent. Blue tendrils broke free of the yellowed skin on Yen’s back, reaching out like the legs of a spider. They reached around his body, snapping out toward Achilles like chained animals. At their tips, they elongated into razor-sharp spines and blades while still others formed hungry maws filled with row after row of saw-like teeth. Yen’s power was free of his control and was eager for retribution against Achilles.
Even the Terran seemed startled by Yen’s sudden transformation. He stepped backward in surprise, his feet skimming the water. The grenades before him gave chase, remaining only just beyond a foot away. Yen’s lips pulled back into a malicious snarl as blue light poured from his eyes.
“Impressive,” Achilles said breathlessly. “It looks like you’re finally accepting who you are and who you have the potential to be.” The Terran’s eyes narrowed as he continued. “But it still won’t be enough. You’re wasting all this energy and you’re still no closer to detonating these grenades!”
“I noticed… a weakness about you… Achilles,” Yen said, his voice little more than a rumbling growl. “Science may have… given you the power… but your abilities… are limited. You don’t seem… to be able to use your powers… to multitask.”
Achilles seemed taken aback by Yen’s accusation. Frowning, his nostrils flaring in anger, the Terran glowered at his enemy. “What makes you think I can’t? I’ve focused on all three grenades simultaneously. And what about you? You’ve been straining all this time on these grenades and you’re still not strong enough to get them to me! I’m still stronger than you!”
Yen smiled wickedly. When he spoke, gone was the breathy, weary tone he had taken before. “And what makes you think that I’ve been concentrating on the grenades?”
Lightning split the sky, revealing a massive shadow that blanketed the area around Achilles. In horror, Achilles looked skyward. Above him, held aloft by Yen’s power, the giant stone monument hovered, its pointed tip turned downward like the point of an enormous spear. His body shaking, the Terran turned his gaze back toward Yen. Though Yen could feel the coppery taste in the back of his throat and could feel blood oozing from his nostril, he still smiled.
“You wouldn’t,” Achilles hissed in disbelief.
Releasing his psychic control over the monument, tons of stone came crashing down on top of Achilles and the grenades. The ground beneath Yen’s feet shook violently, throwing him into the water, as the giant stones fell one by one on top of the Terran psychic. Sprays of water filled the air as the monument crushed the outer walls of the pond, sloshing its shallow waters into the soft, grassy earth beyond its borders. Clouds of dust billowed outward, stinging Yen’s eyes and burning in his already raw throat.
As the last of the stones fell to the ground, Yen pushed himself to his feet, brushing off what debris and dust he could. His hair was matted with water and grey dust and his face was pale white. Only his eyes still burned with the intense blue inner light, glowing brightly in the dark night air. Stepping out of the water, Yen shook himself free. Almost as an afterthought, he released the last bit of his psychic control. From beneath the piles of rubble, Yen smiled as he heard three muffled explosions; the final nail in Achilles’ coffin.
Pain roared through Yen’s brain as he staggered forward. Leaning heavily on one of the nearby trees, Yen closed his eyes as tears cut tracks down his dust-covered face. His eyes closed, Yen didn’t notice the blue tendrils that reached out from his body on their own volition. As he pushed away from the tree and tried to regain his bearings, the tendrils lashed out at the tree behind him, scoring long tears across its bark.
Yen’s nerves felt like they were on fire, but a single thought was able to cut through his pain and distraction. Somewhere, close by, Doctor Solomon was hiding in his laboratory. The doctor had already suffered strike one when he mutated the Seques and killed so many of Yen’s friends. Strike two was modifying Deplitoxide to disable the engines on Alliance Cruisers. And now, as though adding insult to injury, Doctor Solomon had created the abomination Yen had just faced. There would be no other opportunities for the doctor to become a God.
Anger boiled beneath the surface of Yen’s skin as the tendrils whipped in anticipation. Not only would Solomon no longer play God, Yen would do one better. It was time to send the doctor to meet his maker.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Cardax had escaped.
The words rolled through Keryn’s mind like a poison, burning away her reason and leaving only a vacant, aching hole in her chest. The reality of her situation washed over her in crashing waves that threatened to drown her. Choking back sobs, Keryn lowered her head to her hands and let the hot, salty tears spill from her eyes.
Keryn had failed not just her mission, but she had failed her team as well. Regardless of Adam’s comforting words on Pteraxis, she had led her team into a trap from which two of her teammates didn’t survive. A third now lay in the medical bay, his blood smearing the floor beneath the operating table. With a sigh of resignation, Keryn realized that she couldn’t even bring herself to go check on McLaughlin. Though she hadn’t seen him since they climbed aboard the
Sitting in the cockpit, Keryn felt abandoned. Her hands drifted aimlessly toward the console and brought up the radar. The small red dot marking Cardax’s ship was beginning to fade from the screen as he sped out of the
