by Wesley King
Thunderbolt slowly lowered the device.
“There’s only static.”
“They’re jamming us,” Septer said.
“Or they already got to the ship,” Thunderbolt said grimly. “Deanna?”
“I can’t sense him,” she replied.
Sam glanced back the way they had come. That meant the Vindico could be behind them. He gripped his rifle tighter. It felt as if the trees were watching them. He wanted nothing more than to be done with this assault, but his family was in that mansion. He narrowed his eyes and trudged along.
“Stop,” Lana said, and the march came to a halt in a fairly open patch of tall oak trees. “I just saw something move.”
Thunderbolt hurried beside her. “What was it?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking her head. “It was moving too fast.”
Sam stepped closer to Deanna.
Thunderbolt turned to the group. “If we get attacked, split into the groups we talked about and find your target. We can get to the families after—”
He was cut off by a series of earsplitting cracks. Four enormous trees tipped over toward the group. Sam yelped and dove to the ground as one fell directly toward him. Hayden, Lyle, and Meirna managed to deflect three of them, while James caught the last before it could crush Sam. Then someone opened fire.
Crisscrossing red bursts exploded into the area, and frantic shouts sounded from all directions.
“Split up!” Thunderbolt ordered, his deep voice carrying over the noise.
One blast hit a trunk and erupted into a flurry of sparks, showering Sam as he stood up. He grabbed Deanna’s arm, and they started running. Sam kept his head as low as possible, ducking beneath the laser fire, and saw the others take off into the forest.
“Get to the mansion!” Deanna said. “We’ll be killed out here!”
They broke into a full sprint, and the sounds of battle faded behind them.
“It must be coming up!” Sam said, trying to ignore the cramp in his side.
They ran for a minute or two longer until they reached the edge of the property. They bounded out of the forest onto the long, unkempt grass surrounding the mansion and froze.
An angular black ship was hovering in front of them, its two missile launchers fixated in their direction. A calm voice sounded over its loudspeaker.
“Drop your weapons, please,” the Baron said, “and proceed to the house with your hands up. I assure you, there would be little more than a crater left if I were forced to use these missiles.”
Sam looked at Deanna, and then they both dropped their rifles and raised their hands. It’s going to be okay, Sam said to Deanna. The others will be here soon.
* * *
“Watch out!” Lyle screamed, and Hayden dropped onto his stomach as another tree trunk skimmed over his head.
Hayden felt the air whoosh out of him on impact, and then he mentally yanked himself back to his feet. A shadowy figure stepped between two trees in the distance, and Hayden recognized the flowing black cape.
“There!” he called to Lyle, and he raced toward his former mentor.
“Keep your head down!” Lyle said, sprinting after him.
I have a better idea, Hayden thought. He reached out with his mind and gripped one of the huge oak trees, snapping it like a twig. He broke it twice more until he had three manageable pieces and then glanced at Lyle. “Want one?”
Lyle nodded and one of the pieced floated toward him. Hayden took the other two, and they stalked forward together, the three jagged pieces floating in front of them like a shield. Blasts, shouts, and explosions were echoing in the distance. Hayden hoped that Lana was okay. He’d last seen her disappear into the woods with James and Thunderbolt.
“See anything?” Lyle whispered, peering through the trees.
“No,” Hayden replied softly.
“So,” a cold voice said behind them, “the protégé returns.”
They both spun around but saw no one.
“You’ve grown stronger,” Leni said. “You could have been powerful indeed.”
Hayden looked around. “I’m pretty strong already. Come out and I’ll show you.”
“I think not,” Leni said. “With your little friend, you are a match for me in a contest of brute strength. Alas, there’s more to our powers, as you have yet to learn. It’s a question of cunning, and in that regard, you are both hopelessly overmatched.”
There was another loud crack, and Lyle yelped as the ground under their feet gave way. Hayden reacted instantly and sent himself hurtling sideways. But Lyle wasn’t as fast, and he disappeared into a pit, his scream echoing up after him.
