-----------------------------
Ryan and Origin cried out in agony.
Origin collapsed onto all fours, oil and blood pouring from his chest. The core dangled from his chest, beeping rapidly.
Ryan staggered against a car, smearing blood across the hood. He clutched his wrist as pain shot through his arm.
"No... wait. Wait." Origin coughed. Flashes of his daughter filled his mind. "I can still—"
"I don't care." The Big Man pressed a button.
Origin watched helplessly as his daughter was dragged toward the ceiling. Her screams abruptly stopped beneath the buzz of saws.
The Big Man turned to Robin and sighed, crossing Origin's name off a list.
"Get the lab working on another Ruby model. Extract Emma. Origin is a bust."
~~~~~~
Something inside Origin snapped. Rage surged through his wires and veins. The ground trembled beneath him, rocks bouncing around his feet.
"You killed her."
"What?" Ryan coughed.
"I have nothing."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I HAVE NOTHING!"
Jets exploded from Origin's back.
He rocketed into the night, silhouetted against the full moon. His fingers trembled through his hair, his body twitching as he desperately tried to cry, but no tears came.
The Big Man severed the connection. Origin hung in the sky, alone. Then he looked down at Ryan.
His remaining arm rose. Every last power reserve poured into a growing beam. He inhaled. And screamed.
"I'LL KILL EVERYONE IN THIS FUCKING CITY IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"
Ryan pushed off the car as a vortex began ripping everything toward Origin. His cannon crackled. Crimson energy swallowed him as lightning tore through the streets.
The heroes gathered around Ryan.
"Fuck..." Karla stared upward. "What can we do?"
"What's the plan, boss?" Michelle landed hard.
Blood and sweat streamed from her. Sapphire hung unconscious over her shoulder. Ryan looked around. Everyone was waiting for him.
"Right..." He dropped into a horse stance. "We hold it back. Jen. Michelle."
Jennifer and Michelle stepped forward. Their power erupted. Origin raised his cannon. The sky screamed.
"SAY GOODBYE!"
Ryan unleashed fire. Jennifer fired a massive beam. Michelle poured everything she had into hers. The three blasts collided with Origin's.
BOOOOOOM!
The sky exploded white. A shockwave flattened everything around them. Then Origin's beam started pushing forward. Slowly. Relentlessly.
The heroes strained against it.
Ryan's feet carved trenches through the pavement. Jennifer screamed as heat scorched her fingertips. Michelle's aura flickered.
"They need help!" Dante clenched his fist. "Get it together. Or we're all fucked."
Ray and Dante launched upward.
CRACK!
Lightning ripped them from the sky.
YOU ARE READING
Project Renegade: Genesis
ActionGrowing up stinks. Puberty, social connections, and trying to mature are already tricky enough. Add superpowers and an underground crime syndicate; stress might not describe it adequately. That's the life of Ryan Richards, and with no time to waste...
