The Black Obelisk

If there was one area that the EVO was avoiding, it was the Black Obelisk.

The structure was not subtle in the slightest, a large smooth slab of obsidian against the porcelain white landscape, a beacon in the mirage of the desert heat. Why the aliens didn't approach such a massive target was unknown, but there was one hostile presence approaching the antique structure.

Thanks to his quickness of thought and movement, Kalin lived, and with Rydia's destruction, he aimed to understand the placement of the old enemy. Hence, he infiltrated Ublaneth alone, ready to strike with his own intuition.

The Pandemian began his approach. On first view, the Obelisk was surrounded by barren sand. Whatever ancient architecture beautified itself on its edifice was gone, although the sand hid solid stone beneath it as Kalin rushed through old courtyards. Simply put, the cities surrounding the Obelisk were dismantled and taken away with alarming detail, as little debris remained. Only the obsidian spire remained.

He made his way to the walls without incident. There was no security above ground because it was unneeded. There were no doorways from the outside as it was all solid stone. The only answer was to climb to the one access point he remembered. He would just have to reach it.

And to do so, he'd use electricity. Kalin's training had pushed his body to the supernatural. Kalin's psychic powers made his body a vessel that could control the laws of physics and his biology. A synapse fired in his brain, and he rushed the aberration, hitting it foot first. Then, he strode up again and again, building speed with each stride. He didn't think of anything at all. His electricity fired his neurons and jolted him to move at faster and faster rates while thought processes on positioning and motor skills ceased. He ran blind and deaf, using pure instinct and trained muscle memory to propel himself up the wall, reaching the top of the 800-meter tower in four minutes.

Once at the top, he regained his senses and grabbed the tip. It was searing hot. He had a few seconds to contemplate an entry point, and the gap was as he remembered. He sparked his finger like a welding torch and started cutting into the facility. He remembered when he first received the power. It was in the wilds of the equatorial jungle when a mechanical beast made an attempt at his life. That trauma had become the base point from where his powers grew, and the more he ate, the more versatile his powers became. His lightning dancing like static and flames were expressions of those skills. He thanked the gods every day for his mind and damned that machine. From that terror, he became himself.

He felt the latch snap between the solid obsidian, and the doors opened. He was met with the barrel of the gun, and he dodged. No answer. It was a laser weapon, at least 5 meters in height. A new superweapon, Kalin thought. As he dived into the room below, he landed with a clack. There was metal grating too, strong yet light. It's incredible how much could be constructed underneath such a dense and impermeable mass.

He snuck further in. Still no security, despite everything. By most standards, he was in the deepest depths of the enemy fortress. If there were a princess, she'd be waiting right here. Still, he moved down the spiraling rooms to the next floor, ready to strike as the tight, concentrated corridors around the central shaft left no room for maneuver and plenty of metal halls for his steps to echo across.

There was a breeze of cold air. He could feel it through a grated vent in the floor, and its hum echoed across the living quarters. It was comforting, relaxing even. They must've installed a form of air circulation that pumped cooler air from the underground up. The following room he found was also quite comforting. In fact, it was lavishly decorated and illuminated with warm glowing bulbs. The largest set of these focused around a circle of desks with notes and blueprints on them, and in the middle, out cold over the desk, was a black-armed figure with a chalk-white coat and a solid ball of frizzled cream hair. 

Kalin had never seen Doctor Devol like this before and froze. Was this a trap? His instincts were giving him the all-clear. He had made it this far without conflict and now stood at a crossroads. 

Kalin struggled to breathe, not out of fear but out of containment. It could all end in one swift strike. The woman who had brought his life and people so much misery now lay undefended and within his grasp. He could bring peace to this world once and for all if only his hand could reach her. His conscience was ringing. She wasn't the enemy at this point, and as much as he hated her, she may be the key to defeating the actual threat to this planet. It was a battle between logic and emotion. Kalin would have to choose wisely, as the fate of the world lay on his shoulders.

But he had already decided, as a lightning bolt's worth of energy shot through his hand into the scientist's back, releasing a crack that could be heard throughout the spire. A flash of light blinded the Pandemian for a moment. He was so overcome with anger that he forgot to close his eyes and thus stood there, adrenaline pumping. He had to prepare himself for the guards. He'd pay for his penance.

An electronic chirp emanated from the doctor.

"Whu-what?" The scientist lurched, half blind from her weary, insomniac delusions. It was as if a Taser had hit her. "Kalin!? What are you doing-?"

She turned around fast enough to see the man throttle her, pinning her to the desk with his large hands. The warrior did not think. He only acted as his instincts commanded. Devol grabbed him by the arms as if to hold him.

"Damn…" She wheezed out. “You got me…excited there…”

Kalin wasn't listening, focusing on crushing her windpipe until the adrenaline wore off in his body, then his motor skills. He was losing control of his muscles and everything. He had become loose and helpless within seconds, no stronger than an infant, and in that moment, Devol reversed the struggle, though she used her hands to keep him up. Nice and personal.

"What did you do?" Kalin's voice quivered and then gave out. Everything faded into darkness.