“He will kill her if I don’t show! Do you understand that?! I’m the one he’s asking for!” I yelled.
“That is exactly why you can’t go. There are hundreds of them, Reaper. He doesn’t mean to simply unmask you. He means to kill you,” Jason shot back.
I could see in their eyes that they had no intention of releasing me. I was done talking. Every second that I wasted debating with them brought her a second closer to death.
I yanked on the handcuffs once more, but to no avail. As I leaned away and pulled at the cuffs with all my strength, they both yelled for me to stop but I could barely hear them over the sound of my racing heartbeat.
I realized this was no ordinary metal as the cuffs cut into my extremely dense skin and blood trickled down my wrists. As I continued to pull backward, Jason and Howie didn’t realize that I wasn’t trying to break the cuffs. The concrete beneath the bed to which I was cuffed finally cracked and I stumbled backward as the entire 3000-pound bed sprang out of the floor and landed beside me with a heavy thud. The bed appeared to be made of the same metal as the cuffs, so I knew that my only means of escaping would be to yank it completely out of the floor.
I ignored Jason and Howie’s pleas as I trudged toward the door, dragging the massive hospital bed behind me. As I neared the exit, Special Agent Wells and ten armed agents filed into the room and blocked my path.
“Get out of the way,” I snarled as I clinched my fist.
“No can do, sport. You’re too important for me to allow you to run off and get yourself killed,” Agent Wells replied.
“If she dies, you’re gonna have a much bigger problem on your hands than The Righteous because you’re gonna have to deal with me,” I growled as I yanked the massive hospital bed from the floor and prepared to charge.
“Don’t threaten me, boy,” Wells said coldly as his agents readied their weapons.
I decided that Wells would be the first to go. As I gritted my teeth and prepared to hurl the bed into him, Howie threw himself between us.
“Wait! He’ll do it! Just let him help us take down The Suspect and he’ll help you fight The Righteous!” Howie screamed at Agent Wells.
“Is that right, Reaper? Are you finally willing to play ball?” Wells asked, smugly.
“Not a chance,” I barked.
“Reaper, you don't have a choice. You won’t make it out of here if they use the gas and we need their helicopters to get to the prom,” Howie said sternly. “We can end it tonight if you agree to this.”
As always, Howie was right. I let the bed fall to the floor as I realized that I had no choice. I took a deep breath and then looked to Agent Wells.
“I’m in…but only if we take him down tonight.”
Wells nodded and dismissed his agents. He unlocked my cuffs and watched as I exited the room. As I walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that Agent Wells was still playing the puppet master with my life.
56. THE PARTY CRASHER
THE STEALTH HELECOPTERS BARELY MADE A SOUND AS we approached the school. Howie had determined that the easiest way to gain access was by way of the helicopters due to the lack of Stranger air support.
Dressed in our full combat gear, Jason and I sat in one of the helicopters along with five of Wells’ agents as we approached the gym. I was pumped full of painkillers and adrenaline in order to deal with the concussion and the other lingering effects of having shot myself in the roof of my mouth. The bullet had failed to penetrate but it had certainly done some damage. My heart skipped a beat as the helicopter began to hover. I peeked out of the side and saw the gym two miles below.
“Two on the roof,” I heard Howie say in the earpiece inside of my Reaper mask. Two agents quickly leaned over the sides of the helicopter and aimed high-powered sniper rifles downward. I barely heard the two gunshots.
“The roof is clear. Ace and Reaper, you’re up. We’ll have a ton of reinforcements coming in shortly after you. Ace, don’t forget to deploy the drone. I can provide cover fire once it’s up and running,” Howie said moments later.
Jason gracefully dove from the helicopter without a word.
“Echo, how much time do we have?” I asked.
“The King and Queen took the dance floor nearly two minutes ago. They’re dancing to ‘I Can’t, I Won’t’ by Travis. That gives you just under two minutes.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I realized that wasn’t enough time. It would take that long just to parachute down.
