"Happy Birthday, dear Lily! Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone sang, Lily sitting in front of a birthday cake with a large 'nine' candle lit in the center. Isaac, Sally, Horace, Xorelaz, and Vylania were standing around the kitchen table in their apartment, it only being around one in the afternoon on a Saturday. Lily took in a deep breath, blowing out the candle. Everyone clapped, Sally taking the candle off of the cake and beginning to slice it.
"Dibs on the corner piece." Xorelaz exclaimed, Vylania laughing.
"It's a circle! There are no corners!" Vylania laughed. Xorelaz grinned, achieving his endgame of making her laugh.
"And you two say you're not dating!" Horace commented, getting a piece of cake on his plate.
"Does making each other laugh really mean we're dating?" Xorelaz asked. Horace swallowed his bite of cake, putting his fork down on his plate.
"You two share an apartment, you both come into work at the same time, and you two eat lunch with each other, getting the same exact thing you two always get and have been getting for the past seventeen years." Horace explained.
"Except on Tuesdays." They both said at the same time.
"My point exactly." Horace said, taking another bite of cake. Soon, Isaac and Sally went into their room to grab Lily's birthday present. Xorelaz and Vylania were laughing a bit to themselves, Lily getting excited to see what they got her.
"Man, she's going to freak out!" Vylania whispered, knowing exactly what they got her. After a few moments, the door opened, Isaac sitting in the lotus position, floating on an Extreme Gear board! The board floated into the Living Room with Sally walking behind it, Lily looking wide-eyed! Isaac quickly got off the board, holding a pair of specialized shoes and goggles, all in Lily's size. The board was a white-and-grey color, the board on its lowest power setting, only hovering a few inches off of the ground.
"So, what do you think?" Isaac asked, gesturing towards the board. Lily was awestruck, slowly walking to the board. She placed a hand on the board, feeling the energy radiating throughout the deck. She quickly hopped up on the board, the board keeping its position since she wasn't wearing the specialized shoes to control it. She quickly leaped onto Isaac, her arms hooking around his neck, Lily tightly hugging him!
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lily exclaimed, actually beginning to cry! Isaac held her tightly, hoisting her up onto his shoulder.
"Don't only thank me. Sally was the one that found it for you." Isaac explained. Lily quickly leapt from Isaac's arms to Sally, hugging her tightly as well! Sally wasn't expecting the sudden leap towards herself, stumbling backwards before catching herself!
"I love you, Sally!" Lily said, her face buried into her shoulder. Sally tightened her embrace on her, nestling into the hug.
"I love you too, Lily! Now, try on the shoes and goggles! I can't wait to see you racing on this thing!" Sally said, letting go of Lily. Lily quickly snatched the goggles and shoes out of Isaac's hands, quickly putting them on!
Lily hopped onto the board, the board reacting to the shoes on her feet. The board began humming with energy, responding to the position of her feet She gently shifted her left foot forward, the board beginning to move forward. She leaned to the right, the board rotating to the right. She leaned to the left, the board rotating to the left. She quickly centered herself, the board ceasing all movement. Lily smiled widely, excited by the board's smooth movements.
"We gotta take it to the park right now! Please?!" Lily asked, hopping off of it.
"Well, is anyone up for taking this party mobile?" Sally asked. The others agreed to it, not wanting to see Lily get upset over not being able to test her board.
"Alright, but I'm driving. One of you is going to be walking." Horace said, taking his car keys out of his jacket pocket.
"How far is the park from here?" Isaac asked, willing to be the one walking.
"About twenty miles. But how I've seen you run, should only take you a few minutes." Sally said. Lily giggled a bit, grabbing the board.
"Who said anything about running?" Lily asked, gesturing to the board. Isaac smirked a bit, liking her idea. While he knew she had never used one, her acrobatic abilities would most likely be useful in her staying on the board when keeping her balance.
"Just need to extend it." Lily said, pushing a button on the board, the board doubling in length.
Five Minutes Later:
Isaac and Lily were balanced on the board, Lily being in charge of guiding the board! They were going as fast as Horace in his car, the board being at fifteen percent power capacity! They were about two feet above the ground, moving at about 25 MPH.
