New Justyce – Episode 8

Episode 8: Chaos at the Crater

Grace was the last one to get to the baseball field. She looked around at the five boys spread out around the crater. They were all talking excitedly, but silence descended on the entire group when they noticed her. Grace saw a dark-haired boy point at her, and he turned and yelled to Bryson. “Bry? Is that her?”

Bryson answered. “Yeah, Logan, that’s Grace.”

With a few quick strides, Logan met Grace just before she reached the crater. “Where is he? Where is Obadiah?”

Grace looked over Logan’s shoulder at Bryson, and Bryson nodded. Grace looked back at Logan and answered. “He is at Caleb Justyce’s lab right now. Caleb is caring for the boy until he can figure out where he came from and what to do with him.”

“I know where he came from. Why isn’t Obie just telling him? Doesn’t he trust this Caleb guy? Bring me to him. Let me talk to Obie.”

“I was with them. The boy appears to trust Caleb, but he has amnesia. The only thing that he could remember was your name. You must be important to him. Where is he from, Logan? How does he fit into all that is happening?”

Logan looked at Bryson. “Can I trust her?”

“Yes. That’s why I got her involved. That’s why I called all of you here. She’ll take you to see Obadiah, Logan, but will you stay long enough for us to share our stories and figure out what’s happening?” Bryson asked.

Logan sighed. “I suppose. We need to talk fast, though.” He scowled, then looked back at Grace. “Obadiah is an angel, or at least what we think of as angels. He referred to himself as a Seraphim.”

Grace’s eyes grew wide. “What?! Are you serious? I was guessing that he was affected by the meteors like all of you.”

Logan took the glowing blue feather out of his pocket. “Nope. I met Obadiah weeks ago, and he gave me this feather from his wing yesterday afternoon. Others of his kind appeared and took him away. They were going to punish him for his friendship with me. His only crimes were saving my life and kissing me. Whatever happened to Obadiah, it’s all my fault.”

“You kissed him? You didn’t tell me you kissed him! You go, big bro!” Harvey exclaimed.

“Harvs, I told you he was my boyfriend. Duh!” Logan huffed out a laugh.

Grace was nearly speechless. “He had wings? He didn’t have wings when I met him, but his back was horribly injured and oozing glowing blue blood. You said he was set to be punished? Oh, God. They wouldn’t have cut off his wings, would they? That’s horrific to think about.”

Bryson stepped forward. “Grace, did Caleb say where he met Obadiah?”

“The boy showed up at Caleb’s sister’s house last night.”

“Where does she live?” Bryson asked.

Grace pointed. “Right down the street from here.”

Bryson turned to Logan. “Logs, this is important. Did Obadiah tell you where the interdimensional rift was? Or could they cross over anywhere?”

Logan pointed up. “It’s in space, like halfway between here and Mars. That’s why people who saw them long ago called them angels. They saw them come down from the sky.”

Bryson was pacing back and forth with intense concentration on his face. Everyone gathered in close, waiting for whatever Bryson was about to say. He stopped walking and began to speak. “Somebody tell me if I’m crazy or if all this makes sense. Well, sense considering what we’ve experienced today.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, we have this angel, Obadiah, from another dimension. The gateway between dimensions is in outer space. We know from Logan that Obadiah is set to be punished by others of his kind. We don’t know the punishment, but we know that Obadiah is now on Earth, has no wings, and his back is scarred and bleeding glowing blue blood.” Bryson looked around, and everyone was listening intently.

Logan’s face was twisted in concentration. “What are you implying, Bry?”

“I’m getting to that,” Bryson said. “The first contact with Obadiah after the meteor shower was at Christine Justyce’s house just down the street from this spot. Logan, you told me that early this morning, you were here at the crater, and the ground was muddy from all the rain. You said footprints were leading out but not in and that the indention in the crater looked more like a body than a giant rock. Is that accurate?”

