The last of the defenders of Miami had barely managed to clear the last stretch of the causeway before the wave hit it. Urged on by Felix, it grew to a height of three dozen feet and actually blotted out the sun for those unfortunate enough to be in its path. Rather than simply sweep over the structure, as a wave naturally would, it instead came to an abrupt halt. Then another Nexian, they couldn’t tell who slammed the tidal wave straight down. It splashed in all directions, taking people and cars with it before returning to the ocean on either side.
“Holy shit,” Ben muttered. He had the rifle he’d taken from a dead defender raised in his arms, but just then, he felt insignificant. He’d heard stories of just how strong the Water Nexus was when it came to shaping their element. There was a story from seven years ago, where Rachel slapped away an actual tsunami that threatened to submerge much of the city. But he’d never had the chance to witness a true display of Nexian power.
A small object came sailing toward the crowd of stunned defenders. Ben recognized it as a grenade at once and drew breath to yell for the others to take cover, but before he could, a stream of water came through the air and intercepted it. The grenade detonated with that light impact, but the cloud of freezing liquid that burst from it fell short of any actual people.
“That’s what killed Olivia?” Phillip asked, his eyes wide. “That would have killed dozens of us if it hit.”
“It’s the only thing they have that can hurt them,” Ben replied. Then, he caught sight of movement on the bridge and fired. Whoever it was took cover behind the divide between lines, and he knew he’d missed.”
“Doesn’t seem like Libera Terra has much of a hope, does it?” He continued. “They lost the element of surprise, and we’re surrounded by water. What can they do?”
He regretted those words the instant they left his mouth. As if the universe was waiting for that exact moment to prove him wrong, something new flew out of the mist that still remained from that gargantuan wave crashing down. It wasn’t until it was within a few yards that they recognized it for what it was. A rocket-propelled grenade. Ben only had time to dive for cover, shoving Felix with him, before it detonated, and his entire field of vision was filled with smoke.
Bright lines of light ripped through the smoke as Ben rolled to his back. Tracer rounds? Why would they waste such expensive ammunition? It had no marked effect against the Water Nexus. Then he realized that what he was seeing was not tracer rounds. The line of flame that followed them was too wide. Explosive rounds? But he hadn’t seen any gun big enough amongst the attackers. Then he saw Felix shiver beside him, and understood.
Somehow, Libera Terra hadn’t only managed to make grenades that burst and spread liquid nitrogen, a surefire way to kill Water Nexians. They’d also incorporated that technology into an explosive round that they could fire without the use of an artillery gun or heavy sniper rifle. It didn’t matter that, in his memory, the technology couldn’t exist. The simple fact was that it did, and it was being used to quickly kill the people he was doing his best to protect. And he couldn’t have that. He would not sit idly by while the Water Nexus was wiped out.
One hand flashed out to grab Felix, and he yanked the Water Nexian up and over his prone body, placing him between himself and the cover. Then he wrapped his arms around Felix, pinning his arms and legs in place. Felix instinctively tried to push him off, but not before one of those rounds exploded nearby, and the white mist burst out in the enclosed space.
Thanks to Ben’s protective, near-suicidal action, Felix was spared from the worst of the liquid nitrogen as it expanded. It only took a few seconds for the material to fade away, evaporating into a gas that couldn’t harm him. A few seconds after that, he’d regained just enough strength to use his power. He couldn’t see the ocean with the thick cloud of dust around him, but he could feel it surging, and he knew where the enemy was because of the faint current of their own blood. The human had given him a second chance, and he couldn’t waste it.
The stream of water, no thicker than a whip, wrapped itself around the Libera Terra members at the head of the approaching army. Then, with a powerful pull, they were sent flying off to one side and flung out over the water. The soldiers still standing turned and fired blindly into the dust where the whip had come from. A second later, ice spikes rained down upon them from the opposite direction, piercing through those who weren’t wearing heavy body armor.
The men bunched together, clearly under the impression that they were surrounded by Water Nexians. Their weapons were raised, waiting for the mere sight of an enemy they could shoot. But the attacks continued to rain down upon them, in water and ice form, with no sign of a source. It almost seemed to come from the water on either side, as if the sea itself were rising up against them. They kept their tight circle formation even as more of them were killed or pulled away, still searching for an enemy.
Felix landed in the center of their formation from so high that they couldn’t see it coming. He threw down the water he carried with him as he landed to cushion his fall, and it slammed into the terrorists. The instant his feet touched the tarmac, the water froze into countless ice spears, piercing through gaps in the armor and dark clothing they were. He pulled the ice back into the water with him as he lunged forward. There was a distance of more than ten yards between each group, but that proved no problem for someone of his speed and creativity.
He thrust the water out again, now dyed a light red from the blood it contained. It shifted into a long spear at the very end of its trajectory, a red ice lance that went through the neck of a soldier, one of those wearing heavy armor. Felix pulled, using the man’s heavier body and support to rocket forward on a rope of water. Before the enemy could react, Felix was within striking distance. Now he struck out at all angles with spinning red ice blades, cutting through the men like a blender.
