Hidden Potential: Nibiru Rising: Book 1 Page 13

  Rick just smiled at her.

  “That’s easy, I just gonna go out for a stroll…”

  Chapter 20

  Kaitlyn gave him a confused look.

  “I don’t see how that’s going t—”

  “Hey boss, I heard there was a dust-up in holdi—HOLY SHIT!”

  As the new arrival entered the command center, the air was suddenly filled with a fusillade of projectiles directed in his general direction. Realizing some of them were going to strike innocent bystanders, Rick pulsed forward into the center of the room, redirecting and yanking them into a tight orbit around himself. The onslaught lasted for nearly ten seconds before he heard someone scream.

  “CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!”

  After another couple seconds, as fast as it had started, the volley of rounds stopped hitting his field. Extending his senses out, he realized that the amount of projectiles orbiting around him had created a cocoon nearly two feet thick. He’d pulled them so tightly around himself that, instead of having separate orbits, they slowly revolved around him in a nearly solid column. After a few more seconds, he let his grip go on them slowly, allowing them to slough off onto the floor. He watched them start rolling away before vanishing with a slight popping sound that reminded him of microwave popcorn. Looking back up, he saw a look of absolute horror on his opponent’s face as they realized what they’d actually done and how ineffective it’d been.

  “Neat trick,” he said. The other man’s jaw dropped in response.

  While pointing to the man, he looked over his shoulder.

  “I haven’t seen him before… Was he with you yesterday?”

  It was then that Rick noticed everyone appeared to be in shock. He couldn’t decide whether it was from another display of his powers, or because he just kept them from being shredded. Then again, it didn’t really matter to him, just as long as nobody had gotten hurt.

  “Scattershot… stand down.”

  “But…”

  “No butts. Newton is working with us for now.”

  “I see where he gets his moniker from…” Rick muttered.

  “Anyway, as you were saying?” Kaitlyn asked, the muscles in her jaw slowly starting to relax back to normal.

  Rick cast one more glance at Scattershot before continuing.

  “As I was saying, I think all I’ll need to do is go out for a walk. I’m pretty sure they can track me by my powers. Whether it’s a function of how much power I’m using or a matter of how long I’m using them total, I’m not sure. With that in mind, I’m just going to gather up as much power as I can and then park my ass somewhere away from civilians. If I’m right, then it’ll only be a matter of time before he comes after me again. The biggest problem I see is being able to tracking him after the fact.”

  “How so?”

  “Like I mentioned, technology is his friend. If you use any active measures to track him, you’ll either tip him off or he’ll compromise it. It needs to be an entirely passive method, like a keyhole satellite or even long range optics. Just assume he’s included an array of high-end sensors in his chassis.”

  “Okay, a satellite’s a distinct possibility. We also have some fliers with telescopic vision, so they might be an option as well.”

  Rick nodded in agreement, but was still hesitant.

  “What?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “Well, last time we fought, he was able to cloak himself, both visually and to my senses. I’m hoping to break him enough that he won’t be able to use it, but if he does, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to track him.”

  A technician cleared his throat.

  “Uh, sir… Ma’am? I think we might have a way around that type of cloaking, but I won’t know for sure until we test it.”

  “Well, it’s not an optimal solution, but it’s better than nothing. Anything else we need to know?” she asked.

  “One last thing. There’s a real possibility they might use that weapon again. They may use it instead of Reaper actually showing up or just to soften me up. I don’t know. That’s why I don’t think it’s safe for you or your team to be near me. I’m pretty confident I can dodge it this time, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to get any of you out of the blast radius again.”

  “No way, we’re not going to let you just waltz out of here by yourself.”

  “Wasn’t implying I would, not that you could stop me. What I was going to suggest is keeping a safe distance is all.”

  Rick noticed the muscles around her jaw tighten up again. She stared at him for several more seconds before relaxing again.

  “Understood,” she said.

  She looked around the rest of the room before continuing.

  “At least we have a much better idea of what we’re up against. Does anyone have any more questions for Rick?”

  After nobody responded, she started heading toward the door, spinning her hand in a circle.

  “Okay, let’s get ready people. We go wheels up in thirty.”

  She called over her shoulder, pausing for a moment.

  “Contact my team at the site and tell them to head back. Send another group out to relieve them.”

  With that, Rick watched her briskly walk out of the room.

  §§§§§§§§§§§§

  Rick heard a click in his ear as he turned the corner.

  “Newton, I’m beginning to think this isn’t working. We’ve been out here for several hours now with no sign of Reaper, or anyone else from Maelstrom for that matter. How much longer are we going to do this before we try something else?”

  Rick found himself nodding in agreement with Scattershot before responding.

  “Unless you have a better idea, we’ll give it until nightfall, then regroup.”

  “How are you not getting tired of all this walking?”

  Rick smiled to himself.

  “I like walking. It energizes me.”

  In a very real sense. All this kinetic energy in the environment is like a double espresso.

  Kaitlyn’s stern voice cut across the channel.

  “Can the chatter. We don’t know if he can monitor our broadcasts.”

