Within the Apple 13D

*****

The Simurgh looked over the city with an impassive and nearly uninterested gaze. The plan was, as usual, proceeding apace and well within predicted variables.

There was, however, an unknown factor that she had previously missed and that managed to peak the combat engine’s interest and curiosity. A blank spot was within the city, two in fact, observable only in that they were the only places she could not observe and affect.

There were only a few known effects that could cause that, and she had carefully ensured that none of them would be nearing the host city during her operation.

One of the two sources was static, but the second was mobile. The static location was left for the moment, she assumed it was a constructed effect of some sort. She would take time to examine it closer when possible, with an eye to building a countermeasure, but the mobile source was the likely origin and that required a more immediate response.

The Simurgh turned.

*****

Xander almost missed the chunk of building that was sent his way, by which he meant that he couldn’t have missed it if he were half blind and deaf, but he made a show of barely dodging it all the same as the four or five top floors of an office building attempted to swat him from the sky on its way across the city.

The extra dimensional monstrosity he was scanning had barely twitched, which wasn’t giving him much of the warm feelies about the whole situation.

Telekinetic, high power, high precision… unknown range. Well, this isn’t looking good. Superman would probably have a fight on his hands here from what I’m seeing. Way the hell out of my weight class, no question.

Luckily, or otherwise, Xander was long used to fighting well out of his weight class. From Volienuts to the various villains and monsters he’d seen in the years since, most of the big names could squash him flat with barely a thought if given a sliver of a chance.

Not that he could see any chinks in the armor to exploit at the moment.

None of my conventional attacks will do jack shit, that much is clear. This thing is a magical construct on a level I’ve never even dreamed possible, He mused as he ducked another attack, this time a subtler launched and reinforced lightpole that would have put a hole in him he could have easily reached through. Part of his mind was noting that her other attacks appeared harder for the assembled warriors to dodge, many didn’t even seem to try and just tanked the hits instead. She’s not tracking me the same way as them… she’s…

His eyes widened as he got it.

Bitch is tracking my shield, not me, and it’s an area of effect.

He grinned, “Ok, you want to play? Let’s play!”

Two wands leapt into his hands as he rocketed forward, flicking them with casual expertise.

“Let’s see how you like this.”

*****

The Simurgh froze for a fraction of an instant of time, staring as the number of blank spots in her view began to multiply.

First another showed up, mobile again, then another… and another… dozens of them in short order. The entire city became filled with blank spots to her awareness, including several critical hosts that she had been pulling data from!

The situation had just gone from curious and potentially interesting to critical in a short fraction of time.

The possibility that the effect was contagious struck her with a frissons of terror, an emotion she had only rarely experienced in her existence, and not one she had any desire to re-experience. If the hosts had somehow created a means of blocking her awareness then the entire plan was at risk!

That thought caused her to freeze in position, turning slowly to send her awareness around the curve of the planet, seeking the comfort of knowing that her pawn was still in play… only for her to shudder and stare in horror as she could not find the host she sought!

*****

“Something’s wrong with the Simurgh,” Eidolon called, “She’s never froze mid fight like this before!”

“Stop sounding like you’re complaining and hit her with everything we have while she’s holding still!” Legend snapped over the confusion, launching his own attack as he channeled his power and set an array of beams bouncing across the city before slamming them into the false angel with enough power to vaporize a small town.

The assembled, heroes and villains alike, followed suit. Attacks such that could have depopulated a reasonably sized country hammered into the monster, burning away her wings and limbs as she ignored them.

“We’ve never hurt her this bad,” Legend roared, “Keep it up! Hold nothing back!”

With the leader of the New York Protectorate rallying the attack, everyone present threw everything they had as the attack doubled, then redoubled, all the while the Simurgh just… took it. Her flesh, such as it was, burned and curled away layer by layer, pieces burning off and falling as she just stared out to the North East.

Finally, as everyone present began to falter, most down on the ground on the knees or backs, gasping for air as they tried to get back up for just one more shot… she moved again. Her broken and burned wings flexed, as though pushing against the air with feathers that no longer existed, and the Simurgh accelerated straight up with a blurring motion that left everyone stunned as the shockwave from the sonic boom rolled over them.

Long silence reigned as people stared at the sky, wondering what had just happened.

It was Dragon’s voice that broke the shocked silence.

“Six minutes. She was only on station for six minutes. Canberra won’t be domed.”

The roar that followed that easily masked the pensive confusion that reigned among a few of their number, Dragon herself included.

All of them were wondering just what the hell had just happened.

All but one.

*****

Xander eyed the trailed the departing ‘angel’ had left as she split the sky, a condensation trail to the stars… or the end of the lower to middle atmosphere at least.

The bitch is blind without her telekinesis. Interesting.

His action of casting individual shields on people had worked far above his expectations, but something else was in play… and it was gnawing at him.

What the hell was she looking at?

Xander looked off in the direction the Simurgh had been, but there was nothing there but ocean for as far as he could see. The problem was, without knowing her range, he had no idea just how far she could have been looking.

Into space? Or do her senses follow the curvature of gravity influenced space/time?

If the latter, she could have been observing a country, city… even a person. If the latter….

Best get something into orbit to watch for rocks, in case she’s a spiteful bitch…

Xander snorted in amusement.

If. Right.

“Something amusing?”

Xander glanced over to see the one called Legend approaching and shook his head, “Only in the morbid sense. I was just wondering what the spiteful turkey was looking at.”

Legend nodded somberly even as they could hear the cheers of celebration float up from below them, “You are not the only one asking that right now. This isn’t how these fights go… something distracted her.

“Part of that I can explain, but…” Xander shook his head.

Legend looked over sharply, “You can?”

“She was targeting the rough center of my defense, not me,” Xander said. “I don’t think she could see me, just my shield… So I started casting more of them, a lot more.”

Legend stared, “You blinded her.”

“Partially,” Xander nodded, but he frowned, “Her reaction, though? That wasn’t to anything I did. I had a bad feeling about this, if I’m being honest.”

“Endbringer battles are like that,” Legend said, “Thank you for the information. The Protectorate will be interested in speaking with you about this…?”

“Check with Armsmaster,” Xander said. “I’ll be around his city for a while.”

He paused, smiling, “Picked up an apprentice, after all.”

Legend coughed slightly, “You found someone with similar powers, or…?”

“Identical powers, you might say.”

“That… is unusual.”

“Not where I come from.”

Legend fixed him with a confused look as he sought to find the right words.

“Where are you from?”

*****