John swayed with the motion of the train. He rubbed his eyes and took a look around the packed car. Everyday he saw the same people, but not a one spoke to each other. He couldn't blame them, with the current state of things they shouldn’t have to worry about other people’s problems. He looked out the window. As the skyscrapers and advertisements passed by, he caught glimpses of the sunrise. He smiled to himself.

A few minutes later a panicked group barged in from one end of the car. John was given a vicious shove as they passed by. Some of the original occupants joined the group and scrambled to get to the other exit. John pressed himself against the wall as they stampeded through. Only a few people remained in the car. Then the door from where the mob came hissed open once more.

“...got more money if we started in the middle,” a small man pined.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re all heading for the same place. We’ll catch them there.”
The taller man pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. He raised his right hand and a small jet of flame came from a polished, metallic finger. He stopped at the doorway and looked around.

“Slim pickings,” he said. John watched the stranger scan the car. Their eyes met.

“What are you looking at? Never been robbed before?”

“Not by The Iron Fist,” John said evenly. The robber smiled.

“Good to know I have fans. Then you also should know how I work, so if everyone would kindly make a generous donation, I’ll be out of your hair. You sir, just volunteered to make the first donation.” He gestured his short friend towards John. Pulling out a computer and a card reader, he held it up for John. John tried to hide his shaking as he reached for his bank card and ran it through the scanner.

Twenty thousand dollars down the drain, he thought, I wonder if what they say about him is true.

As his partner went around to the other occupants, The Fist sat down by an attractive young woman. She was shaking and leaning away from him as he draped his prosthetic hand over her seat. His short companion came over to her last. She was paralyzed with fear.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart, all we’re asking is for a little donation,” he cooed, “Just pay us, and we’ll be on our way.”

“I-I-I d-don’t have any m-money,” she stammered. The Fist frowned.

“Tell you what. Whatever you have, I’ll take it. As long as it’s worth something.”

The woman was now shaking uncontrollably.

“I don’t have anything!”

“Oh come now sweetheart. No jewels, no personal info, nothing? What a shame.” He sighed, “Well I’m sorry sweetheart,” He stood up, “but there’s only one way to settle this now.”
Blades jutted out from his fingers, causing everyone, including his companion, to jump. The woman kept her eyes on the blades as he nicked her chin. John watched in horror as The Fist dramatically raised his hand to strike. John looked to the others in the car. All of them were shielding their eyes. Even the partner had his gaze averted.
“Nothing personal princess,” he winked. John charged forward as the woman shrieked and body checked The Fist to the floor.

“Get back!” John yelled to the woman. She didn’t move. John shakily moved himself between her and The Fist as he got back up. The Fist grinned.

“And I thought chivalry was dead,” he joked. “How would you like to make another payment, good sir?”

He started forward slowly. John grabbed the woman by the arm and started backing up. The Fist advanced, flicking his blades through the air, scraping them along the handle bars causing sparks. John bit his lip as he drew closer. The people in the car began moving with him, eyes fixed on the blades. John’s and The Fist’s eyes met once again. Despite his cool outside appearance, John could see a murderous rage in his eyes. He blinked when a playful slash was mere inches from his face. He laughed as he lunged forward to skewer John in the heart. John closed his eyes, only to hear a screech of metal. John opened his eyes to see a robot’s hand pierced by the blades. The Fist’s face contorted into frustrated rage, and withdrew to the other end of the car. John looked around to see a large police robot behind him.

“Move,” it said in a growling tone.

John complied as it stepped forward.

“Lowry Benns. You are under arrest. Put your hands behind your head and get down on the ground.”

“On what grounds officer?” Lowry said mockingly.

“Murder, grand larceny, fraud, domestic terrorism. I could go all day if I had too, now put your hands up.”

“You know I had a feeling this would happen, so I brought something along for the ride. Portley, would you mind?”

The smaller man pulled out an assault rifle and fired on John and the passengers. The cop blocked the bullets with his body and began to advance.

“It’s not working boss!” Portley squealed as he ejected a clip.

Lowry pulled out a small hand gun. He looked at it carefully as if examining it for imperfections. He took careful aim and shot a fiery bolt at the robots chest, knocking it to the floor. He then turned to the door and shot out the hinges. The vacuum ripped the door off and it sailed to the ground far below. He turned back to his partner.

“Come now Portley, that robot won’t stay down for long.”

His partner cautiously approached the door, gulping when he looked out of it. The Fist then gave him a swift kick and his partners scream trailed off. The Fist looked back at the woman.

“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, love. That man you’re clinging to will settle you’re debt.” He locked eyes with John, “With your life.”

He then jumped out the door to the ground below. The hole where the robot was shot was sparking. John stepped forward to take a look at it.

“Stay back, this is property of the metropolitan area police department and tampering with said property will result in a fine and jail time.”

“Is that recorded or is someone actually piloting this thing?” John knelt down next to the robot. “I can probably fix it enough for you to get it back to a police station,” John said. The police robot picked itself up.

“Fat chance.” He surveyed John and the rest of the passengers, “Is everyone alright?” Everyone nodded. “Then what happened? Who didn’t pay him?”

The woman was still behind John, and still shaking. She admitted that she didn’t pay him.

“Why not? He would have taken anything. That’s the safest way to deal with him.” he towered over top John and the woman. She shut her eyes and buried her face in John’s back.

“I don’t... have any information,” she admitted, “I don’t even live here.”.

“Alright,” he sighed, “You’re going to have to come with me Miss.”

