Chapter 25: 25. Battle On The Bridge III

Zeff could hardly keep his legs beneath him.

Standing a few meters away in front of the line of police cars, a furious scowl on his face, was a walking star. The sun personified, but without the heat. His hands, up to his elbows, were glowing with an inhuman yellow light that seemed to be coming from both under his skin and the air around it. Whenever he opened his mouth Zeff could see yellow light glowing at the back of his throat like he had swallowed the world’s brightest glowstick. And hist eyes… They blazed like the fires of the Hades were burning inside of his skull.

The officer, who was apparently named ‘Petticoat’, had already wrought untold destruction on the bridge. The scene was like something out of a movie.

All around him, beneath the cover of the Dawn Treader mist which still wafted through the night air, laid the unconscious or dead bodies of cops. Most of them had fainted, likely, due to Phobia, which, in any other circumstance, would have been interesting to Zeff. The fact that other individuals (in this case, Petticoat) could contribute to a person’s Fear, inducing further degrees of Phobia, would have even been exciting to learn. Other police officers had been shot by their very own colleagues when Zeff had first activated Dawn Treader…

He had read the skills description after he had activated it and it seemed that the DracoRex could, indeed, make the seemingly impossible, possible. Zeff could see perfectly through the mist as though there were no mist at all. However, no one in the mist could see or hear him. Furthermore, they could not hear any sound accept for voices, which seemed to Zeff at first to be rather useless. Until he had seen the psychological damage it could deal first hand…

Zeff himself could not see beyond the edge of the haze so that everything outside the influence of the Dawn Treader mist was concealed by a thin sheet of gray, like he and his enemies were trapped in an opaque bubble.

But Zeff had more pressing issues on his mind at the moment.

Now, Zeff was mostly just scared for his life. By now, every police officer was either unconscious, dead or had run with the exception of Petticoat and one other officer who sat crouched at the side of the highway, seemingly terrified. His Fear, however, had gone DOWN as the events had unfolded despite the fact that he likely couldn’t see through the mist and couldn’t hear either.

Zeff had dismissed him as a threat, nonetheless. He was likely just a brave man who was looking for an opportunity to run, so Zeff didn’t give him much attention. He had bigger fish to fry.

After Zeff had been body slammed like a video game character, Petticoat had proceeded to trounce him, decisively, before Zeff could escape back into the mist. No matter what Zeff did during their short exchange, it had no effect. He had thrown a full strength ‘Physical Enhancement II’ induced punch directly to Petticoat’s face, but nothing. The blow had rang out like he had hit an iron rhino, and Petticoat had even reeled back as though he had been hurt. But the next second he had gathered himself and matched Zeff’s blow with a devastating gut punch of his own that lifted Zeff off of his feet.

Another time Zeff had tried a kick, but Petticoat had stopped the kick short by grabbing Zeff’s shin with one hand. He had then swept Zeff’s other foot, knocking him to the ground where he stomped his head into the concrete like it was a watermelon. The stomp was almost like nothing he had ever experienced. The pain had been excruciating and blood immediately began to pour from his nose and mouth.

At some point Zeff had seized an opportunity to retreat back into the mist to gather himself since it had become very quickly apparent that Petticoat was not someone that Zeff could contend with. However, just as he pulled away Petticoat had pursued him as if there were no mist at all, beating him senseless.

*Drip-Drip-Drop* said Zeff’s blood presently as it fell from his head and hit the concrete highway.

“Zephaniah!” Petticoat roared through the Dawn Treader mist directly in his direction, his eyes locked on Zeff, confirming Zeff’s suspicions that he could see him despite the mist. “I’m going to tell you one more time: Give yourself up! Turn yourself in! Your kind has no place in this society. You’re all better off buried in a hole somewhere.”

“Oh, Yeah?” Zeff rasped groggily as his legs wobbled, “And what about you?”

Petticoat seemed taken aback but said nothing.

“What. About. You.” Zeff intoned. “You think you’re better than me, then. If this isn’t a perfect example of ‘the pot calling the kettle black’, I don’t know what is…”

Petticoat flinched at that and said, “We’re nothing alike! You use your powers to kill and destroy…” He then began looking at his own hands which were glowing as yellow as heated steel. “I-I’m—” he stuttered.

“You’re what? Different, somehow? So, what are you trying to do to me now, hmm? *Not* kill me and *not* destroy me?”

Pettcoat flinched again. “I-I—…”

Petticoat seemed for the first time to be conflicted, even confused. Zeff couldn’t have known why. And it hadn’t merely been from Zeff’s comment just now, either. From the beginning he had been acting strangely. It was as though Petticoat had been surprised to have these powers. As though he had just discovered them.

That didn’t matter in the end, though.

