by Dana Gricken
“Reason? No. It is a robot,” Hannah replied. “But we might be able to crush it if we attack it at once. Our strength is far superior to that of a Sentinel or a soulless.”
“Good. Do what you can, but don’t risk your lives if it doesn’t work,” I replied. “Tom, Tyler, Marissa—get the civilians to safety. Find a good spot near the back of the facility and hide. Protect them with your lives if the Guardian shows up, okay?”
The three of them saluted and rounded up the civilians. They led them far away from the lobby, and I could see how terrified our regular people were as they walked by. War was normal for us, but to them? This must’ve been a shock.
I peered over at the entrance. “Jacob, status report.”
“It’s in the courtyard now, Riley. See for yourself.”
I glanced out the window, watching the giant robot walk toward us. Its weapons were whirling, preparing for a fight, and it walked with a stagger, as if its new artillery was weighing it down.
“Everyone, get down!” I said. “Find something to hide behind. Only attack when it’s safe to come out.”
I pulled Caleb with me, and the two of us hid behind a table near the front entrance. We’d be ready to attack when the Guardian entered.
The room was eerily quiet. We waited for what felt like ages, but nothing was happening. I grew impatient, eager for the fight to start, and I decided to look out the window.
I came face-to-face with the Guardian, its metallic eyes peering in at me. It was almost human in the way that it stared—and almost animalistic in how determined it was to hunt us.
When it backed up, holding up its arm, I realized what it was going to do. It wasn’t going to walk through the front door—it was going to make a new entrance.
“Get back!” I managed to shout, before the Guardian fired a missile and destroyed one wall of the building.
Drywall flew everywhere and Caleb dove onto me, trying to protect my body. We helped each other to our feet, holding up our weapons—me with my Deathblade, and Caleb with his fire.
Wanda had said my Quintessence could have an effect on the Guardian, but I didn’t want to chance it. If I opened another portal of death, there was no way I could hold off both at the same time.
I managed to get in a few stabs, watching the Guardian’s body sizzle and jolt. All the soulless were attacking it, including Caleb with his bursts of fire, but the Guardian looked unaffected.
“My fire isn’t working!” Caleb said.
“My power isn’t, either,” Captain Mercer said, trying and failing to slow the Guardian down.
Whatever material the Guardian had been reinforced with was strong. We were barely making a dent in the robot, yet it continued to barrel through us. Even the Golems had tried to crush it, but it effortlessly held them off.
It wasn’t attacking us yet—at least, not with full force. Its primary focus was reaching the basement, as if it could sense that was where its masters were.
And I knew it would make it.
“We can’t stop it, not like this,” I said. “It’s going to free the Darkhunters. It’s almost there.”
“We don’t know that, Riley!” Caleb replied. “Let’s keep trying to take it down!”
I shook my head. “No, there’s something I need to do. Stay here and keep firing at that thing!”
“What? Riley, where are you going?”
I took off down the corridor, heading for the artillery room. Everything we had confiscated from the Darkhunters was still here—the upgraded guns and the deadly bomb, out in the open for the taking. With the Darkhunters close to escaping, I had to keep these away from them.
My mind was screaming at me, telling me to use the Quintessence. Or was it the Cardinal’s voice, disguising itself as my own? I couldn’t tell anymore, but I refused to listen to it. My power was too dangerous without more training.
When I heard screams and rapid firing near the basement, I knew the Guardian had made it past Bane, Ruby, and Jade. The Darkhunters would be free any second, and if they wanted to kill the Cardinal and the Dark Queen like they had said, they’d need these weapons to do it.
They’d be heading right for this room—right for me.
It was clear—I had to destroy these weapons. Even if it attracted the Guardian’s attention and it killed me, at least the Darkhunters wouldn’t have weapons of mass destruction at their fingertips. Killing the Cardinal and Dark Queen wasn’t worth other innocent soulless dying.
I just had one question. How was I supposed to destroy these weapons without them hurting me?
