Ashley Jason

5. CHAPTER TWO

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Here was Parasite standing right in front of us in an incredibly public place. I hadn’t even heard him sneak up on us, which made sense because Parasite had camouflage powers. That was probably how he had gotten the drop on us.

But I wasn’t going to let him kill us without a fight.

Barrett and I both jumped to our feet. I summoned a light hammer in my hands, the effort making my heart tighten, which I ignored. Barrett, on the other hand, morphed his hands into dragon claws and held them up defensively.

“Nice to see you guys, too,” said Parasite, putting one hand on his hips. “Hope I’m not interrupting your cute little picnic date. As I said, I came to fulfill my promise.”

I knew what promise Parasite referred to. When we escaped from Superbia what seemed like a lifetime ago now, Parasite had promised to return to America to fight me again.

In case you didn’t know, Parasite wasn’t just any old supervillain. He was—or claimed to be, anyway—the grandson of the late Master Chaos, my deceased grandfather’s archenemy. More specifically, he said he was the son of Robert Candle, who my dad had killed, which had caused Parasite to hold a grudge against me and my entire family. Although we had worked together briefly in Superbia to battle Dragon King, it had been a temporary alliance of convenience and nothing more.

Which was why Parasite was right here, right now, in my hometown, interrupting my perfect birthday and date with my boyfriend, ready to kill me.

“How do we know you’re the real Parasite?” Barrett asked. He glanced around. “Perhaps you are an illusion crafted by Gentleman.”

Parasite laughed. He slapped his chest. “Nope! I’m the real deal, but thanks for thinking about Joey. He’s also nearby, though unlike me, he’s not that eager to see you two.”

“Don’t lie to them, Rodrigo,” said Gentleman’s voice behind us. “It’s rather unbecoming of you.”

I looked over my shoulder to see Gentleman step out from behind the tree. He looked much the same as he did back in Superbia, complete with top hat, fancy suit, short cape, and domino mask and cane sword. The only difference was a large scar on his right cheek that definitely had not been there before, making me wonder where he had gotten it from. Maybe from Superbia?

Barrett and I immediately went back to back, Barrett facing Gentleman while I faced Parasite. I didn’t want to turn my back to either of these two guys, but there was also no way I could face them both at once.

“Sorry,” said Parasite, rolling his eyes, “I was just telling them what you told me.”

“Just because I said I don’t want to see them does not mean I won’t see them,” said Gentleman. “You’re not the only one seeking revenge here, after all.”

I bit my lower lip. This situation had gone from bad to worse in seconds. Now I had to deal with both Parasite and Gentleman, two of my worst enemies. At least I had Barrett with me, which meant I stood somewhat of a chance against them.

“Your scar is new,” Barrett said to Gentleman, raising his claws. “It looks like my father gave it to you. Am I right?”

Gentleman scowled and touched the scar. “You mean the father who tried to kill you for betraying him? I wouldn’t speak so fondly of him if I were you.”

I felt Barrett’s back tense against mine. Barrett had anger issues and could sometimes act very impulsively if you pressed the right buttons. I just hoped that Barrett would keep his temper under control. If he let Gentleman bait him into doing something stupid, it wouldn’t end well for either of us.

“I’m surprised either of you are still alive,” I said. “For that matter, I’m shocked you guys got out of Superbia. How did you manage that?”

“We have our ways,” said Parasite. He raised his right arm, which shifted into a sword from the elbow up. “But how we did that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are here to kill you both, just as I promised back in Superbia.”

“So you are a man of your word, after all,” I said in mock surprise. “Gee, didn’t see that coming.”

Parasite scowled. “What supervillain would I be if I didn’t keep my threats? Trust me, my bite is far worse than my bark.”

“You sure picked a good time to fulfill your promise,” I said. I glanced around. “A public park, in view of a bunch of people … you do realize that my house is less than five miles from here, right?”

“Yes, but I also know that your parents are out of town celebrating their wedding anniversary this week,” said Parasite. “We also know that your brother Jake is visiting his friend Ken over the summer, while little Ronny is being babysat by your grandma.”

“In other words, you two are on your own now,” said Gentleman. “And by the time your parents or brothers realize we are here … well, there should be enough left to give you two a proper funeral, at least.”

