Crystal Ch. 08

Another wave of insects arrived at the same time they did and they fought their way through before meeting up with the Commander. The other heroes soon arrived after them and the Commander took them into the tent.

"I'm going to be honest with you guys," he said. "We're losing this fight."

"Is it that bad?" Osprey grimaced.

"It's worse than that," the Commander sighed. "We're low on ammo and losing ground. We're taking casualties and losing moral. Right now, I think the sergeants want to retreat and try a different approach."

"And us?" Jasper asked.

"I want to at least cripple the tree," the Commander replied. "I'm sending you all on a stealth mission. I want you four to get Jasper in that tree and Jasper, I want you to find something to burn in there."

"Yes sir!" the heroes shouted.

They ran outside to start their stealth mission but immediately came to a halt. Stratus clouds were coming in from all over as lightning cracked and thunder boomed. Without warning, lightning struck the tanks and the other vehicles present. Explosions killed many as the heroes and soldiers raced back to get behind Commander Shinobay's shield. A villain none of the heroes recognized landed in front of the tree, encouraging the clouds to move over them.

"Who the hell is that?!" a soldier demanded.

"Surprisingly, I don't know," Commander Shinobay grunted as the debris impacted his shield. "We've never had a villain with lightning powers before."

As the two of them spoke, the metal starting migrating towards the villain as if they were crawling on the ground. When they were close enough, the villain levitated them to every hero and soldier's surprise.

"Magnetism?! This guy has magnetism too?!" Zipper gasped, jaws dropping.

The metal pieces began spinning around the villain like a vortex and, upon gaining velocity, were hurtled at the shield, blowing up on contact and straining the Commander's grip on the shield. Jasper flew forward and threw multiple fireballs but they hit a metal shield the villain made. The shield then broke apart and the piece flew towards Jasper, who flew up to avoid getting impaled.

Zipper raced forward next. Being extremely fast, he was able to dodge the pieces of metal as he got closer to the villain. However, the villain then made the metal pieces smaller, making them too fast for Zipper to dodge. Ghost and Shell ran forward to rescue Zipper as his injuries were becoming too numerous for him. For Ghost, nothing hurt him since he had gone intangible, while Shell had to fight his way through.

They reached Zipper and Ghost dragged him to safety while Shell pressed on to the villain. The metal pieces were hardly a problem for him since he was unaffected by the smaller ones and punched right through the giant ones. The villain could see his attacks weren't working so he made lightning strike Shell. He took the blast, but was still standing, stumbling every so often. Before lightning could strike him twice though, he used his last burst of energy to barrel right into the villain and they both collapsed to the ground.

Ghost was by his partner's side again, pulling him away from the villain as quick as he could. Still yet, lightning struck and hit them while Ghost's intangibility covered both heroes and they fainted. The villain grinned evilly as he raised the metal pieces again. Suddenly, he was hit by lasers from the Commander as Osprey flew in to grab Shell and Jasper retrieved Ghost. Frustrated, the villain had lightning strike the Commander's shield, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer.

Then, the villain gathered all the metal pieces together and had the lightning extra charged up. The Commander could see that his shield wasn't going to hold after this double attack and told the heroes and soldiers to retreat. Before any of them could follow his orders though, a large black cube fell on top of the villain as Dark Matter landed between them.

"YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the soldiers roared as the impeding attack was disrupted.

"Commander!" a soldier's voice called. Turning back, the military and heroes saw reinforcements arriving, shooting everyone's moral into outer space. "General Tim Miller, at your command, sir!"

"Boy are we glad to see you," the Commander grinned. "We were about to get toasted over here!"

"I can see that. We didn't get a call for reinforcements so we had no idea what was going on," the General reported.

"Yeah this villain has magnetic powers, took all of our metal," the Commander informed.

"I see. Well, the only reason why we're here is because that guy flew over head restricted air space," General Miller replied, "and we were going to bring him down. When we saw he was headed towards you, we realized he was going to help you and we thought we could help him out."

"You could help us all, General," the Commander joked and they laughed.

Their laughter was cut short though when the cube exploded and the villain stepped forward, seething with rage. He made the metal pieces rise and sent them straight for Dark Matter. Immediately, a shield formed and a tendril shot forth and struck him in the gut.

