Cosack's Struggle

Cosack shows off his creation and plans to Edgar

Chapter 10 - Cosack’s Struggle

 

 After running for about 5 minutes while dodging various random thug attacks and flying objects you finally get to where you assume Cosack is. You do remember seeing various locked steel doors inside the building, meaning they probably held secrets, dangerous ones even. When you look behind you notice Bastion in the distance, but ignore him while bursting through the entrance with your shoulder.

 

 You waste no time in looking for Cosack and his supposed lab. Almost all doors are locked, except one, which is actually wide open. You see a few white tiles inside, and once in you’re welcomed by a huge underground testing facility, like the kind of one someone with dangerous bombs would enjoy to have. You walk down while paying attention to a weird metal suit attached to the wall.

 

 Once down there you inspect it further while hearing an echoing voice all over the place.

 

 �" Impressive, right? �" Cosack asks you.

 

 �" Now, it depends. �" You answer. �" Impressively useless? What will you use this for?

 

 �" Oh! �" His voice adorns a shocked sound to it. �" You did recovered overnight. I’m impressed! Last time I did this it took the man a whole year to get over the damage dealt. Perhaps you really are more special than what even I have thought. Shame you didn’t agreed in helping with my cause...

 

 �" Who would ever want to help a lunatic with the craziest, most unlikely to work plan ever? �" You point upwards. He laughs.

 

 �" A lot of people, actually. �" He explains. �" You see, I have already deployed my “seeds” on the minds of many across the city. They were just waiting for the signal to rise and help me take this place for granted, and once we do I’ll give them a special place to look over the common, opressed and fragile.

 

 You then see him coming through a door behind you, probably the place where he stays to watch his experiments from safety. His old and peaceful look no longer have these effects on you, not after what he did and plans to do.

 

 �" So, care to tell me how your enormous brain came up with all of this? �" You try to stall to restore as much lost energy as possible. You never figured out what your Powers were exactly, but knew that one of them granted you inhuman skills and feats, and the other allowed you to store energy as some sort of potential output for all-out burst moves, or even energy restorage like a battery. Unfortunately the energy you’ve been storing ever since you can remember having two Powers, A.K.A being a Royalty wasn’t a big deal, and you used all of it while fighting Border, Fergus and more recently Magnus. If Cosack pulls something dangerous off you won’t be able to counter it in time.

 

 �" Well sir. I sure do! �" He excitedly answer while walking around.

 

 �" You see, I wasn’t always like this. �" He begins.

 

 �" What, old and evil? �" You mock him, but he keeps going.

 

 �" Yes actually. I was, in fact, extremely handsome and well intended. I used to have the most perfect woman one could ask for, and a daughter that would make any parent jealous. I had the best life I could ever ask for! �" He opens his arms dramatically. �" My job as a researcher payed well, and my Power allowed me to do great deeds to society. �" He looks down after saying that, adorning a sad look.

 

 �" But it wasn’t always like that... You see young man, I had to fight to have those things. When I was a child people always made fun of me because I didn’t knew how to use my Power or what it was even supposed to be used for. They thought it was as useless as not having a Power at all, and I only found out what it was and how to use it by the age of 15, far later than what it was normal. Until then my life was almost hell. My family took me for an outcast, my friends, well, I didn’t had any, and I was the main target of bullying for years. Soon I was being reffered as “Cosack, the Useless...”

 

 �" Well, that isn’t an excuse to be an evildoer. �" You point the obvious out while crossing your arms. �" And how the hell did you got what you said you had if you were such a loser?

 

 �" Oh, that’s because I have found out what I could do! �" His calm face returns to him. �" Turns out I not only aged far slower than the average person, but also could manipulate the time flow of various objects! The things I could do were truly impressive for that time’s standards, and still is to this day. I could make a thrown rock fly as slow as a turtle, or as fast as a bullet, and after exploiting the advantages such Power could give to me I became notorious and even respected!

 

 �" Soon I left high school and went to college. �" He keeps going �" Ever since I was young I wanted to know why I was born like that, so researching became my passion and I tried to make a living out of that when the time to choose a career came. Still in college I met the woman that would eventually become my wife, and even got a job as an official researcher for the campus. Eventually I finished my studies and we got engaged. She made me the happiest man I could be.

 

 �" So far all you’ve been telling me is that your life was good. �" You interrupt him, now feeling like you have enough energy to counter Cosack’s attempts of taking you down. �" None of that is a viable reason to do what you’re doing.

