Author's Note: It's not political. The main hero of the story is a business owner and former Marine with traditional American values who uses technology with a patriotic motif for his crime fighting endeavors. So I figured his arch-nemesis should be his polar opposite—nature-themed powers and a counterculture motif. City of Villains provided the perfect model with the plant dominator archetype. Besides, I don't hear complaints about Hollywood writers politicizing their movies when they consistently depict conservative types like me as ignorant, bigoted hayseeds. As far as whether or not you're supposed to like Dave, that's entirely up to the reader.
VI
If Dave knew his former employers—and he did—Crey would already have increased the security around the other facilities attached to Project Demigod. To compensate, he needed additional firepower. Merely adding more battle drones may not be sufficient, and may tax his command and control. He had to build a more powerful bot.
"I'm receiving traffic over the Liberty Brigade's communications network, Dr. Grant," Sarah said.
Dave paused in his work. "Patch it down to my workstation please."
The speakers near Dave's workbench cut in mid-broadcast. "—we've been drawn into an ambush by Devoured Earth. Need backup from any available Brigaders."
The transmission ended, and Dave paused in his work. He set his soldering iron aside and swivelled around on his stool.
"That sounded like Shadow Vision's voice," he said. "Sarah, can you triangulate the source of that broadcast?"
"It's coming from an area near Talos Island."
"Compile for me the coordinates of all the known Devoured Earth sightings near Talos Island."
"If you intend to intercede, Dr. Grant, need I remind you that Crey Biotech has you on its most wanted list."
"I'm not worried about Crey's clones."
"Crey Biotech is a respected corporation with many philanthropic causes."
"Outwardly. Crey employs a lot of decent, honorable employees and executives. But I know the truth of its dark central underbelly."
"You should know, Crey's Vice President of North American Operations has convinced the Paragon Police Department that you are a threat to the city. You may have to deal with the police as well as Paragon's heroes."
"Prepare my armor, Sarah."
---
Kari leaped into the air, her gaze focused on where her husband had landed. Ben levered himself to his feet, and he stumbled dazedly as he tried to retire from the vine-like Devoured Earth. Kari swooped in and directed her healing magic at Ben.
Just in time, too, for a D.E. vine unleashed a volley of thorns at the armored hero. The missiles peppered Ben, most glancing off his blue armor. Kari gasped, however, when she saw that a few had embedded themselves in his back. She poured more healing power into him, and his body seemed to eject the thorns as his wounds closed themselves.
Ben's full awareness finally returned, but the D.E. vines' attention was now on Kari. She increased her altitude, only to feel the sharp points of hard thorns pierce her chest and upper arms. She concentrated on her healing aura, which pushed out the thorns and closed her wounds.
Ben, meanwhile, opened fire on the walking vegetation, directing a cone of energy that simultaneously slammed into all three vine creatures, driving them back.
Kari twisted around and settled her gaze on Derek, who had transformed into a bulky, clawed creature that many around Paragon City had dubbed the Kheldians' "lobster" form. Derek waded into the Devoured Earth stone creatures, bashing away. She directed healing energy into the warshade to keep him in fighting trim.
She whirled around, toward her husband once again. Ben, surrounded by walking vines, had gone airborne to avoid the creatures' launched thorns and swinging appendages. His energy beams flashed almost continuously.
A boulder came from somewhere behind Kari, soaring through the air. She saw it out of the corner of her eye, and she changed altitude to avoid it, but the boulder struck her shoulder. She felt bone crack and skin peel away even as she spun out of control. She landed hard on the sandy beach.
She lifted herself to her feet and cast her healing aura. The pain in her shoulder quickly vanished.
Derek lay on his back, trying to stand, when a D.E. rock creature clobbered him with an overhand blow. Kari threw a healing spell at him, and Derek started to rise. The rock creature pounded him again, even as Kari attempted to pour more healing power into him, but she was too late. Derek lay still, unconscious.
She unleashed her offensive powers, firing arcs of electrical energy into the closest rock monster. Chips of stone eroded from the beast's stony hide, but her target was otherwise unfazed.
Energy bolts lanced across the beach, raking one of the stone creatures. Ben had defeated the three vine creatures and had turned his attention to the D.E. rock monsters.
A large stone arced overhead and came down, caroming off Ben's armor. Ben staggered backward, and more stones rained down toward him. He danced around, evading the falling stones.
Kari slipped closer and cast a reviving spell on Derek. The warshade awoke and immediately turned his wrath on the trio's foes.
"All on one!" Derek cried.
While the warshade slammed his powerful pincers into one of the stone creatures, Ben and Kari unleashed their respective blasts. Energy bolts and electrical arcs etched into the stony hide.
The creature finally crumbled to pieces.
From the rubble, several small rock creatures came to life. Ben fired his cone of energy, eliminating them.
A D.E. drove its appendage into Derek's back where his clavicle would be if he was in his human form. He slumped to his knees, but before the enemy could deliver the coup de grace Ben poured a torrent of energy into the rock creature.
Another creature struck Derek even as Kari unleashed her healing power. It was insufficient, however, for the creature's blow was powerful enough to knock Derek senseless. The warshade slumped to the sand.
