The two men appeared in a glimmer of light, like a bright blink. Nothing, then there they were. They lingered at the head of the train cart inspecting their surroundings then they marched. They were well dressed, as expected of Enforcement Agents. They brushed past passengers with their eyes leering ahead until they locked onto their target like missiles.

They halted a few feet away from the man and stared. The target was a tall lanky man with pale skin, acne ridden and with a balding scalp covered with a dandruff littered beanie. He scratched his patchy sideburns then tightened his hold on the black leather bag in his lap.

The Agent known as Order was amber skinned with long dark dreadlocks tied in a ponytail and in a navy blue suit.

“Henrik Taetel,” Order said and Henrik perked up alongside other passengers. “By Order of the Elemancer Enforcement Agency, you are under arrest. Comply and come with us without resistance. Order will remain,” he said.

Henrik looked to him, then to the man behind Order. The man was beefy with a muscular frame compacted under a jet black suit. He was ebony skinned with a dark trimmed beard. Chaos.

Chaos, raised an eyebrow.

Good, Order thought. Simple, effective. In and out with him, just as planned. The previous snatch and grabs always led to disaster, usually because of Chaos. The passengers around them awed at them. It's not often to see Enforcement Agents in person and when you do, it means one thing.

Order took a step forward and pulled out slim platinum cuffs. They glowed green to indicate the nullification effect was active. One snap around the wrists and Henrik would be powerless. Henrik eyed the cuffs, looked back to the two agents then grinned. Mismatched and grunge stained teeth stretched to his ears. Then his eyes glinted. Henrik was a level one Hypnos Elemancer, Order thought. Can control one mind at a time and within a certain distance. First indication his powers are active is the glinting of the irises, like bright antennas finding the signal to another brain. Which means…

Behind them, a passenger’s eyes glinted with energy. They became a drone and stormed towards the two agents, stopped and with a long windup sent a hard hook into the back of Chaos’ neck. The passenger bounced backwards and fell to the ground unconscious.

Chaos raised an eyebrow. He was unphased. He turned and inspected the fallen passenger as his body changed. A tiny ripple of crimson energy travelled from Chaos’ neck, across his body then disappeared.

Order and Chaos exchanged a glance. Order sighed.

“This is your last warning.”

Henrik jumped to his feet and alongside him three others stood. Two were twins in all yellow and another was a tall man with a dark beard and a gray suit. Order and the man locked eyes. His eyes…he has no irises.

Henrik backed away and the Twins stood in front of him. Them and the man in gray’s eyes were normal. No glinting, no control, Order thought. His heart sank at the realization.

“Scrapers,” Chaos said. Behind Order, the agent smiled. Hired Elemancers. Extremely illegal, Chaos thought. Means one thing…

Chaos brushed past Order and cracked his neck. He stared daggers into Henrik right as another passenger hopped out of their seat and stood up to face him. He was five feet tall and framed like a child. What distinguished him from a little delinquent however was when he took off the hood of his moss puffer jacket and looked up at Chaos with a grimace. He was bald with thick dark eyebrows and waxy tan skin.

Henrik’s grin grew. “Sorry gentleman. Best to be safe, never sorry. They’re all yours Giant,” he said. He saluted then he, alongside the other three left the cart alongside the passengers around them. Confusion turned to panic. People flocked in both directions out of the cart, tripping and stumbling over one another.

Behind The Giant, passengers struggled to slide the doors to the exit open. Order looked ahead at them. Henrik locked it. Through the window to the next cart, Henrik winked and his eyes glinted. Footsteps rushed behind Order. He turned just in time to duck a punch from a passenger, now a drone to Henrik’s control. The drone swung wildly at Order and he ducked the sluggish blows. He caught the drone by the arm, locked it, then took him to the ground in seconds. He had the drone in a headlock and out cold in a moment.

Order turned and faced his partner. Chaos and The Giant were in a staredown. The “Giant” took a step forward.

“Take another step and I’ll punt you,” Chaos said.

The Giant smiled, then transformed. A mass of rose colored energy flooded out of his chest and enveloped him. A ball of light wrapped around The Giant, morphing around him until Order and Chaos looked up to the ceiling at a man wrapped in an armor of psionic energy. Large gauntlets and spiked pauldrons made from raw mental energy enveloped the Scraper.

“Why don’t I punt you?” The Giant said in a distorted voice. The Giant raised a hand and swung at the duo. Order grabbed Chaos’ shoulder then blinked away.

The duo reappeared back at the start of the cart.

“The little guy is a Psimancer,” Chaos said. Order nodded. One of the most diverse, he thought. Able to construct things out of pure mental energy.

Chaos took a step forward. The more focused they are, the stronger their constructs…

“Wait,” Order said, but Chaos kept walking.

The Giant and Chaos marched towards each other. Then a jog until it was a full on sprint. The Giant roared right as the two collided. The train cart exploded in a shockwave. Windows shattered and dust danced in the air as the two forces collided. The two were locked in place, hands locked into one another. Their feet sunk further into the metal floor, teeth gritted and eyes filled with rage.

Chaos chuckled then The Giant grew.

Order sighed. Especially when they’re angry.

The Giant’s armor shifted. Spikes and sharp blades ran down his arms and sparks shuddered off of him. He compressed Chaos to the floor until Chaos was on his knees. Sweat trickled down Chaos’ face and his bones cracked. A wave of energy rippled across Chaos’ body and sunk into him. The Giant’s hands grew, until they enveloped Chaos hands and he squeezed. Chaos let out a grunt. The Giant squeezed harder.

