“I’m sorry, am I keeping you from an important dinner date?”
Malefica backhanded me. Pain exploded in my cheek. I rocked back, but I didn’t fall to the ground. I refused to give her that satisfaction. Sam hissed.
“You pathetic woman. You still haven’t figured it out, have you? Do you even know what this is all about?”
“Of course I know what it’s about,” I mumbled through my split lip. Blood pooled in my mouth, and a few drops spattered onto the icy floor. “It’s what superhero-ubervillain battles are always about. You’ve captured the Fearless Five. You’ve unmasked them, and soon you’re going to kill them.”
Malefica shook her head. “Your vision is so shortsighted. I want more than to merely unmask the Fearless Five. I want their powers as well.”
I froze. My eyes flew to the tubes and the computer.
“Let me explain it to you, Miss Cole. I, being the brilliant scientist I am, have designed a complicated superhero suction system. My glass, power vacuumers will suck the superstrength right out of the Fearless Five, along with the rest of their powers.” Frost preened like a proud father over his monstrous device. “The powers will be transferred through the computer and reconfigured so we can absorb them through this tube.”
I followed Frost’s gloved finger. Another glass tube, one I hadn’t noticed before, sat on the far side of the computers. Glass, power vacuumers? So that’s why the Triad had robbed the vacuum cleaner plant. Frost had needed parts for his gruesome project.
Malefica smiled. “Of course, when we have their powers, we’ll be invincible. No one will be able to stop us…”
I tuned out the rest of the ubervillain’s chatter and threats. I glanced at my watch. Forty minutes until the bombs went off. Hopefully, Malefica would keep talking right up until the last second. My eyes flicked up. Frost stared at me. Uh-oh.
“She looked at her watch,” Frost said, interrupting Malefica’s rant. “You might want to make sure the area is secure before you do away with her.”
“What are you scheming now, Miss Cole?” Malefica’s eyes glowed.
I could almost feel the other woman peering into my mind. I had to think of something, anything, but the bombs. Something completely unrelated to bombs and explosives and... Coconut! That was fairly inane and harmless, although I hated the taste of it. Coconut, coconut, coconut... I repeated it over and over in my mind.
“She’s planted several bombs in the building.” Malefica rattled off a list of locations. “Go disarm them, now.”
Scorpion lumbered down the icy stairs. My heart sank. So much for my backup plan. What was wrong with me? Was my mind that simple? Was I an open book any psychic could read?
“Should we abort?” Frost asked. “He might not find them all in time.”
“No.” Malefica turned her head to look at the other ubervillain. “As long as he gets most of them, we’ll be all right. Keep going.”
I was out of options. It was time to do something drastic. I eyed Malefica, shifted my feet, and prepared to spring.
Suddenly, a giant, invisible hand picked me up. I yelped. The hand closed around me, pinning my arms to my side. I felt like the damsel-in-distress in one of those old black-and-white King Kong movies.
“As for you, Miss Cole, I’m afraid you have outlived your usefulness. You really should have listened to me. I don’t make idle threats.”
Malefica waved her hand. Slowly, I moved. I floated about twenty feet up into the air, up over the metal railing, until I dangled right over one of the vats.
The radioactive liquid bubbled and gurgled below. White fog drifted up from the vat, and the bottoms of my sneakers iced over. My stomach morphed into a giant ball of fear. Terrified, I looked up and locked eyes with Sam. I saw the panic and fear in his eyes and knew it was reflected in my own.
“Sam,” I whispered.
Malefica twitched her hand, and I plunged into the vat.
* * *
Cold.
No, icy.
No, frigid.
No...
Words couldn’t describe the sensation, although it was rather funny I was trying to find a way to explain what it felt like to freeze to death.
The liquid closed over me like a shroud. It poured into my ears and mouth and forced its way down my throat. It tasted like old, crystallized, vanilla ice cream. Blech. And it was cold, colder than death. Colder than anything I’d ever felt before. It made the harshest winter, the bitterest wind feel balmy by comparison. I froze on the inside and outside. I immediately lost feeling in my fingers and toes. Ice formed on my clothes and in my hair. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t breathe...
