Imperium

Chapter 23 Part 2

Howls sound from up above, claws scratch on the stairs. The sound echoes around the lab, I notice the slight smile appear in the bird's face. I look to the stairs whilst I unconsciously rub my hand on the wound on my shoulder. I will not heal it, I'll need the energy.

The howls follow the roars and the sound of heavy feet stomping across the ground. Bruce and I turn to look at each other in unison, we have faced these guys before. Who knows which improvements they have had ever since then?

"What are those?" Andrew asks, fear-filled in his tone.

"Stick around and you'll find out," Bruce says not stopping the demolition. "As the Controller likes to say, 'focus on the task at hand.'"

"What about the abominations coming our way?" Danny asks as he shrinks back to size and the costume shrinks with him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he says whilst disappearing into thin air. Bruce isn't under the Controller's control, he moves and talks freely, unlike the Controller's goons. He must have wanted to be experimented on, he must have been a volunteer. One of the first people to be experimented on where them, then when the scientists ran out of willing lab rats. They found other ways to gather their lab rats, that's the category they fall into.

Unlike us, Bruce doesn't regret getting experimented on, he always wanted superpowers. The Controller picked him up from the streets, he was close to death. The Controller took him in, gave him something to eat and a place to lay his head.

Bruce had reached rock bottom, with nothing else to live for. He had been living in the streets for 3 years, he would kill for food. His hunger had grown to the extent that he was ready to die. He was lying on the pavement, he could feel that his death was near.

His eyes were about to close, he was hoping that he would be going to a better place. With his last blinks of life, he saw a figure come up to him. The businessman offered him life, a better future, and most important to him at the moment, no more hunger. He was more than happy to hang on the thin thread of life he had left, he remembers being in some sort of lab, and then somehow, he was alive.

He owes the Controller his life, and he was more than willing to help him further his dreams. Bruce forever owes his loyalty to the Controller, he is the only one Shaun has seen without a collar. He is always travelling with the Controller, Shaun wouldn't be surprised if Bruce knows the Controller's real face.

The footsteps come closer and the noises sound closer and closer. Andrew runs a hand through his hair, what have I gotten myself into, he thinks. A deafening thud cuts through the air like a knife, cracks form on the floor as the rocky beasts lands in the lab. He must have jumped down rather than finish climbing down the whole stairs. The beast roars and his roar is followed by howls.

The bird flies forward at me, the bird flies directly at me whilst dodging a blast from me. The bird dodges as I follow the bird with a blast of energy, the blasts do not hit their intended target, it manages to create some much-wanted destruction to the lab.

"Raven, Raven, Raven, I think you might have bitten off more than you can chew," the beasts says. Raven dodges my blasts whilst moving forward. The bird swirls around the blast and draws out his hands to attack.

My eyes widen, realising that raven is too close to dodge. I stop my blasts, letting raven phase through me. Raven turns around to see me looking at him unscathed, Raven smiles, admiring the fact that this would be a tough fight.

The wolves dart at Andrew, not fully transformed, they run upright whilst attacking him. The wolves' speed has increased, they must even run faster than a cheetah. Compared to Andrew who is 12 times faster than sound, they don't stand a chance.

"This will be over very soon, you won't even see us coming," the black wolf says jumping up into the air. Andrew dodges both of the attacks with ease, it is as if the wolves have stopped in midair in Andrew's eyes.

Andrew walks around them, touching their fur as they have all stopped in the middle of their jump. He moves in front of them to look at their claws up close, very sharp claws, and look at those teeth. If my phone was fast enough, I'd take a selfie, Andrew thinks.

The two lands on the ground empty-handed, they both look confused. They're wondering when and how did he dodge them. They were going to rip him apart and tear him to shreds, he just moves too fast for their eyes to see. They turn to look at Andrew who is now behind them, he lifts his hand and places it over his mouth. He releases a fake yawn to show his boredom.

"How dare you mock us?" The brown wolf says, his tone revealing the anger that is starting to build up inside him.

Danny is grabbed by one of the beasts, the bigger beast lifts him above his head and readies himself to throw him. Danny shrinks out of the beast's hands, the beast can feel the disappearance of the weight that was once on his hands.

Danny jumps down and enlarges as he reaches the floor. He grows so big that the beast can fit into his hand. He reaches for the beast and forms a fist around his Torso. He clenches his fists and the beast screams in pain.

"So you can feel pain? I thought that skin was invincible or something."

The second beast jumps up, Danny hits the beast with the back of his hand like he is hitting a fly. He drops the other beast and it falls to the ground. He continues with his destruction as the beasts slowly rise back to their feet.

Andrew dances around the two wolves, the brown one jumps up. Andrew punches the wolfman on its jaw and sends it flying back. Who would have thought a wolf's jaw would be so painful? Andrew doesn't want to show that his hand is throbbing, and forms his fists at both of the wolves.

The black wolf jumps up, Anna feeling useless as the fight, opens a portal in front of it and opens another. Anna opens the other portal right over the wolf, the wolf falls right over the other and Andrew turns to look at Anna.

Anna shrugs, "What? I was bored."

Raven doesn't allow me to go back down on the floor. He keeps attacking me in the air, a claw draws a line of blood on my cheek. I shoot a blast of energy at Raven, sending him to the ground.

The bigger beast jumps at me, I turn and shoot waves of energy at the beast. The beast falls back to the ground, and I wear a small smile. A bolt of electricity passes right next to my ear, I turn to find Raven falling to the ground.

I look at Andrew and give him a nod, the nod is communication enough for Andrew, he knows that I'm thanking him for the bolt.

I uploaded two chapters today, next week I might upload two again.