Dang it. Not only were Parasite and Gentleman here in person, but they had apparently been watching me and Barrett for a while. They had clearly planned to attack me at this moment, right when I was most vulnerable. I should have realized they had done their research. Say what you will about those two, but they weren’t idiots.

“Does it matter?” said Barrett. “Ashley and I have beaten you both before. We can certainly beat you again.”

“Ah, but I have all sorts of new tricks up my sleeve since the last time we tangled,” said Parasite. “What do you think I was doing in Superbia for three months? An entire nation of supers, each one with a new power … it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet of powers. Delicious. My favorite was probably the memory power I ate. Sweet as chocolate.”

Parasite licked his lips when he said that, which creeped me out, though not for the reasons you’d think.

Parasite could copy the powers of other superhumans by drinking their blood. That was what made him so dangerous. He was ruled by an overwhelming hunger that could only be sated by drinking the blood of supers, which was why he murdered so many supers. The exact number of supers that he had killed over the years was unknown, but we know that he killed at least three students at the Academy during his first year.

Given, as Parasite said, Superbia was an entire nation of supers, there was no telling how many or what kind of powers Parasite had. As far as we knew, there was no limit to the number of powers that Parasite could eat, meaning he could have as many as he wanted.

Honestly, Parasite’s irrational hatred of me and my dad was the only reason he wasn’t a bigger threat to the world than he actually was. He was obsessed with ‘avenging’ his dad and he didn’t seem interested in doing much else.

Parasite licked his lips again. “And I’m going to steal your powers, too, while I’m at it. I’ve always wanted to transform into a dragon and make light Constructs. Sounds like fun.”

Barrett snorted. “Ashley, let’s teach these two a lesson.”

I nodded. Without hesitation, I ran toward Parasite, swinging my hammer at his face, while Barrett rushed toward Gentleman, his claws slashing through the air.

Parasite, however, didn’t look even remotely surprised by my attack. He didn’t move, try to dodge, or do anything other than smirk on me. He didn’t even raise his sword arm to defend himself, which should have tipped me off that something was wrong here, but I was too busy thinking about bashing his skull in to notice that.

Once I got within range, I swung my hammer at Parasite’s head, aiming for his forehead. I fully intended to shatter his skull into a million pieces or at least c***k it and give him some brain damage.

But to my shock, Parasite’s head turned transparent, causing my hammer to pass harmlessly through his head. I staggered forward from the momentum of my attack and into Parasite’s chest.

Parasite’s hands immediately grabbed my arms, causing me to look up at him in shock. Parasite’s head had become solid again, his smirk even bigger than before.

“New power,” said Parasite. “Transparency. Well, I can only make one part of my body transparent at any time, but it’s still useful for tricking your enemies into getting close enough, wouldn’t you say?”

Parasite’s grip tightened and I realized he was trying to break my arms.

With a thought, I summoned a light hammer behind his head, feeling another sharp spike of pain my chest. Dang it. I still hadn’t gotten my new shipment of Super Pills from Professor Hernandez yet, which was why I wanted to end this fight quickly before my powers caused me to pass out or worse.

The hammer slammed into the back of Parasite’s head, causing him to groan and loosen his grip on my arms. With a grunt, I ripped my arms out of his grasp and jumped backward. Summoning two hammers in my hands, I swung them both at Parasite, but he immediately vanished into thin air and my hammers missed once again.

The momentum of my attack made me stagger slightly, but I came to a stop and looked around for him again. It seemed like Parasite had used his camouflage power, which was the only way I could explain his disappearance. I didn’t like that. If I couldn’t see Parasite, then that would make it really hard to defend myself.

As I looked around, I noticed that Barrett and Gentleman were still fighting. Barrett was on the offensive, his claws slashing at Gentleman, who kept deflecting or blocking them with his cane sword. Although Gentleman was swift and agile, he seemed to be on the defensive, with Barrett attacking him too much to give Gentleman a chance to react. Even so, Gentleman didn’t look wounded, meaning that the fight was definitely far from over.

