by Dana Gricken
“Where else would he go? He has no other friends or allies. Don’t underestimate him, or the Darkhunters, either—they’re smart. They know what they’re doing.”
“And if the bomb explodes?” Ruby asked.
“Then it was an honor knowing all of you.” I turned to the crowd. “All right, move out. We need to be fast.”
Tyler, Tom, and Marissa remained on the street, keeping their backs tight to the wall of the Empire State Building. With their Deathblades at the ready, they’d ambush the Darkhunters if they left this way. Jonah, Nadia, and the other members of the Renegades, Outcasts, and Hidden walked inside, staying here to provide backup.
With Caleb, King Bane, Jacob, Ruby, Jade, and Angel by my side, I felt like we had a good chance—the best we could have in this situation. I pushed the heavy revolving doors open, walking into the foyer.
Everything was quiet. I had been here once as a little girl. I remembered seeing tourists, security guards, and secretaries sitting at the front desk, but they were long gone now. The power was off, no doubt due to Doctor Zero’s attack a few weeks ago.
Jacob walked over to the elevator, pressing the button. When nothing happened, he sighed. “I guess the elevator’s out. No crystal can make it work again, either.”
“I can help,” Ruby said. “I could use my gravity power to move the elevator with us inside.”
“No. We’ll take the stairs,” I replied. “They won’t be able to corner us like they could in an elevator.”
Jade looked up the stairs. “Great, my legs are going to be jelly after this. Why did the soulful insist on making the Empire State Building so tall?”
We took the stairs as fast as we could. There was no time to stop to take a breath. Halfway up, I heard something coming from above. It echoed off the walls, but I couldn’t quite hear it clearly.
I held up my fist, signaling to the others to stop behind me. “Listen closely. Did you hear that?”
Everyone paused to listen. It sounded like voices, and they were getting closer. When a group of seven Darkhunters turned around the corner of the stairwell, I knew a fight was inevitable. There was nowhere to run or hide. We had to make it past them.
“They’re here!” a Darkhunter cried. “Alert the others! We can’t let them get to the bomb!”
One of the Darkhunters ran up the stairs, carrying the message of our arrival. I took the opportunity to punch the Darkhunter closest to me, knocking them out cold. Caleb did the same to the other one, using his fire to subdue him.
King Bane and Jade combined their powers using Synergy, which resulted in a sword of electricity. It broke one of the Darkhunters’ weapons in half, and then Caleb knocked her out with fire.
Jacob reached into his trench coat, tossing a strange crystal toward a Darkhunter that exploded in his face. It immediately paralyzed him. Meanwhile, Angel gnawed on another Darkhunter, sending him crashing down the stairs with a loud thud. When I looked down, he was unconscious.
A single shot echoed down the stairs. One of the Darkhunters had managed to fire their powerful gun. When I looked back, Jade’s abdomen had a giant bullet hole in it, bleeding black blood everywhere.
“Jade!” Ruby cried, catching her before she fell down the stairs. “Are you okay?”
“So much pain,” Jade gasped. “I…don’t know if I’ll make it.”
Caleb and Bane looked at each other, nodding. Their fire and electricity tangled together like a tornado, and they sent it toward the last two Darkhunters, including the one who had shot Jade. When they were unconscious and the path was clear, I turned back.
“She won’t survive if we keep going. Her powers would be useless, anyway,” Ruby said. “We have to do something, Riley. I won’t let her die here!”
I nodded. “Take her back to the headquarters. Get the Healer and Violet to look at her.”
“No way,” Jade said, trying to stand on her own. “I’ve had injuries before. I won’t walk away from a fight! If that bomb goes off, we’re all dead.”
“And even if it doesn’t, you’ll die for sure, anyway,” I replied. “Ruby, take her back to the headquarters and stay with her. That’s an order.”
“I will. Should I get other soulless to fight with you in our place?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to risk anyone else getting hurt. I think we can handle it.”
