Oscar glanced at Ruby. A brief look, born of worry. He was planning a diversion, Adrian could tell. He would conceal Ruby with his smoke, drawing the brunt of the Sentinel’s attack toward himself. It was a risky maneuver, knowing what the Sentinel could do, but it was their best bet to take him down too. It would at least give Ruby a chance to move into a more offensive position. Maybe even launch a counterattack while the Sentinel was distracted.
It was a strategy they’d practiced dozens of times in the training halls. Their tiny gestures, the almost imperceptible way they arranged their limbs, was so familiar that Adrian was tempted to laugh.
Never would he have expected to see those tactics used against himself.
Adrian lifted his hands, fingers spread. The universal sign of supplication.
“I’m not your enemy,” he said. “I’ve never been your enemy.”
“Sorry, but we’re going to have to let the Council make that decision,” said Ruby. She gave the slightest of nods.
Oscar swiveled his hands, aiming to create a wall of smoke between Adrian and Ruby.
But in that same moment, Ruby gasped. “Wait!”
Oscar’s eyes widened.
Something fluttered in Adrian’s vision, just outside the visor. He blinked.
A monarch butterfly had landed on one of his fingers.
Another quickly followed, perching on his thumb. Then three more on the other hand.
Adrian held completely still as Danna’s swarm overtook him, alighting on his shoulders, his arms, his toes, even the top of his helmet, he guessed, though he couldn’t feel them. He was afraid to move lest he accidentally crush one beneath a metal limb.
As their expressions morphed from determination to astonishment, Oscar and Ruby gradually let down their guard. Ruby’s muscles relaxed, letting the weapons hang at her sides. Oscar’s smoke cloud dispersed into the air.
They gaped at him, and Adrian found himself fidgeting beneath their stares.
“Who are you?” Ruby finally asked.
He pressed his lips together. He didn’t have to tell them. He could shoo the butterflies away. He could be gone before they would think to stop him.
But was that really what he wanted? To continue with these lies forever? To never be able to trust anyone with this secret, not even his best friends? The team he trusted with his life?
Inhaling shakily, he reached for his helmet.
The butterflies left him. They swirled across the wasteland and took up watch on the toppled statue of a saint, their bright yellow wings the only splotch of color beneath the moonlight.
Adrian unlatched the visor. It hissed as it lifted up, revealing his face.
Their silence was pervasive. He tried to read their expressions, searching for disbelief and betrayal. But mostly they just seemed stunned.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Adrian said, and the words came out more pleading than he’d intended. “Especially not my dads. Or … or Nova either. I need to be the one to tell her.”
“Nova doesn’t know?” Ruby said, her own voice carrying a bit of a squeak.
Oscar answered for him. “Of course not. She hates the Sentinel.”
Adrian frowned, but couldn’t deny the truth of it.
Releasing a string of expletives, Oscar ran his hand through his hair. “How could you not tell us? I thought—all this time!”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to. But after the parade, when Danna got hurt—”
“Because of you!” Oscar yelled. “She got hurt because of you!”
Adrian shrank back. “I know. It was an accident. I would never … I didn’t mean to.”
“And you were there,” Oscar continued, shaking his head. “At the library and … and chasing after Hawthorn. How did we not see it?”
“Because it’s Sketch,” said Ruby. “You draw things! You don’t control fire or laser beams! You can’t jump fifty feet in the air! How … How?”
“Tattoos,” said Adrian. “I draw permanent tattoos on myself, and they deliver different powers.”
They both gawked at him.
Then—
“Tattoos?” Ruby screamed. “You can’t be serious.”
Oscar, though, had turned thoughtful, his mouth rounding with comprehension. “Tattoos. Holy smokes, dude, that’s genius. Can you give me some?”
“No!” Ruby responded. “He can’t—you can’t—I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us!”