  “You know, pew-pew cannon there might be on to something. I’ve been doing nothing but walking for several hours. Maybe I need to be stationary long enough to be triangulated. Besides which, I haven’t really done anything with my powers, so that could be it as well.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  He could hear a little testiness in her voice. Waiting for something to happen was probably grating on her nerves as much as it was his. He still remembered all the times he had to hurry up and wait before a mission.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there some abandoned warehouses down by the docks northwest of here?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Think there’d be too many eyes out there for me to let loose a bit, maybe spike up the sensor readings?”

  “Maybe. At least if they use that weapon again, it’ll only take out empty buildings.”

  “Roger that, moving to the new location.”

  Adjusting the tube on his back, he took a better grip on his fighting staff that he’d been using as a walking stick. Ducking down an alleyway, he ran toward the wall and bounced back-and-forth between the walls until he was up on the roof.

  “What are you do—”

  Before Kaitlyn could finish, Rick sprinted forward before launching himself into the air. Pulsing himself forward, a cloud of condensed water vapor formed around him as he broke the sound barrier.

  “Sonofa! Damn it Newton!”

  He laughed as he sailed through the air. It’d been so long since he’d really just let go with his powers outside of combat. Hell, it felt good just using his powers period after a nearly two decade hiatus. He’d forgotten what it felt like to just cut loose and revel in being able to do things others couldn’t. He toyed with the idea of trying to go hypersonic, but realized the arc of travel would have thrown him well beyond his target area. Sighing,
he started reabsorbing the kinetic energy he’d expended to slow his decent. As he touched down, he gave a slight bounce before breaking back into a normal stride.

  What can I do to get their attention?

  Walking around the area, an idea started to take shape. Breaking into a jog, he headed over toward the water. Getting close, he watched the waves traveling toward the shore. Looking around, both visually and with his senses, he confirmed there wasn’t anyone around. Jumping off the docks, he landed on the surface of the water. Absorbing the kinetic energy of the watery surface, he nodded to himself in satisfaction when the water essentially froze. Adjusting his balance, he started walking away from the shoreline. After about a hundred feet, he spun around in a circle, extending his senses as far as he could. At the very outskirts of his senses, he could detect Kaitlyn and her team approaching. Beyond that, he could faintly make out hundreds of pedestrians in the distance.

  This’ll have to do. Let’s see if this gets Reaper’s attention…

  Slowly at first, he extended his aura into the water beneath him, absorbing all the movement in the water while pushing any sea-life out of the effected area. Once he was satisfied he wasn’t accidentally going to kill something, he allowed the energy to flow through him. The sudden influx caused his muscle mass to start increasing, both in size and density. While his body converted the stolen kinetic energy into a stronger body, he slowly lifted himself above the surface, hovering above the iceberg he was creating from absorbing all the kinetic movement in the water below.

  At this rate, I’ll probably be over three hundred pounds in about fifteen minutes.

  Once he had that much energy stored in his body, then he could really start the show.

  Chapter 21

  “What the hell is he doing? Does he have ice powers as well?”

  Kaitlyn could only watch through her binoculars, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing. From all appearances, Newton was creating an iceberg about thirty yards offshore, almost directly in the middle of the bay. Looking over at Glaizia, she noticed the cryokineticist standing with her mouth open. She cleared her throat to get the giant woman’s attention before nodded her head toward Newton’s location.

  “I take it what he’s doing is pretty impressive?”

  Glaizia slowly turned her head to face Kaitlyn before shifting her eyes away from Newton.

  “Ma’am…” she started before drifting off, staring back at the slowly expanding iceberg.

  “Glaizia…?”

  Shaking her head, she focused her attention back on Kaitlyn

  “Ma’am, what you see above the waterline would be what I could do on my best day, if all I was trying to do is create that ice block.”

  “So just a bit beyond what you could do then…?”

  “Ma’am, I said what’s above the waterline… You’re only seeing about ten percent of what he created to make that much visible above the waterline…”

  “No friggin’ way!”

  Kaitlyn could only nod at Scattershot, still in awe from what she was witnessing.

  What the hell is he? So far, he’s demonstrated a whole slew of powers, each well above actual members who have those abilities… He’s stronger, faster, and can generate ice better than my entire team combined. My fire-based powers have zero effect on him as well. A codename of Newton seems a poor choice for someone with that many powers… Should’ve called him multi-tool.

  “Kat!”

  Kaitlyn snapped out of her thought. Irritated, she looked over at Blitz.

  “What!”

  All he managed was pointing back toward Newton.

  “Something’s happening!”

  Kaitlyn glanced back toward the waterfront.

  “Holy Shit! What the f—”

  §§§§§§§§§§§§

  “Boss…? He’s still going to be on our side after this… Right? ‘Cuz I sure as hell ain’t going to try an' fight him again, I’ll retire first…”

  Kaitlyn could only nod in amazement as she watched Newton create a twenty foot diameter waterspout that reached nearly a hundred feet high. As the waters violently spun around him, she noticed a whirlpool forming around his location as well while he remained stationary in the center of it. Even from this distance, she could see his eyes glowing brightly.

  “I think when this is all over, we’re going to need to rethink our power level designators…” she said, her voice trailing off.

