Oceanic Simulacrum - Chapter 1

Punch, kick, claw, bite, headbutt, tackle, every part of his body was a weapon that he trained to use within any given space.

Bicycle kick, lateral chop, lightning quick jab, and a whole myriad of martial arts he could muster whilst surrounded by nothing but adversaries. Each landed with devastating force, the opposition feeling the force of his blows and crumbing apart like chalk sticks being thrown against asphalt.

They're not human Sullivan, don't hold back!

He told himself mentally, the self talk allowing more primal strength from within to flow out with alacrity. The monsters that surrounded him all looked the same, demonic carbon copies with bodies that looked like they were pulled directly from tar pits. Their bodies were humanoid, except they seemed emaciated, nothing but thin skin pulled taught over an enlarged skeleton. Their visage and cranium were that of a human skull, decorated with many ebony colored spikes and horns.

They surrounded him on all sides, wanting to leave no room for escape or reprieve for their opponent, their prey.

Which was an easy task, seeing that this battle was occurring underwater. Even against the briny medium of salt water, Sullivan's multidirectional attacks did not falter in speed or strength. This was partly thanks to his training and mostly due to his uncanny ability to take on aspects of marine life. The entire animal kingdom that resided under the waves and gyres were his to emulate with near perfection, whether that be behaviorally or even physiologically and chemically.

And neither are you.

He thought, a plethora of shark fangs suddenly growing within his mouth as he revealed them with a challenging grin.

He punched with the speed of mantis shrimp's lightning jab, surged forward with the alacrity of a bobbit worm's ambushing strike, bit into with the eviscerating force of a crocodilian's jaws, slammed and thrashed with the unbridled violence of a megalodon, constricted his foes with the merciless vigor of an octopus; he would copy the natural adaptation of everything that swam within a droplet of water and the great oceans to survive another day.

Each creature fell and crumbled away, black clouds of the alien material that their body consisted of giving the appearance of their bodies exsanguinating black blood. But Sullivan knew better, these things don't bleed. They don't eat, sleep, hell they don't even breathe! They just exist to be a pox on the surviving population. The very thing that got him hired to be a "hero" when the great flood happened. He was just lucky that by whatever higher force there was, he had abilities that were so advantageous of his new surroundings.

But even with such an advantage, these creatures that swarmed him were actually beginning to overwhelm him. With each one he fell, three more would occupy that space. He could easily dispatch five to six simultaneously with the same ease he could with one, but one could only guess which of those scenarios took up more energy. They formed a convulsing sphere of blackness around him, he and the distance he formed from the swarming monsters acting as a second one where the fighting actually took place. Each creature seemed to push past each other, readying themselves to occupy the space that their comrades had just been within. He didn't allow them to cede the distance, a whole five feet away from his being; however, he could sense that the area of combat was beginning to dwindle in size ever so slowly. How long had been refusing to cede ground, or water? He couldn't remember, only the flow of combat and entering the zone is what drove his actions of survival forward. Living in this new world of continuation for the sake of life made such adaptations for humans a necessity than a habit.

Breaking him out of his focus, an overly jovial tone rang in his ear from his communication peace.

"Hey fish man! How you holdin' up on your end." A voice belonging to his comrade called from the device. His voice was muffled, meaning that he was wearing some form of mask that slightly disrupted the volume of his voice. Sullivan could only angle his gaze towards his ear piece with a look of incredulity as he expertly landed a devastating blow on an advancing creature, it sank towards the bottom of the ocean just like all the others.

"I can't believe you're asking me that!" He retorted, back handing three creatures with the strength of an orca, rocketing them towards a group that was advancing towards him. They shattered into pieces, allowing a space of no activity within this ball of death. Taking this chance, he immediately commanded his body to morph into a more streamline form. His back skin stretched as a dorsal fin formed, space between his fingers became webbed and his legs fenestrated as they became a set of propulsion organs. Bunching himself up, he dashed towards the opening just in time, as black claws that glowed an ominous green collapsed upon the emptiness that he just swam through. Great gulps of oxygenated ocean water passed through his gills as he swam away from the now advancing creatures. This cleared space allowed him a visual of where his hero partner was.

"How are you doing?" He called into his communicator, only receiving a short laugh in response.

It was twelve past eleven a.m., and being no less than 400 meters from the surface, sunlight shown with enough intensity to see his surroundings with relative ease. He saw in the distance a point of golden light that glided through the water like a submerged shooting star. Focusing his eyes to shapeshift to magnify his vision, he saw a figurative and very much literal blinding display of power and maneuverability. His friend, Renn, was wearing a diving suit with a large oxygen mask, this one had glowing blue fenestrations on the sides, their appearance similar to that of gills. But the real show of luster came from the golden glowing wing like protrusions that jetted out from Renn's back. They had more of the appearance of yellow glowing triangles than they did of actual wings though. But, despite their unnaturally perfect geometry, they endowed the gliding man with amazing locomotion that rivaled the speed of some jets.