Suddenly, an invisible hand yanked me up out of the liquid. I coughed and gasped for air. My teeth rattled together like dominos.
“How’s the water?” Malefica asked. “Let’s go for another dip.”
I plunged back into the vat. The cold was worse this time, if that was possible. The frigid sensation worked its way up my arms and legs. My internal organs iced over one by one...
I flew up out of the liquid again. Malefica danced me around like a puppet. Bits and pieces of ice broke off my clothes and disappeared into the fog below. I couldn’t feel anything. Not my fingers, not my toes, not even my own eyes as they struggled to blink.
“Not quite done yet,” Malefica cackled and blew me a kiss.
I went into the vat for a third time. The cold engulfed my body. Something cracked open in my head and trickled down into the back of my eyes. I floated away on a cold cloud...
Just when I thought this was the end, the invisible hand again lifted me up out of the goo. I stood frozen and stiff in midair, a human icicle come to life.
“I think that’s enough.” Malefica waved her hand.
I sailed through the air and landed on the metal platform in between Malefica and the caged superheroes. I couldn’t move or speak or even whimper. I could barely make myself breathe. Fiona’s horrified face swam in front of my eyes. Sam shouted, but his voice seemed far away.
“Well, I have to say, Frost, I’m most impressed. That stuff really packs a punch. Is she still alive?”
Frost peered at me. “For the moment. She won’t last much longer.”
Malefica leaned down. “There’s one more secret I want to share with you before you depart this earth, Miss Cole. Something I’ve been keeping to myself for six delicious months now.”
I struggled to focus on the ubervillain. My vision had gone haywire, along with everything else. Malefica looked like a jumbled mass of black waves bouncing off each other.
“You see, I know how guilty you’ve been feeling over Tornado’s death. But I just want to tell you this—your guilt was for nothing. He didn’t commit suicide. I killed him.”
“What? What are you saying?” Fiona demanded, pounding the inside of her tube with her fist.
Malefica turned to the superhero. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You superheroes...so gullible. Never thinking about the big picture. Pity.”
“I got an advance copy of Carmen’s story identifying Travis Teague as Tornado. I was thrilled when I got the news. As Morgana Madison, it was so easy to arrange a meeting with dear Travis to talk about investing in his wind power company. Once I was in his office, I hit him with Frost’s freezoray gun, then dumped him out the window. Don’t worry. I’m sure he didn’t feel a thing.”
“You bitch!”
Fiona exploded into a roaring mass of red and orange and yellow waves. I could almost feel her heat, even though the glass tube separated us. A small spark of anger sizzled up in me. Malefica had used me from the very beginning, used me to murder Tornado, to capture the Fearless Five. Now, she was going to kill them all, kill my friends, kill Sam, the man I so desperately loved. The cold returned, stronger this time. The little spark flickered, dimmed, and faded away...
No!
I focused my energy on that spark. Anger was good. Anger meant I was still alive and not sliding into col
d, cold oblivion. I stared at the dazzling waves dancing around Fiona. If only I could reach out and touch that warmth somehow...wrap it around myself...I might have a chance... I had to fight... I strained toward the fiery waves...
“Now, now, now,” Malefica said to Fiona. “There’s no need to get all upset. I could have let the poor girl die thinking she was responsible for Tornado’s death. Instead, I’ve chosen to do the noble thing, the honorable thing, and confess my wicked, wicked sins. You should applaud me.”
“You’re despicable,” Sam spat out. “Rot in hell.”
“You first, darling.” Malefica puckered her lips and blew a kiss to the trapped superhero.
Water dripped off my frozen, ice-covered fingers. It puddled on the floor underneath me. Still, I stared at Fiona. The flames around her flickered and dimmed. Her face paled. Somehow, though, I didn’t feel quite as cold as before.
