Havok Bringer

I returned to the viewing panel, trying to shake off the unsettling meeting with Calista. The implications of a shadow monarchy ruling the galaxy would be many. Those implications would have to wait for another day, though. "OH MY!" The arena announcer exclaimed. "Elvis just ripped that guard's leg off and used it to beat another guard to death! Where does one even learn something like that? Is he going to burn through the remaining 15 guards, or will they be able to stop his rampage? Buckle up, folks! Things are going to get interesting!" "BRO NEVER SKIPS LEG DAY." The achievement sounded through the arena as Elvis knelt to open another loot chest. He smiled as he held up what looked like an iPod before tapping the screen and putting it in his pocket. The Arena's PA system blared to life as music began pulsing through every speaker, causing the crowd to go absolutely wild.
The song, as always, was absolutely fitting for the occasion; it was Killing in the Name, by Rage Against the Machine. Loud guitar riffs and booming drums filled the arena as Elvis roared and took off toward the last remaining group of Council guards. The 15 remaining guards had gathered at their fallback position in the second ring of the arena. They had coordinated and dug in after seeing that small groups stood no chance against the maniacal bio-droid. "Ready those plasma grenades!" A guard said as he quickly gave directions to the rest. "We end this here. Nobody fires until I give the signal." The guard walked up and threw a tarp off a large stationary autonomous plasma turret before activating the weapon. It sprang to life as it activated, the barrel raising and sweeping back and forth, looking for its target. Elvis was strong, but if he ran into that thing without knowing it, it would not be good. "Elvis, you seeing that turret?" I held my finger to my ear, trying to hear a response. "Elvis, do you read me? Elvis!" I didn't get a response. I wasn't sure if my signal was being intercepted or if Elvis was in such a frenzy that he didn't respond. Either way, I began to get worried for the first time. "I do believe that he can hear you, Captain," Sherlock chimed in. "He is just choosing not to respond. I can't understand why he would do something so bullheaded…it is almost as if he is mimicking the behavior of someone close to him." "You have been silent for hours," I whispered, "and now you decide to catch up on current events? Where the hell have you been?" "Believe it or not, Captain, I do have better ways to spend my time than to watch you fawn over the newest attractive female that waltzed into your life. Ses and I have been working together to eliminate some of the restrictions on your armor once it comes online again. I must say we have been making quite a lot of progress on that front." "First, there was no fawning," I retorted. "That bitch is evil. Hot, but evil for sure." "From my research, the group of human males that live in Texas on your planet seem to like complicated women. I believe you should give it the old college try." "Not gonna happen, Sherlock. I have bigger things to worry about right now, and stay out of my love life now that I think about it." "Captain, I am merely trying to assist you. I know you are attracted to Tiffantrimore, but I fear that there is no shot in that regard. She is far superior to you in every conceivable way. Calista would be much more your…speed." "What the hell?" I asked, offendedly. "So, I stand a better chance of landing the psychotic heir to the secret monarch of the galaxy than I do of having a meaningful relationship with someone who has proven to be a friend and ally?" "Captain, I am failing to see why this is a revelation?" "Asshole," I grunted and refocused on the battle. Elvis exited the first ring of the arena, leaving the destroyed urban landscape behind. He ran into the dense forest area of the second ring, leaving flames in his wake. The flames started to spread, causing a fire that blazed around the second ring as he ran. When he was about 200 yards from the cluster of guards, he changed direction and began running in a broad circular arc around their position. He picked up the pace, now running at his full, blinding speed, causing from my vantage point, what looked like a large, growing ring of fire to form around the remaining guards. I chuckled at the realization of what he was doing; he was going to smoke them out. I looked at the cluster of guards and used my interface to zoom in. They were all wearing helmets, so there was no way the smoke would affect them. So, what was Elvis doing? It dawned on me as he stopped running. Breathing the smoke wouldn't affect them, but it would definitely affect visibility. He knew about the turret and was trying to fuck with its targeting systems. The guards were all jumpy, darting looks back and forth in the trees, waving at each other frantically. They knew he was coming. Elvis jumped into the air, smoke billowing in his wake. With his mighty two-headed axe held over his head, he landed in front of a guard who never saw him coming. The axe bit hard, cutting down diagonally and separating the torso of the level 32. guard. The de facto commander of the group pointed and shouted orders as ordnance began flying out of the barrels of the 14 remaining guards. Elvis dashed to the right, engaging two more guards. He recoiled as a plasma round caught him in the shoulder but recovered quickly and slammed the same shoulder forward into a guard. The guard flew back, slamming into one of the large trees behind him before slumping to the ground unconscious. Elvis raised his axe over his head, readying the killing blow when suddenly a plasma grenade exploded at his feet, launching him into the air. He landed and pushed himself to all fours, trying to shake the fog from his head. His axe landed several feet away, and as he got shakily back to his feet to try and retrieve it, five guards surrounded him and began firing. At his level, it would take more than a standard plasma round to kill Elvis, but the sheer volume of rounds being fired would eventually do the job if he didn't get cover.

