Hero Wanted - 17. Chapter Seventeen

“Enemy Champions?”

Ryan could not believe what he was hearing. The Champions who were taken by the Colossus have reappeared and began attacking the platoon that was deployed to finish the last remaining Colossus. He was in disbelief until an image of the enemy Champions appeared on the stage in the assembly hall in the form of a large screen. They all had what seemed to be red, transparent plates of armor that hovered over their bodies and limbs. Apparently, these constructs can block attacks and that was not the worst part.

“They also have the ability to use invisibility,” the General said through the screen. “Our seasoned Champions are focusing on defeating the last Colossus with the hope that it will deactivate whatever control the Colossus has over these enemy Champions and return them back to normal. Until then, these enemy Champions are heading towards here as I speak. Cadets of the United States Champion Academy…it is your duty to stall your targets as long as possible until the last Colossus is defeated…and if that means using lethal force, then so be it. Am I understood?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” everyone in the assembly hall exclaimed in unison.

The General nodded once before the screen disappeared and First Lieutenants began giving orders to their platoons as everyone began exiting the assembly hall. And just as Ryan stepped outside, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Chris again.

“Chris! You’re a First Lieutenant, right?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, I am. And I already ordered my platoon to guard the east entrance of the academy,” Chris stated.

“Great, let’s go then!” Ryan said.

“Ryan, I need you at the bottom level of the academy where Maria is stored.”

“What? Are you serious?” Ryan said with disbelief.

“Yes, I’m serious. Someone needs to guard Maria’s body just in case the bottom level gets breached by those enemy Champions. You’re basically the last line of defense and I don’t know anyone else who do that except you,” Chris said confidently.

Ryan, however, shook his head. “No. I want to fight with you, Chris. Not stay safe and hidden, while I keep watch.”

“I know it seems that you won’t be doing anything, but if Maria’s body is compromised, there’s no point in defeating the Colossus and the enemy Champions. You’re the most vital asset to prevent this invasion from being a complete disaster. Please, understand, Ryan.”

Ryan bowed his head and sighed heavily. “If I have to…”

“You do. If my father is correct, the Colossus are specifically here for Maria’s body, and without her the war against them will most likely be lost. Now go, Ryan!” Chris ordered.

“Okay,” Ryan said with a nod, still hesitant to leave Chris and the other cadets to stall the enemy Champions on the surface.

With a huff, Ryan began jogging towards the Command Center where below Maria, the Creator of all Champions, was being kept. Part of him believed this was Chris’s way to protect him, and he could not hate him for caring. But he still wanted to be part of the action, not at the bottom level of the academy where he most likely would be safe without any danger coming towards him or Maria.

***

Ryan made it back to the bottom of the academy, and for thirty minutes all he could do was look at the encased tank of Maria’s body while he thought about how everyone was doing on the surface. Leaning against one of the console, he started to contemplate whether he should disobey First Lieutenant Shepherd’s orders and go to the surface where he could serve some actual use with his comrades in battle. He did not want this invasion to end with people dying and him being all cozied up at the bottom level, probably the safest and most secure area of the academy. And God forbid if Chris got hurt.

Suddenly a figure appeared in Ryan’s sight and he was about to materialize his Chimaera until figure appeared to be his father who must have materialized his image through the room’s node system. And he did not look happy.

“Ryan! What are you doing?” Ryan’s father yelled.

“Oh…hi, Dad. What’s up?” Ryan said nervously.

“What’s up? First off, you ran off from our earlier conversation and right now, there’s a Colossus invasion on American soil and from what I detected through your nodes, you’re at the basement level of the academy! What exactly are you doing down there?” Nathaniel demanded furiously.

“Oh, so you have a tracking device installed in my nodes?” Ryan spat back.

“This is no time to be arguing with me, Ryan! You’re at the part of the academy where Maria’s body is being stored, a top-secret location that only a select few individuals know about. Explain to me why my son is doing down there, while all this is happening!”

Bowing his head, Ryan said, “I was first brought here by…well—”

“Who?”

“Dr. Shepherd,” Ryan said, looking back at his father.

“What? Christian Shepherd? That man told you to go there?” Nathaniel said with utter astonishment. “Ryan!”

“I know what it sounds like, Dad. But he brought me here, along with Chris, to let us know that Maria’s body needs our protection if the Colossus manage to infiltrate this area of the academy. I’m needed here, Dad,” Ryan said, attempting to persuade his father.

