The Feros (Vindico)

by Wesley King

  “That’s what I said. But he thought they might agree for the chance to rescue you. He said your friends had a history of making rash decisions.”

  “That’s true,” Emily murmured. “So he wanted them to release the Vindico?”

  “Yes. That’s what I mean when I say he’s going too far.”

  “Why would he want to release them?” Blue asked.

  “Because he wants them to wipe out the League and face off against my friends,” Emily answered slowly. “He wants them all to destroy each other. That’s why he needed the League to split and then alienate us. Otherwise we would have been one united front, and we would have beaten the Vindico again, and probably him too.”

  “He said you were clever,” Veridus commented. “That is what I suspect too. But why my brother wants to do this, I still don’t know.”

  “But his plan didn’t work,” Blue pointed out. “So it’s all right.”

  Veridus smiled grimly. “He wanted the kids to do it, but that doesn’t mean he can’t. My brother knows a great deal about the League. He has all the pass codes for the Perch. Override commands. He can shut down the security systems from the outside.”

  “Impossible!” Blue said.

  Veridus looked into Emily’s eyes. “He’s already sent men to release the Villains. They’ll be free within the hour.”

  “And the first thing they’ll do—” Emily started.

  “—is go after your friends, yes,” she finished. She put her hand on Emily’s arm. “You both need to think of a way to find Thunderbolt. I’ll come back the first chance I get. Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to help your friends. If they die, this war is over, and my brother wins. Then I will never be free of him, and the whole world will suffer. I’ve heard him whispering to himself in the darkness. He has something planned. Something bad.”

  She turned and hurried out the black iron door, closing it firmly behind her. Emily listened to her quiet footsteps dart back down the corridor.

  “They’ll kill them all,” Blue whispered.

  “They’ll certainly try,” Emily agreed softly.

  * * *

  Avaria stood up as the cell door slid into the ceiling. Though she had sat motionless for months now, her muscles were primed and ready. They always were.

  She stalked toward the doorway, her eyes trained on the tall, handsome man who stood there, holding the activator. He took a quick step backward, allowing her to pass. She glanced to her right and saw that the others were emerging as well. The black-clad man hurried to the last two doors on her left, and the Baron and Leni strode out of their cells.

  “About time,” the Torturer grumbled, stretching his massive arms over his head.

  “Why did you release us?” the Baron asked the man.

  “Orders,” he replied crisply. “There is a ship waiting for you on the landing pad.”

  Avaria glared at him. “Who are you?”

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  “Where’s Junkit?” the Torturer asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

  The man shook his head. “He comes with us.”

  “I don’t think so—” the Torturer started.

  “Enough chatter,” Leni cut in. “I know who sent you. Tell him this means nothing to me.”

  “He expects nothing,” the man replied.

  “I doubt that,” Leni snarled. “Do you know where our protégés went?”

  “He says there is only one plausible destination.”

  Leni nodded. “As I suspected.” He turned to the rest of them. “Let’s move.”

  “Your ship is outside,” the man said.

  Leni led the others down the long white corridor, and Avaria stared at the strange man as she went by him. He was lean and muscular beneath his black uniform, and she could tell by the way he moved that he was dangerous. A killer. But there was something strange about his expression. His cold eyes. Frowning, Avaria hurried after the others. They walked through the sentry room, passing a long row of massive robots standing in the darkness, powered down. Somehow they’d been turned off.

  The entrance to the Perch slid open at their approach, and the freezing wind burst into the prison and swept across Avaria’s face. She smiled. She’d been in this box for far too long.

  Leni calmly walked toward an angular black ship sitting on the landing pad, almost invisible through the gusting snow. There was an identical vessel hovering on the other side of the pad.

  “Feels good to be free,” the Torturer said as they all crowded into the cockpit. “But what was that all about? Who was that?”

  “His boss is an old acquaintance,” Leni answered smoothly, “who clearly has an ulterior motive.”

