Ironwood

December 6th 2001

I sat on a roof top, my creatures were helping with the evacuation of the city, Eidolon looked more confident as he leaned against a wall.

"So how are the kids doing?"

"Loud and smelly."

The corner of his lip rose just a little bit, and he stared out into the emptying city.

"So, was it worth it?"

I nod my head.

"Despite it all, I feel this thing you humans call love, I am...content."

He nodded his head.

"When this is over, when the Endbringer wars and Zion's finished, I think I will settle down, find someone nice and have a few kids of my own."

"And stop being a hero?"

"Nah, I just need to find someone who can put up with the lifestyle. So aren't you worried about, you know outliving your kids?"

I shrug.

"There is a difference between living and existing, I have existed for a long time but I think, that for the first time I'm alive."

He nodded his head, his face turned towards the setting sun, of all of the Protectorate Eidolon talked to me the most. Most of the other capes avoided me, I didn't let it bother me, we had bigger problems.

"It's going to rise again."

He turned back towards me.

"The sun, I mean it's going to rise again."

I said nothing, not wanting to interupt.

"I.. I took your advice Im back up to my old self now."

"The cape?"

"Had a kill order, nasty bastard. How long until...well?"

"I don't know, Keter is beyond even my understanding."

He sighed.

"It's a lot to take in."

"You wear a royal crown, such a thing always weighs heavy."

I paused as the wind blew.

"If it helps, you pull it off a lot better then Eden ever did, she had a lousy fashion sense."

In the darkness I think he smiled.

"So any advice?"

"His power is to create bubbles of altered time, he will not hold back, I have been studying portions of Behemoth's core and...I don't know if it will work but I can at least warn people as best I can. I'm going to need your help, I can hold him in place but I need someone to take the shot. Don't go for raw power think conceptually. I can't fix the ravages of time, we need to put him down fast."

"Going for the kill...I know it's rough you."

"I have to choose between two families, my past and the future. I have chosen the future. I won't enjoy it but I will do what must be done."

We stood there, I meditated on my army of creatures, I had learned a few things from the Behemoth fight, my creatures evolved and I waited.

The sun rose, I looked at Eidolon.

"He's coming, five hours until arrival at his current pace."

"Good."

He jumped off the roof and we walked through the cramped streets of the city, I saw soldiers, capes, policemen, and a few ordinary people who decided to fight. I didn't know if they were brave or crazy. I stopped briefly and blinked. A man was sewlling... Endbringer T-shirts? Really? Most people ignored him, a few glared at him with hostility, and a few people bought his wares. Eidolon frowned as we walked by, the man waved at me.

"Hello, you're Ironwood, right?"

"Get to safety, the Endbringer will attack soon."

The man shrugged.

"It's dangerous inside the city, it's dangerous outside the city, I take my chances, yes?"

I shrugged.

"An autograph?"

I stared at the man.

"If you agree to get to safety, I will sign your shirt."

"But my cart!"

I threw a seed to the ground, a massive creature formed and opened up, two servitors walked out.

"I am willing to help you, but please get to safety."

The man nodded and I signed the T-shirt, the man and his cart moved inside the creature and flew off to one of the safety zones. Eidolon shook his head.

"Idiot."

I shrugged as we walked into the square were an african superhero was giving a speech, Eidolon walked off to talk to the other members of the Protectorate. We took our positions and waited and then in the distance the ground shook. The creature arose and stared at the assembled army, and then the world lit up with light.

The airforce's of 40 different countries sent forth their payloads, the creature stood unharmed, space and time twisted and buildings turned into dust within his presence. I sent my creatures forward trying to analize his powers as they died in droves. I gave warnings as bubbles of space time formed trying to help the assembled army advoid the traps. This effort was only particially successful. I tuned out the names of the dead. Behemoth had the power to affect powers. My study of his core and cells gave me some ideas, but his power just disrupted the connection between shard and host, it didn't truly nullfy powers.

"I need a sample."

The words were met with silence as the Thinkers thought it over.

"Of what?"

"If I could get just a little of his flesh, I could analize his powers, then I might be able to make a countermeasure, find a way to pop the bubbles of space time before they kill people and destroy buildings."

I sent forward more of my minions, escorting people to safety keeping the army mobile.

"How much do you need?"

"A single Kilo of his flesh might be enough, all I need is a tiny sample, something to analize. I won't be able to replicate his powers, but next time..."

"Ok Ironwood, were authorizing you to go in."

I charged forward, forming a new sword the air distorted around me, my minions kept dying even as I evolved them. I felt the world slow and distort, I concentrated on what I had learned from Behemoth, on the connection and...I'm back, free from the bubble. I'm close now and I take a swipe, that misses. He's fast, I attack with smaller minions and watch as they turn to dust. I felt light amusement, and a sense of mockery, I moved quickly getting in a light cut. I could feel the creature amusement, unfortunately for him I now had a tissue sample. I turned my attention to it studying it.

If I could I would smile.

"Gotcha."

I evolved my creatures into sucide drones, and started bursting the bubbles of time. I couldn't create my own, I didn't have the raw power for it, but bursting them? If I was fast enough lives could be saved.

"Casualties are down."

The world around me shifted and warped, bubble after bubble formed, my attacks were simply ineffective, Behemoth was hard but I found a way to use his power against him. Cronus was more ethereal. I kept him in place, and we dance around each other striking and counter striking, his bubbles formed around the city and I aggressively popped them, eventually the roar of laser, missile, and blasters started hitting it, damaging it. The creature slipped out of my grasp as it ran away. I chased him down but the bursting of his bubbles stopped me and eventually he escaped.

I felt angry and frustrated.

"Casuilities 20% of taskforce."

"I failed."

"We drove him off, and you figured out a countermeasure, come back to to the revievue point big guy, a lot of people need your help."

I studied the sea and walked back to the alliance, the city was damaged and ripped apart, a lot of people were dead. As I looked around at the ruined city I didn't feel like a victor.