Must be one of the new deep diving assistance models, Sullivan thought regarding Renn's breathing piece as he pressed forward towards the golden beacon.

"Nothing but a little bit of gusto and advanced technology can't help me with. Now I can stay under just as long as you can!" He said, continuing his gold trailed flight as the same dark creatures clawed through the waters after him. Slowing down, Renn turned fully towards the advancing creatures as they swiped and bit in his direction, the gap closing considerably fast.

Much closer now and even more crowded to the point that they formed a conglomeration of their bodies, the submerged tidal wave of jet black bodies released a gargling combined roar. In stark contrast, the dive skin wearing super human began to pour focus into their luminescent wings, the golden false pinions shining into a blinding white. Reaching the apex of their brilliance with a high pitched whine, multiple pennon shaped feathers launched from his form, appearing as tracer artillery fire. Dazzling in appearance whilst leaving multiple comet streaks as they rocketed towards their point of impact. Light met dark, and the glowing bolts pierced through the solid cloud. Dark bodies suddenly gained a vermillion coloration as the energies of the wing bullets surged into their bodies. Even the ones that weren't hit had succumbed to the cataclysmic effects as their monstrous brethren exploded with from within. The water sizzled, bubbles containing vaporized liquid and sublimated solids were the only things left within the wake where the monsters were. The moment of levity was cut short as more dark forms emerged from right below him, nearly catching him in an unbreakable grasp before he dashed off towards the surface to gain the distance from the gaining adversaries. Sullivan could only roll his eyes as he witnessed this, but his attention turned as he realized that some of the joining monsters had broken away from chasing Renn and focused on him. A pincer maneuver that he didn't see coming, for he didn't expect them to be this intelligent.

Surrounded on all sides again, he didn't want to risk being crowded from every axis and cardinal direction, he too switched to a more defensive strategy. Myomeres melted away to form his natural human muscles, his fins and webbed appendages gave way to a more terrestrial form, and his marine eyes formed back into their original astigmatic ones. With a final exhale, getting every iota of water out of his system, he returned from a piscine form into his true Homo sapien one. Now that his powers weren't focused on his physiology, he could transfer his psionic powers to his surroundings.

Just as his energy touched the cold water that surrounded him, the monsters were already upon him. He could hear Renn cry out to him through his ear piece as the creatures sank claws into his skin, bit into his exposed parts voraciously, and grasped any limb with wanton abandon. But fangs did not rip off flesh, nor did claws break through even a single layer of epidermis. Their grasps held true, but it when they went to break his bones, it was like trying to crush a column of concrete with their bare hands. Soon the same force that Sullivan brought from within himself began to expand outwards. A globe of solid water began to balloon outwards, an intangible substance congealed into a moving barrier, and said barrier's expansion was picking up speed. Black skeletons laid compressed against the expanding sphere, still trying to break through to reach their target. Others that waited patiently behind them collided with such force that they either became adhered to the other monsters, or shattered from the impact. Ten meters, twenty meters, fifty, one hundred! The dome was increasing in volume as it was in speed; this "hydro-supernova" had just pushed away a majority of the murderous adversaries, giving the super human a moment to breathe. Literally, seeing that the dome he created was filled with nothing but salt infused air. Releasing his psychic hold on the water, gravity caught up to him and plunged him towards the deconstructing sanctuary.

Reverting to his aquatic form, he braced himself for the impact as the restrained ocean fell upon itself, returning to normalcy. The collision made his head swim just as chaotically as he was. The cold rush of the water on his scaled body wasn't even noticed as the miniature whirlpool turned his form into a rag doll. Sullivan didn't dare breathe as he knew it would near impossible as he was thrown in every direction in the tumult. As soon as he started to regain stability, he righted himself and made sure where up and down was. Looking around, he noticed that most of the monsters were subdued or still disoriented from the projection of energy. Perceiving his work fully, he nodded his head with a smug look.

Even if I can't shapeshift and use my aqua kinetic powers simultaneously, I've still got it.

"Dude!" Renn's voice called out again, just as grating this time as well.

"Yeah, I know I even surprise myself sometimes-"

"Look out, beneath you!" Renn roared, half in frustration and half in panic. Confused Sullivan looked down to see multiple glowing green objects rising from the dark depths. The glowing spots soon became eyes, encased within dark skeletal faces. Their hands were held above their heads, all reaching towards Sullivan like children greedily reaching for a coveted prize that was held just out of reach. They didn't kick with any force to propel them upwards, not even moving their arms in a particular pattern to assist them in their fast rise. They were just elevating, moving towards him like marionettes being pulled into the air by invisible strings. And there were more of them, thousands even. Their innumerableness made it appear like the very floor was rushing up towards them both.