“I know. I really am sorry. I wanted to—”
“Don’t,” Ruby snapped. “Don’t you even say that. If you wanted to, then you would have.” She threw her arms into the air and began pacing, kicking debris out of her path as she went. “What are we going to do now? Next to the Anarchists, you’re, like, the most-wanted prodigy in the city. You’ve been breaking rules left and right. And we’re just supposed to become your accomplices in this? We’re just supposed to keep our mouths shut?”
Adrian’s shoulders sank. “No. I don’t know. It’s not fair of me to ask it of you—”
“But we will!” Ruby said. She was still screaming, working herself into a tizzy. “Of course we will, because we love you and you’re Adrian! I know you’re not some criminal mastermind who’s doing it for the fame or whatever. I know you’re a good person, and you must have a good reason for doing all this, I just … I just wish you would have told us.”
“Wait—Hawthorn,” said Oscar. “What the hell, Adrian? They said you—”
“I didn’t,” he said. “It was all Frostbite and her cronies. I saw them torturing her, and then they killed her so they could frame me for it. It wasn’t me.”
Oscar rocked back on his heels, considering. His face lightened. “Yeah, okay, I can believe that.”
A stream of butterflies whipped past them, then swirled over their heads and returned to the fallen statue.
Pushing her bleached bangs off her forehead, Ruby pointed her dagger toward Adrian’s face. “We are so not done discussing this,” she warned, then swiveled the blade toward Danna, “but we should probably figure out why Danna isn’t transforming.”
As if in response, the butterflies spiraled upward again, then took off in a straight line, heading not away from the wasteland, but straight for the foundation of the destroyed cathedral. They settled on an assortment of sprawled ruins—a splintered wooden door, the head of a fallen gargoyle.
“I figured she was bringing me here because of Phobia,” said Adrian, “but what if there’s something else?”
“Or someone else,” murmured Ruby.
“No way,” said Oscar. “What if Queen Bee and Cyanide are here too? What if this is their evil lair?”
“This was their evil lair years ago,” said Ruby. “Who would be foolish enough to come back to it?”
“Phobia was, wasn’t he?” said Oscar.
Adrian’s brow creased. “Unless Phobia was guarding something.”
They regarded the butterflies, their flapping wings glinting beneath the moonlight.
Adrian pulled down the visor. “There’s only one way to find out.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
NOVA LAUGHED. She couldn’t contain it. The disbelief coupled with the surge of zealous pride brought the laughter tumbling from her lips as she raced up the stairwell and pushed open the door to the abandoned floor.
Leaving the building would be easier than scaling the wall had been. Her ropes were waiting by an open window, right where she’d stowed them, prepped and ready to take her weight.
She would be back on the street in two minutes.
Back in the parking garage in six.
Speeding to Uncle Ace before Stingray or Callum would begin to stir from their slumber.
She was even ahead of schedule.
The chromium pike was strapped to her back and the helmet was tucked beneath her arm as she ran, lightweight and warm to the touch. She could picture the exact smile Ace would give her.
Her body surged with the feeling of accomplishment. S
he had done it. She had actually done it.
She was nearly to the window when something crashed into her, knocking her off her feet. Nova cried out and rolled a couple times. The helmet fell, tumbling across the tiles. She scrambled to reach for it, but a hand wrapped around her wrist and lifted her clean off the floor.
Nova dangled, panting, all joy knocked out of her.
Gargoyle grinned his pebble-toothed grin.
She tried to use her power on him, but his fist was all stone and she could feel her power striking uselessly against it.
Grunting, she swung her legs, attempting to kick him in the shin, but he held her like one would hold a mouse by its tail—largely unconcerned, but kept at arm’s length all the same. He crouched and picked up the helmet, wrapping his burly fingers around its cranium.
“That was a real good try,” he said. “But not good enough.”
* * *
HE DRAGGED HER into a waiting elevator and down to the main lobby. Nova didn’t struggle. She knew she couldn’t overpower him on force alone, and it was better to reserve her strength. Wait for the right moment.
They passed in front of Max’s quarantine and Nova couldn’t keep herself from glancing up. She hoped that the lights would be out, that Max would be fast asleep, unaware of anything going on.
