“I need your officers conducting crowd control. However, it just so happens that several crates of TaseBolts recently arrived, Lieutenant. I’ll be happy to have our people train your officers as soon as possible.”
Lieutenant Doral nodded with appreciation. “Thank you.”
“So, once we save Blake, then we work together to take down The Order and bring Victor in?” David asked.
Quinn nodded. “Yes.”
Everyone around him nodded their assent.
“Great, now we just have to choose where. It would help if we knew where Blake lived.”
“Oh, I thought you knew already,” Ana Maria said, looking at him with concern and surprise.
“Hell no, I can never find him when I fly around Portsmouth.”
“That’s because he lives in a condo on Badger Island.”
Are you kidding me? Quinn sighed. “That explains why I never found him. I tend to avoid flying near the shipyard, so I don’t tip him off to my reconnaissance flights. I can’t believe he was right under my nose all this time.”
“So, this begs the simple question: when do we attempt to rescue Blake?” David asked.
“As soon as my people train the police on how to use the TaseBolts,” Agent Hartman said.
“And how long will that take?”
Agent Hartman glanced at Lieutenant Doral. “A couple of days, assuming the police can rotate through training during their shifts.”
Doral nodded. “Yes, I’ll make sure the staff sergeants arrange for that. Let’s say three days, can it wait until then, Quinn?”
“Yes,” Quinn replied.
“Very well, then,” Ana Maria said. “Quinn and I will come up with a feasible plan to lure Blake someplace where we can capture and free him from the micro bug. We will make sure your people surround the location beforehand.”
Once again, they all nodded in the meeting adjourned. Quinn smiled, eager and hopeful to have his friend back.
18 | A Whole New Level of Low
Blake
The evening of the first day of Hanukkah arrived, and so did Absalom Miller—an added bonus Blake eagerly anticipated. Surprisingly, the Archimandrite and his wife pulled up to Keegan’s home in an expensive-looking sedan without a compliment of security.
His family mustn’t know…which means he hides that part of his life from them.
Flying high above the Miller’s home, Blake circled a few more times before swooping down and landing near the front door. Inside the house, he heard excited voices greeting one another. He approached and knocked on the door.
Keegan’s mother opened the door and looked at him with concerned eyes. “Yes, can I help you?”
“I’m one of Keegan’s friends. Is he around?”
“Yes, but this isn’t a very good time, you see, his grandparents…”
Blake studied her facial features and interrupted her. “I know, it’s the first day of Hanukkah. I’m actually here for Absalom, too. By the looks of it, he’s your father, right?”
“Y-yes.” She frowned.
“Do you know what your father does for work, Mrs. Miller?”
She blinked and stared at him with annoyance. “Is this a prank?”
“What’s going on? I heard my name,” Absalom said, stepping closer to his daughter. When his eyes landed on Blake, his face turned pale with fear.
“You!”
“Hi, Absalom. It’s time we talk, don’t you think?” Blake stepped forward and pushed the door open, surprising Mrs. Miller.
Just inside, Keegan saw Blake and his face conveyed alarm. “Oh shit.”
“Language, Granny’s here.” Blake said, grinning wickedly.
“Excuse me, young man,” Keegan’s father said, incensed at the intrusion. He stepped forward to intervene, but Blake pushed him into a nearby doorframe where he hit his head, then slumped to the floor unconscious.
“Keegan, it’s nice to have your grandparents in town, isn’t it? Why don’t we all go into the living room and chat.”
“What do you want?” Keegan barked, but his voice wavered with fear.
“When I’m done here, you’re coming with me. But first, your granddaddy Absalom has a confession to make.”
“No, please, don’t endanger my family…my grandson” Absalom begged.
“What is he talking about?” Mrs. Miller asked.
Blake shut the front door behind him and then reached out and grabbed Absalom with his mind, lifting him off the floor several inches. Blake’s eyes glowed orange. “I said, let’s go into the living room and talk. You already know what happens when you piss me off, don’t you, Absalom?”