"Left!" Lily yelled, Isaac and Lily leaning to the left. They moved to the left, going past a biker on a motorcycle.
"Right!" Lily yelled, them leaning to the right, merging into the center lane.
"Stop!" Lily yelled, Isaac and Lily stepping back, the board immediately slowing down. They soon stopped at the traffic light, Horace pulling up beside them in his car. The window rolled down, Sally being in the passenger seat.
"How's things moving?" Sally asked, a bit nervous for this being Lily's first time using an Extreme board.
"This thing is awesome! It's official: I'm riding this thing all night long!" Lily exclaimed, her excitement barely containing itself!
"Well, just be careful! It's not like a skateboard! You're going to be falling further than a few inches." Sally warned, not wanting her to get hurt. But as soon as the light turned green, Lily increased the power on the board, the board now capable of going much faster! Isaac and Lily shot out from the traffic light, their speed increasing the further they went!
Horace began driving after them, feeling amused by this! He began shifting gears, jumping up speeds to catch up to them! He began laughing, the road merging into the fastest lane in Central City, reaching up to 65 MPH!
"Horace, be careful!" Vylania exclaimed, noticing he was shifting gears the faster he built up speed!
But Horace wasn't listening, feeling like when he was a young man! No one was in his car, being a souped-up hot rod! It was nighttime, Horace racing against an old rival of his! The lights of the city illuminated their path, illegally racing on the fastest road of the city! They were going more than 40 MPH over the speed limit, their engines roaring as they raced on the street!
"Horace, what the hell are you doing?! You're going to blow the engine!" A voice yelled out over his headset. Horace chuckled, shifting his gears forward.
"Not letting this shmendrik win, Jack! I've got the nitrous ready!" Horace answered, flipping the cover off of the button.
"WHAT?! NO! IT'S NOT READY!" Jack shouted, not having tested it yet, the nitrous being in the middle of being installed!
"And I'm willing to risk it!" Horace replied, laughing! Horace hit the button, the hot rod suddenly shifting forward, the speed indicator needle breaking! The car rocketed off like a Bat out of Hell, the tires spinning faster and faster! Horace gripped the wheel, feeling a surge of adrenaline!
"Whoohoo!" Horace yelled out, speeding past his rival! The finish line was coming up, a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk, their phones flashing, taking pictures.
"HORACE, SLOW DOWN!" Jack yelled over his headset, the finish line coming up faster and faster!
Suddenly, the tires blew, throwing the car over the road, rolling, and tumbling towards the finish line! Horace braced himself inside of the rolling vehicle, feeling like he was getting crushed inside of the cabin of the vehicle! The car soon stopped rolling, Horace upside down. Horace opened his eyes, unable to see the finish line from his window. Smashing out his window, Horace crawled out of his totaled vehicle, feeling a deep, throbbing pain in his leg. He carefully got up, now seeing why he couldn't see the finish line. His car rolled over the finish line, beating his rival!
"WHOO! Told you we would win, Jack!" Horace yelled out, before a squad of police cars came upon the scene, the crowd of people running off, Horace's rival performing an illegal U-Turn to avoid criminal charges.
"Don't move! Keep your hands up and don't move!" One of the officers announced over his speaker, Horace proceeding to follow his orders.
"Ah… FUCK!" Horace yelled out, his arms above his head.
"Horace? Horace? Horace!" Vylania said, shaking his shoulder. Horace snapped out of his reminiscence, proceeding to shift down his gears and slow down his vehicle. Horace stopped at the traffic light, seeing Lily and Isaac had passed them, still heading towards the park.
"Sorry about that. Just… this road brings a lot of memories, back when I was a younger man." Horace explained.
"If you mean when you used to be a drag racer, you already told us that story." Xorelaz said. Sally quickly turned towards Horace; not sure she had heard that right.
"You were a drag racer?" She asked, Horace beginning to smile in response.
"Well, when I was a young man, with more balls than brain, I used to race on this exact stretch of road in a custom-built hot rod of my design! Of course, after my last race, I had to give it up." Horace answered.
"Why'd you give it up?" Sally asked. Horace began driving again, the light having turned green.
