Or maybe I’m just faster now.
He reached for her with the sharpened edge of his will, Technopathy hammering into her cybernetics. He felt the familiar resistance of ownership pushing back against his intent. But he’d grown stronger since the last time he'd tried this.
Perhaps she might have succeeded if her own thoughts had been sharp, but her features bore only panic and fear.
Alexander shoved past the defenses and commanded:
Disobey.
He didn’t aim to disable the hunter fully, just to remove her as a nuisance long enough for him to deal with the actual threats.
Her limbs seized, jerking wildly. One arm locked, the other curled tight. She collapsed mid-sprint, tumbling across the floor.
Alexander moved past her without a second glance, closing toward the man still holding the line.
Twin metal tonfa snapped from his shoulder holsters and into his hands, crackling with current as he twirled them with familiarity
The second chromer was bracing hard against the wave of skeletons, being battered from every angle. His armor cracked, cybernetics straining as he slowly slid backwards.
Then Alexander arrived. The man turned, eyes widening in horror. Alexander thrust a tonfa over his shoulder.
Crack.
Electricity detonated against a skeleton’s chest before it collapsed into a heap.
Alexander pressed forward, stepping in with clean, methodical strikes. Each jab calculated to cause the most disruption as he worked his attacks around the meat-slash-machine-shield that was the second hunter.
Each skeleton that fell stayed down longer than before, as sparks of electricity continued to disrupt the reformation process.
Huh. Turns out bones are conductive.
Alexander continued the work, an unspoken agreement settling between the two parties. The bounty hunters, including the now recovered woman, kept what little distance they could as the three of them pushed through a tide of skeletons toward the downed man.
“You two keep our retreat path clear,” Alexander called out, sensing the shifting of bones, skeletons slowly reforming behind him. “I’ll get your friend.”
The hunters shared a glance, but obeyed.
Alexander braced the tonfa against his forearms and shoved into the swarm, pushing skeletons back into those behind. His mask and coat turned aside several hits before his boots began to slip backward on the damp surface.
He reached deep into the well of his Electrokinesis and unleashed it with full fury.
Arcs burst from his hands, the current conducted through the metal batons and into the skeletons in front. Sparks danced from one skeleton to the next, as they crumpled in a cascading wave.
Alexander stepped over scattered bones toward the fallen man. Blood pooled beneath the twisted frame of his exo-suit. He tried lifting, then dragging him, but the weight was too much.
“Hey!” Alexander called. “Grab your friend!”
The other two rushed in, hauling the injured man while Alexander cleared the way. At the junction, Alexander recalled his drones and slid them into the tubes along his belt.
The conscious man turned with a start, as if remembering Alexander’s presence. His arms raised warily, fingers clenching into fists.
Alexander eyed the pair thoughtfully, hearing only the rushing water and heavy breathing. And the clatter of skeletons moving away.
“This is where we part ways,” Alexander said. “I trust you’re not going to try to collect on my bounty.”
The hunters exchanged a glance.
“Why’d you help us?” the woman asked. “Ain’t those psychos your kind?”
He raised an eyebrow behind the mask. “Meand my kind… are here to put a stop to those monsters. But if we have to go through you and your kind to do it, we won’t hesitate.”
He turned and left the way he had come.
“Spread the word,” Alexander added. “Stay out of our way, and we’ll stay out of yours.”
The bounty hunters watched him leave, black duster swirling behind as the darkness swallowed him.
Alexander stepped into the safety of the AEGIS safe house and pulled his mask off, taking a deep breath and enjoying the freedom. A moment later, Talia stepped through, then Annie, and finally Augustus.
Talia sat gingerly on the couch arm, breath tight.
“Glad we’re all in one piece,” Augustus said, closing the portal.
“Just bruises,” Talia answered quickly. “I dropped into a lower chamber and was ambushed. The skeletons appeared dormant until disturbed.”
“But you’re okay, right?” Annie pressed, fussing over her.
Alexander saw more than Talia admitted. The way she favored one side, the swelling bruises. He said nothing, though he’d already come to a decision. He knew she wouldn’t like it, but it could wait until tomorrow.
The team traded accounts. Annie and Augustus had seen little. Talia described how she’d been ambushed, insisting she’d never been in any real danger despite the hits she’d taken to disengage.
Alexander recounted the fight between the bounty hunters and skeleton swarm. How he’d made use of his new tonfa, thanking Talia again for the training.
She reminded him that the training had barely begun. He groaned.
“I found a vantage point. It’s not perfect, but well-positioned,” Augustus said, retrieving a case. Inside lay sleek, high-powered binoculars. “These should be enough to keep watch.”
“Good,” Alexander said. “We’ll take turns with two on lookout duty, while two scan the news feeds. But for now, rest and recover.”
“Let’s order in,” Augustus said. “I spotted a nice Italian pizza place this morning. Smelled authentic.”
“Perfect,” Annie said. She grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and ran for the bathroom. “Dibs!”