The severed arm splatted outside the window, coming to rest. OMG, that’s gross.
I had to agree with Pepper.
Warden and I watched for a few more moments before Izanami strode back into the building. I ran over to meet her and make sure she wasn’t hurt.
Who the hell could hurt her? Did you see her tear that guy’s arm off? I ignored my personal play-by-play commentator.
“It is done,” was all she said. She shimmered slightly, and then I noticed bruises and burn marks growing across her skin. She noticed me noticing. “I must pay for my Gift after I’ve used it. I will heal.”
I nodded. We all paid a price for our Gifts. “Can I ask where you learned to fight like that?”
She looked at me oddly. “WWE, of course.”
Pepper burst into laughter, and I joined her for a moment. Izanami winked at me before sliding against the wall to rest.
Warden limped over. “She’ll be fine.”
I nodded. “Can you call up a huge storm? We need a distraction.”
“I think so, if the energy hasn’t dissipated from earlier.” She strode to the windows, and a few minutes later the rain and wind started until you couldn’t have heard a freight train going by. I ran to the basement. Boulder smashed the wall repeatedly; Abby and Dad cleared the debris as they went. I hoped we would be gone in under an hour.
Returning to the lobby, I thought I’d better check on Waxenby. Abby had been taking care of him, but with us needing to build a tunnel out of here, I picked up the duty. As I knelt next to him, his eyes opened, and he stared at me.
“Mr. Waxenby, it’s Tommy. Do you know who I am?”
His eyes focused in the low light. “Tommy, where are we?”
“In Dallas. We rescued you from the Syndicate.” Hope rose in my chest that he’d be okay once we got him away from here. Then the laughing started.
“You’ll never get away. No matter what happens, there is no escape!” He screamed, froth coming to the corners of his mouth. His shouts echoed through the room until he collapsed back into the oblivion that held him. It freaked me out.
We finally had Waxenby back. Time would tell if there was any of him left in the shell we’d rescued.
34
The storm raged outside as the work underground progressed. The wailing of the wind reminded me of the old cartoons when they wanted something to be spooky. The four shattered windows didn’t help keep us dry or lessen the noise. Warden’s color had faded to waxen pale. I didn’t think she could hold out much longer.
Dad tapped me on the back, causing me to jump. I hadn’t heard him with all the storm noise. He gave me the thumbs-up. A very dirty Boulder came to get Warden. She nodded but slapped his hand away when he tried to pick her up. She pointed at Izanami, who glared and rose to her feet with barely a wobble.
Abby, no less dirty than Boulder, had Waxenby slung over her shoulder. She smiled at me, and I returned it. We had accomplished what we’d set out to do. Boulder and Izanami came over to me. I indicated the wrestler should follow Abby and motioned Boulder to carry Grim Reaper. As much as I hated him for what he’d done to us, I wasn’t leaving him for the Reclaimers to capture and hand over to the Protectorate.
I stopped next to the unconscious Grim Reaper. It took all I had not to kick him in the face.
It’s not worth it. I could feel Pepper’s anger, her voice clear in my head, but it didn’t stop her from doing the right thing. Believe me, I know it’s tempting, Tommy.
I sighed. Sometimes playing by the rules the other side ignored sucked.
A light flared around us as the storm noise dropped to nothing. Everyone in the room froze except for me. On the other side of Reaper stood an amazingly beautiful woman. Silver hair flowed down to her waist, partially covering what was surely a very expensive black dress. The sheer material hugged her curves in all the right places; the neckline plunged to her navel, revealing her large...
Hey, wake up. I know you’re a teenage boy, but this isn’t normal.
I guiltily jerked my eyes up to see sparkling violet eyes set into her beautiful face. “It is so good to see you again,” she said, her accent thick and drawling. “You are very handsome, and you have steel in you. I see why Eiraf chose you for her cause.”
Eiraf? What the hell is the Natasha knock-off talking about? Pepper sounded confused. This whole moose and squirrel schtick is so old. Snap out of it, will you please.
I shook my head. I’d never get used to magic as long as I lived. “Who are you?”
