“Got company!” Drew yelled.
I looked behind me as Drew fired towards the soldiers trying to fight their way inside the building. I grabbed Selena’s shoulder and pulled her in close. “Grab Doug and find somewhere to hide,” I told her.
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving and hiding somewhere!”
“Selena, you gotta get Doug to safety! Drew and I will hold them off for as long as we can so you can get out of here. You have to find help.”
Selena hesitated for a moment, but she knew by the look on my face that I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Okay, but you guys had better be right behind us, or I’m going to kill you.” She picked Doug up in her arms and took off running down a hallway to the back of the building.
I jumped up and took cover against the wall next to the small hallway that led to the front door. Drew stood opposite me with his back against the wall. I looked around the corner and saw three men coming towards us, guns ready. I made eye contact with Drew, and the two of us unloaded our guns down the hallway. The three soldiers who’d been advancing on us fell to the floor.
We fell back as more soldiers at the other end of the hallway fired at us. The bullets flew past us and destroyed the front desk to the visitor center, sending wood and pieces of paper flying everywhere. I winced, waiting for a bullet to hit me at any moment, but it didn’t come.
There was a pause in the gunfire, and a voice from the other side of the hallway shouted, “Surrender now! We have you surrounded!”
I didn’t doubt that. I did doubt, however, that they would accept our surrender. The same look of doubt was evident on Drew’s face. A shadow appeared in the flickering orange glow of the hallway. It stretched all the way down the hall and came to a stop at our feet. “Kane Andrews,” the person at the other end of the shadow said. “Surrender now, as the rest of your friends have.”
I recognized the voice.
“You’d better not lay a finger on them!” I shouted.
“Of course not. I would never, as long as you give yourself up and tell me where the asthenés plásma is located. You do that, and your friends can go free.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. It seemed I didn’t have a choice. We were outnumbered and outgunned. There were probably soldiers surrounding our entire building, and there was no way to escape.
I threw my gun down into the hallway. Drew looked at me, his eyes wide. I gave him a nod and looked down at his gun, and he got the picture. He sighed and threw his gun down as well.
I stepped out into the hallway, my hands up. All I could see was a silhouette because of the fire, but I only knew of one evil Super with a South African accent who knew what the asthenés plásma was.
“You’re a long way from home, Raven,” I said.
Raven laughed. “My home is wherever the asthenés plásma is. You’re more powerful than I believed, if you were able to fly the asthenés plásma all the way here.” He sneered and flicked his hand, and six of his soldiers came around the corner and down the hallway, guns raised.
Always a Super
They threw me to my knees on the gymnasium floor next to Selena. On the other side of her lay Doug, who was being stitched up by one of our soldiers who’d survived. There were seven of us in all in the middle of the gym: Doug, Drew, Selena, three of Colonel Graham’s soldiers, Eddie and myself.
Eddie looked at me with wide eyes. He was only sixteen years old, and his tan skin was all dirtied up. This was the first time in a long time that I’d seen him, as he was usually busy in some workshop tinkering with something, using his electric abilities to keep the power running. Raven’s men were all around, ready to shoot us if anybody did something they didn’t like.
Raven walked in, practically gliding across the floor. His black robes flowed behind him, and he showed all of his yellowed rotten teeth in an evil smile. Two soldiers flanked him, their guns at their sides.
“Hello once again, Kane. A pleasure to see you again, Selena,” he said with a chuckle.
Selena fumed next to me. I silently prayed that she wouldn’t do anything she’d later regret.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Raven, shifting on my knees. Kneeling on the hardwood floor was extremely painful.
“I thought I made that clear. I’m here for the asthenés plásma. You didn’t think you could just take it and I wouldn’t come for it, did you?”
“How did you know we were here?” I asked.
Raven smiled. “You have much to learn about the asthenés plásma, Kane Andrews. As a disciple and scholar of its teachings, it’s always calling out to me. There’s no place you can go that I wouldn’t find it.” Raven walked towards me. “That’s where you come in. I know it’s around here somewhere; I just can’t sense its exact location.” Raven turned on his heels and took a few steps. “Where have you hidden the asthenés plásma?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea where it is.”
Raven gritted his teeth, fuming. “Don’t lie or play games with me, Kane Andrews. You may be one of the most powerful Supers, but you’re no match for the asthenés plásma—especially when it’s at this level.”
“I swear to you,” I said. “I don’t know where they put it.”
Raven sighed and ran his fingers through his greasy black hair. Then he stormed over to one of his soldiers. “Give me this,” he grumbled under his breath, and grabbed the soldier’s handgun. He returned to us, cocking the gun. I held my breath, bracing myself for whatever he was about to do next, ready for him to shoot me, or torture me.
He didn’t come to me. He stood over Doug and, without hesitation, fired three shots into his chest.
Doug stopped breathing.
And I felt some of my power return.
Breakthrough
I jumped and lunged at Raven, tackling him to the ground. I grabbed his wrist and twisted, snapping it easily. He screamed in pain, and the gun fell out of his hand.
“Kane, run!” Selena yelled behind me.
