“Five minds, one of them Jack’s,” she said. She swallowed hard several times to stop the nausea climbing in her throat. Anita’s touch had left a nasty taint on his brain, making her stomach roil in protest. She detected the other telepath, but the connection was faint. She pushed harder and the link disappeared completely. “I picked up another telepath, but I can’t find her anymore.”
“If she shows or attacks, then we’ll worry about her. Until then, we stay focused on getting Jack out of here.”
Cap frowned as he checked the hallway beyond. “This seems too easy.”
The small group stepped into the hallway and the door shut with a quiet click. Doors slid open on both sides of the hallway and agents stepped out, guns at the ready. Misty glared at them. They were all that stood between her and the man she loved. “I suggest you all get out of our way. If not, things are going to get real ugly, real quick.”
In a single movement, they all fired. Captain Starblast jumped in front of Mindspell, his star shield absorbing the blasts. Misty turned desolid as Rena simply raised her telekinetic force field.
“Their psychic shields are way too powerful,” she shouted to her teammates. “I can’t punch through them, but I can sense Jack a little further down this hall.”
Cap deflected a blast aimed at her. “Take Misty and get him. Mindspell and I will hold the door.”
Rena and Misty set off down the hallway at a determined trot. She made a path through the human forest of agents. Forming a telekinetic bubble around herself, she flexed it, bouncing people out of her way while Misty stayed desolid so she couldn’t be hurt.
Misty prayed Captain Starblast could hold out until they got Jack and made it back to him and Mindspell. The agents seemed to be multiplying and who knew how badly Jack was hurt.
****
Misty was grateful for her power’s side effect of disrupting electronics. The agents’ armor shorted out whenever she walked through one of them.
Rena held her hand up and turned to her left. “He’s in there.”
Misty glared at the door. “Open the door, Rena. Please and thank you.”
Rena redirected the force of her telekinesis and blew the door off the hinges. They hurried in and stopped short. Jack lay on his side, not moving, blood seeping out from under his head, his body battered and bruised. All of his gear was heaped in a far corner.
Misty looked at Jack, then raised her gaze to the agent. She started forward, her hands clenched into tight fists. Rena laid a hand on her shoulder. “This guy’s mine. Don’t bring yourself down to his level. Let me do it. Jack needs you now.”
Misty ran to Jack’s side and held him. Rena looked at him a few seconds longer, then walked to the agent who had blood dripping from his fist, stopping a few feet from him.
“This is the man my friend here loves. And, you know, I promised her I’d never hurt anyone again. I’d changed, I’d told her, and that life was all behind me,” Rena said. She glanced at Misty, who looked up at her and nodded.
The agent took two steps toward her. “You haven’t got it in you,” he sneered. “Heroes don’t have the stomach to do what’s necessary.”
Rena raised her hands pulling her telekinesis around her. “There’s just one thing,” she said. She flung out the force she’d built up, slamming the squad leader against the far wall and caving in his chest. “I didn’t start out as a hero.”
She dropped next to Misty. “How is he?”
Misty shook her head, feeling hot tears running down her face. “Not good. I can’t wake him up. Rena, can you do something?”
She nodded, then knelt beside him. “Jack, it’s Rena. Can you hear me?”
She scanned his mind, sighing in relief. “He’s still in there, just out cold. Jack,” she called again and added a telepathic echo to try and jar him awake. “It’s time to get up because we’re so not carrying you.”
He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. “Misty? Rena? What are you doing here?”
She grinned. “We’re rescuing you, silly boy. Even heroes need to be rescued once and awhile.” She pulled him to his feet. “Misty, help me get him up. Can you help us any?”
“I’m surprised I can open my eyes,” he moaned.
Misty pulled his arm over her shoulders. “Help us as much as you can, all right?”
He coughed and spit blood on the floor. “I’m not promising anything.”
“Good enough.” Rena turned to Misty. “I’m going to grab his stuff. I’m surprised they left it in here with him. He’s going to need it when he’s done using us as a crutch.”
They walked to the door and Rena sent a mental message to Captain Starblast. “We’re coming out. We’ll move as fast as we can.”
“I’ll be watching for you,” came his reply.
****
Mindspell watched Rena and Misty fight their way down to them. Jack was practically being carried by the two of them. As they got closer, she could see the strain on their faces. “They’re not going to make,” she yelled.
Cap turned to the trio coming down the hallway. “Hold the doorway. I’ll get them.”
“Go!” Mindspell yelled. She erected a telekinetic bubble, effectively stopping the agents from getting through. As soon as she had it up, it began to shrink. “I can’t hold it, Cap. I’m not strong enough.”
The captain was beside them in seconds. “I’ll take him. Get us a path.”
“I’m on it.” She glanced at Mindspell. “Mindspell’s shield is faltering. She can’t hold it.”
Rena telekinetically blew agents away from the door as they approached. Misty yanked the door open and the small team headed up the stairwell. Rena used a bit more power and twisted the door handle so it couldn’t be opened without a whole lot of effort. “That’ll show them who’s boss.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Misty held Jack close with his head on her chest as Cap drove them to Challengers Headquarters. Rena had been tense all the way back to the car, her face grim every time Jack stopped to throw up blood. She sat in the front seat with the captain and stared out the window, Mindspell next to her.
