Off The Pages: A Superhero Science Fiction Adventure

Chapter Twenty-Two Part Two

"You think they'll notice?"

Jennifer looked at Annie after she asked. "They'll notice," she replied.

The group stood poised for battle, waiting. Edward had his new kimono on, blade drawn and ready, with Kadosuke's spirit senses stretching out for miles, sensing any oncoming danger. Jennifer hovered twenty feet above the ground, with eyes and ears open for any disturbance. Annie clenched her massive fists and stood firm, using her battle sense to detect any ill intent from afar. John and Raymond stood in the pilot seat of twenty-foot-tall robots. Their immense science-fiction-level intellects had brought the group a smorgasbord of enhancements and ultra-powerful technology, and they looked forward to saving the world with it.

A crack and a bang later, and multiple senses lit up at once. Jennifer and Annie sensed it first. The giant felt pure killing intent emanating from a few hundred miles away, and Jennifer heard the sonic boom. A group of at least thirty supers flew over the terrain, supported by August's telekinesis, and ahead of them a group of no less than twenty speedsters dashed ahead.

"Incoming!" Jennifer thought, and Jericho relayed it to everyone telepathically. Jericho threw up forcefields around the robots.

Shifting into super speed, Edward drew back his blade and swung, a bolt of energy propelling forward at unimaginable velocity. The speedster in front and those to the side dodged, but one unfortunate super got vaporized. The group had been running largely in formation but scattered and attacked, like a swarm of wasps, when the attack began.

Jennifer swung and missed, as a torrent of blows from six different attackers bludgeoned her with fists and feet, vibrating to cause extra hurt. Fuck, she thought, they're faster than ever! The fake Jesus' ability to enhance people's powers really pissed her off. She tried to zap their nervous systems, but they moved out of her range so quickly she couldn't hit them.

Annie saw her friend get pounded with fists like being sand blasted. Despite the heroine's invulnerable skin, the blows still hurt when they came in at relativistic speeds. Her own durability was tested by the onslaught, and she swung and kicked only to miss each time. Edward had the best luck, as he drove his sword into the ground, and it sent a blast of bright light that knocked people flying.

Jennifer shoved her way through a swarm of fists and feet, absorbing a wasp swarm of blows to get close. A single zap shut them down. Seven corpses hit the ground. A dozen speedsters redoubled their efforts. Speedsters struck for eyes.

Jericho waited until people got close to him and smashed a bubble forcefield on, launching four enemies outward. Annie plowed through her attackers to smash into the airborne enemies before they could regain their footing. A straight kick bent one attacker into an impossible 'C' shape, his spine breaking and blood spurting from his mouth as his internal organs ruptured. Another smashed against her shoulder tackle like the sea crashing against shore. He crumpled to the ground in a heap. The remaining two broke their ankles on landing and were mincemeat a moment later.

Eight remained and they regarded their enemies. They'd done some damage; the redheaded hero and the giant had faces covered in blood from where impossibly fast blows had finally damaged nigh-indestructible skin. The billionaire had his battle suit in shambles, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Still, they stood firm, and didn't falter. It bothered them. They dashed forward.

Jennifer slammed her eyes shut as she sensed pointed vibrating fingers aiming for them. Relying on her energy sensing, she felt where the attackers were and managed to catch the leg of one. A voice cried out and she remembered it as one of the four she'd fought before. As Craig's leg went limp as his nerves fired in radical ways, she immediately stuck her hand out and smashed a palm into his chest. His torso compacted like an accordion and his body launched backward, splattering across a fifty-meter line. His ally Dylan hesitated for a moment at the sight of his comrade's death. A feeling of horror passed over him. Annie used the moment to plant a fist through his head.