Chaos smiled. Waves of crimson energy rippled across his body, pounds of kinetic energy sucking into him. He called it a “charge.” The bigger the charge, the stronger he becomes, Order thought. Waves of kinetic energy swam in between his sinews, around his tendons and joints. He raised to a kneel, then a squat, then he stood and pressed his arms up. The Giant was a hydraulic press, sending more force down on him, more charge, more energy. Chaos stood and his eyes widened; his smile grew.

Finally.

Order jogged towards them. He slipped out of his coat pocket a long metallic cylinder. He clicked it and it extended to arms length and with a twist, it parted into two twin batons. The thing about Chaos’ charge, he thought.

Chaos’ smile dropped. His face twitched and tiny shards of crimson energy cascaded across his body like raindrops. He can only absorb so much before he glitches out.

His arm jolted and he was back on his knees, then a leg jolted and he was upwards towards the ceiling. Random body parts sprung and seized with kinetic energy. The Giant stumbled, then shifted. His hands morphed into morningstars, trapping Chaos’s hands. He flung Chaos to the ceiling then slammed him back down.

Order blinked then reappeared again beside the Giant with a flying kick and disappeared again. He appeared, over and over, a crack of his baton, then a leg sweep. Each successive attack on the Giant did nothing but annoy him. The Giant lifted Chaos and flung him around just as Order blinked in front of his flailing partner and the duo collided.

They stumbled down the cart and rolled to a stop. Chaos struggled to his feet, glitching until he grabbed a pole and it glowed. The pole melted and Chaos stood.

If he glitches, he would have to release the kinetic energy into something.

He struggled into his coat pocket and pulled out two twin black chains. He wrapped them around his fists and sent a charge of crimson energy into them.

The Kinetic Chains. They glowed red hot as he raised them. Order nodded.

“Psimancers need to focus,” Order said. “No focus, no powers.”

“So we divide,” Chaos said.

“Then conquer,” Order said.

The duo paced towards the Giant.

Chaos lunged forward, a charge of energy that catapulted him towards the Giant. The Giant opened a psionic hand and a long rod of energy morphed into a sword. Just before the two collided, Order blinked in front of Chaos, cracked the Giant with his batons, then disappeared. Chaos ducked under the Giant’s massive blade, then snared him with a kinetic chain. He tugged and the two struggled in a tug of war.

Order blinked again, a kick this time, disappeared, then appeared behind The Giant. Another kick, a crack of his baton, then a rib shot, over and over. He blinked all across the Giant as Chaos kept the massive Psimancer in place. The Giant let one arm go off the chain and another sword appeared in his hand. He swung wildly at the air, his blade whistling past Order’s face.

Order blinked mid-air, and reappeared towards the ceiling. With a thought, the gravity shifted around him. His speed slowed to a stop, and like pressing rewind on a remote, he reversed direction. He flipped midair then his feet clung to the ceiling like magnets, He was upside down, swinging at the Giant from above. Like a chamber, he trapped the gravity around him in a field of his manipulation.

With a final tug, The Giant yanked Chaos towards him and his sword shifted into a large fist that slammed Chaos to the ground.

“I’ll squash you like a-” he said, before Chaos suddenly shot upwards with a charged uppercut into his psionic jaw.

The Giant stumbled backwards and the psionic armor around him shifted, like a ripple in water.

Loss of focus means loss of structural integrity, Order thought. Divide.

Order blinked again, back and forth around the Giant. A baton here, a dropkick there, each attack only annoying the Giant, but left him open from a hard elbow, a heavy blow, a hook and a kinetic charged fist from Chaos. Chaos sent him back into Order’s direction and Order ping-ponged the Giant back to him. Chaos snared the Giant with a kinetic chain around the neck and pulled. The Giant’s armor rippled and cracks appeared.

Order blinked again, chambered himself on the ceiling and launched himself towards the Giant head first. Just before contact, he blinked again, blinked in front of the Giant and slammed into him.

The Giant’s armor cracked open wide at the head. Chaos sent another fist into the Giant and started pummeling him. Each hit dented the psionic armor further until it shattered, like candied glass. The psionic energy faded and “The Giant” fell to the ground. Blood streamed out of his nose as the two agents stood over him. He raised a hand, but before he could speak, Order tapped him.

A chamber of gravity cocooned around the Giant and he fell face flat on the ground. The gravity around him betrayed him, pressing down on him.

“Conquer,” Chaos said.

***

The Twins were olive skinned, with blonde highlights that matched their outfits. They sat across from each other, one scrolling through her phone, while the other fiddled with a metallic yoyo.

Order and Chaos inspected the two in the vacant subway cart. They shared a look. The scroller wore bright blue Chuck Taylors and when she looked up, she raised an eyebrow. She spoke to her sister, in pink shoes, in Spanish. Order glanced at Chaos.

“Do you…?” Order said.

“They think we’re handsome,” Chaos said. He grinned. “They think we’re handsome.”

Order rolled his eyes. The duo took a step towards the Twins. The duo took another step. Blue Shoes scrolled through her phone while Pink Shoes’ yoyo lit up with light.

Order and Chaos took another step. Then another. Nothing. They were a few feet from the Twins when Pink Shoes spoke.

“Ahora?”

