“Neither am I,” Blake softly added.
Quinn sensed the hurt tone in his best friend's voice. It's going to take them a long time to trust him.
“Me either,” Ana Maria said, nodding at the army officer. “I actually had a clean service record when the military shipped me off to The Order for Project Genesis.”
Agent Hartman tapped the table and drew everyone's attention to himself. “This presents us with an opportune transition. Agent Potter?”
Potter cleared his throat and sat up. “Ladies and gentlemen, we begin a new era of humanity with the introduction of Blue Spekter, Helion, Catamount, and Nightmare to the world. I have been tasked by the President, with Agent Hartman’s approval, to initiate and lead an unprecedented task force concerned with the safety and protection of the human race.”
Oh, wow.
Heads in the room turned and exchanged interested glances, then shifted back to Agent Potter.
“Ana Maria, or Catamount, has agreed to join the DHS team to provide support regarding the identification of The Order’s assets and properties. She will also serve as a liaison to the Guardians, a superhero team led by Blue Spekter.”
Quinn’s eyes popped open and his head snapped to Agent Hartman.
Hartman smiled and Potter continued. “Whenever necessary, Ana Maria will contact Quinn and Blake for superhero assistance. Captain Prett, your enigmatic team has shown an impressive ability at discovering and deciphering classified information from The Order’s private networks and data stores. Although your mysterious team doesn't exist to any classification levels I can access, you will continue to work with the Guardians and the DHS.”
Yes!
David winked at him.
“In one of the strangest government role-creations ever, Ron St. Germain has agreed to consult on my team as…well, a comic superhero and super villain subject matter expert.”
Seriously? So, he wasn’t kidding about that.
The military attendees groaned. “I can't wait to explain that one to the taxpayers,” the Air Force officer mumbled.
“Though Ron will return full time to the Guardians to serve as mentor to Quinn and Blake, Ana Maria will remain with my team as long as she deems appropriate.”
“Does your team have a fancy name like The Guardians as well?” the sarcastic army officer asked.
Why is this guy in the room if he has nothing positive to say?
Hartman smirked, and Potter answered. “Unfortunately, no. It has a rather boring government-issued name.” Agent Potter pulled up a piece of paper with the words: Super Hero Taskforce.
Ron immediately burst into riotous laughter and slapped the table.
Potter glared at him. “Is something funny?”
Ron recovered and pointed at the sign. “Absolutely, yes. I'm surprised the rest of you haven't figured it out yet.”
I don't see it…
Agent Potter sighed. “Ron, before I question my sanity about bringing you aboard, please share with us what you find so damn funny.”
Ron leaned forward in his chair and pointed at the sign again. “First of all, you need to spell the words right. Secondly, the acronym you just created would be pronounced shit.”
Everyone stared at the paper and saw the acronym: SHT. Quinn and Blake burst into laughter while the military officers snickered. Even Agent Hartman couldn’t mask the grin on his face.
Agent Potter’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “Dammit.”
When they quieted down, Ron continued. “Superhero is one word. Make task force two words, and then you will have the Superhero Task Force, or STF.”
Much better.
Agent Potter nodded and smiled at Ron as he lowered the piece of paper. “All right, you have redeemed yourself.”
Ron raised his hand, indicated he wasn’t finished. “If I might make one more suggestion, Agent Potter. Don't restrict it to superheroes. Instead, consider the name Superhuman Task Force. You need to pay attention to both sides of the superhuman spectrum. If Victor is not dead, he will return with new super villains. If he is dead, you know it's only a matter of time until someone else re-creates the orgone infusion process. Not all the Rangeley personnel were accounted for, which means some may have escaped.”
“You have a point, Ron,” Hartman said.
“I agree,” the naval officer said.
“I second,” the Air Force officer added.
“How will the Guardians be supervised? By the STF?” Chief Applegate interjected, abruptly changing the subject. Quinn suppressed a smile. Her time in the hospital didn't temper her acerbic personality in any way.
Potter pointed to Blue Spekter. “Through his leadership. Through communication with Catamount. Through mentoring by Ron St. Germain. Is there a problem, Chief?”
She grunted, then folded her arms and sat back in her chair.
Quinn looked at Blake, who was staring at a spot on the ceiling or daydreaming. I wonder what’s wrong. He’s not himself.
“Okay. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a few updates for everyone,” Agent Hartman said, picking up his iPad and glancing at his notes.
“We’ve received confirmation the second-to-last member of The Order’s Archimandrion Council, Reginald Barkley, died through an act of suicide. He was found dead in his home last night.”
Quinn's eyes shifted to Blake, but he immediately regretted it.
“Don't look at me,” Blake responded with a defensive tone.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you had anything to do with it,” Quinn replied.
“Neither did we, Blake.” Agent Hartman said. “Moving on, council member Absalom Miller and his wife have been relocated by the Witness Protection Program for safekeeping. If Nightmare did survive, we don't know what his plans are for members of the council he sought to eliminate through Dark Flame.”