But her hopes had run their course for the evening. Max was standing at the window, frowning, curious. His palms were pressed against the glass, the skyline of his city glittering behind him.
Gargoyle yanked on her arm, pulling Nova’s attention toward the center of the lobby. Frostbite and Aftershock were there, smug expressions etched into their faces.
Gargoyle tossed the helmet to Frostbite. She rolled it in her hands, peering into the empty eyes.
She passed it off to Aftershock. Carelessly. Like it was nothing. Then she lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. A breeze of frosty air blew through the lobby and the quiet clacks of water freezing over echoed off the high ceiling. Nova looked down. A great block of ice was engulfing her feet. She grunted and tried to kick out of it, but it was already too late. The ice crystallized quickly up her legs and over her knees. Gargoyle released her wrist and she nearly fell, but the ice held her upright. Though her boots offered protection from the cold, her pants did not, and the ice burned.
Snarling, Nova reached for the hunting knife at the back of her belt. She lifted her hand over her shoulder, prepared to throw it end over end at Frostbite, but before the blade left her fingertips, a new block of ice formed around her hand, locking her fingers in their tight grip around the weapon. Frostbite did the same to Nova’s other hand, fully enclosing all four of her extremities, rendering her not just immobile, but freezing. Nova’s teeth began to chatter.
Frostbite paced closer to her. “Don’t worry. You’ll go numb before the frostbite sets in, and I’m sure the Council will free you when they get here. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they arrive and find you so well restrained.” She sighed, feigning sympathy. “Of course, you’ll probably have to have all of your fingers and both feet amputated after the frostbite destroys them. It won’t be a pretty sight. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you anesthesia before they do it, but…” She clicked her tongue. “I wouldn’t count on it if I were you.”
She stopped a few inches in front of Nova. “Brace yourself, now,” whispered Frostbite, “because the loss of limb is about to be the smallest of your worries.” She pulled a gun from her waist, one that Nova recognized from training. Frostbite leaned in close, pressing the barrel of the gun against Nova’s chest. “You might feel a slight pinch.”
She pulled the trigger, driving the projectile straight into Nova’s heart. Nova grunted from the impact and would have fallen if the ice wasn’t holding her legs so firmly. She groaned, her chest burning from the puncture. Her hands and legs ached bone-deep from the cold.
She caught her breath and, to her own surprise, started to laugh. An exhausted chuckle that sounded borderline delirious even to her own ears.
Agent N. Frostbite was trying to neutralize her.
But she had shot Nova mere inches away from the Vitality Charm that was hidden beneath her jacket. Nova hadn’t been able to test if the medallion would protect against the serum, but now was as good a time as any.
“Thank you,” Nova said once the wheezing laughter had dried up. She ground her teeth behind the mask. “I’m not sure I would’ve had the guts to do this otherwise.”
She swung one frozen fist, smashing it against one of the spheres strapped to her belt. The mist-missile crunched beneath the blow and the lever sprang open. A cloud of green vapor spilled into the air, surrounding Nova’s body.
Gasping, Frostbite jumped backward, shoving Aftershock aside. “What the hell is that?”
“Your worst nightmare,” said Nova. She turned toward Gargoyle, who had stumbled back a step when Frostbite had, but hadn’t moved far enough. He was trying to scowl past his confusion. Nova batted her lashes at him. “No darts required, pebble brain.”
“Trevor!” yelled Genissa. “Move!”
He did, finally, scooting back three, four steps. Nova counted silently, waiting. They hadn’t tested it yet. Leroy’s calculations could have been off.
But Gargoyle was a big guy, and it took a long time for most things to reach his brain, so why should this be any different?
Like with the Puppeteer, it started with a surprised widening of his eyes.
Nova grinned. Leroy had figured out how to turn Agent N into a gas, and she had successfully turned it into a bomb. Ace wanted a weapon against the Renegades, and now they had one.
Frostbite cursed and moved back farther to avoid the vapor, though Nova knew it would already be too dispersed to be effective at her distance. The device was spent.