Blue Shoes looked up from her phone. “El grande es lindo. Me lo llevo.”

Pink Shoes sighed. “Fine.”

They were a blur. Blue Shoes pounced on Chaos. Pink Shoes flung her Yoyo and snared Order’s neck. With a snap of her fingers, electricity travelled from her hand and up to the Yoyo. Order seized as sharp pain lashed across his body. He jetted out his hand and gravity shifted.

Order chambered Pink Shoes and the air around her quivered. A wave of force flung her to the ceiling. Order flung his hand down and with double the force sent Pink Shoes to the ground.

Pink Shoes landed on all fours. She hissed at him. Raiju Elemancer, Order thought.

Order yanked off the yoyo and readied his batons.

Can manipulate electricity through a conductive surface. Like wire…or yoyos.

He blinked behind her and without turning, she kicked him in the face. The taste of copper ran in his mouth. She whipped around and like magic, another yoyo arced towards him.

She swung at him with arcs of lightning. Order parried and ducked, blinking around her like a dance, but like a dance partner, she knew the next step. Order blinked above her, chambered himself to the ceiling, then catapulted himself down towards her with his batons. Pink Shoes chucked her yoyo and in a flash of energy, the two collided.

Chaos yanked and heaved, but Blue Shoes’ grip was like a vice. A barrage of elbows shot down on him, each blow sending charge into him. Her legs enveloped him like an anaconda. Chaos grasped for air. He looked into her dark eyes. They lit up; she chuckled.

Blue Shoes slipped under him, in between his legs then yanked him to the floor. A yoyo wrapped around his ankle then an arc of electricity shocked him. Kinetic energy was good, punches, kicks, even bullets, but actual electricity was different. Not on the list of things to absorb.

Chaos gritted through the pain. In an outburst, he sent a wave of energy from his fist into the ground. The shockwave launched him and Blue Shoes into the air and away from each other down the train cart.

As if on cue, Pink Shoes flipped Order into the air and right into the path of Chaos. The duo collided and stumbled down the train cart. They laid on the ground. Down the cart, the Twins giggled.

“Ahh! Again?” Chaos said.

“Me equivoqué. Tú te quedas con el grande, yo me quedo con el otro,” Blue Shoes said.

“What’d she say?” Order said as he stood.

“They want to switch partners,” Chaos said in a groan.

“...I don’t want to do that.”

“Mhm…Why not just take both together?” Pink Shoes said. The Twins giggled then rushed them.

With a charge Chaos shot up and Order blinked. The duo ducked and whoosed under the Twins blows but each duck sent one into the fist of another. When they ducked a yoyo, behind them was the kick of another. The Twins battled them in a Merry-Go-Round, a crack and a kick that forced a block from Chaos but left him open for another Twin. A close duck from Order left him wide open for a Twin to send a knee into his gut.

In unison, the Twins whirled around the pair, whipped their yoyos around the duo’s necks and snapped their fingers. Hot bright electricity sunk into Order and Chaos.

With a thought, Chaos’ hand glowed red hot with heat. The metallic chord of the yoyo melted. He snipped the cord around Order, grabbed him and the two blinked away.

The duo reappeared at the end of the cart and slumped into seats. Across from each other, the duo cursed. Chaos put up his hands. Time out.

The Twins raised an eyebrow, eyed each other then Blue Shoes put up three fingers.

“Treinta segundos.”

“Gracias,” Chaos replied.

Order groaned. “I think one of them hit my liver. Shit!”

His stomach grumbled.

“Shit.”

“Protein grumblies?” Chaos said.

“Yeah. Ideas?”

“I mean do you have some Pepto Bismol?”

“I mean for them!” Order said.

Chaos eyed the Twins. They were circling each other, with a flirtatious glance. They broke out into a fit of hushed giggles.

“I’m still down for that double date. I think the one in blue is your type,” Chaos said.

Order flipped him off. “They’re setting us up for failure.”

Chaos nodded. “They work too well with each other,” Chaos said.

“So we isolate,”

“Divide,” Chaos said.

“And conquer,” Order said with a blood stained grin. The two took a deep breath, stood then faced the Twins. Pink Shoes whistled.

“¿Listo para la segunda ronda?” she said.

Chaos cracked his neck and pulled out his chains. Order readied his batons.

“Siempre. ¿Estas?” Chaos replied.

Order blinked behind Blue Shoes and that’s when Chaos came. He lunged forward, sent a charge into his chains then flung one towards Pink Shoes.

Like a molten hot blade, the chain whirled through the air towards her. She took one step to the side and the chain hissed past her. She smirked then turned to see Chaos coming towards her. On cue. The two ducked and parried each other’s blows, a yoyo here, a chain sparking the ground. Electrified yoyo and kinetic charged chains collided in a lightshow of energy, fireworks going off at each point of contact.

The two whipped their weapons forward; they collided then tangled. The two paused. Pink Shoes yanked but her Yoyo was stuck. She cursed; Chaos smiled. He sent a charge through his chain, travelling to the yoyo. The yoyo exploded in a burst of fire and colorful light.

Pink Shoes stumbled backwards and screamed.

Blue turned around and in that moment, Order struck. He headbutted her and a long rivulet of red ran down her face. The Twin kicked him away and sent a flurry of attacks towards him. Order blinked,  tapped her and a chamber of gravity enveloped Pink Shoes. She jolted upwards midair. Order flicked his wrist and she spun. He flicked his wrist faster and with each flick Blue Shoes spun faster midair. He shot out his palm, and she stopped, suspended in space. He flicked his hand up and she followed. She slapped the ceiling, came down and Order flicked her back up.

