Number 4 grinned evilly and grappled Lucius' injured leg. He twisted it.
Lucius screamed and struggled. Pain had taken control of his body. He desperately sought a way out. He kicked Number 4 in the arm, chest, and face with his other leg as a combination.
Number 4 grunted with each blow and let go when a foot smashed against his jaw.
Lucius crawled away with one leg dragging against the sand. "This injured leg makes it difficult to keep up," he winced and tried to shake his pain off. "Come on! This is nothing," he spurred himself and managed to get up.
Number 4 threw a short kick at his wound with his front leg.
Lucius stepped back, and it missed. He lunged forward and threw a jab.
Number 4 dodged to the side. Then, he elbowed him.
Lucius' body swerved, and he stopped his fall with his hands.
Number 4 pulled out his laser gun and aimed. "You will die here," he threatened.
With great determination, Lucius replied, "I will not. I did not change my ways, from a former bandit, to become a suicidal soldier." He turned around and stared at the barrel of the laser gun in his face. His eyes widened. In a swift motion, he moved it aside and hit Number 4 with an uppercut.
Number 4 was caught off guard as he was reminded of his past by Lucius' story. He lifted off the sand with a pained expression.
With fierce determination, Lucius tightly clenched a fist. Harnessing a large amount of energy into his fist, he groaned and declared, "I became a soldier to save human lives! Mega Punch!" He punched his adversary in the chest.
Number 4 flew and crashed. Bouncing off, he rolled back on the sand. He vomited blue blood facedown.
Smoke dissipated.
Number 4 struggled and stood back up. There was a very small dent in his chest.
Lucius's jaw dropped. "That can't be right! How is that the damage of my Mega Punch," he stammered and sought to know.
Number 4 smirked and revealed, "As a member of The Elite Cyborgs, a special squad, my metallic skin is different than the rest. It's made up of adamantite, one of the strongest metals."
Lucius gulped hard and sweated. In a murmur, he questioned, "How am I going to beat this guy?"
"Number 4," Number 5 approached and muttered for his attention.
"What do want? Did you end that coward," Number 4 interrogated.
Number 5 opened his mouth and paused.
A while ago, cyborgs overwhelmed the front lines and pieced through to the rest of The New Heroes.
A squad member's fist grew, and he slammed a cyborg with it.
Another cyborg appeared behind him, and he shot him in the back.
The squad member fell and laid in a puddle of his own blood.
Radiating with energy, another squad member spun around and fired darts of poison out of his fingers.
Cyborgs fell and writhed in pain. They melted away.
Behind them, more cyborgs emerged and bombarded with lasers, killing the squad member.
"No," Aaron yelled. He kicked a cyborg down with a flying kick.
Just then, Number 5 lunged at him and punched him in the back of the head.
Aaron fell forward and tumbled on the sand.
Number 5 glanced down and sternly ordered, "Take this one for me."
Cyborgs approached a different body on the sand.
It was Bridget's lower body.
Aaron flipped back to his feet and lunged. "Leave her alone," he demanded.
Number 5 rushed in front of him and jabbed him in the jaw.
Aaron stumbled back and spun. His vision blurred. "This cyborg is a lot stronger than the others," he muttered to himself. He groaned in frustration and regained his footing. He wiped away blood and sand, smeared on his cheek. He glared back with fury in his eyes. "You're not taking her away. I'm bringing her body with me," he proclaimed.
Number 5 smirked and declared, "Her body is of use, and you're not going anywhere. I'll kill you here."
Aaron gritted his teeth, and energy flowed through his body. "I'll take you down with my signature technique," he announced. He swung his arm violently and unleashed slashes of wind infused with energy.
Number 5 backed away and clenched his teeth. He weaved his body in a certain way where the attacks would hit his metal parts. Instantly, he was cut in half, and his eyes widened.
Slashes of wind sliced him up and exploded with energy.
Number 5's pieces flew out of the smoke and scattered. His eyes rolled back, and he wheezed. Blood filled the sand, and wires hung out.
Aaron grinned and hurried to the cyborgs dragging Bridget away. He blew a strong gale and sent them flying away. He glanced down at Bridget's lower body and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll give you a proper burial," he commented.
Number 5's pieces twitched, and a line of energy connected them. They became a liquid and merged back into one, morphing himself back to a humanoid figure.