He extended his arm and a handcuff snapped on to her wrist. She dug her nails further into John’s back. Winced and turned back to the cop.

“Wait a second, what are you doing?” John asked.

“I need to take her downtown for questioning. Have you been through immigration affairs miss?” The woman looked both ways before shaking her head.

“She was almost killed right now. She doesn’t deserve this,” John said.

“I can arrest you too if you want,” the cop growled.

“For what!?”

“For engaging dangerous criminals, endangering the public, and obstructing justice.” The cop leveled his face with John’s. John knew that the machine was nothing but an empty shell, but even then he could feel the pilot’s harsh gaze filtered through the bright blue optical sensors. John broke eye contact, and the cop turned away taking his charge with him.

“That isn’t justice,” John said the cop’s back.

The cop stopped as he was about to exit the car.

“What is?” he replied. “Listen son, I’d worry less about other people’s problems and worry more about your own. The Fist will find you and kill you, and not even a fortress can protect you if he puts his mind to it. Take my advice, and get out while you still can.” The door shut, leaving John and the remaining passengers alone. It seemed like everyone had been holding their breath. They all sat down in the nearest seat. A couple was consoling each other with gentle whispers. John leaned forward and stared at the floor. A hand fell on his shoulder and John turned to see it was an elderly woman. She nodded solemnly and removed her hand. John nodded back and stared out the window to the already high sun.

John stood outside a towering skyscraper.

“Any minute now,” he said quietly.

As soon as he spoke he heard a pair of voices behind him. Recognizing them he turned to see Artie and Vanessa approaching. He smiled broadly as Vanessa sprang to give him a hug.

“Thank God you’re okay,” she said, “I heard on the news that The Iron Fist was on your route today. There’s one dead after he tossed him out of the train.”

John’s gut dropped. She squeezed him tighter.

“That was his partner.” John voice was hallow.

“Did you see him? I mean you’d think a guy like that would look real nasty,” Artie said.

“He’s a lot worse,” John said. “Now before anything else happens, let’s get inside.”

He looked around cautiously as the trio proceeded into the building.

“Hey John!”

John’s heart skipped a beat. He stopped as the others continued. A skinny guard jogged up to him.

“Oh, morning Jason,” John replied.

“John! I just, I just heard. The Iron Fist. He was on your train this morning right?”

“Yeeess,” he said slowly. “How did you know?”

“News feeds! I been listening to them for twenty minutes now. They’re all buzzing about The Fist’s latest feat! I heard it was a life and death struggle and he was forced to abandon the train.”

John sighed.

“Don’t believe everything you hear Jason. It’s not as fun as it sounds.”

“You mean you saw him?”

“Yes.” John said quietly.

“Really?” he continued excitedly and leaned in close, “Did you use your biological enhancements on him?”

“What!? No! A patrol bot came and forced him off the train.”

Jason stood up straight and frowned at John.

“Then what are you guys doing down there?” He pointed a finger at the ground. “If it’s not bio-engineering, what is it? You’re way too ripped for scientists!”

“Jason,” John turned away for a second, biting his lip. “There are no lower levels except for the garage.” He pulled Jason closer, “Quit asking these questions, I don’t want you to lose your job.”

“Are you kidding? I’m one the best. There’s no way they’ll ever sack me.” He spun his rifle in fancy maneuvers only to fumble with it. John flinched.

“Okay so that may need some work.” He eyed John slyly. “I know they’re doing something to you guys, and I’m going to find out.”

John looked into Jason’s smug face and sighed.

“Alright, listen carefully” He leaned close, “its very labor intensive. They need technicians that can stand extra forces.”

“What kind of extra forces?”

John looked around before turning back to Jason.

“Have you ever felt ‘heavier’ when inside this building?” John asked.

“Well I did feel a little sluggish when I first started.” Jason’s eyes widened. “Whoa. Do you have anything to do with that?”

John nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

“See ya' later Jason.”

John left the guard and caught up with his friends. They piled into the already cramped elevator and punched in their level. John caught a last look at Jason and winked as he pointed down. Jason smiled as the doors closed. The elevator descended. A few seconds later, sirens blared and the interior suddenly turned red before slowing to a stop at the garage level. The doors opened to reveal a group standing before the elevator. Before any of them could move, a man jumped forward from the crowd.

“Well it’s about damn time. You know how long I was waiting?” he said.

John, Artie and Vanessa rolled their eyes.

“And you couldn't come to the lobby because...?” Artie asked.

“Because I can catch it here moron,” the man spat back. A person from the crowd stepped forward to get on the elevator. He slapped his arm across their chest.

“Whoa, what are you doing? This elevators going somewhere you idiot, if you wanna keep your job, your ass is going to stay right here.”

“But, but it’s going up isn’t it?” they said nervously. “I can’t be late.”

“No you retard it’s going down.”

“But there aren’t any levels lower than this.”

He turned to face the person.

“You know what? Get out of here. You’re fired. Comprendé?”

“Frederick, just get the hell in here,” Artie said. Fred turned to the elevator, then back to the scared worker.

“You’re lucky.” H

e slowly went to the elevator and squished himself between Vanessa and John. Vanessa grimaced when he put his arm around her.

“Hey baby,” he said.

John clenched his jaw as he watched Fred out of the corner of his eye. Fred rolled his head to lazily stare up at him.

“What’s wrong big guy?” Fred asked as he stroked her shoulder, “Nothing wrong with coworkers getting close, is there?”

