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Chapter 14

Truly Monstrous

It was always hard for him to take his eyes off of her no matter what she was doing. Right now she was just sitting down in front of the computer doing who-really-cared-what and still he kept staring. Her red hair was back in its usual ponytail and slipped through the ratty old black hat he had found for her a few years back. It was nothing special, but she practically always wore it.

"You know, being the muscle is only useful if you use your muscle to help me move this thing, Andy."

"My bad, Dax," Andy replied as he bent down and lifted the two crates his friend was talking about.

"Seriously, dude, you just need to spill already," Dax sighed. "Everyone knows you're nuts about Lynn."

"Over my dead body," the giant replied.

"She's into you too, you know." Andy did not reply. "You're totally cheatin' me here, Monster."

"How so?"

"C'mon, don't act stupid," Dax replied. "You know I've been into Lynn since the second I laid eyes on her. Dude, I love you and you're like a brother to me, but if you don't say something to her soon then I will."

"We have more important things to worry about right now," Andy reminded him.

"That's my whole point!" Dax told him. "We're pretty much on the verge of a war, right? How many regrets are you gonna carry around if something evil goes down?"

"Don't talk like that, man," Andy said. "We're all gonna get through this."

"Stop livin' in a fairy tale, Andy," Dax said solemnly. "Yeah, there's a chance we're all gonna get through it, but there's a chance we won't too. We're not all as cut out for keepin' ourselves alive as you are. And like it or not, you aren't gonna be able to watch all our backs all the time. All that crap you're always holdin' back? I'm tellin' ya you gotta let it out before you regret it."

Andy just stared at his blue haired friend skeptically for a moment.

"Seriously," Dax added. "I want you to think about that. If you or her weren't here tomorrow, what would you have wanted to say?"

Before Andy could answer the question, the sound of breaking glass rang through Fallen Angels Headquarters. Something had been thrown through one of their windows. Then another shattered. And another. Andy and Dax barely had time to realize what was going on before the screams started.

"Fire!"

"Someone put it out!"

"Water! Water!"

The doors to the old rec center flew off their hinges as scores of rival gang members began to pour in. They started beating, cutting, and bludgeoning everyone in their paths. Andy stormed towards the demolished doors knocking away every means of opposition that dared get in his way. Dax was not far behind, pulling enemies off friends and fighting his own battles as he moved wildly around the battlefield that used to be their living room.

"Get 'em outta our house!" Andy barked to all the Angels and their allies as his mammoth fist racked someone's jaw.

People were trying to swarm him now. Good. The more people that were on him, the less there were on everyone else. Hands gripped at his arms and legs, but they would not stop him. He tossed full grown men aside as if they were toys and pummeled anyone dumb enough to get in front of his fists. He could hear Dax's laughs and taunts somewhere off to one side.

"Is that the best you can do?" Dax asked with a laugh. "Whoop, almost got me that time! Strike three!"

"Get those fires put out!" Lynn's voice was ordering. "No way we're letting this place go down! Especially when Angel's not here!"

A realization clicked in Andy's head. They knew. Somehow they knew that Angel was not here. They wouldn't have dared pull a stunt like this if she were. The Fire Lord was the man that pulled all the strings lately. He must have arranged this, but how did he know Angel would be gone? What did he do?

"Yo, Monster!" Dax called. "Check out the serious hardware at the door! It's those guys from the gang leader meeting!"

Through the flames and the fighting Andy could just make them out. Sure enough it was the same men that had stood with the Fire Lord that day. No, not all of them. There were only five present. The last one might be hiding near by, but if Andy remembered right, the one that was missing was an older man. One with ridiculously long sideburns.

"Eyes open!" Andy yelled. "There's only five of them!"

"No worries, big man!" Dax laughed over the noise. "I got these guys!"

Without waiting for any assistance or backup, Dax dashed towards the now rising flames for the Fire Lord's men. As he prepared to leap over the flames he staggered. For a moment his pace slowed, then he stumbled back. Then he began to fall.

"Dax!"

Andy no longer had any time to deal with these bugs that were trying to fight him. He threw them from his body as he ran towards his friend to find out what was wrong. His long arms stretched out to catch his falling comrade and were met with both body and blood. Protruding from Dax's chest were three black cylindrical bolts of metal, each about half and inch wide. They were buried deep. Andy's outburst a moment before must have grabbed Lynn's attention as well. She stood over the two of them before falling to her knees.

