It was like witnessing a nuclear explosion, and perhaps more terrifying for the senselessness of it. There was no mushroom cloud, but the blast was bright enough to leave Malcolm unsure of what the actual shape of the burst was. Splotches of colored afterimage coated his vision, but he only had a second or two to consider it before the sound of the blast reached them.
Most of the protesters dropped down to the ground, clutching at their ears. Malcolm covered his own ears, more annoyed by the ringing than the pain. Savior stood in front of the crowd, emanating the confidence and anger of a god whose authority had been challenged.
“You are no savior,” boomed a deep, loud voice.
Malcolm scanned the crowd to see where it had come from, and watched in horror as several people he recognized emerged from the alleyways across the street. Rain Dancer stood at the head of the group, his dark skin and dreadlocks now combined with a black eyepatch over his left eye.
Shield Maiden stood next to him, her skin swirled with pink, purple, and blue colors. And on the other side, now with the familiar, misshapen head bumps of a champion turned demon, stood Multi.
CHAPTER 34
Malcolm was at a loss for words. He looked over at Tapestry to find her clutching at her chest, her mouth turned down in an expression of fear and worry. Multi had been one of the most powerful champions, outside of Savior. If he was now using his power on the side of the monsters, there was no telling how much damage he could do.
“Finally,” said Savior. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever show yourself. And you bought one of my old friends with you. Multi, how are you, buddy?”
Despite the situation, there was something in Savior’s tone that sounded stupidly sincere. He grinned at Multi, acting for a moment like the crowd and the other monsters weren’t even there.
“He doesn’t care about you, you know,” said Rain Dancer. “And there’s no reason why he should. You treated him like you treat all your underlings. Disposable, a tool to use to murder innocents.”
“That’s a blatant… exaggeration,” said Savior. “And I wasn’t speaking to you.”
“Multi…” Tapestry called. Malcolm didn’t think it had been loud enough for their former boss to have heard, he stepped forward after a moment and locked eyes with her.
“I remember… scraps,” said Multi. “But not enough to keep me from fighting for my life. If you intend to kill me, just because I’m now a demon, I’ll kill you first. I’m sorry… Aubrey.”
Malcolm grabbed Tapestry’s shoulder, knowing the effect his words would have her. It was worse than if he’d ranted and raved, threatened to destroy all of them in a typical villainous fashion.
Multi at least remembers her real name. How is she going to fight him without seeing her old friend underneath?
“This is what you’ve made of the world, Savior!” shouted Rain Dancer. “Are you proud of the fact that you’ve created a genocide of an entire class of people? You know, that was done once before in history, and the way we remember it is with shame and remorse!”
“All we’re asking for is a chance,” said Shield Maiden, straining her voice to reach the same volume as Rain Dancer. “We want to sit down at the table with the people in the world who make decisions and prove that we aren’t the threat that we’ve been made out to be.”
Malcolm almost nodded in agreement. It sounded good. He looked over at Savior, who seemed to be considering the situation very carefully. Malcolm turned to look back at the crowd, and spotted the trap.
A dozen copies of Multi had moved into position on the street, some of them wielding rifles, and others carrying pistols. Malcolm nudged Tapestry with his elbow, but she’d already noticed.
“Savior,” he hissed. “They’re planning something.”
“Of course they are,” Savior whispered back.
He stepped forward, grinning and waving to the still hostile crowd.
“People of the world!” shouted Savior. “People watching this on the news, or on the internet… I want you to know and understand one undeniable fact about the world we live in… You can’t always get what you want!”
He stopped to clear his throat. Rain Dancer gave a subtle nod, and the Multis in hiding moved to spring their trap. The crowd erupted into screams as the demons emerged from hiding, weapons at the ready.
“You didn’t let me finish!” bellowed Savior.
“There is nothing more for us to hear,” shouted Rain Dancer. “You use these innocent people as your shield, and look what happens?”
“You murder innocents!” shouted Savior. “And I have no need for a shield!”
He turned his attention onto the crowd, which was already in the process of fleeing, and widened his eyes. Malcolm heard a new chorus of screams erupt, it didn’t seem to be because of fear the Multis, but of Savior.
He’s using his offensive illusions to scare them away. Clever.
The street was mostly clear of innocents in only a couple of seconds. Strangely, it only increased the tension, as Malcolm, Tapestry, Wax, and Savior came face to face with Rain Dancer, Shield Maiden, and a dozen armed Multi copies.
Malcolm knew that Savior, on his own, could easily take on all of them. The fact that the others were there only created a liability for him. Malcolm chewed his lip, wondering if it might be a better strategy to just focus on getting himself, Tapestry, and Wax to safety.
“We knew it would come to this eventually,” boomed Rain Dancer. “Let us fight each other here, and resolve our issues personally, ya?”
Savior laughed.
“You stand no chance against me,” he said.
Savior was suddenly a blur, rushing forward toward the monsters faster than Malcolm’s eyes could follow. He slammed into Rain Dancer, knocking him back and into the brick of the building behind him hard enough to leave a person shaped outline.
Malcolm reacted instinctively, grabbing Tapestry and Wax’s hands and pulling them behind a nearby car. Gunshots rang out, bullets bouncing off the ground in their wake. Wax was last, and as he slid into a safety, he let out a small cry.
“Wax!” shouted Tapestry.
“One of them just… nicked my leg,” said Wax, clutching at his calf.
One of the Multis had apparently escaped Malcolm’s notice, and rounded the car they were using for cover with a rifle leveled at their heads.
Morph, dive-bombing in hawk form, slammed into the Multi’s face, tearing at his eyes and cheeks. Malcolm rushed forward, pulling the rifle loose. He fired a quick shot into the demon’s stomach. Tapestry watched with a horrified look on her face.
She knew Multi better than I did. He was her boss and her friend.
“We don’t have a choice,” said Malcolm. “We’re fighting for our lives, Tapestry.”
“I know,” she said. She took out her pistol, holding it in one hand and helping Wax keep pressure on his leg with the other.
Malcolm peered up and over the car just in time to see two more Multis approaching, fast. He let loose with the wind, knocking them back off their feet and managing to scatter one of their guns.
Savior was fighting both Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden in the street, though the latter could do little against him. Malcolm watched as Shield Maiden created a bubble shield around Savior, only to have the champion tear through it in less than a second.
“If you surrender,” said Savior, “perhaps I could find a way to have you all imprisoned indefinitely, instead of putting you to death. I don’t have a taste for pointless bloodshed.”
Rain Dancer let out a roar and a burst of lightning. It struck Savior full in the chest, but was so ineffective that it might as well have been water from a squirt gun. Rain Dancer flew up into the air and came rushing down again. Savior made no attempt to dodge him.