I wonder if Keegan knows where they moved him…
“Quinn, since you are dating the person of interest’s grandson, be advised agents will inform the family today. And, if Keegan asks, the correct answer is, ‘I have no idea where your grandparents are,’ because we won’t tell you.”
“Okay,” Quinn said. Good to know.
“David's team discovered intel prior to a remote server disconnection that informed us about Nightmare’s plans for a new Archimandrion Council made up of much younger, moldable, modern, and forward-thinking members ofThe Order who won't let their beloved institution die. The point, people, is that while we sit here knitting afghans for nursing homes, we have a new enemy actively working against us.”
What? Nursing homes?
“Next up, Blake. Through an act of mercy, you have been cleared to return to classes at your high school if you want, or we’ll arrange to send you to a different high school.”
“Seriously?” Blake asked, sitting forward a bit. Quinn’s eyes popped open with surprise.
“Seriously,” Hartman echoed. “After Ron and I tediously explained the micro bug situation to the school principal and the superintendent, they agreed to allow you to return to high school—on probation, of course—given Quinn also returned.”
“To babysit me?” Blake asked.
“That's not the word I'd use, but…yes. While we trust Helion is the good incarnation of your alter ego, you must remember your peers saw Blake as Dark Flame attack a high school. Technically, Dark Flame is dead, so there’s potential here for significant backlash when they realize Blake isn’t dead. Who knows which side of the political spectrum will paint you as anathema.”
Blake sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “Whatever.”
“However, we’ve reached out to Camilla Brenhurst and we’re working on providing a statement to alleviate the public’s fears. We don’t know if it’s possible, but we’ll try.”
“When did you have time to do all that?” Quinn asked. “He hasn't been conscious for that long.”
“Based on what we observed in the reactor core, we realized we needed to create c
ontingency plans should he resurrect.”
“What else did these contingency plans cover?” Blake asked, irritated.
Quinn regarded Hartman with interest. I had no idea about this.
Agent Potter spoke up. “Education, housing, public relations, media coverage, and local authorities’ briefings. We also had a makeshift plan for Dark Flame’s return.”
I wonder what that was.
“As far as your housing is concerned…”
“I’m not going home,” Blake said, a surprising assertiveness to his voice.
Everyone stared at him with surprise.
Then, Quinn saw Blake’s face soften with sadness. “My dad overdosed on booze yesterday and died last night. My mom had a nervous breakdown and was taken to the Pavilion.”
Quinn’s heart dropped to his stomach. “Oh my gosh.” He placed a hand on his buddy’s shoulder and gently squeezed it. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Why didn’t you call me?”
“I’m sorry, Blake,” Agent Hartman said. “I was going to suggest staying where you are. Otherwise, we can help relocate you.”
“Can we take a break?” Quinn asked, concerned for his friend.
Agent Hartman checked his watch. “Actually, this concludes the morning debriefing session. Unless there are any further questions, we’ll pick up after lunch with the next group.”
My dads, and Keegan.
“I have one thing,” Quinn said.
All eyes focused on him.
“The super suits we’re wearing are bulletproof. They were made by Ron’s brother, who lost contract to a sleazy bidder for the Presidential suits. If the price is right, you might consider his work for your agents and if possible, the military.”
Ron’s eyes bugged open with surprise and a wide grin grew on his face.
Quinn continued. “We lost a few marines during our battles with Dark Flame and Nightmare and if they’re gonna keep fighting superhumans alongside the Guardians, they need the best armor they can get. It’s lightweight, and did I mention bulletproof?”
“What about the gaping knife wounds the two of you received?” the marine officer asked, pointing at Quinn and Ana Maria. “The suits were supposed to be bulletproof, yet a knife managed to pierce the material.”
Ron cleared his throat and spoke up. “My brother has a working theory about how their powers reacted with the suit on a molecular level and weakened, becoming temporarily susceptible to damage. He’s going to examine the damaged suit and make the necessary modifications if he can.”
The military officers looked at each other and smiled. “Good to know, thank you,” the marine officer said.
Quinn sat back and nodded at Agent Hartman, who stood and straightened his tie. “Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake, the world has irrevocably changed. Today we stand witness to the dawn of the superhero age.”
5-29 | Sighs of Relief
Blake
AFTER THE DEBRIEFING SESSION ENDED and folks went about their business, Quinn gestured for Blake to walk with him. Blake nodded and followed his best friend to the surface elevator. When they were alone in the elevator, Quinn turned to his best friend.
“I wish I knew about your dad’s death last night, Blake. Why didn’t you call me?”
Blake shrugged. “Don’t be. I knew you needed your time with Keegan. He was a mess.”
“I would have been there for you in a heartbeat, you know that, right?”
Blake nodded. “Believe it or not, I went to Ravone’s house and cried my eyes out.”
Quinn smiled. “I’m glad she was there for you. How are you feeling now, though? Are you sad?”
“It’s weird. I am, and I’m not. I feel angrier about what I didn’t have.”
“Which is?”
Blake looked at his best friend. “A loving family like yours. I guess I’ve always been jealous of what you had. You dads chose you because they wanted to love and raise a child. My parents…well, I assume they wanted me, but they didn’t treat me like they should have. I think that played into why I followed Victor. I thought I could do something…be someone…without you and my stupid parents.”
