Blue Nexus #18: The Fire Rises

            Whatever green grass there had been on that field before was now entirely gone, as the great wall and blasts of fire from the Fire Tiger raged across it, chasing after the ever-elusive Phoenix. Though the blasts and flames were much larger than normal, Phoenix seemed to be doing this with practiced ease, almost as if these two had rehearsed this little number and were performing it now. It was just a wonder how Phoenix’s suit was being completely burnt away, and how he was able to maneuver around the flames.

            Somehow, too, the damage was pretty well controlled considering how insane Fire Tiger could get. It was limited to that field, as well the outer parts of the now destroyed baseball stadium. Where the police were was anyone’s guess, though a few tips in the other direction could be the true reason for their absence. If a tree falls indeed.

            Fire Tiger roared with laughter, breaking his formerly serious expression. This was the truest stretch of his legs since his power was increased months ago, almost as if unleashing his true potential. Petty heroes were simply practice for the big guns, and there was no better way to start off than against the public’s favorite, the Phoenix.

            “He’s like a little kid on Christmas,” Dr. Luna said.

            “I’m concerned that this is what Christmas looks like for you,” Dr. Boomer said.

            The two scientists were standing in one of the school’s hallways, almost against the metal doors, peering through its windows. They were a good distance away from the fighting and the flames, but not too far as to be completely oblivious to what was going on. The poor quality of the windows did mar their viewing experience, blurring some of it.

            “You know what I mean,” Luna said.

            Boomer shrugged. “I suppose he is easily excitable. Though, look at his two counterparts. The second they were given the go-ahead they attacked the stadium and were subsequently beaten.”

            “At least they took Blue Nexus down with them,” Luna said. “I’d say that’s pretty damn impressive.”

            “I suppose,” Boomer said, and looked harder through the window. Nope, couldn’t make out who the boy was. Not that his identity was key to solving the next great mystery, but at least he would be able to identify him, perhaps even point him out to the police and deal with the Blue Nexus for a while.

            “Looking at the kid?” asked Luna.

            “I can’t really tell any of his features,” Boomer said.

            “That’s not what matters,” Luna said. “If we’re quick enough, I bet we could run down in there and take the bracelet off of him. Strengthen the Aberrants and Gargador. It may even push him past the level of just a mere Demi-War God.”

            Boomer chuckled. “Cata clearly did not bless you with the knowledge she did myself.”

            “I know enough about the Nexus to know that even if the bracelet isn’t compatible, we can make it compatible with Gargador.”

            “Gargador is exactly where he needs to be right now.”

            Luna leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “It sounds like there’s a bigger plan at work here.”

            “Perhaps, but not one I’m aware of,” Boomer said. “All I know is Gargador’s strength is just where it needs to be. He’s powered up parallel to the Blue Nexus and Shindari, making him a match for the two of them.”

            “I already know he’s that strong, but you make it sound like we’re holding him back for something. Why not give him the bracelet…why not just take the stupid thing anyway? It eliminates any chance of the boy getting in our way again.”

            Boomer rolled his eyes. “If you want to run out and grab it at the risk of getting burned alive, be my guest. I’ll stay here. Things aren’t entirely ready to be set in motion on our end, Luna. We have to wait.”

            “For what?”

            “You mean you haven’t heard?”

            “Heard what, damn it?”

            “The rumblings of some sort of benefactor in East City. He’s not very well-known, not yet anyway, but apparently he’s got this trick that gives people…extraordinary abilities.”

            Luna eased up a bit. “How’s that even possible?”
            “My guess? His powers were bestowed upon him by a War God, one that we probably know well enough.”

            “Then why would Cata give her knowledge to you and him? She would have arranged a meeting by now.”

            “Well nobody knows who he is, so perhaps we’ve already met, perhaps not. Whoever this ‘benefactor’ is, though, is a very strong person. If he can manipulate enough people into his fold, then the Zanderia will have trouble on their hands. Too much to deal with us.”

            “And then what? We take over the city, only for us to have it taken away? You said we have much higher goals than something as simple as this.” Luna pointed to the body of the Blue Nexus. “And that boy is our ticket off this rock and into a league with Cata.”

