RMA

  Red Moon Advocate

  Chapter 4

  An Echo of Sight

  The subtle cracks of the support beam holding excess weight echoed through the dead silent room. No one dared to speak, and the air was as thick as a pond of water. Jensu unhooked his legs and let gravity take effect landing just outside of striking range of Lloyd.

  “How rude. Talking about me as if I’m not standing right here.”

  Aiden’s eyes shifted to Naomi as she struggled and twitched. Jensu glanced in her eyes for only a second.

  “Naomi if you’re going to use that power now’s the time.” Aiden whispered loudly

  “I've been trying to, he’s not affected by it.”

  Jensu frowned slightly as he could feel a sudden nudge in his brain.

  “Oh yeah I been feeling you trying to probe my mind. That stuff doesn't work on me. Try it again though and I’ll kill you.”

  Lloyd’s eye twitched franticly, every breath grew ragged as each second passed, his muscles ached, and his toes would not stay grounded. The beat of his heart thudded through his chest and without a seconds hesitation he lunged at Jensu with blinding speed. The point of his sword was mere inches from his nose, but then his vision blurred. He took a breath that was cut short by the taste of iron. Blood rushed to his throat followed by unbearable pain throughout his body. Spires of earth impaled him leaving him suspended in place.

  Naomi shrieked in fear rapidly shuffling trying to remove her cuffs. Aiden’s eyes widened in disbelief behind a forced gasp from his lips.

  “Y-you killed him!”

  Jensu glanced at Lloyd who was still gurgling blood then back at Aiden.

  “I stopped before I severed his spinal stem to his brain.”

  “Huh?”

  Aiden said with a look of confusion.

  “I guess Admiral Clay’s information was accurate. Right now Lloyd’s body is in a regeneration loop.”

  The air in the room was now thicker than water as tensions began to rise. The mentioning of Clay seemed to cut deeper than he initially thought. The spires creaked and groaned as Lloyd began struggling to free himself. Blood now spilling through his teeth as he tried speaking. Jensu smirked glancing at Lloyd.

  “I figured you Superior’s would know the name, but I did not expect such a violent reaction.”

  Sweat fell from Aiden’s chin. His eyes began shifting from one side of the room to the next, scanning for something that could stand up to an Advocate but the thought was quickly interrupted.

  “This one seems like he has something to say. I’ll free him as long as he calms down.”

  Aiden took a moment to think things through.

  “Lloyd we no choice here.”

  Jensu glared at Lloyd. The spires evaporated into dust letting him drop to the floor. The excruciating sounds of flesh mending together echoed throughout the lab.

  “Do you work for him?

  Lloyd’s face and body was perfectly clean as if nothing had happened. Jensu scrunched his face slightly.

  “Is this one not so bright?”

  Jensu glanced at Aiden

  “I’m not sure you understand the stakes here.”

  Aiden spoke with a slight annoyance in his voice But before he could continue Naomi interrupted.

  “Looook I’m clearly a victim here so please save me Advocate! I don’t want to die.”

  Aiden fired back

  “We’re not killing you!”

  Jensu walked over to a nearby table propping himself against it.

  “My favorite part of the conversation was hearing you didn’t want me to interfere. Interfere with what exactly?”

  “They’re bounty hunters for Admiral Clay and they’re trying to kill me!”

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  Naomi blurted in a panic. Both Lloyd and Aiden looked at each other shock all over their faces.

  “I made a mistake Advocate. I had no idea how dangerous the Admiral could be.”

  Jensu’s face was blank. He was completely uninterested in anything that didn’t have to do with Clay.

  “So what is he trying to hide? I assumed from our brief interaction he had an ulterior motive.”

  “I probed his mind using my Echo Sight and he is not who he seems to be….he’s”

  Lloyd interrupted

  “Not another word…Not another damn word!”

  “This is a human problem and we humans need to settle this amongst ourselves. Outsiders can never be trusted to make the right judgement.”

  Jensu stood upright off the table

  “I don’t think you understand the true scales of this situation. I would not be here if this was just a human problem. We know humans have been fighting for attention from the Empire for decades. Human ambition is dangerous and I’m sure you know that.”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you Advocate.”