"Pollen!" he wheezed. "Get your bugs out here!"

Before a bug could come out, Dark Matter used the tendrils to grab the destroyed vehicles and smash them against the bark until it crumbled. Amazed, the military and the other heroes watched as he ripped the storage bark away and tore the sanctum bark to shreds.

There was nothing there. Not a bug, girl, or even Pollen was there. The only sign that showed their retreat was a ginormous sinkhole where the tree was located. Disbelief hit the villain hard as he realized he was alone and he flew off. Dark Matter immediately flew after him.

"You still want to fight?" the villain yelled. He made the destroyed metal rise around them and made spin around them in a vortex like before. Unfortunately for him, Dark Matter deflected every attack he made and dodged every lightning strike he brought down. On the other hand, the villain had a tough time being on defense since Dark Matter could morph his attack to go around the metal shield the villain kept making.

"I've had enough!" the villain shouted.

Taking a deep breath, he yelled at the top of his lungs and a frequency of high volume hit Dark Matter. His head snapped back as his shield disappeared and he struggled to stay in the air. Disoriented, Dark Matter was unable to defend himself as the villain made lightning strike him.

"DARK MATTER!!" the Commander hollered.

Dark Matter didn't hear his name being called as he plummeted and hit the ground hard. Not a moment later, the metal debris fell as well, burying him alive. To make sure he wouldn't return, the villain called down lightning once again, hit the metal pile and making a huge explosion.

"Fire at will!" General Miller ordered.

"Hit that guy!" Commander Shinobay fumed.

The tanks automatically fire at the villain but were caught by the villain's magnetic control.

"You guys don't learn, do you?" the villain laughed maniacally. "I, EMP, am going to destroy you, your families, and everyone else you know. Then I'll destroy Pollen and her disgusting bugs. After that, I'll take over the world as Emperor EMP! And anyone who tries to stop me will end up just like this guy!!"

"I'm alright!" everyone heard from the destroyed metal pile. "I'm okay! OW! That hurt!"

Jaws dropping, everyone shifted their attention from EMP to a silhouette emerging from the destruction. As he got closer, the shadows faded from his face and they saw who was walking towards them: Max . . .

. . . in his hospital gown.

"Yikes, that's breezy!" he exclaimed. Quickly, he made dark clothes appear underneath the gown before taking it off. Then, he stepped on a small platform and rode it towards the Commander.

"Max! You're back!" Commander Shinobay grinned. "It's good to see you again."

"Glad to be back, Commander," Max smiled. "If you don't mind, can we party after I get finished with this?"

"I don't mind at all," the Commander laughed. "Do you know how to beat EMP?"

"Vibes," Max corrected. Seeing his confusion, Max said, "When I was caught by Dictator Jones and Dr. Genie, I saw that Vibes was being experimented on while Dr. Genie kept saying she was adding stuff to him. EMP just stands for electromagnetic pulse. Look, he even looks like Vibes, albeit a little older."

To their shock, Max was right. Vibes looked a good twenty years older than what he was since his last appearance.

"So, how do we bring him down?" Commander Shinobay inquired.

"I'll handle it," Max said.

He stepped away from them and got an attack ready. Vibes/EMP attacked first though and sent lightning bolts down, knowing he couldn't stop until they were dead. Unfortunately, his arms tired and Max took that opportunity to make two thin, dark platforms and crushed Vibes/EMP in between. The villain fainted and fell, but Max caught him in a cage before he could hit the ground.

"General, would you like to do the honors?" Max requested as he brought the caught villain to them.

"Thank you," General replied, applying the dose of Dr. Walton's power neutralizer. "Congratulations, young man! You brought down a potential world class villain!"

Everyone began giving him thanks as he passed by them and even Jasper had to force himself to shake hands with Max.

*****

Crystal was pacing back and forth as she waited for the Commander to return her call. Its hours since she tried and she tried a lot, until she got the epiphany that the Commander must still be in battle against the tree. Dr. Walton hasn't returned with Cherry either and they weren't answering her calls either. The only ones who were left in the room were Dot and Hyper, both of who were just as worried as she was.

Dot was the first to hear the elevator and rushed out the Meeting Room, followed by the other heroines. They saw the heroes proudly standing before them, battered, bruised, and Zipper was almost about to faint again. But they alive and grinning like mad men.