Hayden rolled head over feet into the brush. Scratching branches dug into his exposed skin, and he shut his eyes. He finally flopped onto his back and pushed himself up again.
“Lyle!” he shouted, but there was no response.
“He’s probably just unconscious,” Leni said, his voice carrying through the trees. “Don’t worry, I haven’t killed him yet. We came to the decision that we might as well enjoy your deaths. Nothing swift and easy for you.” He chuckled. “So what now, protégé? I laid traps throughout this forest years ago. Where will you go now?”
“Do you need traps?” Hayden asked. “I would have thought such things beneath you.”
“Ah, the baiting routine,” Leni said. “Predictable. But now that it’s just the two of us, I must agree. They were beneath me.”
He stepped out from behind a tree. He wore the same black outfit he had during training, including his long cape. A silver device ran around his forehead.
“I like the headband,” Hayden commented. “It holds your hair back nicely.”
Leni tapped it with one finger. “This keeps your little friends out. Rono and Sliver have been perfecting the technology. You won’t be getting out so easily this time.”
“Very clever. I guess we’ll be beating you the old-fashioned way then.”
Leni smiled. “Indeed.”
At once, both trees beside Hayden exploded off their stumps. Hayden lunged out of their way and swept his hand at Leni, sending a wave of invisible force streaking toward him. Several trees were uprooted by the energy, and leaves, splintered wood, and other debris swelled along with the wave, giving it a tangible shape.
Leni stuck out his hands and the two tremendous forces clashed against each other. Both of their feet slid backward, grinding into the soil.
Then the clouds of splintered wood and dust abruptly clumped together to form a spear. The spear launched itself at Hayden, who just managed to deflect it with a quick hand motion. The spear dissolved into a cloud again, which blew toward him.
Squinting against the debris, Hayden charged Leni, preparing another surprise blast. He emerged from the cloud and saw that Leni had already moved.
Hayden crouched, gathering his energy around him. “Hiding again?”
“Not quite,” Leni said. His voice was right in Hayden’s ear.
A violent blast struck Hayden from behind and sent him flying through the air. He hit a tree and went spinning to the ground. Hayden rolled onto his back.
Leni stepped over him. “Too easy,” he said. “Perhaps I overestimated you.”
“We should talk about this,” Hayden wheezed.
“Oh, we will,” Leni assured him. He drew a cylindrical weapon out of his belt and pulled the trigger. Blue sparks fizzled from the nozzle. “See you soon.”
This did not go according to plan, Hayden thought.
Leni jabbed the weapon into his stomach and everything went black.
* * *
“Move!” Thunderbolt shouted, just as he unleashed another volley of lightning.
Lana leapt out of the way, but Avaria did the same, disappearing behind a clump of trees as the bolt of energy sizzled by. There was a titanic roar to her right, and she saw the Torturer bat another tree aside as James hurriedly backed away.
“Go left!” Thunderbolt ordered.
&nbs
p; Lana nodded and ducked to the left, trying to circle around her former mentor.
“Anything?” Thunderbolt asked.
“No,” Lana called back as she rounded the clump of trees.
She crouched low to the ground, listening for movement. She heard the sounds of James and the Torturer’s violent struggle and beyond that, some distant gunfire. And then another set of footsteps, so soft that they could barely be heard over the breeze.
She turned back to Thunderbolt and saw Avaria step out from behind a tree. Before Lana could even open her mouth in warning, Thunderbolt sensed that she was behind him. He tried to turn, his hands already glowing with another deadly blast, but Avaria was faster. She kicked him across the head and he collapsed, his arms flopping limply beside him.
“No!” Lana screamed.
Avaria met her eyes, wearing a taunting smile.
“Hello, Lana,” she hissed. “Now we can fight fair.”
“Where is my family?” Lana snarled.