  “Boss? I think we might have something.”

  Keying her mic, she responded.

  “Jetlag, report.”

  “Ma’am, I’m not one-hundred percent certain, but coming in from the north-east is something that resembles a vapor cone, but I can’t see what’s creating it.”

  “Affirmative, keep your distance and monitor. HellKat out.”

  She glanced at Newton again through her binoculars. She noticed he was standing now and facing the direction Jetlag had indicated.

  Good luck and good hunting.

  §§§§§§§§§§§§

  Rick sensed the incoming pressure front well before Jetlag had announced it, which was a good thing If he’d had to wait much longer, the pressure slowly building in his head might have become an unwelcome distraction. Cracking his neck and shoulders, he prepared for his fight with Reaper. He slowly turned in place, making sure he kept his opponent in front of him while his brother quickly circled around him, gradually closing the distance between them.

  Without warning, several beams of light lanced out toward him but the column of water diffracted the beams away, leaving him unharmed. After a couple of minutes of more fruitless attempts at hitting him, Reaper came to a stop several yards in front of him, hovering over the water.

  “I’m surprised to see you after our scalar kinetic weapon demonstration.”

  “So that’s what you’re calling it, huh? Kinda dramatic though, isn’t it?”

  “True, true. Based it off the research we recovered about how your powers work. Very smooth by the way, using the water to deflect the only weapons I carry that can hurt you.”

  “You know how it is Hal. I don’t particularly lik—”

  “MY NAME IS REAPER!” the cyborg screamed suddenly.

  “HAL DIED THAT DAY YOU RIPPED MY BODY APART!”

  Rick solidified the water in front of him for an instant, absorbing the salvo of mini-missiles the cyborg launched at him.

  “Didja get that tantrum all outta your system? Or is there more? Just wondering is all.”

  He watched as Reaper struggled to contain himself, but was surprised when the anger and rage suddenly melted off his brother’s face.

  “Nice try, needling me like that. I almost fell for it. We both know I’m no match for you physically. Since we can’t remove you, I’m here to offer a warning instead. Stay away from us and don’t interfere. Otherwise, the next time we use that weapon, ground zero is going to be the Rapier building.”

  Suddenly Rick felt a cold chill run down his spine.

  “This is between us! Stop dragging innocent bystanders into it!”

  “Oh, but that’s what I like to do. It’s the only way I know I can permanently hurt you.”

  Rick watched as the other man started to turn away.

  “Stay out of our way. This is our only warning, from ‘brother’ to ‘brother’.”

  Rick knew his brother believed he was out of range of his aura, but Rick had never told the group the exact range of his powers, or how he could stretch his aura when needed. Reaching out, he snatched Reaper and flung him at the water, causing the cyborg to skip across the water like a stone. Before he could recover, Rick released his hold on the water around him, causing the column to explode outward. Leaping after Reaper, he felt the iceberg explode behind him as all the energy he’d redirected away rushed back into it.

  Up ahead, he spotted his brother regain control of his flight, changing direction before rocketing off toward the city.

  “Get back here! Let’s see how tough you
are when you can’t use others as shields!”

  Reaching down, he snatched a globule of water and solidified it, using his power to arc it overhead before slamming into the escaping cyborg back. The impact caused Reaper to lose altitude abruptly before slamming into the docks. Landing next to the impact crater, Rick used his power to amplify his voice.

  “You got the upper hand the last two times we fought because I went easy on you. Let’s see what you’re made of now that the kid gloves are off!”

  He felt the ground shift under him as Reaper blasted into the sky several feet away from him. He’d already activated his cloaking field, but at speed, Rick could easily sense the air turbulence he caused.

  “Hey! What’s the hurry?” he yelled, launching a piece of broken dock at the retreating figure.

  “Fightin’s not so fun when the shoe’s on the other foot, is it?”

  Pulsing forward, he jumped up when he got directly under the cyborg, snagging him in his aura before slamming him into the ground again. He ignored the growing pressure behind his eyes, taunting the cyborg instead.

  “Hey, you know what? You’re right! This IS fun!”

  Blasting back into the air again, his brother screamed at him.

  “I’M GOING TO KILL EVERYONE YOU CARE FOR! AND WHEN I’M DONE, WHEN YOU’RE A BROKEN MAN, I’M GOING TO CRUSH YOU INTO DUST! YOU HEAR ME!”

  Rick sprung forward, forcing the other man to dodge before rocketing skyward in an effort to escape.

  “Aw, come on. I thought you’d be enjoying this,” he yelled, uncapping the tube on his back, “We’re just getting started!”

  Rick launched one of his spheres forward at hypersonic speeds, clipping the toes off one foot, causing the cyborg to tumble off balance again, slamming wildly into the side of a building and tearing a deep furrow in his wake. The cyborg’s form flickered into view, allowing Rick to see his grimacing face.

  “Oh, that’s gotta sting a bit. Actually, do you even still have a sense of touch?”

  Rick spun away from several wildly fired laser blasts. Recovering, he spotted Reaper speeding away again, trying to weave between building at high speed to try losing him.