Then the barge rounded a bend in the river and she was gone.
Sighing, Nova lowered the binoculars.
“Well,” she muttered, “at least I won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
CHAPTER THREE
ADRIAN SURFACED BENEATH Halfpenny Bridge. He struggled to the shore and collapsed, startling a hermit crab who darted beneath a lichen-covered rock.
He attempted a deep breath of blissful air, but it caught in his throat and led to a bout of coughing. His lungs were burning from holding his breath for so long, he was light-headed, and every muscle ached. Grit and sand clung to his drenched uniform.
But he was alive, and for the moment, that was enough to bring a grateful laugh mingling with the erratic coughs.
It seemed that every time he transformed into the Sentinel, he learned something new about himself and his abilities.
Or, lack of abilities.
Today he had learned that the Sentinel’s armor was not watertight. And also, that it sank like a rock.
His memories of the flight were already starting to blur. One moment he’d been on the barge, preparing a ball of fire around his gauntlet, sure that he would soon have Hawthorn begging for mercy. Those brambles of hers looked flammable, anyway. But the next thing he knew, he was entangled in her tentacles, which turned out to be as strong as iron. One of the thorns had punctured the plate of armor on his back, though it luckily hadn’t made it through to his skin.
Then he was sinking. Surrounded by blackness. His ears clogging with the pressure, and water leaking in through the joints in his suit. He’d been halfway to the bottom of the river when he retracted the suit into the tattooed pocket on his chest and started kicking toward the shore.
The coughing fit finally stopped and Adrian rolled onto his back, gazing up at the bottom of the bridge. He heard a heavy vehicle crossing overhead. The steel structure trembled from its weight.
The world had just fallen quiet again when he heard a chime on his communicator band. He grimaced.
For the first time, he began to think that his decision to transform into the Sentinel might not have been the best idea. If he’d caught Hawthorn and retrieved the stolen medication, he’d probably feel differently, but as it was, he had nothing to show for his risk.
His team would be wondering where he was. He would have to explain why he was soaking wet.
Sitting up, he reached for the pocket sewn into the lining of his Renegade uniform, but there was nothing inside.
No marker. No chalk.
Adrian cursed. They must have fallen out in the water.
So much for drawing himself some dry clothing.
The wristband pinged again. He rubbed the water droplets off the screen with his damp sleeve, then pulled up the messages. There were seven of them. Three from Ruby, one from Oscar, one from Danna, two from his dads.
Great. They’d gotten the Council involved.
No sooner had he thought it than he heard a roar of water. His eyes widened and Adrian scrambled to his feet—too late. A wall of foaming river water crashed down, drenching him all over again. He barely maintained his balance as the surging wave rolled back out into the riverbed. Spluttering and pulling scraps of snakeweed from his uniform, he watched as a second wall of water built up on the other side of the river, rising impossibly up over the far shore. A wave, thirty feet tall, with all the scattered boats perched deftly on its crest. The floor of the river could be seen, all slimy plant life and built-up trash. The wave hung, motionless for a moment, before sinking back down and surging toward the bay.
Tsunami, Adrian guessed, or one of the other water elementals on the force, combing the bottom of the river.
Searching for him, he realized.
Nova must have seen the Sentinel being dropped into the water, and now they were searching for the body.
Turning, he stumbled for the small cliffside. He grasped at weeds and rocks and exposed tree roots as he scrambled up the bank. By the time he reached the top, he was not only soaking wet but muddy too.
There were signs of recent life in the shelter of the bridge—a tarp, a couple of blankets, an abandoned shopping cart—but no one was there now to witness Adrian as he dashed around the abutment and up to street level. Below him, the river roared again as another unnatural wave began to rise up from the depths.
He was preparing to climb over the guardrail when he heard a familiar, booming voice coming from the bridge.
Heart leaping, Adrian ducked down.
“—keep looking,” said the Dread Warden, one of Adrian’s dads and a member of the Renegade Council. “Magpie will be here soon. She might be able to detect the suit, even if it’s buried beneath the silt.”
