Heat- blistering walking heat- was the only thing that could come close to describing the flame that stood or in this case loomed over me.
'Damn! That thing is like 20 feet tall or something.' Steel echoed in my head.
The very heat it emitted vitrified the sand beneath it and sent waves of flame out.
When it spoke it spoke in a gravely rough voice a wave of invisible heat that almost made me sweat.
"You will come with me!" It roared at me. It leaped from the now glass ground to cover the distance between us, and I rolled to the side to escape the flame monstrosity.
"Steel, I don't think you can kill this thing, can you?"
Nope…. but I might have something.
The flame beast growled and conjured and threw a fireball at me.
Steel appeared out of my chest and hurriedly slammed himself back on the Steel shaped grove on my body and screamed,
"Go, Turbo!"
Again, like last time my world erupted in Turbo energy and the armor that covered me transformed into hexagon tiles and reformed into a new shape not similar to the last one.
A sphere of flame about the size of a car shot into me at astonishing speeds doing a perfect imitation of a mini-star. Its sheer heat and speed blasted me backward dozens of meters. The heat would've rendered me a pile of ashes without the suit and even with it, I could feel myself sweating.
The creature's natural heat was extraordinary on its own, but once it unleashed its pyrokinetic abilities, its body temperatures surged to levels beyond comprehension, entering into Lovecraftian realms. Being near it was like standing at the edge of a volcano about to erupt.
I took a quick second to look at myself as I got to my feet. I looked like the Hulk. I was like 8 feet now and gained synthetic muscles and I could feel the strength coursing through me. I looked up at the flame and grinned underneath my mask.
I took off running at first and my now massive muscles bulged and with a fierce expression on my face, I crouched low, gathering all the power I could in my legs. With a thunderous roar, I exploded upwards, leaping into the air with enough force to crater the ground beneath me as I took off and started my descent, cocking back my arm and swinging on the titanic flame. The resounding impact created violent hurricane-force winds.
Boom!
The sound of the monster falling on the floor was loud but the heat it was producing wasn't decreasing in temperature.
I hastily rushed towards it to rush it before it could have a chance to get up.
I unleashed a frenzied attack of fists but it released a wave of flames that flung me into the air on top of…something invisible
The unknown object shimmered in the dull moonlight and revealed itself to be an N-Tek Jet. The top of it opened up and I crawled my way inside and saw Uncle Ferrus sitting in the cockpit.
"Wow, perfect time to drop by and pick up your favorite nephew," I said
"Sit down and shut up and demorph while you're at it."
Oh, I forgot I was still a hulking mass of whatever this suit was made of.
"Steel if you would?"
And on cue, I was once again glowing blue and shrinking, and Steel detached from my chest.
"So will anyone do me the favor of telling me what's happening and what that thing was?" I said, making my way to the front seat, and Steel just kind of floating along.
"Easy giant fire monster but what I want to know is how Steel is still alive."
"Well if you must know it's because of this boy." He said pointing at me.
"But what were you thinking?! You killed 3 men today and destroyed my roof." He cried
"I was escaping your bullshit that you roped me into and kidnapped me with," I responded.
"But you weren't prisoners."
"We might as well have been."
He sighed in defeat
"OK, but now I have to go break the news to their families! What am I going to say?"
"I wasn't even the one in control of my body at the time!"
He took a heavy sigh and said. "You're going to come back tomorrow for more tests and whatever you don't tell your mother, at least not right now."
For the rest of the ride home, I sat in silence as the situation dawned on me.
"We're here now you have to get out and stay discreet and report back to the address I'm going to text tomorrow."
I nodded and with that, me and Steel got out the back and watched as the jet disappeared into the night.
"What the hell am I going to do now?" Steel murmured.
"Suck it up and live through life now I guess. Let's go inside. I just want to sleep after today."
I said as I started making my way inside.
I started sneaking around all the boxes left after our incomplete moving though that was easy as me and Steel functioned as flashlights. I finally made it to my bed and just plopped right down without a second thought. I was out before I touched the bed.
Brrrrrrrch! Brchhhhh! Brchhhh!
The sound of the alarm screeching in his ear lit a rage in him and he tried ignoring it as he dammed school to the deepest hell.
He slammed his hand onto the alarm and broke the alarm. He then turned over and went back to sleep.
Brrrrrrrch! Brchhhhh! Brchhhh!
He finally reluctantly opened his eyes to seeth at the damned technological device that would disturb his slumber.
He was not impressed.
"Really Steel?"
The resident Ultra-link grinned or the alien equivalent.
"Human while you were sleeping I took the liberty of going through your rather… uh sophisticated wardrobe. And in the process of scanning it, I was able to make it appear as though you were wearing your everyday clothing."
"Why?"
"Because it's unsafe and damn near impossible to remove your Steel Suit."
"So not only am I bonded to you for the rest of my life I can't even take off this suit?"
"Yeah."
"Ohh lord, give me strength. Let's just get this over with."
"Agreed. Go Turbo!"
Steel slammed into my chest and my room was flooded in Turbo energy after it faded. I was wearing my normal school clothes.
"Huh much better."
'That we can agree on."
I shoved steel in my bag and made my way downstairs and greeted this body's mother.
I know I have to get used to calling her mom and in a way she is but it felt like a disservice to my actual mother.
At least the dad wasn't around.
Speaking of my dad he'd probably laugh or smile in pride. Knowing him he'd do both.
I could still feel the weight in my soul reminding me of my duties but I'll do it in my way.
"Bye Max! Have a good day at school. I'll see you soon. I have work so I won't be home immediately."
"OK bye, Mom."
'What a lovely bunch you are.'