“And where is Christopher?”

“Uh…well, he’s positioned at one the gates of the academy,” Ryan hesitantly said.

“So, you’re all alone down there with no one to back you up if the worst-case scenario happens?” Nathaniel said in disbelief.

“Dad…”

“Ryan! Do you understand this is all a ploy for Christian Shepherd to eliminate you, while protecting his own son from danger? You’re not even supposed to be participating in this invasion, my son! I want you to get out there right now and—”

“And do what? Just watch everyone else as they fight against the Colossus with me sitting at the sidelines?”

“Ryan, this is not about you being left out in a game at school. This is your life we’re talking about here, and if anything bad happens to you—”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Dad. I’m literally in the safest location of the academy, which Chris told me to go by the way just so he doesn’t have to worry me getting hurt like you’re doing right now, and I have enough experience to know what to do if the worst thing happens and this place gets infiltrated.”

“Nothing in your training taught you how to combat other Champions whose minds have been assimilated with the Colossus, Ryan! Now get back to the surface and go to where the first and second year cadets are at now,” Ryan’s father ordered sternly.

Ryan was about to disobey his father’s orders when a muffled sound was heard from above. The sound then became louder and louder, and when the doors of the elevator exploded, Ryan quickly dodged just in time to avoid one of the doors from hitting him. The image of his father was gone, and smoke poured into the room, causing the room to flash a red light and the sound of an alarm began blaring as well. Looking at the source of the smoke, Ryan eyes widened when he saw a figure walking out of the smoke, while holding someone by the neck…Chris!

“C-Chris?” Ryan stuttered with shock.

Two more figures emerged from the smoke, Ryan quickly realized that these figures were enemy Champions who managed to infiltrate the basement level of the academy. And when he saw Chris struggling under the enemy Champion’s grip, Ryan called out his name and began moving towards him when Chris shouted to stay back.

“Stay back, Ryan!” Chris ordered before kicking the enemy Champion on the chest and launching himself backwards onto the ground with one knee of the ground.

“Chris! Are you okay?” Ryan yelled.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches,” Chris affirmed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “Just stand back and let me handle this.”

“But—”

Chris positioned himself like an Olympic sprinter ready to win his gold metal, and he then launched himself onto the enemy Champions who quickly evaded his advancement. Ryan stood there with his Chimaera equipped, ready to help if Chris needed the support, and it looked he might since the enemy Champions were deploying their invisibility technique against him. However, Chris managed to dodge their attacks and gave them one in return, but where deflected by the plates hovering over their bodies that were in the shape of different sized discs.

Suddenly, an invisible enemy Champion managed to grab a hold of Chris with another one grabbing his other arm, restraining him in the process. Then the third one launched itself toward him, but Chris must have activated his invincibility technique as the enemy Champion’s weapon shattered after striking his chest. He quickly used his intangibility technique next, phasing through his restraints before launching himself against the one who just attacked him. Striking his fist, his knuckles collided with one of the plates, but then it shattered, and his fist collided with the enemy Champion’s face, which sent it crashing towards a wall, defeated.

Chris turned around to the other two enemy Champions and before they could react, Chris sped to them at the speed of light and using the force of his fist, attacked the second enemy Champion before appearing behind the third and kicking it at the head as well. Both Champions fell to the ground instantly and soon everything was dead silent as the alarm and the flashing red lights were deactivated. Smoke still permeated from the crash site, but everything else was still as Chris breathed heavily with Ryan looking at him, amazed by what he just witnessed.

Turning his head to face Ryan, Chris smirked and said, “I told you I could handle this.”

Ryan smiled and began walking towards Chris when the enemy Champions suddenly stood back up before levitating above the ground. They then aligned themselves side by side and a protrusion appeared on the front of their necks. It was an enlarged node that glowed a dark red, and just as Chris began sprinting to attack them, a construct began materializing in front of the levitating Champions. He stopped immediately, and Ryan’s heart dropped from what he saw… At nine feet in height was a Colossus with enlarged arms and slender legs. The Colossus also had a crown-like piece with tall, thin spikes that went around its head like a headband of a golden color. This truly was the worst-case scenario.

Ryan took a step back, not believing what he was seeing right then, but Chris did not look deterred when he moved forward and began attacking the monstrosity with all his might, which Ryan hoped was enough.

***

“Shit! We’re getting our asses handed to us out here!” a Second Lieutenant Champion exclaimed just as he dodged an attack from one of the enemy Champions.

