Mod Superhero

Chapter 7.21 - Cavalry

Twenty seconds.

That was how long it took to catch one of the fastest speedsters on the planet.

Again.

Velocity stared up at him, eyes wide, chest heaving from exertion. Even without McGuire's last-second marbles or using a third of New Venice for processing power, Velocity wouldn't have lasted much longer. Maybe a minute total before Mod ran her into the ground.

That was the unexpected benefit of fighting like a thruster-powered maniac. Every burst of propulsion bled off heat, venting thermal load with each movement. Even his point-defense lasers, when fired in short intervals, acted as controlled exhaust.

The result?

He'd inadvertently found a way to stay balanced while operating at nearly one hundred percent capacity. And with two fusion cores humming beneath his armor, he could keep that pace up for days on end.

Velocity pawed at his hand and her body thrummed with speed. She tried to slip out of his grasp like she'd slipped out of his nanites, but it wouldn't work.

He stood, dragging her with him. Velocity clutched arm as he held her off the ground, arm outstretched. A web of nanites wrapped under her arms to support her—Mod wanted to restrain her, not choke her. Still, Velocity tried to kick off of him, but between his reflexes and outer layer of nanites, her foot slipped off of him.

Across the block, the chaos stopped.

Helion's bleeding web of lasers all ceased, like a quenched fire. Everything except the twin suns in his eyes.

And those suns were now locked on him.

Mod adjusted his stance, pulled Velocity just slightly in front of him—angled, deliberate. He held her like a riot shield with a pulse.

"Don't even think about it," Mod said.

Helion's expression flickered. Startled. Then furious.

"Give me one good reason!"

Mod didn't flinch.

There were a dozen things he could have said. She'll die if you fire. This will turn public sentiment even further. You're outnumbered and outplayed. All true. All irrelevant.

He just needed to stall for five more seconds.

"I know you've been holding back," Mod said. "I know you don't want to destroy the city... Neither do we."

And that's when the sky broke open, like a thunderclap had split the world in two. Mod braced as the shockwave struck, kicking up a hurricane of dust and steam.

KRA-KOOM!

Golden Boy landed like an artillery shell.

One moment, Helion was upright, glowing, furious. The next, he was gone, a blur of gold and red and heat. The pair crashed together into the steaming canal. Water exploded, turning the canal into a geyser. The resulting blast dome engulfed half the block, and everything went white for a tenth of a second.

Everyone on the street stopped. To Mod, the scene looked almost frozen. Barriers still hung in the air, and Arsenal and Gideon floated in place. The others were still processing what had happened.

Finally, realization hit. Velocity cried out, but nothing answered except the downpour of water. Mod tightened his grip.

Golden Boy rose out of the water, steaming, and holding a limp Helion by the collar. He landed on the smoldering street, and Helion slumped to the ground, unmoving.