Hero Reborn (Keepers of Justice, Book 3)

by Dee J. Stone

  “What if she’s still in my head and tracking us right now?” Kale asks. “I don’t sense her, but…”

  Samson shakes his head. “Scar assured me that she was only inside during that brief moment when you were connected to him and your telepathic walls were weak. They are back up now and she can no longer access your mind.”

  Kale sighs in relief.

  X crosses his arms. “Well, Vlayne got what she wanted, didn’t she? The humans aren’t taking the cure.”

  Samson’s eyebrows are scrunched. “Speed is working with the scientists to mass produce the antidotes quickly enough to make it available to the entire world. But it won’t do any good if the humans refuse to accept it. We need to try again. Perhaps test it on other humans.”

  “What do you mean other humans?” Kale asks. “Who have you tested it on?”

  He looks around, like making sure no one’s eavesdropping. He leans forward. “What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential. Not a word of this leaves this room. Do you understand?”

  We nod.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Samson leans back. He opens his mouth, when there’s a knock on the door. He sits up, startled. We all look at the door.

  Samson smiles a little. He raises his hand and the doorknob turns. A head peeks in. Blond hair. Cindy.

  Kale jumps to his feet. “Mom!” He rushes into her arms. She hugs him tight. “What happened? Why were you hurt?”

  Cindy pulls off and squeezes his arm. She looks at Samson. “We’ll get to that later. I believe your father was about to tell you something.”

  Cindy wobbles as Samson and Kale help her into a chair. Samson clears his throat. “We’ll do this telepathically. I don’t want to risk anyone overhearing.”

  We have many informants working for us, Cindy says. Everywhere. A few are undercover in various government agencies.

  The three of us exchange glances. It’s not surprising, I guess, but we didn’t expect this. There’s so much we don’t know. So much that Samson and Cindy take care of. Wow.

  We meet with them regularly, Samson says. They report to us only on matters pertaining to the heroes and villains.

  And you trust them? Kale asks.

  With my life.

  This is so cool, but so freaky. Kale’s eyebrows are even more scrunched. He’s going to inherit leadership of the Keepers one day—that’s if we clear our names and everything. He’s got so much to learn. I’m glad I’m not in his shoes, even if it’s so awesome to be the leader.

  Is that how you know none of our League mates are being tortured or killed? Kale asks.

  Yes.

  I swallow so hard it’s like a brick is jammed inside my throat. What about my parents?

  Cindy hugs me. Everyone is safe and well.

  They keep saying that, but I’m still worried. Just because my parents are safe now, it doesn’t mean they always will be. What if the humans get so sick ‘cuz the antidote doesn’t work? What if the government kills my parents? How will I live without them?

  The government took whatever information they were able to, Cindy says. Though it wasn’t much. It’s Samson and me they’re after.

  And me, Kale mumbles.

  Yes.

  What about Furball? I ask. Does the government have her, too?

  Samson looks at Cindy before shaking his head. We have no idea where Furball is. We haven’t been able to reach her telepathically, either. We hope she found shelter and is well.

  I swallow. If Furball’s not captured, then where is she? Do the Blades have her? Is she dead?

  Cindy hugs me. It helps a little, but not much.

  The room gets silent. Kale says, Are the undercover people the ones you gave the antidote to?

  Yes, but they refused to take it, Samson says. I was going to test it on other humans, humans who aren’t working for us, but Cindy notified me that the three of you were going after the ShadowBlades. I dropped everything and went to stop you.

  “We’re really sorry about that,” Kale says.

  “Promise us you won’t do anything reckless again.”

  We do, but I bet we’re all thinking the opposite. The guys and I will definitely keep doing reckless things. We just can’t help it. But I don’t want to make anyone worry over us. We’ll be careful. Extra, extra careful.

  “Yes, Mom.” Kale looks from Cindy to his dad. So what else do you talk to these informants about?

  I’m afraid we’ve told you enough.

  Dad!

  Kale.