Jack groaned and Misty held him tighter. “Oh, Jack. We all keep forgetting you’re as human as the rest of us,” she whispered. He sagged in her arms and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t give up on me now. Please.”
Rena glanced over her shoulder. “He’d better not, or I’ll kill him.”
The captain screeched to a halt in front of his building where a member of his team had brought Jack’s van. They were met by two of the Challengers and their medic, Stopwatch, who stopped time around Jack, thereby preventing him from getting worse. A four-armed man picked Jack up and carried him quickly to their medical ward.
Stopwatch turned to them. “As soon as I know anything, I’ll tell you.”
Misty crumpled into a chair, and Rena sat next to her, draping her arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. He’s tougher than you think. He’ll be fine.”
Misty turned tear-filled eyes to her. “How can you be so sure?”
Rena winked at her. “Because anything else would put him on my bad side, and I don’t think he wants to go there.”
Misty smiled and sat back, letting her friend comfort her.
****
Jack opened his eyes as the room darkened. He frowned. Wasn’t it dark when they went for Misty? How much time had gone by? He vaguely remembered Rena talking to him, helping him to escape. His mind felt fuzzy as he pushed to remember who else had been there. He turned his head and saw Misty sitting next to him. “Where am I?”
“Challengers Headquarters.” She smiled and stroked his forehead. “How’re you feeling?”
“Horrible.” He swallowed, trying to loosen his throat to say something that sounded coherent. “But I’m alive, so I guess that’s okay.” He paused and stared at her. “How long was I there?”
She smoothed his hair back. “Only for a couple of hours. You’ve been sleeping for
about twenty-four hours. Stopwatch said it was the sedatives, which she had to increase to make sure you rested enough to let your natural healing factor take over.”
“Did you and Rena come back for me?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
His head sank into the pillow. “It was too much too risk for just one person. Why would you endanger yourself like that?”
She kissed his forehead. “You would’ve done it for just one person, Jack. You know you would.” She paused. “I did it because I love you.” She smiled at him. “I also did it because Rena helped me come up with a plan to get you out.”
He frowned. “Are you sure? I can’t picture Rena putting you and herself in danger just for me. I didn’t think she liked me.”
“You’d know if she didn’t,” Misty said. “She does keep insisting I give you the boot and marry an accountant.”
“She would,” Jack mumbled. “Was someone else with the two of you? I think there was, but I’m not sure.”
Misty hesitated. “Cap went in with us. He’s been trying to clear you ever since you were sent to prison. If you’re up to it he wants to talk to you.”
Jack remained silent. He’d accused his former friend of betrayal. He’d threatened to kill him, and still the captain stood by him. He felt sick and it had nothing to do with his current round of injuries. “Not tonight. I can’t face him, tonight.”
Misty stood. “I’ll let you get some rest,” she said.
He reached out and took her hand. “You said you love me.”
She nodded.
“Know that I love you, too,” he murmured. He tugged on her hand and she willingly sat on the bed. He reached up and pulled her face down to his, his breath warming her face as he cupped her cheek. “I have for a long time.”
Misty leaned into his kiss, opening her lips against his, promising him, with her mouth, she’s never let anyone hurt him again.
****
Jack stared at the ceiling. He thought about Misty and Rena bringing Captain Starblast to get him. He would’ve laughed if he didn’t know it to be true. In his early days at ULTRA, he was always glad to work with the captain and the Challengers. They were his favorite team. They were also the favorite team of everyone in the city. Every member was popular and there was always new graffiti to proclaim how much the heroes were loved.
When he was first arrested, there was only one person in his mind to call and that was Captain Starblast. He frowned at the memory invading his mind.
When he’d been taken to the visitor’s room, he’d been so sure everything was going to turn out all right. It had been all he could do not to taunt the guards that he’d been wrongly accused. Then he’d seen the contents of the envelope. He’d pleaded with Captain Starblast to believe him and not the papers laying on the table. When the captain had said he had to turn over to the authorities, his temper had flared out of control. He’d accused the captain of being bought before threatening to kill him
Those words were the last he’d ever spoken to the city’s most popular hero. Jack looked around the room. Now, not only was he in Captain Starblast’s building, the hero had brought him here.
From what he’d just learned from Misty, the captain really hadn’t betrayed him and had always been on his side. The man had been as manipulated as he’d been, and somehow the news didn’t cheer him at all.
****
Misty closed the door to the room in the Challengers living quarters on the floor above the hospital wing. It was spacious and had reminded her of a luxury hotel room when she’d first seen it. It was decorated in pale blue and had a private bathroom. She smiled broadly and twirled around the room, finally collapsing on the bed.
“He loves me,” she whispered. “Rena said he did.” Misty thought Rena knew Jack better than anyone. “It better be because she’s a telepath.”
The door opened. “Of course it’s because I’m a telepath,” Rena said as she came in. “He’s got too much baggage and a red-headed marriage is just asking for trouble. He’s all yours.” She jumped on the bed next to Misty. “I take it the big oaf finally admitted he loves you?”