            Boomer laughed. “We’ll never be ‘in league’ with her. Nobody in the universe can be. It’s why she sends her servants and gives information out, so she never has to bother with such weak beings as humans.”

            “You mean we’ll never meet her?”

            “We may one day. But it’ll be on her terms. From what I know, the War Gods are very much to themselves. Everything is done according to their word. The Demi-War Gods know that especially, as they are essentially the whipping boys of the War Gods’ rule in the universe.”

            “So, then, this benefactor, do you think he would help us? Do you think he shares the same goals as us?”

            “I’ve no idea, Luna.”

            Boomer fell silent for a moment. It sat heavily between the two of them, Boomer looking out to the field as the fires raged and the smoke billowed higher and higher into the air. Fire Tiger, one of his first creations, had come so far, but now, he was nothing more than a rusty tool. Just something to keep the likes of the Phoenix off his back, to keep the great minds of Earth away from him. His biggest worry was the Orionian, Eclipse, but even then, Cata had bestowed so much upon him that it may be possible for him to block out Eclipse’s mind assaults. Not that Boomer was suspected of ever working with the great cosmic beings, what with his greatest achievements being the ‘accidental’ creation of Fire Tiger, but if push came to shove in an investigation, he would likely be involved.

            It was what made keeping Gargador’s new strength a secret until the time was right. Nothing could be traced back to Boomer. As much as he appreciated the benefactor of East City for rising up and almost replicating what Boomer was doing, he also knew that he could probably get away with saying Gargador’s strength, or perhaps existence, is the fault of the benefactor, starting a manhunt for him and keeping Boomer in the shadows while learning more about his enemies and getting stronger from them. Meanwhile he could even swindle a few servants from Cata to increase his rank in her eye form simply a seed to something of a soldier on Earth, a commander worthy of her battalions.

            Something exploded over on the battlefield, forcing both of their keen attention. The fires dissipated, and something bright and blue was standing in the middle of it.

            “It’s the other Nexus,” Boomer muttered.

            “I suppose that really ruins our chances of taking the boy’s body?” asked Luna.

            “Definitely,” Boomer replied. “We should also probably leave, in case the Phoenix gets curious and decides to poke his head around for someone else being here. I’m not sure you can take him.”

            “Of course not,” Luna said.

            The two turned to go, walking almost in unison down the hallway.

            “When should Gargador go out?” asked Luna as they neared the front exit of the hallway.

            Boomer waited a moment before speaking to put his thoughts together. “I’ll be honest, I forgot there was a second Nexus. He’s always in and out of this damn town it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly he is. I’m not sure how much stronger he’s gotten, considering he was probably more powerful than Blue Nexus before.”

            “You haven’t answered my question.”

            When they reached the door, Boomer shoved it open, the door swinging out violently. Luna pushed her door open calmly, not at all exaggerated.

            “Sometime in the week,” Boomer said, nodding. “I’ll place bugs around the school, and we’ll wait. I want it to be silent, I don’t want anyone to know about it.”

            “How is he going to deal with all three of them, though?”

            “Shindari seems to be his biggest issue, so, we’ll have to take her out of the equation. After that, it’s a simple matter of disabling the two Nexuses from their bracelets, and it’s pretty simple from there. Gargador will kill them both.”

           

            Phoenix jumped back, avoiding another fireball. He sprang off of his hands, then dove to the side as another fireball shot his way. He pushed himself forward as Fire Tiger had yet to turn his way, ramming his shoulder into his opponent. With his Eskrima, he hit Fire Tiger twice in the ribs, sending to electric shocks into his body.

            Fire Tiger gritted his teeth and seethed before punching Phoenix in the gut and slapping him away. Phoenix spun into the fence, getting right back up. He sure was glad he made those enhancements over the summer. They boosted his strength as well as fed his body some adrenaline. It helped him sleep at night, too, since he was completely drained by the end of a fight.

            “Give up, birdie!” Fire Tiger shouted, a plume of flame forming underneath him, allowing him to rise up into the air. Spinning, the flames shot out in waves, falling toward Phoenix constantly.             Using expert agility, Phoenix was able to jump over or dive under all of the waves of fire. When he was at the main pillar, he reached behind him and pulled out three small balls that he threw into the fire. Instantly, the fire solidified. Fire Tiger jumped away before Phoenix kicked at it, also jumping away as magma pooled from the pillar.