  He frowns. “Aw, okay. So why couldn’t I contact you? And how did you get hurt, Mom?”

  “When we were attacked, our first concern was to save the children,” Samson says. “Andrew’s mother saved the three of you and came back for more.” He rubs his forehead. “As you know, Andrew, the government captured her.” He gives me an optimistic look. “But she’s safe. As the children fled, your father helped protect them. He and most of the kids were captured as well. All are safe. You have my word.”

  I scratch my nose. I’ve got to believe him, but it’s hard to without seeing them. What if he’s only saying that to calm me down?

  “When we heard that first attack, Cindy and I rushed to see what was happening. Once we realized it was the military, Cindy sent a telepathic message to all the adults. We’ve prepared for a situation like this. Some adults would rescue the children while the Elites would fight and protect. Cindy and I made sure everyone who had to save the others did so before we fled.” He swallows. “When we were outside, a handful of soldiers chased us. I deflected their bullets. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. There were so many and so fast…it was difficult to deflect them all.” He shakes his head, exhaling slowly. “It was chaotic and I was disoriented. I didn’t see Cindy on my right. When I deflected the bullets, one struck her.” His voice trembles. Cindy pats his hand. “I took her in my arms and flew away. I brought her to an abandoned building, somewhere no one would find us. At least temporarily.”

  He takes a break, staring at his desk. Cindy squeezes his hand.

  “Cindy kept repeating, ‘Find the kids. Find the kids.’ I couldn’t leave her. Not when she was injured, so close to death. But I needed to find the children. I was torn, unsure what to do. Suddenly, Regina teleported to our location. She told me she’d try to locate the children. I was able to stay with Cindy. I blame myself for what happened. I’ll never…never forgive myself.” His shoulders quake, but he tries to compose himself. “I thought I lost her.”

  “It’s okay, Sam,” Cindy says.

  “I stopped the blood and brought her here. We don’t have Healer in our midst, but we do have friends with healing abilities. As you can see, she’s made a full recovery.”

  Yeah, she looks good. Not like she was shot a few days ago. “What is this place?” I ask.

  “Acquaintances of ours own this bookstore,” Cindy says. “The Keepers of Justice have had access to it for years. Here, we are protected.”

  I feel my body sigh in relief. Finally, a place where we don’t have to worry about being attacked or anything.

  “Did Regina find anyone?” X asks.

  Samson shakes his head. “When Cindy was shot, she was unconscious. She lost her telepathic abilities. That’s why you couldn’t reach her, Kale.”

  “And you? Why couldn’t I contact you?” Kale asks.

  “Your mother closed off any openings in my mental fortification while we fled. As a precaution. She planned to reopen them once we were safe, but she didn’t expect to be injured. We meant for her to locate everyone telepathically. To not leave you alone. When I learned the safe house had been compromised, I was devastated. With Cindy down, I had no way of finding you and the others who escaped.” He shuts his eyes and mumbles to himself. “I wish I hadn’t asked her to seal off all communications. I’ve made some bad choices. All to protect our secrets and my safety,” he mutters.

  Kale says, “No, you did the right thing. We’re fine.”

  Samso
n looks guilty and full of regret. He gets up and pulls us into his arms. “I’ll never abandon you the way I did.”

  “No, Dad. The safety of the League and humans are more important than us.”

  Samson doesn’t say anything as he buries Kale’s head in his chest.

  “How did you find us now?” I ask.

  Samson joins us on the couch. He takes Kale’s hands. I can tell it would normally embarrass Kale, but now he smiles a little. “Cindy woke up a few hours ago. Just for five minutes. She told me where you were and that you were in danger.”

  Kale rubs the back of his neck. “We’ve made some bad decisions, too.”

  “The important thing is that we’re safe and together,” Cindy says. She heads for us and hugs us. Tight. Like she doesn’t want to let go.

  “Did the military kill anyone?” Kale asks. “I mean, they shot bullets at you. They must have wanted to kill you.”

