125 THE KIDNAPPING
Zairgid locked the doors.
Military-grade armor and reinforced plating weren't enough to make him complacent—he reached for a cabinet under the dash, pulled out a row of capsule artifacts, and jammed one into the car's control.
A humming forcefield snapped into being around the vehicle like a second skin.
"Do you think a forcefield will save you?" the voice taunted.
"No," Zairgid shot back, "but what about twenty?" He thumbed another capsule. "I've got more shields than you've got arms to break."
He grinned despite his situation.
The attackers battered the car, metal on metal, even bringing up a machine gun. For half an hour they smashed and screamed but the forcefield held.
Finally, frustrated, they pulled back.
Zairgid exhaled and relaxed until flames licked up the back of the car.
A figure stood behind them, wrapped in living fire.
"I can burn your thoughts," the man shouted. "Come out or I'll burn you alive, Zairgid Aukouma."
"No way I'm getting out," Zairgid said.
His driver, Rick, began screaming.
Zairgid snapped, "Rick, what the hell is—".
Rick's hair erupted into flame. His face blistered and imploded inward as if some internal furnace ate him alive.
"Like my mind pyrokinetics?" the fire-wrapped man said calmly. "I burn thoughts. Your shields cannot protect you from my flame."
Recognition slammed into Zairgid.
The man before him was Ignis Flame—a psychic-pyrokineticist. He stood before him with fire coiling around him like a crown.
"Damnit," Zairgid hissed looking at his burning driver. "My forcefields couldn't save me from that."
"Get out now, or I burn your brain," Ignis Flame ordered.
Reluctantly, Zairgid opened the door. The attackers closed in and dragged him away.
-----
Zairgid's captors dragged him into an old industrial tower. Rusted beams and shattered glass lined the empty top floor. A single chair waited in the center, lit by a dangling bulb that swung in the wind.
They shoved him into the chair.
"What the hell are you doing? Release me!" Zairgid shouted, struggling against the restraints.
Ignis Flame pulled up another chair from storage and sat across from him, flames flickering faintly across his shoulders.
"Relax. The boss is coming," he said, his voice cold and casual.
Zairgid swallowed hard.
He knew who the "boss" Ignis was talking about— Garius Zetheris. Ignis Flame is the consultant Hero under the employ of the Zetheris family.
"You know, Ignis," Zairgid said with forced calm, "I could make you rich. Just name a price, and I'll double it."
Ignis' eyes flared crimson.
He slammed his fist into his own chair, and it burst into flames, collapsing into ash. He stared at the smoking debris, fuming. "Now look what you made me do! I liked that chair!"
Zairgid kept quiet after that.
He knew the man wasn't for sale — Ignis was fanatically loyal to the Zetheris clan.
Moments later, the elevator doors groaned open. Garius Zetheris stepped out, wearing a sharp suit, black gloves, his eyes burning with cold rage.
"Zairgid Aukouma," Garius said, his voice smooth but dangerous. "You've been naughty."
Zairgid smirked. "Naughty? What, did I sleep with your girlfriend or something?"
Garius' expression hardened. "Careful. Mock me again and even your father won't be able to save you."
Zairgid leaned forward, smiling defiantly. "Dealing with you doesn't require my father's help."
"I'll burn him alive," Ignis snarled, stepping forward.
"Stop," Garius snapped. He pulled out his communicator and dialed. "Let's see if Zolan Aukouma feels as brave."
The call connected.
"Zolan, your son is with me," Garius said.
On the other end, Zolan's voice was calm but puzzled. "Garius, what are you talking about? My son's right here with me. He's got a fever but he's here."
"That's impossible," Garius hissed. "Don't lie to me, Zolan! Give up your secret deal with Fortress Myrone, or I'll burn your boy alive!"
But Zolan just turned his device, showing a live feed — Zairgid was there, peacefully asleep in his room, feverish but breathing.
"If you have nothing more than pranks, I'm done", Zolan screamed before ending the call.
The air in the room went dead still.
Ignis' flames flickered uneasily. "That's not possible. If the real Zairgid is there…who the hell is this guy, then?"
"Maybe… maybe he's an android," one of the henchmen said as he moved to unveil Zairgid.
But he was stopped by Ignis. "I'll do this myself."
Ignis stepped closer to inspect Zairgid's face and that was a big mistake.
Crack!
Zairgid slammed his forehead into Ignis' face. Bone met bone and a powerful kinetic crunch swallowed Ignis' skull cracking it.
"Momentum Collapse, this is called," Damen said.
The pyrokineticist screamed, collapsing backward in pain as his brains was crushed by a powerful force.
In a flash, Zairgid surged to his feet while still strapped to the chair. He twisted his torso, and energy burst from his body in a short, brilliant flash-dash towards the window.
The window shattered upon impact.
Then he was gone — plunging twenty stories into the night.
"What the hell was that?!" Garius roared.
Ignis lay on the floor, clutching his bleeding face, dazed and furious. "That… wasn't an android," he growled.
-----
[an hour ago, in Zairgid's sedan]
"Kail, someone's hitting on me," Zairgid muttered.
"Relax. I'm on it," Kail replied through comms. "Put on your earpiece."
Zairgid slipped the tiny device into his ear.
Kail's voice came in crisp, and calm—too calm. On his end, Kail sat in his office surrounded by screens showing every camera feed in the district.
"These thugs can't even scratch your twenty-tiered force field," Kail said.
"Funny, coming from the guy who laughed when I built it," Zairgid shot back.
Zairgid was always over-spec'd when it came to protection equipment. His insecurity had earned him scorn and laughter from Kail on more than one occasion—building twenty layers of force fields into his limousine was one such example.
"Yeah, yeah. My bad. I was ignorant," Kail admitted.
Then, in the camera feed, Zairgid's driver, Rick, erupted in fire. His whole body became a living torch.
"Come on, how did he burn my driver through my twenty-tiered force field?" Zairgid screamed.
"Oh… that's not good. This Flame boy's power is burning through your twenty-tier shell. Impressive."
"You're laughing now? What the hell do I do?" Zairgid barked.
"Well, you could go up close and crack his skull," Kail said casually.
"I'll be ash before I get close!"
"Relax. I've got you. Just trust the process."
Moments later, Zairgid was dragged from his car, blindfolded, and taken to the top floor of an abandoned tower. He was tied to a chair, the air thick with smoke and metal rot.
"Try offering the flame guy money," Kail suggested.
"Seriously?" Zairgid hissed.
"Hey, can't hurt."
Zairgid tried bribing Ignis to release him, but it didn't work. Ignis Flame whose face was painted in molten red, just grinned at the offer.
Then Garius Zetheris entered the room.
"Oh crap," Zairgid whispered, barely moving his jaw. The earpiece picked up his silent words through his jaw movements.
"He's calling my father."