Hero Clash Part 1
Owen looked at the man floating slightly in front of him, who seemed to shift his gaze for a moment toward the heroes lying unconscious on the ground. Something Owen, of course, noticed. He was planning how to take the fight outside so he would not hurt them… well, not more than they already were.
Owen took advantage of the fact that Blue Marvel did not attack first and, because of that, raised a hand to his ear with a serious look.
"Type S emergency. I need an evacuation plan in Zone T. Type 5 threat," Owen said into his communicator, never taking his eyes off Adam. Adam returned the look as soon as he heard the words.
"Type 5? Who the hell are you fighting?" Tony's voice came through almost immediately on the other end of the earpiece.
"Number 5," Owen said simply.
"How…?" Tony sounded like he wanted to say more, but Owen just removed the earpiece.
Moments later, an alarm began to blare all around them. An alarm that had been implemented thanks to V.I.T.A.E. in every city and town in the world, meant to prepare people either for an attack or to get to safety. The world was no longer as calm as it used to be, not when hundreds of people in strange suits with comic book powers were running around everywhere.
To be honest, it was the damn best idea anyone could have come up with. In this case, Owen.
"Looks like you still care about civilians, at least," Adam said while he listened to the siren and stared at him. He had heard the evacuation call and knew their clash could cause massive damage to the surroundings. There was no denying that. "Number 5?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Tony and his paranoia about everyone eventually becoming a threat. So we just gave them numbers," Owen replied calmly as he glanced at his wrists for a moment and pulled both daggers from his back.
"And what number are you?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched him.
"Oh. While I was recovering, I dropped a few spots. But every month I climb back up again," Owen answered, just as calm, without saying the exact number.
They both fell silent, staring at each other for what felt like an eternity. Even so, without saying it, they both knew they were only buying time. Whether it was to let people evacuate or to study each other more carefully.
The metallic sound of the siren seemed to drill into their ears, bouncing off the factory walls and setting an uncomfortable rhythm as neither of them moved.
"We do not have to do this. We both know…" Blue Marvel began, but before he could finish, Owen vanished in a violent burst that shattered every window in the factory. He reappeared right in front of him, throwing a straight punch at his face.
Adam, who of course had never let his guard down, dipped his body in midair and drove a right hook straight into Owen's chest.
He shifted slightly, but still took the blow on his left shoulder. Red energy surged in from there, racing through his body and flowing into his right knee, which slammed directly into Adam's chest.
Both of them were hurled in opposite directions, crashing through the factory walls with thunderous destruction.
The air hung still for a fraction of a second, heavy with dust, twisted metal, and an invisible pressure that made ears ring before the sound rushed back all at once.
Not even a second later, a new red flash and a blue one shot back through the openings they had been thrown from. Owen and Adam appeared in the air, each throwing a punch. Their blows collided and unleashed a shockwave that ripped the roof clean off, while the factory walls cracked and looked ready to collapse.
For an instant, Adam glanced toward the unconscious heroes. That brief lapse gave Owen enough time to trigger a red explosion at his foot, adding power to a knee strike that smashed into Adam's face and sent him flying skyward.
At the same time, one of his daggers came free, still attached to its metal cable, and hurled it backward. Then, like a whip, he snapped it toward Adam, who spun several times in the air before stopping himself with his flight, just in time to see a red cable with a blade slicing toward him. He shifted aside to evade it.
Then he saw the cable plunge toward the ground, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the neighboring factory, slicing it clean in half. The impact was so strong that the repulsion wave forced the walls outward.
But once again, Owen had already moved and was closer. He struck straight at Adam's stomach. Adam deflected the blow with his arm, absorbing part of the red energy on contact. With his other hand, he threw a punch directly at Owen's face.
He made no move to defend himself.
The hit sent the red energy surging through his body again, flowing straight into his leg, which crashed into Adam's stomach. Once more, both were sent flying. Owen slammed into the ground with brutal force, kicking up dirt and dust, while Adam was launched into the air, spinning several times before regaining control.
Adam brought a hand to his stomach for a moment, as if it were the first time in a long while he had taken real damage. Then he looked at that hand, the one that had absorbed Owen's red energy, and frowned slightly.
After that, he turned his gaze to the cloud of dust where Owen had fallen.
There, he saw Owen rise, covered in dirt, stretching his bones and touching his face with a pained expression, but without any real damage.
Owen looked at Adam calmly.
"You know, the man who taught me everything I know is military. He always talked about two of his heroes. Obviously military too, but ones who became something special," he said casually. "I already kicked one of their asses. It would be fun if I did the same to the other. I wonder what face the old man would make."
A smile began to spread across Owen's face, growing more and more violent. A red aura started to envelop his body, and within that energy, flames began to appear, rising from his right arm. An immense amount of heat poured off him, so intense that the ground beneath his feet seemed to melt slightly. That heat reached Adam as well, who stared back, his body becoming flooded with an even denser blue energy, concentrating mainly around his hands.
As if they had both decided to stop holding back.