A low, deep laugh answered me. “Surge, I am distraught you don’t remember me. Our lovely dance together. I am Yelena.” Her voice almost purred as she pulled me in.
The dream cascaded back. The dancing, the horrible murals on the walls. “You stabbed me.”
“Let us not worry about such trifles.” She smiled as if we were discussing the weather.
Are we in some sick S&M fantasy? Pepper exploded in my head. You need to torch this bitch quick.
Yelena cocked her head like a bird considering which worm to eat first. “Who speaks to you? This is unexpected but matters not.”
“You’re very pretty. What do you need?” My mouth started to engage itself; unfortunately, my brain hadn’t rebooted yet.
Really!!!! That’s all you’ve got? I’m stuck in a testosterone-laden moron. God, I’m glad I’m a woman.
“You are a good boy.” Yelena patted my cheek before pointing to the unconscious Grim Reaper. “I come for this one; I still have need of him.”
“What?” Reality flooded back in, replacing the confusion I’d felt.
Oh, good! You’ve finally joined the party, Pepper snapped at me.
“No, you can’t take him. He’s got to pay for what he’s done to us.”
Yelena smiled like I was an idiot child until she realized I had broken free of her hold. The icy glare of anger pierced me like a sword. “Ah, there it is.” She made a grasping gesture with her hand, and Reaper vanished from view. “A free piece of advice. Stay out of things you don’t understand. I’d hate to hurt a pretty boy like you.” She blew me a kiss and disappeared.
The storm noise assaulted my poor ears when it returned. Seeing the body still missing in this version of reality, I signaled Boulder to follow me.
Pepper was annoyed. Boy, you showed her who’s boss. A few more minutes and you’d have been licking her boots.
Enough, I don’t know what happened, but she isn’t with the Council. I couldn’t even summon Makeda or Alyx to discuss this with. She’d mentioned Eiraf, so she had to be part of the Order of Midnight.
Pepper’s confusion was palatable. What are you talkin’ about?
I’ll explain it to you later. We need to get out of here.
Boulder made a slashing gesture and pointed at the space Reaper had occupied. I shrugged. Boulder frowned, but he accompanied me as I went through the door to the stairs. Dad fused the door shut, and we all headed to our planned escape route. I had to duck to get through the hole they had made through the wall, which opened out on to the old sewage tunnels. Water poured from the street grates like a million waterfalls. Boulder moved everyone away from the opening, then Dad collapsed the tunnel with a stream of lightning. The storm above would slacken without Warden to keep it going.
“Everyone alright?” Dad asked, checking each of us. A ball of lightning hovered above his hand, providing us with light. We’d gotten Waxenby, but I felt like we lost. From the dirt, bruises, and blood, we looked like we lost. “Where’s Grim Reaper?”
Pepper prodded me. You’re on. Try not to screw it up.
Thanks. “He got away. Our legless friend can explain it to us later.”
I could see the unasked questions in Dad’s eyes; then a light flicked on. “Oh.” He dropped any other questions. “Boulder, can you get us to the safehouse?”
“I can.” Boulder turned and walked into the darkness. Dad followed with the light so the rest of us could see. My body ached from fighting; my he
ad ached from the encounter with Death and having a stowaway locked inside. I needed a giant Mountain Dew, a hundred Pop-Tarts, and a month of sleep.
We came to a place where two branches of the sewer system joined. Boulder held up a fist in front of us. “Drop the light. Nobody move a muscle.”
Dad extinguished the light, plunging us into darkness. I heard a faint scraping noise as we stood there like statues in a cemetery. The sound got louder as we waited. Ahead of us, phosphorescent mold grew on the walls, bathing the tunnel in an eerie green that reminded me of Grim Reaper’s scythe. I ignored the instinct to run from the mold as my heart sped up in full flight mode. Something big moved.
I held my breath as a head the size of a truck paused in the intersection, forked tongue licking the air, cold dead eyes peering into the gloom. At that moment, Mom not being here turned out to be a blessing. She is phobic about snakes. Her screaming and running away wouldn’t have been the best strategy.