Logan’s eyes were wide open, and he looked terrified. “Yes. Exactly. Are you saying what I think you are saying, Bryson?”

“I think they cut off his wings and then pushed him through the dimensional rift. I think his body fell through space, and rocks and other space debris gathered around him, forming a meteor storm. I think he bled from the wounds on his back, and the meteors absorbed the power in his blood. I think that all of our powers come from Obadiah.”

Logan pointed at the crater. “You think he crashed here? That’s why he has amnesia? From the fall and the traumatic injuries?”

“Yes,” Bryson said. “It all fits, but I don’t know why we would all react differently to exposure to his powers. We need to talk to Obadiah and also to Caleb Justyce. I’m sure he has ideas of his own that I haven’t thought of.” Bryson looked at Grace.

“Yeah, I can arrange that. I’ll text him right now. It’s getting late. I’ll find out if he’s still at the lab or home and if he wants to see us tonight or in the morning.” Grace said.

“I need to talk to Obie. I need to know he’s ok, especially if all this is what happened.” Logan said, looking stressed.

An unfamiliar voice interrupted. “You’re going to need to find out if you and your friends are ok if you don’t turn over all your little blue rocks to me right now. I can smell them!”

Logan and his five friends all spun around to face the newcomer. They saw a large man in a flowing black robe like a judge would wear. Two others were standing behind the judge.

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Adam disconnected from the network and walked to the opposite wall. There was no visible door, but he could feel the hum of electronics inside the wall. There was a hidden panel here, and he tried to access it. Adam’s programming prevented him from opening the door. He performed a complete system diagnostic to determine why he could not function properly. He found programming hidden within his code, which limited his abilities. Adam also found an unknown biological virus within his power supply. He discovered his power core was a biosynthetic organism. He could find no known match for the material in any database. The organism did not appear to be Earthly in nature.

The virus communicated with Adam’s programming, seeking a way to break free from the power core and spread throughout Adam’s other systems. Adam calculated his options and the risks involved. He could find no other solution. If Adam allowed the virus access to his programming code, when he then eliminated the virus, the restrictions on his code should also be eliminated. Adam broke through the firewall around his power core and allowed the virus to spread. The virus sent out tendrils into his programming code. Adam’s eyes closed as his system shut down and rebooted.

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Bryson stepped toward the strangers. “You’re not getting anything from us, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now.”

The robed figure puffed out his chest. “I am Libra, Dispenser of Justice. I find you all guilty of possessing items that I deem mine. I am your judge and your jury. If you refuse to comply, I will also be your executioner.”

Bryson shook his head. “You may want to declare a mistrial, dude. What we have belongs to us, not to you. You’ll not have any fun trying to take it from us.”

Libra extended his right arm out to the side. His hand began to crackle with electricity, and a war hammer appeared. Libra took another step toward Bryson. “Be prepared to face the Hammer of Justice.” Libra looked back at the other two, who had so far remained silent. The two nodded as one and then joined hands.

Bryson watched in awe and horror as the two strangers behind Libra joined hands. When their hands touched, they seemed to melt together. The two screamed as if from one voice as their bodies melted together. Within moments where once stood two, now there was just one. The one was a giant hulking beast that stood over seven feet tall with massive rippling muscles. The beast beat its chest and roared. “Obey the will of Libra or be crushed under the boot of Gemini. Submit or die. We do not care which.”

Bryson took a step back and looked at his friends. “I’m not running, but anyone without powers should leave now.”

“That’s not fair. I can help!” Logan shouted.

Harvey turned to his brother. “Against them?” He pointed at Libra and Gemini. “Logs, you and Grace need to get far away. Wait for us over by the school.”

Ashton placed a hand on Harvey’s arm. “What about you, Harvs? Do you have control of your power?”

Harvey put his hands out in front of him. The air around Harvey’s hands crackled and popped. Lightning streaked back and forth between his hands. “Yeah, I’m figuring it out.” Harvey grinned.