“Change of plans, Echo,” I said as I tossed my parachutes aside.
“10-4. What do you need?”
“Is the dance floor clear besides the King and Queen?” I asked.
“Affirmative,” Howie replied.
“Good. Get a look at my feed. I need you to guide me in.”
“10-4. Are you still landing on the roof?”
“No,” I responded as I dove from the helicopter.
“Where to then?” Howie asked.
“The dance floor,” I replied as I straightened my body as I sailed toward the gym below.
57. I CAN’T, I WON’T
♫ http://youtu.be/70DIwKwfh_8
MONICA:
“YOU LOOK QUITE LOVELY TONIGHT, MY QUEEN,” HE WHISPERED in my ear as we continued to dance in the middle of the elegantly decorated dance floor. The feeling of The Suspect’s gloved hands touching me made my skin crawl, but I forced a smile and danced onward so as not to provoke him.
How could this happen to me? I thought as I averted my eyes from the cold stare of his ivory-colored Greek Tragedy mask. The rest of my classmates whimpered and silently prayed for their lives as they remained seated within the bleachers to the left of the dance floor. The gunmen had their weapons aimed at them, ready to pull the trigger as soon as the music stopped. Their sobs and cries weighed heavy on my heart as I fought hard to maintain my composure.
“Thank you,” I finally replied.
“You look nervous, dear,” he whispered. His eerily distorted voice sent chills up my spine as he spoke.
“You're going to kill me. I'm sure you can understand why that makes me nervous,” I replied, careful not to sound sassy.
“I am not the monster that you think I am,” he said softly as he pulled me closer.
“Then let us go,” I pleaded, allowing him to press my body against his. “If you're not a monster, let us go.”
“That is exactly what I intend to do, but only if The Reaper should show his face. If you die tonight, it is he and Howard Vargas who will have chosen that fate for you,” he replied as our dance continued. His voice, though utterly creepy, was somehow simultaneously stricken with a mixture of sorrow and compassion. I could tell that there was a mountain of grief and heartache buried beneath the frowning mask that stared back at me. He carried a pain within his soul so potent that I could almost feel its corrosive presence as our bodies pressed against each other’s.
There was no sign of The Reaper, and I had lost all hope of convincing The Suspect to spare us. My eyes became heavy with the unused tears that I had fought back since the beginning of our dance. My biggest regret was not getting to see Adam before the end. I had considered being selfish and demanding that he accompany me to the prom, but I had decided to respect his wishes. At least that meant that he would be spared, I thought as I dug deep within the reserves of my composure in order to keep from crying.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Monica?” The Suspect asked, as if reading my mind.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Would you like to finish the dance with him? You can consider it a parting gift.”
“I can't. He's not here,” I muttered, my voice trembling as the final moments of the song ‘I Can’t, I Won’t’ by Travis played in the background.
“Then, he is truly a fool,” The Suspect replied as the song ended.
The silence that ensued was deafening. Even my once sobbing classmates held their breaths as they stared at The Suspect and me. He finally released me an
d aimed his pistol at my chest. I forced my jaw not to quiver and dried my eyes as I thought of my father. I was sure that he had stared death in the face countless times and not flinched while defending our country. As I stared down the barrel of what would soon become the instrument of my demise, I decided to honor my father by displaying the same courage that he would have had.
As I gazed into the blank eyes of The Suspect’s mask, I made peace with the fact that I was about to die, and I was content with the resolve that I had shown by not giving that monster the satisfaction of watching me beg. As he thumbed down the hammer of his pistol, a loud crash rang out from above. What seemed to be a meteorite slammed into the other end of the dance floor, throwing a massive cloud of dust and rubble into the air and spooking the nearby gunmen.
“What was that?!” The Suspect barked. Several of his gunmen took the floor, forming a human barrier between him and the mysterious crash. As if answering his question, a dark figure emerged from the cloud of dust. His long, black trench coat fluttered behind him like a cape as he fixed his gaze on the men before him. I knew that skull-faced black gasmask that he wore upon his face. We all did. This man was The Reaper, and for all of our sakes, I prayed that he could really do the incredible things I had seen him do on the Internet.
