Page 44 of Seductive Architect
“You’re not getting anywhere near their tech.”
“I think I already have.”
Wait, what? A beam of white shot out of his chest. I spun about to see it bathing Hudson in a brilliant light. Prism knew Hudson’s secret? Even Hudson held up his hands, confused by the statement. There were no such things as coincidences. Dammit, it had been a ploy to bring my newly liberated friend.
I leapt into the air, the jetpack firing for extra height. Drawing back my fist, I prepared to slam my knuckles into the baddie’s face. He fired the first laser as I barrel-rolled out of the way. The second struck my shoulder, cutting through my suit. I growled at the pain before I clocked him.
Prism stumbled. His entire body strobed, trying to disorient. My visor continued adjusting, his illuminancebarely that of a light bulb. He lobbed a red sphere. I tossed up my forearms as it exploded. The suit held me in place, compensating for the force of his bomb.
“What do you know about him?” I barked.
“Protective?”
When I dropped my arms, I didn’t have time to react as he snapped a neon pink whip of light around my neck. My hands passed through, impossible to grab. It tightened, causing my suit to dent. It was strong, but not impenetrable. I made a mental note to upgrade if I were going to take on top-tier bad guys.
The whip loosened as a couch slammed into Prism.
Hudson picked up one of the chairs, his eyes going wide in disbelief. “I don’t want you to…” Unlike before, I could hear snippets of his code. It still moved at lightning speed, but I could pick out bits. Angles. Strategy. Percentages. Whatever fueled Hudson had broken down the scene into mathematics.
A bolt of purple light fired at him, but he slid out of the way. When the next fired, he was already leaping out of the way. A guy his size shouldn’t be able to move like that. He flipped over the next, hurling the chair as he landed. In the perfect arc, he smacked into Prism.
“Looks like I’ll have to kill you and your sidekick.”
Did Hudson’s programming change in stressful situations? His response could be triggered by adrenaline or perhaps seeing me in danger? After tonight, I wanted toask him if he’d let me in… in the most literal sense possible.
Prism’s whip reformed, and he swung it over his head. Hudson completely ignored my earlier warnings and charged Prism. Compartments on the top of my gauntlets opened, firing tiny missiles. I hadn’t finished my upgrades, but I had enough arsenal to combat the walking flashlight.
With one hand, he fired bolts that smashed the missiles… just as I anticipated. Each burst into black smoke, coating his body. Using Drew’s abilities for inspiration, the black spread around his body, dimming the light. At least now, half his abilities were null and void.
The whip came swinging, still glowing a vivid neon pink. Hudson dove, dodging it by fractions of an inch. He rolled to his feet and spun about, sweeping Prism’s feet out from under him. Before he could smash against the tile, Hudson carried his momentum forward, slamming the heel of his foot against Prism’s chest. Even as the whip made another pass, he jumped, tucking his legs up so Prism missed.
When Prism got to his feet, the black casing cracked. He tried slamming a fist into Hudson, but he blocked it with ease. The uppercut had Prism flying backward. I tried focusing on the fight, but the pain in my shoulder coursed through my body. What started as a minor burning had turned into a searing pain.
My gauntlets detached, firing like rockets. Prismdodged the first, but the second gripped his wrist, holding him against a column. I dropped to my knees, redirecting the other gauntlet to join its companion. If we secured him, then we could begin?—
The black coating his body shattered, the light filling the lobby. He held his hands forward, ready to obliterate me. At the last second, Hudson slammed his knuckles against Prism’s face, knocking the white away. Prism’s mask faltered, and I could see half of his face.
“Senator?”
He covered his face as his body grew brighter. I knew a self-destruct scenario when I saw one. The gauntlets let go of Prism’s arms, turning and latching onto Hudson’s shoulders, forcing him toward me. I grabbed him, spinning about as I cradled his body.
The silent blast sent us tumbling. Even through clenched eyes, the light burned. I did my best to protect Hudson as the nanites screamed. The suit overheated, and I found it difficult to communicate with the machines. Try as I might, they couldn’t throw up a shield. If I were Prism, this would be the opportunity to rush in and deal a finishing blow.
We rolled along the floor. As we came to a stop, I pushed off Hudson, landing on my back with a thud. Raising both hands, the suit's forearms didn’t respond. There’d be no missiles, snares, or sonic weapons. We’dduke it out like a bar fight… if the multi-colored orbs vanished.
The vizor’s feed remained white static, making it impossible to see the impending killing blow. I tapped the side, and the nanites receded, exposing my face. I’d have Connie scrub all the cameras right after I…
“He’s gone?” I had a thousand questions.
Hudson groaned. I knelt over him as I tried to force the orbs away. I couldn’t rely on the visor, so I did a manual inspection for broken bones. When I reached his thigh, he giggled. It seemed everything remained where it should be.
“I didn’t know I could do that.” He lifted his head, his breathing still hard. “How’d I do?”
My hand ran along his jawline, giving him a pat on the cheek. “Looks like you have a future as a hero.” I turned back to the column, half expecting to see the villain creeping about. Hudson had saved me. While I was covered in technology, allowing me to go toe-to-toe with the bad guys, Hudson managed with his bare hands.
“You did great.” It’d be poor form to kiss him as a thanks, didn’t stop me from wanting it. I had been so focused on his origin, I neglected the man lying on the floor. My gut had been right about this, but now the identity of Prism posed a long list of questions.
“We need to run.”
