The Rise of Dark Flame
Page 4
Keegan chuckled and stepped behind Quinn, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders again. I’m really glad you’re not the shy type right now, but…I guess this is cool? It is a wedding after all and love is in the air, right?
“What did you think of the wedding ceremony, Keegan?” Dad asked.
Quinn smirked. I think it’s cute you guys are making small talk with him.
“It was really nice. I can’t believe they’ve been together for so long and only recently decided to get married. I guess people do things in their own time, right?”
Quinn admired how eloquently Keegan spoke with his dads.
Tim, or Dad, nodded. “They are a special couple. They’ve been extremely generous to so many in the area. Their work with Seacoast Outright has kept them busy and they have been helpful to many LGBTQ people, even us. In fact, if it wasn’t for Mark, we might not have been able to add Quinn to our family.”
“Wait, Uncle Mark helped me…I mean, helped you adopt me?”
Dad nodded. “Yep. Back then, same-sex couples struggled to adopt. He worked with the New Hampshire adoption attorney to change the laws so same-sex couples could more easily adopt in this state. Then, he advocated on our behalf and worked with the adoption agency that introduced us to your opportunity.”
“Oh wow, I never realized that was a problem back then,” Keegan said.
Daddio smiled. “Lots of things have changed in the past twenty years. LGBTQ people still have a long way to go, but hopefully some of the largest obstacles have been overcome.”
Quinn smiled and discreetly wiped a tear from his left eye. Never in his wildest dreams could he have predicted sharing a moment with his boyfriend and his dads while feeling comfortable being himself and safe in his surroundings.
❖
On the main deck of the Thomas Laighton, lights flashed and the driving beat of Celine Dion’s I Drove All Night encouraged Quinn, Keegan, his dads, and most of the wedding guests to enact their best diva renditions as they sang—no, screamed along with the chorus and danced their hearts out. As the song ended, the DJ slowed the dance floor music and filled the gently rocking room with soft, blue lighting.
Quinn looked around for his dads and saw them embrace for a slow dance together on the other side of the dance floor. I’m not sure why I care where you are, but I appreciate you guys giving me space with Keegan tonight.
Keegan smiled at him and extended his right hand, at which Quinn bowed and stepped close, putting his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. He rested his head on Keegan’s shoulder, feeling the sweaty dampness through Keegan’s shirt from the past hour of dancing.
Damn, you feel really good in my arms.
Keegan wrapped his arms around Quinn’s shoulders and Quinn closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing in his boyfriend’s embrace.
“I love holding you,” Keegan said.
Quinn chuckled. “I love being held by you. You make all the problems of the world fade away.” And you have no idea how important that is to me.
“Aw, babe. You’re too much.”
“It’s true,” Quinn argued, briefly lifting his head to admire his boyfriend.
“Well, thanks.”
They kissed, then tenderly rested their foreheads together.
“I’m really happy Uncle Mark and Uncle John allowed me to bring you tonight. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy this night with you.”
Keegan squeezed him and nodded, looking deeply into his eyes. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t found the courage to ask me out.”
Quinn nodded against Keegan’s forehead, then planted another kiss on his lips. I want to kiss you all night.
They tentatively pulled apart and Quinn held his breath. On the dance floor, no one noticed the shipboard lights flickering wildly. Making sure his dads weren’t watching, the boys lip-locked and kissed deeply. Keegan pulled him closer and Quinn melted into his arms. They pressed their bodies together, both realizing they could not separate for fear of someone seeing the embarrassing excitement in their trousers.
Spending more time with Keegan had been a welcome distraction after losing his best friend to Victor Kraze and The Order. Despite numerous questions from his friends and parents, Quinn kept his mouth shut and refused to reveal the true nature of their disagreement in order to keep them safe from any future super-powered entanglements.
Mr. St. Germain had encouraged him not to reveal his secret identity until he absolutely had to, mostly because he didn’t want Quinn to feel added pressure as he sorted out his new life. His mentor disclosed this was a gamble because technically, he could get into a lot of trouble encouraging Quinn to keep secrets from his parents. He hoped the nature of the secrets would earn him forgiveness if an unpleasant situation arose.
Over the past few weeks, several opportunities to be a superhero—mostly stopping petty thugs—kept Blue Spekter in the spotlight of conversation for the town and the local news. Each time, he brought the culprit to the police, and in one instance, he helped snag someone who thought they could outrun the police. Camilla Brenhurst, the news reporter, diligently covered the superhero phenomenon, but she still hadn’t publicly shared anything from the private interview he gave her.
But, this is not what Quinn wanted to focus on right now. He pulled his lips away and looked into Keegan’s eyes as they recovered, slow dancing together.
“Wow.”
Something flashed in Keegan’s eyes and he knowingly smiled as they kissed again. I could get lost in you forever.
Quinn felt a sharp pain inside his head near his right temple. He grunted in pain and surprise at the sensation. He pulled away from their kiss and grabbed the right side of his head.
“Are you okay?” Keegan asked, surprised.
Quick, make up a story.
“Yeah, it’s just a weird pain, I might need some water after this dance. I’m probably dehydrated from racing and not drinking enough today. Not yet though, it would be too embarrassing to let you go.”