My prayers were answered as The Reaper became a blur. I darted away and dove for cover behind the stage as he crossed the length of the dance floor in an instant and slammed into several gunmen. Their bullets seemed to have little to no effect on him as he zoomed around and tore his way through the sea of gunmen, reducing them to rag dolls in his wake. Suddenly, smoke bombs exploded throughout the gym. I tore off a piece of my satin dress and covered my nose and mouth as I scrambled to my feet and watched as armed men repelled down through the hole that The Reaper had left in the ceiling.
Chaos erupted as the armed men and The Suspect's gunmen clashed. I darted into the fray as I noticed a group of the armed men evacuating some of my classmates. Bullets and bodies flew everywhere as I made my way across the dance floor that had become a battlefield. An explosion in the center of the dance floor threw me to the ground. Though The Suspect’s forces outnumbered the other armed men by far, they seemed to be losing their advantage due to The Reaper incapacitating five to ten of them at a time.
I covered my head and watched from the floor as The Reaper repeatedly flattened one gunman after another with supernatural speed. This tornado of ferocity tore his way through the sea of gunmen with reckless abandon, but he didn’t appear to be focused on the fight. He kept looking around the room, as if he was searching for something outside of the battle to which he was engaged in.
More of what I had come to identify as the Reaper’s forces poured into the room as the battle continued. As I watched them continue to evacuate my classmates, I stood with the intent to run to them but froze when I met the dead eyes of The Suspect. He was only ten feet away and staring directly at me.
I screamed and fled in the opposite direction. I couldn't hear his footsteps but I knew that he was right behind me. I shrieked as loudly as I could as he tackled me to the floor. I rolled over and kicked and screamed with all my might. This only seemed to enrage him as he shot out his right hand and wrapped it tightly around my throat. As he raised his pistol with his left hand, I found myself at the edge of my hope for the second time that night. I thought of my mother and father, but most of all, I thought of Adam and how much I didn’t want to die before I had a chance to warn him about what really happened in my dream.
My heart lurched forward in my chest as The Reaper suddenly rose thirty feet above the battlefield with his right hand cocked far behind his head. I couldn’t see his eyes through his heavily damaged mask, but I knew that he was looking at me. I knew he was coming to save me.
58. MAKE IT RAIN
ACE:
I WATCHED AS THE REAPER ROSE ABOVE US ALL LIKE THE angel of death rising above a raging battlefield. He had leapt thirty feet into the air as soon as Monica's scream rang out. I rushed toward them as he landed and slammed his fist against the floor, but I was too late. His fist decimated the floor, beneath him sending him, The Suspect and Monica plummeting to the level beneath.
“Reaper!” I screamed as I watched my best friend disappear into the chasm below. “Reaper, this is Ace, come in!” I repeated but to no avail. As I contemplated diving in after him, a Stranger operative fired at me from behind. I leapt out of the path of his bullet and dropped him with a throwing knife to the neck. More Strangers were filing into the building from outside by the second. Without Reaper, Wells’ agents were starting to get overrun.
“Echo, have Wells order his agents to focus solely on evacuating the remaining students!” I yelled into my earpiece as I dodged incoming gunfire and took cover behind what was left of the stage.
“10-4, Ace.”
“Thanks Echo. By the way, I need one more thing!” I said as I dropped two incoming Strangers with a lightning quick flurry of punches and kicks.
“What do you need?” Echo replied in my earpiece.
“Time to make it rain, buddy!” I yelled.
“You got it!” Echo yelled as I tossed his small helicopter shaped drone into the air. Within seconds, the two mini-guns that he had installed on the sides of the drone were spinning and firing away, and The Strangers began dropping like flies. As their bodies dropped to the floor, I smiled beneath my mask as I pictured Howie glued to his display as he controlled the lethal hornet that buzzed above us as though he were playing a video game. I peeked from behind my cover as the buzzing of the drone's gunfire suddenly stopped.