Pink Shoes grappled onto Chaos. Her fingers crackled with lightning and she sunk them into him. Through his screams, Pink Shoes perked up.

Order opened his palm then slapped his hand onto the ground and Blue Shoes followed. She crashed into it in a dented crater of sparks.

Chaos shot his hands up and smeared them across Pink Shoes’ face. He sunk his hot hands into her cheeks and she howled. She fell to the floor. She muttered something in Spanish between sobs. She struggled to stand, but when she did, she turned and looked at Chaos. His eyes glowed and a grimace stained his face. Two handprints left twin red hand marks on her face.

Chaos raised his fist then paused. Then he reeled his palm back and smacked her unconscious. He muttered something in Spanish. Order wasn’t sure what it meant, but he had a feeling that he was better off not knowing.

***

Henrik sat beside Mr. Gray. The Scraper never told him his real name, only a color and to call him that. Henrik decided to call him Mr. Gray. Whoever he was, he was told to be one of the best Scrapers Henrik could afford. All together, Mr. Gray was more expensive than the Twins and the Giant combined.

He clenched the black leather bag as Mr. Gray stood. It was just them now, he thought. It wouldn’t be long before the train would stop and Elemancer Enforcement would have him in cuffs. Unless…

The train cart opened and the Agents entered. Their fresh suits were worn down, and bloodstained. They locked eyes with Henrik, two panthers eyeing their prey. A Psimancer and two Raiju were sent their way and still they gave him that look. The look that told him that there was only two ways out of here: with them or…

Henrik gripped the bag. Not unless I-

“Henrik Taetal,” Order said, “By order of the Elemancer Enforcement Agency, you are under arrest. Resist and force will be authorized.”

“He resisted,” Chaos said, stomping towards them. “Force is authorized.”

Henrik eyed Mr. Gray, who stood in front of him. He smirked and took a step forward. Chaos stopped.

The train shifted, slightly, then harder until it thrashed. Order and Chaos grabbed a pole or anything for balance, but they were flung around the train with an invisible force, into the air and into seats. Order chambered himself against the wall, pockets of gravity clinging him to a surface. Chaos flew backwards into a seat but took the charge with a grin. The wild thrashing stopped. Mr. Gray stood in the center of the cart. He adjusted his cufflinks.

Money well spent, Henrik thought. He grinned. He stood beside Mr. Gray and waved to Order and Chaos.

“Better safe than sorry right fellas?” Henrik said. The duo stood and readied themselves. Order clenched his batons while Chaos spun his kinetic chain.

“Last warning,” Order said.

“Not working,” Chaos said.

“Remember Mr. Gray, do not derail the train. We still need to get paid,” Henrik said. He turned and walked away.

The duo and Mr. Gray exchanged looks. Did he cause the train to do that? Order thought. A Physimancer could but it's rare for one such as Class S to be a Scraper and not a Nuclear Physicist. An Aeromancer could, but they always have a tell…

Gray eyed the duo’s weapons. A low hum vibrated through Order’s batons and he raised an eyebrow. Then his gut tightened. He stared at Mr. Gray and the Scraper smiled.

“He’s a-”

Mr. Gray shot out his hands and the train shook. Hard metal vibrated around them and the floor beneath Order and Chaos shifted. Their legs gave out and before they could correct themselves, an invisible force yanked. Chaos’s last kinetic chain unfurled from his arms and went towards Gray alongside Order’s batons.

Their weapons hovered in the air. Gray inspected the weapons.

Order went to blink but stopped. Chaos went to take a step but an invisible wall appeared. Translucent light shifted in front of them and the light formed into a wall, curving into them.

“He’s a Magnamancer,” Order said. As long as he’s manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum, I can’t blink.

“Your brute force won’t work if you can’t move,” Gray said to Chaos. Mr. Gray raised his hands and pushed. The wall in front of the duo molded into half of a sphere and the duo took a step back. The forcefield grew. Mr. Gray pushed again and the forcefield had them against the wall, pressed against the entrance to the cart.

Magnetism and gravity have no direct correlation to one another. They’re separate. My Chambering is useless, Order thought.

Mr. Gray took a step forward and his forcefield persisted. Hard electromagnetic energy pressed against Order’s cheek, smearing the sweat and blood on his face. Little ripples of energy ran across Chaos’ figure, but he was immobile. Mr. Gray nudged his arm forward and Chaos was clung to the wall of the train like a magnet. He yanked and struggled but only his head could move.

“Magnamancers,” Chaos said through gritted teeth. Mr. Gray smiled. He turned to Order and pressed his other hand forward. The forcefield around Order slowly pressed towards him and Order’s fingertips pressed against the invisible force. He’s a hydraulic press! Magnetism and gravity have no direct correlation to one another. They’re separate…

Order lit up.

But…

He flicked his hand.

But gravity can affect the curvature of a magnet. All I have to do is…

Order sent a chamber into the forcefield. The field shuddered then slowly peeled backwards towards Gray. Gray raised an eyebrow. He pushed and the forcefield fought back. Order chambered a wave of gravity again but stronger. Gravity jolted the forcefield farther away from him. Order took a step forward. A ripple of energy cascaded across the forcefield next to him. Order turned around and behind him, Chaos punched the forcefield again.