"I ended up totaling my car using an improperly installed nitrous boost. I won, but I gave myself a limp after rolling in the car over the finish line. I was arrested, convicted of illegal street racing, and after I had served my time, I found that I couldn't go back to racing, since my old partner, Jack, refused to wanting to do anything with me after I ended up destroying our car." Horace explained, making a right turn.
"Why would that stop you from racing?" Sally asked.
"Well, I was on parole, so racing was out of the question. But after I had served my parole, my injury prevented me from racing. Too risky for a crippled man. So, I took up my uncle's offer on working with him in his chain of laundromats, he eventually gave up the ghost, and I inherited his business. Of course, a lot of good that did me, considering I'm responsible for my detergent booster being the designer drug of choice in Central City." Horace answered.
"Sorry to hear that. What about your friend, Jack?" Sally asked.
"He's still around. Last I checked, he works as a manager in a mechanic's shop. Of course, that was a few years ago. But right now, we just need to focus on where Isaac and Lily are going. And I have to admit, that little girl looks like she could end up being a racer, by how well she's riding." Horace answered, seeing Isaac and Lily ahead of him, still going fast.
"Maybe… I'm just worried about her getting hurt, is all." Sally said.
"Her hurt? I don't know if you realized it or not, but she's not your average little girl. She's like Isaac, Sally. If she does get hurt, it's not like it's going to keep her down." Xorelaz responded.
"Xorelaz, I don't think that's the point she's trying to make. She's just worried about her getting hurt in general, not if it's going to be lasting or not." Vylania clarified.
Isaac and Lily were still going strong on the board, slowly weaving through traffic. Lily was having the time of her life, feeling the wind in her hair! She surmised this as the closest she would get to flying! She looked up at her older brother, seeing he wasn't paying attention to her, but instead to what was in front of them.
Subtly, Lily shifted her foot on the board, increasing the power. Suddenly, the board skyrocketed upwards, the two soon finding themselves thirty feet above the road! Isaac's footing held out, but them being this high above the ground was the last thing he was expecting!
"Woah! Lily, what happened?!" Isaac exclaimed, seeing they were too high up to fall safely! Instead of answering him, Lily shifted her foot forward, the board zooming forward, Isaac leaning forward in response to keep his balance!
"Whoohoo!" Lily exclaimed, adrenaline surging through her body as they raced onward! Horace looked up, seeing them soaring far above the road! Instead of fearing for their safety, he began grinning again, tightening his grip on the steering wheel with his left hand, and the gear shift with his right.
"Everyone, hold onto something!" Horace said, stepping on the gas as he shifted gears in accordance with his speed! Soon, they began racing after Isaac and Lily, the board taking them where the car couldn't exactly go!
"Lily, we need to stop!" Isaac ordered, knowing she was doing this on purpose! Lily wasn't listening, soaring over the streets as she controlled the board! Isaac looked down, seeing Horace was right under them, keeping up with the speed of the board! Isaac could see they were still too high up, Lily being in control of the entire situation.
"Lily, if you don't take us back down, you're grounded!" Isaac threatened. Lily responded by stopping the board, Horace speeding past them! Lily hit the power gauge with her foot, the board plummeting to the ground! Isaac bent down, grabbing underneath the board! Lily quickly stopped it, Isaac falling off, his hand still hooked on the board!
Isaac looked down, seeing that he could easily let go and land, only being a few feet from the ground. But he looked back up, seeing Lily was banking off of him wanting to get off from the board, letting her go on her own.
"No way, Lily! I'm not letting you go off on your own on this thing just yet!" Isaac said, hoisting himself back onto the board. Lily stomped onto the power gauge again, the board gaining altitude and speed in a blink of an eye, Isaac hanging on for dear life!
Sally looked from her window, seeing Isaac and Lily speed past them again, Isaac hanging onto the board with one hand!
"Oh shit, Isaac!" Sally exclaimed, knowing Isaac wasn't doing this for kicks! Horace began racing after them again, Isaac attempting to get himself back onto the board! Lily quickly shifted course, weaving through light poles and buildings in an attempt to get Isaac off of the board!
