Capes 1: Charge

Chapter 38

Lockey couldn't believe he was seeing Gage in front of his face. Finding out that the man who killed his best friend just got in his life so easily, all he could feel was be mad because that made him look so stupid. The murderer was just in front of his eyes, yet he had no idea.

That's why Lockey has never felt a good feeling when he was around, that just answered it all.

"Why are you doing this?" Lockey asked, his defense guarded down trying to process it all at once. "What do you really want from me? Why do you have to hunt me down? What did I ever do to you to put me through hell?"

"I didn't put your life through hell," he said, shaking his head while clicking his tongue. "Well, I did by taking your best friend from you, but that's all I have ever done to you, plus trying to be you until I get caught."

"What did you mean? What are you saying?"

"Lockey! Run away from him!" Napatingin na lamang ang dalawa nang marinig kung sino ang nagsalita. Nagulat si Lockey nang makita si Simon at Malcolm at nagtataka na lamang ito kung paano ito napunta sa kinaroroonan nila. "We made a deal, Gage. You don't have to do this. You should go back to wherever you live."

Natawa naman si Gage. "You are fucking delusional, Simon. Bakit ko naman gagawin 'yon? Our deal's done. I did what you asked. I take all those people out of their cells, even your superhero friend here, Lockey. So, I'm taking this on my own business now. Take your friends with you, but I won't leave until I get what I want."

"And what do you want from me?"

"I want you dead," Gage said. "And you know that you can't run away from me. I'm faster than you. You can't outrun me. You can never outrun me. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"If you want me dead, catch me."

"Are you taunting me?" He smirked.

"I am challenging you," Lockey said. "It is up to you what you want to do. I might be new to this ability, but I won't give up. I won't."

At that moment, Lockey ran away from the rooftop and Gage quickly followed him. Malcolm and Simon looked for the others who just arrived inside the premises helping the captive superhumans to get out of the secured building. They brought the other kids from the academy, Klein, Aurea, Argo, Sana, Mona, Nadiya, and Arthur came to the rescue.

Gage ran after Lockey in he was surprised he was able to be faster than usual. But he was catching up and Lockey was nervous because as soon as he caught him, it would be over so he tried his best to run as fast as he could, imagining what would his father do to prevent chaos from happening.

But what would else his father do? Just run. . . Or face death?

He knew that running would take an endless agony for him. It was either stop running or run away from it forever. He has to choose because he knows that Gage won't stop chasing him until he gets what he wants.

Running around the snowy mountain of Summit, the cold wind that they were crashing through their speed wasn't something they bothered. But Lockey was bothered by running away. So he stopped and Gage did the same thing. Ngumisi ito nang makitang malalalim ang hiningang binibitawan ng binata. 

"Are you giving up, kid? Are you ready to die?" Tawa pa nito na mapang-asar. Naglakad ito papalapit sa binata habang ang kanang kamay nito ay unti-unting kumikislap at saglit lang nang may hawak na itong kidlat sa kamay. "This lightning will be thrown like a bullet and will pierce through your heart. That's how I imagined your death would be. I can't wait for it to unfold. . . Are you ready?"

Habang papalapit nang papalapit ito sa kanya ay dahan-dahan ding iniangat ni Lockey ang kanyang ulo at ang mata'y nababalot ng kakaibang enerhiya. Nang umamba si Gage upang isaksak hawak na kidlat nang bumagsak ito sa lupa at napahawak na lamang sa kanya ulo ramdam ang matinding sakit na natatamasa. Sa sigaw nito ay naalarma si Lockey at tiningnan si Gage at doon niya na nakitang nakaluhod ito sa lupa at sumisigaw.

"This is where you've done it wrong, Gage. . ." Tumapon ang tingin ni Lockey sa lalaking nagsalita. Nakita niya ang kanilang headmaster sa CAPES na si Erling. Napatong ang daliri sa kanyang sentido habang nakatingin kay Gage. "Never again, in this world, we'll lost a Chapmann. . ."

"Stop it! If you won't stop this, I will kill you next!" sigaw pa nito. "You're not even part of my plan, but you're making me put you on my list, Erling. I will end you alongside your precious academy."

"If you can," Erling said, making his ability stronger putting Gage screaming in pain while rolling on the floor. "You can't even escape the pain. . . You can't run away from it."

Simon who helped Erling track them down got to Lockey's side and suggested they should leave before Gage got back on his feet. But he shuts him down and doesn't want to leave. Lockey even told Simon to go as he might put himself in danger. He didn't understand what he was trying to do, but he backed off.

When Gage gains some control over Erling, he is shocked so he tries to put all of his energy into pinning him down against the floor, but it makes him weak as a result. As soon as Gage found the perfect opportunity to attack, he ran towards Erling, using his right fist, he punched him in his chest making him thrown a few meters away. As Simon saw the danger occurring, he quickly got to Erling and transported them elsewhere.

Nang ibinaling muli nito ang atensyon sa binata at ngisi na lamang ang namutawi sa kanyang tabi. "Do you really think it was that easy for everyone to put me down? Hindi gano'n. I've been training my whole life. I've been preparing for this day and now the time has come and I know how it would end."

"Are you sure about that? Then let's change the course of the timeline. . ." Umusbong ang ngisi sa labi nito at mabilis na tumakbo papunta kay Gage. Ang ikinagulat nito ay hinablot ni Lockey ito sa braso hangga't sa magpa-ikot-ikot sila sa paligid ng Summit Mountain at tuluyang lumitaw ang isang portal na nagmula sa isang alikabok at pinalibutan ng mga kidlat. "Are you ready? Let's take you back to where you belong."

"No! No!" Gage shouted, but it was too late when both of them entered the wormhole, traversing through time and space, into a world where everything changed, and there was no turning back. 

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