Unbreakable Storm

by Patrick Dugan

  Fires flickered across the landscape where Grim Reaper had stood. On the ground, I saw a grimy, metal statue of a cowboy, lasso above his head. It had been snapped off at the ankles and obscured by the grass that grew around it. Eiraf’s metal man that Marcel couldn’t find was right there.

  The door opened, and Grim Reaper stepped out, but not from under the overhang. Smoke drifted off his leather jacket from fresh scorch marks. A smear of soot crossed his right cheek where he had rubbed the reddened skin left from the firebombing. “I warned you!” The sickly green light of the scythe illuminated the darkness. The windows on all sides of him blew out, and the rest of the Syndicate fighters rushed to engage us.

  It would have been nice of Chip Calloway to announce each of us like he did during Saturday Night Showdown. A flashy graphic overlay with their name, height, weight, and power would have come in handy right then. As it was, we only had four figures moving through the darkness toward us. Floodlamps flared to life from the hideout and two of the neighboring buildings. Our advantage had been effectively negated.

  Thunder boomed to answer the explosions as Warden whipped the wind into a frenzy.

  “Call your targets. I’m on Reaper,” Dad said as he launched into the air. During the Gauntlet, the shield contained his blasts, but here he went full out. Bolts of lightning impacted on the force field in front of Grim Reaper. A stray bolt blew apart the roof, causing a small avalanche of bricks to crash into Reaper as he dove out of the way.

  The winds picked up, driving debris and ash before them, as the storm surged toward the fight. I headed for the closest of the Syndicate soldiers. Imagine my total lack of surprise to find before me stood Turk, wearing a leather vest, jeans, and combat boots. His long, dirty blond hair streamed away from his face in the wind.

  “Oh, how I’ve waited to pay you back, Ward!” I could barely make out his words over the maelstrom. For the briefest of moments, I thought about trying to reason with him, but if he’d joined up with the Syndicate, it was already too late. Jon blamed Reaper as much as me for Wendi’s death, so I didn’t have to worry about him.

  I pulled energy together and launched an arc of lightning at him. I’d give him this: Blaze had trained him well. He rolled sideways, came up on his feet, and threw a blob of something green at me. The wind whipped it down the street before it ever got near. Blasts of flame seared the air as Tenji unleashed his attacks, trying to hit Dad as he threw bolt after bolt at the Syndicate members.

  “I can’t get a clear shot; the wind is too strong.” Mom’s helpless tone betrayed her anxiety. “Warden, roll it back. You’re going to wipe out our team.”

  Warden stood, swaying in the wind, staring off into nothing. The storm continued to intensify all around us.

  If Mom said more, it was swallowed by the roar of wind and the shrieking of metal as the abandoned cars fought to hold their ground. The air filled with projectiles made of rusted metal, broken glass, and every other type of debris known to man. A door tumbled across the parking lot, bouncing over cars until it clipped Warden in the head, driving her to the ground.

  “Warden is down!” I shouted into the comm-link, though I couldn’t be sure anyone could hear me. A small figure scampered away from her prone body. I tried to follow it, but something grabbed my head.

  I could see the fingertips of whoever held my head but nothing else. I threw my head toward my attacker, but a knee in the back stopped my progress. The green ooze spreading across my faceplate informed me it was Turk. I’d seen him kill with his Gift before, and I knew I was in trouble. I tried to break his grip, but Blaze had trained him to avoid all the tricks he’d taught us. The smell of decaying, putrid meat invaded my helmet as the sludge bubbled across my view. The warping of the material grew as I fought in vain. The smell intensified as did the need to puke my guts out. I could feel my strength failing me. I had to do something he’d never expect.

  “I never thought killing you could be so easy, Tommy.” With a hard push, Turk dropped me against the pavement, laying on my back, effectively immobilizing me. The power I held swirled, but I knew I couldn’t get an arc anywhere near him. I heard Dad’s voice in my head. “You need to adapt, to use new aspects of your Gift if you’re going to survive.”