  “No,” Samson says. “Those who didn’t flee were captured by the military. They didn’t intend to kill anyone, only capture.”

  “How do you know?” Kale asks.

  “Our undercover agents told us.”

  Phew. That’s good, I guess. “But why didn’t Vlayne kill us?” I ask. “If she had her people infiltrate the military, why not control them to kill us?”

  “Because she’d want the credit for destroying the Keepers of Justice,” X says. “Not the military.”

  Samson nods.

  It gets quiet again. After a bit, Kale says, “Mom? Can’t we use our telepathy to locate the Keepers who weren’t captured but managed to flee?”

  “I’ve tried, but the only ones who escaped are here in this building. Our informants told us the rest are being held by the government…all except for Lindsay and Furball.”

  “Do the Blades have her?” I ask, trying to push the dread out of me.

  Cindy squeezes my arm. “We don’t know where she is, Andrew, but I see no reason for the ShadowBlades to kidnap her. I can’t sense her, but that doesn’t mean she’s dead. Please, don’t think the worst.”

  I swallow and nod. She smiles encouragingly.

  After a little bit of silence, Kale asks. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did Vlayne release this slow-killing virus? We thought it was so the Keepers would make the antidote and she’d steal it. But now that she thinks she has our scientists, why doesn’t she wait until they create the antidote, heal her boyfriend, then release the virus that kills instantly?”

  Samson stares at the floor for about five seconds. “That is something that baffles me. I can only assume she wishes to make the humans suffer before she kills them instantly. For now, doctors have been successful in treating the symptoms of the virus, but it won’t last long. The humans need to be cured.” He pats Kale’s knee. “Don’t worry. We’re going to test the antidote further. Even if it means using mind control to force them to take it. It’s not something I want to do, but we may have no other choice.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?” I ask.

  Samson and Cindy exchange a look. “Once we gather a big enough army, we will attack the Blades and rescue Lindsay. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the virus so we can figure out why the humans refuse to accept the antidote.”

  Cindy glances at her watch. “It’s late. You three should eat something and get to bed.”

  We get up and follow her to the kitchen. She heats up some leftover chicken and we eat in silence. After we’re done, Cindy leads us down the hall to a room. It’s small, with three beds inside. One on either side of the room and the third pushed in a corner.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to share, boys.”

  She gives us each a strong, long hug. When her arms are around me, she whispers, “Don’t worry, Andrew. Your parents will come home soon.”

  I nod, feeling something like Styrofoam clog my throat.

  We say goodnight and move toward our beds. X takes the one in the corner. I drop on mine and stare at the ceiling. All this information we got—it’s tons. So much to take in.

  “I’m beat,” Kale says.

  I chug down some of the Coke I brought with me from the kitchen. “Samson and Cindy are, like, so neat. With all their spies and everything.”

  “No kidding,” Kale says.

  I reach over and poke X’s shoulder. “You’ve been quiet.”

  He shrugs. “It doesn’t surprise me that they have informants.”

  I poke Kale in the chest. “Imagine, all that’s going to be yours one day. How bad are you gonna screw it up?”

  He swats my finger away.

  “Just teasing,” I say. “You’re going to be the greatest leader ever.”

  “Stretch, shut up.” He shoves me, but there’s a smile on his lips. Then it disappears. “Why do you think the normies aren’t accepting the antidote?”

  X shrugs. “No clue. I doubt Samson will have any success when he tries again.”

  “So what do we do?” I ask. “We can’t let the humans die.”

  X gets up and walks to the door. There are no windows in the room, and it’s pretty stuffy. He turns to face us. “You’re not going to like this, Kale, but I think we need to test the antidote ourselves.”

  “What are you—?”

  “We’ve been away from your parents for days. We don’t know if someone’s screwing with them. What if they lied to us and the humans can take the antidote, but someone or something is controlling your parents not to give it?”

  “You think someone’s controlling them?” I ask.

  Kale narrows his eyes. “No one’s controlling them. Maybe their undercover people aren’t trustworthy.”

