Prophecy: Tome of Skin

12. Love You Can Survive

The super soldiers lived by no creed. It was only by the lethal directive of their mistress that they operated, and because it had been a long time since they were human, they were perhaps the best equipped to carry out her nefarious schemes. They felt nothing; not remorse, or mercy, and certainly not loyalty. It was a blind following, something born in their nature, a product of design. Something that was hardwired into them, not something that they learned. It was what made them unstoppable-their ability to go without fear for their demise.

"Watch the left!" Toby yelled at Lorelei as he braced for the blow. He had known it was coming, seen the super soldier that was barreling at him with great velocity, yet it wasn't enough to prepare him for the impact and he went flying back, trying to catch himself before rolling across the ground helplessly. Lorelei heeded his warning, noting the two baddies who threatened the last remnants of the public that remained. It didn't take her long to make it over to them, launching herself between them with a quick spin and a flurry of kicks.

"I've got this one," Myrna called from the back, sprinting forward and disappearing, only to swiftly materialize behind her enemy and deliver a jolt of magic to the back. She'd been getting better with her offensive techniques lately; they all had. It was something that had become a necessity in recent days, considering how much worse the attacks had been getting. Now that Angel was gone, and it fell solely to Toby and his friends to protect the innocents, Monica believed it to be the perfect time to unleash her pets into the world and give them no restraint with the damage they caused.

At first the super soldiers proved to be too much, but with even more training and some practice the gang had gotten to a place where they felt they were evenly matched. Though, for all intents and purposes, they were only human, and unlike their monstrous opponents they grew fatigued, battle worn from all their heroic cavalry. Meanwhile Monica got to sit atop the world-the more damage she caused, the more fear she struck into her enemies hearts, affording her the power she so desperately wanted. And the more damage she caused, the more outreach the Monica Wright Foundation could do, elevating her standing with the masses.

It was win-win for her.

That was clear to Toby and the others, they knew just how gleeful she must be in her ivory tower as she oversaw the flawless execution of her masterfully crafted plan. Yet that didn't persuade them to stop fighting, and they trudged on, day after day, even after it began bleeding into weeks. If it wasn't for the thin line of defense they offered, the super soldiers were sure to do unimaginable amounts of damage. So as exhausted as they were, their feet still propelled them forward, their arms still carried the blows that they hoped would beat their foes into remission if only for a moment.

We've got company," Austin warned, seeing the familiar, inconspicuous trucks approaching that signaled Monica had sent backup. That was the norm when the battle was nearing a potential loss to her super soldiers-she would do everything to be sure that they were not damaged in any severe way. When the reinforcements had gotten close enough they stopped, parking hastily and opening up to reveal the myriad of armed men and women who had come to help.

"Myrna, take point and watch them." Toby pointed, knowing she would be the best wall to shield them from their rather rudimentary tactics.

"No need, I got it." Austin headed closer quickly, closing his eyes and emitting a low growl as he focused and pulled the rumbling wave of energy he could feel out of his core. When he next opened his eyes they were white, all the way through, devoid of any iris or pupil, and immediately the sky above began to respond to him when he reached for it. The twilight air stirred and began to circle, the wind picking up until it funneled down to meet his outstretched hand. The disturbance didn't stop there, bringing with it rain and the crashing of thunder as he used his other hand to direct the bolts of electricity that descended from the clouds.