I hesitated. I didn't want to leave them behind, but if I left I could come up with some sort of plan. I jumped off Raven and ran towards the door out of the gymnasium. Raven’s soldiers were so shocked that it took them a moment to compose themselves. They fired at me as I ran through the doors, wood and drywall raining down around me.
I turned to the right, running faster than I normally could, now that some of my powers had returned. At the end of the hallway was a set of stairs that led to the offices and supply closets on the second floor. I bounded up, taking four steps at a time.
When I reached the second floor, I ran down the hallway, doors leading to various rooms flying by on my left and right. When I reached the intersection of two hallways, I turned right. I stopped for a second, leaning up against the wall, breathing heavily.
Emotion came crashing down on me all at once. Sadness, anger, shock... Doug was really dead, killed by Raven. I had seen it with my own eyes—and had felt some of my powers return when he breathed his last breath.
I couldn’t help but smile. So Doug had been right all along. He really was a Super. I felt guilt flower inside me, growing by the second. We had always made fun of him, teased him—but we’d never believed him. We’d always told him he wasn’t a Super.
I buried my head in my hands. Why hadn’t we believed him? Why hadn’t we just let him believe that he really was one of us? I wiped a tear from my eye. I wanted nothing more than to go back and tell him that he was right. That he really was a Super.
My thoughts turned to my friends, down there in the gym. Raven was not going to be happy that I’d escaped. What if he took his anger out on them? I needed to come up with a plan fast. I had to save them.
I felt something tug at me.
I jumped back, scrambling to see what it was. My eyes glowed slightly, but I couldn’t see anything around me.
“Check upstairs!” I heard someone shout, followed by the sound of footsteps stomping up the stairs.
I felt the tug again, pu
lling me to the left. It was as if a string was tied to my chest, and someone was pulling on it, leading me someplace.
The footsteps reached the top of the stairs. I could see the beams from the soldiers’ flashlights flickering down the hallway.
With nothing to lose and no other option, I followed the tug to my left. It grew stronger the farther down the hallway I went. I ran faster and faster, trying to put as much distance between myself and Raven’s soldiers as I could.
I reached another intersection. I could keep going down the hallway ahead of me, or go down the one to my left, or to my right. I stopped and closed my eyes, focusing on the tug. It was pulling to the right, so I started running down the new hallway.
I ran down it for a few seconds, and then suddenly, the tugging was no longer there. I stopped as fast as I could, panicking. I spun around in the hallway, but nothing out of the ordinary caught my eye. I knew I hadn’t been imagining the tugging...had I?
I took a couple of steps backwards and once again felt the tug. A couple of steps forward and it was gone. Frustrated, I grabbed the doorknob of the door on my right. I swung the door open, but there was nothing but a water heater inside. I turned and swung open the door to my left—and was almost blinded by the bright white light on the inside.
Samantha jumped back, letting out a small yelp, shielding herself with the asthenés plásma. I jumped inside the closet, shutting the door behind me.
“Samantha, it’s okay,” I whispered.
Samantha set down the bottle and wrapped her arms around me. “I was so worried, Kane,” she whispered. “It sounded bad out there. Really, really bad.” She pulled back. “What’s going on?”
I wiped a tear away before she could see it. “It’s bad. Raven is the one who’s attacking. Apparently he could tell the asthenés plásma was here, and he got together some men to help him take it.”
Samantha’s gaze darted to the glowing bottle next to her. “So, he knows where we are?” she asked, the blood draining from her face.
“No, he just knows it’s around here somewhere. If I was able to find it, though, I’m sure it won’t be long until he does.”
“What do you mean, you knew?” Samantha asked.
“I can’t really explain it. Just trust me—we need to get out of here.”
“Okay,” Samantha said. She picked up the asthenés plásma.
I reached out for the bottle. “Let me take that.” I grabbed the handles, and as soon as I touched them, my eyes glowed as bright as they ever had. Then the entire room turned blue, and my vision went white. I fell to the floor, passing out.
Athena
I was standing over Doug’s body.
You know, Kane Andrews, a voice in my head said. It wasn’t Samantha’s. This one sounded a bit older. It was smooth and almost sexual in its tone. You know.
I looked up from Doug’s lifeless body. I was standing in the gymnasium, and from what I could tell, it was empty. There was a single light shining down on me, like a spotlight. I couldn’t see anything outside its radius.
A woman draped in beautiful silver robes stepped into the light. Her eyes glowed white instead of blue like all the other Supers. Her immaculate skin almost shone. Her thick, wavy black hair flowed with her every step. She smiled, comforting me.
“Hello, Kane Andrews,” she said. Her voice was the one I’d heard in my head moments ago.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“You’re in a broom closet with Samantha Trask. She’s trying to wake you,” she said.
I looked around. It didn’t seem like I was in a broom closet. This all felt so real. “So, this is a dream?”
The woman smiled and shook her head. She stopped walking on the other side of Doug’s body. I was mesmerized by her glowing white eyes. “No, Kane. This is not a dream.”
I tried to process what she was saying, but I wasn’t really following.
“My name is Athena,” she said, waiting for me to catch the hint.
