Absolute Power (The New Heroes, Book 3)

by Michael Carroll

Grinning, Colin slapped his friend on the shoulder. “I heard a rumour that the four of us are superheroes. Let’s find out if that’s true.”

  They began to run towards the dome. Danny was already waiting for them next to the nearest doorway.

  Colin’s head-set communicator buzzed. “Finally! Hello?”

  “Hello, Colin,” a female voice said.

  Colin frowned. “Who’s this? Where’s Mr Kinsella?”

  “Reginald Kinsella is dead, Colin.”

  Colin stopped running. “What?”

  “Someone shot down his jet. We’re not yet certain who it was, but all the signs point to the New Heroes.”

  Colin looked towards the dome, where Renata, Danny and Butler were entering through the doorway. “No way! That’s impossible! They’d never kill anyone! Who is this?”

  “You will keep listening until I say otherwise.”

  “Oh no…”

  “Oh yes, Colin. This is Yvonne, your former team-mate. The New Heroes are your enemies. Destroy them.”

  18

  “DANNY, WE NEED you to scout the area,” Renata said as she looked around the dome. “Get back to the hills and see what you can do about disabling some of those tanks.”

  “Will do.”

  Butler said, “There’s a large platoon approaching on foot from the north-west. You should be able to slow them down a bit too.”

  “OK. Which way is that?” Danny asked.

  Butler sighed, and pointed. “That way. Weren’t you ever a boy scout?”

  “No.”

  “Just go,” Renata said. “And don’t get killed.”

  Danny winked at her and was gone.

  “Butler?”

  “I know. Round up the prisoners and protect them.”

  “Not yet…The east side seems to be their strongest point, so you go that way – see if you can use your force-field to flip over some of the tanks, create a barricade.” She turned around. “Colin can help you…”

  Colin was standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the light, his hands by his side. Tiny electrical sparks crackled across his fingers.

  “What’s the problem?” Butler asked.

  Colin took a step closer. “You are.” He raised his hands – and bolts of lightning arced out towards Renata and Butler.

  Renata ducked to the side. “That almost hit me, you idiot!”

  At the same time, Butler yelped and ripped the communicator from his ear. It was now nothing more than a lump of melted plastic and metal. “What did you do that for?”

  Walking towards them, Colin said, “I don’t want you contacting the others.”

  He leaped forward and lashed out with his fist, hitting Butler square in the jaw. The older boy flew backwards and crashed against one of the giant pistons.

  Instinctively, Renata rolled out of the way, spun around and slammed Colin in the back of the head with a roundhouse kick. “Have you gone nuts? Why are you attacking us?”

  Without a word, Colin sprang to his feet and launched himself at her, catching her around the waist.

  Renata crashed to the ground and Colin crouched over her, pounding his fists into her face and stomach.

  Renata felt her lip split and she grabbed hold of Colin’s wrists. I’m stronger than he is…She began to force him backwards. “Damn it, will you just listen to me!” Renata shouted.

  Colin didn’t reply: he just kept straining to get to her, his eyes mad with fury.

  Then Renata noticed a tiny electrical spark run over one of Colin’s hands.

  Oh no…

  She jerked her head to the left milliseconds before Colin’s powerful lightning bolt arced into the ground. A smell of scorched hair filled the air. That could have killed me!

  Colin struggled to break her grip; Renata solidified her hands and arms, and forced Colin on to his back.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Finally, he spoke. “These prisoners…Some of them are only children!”

  “I know! We’re here to help you!”

  “Liar!” Colin spat. “You’re like all the others – you’ll do or say anything to get what you want.”

  Renata let go of Colin and jumped back from him. “We’re your friends, Colin!”

  Colin stood up. “My friends? No, you’re not. Real friends would never betray me, never go behind my back and start working with Max Dalton. Your people killed Reginald Kinsella!”

  Freeze him! Renata told herself. Like you did with the lawyers back in Bloomington! Never mind how much it’s going to hurt – just do it!

