“Huh? What are you talking about?” Blue Spekter asked, powering off his blue glow.
Mr. Miller approached. “Blake told us you won’t work with him to help The Order secure the planet. That has to be why he’s kidnapped Keegan, because he knows that’s how to get to you.”
“What?” Blue Spekter asked, stunned. He looked around and saw two elderly people cowering in the living room. Those must be his grandparents, the ones from New York I was supposed to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with. But, what the hell did Blake tell them?
“Mr. and Mrs. Miller, I need you to trust me: Blake lied to you. I refuse to work with The Order because they’ve been lying to Blake from the beginning.
“And Victor Kraze?” Mr. Miller asked, then glared at Keegan’s grandfather.
Blue Spekter blinked, surprised to hear the name. “He’s the biggest liar of them all, Mr. Miller. One of the things The Order really wants to do is control the weather, but they lie and talk about avoiding disasters when they full-well can create weather disasters wherever and whenever they want on the planet. Unfortunately, it gets worse. When they figured out Blake and I survived our accidental exposure to orgone energy, Victor and The Order decided to focus on creating more super-powered humans to bring some kind of new order they could control to enforce peace in the world. But, they were smart enough to realize they needed a way to keep their super soldiers in line, so they created a microchip that would make them more obedient and less capable of thinking for themselves. One of those chips is in Blake’s head and it’s malfunctioning. I need to get rid of it to bring Blake back from the madness he’s been subjected to. Then, we can take down The Order once and for all and stop them from creating more of us and taking over the planet.”
Blue Spekter’s voice wavered and became filled with emotion. “Please believe me, even though we broke up, I love Keegan with all my heart and I want nothing more than to save him. Is there anything you can tell me about where Blake might have taken him?”
Keegan’s parents looked at each other and sighed.
“Is he telling the truth?” Mrs. Miller asked her father.
Keegan’s grandfather cleared his throat and nodded. “He has more of the truth than that other disillusioned boy.”
He must mean Blake, but how would he know?
“And you are?” Blue Spekter asked.
“I am Absalom Miller, Keegan’s grandfather, and one of the few surviving members of the Archimandrion Council of The Order that Dark Flame hasn’t killed yet. I fear he used me to get to you through my grandson. I believe we were supposed to have met under better circumstances this evening.”
Holy crap.
“You work for The Order?” Blue Spekter asked loudly, advancing toward Absalom.
“Easy, Blue Spekter,” Lieutenant Doral. Blue Spekter spun around, surprised to see the lieutenant had quietly stepped into the room.
Mrs. Miller approached and lovingly placed her hands on his arms. She spoke with a shaky voice. “I know you love my son, and I know he was deeply in love with you. Cleary, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around, but right now, I need you to go save my son and kick that bully’s arse.”
Blue Spekter smiled and nodded. “Do you have any clues?”
“The only thing Dark Flame said was, ‘If Blue Spekter shows up, tell him to look up.’”
“Look up,” Blue Spekter repeated, unsure of the hidden message.
“It’s a trap,” Doral said.
“It’s Blake, not an army. There’s no trap.”
“Maybe,” Doral replied.
“Look up,” Blue Spekter repeated.
“There isn’t much in Portsmouth that’s very tall, except for North Church and the bridges,” Doral commended.
“He’s on top of one of the bridges,” Blue Spekter said. And I bet I know which one.
“Okay, so what do…”
“Tonight, I stop Blake, one way or the other. You and Agent Hartman should contact the team and tell them it’s going down tonight. Place troops with TaseBolts at Prescott Park, Great Island Common, and the baseball field near the naval prison. I’ll try to get him to one of those locations.”
“They’re not ready,” Doral protested.
“They’ll have to be, Lieutenant.”
❖
Blue Spekter shifted to invisibility and focused, masking his proximity by using the mental trick Ana Maria had taught him. Since it was a clear winter night, he flew high above New Castle and Portsmouth in hopes of spotting Dark Flame and Keegan. When he approached the Memorial Bridge, he spotted two people walking around the Portsmouth-side tower.