“Says the walking sexual harassment case,” Artie whispered.

He grabbed Vanessa’s hips and pulled her close. Vanessa pushed him away and stamped on his foot. Fred suppressed a yelp as he fell against the door. She tried to hide a small grin that was creeping on her face. John saw it and returned a small smile.

“Oh baby, always playing hard to get.” Fred looked up at both of them, “That’s no way to treat your boss.”

“Last time I checked, my boss is your dad,” Artie said.

“Which, incidentally, makes me your boss.” Fred straightened himself up.

“If that day comes, I’m out of here so fast,” Artie muttered.

“Along with most of the company,” Vanessa said.

John nodded in agreement. The doors opened to reveal a sterile white room, complete with sterile white security guards. They filed out of the elevator and into separate change rooms. John approached a double door locker with his name on it. After inserting his key card, his locker hissed open. What was inside could have been mistaken for a small armory. Gadgets lined the interior of the deep locker while a suit hung in the middle.

“Good morning John,” A pleasant female voice said, “I heard reports of The Iron Fist robbing a train. The route you usually take to be exact. Are you in need of on-site counseling?”

John sighed, shaking his head.

“No Karma, I’m...I’m fine. Just a little shaken.”

“Ha! You’re such a coward John. If I had been on that train, he wouldn’t have thought twice about robbing it,” Fred boasted.

John curled up his fist. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly exhaled. Artie noticed his friend’s reaction.

“Hey John are you okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, like I said, perfectly fine.” He busied himself with his locker.

“Karma, perform a status check on Atlas and bring up the work order for today.”

“Same for me Karma,” Artie said as he opened his locker. As he opened it, a pale blue light was shining through the cracks. Inside was a fourteen inch man, who looked to be in his sixties, dressed in a sharp suit. The figure turned a kindly, wise smile to Artie.

“Hello Arthur,” it said.

“Hey Merlin, how’s virtual reality treatin’ ya’?”

“A few bugs here and there but nothing too serious,” Merlin replied. He gave a small cough.

Artie smiled and turned back too preparing his equipment. John had already put on the suit. He was now strapping on a miniature fusion reactor to his back. He switched it on and heard the low hum of the generator. His body tingled as the suit came to life and the fibers contracted and expanded to fit snugly against his body. Geometric lines glowed green with power as they ran across his body and connected small discs placed evenly over the suit. John flexed his muscles and the suit reacted along with it.

“John?” someone asked.

John looked into his locker to see another fourteen inch man. This one was a lot younger, and wearing plain clothes.

“Hey Atlas, you ready?”

“In two minutes, eighteen seconds. I’ll be fully disconnected from the main servers.”

John reached for the rest of his gear while he waited. He could feel Fred was eyeing Atlas.

“Karma. I need a functioning A.I. for today, give me John’s.” Fred commanded.

Atlas immediately turned to John.

“Please don’t let him take me.” Atlas begged. John looked from Fred to Atlas and leaned in close.

“I won’t let him take you.”

Fred’s eyes grew wide as he took in a harsh breath.

“You forget your place John. Now give him here.”

John was about to open his mouth when Karma stepped in.

“A.I. exchanges are strictly prohibited until an evaluation is scheduled. The next one is in four months.”

“Look I don’t care about evaluations. I need an A.I. right now, so give Atlas to me.”

“This lab is not your playground Frederick,” Artie said, “The whole building would come crashing down on our heads, if it was. Besides you’d probably break Atlas faster than you broke Venus.”

“I did not break her! She was crashing, she was ancient!”

“She was perfectly fine until you came along!” Artie said.

“The malfunction trend occurred shortly after your arrival,” Karma added.

Fred slammed his locker shut and strutted toward the exit.

“Fine, I’ll get my way, eventually.” he said before he left.

Artie had a triumphant smile on his face, and he pumped his fist.

“Boom! Denied. John, buddy, that was priceless. I didn’t know you had it in you. You served that brat his just desserts. I like it.”

John just shook his head. Artie rolled his head back and let his arms flop to his sides.

“Oh come on, he deserves it.”

“I didn’t say he didn’t,” John replied.

“Then what’s the matter? I know he gets under your skin.”

“More than you know, let’s go Atlas.”

Atlas jumped into a computer, the screen lit up with his presence.

“Maybe I won’t have to deal with him for much longer.” he said quietly

“What da’ ya’ mean by that?”

“Oh, uh, nothing.”

“Well he’s not going away anytime soon. Don’t tell me that creep is forcing you out of here.” He took a step closer to John, eyeing him quizzically. John returned a blank stare.

“No. He isn’t,” he replied. Artie relented and grabbed the rest of his gear.

“What ever you say John. Just don’t let those who wield power intimidate you.”

Artie slapped John on the back on his way to the exit. John rested his head against the locker and took a deep breath.

“Is everything alright?” Atlas asked.

“No Atlas. Things have gone horribly wrong.”

He finished attaching the protective plating to his suit, and placed the computer on his gauntlet. He scooped up the rest of his gear as he headed for the door.

The group was now inside a large freight elevator. They had all dressed into the same suit. Some were wearing the lab coats while others wore the protective gear. John weaved through the crowd as he tried to find his friends. He spotted them in the usual corner seats.

“Ladies and Gentlemen please take your seats as we will be descending shortly,” Karma said over the loud speaker. John secured his tool kit under his seat and strapped himself in. As soon as everyone else did the same, the elevator began descending.

“Please ensure that individual density manipulation suites are active and compensating for gravity changes.”

