Among Us - Zenith

"This has been fun, but I unfortunately need to be somewhere else, so let's get this...." His bravado was cut short as he was struck on the shoulder from behind. One of the bodies he stabbed with a tranquilizer dart, got one last shot off before he passed out, knocking the Opius warrior from his perch.

The blast created severe pain in his neck and down his arm, causing the Graytorth to go flying as he fell to the marble floor. Immediately he could smell his own burnt flesh on top of losing the strength of that arm. He tried to push himself to his feet with his good arm, only to be kicked in the chest so hard, he slid two feet.

"You are not going anywhere... dead man." A second Barkkwa picked Adam up by his hair and turned his face upwards. The punch broke his nose completely, leaving him with immense pain and watery eyes.

"Grab the Graytorth." The Man barked at one of the others. "How fitting would it be to lop his head off with his own weapon."

Adam mentally scrambled for a way out of this. He let his arrogance drop his guard and his death could be the result of his stupidity. Thoughts of his parents, Sarah and family whipped through his brain. "Esta... I... I failed you, failed everyone. I'm so sorry."

He watched the man with his Graytorth, trying to enact the energy blade and soon there were three of them arguing over how to do it. It hurt, but Adam smiled at their chaos. Clearly, they were unaware that it could only operate with his biology.

"What are you smiling at you Opius piece of shit?" The one handling him spat in his face in rage.

"It reminds me of an old joke." Adam started.

"Adam... I am sending help now. Contact in 10, 9, 8..."

"How many Barfheads does it take to operate a Graytorth?"

The pending joke already offended the Barkkwa warrior, who pulled his hand back for one more devastating blow, when the west wall of the building blew apart, knocking the last of the warriors to the ground. The egg-shaped vessel, no larger than a standard SUV, gleamed pure with not a single scratch on it's surface.

"Eggs... not just for breakfast anymore." Adam groaned as he forced himself to get up and collect his Graytorth. With a flick of his wrist, one by one he quickly ended the lives of the Barkkwa warriors left including the ones he hit with the darts. With only one left, Adam heard the wounded warrior pull himself behind the desk attempting to be invisible. He slowly walked around the desk and saw the Barkkwa's shell crunched into a ball. For a moment he stood at the alien's feet thinking of something witty to say, but broken ribs and burns to his shoulder were making it hard.

"Go ahead... do it." The Barkkwa lifted his head. "It makes no difference; this planet will be ours."

It took Adam a moment, but after wiping the blood away from his eyes, it hit him. The Barkkwa that was just moments from ending his life was in the body of Murray... Sarah's sadistic stepbrother. He knelt and placed his Graytorth under the man's chin. "I'm not sure if you can hear me Murray, but I want you to know that killing all of these men who had their bodies taken over... well let's just say it's been an emotional struggle." The man's face tilted a little like there was some form of recognition. "However... in your case? I feel nothing." Adam glared deep into his eyes. "Sarah sends her regards." The Graytorth's energy blade released, ending the life of two pieces of shit, simultaneously.

Adam stared at the dead body, hoping this would free Sarah from her fears once and for all.

"Adam!" His attention was drawn to the egg-shaped vessel. "Get in! I will take you to your parents!"

An opening appeared from nowhere on the side of the ship, and Adam ran inside. The interior was very plain and very white. It was void of any instrumentation or steering console, with four pod-like seats in the center of the ship. A large viewing screen, that acted like a window materialized on the wall. He leaned on the back of the front pod, catching his breath. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Minutes." Esta reply caught him off guard.

"Oh..."

"Not fast enough? I can boost our trajectory, but it may rattle your skeletal frame." She clarified.

"No. Minutes is great. I was just hoping for a little more time to heal. Those energy guns pack a wallop!"

A mechanical arm appeared out of nowhere, like it melted from the wall and formed as it moved. At the end was a small tube. "Esta? What's this?

"It will help with the pain."

"Do I role up my sleaves... oh hey!" The arm shot forth and jabbed the end of the tube into his shoulder.

Adam instantly felt relief. "Wow! There's a market for this stuff on earth, that's for sure." He looked out the viewing screen and could see them pass over a large building with a mass of people working their way across the expansive fields. As they got ahead of them, he saw three people huddled together behind a hill of some kind. "Esta? Is that..."