Another explosive round hit the ground near him. By sheer luck, he’d swirled the bloody water around him in a protective dome against more bullets and had just expanded it. The liquid nitrogen caught nothing but the water, which he was already in the process of freezing. His mind instinctively connected that explosive round with the sound of a distant explosion. Sniper rifle. Rather than rush toward the next group and put himself at risk of those explosive rounds, he dove into the ocean, willing the currents to carry him far out of rage as he heard the gunfire ringing out.
About eighteen hundred yards away, perched atop a moderately tall hotel building, the Libera Terra sniper watched his target dive into the ocean and knew he had no chance of landing an accurate shot. He had limited ammo in any event, and his role was to pick off those Water Nexians he could find. The more he killed, the easier this fight would be for his allies.
He swiveled his aim further down the causeway onto Jungle Island. Much of the smoke was beginning to clear, and he could make out figures. Those monsters were only too easy to spot, with their distinctive water-colored clothing. They stood out against the regular clothing of the sympathizers who tried to defend them as if they stood a chance. Now that he and his allies had organized, the Water Nexus would be destroyed, no matter how many humans stood in futile defense.
He fired, and a round flashed out across the vast distance between himself and the battle. Even as fast as the round was, he still had a two-second delay before he saw an explosion. A cloud of white mist burst out then, and when it had cleared, there was an entire crowd of dead, frozen figures, including one of the two Water Nexians he’d targeted. The other was limping behind cover where he couldn’t be reached.
The faint smell of ozone filled the air, and the sniper glanced up at the sky. There shouldn’t be a thunderstorm, he thought in mild confusion. And indeed, the sky above him was perfectly clear. Only minor wind. Why, then, was he smelling lightning in the air around him? That wasn’t possible. Unless… He suddenly whirled around, reaching for the shock baton at his side, ready to attack. A fraction of a second too late.
Edward’s foot slammed into the sniper’s head with enough force to snap his spine. The body caught the rifle as it rolled away, sending both plummetting to the ground far below. He’d seen the sniper’s shot just as he’d come into proper view of the Water Nexus, and had seen its source. Chest heaving, he looked out across the last stretch of the city before the chain of islands.
“Dad,” he said, adjusting the earpiece he’d put in, “Don’t worry about the sniper. I just got to him.”
“Good,” came the garbled reply. “You can join the fight if you wish. Kenta and I are going to stay at the edge of the fighting in case another wave comes. You, James, and Matt should be able to provide enough force on your own. Richard will be there in minutes with five of his Nexians.”
Another voice, this one belonging to James, came over the channel. “Where’s Michael?”
“He’s on top of the Freedom Tower. He said he wants to keep an eye out for movement. Chances are he would have dealt with that sniper when he got here.”
Edward turned. In the distance, he could see a long trail of flame as a figure rocketed up through the air. That had to be Michael, he reasoned. He raced his way back down the hotel building, flashing past the corpse of the sniper he’d just killed, and made his way to the causeway where most of the soldiers were, quickly joined by James and Matt as they spotted him.
The Water Nexians noticed their allies joining the battle, and let out a cheer. Those that were still in fighting condition, Felix included, surged forward, abandoning their defensive position and cover. They attacked with such ferocity and enthusiasm that it took Libera Terra by surprise. Caught between the pincers of at least three different types of attacking Nexians, they quickly fell.
Similar surprise attacks were happening simultaneously on all of the roads that connected the Water Nexus territory to the mainland of Miami. Earth, Fire, Air, and Thunder Nexuses were all appearing out of nowhere, falling upon the attacking terrorists. The Libera Terra members couldn’t comprehend how their attack had been known, or how more enemies could have arrived in time to help. All they knew was that they were caught out, exposed, and quickly killed off.
One group, marching on the northernmost road, turned quickly as a figure in dark blue robes burst out of the sea. He was unarmed, but dove forward, sweeping a powerful kick through the air. The terrorists cringed, but the wave of air that sprang from his kick missed them entirely, instead slamming into two Fire Nexians who were charging forward. Had he intended to attack his allies, or was that a fortunate accident? But the Fire Nexians being hit and knocked back had saved the terrorists and gave them just enough time to reposition and shoot down yet another Water Nexian. Then they threw an electrified net to knock an Air Nexian out of the sky. He splashed down into the water and did not resurface.
Only after they’d taken down the Air Nexian did the stranger in blue robes catch up with them. His very body crackled with electricity as he struck, knocking out half a dozen of them within two seconds. The rest scattered, only to be dispatched with bolts of fire a few seconds later.
“Damn,” Samuel cursed quietly. He’d meant to knock out the Nexians and then deal with the terrorists, for his goal wasn’t to actually kill, at least not if he could help it. But the humans had reacted to the lack of attackers too quickly. Gritting his teeth, and hoping he hadn’t lost the element of surprise by attacking the terrorists, he darted toward the Water Nexus territory. If he hadn’t yet been noticed, he might still stand a chance at knocking out more Nexians, maybe even one of those Alphas.