That’s them. Thank gawd, Keegan is still alive and he looks okay.
Keegan was standing still on one end of the tower, and Dark Flame was pacing back and forth, talking to himself—or Keegan—about something.
I need to get Keegan off the tower and then deal with Dark Flame. I just hope the DHS has enough time to get into position.
Careful not to tip off Dark Flame, he slowly descended and hovered behind Keegan. He extended his hands and steadily placed a hand in front of Keegan’s mouth.
Keegan sighed and shivered. Blue Spekter felt the warmth of his ex-boyfriend’s breath on the palm of his hand. Even though Keegan wore a hat, he could smell Keegan’s shampoo. Blue Spekter’s pulse quickened with emotion for a moment.
Stay focused.
He waited.
Then, Dark Flame turned away and paced to the other end of the tower.
It’s now or never.
Keegan tilted his head and cracked his neck, then Blue Spekter put his hand over Keegan’s mouth, stifling Keegan’s surprised grunt.
“Babe, it’s me, don’t freak out. I’m gonna get you out of here.”
“What?” Dark Flame asked.
“Say nothing,” Blue Spekter whispered, releasing Keegan’s mouth.
“Nothing,” Keegan said.
“I’ll be back.” Blue Spekter whispered, then hovered up several feet. It seemed he successfully masked his presence because Dark Flame didn’t sense him.
Dark Flame glared at him and trudged toward him through the snow on top of the tower.
“I…I’m just cold, that’s all. Calm down,” Keegan said.
Dark Flame shook his head. “He’ll come, don’t worry.”
“I doubt it,” Keegan said. “I told you, I dumped him.”
“Idiot.”
Dark Flame turned and walked away, glancing over the edge of the tower at the moderately busy streets below.
Blue Spekter descended to Keegan and hovered behind him. “Don’t make a sound,” he whispered as he slid his arms around Keegan’s torso. Then, he focused, and Keegan became invisible. “Hold on.”
Blue Spekter ascended with Keegan, pulling him off the tower. Then, he flew away from the bridge and soared up Daniel Street to the downtown area.
“This is so cool!” Keegan whispered.
Blue Spekter smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, his super hearing heard Dark Flame swearing on top of the bridge, looking for Keegan.
Blue Spekter set Keegan down near Breaking New Grounds and became visible, startling a dog and several pedestrians. Blue Spekter glowed bright blue as he let go of Keegan and spoke with a reserved tone one might use to address an ex-boyfriend you’re still in love with.
“You’ll be safe here, but I don’t have time to bring you back to your house. Your parents are pretty freaked out, so find a way to call them. I have to go, now. I need to take care of Dark Flame before he figures out what happened. Um, bye.”
Blue Spekter turned to leave, but in a familiar move he wasn’t expecting, Keegan grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a kiss. Keegan pulled back and smiled. “Remember when I said I welcomed the chance to be proven wrong about Blue Spekter, especially by you?”
What on earth?
“Yeah,” Quinn said, his voice hopeful.
“I’m sorry. I was an idiot. Please…come back to me.”<
br />
Quinn smiled back. “I will.”
“Are you guys dating?” an excited ten-year-old asked. He was standing with his parents in a crowd of bystanders who watched them speak and kiss.
Keegan turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, we are.”
The little boy turned to his father and said, “That’s so cool! I want to date a superhero, too!”
“Um, okay…” the father replied.
Blue Spekter grinned and took off, then quickly shifted back to invisibility.
Thank you, universe.
For a moment, his heart felt free and light, secured in the knowledge he had a chance with Keegan again. The joy quickly faded.
Your time is up, Dark Flame.
20 | Try not. Do…or Do Not. There is no Try.
Quinn
Quinn knew it was time to destroy Dark Flame once and for all and save his best friend. Ana Maria better show up; I can’t do this alone.
Invisible and still masking his presence from a confused Dark Flame, he rocketed toward the Memorial Bridge and broke the sound barrier the moment before he collided with an angry and unsuspecting Dark Flame.