"Dax!" Tears were staining her face as she squeezed his shoulder. She could not hide the despair in her voice as she tried to comfort him. "Dax, you're gonna be okay. It's not so bad."

Dax's eyes were already beginning to fail him, but his two best friends were still as clear as day. He saw the two of them hovering over him and he could not help but start to smile. He coughed as he laughed unintentionally at the thought that came to mind.

"Hold on, man," Andy was saying.

"Hey," Dax whispered. He was barely able to utter a sound, but he knew somehow that they were hearing him. "How 'bout my dead body?"

Andy went numb as Dax's head laid to one side, his eyes shining and his mouth smiling at one last inside joke between the two of them. He could see his own hands trembling as he pulled Dax's body to him in an embrace as all the world around him began to go quiet. The only things left in his world were his best friend's body and Lynn. Everything was beginning to go red.

"Lynn," Andy muttered as he placed Dax in her arms. Her angry, tear filled eyes left Dax and settled on Andy's. "I love you." It was not the way she had wanted to hear him say it. It was not the time nor the place, but she could feel something stirring inside of him as Andy's face began to contort like he was fighting to hold something back. "Get him an' everyone else outta here."

"But, Andy-"

"Now!"

Lynn did as she was told. The rage that was permeating off of Andy was almost tangible. She screamed to the others to fall back as she dragged Dax alongside her. Soon another body was supporting Dax's other arm, but she did not take the time to see who was helping her. All she cared about was getting everyone out before whatever was about to happen did.

Andy had not moved from the spot where he knelt over his friend's body. He was fully aware of the heavy thudding of someone striking his back with something. They hit him over and over and over again, but still he just knelt there for a moment longer. The red that had been clouding his vision now overtook it and him. His eyes fell upon the five men on the other side of the fire. Then they settled on the smaller one that had launched those wicked bolts. The Monster was loose.

His hand flew back and caught the steel pipe that had been clubbing him. He turned his eyes on the fool that dared to attack him and rose to his feet. The man just stood there, panic etched on his face until Monster's open hand thrust itself into his chest just below the neck. The small body flew off the ground and landed unceremoniously in a heap on the floor. Others were coming. They would fall too.

Monster's large boot planted itself deftly in the face of one of the gang members. He went down hard. Another tried to come at him from the side and was caught by a blow to the temple. Two men charged his front only to be met with large hands closing around their throats. An easy swing of his arms and Monster threw them from the fight. No matter what approached, nothing could stop him. No fist or leg was long enough to reach him first and no weapon that landed had any effect. The gang members were starting to run. All that stood before Monster now were the five. And in the back of their ranks was the murderer.

"Got a big one comin', Mongke," one of the five said. "What'cha wanna do?"

"Handle it, Ogodei," Mongke replied.

As Monster approached the flames, a dark skinned man with only a braid for a haircut jumped through them. The man gritted his teeth as he lashed out with a long chain that wrapped itself around Monster's neck. The man pulled back with both hands in an attempt to drag Monster to his knees, but was only successful in choking the larger man. Monster's hands instinctively gripped the chain on his neck and began pulling it away, gasping for air. Ogodei pulled the chain downward, guiding Monster to the floor.

"Enough!" Monster roared.

Monster reached out with a single hand and began to coil the chain around it. Ogodei felt himself being pulled in little by little as the other hand reached out and did the same. Soon the chain covered Monster's hands like large shackles as he pulled Ogodei in closer and closer.

"You've lost your arms," Ogodei said as he relinquished his chain and kicked for Monster's legs. Two chained hands reached down, catching Ogodei's leg in the loop between them. Monster wrapped the chain tightly over the captured ankle tightly and pulled before kicking Ogodei's base leg back. There was a sickening snap as Monster felt Ogodei's leg muscles tear and bones break. He released the leg in the chain, but not as an act of mercy. This fight was not over. The two chain wrapped fists clubbed Ogodei across the face and neck as he fell, and the Monster made sure he felt it when the man's neck snapped under the force.

"Kahchi, Yeh-Lu, get the job done!" Mongke ordered.

