Supernal Dawn

  Aegis ran past, barreled straight into Frank. The world became a blur, as Lee forced his will upon her body. He made her organs mend, rebuilt bone and sinew, repaired every muscle, but the spark just wasn’t there.

  So he gave her his own.

  “God damn it,” he cried and dropped to his knees. He sent shocks through her spine, into her brain. “Get up!”

  Aegis was thrown through a wall. Frank crushed demons underfoot, as he came down the alley toward them. Flare grabbed Lee by the collar, tried to pull him away, while Keys stood her ground. She tried to conjure another portal, but Frank dug his fingers into the wall and pulled away a brick. He threw it at her so fast she had no chance to react. It struck Keys in the head, crumbled to dust with the impact. She went down on her back beside Lee, blood running down her face.

  Lee’s entire body shook with the effort. He refused to give up, to give in. He had no offense of his own, no way to stop Frank, to save his team, his friends. No one had to die. He knew in his very core he could still save her.

  Once again, he screamed at the corpse that was Tammy, a raw and guttural roar that brought to bear all his power.

  “Get up!”

  Frank was nearly upon them, each step he took a bloody promise.

  “You should’ve left,” he said, his voice as gravelly as the debris underfoot, “when you had the chance.”

  Tammy’s eyes opened, both irises a brilliant blue.

  Flare hauled Lee back and dragged him away. His sister was there, too, with Tinker and XTU. The officers fanned out, stun and foam guns in hand, in full body armor and helmets. They formed a protective line in front of Lee’s team.

  Tammy stood, her eyes glowing the same ghostly shade of Lee’s swarm when he was stressed. She let loose a series of energy waves that struck Frank from behind and sent him sprawling through the police. Again and again, the waves struck without relent, killing XTU officers, shattering the ground, snapping Frank’s bones as fast as they could heal.

  Everyone scrambled to get away. Lee was in shock, both at what he’d done and from sheer exhaustion. He heard a roar and Ember’s voice, saw Frank get up and force his way past them. Lee’s vision started to blur.

  “He’s running!” a man yelled.

  “Don’t let him get away!”

  Lee tried to focus, on the people and voices, the turmoil all around him, but the world stuttered and grew fuzzy at the edges.

  Then everything went black.

  - Ember -

  “Does it hurt?” Ember toyed with the container of tongue depressors while they waited for the doc to return and give Allison her release form.

  “Not as much as you’d think.” Allison finished dressing and tugged the hem of her white shirt down. She wadded up the used paper jacket and tossed it into the recycling chute. “Thanks for staying with me.”

  “I only offered because I figured they’d kick me out.” Ember made a face at her friend.

  Allison laughed. Her face was pinched and more pale than usual, and her dark curls were coming loose from her braid.

  “Liar. It does hurt.” Ember opened a cabinet to peer inside.

  Allison glanced around the room and shook her head. Shut up! she signed, closing her fingers and thumb over her lips. “Honestly, it just kind of burns. From the inside out.” She pulled her sleeve down over her freshly bandaged wrist.

  Sorry. Ember signed back, attempting to ignore the crowd of ghosts that had gathered to hover nearby. They seemed to be attracted to Allison, yet unable—or unwilling—to get close to her. Only, Ember couldn’t figure out why that would be. In her experience, ghosts rarely hung around the living, unless they had some previous attachment to the person. That is, with the exception of mediums. And some witches. Ember thought about her Great Aunt Callia and the way she’d been able to readily commune with the spirits, especially toward the end of her life. She flicked that thought aside and moved her hands rapidly. You sure you’re okay?

  Yes. Allison’s signing was emphatic. “I think you better toss those,” she said, pointing to the wad of cotton balls Ember had dumped on the counter. “It’s not like they can use them now.”

  “Is cotton recyclable?”

  Allison shrugged.

  Ember swept the pile of cotton balls into the refuse chute and let the lid snick shut.

  “Level One Alert.” Ember jumped at Zeta’s sudden interruption. “Flux, suit up and report to the helijet pad on the double.”

