Light blue cones emitted from the walls, centering on where we stood. Abby walked to the side, checking how far it went back. “Absolutely no cover. You can’t even hide under the arch. Best case is kick in one of the doors and wait them out.” Eight metal doors resided under the arch, four per side.
Blaze indicated his agreement. “These dudes are covering you, what else? They have to have a plan for any Gifted you might bring.”
Mom paced back and forth. “You’d want to be able to neutralize their abilities, like they did with Dominion.”
Dad stiffened at the mention of her. “The launchers have to be used from close range. Computer, add locations an inhibitor band could be fired from.”
Two images appeared by abandoned cars that sat on the sidewalk of the arch. “We need to eliminate those two cars?” I asked. “We could hit them with lightning when we get there as a precaution.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Abby said, studying the cars. “They could insulate them, plus we don’t want to tip our hand if we don’t have to.” She stepped the distance from the cars to us. “Computer, place accurate range markers.”
I could see the wheels turning as Abby surveyed the area. She’d spent a lot of time with Jon and had learned well. A green line formed in a circle around each car. It didn’t quite come to us. “If we stay under the arch, it would be a fluke if they hit anyone.”
Blaze stepped over to the door next to Abby. “What’s to stop them from loading a team into the gate itself ahead of time? These doors are a blind spot.”
Marcel cocked his head. “What if we jammed the doors so they couldn’t be opened?”
“It would be almost impossible to stop a determined foe from coming through those doors, though it might slow them down,” Dad said, surveying the scene.
An idea blazed in my mind like a comet through the darkened sky. “Why not let them come out?”
Mom gave me an odd look, probably wondering if she had dropped me one time too many as a baby. “Honey, I think the idea is to avoid capture. If those doors open, we’d be surrounded.”
“Not if we attach explosives to go off if the doors are opened.” I checked Dad and Marcel. They both nodded, appreciating the idea.
Abby snorted. “We kill ourselves in the blast? I don’t see how that helps.”
At this point, everyone knew I could take a lot of damage, but Blaze and Abby weren’t aware that I converted the energy into lightning. “It wouldn’t hurt me.”
Mom stopped pacing and locked my eyes. “You are not going in by yourself Thomas George Ward.”
Blaze put his hand on her shoulder. “He wouldn’t be alone, he’d...” Blaze broke off as a coughing fit overtook him. He stumbled over to lean against the gate. Mom moved next to him; concern etched on her face. After a minute, the fit subsided. He wiped his mouth with a cloth from his back pocket. He pushed the cloth back into the pocket.
“Eugene, you need to see a doctor. The coughing has gotten worse.” Mom examined him, waiting for a response.
He shook his head. “Susan, I saw a doctor before I came here. It’s allergies and bronchitis. I’m doing what I can, but I’ll be like this for a while.”
He’d mentioned it before, but Mom obviously didn’t believe him; still, she let it slide.
“Where was I? Oh, Tommy wouldn’t be alone. Michael and Abby would enter with him but not go into the meeting place. If things go bad, they move in to neutralize the threats.” He paused and studied the simulation. “It also rules out the snipers since Powell shot him up and didn’t leave more than a few bruises.”
“Over my dead body! I will not allow my son to be the bait for this meeting.” Mom held herself in full lawyer mode, but I could see the fear peeking out of her eyes.
“Mom, I’ll be fine.” I stepped over and looked her in the face. “We have to find Mr. Waxenby, and I’ll have Dad and Abby to back me up.” I could see by the set of her jaw she was digging in for a fight.
Marcel moved next to me, pushing the hair back up off his face. “Mom, I know you’re worried, but Tommy can take care of himself. Plus, I’ll rig enough explosives to make anyone think twice about messin’ with him.”
I glanced at Marcel, noticing the lack of slang when talking to Mom. I put my hand on her arm. “Seriously, we go in, meet with the Underground and get out. If it’s a trap, between Marcel’s tech and our firepower, we can get out.”
Dad came over, putting his arm around Mom’s shoulders. “Let’s sleep on it. It’s a good plan, but we may come up with an alternative.”