Blue and orange sparks erupted into the air and trailed behind them as Blue Spekter pushed Dark Flame off the bridge tower and aimed for the snow-covered field in the middle of Four Tree Island. Dark Flame landed with a thud and grunted when the frozen ground did not yield beneath him.
Blue Spekter pulled moisture from the air and wrapped it around Dark Flame’s body, leaving only his head exposed. Moments later, Dark Flame was encased in a tomb of solid ice.
“This trick again?” Dark Flame asked, quickly recovering from Blue Spekter’s assault.
Blue Spekter said nothing but leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Dark Flame’s head.
Here goes nothing.
Dark Flame screamed and then his body exploded with fire and heat, shattering the ice that encased him and knocking Blue Spekter back several feet.
Grunting with determination, Blue Spekter flew at Dark Flame, but Dark Flame took off and led Blue Spekter out to sea.
I don’t think so.
Blue Spekter accelerated and flew next to Dark Flame, then grabbed him and re-directed his flight down toward the Great Island Common beach. The boys crashed and rolled together in the snow and Blue Spekter jumped to his feet faster than Dark Flame could recover.
“Dammit!” Dark Flame shouted. Then, he brought his hands up and blasted Blue Spekter with fire from his hands.
“What the hell is your problem?” Dark Flame shouted.
“You are!” Blue Spekter yelled back, deflecting the flames around him with a defensive shield. He raised his hands and blasted the oncoming fire and flame with icy water. He advanced, pushing his powers to the limit as he tried to douse Dark Flame’s inferno of fury.
Remember, he needs to think he’s going to win. Just don’t let him compromise you, or this whole plan will have been for nothing. Now, ease off…
Blue Spekter backed off with the icy water barrage and let Dark Flame jump him.
❖
Blake
Dark Flame yelled as he pushed forward and overpowered Blue Spekter’s pathetic icy water powers with fire and flame.
I’m so over this.
When he was two paces away, he lunged forward and tackled Blue Spekter to the ground, but the superhero raised his knee and flipped Dark Flame over his body.
Recovering in midair, Dark Flame spun around and charged back at Blue Spekter, who was almost back on his feet. Dark Flame tackled him and dragged him across the park.
“You’re pathetic, you know that?” Dark Flame spat.
“At least I’m not desperate like you,” Blue Spekter fired back.
Dark Flame grimaced, then grabbed Blue Spekter by the left arm and leg and hurled him out to the river.
Blue Spekter spun through the air but recovered and the two boys flew toward one another and collided in midair. A loud, window-shattering bang and a shower of blue and orange sparks exploded between them and the sparks fell to the rushing river below.
Dark Flame reached for Blue Spekter, but the elusive hero was faster. Blue Spekter evaded Dark Flame’s grasp and grabbed him by the back of the neck, then thrust him down into the raging river. Dark Flame tried to stop, but the force of Blue Spekter’s throw and the force of gravity pulled him underwater. Dark Flame searched for the bright blue light above water and found it, then rushed at it with all the speed he could muster. His right shoulder sunk into Blue Spekter’s stomach, and his ex-best friend grunted and exhaled, then rocketed backward toward the beach.
Dark Flame flew after him and pounced on Blue Spekter, who bounced on the beach and sprayed snow and sand into the air. He coiled his arm back and punched Blue Spekter in the face. Blue and orange sparks exploded between them.
“You’re such a little shit, always getting what you want.” He punched him again, spraying blue and orange light into the air. “Now you’ve taken everything from me.” He landed another punch to the side of Blue Spekter’s head, and a flash of light exploded between them.
“I was right,” Blue Spekter said, coughing.
“Right about what?” Dark Flame asked, wrapping the fingers of his left hand around Blue Spekter’s neck.
“That one day I would have to stop you from doing something evil.”
“Fuck you,” Dark Flame snarled. “I’m not the fucking super villain in this story.”
“I know you’re not, Blake. But if you don’t let me help you, you will be.” Then, Blue Spekter swung his knees up and tried to flip Dark Flame over his head, but Dark Flame shifted his weight back to compensate. Unfortunately, that was all Blue Spekter needed to fly out from under him and kick him in the face at the same time.