Gargoyle’s skin began to morph, losing its crusted, stony exterior, turning splotchy and baby soft. Starting with his head, then moving down his neck, into his shoulders and chest.
He gawked at Nova, stunned.
“Does that upset you?” she taunted.
Gargoyle roared and charged for her, swinging his arm—still stone. Nova lifted her hands. Frostbite screamed.
His fist smashed down onto the solid blocks of ice, shattering them.
His last act before the stone was gone completely.
Gargoyle wailed and collapsed to his knees, but Nova ignored him. With her hands free, she grabbed a second dispersal device from her belt and threw it at Frostbite and Aftershock. It struck the ground and another cloud of green smoke billowed up. Aftershock dropped the helmet and dived away from the explosion while Frostbite fled for the far corner of the lobby. She was screaming orders, but Nova doubted anyone was paying attention to her.
She cursed, doubting either of them had been caught in that cloud of vapor. She had to be more careful—she couldn’t waste them.
Reaching over her shoulder, she grasped the pike where she had strapped it to her back, relieved that Gargoyle had been too arrogant to strip her of it. Freeing it from the harness, she gripped it in both hands and drove the point into the ice at her feet. The ice chipped, then cracked. Four more swings and her legs were free.
Nova pulled herself from the ice and stumbled, crashing to her knees. Her feet were numb. Her legs unwilling to follow directions.
Scrambling on her hands and knees, she forced her limbs to cooperate. She was on her feet again, slipping and stumbling. She lunged for Ace’s helmet and snatched it off the ground. She tried to pivot, but her feet got tangled together and she fell again, slamming her knee into the tiled floor. Cursing, she used the pike as a support as she forced herself back to her feet.
Her path to the main exit was blocked, so she ran the other way. Toward the sky bridge, the stairs, a back exit. Options scrolled through her mind. A map of the building was etched into her memory. She knew every hallway, every door.
Settling on the shortest route, she swung to the left.
An earthquake rumbled beneath
her. The earth split, driving a crack between her legs. Nova fell again.
The crack continued past her, burrowing through the red R in the center of the lobby, driving the foundation apart.
Nova gasped as she watched the course of the widening fault line. Straight for the sky bridge.
Straight for the quarantine.
Max hadn’t moved. He didn’t move, even as the ground beneath him split apart.
Nova screamed, but the sound was consumed by ear-splitting cracks of concrete, groans of metal, shattering glass.
One of the support columns broke—the noise as loud as a tree trunk being split by a battering ram.
The sky bridge collapsed.
The quarantine fell.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
ADRIAN STARED INTO the black hole surrounded by the cathedral’s ruins. Ruby and Oscar stood at his side, equally silent. They never would have discovered the staircase if Danna’s butterflies hadn’t clustered around it, forming a quiet, twitching guard at the entrance. The stairs were invisible until you were right on top of them, expertly disguised amid a collection of fallen wall panels and chipped stonework. It seemed random, but after the fight with Phobia, Adrian knew it wasn’t.
How long had the Anarchists been guarding this place? Since they were run out of their tunnels, or even before then? And what could be down there that they wouldn’t move to a less auspicious location? A weapon? A storehouse for stolen goods? A boardinghouse for wayward prodigies?
“Well,” said Oscar, doing a decent job of hiding his apprehension, “I guess I’ll go first.”
He took one step and Adrian clapped a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back. Oscar didn’t fight him.
“Oh, right,” he said, tapping his cane lightly on Adrian’s back. It made a quiet clanging noise. “It probably does make more sense for you to go. But if you change your mind—”
“Oscar,” Ruby said, warningly.
He fell quiet.
Adrian started down the stairs. The case was so narrow that he had to angle his body as he went. One flight ended in a short stone landing. He turned and headed down again. His visor adjusted to night vision in the darkness, tinting the underbelly of the cathedral an eerie green. He could hear Oscar and Ruby coming down after him, but their presence kept him tense more than comforted.
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