Adrian exhaled. He hadn’t been noticed.
“I’ll see if I can find anything from the next bridge too,” said Tsunami. “It seems unlikely he would have gone much farther than this, but it won’t hurt to look.”
Adrian lifted his head and peered over the guardrail. He could see Tsunami and his dad standing on the deck of Halfpenny Bridge, the wind fluttering through Tsunami’s royal blue skirt and snapping at the Dread Warden’s black cape. They were both watching the river.
Tsunami flicked a finger, and he heard the crash of water below.
They started to make their way in his direction. Crouching, Adrian scurried back beneath the bridge.
“Sketch?”
Gasping, he spun around. Nova stood on the other side of the street, peering at him like he was an unknown amphibious species she was preparing to dissect.
“Nova,” he stammered, hurrying back up the hill and stepping over the guardrail. “Er—Insomnia. Hi.”
Her frown deepened. She had changed out of her uniform into drawstring pants and a healer-issued tank top. Adrian could see the edges of bandages wrapping around her right shoulder.
“Where have you been? Ruby’s worried sick,” she said, strolling across the street. Her eyes scoured his uniform. “Why are you all wet?”
“Adrian?”
He cringed and faced the two Council members as they reached the end of the bridge. They appeared as surprised to see him as Nova had, though more curious than suspicious.
So far.
“Hey, everyone,” he said. He forced a smile, but then wiped it away, urging himself to stop aiming for nonchalant. Nothing about this was nonchalant. He licked his lips, which still tasted like sludgy river water, and gestured toward the bridge. “Find anything?”
“Great skies, Adrian,” said the Dread Warden. “Oscar alerted us about your disappearance more than half an hour ago. One minute you’re telling your team that you’re going after a prodigy criminal, and then—nothing! We didn’t know if Hawthorn had attacked you, or … or…” He paused, his expression wavering between worried and angry. “What were you doing all this time? Why aren’t you responding to your messages?”
“Um. I was”—Adrian glanced at the river, sunlight glinting off its surface—“searching for the Sentinel.” He ran a hand over his hair. “I was on one of the side streets when I saw Hawthorn throw him in the water. So I went down to the shore and have been waiting to see if he would surface.” He didn’t have to fake his chagrin. “I wasn’t expecting you to start combing the water so soon, hence…” He gestured at his uniform, which was still clinging uncomfortable and cold to his skin. “And, uh … messages?” He tapped at his wristband. “Oh, wow, seven missed messages? That’s weird. I didn’t hear them come through. But you know, my band has been acting up lately. I’ll have to get the folks in tech to check into that.” He dared to peek at Nova. Her eyes were still narrowed in suspicion.
“Yeah,” she said slowly. “You should look into that.” Her expression cleared as she turned to the Council members. “The cleanup crew is here, along with Magpie.” Her tone carried a definite sourness when she mentioned Maggie’s alias. Though Adrian had a lot of sympathy for the kid, he knew Nova had never quite forgiven her for trying to steal her bracelet.
He glanced at her wrist, searching for the clasp he’d once redrawn on her skin, but it was hidden beneath the sleeve of her uniform. “She wasn’t sure where you wanted her to get started.”
“I’ll talk to her,” said Tsunami. “Should I have Smokescreen brief the cleanup crew, or”—she inspected Adrian—“is the team leader prepared to do that?”
Grateful for the opportunity to move on from this conversation, Adrian was about to say that he would love nothing more than to point out all the locations in this neighborhood where windows had been broken, walls had been destroyed, and bullets had been fired, but the Dread Warden responded first. “Have them talk to Smokescreen. Adrian needs to head to the medical tent and be checked for injuries.”
“And let the others know you’re okay,” said Nova, “before Ruby assembles her own search party.”
They followed Nova into a connecting side street, and Adrian spotted two ambulances emblazoned with the Renegade R and a handful of transport vehicles. The media was arriving, too, but they were being held back behind a banner of yellow security tape.