  I spit up dinner, fighting to stay conscious as the poison tried to do its work on me. My healing might keep it at bay, but not for much longer. Change, adapt. Tenji threw flames, which I couldn’t do, but could I transform energy to heat? I concentrated pushing out power in all directions, but not releasing it. After a moment, steam swirled inside my helmet, making the smell worse, as if it could be worse. A scream came from above me as I saw blisters swelling on the fingers touching the visor. A sharp crack and a flood of fresh air were a welcome change. My head jerked around as Turk flailed, trying to let go of the red-hot helmet. I reached up and pulled the release and got my head out, the edges scorching my skin and burning parts of my hair in the process. Turk tumbled to the ground, screaming in agony as his charred hands fused to the helmet.

  I ducked as a piece of bumper flew by. I could absorb the energy of being hit, but a rusty cut could still be trouble. I stopped and emptied my stomach into the gutter. The roaring had intensified as the winds continued to increase, swirling as it progressed at a rapid pace in our direction.

  Suddenly I rose into the air. Not by wind, but Abby. She threw me boldly over her shoulder and ran for the shopping mall, stopping behind an old tractor trailer that had seen better days. She’d lost her helmet in the fight too, her purple hair trailing out like a wave of Kool-Aid. Boulder joined us, Warden’s arm over his shoulder as she stumbled along. The roar increased as the vortex formed into a full-on tornado. We couldn’t fight it, especially with Warden in her current condition.

  From somewhere deep in my memory, I realized I knew how to fix this. Marcel always went on about whatever he’d been researching. We had spent a night discussing how Dad could spin up cyclones, and it had to do with the cold downdraft his winds created. No cold air, no cyclone. I had to try.

  I got to my feet. Abby tried to pull me back down, but I waved her off. She couldn’t hear me even if I screamed. Pushing around the nose of the semi, I felt the full force of the tornado. I concentrated, running into the vortex, driving the heat out of my raised hands toward the maelstrom. Still the storm moved on, unaffected, as my skin blistered from the intense heat I generated. I screamed in agony and elation as I threw more energy into the heat until blisters burst, spewing clear liquid from the palms of my hands. None of it made a difference.

  I caught sight of Dad as he streaked in, circling the tornado against its churn. He threw lightning into the vortex. Between the two of us, the winds weakened and slowly it broke apart. I slumped, most of my energy drained from the exertion.

  Reaper, seeing his opening, swooped in while I recovered. He swung the scythe at my unprotected back. “Say goodbye, Ward!”

  His victory turned to defeat as a tire from a dead semi slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Abby howled in rage as she pursued him. Fire erupted from the ground in front of the prone man as Tenji rejoined the fight. Grim Reaper would be a goner if Abby reached him. Abby avoided the fire shield, moving to attack Tenji. He fired gouts of flame, trying to drive her back, but she moved like a jungle cat, always a step ahead of him. The distance shrunk between them as she advanced.

  I staggered to my feet, trying to help, but the heat had drained my energy surplus. Dad floated down in front of me. Concern etched his face as he flipped up his visor. “You okay?”

  I nodded, or at least tried to. “Just drained.” With the tornado gone, we could hear each other, though the driving winds still made it tough to move.

  Dad checked me over quickly before setting his hands on my shoulders. The intensity of the shock was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. Power bloomed through me as my deprived body absorbed every drop I could get. I felt revitalized. I must have been smiling like an idiot.

  Dad
laughed. “I thought it might help. Let’s get Oliver and get out of here.” He launched back into the air and sent lightning streaking toward Tenji.

  “He’s gone bleedin’ crazy!” Salvo crossed the parking lot, throwing bombs at someone I couldn’t see. “I don’t want to hurt him. He’s my best friend.”

  I ran to where Salvo knelt before the prone form of Warden. A huge silhouette emerged from the smoke: Boulder. Like his name, he had transformed his right arm into rock.

  “What the...” was all I got out before taking a massive swing from Boulder, straight in the chest. I flew backward, slamming into the old station wagon, which crumbled like a sheet of paper as I struck it. I focused in time to see Boulder crush Salvo under the weight of his massive fist. Blood splattered everywhere as Salvo’s head exploded beneath the force of the blow. Boulder shook his head as if seeing everything for the first time. Pure agony released as he fell to his knees screaming. “NO!” He pulled his friend’s lifeless body to him, rocking as he screamed his name over and over again.