“Yes, he did, and stop calling him an oaf.”
Rena winked at her. “No, I don’t see that happening. How’s he doing?”
Misty shrugged. “He says he feels horrible but alive. Stopwatch said he has a healing factor that’s off the charts, so he should be back on his feet sooner than we originally thought. I get the feeling he’s been hurt more often than he lets on.”
Rena laughed. “You think? The army, Interpol, ULTRA, then surgery, and being on the run. I’d say he’s an old hand at the injury game.”
“I don’t want him to get hurt anymore.”
“You can’t restrain him, you know.”
Misty gave her a small smile. “I know. But what if he really doesn’t want me when he gets better? What if it was just the medicine talking?”
She stood, giving an exaggerated sigh. “That’s it. I’m done. I am so not doing this tonight. I swear I’m going to need therapy for the rest of my life. So, before I go completely nuts, I’m going back to the mansion. Tell Jack I’ll see you guys in the morning. I have a meeting with Michael Frailer.”
“What for?”
“Just got to update ULTRA’s lord high mucky muck on what’s been going on. Good night.”
Misty got ready for bed and crawled in between the sheets. The man of her dreams, her Mr. Right, loved her. If she had played it careful, the way Rena told her when she first met Jack, she never would’ve found love.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jack opened his eyes as the bright, warm, summer sunlight streamed into the room. He blinked several times, trying to remember where he’d been taken. There was no strong antiseptic smell, no voices drifting in from the hallway, so it wasn’t a hospital. He thought a minute longer. Challengers HQ. He never thought he’d see the inside of that place again.
He tried to rise and unhook all the monitors as the door opened. He frowned at the man who entered, and his chest went cold. Jack’s hand curled around a weapon that wasn’t there.
“Don’t get up,” Cap said. “You need to give yourself more time to heal.”
Jack lay back. “Misty told me some interesting things last night,” he said, turning an expressionless face to the captain. The hero wore no micro chainmail armor this morning, just sweat pants and a T-shirt.
The captain stood to the side and allowed a short girl with sparkling white hair to come in, carrying a food tray. “Stopwatch wasn’t sure you could handle solid food after your internal injuries, but she changed her mind after she ran your tests this morning. Your healing factor is as close to natural regeneration as I’ve ever seen. Eat first. Your questions have waited this long. A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
Jack watched her put the tray down and helped him sit a little higher. She made sure he had everything before leaving the room.
He looked at Cap. “New member?”
“Got to put new blood in the ranks. Some of us are feeling the effects of too many battles.”
Jack ate in silence as Cap leaned against the wall. Questions burned in him as he watched the hero out of the corner of his eye. He’d waited for this day, but he’d seen it going a little differently. He had no weapons, no armor, and was laid up after having the hell kicked out of him.
He finished and pushed the table away, turning to stare at the man across the room. “Misty said you’ve been working for years on my behalf. Is this true?”
The hero nodded. “The last time we spoke, when you saw the evidence I found, I couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right. I decided to do some checking. The results were...interesting.”
Jack’s body tensed. “You found something that could’ve supported what I was saying and you kept quiet? Why didn’t you at least tell me?”
The captain moved to sit in the chair next to the bed. “I wanted to but didn’t want to get your hopes up. Soon after that, you disa
ppeared.”
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Jack looked over at him, and his eyes narrowed. “We didn’t have a good last meeting.”
Cap leaned forward. “I understand you don’t trust me, and that’s fine. It’s going to take time.” He stood and paced. “I called Michael Frailer. I don’t think you’ve had a chance to meet him. He’s the current ULTRA commander. He’s coming by to talk to you today.”
Jack’s hand twitched as he wished for any kind of weapon as he frowned at Cap.
The hero simply smiled. “He just wants to talk to you. No agents, no warrants, nothing for you to worry about. You’re currently under my protection, on my personal word to the commander. You apparently have two guardian Angels looking out for you.”
Jack frowned. Misty he could understand, but Rena…? “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Cap stood next to him. “Michael also wants to know exactly what you learned thirteen years ago, and how George Fenmore is involved.”
“How does he know all this?” Jack asked.
The captain chuckled. “Rena and Misty have explained about everything the two of them had uncovered.”
Jack was really confused, now. He looked up at the captain. He opened his mouth, but Cap held up a hand, stopping him.
“I’m not sure of the particulars,” the hero said, “but Misty is still here and will be in to see you when we’re done. A couple of friends of yours showed up last night, also.”
The only sound for several long moments was the steady beeping of the monitors hooked to Jack saying he was recovering just fine. Jack thought about what he’d been told and frowned as he ended up with more questions now than before.
Captain Starblast stood at the end of his bed. “So are you still planning my immediate demise or can I stop worrying?”
Jack’s gaze shot to him and he relaxed, seeing the grin on the hero’s face. “Keep worrying for now. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”
Starblast nodded. “Fair enough.”
Misty walked in, nodding to Cap as he left, heading straight to Jack’s bed. “Good morning. You’re looking better.”
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