"We're back!" Commander Shinobay cheered, followed by the heroes. Hyper and Dot went to their respective lovers as Commander Shinobay went to Crystal. "Was someone trying to call me?"

"Yes that was me," Crystal answered. "Earlier today, one of our agents was trying to kill Dark Matter and failed, allowing Dark Matter to escape. Dr. Walton and Cherry are out looking for them right now, though they haven't returned my calls either."

"Thanks for the update," the Commander replied. "I'll get in contact with Dr. Walton and speak with her. I need you to stay with Max in case anything bad happens."

"Yes sir," Crystal nodded. She turned to walk to the Recovery Wing, and then stopped. The Commander's orders were a bit strange when she thought it over. Turning around, she said, "Commander, Max is –"

That was all she got out because everything else was lost to her loud squealing. Max was standing beside the Commander, bumping fists as they saw Crystal taking the surprise well. She rushed and jumped in his arms, kissing every part of his face she could reach. Like when Max first arrived at the Tower, she was basically trying to climb all over Max and even felt his cock through his pants.

"How . . . how . . . how did you come back?" Crystal asked as she gazed into Max's eyes.

"Do you want the long or short version?" Max grinned.

"Long," Crystal answered quickly. Even though she didn't want time to go to waste, she wanted to know exactly how Max returned.

"When Dark Matter arrived at the battle, there was this villain named EMP, who was actually Vibes with more powers," Max said. "We fought each other for a bit until he hit Dark Matter with a screech and then with lightning. The lightning was what brought me back to consciousness and I found myself falling to the ground. I hit the ground, which hurt by the way, and EMP made all the metal debris fall on me but I made my shield just in time before I was crushed and blown up. Then I came out, met with the Commander, and turned the tables on EMP and beat him with a one-two punch."

"Was anything in there a part of the truth?" Crystal giggled.

"Everything he said actually happened," Osprey laughed.

"Just wanted to make sure," Crystal cuddled, missing Max's warmth.

"You and me both, I was also trying to wrap my head around it," Max replied, rubbing her back.

The heroes each went their separate ways, leaving Jasper alone in the middle, unsuccessfully keeping his anger in check.

*****

For Max, lunch was a banquet for him. Since he didn't know what he wanted (actually he did, though they still didn't serve burgers), he decided to get whatever Crystal ordered. While they ate, Crystal recounted everything that happened since Max shot himself, even telling him about her dream-turning nightmares.

"And after you left, I told him to never consider himself my number one fan again," Crystal said, finishing up her story and her meal. "After that, I've been trying to call the Commander, but he wasn't picking up and now, here we are."

"Wow, that's a lot to happen in a few months," Max replied, taking their plates to the trash. "But did they really hold a banquet for me?"

"Yeah, your award is in my room," Crystal said. "Do you want to see it?"

"Sure, if you'll let me," Max nodded. "I mean, this would be my first time in your room after all."

"Yeah, and I don't think I'll want you to leave," Crystal replied, dreamily. Max automatically felt a familiar someone listening to them as he realized Crystal was thinking about sex. Suddenly, Crystal hopped out her seat with a smile on her face. "That's it! You can move into my room."

"Seriously?" Max asked. Truthfully, he was grateful she thought of the idea. He didn't want to be too forward and creep her out, but he was excited all the same. "I don't want to intrude in your own room."

"Max, there's only one question you need to ask yourself right now," Crystal smiled. "Do you want to sleep alone tonight?"

"Not if I could help it," Max answered immediately. "What do I have to do?"

"Just let them know you'd like to merge rooms with me and they'll take care of the rest," Crystal informed. Seeing his confused space, she continued, "They have movers that can bring your stuff to my room."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Max agreed.

As excited as they were, the couple walked together slowly and Max handed his key over to Olivia, the receptionist, and let her know he was moving in with Crystal. He was told to fill out a form and he did so. While he filled out the form, Olivia smiled at Crystal who smiled right back. There was no doubt Olivia knew what was going to happen tonight. When Max finished, he was given an identical key and they walked to the elevator to go to Crystal's – their – room.