Frost circled me. “Interesting. She should be frozen solid by now. She must be made of sturdier stuff than I thought. Or perhaps the ambient temperature is slowly thawing her out. It will be too little, too late, though.” He drew his freezoray gun out from the holster on his utility belt. “Are you going to finish her off, Malefica? Or shall I?”
“You get back to work on the computers. I’ll take care of Miss Cole.”
Frost put his weapon away. He took up his previous post in front of the computer and began flipping switches and pushing buttons.
Malefica used her boot to roll me over onto my back. I made no sound, although I stared at Malefica. The ubervillain paid no attention to the hate burning in my eyes—or to the fact my skin was no longer quite as blue as Frost’s costume. Malefica made a grand sweep with her hand, and Sam’s two swords rose up into the air.
“I think I’ll let Striker’s weapons of choice be the means of your demise, Miss Cole. Watching someone die from hypothermia brought on by radioactive goo isn’t terribly exciting. There’s no blood, no spatter, no real artistry to it.”
“Don’t do this, Malefica. Please. She’s an innocent. She doesn’t even have any powers,” Sam pleaded.
Malefica smiled. “What’s this? Are you begging me to spare her life? She won’t last more than a few more minutes either way, you know.” Her eyes glowed. “Do you actually...care about her?”
Sam stared at my still form. He lowered his head.
“You do!” Malefica laughed. “How ironic. Striker has feelings for the woman who exposed him to me. How deliciously ironic.”
The swords floated over my body.
“And now, Miss Cole, it’s time for you to die.” Malefica snapped her hands downward.
“No!” Sam shouted.
The swords zoomed straight at my chest.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“How ironic. Striker has feelings for the woman who exposed him to me.”
Striker has feelings for...
Feelings for...
Feelings...
The words echoed in my mind. My lips twitched upwards. He cares about me? Sam aka Striker Sloane actually cares about me?
The little spark of anger that I’d been holding on to blossomed into something much, much greater. I moved my head an inch. He stood in his glass tube, a look of utter despair and hopelessness on his handsome face. Sam. The strange, warm feeling grew inside me. The cold receded from my bones.
I moved my head back. The swords hovered above me. Behind them, I could see Malefica, and the waves that surrounded the ubervillain. They looked just like the waves I’d seen around Fiona, except they were black, just like Malefica’s twisted soul.
Malefica moved her hand. The swords plunged downward, about to make me the world’s largest pin cushion. If I could have put my hands up, I would have. If I could have screamed, I might have done that too.
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do any of those things.
All I could do was stare at the black waves and concentrate.
It was enough.
The swords stopped an inch from my chest. They hovered there like long, slender helicopters. Malefica frowned. She waved her hand. The swords backed off, then plunged at me again.
Again, they stopped.
I stared at the ubervillain. Malefica repeated the process a third time.
Again, the swords stopped short of plunging into my cold body.
“What are you doing?” Frost demanded, putting his hands on his thin hips. “Quit fooling around. Kill her already. We have superpowers to suck, you know.”
“I’m trying,” Malefica muttered. “I’m trying.”
I wasn’t quite sure why I wasn’t dead yet. It had something to do with the black waves boiling around Malefica. They pulsated just a few feet away. They weren’t hot like the waves around Fiona. These waves had a different sort of power. They felt like...the ocean. Perpetual motion. Like all you had to do was think about something and it would move for you.
The waves around Malefica surged forward, and the swords came at me once more. I stared at the waves and pictured myself using their power to shove the swords back at the ubervillain.
The weapons stopped.
“What—what are you doing? Stop that!” Malefica shrieked.
“Malefica, what’s going on?” Frost asked.
“It’s...her! She’s interfering with my telekinesis!”
“Impossible!” Frost scoffed. “You just aren’t concentrating. Focus on the task at hand.” He turned back to the computers.
“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll do it myself. It’s always more fun that way.”
Malefica waved her hand. One of the swords flew through the room and embedded itself in the wall. The ubervillain took hold of the other one and towered over me. Malefica lifted the sword up high above her head. The black waves around her intensified.
