DUST MIGHT
(FINAL PART)
.
The swaying of the truck as it comes to a stop wakes me up.
My hands have been tied together and there's a bag over my head blocking out any light.
The bag smells a lot like I'm not the first one to have had it over my head. I'm about to pull it off when…
"Watch it kid!" Someone's hand smacks my head and I lower my hands.
What the hell is happening? Where am I?
Should I just tell them who I am, and that I know Smilo and Ison… or would that just make things way worse.
I'm pulled to my feet, groaning as my foot fails to hold my weight.
"Ugh, just great." The person inside the truck with me sighs when I fall.
Someone pulls me by the back of my shirt carrying me down off the truck onto the ground.
"You let another one get away, you idiot." The voice from inside the truck says to someone, putting me on my feet, "how hard is it to keep things in a cage?"
I hear footsteps coming closer to us..
"Sorry boss."
That voice! Alex! It's Alex!
I intentionally stumble to my knees.
"Ah, my ankle!" I yell loud enough that I'm sure Alex will hear.
Alex whispers, "...what the..."
"Oh, and this one's injured. You people..." the boss guy groans, "you all lost sight of the path and became useless."
"Uhm, sorry I won't let it happen again." Alex says nervously.
"You won't have the chance," the boss guy says, "we're done here! I'm taking everyone right now."
I hear his footsteps come closer to me, and the bag is ripped off my head.
My eyes take a second to adjust then…
"Whoa."
It's a train station. A massive underground train station with a huge two level hall and stairs the go up to somewhere and small offices around.
What the hell is this place, where did it come from. It looks old, like it's been here for decades, but how?
I've never heard of a train station in the mountains in school, or anywhere else.
How is this possible!
"Ah crap."
I hear Alex's voice and I look up from my knees to his face, clear with shock and fear.
I turn my head to the boss guy, he looks like those army man toys, in a tactical helmet that covers his face and a fluffy red scarf thing tied around his left shoulder.
The boss guy bangs on the side of the truck, "Everyone out!"
The truck shifts and someone gets out, causing the truck to bounce up a few feet from the relieved weight.
No way… It can't be him! It can't be!
"I'm bored, we should have gone to mess with Smilo."
The voice is hoarse and scratchy and belongs to one of the baddest villains to have ever walked the world. The only man to have ever defeated the former number two hero Totem Contra.
He stands what has to be at least eight feet tall, in thick cargo pants and a puffy vest. A line of scales that come up from his back and end on his forehead. His scaled tail is so long he carries it on his shoulder where it wraps a few times, going down his left arm and ending in his fist.
It's a visual that would make you wet your draws and part of how he got his name, his silhouette resembling someone in police riot gear.
He has a huge scar that goes straight down the left side of his face. A souvenir from his last scrap before he was finally captured.
He's out of Mordred. He's out of Mordred and he's here, right now!
Cobra Riot.
Crap, crap, crap crap! What the hell has Alex gotten himself mixed up in!
"Collect the others." The boss guys says to Alex referring to me.
Alex picks me up my the arm and guides me away.
"What the hell are you doing here Morales!" Alex mumbles beneath his breath once were out of ear shot.
"What the hell are you doing here, Alex!"
I stumble along in his grip towards what look like an engineer's room at the far end of the wide platform.
The boss guy and about three other guys dressed in similar tactical uniform walk with Cobra Riot to the platform where the tracks are.
It looks like only the boss guy has the red scarf thing though, which I guess means he's in charge.
The pillars on the platform go all the way up to the rocky ceiling of the cavern
"Alex, do you know who that guy is?"
"Of course I know who he is, I'm the one who helped bust him out," Alex chides quietly, "I can't believe you'd be stupid enough to come here… no actually I can believe it."
We reach the room, the door opens and inside are a bunch of people all cuffed and linked together in civilian clothes, mostly men, young looking, their mouths taped over. Mumbling, likely for help.