“Thank you for letting us leave,” Ruby said. “And good luck, Riley. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”
Ruby took Jade down the stairs, the stubborn soulless arguing the entire way. Once they were gone, I nodded at Caleb, King Bane, Jacob, and Angel. We were the only ones left.
“Let’s do this.”
I was panting after the long stairs and the fight, but I forced myself to keep going. I could rest once the city was safe again. When the stairs ended, I looked out the window, noticing how far we had climbed.
It was a long drop. The Deathblade was technically the only thing that could kill a soulless, but I wasn’t sure any of us would survive that kind of fall.
I heard movement coming from the observation deck below the steeple. It was a popular spot for tourists—mainly because you could see all of New York City. It would be big enough to hold many Darkhunters and the bomb. When I looked out the window again and turned my head up, I saw them.
Michael had been right. The bomb reminded me of a nuclear warhead, only slightly smaller. They must’ve had a tough time carrying it up the stairs. I could see Rachel standing next to it, fiddling with its buttons. The timer hadn’t been set…as of right now. Several Darkhunters stood behind her, protecting her flank from intruders.
“It’s almost time,” I said. “They’re getting ready to detonate!”
I tugged on the door to the observation deck, but it was locked. When I slashed my Deathblade against it, it didn’t work.
“Here, let me try,” Caleb said, striking the door with fire.
Nothing happened. The Darkhunters must’ve done something to it to prevent us from breaking through.
“We’ll have to do this the hard way,” I muttered, sighing.
I opened the nearest window, pulling myself onto the ledge. I took small, careful steps, trying not to fall into the abyss below. Rain pellets smacked me in the face, and I tried to shield myself from the strong winds with my sleeve.
“Riley, I’m not too crazy about this idea,” Jacob said. “What if we fall and break our necks?”
“We have to try. With the door boarded, there’s no other way to get up there.”
“She’s right. Come on,” Caleb said, following me. “If we’re careful, we can do it.”
Jacob sighed, letting Angel and King Bane go ahead of him. They followed me, inching farther away from the window. As I took another step forward, I slipped, the rain causing my feet to give out.
“I’ve got you!” Caleb said, grabbing my hand before I could fall. “I promised I would.”
I smiled, though my heart was beating madly. “Thank you. I have to say—this isn’t how I want to die.”
When we were far enough along the ledge, I found something above my head that I could grab onto. It was an old piece of scaffolding, but it looked sturdy enough to support my weight. Caleb stood close to me, preparing to catch me if I slipped again.
With both hands, I reached up and pulled myself to the top. Once I was safely above the others, I bent down and lowered a hand.
“Come on. I’ll pull you up, one by one.”
The others were heavy—especially Angel, who was putting on a little extra weight—but I managed to help them up safely. When we were all together again, I took a good look around.
The observation deck was large, and circled around the building. Even through the darkness, I could see the fence protecting us from falling off, and the binoculars left there for tourists to see the city. Where we were standing, we were still far enough away from the Darkhunters that they couldn’t see us yet.
“We have to take out those guard
s first,” I whispered. “Bane, Caleb? Could you help us out?”
Caleb nodded, combining his fire with Bane’s electricity again. “With pleasure. Ready, Father?”
“I am always ready, my son.”
With a loud explosion, they struck the guards with their Synergy, knocking them out cold in seconds. Rachel and Michael had noticed us now, but at least we had fewer people to fight. Spencer was also there, hiding in the shadows. Caleb’s fire from earlier had burned some of the skin on his arms.
“I wondered when you were going to show up,” Rachel said. “Spencer came to us and told us you had escaped.”
“My people will always come for me,” I replied. “It’s proof soulless and soulful can work together. There could be peace if you’d just open your eyes!”
Michael sneered. “Tell that to the thousands of innocent lives taken over the years because of the soulless! Tell that to my wife who suffered because of them!”
“Hel never supported the war,” Patrick said, approaching behind us. Judging by how hard he was panting, he must’ve climbed the stairs and gone through the window like us. “She wanted to give the soulless a chance. Never wanted it myself, but she did. She believed in peace.”