John could feel his body gradually getting heavier. John lifted his arm to test if the compensation was working.

“What’s the matter John?” Vanessa asked. “You’re shaking.”

Artie stole a quick glance at John, who immediately rested his arm down.

“Just nervous that’s all.”

“About what?” she pressed.

“Um, well, uh-”

“He wanted to ask you something. He just didn’t know if you would agree.” Artie gave John a quick wink. “What was it? A vacation?”

John was about to object when Vanessa spun around.

“Really? Where?”

John looked into her face. Her eyes were gleaming at him.

“I was thinking...possibly...”

“How do the floating resort cities of Hawaii sound?” Artie supplied.
Vanessa lit up with excitement.

“Oh John that sounds wonderful! When were you planning this.”

“For... a while now, actually.” John replied. Artie tried to hide a huge grin.

“When do we leave?”

“Uh, tomorrow.”

“That is...way too sudden.” she said quizzically.

“John’s got it all figured out. He even booked the days off for the both of you,” Artie said quickly. “Come to think of it, I think I need a break too. You mind if I join you two love birds on your little getaway?”

“Artie, you can’t just up and leave on a moment’s notice,”

“Watch me,” he said with a grin. “What da ya say John?”

John let out his breath and gave him a small smile.

“I’d like nothing better Artie.”

The elevator jerked to a halt and the doors opened. John unbuckled himself and walked past a group waiting to ride it up. Artie and Vanessa followed John as Fred hurried to catch up to them.

“Never ceases to amaze me,” Vanessa said as she looked out a window.

“Yeah, makes me feel like the Master Chief.” Artie’s joke elicited a chuckle from John and Vanessa. Fred rolled his eyes.

“Yes very funny. The facility had to be built in ring like modules to take advantage of the massive gravity given off by the black hole.” Fred explained, “You wouldn’t even know if you were upside down if at the bottom of the facility.”

“Tell us something we don’t know,” Artie said.

“Watch it Arthur,”

“Proceed to the inner maintenance bay,” Karma said.

“What do we need to do?”

“Run a diagnostic on the null array containment apparatus.”

“Didn’t we run one yesterday?” asked John

“No account of a diagnostic test or the results could be found.”

“Well how can that be? Frederick said he finished up the...” Artie furrowed his brow and turned slowly to Fred. Fred looked from side to side.

“I told you I needed an A.I.”

“You don’t need an A.I. you dolt,” Artie said, “You could have done it manually.”

“Don’t you dare talk down to me. As soon as this day is through you’re finished.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Artie turned his back on him. “I’m so sick of you.”

John pressed a button to call an elevator.

“Still, what’s the worst that could have happened between now and then, right?”

They went into yet another elevator and descended further. The elevator doors hissed open. John walked to the mirrors that were aimed at the black hole. He drew in a shallow breath at the sight before him. There was debris everywhere, zipping around the black hole. The undersides of the ringed laboratories were scuffed and gouged. It looked like a battlefield. Vanessa stood beside him with her mouth agape.

“This is bad,” she said.

“Oh hell,” said Artie

“You just had to say it, didn’t you?” Fred said venomously

Artie clutched his own face, and then brought it back up.

“Yeah, I suppose it’s my fault for not babysitting you when you were supposed to do your job.” Artie put on his helmet and headed for the door. “We could’ve caught this mess sooner.”

“Wait a sec,” John said, “we can’t go out there.”

“And why not?” Fred asked.

“Do you see those gouges? That debris is traveling too fast, one hit and you’re dead.”

John looked once more out the window and flinched when the mirror shattered.

“Well there must be something we can do,” said Artie.

“As a matter of fact there is,” Karma chimed in.

A hiss behind them caused them all to jump

“Behold the H-class Hazardous Environment Suit, dubbed Aegis.” Vaults opened up and four heavy duty arms extended with large hunks of metal attached to them.

“Oh that is cool,” Fred said, genuinely impressed. John and Artie exchanged glances that silently agreed with Fred.

“Step forward to the apparatus.”

John and the others did as they were told. Several arms jutted out and removed the plates that John already had on. Then the arm placed the main piece flat against his chest. John jerked as he felt two sets of cords slither under his armpits and over his shoulders to attach to his power pack. As soon as he heard a click, the suit began shifting individual plates over his body. He breathed heavily as they clamped around his lower back and worked its around his body. He gasped as a large hunk jumped on to his face and enveloped his head. He could see nothing but two slits and his breath quickened. A few seconds later, the entire room flickered into view. He looked over at Artie. He was just in time to see Artie’s head get swallowed up by the metal. A small picture of Artie’s face popped up in the corner of John’s view. He could see that Artie was bewildered by the sudden darkness. John saw that Fred was struggling, even so much as to shake the arm he was still attached to.

“If you just held still you wouldn’t be in this predicament,” Karma said.

“It’s not my fault you give me the worst equipment!” he yelled.

The armor decisively snapped around him like mousetrap, freezing him in place. Muffled cries could be heard inside.

“The Aegis has been designed for protection and functionality. Extra density manipulation modules have been built into the armor and react to incoming objects travelling above certain velocities. Keep your head low and arms as close as possible as collisions may still have enough force to break bones, dislocate, and or otherwise cause severe injury.”

The arms detached. John staggered around as he tried to find his balance

“Communication will be limited as electromagnetic transmissions tend to be absorbed after a certain point. John, Fred, you will go to the Primary arrays and begin the diagnostics test. As soon as it is complete, I will analyze the data and determine a course of action. Arthur, Vanessa, check the hard lines for obvious damage. The other team will be in shortly. Good luck out there,” Karma said.