Zeff just needed to survive somehow. To buy himself time. To escape into the night and find Sylvan. Zeff recalled Sylvan’s ominous warning not to be taken into custody under any circumstances. ‘He might already be—’ he began to think, but was interrupted by Petticoat.

“I-I don’t need to listen to anything you have to say.” Petticoat began. There was a strange look in his eyes. A strange doubt that seemed more desperate than Zeff felt it should have been. It was almost like fear, but it was different in a way that Zeff couldn’t quite put his finger on. “I’ve given you warning after warning and I’m done playing around. Zephaniah Corad. For your many crimes and your unwillingness to turn yourself over to the authorities, I will used deadly force henceforth. You have been warned!”

Zeff hardly had time to speak, let alone move, as Petticoat flew towards him like he had been fired from a cannon. He was almost as fast as Sylvan.

Almost. But despite being slower than the doctor he was still much too fast for Zeff. Zeff closed his eyes, preparing himself for what would likely be the last blow. ‘Sorry, Doc…’ he thought. ‘This is as far as I can—’

*Pooum!*

Zeff was relieved. There was no pain despite the thundering impact of the punch. He hadn’t even felt it connect. In fact, he was still standing on his feet.

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He opened his eyes and standing before him, golden light surrounding him like he was an angel, was his friend and teacher, Sylvan, his severed right arm was somehow whole again, without a trace of any damage. ‘Sylvan?’

“Yes, boy?” Sylvan said with a smirk.

“So they got you, too?” Sylvan looked at once to be confused but Zeff went on, “Sorry, Doc. I got killed without doing—”

“What are you talking about boy?! You’re not dead!” He then look Zeff up and down and added, “Well, not yet…”

It took Zeff several seconds to get a grip on what was going on. He arched his neck so that he could look around Sylvan to see what had become of Officer Petticoat and took in his breath.

Sylvan was holding the officer by his face at least a full foot off of the ground with his left hand so that his hand was covering the officers mouth. Petticoat, who was wriggling and mumbling beneath the doctors hand, had a look of utter shock on his face. He was squeezing Sylvan’s outstretched arm with all his might, but Sylvan completely ignored the struggling officer with the indifference one might have if he were holding a humanoid piñata that was blowing in a strong wind.

The ‘heavenly glow’ Zeff had seen surrounding Sylvan was, in fact, Petticoat’s very own yellow light shining from behind the doctor.

“H-how?! You’re—”

“Alive.” finished the doctor.

“And you—”

“Can use my powers again? Yes.” Sylvan finished again with a full on smile. He then threw Petticoat into the line of police cars with the flick of his wrist like one might pass a basketball. *Foom!- Bow!* Said Petticoat’s body as it sailed into one of the police cruisers. “And what is this strange mist? Is this your doing.” It was as though he hadn’t just thrown a man several meters with little to no effort.

“Y-Yeah, Doc.”

“If you had this Mist, why are you still here…?” His expression was grim and there was a flash of anger in his eyes.

Zeff was taken aback. Truth be told, didn’t know exactly why he had stayed… And now that he had been asked it did seem strange. But he scrambled for an answer all the same. “T-there’s at least one sniper watching our position. I couldn’t run.” He pointed to the big yellow and purple bruise on his shoulder.

Much to Zeff’s relief, Sylvan seemed pleased with that response. “And who is this clown.”

“I don’t know. His name is officer Pe—”

“Not him.” Sylvan interjected. “Him.” He pointed at the officer crouched at the side of the rode.

The officer at once stood to his feet and dusted himself off. “Very astute, as always, Doctor Sylvan.” he spoke into the mist with a slightly British accent, his eyes not particularly focused on anyone as though he couldn’t see.

Zeff’s eyes grew wide. “Tender-Man…?”

The officer removed his mask revealing the face of ZaynLeanders. “In the flesh.” He replied, inclining his head like he was royalty. “I gotta say, I kinda like the ring of it: ‘Tender-Man’… Let’s see if it sticks, shall we?”

*Crash!* boomed a police cruiser as a shining man emerged from it and tossed it to the side with no effort. He was hardly able to stand and blood was streaming from his head. “Poopenheimer! What the heck have you been doing until now?!”

Zayn’s voice instantly changed, taken on a more submissive quality and higher tone, “Sorry, Special Agent Petticoat. I have got my fear under control now!” His accent was completely absent.

“Good. Let’s take these two down.” Petticoat walked over to Zayn who, after a few seconds, jumped slightly with surprise, likely due to Petticoat suddenly approaching him through the mist without hesitation.

Sylvan moved so that he was standing directly beside Zeff. “I seriously doubt the rings will sit idly by without sending backup. But this is as good a chance as any…”

“To escape?” He then put his hand over his mouth and chuckled, “Poopenheimer?”

Sylvan flicked Zeff on his shoulder in an attempt to focus his attention. “No.” Zayn said lifting his arms to either side of his head and bouncing on his toes. “To fight.”

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