  But Colin was already charging at her again, his powerful fists coated in white-hot flame.

  Renata leaped aside, ran for the dome’s superstructure and began to scramble up the girders.

  A bolt of lightning ploughed into her leg, the pain rippling through her entire body. Renata watched with horror as her hands spasmed, letting go of the girder. She fell.

  She turned herself solid seconds before she hit the ground, and could only watch, unmoving, as Colin raced up to her, lifted her over his head and threw her.

  Her crystalline body tore a ragged hole in the side of the dome and crashed to the ground outside.

  She had landed on her side, facing the dome’s entrance, and now Colin came racing through, straight towards her.

  Then he stopped, shuddered, and started moving backwards, struggling against the invisible force.

  What the hell? Colin thought. Got to be Butler…His force-field…

  Colin was lifted off the ground and pressed against the side of the dome.

  Butler walked up to him. “Talk to me, Colin. What’s going on here?”

  “You’re about to be defeated.”

  Colin was slammed back into the ground, immobilised. He tried to break free, but the force-field was holding him down too tightly.

  Butler was right in front of him, raging. “You damned fool! You sided with the enemy!”

  “You New Heroes are the enemy, Redmond! The Trutopians only want peace…But you brought war. You murdered Reginald Kinsella because you know the Trutopian way is right.”

  “You’ve joined those nutcases? Well let me tell you this, Wagner. We didn’t start this conflict. You did.”

  “He’s right, Colin,” Renata said, approaching from the side. “I don’t know what’s got into you, but this ends right now.”

  Burn them, a voice inside Colin’s head said. He concentrated, channelling all his energy into heat.

  The ground around Renata and Butler was starting to steam and scorch. The concrete blackened.

  “Back away, Redmond! I know you have to drop the force-field every few minutes so that you can breathe – if you open it now the heat I’m generating will burn the air from your lungs!”

  Then Colin found himself lifted up, the invisible force-field wrapped around his entire body like a shroud, and thrown high and far into the air.

  He spun about as he fell, crashed through the branches of a tree at the edge of the clearing and dropped into the coarse undergrowth.

  Before he could recover, the force-field gripped him again, squeezing him so tight that his radio headset was crushed against his skull.

  Colin reached up, pressed his fingers into the force-field and began to pull as hard as he could.

  He heard Butler gasp and the force-field’s pressure increased.

  Colin concentrated on the ambient heat from the area, from Butler and Renata themselves. He drew the heat into himself and channelled it through to his fingertips.

  Renata said, “Butler…He’s doing something! It’s getting colder!”

  “I know!” Butler grunted. “Turn yourself solid!”

  In seconds, Colin’s fingers were glowing white-hot. He redoubled his strength, and pulled.

  The force-field ripped apart soundlessly.

  Colin leaned over, gasping for breath. He could hear Butler saying, “Not possible…Not possible!”

  He looked up to see Butler on his knees, his hands c
lutching his head. A thick layer of frost covered the area. Butler was almost blue with the cold.

  The cold and the effort were too much for him…Can’t give him time to recover.

  He charged at Butler, kicked out wildly. His foot hit Butler’s chest, and sent him crashing against the same tree he slammed Colin into. The frozen tree shattered, and Butler fell to the ground, unmoving.

  Colin looked around to see that Renata was curled into a ball, solid, covered in frost and ice.

  He walked towards her.

  Renata instantly turned human again and started to scramble backwards, her feet skidding on the frozen ground. “Colin, please! You have to stop!”

  “I have to stop? You chose to side with the warmongers, Renata! You had your chance to join the Trutopians. Now stand down, or I will make you stand down!”

  Renata hesitated. “You have to fight with us, Colin! Everything has changed in Sakkara. We came here to help you, not to attack the prisoners.” She pointed towards the hills. “It’s those people out there you should be fighting.”

  He strode forwards. “That was your last chance. You wasted it.”