It clicked. “Athena...like asthenés plásma?”
“Yes.”I stared at her, my mouth open slightly. “I can see now why Raven is so obsessed with you.” My cheeks flushed as soon as the words had left my mouth. “I, I mean—”
“I understand.” “So... do you live in the bottle, or something? Like a genie?” I asked.
Athena shook her head. “No, I’m not like a genie.”
“An alien?”
“No. I’m not entirely sure I believe in aliens, to be honest. I have a hard enough time keeping up with this world.”
I chuckled, but when I glanced down, I stopped. Doug’s dead eyes were looking up into mine, and I felt sick. “Why am I here?” I looked back up at Athena. “What’s going on?”
Athena stepped back, turning to face the darkness. “Before we begin, you should know that I have no allegiances.”
“I understand.” But I couldn’t believe that someone so beautiful and seemingly kind could ever help someone like Raven—although I quickly reminded myself that he did seem to gain a lot of knowledge from the asthenés plásma.
“Excellent.” Athena turned and faced me once again, the sudden light coming from her glowing eyes causing me to wince. “The reason you are here, Kane Andrews, is because I sensed your desire. You are powerful enough to summon me. Your desire is enough to warrant a response.” Athena looked down at Doug. “I can save your friend. For a price.”
I wanted to scream Yes! I wanted to tell her that I would do anything to save Doug. But her beautiful, mesmerizing face paralyzed me as she stepped over Doug’s body, putting her face just inches from mine. Her lips were close enough that I could feel her warm breath on my skin.
“Name it,” I said, forcing the words out, barely above a whisper.
She stepped behind me, but I couldn’t turn to look. She appeared on my left, her lips inches from my ear. “A favor,” she whispered, sending chills down my spine.
“A favor?” I swallowed hard, wetting my dry throat. “A favor is all?”
Athena stepped back and gave a laugh that echoed across the room. It nearly brought me to my knees. “A favor ‘is all’?” she said. “You truly underestimate your powers, Kane Andrews. Yes, a favor.” I hesitated. I wanted to bring Doug back more than anything. But giving this woman a blank check didn’t seem like the best idea.
My thoughts turned to Samantha, who was probably kneeling over my unconscious body, trying to wake me. I cared about her. She wasn’t just a friend; she was family. And her family was my family. I had the option to bring her brother back to life—a brother I hadn’t even told her was dead. If I did this, I’d never have to. I could save her the heartbreak before she even felt it.
I let out a deep breath. “Fine,” I said, trying my best to sound confident and strong. “You have a deal.”
Athena clapped her hands together. “Excellent!” She handed me an empty vial with a cork on top. “Take a little bit of the plásma and pour it in here. Give it to Doug, and he will return to you.”
I stared at the vial for a second, trying to decide if this was really what I wanted to do. Then I grabbed it and held it tight in my closed fist. “Okay. Anything else?”
For a split second, Athena looked more evil than angelic. “Yes, just one more thing.” She lifted her finger and slashed a capital A into the skin of my chest, above my heart.
I let out a startled shout. The letter was seared into my skin, and scarred over instantly.
“A reminder of our deal. I’ll be seeing you soon, Kane Andrews,” she said before stepping into the darkness.
MY EYES SHOT OPEN. The first thing I saw was Samantha’s terrified face.
“Oh my god!” she gasped. “Kane!”
“Shh, they’ll hear us,” I hissed.
“I thought you were dead. I was so scared.”
I sat up, groaning in pain. I rubbed my head where I’d hit it on the floor. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few minutes. You touched that,” she said, looking at
the asthenés plásma with distain. “And then you passed out.”
My head really hurt, and I began to think that maybe everything that had just happened to me had been a hallucination. But then I felt something warm in my left hand. It was the vial Athena had given me.
I looked down at my chest. There was a tear in my shirt in the shape of a capital A. I pulled back my collar and looked at my chest. Sure enough, the letter was engraved as a scar above my heart.
“What happened?” Samantha asked.
“I’ll explain everything later. First, we need to save your brother.”
The Only Way Out
Samantha almost fell apart when I explained Doug’s situation to her. Once I told her that I could save him, though, a fierce determination came across her face. I put my ear up against the closet door. The vial of asthenés plásma was warm in my pocket. “I don’t hear anything. I think they’ve moved on.” I turned to face Samantha. “You ready?”
She nodded. “Let me just hide this,” she said, lifting the bottle of plásma. She stuck it in the corner of the closet and placed an empty mop bucket over it. “Okay.”
I cracked open the closet door, then looked to make there was nobody coming. The coast was clear, so I stepped out, Samantha close behind me. We crept down the hallway, doing our best to not make any noise. My eyes glowed a very faint blue, just enough for us to see.
We reached the hallway intersection, and I turned left. We moved quickly from door to door, pausing for a second before moving to the next one. We listened for any sign of Raven’s soldiers, ready to dash inside one of the rooms to hide.
When we reached the end of the hallway, I looked around the corner as carefully as I could. Two men were standing at the stairway opposite each other, their backs up against the wall. I pulled back and raised my hand, showing Samantha two fingers, mouthing Two men.
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