“Alive,” Avaria replied. “We left them in the front lobby, just in case you managed to get the ship in and fire on the mansion. Sliver has them under guard.” The smile vanished from her face. “But their use is coming to an end. As is yours.”
Lana stepped toward her. “You did this to us, in case you forgot.”
“A failed experiment,” Avaria said. “I thought you had promise. But as strong as I made you, you were still so weak. One near kill and you crumbled.”
Lana clenched her fists. “That’s because I’m not like you.”
“No?” Avaria said. “If I recall, you pulled the trigger on Septer. I didn’t do that.”
Lana exploded into action. She swept a powerful kick at Avaria’s head, who ducked and spun to the side. Lana reversed direction, swiping with the back of her fist, but again, it sailed wide. Avaria jabbed Lana in the side and then tried to knee her in the stomach. Lana narrowly avoided the blow and lashed out again. This time her fist connected with Avaria’s chin, jerking her head to the side.
Avaria stepped back, rubbing her chin.
“Such a shame,” she said, and then sent a kick hurtling at Lana’s chest.
Lana managed to block the blow, but the force of the impact sent her flying. She landed flat on her back and rolled onto her feet, but Avaria had already closed the distance. Her right foot connected solidly with Lana’s cheek, and Lana sprawled to the ground, reeling. She tasted blood and felt it drip from her mouth.
Two strong hands gripped her shoulders and slammed her into a tree. Avaria held her there with one hand, staring into her eyes.
“You weren’t quite ready, though,” she said, and then pulled a stun gun out of a holster on her leg. She placed it against Lana’s neck. “Good night.”
* * *
“I think you’re taking this a little too personally,” James said, dodging yet another powerful blow.
“How did you want me to take it?” the Torturer asked, batting aside another tree. The huge man scowled. “You betrayed me.”
“It was actually Hayden’s idea.”
“Oh, so it’s his fault,” the Torturer scoffed. “Well, I had to sit in the Perch because of you!”
The thought seemed to renew his anger, and he lowered his head and charged. James tried to get out of the way, but the Torturer’s massive shoulder struck James in the chest and knocked him backward. He grimaced as the Torturer landed on him. James kneed the big man in the stomach, causing him to groan, and then tried to weasel out of his grip. He crawled out of the Torturer’s arms and started pulling himself away.
The Torturer grabbed his legs. James strained to keep moving, his fingers digging into the dirt, but his mentor was much stronger.
“Now you’ve forced me . . . to have to kill you,” the Torturer said.
“You . . . don’t . . . have to,” James replied, trying to find something to grab.
“I really . . . do,” he said.
James felt something hard beneath the soil, and he yanked a large rock from the ground. Then he twisted himself and swung the rock at the Torturer’s head. It impacted with a loud smack, and the Torturer cursed and released him.
James scrambled back to his feet, still clutching the rock. “Stop this.”
The Torturer stood up. “I can’t. You’ve forced my hand.”
“Why?” James asked. “Is it really going to solve anything? What are you going to do once we’re dead?”
He shrugged. “Kill the rest of the League.”
“And then?”
“Subject the world to our rule.” The Torturer frowned. “Or just live easy. I could enjoy myself and not have to worry about getting arrested by the League.”
“So do that anyway. We’ll get you a pardon.”
“Unlikely,” he said. “Besides, the others won’t agree to that.”
“So help us beat them.”
“It’s too late. For one, your friends are probably all captured. And besides, I can’t trust you. You’ve already betrayed me twice!”
“Not this time,” James said earnestly. “Help me, and I’ll make sure you’re pardoned.”
The Torturer stared at him for a moment. “It just won’t work,” he said, sounding hesitant. “How would we—”
“There you are!” a voice called, and they both turned to see Rono emerge from the woods, holding a rifle. “We’re waiting on you. I’ve already captured the Defender, taken out the other three members, and parked it. You had one kid to get. What’s taking so long?”
“He’s tough to get ahold of,” the Torturer grumbled, glancing at James.