 

 �" Don’t you think I don’t know that? �" He shouts while making an annoyed face, surprising you. �" I want to take over this piece of nothing that you call a city because of what happened to my family! One day I went to work as usual, but in the meantime someone broke in my house and... did things to my family before disposing of them, and absolutely no one even tried to do something about it... �" He hold his chest with a grip, but soon lets it go. �" I did my job and looked the man up, and after gathering enough info I found out he was resposible for various similar attacks to other people. Once I captured him and spreaded the knews everyone came and had a taste of revenge, and I went unpunished by doing so. I did what the police, what the government couldn’t do, and then I thought: What if that was the norm? What if crime did got properly punished for even existing?

 

 �" And let me guess. �" You interrupt him again. �" You realized you were the one that had to do it.

 

 �" Of course! By the time all of it happened I was already on my late 40s, but knew I wouldn’t die anytime soon. My Power was perfect to what I had to do, and so I began. I gathered influence, capital and power slowly but surely, and now here I am! First this city, and then the place I once called home. Soon all of West Region will be under my command and no one will ever suffer the same injustice I felt again. HA! �" And with that he ends his story.

 

 �" Sorry friend, but I can’t let you do that. �" You start to counter his plan with your argument. �" First, taking over this city wouldn’t get you far. Once the rest of West Region finds out about your little plot they will send the required force to deal with you.

 

 �" Got that covered. �" He explains. �" Remember my other followers?

 

 �" Subjects, you mean. �" You hiss back, annoyed. �" And random, brainwashed civilians won’t be enough to deal with the forces this continent has under its disposal. Heck, I don’t think you would get past the army, just so you can have an idea of how unprepared you are to what will happen if you take your plan foward.

 

 �" And that, my friend, is why I am more than prepared to it. �" He does a hand gesture, making your body move much slower than usual. Everything feels weird, and a few seconds later you notice him behind you. He walked over to and past you, going for the metal suit. �" Now let me show you why I not only can, but also will be more than capable of dealing with anyone that even dares to fight me back.

 

 You see him put on the suit, covering his arms, legs, torso and head, but still leaving some parts exposed. The suit starts to glow faintly and Cosack makes a pleasant face, like someone was massaging his old a*s back. You hear the sound of steam and several computer beeps all over the place when a robotic voice says.

 

 �" Supply Suit’s battery and power output at 70%. Connection status: stable. Ready for cableless use.

 

 �" About time. �" He then lets a big cable fall from his back. Looking at it now makes it feel more like an exoskeleton than anything else. �" I would like to now present to you what so many years of tireless research led me to: the Supply Suit! �" He moves around to check if everything is in its place. �" This is still just a prototype, and its first test run would be the town hall, but since you’re here guess I’ll have to get past you first. I dislike the thought of fighting a child, but you have proven to be more than enough trouble to my plans, and I can’t afford to have you on my shoe after you recover from your little spar with Fergus and Magnus.

 

 �" Well, I wouldn’t want this to go any other way. �" You barely have enough energy to cover your hands with your Power, but you try to work something out with it while taking a fighting stance. �" Let’s see how far your researchs took you with this one Cosack!

 

 And with those words he stretches his arms before snapping his fingers. The next thing you feel is his fist in your gut sending you back against a wall, slamming on it hard.

 

 �" What..? �" You cough some blood, astonishing you. Never before in a fight you dropped blood, only either small or considerable sratches here and there.

 

 �" You see, there’s a reason why I called it Supply Suit. What this thing do is enhance a person’s natural Power to way beyond its limits. Now I can stop one’s time entirely! Isn’t this just...

 

 �" Overkill? �" You stand up while jumping to check your insides. Nothing broken yet. He doesn’t look strong, but that suit sure does more than just what he said it does. �" Stopping time doesn’t sound like something fair to deal with if you ask me.

 

 �" And it isn’t supposed to be fair young man. �" He goes for another snap. This time you realize yourself being tossed up in the air, soon falling down. You see Cosack going for a punch, but you try to counter it, making your fists clash. His suit however overpowers you, forcing your fist out of the way while his own connects with your face, making you spit even more blood while sending you to the side of the room against another wall. This time you feel a bit dizzy. Sure the battle you had with Magnus wasn’t that difficult or tiring, so why do you feel more tired than what you should be?

 

 �" Feeling weak? �" You look up to see Cosack smirking a smug. �" I used a trick I learned to make you feel older than what you really are. That’s why it feels like you are more tired than what you should be. Wonderful, isn’t it? �" He then grabs you by your arm and hurls you against the opposite wall. Your left shoulder hits it hard, dislocating it. You force yourself to hold a scream of pain inside while holding the shoulder.

 

 �" You b*****d! I’ll... �" You then see him right next to you with his hand close to your face. No, he wouldn’t...

