I Have the Power!

Part Four

Kyle looked up, and felt all the blood rush from his head to his feet. There were two very unpleasant looking people standing above them on the roofs. One looked like a construction machine in the form of a man. He had a formidable-looking iron jaw, and a giant claw taking up the space where a right arm normally went. He was nearly the size of two regular people, and looked about as mean as most people Kyle had ever known—very mean.

The other one was a two headed monstrosity, both of it's ugly faces leering down at them, as if in anticipation of a fight. The right side of its body bore a mace, and the left side, a shield. Kyle thought it looked even meaner than the other man.

"Looks like we've been spotted," said one of the two heads. "It doesn't matter," the other said. "We've heard all we need to know."

"Oh, have yew now?" the girl said, jabbing her spear towards the head who had spoken. "I don't suppose Skeletor sent yew?"

The other head snarled, as the head who had first spoken said "Pretty soon you won't care who we work for, little miss pretty, because you'll be dead."

The next thing Kyle heard was a scraping sound, as the half-metal man slid down the wall and lunged for the girl. She rammed her spear into the man's gut, and he lurched backward in pain, taking her weapon with him. Kyle screamed as the two headed monster landed in front of him, both heads snarling with bared sharp teeth.

Kyle threw all his weight to one side as the creature swung at him. While it slowed to change directions, Kyle took his chance and sprinted towards the girl. With her spear lost to her, she was now holding the sword from her back in two hands, directing it at the metal man.

"Why didn't yew run away?" the girl asked him, switching her target to the approaching two-headed monster as it posed the bigger threat.

"Safety in numbers, I figured he'd just chase me if I ran!" Kyle shouted back at her, watching the wounded opponent as he ripped the spear from his flesh and tossed it aside. With the spear gone, the man went directly for the girl, pinning her between two enemies. She still had her attention focused on the two headed opponent, whom she was now locked into combat with. She wouldn't see the new attack coming.

Kyle moved without thinking. He lunged straight for the metal man's arm and wrapped himself around it, sending him teetering off balance. They both went crashing to the floor. Behind him Kyle heard the sound of metal against metal, and a grunt from the two headed monster. That girl was pretty tough, whoever she was.

The metal man grabbed at Kyle with his other arm trying to get him off. Kyle didn't have much battle experience, but he knew how to stall. He clung onto the man's arm for dear life, refusing to budge. The two of them Grappled on the ground for a while. Finally the metal man stopped struggling and growled "That's it. No more being nice." Kyle felt the man's fist close over his neck, chocking him. He let go of the man's metal arm and started grappling at the fingers, trying to pry them lose. Unfortunately, Kyle wasn't all that strong, and the man had a death grip. He couldn't breathe. His neck and lungs screamed out in pain, even as he felt himself losing consciousness.

It was in that moment that Kyle realized he was going to die. He thought of his last moments with Imp, and how the last thing he'd done was yell at him. He thought of Lonnie and Rogelio, still asleep and unaware that he was in trouble. He'd never gotten the chance to tell Rogelio how he felt. So many regrets....

The angry girl shouted something and Kyle felt the man's fist let go. He gasped painfully, feeling the oxygen return to him. He flopped over on the ground, dazed. He saw the girl. Somehow she had gotten the mace away from the two-headed monster and was beating in the metal man's face with it. She held the sword gripped vice-like in the other hand, but she didn't seem inclined to use it. Kyle found the image of her to be terrifying, with anger flashing in her golden eyes. Her hood had fallen lose, revealing startling red hair. That was a color Kyle had never seen on Etheria.

The two-headed monster, not quite dead, re-doubled on the girl, shrieking in a high and low tone at once. The girl turned from the unconscious metal man and threw herself at the creature, getting in close before bashing its own mace into one of its heads. The thing slumped on that side, unconscious, and the other side fell over at the added weight. It flailed about uselessly, trying to get up. The girl discarded the mace some ten feet down the alley, then turned to the creature. It stilled as she loomed over him, holding that sword of hers in a two handed grip above him like an executioner. "Now," she ordered, "yew are going to tell me what yew know." She looked like she would slice his head off if he didn't talk.

"I—I don't have to tell you any—" the monster cut off as the girl stabbed her blade into his arm. Its scream made Kyle's hair stand on end.

"Yew will tell me everything, or I will put this through yewr face next!" Kyle believed her—the look in her eyes spoke all kinds of death for anyone who crossed her.

Apparently the monster also believed her, because it said "Skeletor's gone back to Eternia, and he's planning on using prince Peekablue's powers so that he can use knowledge of the future to win against King Rhandor and steal the throne."

Well, duh, Kyle thought. It seemed pretty obvious after the conversation with DT that that was their plan. Kyle didn't even know these people, but what else would they be planning?

"So he really is plotting something!" The girl exclaimed, and Kyle jumped. "I knew it. Tell me where he's hiding!"

"No idea. He said he was going to change locations when he left us here. He probably knew you'd come after us! Hah!" The thing smiled, making its face twice as ugly.

The girl stared into its face, then nodded. "Alright. I believe you."

Kyle frowned at her. Wasn't she buying into this a little too easy? Well, Kyle decided it didn't really matter to him, anyway. He turned to leave, thinking he might as well go see what damage Imp had caused.

"Hold on there!" The girl shouted back at him. Kyle froze in place, waiting. "I can't just let yew walk off on me," she said.

He turned to face her. "I've gotta go look for Imp." He tried not to look nervous, but he had never been much good at that. Sweat was already dripping down his back and making his hands slippery, and he felt fidgety. The corners of his mouth were trembling as well. He probably looked like a nervous wreck.

The girl gave him a hard stare. "Do yew even know what they'll do to yew if they find yew again?"

Kyle nodded, feeling his blood run cold. "Probably try to kill me." He gestured at the metal man on the ground. He had already tried to kill Kyle.

"Nah, it'll be worse than that," She said.

"Really?" Kyle asked, uncertainly. What could be worse than killing him?

"They'll take yew hostage an use yew as bait, or they'll torture yew until yew talk." She shook her head. "Either way is bad for yew, and it could be bad for me too. I'm sorry, but yew know too much."

Kyle felt swat trickling down his face now, and his mouth had run dry. He swallowed. "So what are you going to do, then?" Kyle asked in almost a whisper.

"Afraid it may be best if yew stuck with me so I can protect yew." She didn't look happy about it. "It'll probably mean more monster fighting, but at least this way I'll be able to keep an eye out for yew. Safety in numbers, right?"

Kyle groaned. He hated being right.