"What is going through her head?!" Isaac asked himself, Lily acting unlike herself! Isaac quickly kicked himself off of a passing wall, gaining enough momentum to flip himself back onto the deck of the board, Lily focused on what was in front of her!
"Enough of this!" Isaac said, grabbing Lily under her arm and jumping off of the board, him, and Lily landing on the roof of a nearby building, the board going off without them.
Breathing heavily, Isaac spun Lily to face him, seeing she was still zoned out, as if she were still on the board.
"Lily? Hey, Lily!" Isaac said, shaking her shoulder. Lily shook her head, snapping out of her focus. She blinked a few times, seeing Isaac in front of her, no longer on the hoverboard.
"Hey, uh, what happened?" Lily asked, not sure of how they got to here.
"You don't remember? You almost bucked me off of the board! We were trying to ride it to the park." Isaac answered.
"What?! No, that's impossible!" Lily responded, before noticing her sneakers lighting up, the hoverboard zooming back to them. Before Lily could grab it, Isaac beat her to it, snatching it out of the air. Isaac pressed a button under the deck, rendering the board accessible to anyone besides the one wearing the sneakers. Isaac tossed the board towards the edge of the building, wrapping an arm around Lily, lifting her from the ground.
Isaac hopped onto the board, the board moving off of the building's roof and Isaac placing his foot onto the power gauge, the board lowering itself to the ground before Isaac hopped off with Lily. As Horace pulled up with the car, Isaac pushed a button underneath the board, the board collapsing into a small disk, small enough to fit in his pocket.
"You'll get this back once you learn to control yourself." Isaac scolded, putting the disc into his pocket. Lily looked down away from Isaac, feeling like she was being scolded by him back when they were on his ship. He and Lily walked to the car, Isaac opening the door, Lily silently going inside the car, sitting down beside Vylania and Xorelaz, putting on her seatbelt. Isaac closed the door, Isaac walking to the passenger window, Sally lowering it to talk to Isaac.
"What happened? One moment, I saw you and Lily having fun, and then next thing I know, you're hanging off of it for dear life!" Sally asked.
"Lily became overzealous with the board. Right now, she's grounded until she learns to control herself. Listen, just… take her home. We'll go to the park with the board another day." Isaac said.
"Are you sure? I mean, we can just let her off with a warning for now." Sally asked. Isaac shook his head, not agreeing with that assessment.
"She tried to buck me off the board from thirty feet in the air! I'm not letting her get off with a warning for almost sending me plummeting to the pavement." Isaac said, adamant in his decision.
"So… is that a no-go on the park, then?" Horace asked. Isaac nodded, feeling getting back home with Lily was best for today.
"You're gonna have to take the subway to get back, Isaac. We'll have some pizza ready for you once you get back." Xorelaz said, before Horace put the car into drive, driving off and making a U-Turn.
Isaac walked down the sidewalk, eventually making his way to the staircase entrance to the underground metro. As Isaac was walking downstairs, he felt something burning the back of his head. He quickly looked behind him, seeing no one there. Confused, Isaac continued going downstairs, before making his way to the metro station. Isaac stopped at the platform, a large crowd of people already waiting for the train.
Isaac looked up to the ETA monitor, seeing the metro was delayed by thirty seconds. As he waited, he felt the burning in the back of his head again. Isaac instinctively looked behind himself again, but as before, there was no one behind him. Isaac rubbed the back of his head, not feeling anything out of the ordinary. The metro soon pulled into the platform, the door opening. Isaac and the crowd of people walked into the cart, the doors closing as soon as the last person went in.
The train soon sped from the platform, people instinctively grabbing handles and poles to keep themselves from falling over. Isaac looked at the map on the metro, seeing he would need to stay on when they get to the next platform, then get off and take the 'D' route on the map to get to Station Square.
Soon, the metro pulled into the next platform, the majority of the people on the cart getting off. After a minute, the metro pulled from the platform, heading back down the track. As the metro sped down the track, Isaac began walking in the cart, stretching out his legs a bit. As he did this, Isaac soon felt his legs give out from under him, falling down onto his knees! Isaac's hands retreated to the back of his head, the burning sensation stronger than ever, as if it were on fire! This time, Isaac felt something on the back of neck, managing to grab whatever it was and pull it out of his neck!