  Allison reached the door ahead of her and swung it wide just as Doctor Sellings, the team’s physician, came down the hallway.

  “Sorry, Doc, gotta go.” Allison brushed past and was already jogging toward the exit.

  “I haven’t completed your release.” The silver-haired man waved a paper at her. “And you need to fill this out.”

  Ember grabbed the paper from him as she passed. “Got it doc. She’ll interoffice it back to you after the mission.” She lengthened her stride to catch up with Allie.

  They were suited up and ready to go in under five minutes. “I think that’s a record,” Ember said, as they headed out.

  “Hang on,” Allison called. “Where’s Lee?” She stopped outside his door, still opaque for privacy, and knocked. The glass cleared and Lee became visible on the other side. He was still wearing his whites.

  “We got the call,” Kevin yelled when he saw Lee.

  “Gimme a minute,” Lee said, his attention on his laptop.

  “Suit up! You’re gonna make us late,” Brody growled. “Again.”

  “Come on.” Ember grabbed Allison by the arm. “Lee! Let’s move!” she called over her shoulder, as she and Allie left the pod.

  He shouted something back, but she couldn’t make out his words.

  Brody passed them on the way to the elevator. “He better get there before liftoff.” He shoved his thumb onto the print scanner and the doors opened. “I’m not taking the ding for him.”

  They’d just settled into their seats when Lee came crashing up the ramp.

  Allison looked up and patted the seat beside her. “Can you look at this?” She held out her bandaged arm.

  He lifted the cotton wrap and eyed the angry sore. “You should have gone to medical about this.”

  “Jeez, Lee. That’s where the bandage is from.” Ember shook her head at him.

  “How’d you even get cut?” Brody asked, surprise showing in his brown eyes.

  Allison shrugged. “My power. It’s like I’m burning myself when I use it.”

  Ember slumped in her seat, worry eating at her. What if Lee couldn’t heal her? And would all of them have symptoms like Allison’s as their powers grew and changed? She stared down at her hands, barely hearing the conversation going on around her.

  Allison’s skin flashed and Ember blinked against the brightness, fear gripping her. Allison just smiled and breathed in deep. Flare was a good handle for her. Her skin seemed to glow against the frame of dark curls that always seemed to spill out from whatever clip or tie she tried to put it in.

  “Thank you.” Allison gave Lee’s hand a squeeze and Ember saw the tips of his ears redden. She’d have razzed him about it, but she didn’t want Allie to think she had a problem with her liking her brother. Ember glanced at the pair, and a twinge of jealousy caused her to look away. The craft set down and the door opened, the ramp extending before she could decide which of them she might be more envious of.

  “Boots on the ground.” Aegis led the way.

  Ember followed him out into the parking lot of what had once been a well-maintained apartment complex. Now, what remained of the landscaping was either overgrown with weeds or had gone brown from lack of water.

  “Hey.” Flare nudged her with an elbow. “Isn’t the mall nearby?”

  “I think you’re right.” Ember grinned.

  “Shoppers
beware!” The two said in unison, then high-fived.

  Tinker rolled his eyes, but Ember saw Keys’ mouth quirk up in an almost smile.

  “Let’s focus, girls,” Aegis said, earning him a dirty look from all three of them.

  “Women,” Keys corrected him.

  Looking distracted, Lee came down the ramp, unaware of Aegis’ frown. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the resounding crash, followed by the screams of people who hadn’t been able evacuate the area before the fighting started.

  In the park past the square, two figures stood opposite one another. One, a skinny teenager by the looks of him, was firing on the other, a much larger man, who seemed to be taking the blasts in stride. Another Super, a girl, ran toward them, lobbing balls of energy at the bigger guy.

  Ember watched the fight, calculating the Supers’ potential weaknesses. “Tammy and Daniel Sherwood,” Zeta informed her, then launched into their bios. “The other is an unknown.”