            Fire Tiger was about to make another move when Phoenix dashed at him, his Eskrima pulled back. In rapid-fire succession, he battered Fire Tiger with attacks, bruising his arms and face. He kicked the villain away. Fire Tiger rolled before getting back up, shouting and lighting himself up in flames once more.

            Phoenix was surprised not to hear any villainous banter coming spewing from his mouth, and instead let his attacks do all the talking. Deciding to change things up, Phoenix jumped into the air, spreading out his arms allowing his metal wings to open up with them. Using the jets in them, he shot into the air, twisting his body and then turning back down. He sliced up, the gust of wind hardly affecting Fire Tiger but more dispersing the flames.

            Satisfied, Phoenix continued forward before doing a large flip to start flying straight in the direction of Fire Tiger, slicing up from a large distance but with more momentum. Fire Tiger was still unaffected but his veil of fire was now gone. Phoenix pushed himself faster and crashed right into Fire Tiger, who flew back, crashing into the wall of the school.

            “Ah, great, property damage,” Phoenix muttered.

            Two fireballs narrowly missed up. Phoenix, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent finally, pulled his arms out of the wings while still retaining flight. Now he relied on any shift in weight to change his direction. Carefully, he reached to another pouch, grabbing some small, hand-sized drones. He was able to grip all three in just his hand, and knew he would need to time his attacks perfectly. They were heat-seeking, which wouldn’t work in a fight against Fire Tiger, normally. The good thing about these was that they were programmed to attack someone’s body heat. Given Fire Tiger’s body temperature was so large, they would lock right onto him.

            Phoenix stretched out and he began to fly up, reaching for his leg where he had a stun gun. He halted before he could get out of range and began firing, each shot blocked by a mass of fire. Knowing the time was right, and Fire Tiger was regaining his confidence, Phoenix pulled out his arms, plummeting to the ground, and threw the three drones toward Fire Tiger, who could not see from the sun, and was too distract by Phoenix falling and shooting at him more.

            All three hit their target, and Fire Tiger crumpled the ground instantly, his flames dying out. Phoenix pulled out his wings to slow his fall, and began to walk toward Fire Tiger with the Eskrima in hand.

            “That was pretty rad,” he muttered. “Really heated things up there.”

            Phoenix winced at his own stupid joke, twirling his Eskrima in his hand.

            Fire Tiger’s hand twitched, and Phoenix was just barely able to jump away from a plume of fire shooting out of the ground. He performed a back-flip, then landed lightly on the ground, trying to act as unfazed as possible by the sudden attack.

            “You idiot,” Fire Tiger said, getting up, practically unscathed. “I’ve done nothing but train, work on my technique. Eventually I learned things about my powers I never would have dreamed up some years ago.”

            “Oh, like what, you can heal yourself or something?” asked Phoenix.

            “Not quite,” Fire Tiger said, shrugging. His smirk spread across his face. “But my body does heal much quicker now. And I’m even able to put a little bit of flamed body armor around me. You might make contact with me, but I’m hardly feeling a thing.”

            Phoenix laughed. “Oh, fantastic. So I guess that little electric jolt from before didn’t do any good, am I right?”

            “I won’t pretend like it didn’t sting. It was like getting stung by a wasp, though, just a little pinch.”

            “I bet a nice pinch to the neck would do you some good.”

            Fire Tiger’s expression changed. Bingo.

            “You’ll be dead before you can even get close to me. I’ll just assume that you’ve enhanced your armor as well. Probably to match all of the new heroes and villains popping out of the ground. I must say, it’s nice to be fighting you again, rather than some wannabe.”

            “Oh, is this nostalgic for you? That’s cute. Real cute. Why don’t you lower that little flame armor around you and make it like the good old days?”

            “Not a chance, birdie. Besides, I wouldn’t want to waste a precious gift.”

            “Gift?”

            “Oh, yes, I should mention this, in case you somehow survive this and get curious. While I have been training nonstop and mastering new techniques, my powers were greatly enhanced by a man known as the Benefactor.”

            “Seriously?”