“I know what you mean,” Keegan responded, a guilty look on his face.
A moment later, Quinn became astutely aware of Blake’s presence nearby. He rested his head on Keegan’s left shoulder and looked out the starboard windows of the ship.
Where the hell are we? How can I sense Blake when we’re at sea?
He could see Blake clearly in his mind, keenly aware of his proximity. Whatever Blake was doing, he wasn’t using his powers. Quinn’s eyes darted back and forth across the darkened horizon, searching for recognizable landmarks with his super vision. A moment later, he realized the Thomas Laighton was back in the harbor and they were approaching the naval shipyard.
The prison!
Quinn’s head jerked up and he stared into the darkness. Holy crap! The Order’s Portsmouth facility is inside the old naval prison.
“You all right?” Keegan asked.
Quinn turned his attention back to his boyfriend. “Um, yeah, sorry. I didn’t realize we were back in the harbor. I, uh…don’t want tonight to end.” But now, Blake knows that I know exactly where they are. I need to find out what they’re up to.
“I know what you mean.” Keegan smiled and pulled him close, licking his lips.
Yes, but now I have to figure this out…oh, never mind. Not now.
Quinn closed his eyes, tilted his head up, and met Keegan’s lips with his own again. But, he couldn’t focus. His mind pulled itself away from the moment and back to the naval prison as curiosity took over.
What are they doing over there? Does he live there? Is that where The Order’s Portsmouth base is? Has it been under my nose the entire time? No wonder I can’t find it…it’s the only place I can’t legally go.
Keegan pulled away. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“What do you mean?” Quinn asked, trying to feign surprise.
“I’ve kissed you enough to know when you’re distracted, Quinn. Right now, you’re distracted. What’s up?”
Keegan blinked nervously. “You want to walk across the dance floor right now? Like this?” He tilted his head and shifted his eyes downward.
“Uh, yeah. It’s dark, no one will notice. I really need some air, I’m hot.”
Keegan smiled and winked. “Yeah, you are, come on. Okay, crazy, let’s go.” He took Quinn’s hand and awkwardly led him across the dance floor to the stairwell. They climbed the stairs and walked across the top deck of the ship. On one of the benches, a couple was making out while several other people stood near the bow of the ship, taking in their return to port.
Keegan led Quinn to the starboard and aft corner of the upper deck. Quinn glanced at the naval prison, but it was dark and no lights offered any hint of activity or occupation.
Keegan settled against the railing, his back toward the prison and Seavey Island. “We’re crazy to be out here, it’s freezing. Keep me warm, hot stuff.”
Quinn smiled and stepped forward, sliding into his extended arms. Keegan pulled him close and Quinn nuzzled his nose into Keegan’s neck, keeping an eye on the prison. Blake’s presence subsided in his mind, which meant they had traveled beyond the proximity sense of Blake’s location.
“Wanna make out some more?” Keegan asked.
Quinn looked up. “Like you have to ask?”
“Best wedding ever,” Keegan teased.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
❖
Quinn tossed and turned in bed, anxiously drumming his fingers on his chest. He glanced at his alarm clock as his mind churned over the evening’s unexpected revelation about Blake and The Order’s whereabouts. The blue LEDs on his alarm clock switched; it was now two o’clock in the morning.
I can’t deal with this anymore. I have to know what’s going on over there.
He threw off the sheets and got out of bed, tiptoed over to his dresser and picked out some clothes. He dressed in some dark running pants, a T-shirt, and a dark hoodie, and then hovered through the house so he didn’t make the floors creak. Once he was at the back door, he opened and closed it quietly behind him, then made his way to the front yard. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he pushed off the ground and soared high into the sky until he leveled out and flew toward the naval prison. His flight path took him around New Castle Island and up the harbor until he stopped, hovering one hundred feet in the air over the churning waters of the Piscataqua River. He studied the old building carefully, noting there were no lights in the windows.
Hopefully, that means nobody’s home. The last thing I want to do is alert Blake to my reconnaissance by triggering this stupid sensing power.
He descended a bit and approached the main tower with caution, peering down and studying the surrounding grounds of the prison. He noticed several pairs of armed guards patrolling the old building in a counter-clockwise rotation. They carried assault rifles similar to the ones he and Blake saw up at Rangeley before they infiltrated the facility.
Quinn turned himself invisible and moved closer to the main tower of the old prison. He studied the green patina of the copper roof and saw someone—presumably The Order—had outfitted it with small antenna-like devices that could easily pass as cellular transmitters.
In each of the crenelated corner towers, Cloudbusters or similar looking technology pointed into the sky. Unlike the original, thick-tubed design he saw at Orgonon, these had been miniaturized to metallic rods that would be invisible to the naked eye on the mainland shores. Suddenly, he recalled seeing similar devices all over Portsmouth on buildings, telephone poles, the bridges, and other high points around the city.
They’ve turned Portsmouth into one big, inconspicuous orgone energy collector. But where is the reactor?
He flew over to the two older buildings next to the prison and checked them out. When he peeked at the windows, he saw they had been blacked out from the inside—thus giving the appearance of always being unoccupied. Intrigued, he flew back to the naval prison and tried to look through several windows, but they had been blacked out as well.
