Genesis | Book One, The Genesis Series

TWENTY-EIGHT

Troy could've sworn he'd been dozing off from the lack of action mere seconds before, but that rumble had certainly jolted him back to reality.

In fact, it had nearly thrown him off his feet.

Instinctively, he'd opted to dash downstairs to The Crypt in order to check on his teammate, but after he caught sight of the horde of Primus agents encroaching on his position, he'd swiftly decided against it.

A fierce sphere of flames swelled around his fist as he chucked it from behind his cover. One of the agents dropped. He'd slid behind one of the metallic walls the moment his blazing eyes had registered the group of operatives.

Agent Owens, along with presumably every other Genesis agent, had swiftly retaliated as they moved in on the Primus troops, but their numbers were slowly dwindling. The hordes of agents were slowly expanding throughout the facility.

Leo and Amber were crouched behind a short barrier, firing off electricity and ice respectively. Every now and then, Amber would fire off a few arrows, pinning the agents' bodies with her piercing projectiles.

As she caught sight of a trio of soldiers advancing on Troy's position, she swiftly dispatched a duo of gray arrows. The pyrokinetic plugged his ears as they pierced through the air with a quick whistle. They found their marks a second later, unleashing a sonic blast that propelled the triumvirate of soldiers against the glistening wall.

Those things really did pack a punch.

Even through the thick wall of ammunition, Troy still managed to make out the distinct shape of a towering, metal man calmly advancing towards them. The man's dense skin glistened like none other, lightly denting the floor with every step he took.

Steel.

Troy's posture stiffened as there was visible tension in his muscles, even through his bio-suit. He held his chin up as he expanded his chest with a full breath, holding it in for a few seconds. He didn't know how they'd broken in, nor did he care. The man had beaten him before, and it sure as hell wasn't about to happen again.

Before he could even think about what he was doing, he was already sprinting towards his glimmering adversary through the bombardment of bullets.

"Troy, we need a plan of attack!" Leo called from behind his cover.

"That's the plan...attack." Troy snarled, inching closer and closer to the metal man standing before him. A seething inferno swelled around his fist as he chucked another fireball in the man's direction.

"Won't work on me, kid." Steel taunted as an arrogant grin engulfed his shimmering face.

Troy smirked as he clenched his fist. "Think again."

Boom.

The orb of flames detonated on command, blasting the metal man and a couple soldiers backwards through the wall with a clang.

A swift firestorm engulfed everything in his immediate vicinity before abruptly evaporating. The edges of the gaping hole in the barrier glowed with embers, steaming from the immense heat as they curved inward.

"You two stay here. I want him all to myself." Troy commanded as he blasted two beams of blazing fire towards the ground, propelling himself through the air as he began to fly through the gaping hole he'd created.

He intended to pound the bastard into submission.

Rocketing through the air towards his armored adversary as fire swelled around his body, a blazing flame orbited around his extended fists. He fully intended to use his powers to augment his own melee attacks.