A cyborg looked at him and asked, "Sir, will you be alright?" His eyes opened wide, and a large shadow casted over him. He shrieked in terror.
The other cyborgs shrieked in horror.
Out of a cloud of smoke, Number 5, alone, stepped out and stretched. He noticed his scared comrades and alleged, "You are expendable now. Am I wrong?"
Aaron carried Bridget and fought his way back to the boat. He saw the front lines ahead and sighed in relief and joy. He looked to the side and noticed how Number 5 pursued him. "How are you alive and back together after my Wind Slashes," he questioned, and his mouth remained agape.
Without a word, Number 5 charged and fired a Laser Beam.
Aaron propelled himself out of its trajectory with a gust of wind. He landed and clenched his teeth. He sweated a ton and fell to one knee. His chest heaved. He was out of energy.
Number 5 lunged and kicked his face up.
Aaron dropped Bridget.
Number 5 grabbed his hair and punched him. "You're nothing without your energy," he noted.
Aaron grimaced in pain and threw a knee.
Number 5 moved to the side and kicked his chest. His body radiated with energy, too.
Aaron flew and bounced off the sand. He crashed far, and his ribs broke and crushed his insides. He vomited out blood and crawled towards Bridget. "I can't die. Not after your sacrifice," he cried in agony and reached for her.
Number 5 aimed his laser gun and fired at him.
Blood splattered, and Aaron laid on the sand.
Now, Number 5 nodded. "I did kill him. In fact, most of them were defeated by the others," he revealed to Number 4. "It seems to be taking you a while. Let me help you," he suggested with a teasing smirk.
"No, I can take care of him, easily," Number 4 scoffed.
In disbelief, Lucius gazed around the battlefield.
They were right as Aaron laid on the sand, unresponsive and next to Bridget's lower body.
The others were in the same gruesome state, too.
In addition, Pepe faced Commander Number 3.
Other than him, only Stark, Hafen, and Matteo pushed through the lines of cyborgs.
"I failed to save a single life," Lucius stuttered and gritted his teeth with grief. He clutched his wound, and tears fell down his cheeks. Most of his comrades were never coming back.
Number 4 lunged at him.
In a blinding rage, Lucius blocked his punch and yelled with anger.
With his laser gun in his other hand, Number 4 smirked and shot him in the gut.
Lucius grunted, and he walked backwards. With a hole through his abdomen, he held his stomach and attempted to contain what remained of his guts and organs inside. Blood seeped out of his mouth. Still, he had one more trick up his sleeve, and his body radiated energy.
A small dark cloud formed above Number 4. In a flash, lightning struck onto the sand and Number 4. A loud thunder boomed across the battlefield.
Lucius fell backwards due to the shockwave and his injuries. He barely stood up, and insisted, "I won't die, yet." He limped away.
Electrified, Number 4 rushed out of the smoke to Lucius.
Lucius turned around and threw another Mega Punch at him.
Number 4 evaded it and shot his arm off. Next, he grasped his neck.
"How did you survive my Thunderstrike? Cyborgs are supposed to be weak to electricity," Lucius demanded to know in a wheeze as he rose off the sand.
Number 4 smirked and squeezed. "Adamantite is a resilient metal. It can even be used as an insulator for electricity," he divulged.
Lucius gasped for air, and his vision blurred.
"I could never understand soldiers of humanity. I was once human, too. During that time, I realized that a society under human rule could only be corrupt," Number 4 commented with anger and sighed. With a serene expression, he asserted, "Our time has come. Cyborgs will rule, and humanity will cease to exist."
Lucius could not get out of Number's 4 grasp, and he slowly lost consciousness. Is he going to die without saving a single life in this battle. Will he die in vain? No! He can't die, now. However, his body didn't listen to him, and he hung limp.
An unknown image of his old home, in a small city, and parents flashed in his mind.
Number 4 dropped him to the sand and grabbed his bounty's ankle. He dragged Lucius's body away.
Number 5 observed. He crossed his arms and chuckled.
Number 4 handed him a smirk. He became serious and glanced back at Lucius with a curious stare.
Aaron and Lucius of The New Heroes have fallen. With many others before him, what does this mean for the future of the special squad of humanity? What does this mean for the future of humankind itself? What was the promise between Aaron and Bridget?