“Oh, my goodness, it’s you!” Mrs. Miller said, surprised, backing toward another doorway.
“Do what he says,” Keegan’s grandfather croaked out.
“That’s right. Please lead us to the living room, Mrs. Miller, right now,” Blake ordered, advancing on her and pulling Absalom through the air behind him. A minute later, everyone was in the living room and Blake released Absalom. The man fell into a seat on the couch.
Blake sat in the armchair next to him and powered down his eyes. “Now, you’re going to tell everyone what you really do for work.”
Absalom sighed and his wife looked at him with worry in his eyes.
“Just tell them the truth, Abby,” she said.
“Mom, what is he talking about?” Mrs. Miller asked.
Absalom seemed to age in seconds as he cleared his throat. “Keegan, I had hoped to introduce you to my line of work at a different time and place, but…”
“Get on with it,” Blake growled.
“I don’t work for a Wall Street financial firm,” Absalom said.
Keegan looked at his grandfather with wide eyes. “Wait, so you don’t work for Morgan Stanley?”
“No,” he replied.
“What?” Mrs. Miller said, startled by the revelation.
Keegan folded his arms. “But you always give me a check at Hanukkah for my Morgan Stanley college fund.”
“That has always been true,” Absalom said. Then, he explained his involvement with The Order, but slanted the story to favor developing technologies for weather control to avoid catastrophic weather events.
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Mrs. Miller said, glaring at Blake.
“Keep going, Absalom.”
“One of our facilities is responsible for the creation of Dark Flame and Blue Spekter. As I understand it, the boys were camping with their families over Labor Day weekend and wandered into one of our energy facilities in the woods of Maine. They accidentally triggered the process that dowsed them in a stream of pure orgone energy. They should have died, but they survived and gained superpowers. They are living miracles.”
“How do you know we should have died?” Blake pressed, gloating as the man became uncomfortable. “What happened before that would make you think we should have died?”
Absalom sighed again and nervously cleared his throat. “There was an initiative in the 1960s, well before my time in The Order or my status as an…Archi…a council member. During the height of the Cold War, private organizations such as The Order sought to make a profit by innovating creative solutions that could secure global safety. One of these initiatives was called Project Genesis, and its goal was to infuse humans with orgone and create superhumans who could police the globe and keep the planet safe.”
Keegan’s family looked at each other with wonderment.
“The program failed and was abandoned shortly after it started. However, when Blue Spekter appeared on the scene, we realized Quinn—and later Blake—survived the orgone infusion that induced the accidental awakening of their powers. One of our operatives convinced us to pick up where we left off with Project Genesis II…and so, we have.”
Blake smirked and took over the story. “That operative’s name is Victor Kraze and he insisted on training me and Quinn, so we could help The Order take out anyone who stood in its way.”
&n
bsp; “Take out? Do you mean murder?” Mrs. Miller asked, horrified.
Blake shrugged. “Is it murder in war? There are criminals and terrorists across the planet who walk around unchecked and unpunished. That’s what I was promised; an opportunity to build a grand, new world order that would be safe from bombers and terrorists and everyone else who wants to blow someone up in the name of hate or religion. Imagine the peace and security we could have if we took out all the nasty people like that.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Keegan said.
“Hush,” his mother said.
“Except, Blue Spekter wants nothing to do with it. He would rather destroy The Order and let chaos rain instead of tackling the problem head-on.”
“Just what is it you’re trying to prove, here?” Absalom asked. “You murdered over half the Council in the name of what? Justice?”
“Not to mention what you did at the high school,” Keegan added.
Mr. Miller appeared in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. The sound of police sirens approaching trickled in through the walls and windows.
Blake smiled and looked at Keegan. “It’s a good thing your dad woke up and called the police. After all, they’ve done such a great job trying to stop me.”
“What is it you want with us?” Mr. Miller asked.