            “Seriously. He lives in East City if you want to go looking for him, though he came to me and granted me all this new power. Even said I could use it however I liked. I wanted to turn on him, but from what I could tell he was one tough man. Especially to be able to give me such a boost. I bet I could contend with the whole of the Zanderia now, all at the same time.”

            “Huh, funny. The last guy who did was sent to some spooky shadow realm or something weird like that. Wanna test your luck?”

            Fire Tiger mockingly looked around. “I don’t see any around here. Why don’t we test your luck?”

            Faster than before, Fire Tiger launched a string of fire right toward Phoenix. However, something blue shot down from the sky and blocked the attack, immediately extinguishing the flames. The blinding blue light partially subsided, revealing the other Nexus—the one Blue Nexus referred to as Hood Nexus—standing tall before Fire Tiger. Though, not without a bit of a costume change.

            His hoodie was thinner and now short-sleeved. He wore black athletic shorts to accompany it as well as black tennis shoes. Previously, he looked like he was ready for winter, and seemed to be trying to hide his identity more.

            Besides the costume, though, Hood Nexus looked a ton stronger, Phoenix not even having to look on his sensor for it. His blue aura wasn’t brighter but was more intense, energy seemingly radiating off of it. His muscles were also a bit bulkier, though perhaps Phoenix noticed only because he could actually see the muscles now.

            Hood Nexus turned slightly toward Phoenix, but a shadow was cast over his face to mask his identity. Blue eyes were the only things that pierced through, almost to his soul.  

            “Having trouble?” he asked, his voice also deeper than before.

            “Eh, I think I could handle him,” Phoenix said, stepping up to Hood Nexus. As he gotcloser, he really could feel the pressure he was putting off. Was it on purpose or just natural? “The help is definitely appreciated.”

            “I came because I noticed Blue Nexus’s energy completely drop, is Fire Tiger the reason why?” asked Hood Nexus.

            “I believe so,” Phoenix said. “Gonna beat the crap out of him to get revenge or something?”

            “Actually I kind of want to punch Blue Nexus around for getting beat by this B-lister,” Hood Nexus said, disappointment evident in his tone.

            “Guy’s no pushover now,” Phoenix said. “Apparently he’s done a lot of training, and got some power boost by a Benefactor in East City.”

            “Surprised you haven’t heard about him by now.”

            “Like you have?”
            “No. I’m just saying usually you people are on this by now.”

            “Hey!” Fire Tiger exclaimed. “You’re fights with me, and you can bicker about the Benefactor all you want when you’re dead!”

            “Shut up,” Hood Nexus said, and released a blue ball of energy from the palm of his hands that Fire Tiger blocked with a wall of flame.

            Phoenix nearly took a step back in awe. This power…it reminded him so much of Riko’s. And he was, without question, the strongest on the planet. Did eight months seriously change Hood Nexus that much? Perhaps he was just in that advanced Nexus form the Blue Nexus was in to save the Earth…no, that couldn’t be it. The energy was practically palpable, there were more sparks, and there was a complete change in power then. Here, it was his base form, it was his base power. For a brief moment, Phoenix contemplated leaving the fight to Hood Nexus and getting Blue Nexus to a safe place, possibly to Shindari.

            “So, looks like we’re in for a team up,” Hood Nexus said.

            Surprised, Phoenix shot him a glance but nodded. “Guess so. Should be fun. Working with the Blue Nexus was pretty fun, and you seem like a bundle of joy.”

            “Have you figured out any weaknesses to this guy?” asked Hood Nexus as Fire Tiger loaded up more flames. “He has to run out of fire sometime sooner or later.”

            “Agreed, but for now, he’s apparently got some flame field around his body. If that goes down, somehow, then one of us can get in close enough to do damage to his body. He might be mutated, but he’s still human beneath it all.” Phoenix twirled the Eskrima in his hand. “I think it’s best if you’re able to deal with the long-ranged stuff, cancel out some of his firepower.”

            “That was a stupid pun.”

            “Shut up. My armor should protect me from his body heat enough to allow me to punch him around a bit. I’ll get a little sweaty, but it’s nothing a nice shower can’t fix.”

            “You’re an idiot.”

            Phoenix was about to retort but Hood Nexus attacked, leaving a large gust of wind behind him. Trying to pass it off like nothing, Phoenix sprinted after him.

