Sizzle… The walkie-talkie went dead.
General Lane stared at it, then yanked off his hat and rubbed his sweaty scalp.
"What rocket? What the hell rocket? Does he think I launched that missile?!"
A vein throbbed in his temple as he hurled the walkie-talkie across the room.
"Damn it! I should be suspecting him of sending people to slaughter my men, even kidnapping my daughter, but he's actually trying to pin it on me! He's already been hit by an air-to-ground strike—why won't he just die?!"
He tilted his head back, groaning in frustration.
Beside him, his adjutant cleared his throat nervously.
"General, theoretically, the one who kidnapped your daughter is likely a third party. And according to our investigation, Axel doesn't have the resources to raise a team capable of launching air-to-ground strikes or wiping out our elite forces instantly. So…"
"I know, I know!" Lane snapped before the adjutant could finish.
"I know he didn't do it, and I know it's aimed at me. At a time like this, you don't need to justify me. A mere Axel, with his intelligence not yet widely known, isn't worth anyone deploying such methods for. Me, on the other hand? I'm a General! It has to be internal politics—my rivals, maybe even CIA trash!"
Lane's eyes gleamed as his thoughts spiraled.
"Even if not CIA, it could be my old enemies sabotaging my operation—dropping my defense ranking, kidnapping my daughter, maybe even messing with LexCorp. These people could be LexCorp's rivals too, trying to snatch their orders!"
He clenched his fists, slamming them together.
"Yes! Soon they'll contact me for terms to exchange my daughter. The LexCorp experimental gear we acquired will be their target! But they don't know it's useless to me. If we don't buy it, it stays experimental, and LexCorp's anti-analysis tech is top-notch. All I need to do now is wait… and deal with that damned Axel!"
Lane snatched a fresh walkie-talkie from his adjutant.
"Everyone, kill Axel with full force! Force him to teleport away. Do not let him become our problem. He's no longer worth targeting!"
"Oh, what the hell?!"
Axel's mocking voice came crackling through the walkie-talkie.
"Are you f***ing looking down on me?!"
Lane's face went pale.
"Switch to channel six!" he barked, tossing the walkie-talkie aside and taking the in-ear headset from his adjutant.
Axel, gun trained on the soldiers below, laughed and opened fire.
Tat-tat-tat!
Two soldiers were down instantly. Axel rifled through their bodies, stripped one of his tactical vest, and loaded seven magazines into it. Gun in hand, he righted his Harley.
Boom! The engine roared, and Axel grinned. He didn't know exactly where General Lane was, but Louise, the reckless reporter, had to be in the coffee shop.
That woman would never leave her post, even if Smallville became a war zone. Axel knew that.
He sped toward the coffee shop—but three soldiers blocked his path after just one street.
Not all were elite, but these were Seal Team members.
Two dove for cover and opened suppressive fire; the third raised an RPG.
Axel returned fire, magazine emptied, but the soldiers advanced, and he was hit.
Bang! A thud to his chest sent him flying from the bike.
He rolled twice, groaned, and pressed a hand to the wound.
"Damn it… right to the heart? Must be a coincidence."
Tearing open his shirt, he confirmed it.
The bullet tore through his left chest, but his heart was fine.
Ribs? Maybe fractured.
Axel grunted, then laughed.
"My body's improving fast… feels like it's about to change qualitatively."
Gun in hand, he charged at the soldiers.
The RPG fired.
Whoosh!
An explosion enveloped him, but Axel transformed into flames and vanished.
The soldiers reported his "death" over comms, then exchanged bewildered glances.
"Did you see his speed?" one asked.
"You saw that too!" another said.
"He's… like a cheetah!"
"Yeah, I aimed for his heart. That left chest looked like it was about to blow!"
___
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