Blake raised a finger. “I wanted Keegan to hear the truth about the organization Quinn despises, and I wanted him to hear it from one of its leader’s mouths, that of his own grandfather. Absalom, tell him about the children.”
Absalom blinked with surprise. “What’s the children supposed to mean?”
“The ones I rescued at Mystic River.”
“Ah.” The man nervously wrung his hands together. “Some of our members sought to replenish our funds through less than moral means.”
“Less than moral?” Mrs. Miller asked. “What does that mean, dad? What kind of mixed up thing do you work for?”
Absalom sighed. “Some branches of the organization have ties to criminal organizations. We even founded some so that they would become lucrative sources of income. The Mystic River Plant in Boston was destroyed, presumably by Dark Flame, which created a small dent in our revenue stream.”
“Revenue stream?” Blake echoed. “Are you kidding me? That facility was a drug warehouse. I saw impoverished men, women, and children packing drugs and getting them ready for shipment to a whole bunch of New England destinations.”
“Is this true?” Mrs. Miller asked.
Mrs. Miller—the grandmother—was frowning at her husband as he told his story.
“I’m afraid it is, but that was Nigel Krause’s territory. That man is dead now because of you.”
“And what less-than-moral things fall under your territory?” Mrs. Miller asked, exasperated.
“That’s not the point,” Absalom snapped, finding courage in the face of adversity. “Dark Flame is right, if we could monitor and stop terrorism in the world, imagine what a safer place the world would be for Keegan. That’s why I do what I do…so my grandson can have a safer world than the one I grew up in. Think of how many people died at the hands of terrible dictators like Mao Zedong, Jozef Stalin, or Adolf Hitler. My family knew first-hand what it was to be under the oppression of the Nazi boot and when the war ended, a few of us vowed never again to let someone like those despots rise to power and desecrate the humanity of this beautiful planet. When our technology is perfected, we will have the final say, and we will be able to eliminate anyone who threatens us.”
“Us?” Keegan said. “It sounds like you’ve become the very thing you want to prevent. If Hitler hadn’t committed suicide, he would have been tried for crimes against humanity. Are you next?”
Blake smirked. “Get your coat, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving? What do you mean?” Mrs. Miller asked, her voice panicked.
“Not you, I’m taking Keegan with me.”
“If Blue Spekter shows up, tell him to look up.”
“I’m not leaving,” Keegan said defiantly.
Blake turned and squared off with him. His eyes began to glow orange. “Get your coat or you will freeze to death. You won’t get a third chance.”
Keegan swallowed nervously and then dashed through the living room to the coat closet and grabbed a heavy winter coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Immediately, his mother and grandmother fell into a fit of hysterics while Absalom shrank into his seat, looking embarrassed and disappointed.
Mr. Miller stepped forward. “You’re not taking my son.”
Blake raised a hand and froze him in place. “I’m going to take him and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. If you’re lucky, I won’t have to hurt him…much.”
“Dad, it’s okay,” Keegan said.
“No, it’s not,” Mr. Miller said, but he didn’t try to stop Blake.
When Keegan was ready, Blake grabbed him by the right arm and marched him outside. A number of police cars had pulled up and the officers with drawn guns immediately pointed them toward the sky when they saw Dark Flame had taken a teenage hostage.
“You don’t have to do this, son,” one of the officers shouted
Blake ignored him and wrapped his left arm around Keegan’s chest. “Here’s the only part you’re going to like.” Then, he took off with Keegan, leaving his family screaming at the police who knew they couldn’t do a damn thing except radio for backup and hope Blue Spekter would arrive.
Keegan didn’t say a word while Blake soared over Portsmouth, probably out of amazement or the sheer fear of being dropped. Blake flew out over the Piscataqua River and then ascended until he landed on top of the snow-and-ice covered Portsmouth tower of the Memorial Bridge—the same tower Hector Rodriguez had fallen from. Then, he let Keegan go. Keegan backed away from the edge, and Blake sensed he was afraid of heights.