Ben, meanwhile, was suddenly surrounded by three earthen creatures. He delivered his new point blank weapon, shattering one of the creatures, but the other two double-teamed him. Ben lay unmoving in the sand, and the remaining rock monsters turned their attention to Kari.
And she was nearing exhaustion.
---
Richard dived out of the clouds and banked his jet hard right. Looking through the canopy, he could see the Devoured Earth rock creatures converging on Kari. Ben and Derek lay still in the sand as the foes focused on the last hero standing.
"Looks like we came none too soon," Richard said.
"I'm in," Frost Axe said.
No sooner had those words come through the communicator than Frost Axe descended on the downward leg of his leap from the shore of Talos Island. As soon as his feet touched the sand of the Devoured Earth-controlled island he waded into the group of earthen creatures. He swung his axe in a wide lateral arc as he did a three-sixty spin, hurling the D.E.s away from him.
"Autopilot on," Richard said, poking the switch on his instrument panel.
As the jet passed over the battle at a near hover, Richard opened the cockpit canopy. He and Hyppolyta leaped out and landed on the sand. The plane's autopilot directed the craft toward the nearest open ground to land.
Lyta placed an arrow into the center of a cluster of rock minions, and the arrowhead's proximity fuse detonated a low-yield explosive to spread fast-acting glue over the enemy. The creatures' movements became slowed as they fought the powerful adhesive. Lyta loaded another arrow and launched at the same group. The explosive packed on that arrowhead was more potent, and with a sharp bang pure explosive energy pummeled the rock monsters with kinetic force and hot flame.
A solitary rock creature had closed on Kari, and Richard could see that she was near the end of her endurance. Her movements were slow and unsteady, and her electrical arcs came in sporadic bursts.
Richard slammed his shoulder into the beast, deflecting its path away from Kari. He faced the foe and pummeled it with a combination of punches.
The creature responded with a backhanded blow, knocking Richard flat onto his back. Richard somersaulted back onto his feet and resumed pummeling the creature.
As Richard kept the earthen beast off her, Kari caught her breath. With her second wind, she moved to Ben's side to revive him via her magic. As soon as the armored hero was back on his feet, he fired off volleys of energy blasts.
"There are too many of them," Richard said, slamming his fist down with a powerful hammer blow. "Frosty and I will keep 'em occupied while the rest of you withdraw."
Lyta launched an explosive arrow that took off part of a rock creature's arm. "I won't leave your side, love."
"She's right," Ben said, vaporizing a rock creature's head with a powerful blast of energy. "You and Frosty won't hold out long against these things."
"I think I should be the judge of what I can and cannot handle," Frost Axe exclaimed as his magical axe clove through a stone creature's shoulder.
Volleys of energy pulses and laser fire suddenly erupted, showering one of the D.E.s with destructive energy.
The heroes looked on in surprise as Dave and his battle drones discharged their high-energy beams into the group of Devoured Earth.
Where had he come from? Richard wondered.
The battle drones fanned out on either side of their master, catching one of the Devoured Earth in a crossfire. Dave joined the attack with his pulse rifle, and the stone creature crumbled to ruin. Even as smaller creatures began to animate from the strewn rubble, the drones pulverized them with accurate strafing.
A Devoured Earth clubbed one of the drones, but the robot appeared to be protected by a bubble of force field energy. The drone counterattacked with a hammer attached to one of its arms. The rock creature reached high overhead and drove both arms down on top of the drone, successfully punching through the force field bubble. With a flash of sparks and swirling electrical arcs, the drone stumbled.
"Joshua!" Dave cried, opening fire with a volley from his rifle.
Ben soared overhead and delivered a series of energy bolts into the stone creature from above. The Devoured Earth collapsed before it could smash the damaged drone into wreckage.
The drone seemed to recover as backup systems spun into operation, and it rotated to rake a Devoured Earth with its dual laser blasters.
A rock creature swung a wide arc, striking Dave high in his armored chest with its massive arm. His rifle skittered out of his grasp as he landed hard on his back. As Dave pushed himself to his feet, the Devoured Earth raised its arms for an overhead blow.
The drones caught the stone creature in a crossfire. Ben and Derek—now in his gold-clad human form—strafed the foe with their own energy blasts. Shattered stone rained over Dave. Ben and Derek didn't relent in their fire, pulverizing the rubble before they could fully animate.
Kari moved in to heal Dave as he recovered his rifle.
The quartet—Ben, Kari, Derek, and Dave—found themselves surrounded by a number of Devoured Earth. They and Dave's drones formed a box formation, raking through the foes with their ranged attacks.
Down the beach from his compatriots, Richard grabbed hold of a Devoured Earth and, with his cybernetically-enhanced strength, hurled it at Frost Axe. Frosty swung his axe like a baseball bat and struck it with the side of his axe blade. The creature soared high.
"And it is outta here!" Richard cried in imitation of a baseball color commentator.
Lyta nocked an arrow and fired it at the soaring creature, striking it at the apex of its flight. Her explosive arrow detonated, pulverizing its torso. Its head, arms, and legs tumbled earthward.
"Nice shooting, baby," Richard said.