"It is your parents. It seems we got here just in time."

Without feeling a thing, the egg-shaped ship stopped abruptly and dropped to the ground, 50 feet away from the trio.

"I suggest you briefly rescind from your warrior phase. They may be confused, and you don't have time to explain."

Taking Esta's advice, Adam felt himself shift back just as the opening appeared. He jumped from the craft and ran towards his startled parents. "Mom? Dad?"

"ADAM!" Isabel was overcome with her emotions. She left Katie in the capable hands of her husband and met him mid rush. "OH MY GOD! ADAM! I can't believe you're here!"

Adam's heart swelled at the familiarity of her hug... it felt like she had never been gone.

"I love you mom!" His voice was shaken with emotion. "We have to get out of here!" Begrudgingly he pulled from the hug and guided Isabel back to his father and Katie.

"MY SON!" Jason embraced him in a powerful hug as the two men reconnected.

"Hey dad!" He smiled at his father. He saw Katie was unable to stand up, so he dropped to one knee. The timing couldn't have been better, as an energy beam passed by where his chest once was.

"They're right on us! Shit!" Jason shouted as the group laid flat to the ground.

"You okay mom?" Adam saw the tears in Katies face as she nodded.

"I'm so sorry honey." It was all she could say.

He gathered her in a hug and soon all four were holding each other. The reunion was just what he wanted, but the timing was horrible. He turned to all three. "Ok... I need you three to make a dash for the egg!"

"You mean all of us, don't you?" Isabel was frightened by his words. She marveled out how mature he looked... three years was a long time!

"No... I meant it. I have some unfinished work here. I must locate their Grand Director. Until I do, the Barkkwa will always be a threat to us."

"I don't think I can run." Katie looked at her ankle that had swelled to the size of a softball.

"I can carry you." Jason quickly added. "But how do we outrun their weapons?"

Isabel hugged her son, one more time. "Are you sure you can't come with us? These... these aliens are violent and brutal. I couldn't stand to lose you again!"

Adam could see the concern on all three of their faces. "You won't... I promise! I'm going to create a diversion that will allow you to get to the ship. Esta will take you to safety." His father was about to ask for clarification, when Adam's eyes turned white in preparation for the fight to come. "Please... go. I love you all."

Familiar with the shock on their faces, Katie spoke up. "Jason, Izzy! Let's go! He's got this!"

Adam stood and his Graytorth hummed to life. He began spinning it like a wheel in front of him, creating a large circular barrier. Jason picked up Katie and the three of them ran toward the opening in the small craft. The Graytorth barrier was deflecting the energy bursts making a similar sound to a bug zapper every time it deflected one.

Once inside, Jason put Katie on one of the seats and turned to see Isabel staring in disbelief at what was happening in front of them. The opening instantly molded itself closed and Isabel let out a cry of desperation.

"Fear not Isabel." Esta's voice quietly filled the craft.

"Who... who are you? How do you know my name?" Isabel clung to Jason.

"My name is Estalaquintoo, or Esta, as Adam has called me. In essence, Isabel, you are like a daughter to us. We have followed you since birth and while your synchronicity to our genetic code was incomplete... you and Jason helped give birth to the first of a new race. Adam is as much human as he is Opius."

"I told you this shit was real." Katie chuckled from her seat. "Even though he explained it all to me... I'm still trying to soak it in so don't get too freaked out Izzy." She forced herself to her feet and hugged her co-parents. "We all knew Adam was special... his level of special is just way more significant than we ever imagined."

"There's no windows. Can you show us what's happening out there?" Jason looked to the ceiling of the vessel, since there was no one physically there.

A large viewer materialized in front of them, causing an audible gasp. They were expecting the ground view they had just left, but found themselves at least 1000 feet in the air, despite not feeling any movement. The generous view told little of the story until it zoomed in from above to an ariel view that was no more than 30 feet.

Isabel's hand shot over her mouth as she witnessed a person advancing through the small army like a one-man killing machine. So many bodies were already strewn along the ground, and he was showing no signs of slowing down.

"Are my parents ok Esta?" Adam inquired after slicing through his umpteenth Barkkwa.