18
Death And Disaster
I didn’t have time to figure out how not to get hurt by the weapons. The Darkhunters would be here soon, with a giant killer robot at their side.
I removed my Deathblade from its holster and started stabbing the guns with it. I probably looked like a madwoman. I didn’t know of any other way to destroy the weapons, and I wasn’t willing to risk using my Quintessence portals.
Pieces of shrapnel flew everywhere, and I dodged as best as I could to avoid getting struck. If any of the weapons hit me, it could’ve been a deadly blow—and I had risked death too many times already. After a few minutes of stabbing, dozens of guns still remained, and I knew I wasn’t going to get to all of them.
But that didn’t stop me from trying.
“Step away from the weapons, Riley.”
It was Spencer’s voice. When I turned around, he was standing in front of me, along with Dad, Rachel, and the rest of the Darkhunters. Rachel reached into the hallway and grabbed someone, dragging them into the room.
I winced as I looked down and realized it was King Bane. His body was bruised and bloody, as if they’d beaten him to a pulp. He was still alive, but he was just hanging on by a thread. The attack on him had been savage, even by the Darkhunters’ standards.
“What did you do to him?” I demanded.
“We did nothing,” Rachel replied. “The Guardian took care of our enemies for us.”
A loud whirling echoed in the hallway. I stood on my tip-toes, and saw the Guardian standing behind the Darkhunters. As soon as it saw me, its eyes turned red, recognizing me as a soulless.
It was getting ready to attack—fatally.
“Stop,” Rachel said, holding up her hand. “Not yet. Let’s see if Riley can be reasoned with. She was once soulful, so maybe she still has some sense left in her.”
The Guardian listened to her like an obedient dog, and powered down. It waited for her command, standing there silently. When the room went quiet, I listened for anything—screaming, crying, talking. Signs of life in the building.
I heard nothing.
“Where are the others?” I asked. “Ruby and Jade were with Bane.”
“From what I saw last? Dead,” Rachel replied. “And it’s about time too.”
I wanted to cry, to scream at the top of my lungs. They had killed them because of me. I had ordered them to prevent the Guardian from gaining access to the cells, and it had cost them their lives.
“And Caleb and those guarding the entrance?”
“We collapsed that part of the building. I’m sure some of them are still alive, under the rubble,” Spencer replied, shrugging. He tapped the Guardian in admiration. “The Guardian’s pretty good, huh?”
“You’re murderers,” I replied, stepping forward. “I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Not so fast,” Rachel said. “Guardian, get ready. Show Riley we mean business.”
The Guardian walked toward King Bane, aiming its arm of missiles at his chest. Bane groaned, mustering up the strength to look me in the eyes. He was trying to say something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
“Give up the weapons and this soulless will live,” Rachel said. “Be reasonable, Riley.”
Reasonable? None of this was.
“Don’t…do it, Miss Stark,” Bane muttered, coughing up black blood. “Do not…give into their demands.”
Bane w
as a good friend—something I had never thought I’d say about him. He’d been there to help me stop the Dark Queen and Doctor Zero, and I had hoped he would make it to the end—to a new world of peace.
But as much as I liked him, I couldn’t hand over the weapons. If the Darkhunters wanted them, they’d have to kill us all first.
“No,” I replied. “I’m destroying the weapons.”
Rachel sighed. “Spencer was right about you, Riley. You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.” She turned to the Guardian. “Do it.”
With one shot to the chest, Bane flopped on the floor, dead. Black blood pooled around him and his body laid still.
I felt weak enough to fall to my knees, but I forced myself to stay upright. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked down at his body. I couldn’t believe it—I couldn’t believe any of it. If Caleb was still alive, this was going to shatter him.
“You said you weren’t going to kill us yet,” I managed to say. “You told me the Dark Queen and the Cardinal were more important. What changed?”
Rachel sighed. “That was before you decided to ruin our weapons. We need them, Riley—and we’re not leaving without them. We’ll kill you all if we have to.”