John gritted his teeth.

“Thanks Karma. Okay, let’s go.” John led them out of the room onto the catwalks that wrapped around the black hole and the null arrays. Fred took this chance to sidle next to Vanessa.

“Okay, I’m taking Vanessa with me on this one.” Before he could run off, Artie grabbed him by the shoulder and steered him in front of John.

“He’s all yours,” Artie said with a grimace. Then he and Vanessa went to work. John stared intently at the cold, hard metallic face that stood before him. The video of Fred showed him he was giving John an annoyed look.

“What are you staring at? Get going.”

John turned on his heel and started down the catwalk. They made their way down to the diagnostic station. John pulled a cable from his gauntlet and plugged it in.

“Atlas, see if you can tell us what’s wrong.”

“Yes John. I’ll let you know once the diagnostics are finished.”

John stole a glance at Fred, who was looking over the catwalk into the depths below. He looked back at John. John turned back to the console. Fred slowly came over and stood next to him.

“How long is this going to take?”

“Shouldn’t be long,” John replied. He was scanning the diagnostic for anything suspicious.

“I hope so. You know, you’re a very lucky man John. Did I ever tell you that?”

John twisted his head slightly then turned back to the monitor. Fred continued

“I mean who would have thought that a girl like Vanessa would end up with a guy like you?”

John clenched his jaw as he searched the console.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong I think you’re a great guy, but what is that makes you think you have the slightest chance of competing with what I have to offer her.”

Fred crossed his arms and stood square to John. John slowly turned away from the console and faced Fred.

“Face it John. Anything she sees in you can be bought.”

John realized he was clenching his fist. He turned back to the console, trying to shut out what Fred had said. Fred tilted his head, shrugged, and leaned in close to John.

“Do you get it yet John? I. Own. Her.”

John lashed out with a vicious uppercut. The force sent Fred crashing to the floor. John stood at Fred’s feet

“Nothing, and I mean nothing, you ever do will make her yours. Not money, not power, not even God himself could make her want you. Second, I’m-”

“ A dead man! You are a dead man John! Do you hear me?”

John planted a foot on his chest and leaned forward.

“That’s news to me, you little brat. I’m tired of you running your mouth and how you treat this place. If I know your father, he’d rather burn this whole building to the ground than see it in your hands. You’re a complete screw-up and you‘re always making other people’s lives more miserable than your own.”

John increased his weight to keep the struggling Fred pinned.

“Y-you asshole! You’re fired, no. I’m suing your ass! Soon as my father hears about this-”

“He’ll what? Think he’ll listen to the screw-up son who treats his company like a playground?” John leaned down further, “You don’t deserve any of this. I don’t even know why you’re even here. In fact, get out. I’ll finish this myself.”

John lifted his foot off. Fred picked himself up. He staggered around and grabbed the rail to steady him.

“You’re dead. You are a dead man! I’ll make sure of it! She’ll have no problem choosing me once you’re a cold, dead corpse!” Fred turned tail and ran.

John turned back to the console and placed both hands on it, and hung his head low.

“Good riddance,” he said to himself, “Atlas, status repor-”

“The null array isn’t getting full power. One of the hard lines must have been damaged by the debris.”

John breathed a sigh of relief.

“Make sure the array is on parallel power support. Are the communication hard lines active?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, send the report to Karma and then we’ll-”

At that moment, the lights went out and John was pulled to the floor. A few seconds later, red emergency lights and sirens blared.

“All personnel evacuate the facility. Facility is on emergency power,” Karma said, “All personnel evacuate-”

Her voice turned to static and was replaced by something more sinister.

“Oh Joo-oohn, I’ve come to collect early.”

John ripped out the cable and ran.

“This isn’t happening,” John said, “please let this not be happening.”

John could feel his body getting heavier, and the suit making compensations as he ran. Out of nowhere, a large piece struck him in the shoulder, slamming him into the side rail. John screamed out in pain.

“John!” Atlas yelled. “Are you alright!”

John slowly picked himself up, and rubbed his shoulder.

“I can’t move my arm.”

More debris showered John and pounded on his injured arm. John bit his lip to stop from shouting.

“John, we must move. It’s imperative that we evacuate.”

John grabbed onto the rail and pressed forward. He tried to ignore the pain as more debris rained down on him.

“John? What are you doing out there? Move!” Artie shouted over his radio.

“Artie? Where are you guys? Are you safe?”

“Yes, we’re in the maintenance bay now move your ass! The catwalks are being pulled in!”

John looked behind him. Too his horror he could see that the network of catwalks were being sucked into the void. John bolted down the path towards the maintenance bay. Artie was waiting with the door open. John pushed hard but felt nothing beneath his feet. It took him a second to realize that he was falling. John desperately reached out with his good arm to grab onto the hanging catwalk. John’s face contorted with pain as his other arm reached up and grabbed hold. John screamed.

“I’m sorry John. I accessed the motor functions of the suit so I can assist.”

John looked down at the black hole beneath him. The null arrays projectors were starting to be pulled in. At that moment the section he was hanging onto finally ripped off. John watched silently as he started to plunge again. This time another arm reached out and grabbed the broken section.

“You’re not gonna be void fodder today John,” said Artie.

Artie pulled him back onto solid ground. He put John’s arm over his neck and supported him the rest of the way into the Maintenance bay. Once inside he handed John over to Vanessa.