  Lloyd said with a quick snide retort.

  “My name is Jensu. You’d do best to remember it Lloyd, Aiden, and Naomi.”

  Just as Jensu finished his sentence Aiden yells

  “Lloyd now!”

  Right on the mark Lloyd released a blinding flash as Aiden covered his and Naomi’s eyes, but not before she made direct eye contact with Jensu. The bright flash and ringing in his ear slowly began to fade, only to reveal the darkness of an alleyway. Jensu smirked.

  “Aw man I let my guard down….but this is interesting I can’t seem to remember their hideout.”

  Jensu sighed and shook his head.

  “So that’s her power huh; that is dangerous….but she couldn’t make me forget their names, very interesting.”

  Back at the lab hideout Naomi fell to her knees breathing heavily blood gushing from her nose and ears.

  “All I could do was make him forget this place, but he still knows our names and faces.”

  “What information could you get from him?”

  Lloyd pressed her

  “His mind is far too powerful. I couldn’t stay long and even in that vulnerable state he managed to block everything except for the most in the moment memories.”

  Lloyd continued to press her

  “So you got nothing from him?”

  “No I did not”

  She managed to mutter still trying to catch her breath and recover. Regeneration was taking longer than expected.

  “Lloyd ease up. We need her cooperation and it looks like his mind almost destroyed her.”

  He said as he helped her to her feet and walked her over to the nearest chair.

  “Wait…how did you get free? Those shackles were superior proof”

  It had just dawned on Aiden when he sat her down in the chair

  “The Advo….er Jensu freed me when I asked for help.”

  He tried his best to keep his facial expression neutral but neither him or Lloyd saw Jensu move once to cut her shackles.

  “These advocates are more problematic than the superiors. But Naomi we don’t work for Admiral Clay-“

  Aiden was rudely interrupted by Lloyd.

  “We’re trying to kill him along with the rest of-“

  Aiden clears his throat interrupting Lloyd.

  “Without giving too much information we understand you probed Admiral Clays mind. We need to know what you saw.”

  “How do I know you won’t kill me after I tell you? I’ve seen how Shadow works”

  Naomi’s breath was still shaky as she was still trying to recover.

  “I give you my word…isn’t that right Lloyd?”

  Lloyd scoffed

  “Fine…I don’t see a reason to kill you anyway.”

  “Listen Admiral Clay is trying to kill me for this information and he’s going to kill whoever I come in contact with.”

  Her voice now slowly returning to normal. Lloyd grew impatient glaring at Naomi.

  “That doesn’t concern you. We need that information now.”

  “They killed my parents, so it does concern me! I don’t want anyone else dying for this which is why I hide. I escaped that hell hole once, and now the assassin keeps tracking me, and now you!”

  Her voice trembled and her throat tightened while fighting to keep her tears back. Aiden placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke gently.

  “Naomi, you could either go out there and die with that information possibly leaving Clay unchallenged or you could give us the information and at least give humanity a fighting chance.”

  He took a moment to gather his breath and he started fidgeting with a device he grabbed off the table.

  “The Superior phenomenon has caught the attention of the Galactic Empire. Humanity is doomed and we basically attacked an Advocate. We need to solve this problem first and maybe later negotiate with Jensu and the Empire.”

  Naomi looked down twirling her thumbs and sighed reluctantly looking up at him.

  “I-I have to probe your mind. It’s too much information about things I don’t understand.”

  Lloyd frowned

  “You will not enter my mind”

  Aiden blurted out impatiently

  “Fine just use mine.”

  Naomi locked eyes with Aiden and his mind began to feel like cold water rushed through. His nervous system sparked like electric, his fingertips began to burn and his eyes grew heavy. He was experiencing a full sensory overload. He opened his mouth gasping for air. Then he fell backwards to the ground as Naomi released him. He began violently coughing.

  “Naomi what were you thinking?! Why would you use your echo sight on him with no clear motivations to do so?”

  Naomi looked down in shame as if she was hiding something.

  “You aren’t the only ones wanting to bring him down.”