  I got to my feet, disoriented from the blow, but energy coursed through me like a tidal wave. That’s when I noticed a child-sized creature climbing up Boulder’s back. It put its hands around Boulder’s neck and the screaming stopped. He shoved Salvo’s corpse off his lap and stood, turning to where Warden lay against the ruined tractor trailer.

  I pulled the energy into a thin beam and targeted the clinging parasite. I didn’t think I’d hurt Boulder but didn’t want to chance a larger strike. With the precision of a surgeon, I struck. The thing screamed, falling to the ground. It thrashed a couple of times before righting itself and fleeing the scene.

  Boulder came to, seeing Salvo again. Agony caused him to scream again and again, but we would have to deal with his grief, this loss…later. Abby and Dad still fought Tenji; the smaller man bounced around attacks like Tracer. I saw Izanami fighting a man who threw spikes at her as she advanced. I’m not sure what warned me, but I dodged left, just missing the glowing green of Grim Reaper’s scythe.

  He growled, taking another wild swipe at me as I danced back. I’d seen the results of the scythe in Blaze’s memory and wasn’t excited to experience it firsthand. I threw a blast of energy at him, but in my haste, it went wide.

  “I’m going to enjoy gutting you, Ward.” I knew Jose had never been a friend, but I thought we were on the same side against the Protectorate. Turns out I was wrong about everything where it concerned Grim Reaper. “You cost me a lot, and I’m gonna take it out of your gringo hide.”

  I grinned at him. “You’re not man enough to take me down, Jose.” I’d watched him goad Jon enough that I knew I could get under his skin. “You couldn’t handle me with all the Syndicate around you.”

  He swung wildly as his anger took over. I dodged past one swing, which impaled itself in an old car husk. I uppercut him, adding some extra juice for payback. The same punch that had sent Jon flying barely moved him. He smiled, his teeth coated with blood. “I wish I’d taken some time with that puta before you got her, murio.”

  The backhanded sweep almost took my head off. I leaned back in time for it to pass in front of my face. I punched a blast of pure energy into his chest, launching him across the pavement. I started toward him, intent on finishing the bastard off once and for all. A noise reached me, causing me to pause and turn. Helicopters were landing around us as we fought. From above, a new floodlight illuminated the struggle. Everyone paused mid-fight as a voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

  “Grim Reaper and all members of the Syndicate. You are under arrest by command of the Protectorate. Everyone lay down, hands behind your heads, and you will not be harmed.”

  Right, because the Protectorate never hurt Gifted. I saw troops forming in a circle around the building and parking lot. They carried plastic combat shields meant to stop electrical or fire attacks. This was bad, and we still had not freed Waxenby. Without my helmet, I couldn’t communicate with my team. We had to get out of here and fast, but I had to get Waxenby at all costs. I turned to run into the hideout but didn’t take the first step.

  The scythe hit me in the back, and everything went dark.

  32

  “Tommy?” A feminine voice called to me from a million miles away. “Tommy, you need to focus.”

  I opened my eyes. Well, I would have if I’d been in my body. I held up my hand, seeing the translucent outline of my body. In front of me stood the ghostly shape of Raychel Downs, or as I knew her better, Pepper Spray.

  “What happened?” Half memories flooded my dazed brain. Fighting Grim Reaper, the Reclaimers showing up, piercing pain in my back. “That bastard stabbed me in the back.”

  Pepper grabbed my intangible arms and shook me, though I’m not sure how, being a ghost and all. “You’ve got to focus, or you’re going to die. Reaper pierced you with his scythe, but he hasn’t severed your soul yet. You can still fight him.”

  I felt a tug from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a ribbon of light twisting off into the gloom. I knew my body was tethered to the other end. The whole scene screamed of the surreal, like the painting with the melting clock in it.

  “Where am I?” The landscape around us lacked any details, just an endless white expanse. “I can feel my heart beating, so I’m not dead.”

