Power Play (Book 2)

Chapter 13: Help and Harm

Recap: Brandon escaped out of the Bellagio after rescuing the super-powered Donovan from the lightning blasts of identical men who appeared to be clones. He ran into the immensely strong brute he dubbed “Sideburns”, and a wiry and strong woman they called Spider. After more clones appeared and entered the battle, Brandon was helped once again by the mysterious figure in leather, who turned out to be his missing wife, Nicole. She fled, telling him not to follow. At the same time Brandon’s friend, Ryan, seemed to be in trouble nearby. Brandon was torn what to do.

Winning Choice: Help Ryan. He’s not augmented and if he’s in trouble I need to get him out of danger before I do anything else.

Nicole disappears out of sight, and my heart screams for me to follow. The thought of finding her is the biggest thing that’s kept me going since I got these powers, and as much as I hate to see her go, I can’t abandon Ryan. Nicole and I will catch up soon. I can feel it.

Donovan and Spider are going at it with at least three of the clones, but I can’t spot the fourth. The clones are fast and strong in their own right, so between that and the lightning bolts, they are holding their own against Donovan’s strength and Spider’s speed. 

The crushed and burnt-up cab still hasn’t moved, but I have a hunch that Sideburns isn’t going to be under there for long. He already didn’t like me before I hit him with a sedan, he’s definitely going to take me off his Christmas Card List once he gets free. 

Donovan and his EDI team must be the product of the genetic modification laboratory I destroyed back at Area 51. Former soldiers or other volunteers, if they were given a choice at all, pumped full of chemicals and treated to alter their very DNA to make them stronger, faster, and who knows what else. They’re crazy powerful, but they don’t entirely look human. The hairy dude I pummeled into unconsciousness looked more like a gorilla than a man, and I have no earthly idea what Spider is. I really hope her name isn’t literal, because if she tries to spin me into a web to eat later I’m going to freak the hell out.

The clones, if that’s what they are, seem jacked with nanobots like I am. Mandeville said they are Samsara, the rich investors who parted ways with EDI when Mandeville’s team went rogue and created me. With some luck, they’ll take care of each other. That never happens, but I always hope. Maybe they’ll at least keep each other occupied long enough for me to help Ryan.

I fly up and over the canopy to avoid getting caught back in the fray, and the view is disturbing.

A crowd of frightened people still pushes down the driveway towards The Strip, but they’re colliding with a whole new crowd of people trying to get closer: tourists afraid they are going to miss something exciting. The two groups press and push against each other, and on the road itself nearly every police car in Las Vegas is rolling up, unable to get any closer. It’s madness, and I want to scream at them to stop. Somewhere in all of that is Ryan.

A news helicopter hovers nearby getting shots of the chaos for the evening news. The days of people thinking reports of super-powered people were rumors are going to come to a crashing end. I’m just glad I put my mask back on. 

On the horizon to the north, coming from Area 51, three small, black helicopters are heading our way at a very, very high rate of speed. Superb.

Even with all the commotion on the ground people see me fly up and point. I’m spoiled, used to flying overhead with few people noticing me, but the chaos has people looking in every direction trying to figure to what is going on. 

Halfway down the driveway a small pile of people struggle to get to their feet in the middle of the retreating crowd. They must’ve been knocked over in the crush of casino guests running away and couldn’t get back up. Ryan was probably pushing back against the tide trying to get to me and was trampled in the panic. Stubborn idiot!