  Great, Ember thought, recalling their recent encounters with unknowns. Several close calls had left their team wounded and exhausted. Without Lee...She pulled her thoughts back from the idea.

  Flare bit her lower lip and rubbed at her recently healed wrist, probably thinking the same thing, as Aegis started giving orders and Lee began arguing with him. They’d disagreed before, but this time Lee was adamant.

  “Not my call. We follow orders,” Aegis said.

  “Let me guess.” Ember tried not to look bored. “Pairs? Circle around and close in?”

  “We have to surround all three,” Tinker said.

  “Exactly,” Aegis agreed. “Soften them up and keep them contained until XTU arrives, which should be in about three minutes.”

  Lee looked worried, but Tinker snorted. “We don’t need them.”

  “Usual pairs,” Aegis told them. “Flux and Flare go wide and head in from the right. Rem and Tink take left. Me and Keys will head straight up the middle. Don’t let any of them get away this time.”

  Lee frowned, his jaw clamped tight, as they headed out.

  “So, why don’t they just drop a truckload of foam on these jerks?” Flare asked as she and Ember moved into position, “save us some trouble.”

  “Maybe because they’d suffocate before the docs could get them back to base and un-encased from that nastiness?” Ember said. “I mean, we may all be super-powered, but we still have to breathe.”

  “Flux for the win.” Zeta validated Ember’s theory.

  Over the past few weeks, they’d developed an easy rapport, and Ember was glad to have the AI as her guide, though she wasn’t about to let on to Zeta she felt that way. “Points for me, then,” she responded to her handler.

  “I didn’t realize we were keeping score,” Zeta responded, then rattled off everything they knew about the Supers the team was closing in on.

  “Shall we?” Ember asked as they reached their position.

  Flare nodded her agreement and they headed for the fight.

  “That unknown Super looks dangerous,” Ember said to Flare as they neared their position. “There’s something—I don’t know—too confident about him.”

  “Name, Culvers, Jim,” Zeta broke in. “Previous occupation, nurse. Wife and child recently killed by Xeno gang activity. No STAMS data available.”

  Meanwhile, Keys was already tossing portals across the way, her slobbering little monsters popping out and howling as they followed her into the fray.

  They’d hardly gotten close when Aegis was flung backward, his head lolling on his shoulders and blood flying from his mouth and ears.

  One by one, Culvers picked the demons up and destroyed them, leaving a ring of small bodies around him on the grass.

  Tammy and Daniel kept at him, but his weapon and her powers seemed to be having no effect. Tammy dodged in too close, trying to get a better angle on him, and Culvers landed a solid hit. She went down with a thud and the resounding cracking of bones.

  Her brother roared out his anger and his weapon belched out a powerful energy burst that cut right through the bigger man’s shoulder.

  Culvers glanced down at the hole and Ember gasped as it repaired and reformed, faster than any healing she’d ever seen her brother manage.

  “Crap!” Flare shouted.

  “Think you can distract him long enough to get me in there?” Ember asked.

  Flare shuddered at the ear-piercing scream Daniel let out as Culvers ripped the kid’s arm from his body and threw it over his shoulder, but she stood her ground and held out her hands. “Just like we practiced it?”

  “Exactly,” Ember gritted her teeth and turned her hands toward Flare, shunting her energy in reverse and using it to channel more power into Flare’s fire as it lashed into the Super.

  Culvers bowed beneath the roaring blast, his skin crackling and peeling away as he fell forward, knees buckling.

  At the same time, Tinker hit him in the legs with some of his gadgets. They arced as they struck.

  Ember gritted her teeth against the smell of burnt flesh and closed in, reaching for what remained of the scorched Super’s bare flesh.

  “No!” Lee screamed.

  Ember didn’t even have time to blink. He was already healing. Just as she managed to make contact, wrapping her fingers around his wrist, his other arm shot out and gripped her by the throat.

  She gagged as his hand tightened on her neck, crushing her windpipe, choking off her air. She clawed at his fingers with one hand, trying to keep hold of him with the other, but he was too strong.