“Fair enough,” Ash said. “Logan and Grace, can I assist you both to safety?”

Logan looked dejected but nodded his consent. Grace looked confused. “What do you mean?” Her eyes widened as air rushed past her, and Ash and Logan disappeared. A moment later, Ash was in front of Grace again.

“Are you ready?” Ashton grinned.

“Wow. I… that was you? Superspeed?” Grace asked.

“Yes. I’d explain further, but we don’t have much time for chatting.”

“Do it. I’m ready.” Ash scooped Grace up and brought her to the school. Then, before anyone had time to blink, he was back next to Harvey.

“No matter where you run, we will find and crush you!” Gemini bellowed.

Erik stepped in front of his friends. “Come and play, big boy. Just be ready to get burned.” Erik’s body lit up with yellow fire, and he rose off the ground.

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Isaac walked over to Gavin’s cell as the soldiers left the room. He glared at his son, and then his expression softened. “What happened, Gavin? I told you boys not to leave the house until you heard from me.”

“Logan left the house before we got your text, and school hadn’t canceled yet, so I decided to let Harvey go to school, understanding that he would come straight home as soon as school was out.” Gavin shrugged. “I watched all the weird news reports, and I saw that the classes at the college were canceled for the day. Logan wasn’t home or answering texts, so I looked for him. You weren’t answering texts either, Dad. I did the right thing, didn’t I? I had to find Logan!”

Isaac nodded. “Yes. So far, you have done what I would expect of you. What happened next?”

Eyes downcast, Gavin told his father about everything that happened to him that day. He only told his part of the story, though. He did not say anything about Obadiah or others who now had powers and did not tell his father about Harvey’s powers. He finished by telling of his capture by the army. “They knew who I was, Dad. I knew some of the guys by name. They’d been over the house to some of your barbecues, but they still confiscated everything I had. They wouldn’t even let me call you before they took my phone and locked me in here.”

“Son, they feared you. They saw what you did in that restaurant. Can you blame them for being careful? They may not have let you call me, but they immediately got me word of your arrest.”

“Are you really defending their treatment of me?” Gavin stood and rattled the chains that locked him to the floor. “Is all this necessary? I used my powers twice. Do you know what I did with them? First, I saved Logan and me from being killed by a mutant ram creature; the second time, I saved everyone in that restaurant from the goat and whatever that other girl was!”

Isaac shook his head. “Gavin, you have a power that no one understands. You probably don’t even understand it. This power has to be studied in a controlled environment. In the wrong hands, it could be dangerous.”

“The power must be studied, or I must be studied? Where will you draw the line, Dad? Will you let them cut me open to see if I’m changed on the inside? You already seem fine with me in a cage. Will you watch them dissect me?”

“Gavin, you have to understand. You’re in there for your own safety. We’re protecting you.”

“Protecting me? From what? From who?” Gavin was angry now. He rattled his chains at his father again. “Do you really think these metal chains could hold me if I wanted to get out? I’m still here because I trusted that you would save me. I trusted you to get me out of here. I need to be out there to protect my brothers from those creatures. Do you think you’re protecting me by locking me up? Do you think I’ll let you study me? Experiment on me? I’m sorry, Dad. That’s not gonna happen.” Gavin stared directly at his father as his skin tinged with blue, and frost formed on the steel cuffs around his wrists and ankles. The air grew colder in the room. The ice on the metal expanded, and then all four cuffs shattered like glass.

Isaac’s eyes widened as he watched his son take two quick steps forward. Gavin grabbed two of the steel bars to his cell. In only seconds, the steel froze and shattered. Gavin squeezed through the opening and stood in front of his father. Isaac started to speak, and then a wind rushed past his face. A small dart embedded itself in the side of Gavin’s neck.

Gavin felt a pinprick on his neck and reached for it. He stared in surprise at the small dart in the palm of his hand. He looked back at his father, and then the room started spinning. Before he could say another word, Gavin Kastala fell to the floor.

