one time I was too slow, she struck my guard and sent me reeling like a missile through the window of the hotel, crashing into a throng of onlookers that had taken refuge in the lobby.
Using her super speed to reach me, she was back at me in a frenzy before I could get back on my feet. Apogee grabbed what remained of my cowl and steadied her hold to throw me with it. That’s when I did what I’ve never done before in my life, and hope to never, ever do again.
I hit a girl.
I didn’t hold back either, but luckily for her it was a clumsy, unbalanced back fist into her stomach. She still flew across the lobby, over the heads of dozens of screaming people, and disappeared into the concierge desk in an explosion of concrete and wood.
Outside, things were actually comical from my perspective. I could see the fight unfold in slow-motion. The only things moving at my speed were Cool Hand, and now FTL, who apparently had speed control as part of his repertoire. The magnet effect was fading, but it had given Cool a chance to run off. Covered in metal objects of all types, FTL was using all that junk as projectile weapons to throw at Cool.
Mr. Haha had scared off Atmosphero, who soared high to the skies, and away from the fight, so he now attacked Gamma Demon, but he fared poorly against the hero. Gamma Demon was firing red energy bolts from his bracers at Haha, forcing the rabbit into a defensive posture.
“I’m not through with you,” Apogee said, getting to her feet. She was covered in dust and debris, but otherwise unhurt.
“You need to calm down, lady,” I said to her. I meant to run outside, and give my companions a hand, beat Atmosphero’s ass once and for all, but I needed to deal with a more immediate problem.
She walked towards me, her head low and voice menacing. “I’ll calm down when you’re dead.”
“This place is full of innocent bystanders!” I yelled at her. “You’re gonna kill some of them, too!”
“Like you care.”
“I do,” I said, taking a few steps back. The folks inside the hotel weren’t stupid; they scrambled away to safety through every exit save the front door. But there was a woman with a broken leg, hobbling on her good leg, supported by a few hotel employees. I think I landed on her when Apogee threw me into the lobby. Apogee kept stalking closer, her fists tensed in white-knuckled ire, a lavender aura burning around them.
“God damn it, at least wait until they get her out of here!” I said, raising my hands to stop her and to Apogee’s credit, she did.
Two men picked up the injured woman, and dragged her away. “Crazy bitch!” she screamed at Apogee as she was led away.
Once the arena was clear, I looked back at my attacker and lowered my arms.
“How are you doing this?” Apogee asked.
“Cool Hand’s trick, not mine.”
“On the bat.”
I nodded.
“Very clever.”
“I want to say,” I stammered, “about your friend-“
“Shut up,” she snapped.
“Look, I had never-“
“I said shut up!” she said, following up with a nasty, and super-fast snap jab that knocked me back about ten feet. I crashed into a couch, flipping over and onto my stomach.
“Guess it’s easier if you hate,” I said as I got up, in time to catch her haymaker under my chin. The impact came under my jaw and I felt the blow deep in my bones. She must have unleashed her energy power, because I blacked out for a second. When I came to, Apogee was standing over me, digging me out of the rubble out of whatever I had crashed into. She straddled me and prepared to unleash her blows on me.
“Motherfucker,” she said, almost to tears. “This is for Barry.”
She threw her first punch, but I threw my left arm up and semi-blocked it. I moved in, grabbed her right armpit with my left hand and pulled her closer.
“Get the fuck off me!” she shouted, punching with her free left hand, but I took a few blows, dug my left arm under over and around her armpit, and blocked with my right until I could grab her right arm at her elbow.
“Chill out, woman!”
Apogee head butted me but she did it wrong and actually hurt herself, enraging further, and started trying to bite me. She had leverage on me, but I know she didn’t weigh all that much. All