“Aw, bud. I’m sorry that’s how you felt.”
Blake shrugged. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I wasn’t aware of this back then.”
“So, what do you need to do? Is there a funeral or anything?” Quinn asked as the elevator doors opened and the pair walked out of the hangar.
Blake sighed. “I don’t know. With mom out of commission for a week or two, I think I need to wait for her to recover or something. The police told me I need to purge the house of booze before she went home. That’s gonna take forever.”
“I’ll help you,” Quinn said.
“Quinn, there’s a ton of it. They were like…hoarders of empty booze bottles because they didn’t want the neighbors to know they drank. It’s weird.”
“We’ll figure it out and empty the house. That’s not gonna stop your mom from buying more, though.”
“Right, but if dad is gone”—Blake nearly choked on the words—“she might not be tempted to buy booze right away. Maybe my mom finally has a chance without him.”
“Maybe there’s a chance for a better mother-son relationship?”
Blake rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Let’s not push it.” But that would be nice.
“Listen, I have a few things to do before we go back to school tomorrow.”
“Me too. My dads and Keegan are coming in this afternoon for their debriefing.” Quinn turned and grabbed his best friend by the shoulders. “If you need anything, call me, okay?”
Blake smiled. “I will, bud.” Then, they tenderly embraced and Blake watched his best friend take off and circle around Portsmouth.
He pulled out his broken cell phone and instructed the voice assistant to call Radoslav. The phone rang and the call connected when Radoslav answered.
“Dark Flame, you are supposed to be dead, no?”
Time to tie up loose ends.
❖
Quinn
After dinner, Blue Spekter flew out to the empty field behind Sagamore Hill to meet with Ron St. Germain and his brother, Jay.
Ron’s brother is an even bigger nerd than he is—which means he’s gonna love this epic entrance.
Spotting the men below, he slowed as he approached, super-charging his eyes and glowing body. White and blue electrical energy snapped and sparked through the air as he descended to where the two men stood.
“Oh my gosh!” Jay yelled, jumping and clapping with delight like a kid on Christmas morning.
When he landed, he powered off his body and glowing eyes.
“Holy shit, he’s even more awesome than I realized!” Jay exclaimed, enthusiastically slapping Ron’s shoulder.
Ron laughed. “Jay, I’m pleased to introduce you to Blue Spekter.”
Blue Spekter extended his hand and Jay vigorously shook it.
“YouTube videos don’t do you justice! I’m so excited to meet you, Blue Spekter,” Jay said, his face wide with amazement.
“I’m happy to meet you as well. The suits you’ve designed are incredible. I’m honored to wear them.”
“I’m honored you’re wearing them,” Jay replied, his eyes tracing up and down Blue Spekter’s body. “It fits you perfectly. Your muscles, your physique, it’s perfect.”
“You nailed it. Thank you. Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Jay asked, his eyes darting between those of his brother and Blue Spekter.
“You didn’t tell him?” Blue Spekter asked with amusement.
Ron let loose a hearty laugh. “Of course not!”
“You coming, too?”
Ron nodded.
Blue Spekter smiled. “All right then, here we go.”
“Where are we going?” Jay asked.
“Jay,” Ron said, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Shut up and hold onto your balls.”
“My balls?”
Blue Spekter illum
inated with blue light as he stepped forward and grabbed both men, wrapping his arms around their torsos. Then, projecting a defensive shield around them, he rocketed into the night sky. Jay screamed with terror and excitement as they made a wide circle around Portsmouth, flying out to sea before heading up the Piscataqua River. Quinn slalomed in and out of the bridge towers and gave the St. Germain brothers an epic flying adventure to remember.
❖
Blake
Under the cover of a cold winter’s night, Blake walked to Hislop Park. The outfield was covered in snow, but that didn’t stop kids from playing in it over the holiday break. He made his way to one of the dugouts and waited.
Several minutes later, a car pulled up on Preble Way and turned into the small parking lot. When it had parked, the driver cut the engine and climbed out. Then, Blake spotted Radoslav’s familiar frame cautiously walking toward him. Radoslav nervously looked around the baseball field for signs of life.
Oops, he thinks this is an ambush.
Blake illuminated his eyes, so they glowed orange. “It’s me, Rado.”
The man’s posture shifted and he confidently walked toward Blake. “Dark Flame, you look good for a dead man,” he said in his signature, Romanian-accented broken English.
Blake smiled, and when the man approached, he powered off his glowing eyes.
“I’m not Dark Flame anymore, Rado.”
Rado frowned.
“I no longer work for Victor or The Order. In fact, I’m out.”
“This is possible?” Radoslav asked. “In my line of work, you never leave without consequences.”
“It is when you can do the things I can, and it will be for you as well.”
Radoslav furled his eyebrows. “I see.”
“Listen, I’m sorry to call you out here tonight, but with everything that’s going on, I’m tying up loose ends so I can move on.”
Radoslav’s face dropped and went pale. “Am I one of your loose ends?”
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