 

 �" You were saying? Mind if this time you spend 5 years? �" The mere thought of going back to that place immediately shatters the persona you came up with, revealing your true, scared self. The despair in your face is tangible, to the point where Cosack recoils his hand a bit. �" And to think you did had got over the trauma overnight. Looks like you just came up with a tough guy facade to hide your pain... How pathetic. Looks like my expetations on you were oversaturated. �" He leaves you on the corner at the verge of crying before saying. �" I recommend you to leave this place and go to a hospital. Do something about that shoulder. You tried young man, but not even the Stormhold Brothers together could have won. I’m just too powerful for any of you right now.

 

 �" You... �" You try your best to sound confident, but your voice cracks a few times. �" You won’t get away with this... I heard of this guy, Deyson was his name, and...

 

 �" You refer to the High Council member, don’t you? �" He asks, now preparing to go upstairs �" I don’t know the extent of that man’s strength, but I doubt even him can stop the newfound limits to my power. One snap and it’s over. �" He then raise a hand, gesturing a snap.

 

 It’s then that you notive a hand grip his wrist hard. Cosack looks over to the responsible and both of you see a tall, bald black man with sharp features in his face, like he could bite you like a snake at any given moment, a built body like Edgar's, slim but muscular, a black shirt with a sleeveless blue jean jacket over it and dark red pants with shoes of the same color. He also has a tattoo in his left arm with the symbol of the High Council, three arrows crossing each other’s pointless edges with a big “H” and a small “C” under it tinted in a light blue.

 

 �" You are right in one regard. �" He speaks with a deep, masculine voice, almost like he was faking it to sound more intimidating. �" You have no idea of how strong I am. �" He then punches Cosack so hard he is sent flying right next to you, slamming hard against the wall. The suit took the damage, and he soon stands on his feet again.

 

 �" Well, that was unexpected. �" Cosack says with a smirk. �" I’ll let you know that I didn’t saw that coming, but it doesn’t matter. You wasted your only hope of finishing me! �" He shouts while raising his hand for another snap, but before he can even put his fingers together Deyson appears right in front of him with such speed not even you see coming. He then punches his gut several times in a flurry, making Cosack lean in pain, then elbows his head so hard the helmet cracks open.

 

He doesn’t stop there as he grabs Cosack by his right arm and spins so fast he turns into a living tornado, soon letting go of Cosack, who slams even harder against the wall on one of the far ends of the room. This time you can see that his suit didn’t took the damage well, several cracks and even missing parts on it.

 

 �" Quick analysis done. Supply Suit’s energy output: 25%. Critical condition reached. Highly recommended to stop usage before it supercharges. �" The robotic voice comes back to let everyone know.

 

 �" See Cosack. �" Deyson speaks up. �" A few friends of mine have been watching over you for a good while now, and once we realized your true intentions and secret operation in this underground hideout I was sent to keep an eye for anything suspicious. Took it a year, but sure enough here you are, and what was all of that for? Nothing.

 

 �" NO! �" Cosack shouts while standing. He is visibly angry, which scares you a bit. �" I will NOT let ONE MAN stop me from reaching my ambition, not when I’m THIS close! �" He suddenly clap his hands, and the next thing you see is Cosack’s fist connecting with Deyson’s face. Then another, and another, but after a few Deyson quickly parries all of his incoming blows before hitting his torso so hard and fast something breaks, but you can’t tell if it was just the suit or a rib.

 

 �" Game over Doc. See you when you wake up. �" Deyson says before finishing Cosack off with a jump, going for another elbow to the head. This time thought it lands on his head, knocking Cosack unconscious instantaneously. He falls over to the side with eyes closed while Deyson takes a deep breath and grabs a cellphone from his pocket.

 

 He does what seems to be a call while looking over to you. �" Yes, it’s me. I finally dealt with him. So far no casualties, but the police will have to double check that. �" He stops talking for a second with a puzzled face before giving a faint smile. �" No one besides me here. Yes, I’ll bring him with me for interrogation, and once done I’ll give you another call. I know. I know. �" He sounds annoyed, but quickly let it go. �" Alright. Copy that. �" He then hangs up and lays closer to Cosack.

 

 He takes his armor off and puts him over one shoulder and the suit over another. �" Hey kid. What you did here was really impressive. Your father was right when he told me I could trust you, but I shouldn’t have overestimated you, not that much.

 

 �" Wait... �" Dozens of questions pops in your head, but only one comes out. �" What do you mean by my father? How do you know him?

 

 �" You should really stay in touch with your father’s friend list. It’s quite big. �" He fires a finger pistol at you before walking towards the stairs. �" About your state, there are a few people who would like to have a word with you.

 

 With that he leaves and four other people enter the room. Your friends don’t waste time in screaming your name and running over to you, soon surrounding you in a semi-circle.