I turned around, wide-eyed. “Patrick, I told you to stay away!”
“Couldn’t,” Patrick replied. “I was worried about you. Besides, you think I’d miss this, kid?”
“You’re lying, Ramsey,” Michael replied. “Helen would never say that! She was a Sentinel, for crying out loud. It was her duty to kill the soulless!”
Patrick laughed. “I knew Hel like no one else. Weren’t just lovers, but friends too. Trust me—she wouldn’t want her death to be responsible for this. It’s genocide, and it’s evil.”
“Don’t tell me what my mother would want,” Rachel spat. “This needs to happen!”
“I can’t let you detonate that bomb, Rachel,” I replied, stepping closer. “There are innocent soulless—kids too—who don’t deserve to die.”
“Of course you’d say that,” Spencer said, stepping forward. “You’re soulless. You’ve changed, Riley. Your mind isn’t your own anymore. I wish your life wasn’t going to end this way.”
“And you could’ve survived this if you hadn’t been so stubborn. What a shame,” Rachel said, leaning down. “One day, the world will thank me for doing this.”
With the press of a button, a flashing red timer started on the bomb. It was set at two minutes and counting down already. It wasn’t going to harm anyone soulful, so the Darkhunters didn’t leave. They didn’t want to miss the fog explosion—their greatest achievement.
When Caleb lifted his hands, fire spitting between his fingers, Rachel pointed her gun at him. “Not so fast, soulless. Even if you kill us, you’re too late. Soon, this world will be free of soulless.”
Something changed inside of me—something dark. I didn’t want to take the Darkhunters alive anymore. No, I wanted to see them bleed.
“Take your vengeance, Riley Stark,” the Cardinal whispered in my mind. “They must answer for their crimes.”
I decided he was right. What did I have to lose?
“If I’m dying, then so are you,” I replied, lunging at Rachel with my dagger.
Michael moved in front of her, and my dagger collided with his chest. He stumbled back, dropping his gun in the process. When he collapsed, red blood pooled around his body, and Rachel dropped beside him.
“Dad, no!” she cried. “Please, stay with me!”
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” he whispered. “But…at least our mission was a success. I can…die happily now.”
After he took his last few breaths, Rachel rose to her feet. “You’ll pay for that, soulless bitch!”
She fired at me and the others, but we dove out of the way. When I fell to the cold, wet ground, Spencer walked over to me, his gun in hand.
“Take Rachel down!” I said. “Angel and I will handle Spencer!”
Caleb, Bane, and Jacob nodded, descending on Rachel. With three against one, it wasn’t difficult to subdue her. They removed her weapon and held her down, pressing her face into the concrete.
Angel circled Spencer as he waved his gun around, pointing it at me. He was uncertain, his finger hovering over the trigger.
“I’m giving you one last chance, Spencer,” I said, clutching my Deathblade. “Leave the Darkhunters. Join us and make this world a better place!”
He shook his head. “In a minute, none of this will matter. The bomb will release the fog and you’ll be dead.” He threw his gun to the ground. “There’s no point in killing you like this. I don’t want my last memory of you to be one where I’ve shot you.”
“Riley, it’s almost over,” Caleb said, pointing at the bomb. “Look at the time.”
When I glanced over, forty seconds remained. It was like my life was flashing before my eyes; I was seeing every victory and every failure, every high and every low. It was disorienting, but beautiful at the same time.
And it made me realize how precious life really was.
Caleb rushed over to me, cupping my face in his hands. “We tried, Riley. None of this is our fault. Wherever our souls end up, I want you to know I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whispered. “Forever and always.”
And then he kissed me, and I felt tears filling my eyes. When we pulled away, we glanced over at the bomb. We were just waiting for the end now.
“I’ll never forget you, Riley,” Jacob whispered, still holding Rachel down. “I’m sorry.”