"They are safe Adam. A media helicopter has moved into the area below us. Should I intercept?"

"I think it's a little late now Esta. If they didn't want to believe in an alien threat before... well maybe it's just what the people need."

"We bring you exclusive coverage of what looks like a clash of alien proportions. While all the participants seem to be human in their looks, it's clear the weaponry being used is far superior to what we're used to. It looks like one man-like warrior is taking on a large mass of combatants."

"Stella, what else can you see specifically about the clash of aliens?" Came the voice of the special report anchor.

"Honestly Ted, not much. Except... it seems very one-sided."

"Well as you've identified, they have the strength in numbers it seems."

"That's just it Ted... the numbers aren't winning it seems.

"Vern! Get your ass in here!" Jade called out as the breaking event interrupted the news show her and Sarah were watching.

"Oh my god! It has to be Adam!" Even from this distance, his warrior phase clouded recognition, but Sarah could feel it in her gut. She could feel every swing of his futuristic sword.

"What's going on?" Veronica rushed into the TV area.

"Sarah's convinced that's Adam fighting all those people." Jade clarified.

The tall blonde sat on the couch next to the others and became enthralled in what she was seeing.

"Holy Christ! Are you sure Sarah?" The blonde asked.

"It's his phase, I was telling you about. Even when he produced it right in front of me, I struggled to recognize him. The aura is powerful and settling at the same time."

It wasn't that Veronica doubted all that the young woman shared about Adam's alien side, but seeing it first-hand just made everything real in a hurry.

The exclusive media coverage was soon telecast over the entire holonet... from Canada to Australia and everywhere in between. Homes, offices, bars, restaurants, wherever there was a TV, there were people watching the events unfold in real time. Unknown to Adam, he literally had the whole world watching over his shoulder.

"Any sign of the Grand Director Esta?"

"He would not be on the battlefield. If he was anywhere, he would be inside the old hospital."

A series of energy bursts hit the ground around him as he tried to get a sense of the distance he had to cover. He grunted at the situation in front of him. The building wasn't that far, but it will take him forever with all these Barkkwa soldiers. "How did people not notice all these men were missing?" He asked out loud.

"Remember Adam, they were still integrated in their regular lives. The Barkkwa took advantage of hiding amongst the Terrans for years this way." Esta answered for clarity.

He blocked a shot aimed at his head, with his Graytorth and dropped to one knee. He needed to make a huge dent in their numbers, and fast. An idea hit him causing a small smile across his face. "Time to plow the road." He leapt from his knees, running full speed, launching himself into the air. He spun his Graytorth, blocking the wild shots as he carried over 40 feet. The moment his feet hit the ground he jammed his sword deep into the ground causing the ground to ripple forth like a tsunami, opening beneath the soldiers. Like a giant mouth, the earth opened up and swallowed everyone in proximity, causing the majority of the Barkkwa to disappear below.

"Did you see that?" Jason turned to the women.

"Did you see that, Ted?" The reporter announced from her helicopter.

"Holy shit! Did you see that?" Jade turned to her companions.

It was like the whole planet gasped at what they just saw transpire. The media helicopter navigated itself through the dust until it was able to make out a loan figure standing in front of a massive pit. The eye in the sky lowered itself to get a closer shot of the aftermath, causing Adam to turn his head up.

"Stella? What else can you tell us about what just happened." The reporter was stunned and barely registered the anchor's voice. "Stella?"

"Ms. Henderson... uhm... the man, or whatever he is... he's waving us down." The pilot was trying to get through to the shocked reporter. "What do you want me to do?"

Stella Henderson finally snapped out of her state and leaned to the window. "Go down. Are we still live Kent?" She asked her cameraman who nodded slightly to confirm they were.

The helicopter slowly lowered itself until they were about 20 feet above Adam. "What's he want?" Stella asked the pilot.

"It looks like he wants us to give him a lift." No sooner had he finished his statement than they felt the helicopter veer and dip to the right.

"Holy shit! He jumped up and grabbed one of our landing skids!" The pilot freaked.

"What?" The reporter screamed.

"He's motioning me to head towards the old Psychiatric hospital."