“That emergency power won’t last long. As soon as it goes, so does this entire facility.”

They piled into the elevator and gripped each other tightly as it strained against the growing gravitational force. The elevator came slowly to a halt and continued to groan.

“Everybody out!” shouted John.

They leaped out of the car just before it shot back down into the abyss. They picked themselves up and ran with the other scientists towards the exit.

“Who could have done this?” asked Vanessa

“I think John knows.” Artie said.

John’s helmet uncovered his face and he looked at his friends.

“I am so sorry for this,” he said. “I didn’t think he would go after me so fast.”

“You mean? Could you have stopped all this?” Vanessa asked. “Then why didn’t you do something about it? If you knew something why did you hide it?”

“Because he’s out to kill me!” John stopped in the corridor. Artie and Vanessa froze in place.

“Who’s out to kill you?”

“The Iron Fist.” John said. Artie uncovered his face to reveal a look of shock.

“But...why?

“Because I stopped him earlier today, he’s out to get what I owe him. And I put everyone in danger because of it!” John slammed his fist against the wall, putting a large dent in the wall. He leaned his head up against it.

“I ignored the cop’s warning and now he’s going to tear this place apart looking for me,” John stood himself up straight.
“I should just save him and everyone else the trouble and find him.” He turned to Vanessa and Artie. “Find a safe place once we’re up top. I’m going to pay up.”

“What!? Are you insane!?” Artie rushed up and grabbed him by the shoulders. John winced in pain. “John that’s not fair to us or yourself. There’s no way I’m letting some stupid crime king kill you. Right Vanessa? Vanessa?” John and Artie turned to see her shoulders were shrugging rapidly. The face plates pulled back to reveal tears were streaming from her eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

John moved slowly forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I, I didn’t want you to worry-”

“And then what? Disappear? Leave us not knowing what happened to you?” She held back a new outburst of tears. John pulled her close.

“It’s alright,” he said soothingly, “I’m sorry I held the truth from you guys, but now I have to make this right.” Vanessa took a step back from him and wiped away her tears.

“I’m with Artie on this, we’re not going to leave you hanging.”

John looked from her to Artie, who was positively beaming.

“Well then let’s not waste any more time down here.” he said.

“Hell yeah,” said Artie, “Let’s do this.”

They ran towards the main elevator shaft, only to see that it had already left.

“Dammit! it’s already left.”

A screeching noise came from the shaft, and it was getting closer. Fast.

“Get back!” John yelled.

The trio dived back as the screeching elevator car crashed down. John turned back to the smoking wreckage. A silhouette stepped slowly out of the sparks and dust. Someone was struggling as the other marched forward. John turned on to his back and sat up. Fred now only had his basic suit on, and was being held around his neck by an arm. John eye’s followed it up to the face and his blood ran cold.

“That’s him,” Fred said in a panicked voice, “That’s him right there!”

“Hello there good sir,” The Fist said through a smile. “Did you miss me?”

He leveled the same weapon he had on the train at John’s chest.

“Alright you got him, now let me go!” Fred shouted.

“Hm? Oh yes, thank-you for your help. You’re free to go.” He let Fred fall to the ground.

“But you destroyed the elevator!”

The Fist gave him a devious smile

“I know.” He fired a bolt at John’s feet as Artie and Vanessa scrambled to pick him up.
“Ah, ah, ah, no sudden movements. Now kindly back away from the gentleman. He and I have unfinished business.”

Artie and Vanessa slowly backed away. The Fist leveled the weapon at John’s chest once more.

“Oh John, dear John, John, John. Look at the mess you’ve caused. All of this could have been avoided if you didn’t interfere.” his hand started to lower, little by little. “Consider our debt settled.” He hefted the small weapon back up.

“NO!” Artie lunged forward. The Fist quickly shot him in the chest and Artie crumpled to the floor. Vanessa screamed and The Fist aimed at her. John punched a hole in the floor that was ripped open by the gravity. John and The Fist fell through the gaping hole onto the maintenance bay below. John rolled in pain as he clutched his injured arm. The Fist, having only landed a few meters away from him, was already picking himself up. John did the same and limped towards him. The Fist picked up his gun and took careful aim. John trudged forward. A bolt struck him in the chest. John spun and landed on his knees from the impact. He clutched at the spot, as he was expecting to find blood. He looked down to see only a blast mark. He brought himself back up and faced The Fist. The Fist looked at him quizzically and fired again. John winced at the impact, but stepped forward. The Fist’s eyes grew wide eyed and shot him again and again. The bolts glanced off John as he moved forward. Ignoring the pain, he reached out. The Fist aimed at his other arm and shot it multiple times. John screamed and fell backwards. The Fist stood over John with a triumphant smile on his face.

“That’s an impressive piece of equipment you have. I may just take it for myself.” He brought the gun up to John’s face. “Any last words.”

John stared into the barrel, than up past the sights, all the way to The Fist’s face.

“Karma! Activate contingency: Darkstar!”

“Acknowledged.”

Suddenly the maintenance bay fell as it was pulled into the black hole, stopping once it hit the arrays. The Fist lost his footing and fell to John’s side. John leaped on top of him, trying to control his gun hand.

“You sneaky bastard. For that it’s going to cost you extra.” He then elbowed John in the face and shot at the main hall. Three bodies fell rapidly towards them. The Fist turned around and pointed the gun back at John’s face.

