GZ Legends 52: MELTDOWN!

            

In his practice of healing others, Anubis hadn’t tried poisons or chemicals yet. He had no idea if he could do it. He worried that Electrode may be a servant of the Professor forever. As this form of his powers worked on Electrode’s body, he slowly awakened and stirred. Anubis stopped and everyone watched in earnest. Would they have to fight him again?

            Electrode glanced around at his friends and slowly lifted himself to an elbow. He took several deep breaths.

            “Low. Low on charge.” He said slowly.

            “Everyone please stand back.” Sandstorm instructed. Once they complied, he summoned arcs of lighting right out of the air to pound away at Electrode’s chest. In moments, the Nuclear Electric Man was standing.

            “Where is he?” Electrode asked. “I want to charge him for what he did.”

            “He has left the bunker,” Nyhtwulf said before he flew through a wall and vanished.

            “I think Nyhtwulf is going to retrieve him,” Anubis said with a grin. “Best game of fetch ever!”

            “Then we need to get out of here too,” Sandstorm said with the same scowl he had been wearing for hours. “All of you, get out of here and get to a safe distance. I’m going to bury this place.”

            There was no argument. Anubis scooped up Nightfall before she could protest and Blacktide disintegrated a hole through the roof. Sandstorm made another ice ladder for the rest of them to climb out. Once outside, they ran to gain distance from the openings of the bunker. Whatever Sandstorm intended to do, they didn’t want to be close to it.

            Sandstorm’s eyes glistened and glowed yellow. His body ignited in flames as he stood stock still. The metal floor where he stood started to glow orange with the heat. From outside, the friends could see the glow and feel the heat from the distance. They elected to move further away as a giant hand of molten liquid rose from the bunker. That hand came down with a hot splash as a giant roaring head emerged. The roof of the bunker melted away like wax under the lava-borne heat. Sandstorm spread the molten influence clear through all rooms of the bunker, melting every wall and object within. From the river, the air filled with steam and flames reached hundreds of feet into the air. His teammates were forced even further back from the scalding heat. The entirety of the underground bunker became a small lake of molten metal, boiling with raging force. His friends watched in awe, as the form of a giant man stepped out of the lava and to the river, converting from one element to the other as he went. As a giant of water, Sandstorm pushed the giant ice sculpture water spout from earlier into the molten pool. With that, he summoned a great surge from the river to flow over the lava. Steam hissed so loud it could be heard far across the river and the steam glowed bright, reflecting the heat.

           

Further down the river, Professor Zombie pushed his boat as fast as it would go. He knew his bunker was forfeit, but it didn’t matter to him. He could rebuild anywhere. Now he would plan revenge and the recapture of these heroes with his new data. Next time, he would have them serving him as Generals of his new army. The Professor smiled to himself at the thought. Nyhtwulf rose from the hull of the speedboat like a dark angel and took the Professor completely by surprise. Before he could utter a word, Nyhtwulf  phased a hand and forearm through Professor Zombie’s face. The Professor’s body convulsed as his brainwaves and life force were scrambled. Everything the genius knew suddenly became gray clouds in his eyes. Before the big man could fall over, Nyhtwulf grabbed him and flew back to where his friends waited for him. As he arrived, the molten pool was at a low glow, cooling under the river’s influence. Nyhtwulf tossed the drooling mess that was now the Professor on the ground at his teammates’ feet.

            Anubis nodded at the Professor who foamed at the mouth with sounds of gibbering and gurgling. “How fitting.”

            “I couldn’t have done that better myself.” Nightfall said.

            “Doesn’t look like he’ll hurt anyone ever again.” Atomizer said.

            “I’d still like to kill him.” Electrode grumbled.

            “No.” Sandstorm said. “As much as I’d like to execute him too, I say let him rot as a vegetable. He more than deserves it.”

            “Just like what he did to hundreds of other people.” Redeagle mused.

            “We need to get back to the office.” Sandstorm said.

           

Far out past the orbit of Earth, a small starcraft approached. Its pilot scanned the large battleship hovering outside of the atmosphere and knew where it was from. After consideration, he decided it would have to wait in consideration of his mission. He flew his cloaked craft past the big ship without detection and even moved past the barrier that blocked the sun. The technology of his people far surpassed anything the beings on that ship were capable of.  According to his scanners, the target was on the move. The pilot tapped into news feeds and reports on the surface. There wasn’t much to go on with the technological blackout, but enough to see the carnage. Galose the Cyborian Marshal, wasn’t sure he could take on the threat of Maniac by himself, but he also saw something else in those reports. He saw a team of heroes and knew what he needed to do.