  Lloyd narrowed his eyes at her

  “Aiden what did you see?”

  Aiden tossed the device to Lloyd and sat on the table still trying to catch his breath. Then began ranting without pause

  “Nothing good. He is planning to stage an uprising to takeover Light City, kill General Altone, and overload every Superior’s mutation so they transform into monsters, but what’s most alarming is the massive structure he’s building in the sky. It’s called Skybase and it’s destructive capabilities are catastrophic. He plans to use the Superiors to storm the Galactic Empire, and have humans take control as the dominant race. He’s going to use your brother Brandon to rally the other Superiors. This is far bigger than us Lloyd. I think we may need to go ask that Advocate for help.”

  Lloyd gritted his teeth in frustration and disbelief.

  “He needs to be stopped! I’ve set off an emp here to destroy any trackers. They may be tracking Naomi.”

  Naomi sat in the chair blinking rapidly

  “Wait your brother is Brandon Kenbrooks, which means you are Lloyd Kenbrooks and Admiral Clay Kenbrooks is your father? Ooh no I think I’m going to be sick!”

  Meanwhile somewhere in Dark City Jensu pulls out his holopad to check on the tracker he placed on Lloyd only to see it ping once then disappear completely.

  “Teyren told me these trackers were emp proof. Oh well, I’ll just head in the direction of where it last pinged.”

  Back at the lab Aiden’s computer began to beep showing multiple blips surrounding the building.

  “Ah Lloyd I think that emp was a little late. We’re surrounded and I don’t think it’s the advocate this time.”

  Lloyd placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “Take Naomi and leave through the underground passage. You know where it leads. Lita and Kira will protect you.”

  “You can just turn me in. Why protect me I already gave you information.”

  Naomi said still with shame in her voice. Lloyd simply turned his back to her. Aiden took a syringe and jabbed it into his arm then grabbed Naomi pulling her along to the passage. She tried resisting thinking her Superior enhanced strength would stop him but he did not budge.

  “You’re a Superior?”

  Aiden ignored her and kept pulling her.

  “Come on let’s go!”

  They quickly disappeared in the tunnels beneath. From the ceiling multiple ropes fell to the ground, sliding down were many military soldiers. The last to enter was the same assassin with a nanosuit landing silently between all the soldiers. The soldiers surrounded Lloyd all pointing guns at him.

  “Well shit, I wasn’t expecting Lloyd Kenbrooks himself to be here. I assume you got to Naomi first?”

  Lloyd kept his guarded stance

  “Of course you want to do this the hard way. Your father wants you alive so we’ll cripple you and bring you in.”

  The assassin waved his hand and all 15 of the soldiers opened fire on Lloyd emptying entire clips. Smoke filled the area and the sounds of bullet casing rang loudly. When the smoke cleared Lloyd stood there, all the bullets suspended in midair around him crushed at the tip as if they were smashed into a solid surface. Lloyd did not move yet suddenly he was not alone. A second outline slipped from his shoulders, luminous and silent, stepping forward while his physical body remained. Then more burst forth-light separating from flesh. They did not duplicate him, they were him.

  Each peeled away at blinding speed in the direction of the soldiers returning just as quickly as they were created. Silence fell the room then bodies fell apart-crimson liquid decorating the walls and the floor. The assassin did not react, it was almost like he expected this.

  “Making things difficult must run in the Kenbrooks bloodline.”

  Compartments opened like tightly woven caps. Steam began to vent from his nanosuit as he took his stance unsheathing a short sword from his side. Lloyd gripped the hilt of his broadsword and they stared each other down, monitoring and examining each others stance just waiting for a twitch of a muscle.

  They both charged and met blades then began exchanging blows with their sword steel against steel before leaping back to gain distance. The assassin seemed to not be overwhelmed by Lloyd’s speed or superior enhanced strength. They were almost even.

  “Now fighting Superiors I can handle. Advocates not a chance”

  “Did he already fight Jensu?”

  Lloyd thought to himself before blocking an onslaught of sword strikes from the assassin. Somewhere in Dark City Jensu was leaping across rooftops making his way to the last location of his tracker ping.