“This is where you pony-up.” He said, grinning maniacally.

“No!” John said. “It’s you who’s gonna pay.” He then grabbed The Fist by his collar and rolled backwards off the roof and into the void.

“Contingency Darkstar activated.”

John closed his eyes as he felt the mounting pressure and then bright white light penetrate his eyelids.

Atlas’ basic start up process appeared before him. He was still inside the portable computer. The suit was still connected, and the occupant was alive.

“John,” the A.I. said, “What happened?”

No response came from him. Atlas sluggishly brought up the life support system. The A.I. was shocked by the results.

“Oh spam.” He diverted power to the life support system. “What happened to you?”

Atlas looked along the grid lines of his virtual environment, which was currently devoid of activity. He was starting to get impatient. He looked over to where the Aegis was linked in. He walked over to it eyeing it cautiously.

“I...guess he won’t mind if I take control for a little while.” Atlas powered up the Aegis and brought up the optics. All he could see was vast, empty darkness. Atlas shook his head and heaved a sigh of frustration. A small glimmer caught his attention, then another, and another. He soon realized that the image was full of small points of light. Atlas leaned in closer, trying to make sense of it.

“I need a better view.” Atlas thought for a moment, and then brought up the suits motor control system. He manipulated John’s body carefully, trying not to disturb John. Atlas experimentally moved the head. A bright object was in the corner of his vision. He looked directly at it. The optics flared briefly and returned to normal

“A star?” He looked around and found another object. “A planet?”

Upon closer inspection he saw that it was blue, green, and terrestrial in nature.

“Could...could that be... Earth?” Atlas bristled with energy as he thought.

“If that is Earth, then we survived the singularity. Ha! Wait till John hears about this.”

It was at that moment that he sensed the all too familiar pull of gravity on his accelerometers. He whipped around expecting to find another black hole. Instead he found the moon bearing down on him like a gargantuan freight liner.

Atlas panicked, and blasted the exhaust to move out of the way. As it sputtered out the last of its helium, the moon’s gravity caught him in its wake.

“Great, I’ve become a satellite to a satellite.” Atlas checked on John again.

“Still not conscious. Would probably be best if he stayed that way.”

Atlas turned to face the surface of the moon. Its surface rose and fell, and was pockmarked from eons of asteroid collisions and long past volcanic activity. As Atlas surveyed the landscape, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about it.

“There’s something seriously wrong here.” Atlas went to his references and pulled up maps of the moon. He returned to the optics, and brought up a hologram to compare.

“Funny, none of the geophysical land marks match, it’s completely different.” Atlas’ thoughts were interrupted as the Earth appeared on the moon’s horizon. An idea started forming in his processors.

“I wonder if we can make escape velocity.”

He made the necessary calculations and lowered the suits density as low as possible. They were slowly gaining altitude from the moon’s surface. Atlas hit the exhaust and nearly crashed from the readings on his accelerometers. They cleared the moon’s orbit, and rocketed towards Earth. Atlas relaxed as he let John drift through space. He checked on John once more. Nothing changed.

“Good, at least he’s stable.” Atlas looked between the life support and the Earth. He sighed. It would still be a few days before they reached Earth.

“This is going to take forever.” He looked over towards his references. Atlas slowly approached the insurmountable database. Sizing up the material, he whistled softly.

“Now is a good time to catch up on my reading.”

While traveling through space, Atlas had finished his references. Twice. Atlas felt sluggish with the info that had passed through his processors. He was nevertheless pleased that he managed to process it and apply what he learned. He wrote a new program to keep him company and watch the suits systems, Fido. He was perusing eighteenth century history when Fido sent a surge towards him. Atlas jolted back to his main processor.

“What’s up Fido?” He switched to visuals and turned John’s unconscious head. The Earth filled his entire view and things were starting to get shaky.

“Fido, try hailing a satellite, maybe we can board the I.S.S.”

Atlas aimed his head towards the Earth.

“Where are the cities?” he asked out loud. “Fido, did you hail anyone yet?”

He waited for Fido’s answer.

“What do you mean you didn’t get a response?” Atlas waited again. “No satellites? How is that possible-” He looked around Earth’s orbit, and there were no satellites to be seen, or orbiting garbage for that matter. It was all pointing to one conclusion.

“We’re trapped up here.” Atlas took a step back. The situation was grim and he had to find help fast, for John’s sake. He looked at the life support. The heart beat remained steady for a while, but it was slowly growing weaker. He turned back to the image of the Earth.

“Desperate times...” he said softly. “Fido prepare for re-entry.”

Atlas brought up the Aegis’ controls once again. He curled John’s body into as tight a ball as possible and aimed them towards the earth.

“He will still have enough kinetic energy to do some damage, Fido we need to aim for the ocean, and it should be within a hundred clicks of a coast.” Atlas checked the suit’s integrity. He then shifted the computer gauntlet in towards the belly.

“Moment of truth.” Atlas then fired the exhaust full blast and his accelerometers sent him reeling. Atlas struggled to maintain control as the heat built up around him. He turned John around and fired the exhaust once more. As the internal temperature rose, Atlas could feel his processing power draining away.

“Just a few more seconds.”

The exhaust slowed them down and the temperature stopped rising. He was certain they were in the atmosphere now. Atlas outstretched the limbs, which sent him in an out of control spin. He quickly recovered from it. He thanked himself for looking up recreational activities. He pondered why humans would do such dangerous and reckless things. Nevertheless, he was glad to have a guide to follow. He spread the arms and legs wide. He checked his speed to see that they were approaching terminal velocity. Atlas corrected this by setting the density as low as possible. Atlas smiled when his speed dropped by a third. After punching through the cloud layer, he saw the ocean below.