  With a sudden lunge, Colin leaped at Renata. She blocked his punch with her left arm, and with her right fist landed a powerful blow square in his face.

  Colin staggered back and stared at her. He used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth.

  “I swear to God, Colin, I am on your side!”

  But Colin wasn’t listening: he aimed his hands at her.

  Renata threw herself to the side just as a lightning bolt seared the air.

  She dropped to the ground, pivoted on one arm and swung her legs at his stomach. Colin doubled over.

  Can’t stop now, got to make sure he’s unconscious!

  She surged upwards, forcing Colin back. He let fly with another lightning bolt that struck her in the shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but Renata knew she couldn’t let that stop her: she charged at him.

  Then Colin turned and fled, racing towards the electrified fence, leaping at it. He seemed oblivious to the shower of sparks as he scrambled over the fence and dropped the six metres down to the other side, and continued running.

  Renata pounded after him. I’m not immune to electricity, but maybe if I—

  The ground gave way beneath her, the thin sheets of concrete-coloured metal buckling and splitting.

  Renata instantly turned herself solid, plummeting into the darkness.

  Damn it, he tricked me!

  Oh God, it’s too dark…I can’t see anything!

  When she was in her solid form, Renata could feel nothing. Not heat, or cold, or pressure. Not even the sensation of movement.

  How will I know when I’ve stopped falling?

  That’s two down. Colin scrambled back up the fence, leaped from the top and easily cleared the three-metre-wide pit.

  A part of him felt guilty for attacking Renata, but he reminded himself that she was the enemy. If she didn’t want to fight me, then she chose the wrong side. They all did.

  No, it’s me. I’m on the wrong side! Yvonne is working with the Trutopians. They used me! He swallowed. They’re still using me…They made me attack my friends!

  No, the New Heroes are the enemy. No matter what they try, I’ll fight them and defeat them. They’re the ones who murdered Kinsella.

  Yvonne’s controlling me and I can’t do a damn thing about it!

  Colin found Butler half-buried under the frozen splinters of the shattered tree. He waded through the debris and lifted Butler to his feet. The older boy was clearly concussed, shivering, blood seeping from a gash in the back of his head.

  Can’t leave him here to die…

  Carrying Butler over his shoulder, he began to run, back across the open space towards the dome.

  There was a sudden roar of jets, then a huge metal figure sailed over the dome, and set down directly in front of Colin. It was almost three metres tall, bristling with weapons.

  Stunned, Colin stepped back, allowing Butler to drop to the ground.

  The armoured figure strode towards Colin, moving with a grace and fluidity that seemed impossible for something this size.

  It stopped in front of him, then a voice boomed out: “You’re in an awful lot of trouble, son.”

  Colin stared. “Dad?”

  19

  INSIDE THE NEW Paragon armour, Warren Wagner looked down at Colin. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, son. Stand down!”

  Colin’s rage-filled eyes stared back at him. “No.”

  “Colin, what do you think is happening here today?”

  “I’m here to free these prisoners, and you are trying to stop me.”

  “You’re wrong. We only just found out about this place ourselves. We came to help you protect the prisoners from the Lieberstanian army.”

  “How can I trust you, after what you did at Sakkara? You took the side of the man who tried to kill me. You chose Max Dalton over me! Dad. This is your last warning. Take your people and leave this place right now.”

  “Fine. That’s exactly what we want to do. But you’re coming with us. We need to find a way to de-program you.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “Then…We’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

  Colin smiled. “Renata and Butler tried and failed. You really think you can take me?”

  “Yes,” Warren said. He held out his right hand: he was holding one of Max’s shock-bombs, aimed directly at Colin. The bomb activated: there was a deafening boom, and Colin was instantly shot backwards.

  Colin skidded across the rough ground and stopped only when he collided with the concrete wall of one of the bunkers.

  He jumped to his feet, but Warren was already on him, locking one huge mechanical hand over his face, and forcing him back against the wall.