“We need to keep them preoccupied until the last Colossus is defeated!” a First Lieutenant Champion exclaimed back before swinging his large sword at an enemy Champion that unfortunately dodged the attack without much effort.

“Didn’t you hear from the Command Center? The last Colossus was already defeated!” another Champion nearby said as she blocked an attack.

“Seriously? What the fuck are we doing here then?” the Second Lieutenant said, using weight of his spherical mace to create a heavy attack that missed its target.

“Behind you!”

The Second Lieutenant turned his head, but his reaction time was too slow as an invisible enemy Champion reappeared from behind and attacked, slashing him on his back before kicking him to the ground. The Champion shouted out in pain as the First Lieutenant moved to defend his fallen comrade from further attacks by the enemy Champions, but his stamina was wearing thin. These enemies easily evaded their attacks, and without any points of weakness that did not involve their heads and killing them, he did not know what to do.

Blocking another attack, the Champion tried to use his sword as a shield, and just as his weapon began to crack, a force propelled the enemy Champion to the ground. Shocked, he turned his head and relief enveloped him when he saw the second-ranked Champion, Delilah Watson, at his location with her four beam weapons levitating behind her head. And she was with other Champions, including another top-ranked Champion, Knox.

“First Lieutenant Watson!” the Champion called out.

Delilah smiled. “You and your platoon have done an excellent job holding them back, and now you all can fall back. I have this handled.” Turning her head, she said, “Knox! Watch my back as I defeat these enemy Champions.”

“Yes, Delilah!” Knox said with his mace weapon equipped with both hands.

Watching the enemy Champion that she just fired her energy beam at start to get back up with its neck wound starting to heal, Delilah said, “I was trying to attack its point of weakness, but it looks like I have to expose it first. So…let’s dance!”

Raising her weapons above her head, Delilah began firing multiple bursts of concentrated energy at the enemy Champions, but missing completely as they dodged them and creating a dust cloud that enveloped them all. Activating her enhanced sight that caused the edge of her irises to glow, she detected the enemy Champions through the dust cloud and knew that their point of weakness just protruded from the front of their necks. It seemed that these enemy Champions did not use their eyes to its fullest capabilities, and when confronted with any sight obstruction, they protruded a corrupted node to see. This must have been the key to why these Champions were assimilated to the Colossus and destroying them was the ending of that.

Delilah suddenly disappeared, but when the dust cloud finally settled, she was seen again between all four of the enemy Champions in the location with her a beam weapon pointing at each of them. Smirking, Delilah fired all four of her weapons, targeting the corrupted nodes that all shattered by the piercing attack of her beams. The transparent red plates on their bodies then vanished and the enemy Champions fell to the ground, but they were still breathing with their minds taken back from the Colossus’s control.

“Command Center, this First Lieutenant Watson. I discovered their weak point located at the front of their neck that can be exposed when obstructing their sight.”

“Understood! All Champions! The weak point is located at the front of their necks! Expose by obstructing their sight! I repeat! The weak point is located at the front of their necks! Expose by obstructing their sight!”

***

Ryan could barely hear the message coming from the Command Center as he looked at Chris’s body lying on the ground. The man who could defeat a Colossus with his bare fist was being destroyed by the nine-foot Colossus, and he watched as Chris tried to stand back up with his combat uniform in tatters and blood dripping from the exposed area. But the Colossus hammered his fists onto Chris’s back and a scream of pain from the man Ryan grew to hate and love caused him to clench his own fist as he equipped his weapon. No longer was he going to continue watching this as he launched himself towards the Colossus.

The Colossus turned its head and opening the palm of its hand, a large beam of energy struck Ryan at the chest, sending in him backwards onto the ground with a crater around his body. Shouting in pain, he tried to get back up when the heavy footsteps of the Colossus came towards him. And when the Colossus lifted him up above the ground by the arm, the creature clenched its hand and caused the bones of Ryan’s arm to break, sending a flashflood of horrific pain to go through him. The Colossus then grabbed his other arm and when it began pulling both of his arms, wanting to rip them from their shoulder joints, all Ryan could do was scream in agony as he believed this was the end for him.

“Enough!”

The Colossus suddenly dropped Ryan back onto the ground. He could barely move from the pain still coursing through his body, but he managed to turn his head just enough to the side to see a blurry figure with the wings of angel who said, “Get away…from him…now!”