They’ve sure gone through a lot of effort to hide things from the world.
Confident Blake wasn’t around, he took a deep breath and flew back to the main tower and landed on it, instantly feeling a connection with the orgone in the building.
“This is it,” Quinn said softly to himself. This is the reactor. They must have hollowed out the main tower and built the reactor inside, which means the batteries are inside the prison building as well.
He squatted and touched one of the small Cloudbuster antennas and sensed the unusual energy moving through it. He took a deep breath as an intoxicating feeling overcame him.
This is really weird; I felt this up at Orgonon when we went back into the reactor to try and destroy it…it just makes me feel so…good…
He shook his head and allowed the strange feeling to pass. Then, he walked around the roof, looking for an entry point. The only hatch he could find was locked from the inside. Though he could have broken it open, he didn’t want to risk triggering an alarm or alerting Blake and Victor to his presence.
Maybe there’s a cracked window I can force open somewhere in the building.
He lifted off and flew around the tower slowly, examining the windows and searching for an entry point he could exploit. He noticed several security cameras and he double-checked his invisibility. Satisfied, he checked the windows on each floor, but soon realized the prison’s new tenants had taken numerous security precautions to keep intruders out.
He sighed in frustration, then looked down and watched a pair of guards turn toward and climb the exterior stairwell that led into the main tower of the prison.
Oh! This is my chance!
One of them placed his hand on a security panel near the door and it flashed green, then unlocked. Quinn swooped in and landed softly behind them. As the guards entered the building, two exited through the same door. As they greeted each other, he snuck into the building undetected, and found himself at the bottom of a stairwell.
He wrinkled his nose at the smell. The facility was old and it reeked of moisture and other unpleasant odors he couldn’t identify. The bottom of the stairwell led nowhere but up, so he floated upward through the center of the wall-hugging, concrete stairwell, careful not to make any sounds with his clothes. The only sounds that echoed around him were the booted footsteps of the two, non-speaking guards who climbed to the top floor of the tower. Quinn sensed the orgone on the other side of the interior wall.
I’m right about the reactor core’s location.
The guards unlocked and opened another door and Quinn followed them through. Now, he was in a familiar yet different octagonal-shaped chamber. Two suspended gangways, one beneath him, and one at his level, hugged the exterior walls, allowing for safe passage around the perimeter of the chamber. He stopped and studied the reactor core. He could feel his body absorbing some of the idle orgone energy in the chamber.
Wow, this reactor is huge. These gangways must connect the two sides of the building and be the only way across.
Like Orgonon’s reactor, hexagonal plates lined the walls of the chamber, separated by eight tubes filled with bright blue downward-flowing energy. In the center of the ceiling, a glowing blue-white ring on a conical silver thing with a different array of antennas pulsed with blue-white light. The mounted antennas pointed down to a larger, ten-foot in diameter metal platform in the concrete floor. He assumed it elevated just like the one in Rangeley.
The security guards unlocked another door, startling Quinn. He flew over to them and snuck through the door before it closed.
The large room looked familiar. Following the guards, he looked around at the computer consoles and the various status panels.
I’ve been here before...no wait…this is the control room. It looks like the one we busted up…okay, so they’ve
got some of the same tech running this thing. Good to know.
The guards continued and made their way through a doorway marked Security. He decided to study the controls and try to figure out how things worked. At any rate, he had to wait for the next walk-through to explore more of the facility undetected or risk setting off an alarm.
4 | Heart of Glory
Blake
Blake relaxed his body under the shower stream, letting the hot water soothe his sore back and arm muscles. Although he regenerated quickly, the intense training Ira and the other instructors put him through had begun to wear on his muscles. If he were only human, he would have been experiencing extreme fatigue and more soreness from the various fitness and training activities, but the mild discomfort he felt was consistent with post-workout muscle growth. These days, a hot shower and a little bit of time was all he needed to feel himself again.
When he finished showering, he dressed in the facility’s locker room. Like the one in Rangeley, at Orgonon, the modern looking space was always pristine and clean.
“Yo, Blake,” Ira said, poking his head into the men’s locker room.
“Yeah?” he answered, pulling on his standard issue two-tone, futuristic looking uniform tunic. The shirt and pants resembled better-fitting nursing scrubs and with the exception of the facility’s executive staff, everyone wore a version of the uniform.
“Victor wants to see you in his office when you finish up in here. I think he has an assignment for you.”
“Okay.” Finally, one step closer to taking over this racket. Maybe I should just bide my time a little longer and see what plays out…if I show my hand too soon, he’ll do everything he can to stop me. Victor is determined and a little crazy…I need to make sure he never sees me coming for him. I also need to make sure The Order won’t be a problem.
Ira disappeared, and Blake finished dressing, closing the auto-locking locker behind him. He made his way through the facility to Victor’s office.
Though it was larger than his space at Rangeley, Victor maintained a minimalist style of decor and kept the colors neutral with black and white furniture and accents. Soft lighting filled the room, an upgrade from the harsh fluorescent lighting that dominated Orgonon.