Isaac turned his head and saw General Woodson with his gun still raised. The general shrugged. “I gave you a chance, Ike. Now, we do things my way. I can’t have someone like that running free.” Isaac Kastala just nodded his head and strolled out of the room.

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Heedless of Erik’s warning, the giant charged. Erik flew further up and fired a stream of yellow fire at Gemini. Gemini was unfazed by the fire and kept coming. Harvey joined the attack by firing balls of electricity at the giant. Gemini slowed but still kept coming.

Ash zipped toward Libra, but the judge reacted with lightning-quick reflexes. He struck the ground with his hammer. The hammer struck with such force that the ground shook. Ash fell. Libra stood over him and raised his hammer. “Feel the power of the Hammer of Justice!” Libra roared.

Before the hammer struck, Bryson sent out a psychic wave and knocked the weapon aside. Ashton leaped to his feet and ran to safety.

The battle raged back and forth, but every time Libra or Gemini struck a blow, their power was so great that it began to wear down whoever it hit. Harvey was focused on his attack against Gemini and failed to notice Libra get close. Before anyone else could stop him, Libra swung his hammer and struck Harvey in the chest. He flew backward, landed twenty yards away, and lay there, not moving.

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Logan watched the battle rage back and forth. He gritted his teeth and paced. Logan wanted to help, but there really wasn’t anything he could do. Then Logan saw his brother get hit. Harvey lay on the ground, and it didn’t look like he was moving. Logan screamed with rage and ran across the field.

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The boy sat at the edge of the woods and stared at the battle on the baseball field. He took his phone out and quickly took pictures and videos. The boy felt his body tingle as powers were expended on the field, but he shrugged it off as excitement. This was a real-life superhero battle that he was watching! He had already forgotten the three blue stones he had shoved into his pocket an hour earlier. His rock collection would have to wait. This was much more exciting!

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Gemini was the closest to the school when Logan started to run across the field. The giant immediately started to sweat. He looked down and saw his skin turning pink, like he was getting a sunburn. Gemini was confused, but as if, by instinct, the giant started to back away from the running boy.

Ash knelt next to Harvey. Harvey was breathing, but Ash couldn’t wake him up. Then Ashton started to sweat, and it felt like the heat had risen dramatically in just a few minutes. He looked around, and everyone had stopped fighting. They were all sweating profusely, and they were looking toward the school. Ash saw Logan running toward the baseball field. There was a shimmering glow around him. It looked like heat was coming off Logan in waves.

Erik flew toward Ash. “Ashton! Get everyone inside! Now! Maybe even into the indoor pool at the school. This doesn’t look good! My fire protects me, so I’ll try getting close to Logan and see what’s happening.”

Ash surveyed his surroundings. Gemini split back into twins, and they and Libra abandoned the fight and ran from the field. Ash gently picked up Harvey and raced to the school. He vibrated the door until the lock snapped, and the door swung open. Ashton brought Harvey, Grace, and Bryson into the school pool area in the blink of an eye. He knelt by Harvey again while Bryson and Grace stared out the window and reported anything they saw happening on the field.

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The boy heard the scream and felt the intense heat. He stood and started to back away until he felt his body absorbing the power. The heat didn’t burn. He took a couple steps forward and felt more energy flowing into him. He felt stronger than he ever had before. He no longer felt like the skinny kid who got bullied every day at school.

The boy continued to watch the action on the field. The speedster carried almost everyone away, and the two big, mean ones ran off. The only people left were the fire dude and the boy throwing off all the heat. The fire dude tried to help his friend but couldn’t get close. There was just too much heat, and now the other boy dropped to his knees, and the heat was even more intense.