I glanced back at the bomb, something I hadn’t gotten around to destroying yet. My Quintessence had deactivated it once, but could the Darkhunters get it up and running again? I couldn’t take that chance.
I rushed over to the bomb. I didn’t know how to destroy it, but with my Deathblade, I was going to try.
“Not so fast,” Rachel said, as the Guardian lifted its arm of weapons at me. “The bomb belongs to us. Hand it over, or you’ll die here, just like your soulless friend.”
She kicked Bane’s lifeless body to make her point. I wanted to kill her, to make her feel my pain, but they outnumbered me. With the Guardian beside her, I’d never make a dent.
Still, I said, “No, I’m not letting you have it. It’s too dangerous.”
“You don’t have a choice, Riley. Jeffrey?” Rachel said, turning around. “It’s time. I know you didn’t want it to come to this, but…you should be the one to do it, not the Guardian.”
Dad nodded. “I know. It’s for the best.”
I braced myself, fearing the Guardian would fire at me, but it didn’t. Instead, Dad stepped forward and Rachel handed him a Deathblade. Dad looked at me with a mysterious glint in his eyes, approaching me slowly.
I backed up in terror. “Dad? What are you doing?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Riley. God forgive me.”
He grabbed me hard, and I twisted and squirmed, but his grip from his implants was still strong. He placed the dagger near my chest, and I could feel the cold metal touching my skin.
Was Dad really going to do this? Soulless or not, how could he kill his own child?
But as I prepared for the pain, I felt nothing at all. I glanced down, realizing Dad hadn’t stabbed me—he was just trying to make it look like he had. He kept a hand on the dagger at all times, shielding it from the Darkhunters’ eyes.
“Act like I’ve just stabbed you,” he whispered in my ear, so low I thought I’d imagined it. “Do as I’ve asked, Riley. It’s your only chance.”
Was Dad trying to save me? Had he just been playing the Darkhunters all this time, and it was so convincing that I had thought he was a traitor?
I groaned, trying to make it sound believable. I fell to my knees, collapsing on the floor, trying to hide my chest so the Darkhunters wouldn’t grow suspicious at the lack of blood. I pretended to gurgle and cough before falling silent, giving the others a show.
“Grab the bomb and the rest of the weapons,” Rachel said, and Spencer nodded. He moved forward to do as she’d asked. “Riley’s dead, but some of her allies might not be. They won’t be such a threat anymore, but if they come after us, I want to be prepared.”
“What’s our next move?” Spencer asked.
I closed my eyes, pretending it was all over, but I kept my ears open. I needed to hear this.
“We need a new hiding spot. I know just the place,” Rachel replied. “The bomb needs some work, but we can get it operational again. In the meantime, I want our people searching for the Dark Queen and the Cardinal. We have bigger enemies to worry about.”
I heard Rachel’s boots click away on the ceramic tile, heading for the door. A second later, they stopped abruptly.
“Spencer? What are you doing?” she asked.
I could feel Spencer inches away from me. He had bent down, and was stroking my hair. He’d done the same thing when I had lain on the table at the university, helpless as they’d drained me of my blood.
I resisted the urge to grab his hand and break it.
“Riley was my best friend,” Spencer whispered. “It’s just…hard to see her like this. She was so full of life and energy, and…it’s not fair.”
When he sniffled, I realized he was crying. He had no right. If he cared about me, why was he doing this?
Rachel walked toward me, scoffing. “Your best friend died when she became soulless, Spencer. I told you before—you don’t need her. You have me now.”
He did? Just what was going on between them? Was it a partnership, a friendship, or something more?
“You’re right,” Spencer replied, rising to his feet. “Let’s go. I’ll deal with my grief by killing the Dark Queen and the Cardinal.”
As they started to walk away, I heard Dad’s voice speak up. “Can I have a second with her? I need to say goodbye.”
Rachel sighed. “Be fast, Jeffrey. We’re leaving for the school in one minute.”