  Raychel solidified, the same face as the picture Blaze had shown me. Her spiky orange hair enhanced her features in a way I couldn’t define. Freckles lightly dotted her nose and cheeks, giving her a youthful appearance. Her eyes danced with the energy of a kid that was up to something they knew was wrong but funny. I bet she teased Blaze unmercifully.

  “You’re in the scythe as far as we can tell.”

  “We?”

  She gestured over her shoulder. “There are a lot of us, but for some reason, I can move around in here better than the rest. I felt you enter when you were stabbed. You’ve got to get out of here while you still can.”

  “How do I do that?” My brain worked in slow motion, clouded with a fog I couldn’t shake. “Do you know?”

  Raychel shook her head. “How the hell would I know? You think I’d still be here if I did?” She paused for a minute. “Did you tell Blaze what I said?”

  “I did. He thanked me, but I know it hurt.” I didn’t want to hurt her any more than she was, stuck in here with no way out. Never being able to see the sky or touch anything or taste your favorite food. “I’m sorry. When I lost Wendi, my world ended, and some days I think things will never be right again. I know he loves you.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, but not a single drop fell. “I’d give anything to see him again. I miss him so much. Time is weird in here, so sometimes it feels like yesterday and other times forever since I’ve seen him.”

  “I’m sorry, Raychel.”

  Her head jerked up at the mention of her name. The look of shock faded into a chagrined smile. “I guess my secret identity isn’t important anymore. Just caught me off guard.”

  Way to go, Tommy. Freak the dead girl out. “Should I call you Pepper?”

  “Yes, I don’t care for my given name; too much baggage attached.”

  “I’m sorry,” I stuttered, flustered by the numbness I felt in my head. “I didn’t know. It’s Pepper from now on.”

  “You say sorry a lot. How would you know? Blaze is the only one I’ve told.”

  “Oh, thanks,” I said anxiously. Even dead, I couldn’t get out of my own way. The whole place unnerved me, which I suppose was an effect of being trapped in a reality that didn’t exist outside Grim Reaper’s scythe. I’d never been any good at consoling people. Wendi, Abby, even Mom; I never thought of the right things to say or do to make them feel better. I could now add Pepper to the list.

  “My father was a drug addict who made and sold his own supply. It’s bad when a junkie can just make more when they need a fix. Unfortunately, he dealt to the daughter of one of the big shots in New York who had been marked off limits. He needed the money, and she was an easy mark
.” She stopped talking, lost in her memories.

  “You don’t need to tell me. I know it’s painful to discuss your past; I know mine is.” Thoughts of Wendi exploded in my brain. The way she looked, how she laughed, her lying on the floor of the Megadrome as the masses cheered while she died before them. I tamped them down; I needed to pay attention to what Pepper told me, not dwell on my pain.

  “I have to get it off my chest if it’s okay with you.” I couldn’t blame her. Sometimes the pain became so intense the only thing to do was vent it before it destroyed you. I knew the feeling all too well. To make it worse, she lived, if you could call it that, in the scythe of the man who’d killed her. How much worse could Hell be than this? I nodded for her to continue.

  “Preash.” She straightened her back as she pressed on with the story. It took guts to reveal a pain that had become part of you. “When the goon found out his daughter was dying from all the drugs, her docs needed a donor.”

  “Oh, no!” I gasped, hoping I was wrong.

  She grimaced. “Yeah, and my piece of crap old man had a spare daughter laying around: me. He’d offed my mother the prior year but set it up like an OD to keep the pigs off his back. His new girlfriend hated me, so I was on my own. At thirteen, nuthin’ I could do. Dad traded my organs for not being killed, though I heard they found him dead after the guy’s kid OD’ed on prescription drugs.”

  It never ceased to amaze me how terrible people could be to one another. All the people who’d been hurt over things outside their control. Pepper hadn’t wanted a junkie parent, nor to be sold off for spare parts.

  “The doctors left me for dead. One of the nurses took me to Doc Campbell, who’d been working on man-machine interfacing. He ran a human chop shop, so he had the opportunity to experiment on me without interference. Whatever the reason, he saved me by bolting on a lot of cybernetic parts.”