My fingers fluttered.
The sword ripped out of Malefica’s hand, hit the floor, and slid to a stop in front of Sam’s tube. Malefica’s mouth dropped open. She stared at me. For the first time, the ubervillain realized I wasn’t frozen anymore. All of the ice had melted off my body. My skin was no longer pale and blue, my hair no longer white with frost.
“Your eyes,” she whispered. “They’re glowing!”
Malefica took an uncertain step back.
I stared at the black waves around the ubervillain and imagined using their power to pull myself into a sitting position. Beads of sweat popped out on my face. It took so much effort to concentrate, to focus, to try to move. And yet, slowly, oh-so-slowly, my body propped itself up.
“Carmen?” Sam said. “Carmen!”
I stared at the caged superhero. Soothing sapphire waves rippled out from his body. I could feel their healing powers, their ability to continually restore. If only I could use them to heal myself... I reached out with my mind toward the pulsating waves...
“Bloody hell,” Fiona said. “Look at her eyes!”
“Everyone be quiet. Stop talking to her, Sam. Carmen needs to concentrate,” Chief Newman said in a low voice.
“What’s happening to her?” Henry asked.
“What happened to all of us,” the chief replied in a cryptic tone. “Now be quiet and watch.”
I barely comprehended the superheroes’ conversation. All I was aware of were the soothing, soothing waves. I reached for them, and their power trickled into my body. A warm glow enveloped me, jump-starting my heart, restoring my circulation. My breathing grew easier. Pricks and needles of pain ran up and down my arms and legs. I wiggled my toes. I could feel them again.
Inside the tube, Sam fell to his knees. Sweat streamed down his anguish-filled face. I frowned. I was hurting him. I let go. Sam fell back against the side of the tube. Malefica’s eyes flicked back and forth between us.
I rolled over onto my knees. Water dripped down my face and plopped onto the metal floor. I pushed myself up. My knees wobbled. I lurched over to the metal railing and hung on to it for support.
Malefica took another step back. “Frost, Frost! Quit messing with th
at stupid computer.”
“What do you want? I’m trying to work here in case you haven’t noticed. Just kill her already…” The ubervillain caught sight of my glowing eyes. His voice trailed off.
“What’s in that vat I dropped her in?” Malefica asked.
“Nothing special. Just a mixture of radioactive isotopes and chemical compounds. Your usual goo.” Frost studied me. “Although it seems as if it has quite a different effect on humans than on animals. How fascinating.”
“Fascinating, my ass! Look at her!”
Frost waved his hand. “So her eyes are glowing. No big deal. It’s probably just a temporary effect.”
Malefica shook her head. “You’re wrong. I can feel the power pouring off her. Quick! Hit her with the freezoray gun!”
Frost sighed. “Always so demanding.”
Snow-white waves rippled out from the ubervillain. Cold waves. I stared at the gun on Frost’s side and reached for the power.
Frost went for his weapon. Too little, too late. A large block of ice encased his freezoray gun, rendering it useless.
I took a step forward.
Malefica and Frost looked at each other. Meanwhile, Scorpion appeared at the top of the stairs.
“I found several bombs. They’ve been shut down—”
“That doesn’t matter right now. Scorpion, get her!” Malefica shrieked.
The giant, hulking ubervillain shrugged. “Okay.”
He lumbered over to me, put his hand on my throat, and picked me up. “Now what?”
Malefica pointed. “Throw her back into the vat! Now!”
Scorpion raised me high into the air. I looked at Fiona and the red-hot waves that enveloped her. I put my hand on Scorpion’s chest.
He dropped me like a hot potato.
At that moment, I was one. I used Fiona’s power to superheat my hand. Scorpion now had a giant smoking hole on his chest. Blisters popped out on his massive form, although they began to heal within seconds due to his regenerative abilities.
“What’s the matter, Scorpion? Am I a little too hot to handle?” I said, getting to my feet.
The Bigtime Series (Bigtime superhero series, e-bundle) Page 27