Slowly, the behemoth decided nothing good was around and slithered off, away from us. I guess Warden hadn’t been kidding about the snakes. We waited for the train of scale and muscle to pass, like at a grade crossing minus the barrier guards and the annoying bell. The tail finally passed. No rattle. Just a giant water snake, if my guess was right.
“You can light the way now,” Boulder said as if nothing had happened. We took the passage the snake had emerged from.
Whoa! That was intense-a-rama. What the hell was that thing?
Weird stuff happens in the destroyed cities. I pictured the rats in D.C. and the croc outside of Atlanta.
Ewww, I hate rats. I could feel Pepper’s revulsion. Looked like a close call. You guys have certainly screwed the world up since I’ve been gone.
For the Gifted, it’s incredibly messed up. I wondered if the Norms would agree with that. With one government, there weren’t any wars; the Gifted were collared, eliminating the collateral damage from powered fights. Things for the Norms were better, though they weren’t free, but was anyone ever truly free?
You need to boot these Protectorate goons. Bust out the Gifted. You’d be a freaking hero.
I don’t know. Right now, we are trying to get Waxenby someplace safe. It shocked me a bit to realize I had no plans beyond getting back to Castle. Had I ever had a plan? In Redemption, I had limited choices. Granite Falls offered a few more, but most jobs Gifted did were either menial or dangerous. Was being a janitor or working in a grocery store better than working in the mines or the smelting factories? The people who hired Gifted wanted cheap, replaceable workers. In a flash of understanding, I realized something that bounced loudly in my head. My future died the day I was collared.
That royally sucks. Grim Reaper liked the new world order, but he’s scum.
Could you talk to him like you do me? Trapped in his cesspool of a mind would have been a cruel fate for anyone. I focused on walking for a minute while we climbed a set of stairs back to the safehouse where Mom and Molly were hopefully hidden.
Boulder found a latch and opened the door. It swung in smoothly, barely a whisper of sound escaped.
A sharp metallic noise came from beyond the door. “Step in slowly, hands where I can see them.” Mom. I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. She was safe.
Dad stepped through the door first, pulling off his helmet as he went in. She slung the gun over her shoulder and hugged him fiercely. Warden led the rest of us into the cavernous supply room. Mom seized me in her iron bear hug, then checked me for wounds. For a small woman, she could crush you good. Abby had her turn in the hug-o-matic and body scanner, once she’d set an unconscious Waxenby against the wall.
Warden, Izanami, Molly, and Specter had a much different reunion. Salvo’s death was reported, and Molly wept while tears ran down Specter’s face. Boulder stood apart from the group, head bowed. Warden said something else to the group. Molly ran and threw herself at Boulder. He flinched but caught her.
“It’s not your fault,” she said around her sobs. “Those bastards killed him.”
Boulder’s shoulder slumped. “No, I killed my best friend. I couldn’t stop myself.” Tears streamed as he held Molly as gently as a porcelain doll.
I turned away to give them some privacy.
Pepper wasn’t having any of that. You shot that thing off his back. You need to tell him, so he knows what happened.
I’ll tell them later. I didn’t want to intrude on their grief. We had to get back to Atlanta and then to Castle.
I swear she kicked me in the brain as pain shot through my head. Do it now, Tommy. Sometimes there is no tomorrow!
Okay, I will. Stop whatever it is you’re doing. Geez. My own personal Jiminy Cricket is a pain in the ass.
“Excuse me.” All eyes turned to me. Boulder released Molly even though they both still cried. “Um, so during the fight, I saw Boulder.” I ran a hand over my face trying to think of how to phrase it. “Well, I saw him…”
Warden came to my rescue. “When Salvo died?”
I flushed. How could I be so bad at speaking to people? “Yes, ma’am. Just after it happened, I saw something clinging to Boulder’s back. I shot it, and Boulder returned to normal. I think it controlled Boulder, made him do it.”
Warden laid her hand on Boulder’s arm. “Pull it together, Boulder. There will be time to mourn once we’re safe. The same thing happened to me. I couldn’t control the storm while it had me.”