Mom stared at each of us in turn. “Fine, but we will discuss it again tomorrow.” With that, she stalked across the room, though the sliding door robbed her of any dramatic exit. We all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Dad smirked. “Well, it could have gone better, but I think she’ll come around to see the benefits of the plan.” He turned to me. “Tommy, are you sure you are good with this? Things could get hairy if this goes sideways.”
My whole life had gone sideways on me. I should be finishing my senior year of high school, probably moving to Granite Falls to work at the Lair with Blaze. Wendi, Mr. Taylor, Brunner, Clint, Ryder, and Powell would still be alive, and Jon wouldn’t be on the run. On the other hand, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t know my Dad, which would suck. Once the Gauntlet had been announced, my world had spun out of control, destroying anything in its path. “Dad, we have to find Mr. Waxenby. We owe it to him to try. If we have to fight, we have to fight.”
I could tell he understood. Dad hated hurting people, especially those who couldn’t fight back. Responsibility came with the Gift. “I’ll go talk to Susan. I think this is a solid plan.” He strode out of the room. Cyclone Ranger, one of the most powerful Gifted who’d ever lived, and my dad. Things had definitely changed, and I had a feeling this was just getting started.
I wished I understood Eiraf’s advice better; maybe it would have helped. In reality, if I had comprehended what she said, I would have run away screaming.
9
It had been two days since the strategy meeting in the simulator. As Dad predicted, Mom chilled and agreed to our plan, which kept everyone as safe as could be expected. We drove overnight using back roads the Reclaimers hadn’t patrolled for years. We pulled off the road a couple of miles outside of the Atlanta DMZ near the Chattahoochee River. An old apartment complex that had been swallowed by the surrounding forest gave a safe place for the car to wait for us.
Abby handed me a black case out of the trunk before retrieving a waterproof gun bag she slung over her shoulder. We all wore the new combat suits Mr. Fix-It made for us, replacing the ones we’d lost at The Gauntlet. They were solid black, and, after Viper’s poison attack during the last fight with the Syndicate, they were now airtight. The visor provided night vision, which would come in handy on this run.
I secured the case to my back, adjusting the straps and fastening it across my chest. Dad stood off to the side, surveying the surroundings.
Abby’s voice came through my earpiece. “All ready. We moving out, Maverick?”
“Player One, you ready?” Dad asked, swiveling his head to check on us.
“Maverick, ready to roll,” I said, smiling at the names Marcel had assigned us. I thought Abby would pull his arms off when he labeled her Goose. Even though our channel was encrypted, he thought better than to advertise who made up the team. Dad agreed. Blaze had laughed.
“Good. Goose left, Player right.” He moved out through the forest, following an old broken sidewalk. We maintained radio silence as we wound our way down to the river. “Double check your seals then enter the water.”
I ran my hands around the face and neck seals even though the helmet read-out showed the seal functioned correctly. Better safe than sorry. According to Marcel, drug runners used an opening in the fence running across the river to access the city like the Syndicate used the Squid. I hoped we wouldn’t run into anyone underwater.
“Wizard, how are we
looking?” Dad asked over the comm-link. Marcel monitored everything possible, and probably a few things which were impossible, while we were on the ground.
Marcel’s voice reverberated in my helmet. “Maverick, you’re clear as far as the eyes in the sky can tell.” After a short pause, he continued. “Of course, if any of those rat monsters or worse are lurking around, I wouldn’t know. Man, what an awesome shooter concept.”
Dad cut in. “Wizard, let’s keep focused. Anything looks unusual, we need a head’s up.” I could see him shake his head as he kept us moving forward. We had a long way to go before sun up.
Abby slithered through the forest, avoiding making a sound, ghosting around trees and deadfalls without breaking stride. I, on the other hand, sounded like a stampeding herd of elephants carrying boom boxes blasting out Metallica. Stealth wasn’t one of my Gifts to be sure.
After twenty minutes, we reached the back of the Chattahoochee River. Downriver stood the security fence built to keep people out of the dead city. If the intel we had was any good, there would be a large hole in the fence underwater to allow us entry. Even though we’d been over the plan a dozen times, I still worried we had missed something.