 

 �" Damn Edgar! �" Natasha is the first to speak. �" Why do you scare us like this! Look at your state! �" For some reason out of everyone she is the one with the worst face, like she almost lost her father or something. You wonder why, but not for long.

 

 �" That Cosack guy was no joke. �" Derick goes next. �" If you lost to him he is the real deal. Now I wanna fight him too.

 

 �" Like that would happen. �" Bastion says while putting his hand on your shoulder. �" Also, this will sting. �" He realocates it with the help of his Power. The pain is similar to a gunshot, strong but quick.

 

 �" All of that is beside the point now. �" Rose stretches her arms to back everyone off. �" He needs space to breath, so move it!

 

 After a few more minutes of a quick auto analysis you notice that you have, at best, a broken rib and a recently realocated shoulder, so decide that going to the hospital is the best course of action.

 

 Sure enough everyone carries you over to outside. Your father was having a talk with Deyson near a tree, but once you get out he pats Deyson’s back. Deyson then quickly disappears. No matter how fast you might be there’s no way you could catch up to him. A High Council member sure is something else.

 

 Once closer you have your father’s attention. He isn’t concerned at all by your state, instead just smirking like that was something he was expecting.

 

 �" Dad. �" You look over to him with a forced grin. �" You have some explaining to do.

 

 

The Aftermatch

 

Three days have passed since Cosack’s attempts of taking over the city. Everyone, criminals and bounty hunters, that were involved either ran away or were arrested, and Cosack himself was sent back to Neon City, his hometown, where he would be properly judged and condemned for his crimes. After confessing what he did to Edgar evidences of his activities were also found in various other people all across the West Region, and speculation states that there are more like those yet to be found.

 

 Repairment for all the destroyed buildings have already began, and you see the news from the hospital’s bed. Only a very small number of casualties, but you don’t know who the people are. Eventually you see Natasha enter the room for the third day straight to check on you.

 

 �" I already said you don’t have to come, you know? �" You tell her again, but she shrugs you off.

 

 �" I don’t have to, but I want. �" She puts her hands behind her back while leaning a bit foward. She looks extra cute today. �" The gang is still recovering from the damage, and Derick and Bastion’s mom reprimended them for a good half hour, and ultimately grounded them for the rest of the week.

 

 �" What about you? �" You know damn well her father wouldn’t let this one slide.

 

 �" Well, as you probably guessed by now my father took the opportunity and prohibited me from seeing the group for a week. It’s only this short because they don’t know all the facts, and I’m only here because my mom allowed me.

 

 �" I’ll still have to hear it from my mom when I get better, so wish me luck. �" You try to break the ice. She giggles.

 

 �" Sure thing. �" She then kisses your forehead. It’s so sudden and warm you skip a heartbeat and turn red for a few seconds. �" That’s for being so cool... �" She turns around and leaves.

 

 �" What is this..? �" You think to yourself while analyzing the situation. �" Why do I feel this way when she does something like that? It’s just a simple kiss on the forehead, nothing serious... But I wish she did it again...

 

 

Natasha

 

 �" I just wish I didn’t ruined everything... �" You think to yourself while hiding behind the wall next to the room’s entrance. �" You’ll see Edgar, one day I’ll catch you so off guard you won’t even have the opportunity to think twice! One kiss will be everything I’ll need, but until then...

 

 

 And with that the month went by like a breeze. After another few days in the hospital Edgar was finally allowed to go home, and sure enough was interrogated by his mother. He had to tell the truth, but thanks to his father she didn’t punished him, instead just scolding him for being so reckless, and her husband for not being there for his son. As soon as Edgar had the opportunity he visited eveyone else. Derick and Bastion were already fine, while Rose was looking for her friends to try and have an explanation of why they left so suddenly like that. Eventually the group was together again, chilling and looking for more bounties to hunt. Looks like it’ll take more than just an old man with a super suit to stop them from doing what they like most.

 

 

 Meanwhile, somewhere at the suburbs of Aether

 

 �" Oh Edgar... You left me like this, why did you... �" Inside an extremely fancy looking house gentle moaning can be heard from inside a room with a locked door. The voice sounds like Vivian’s. �" After what I saw inside your mind you never left mine, not even for a second... I promise I’ll have you for me, no matter how long or what it takes..! �" Soon the unconfortable noises come back between more similar words.

Author's Note

Ok, this is the end of the first arc, and merely a demo to the whole story.
I don't want to keep posting my story in multiple platforms because that's annoying, and I didn't really liked this website either. If you enjoyed the story feel free to go to Fictionpress and keep reading the other chapters I post there nearly everyday. Feel free to rate and say what you liked/disliked about it