"Thank you, my darling," Lyta replied.
The Amazon spun around and fired off two arrows in succession. The first arrow netted a closing stone creature. It quickly broke through the netting, but Lyta's second arrow struck and splashed acid across the stone hide. Vapors rose from the hissing of the acid corroding the stone, and Richard attacked with a powerful punch that pulverized a hole through its torso. Frost Axe swung his axe at the creature's legs, severing them at where the knees would be. The D.E. monster fell backward, its arms flailing.
Richard leaped onto it and slammed both fists into its chest in an overhead blow. The monster crumbled. He picked up two of the animating pieces of rubble and chucked them at the Devoured Earth surrounding Ben, Kari, Derek, and Dave. As he'd intended, his attacks forced the attention of two creatures toward him.
As the pair of stone creatures shambled toward the three heroes, Richard, Lyta, and Frost Axe made short work of them.
Richard picked up two more of the animated rubble, and Frost Axe picked up the last. The two men hurled the tiny creatures at their larger cousins. The angry leviathans turned away from the surrounded heroes and moved toward Richard and his companions.
Lyta destroyed one with an explosive arrow, and Richard and Frost Axe double-teamed its partner.
The rest of the stone creatures fell one-by-one as the four in the middle of the ring of Devoured Earth combined their attacks on each one in succession. Whatever small creatures animated from the rubble were easily dealt with.
The combatants all paused to rest. Dave, his power cells apparently close to depletion, did not attempt to either fly or teleport away. Instead, he slumped to the sand beside his brother.
"This is the second time I had to bail you out," he said.
"It didn't take you long to crack our new firewall," Ben said.
"Bro, compared to my technical skills you're an amateur."
"That firewall was mine," Richard said.
"And the two of you together couldn't create better protection for your central computer?"
"We don't have the advantage of your AI," Ben said.
"What AI?" Dave asked innocently.
"Come on, Dave, I know about Sarah. She's your crowning achievement."
Dave made a sweeping gesture. "So, what happened here? I thought you were hunting the Eco-Activist, not the Devoured Earth cabal."
"We received reports that the Activist was here," Kari said.
"Obviously a false tip to send us into a den of Devoured Earth," Ben said.
"Is there anything you can tell us about your partner in crime, Dave?" Richard asked.
"I know little about him," Dave said, "except that he's a committed eco-terrorist."
"You two looked rather chummy in that armored car heist."
"It wasn't a heist. I prevented some of Crey's mutagens from being misused."
"And what about outside Paragon University?"
"He was an ally, and Ben should know about the concept of not leaving an ally behind." Dave shrugged. "The Eco-Activist was a means to an end."
"Revenge against Crey Biotech," Ben said.
"Yes."
"And when the Eco-Activist decided he wanted to attack more than just Crey, you distanced yourself from him."
"I wrung as much use out of him as I could even as we severed any last association. But now I realize how off the beam he really is. He's more of an immediate danger to the people of Paragon than even Crey's machinations. He may have to be returned to the Zig sooner rather than later."
"Are you offering to help us, Dave?"
"Only until the Eco-Activist is back behind bars."
"Legally, you're still a convicted felon."
"Ben, I was framed."
"For the embezzling. That attack on the armored car was your decision. Not to mention aiding and abetting the escape of the Eco-Activist."
"I don't apologize for that armored car operation. The people of Paragon are better off without those mutagens, and whatever Crey was going to engineer with that poison. I should have let you put the Eco-Activist behind bars when you had him at Paragon University, and the only way to rectify that mistake is to help you recapture him."
"The Liberty Brigade has an official charter with Freedom Corps and the Paragon City Council. I can't risk that by associating with a known felon."
"Even if he's your brother attempting to help you apprehend an even more dangerous criminal?"
Kari laid a hand on her husband's armored shoulder. "Honey, we have been trying to clear Dave since he was incarcerated."
"That was before he committed a real crime," Ben said. "Now it's our duty to apprehend him."
"Fine," Dave snapped. "If you don't want my help—"
"Wait," Kari said. "Ben, Dave, settle down."
Ben bowed his helmeted head, and Dave's own faceless helmet dipped downward.
The team's communicators chirped.
"It's an incoming call forwarded from our tip hotline number," Kari said.
The team listened in as Ben activated his two-way.
"You've reached the Liberty Brigade tip hotline," he said. "This is the American Crusader speaking."
"Whoa," said the voice on the other end. "I'm actually speaking to the big cheese himself?"
"I suppose you are. What's the nature of your call, citizen?"
"Well, um, I'm part of this environmentalist committee, you see, and I think something hinky is going on. I mean, all I wanna do is see that our air and water don't get poisoned by polluters, that's why I joined up. That, and I thought it a good way to appear like a sensitive, caring guy around the ladies—know what I mean? But, I like Paragon City. I like my indoor plumbing and my electricity and my Playstation. I don't want to see this city reclaimed by nature."
Ben exchanged glances with Kari. "Who's going to reclaim the city for nature?"
"The Eco-Activist, man. He's crazy, man. He's a certifiable Froot Loop. He wants to use his plants to tear Paragon City apart."