            Hood Nexus dodged through the waves of fire—Phoenix leaping and diving around what remained—before arriving right in front of Fire Tiger. Hood Nexus decked him in the face, and Phoenix noticed a quick flare around the body of Fire Tiger before it reappeared. Power. That was all they needed.

            Fire Tiger seemed to explode, pushing Hood Nexus back. Phoenix, though shoved him forward. Hood Nexus lunged into Fire Tiger, elbowing him before his fist lit up and an energy blast erupted from it, jarring Fire Tiger. Phoenix jumped over Hood Nexus, quickly putting Fire Tiger into a sleeper-hold. Fire Tiger struggled, but because he was for the most part cut off from his body, he was unable to stop himself from healing.

            Phoenix suddenly let him go, spinning him, before Hood Nexus punched him once again in the temple. Fire Tiger blasted away, into the rubble. Phoenix rushed over to it, Hood Nexus slowly following, and was satisfied to see the Tiger Trio all lying unconscious in the rubble of the field as a triangle.

            “Nice touch,” he muttered.

            He rolled Fire Tiger’s body over, then reached back onto his belt for a small pin specially designed for the three of them. He jabbed into Fire Tiger for a couple seconds before pulling it out. His flame armor appeared, then disappeared in seconds. His powers were nullified.

            “Got a gadget for everyone?” asked Hood Nexus from the top of the crater.

            Phoenix strode out of it. “I wish. Some people are a bit unpredictable.”

            Hood Nexus nodded. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

            Phoenix smiled. “I still think I could have handled it on my own.”

            “Look how quicker it went when I showed up. It would have been over and done before you even thought about attacking him.”

            “Always the same with you really strong alien-dudes. Always thinking about strength over strategy.”

            The two momentarily paused, but immediately found each other about to nearly end the other. Hood Nexus had a glowing blue hand hovering over Phoenix’s curved body, which held an Eskrima with blue lightning coursing through it at Hood Nexus’s ribs, lightning that would create a power shortage for Hood Nexus and leave him vulnerable.

            “I’m not impressed,” Hood Nexus said.

            “And you also won’t kill me.”

            Hood Nexus pushed Phoenix away, almost into the crater, but the superhero caught himself, adjusting some of his arm and twirling the Eskrima in his hand.

            “What now, you going to put them in prison?”

            “We’ve got our own, yeah. Either the cops or Riko should be arriving any second now to help put them away. They’ll be no big deal. Nobody’s getting out of there any time soon.”

            “That I’m impressed by.”

            “You should stop by some time. Maybe even at the Moon base.”

            Hood Nexus shook his head, and crossed his arms. Was he trying to flex? Like he needed to show off anymore…

            “Nah. I like doing my own thing. Sure I guess having someone like Eclipse around would help, but I like being my own boss. Besides, I get help every once in a while. And if I were to be attached to a team, you’d probably have me do assignments and crap when I could be out around the universe.”

            Phoenix couldn’t help but nod. Had he been a member of the Zanderia, there was little chance any of them would have picked up on Black Nexus approaching, and there was an even smaller chance of them being ready for that attack. With them out scouring, it did build some caution for the Zanderia, but Black Nexus appeared still almost right out of nowhere.

            A breeze carried through, bringing with it dust and smoke from the battles. Fire still torched the practice area. Hood Nexus looked over, and Phoenix nodded to him. He didn’t have to be part of the Zanderia to put out the fires.

            He dropped into the crater, contacting Riko. He was indeed on the way. Then, Phoenix stooped down and picked up Kyle Raiden, the Blue Nexus, who was covered in soot and completely filthy. He trudged up the crater, looking over to where Hood Nexus was busily blasting the fires away with his energy.

            Raising his voice, he shouted, “I’m bringing him to the clinic to help clean him up! Meet me over there for when he wakes up!”

            Hood Nexus, completely in character, simply put a thumbs-up in response. Smirking, Phoenix wondered what in the universe could have made the Sentients think he was a solid choice for the Nexus, but put it off. There had to be something. There always was.


Next time: Our heroes have to come together to figure out what made the Tiger Trio so powerful! And, an old villain returns in "Blue Nexus #19: Pride of the Jungle."