Hush up Steel and get out of my head.
'Can't.'
Of course, you can't because my life wouldn't be perfect without you in every facet of my life.
'Aww I love you too Max.'
Shut up.
The building was foreign but familiar.
I had to try to make sure that this body's mother wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary but it felt like I was dissociating from my actual personality and-
'Oh my God, is all you do just monologue in your mind?'
"Bro, are you listening?"
"Mhmm." I nodded along to the skinny kid whose name I either never got or didn't bother to remember.
"So did you hear about the booms that everyone in the world heard? It cleared like half the planet."
"Mhmm."
"Is that all you say because I know you're not listening to me."
"Mhmm."
"Arghh." He groaned. He then abruptly turned and left.
As I was walking I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Yes, oh hi stranger." It was the blond girl whose number I picked up yesterday. She was a bombshell like she could be a model and she had curves in all the right places.
"Hello there stranger. I couldn't help but notice you haven't called me back."
"I'm sorry that I was busy. I just moved here and a family issue came up. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
"Oh it's ok and tomorrow but if something comes up tell me."
"Mhmm by the way what was your name?"
"Sydney, how about you stranger."
"Well, madam if you must know my name, it's Max," I said in a posh English accent.
She hid a smile with her hands.
"Oh, madam, don't hide your beautiful smile from me. But alas I must be on my way may you do me the honor." he did an extravagant bow and took her hand and kissed it.
She blushed and smiled at him before kissing his cheek and walking off.
'Damn, it can move.'
That's what I said right?
I was at the address Uncle Ferrus sent. It was an empty alley.
"Steel?"
He exited my bag and looked around. He then pointed directly in front of me.
"Fire a blast of Turbo energy there."
Max took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to feel for it, he felt it - just barely, it was fleeting, but when he focused on the warm feeling in his stomach, he saw it. It was just a blue spark, just there, waiting to be fed, to be guided. On instinct, he 'breathed' on the spark, giving it the oxygen it needed to burn brighter, and almost instantly he felt a tingling sensation on his hands.
He opened his eyes and saw his hand enveloped in a familiar dark blue energy he condensed it into his hands and it immediately grew and he could feel the energy in his body coursing and condensing in his hand.
He looked at the wall and punched at it with his fist erupted a sphere of brilliant blue energy crackling with power. It flew to the wall and the wall disappeared revealing a tunnel with some sort of ride meant for him.
"Let's go." He said.
He climbed in and immediately it took off and he disappeared down the tunnel and the entrance closed back up.
The journey took less than a minute before they were back at N-Tek.
They were greeted by Uncle Ferrus and Berto.
"What's up guys I hope you're ready. We need to learn the limits of your guy's strength." He motioned for me to follow.
"So how are we going to do this?" I asked him.
"You'll find out soon enough."
We walked by the wreckage of the chamber I left yesterday and the ruined hallways. I eventually came to the center of the compound and the crater I made from my take-off yesterday.
"Stay there and transform while you're at it."
"Go Turbo!"
Steel flew into my chest and the familiar feel of the Turbo energy flowing through me and the symbiosis of me and Steel as we morphed into one I could feel the power flowing through me.
"Yesterday, as you know you experienced a near Turbo overload Steel prevented that, and to stop that you guys have entered a symbiosis since you have too much Turbo Energy and Steel needs Turbo Energy to function but when you escaped this facility and left the planet you entered beyond light speed
And to my knowledge went to Neptune correct?
"Yeah."
"So this was unexpected and when you encountered the Fire Elamentaur you unleashed another form. But since then I decided that we need to understand the limits of your power to understand what we're dealing with. So we set up a few tests."
Just as he said that the floor in front of me opened up and out of it rose a giant gray robot with a bright electric green visor covering its face and a cannon on its left hand.
"Try your best." He laughed.
It raised its arm and fired a blast of pure energy.
Every fiber of my being screamed at me to move or begone. I threw my body to the side to evade the blast and just in time the beam flew past me and the smell of ozone and burnt air overwhelmed my nose.
Every step it took caused the ground to crater and cave in. Every time it's metal whined, something disintegrated. Listen, there's a difference between disintegrated and destroyed. Disintegrated leaves no evidence of the material's prior existence. It is wiped cleanly off the face of the Earth, its particles whizzing out of existence. That's what the robot did every time its arm drew up. It then moved with speed betraying its size. It was in front of me before I could move. Its metallic fist an axe to my face.
Blood gushed out of a now-open wound on my temple as I flew across the clearing.
It raised its arm and fired a blast once more. I quickly got up and dodged the blast and ran to the robot-
"Go Turbo Strength!"
I transformed into the hulking suit like the last night.
I continued my charge, ducked the other blast it sent, and delivered an uppercut that landed with a boom!
The punch took off the head of the robot.
In response 2 more rose out of the floor and charged at me. I in response punched one through the torso and evaded the second one's strike before kicking it up and through the interior of the mountain we were in.
4 more came out of the floor, and all of them fired at me.
"Go Turbo Flight!"
I transformed into my favorite form.
'Not like you have any other choices.'
I took to the top of the mountain and weaved through all of the shots. I pulled Steel from my chest channeled Turbo Energy through Steel's eye and released a beam of pure condensed Turbo energy that cut through them like a knife through butter.
I flew back down and released my transformation. I could feel the wound on my head being healed. It was an itchy kind of feeling having my flesh knitted back together.
"Ok, that was good Max."
"Yeah I have to go, I have a date today."
"Wait were n-
"I'm going to go bye!" I screamed as I grabbed my bag transformed into Flight mode and flew through the hole I left from yesterday.
'Which way is back home?'
No fucking clue Steel.