Isaac felt a small trickle of blood, attempting to stand up. Suddenly, Isaac felt a hand help him get back up onto his feet. Isaac shook his head; the burning sensation receding. Isaac felt the object he had pulled out from the base of his head in his hand, taking a better look at it. In his bloodied fingertips was a small cylinder with a small LED light on the tip of it. Suddenly, the LED light lit up, an electrical current going through the object, causing Isaac to drop it! Isaac looked over his shoulder, seeing the person that had helped him back up onto his feet. It was Nate Morgan, the Overlander he had met a few weeks ago.
"Mr. Morgan?" Isaac questioned, not expecting to see him again so soon. Nate smiled at this, bending down, and grabbing the cylindrical device.
"Nice to see you recognized me. How've you been, Mr. Horowitz?" Nate asked, studying the device.
"Good. I was just headed home. I didn't expect to see you here." Isaac answered.
"I can say the same about you. Of course, it's a good thing you did. Especially considering you just pulled out a Nervous System Disabler." Nate Morgan said, recognizing the device.
"A what?" Isaac asked, not knowing what that was.
"A Nervous System Disabler. It's a type of non-lethal incapacitation device. And by the looks of it, it didn't hit full power until you got out of range of the person that fired it at you." Nate Morgan explained.
"Someone fired at me? But… I'm sure I would've felt it." Isaac asked, unsure of how something like this could've latched onto him without him noticing.
"It's specially designed to use electric currents to nullify pain receptors from sensing it. And by the looks of it, it was set on a timer to send electric signals at certain intervals." Nate Morgan explained, before an electric current caused him to drop it.
The train soon stopped at the next platform, Isaac stepping off. Nate Morgan followed, stepping on and breaking the Disabler on his way off of the train.
"Being hit with one of those, it tells me someone's after you. Now, you don't look like the one who would be chased after by police, so that tells me someone has something personal against you." Nate Morgan assessed.
"I don't think so. I'm just a guy who's just trying to get back to his apartment." Isaac said, not trying to stir suspicion.
Back on the surface of the city, The Subject had lost track of Isaac, the means of tracking him, the Nervous System Disabler, which was designed to send trackable electric signals, was destroyed.
"I have lost track of him, my lord. But if he was able to remove the tracker, then it proves he is our intended target." The Subject explained.
"Not to worry. This is only a minor setback. Now, we know this Issachar is truly Isaac. When you locate him again, engage to kill! We must kill him to end Azazel's bloodline!" Francis ordered.
"And what of the girl?" The Subject asked, referencing towards Lily.
"Don't bother. She takes too much from the mother. As far as we know, she was a mortal woman. But we'll be sure to keep tabs on her. Do not engage the others of his family unless I give the go-ahead." Francis answered.
"Yes, my lord." The Subject responded, before soaring around possible points of exit from the metro.
After about ten minutes, the HUD in the suit began lighting up, already finding Isaac exiting the metro station. The Subject began covertly following him, seeing Isaac head toward his apartment complex. Francis, all the way back in the Knothole Stronghold, saw Isaac crossing the street, a good opening for The Subject to strike!
"Attack! Now!" Francis ordered. The Subject didn't hesitate to follow the order, the hydrogen fuel cells sending large charges to the thrusters, the glider rocketing towards Isaac! Isaac's head snapped to the roar of the engines, seeing the armored assailant coming towards him! Isaac quickly leaped sideways, The glider's razors missing him by mere inches! The glider performed a 180-degree turn, The Subject shifting his foot, the machineguns onboard coming online!
"Try dodging this!" The Subject called out, the guns firing off! Isaac pushed his hand out in front of him, creating a barrier of heat! The bullets went towards him, before the lead melting and losing their momentum, spatters of molten metal landing harmlessly on the crosswalk! The people around began running from the scene of attack, distancing themselves as far as possible from the situation!