  X goes back to his bed and sits down. “Let’s grab a vial tomorrow and see for ourselves.”

  Kale snorts. “What do you think, Stretch?”

  I swallow. Maybe X is right. Why else wouldn’t the normies take the antidote? “I gotta agree with X, Kale. It can’t hurt, can it?”

  Kale crosses his arms over his chest. “Fine.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  I toss and turn. So many thoughts crowd my head. The League getting attacked, my parents and many others getting captured, the humans not accepting the antidote. Furball. Who knows if she’s alive? What if she’s alone somewhere and scared? If only there was a way to contact her.

  I roll over in bed and drop toward the floor. Except, I never hit it. My eyes are open, but all I see is black. I’m tumbling fast and deep, like I’m falling down a rabbit hole.

  Until I land splat on my face. My body is stretched wide, like a net. My head rings. Lifting it, I scan around. Nothing’s here except for a dark alley. The only sound I hear is the whooshing wind.

  Where the heck am I?

  Voices. And footsteps. They’re headed this way. I shut my eyes, imagining Vlayne and her people coming at me with nothing but bloodlust. They resurrected me. They can easily kill me.

  “Stretch?”

  The voice. I know it. I dream about it all the time. Furball.

  Slowly, I look up. She’s standing above me. Pale as a cloud. Her eyes are ghost-like. Her face and arms are dirty and covered in mud. She looks like she hasn’t eaten in days.

  I jump up. “Furball!”

  She runs into my arms, hugging me tight. I can’t move a muscle. I just stand there like an idiot with my eyes wide as she squeezes herself against me. She’s actually, like, hugging me. I’m about to pass out.

  When she pulls free, I want to hold on longer, but I’m still frozen. Do I have a goofy smile on my face? Hope not.

  “You’re alive! You’re here!” I say.

  She’s back in my arms. “Save me, Stretch.” She buries her face in my chest. “Come get me.”

  “I’ve got you. Let’s go!”

  I pull her arm, but she holds back. “Where? Where are you taking me?” Letting go of my hand, she drops to the corner of the alley and hugs her knees, rocking back and forth.

  I crouch down near her. “Samson found us. He and Cindy
are hiding in a bookstore along with some others. The place is safe. It’s called Jerry’s Top Reads and it’s in Manhattan.” I look around. “Where are we? Even if it’s far, I’ll take you there. Everyone will be so happy to see you’re okay.”

  “No. Stay with me. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

  “The place is safe, Furball. You gotta trust me.” I stand up. “Please, come with me. There’s food and a place to sleep.”

  She looks up at me like she’s deciding what to do. I nod, trying to convince her. She bites her lip. “Okay. I’ll come.”

  I hold out my hand. Just as she puts hers in it, the entire place gets fuzzy. Furball’s talking, but I don’t hear her, only an echo. Before I have a chance to ask her what’s going on, I’m thrown in the air. I’m going like a million miles per minute. Everything is even more blurry around me. Like I’m underwater.

  I crash to the ground. My eyes shoot open. Looking around, I realize I’m on the floor in my room. Kale and X are asleep in their beds.

  It was a dream? How could it have been? I’ve had loads of dreams about Furball before, but this one was different. Like I was actually talking to her. Even my falling to the ground felt real.

  I climb into bed and try to get some sleep, but I continue to toss and turn. The dream plays over and over in my head.

  Furball. Will I ever see her again?

  ***

  When I wake up, it’s past eleven. Kale and X aren’t in their beds. I rub my eyes, push my covers aside, and walk down the hall to the kitchen. Everyone’s there, sitting at the table and watching the news on TV. Some people are talking to the camera about their experiences with the virus. A few are still sick, coughing into bloody cloths. Authorities are still investigating the virus and trying to track down Kale and his parents. I sit down near Kale and X. “What’s going on?”

  “The virus hit New York,” Kale says. “And other countries, too. Infected people fly by plane, right? So they got others sick. The virus is basically all over the world now.”