He stepped forward and pressed his hands against Gray’s forcefield. Chaos thrusted a charge into the forcefield. The force field budged.

Order took another step forward. Chaos sent another fist into the forcefield. Order’s body shifted, molecules in flux between one space and the other.

They pushed. Order chambered a large field of gravity then molded it into the shape of a spear. It pierced through Gray’s forcefield as Chaos’ charge made Gray's forcefield shudder and curved back to Gray. Blood ran down Order’s nose; his head flushed with heat.

“Keep it open,” Chaos said. “I’ll take the front door. And you…”

Order focused and his chambered spear aimed at Mr. Gray. Chaos stood right in front of it and his legs glowed with a kinetic charge. He kneeled, ready to spring and that’s when Order blinked away.

He blinked behind Mr. Gray. He chambered the air around him and like a slingshot, shot himself towards the Magnamancer, just as Chaos lunged through the chambered tunnel towards Gray. The Scraper barely had time to push a forcefield around himself just as the duo impacted.

The train car exploded in power. Air rushed into the cart, the roar of the train thrumming inside. The duo caught themselves then charged towards Mr. Gray. The Scraper flicked his wrists and the poles around them shifted and yanked out of the ground. In succession, Mr. Gray flung poles towards them as they closed in. Order blinked past poles while Chaos raised a hand and a field of heat melted them away.

Like a boomerang, poles rebounded back and forth between the two agents. Order would blink and miss a pole by inches while Chaos took the full brunt of one but brushed it off before the next one would crack him. Mr. Gray pushed and a wave of electromagnetism shot down the cart towards Order, dragging metal with it like a titanium tsunami.

Order clapped his hands together and chambered a wall of gravity that struck down the wave of metal. He blinked away and behind Mr. Gray right as Chaos lunged towards the Scraper.

In unison, the agents cracked the Scraper in the face that sent him stumbling down the train cart. His eyes widened. He stood then fell back to the ground.

“There’s your force,” Chaos said.

Mr. Gray sprung back up and right in front of him, Order appeared. He cracked him in the face and Mr. Gray stumbled back to feel a massive figure behind him. Chaos grabbed him, bear hugged him from behind, then slammed him into the ceiling. Mr. Gray slumped to the ground right as the click of the nullifier cuffs wrapped around his wrists.

***

Henrik Taetel had the train conductor’s mind under molding like clay. The inner machinations that drove the man to walk, speak, even urinate connected his mind like a switch to a main circuit. Just one thought, and the Conductor’s fate was his. Instead, he took his drone and motioned for him to speed up the train. The drone’s glinting eyes stared lifelessly ahead as the magnetic levitation train blurred past buildings and stops. Simple, Henrik thought.

Anybody on this train would be a hostage, even two Elemancy Enforcement Agents. No other teleporters could appear on this train, not at this speed, and if they had any ideas to send Pyromancers to melt away the track, then Mr. Gray would take care of that. And if not, there were still hundreds of other train passengers.

Henrik gripped the leather bag. And if all else failed, then it would come in handy. It being the product he was supposed to sell. It being the one thing he went to so much trouble to smuggle across the city, until the Benefactor told him to take this train at this time. It being the reason he knew the Benefactor set him up and left him to the wolves for.

He found out, somehow. Found out about my side hustle. They set me up. To them.

He put a hand on his drone’s shoulder. The old train conductor was flat faced and pale. From the fear seeping out of him or was it just how he looked? Henrik cast the thought aside. Doesn’t matter. What matters is the train full of hostages and how he was going to convince the Agency to let him go and still find a way to sell the Benefactor’s precious substance.

A cold sting ran down his back, like an icicle running down his spine. His stomach sank and his intestines strangled him like a lynch. Hypnomancers couldn’t control other Elemancers. Different brain waves but he could scan the presence, feel the static neural activity in the air. Static seared the air when he hired The Giant, the Twins and Mr. Gray, and the air around them, the psionic buzz of their enhanced minds went silent when they were defeated.

All was quiet. Even Mr. Gray’s.

Henrik yanked open the leather bag and brought out the ampules of transparent liquid. It was just one vial, enough to produce in dozens of strains but more diluted each time. This was pure. Pure amplifier.

He never took it himself, but heard the stories. One vial being strong enough to turn a level one Pyromancer into an arsonist that could burn down the Chrysler building or turn a level one Physimancer into the next atomic bomb. Exaggeration of course, but it was the thought of it. To go from this, to that, Henrik thought. Why didn’t he think of taking this sooner?

He turned around and in the window, looking back at him was Chaos. The hulk of a man’s eyes glowed red and the knob to the conductor cart melted away. Henrik had the vial in his mouth and the acidic liquid down his throat right as Chaos had him by the throat and into the air.

Next to him, Order looked up at Henrik. “Safety first,” he said.

Henrik sucked air through Chaos steel fingers. His feet dangled in the air as his stomach gurgled and his nervous system was on fire. It’s working. The amplifier’s mysterious compounds sent fireworks into his brain, lighting his gray matter up in an aurora borealis of power. Power…more…power!

The air around him shifted. Waves of psionic energy rippled off of Henrik like a pond. Order and Chaos lurched backwards. Henrik fell to the ground. His body tensed and seized until he spasmed on the cold metal floor.

I remember why. Because of the side effects.

Loud whispers cave dived into his mind. Thoughts, images, emotions like thick paint smeared onto his psyche like it was a fresh canvas.