“I’ll take care of that,” Rono said, and lifted his gun.
“Wait, let’s—” James started.
Rono pulled the trigger, and a blue blast erupted from the nozzle and struck him in the stomach. A strange tingling sensation raced up and down his body, and he felt his limbs weaken. Rono fired again, and he dropped to his knees, his body completely numb now. He thought of the others, already captured, and his family.
They’d failed, and they were all going to die. He wanted to feel sad, but it seemed beyond him.
Rono stepped forward, with the Torturer beside him, and he thought he saw concern in the big man’s eyes, or doubt. Then Rono lifted the rifle again, and James saw one more flash of blue.
32
“COME WITH ME, EMILY,” DOLUS SAID CALMLY.
Emily glanced at Blue and walked through the door. Dolus closed it behind her, and Blue was instantly at the window, her slender hands wrapped around the bars.
“Don’t hurt her,” she snarled.
He looked at her. “I intend to do quite the opposite, actually. I would be more concerned about yourself.”
Blue gingerly released the bars and stepped back. Then, without warning, her hands shot up and a powerful stream of water erupted from her fingertips, crossing the distance between them almost instantaneously. But Dolus was ready.
He pivoted on one heel and the blast of water slammed into the stone wall behind him. In the same motion, he drew his gun from the holster and shot her in the chest.
Emily heard Blue hit the stone, and she prepared to launch herself at him. But before she could take a step, the gun was pointed at her forehead.
“Don’t try it,” he warned. “A stun blast to the head from here would likely be fatal.”
Emily stared down the barrel for a moment and then let her hands fall to her sides, defeated.
He nodded. “I knew you would make the wise decision. I hope you have made another. Walk with me.”
Emily met his eyes and compared them to his sister’s. There’s one similarity, she thought. The yellow of Dolus’s eye was as flawlessly colored as his sister’s green ones. It was like a coat of paint, broken only by a small black pupil.
“All right,” she said quietly, following him down the corridor. She glanced back at the iron door. “Is Blue going to be okay?”
“Most likely, though she is weak. I won’t lie to you, Emily, her t
ime here is almost at an end. I thought she and the others might be of some use, but there was no need. Events are moving very quickly, and the battle I’ve waited for has already arrived. Renda, Peregrine, and Blue will be disposed of.”
Emily turned to him. “Why?”
“You’ll find out soon. The conclusion of this game is upon us. It did not go exactly as I hoped, but things rarely do. Now, I must know: what is your decision?”
Emily felt her stomach roiling. “Are my friends alive?”
“Yes. But not for long, if you don’t help them. A decision, Emily.”
Emily thought of Veridus’s words, warning her that this might be the only chance to beat him. The only chance to save the others.
“I’ll do it.”
He smiled. “Good. You will be a valued member here. We have time for only one session, and then we must proceed to the battle. You will come with me to end this, and with your help, we might be able to save your friends.”
“What will one session do?” she asked as they approached the first door.
“It will be a small step of the transformation. A mild increase in strength and speed.”
“And why do that now?”
“It may help convince your friends that the procedure is safe.”
Emily came to a halt. “Why would my friends need this procedure?”
“Only to improve on their powers,” he replied. “I want them to join us as well. The League is finished. We will be the new force of justice in this world. A new organization, untarnished by the blood and mistakes of these past conflicts. We can focus on truly righting this planet.”
Emily said nothing. Despite his confident tone, she knew he was lying. What is going on? she thought desperately. Her plan had been to undergo the transformation so she could kill him and allow his sister to seize power. But if she was only getting a small boost in strength before they left, she would never be able to beat him. Didn’t his sister know it would be a slow process? she wondered.
Emily kept walking, her mind racing with questions. She glanced at the guard as she passed by, at his dark eyes. They seemed emotionless. His black hair was slicked back like the rest, and though their faces were different, she got the feeling that all of these men were the same somehow. They were all empty.