Crystal wrapped her arms around Max and pulled him close. "You know it's been almost three months since I last saw you," Crystal whispered in his ear. "Do you know what I had to do to keep my mind from jumping off the crazy cliff?"

Max felt his manhood rise as both brains thought about how she had to satiate herself. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"You don't know what I had to go through," she said seductively, wrapping herself in his arms. "My toys weren't good enough."

"Well, toys are for little kids," Max chuckled.

"That's why I need you," Crystal moaned. "Touching myself isn't as fun as someone else doing it."

"I'd touch all over if it was just the two of us," Max whispered as he pulled her against his crotch. He could hear her purr and squeezed her tightly.

"Fuck me," she begged.

"Right now? In front of everybody?" Max whispered, nipping her ear.

"It doesn't matter," Crystal trembled in excitement. "I don't want to wait any longer now that you're here."

"Neither do I," Max agreed. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head and he had to stifle a laugh from falling out his mouth. "I just remembered I have a present I want to give you."

"Can't I get it after we fuck our brains out?" Crystal asked as she grounded herself into his crotch.

"I think you need this now," Max smiled.

She turned and he kissed her full on the lips, thinking that was what Max wanted to give, in front their growing crowd. A second later, her eyes widened in surprise and she moaned in Max's mouth as something parted her nether lips, and nearly filled her up, completely hidden from the view of the onlookers. Her surprise didn't end there, though. The thing then started coming out but before it came out all the way, it slid back in all the way. She looked Max in the eye and he smiled knowingly.

"Alright, the show's over," Max announced. "Find another couple to embarrass."

They left, looking back quite a bit, and went back to work while Crystal and Max waited on the elevator. Max was doing his best to keep the smile from spreading past his ears. A moment later, he felt Crystal tug on his sleeve.

"Yes?" he asked, leaning his ear closer to her.

"Can you make it go faster?" Crystal's requested, barely audible.

Max couldn't help it then. His smile widened and stretched past his ears as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, Crystal's legs turned to jelly as her grip tightened. Minutes later, Max lost the feeling in his arm. But it was well worth it.

"You know, when you cum, the phallus will absorb your juices," Max informed. "And when it gets full, it'll shoot your juices back inside you and give you pseudo-creampie."

"Yesssss," Crystal hissed. Whimpering, she said, "Make me come again, make me come again."

Thankfully, the elevator opened to spare them any more embarrassment. Or at least that's what Max thought. As he was about to step in, he locked eyes with an agent that was coming out the elevator. The agent's eyes widened in surprise as if he recognized Max, then turned to rage as he looked at Crystal panting in Max's arms.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!" the agent yelled.

He threw a punch at Max but hit a small shield that appeared a few inches from Max's face. With no choice, Max stepped back as the agent continued to swing at him, not realizing that small shields hindered him from hitting Max. Even though Max kept backing up, the agent kept punching and kicking as much as he could. Almost stumbling, Max placed a panting Crystal against the wall and made sure she wouldn't fall over.

"Get your filthy hands away from her!" the agent demanded.

"Can't you see she's off balance?" Max snapped.

"I bet that's because you did something to her," the agent retorted.

Max couldn't help it, the smile came back on his face as Crystal's request ran through his mind. The smile told the agent he was right on the money and he renewed his attacks against Max. With Crystal against the wall, Max had more mobility and he spread his arms wide. Tendrils suddenly appeared and latched onto the agent's arms and legs. Quickly, Max made the agent's arms go behind his back and morphed the tendrils into locks. The tendrils on the agent's legs morphed into short chains so that he couldn't move.

"Now that I have your attention, would you please tell me what made you go Flintstone on me?" Max asked.

"You," the agent spat.

"Dude, I don't know you," Max said. "I haven't seen you here three months ago when I was here, and I just got back, so I know I didn't have enough time to meet you now, so it can't be me."

"It is you," the agent yelled.

Suddenly, Crystal moaned as she slid down the wall to the floor.

"What did you do to her?!" the agent demanded.

"Nothing that she didn't want," Max shrugged. "You didn't see it earlier, but she holding my arm so tight, she was cutting off the circulation of my blood flow to my arm."

"That's because you did something to her," the agent repeated.

"I know I did something good," Max stated. "Look at her. Does she actually look like she's in pain?"