Down the street, he saw the cleanup crew awaiting instructions. Adrian was glad to see Magpie among the crew. It would be good for her to apply her powers to something more productive than pickpocketing. The kid had potential, he knew, even if her personality was as prickly as Hawthorn’s extra limbs.
As if she could hear his thoughts, Magpie spotted Adrian across the street and her bored expression turned sour. He waved jovially and she turned his back on him.
A white tent had been erected in front of a small electronics repair store. Oscar, Ruby, and Danna were each on a stretcher, being attended by the healers who had arrived on the scene. One of the healers was pulling encrusted jewels from Ruby’s thigh with a pair of heavy-duty pliers. Ruby flinched each time a new one was pulled, the wound immediately covered with thick gauze to stanch the bleeding and keep new bloodstones from sprouting.
Danna was lying flat on her stomach. The back of her uniform, from her neck to her hips, had been cut open, allowing a healer to access the wounds crisscrossing her flesh. Her back looked like it had been mauled by grizzly bear. Adrian suspected that Hawthorn’s barbs were to blame. At least the healer working on her appeared to be practiced in flesh wounds, and even from a distance Adrian could see the cuts slowly knitting together in the top layers of her skin.
“Adrian!” Ruby shouted, startling the healer who was trying to extract the final bloodstone from her leg. Ruby yelped in pain as the gem dislodged. She scowled at the healer, who scowled back. Ruby grabbed a roll of bandaging and began wrapping the wound herself. “What happened?” she asked, returning her attention to Adrian and Nova. “Where were you?”
Adrian opened his mouth, prepared to give his explanation again and hoping it would become more believable with repetition, when the healer held up his hand, still gripping the pliers. “There will be time for reunions later. We need to get all of you back to headquarters for follow-up treatment.”
“Has Smokescreen been cleared?” asked Tsunami. “We’d like him to debrief the cleanup crew.”
The healer nodded. “Yes, fine. His injuries were negligible.”
“Negligible?” said Oscar, holding up his forearm, which was wrapped in white bandages. “Their getaway driver scratched me when I was getting out the handcuffs. What if the guy had rabies or something? This could be a mortal wound here.”
The healer eyed him warily. “You can’t get rabies from fingernail scratches.”
Oscar huffed. “I said, or something.”
“Have you checked him for an overinflated ego yet?” teased Ruby. “I’d hate for him to float away on us.”
Oscar cut a glare toward her. “You’re just jealous.”
“Yes, I am jealous!” said Ruby. “I helped rescue that girl, too, but she didn’t even notice me. She was just all—Oh, Smokescreen! I’ve been dreaming of your smoldering smokiness all my life!”
Adrian’s cheek twitched. Ruby’s impersonation wasn’t exactly how he remembered the barista from the café, but close enough.
Oscar nodded. “I’ve found that my smoldering smokiness does have that effect on people.”
Ruby snorted, and Adrian sensed that she was trying to annoy Oscar and was frustrated that it didn’t seem to be working.
“What girl?” said Nova. “The hostage?”
“Yep,” said Oscar, idly swinging his cane. “She’s pretty much in love with me.”
“Who isn’t, right?” said Danna, flashing a cheeky grin.
“Exactly. Thank you, Danna.”
She gave him a thumbs-up from the table.
“Oscar is always telling us that these uniforms are a love beacon,” said Adrian. “I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often. Although … no girl has ever swooned over me like that. And now I’m jealous too. Thanks, Ruby.”
“It’s not just the uniform,” said Oscar. “I mean, I did save her life.”
“We saved her—” Ruby started, but it fizzled into an angry growl.
“Maybe I should have asked for her number,” Oscar mused.
Ruby gaped at him, cheeks flushing, and Adrian felt a little bad for her. But then, she had been the one to try to tease Oscar in the first place, so maybe she deserved it.
Slamming her mouth shut, Ruby turned her head away. “Maybe you should have. I’m sure she would love to date a real Renegade.”
“Who said anything about dating?” said Oscar. “I just thought she might want to be the president of my fan club. Good help is hard to find.”