Abby’s voice crept into my ear. “Man, it’s going to be a cold swim.” She stepped into the water, wading into its dark depths. She stopped, waist deep, glancing back to Dad and me. “You two coming?”
I heard Dad chuckle. “No time like the present.” We both stepped into the river, the current pulling at the box on my back. I checked the straps to make sure it was secure. I pushed forward, and the water closed around me. I let the current move me. Any guards on the shore would have a hard time picking us out, three dark, bobbing helmets under a cloud-filled night sky.
Marcel’s voice broke the silence. “You should reach the wall in under a minute. Maverick looks to be dead on with the breach.”
Dad floated off to my left, more centered on the river. Abby had overshot the line. As I maneuvered to get behind Dad, she swam over to join us. I could feel the cold through my suit, but it felt more like an early spring day than the frigid blast it actually was.
The wall loomed over us as we approached, transitioning to a metal lattice over the river. We stopped long enough for Dad to signal to dive. My HUD changed to heat imaging as the cold water covered my head. I pulled myself deeper along the wall. The air in the suit, which had let us float down the river, worked against us as we progressed deeper.
“And there she is,” Dad said as the display changed, showing us the hole in the wall. He grabbed the edge and flipped himself around the fence, his momentum shooting him upward. “Careful, the edge is jagged. Don’t puncture your suits.”
“Good safety tip, thanks, Egon,” Marcel quipped over the line. I groaned. Marcel needed to get a life. Abby spun through the hole like a gymnast. I pushed myself through the opening but didn’t float up. The box caught on a piece of the wall. I twisted, trying to loosen myself, but couldn’t break free.
“Player, you okay?” Dad asked over the comm-link.
Great. Leave it to Captain Klutz to get stuck underwater. I tried to push myself lower, but the suit wanted to go up, and I had no leverage. “The box is stuck on the fence.” I could feel my face flush with embarrassment. I struggled like a fish on a line but to no use. My stomach clenched, forcing the taste of bile into my mouth. I gasped for air, afraid I was drowning. “I’m stuck; I can’t move.” My voice betrayed my panic.
Abby’s voice broke through the fear. “I’ve got you.” Rough hands pushed on my shoulders, then I began to rise, free of the damn wall.
“There you go, Player,” Abby said, giving me the thumbs-up. “Everybody knows water and electricity don’t mix, Sparky.”
First Marcel, now Abby. Everyone’s a comedian. “I’ll try to remember that.” I crested like a breaching submarine. Abby bobbed up next to me, she signaled, and we swam faster to catch Dad. I gave him the thumbs-up as we pulled alongside. The next hour consisted of floating as we watched for the train crossing, marking our departure point from the river.
I spent the time reviewing how strange my life had become. Last year, I lived in Redemption with Mom, being hassled by Brunner and Powell on a daily basis. Now they were dead, I’d lost Wendi, and we were fugitives from the Protectorate. I wondered if it was worth all the pain and loss. Nightmares tormented me most nights. Images of the people I’d killed: Wendi’s lifeless body, Clint and Ryder melting in the blast of energy I’d unleashed, Reclaimer bodies scattered like broken toys around a transformer near Jinx’s house. What’s done is done, but it wouldn’t stay in the past where it belonged.
My mind wandered, a lucid dream-state in the perfect quiet of floating down the river, landing on Eriaf’s words. I hadn’t seen Alyx to ask about it, and frankly, I wasn’t sure if maybe I hadn’t hallucinated the whole event. She’d said three people would guide me: the Phoenix, the cursed one, and the doppelganger. I had no clue who any of them could be. Falling to the dreamer or the trickster meant nothing to me; neither description fit the Protectorate or the Syndicate. What use were warnings if you couldn’t understand them? When I got back, I had to talk to Alyx. I understood losing Waxenby would be catastrophic, though I had no idea why. He’s a great guy, but how could one person be so important? I shook my head, returning to the present.