  “Who is it?” Sliver asked.

  “I’ll explain later,” Leni told them. “Let’s get off this cursed rock.”

  Rono pulled back on the throttle, and they shot toward the clouds.

  “Where did our protégés go?” Avaria hissed.

  “After they couldn’t find Emily at the prison,” Leni said, “and after turning down my proposition, they must have gone straight to the source.”

  “League headquarters,” the Baron mused. “Good. I’ve been meaning to visit.”

  “Now we can crush the fractured League,” Leni said, “and this time, we will destroy our former protégés as well. In fact, maybe we should do that first.”

  There were murmurs of assent around the cockpit, and Avaria smiled again.

  She was going to enjoy this.

  18

  THE SHIP DESCENDED ONTO A GLASS TOWER PERCHED IN THE HEART OF NEW York City. There was an empty landing pad on the roof.

  “I can’t believe we’re finally going to League headquarters,” Sam said excitedly.

  James grinned as he slowly eased the ship onto the roof. There was a gentle thud, and then he powered down the Mediator. He sat back, exhausted. They’d had little chance for sleep in the last few days, and it was starting to catch up to them.

  Lana glanced over at him. “Do we have a plan?”

  “Break down the door and see what’s inside,” James said. “Same as usual.”

  She sighed. “That’s what I figured.”

  The sun had risen a couple hours earlier, but it was still cold, especially on the roof of the enormous tower. They hurried toward the doorway on the other side of the landing pad and James tried to access the door control. It beeped, but the door didn’t open.

  “We need a password!” he called over the wind.

  “Stand back!” Hayden said, raising his hand. “Open sesame!”

  With a titanic crash, the metal door flew inward, pulling some of its concrete frame with it. James heard the door clatter down a staircase.

  “In we go!” Hayden shouted.

  James went in first, stepping over the chunks of concrete. The staircase was brightly illuminated and the walls were painted navy blue and inlaid with various gold insignias. Tightly gripping his rifle, James reached the bottom of the steps, planted his back against the wall, and then spun around onto one knee. He scanned the empty room.

  The stairs opened onto a large, beautifully furnished lounge area. Two walls were entirely taken up by floor-to-ceiling windows, and sunlight streamed across a variety of couches, pool and Ping-Pong tables, flat-screen televisions, and even a bar.

  Hayden strode past James, patting his shoulder on the way. “Look at you, you’re like a commando. Let’s rip those sleeves off and tie your hair back with them.”

  James clambered back to his feet. “I didn’t expect to find a clubhouse.”

  “These guys live it up, that’s for sure,” Hayden agreed, wandering into the lounge. He dropped onto one of the couches, sighed, and planted his feet on a glass coffee table. “Jamesy, make me a martini, will you?”

  “Shut up,” James snarled. He spotted a pair of white doors on the far side. “Let’s keep moving.”

  “Anyone in here?” Hayden asked Sam.

  “It’s hard to
tell,” Sam murmured, “because there are so many people in the lower parts of the building. I don’t think so, though.”

  James hurried toward the far doors, the others close behind. The doors slid open as soon as he reached them. His finger tightened on the trigger, and he stepped inside.

  The room was smaller than the lounge and mostly filled by an enormous, circular white table that sat in the middle. It was surrounded by fourteen matching chairs, and the far wall contained a giant screen.

  “Their meeting room is nice too,” Hayden said. “Very bright. I don’t like the circular table, though. It’s too inclusive.”

  There was another door on the opposite side of the room, and James headed toward it, his footsteps thumping off the hardwood. The empty silence of the building was beginning to give him the creeps. Again, the door slid open as soon as he reached it, revealing a wide passageway. The navy-blue walls were dotted with numerous pictures and framed newspaper articles, and four statues lined the hall, situated at regular intervals. James recognized the Four Founders and spotted Thunderbolt, staring proudly with his arms crossed.

