At first all Daniel could do was cough. His nose was packed with dust and dirt. His limbs and head ached. He was being carried. He could feel that. Whoever was carrying him was massive with shoulders like concrete. A strong hand held him in place. Shadows jumped about. It was difficult to see where they were but it looked like a cavern of some sort. Daniel jostled awake with the steady bounce. It could have been a dream but as he grew more conscious he realized that was just hope.

“Hey,” he finally managed to blurt out, realizing with the effort just how much dust had filled his mouth. This triggered a coughing fit that lasted a good two minutes that felt like an hour but also seemed to signal to the giant to stop. When Daniel finally stopped hacking he found himself on the ground lying right in front of the massive man.

“You’re awake. Good,” the man said and Daniel looked up. The man stood about seven feet tall and was almost as wide. A dull light emanated from a buckle on his belt. It was a Champions uniform. The man's muscles were thick and impossibly strong. It was Crusher.

Of course, it was, thought Daniel. Who else?

“You saved me—?” Daniel sputtered.

“Stupid reflex of mine,” Crusher said.

“Where are we?” Daniel asked.

“Underground. We gotta keep moving,” Crusher said as he looked around the cave. “Get up. I'm not getting caught for a good deed."

Crusher grabbed Daniel and hoisted him back up on his shoulders with no effort at all.

“I’m Daniel,” he said.

“I don’t care, kid” said Crusher. “Nothing personal but I just want to get rid of you and be on my way."

Crusher started to run. Daniel watched the floor beneath them. Despite his size, Crusher was very fast as he barreled forward, somehow knowing where he was going or at least striding with enough confidence that Daniel thought maybe he did.

It was hard to focus, bouncing along this way. But the thought that kept going through Daniel’s mind was a simple one: he had to get home. If he could get home it was all going to be okay. Everything was working out. The telepath had told him that the explosion wasn't his fault. He could retake his test. They were even promised more rations for his grandfather. It was going to be okay. He just had to get home.

"Are you going to take me home?" Daniel yelled to no reply. His voice echoed in the dark corridor over Crusher's footsteps. Crusher didn't respond.

"Please take me home," Daniel pleaded. “Please.”

But Crusher just kept running.

They moved like this for at least an hour. The tunnels seemed to go on and on. They would come to a fork and Crusher confidently ran toward one side without hesitation. Daniel wondered if it would go on forever. But then Crusher stopped suddenly and Daniel sensed that something was wrong.

“What-?” Daniel started.

“Quiet,” Crusher said.

Crusher was staring straight into the darkness, listening intently.

Daniel, facing the opposite direction, squirmed to see forward but even when he did get a glimpse, there was only darkness in front of them.

“There’s something there,” said Crusher, whispering. “Hold on.”

Crusher reached down for his waist. He flipped a switch and a dim glow emanated from his belt, filling the tunnel. Right in front of them, a figure stood in the shadows. It looked like a dog—a very large dog and when the light came on, it began to growl. It rose up on its haunches and bared its teeth—two rows. A second set of eyes opened on its head glowing like a cat’s and the fur on its back raised up.

“What is it?” Daniel whispered.

“Hellhound,” Crusher whispered back. “Mutation.”

The growl grew more intense. And the dog started to move forward. It stared them down and barked. The bark echoed throughout the tunnel.

Crusher’s eyes darted about the tunnel, scanning for something—and then he found it. He reached forward and slowly grabbed a board lying on the subway floor. The dog-monster did not like this and barked again.

“All right, “ said Crusher. “All right. I’m going to take care of this.”

Daniel could feel Crusher loosening his grip and he slid off his back on to the ground. Daniel was terrified as he landed on the wet concrete. The dog-monster bared its teeth again. Daniel got a good view of the beast. It had six legs and was about the size of four men. Crusher was big but the dog-monster was bigger. It looked like a wolf that Daniel had seen in books but a wolf with six legs and four eyes and two rows of teeth. Its tail hung down raggedly and seemed to bifurcate at the end. Its coat was thick and sickly—mattes of fur crusted with garbage and dried mud.

“Hungry?” said Crusher. “You hungry, boy?”

The dog-beast barked and growled again as it kept its distance. Daniel heard something else from behind them. He looked. A second dog-beast appeared in the shadows. And lurking behind that was a third.

“Crusher, there are more, “ Daniel whispered as loud as he could. The boy was paralyzed with fright.

“Yeah, ‘thought that might be the case. They usually travel in packs. Stay with me, kid. Stick close,” Crusher said as he wheeled around with his stick, facing off with the two other dog beasts.

The first dog-monster lunged forward, its teeth bared. Crusher was fast and whacked it with the stick against the face, sending it hurling backward.

“Bad dog!” he yelled.

Behind him, the second dog lunged forward, getting a good bite on Crusher’s arm. He immediately spun around and smacked the second dog with the stick— harder than the first. It tumbled back in a whimper. But the third dog-monster leapt on him while he was exposed and its weight pushed him to the ground. The first beast had recovered from its smack and joined in on the attack. Crusher was pinned. The dogs bit fiercely at him—their bites unable to pierce his skin but their weight kept him off balance as he wrestled with their fierce claws. The second beast pinned Crusher down with his two front legs and then tore into him with his four hind legs like a cat would do to a bird. Daniel could see sharp claws ripping at Crusher’s skin. The claws could not pierce his steely hide but they managed to keep Crusher occupied.

Daniel got up. He wanted to run as he saw the third dog recover from the attack. The beast eyed Daniel and saw a fresh, vulnerable target. It stalked Daniel and Daniel froze.

And then came a horrible bone-cracking snap and a yelp. Crusher had broken the second beast’s leg with his hand and the hellhound pitifully scurried away into the shadows. The first dog-monster roared into attack but Crusher managed to catch its head in his hands, clutching its jaws but the weight of the beast knocked him over. He dragged the animal down with him as he fell.

The third beast bared its teeth at Daniel, emitted a low, threatening, and hungry growl. It prepared to spring. Daniel knew that the attack would come any second—this new wave of fear snapped him out of his paralysis. But the beast was faster and leapt forward, knocking him over. He was right on top of him and its filthy snout sniffed Daniel’s face. The animal’s drool dripped down on his nose.

“Kid!” Crusher yelled, wrestling with the second dog-beast, its neck snapped and the last kicks of life jerked through its body. “Hold on!”

Daniel stiffened but he could feel a current flowing now up through his back muscles and into his arms. He lost his breath. The beast reared up with its hind legs. Its claws were out. Daniel was seized by adrenaline and the sudden need to act. The beast barked and Daniel could see the claw coming down. That’s when the current filled his chest and hands. He directed it out at the beast and the attacking animal was caught in an explosion of force. The animal flew back into the sewer—its face twisted in pain and its limbs cracking and twisting in the vortex of energy emanating from Daniel. The shrieking of the beast was miserable as it crashed into the shadows of the sewer.

Daniel sat up and gazed into the darkness not sure if the beast was returning or dead. Crusher ran up behind him.

“What did you—?” Crusher started, looking at Daniel dumbfounded. He then looked at the spot where the dog beast had fallen and then once more at Daniel.

Resolution flashed across Crusher’s face and he raised his massive hand in front of Daniel’s head. He flicked his finger and tapped Daniel’s forehead hard. Daniel immediately fell back, knocked unconscious.