Alex pushes me into the corner of the room, and we hear the very loud sound of the train breaking to a halt as it arrives.
"Okay, listen, I'm going to let you go. Your buddy Ison is somewhere around here. Find him and stay out of sight until the bosses leave, understand?"
"Alex, who were those people. What is this place? Where are you taking-"
"Would you shut up." Alex scolds quietly.
"You said no one was going to get hurt!"
"Shh, shut up. Do you want to get out of here or not, huh? You want to get shipped out of here and leave mom all by herself?"
Crap, no. No I don't.
"Fine, I'll go, but you have to come with me. Dude, the Bruden twins are looking for you, and the police. And who were these people." I gesture to the people tied up in the room.
"Just people, some from around Lower South, people without families and stuff, runaways. I don't know…" Alex replies looking tired, "look Morales, I'm sorry I really am. For everything, for being a shitty brother, for ever causing mom a day of stress, for everything. I messed up. You were right, about everything."
… Did I hear that right? "Alex?"
Alex hangs his head, "I can't come back home. They need guys to help with stuff on where ever the train is heading. I'm the last one here, everyone else has already gone."
"What! Tell them no."
"Have you seen the people I'm working for? They don't take no for an answer." Alex looks over his shoulder, "something big is about to go down, really big, and there's a lot they aren't telling us. I didn't know all this was… I didn't know..."
Alex actually looks scared, "Tell mom I'm sorry."
Alex stands turns around to the people cuffed and linked together and leads them out of the room to the train platform.
No way, I can't let that happen.
But what can I do, I don't have any power. I'm not a hero. I'm not dad.
I crack open the door a little to look out and there's Ison, I just need to find… What the hell?
While Alex leads the runaways into one of the cars of the train, Ison is storming towards one of the masked army guys who looks like he's carrying someone. Someone small.
I look hard because I really hope it's not…
"Talia? Ah, man this can't be good."
I inch forward to get a better look, "What the hell is she doing here?"
"LET HER GO!" Ison yells with some three El Brazo hatchet-men backing him.
I recognise one of the guys by the cigar in his mouth. Skinny and lanky with a powder white complexion and bald head, Fwaka.
The other guy is a huge muscle man, likely with nothing more than a strength quirk, then some other I don't know.
"Sirs, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding." Fwaka says to the army men.
The army guy tosses Talia hard on the ground next to the boss guy.
"What's going on here?" The boss army guy asks.
"Found this kid spying on the whole operation." The army guy says.
"She's not a spy you idiot, she's my sister!" Ison growls with rage.
"Not good enough," Cobra Riots steps forward and picks up Talia like she was a child's toy, looking like one in his hands, still in her little yellow dress,
"She's coming with us," Riot grins into Ison's face like he's trying to bait him into a fight, "can't have spies ratting out our plans before they happen."
"Riot's right," the boss guys says, "don't worry, she won't be harmed, and we'll return with her when the time demands."
"You aren't taking my sister anywhere!" Ison growls.
"Don't worry kitty cat," Cobra Riot chuckles right in Ison's face, "she's going somewhere better than this crap heap."
"Ison!" Talia screams in Riot's huge grip.
Ison steps up to Riot to retrieve Talia, "To hell—"
Riot flicks the back of his hand and sends Ison flying back to the stair case he came down from.
The Brazo guys look stunned with fear before they turn and run toward where Ison just landed to help him up.
The sound of train starts up in front of the platform. Talia is still in Riots hand.
No! I can't let this happen. I can't let this happen. But what can I do? I'm just… I'm just…
The doors of the train open.
"Ugh!" I sprint forward, grunting on my still bad ankle.
I run as fast and painfully as I can, the army guys and Cobra Riot are walking into the train and have their backs to me. Riot is the last one to enter and before he does I grab Talia in his loose grip and pull her free.
"What the—?" Riot reacts right before the door closes behind him and I fall down to the ground.
"Morales?" Talia reacts surprised.
"Go, run, right now." I am already shoving her away.