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Elvis acted fast. He had taken some injuries from the plasma grenade and was taking more by the second, but was still mostly combat effective. He held his fists out in front of him as they began to glow intensely orange, then blue, the white hot as waves of heat emanated from around him. With a roar, Elvis activated his most devastating ability, and geysers of plasma gushed from his fists as he sprang to his feet with a resolute growl and spun in a circle. The remaining guards were not prepared. The superheated plasma hit them in sheets as Elvis continued spinning, applying wave after wave of plasma, burning through their body armor and melting through flesh and bone. In less than 10 seconds, the whole group was no more than piles of meat and ash. Elvis fell to one knee, strained from the extended use of his skill. He looked down to see a couple of large, gnarly holes in his side. Reaching down, he paused for a second, surprised to see that what used to be his hand was now a charred nub. Quickly raising the other, he saw it was in the same shape.
I assumed that he was supposed to use that skill in bursts, not for more than a second or so at a time. The overwhelming power must have destroyed his hands. I felt my heart rate starting to quicken. Elvis was my friend; he was in that arena, hurt and alone, and the fight still wasn't over. "Get up. Elvis, get the fuck up!" I slammed a palm on the glass of the viewing panel. "Sherlock, can you do anything to patch me through?" "He can hear you, Captain." "Elvis, you gotta get up, buddy," I pleaded into the comms. "I need you to keep pushing." "Captain, I…I fought well for you? For our friends?" Elvis wheezed as he spoke.
I zoomed in closer to see white fluid dripping from his side. He tried to push himself up to both feet but staggered and fell again. With effort, he pushed himself to his feet once again. "It's not over, Elvis. I know you still got some fight left in you," My words caught in my throat as I saw Elvis turn his head in my direction. "I lost my axe, Captain. I need my axe if I am to kick more ass," He turned in a slow, stumbling circle, surveying the ground for his trusty axe. "That's all you need, buddy. Just find that axe and you will be fine," I lied as my eyes began to water. I mentally muted the channel. "NOOOO," I slammed a fist into the glass. "NOOOO!" another fist. The glass cracked slightly. I punched again and again as the cracks began to spread. "Captain, Stop. This is the way it should be. I got to fight, listen to my Earth music, and kill all these assholes out here. It has been hell of day." I stopped punching as I saw Jax walk into the clearing, dragging what looked like a red glowing cat o' nine tails. The weapon swirled with red arcs of energy as cruel spiked balls dragged the ground at the end of every individual whip. "Looking pretty rough there, Elvis ol' boy," Jax mocked. Elvis turned to face him. "Not as rough as them." Elvis motioned to the still-smoldering piles of guard meat. Jax chuckled, "Fair point…fair point. I was a bit worried about you, if I'm being honest. I mean, I know what to expect from Dawes, but you? You are nothing more than an animal, a dog licking Dawes's boots every chance you get," Jax flicked the cat o' nine tails forward before whipping it to the ground with an electrified crackle. "You act like an animal, you fight like an animal, hell, Elvis, you even talk like an animal. I didn't have any way to plan for you, see. You were liable to incinerate this entire arena just to get another kill," Jax smiled a sinister, empty smile. "Instead, I get a used-up shell of what was Elvis. It might have been a good fight, I'll admit it, but now? No, I'm afraid I just gotta end it and get ready for the main event. So, I'll go ahead and put the animal down." Elvis turned and looked at me one more time before his legs gave out and he slumped back down to his knees. I calmed suddenly at the sobering realization of what was about to happen. I was about to watch my friend die, and there was nothing I could do about it. "Do it," Elvis said coldly. "With pleasure, dog!" Jax whipped the cat o' nine tails over his head and down onto Elvis. The spiked balls hit him in the head and shoulders, falling slightly onto Elvis's back before Jax heaved and dug the spikes into his flesh. Elvis held on, though; he didn't scream, he didn't fall. Jax grabbed the handle of the whip with both hands and pulled again, but Elvis held. "For you, Captain. I do this for you," Elvis grunted through the pain before he reached his mangled arms up over the whips and pulled them down, causing Jax to stumble forward toward him. Elvis stood quickly and caught Jax around the torso, wrapping him in a bear hug. Surprised, Jax felt himself starting to be crushed. "Even wounded dog has teeth," Elvis grunted as he struggled to hold Jax.
Elvis suddenly released the bear hug and, pulling his right arm back, he drove it into Jax's stomach, up to the elbow. Jax's eyes went wide as he looked down to see the arm stabbed deep into his stomach cavity. The shock was short-lived as his face quickly turned cold and emotionless. "Afraid all the important stuff isn't in there anymore, dog," he glanced down toward his stomach. "Nice try, though." Elvis turned to look in my direction one more time, making eye contact and nodding before Jax freed his arms. Placing a palm on each side of Elvis's head, he strained and pulled. Elvis's body fell limply to the ground as Jax just stood there…holding the head of my friend in his hands. Jax looked in my direction. "Easier than I thought."
Without another word, he threw Elvis's head on the ground and walked back into the burning forest.