I might be able to help. Grim Reaper used a Gifted called Parasite. I don’t know the details, but Reaper used him to control others when he wanted them to do something they wouldn’t.
That would explain what happened. I repeated what Pepper had told me, though I spun it like I’d heard Reaper ordering Parasite around.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Dad said as he watched Waxenby. “I wondered how they got Oliver to use his shields to protect Grim Reaper.”
Warden turned to me. “Speaking of Grim Reaper, where is he?”
“Gone,” I said, not wanting to explain what had happened.
Warden’s eyebrows shot up. “Gone? GONE? You’re going to have to do better than that. One of the most dangerous Gifted around and all you’ve got is gone?”
I froze, not knowing what to say. Dad pulled me aside, telling Warden. “Give us a minute, please.”
Warden’s face reddened. “I don’t think so. You big-time heroes always leave us out but not anymore. If we’re working together, then no more secrets. I lost a man tonight.”
Mom moved between us, but Dad held up his hands. “Everyone calm down. Susan, can you check Oliver?” Mom glared at him but went to do as he asked. “Unless I’m mistaken, Tommy is protecting one of our friends. If you’ll give me a moment with my son, I’ll clear things up.”
“Make it fast.” Warden stalked to her team, a thunderhead of pent-up fury. If death rays had shot from her eyes, destroying me, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Mom and Abby stood close by watching. I didn’t miss the fact that Mom had her hand on her pistol.
Dad put his head close to mine. “This is about the Council?”
“Yeah.” I kept my voice low, trying not to be overheard. “Some woman, she called herself Yelena, took him. She mentioned Eiraf picking me for her cause. She must be part of the Order of Midnight. She said she wasn’t done using Grim Reaper.”
I glanced over to see Warden’s face as she stared daggers at me. We couldn’t afford to lose her trust, but I’d promised Alyx as well.
Dad rubbed his eyes. “Handing out tactical details is usually on a need-to-know basis, but given the circumstances, we’ll have to concede this is necessary. I’ll try to cover this, but I doubt she’ll accept an explanation from me. Tommy, stick to the basic story and leave out the more interesting details. We can fulfill her request without divulging everything we know.”
I nodded. We returned to face the group.
“It’s as I thought, we were asked not to discuss this particular matter.”
Warden cut him off. “Isn’t that convenient?”
Dad interrupted before she could go any farther. “But you are right. You’ve fought and bled with us and deserve to know what happened. I can explain it.”
“No, I want to hear it from Tommy. Sorry, Ranger, but I’m done trusting you until I get some real answers.”
Heat poured off Mom. “You listen here…”
“Enough. I’ll explain as much as I can.” This had to stop before it got any worse. I checked my parents. Dad gave me his ‘I tried’ look and stepped back. It took Mom a few extra seconds before she nodded, but it didn’t stop the glare she shot Warden.
Pepper and I had a brief aside. You’ve got this. I saw what happened; there was nuthin’ you could do.
You mean there was nothing a male could do.
Pepper laughed, and it helped loosen me up.
I cleared my throat, collecting my thoughts. “After the fight, I went to check on Grim Reaper. While I was there, a woman appeared—”
“Appeared?” Warden sounded a lot like Mom when she badgered a witness on the stand. I fought back a smile as I realized this wasn’t any different than dealing with Mom when she was angry.
“Yes, ma’am. The sound of the storm stopped, and a woman appeared next to Grim Reaper. She goes by Yelena.”
Molly cocked her head, a very birdlike gesture. I wondered if she took on attributes of the animals she became. “Was she a Gifted? I haven’t heard her name before.”
“I don’t think so.” I glanced at Dad, and he nodded for me to continue. “I think she’s a warlock like Alyx the Summoner. She told me she needed Reaper for her plans, so she took him and vanished after that.”
Warden’s eyes narrowed a moment before nodding. “Oh, I’ve met Alyx before, so I see where you’re coming from. I don’t like it, but...” She let out a deep breath before continuing. “Did she give any indication of her plans?”
The conversation may have gone on, but a red flashing light and a low alarm went off in the safehouse.
Molly’s face had lost all its color. “The base is under attack. We’ve got to help.”
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