I'm about to get up when a really heavy foot lands on my back pinning me to the ground.
Talia at least manages to sprint away.
"Morales?" Ison reacts in shock, from where he's gotten up to his feet, "what the hell?"
"What is this, one of yours?," The boss guy asks. All the people who were in the train are now back out and it's Cobra freakin' Riot's foot crushing me.
"Morales!" Alex stops me from inside the train and has come out from his door
This guy weighs a tonne. I try activating my quirk from beneath his heal.
"Let me go you lousy—"
I stop when he pushes me harder into the ground.
"Was that it?" Cobra Riot asks disappointedly, "Dust? Man you guys suck."
"Just headache after headache with you people," The boss guys sighs, "Riot, leave him. We're not wasting any more time here. Get the girl."
I don't know why, but I feel something in me finally snap, and I grit my teeth so hard my whole skull hurts.
"For the hundredth," I keep spinning the little weights of air faster than I ever have. On and on and on, frantically in every direction, as many as I can.
"Thousandth," I hear the the whoosh of a fire roaring into life, and the sounds of statics, the side of my body heating up.
"Millionth time!"
"Huh? What the hell..."
I've had enough and for the last time...
"IT'S NOT DUST!"
With everything I have, I hurl my arms back and throw spinning rings of fire at him.
I weight is off me and I hurry to my feet and passed the pillars on the platform closer to Ison and his guys before turning back around.
I'm expecting a counter attack but Riot is slammed against the side of the train along with the army men.
What the hell did I just do?
Riot and the army guys are pulling themselves off the train, recomposing.
Whatever I did I better figure it out quick.
I'm spinning the little weight in the air, remembering that I was spinning them against each other, and like last time the heat up and catch on fire at either side of my body.
I aim at the Riot and the army men and throw hard but the they fly off target and nearly hit Alex and collide with the second car of the train. Opening a huge whole to where the runaways were being held. Alex looks at me in complete shock.
Oops, but anyway. "Alex, get out. Get those people out of here!"
Alex looks between me and the people behind him and then Riot who isn't paying him any attention.
He waves at the people in the train and leads them away towards the tunnel out of the mountain.
"Ouch..." Riots says with a grin across his face.
"Kid," the boss guy and the army men are back on the platform, forming up.
"You don't know what you're doing. What we're doing here, it's for you. For all of you! For the whole of the Lower South. Trust me, we are not the enemy."
I don't know what the hell he's talking about and frankly...
"I don't give a crap. You're nothing but a lousy villain, if you don't leave now and never come back, you'll never get another chance."
The boss guys shakes his head in his ski mask.
"In the dark is where you left me, and in the dark I was alone. Now you return to condemn me, for turning the dark into my home."
"Brazos!" Ison is at my side, loosening the bandanna around his arm, "We're done with these bastards! And my bum of an uncle."
Uncle? Who, Cobra Riot?
I'm standing ahead of the El Brazo gang members, staring down Cobra Riot and the four masked army men. It's five on five.
"Very well," the boss guy raises his arms, "take them all."
Ison roars, his whole body growing in size and pulling tears at his clothes his stands as tall as a massive before coming down on all fours in golden fur.
As if he wasn't already taller than me, now, even on all fours, he stands way taller.
Stomping with one of his massive forelegs, bandanna still tied around it then he roars again, the sounds filling the massive cave.
His transformation complete, showing off his still really cool quirk. Werelion.
"Arr...ttack!" Ison roars, and everyone sprints forward.
I try to move forward too but my foot still hurts like hell and I almost fall.
I hang back as they speed past, I've gotten the rings of fire spinning at my sides, I hurl them one after at the masked dudes, while the brazos go in close range. Ison makes a straight gallop to Cobra Riot
"HAHA, hell yeah, come on kitty cat!" Riot yells, his skin scales and spreads wide out of his back besides his neck.
"Show me what Smilo taught you!" Riot looks twice as huge as Ison, but Ison doesn't slow his charge.