In the distance I could make out a bridge. An old rotted train lay on the right bank. It must have hit the bridge during the Dark Brigade attack. Dad signaled to head to the left bank. We swam across the river, dragging ourselves out of the water. The cloud cover kept the city in darkness, but we couldn’t chance flashes of lightning. In a dead city, lights would be a beacon to the Reclaimers.
I dropped to my knees, glad to be on solid ground again and away from my memories. Dad scouted the woods, looking for a path up to the train tracks. Abby reclined against a rock formation jutting from the ground. I vented my faceplate and breathed in the cold air. It smelled of impending rain and the river. I stood up, stretching as we waited for Dad to return.
Abby raised her HUD, setting her gun case on the ground next to her feet. “Sparky, you had me worried down there.” I couldn’t see her face, but she sounded concerned. “I’m not losing any more friends, got it?”
I nodded. “I’m right there with you. Thanks for the assist—”
Abby stood abruptly, head on a swivel. “Did you hear that?” She asked, peering around, on full alert and growing rapidly.
Just as I slapped my visor into place, the ground opened below her feet, dropping her from my sight. “Abby!” I screamed as I dove for her arm, missing it by inches. I crawled over to the hole, getting knocked backward as a huge boulder shot into the air, a dirt geyser spraying in all directions.
I leapt to my feet and couldn’t believe my eyes. What I had thought was rock turned out to be an alligator of immense proportion. It thrashed on the ground, stubby legs scrambling for purchase on the soft riverbed. It must have been forty feet long and taller than a horse. Beady red eyes glowed in the darkness as it sought to crush Abby in its giant jaws.
The monster whipped its enormous head back and forth trying to dislodge Abby who had her legs wedged against the roof of the creature’s mouth, her back laying on its tongue, keeping it from eating his dinner. She screamed in primal rage, her size expanding as she held the giant maw apart.
A flash of light announced Dad joining the fight. He streaked across the distance, barreling into the side of the thing’s head. The alligator stumbled, then swiped its head, knocking Dad back into the woods. I pulled the energy together, readying a strike.
“No lightning!” Dad shouted over the comm-link. “We can’t alert anyone that we’re here.”
Marcel crashed the party. “What the hell is happening?” The sound of him banging on the keyboard in the background increased as he spoke.
I ignored him, running toward the monster trying to eat my friend. Far faster than I’d have thought possible, its tail whipped around. I no
w know how a baseball feels. The solid mass of armored tail crashed into me, propelling me into a tree. The breath whooshed from my lungs as I hit. Slowly I slid down the tree, stunned.
Dad flew back in, avoiding the tail on the back swipe. He drove a fist into the unprotected eye, causing the creature to rear, roaring in pain. The mouth loosened, allowing Abby to roll free of the jaws and land on her feet. She accelerated, delivering a massive blow to the exposed throat. Another bellow of pain erupted from the wounded animal. I thought it would flee, but it attacked.
Abby rolled away as the giant head slammed the ground where she had been. I got to my feet, feeling the surge of power from hitting the tree gave me. I couldn’t throw lightning, but I had an idea. I ran at the creature’s side, encasing my fist in energy. I hit it full force behind the front, left leg. The force of the blow flipped it on its side, but instead of disabling it, the thing rolled, coming back to its feet. It rushed at me, intent on ridding itself of what had caused it pain.
There is no reason something that huge should be able to move so fast. I backpedaled, but it was on me before I’d gone five steps. Dad swooped in, none too gently putting his shoulder into my stomach, and got me away before the behemoth made me his dinner. Dad dropped me on the ground, out of the way, and shot back into the fight.
The whole scene reminded me of one of the fights on Saturday Night Showdown. Abby, the newest recipient of the Smashing Tail Award, crashed near me. While on the show, Dad had jumped on the back of one of the robots so he could disable it. This thing’s armor stood up to just about any blow, but there had to be a weak spot. I ran to help Abby up; the blow had staggered her, which is saying something since she had to be near eight feet of solid muscle. Good thing her combat suit adapted to her changing proportions.
I stopped in front of her. “I need to get on its back. Can you get me up there?”
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