THE ADVENTURES OF TEKEON

#10. THE DARKEST DAY: PART THREE

I burst out of my seat and zoomed to the door.

"Jason, where are you going?" Ian called after me.

"Aye, Jason, everything alright?" Tim hollered.

I didn't look back. I couldn't explain. There was no time. I had to save my parents before it was too late.

Bursting out through the doors, I raced in the direction of Petant Lane. From the news, Rogue was not too far from my parents' apartment. Time was running out, but there was still hope to save them.

'Gosh, I wish I could call them.' But it would only slow me down. The best way to help was for Tekeon to be there right now.

"Don't want to be the guy to say I told you so." Blitz hummed. "But guess what?"

"You told me so, yeah, I know. Okay? Are you happy?"

"Why were you reluctant before?"

"Can we not talk about it now?"

I swerved into the alley that I used earlier to detransform but was no longer empty. Some dude leaned against a wall, lighting his cigarette. A quick sweep around revealed here was no safe zone to transform without being seen.

Pounding the wall in anger. I decided to continue running towards Petant Lane in hopes I would find a safe spot along the way and get there quicker as Tekeon.

My heart ran faster than my legs. The wave of memories washed over my mind. All their hopes, all their dreams. My parents have always been there for me. Always provided, always cared. And sure, now there was the pressure of getting a job and the dissatisfaction of me turning down the S.P.E.R.E opportunity... sure there was tension with me trying to find my own way and them encouraging otherwise. But it didn't change the love. Beneath it all, there was love. And I would gladly work a 9-5 office job for the rest of my life if it meant I could save them today.

As I dashed across the road, I was tempted to scream 'NO' at the top of my lungs, in hopes that the monster would hear me... would stop and hear that Tekeon was coming. All my mental barriers were down. My worries and my fears were visible to Blitz. "I'm with you, Jason," he said, with empathy in his voice. "I'm with you. Take the turn to your left; I triangulated the location of a manwhole cover." My head snapped in that direction, and I saw a manhole cover. Though there were some pedestrians in the area, I got an idea of what he was thinking.

Without hesitation, I dived into it and solidified my armor.

Popping out my jetpack, I boosted across the sewers until I came up at the next opening at a random location in the city.

"Charting the fastest course to Petant Lane." Blitz said.

Even though I knew my way around the city, the fastest route was the best plan right now. However, the need for that vanished as a towering explosion flew up, competing with the intensity of the sun, attempting to outshine it.

BOOM!

Zooming in with my armor's lenses, the details were clearer. Petant Lane had been reduced to rubble and flames. All buildings in the street had been levelled and in the midst of all of it all stood Rogue, laughing. Bodies were sprawled—cops and civilians alike—around him.

The world stopped spinning. I refused to believe it. I couldn't believe it. They couldn't be gone. Numbness came over me.

"I'm sorry Jason," Blitz said, sympathy laced his voice.

Tears pooled down my eyes. A whisper followed. "No," then a roar. "No!!!"

Then a swirl of emotions. Pain, anger, vengeance. My armor's lenses locked on the agent of death in his black polished armor.

Reinforced police vehicles arrived on the scene. They kept a great distance from Rogue himself as cops in full tactical gear disembarked from them and opened fire with their assault rifles. A flicker of surprise crossed my face when I recognised Rogue's armour was bulletproof. Then my fury consummated. Now there was no reason to hold back on my first strike.

Like a high-speed torpedo, I shot towards him from almost halfway across the city. Buildings flew by in a blur until my legs dropkicked the power core on his armor's chest, sending a burst of sparks spewing from his armor, and the sound of metal on metal ringing through the area. He flew back, crashed onto the asphalt road, and skidded until his back slammed into a pile of rubble.

"Gah!" he exclaimed.