Urban Renewal - 21 -   by Erin Halfelven Art by Heather Rose Brown

 
LeJeune backed away from the wreckage, pulling his state-issued nine-millimeter from his back holster. In the strange light of sun filtered through smoke, the tall man coming at him seemed to have stripes in his hair. He'd read the State's copy of Jane's Metahumans, Mutants and Overmen. One of the Tigermen? he wondered. The band of mercenaries who had hunted down Tiger-Man had all been tainted by David Hawkes's monster blood. Catclaw, M'Caliber, Ghost Tiger, Merc4Rent or maybe some wannabe? Sure wasn't Cat Ten Hawks, the monster's cousin, she was much more recognizable.

He put a bullet into the advancing figure just to see what would happen. The big man jerked from the impact but didn't slow down. M'Caliber only used long-range weapons; Ghost Tiger didn't like daylight; Merc would have weapons all over him; this one only had knife-like claws strapped to his hands -- Shit! It's Catclaw! How do you stop a guy who regenerates from wounds in just seconds?

LeJeune aimed at Leo's head.

* * *

Billy danced through the hail of spent uranium slugs, swatting them down or aside to plow furrows in pavement or make craters in concrete walls. His blazing forcefield protected and concealed him in the flaming wreckage as he approached the cyborg. He slowed down more, crossing the sound barrier going down, and the turbulence blew a wide hole in the smoke and debris.

The jetcopter hovered thirty feet above him, Billy leapt to the top of the terminal building then ran on the flying pieces of exploded firetruck scattered by his own shockwave. He shouted something no one could hear. "Wyatt! Wyatt Helmstrong! Captain Wyatt, it's me, Billy!"

* * *

The Knight's ECM-missiles buzzed in Spartako's senses, hunting his control frequencies; one otherworldly technology battling another. The cyborg set part of his mind to tracking the missiles and burning them out with phased maser pulses. He couldn't hear Billy's voice but he knew Billy knew him.

The Knight would be here in seconds, Billy and the girl were in the circle of destruction, time to do what he'd come to do.

* * *

"It's a suicide run!" Lady Karma shouted into her communicator. "He's not after LeJeune, he's here to kill Billy and Tess!"

In one of those transmission flukes that happen on the battlefield, Billy's voice came back loud and clear. "I know, but he's got to catch us first!"

And leaping down practically from the wing of the jetcopter, Billy landed beside Tess, snatched up the little girl, dollie and all, and headed east where the Knight could run interference for a precious few seconds.

"Hang on tight," he told Tessie.

"I can do better than that," she said, closing her eyes to concentrate.