Riot uncurls his tail from his body, and as fast as I've ever seen anything move, it wraps around Ison's neck, and slams him hard against the floor an inch in front or Riot's feet.
I keep throwing fiery rings at Riot and his other the masked soldiers but I keep missing, hitting the floor and walls making pieces of earth and dust fall to the floor.
Riot tail grows longer around Ison's body, tightening it's hold around his limbs. I hear a cracking sound and Ison screeches in pain.
Riot plants a foot on top of Ison's frame, raining down violent punches.
"Ison!"
Talia's little head peaks out from behind a wall, yelling from behind me and the battle scene.
"Talia, get the hell out of here!"
I yell back while hurling firey rings in support of the El Brazo gang members, but I can't hit anything. All my shots keep angling off aim through the air, and I already feel exhausted.
The brazos are being handled and are losing, and Ison is no match for Cobra Riot, who looks like he's having the time of his life.
"Morales, help them!" Talia cries
But how, these people are clearly trained fighters, soldiers even, and this is just a gang of lowly Lower side thugs, and I'm just… I'm just…
What would father do?
'If you must raise your fists, lower your breath.'
Alright. I take a deep breath.
'To heal anything, first stop the bleeding.'
I aim my sights at Cobra Riot and Ison.
Almost all of the Cobra tail is now wrapped firmly around Ison's body, squeezing him well past his bones it doesn't even look possible.
"Okay, here we go!" I prop forward into a throwing stance, raising my arms in the air and the spinning rings of fire.
'True aim is in knowing the course, not the destination.'
I throw the fire rings one after the other in rapid succession, right at Ison.
The rings angle in flight and hit Cobra Riot and his tail. One after the other and finally cut through.
"Goddammit!" Riot screeches.
One of my fire rings hit him square in the chest and send his falling back against the train, making it shift and causing more dust and debris to fall off the cave walls and ceiling.
I keep throwing rings, at all the Brazos, cutting in front of them and the masked soldiers, giving them breathing room and space to get up to their feet.
Ison is up on his legs again wriggling out of the Cobra's now decapitated tail.
"You think you're getting away," Riot laughs menacingly, getting up to his feet, "Ha, I've been going easy on all you!"
"Hold steady!" the boss guy tells Riot
Who are these people? Who is this guy, who can actually give someone like Cobra Riot commands.
Riot stomps his foot down so hard, the ground shakes and more little rocks fall from the ceiling. His tail is already growing back, and he looks like he's ready to be serious.
Holy crap, thats terrifying! And my heart is beating out of my chest.
I should run! I should definitely run!
'If you've turned your back, you've turned to death.'
"Oh c'mon dad!" I try hard to remember something else, anything else, "give me something."
'When you can't run, fear doesn't matter.'
Right, "Brazos, form up behind me!" I yell as loud as I can.
They all begin to retreat to my position, even Ison, who hobbles back keeping one paw raised off the ground as he moves.
All while I keep trying to keep Cobra and the other men off us for long enough.
"This is your last chance, kid," the boss guy says stepping forward, "you can get on the train and live, or not."
"Yo Morales," Fwaka says, "what do we do man?"
I don't know, we can't beat them. We can't beat Cobra Riot, who is smiling a big smile like he's really hoping we choose to fight.
There's like only two people in history that's ever beaten this guy, and Riot hasn't even used any of his signature moves on us.
"Morales!"
For the love of— "Talia, get the hell out of here!"
"Throw them at each other!"
"What?"
"Your fire circles!" Talia yells back, "throw them at each other."
… I get it.
We can get out of here.
The fire rings are spinning faster than ever, sparks now flying out. I'm getting so tired I can barely breathe. My arms feel like they're about to tear apart.
I shut my eyes from the pain and my voice strains as I speak.
"Head.. for the… exits." And let the king go to work!
"You're not going any where," Riot says moving forward ahead of the masked guys, "it's been a long time since I had this much fun!"