Taking in a deep breath, Isaac let it out, a great jet of Hellfire enveloping The Subject! Isaac didn't care about his cover anymore, knowing it wasn't worth to maintain it if innocent people would get killed because of the Order! Out of breath, Isaac stopped his attack. The Subject soon appeared before him, revealing himself to be intact!
"Impossible!" Isaac exclaimed, having given that attack everything he had! The Subject pulled three metal balls from his belt, steam emanating from them! The Subject threw it at Isaac, cackling as it soared towards him! Isaac's eyes widened, recognizing it to be one of the bombs that killed his father! Isaac crossed his arms in front of himself, bracing himself! The bombs detonated, the force of it throwing Isaac from the crosswalk, covering him in a thin layer of silver nitrate! Isaac's skin began blistering and melting, damaged muscle and bone being exposed!
"RAAAGH!" Isaac bellowed, before his being was enveloped in fire! A great column of fire shot towards the sky, reaching past the highest point of the tallest skyscraper in the city! Isaac instantly transformed into his Demonic Form; the damage already having been repaired! The column of fire dissipated, Isaac charging towards The Subject!
Francis was watching from the HUD, seeing Isaac's body temperature displayed, showing it was averaging close to ten thousand degrees! The Subject began firing as fast as the machineguns could, the bullets ripping through Isaac! Isaac didn't stop, Isaac storming towards him faster than he had ever ran after anyone before!
"Quick, get out of there!" Francis ordered, needing The Subject to gain the advantage! The Subject obliged, the glider quickly turning around and soaring off! The Subject bent down, his hand gripping the glider! The glider soon picked up speeds in excess of 700 MPH, beginning to reach sound barrier limits! A loud 'Boom' ripped through the city, The Subject not knowing its origins! The Subject looked behind himself, not seeing Isaac! But as his head was turned, the HUD began lighting up, before Isaac launched himself at the glider, a hand full of claws slashed against the armored chassis of The Subject, knocking him off of the glider!
"Impossible!" Francis exclaimed, Isaac somehow breaking the sound barrier chasing after The Subject!
The glider quickly changed operation modes, plummeting towards The Subject! The glider soon ran itself under the feet of The Subject, anchoring itself to him before pulling up, saving him from the descent! Isaac landed onto the pavement, his hooved feet breaking through the street! Isaac looked up, seeing The Subject was still attempting to retreat! Breathing heavily, Isaac charged up all of his energy, feeling as if every cell of his being was being deprived of their basic energy!
In a great show of power, Isaac quickly jabbed his index finger towards The Subject, a great stream of super-concentrated plasma firing out! The HUD of The Subject alerted him, The Subject only having enough time to look back, before the plasma hit him, his left arm being disintegrated down to the elbow! The armor and glider soon took over, locking him into place to automatically escort him out of the area!
Isaac's finger was still pointed to where The Subject was, reverted back to his normal form. His clothing in tatters, Isaac soon collapsed onto his knees, feeling as if his entire being was deprived of even the most basic forms of life-sustaining energy! Isaac reached into the pocket of the tattered remains of his pants, pulling out the collapsed hoverboard. Isaac pressed the button on it, the board unfolding. Isaac collapsed fully upon it, hitting the button on it that would cause it home in on the equipment that came with it, being the sneakers he got for Lily.
Soon, the board began taking him away from the area, G.U.N. agents arriving shortly afterward to investigate what exactly had happened!
Twenty Minutes Later:
Isaac was pulling himself through the bathroom window, the board on his stomach. Isaac fell through, his body hitting the floor. He slowly picked himself up, the board gently hovering near the floor. Isaac bent down, collapsing the board with a push of a button. He picked up the collapsed disk, setting it down on the sink.
"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked his reflection, never before using such power! His reflection morphed to that of the demon, who looked just as exhausted as he was.
"I… I couldn't let him escape unscathed. I used whatever energy we could spare and collected it into a new attack! His armor could withstand the fires of Hell, but nothing could withstand the very core of the Sun!" The Demon explained.
"That much energy?! It could've killed me!" Isaac admonished.
"I helped us reserve enough energy to keep us alive. But right now, we need to rest. An injury like that will prevent him from seeking us out for a time. We must rest and plan." The Demon explained, before disappearing from the mirror.