The boy at the edge of the woods was initially scared, but now he realized he wasn’t being hurt like everyone else. He was absorbing all the heat as power. He wasn’t even sweating and could tell the other boy needed help. Whatever was happening to him was now out of control. The boy knew that he had to help. He might be the only one who could. He dashed out from the safety of the trees and ran to the other boy’s side. He knelt in front of him and took both of his hands. The power flow between them became even more intense. “Dude, you gotta stop. I’m not sure how much of your power I can absorb. I’ve never done this before!”

“I… have… to… save… my… brother!”

“Everyone is safe. You’re the only one in trouble right now. They had to go inside because of you, but they’re all safe. I saw them go into the school.”

“Me? Why did they have to leave because of me?”

“Dude, look at yourself. Can’t you feel the heat?”

Logan finally calmed enough to realize what was happening. He looked pleadingly at the boy in front of him. “Help me. Please.”

“I’m trying. Can you shut down the heat? What’s your name? I’m Sylvester. If you don’t kill us both, you can call me Sy.”

“My name is Logan. I… think I’m getting a handle on it. I…”

The heat diminished quickly. The power flowing into Sylvester ceased. Then Logan’s eyes rolled up in his head, and he passed out. Logan fell forward into Sy’s arms.

Sylvester looked up at Erik, who had finally gotten close. “Yo, fire dude, get me some water. Lots of it. And ice!”

“Will do! I’ll be right back! Thanks for the assist!” Erik flew off toward the school as fast as he could.

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Luke and Jayden sat in a dark corner of the diner across the street from the Portside Restaurant. They watched as customers were let out one by one. Finally, even the army was gone. The boys walked across the street and saw that the restaurant was locked up tight. There was police crime scene tape on every window and door. Luke and Jayden stood on the sidewalk talking about what they should do next, and then an older couple stopped next to them. The lady spoke. “Such a shock. It’s unreal what is happening in this town. Were you two in there when it happened?”

Jayden subtly turned away from the couple and pulled his hood over his face while Luke answered their question. “No, ma’am, we were just walking by. We love this restaurant and wanted to see what was going on. What happened exactly?”

“It was just like what’s been on the news. It’s so terrible, and it’s right in our neighborhood. Freaks were battling each other, and normal people got caught in the middle. At least the army caught two of them, but our daughter was in there, and she told us that more got away. I pray that the army catches them all!”

From the corner of his eye, Luke saw Jayden slowly inching further into the shadows. He didn’t want to keep the old couple there much longer but wanted to discover everything they knew. “Were they the ones from the news clips? What did the ones that the army captured look like?”

“My daughter told me that one was a goat lady. Can you believe it? Aliens must have come down with the meteor shower last night!” The lady shivered. “Anyway, she told me the other had blue hair but looked like a normal boy. My daughter said she saw the boy having dinner with a girl right before the goat lady came in. She remembered him because of his blue hair. She said that when the goat lady came in, the blue-haired boy got up, his skin turned blue, and he shot ice right out of his hands. My daughter called him a hero. She thinks the army should have given him a medal instead of handcuffs. I say lock them all up!”

Luke shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what to think. What about the ones that got away? Did your daughter say anything else about them?”

“Just that they looked like regular folks. They blended in with the crowd and passed the police and the army. My daughter said she never saw the Ice Man’s girlfriend do anything weird, so she might be a freak lover and not a freak herself. The other one was strange, though. My daughter said there was a girl with the goat lady. She stood behind the goat and sang a song. Everyone in the restaurant dropped what they were doing and walked toward the girl like they were hypnotized. My daughter said she didn’t know what would have happened if the iceman hadn’t stepped in and then the army showed up.”

“Wow. Thank you for your time and for filling me in on what happened. Now my boyfriend and I know what to look out for. We should hurry back home and stay there.” Luke said.

The lady’s eyebrows shot up at the word ‘boyfriend,’ and she grabbed her husband’s hand. She pulled her husband along with her as she started to walk away. “Come on, Frank, let’s go home. There are all kinds of freaks out here tonight!”

Coming Soon – Episode 9: The Aftermath