took for the spinning blade to reach her,
Sundancer had turned white hot. The blade liquefied as it touched
her, smearing sloppily against her neck before spinning off wildly
across the room. Flesh peeled from Anthony Wayne Walters and his
scream died abruptly.
Nobody covered his eyes and crawled away from
the terrible scene. Behind him, Rail Blade grunted as she parried
Sundancer's plasma flare attacks with a mirrored shield.
The desk Nobody was hiding behind burst into
flame. Sprinklers opened, drenching Nobody, and filling the air
with steam. The desk continued to burn despite the water. He
scurried in the most direct route he could manage to put as much
space between him and Sundancer as possible. He didn't know what he
could do that would be of any use. The steam was burning his lungs.
Running seemed practical. He looked around for doors, and found
plenty of them. None were marked with a friendly exit sign. They
all seemed to be offices or…
"Security guard in the closet," he said,
snapping his fingers. On a hunch he grabbed at a drab beige door
and jerked it open. The security guard inside yelped.
"Don't kill me!"
"I'm saving you, idiot!" said Nobody. Of
course, the guy didn't hear him.
Fortunately, the guard took one look at the
flame-engulfed room and the two battling women and decided to make
a hasty retreat. Nobody followed the fleeing man through a glass
door into a hallway, and outran him to reach the exit door in the
lobby. He reached for the door bar and stumbled as his hand passed
through it. He ghosted through the door, off balance.
Seconds later, the guard pushed open the door
and ran through. Nobody regained his footing and chased after
him.
Now safe, he looked back. A pillar of flame
rose high in the sky, turning night into day. A steel rail spiraled
into the air around the flame, as Rail Blade chased her fiery foe.
Across the flat field that surrounded the studio, blue lights
flashed as cops sped toward the scene.
Nobody looked at his wrist, at the nice
stainless steel diver's watch he'd picked up on one of his
shoplifting excursions. Not even three minutes had passed since the
broadcast had begun.
The pillar of flame vanished. The roof of the
studio was still ablaze, but the intensity of light dimmed,
blending into the night. Looking up, Nobody saw Rail Blade
plummeting from the sky, fragments of her red-hot armor sparking
away, leaving a glowing comet's trail. She crashed into the roof,
and, from the sound of things, through it.
Nobody ran back into the burning building.
The smoke from the broadcast studio had yet to fill the front
hall.
"Amelia!" he cried out, pushing open doors
and staring into darkened rooms, searching for one with a hole in
the roof. "Amelia!"
He found her sprawled on the carpet in some
sort of meeting room. Her armor had fallen to red dust around her,
and her body was covered with raw, bloody blisters. Though they
were far from the center of the fire, the carpet she lay upon
smoldered.
"Amelia," he said, running to her side. He
slid to his knees beside her and turned her face toward him,
flinching as he realized it was stupid to move her.
She groaned as she slowly opened her
eyes.
"Amelia!" Nobody said. "You're alive. I'll
get some help. Somehow. Just hang on."
She grinned feebly, then said, softly,
"You're no good at this, Nobody. You're supposed to call me 'Rail
Blade' out here."
"I'd rather call you an ambulance," said
Nobody, looking around for a phone. Then he remembered the police
cars on their way. Dialing 911 seemed redundant.
Rail Blade groaned as she grabbed the seat of
a nearby chair and pulled herself into a sitting position. "I've
lived through worse," she said, her voice quavering. "My training
helps me block off the parts of my mind that feel the pain. We
should leave before the police arrive."
"Are we going to do that metal prison
teleporting thing again?" he asked. "I'd rather walk back to the
island."
She shook her head. "Don't have the
Sundancer had turned white hot. The blade liquefied as it touched
her, smearing sloppily against her neck before spinning off wildly
across the room. Flesh peeled from Anthony Wayne Walters and his
scream died abruptly.
Nobody covered his eyes and crawled away from
the terrible scene. Behind him, Rail Blade grunted as she parried
Sundancer's plasma flare attacks with a mirrored shield.
The desk Nobody was hiding behind burst into
flame. Sprinklers opened, drenching Nobody, and filling the air
with steam. The desk continued to burn despite the water. He
scurried in the most direct route he could manage to put as much
space between him and Sundancer as possible. He didn't know what he
could do that would be of any use. The steam was burning his lungs.
Running seemed practical. He looked around for doors, and found
plenty of them. None were marked with a friendly exit sign. They
all seemed to be offices or…
"Security guard in the closet," he said,
snapping his fingers. On a hunch he grabbed at a drab beige door
and jerked it open. The security guard inside yelped.
"Don't kill me!"
"I'm saving you, idiot!" said Nobody. Of
course, the guy didn't hear him.
Fortunately, the guard took one look at the
flame-engulfed room and the two battling women and decided to make
a hasty retreat. Nobody followed the fleeing man through a glass
door into a hallway, and outran him to reach the exit door in the
lobby. He reached for the door bar and stumbled as his hand passed
through it. He ghosted through the door, off balance.
Seconds later, the guard pushed open the door
and ran through. Nobody regained his footing and chased after
him.
Now safe, he looked back. A pillar of flame
rose high in the sky, turning night into day. A steel rail spiraled
into the air around the flame, as Rail Blade chased her fiery foe.
Across the flat field that surrounded the studio, blue lights
flashed as cops sped toward the scene.
Nobody looked at his wrist, at the nice
stainless steel diver's watch he'd picked up on one of his
shoplifting excursions. Not even three minutes had passed since the
broadcast had begun.
The pillar of flame vanished. The roof of the
studio was still ablaze, but the intensity of light dimmed,
blending into the night. Looking up, Nobody saw Rail Blade
plummeting from the sky, fragments of her red-hot armor sparking
away, leaving a glowing comet's trail. She crashed into the roof,
and, from the sound of things, through it.
Nobody ran back into the burning building.
The smoke from the broadcast studio had yet to fill the front
hall.
"Amelia!" he cried out, pushing open doors
and staring into darkened rooms, searching for one with a hole in
the roof. "Amelia!"
He found her sprawled on the carpet in some
sort of meeting room. Her armor had fallen to red dust around her,
and her body was covered with raw, bloody blisters. Though they
were far from the center of the fire, the carpet she lay upon
smoldered.
"Amelia," he said, running to her side. He
slid to his knees beside her and turned her face toward him,
flinching as he realized it was stupid to move her.
She groaned as she slowly opened her
eyes.
"Amelia!" Nobody said. "You're alive. I'll
get some help. Somehow. Just hang on."
She grinned feebly, then said, softly,
"You're no good at this, Nobody. You're supposed to call me 'Rail
Blade' out here."
"I'd rather call you an ambulance," said
Nobody, looking around for a phone. Then he remembered the police
cars on their way. Dialing 911 seemed redundant.
Rail Blade groaned as she grabbed the seat of
a nearby chair and pulled herself into a sitting position. "I've
lived through worse," she said, her voice quavering. "My training
helps me block off the parts of my mind that feel the pain. We
should leave before the police arrive."
"Are we going to do that metal prison
teleporting thing again?" he asked. "I'd rather walk back to the
island."
She shook her head. "Don't have the
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