I really hope this works.
'The solution comes when the problem is defined the best.'
We don't need to fight, we just need enough time to escape.
I can hear Riots tongue slithers in and out, which must mean it's him and me squaring off.
"Ready or not! Here I come!"
"Argh!" I point eyes upward and my throw the burning sparking rings on a collision course at the ceiling of the cave. They meet in flight and…
The fire spreads fast and wide above all our head, I feel the force from the floor and it pushes me down to the ground on my butt.
The explosion is bigger than I thought and collides upwards at the ceiling of the cave, heavy rocks and earth come crashing down between us and them like rain.
Booming crashing sounds of rocks landing shake the entire mountain. The floor vibrating under me, dust and earth litter the air.
"HAHAHA!" Cobra's laugh cuts in between the heavy crashing sounds of rock against the ground.
"Not bad kid! Not bad! I'll see you again, I can feel it!"
His voice fades out like he's moving away, I hear the train roar to life in the chaos.
Dust and debris rain in the air and block any view I have of what's in front of me.
A huge spike of rock nearly lands right on top of me, and I now realise I'm too tired to move.
The tall spike of rock leans in my direction as it begins falling back, right above me.
Ison teeth are around my body and pull me out of the way.
Carrying my limp body gently in his mouth, Ison makes a staggered sprint around the already fallen pieces of mountain rock on the floor and the more that make the earth shake beneath us.
We join the others in a mad sprint to one of the exits that lead above ground. Talia is being carried in the arms of one of the Brazo hatchet-men.
Ison breaks through large double doors that were chained shut and leads above ground, everyone following behind us.
He sets me down on the ground on a clearing in the night air.
"Morales!" Alex sprints out of nowhere and hugs my body against his from his knees.
I don't think we've ever hugged before, and he's really bad at it.
"Speak to me hermano! Morales, dear god say something!"
"Let go of me, dummy!" I groan against his shoulder.
"Morales?!" Alex pulls away, "You're alive?"
"Of course I'm alive," I laugh, "who's going to tell you all the ways you suck."
I expect him to hit me but instead he just laughs.
"Where are those other people?" I ask.
"I let them go, they just ran." Alex shakes his head, I"think I'm better off just looking for a regular job."
"Ison!" Talia jumps to her brother's side as he drops to one knee.
Having transformed back, Ison looks like he's been in a war, and I'm pretty sure one of his legs is broken.
The El Brazo guys are all forming up around him, rambling with relief, grateful to still be alive.
"Morales," Ison speaks up with Talia under one of his arms, helping him stay mostly upright.
"That's some dus... that's some quirk you got." Ison says.
I raise my eyebrows and nod in equal surprise.
"Yeah. It really is." I look back towards Ganion city, "it's going to be a long walk back home."
"It's the same reaction that powers the sun." Talia says sitting next to me on the couch in her home, "I told you it was hydrogen."
"Huh," I stare at her with my finger tapping my chin thoughtfully, "you must be falling behind in school. I figured that out ages ago, I just wanted to surprise everyone."
Talia slaps my arm, "Shut up!"
"What were you doing there anyway?" I ask.
"I snuck in the truck of the car, I wanted to stop whatever ison was doing so you wouldn't hurt him."
I stare at her in confusion. She thinks I could hurt Ison? ... seriously.
I laugh, resting my hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Talia, really."
Talia smiles wide, "You're welcome, Morales."
Ison comes into the room a couple Brazo hatchet-men behind him to end the conversation, carrying his big muscled frame in crutches from his dad's office.
"You can go see him now," Ison says, moving to the chair to rest, looking like it's taking him a lot of effort to walk around.
I'm sure he was offered a wheelchair but it probably wouldn't have looked good.
I get up, rubbing the top of Talia little head, and make my way to Smilo's office.
When I walk in, he has fork and knife in hand cutting into a rare steak.
"Ah, there he is," Smilo says when I walk in and close the door behind me, "sit sit, Morales."