  “Found him!” Hayden exclaimed. “Just like I remember.”

  James rubbed his temple and scanned the rest of the hallway. There were doors on either end and a few more lining the walls. He turned back to the others.

  “I don’t want to say it, but—”

  “We should split up,” Lana finished. “I agree. Hayden and I will check everything to the right. You and Sam go left. Sam, keep track of anyone landing on the roof.”

  The two groups set off in opposite directions.

  James found an empty, stainless steel kitchen area behind the first door. He hurried on to the next one and noticed a small panel beside it with a glowing green light. When he stepped closer, the door slid open to reveal a white marble bathroom.

  “Find anything yet?” Hayden called from the opposite end of the hallway.

  “No,” James replied. “You?”

  “Not really.”

  “Found an elevator!” Lana shouted. “We’re going to go down a level!”

  Sam soon found another elevator on their side of the hallway as well. There were only four floors to choose from, so James pressed the next one down and the doors slid shut. After an almost imperceptible drop, they opened again. James’s eyes widened.

  They were in a giant room that was completely filled with control panels, sensor arrays, monitor screens, and a whole variety of other machines that James couldn’t even guess at. In the center was a large, circular device rising out of the floor.

  He spotted Lana and Hayden on the far side, and Hayden waved vigorously as soon as James and Sam stepped out of the elevator.

  “Fancy meeting you here!” he called.

  James ignored him. “This is incredible,” he said, staring in amazement at the massive control room. “Emily would faint if she saw this.”

  “We could definitely use her right now,” Sam agreed. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  They slowly picked their way toward the middle of the room and came to the circular device.

  “Let’s all go to a computer and see if we can find anything,” Lana suggested.

  “Let’s press something on this thing first,” Hayden said. “It looks important.”

  James frowned. “I don’t think just pressing things—”

  Hayden touched a panel on the side of the device and suddenly the entire base of the platform was ringed with flashing red lights.

  “Do you ever—” James snarled.

  “Please provide voice identification,” a deep voice said, cutting him off.

  Hayden smiled. “See, it worked.”

  “Confirmed,” the voice said.

  A glowing white light emerged from the top of the circular machine, and then a holographic representation of Thunderbolt appeared, as if he was standing in front of them. James immediately noticed the dark rings under his eyes. His mouth was pulled in a grim line.

  “Greetings,” the holographic Thunderbolt said. “I wasn’t sure if you would find your way here, but I suspected you might. I transmitted this message after I learned of the Flame’s attempt to arrest you and your subsequent escape. It was wise to run. I do not fully understand his motives. His actions seem unnecessary. He is not a fool, though his recent actions make him appear one.”

  Thunderbolt folded his arms.

  “We have had to leave all the known bases. None of them are safe. Two of our members have been kidnapped, both right out of secondary bases. Until I learn more, we must remain hidden. I cannot tell you exactly where I am. Even though this message is voice activated, I fear that our enemy might be able to access it. I’m sorry we couldn’t wait at headquarters for you, but as you may have noticed, it isn’t very defensible. The Flame may follow you here, so I suggest leaving quickly. Don’t engage them again. They will be more prepared this time, and they know this place far better than you. They may have decided they will never win your loyalty and try and stop you from reaching me at any cost. I don’t know how far they’re willing to go.

  “Once you leave headquarters, proceed to the coordinates at the end of this message. We aren’t there, but it’s close enough that Deanna can use the amplifier to contact Sam. She’ll guide you the rest of the way. I’m collecting the remaining loyal members, and then we are going to arrest the traitors and find our captured companions. I have contacted the Perch, and it remains secure, but I fear these unknown assailants might make a move against it. We have to act swiftly to find them before that can happen.

  “Now, get moving. Transfer the following coordinates to the ship’s computer and fly there with all speed. We’ll wait for you here.”

  He recited a brief string of numbers, and then the image disappeared.

  “Probably should have come here first,” Hayden said.