Without warning, the ground under my feet shifted and transform into quicksand. Before I could even realize what was happening, I sank into the quicksand up to my knees. I desperately tried to free myself, but every time I moved my legs, I just sank in deeper. The sticky, wet quicksand now went up to my thighs, causing me to stop struggling to avoid sinking in any deeper.

Parasite’s harsh laughter cracked the air. A second later, Parasite himself appeared in front of me, a wicked grin on his face.

“Like the quicksand?” said Parasite. “Hope it’s familiar. I got it from one of your Institute classmates … what was her name again? Kylie or something?”

My eyes widened. I knew who Parasite was talking about. He was referring to a three-star girl back in the International Superbian Institute for Superhuman Excellence, a girl named Kylie, who I hadn’t gotten along very well with, to put it mildly. She could create quicksand anywhere. If Parasite could create quicksand, then …

“You’re a monster, Parasite,” I said. “A real monster.”

“Of course I am,” said Parasite, spreading his arms wide. “I’m a supervillain. We’re always monsters.”

A cry of pain caused me to look over my shoulder. Barrett now lay on the ground at Gentleman’s feet, Gentleman’s sword plunged into his right shoulder. Barrett’s claws had turned back into hands now, but Barrett himself looked barely conscious.

“Barrett!” I shouted. “No!”

“That was quick,” said Parasite. He smiled. “Good job, Gentleman. Teach that Superbian brat a lesson.”

Gentleman nodded. “It wasn’t that hard. Dragons are not known for their intellect and are easy to fool with even the most basic of illusions.”

Dang it. Parasite and Gentleman had somehow defeated Barrett and me without even trying. I felt ashamed of myself for how easily Parasite had defeated me. I’d gotten a lot stronger since the last time I fought him, but it seemed like Parasite had, too.

Then Parasite reached down and grabbed the collar of my shirt. He pulled my face close to his, while keeping a safe distance from the quicksand so he wouldn’t fall into it, too.

“Now, then,” said Parasite. He raised his left arm, which shifted into a sword once more. “It was nice knowing you, Ash, but you’re nowhere even half the superhero that your dad is, much less your grandpa.”

I spat in Parasite’s face. “And you’re nowhere near as deadly or dangerous as your dad was. If Candle even is your dad, that is.”

A twisted scowl appeared across Parasite’s face when I said that. “I am the son of Robert Candle, the grandson of Master Chaos. You cannot take my legacy away from me. I won’t allow it.”

But then Parasite grinned. “But I can take away yours.”

Before I could even begin to wonder what that meant, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the park. At first, I thought Parasite had gotten shot, but when I noticed that he looked as confused as I did, I realized someone else had been shot.

Then I heard a scream behind me and looked over my shoulder again, forgetting about Parasite’s blade over my head.

Gentleman lay on the ground a couple of feet away from Barrett, clutching his stomach, which was now bleeding profusely. Gentleman had yanked his sword out of Barrett’s shoulder, but Barrett had not gotten up. He looked as startled by the gunshot as I was, which made sense because he certainly hadn’t fired the g*n and neither had I.

“What the—?” said Parasite in fear. “Joey!”

“Don’t cry for your boyfriend, kid,” said the rough voice of an older man, “because you’ll be joining him soon enough.”

Parasite and I looked over in the direction from which the voice had come and I immediately spotted its source.

An elderly-looking Japanese man, wearing a hat and trench coat, stood in between two bushes not far away. He held a smoking g*n, which he was now pointing at Parasite. Though the Japanese man did not look very big or intimidating, something about the way he glared at Parasite made even me afraid.

“Huh?” said Parasite. “Who the heck are you, old man? This is none of your business. Go away.”

The old man did not lower his g*n or look away. “On the contrary, this is definitely my business. I would be a terrible friend if I let the daughter of one of my friends get murdered in broad daylight.”

“Friends …?” I said. “Do you know Dad?”

“Yep,” said the old man, nodding. “Known him since he was even younger than you are, though I must say, you definitely take after your mother.”

“I don’t care who you are, old man,” said Parasite. He let go of my collar and stood up, his other hand morphing into a sword as well. “Anyone who is a friend of Bolt is an enemy of me.”

The old man chuckled. “If you want to die, that’s fine by me … fake son of Robert Candle.”