  Warren pressed his free hand palm-first against Colin’s chest. There was a brief, intense flash of light from his palm, then he stepped back, letting Colin drop.

  Before Colin could recover, Warren unclipped a weapon from his forearm, aimed and fired. The fist-sized canister exploded against Colin’s face, enveloping him in a thick cloud of orange gas.

  Scrambling backwards out of the gas cloud, Colin began to choke and cough, then collapsed on to his back.

  Warren flipped Colin over on to his face, pulled his hands behind his back and sprayed them with a thick, clear liquid that instantly set. He bound Colin’s legs in the same way.

  Warren stood back, disgusted with himself for what he’d had to do to his own son. He activated his communicator.

  “Razor? I’ve got him. He’s immobilised. Get the StratoTruck over here.”

  “Is he OK?”

  “Just get here, will you? What’s the status with the Lieberstanian army?”

  “They’re retreating. The UN forces are on the way.”

  “Good.” Warren reached up and opened the visor of his helmet. He crouched down beside Colin. “You conscious?”

  Colin stirred, but said nothing.

  “I’m sorry, Colin, I truly am. I had no choice. I know you’re more powerful than I ever was, but there’s no substitute for experience. When Solomon Cord designed this armour he made sure that it would be powerful enough to stop a renegade superhuman. We never thought it would be you.”

  The roar of the StratoTruck’s turbine engines approached.

  “We’re going to take you back to Sakkara, OK? We’ll find a way to help you.” Warren sighed. “Damn it, Colin! Your mother and I were worried sick about you. You shouldn’t have just taken off like that! But we’re going to sort you out, and we’ll be a family again.”

  The StratoTruck soared over the hills, and touched down close to Warren and Colin.

  Half a dozen soldiers jumped out, followed by Razor.

  Razor looked down at Colin. “My God. Warren, what did you do?”

  “What I had to do.” He turned to the soldiers. “Someone go and pick up Butler, and check
out that pit; see if you can find Renata.”

  Razor crouched down. “Hey, Colin…Col? Can you hear me?”

  Still bound and blindfolded, Colin nodded. “I hear you, Razor.”

  “You’re going to be OK. Man, I’m glad you’re back with us! There’s stuff happening at Sakkara…But more important than that, it looks like the Trutopians are gearing up for war.” He patted Colin on the shoulder. “But you can do it, right? You’re strong enough to beat them, aren’t you?”

  Again, Colin nodded. “Yes, I’m strong enough to stop the Trutopians. But…What makes you think that I want to?”

  Colin tensed his arms. There was a loud crack from the solidified binding material.

  Warren Wagner darted forward, grabbed hold of Razor’s arm, and pulled him back from Colin. “Run! Get the others into the StratoTruck and take off!”

  He stepped back from his son. “Colin, you’ve got to listen to reason.”

  Colin tore his arms free from the binding fluid.

  Oh Jesus, the look on his face…He’s going to kill me! “You just stop right there, young man!”

  Colin paused.

  Warren had used the tone of voice that had always worked on Colin when he was a child.

  Then Colin grinned. “What are you going to do? Ground me?”

  Warren tried to take another step back, but at that moment the armour’s motors stopped working, and the display projected on to the inside of the helmet disappeared.

  “I can control electricity, remember?” Colin said.

  He charged forward and struck, plunging his hands right into the armour’s chest-plate.

  Colin tensed his muscles and pulled.

  He tore the armour apart, showering the area with fragments.

  The ruined exoskeleton staggered, then tumbled backwards to the ground.

  “For God’s sake, Colin! You’ve got to stop this! Can’t you see what you’re doing is wrong?”

  Colin pulled his father out of the damaged armour and threw him aside towards the wall of the dome.

  Warren raised his arms in front of his face. He felt the bones in his left hand and arm snap as they hit the wall. He fell to the ground, landing heavily, breaking his right leg. The leg that Ragnarök had broken over ten years earlier.