Ruby guffawed, but as she looked back at Oscar, her expression softened with suspicion. “Are you saying you wouldn’t go on a date with her?”
“I hadn’t thought of it.” A short silence hung between them, and there was a hint of uncertainty as Oscar ventured, “Do you really think I should have asked?”
Ruby gaped at him again, speechless, trapped by her own taunting. After a long silence, she cleared her throat and shrugged. “You can do whatever you want.”
Adrian bit his tongue, trying to hide his smile at the nonanswer.
Ruby turned her focus back to her wounds, studying them with renewed interest as her cheeks turned scarlet.
Oscar, though, was still watching her, flummoxed, and maybe a little hopeful. “Well … maybe I will ask a girl on a date,” he said. “Someday.”
“Maybe you should,” said Ruby, without looking up.
“Maybe I will.”
“You already said that.”
“Right. Well.” Oscar climbed down from the table, and Adrian could see that Ruby was no longer the only one blushing. “If you’ll excuse me, I have important debriefing responsibility things to take care of. So I’ll, uh … see you guys back at headquarters. Good job today, team.”
Straightening his uniform, he headed toward the cleanup crew. Tsunami followed, with an almost-unnoticeable sigh.
Danna whistled under her breath. “You two are impossible,” she muttered. “In fact, all four of you are driving me nuts.”
CHAPTER FOUR
THE DREAD WARDEN SIGHED, making Adrian jump. He’d forgotten his dad was there. “I don’t miss this age,” he said, and one of the healers gave him a knowing look. “Dr. Grant, could you also examine Sketch when you have a minute?”
“I’m fine,” Adrian said. “Don’t waste your time on me. Focus on Ruby and Danna.”
“Adrian—” the Dread Warden started.
“Honestly, Pops, I just got splashed with some river water. It’s not like I almost drowned or anything. Don’t worry about it.” He added a grin for effect. He’d gotten lucky lately, not having experienced any dire wounds since he’d started giving himself the tattoos that imbued him with the Sentinel’s powers. The last thing he wanted was for a healer to notice the curious designs inked into his skin and start to make inquiries, especially to his dads.
“Fine,” said the Dread Warden. “Let’s get everyone back to headquarters, and”—he turned towar
d the gathered journalists and their flashing cameras—“start figuring out what to tell them.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” yelled Danna as two assistants wheeled her gurney toward one of the ambulances. She propped herself up on her elbows. “I’m not going anywhere until someone tells us what happened. Adrian disappears and no one can get ahold of him, the Sentinel shows up, Hawthorn gets away, and now they’re saying the Sentinel might be dead? And what is this about Adrian getting splashed with river water?” She spread her fingers toward Adrian, like she would grab him and shake him if he were within reach. “What were you doing?”
“I was chasing the Sentinel, and after Hawthorn threw him in the water, I was waiting to see if he would surface.” He shrugged, relieved that, in fact, it did sound more believable this time.
“You’ll all be filled in after the healers have released you from the med wing,” said the Dread Warden. He snapped his fingers and Danna and Ruby were loaded up into the ambulance, grumbling to themselves.
“Nova?” said the Dread Warden. “I’d like to have a private word with Adrian. You’re welcome to assist Oscar and Tsunami with the briefing.”
Nova glanced at the group and noticed Magpie among them. Her own lips wrinkled in distaste. “Actually, I think I’d better head home before the news stories get too convoluted. I like to give my uncle the story from my point of view before he hears it all thirdhand.” Her gaze swooped over Adrian’s wet clothes one more time and he found himself standing straighter. “I’m … glad you’re okay,” she said, sounding almost uncomfortable to be admitting it. “You did scare us for a minute.”
“We’re superheroes,” he said. “We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t scare people from time to time.”
Nova didn’t respond, but her expression softened before she turned away and started heading back toward the river. It was a long walk to her home, Adrian knew, and he was about to call after her and suggest she wait. Maybe they could take one of the transport vans together. But the words didn’t come and he knew that the invitation would be declined.
Archenemies Page 3