  Lana shook her head. “I really wish he sent this to the Baron’s mansion.”

  “I guess he figured this was the logical choice for us,” James muttered.

  “Well, we better get going,” Sam said. “The Flame is probably right behind us.”

  Lana nodded. “Remember the numbers?”

  “Yeah,” James said.

  They hurried back to the elevator. After it shot upward, James hastily led them through the meeting room and into the lounge.

  “Wait!” Sam shouted.

  James spun around. “We don’t have—”

  “It’s too late,” Sam said quietly. “They’re already here.”

  “They’ll blow us to pieces if we come out that door,” Lana cautioned.

  James glanced upward, where he knew the other ship was resting right over their heads.

  “If I was them, I might just blow a hole in this roof,” Hayden said, and everyone looked at him in alarm. “Let’s go back to the control room and wait for them. We’ll do Thunderbolt a favor and arrest these traitors right now. It’s their fault Emily got kidnapped, so let’s make them pay.”

  “Agreed,” James said. “Once they’re out of the way, we can find Thunderbolt.”

  “But Thunderbolt said—” Sam started.

  Hayden waved a hand. “Don’t worry, Sammy. These guys are chumps. This battle will be five minutes at most.”

  “We better move before they send a missile at our heads,” James said, looking up again. “Remember, they might actually be trying to kill us this time.”

  Everyone ran back to the meeting room, with James at the rear. He had just made it to the white doors when a massive fireball careened across the lounge and exploded two feet from his head. The impact sent him hurtling into the meeting room, and he hit the far wall with a crunch. Flames billowed out of the doorway behind him.

  “Yep,” James said, climbing to his feet. “They’re definitely trying to kill us.”

  19

  LANA SLAPPED THE BUTTON ON THE ELEVATOR’S PANEL, CLOSING THE DOORS just as they heard another blast of fire hit the metal.

  “Sam,”
Lana said, “come with me to the far side of the control room. We need a gun on both elevators.”

  The doors slid open again, and Lana and Sam sprinted across the room. She glanced back and saw Hayden standing between the elevator doors, not allowing them to close.

  “Got this one!” he called.

  Lana and Sam reached the far elevator and slid to a halt. James arrived soon after and they trained their rifles on the door. Sam closed his eyes.

  “Where are they?” James asked nervously.

  “I think they’re still up there,” Sam murmured. “They seem very agitated. They’re not in the elevator yet.”

  Lana quickly pressed the button. As soon as the doors opened, she planted herself between them. “Now what?” she asked.

  James shrugged. “I guess we wait.”

  Then the ceiling exploded.

  Shrapnel and dust fell from above, followed by flickering tongues of fire. They dove to the floor as the debris and flames rolled over their heads. Lana looked up just in time to see a huge shadow drop through the blown-out hole, barely visible through the smoke. The shadow opened fire. Fizzling blue blasts peppered the wall above their heads.

  “Fire back!” Lana screamed.

  James propped himself on one knee and returned fire, and the huge shadow hastily ducked behind a console. Lana saw two smaller shadows drop in through the hole. The Flame lifted his hands and fire sprayed toward them.

  Lana sprinted to her right, circling back to Hayden. Gali opened fire, trying to take her down, and she was forced to dive behind a sensor array. She somersaulted into a crouch on the far side. Where is Hayden? she thought desperately.

  On cue, she heard a roar and saw Gali go spinning through the air. He smashed into a console and it exploded in a shower of sparks. Suddenly the thick smoke and dust began swirling in unnatural patterns, and Hayden stepped into view. But just as he was about to reach Jada and the Flame, Gali stood up again and fired. Hayden was forced to deflect the shots and leap out of the way.

  The Flame was still shooting fire at Sam and James, keeping them pinned, but the scarlet flames were passing uselessly over their heads. Lana was thinking it seemed like a terrible waste of energy when she realized that the Flame was only making sure he had their attention.