Dark Flame grunted and grabbed his jaw as he fell backward to the snowy ground. He shook his head and looked around for Blue Spekter, but he had disappeared.
What the hell?
When he heard air whistling above him, he looked up.
Shit.
Blue and orange lighting sparked between them as Blue Spekter’s right heel slammed into his face and his left knee sunk into Dark Flame’s stomach. A blast of icy water from Blue Spekter’s hands slammed into his face and he sputtered in agony as Blue Spekter pressed him to the cold ground. “You know how this goes, Blake. I’m the only one who can pick up the loose ends of The Order’s accidental science experiment gone wrong because you’ve…”
Dark Flame growled and let his body erupt with fire and fury. Blue Spekter groaned and lost his footing as the sudden burst of scorching heat blasted him. This time, it was Dark Flame’s turn to escape. He coiled his knees up and kicked Blue Spekter hard in the back, knocking the hero forward. Then, Dark Flame sprang to his feet and roundhouse-kicked Blue Spekter in the jaw, slamming the hero face-first into the ground.
“Eat shit, Quinn.”
Dark Flame launched himself into the air and flew over New Castle Island toward the naval prison.
❖
Quinn
Not this time, buddy.
Blue Spekter rocketed after Dark Flame and chased him to the navel prison side of Seavey Island. Dark Flame spun around and Blue Spekter felt him reaching out with his telekinetic abilities. He went with it and allowed Dark Flame to throw him down to the island, where he bounced and slid across the icy, snow-covered grounds.
A number of marines scattered and took cover as a fire-engulfed Dark Flame landed on the island and chased after him. Blue Spekter backflipped to his feet and attempted to brace himself against the impending onslaught, but Dark Flame slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. Moving faster than Blue Spekter expected, Dark Flame pummeled him with left and right hooks that rocked his head to the left and right multiple times and sprayed sparks of blue and orange into the air around them.
Suddenly, Dark Flame yelled and was thrown off him. Hot searing beams of white energy crackled through the air above him and knocked the unsus
pecting Dark Flame to the ground. The beams stopped, and Blue Spekter seized the moment to flip over and jump on Dark Flame, pinning his wrists and legs with his hands and feet.
“You have to let me help you!” Blue Spekter yelled. “There’s a better way to do this.” You can show up anytime now, Ana Maria…that’d be great, thanks.
“You’ve taken my world away from me,” Dark Flame shouted, tears welling in his eyes.
“That’s not true, you’ve been deceived, and I want to set you free.”
❖
Blake
“Lies!” Dark Flame shouted with raw emotion, then he yelled and pushed Blue Spekter away. He slammed his fists on the ground and pushed himself to a standing position. Several guards to his right aimed their weapons at him, but Dark Flame reached out and tossed them back with his mind. Then, he extended his left arm and grabbed Blue Spekter in midair before the hero could tackle him again.
Blue Spekter whimpered and grunted with pain as Dark Flame held him.
“How does it feel, Quinn?” Dark Flame asked. He brought his right hand forward and spread the fingers of both hands a little and started stretching Blue Spekter, positioning his arms and legs straight out to his sides.
“How does it feel, Quinn, to be disassembled from the inside, to be the victim for a change, to feel your dreams…die?”
Blue Spekter cried out in agony as Dark Flame slowly pulled his bones apart, each one separating from its joint or socket. Several sharp cracks and pops perforated the air as Blue Spekter’s body succumbed to the unusual stresses Dark Flame exerted against it.
“Let me show you, you self-righteous hypocrite, what it means to truly suffer.”
Scalding pain caught Dark Flame in the back, and he stumbled forward and cried out in agony. Maintaining his hold on Blue Spekter, he turned and telekinetically crushed the two marines who had fired their TaseBolts at him.
“Blake, stop!” Blue Spekter yelled, his voice punctuated with pain. “Let me help you, please.”
“Why do you waste your time?” Dark Flame shouted back as another marine fired his TaseBolt at him.
Ultimate Sacrifice Page 21