All of these minds…all of this control…all of this power!

The thoughts of dozens, no, hundreds of people flooded into his mind at once. The thick paint turned into acid and burned away at his canvas of a mind.

No…no, not power…this is wrong…this is…the Benefactor…this isn’t. This is wrooooooong!

This wasn’t power. This wasn’t amplifier.

Order and Chaos looked down at the Elemancer. Foam seeped out of his mouth and his body twisted in on itself like a burnt out candle wick. The glinting in Henrik’s eyes shined bright like headlights before blinking off, then on, and finally off.

Henrik’s cold eyes bubbled like stew then engulfed in flames. In a moment, his fiery eyes disappeared and smoke rose out of them. Order turned his nose up and looked away.

“That’s…that’s just,” Order said.

“Karma,” Chaos said.

The duo looked at each other. The train conductor snapped back into consciousness and without batting them an eye, got the train back to normal. Outside, the blur of buildings slowed until the train stopped at a station and then the conductor fainted.

Order and Chaos exchanged a glance.

“So who’s buying lunch?” Chaos said. Order rolled his eyes.

Just ride the wave Liam. It’ll take you there, Elena always said. Take you where? To unemployment? To homelessness? To be on 75th avenue selling yourself or slumped over as an addict?

Liam took a step forward in line, closer to his goal and closer to going home and “riding the wave”. All he needed was a jar of crunchy peanut butter and some pickles. Dill pickle spears, specifically. Elena made him repeat it four times before he dragged himself out of the door at one in the morning for her late night request. Usually, her requests would be earlier in the day, but it was odd when she shuffled him awake from his restless slumber to tell him her unusual craving.

Much to his complaints however, he still did it. The corner store was a tight and compact place, crowded with boxes and pallets of items not yet put on shelves, but too much to be stored in the back. Liam didn’t expect a line full of people. Maybe they were like me, Liam thought. Running a last minute errand for a girlfriend of five years because they would do anything for them.

I could marry her one day. If I could afford a ring. I already have enough debt to buy two houses.

Once I pay off the rest of this credit card, Liam thought. Then I can get my credit back up. Then pay off the rest of my car note. Pay off the credit card again and then start paying more on student loans. He sighed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and his eyes wandered around the store. Dry erase marker-- or was it stale beer-- hit his nose, he couldn’t pinpoint it. In front of him, a lone woman, two young teens up past curfew and an older man all waited for a young clerk. He looked like a college student, with heavy bags under his eyes and running off of the last few milligrams of caffeine that burned through him way too fast. Liam felt a relatability in the young man. Too far into debt to quit now. They’ve both made their bed. Only they couldn’t sleep in it because one was a clerk and the other had dill pickle spears swimming in his thoughts.

Just like me, Liam thought. I bet he’s working two jobs. Maybe a side hustle. Or maybe it's one because the other doesn’t drop shifts and won’t hire him fulltime. Even though he’s had a spotless record there for three years.

Liam took a deep breath.

Just ride the wave. It’ll take you there. Just ride the wave…

Liam took another breath. I can look somewhere else. Hopefully before rent is due. And the water. And the power, which will be higher now that summer is around the corner.

The woman in front of the clerk stepped to the side and sifted through her purse. She waved the two boys behind her and they stepped forward. Piles of snacks crowded on the counter. One by one, the clerk ringed up each item and each ding of the scanner sent a deeper pain into Liam’s skull.

Maybe I’m just hungry. Liam scanned the tight aisles behind him. Nothing appealed to him except for a chocolate cookie bar filled with caramel. He leaned closer to the candy bar, without stepping out of line. Three-Ninety-Nine?

Liam cursed. All he had was ten dollars, just enough for a faded jar of crunchy peanut butter and hopefully enough for the missing jar of Dill Pickle Spears he was in line to ask about. After this change is gone, I’ll have to survive off of noodles and tuna packets for two weeks. I could raid Mom’s house, but she’s an hour away and the last time me and Elena drove out there, the car broke down and it took me thirty minutes to change the tire and I had to go to Emergency Care for a heatstroke. And I just paid off my hospital bill for that.

Liam’s headache stung behind his eyes. Just ride the wave. You’re almost home. Dill pickle spears. Dill pickle spears. Dill. Pickle. Spears.

The door to the store opened and somebody else entered. Liam daydreamed. He was oblivious to the new customer, to his dark clothed figure and the intense focus in his eyes. No time to notice the hard bulge in the man’s pocket or the rest of the men that followed moments after him.

The wave to where? Shit! Liam rubbed his face as thoughts ran across his mind. A layoff, loans that stretched across the earth, a rundown car and a sick girlfriend who wants pickles and peanut butter. Who wants to eat pickles and peanut butter?

He could be at home, asleep and maybe not dream that same dream like every night for the past two months. The one where he’s a scientist concocting a weird chemical or where he’s a soldier in an imaginary World War Three or some assassin slitting the throat of some poor politician. Maybe tonight, he could go to sleep and see nothing. Be in eternal, blissful black. Just that and no more dreams of him on a yacht somewhere surrounded by celebrities and caviar he could spread on a model's back.