"Then go!" The reporter slapped his shoulder.

The world watched as the camera man from the helicopter videoed the whole exchange including him hanging with one arm as they flew over the massive hole, towards the building. Trying to get the scoop of a lifetime, he zoomed in towards the hanging man's head, in hopes of catching the identity of the stranger. Just as he reset his focus, Adam looked up with his bright white eyes and a big smile, and let go, causing the helicopter to wabble as it adjusted to the loss of weight.

Adam landed in a crouch about 100 yards from the building. Just three steps into his approach a contingent of Barkkwa soldiers came out of the glass doors. Unlike all the others he had encountered, these were in their natural form, looking even more intimidating. They assumed a battle formation of four lines wide and three deep. The hulking reptilian-like builds taking up far too much real-estate. Armed with futuristic clubs and spears, they grunted in unison as they slowly advanced towards Adam.

"Adam. You must proceed with caution. Those are the Grand Directors personal guards. They are highly trained and lethal. The best of the best of Barkkwa!" Esta warned her warrior.

"Isn't there anything you can do to help?" A desperate Isabel shouted to the plain walls of the ship.

"This craft has no usable weaponry."

"What about your other ships? You must have something to help?"

"Anything we unleash to help our Opius warrior, would have devastating effects. We would demolish 100 square miles at impact." Isabel and Katie slumped together at the unhelpful news. "Adam has been prepared for this very moment. Do not lose hope."

Adam let his right arm drop to his side, the Graytorth humming to life in his hand. He watched the methodical movement of the group, taking notes of their gator like jaws and teeth, as well as the powerful thick tails that thumped the ground behind them. "Who needs guns when you can literally chew up your enemies and spit them out." He joked to himself. "C'mon Adam... look! There's a weakness here somewhere." His eyes scanned the squad for something. "At minimum I must separate them. There's too much advantage in a unit that works as one."

As fast as a blur on video, he positioned himself to the right side of the unit. When they figured out where he was, they all turned in unison. "Disciplined fuckers." He muttered. He jumped over the group to the other side, and they all moved as one to face him.

"They're waiting for him to make the first move." Jason said out loud.

*Clearly, they want me to make the first move* Adam thought to himself. He took a moment to think things through. "Fuck it! Time to wing it!" Adam charged the closest guard on the outside corner of the block they formed, running his Graytorth across its neck, almost decapitating it totally.

Smiling at his result he did the same thing to another on the edge, with the same result. "Maybe these guys aren't so bad ass after all." He chuckled to himself.

The group reformed into a triangle shape, instantly moving on from their fallen comrades. Adam once again streaked towards the corner guard expecting a similar result only to have a random spear poke out from the center of the group and catching him in the side, just missing his lung.

"Oh my god!" Sarah exclaimed as she could clearly see the long stick sticking out of the side of the warrior.

"Uhhhghh!" Adam pulled the spear out and instantly felt dizzy.

"You have been poisoned Adam. You must retreat and let your body isolate and filter it from your system."

"You may be right..." The group of reptile guards quickly made a circle around the wounded warrior, blocking any chance of retreat. "Fuck." Adam felt his legs go weak and fell to a knee. He could feel the circle tightening. He reached for his Graytorth only to realize he had dropped it when he was stabbed. A quick scan of the ground found it 20 feet away. "Fuck me twice!" He exclaimed.

Before he could grasp the situation, two guards from either side attacked him. He was able to roll away from the thrust of the spear, but in doing so he put himself right in the path of a swinging club. The pain in his shoulder was excruciating as he was knocked 3 feet, rolling onto his back. Before he could take a deep breath, he had another club hammer down into his abdomen. No wait... that wasn't a club. It was a... tail?

He rolled to his side, vomiting his contents, which was mostly just bile. While he was spitting the remnants of bile and blood, he listened to the deep growls around him. The more he heard it, the more he realized that they weren't growling... they were laughing at him. A kick to the stomach slid him across the ground where he was abruptly stopped by the swing of another tail.

His prone, motionless body was watched by millions as the helicopter camera was still broadcasting. Sarah was being consoled by two very upset and frantic aunts, while Jason held Isabel and Katie in a colossal hug. Across the globe people were yelling at their TV's...