  She felt herself losing strength, the light greying, her vision narrowing to pinpricks. Then there was an explosion close by and she was flying through the air. By the time she thudded to the ground, her throat had opened enough for her to pull in a shuddery breath, one that was knocked right back out of her as she landed. Son of a—

  “Flux!” Flare was beside her, but Ember couldn’t raise her head to look at her. Go, she managed to sign. Help them. Help Lee.

  Flare nodded and stormed back toward the fight.

  The shouting and screaming continued, interspersed with explosions and energy blasts.

  Keys yelled something, but Ember’s ears were still ringing as blood found its way back through her veins. Her body recovered quickly. Either her regenerative powers had ramped up, or Lee had hit her with some of his healing cells.

  As her head cleared, a muffled shout overrode the rest of the yelling and screaming. “Goddamit! Get up!” Lee. His voice filled with anger and desperation.

  Something crashed nearby and demons squealed out in pain.

  “Get up!” her brother screamed again. Was he yelling at her?

  Ember pushed herself into a sitting position.

  Culvers was heading toward Lee, his gait filled with slow confidence. “You should’ve run,” he growled.

  Lee. Ember had to get to Lee. She stood, shaking off the dizziness that hit her. Her palms heating up as she crossed the square, picking up speed as she went.

  By the time she reached him, Tinker and Flare were yanking Lee back, dragging him away from Culvers.

  XTU had arrived. Officers in full gear formed a barrier between Culvers and the team.

  Across from them, Tammy stood, looking dazed, yet intense. Her eyes a dazzling blue. Suddenly, she let loose with burst after burst of searing energy, indiscriminate and deadly.

  The sound of Culvers’ bones snapping beneath the painful barrage could be heard between the chaos of explosions and the shouts of dying XTU officers.

  “Lee!” Ember screamed. “Get back!”

  Culvers was running, his bones healing as fast as Tammy shattered them.

  Shouts and curses rang out.

  Lee wobbled and collapsed in a heap.

  Ember dropped to his side, calling his name. “Lee! Oh, god, Lee!”r />
  “We don’t have time for this!” Aegis gripped her by the shoulders, careful not to make contact with her skin. “He’s getting away.”

  Ember dropped to her knees, shielding Lee as a blast of energy slammed into the ground beside them, shattering concrete and sending debris in all directions. The smell of ozone filled the air.

  “Dammit!” Ember leaped to her feet. “Stop! You’re attacking the wrong people.”

  But Tammy continued to blast at anything that moved.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Ember ran across the square, dodging Tammy’s blasts and leaping the trenches the fighting had gouged into the concrete.

  She reached out and grabbed the girl by the wrist and watched in horror as Tammy fell to the ground, dead.

  “What the hell?” Ember backed away, staring at her hand.

  “Not you,” Zeta said. “It was Lee.”

  “Lee?” Ember glanced back at her unconscious brother. EMTs hovering around him.

  “Saddle up!” Aegis shouted. “We’ve got a rogue Super on the loose.”

  “Flux,” Flare said, tapping Ember on the arm. “We gotta go.”

  “Lee is being tended to.” Zeta’s voice was firm. “You still have a mission to complete. Lives to save.”

  Ember wavered for a brief moment, then stormed after the rest of the team. “Yeah,” she muttered under her breath. “Lives to save. And assholes to make pay.”

  Thirteen

  Mon, Oct 3, 12:16pm

  - Lee -

  Lee woke on a stretcher, still at the scene and being tended by paramedics. His team was nowhere in sight. There were bodies sprawled outside the alley, and one of them was Tammy.

  “Oh, good,” Anna said, relieved, “you’re awake. Your vitals have been steady for two and a half minutes, but I was starting to get worried.”

  “What happened?” he asked and sat up. A paramedic tried to hold him back, but Lee waved him off, said he was all right.

  “Culvers ran,” Anna explained. “We’re tracking him best we can, with satellite and traffic cameras. The rest of the team is in pursuit. You can still catch them if you hurry.”