All these different dreams only showed him different worlds, most of which were far better than his own. Maybe there was one where all his debts were paid and he moved Elena out to a safer part of town, with a yard with grass. Perhaps there was one where they got a dog, heck, even a cat, a big fluffy one. Maybe there was a world where he popped the question to her a long time ago and now they were honeymooning on a beach somewhere. So many worlds and so many possibilities…

He felt a cold, hard object press against his head. Liam darted his eyes up. He was face to face with a man in a mask. The man raised an object to Liam’s forehead and cocked back something hard and metallic, something that clicked. A gun.

Liam’s insides plummeted. The woman, the teenager and the old man were belly down on the ground and with panic in their eyes. Tears flowed down the woman’s face and the teenagers were shaking. Under his breath, the Old Man muttered a prayer. The Clerk behind the counter was whacked in the head and pushed to the side by another masked man, who quickly rifled through the register.

Further into the store, another man barked orders.

“Don’t forget the safe. Get the safe!” the Man said. More footsteps behind Liam, not that he could do anything about it. All he could focus on was the gun pressed against his forehead.

“Ass to grass. Now!” the robber said.

Liam did not move. His mind went blank. Frozen.

“I’m going to count to three and then I’m going to blow you away dumbass,” The robber said. To Liam, it was gibberish. His mouth hung open and his eyes widened like blinds. His heart drummed in his chest like a heavy metal concert. His muscles were bolted to the floor.

His heart boomed in his ears. Each boom was an eternity. Pickles. Dill pickles. Dill pickle spears.

“One!” The robber said.

Crunchy peanut butter. Dill. Pickle. Spears. That’s what he was there for. For Elena, his girlfriend, his wife in another world. But in this one, he was too broke for a ring with a rundown car, two jobs and suffocating in debt. The debt sounded wonderful. Better than a pistol to his forehead. Better than looking into the cement gray eyes of a man who Liam believed was actually going to kill him.

“Two!” The masked man jammed the gun deeper into Liam’s head and Liam gasped for air. Elena. She wouldn’t get her peanut butter. Her dill pickle spears. She would be so pissed at him. Mom would be so screwed if she saw this.

Something cracked further into the store, like a door. The woman screamed. Liam’s vision darkened. Details faded until he was entering darkness. He was at the end of a movie and all he was waiting on was the credits to roll and a title card to say “this is it. Thanks for playing.”

Just ride the wave…ride the wave…

Just as the robber uttered the final number…

Liam entered an eternal night. Then the world came back in an explosion of sounds. Tiny successions of explosions echoing across a field of screams of agony. Not explosions. Gunshots. Screams of agony from men.

Liam was racing across a sandy beach, hot blood in his mouth and the weight of water and sweat soaked clothes and a heavy metal rifle in his hands. Somewhere nearby, an explosion went off and he went flying. His ears rang, but he was still alive, which meant one thing: keep moving. Keep moving to the target. He lost his rifle somewhere in the chaos around him, amidst the chunks and pieces of enemies and brothers, so he kept going, further onto the beach, closer to the target.

He was met with a soldier, no older than him and for a moment Liam thought that maybe this man had a family as well. When the third world war broke out, he signed up, hoping to be just in the tech division, maybe air support, until he rolled off of the bus and the men in fatigues swiped away his Iphone and everything else he considered home. For a moment Liam thought the man was trying to survive like everyone else. A man that was trying to get through the smoke, dust, debris, blood, sweat and gunpowder if he just kept his head down, fire off a few rounds and be done with his tour. Then he could just go home to his family and finally catch up on all those episodes of a show on a streaming service he could complain was overpriced.

Now here was Liam, in the opposite colors of an opposing nation, on his country’s, his family’s doorstep, trying to prevent that from happening. Liam was in his way. His one ticket home was barred by Liam. He had to kill Liam.

Liam understood. But he had a family of his own, two twin girls and Elena, who still facetimed him week by week as the war went on. He promised her he was coming home. No matter what. Alive.

Liam wasn’t going to die today. The man raised a pistol and like a reflex, Liam swiped it away from him and the tables were turned.

Then nothing. Blackness.

Liam was back in the tight and cramped store staring down the barrel of a gun. The gray eyed robber opened his mouth to speak but Liam was already moving. He understood the robber. But Liam wasn't going to die today.

He swiped the gun out of the robber’s hand. Before the man could react Liam smacked it against the man’s throat. The robber fell to his knees, gasping for air. Liam cracked him on the side of his head, then paused.

Behind the register, the other robber’s eyes widened.

“What the f-”

Liam dashed off, deeper into the store, amidst the cluttered aisles. Voices rose after him, but he ignored them and kept running.

Ride the wave. Just ride the wave.

How did I do that? He crouched behind a pile of unloaded water and gawked at the gun in his hand. Glock 19, semi automatic with a 15 round capacity. How do I know that? Liam was checking the magazine and squirmed. Loaded.

The gun was warm, wet and heavy. Liam never held a gun before. He already disassembled it before he could ask how he knew how. He kicked away the parts right as the curses of a robber came around the corner.

The robber whipped around the corner, a heavy shotgun aimed at a target but found no one.

Ride the wave…just ride the wave…

The darkness of the vents pulled Liam into the abyss. He could hear tempered blades collide before he was in front of a Neo-Samurai, ducking and parrying the warriors blows before he snuck a dagger out from his garb and sunk it deep into the Samurai’s neck. He never saw it coming, never when he’s in the trees. Never when the Shinobi is in the shadows.