“Are you going to kill me like you killed everyone else?” Keegan asked.
Blake smiled wickedly. “Oh no, I need you alive or he won’t come. Besides, I didn’t kill anyone at school.”
“He won’t come…Do you mean Quinn?”
“Yes, your precious boyfriend,” Blake replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm and hate.
“Um, we broke up…uh…when I found out he was Blue Spekter. I don’t think he’ll be coming for me.”
“Then you’re an idiot. I’ve known him for years, and if there’s anyone who loves with a steady, true heart, it’s Quinn. Don’t worry, he’ll find you, and when he does, well…spoilers.”
19 | Heart Wrench and Desperation
Quinn
Quinn’s cellphone rang and vibrated in his bedroom, but he ignored it because he was using the restroom. A moment later, it rang again, but there was nothing he could do.
Then, it rang a third time.
Come on, can’t I have a few minutes of privacy?
When he finished his business, he crossed the hall, walked to his desk, and picked up his phone. There were two missed calls from Keegan and one from Lieutenant Doral.
Huh, I wonder what’s up.
A moment later, his phone chimed three times as three notifications of new voicemails appeared on the screen. He played the first message and tried to decipher what Mrs. Miller was shouting into the phone, but she was hysterical and nonsensical. The call cut out and the second voicemail began playing. This time, it was Mr. Miller. His voice was panicked and emotional.
“Quinn, we need your help. Blake took Keegan, but we don’t know where.”
“He kidnapped him,” Mrs. Miller yelled in the background.
“Please come over right away,” Mr. Miller said. The voicemail ended and Quinn’s stomach dropped to his knees.
Holy shit!
The third voicemail began playing, and Lieutenant Doral spoke. “Blue Spekter, there is no easy way to say this, but Dark Flame attacked your boyfriend’s home and kidnapped Keegan. The family wants to see you right away. We are en route, please keep me informed.”
Shit!
Quinn panicked and thumbed a text back to Lieutenant Doral.
“Dads!” Quinn shouted, his voice much louder than anticipated.
“What’s wrong?” They shouted from the living room.
Quinn zipped around his bedroom at super speed and changed into his super suit.
“Blake kidnapped Keegan!”
Footsteps pounded through the house and up the stairs as his dads raced into his room.
“What did you say?”
Quinn was paranoid, out of breath, and became frantic as he pulled on the pants of his super suit. “I just got calls from Keegan’s parents and the police. Apparently, Blake attacked the house and took Keegan.” His stomach twisted when the words came out of his mouth, and he wiped tears that streamed down his cheeks.
He tried to pull on his super shirt, but it was backward, and the sleeves were tangled.
“Easy, buddy. Let me help you,” Dad said loudly as Daddio came around to embrace Quinn. Quinn surrendered his shirt to his father, who flipped it inside-right while Quinn wept softly into Daddio’s embrace.
“He’s going to be all right, because you’re going to save him,” Daddio said.
Quinn took a deep breath and nodded, then reached for his super shirt. Dad handed it to him, then helped position the cowl over his head and face.
“Be careful,” Dad said as Quinn pulled on his boots and slid the belt into place.
“I will, I promise,” Quinn said, tucking his phone into the waistband pocket. Then, he rushed to the window, raised it, and jumped out. He took a deep breath and flew as fast as he could without breaking the sound barrier to Keegan’s house in New Castle, a trail of blue light streaking behind him.
He landed hard in the driveway of the large house and surprised the police officers standing near their patrol cars. One of them waved him on. “Go inside, Blue Spekter, they’re waiting for you.”
Blue Spekter jogged to the front door and opened it. Closing it behind him, he walked into the living room. When Mrs. Miller saw his glowing blue form, she screamed and ran at him, tears flowing down her panicked face. “If only you worked with Blake, none of this would be happening right now,” she cried out.
Ultimate Sacrifice Page 20