“The cannons are running hot, Ace. Keep them off of me for a bit,” Howie ordered.
“10-4,” I said as I moved to stop The Strangers from firing upon Howie’s drone. As they targeted it, I unsheathed the sword at my hip. As they focused on taking down the drone, I silently moved amongst them, swiftly cutting them down as I passed them by.
“Nice flying, Echo,” I said as Howie’s drone did well to evade the oncoming Stranger gunfire.
“Thank you, Sir!” he replied as the drone suddenly steadied its flight and once again began to spit bullets back at the pursuing Strangers. I resumed my cover behind the stage and watched Howie's drone reduce their forces to nothing. It was good to see him getting some actual action in. I could tell that he secretly longed to join Reaper and me on the front lines. The modified drone gave him an opportunity to do so without putting him directly in harm’s way.
Suddenly, a large knife whizzed in and sent the drone crashing to the floor.
“Crap! Ace, the drone is down. You'll have to finish up without me!” Howie said.
My heart skipped a beat as I located the thrower of the knife.
“10-4,” I said as I cleared the lump in my throat.
“How many are left?” Howie asked.
“Just one,” I replied.
“That should be a piece of cake then.”
“Yeah, piece of cake,” I said as Tango slowly made his way toward me.
59. RETRIBUTION
REAPER:
I REMEMBER THAT MOMENT AS IF IT WERE YESTERDAY—The floor beneath us had collapsed, sending us plummeting into the deserted level beneath. I will never forget the fear that I saw within her eyes. Beset on all sides by rubble and the corpses of fallen Strangers and our classmates, she cowered in the center of the nearly demolished room. I watched as he stood before her, thrusting an enormous .50 caliber pistol in her direction.
Outside, Agent Wells’ men continued to surround the building as The Suspect contemplated his next move. He knew it was only a matter of time.
“You don't have to do this,” she pleaded. It was the only thing she could say. He said nothing as the dead eyes of his Greek Tragedy mask stared coldly at her.
Do something, I thought. But suddenly, I was paralyzed by fear. My mask was so heavily damaged in the fall that I had to discard it in order to see. If I stepped out of the shadows in which I stood, she would f
inally see my face. At last, she would know what I could do.
I desperately wanted to help her. But how could I save her and risk her finding out that I had killed her father? I couldn’t determine if it would be better to allow her to die or save her and let her hate me forever. Who was I kidding? I was no hero. Heroes instantly take action when needed. They don’t stop to consider the morbid question that clouded my mind.
With his gun still trained on her, he took a small step forward. I had made my decision. I remember closing my eyes and hearing the thundering gunshot.
I NEEDED TO HEAR IT. I NEEDED TO WITNESS THE IMPENDING death whistling toward her, in order to move as fast as I did. Without the massive adrenaline rush triggered by seeing the death that barreled down upon her, I could never have crossed the room in enough time to throw myself in front of that bullet.
“Stay behind me!” I yelled to Monica, as the bullet hit my armored chest and bounced away. She cowered and took refuge against my back as The Suspect fired his entire clip at us. I shielded my face as the incoming bullets slammed against my body armor and bounced away. They didn’t hurt because of the adrenaline that flowed within my veins, but I knew that I would feel them later.
As The Suspect's pistol ran dry, he produced another clip from his belt and scrambled to reload the gun. In a blur, I was upon him. A cold shiver shot down my spine as I clasped my right hand around his throat and his limbs fell limp as I cut off his air. I had waited a long time for that moment, but I couldn't end it so quickly. I wanted to know the true face of the monster that had taken my brother away. I needed to look into his eyes as I ended his life.
With my left hand, I crushed the tragedy mask that he wore and tore it from his face.
My heart stopped and I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw his face. As we gazed into each other’s eyes, I could tell that he was just as surprised by my identity as I was by his.
60. ACE VS TANGO
ACE:
Savior (The Savior Series Book 1) Page 24