Liam was back in the store. Above the store, in an open hole in the ceiling. He stalked the shotgun wielding robber roam where Liam used to be. He found the magazine on the floor, its bullets scattered like candy. Without thought, Liam pounced on him. His legs wrapped around the man like a snake and before the man could pull the trigger, Liam’s hands were wrapped around his throat and the robber was out in seconds.

Liam’s heart was a locomotive, but some other force took over. He gripped the robber by his ankles, crouched and dragged him across the back of the store until he tossed him into a pile of items.

Liam grabbed the shotgun right as the next robber rounded the corner. Liam flung the shotgun at him just as he raised his pistol. Like cold water, another wave hit Liam.

Bright lights. Cheers from an electric crowd. Hot sweat dripped from under his helmet. Heavy pads and the tense silence as the quarterback roared.

He was an animal, sprinting across the field like a Cheetah. His eyes locked onto his target, a wide receiver and with the force of a rhinoceros, Liam rammed into the player.

Liam was back in the store. He rushed towards the robber with a speed that ignored his asthma. He crashed into the robber and the two collapsed into an aisle.

This is crazy. This is insane!

Liam’s fist connected with the robber. He never fought anybody before, no one except his little brother. Not like this though. The two men tousled until like gravity, Liam was flung off of the robber and the two got back to their feet.

Hands up. Feet apart and…what else? Liam was cracked in the face. Warm blood rushed inside his mouth. Another fist, then another, this time in the gut. He struggled to correct himself right as the robber sent another hook, jab and another succession of blows into Liam. Each blow made Liam’s bones shiver and nerves scream.

He’s a boxer?! How the hell do I…?

The wave yanked Liam away. Liam was in a Post-Apocalyptic Thailand, fighting underground. He stood in front of a man drenched in sweat, bruises and blood. He and Liam’s hands were wrapped in hard ropes. The scent of stale sweat, cheap alcohol and the hungry cheers of men gambling shrilled in his ears.

The robber came with a hook but Liam ducked. He ducked and parried the robber’s blows. He raised an elbow and it cracked the robber right under his chin. The robber stumbled backwards.

That’s how.

Liam got into a Muay Thai stance. He leg sweeped the robber but the man righted himself. He came with another fist, but Liam retaliated with another elbow to the head. Blood ran down the man’s head. He winced. Liam never made anybody bleed before. He should have squirmed. Instead he grinned.

Liam’s fists, elbows and knees collided into the man. He slammed his leg into the robber’s side and the man grunted, spilling over. Liam shot a kick to the man’s chest and the robber stumbled backwards. Liam catapulted into the air and rammed a flying knee into the robber and sent him to the floor, knocked out.

Liam’s lungs burned. His knuckles ached and he felt breathing was life or death. Liam’s mouth hung open, just as the final robber entered his field of view, with a gun raised at him.

Liam ducked just in time. Hot air whizzed past him as a gunshot rang out. He dived forward, into a roll and past an aisle. He swiped a box of pencils as another shot rang out.

“Get up!” the robber, the ringleader, Liam guessed, said. He exploded in a tirade of curses as he fired off shot after shot into the aisles after Liam. The Ringleader’s breath was coarse, and heavy. Nervous. Terrified. This didn’t go according to plan. Flank him with distraction then close the distance, Liam thought. He paused. How do I know that?

Screams across the store. Liam risked a glance around an aisle to the front. The Ringleader yanked the woman off of the floor and had her at gunpoint. His gun pressed against the side of her temple, a shield between him and Liam.

“We’re leaving! Now!” The Ringleader said.

A simple shot from here would get rid of him, Liam thought. He raised his hand to aim but stopped. He had no gun. Liam cursed to himself.

He eyed the box of pencils in his hand. The wave yanked him back to an alternate Japan. He was traversing the rooftops of a platinum lined castle, picking off Neo Samurai one by one with simply a dozen darts dipped in a fast acting paralytic poison.

Liam stood then took one step out from the aisle and faced the Ringleader.

“Damn cops! You son of a b-” The Ringleader said. He pointed his gun away from the woman and right at Liam. With a flick of his wrist, two pencils flew through the air. One sank into the barrel of the gun and into the Ringleader’s eye.

He screamed as he emptied the rest of this magazine out into the aisles and coolers behind Liam. Liam sprinted towards him and with a flying knee and sent the Ringleader into the register with a loud crack.

He yanked the gun away from him and the wave pulled him away again.

He was back in Thailand, piled on top of another fighter and pummeling him. Each blow softened the man’s face until it was a mound of wet flesh. The crowd cheered. This was what they wanted. It's what he wanted. He needs the funds. It was the only way to get Elena the help she needed for her radiation sickness. And he couldn't lose, otherwise he’d end up like…

Liam paused over the Ringleader. His hands were soaked in red. Sweat and adrenaline dripped off him and he glared at the unconscious robber beneath him.

He scurried back to a fallen aisle and sighed. Outside, sirens and flashing lights closed in. Liam’s hand touched something. A jar of pickles. He looked at a jar of dill pickle spears.

Dill pickle spears. Peanut butter. There’s no world where Elena would eat these two together, he thought. The only way she would ever eat something like that is if she was…

Liam lost his breath. He locked eyes with the woman and the rest of the hostages.

Out of all the worlds, the one world where he’s fighting against financial ruin, this was the world where he would be a father. Liam chuckled. His chuckle turned into a fit of laughter.

Out of all the worlds…

“Just ride the wave,” Liam said to himself. “Just ride the wave. It’ll take you there.”