School? Was that their next hiding spot? I had to figure out which one. Returning to NYU would be risky, so that was off the list, but there were still hundreds of schools in New York City.
I tried not to smile. This was still a lead—even a small one.
I heard the Darkhunters’ voices fade into the distance, but I still kept my eyes shut. They thought I was dead, and I wanted to keep it that way. I heard Dad’s footsteps come toward me.
“They’re gone,” he whispered. “You can open your eyes.”
I sat up, looking at him. I studied him, trying to figure out what was running through his mind. Overwhelmed with confusion, I couldn’t speak—even though I had a million questions.
“I know you’re confused, but I’ve got a plan. It’s all going to work out, kiddo.”
Kiddo? Dad hadn’t called me that in ages. It meant he still cared—and that was the best news I’d heard all day.
“Have you been working against them all this time?”
Dad nodded. “And I had to make it believable. Everything—the blood transfusion, the bomb, and now this—happened just the way I wanted it to. I knew you’d get out of it, and I had to make the others think I was a team player.”
“So…you’re not mad I’m soulless?”
He sighed. “Look, the truth is, I was upset when I heard you were soulless, but you’re my little girl. As hard as this is, I’ll love you no matter what.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I flung my arms around him, hugging him tight. He didn’t hate me.
“Take care of yourself,” Dad whispered, kissing my hair, “and the others too. Let the Darkhunters think you’re dead. It’ll help you take them down.”
“Wait. Before you go, do you know where the Darkhunters are heading next?”
“No. The others haven’t told me that. I don’t think they trust me completely, but they’ll be warming up after this,” Dad replied. “I’ll do what I can for you. It might not be much, but I intend to raise a little hell.”
“Jeffrey? Are you coming?” Rachel asked from outside.
“I am. Give me a second!” He rose to his feet, turning back to me. “I need to go now, Riley. I’m sorry.”
“Any last advice?”
“Save as many people as you can. Focus on taking out the Dark Queen and the Cardinal for now, and watch out for General Grissom. I’ll work out a pl
an for dealing with the Darkhunters. I’ll send you a message when it’s time.” He walked toward the back door, taking one last look at me. “Be safe, kiddo—and tell your Mom I love her, okay?”
“I will. Be careful, Dad. Once they find out you’re double-crossing them, you’ll be in big trouble.”
He nodded, rushing outside to join the others. I rose to my feet and glanced out the window. I watched as Dad hopped into one of the Darkhunters’ trucks and sped off into the distance with Spencer and Rachel. The Guardian followed them on foot, its weapons clanging as it left. When they had vanished, I knew it was safe.
I closed my eyes and prayed Dad knew what he was doing.
“Use the Quintessence, Riley,” the Cardinal’s voice said, in my mind. “You can stop them. You have the power. Show them your true strength!”
“No,” I muttered. “I won’t open the portal again. I won’t risk letting the afterlife out, unlike you.”
“Foolish girl,” the Cardinal hissed. “You’ve let them escape with your senselessness!”
Senseless? Foolish? No. Letting the bomb go hadn’t been the best idea, but I trusted Dad. Besides, if we could stop the Darkhunters once, we could do it again—and having a man on the inside would help.
I pushed the Cardinal’s voice out of my mind, though it was difficult. He was loud and domineering, but I knew I could do it. As Wanda had told me, I was in control at all times. The last thing I needed was the Cardinal nagging me right now.
I rushed to Bane’s side, feeling for a pulse. There wasn’t one. I hadn’t wanted to believe it before, but now I had no choice.
I vomited beside him—my body wracked with guilt, anxiety, and fear. Once I’d finished, I forced myself to stand up, even though my hands were trembling. I could stay here and mourn all day, but I needed to check on my people.
And then we needed a plan.
I rushed toward the staircase, looking for Jade and Ruby. I called out to them before I noticed their bodies lying next to the jail entrance. They had been badly beaten, but they were still breathing.