I pull the chair under me in front of his desk. "Are you ever not eating?"
"Ha! You're the first person in a long time to ask me that," Smilo says without even looking up at me, "you've seen my son's quirk haven't you?"
I nod.
"It's not different from mine, except I get a lot bigger, that's why I have to eat so much."
My eyes go wide. 'A lot bigger.' Holy crap that's scary!
"What was that place in the mountains, how'd it get there? And what were you doing for those army looking guys, and what..."
Smilo raises a huge hand and I know to stop talking.
"Don't worry Morales,that business is concluded," Smilo says, "Unfortunately, with the amount of money they offer it won't be hard to find other gangs to do their bidding. I'm handling it, and they will pay a price. That I guarantee."
Okay. That's good, "Are you really Cobra Riot's brother?"
Smilo nods gently, "Adoptive brother, yes."
"Bigger or little?"
Smilo pauses his meal then leans on his desk and covers a huge distance to look me dead in the eyes.
"What do you think?"
Gulp. Okay, message received.
"It seems I owe you a debt," Smilo says dabbing his mouth and polishing each of his long sabre teeth, "you saved my men, and more importantly, my children, what would it take to call us even for such a great act, hmm?"
I don't have to think long, "A house in a border town, that looks out to Fresh Water bay and—"
"I run a gang Morales," Smilo interrupts, "I'm not a miracle worker."
Yeah, but I figure it was worth a shot.
"My brother needs a job, an honest one, and his record cleared."
Smilo nods, "Consider it done."
"Add a large starting bonus so my mom can take a vacation."
Smilo nods again, a small smile at his lips, "Hmm, you're a good son Morales. Your father would have been proud."
He… "Did you really know him?"
"I did," Smilo answers leaning back in his chair.
"Let me ask you a question Morales. If you become a hero, where will you go, Upper of Lower?"
Go to Upper South?
Cushy job, cushy house, cushy life. Could even move Mom and Alex up there, and live in comfort, maybe even find out what the hell caviar is… Gag!
"Psh, what the hell is in Upper South but a bunch of plush losers, and anyway, Lower Side is crying out for an actual hero."
Smilo nods with his eyes closed, "Melodies that are tearful cries."
Wait a minute! "Did you just say.."
Smilo gets up to his feet and standing really really tall, and looking out the window of his study.
"Theres a lot about this place, this country, that everyone has chosen to forget. What your generation is yet to know."
Smilo has his back turned, "But I'm glad there are young people like you, Morales, like my son, who can do what needs to be done."
Well that's cryptic, "Uh, I think I better go now."
Smilo raises his hand which I guess means he's allowing me.
I get up and walk the length of the room to the door.
I pause under the doorway, "That thing you said..."
"What thing?" Smilo asks, still not looking my way.
"The 'melodies like tearful cries', thing." I answer and see Smilo shift.
He turns around, and strolls in front of his desk.
"What about it?" Smilo asks.
"It's just that… My dad said something like that once too," it's way too weird to be a coincidence
"What does it mean?"
Smilo grins, really wide and scary, "Come back after you get into K.I, and I'll teach you."
He wanders back around the desk, pauses a moment as if thinking about something.
"As a matter of fact, if you come back, I'll teach you everything you need to know to become strong. Stronger than even me."
If he thinks I'm ever tying up that bandanna around my arm he's gonna be disappointed.
"Smilo, I'm never going to—"
"And I don't want you to, Morales," Smilo cat eyes stare across the room right at me, "What I want, is for you to become a great hero of your people. Trust me, Morales. I never lie."
For some reason, I do trust him.
"Okay," I answer, "I'll come back. Thanks."
I say goodbye to Ison and Talia as I leave their place, eager to go somewhere to practice my new power.
Tomorrow is the K.I entrance exam, and I've never felt more ready for anything. I'm going to show them all what dust is capable of.
.
| Morales Dotti, Age:15, Quirk: Hydrogen Collider (H-bomb) |