Shaking himself from his daze, Sullivan knew that these things were ready to sacrifice every part of themselves to kill him and Renn. Then he thought on it and shook out the idea of these things being capable of sacrifice. They weren't living, just horrific constructs from some alien place. What did catch his attention was that their forms were now glowing this Schloss green, a new addition to their already haunting forms that made them all the more twisted in appearance.

Sullivan focused his powers into his scaled legs and webbed toes, his underbody became vestigial, melting away into a mass of viscera before elongating into a new form. Placated scales, iridescent and rhomboid, formed and outlined the shape of a fish tail. His humanoid body was transformed to resemble a merfolk of fantasy stories. He had the broad and dark blue dorsal fin of a sailfish and a matching caudal fin. Bending backwards, he fell into a dive towards the oncoming onslaught.

"What are you doing!?" Renn called, no longer the target of the army of demons that just rose from the darkness. Sullivan's streamline body swam towards the large group, a living spear speeding towards the mass. In a split second and with preternatural control, he dashed off and swam parallel to their dark claws and glowing eyes. Some nicked his side, drawing blood that fell from the small cuts, but his powers pulled the rent skin back into place. He was getting reckless, but in a moment like this he knew that he needed to take drastic measures. This time, he knew he wasn't alone and he was grateful.

"Get to the surface." He said to Renn, a sound of genuine shock answered this command. "I'm not leaving you in this mess Sulli! He retorted. Sullivan scoffed, though the receiver couldn't translate this and it was only understood as indecipherable gurgling.

"You better not! I need you to go top side and start absorbing as much light as you can. These things aren't going to let up if we just keep up the cute strategy of taking one out in small amounts. We gotta go big or die trying." He said, a clenched fist crashing through a dark skull of a monster that got to close for comfort. Even with the silence that sounded through the communicator, Sullivan could feel Renn's reluctance.

"Renn!" He called out, snapping him out of his mortified trance. Renn first nodded then realized that his friend couldn't see this. He affirmed his new mission and proceeded steadily towards the surface, making sure that he didn't get the bends. Sullivan took a quick look at his surroundings and saw that every able body was after him now. Taking a deep breath, he dived downwards with such speed that a shockwave took shape where he just was. His dive speed was complimented by his adrenaline and his own gravity, he breathed out the last bubbles of air that held within his swim bladder, making his descent towards the ocean floor nearly uncontrollable.

Okay Sullivan, now comes the hard part. You gotta time this right, or your lungs explode. Dying from asphyxiation and being crushed under water pressure does beat being ripped apart.

Focusing back on his own objective, he began to switch his focus on his powers. Keeping his downward momentum, his body changed back into its human form, and he immediately started working on the surrounding water. The pressure acting upon him made his ears pop painfully, his lungs feel heavy, and every fiber of his body feel strained and tortured. His aqua-kinesis made his surroundings habitable, slowly and gradually. He was trying to make sure that he didn't pass out from decompression sickness. Creating a capsule of air around his mouth and nostrils, he breathed in much needed air, only now realizing how close he was to blacking out.

He pulsed his powers in all direction just to see what his surroundings were like, seeing that he was as blind as any normal human would be thousands of meters below the ocean surface. The monsters were all now following him, even the ones he nearly dispatched earlier in his hydro-supernova were hot on his tail. Though the creatures weren't his only concern, the oncoming surface of the ocean floor was also a point of concern. He threw himself into flip, reorienting himself so that his feet would be planted first and not his head. He sent his powers to the upcoming floor and created a psychic cushion that broke his fall. The moment he made impact, not even giving the sand and debris that was thrown from their resting place a moment to settle, he focused and launched a devastating wave of energy from his mind and the water rippled with energy. Ripples became tiny whirlpools, and those became underwater currents that pushed against the advancing creatures. They collided with Sullivan's power, suddenly frozen in place as the water they were just swimming through gained the same viscosity of syrup. His capsule of air had now transformed into a small dome of air that surrounded his body. The space was needed for what he was planning next.

