GZ Legends 51: Lightning Strikes!

            

Anubis rushed to Nightfall’s side where she lay on the metal table. He grasped the manacles that held her and tore them away as easily as tissue paper. He lifted her from the table with her shoulder to his chest.

            “Are you okay? Come on, wake up!”

            “Ooh, quit shouting.” Nightfall put a hand to her forehead. “And would you mind if I found my clothes before this sheet falls off?”

            “Oh!” Anubis said in surprise. “Yeah. Why don’t we let you get dressed?”

            Nyhtwulf opened the locker in the room and found her uniform. Blacktide stayed out in the hall and Nyhtwulf quickly joined him.

            “You too, hero.” Nightfall said.

            “Just one thing.” Anubis raised a glowing hand to the mechanical arm. A blast of cosmic energy destroyed it instantly. “Just for your safety.” Anubis stepped out to the hall and kept his back to the broken doorway.

            Nightfall joined them shortly. When she came out, she held a hand at her hip and had a scowl of pain.

            “Are you okay?” Anubis asked.

            “I will be. I really don’t want to talk about it though. I just want to deliver payback to the Professor.”

            “We’re with you on that.” Blacktide said. “Nyhtwulf, please lead us to the rest of our friends.”

            Thanks to Nyhtwulf it was easy to find the nearby rooms that held Redeagle, Atomizer, and Sandstorm. Electrode wasn’t there.

            “I can track by a being by their brain waves,” Nyhtwulf explained. “But it seems that Electrode’s brain waves have changed.”

            “Could there be interference?” Sandstorm asked. He stood against a wall and seethed with more rage than all of them put together. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but couldn’t until they were all together.

            “I have never known of anything that could interfere. I could track any of you across this planet.”

            “How about the Professor?” Nightfall asked. “Where is he?”

            “Just give us the straight line. I’ll make a path.” Blacktide said.

         

   All around them were the remains of henchmen that never stood a chance against the angry and powerful heroes. Nyhtwulf pointed and Blacktide nodded with a grim expression of determination. Blacktide walked right through the wall with his disintegration aura slightly extended. The rest knew to stay back. Blacktide concentrated the force of his power forward to destroy walls and doors. More henchmen fell from the other side of the walls. As it stood, Professor Zombie had very few henchmen left. The heroes marched forward, following the smoldering path Blacktide left for them. Finally, they broke into a wide semi-dark chamber. Professor Zombie stood at a far end near some computer terminals.

            “You’ve failed, Professor! We’re here for you now!” Anubis shouted at him.

            “I do not fail, dear boy. I merely gain new opportunities and data.”

            “I’m going to forcibly remove that ‘dear boy’ stuff from your vocabulary!” Anubis said.

            “Where is Electrode?” Sandstorm said as he stepped forward.

            “He’s right here.”

            Arcs of electricity lit up the room, revealing where Electrode had been standing in the shadows.

            “You monster! You used your junk on him!” Anubis shouted.

            “Hardly. I used a hypnotic serum. He has full use of his powers, but obeys my commands. You’ve destroyed nearly all my servants. Will you destroy your friend? Or will he destroy you?” Professor Zombie stepped backwards and vanished through a moving panel in the wall.

            “The rest of you need to get out of this room, right now.” Sandstorm said flatly as he dissipated into air.

            Electrode responded before they could move. Redeagle, Atomizer and Nightfall were thrown back out of the room and Blacktide was tossed against a wall. Bolts of lightning moved through Nyhtwulf and were harmlessly redirected to nearby walls and computer terminals. Anubis formed a forcefield of cosmic force.

            “Just do it, Sandstorm! I’ve got everyone shielded!”

            Electrode reappeared on the far end of the room. With a shout of rage, he emitted arcs throughout the room. Metal walls and computers were perfect conduits. Currents of nuclear electric power moved through the walls and floors. Anubis was taken by surprise as he was jolted violently from below and behind. Anubis lost his forcefield and dropped to one knee from the assault. Nyhtwulf knew he could phase through Electrode eventually, but the electric hero may not recuperate for days. Suddenly, even in his shadow form, Nyhtwulf felt a deep chill. He saw the mist of his breath on the air. Frost formed across the walls behind Electrode and spread like an angry virus. Moving quickly, Nyhtwulf grabbed Blacktide and Anubis as he flew from the room. Outside the room, Agent Redeagle was already moving the unconscious Atomizer and Nightfall back from the hole in the wall. Nyhtwulf could see into the room and an amazing sight unfolded.

           

“I took you under my wing and taught you everything I know.” Sandstorm’s voice could be heard on the icy air. A specter form of Sandstorm appeared around Electrode as their end of the room turned misty with freezing cold. “I can tell, in your mind controlled state, that you don’t have full access to your training. Because of that, I can save you. I know your ultimate weakness my friend.”

            Electrode dropped to his knees and the arcs of lightning lessened in intensity. Frost formed on his skin and his lips turned blue. Finally, the bolts weakened and ceased completely. Electrode fell over unconscious. Sandstorm materialized as he quickly raised the temperature of the room. Anubis was quickly by their side followed by the others.

            “Shall I try to heal him?”

            “See if you can remove the serum from his body. Do you think your healing can do that?”

            “Worth a shot.”

            Anubis put his hands on Electrode’s chest and concentrated, not knowing if he could save Electrode’s life.