“Good work Fido.” Atlas sighed with relief. “Prepare John for impact.”

Atlas watched as the ocean drew nearer. He flipped John onto his back and fired the exhaust, further decreasing their speed. Atlas then turned the density high the moment before impacting the water. Bubbles filled the optics and they began to sink. Atlas quickly turned the density to low and they floated to the surface. Atlas took a deep breath.

“Fido, systems status report.” Atlas nodded as soon as he heard that everything was still intact.

He took a look at John. He was surprised that the suit was so hardy, that it managed to protect John on re-entry. That's when he noticed labored breathing.

“He must have cracked his ribs on the ocean.”

Atlas faced the shoreline, and kicked John’s legs.

“Just hang in there John. We’ll get you help.”

Atlas had been traveling for hours. From the shoreline to an expansive forest, he trudged on. The salt water interfered with his circuitry, and it irritated him how he got sand in the motors.

“They’re going to put me offline for wrecking the Aegis.”

Fido agreed, but reminded him of how he had to save John.

“Thanks for the input,” he replied.

He walked on, wondering why he hadn’t run into a coastal city yet. He looked around at the tall trees, the birds flitting past him, and the occasional animal.

“Do you think we landed in a nature reserve?”

Fido suggested otherwise.

“All natural areas are considered reserves. There must be someone who can help nearby.”

Atlas spotted a tall hill. Once at the top, he took in the view. All he could see were miles of tree tops and the corridor the mountains formed on either side.

“Wow,” he said, “that’s a big reserve.”

He scanned the horizon and spotted a structure hanging off a mountain in the distance.

“That must be the reserve station.”

Fido suggested that they head towards it.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Atlas slid down the hill and quickened his pace. Atlas struggled through the growth. He tried to be gentle with the injuries John had sustained. He traveled for several miles when he noticed the joints were seizing up.

“No, no, no, no, no, no.” Atlas forced more power into the motors. “Don’t quite on me yet.”

Fido interrupted him about a change in John’s condition. Atlas handed the controls over to Fido and went over to life support. His heart beat was getting quicker. His movements acted against Atlas’ control.

“John?” he was relieved after getting a labored grunt “John, are you alright?” This caused a more stirred response and a spike in his heartbeat, “John relax. We’re getting you help, but you must remain calm.”

“Water.” John said in a raspy voice. Atlas’ circuits pulsated with relief.

“Fido find a water source, we need to-”

Something slammed into the side of them, causing Fido to veer off course and ram them into a tree. They fell to the ground where Fido continued to try running, spinning them in circles. A massive paw settled on John’s chest. Then a mouth full of teeth chomped on his head. Fido was still flailing John’s legs as he tried to run.

“Fido cut that out!” Atlas rested the controls from Fido. He took John’s good arm and started hitting the predator’s nose. The creature let out a deafening roar and John was blasted back by the force of it.

“Oh my maker.”

The sheer size of the lion forced Atlas to stop and think. It stood a few feet taller than John himself. The lion crouched down and lashed out with its scorpion tail. Atlas rolled out of the way. John grunted in pain as Atlas used his arms to pick himself up. The lion lashed out again, hitting John in the side. Atlas caught hold of a tree and brought John back up. Atlas ducked just in time as the stinger embedded itself in the tree.

“Atlas. Atlas what’s going on?”

Atlas suddenly lost the controls.

“John? John is that you?” He worked to try and get them back.

“Where are we? Are we dead?”

“John you need to listen. It’s not safe here. We need to get out of here!”

Atlas could see through the visuals that John was staggering around.

“I can hardly...” John turned to the beast, which pulled its tail out of the trunk.
“John, look out!”

John didn’t move, and the scorpion stung him in the arm. John let out a bellow of pain as he felt the venom contact his skin. Atlas took over once again. He burned a line in ground with the exhaust to make his getaway. As he ran, he could see John’s life signs were becoming erratic. He tightened pressure around John’s arm. He needed to find someone before his condition became worse. The forest started to give way to a small clearing. He spotted a small house just on the other side. He looked behind them to see that the lion was giving chase. He burned another wall of flame in the forest, the lion leaped over the flames and charged towards them. Atlas skidded to a stop and stood his ground. The lion made a final lunge.

“Sorry about this John.”

Atlas took the good arm and smashed it into the lion’s nose. The beast gave a yelp and scampered back into the woods. By now the suit was giving him warnings. Energy expenditure was high and the motor systems were overheating. He looked over to the house. The joints refused to move. He diverted more power to the servos as each step became increasingly difficulf. Atlas reached out as he neared the door. He even started diverting power from his computer to reach it. With his last watt of power he pushed on the door and shut down.

John and the armor fell into the door, tearing it off its hinges and crashing to the ground. A high pitched yelp echoed around the room as the armor slowly separated from John’s body. John tried to move, but could barely manage to lift his arm. A fuzzy silhouette filled his vision.

“Help...” he said before collapsing back into the armor.

Author’s note

Rewrite of the original, which you can find here Spirit of Knight Pt I. If you're starting on a story, this is a great guide on what NOT to do. Thanks to CartoonGeld for helping me realize how STUPID I am, and am currently consulting so I can become a more intelligent writer. Chapter 8 will come after I fix all my other chapters. Thanks for reading.