Monster walked through the flames and met the next two men face-to-face. In a matter of speaking at least. The first was a large, broad shouldered man only slightly smaller than Monster. He had a thick black beard that trailed to the center of his chest and in his hands he carried a long steel pole. Standing with him was another large man whose face was masked by a metal helmet. He had a strap of what Monster knew to be explosives wrapped over his shoulder. He immediately lit one and threw it.

A small blast erupted next to Monster's face. It served to be little more than a blinding distraction, but it was enough for Kahchi to slam his metal staff into Monster's exposed ribs. He felt that one. Pain shocked his body, but still he pressed forward. Another blast, this one landing on his right leg and throwing him off balance. The steel pole struck him in the chest with a thrust and pushed him down onto the flames. Monster rolled back to the other side of the fire and to his knees as another of the explosives flew over them and landed in front of him. This one had enough concussive force to knock him back as Kahchi placed a foot on his chest. The bearded man rose his metal staff in the air and brought it down towards Monster's head.

The piercing sound of the metal staff on the ground rang in Monster's ear. He had barely moved in time, but he had moved and that was all that mattered. His hands gripped the staff and he used it as a lever to forcefully reverse the positions that he and Kahchi held. Now standing on top of the man, Monster placed his boot on his throat and pressed down with all his strength. Kahchi did not last long. A blast pushed Monster off of the body coming from Yeh-Lu through the flames. Another explosive was on its way, but it was easily knocked aside with the help of the staff. Monster charged forward before Yeh-Lu could grab another and took hold of the man's wrist and neck. Yeh-Lu's free hand grab the wrist of the hand on his throat. Monster then pulled him towards the flames and thrust his body down in them. The fire did the rest. Monster tossed the screaming man aside and into the raising flames around them as the explosives on his strap began to go off.

"Not bad," Mongke said as he held up two gauntlet covered arms. "Try this on for size. Vachir, watch my back."

Mongke's fists were fast even with the weight of the steel on them. They plowed into Monster's body with intense ferocity. Monster did what he could to shield his bruised and weakening form, but had little success. Each block was barely better than just taking the hit. Upon deciding that, Monster stopped defending entirely. Let the blows land where they may, he was going to destroy these men. Mongke's oncoming fist was met with Monster's own. It did not hurt, but it did stop the momentum that Mongke had gathered. The pause in attacks was all Monster needed to begin a volley of his own. He struck Mongke in the side, then sternum with his right fist. His left elbow landed a clean blow to the side of Mongke's head. When the man staggered, Monster lifted his boot and kicked with all the force he could muster right into Mongke's exposed chest. The man was knocked back a few paces which was all Monster needed to finish him off. After two lunging steps forward a full swing straight right aimed at Mongke's face. Mongke brought his gauntlets up to guard.

The impact was more than either man's equipment could take. Monster felt the bones in his hand break as the gauntlets cracked and crumbled away. Broken or not, Monster's fist did not stop. It barreled through Mongke's defenses and into his face, felling him. A stinging pain shot into Monster's left shoulder and breast, but he bent down and brought his interlaced hands down on Mongke's skull. He saw the blood pooling around the back Mongke's head and then turned his eyes to his chest. Two bolts were sticking out of it. Monster ignored the pain in his body as he turned his sights on the last man standing.

Vachir began to back away from the behemoth that now approached him, firing bolts from his wrist mounted launchers as he went. He knew his shots were landing, so why was this thing not going down? He had killed Vachir's four companions already, and if he did not move quickly enough then he would be added to the list. He tried to find a way out, but the flames engulfed the walls and floor. There was no escape.

Monster had his prey backed into a corner. Though he could feel the bolts hitting his body, he no longer felt the pain that came with them. He reached out with his good hand and grabbed Vachir's wrist, crushing whatever device was attached to it. He grabbed the man's throat with his broken hand and hoisted him into the air, carrying him towards the wall as he did so. He slammed the man's body against the wall once, twice, three times before lowering the man until they were eye to eye. He said nothing to the man, but saw the overwhelming fear in Vachir's eyes. His hands loosened their grip until Vachir fell onto his shaking legs. Monster took one long step back before placing a kick so powerful in Vachir's face that the man's head crashed punctured the wall and his body dangled lifelessly still attached.

Monster looked around at the carnage and destruction around him. Friends, comrades, enemies, and villains were scattered across the fire consumed building that used to be his home. He fell to his knees from exhaustion as he felt the building begin to rumble from structural weakness. He could rest and mourn later. For now, he had to get out.