Bane nodded. “As am I. It’s a shame we will never live to see peace. Perhaps it was not our destiny.”
I closed my eyes, feeling more tears slip out. I was weeping for all the lives that would vanish in an instant, not just my own.
“It doesn’t have to end like this, Riley Stark,” the Cardinal whispered in my brain. “Use your power. It’s the only thing that can save us now.”
“My…power?” I asked. “But I don’t even know what it is!”
“Trust in yourself, Riley Stark,” the Cardinal replied. “You are capable of more than you believe.”
As one second flickered on the timer, I raised my hand, hoping for a miracle.
12
The Connection
Something inside of me burst. Energy rose from my fingertips, swirling around us like a tornado. The Empire State Building started to shake, and I feared it would collapse beneath our feet.
Then, a portal of blue and purple energy opened in front of me and sucked the bomb into it like a whirlpool. The bomb disappeared into the strange colors, as if it had never existed at all. With a flash of light and a loud tremble, we flew back.
I skidded on the pavement, sliding toward the edge of the building. I caught myself on the safety rail before I could plummet, feeling the scrapes of the wet cement on my body. I pulled myself up, glancing around, and it seemed like everyone else had also survived the energy blast.
The building stopped shaking. Everything was quiet, except for the heavy rain and winds. A moment later, the bomb popped back into existence, landing at our feet in one piece. The energy colors disappeared, fading into nothing.
I looked down at the bomb and gasped. Something had deactivated it completely. Not even one second remained on the timer.
“What just happened?” Caleb asked. “How are we still alive?”
I couldn’t explain it. I stared down at my fingertips in awe, twirling them around. I had stopped the bomb. I didn’t know how, but I had.
“I told you, my Prodigy, you are stronger than you believe,” the Cardinal whispered inside my head. “All you must do to activate your power is try.”
“What is my power?” I asked out loud, not caring if the others could hear me. I wanted to know. No, I needed to know. “And how do you know about it?”
The Cardinal chuckled, low and hoarse. “You don’t know already, my Prodigy? Give it time.”
And then his voice disappeared, as if a door had
shut inside my mind. My eyes were still transfixed on my hands, amazed at what I’d done.
Caleb placed a hand on my shoulder. “Riley, are you okay?”
I nodded, rising to my feet. “I think so. Are you all right?”
“Of course. We all are, thanks to you.”
Jacob was the first to smile. “Riley, you did it! You found a way to save the soulless!”
I grinned. He was right.
“But how?” Caleb asked. “It’s almost as if you…opened a portal. Not that I’m not grateful, but I’ve never seen a power like that before.”
“I have,” King Bane muttered. “And I know how dangerous it can be. I never thought I would witness such a force again…”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, moving closer to him. “If you know something, please tell me. I’m so confused.”
Bane sighed. “Yes, I know you are. I will tell you, but not here. This is…not a conversation one should take lightly.”
“What about them?” Patrick asked, nodding toward Spencer and Rachel. They were both staring at me in shock. “Orders, kid?”
“Let’s take them back with us to the headquarters,” I replied. “They can spend the rest of their lives in a cell, thinking about what they did wrong.”
Rachel looked back at her father’s body, tears glistening in her eyes. “You killed him. I can’t believe you killed him!”
“Hey, he attacked us first,” Jacob said. “You don’t get to play the victim here.”
“Victim?” Spencer asked, scowling. “The only victims here are the future people who’ll be killed by soulless.”
“Less talking, more walking,” Patrick growled, dragging Rachel and Spencer away. He had bound their hands together to prevent them from escaping.
I walked toward the edge of the building, looking down at the vacant streets below. It was quiet, dark, and rainy, with many of the buildings destroyed, but at least we had a fighting chance. We were alive, and that wasn’t a small victory.
We could’ve died here—should’ve died, considering the odds—but we hadn’t.
“We will give you two a moment,” King Bane said to Caleb and I, turning to Jacob. “Come along with me, soulful. We should help the others escort the Darkhunters back to the headquarters.”