.....The blast from his dark matter nova had knocked the whirlybags to the ground and stunned most of them. Those managing to discharge were firing randomly in all directions as they tried to get their bearings. He felt a few hot sizzles zip past his head. He needed to shell. With the few seconds he had gained himself, he charged the whirly herd while encasing himself in the thick viscous dark matter pouring out from his body. The dark matter shell conferred tremendous power, speed, and protection to the trained wearer. From the whirlys perspective, he looked like a shimmering oily shadow. Except, he was no shadow. He was their extinction.
.....He reached the first whirly and slammed his darkhard fist into it's headcage, disintegrating it into a fine metallic mist. It spluttered mesoil and blood from its flaying wires and tubes as it collapsed. He was already on to the next. It reached for him with its graspclaw. In one fluid motion, he caught and ripped it straight out of its socket and leapt into the air. At the apex of his leap he double-handed the severed appendage above his head and incanted a transference rite imbuing it with crackling dark energy. He couldn't hear himself screaming as gravity asserted itself and he descended. He brought the imbued graspclaw down with such colossal force that it penetrated straight through the whirly's chestplate, pinning it to the ground. The ruined whirly buckled from the blow and exploded most satisfactorily. He used his momentum to throw himself somersaulting backward through the air and over the other two whirlys as they opened fire. He landed and ventilated them with percussive dark matter blasts. They crumpled to the ground.
.....'Dont stop. Keep moving' he thought.
.....He launched himself forward low to the ground with a inky jet of dark energy. He pike rolled in the air so he could see behind him. Thousands of magnesium threaded whirly shells clouded and broiled the air around him. He could feel the incessant 'thuck-thuck-thuck' of the impacts as the bullets rammed into his shell. Twenty or so whirlys were now back on their feet and bearing down on him hard. Still airborne, he reached to his side and slammed his fists into the ground, cutting a double rut as he slowed. He swiftly swung his legs back and touched his feet down skidding to a stop. The air was thick with the salty taste of hot mag as the whirlys intensified their attack. He charged forward again into the death hail, unloading dark matter blasts furiously into the whirly pack, vaporizing some and rag-dolling others. He felt his power begin to slip and he knew his time was coming to an end. If he had to, he would expend every last drop of his power before they took him down
.....He pressed the attack. Dancing and darting among the whirlys, he continued dispatching them with great abandon. Gaping holes and evaporated braincages were becoming a rampant disease for the whirlys. They fired haphazardly, trying desperately to quell their target, only succeeding in shredding their own compatriots half the time.
.....He moved behind another whirly, readying to blast it into oblivion when he found himself abruptly crushed into the ground. A whirly had got the drop on him. He tried to push himself up but the whirly was not having it. It rained blows and bullets upon his back, driving him down further into the muddy soil. The remaining 6 whirlys hastily encircled his pinned body and unloaded into him. Any second now they would pierce his shell and end him. He felt a warble pass through the shell as his power came close to fizzling out, leaving him naked as a babe. Darkness was creeping in at the corners of his consciousness. He felt himself letting go. He retreated deep within his mind searching for more power that was not there. He did find Julia waiting for him though.
.....“This is it Jacob.” She said.
.....“I love you Jules.” Was all he could manage, tears streaming down his face.
.....She walked up to him and encircled him with her arms, nuzzling his neck with her nose. The storm of bullets was distant, like heavy rain on a rooftop. He ignored it and held her tightly to him.
.....“I'm sorry I wasn't stronger. I should have never left you and Addison behind.” He managed through the tears.
.....She silenced him with a finger on his lips and stepped back. She began whistling very faintly, but it steadily grew in pitch and intensity. The whistle became all consuming. Piercing his being and dropping him to his knees. He screamed, begging her to stop but it only increased. He put his hands over his ears to block it out but it did not matter. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.
.....A sprig of hope blossomed deep within him.
.....'Wait' he thought. 'That is no whistle.'
.....As death prepared to run him down, he prayed he was not hallucinating. He had to hold out a few more seconds.....
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