The monsters slowly began to be pushed against one another, their forms fighting against the water prison, making Sullivan push his powers close to their limits. He was trying to sculpt a statue of moving parts with large psychic hands. Even against thousands of bodies thrashing against his will, he was able to maintain a hold on the monsters. A mighty scream ripped from his throat as he now added focus to the surrounding water. The ocean began to swirl and froth, his powers causing them to fall in on itself and part from its original position. He and the impeded monsters were now surrounded by a column of falling water as nearly five miles worth of ocean was suddenly exposed to the surface, and the barred monsters took up half of this distance. The monsters still laid suspended in their water net, Sullivan's nose bled from the exertion, but he kept his focus strong. He couldn't even let a single desire of respite ruin it.

His head shook as mush as his extended hands and fingers; it took him everything to not crash to his knees, holding back the weight of the ocean and the creatures simultaneously. The strong winds that now blew through from the surface nearly rocked him onto his side.

I won't allow you the shelter of the ocean. What we're about to do, you're gonna feel every bit of it.

"Renn! What's your position?" He called into his communicator. He shouted involuntarily, unable to steady his voice as his body ached from concentration. His answer came in the form of a second sun appearing from above. Sullivan smiled as this second solar body caused the morning sky above to darken as light from all the surroundings began to pour into Renn's body.

Renn was glad that he wasn't planning on going back into the water, and he was glad it wouldn't be necessary. His power to absorb light and expel it into any shape had caused his dive suit to burn away. "Ready when you are!" He shouted back, his powers being pushed to his respective limits caused his voice to have an echo, giving the illusion of him transcending to a godly form. His dark red hair now a peach gold as light danced within his body and every follicle. His eyes, nostrils and ears were expelling light in a dazzling display.

Sullivan growled in effort as began his last act of hydro-manipulation. He focused on the water that held the monsters, lifting them higher towards the surface so that Renn would have a better chance of hitting the mark. They now resembled an oblong shape, to distorted to be a sphere and to compact to be seen as hollow. It was as if a large glob of clear amber had trapped an entire colony of ants. An entire colony of ants ready to be stomped out.

"On my signal!" Sullivan said,

"You better make it out of this!" Renn said, catching Sullivan off guard. He smiled a red toothed smile, blood from his nose catching on his lips and gums.

"You know I always do, buddy." With that, Sullivan raised both hands to the floating ball of death and snapped both fingers. In a matter of seconds, The water that held the monsters in place shattered on a molecular level, transforming into oxygen and hydrogen gas. No longer water, the force that held the monsters suspended now fell away, the monsters following suit as they plummeted towards the exposed ocean floor.

"Now!" He screamed with all his might. That same light that darkened the sky vanished as Renn focused into a pale gold projectile in the shape of a double edged sword. The sword of light plunged towards the gas and the monsters. The second the super heated missile made contact with the hydrogen gas, the air roared as an inferno blossomed within the falling mass of the dark skeletons. The oxygen gas in such high concentrations near the flames only fed it more, its size so large that the air borne fire crashed into the column of water that surrounded the spectacle.

The immolation caught up to the monsters. The sound of their bodies exploding added to the materializing flame, forming a deafening cacophony. Their scorched bodies belched green flames as whatever chemical within them caused them to burn the viridian color. Renn had to fall back and shield his face as the conflagration caught up to him. The residual light that his body contained formed into his triangular wings, allowing him to move away from the burning smoke and cinders that managed to reach the height he was at. Giving it a few more moments, he uncovered his face from his arms and smiled at the destruction he and Sullivan just made the creatures experience. Tired and sweating from the effort, he whooped and flew in circles, holding his hand out to non-existent palms while high fiving the air.

"Sullivan that was awesome! I never knew you could do that with your powers! Leave it to fishboy to figuring out how to set things on fire with water." He said, laughing wildly. He clutched his stomach as he finally took in the absurdity of it all, his guffaws causing him to double over. But something slowly caused his laughter to die down... Why wasn't Sullivan responding. A trouble smiled now decorated Renn's face, sending another message through his communicator.

"Uh, hey Sulli. You good man?" Renn questioned, the silence more blaring than the still ongoing explosion. He called Sullivan now, the anxiety in his voice becoming more apparent. As if the world was giving him an answer to the whereabouts of his comrade, the parting water finally began to fall back into place. Renn cried out as he flew forward with all the energy that he had. He knew that if Sullivan was passed out down there, if all that water landed on him... God knows what would happen to him if, whether or not he survived the ocean came down on him.

He had just passed lip of the hampered column of water, the ocean beginning to billow forward as it was fighting past Sullivan's hydro-kinesis. As Renn peered into the center of this column, he could only cry out in despair as he saw that the water had already began to arise, no Sullivan in sight.

"Sullivan!" He cried once more, his own warm tears streaming down his face as the last of the volumes of cold ocean water coalesced, shooting upwards as the force of its collision with itself caused it to spew into the air like a geyser.

Now it was the salt water of the great ocean and the salt water of his tears that blinded Renn.