by King, Wesley
Two glowing missiles erupted from the front of the Shadow and exploded into the upper floor of the house, obliterating the entire master bedroom. But the force of the explosion was a little more than they counted on. The Shadow was buffeted by flames, and Rono and Jada went spinning as the bedroom wall blew inward. They both crashed into a shelf on the far side. In the yard, the Torturer and Gali dove to the ground, while Junkit went tumbling out of the air. The night sky lit up with a red glow.
“That worked,” James said in disbelief.
“Maybe too well,” Emily agreed, her eyes on Rono, who was trying to shakily pull himself to his feet.
Jada was first to recover, and she sprang at him as soon as he got to his knees, sending them both skidding along the blackened floor. Half of the house was on fire now.
The Torturer and Gali stood up again, and they crashed into each other like two rams. Junkit was slowly sitting up where he’d landed at the far end of the yard.
“Lower us,” James said.
“What?”
“I’m going to get Junkit before he gets up. Lower us!”
Emily tilted the throttle forward, and the Shadow dropped to the grass. James took off for the ramp, and Emily sprinted after him, grabbing a rifle on the way.
“Activate shoulder mount,” she commanded, and the panels slid back to expose the fixed plasma weapons and missile launcher.
James was already racing across the grass. He jumped and grabbed Junkit’s leg just as he was taking off. A look of shock crossed Junkit’s face, visible in the flickering fire, and then James whipped him into the fence.
Emily ran toward the house. She needed to help Rono. On the way she passed the two massive men savagely grappling and punching each other, each blow sounding like it had the weight of a train behind it. The Torturer gave Gali a sharp push, separating them for just a moment, and they prepared to charge again.
Narrowing her eye, Emily took aim at Gali’s left leg and fired. The burst of red energy struck his thigh, burning right through the blue fabric of his uniform, and he crashed to the ground.
The Torturer smiled at her and then pounced on his downed foe.
Breaking into a sprint, Emily entered the burning house. Thick black smoke hung in the air, and she put her hand over her mouth as she bounded up the stairs. Emily spotted an open door and burst through it, lifting her rifle into firing position. She was just in time to see Jada viciously punch Rono across the face. He looked dazed.
Jada whirled to face her. “Who are you?”
“My name is Emily,” she said, and then she pulled the trigger.
The red bolt lanced across the room and struck Jada’s shoulder, sending her flying right out of the house. She landed in a heap on the grass.
“Emily,” Rono said, his voice strained.
She rushed over and helped him to his feet. Behind them, the fire was spreading along the hallway.
“We have to jump,” Rono said, walking to the exposed ledge. He looked down at the grass. “This is going to hurt.”
The sound of cracking wood caused them both to spin around, and then Rono gripped her arm. “Collapse and roll!” he shouted, then took a quick step and jumped off the ledge.
Emily paused for a moment and then leapt after him. The ground came up very quickly, and her legs buckled as she hit the grass. She threw herself forward, trying to roll, but her ankle twisted on impact, and agonizing pain raced up her leg.
Rono bent over her. “Are you all right?” he asked, concern etched into his face.
“My ankle,” Emily groaned. “I rolled it.”
Rono heaved her up and propped her against his shoulder. As he led her away from the collapsing house, Emily noticed that Jada was already gone, as was Gali. The Torturer was sitting up, rubbing his forehead.
“They got away,” he mumbled. “Jada hit me with a brick when I wasn’t looking, and they took off.”
“Where’s James?” Emily asked.
They scanned the yard and saw that a huge hole had been smashed into the fence.
Just then, James came walking through the hole with Jay Junkit slung over his shoulder.
“Ha!” the Torturer yelled triumphantly. “James, you got him!”
Sirens ripped through the air, and a section of floor gave way in the house, spewing smoke and ash into the yard.
“Time to go,” Rono said quickly. “Everyone into the Shadow. Torturer, help Emily.”
The big man lifted Emily and gingerly placed her on one of the benches in the central hold.
“Nice shot, by the way,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him next time.”
Then he turned and clapped James on the shoulder as he was lowering Junkit’s unconscious body to the floor.
“I can’t believe you got him!” the Torturer said. “This is the best gift you could give me!”
He scooped up Junkit, sneered at his limp body, and then opened the door at the other end of the hold. He cast Junkit inside and closed it again. “Well, we got what we came for,” he said, “and almost had more! A success, I would say.”
Emily smiled weakly, trying to take the weight off her already-swollen ankle.
“We’ll get you patched up,” the Torturer assured her, and then went into the cockpit. “Lift her up, Rono!”
The Shadow leapt into the air, and the sirens soon faded away. Emily leaned against the wall, every muscle in her body aching. James sat down beside her.
“That was interesting,” he said.
“Yeah,” Emily replied, wincing. “We are officially supervillains.”
26
LANA WAS JUST NODDING OFF ON HAYDEN’S SHOULDER WHEN James burst in through the mirror door. He saw them together and pointedly avoided her gaze.
“Where have you been?” Sam asked, rubbing his eyes. He’d fallen asleep on the couch next to them. “We were waiting for you. Where’s Emily?”
James dropped onto a couch, grinning. “We just completed our first mission.” For the next ten minutes, he recounted the story of Junkit’s abduction. Then he sat back, smugly putting his arms behind his head. “And now Emily is getting her ankle fixed up. She rolled it jumping out of the house, just before the floor collapsed.”
“That’s awesome,” Hayden said, for about the tenth time since James had started telling the story.
Lana hadn’t said a word. James was talking about the mission like it was a video game, and she found it disturbing.
“Firing those missiles must have been scary,” Sam said. He shook his head. “I can’t believe you jumped out and attacked a League member!”
James shrugged. “I didn’t even think about it at the time. I just knew that I couldn’t let him attack the Torturer again, so I had to do something. He almost managed to slip away, but I swiped him right in the head and knocked him out.”
Lana couldn’t hold back any longer. “You do realize that they’re going to kill Junkit?” she asked sharply, staring at him.
James looked away. “Why did we take him alive, then?”
“Possibly so the Torturer could, I don’t know, torture him for information?” Lana replied.
“It would be his right,” James snapped. “The League set a trap for the Torturer. They tried to kill him!”
Lana rolled her eyes. “As he and Rono were trying to kidnap and kill Junkit. They were hardly innocent victims.”
“Where did they take Junkit?” Sam asked, sounding frightened now. He snuck a glance at the mirror door.
“I don’t know,” James said. “The Torturer carted him off somewhere.”
“So Emily shot two people?” Hayden asked, and Lana glared at him.
James nodded. “Yeah, she told me she hit them both. They survived, though, and escaped.”
“Lucky for them…” Lana muttered.
James finally turned to her. “You’re just mad that we were trusted to go and you weren’t. Avaria obviously doesn’t think you’re ready.”
“Or maybe it had something to
do with the fact that she wasn’t on the mission,” Lana replied scathingly. “Listen to yourself. You sound like an idiot.”
“Well, I’m trying to tell a story here, and you’re getting on my case for no reason,” James said. “You weren’t there; you didn’t see what happened. Emily and I saved their lives, and I’m not going to apologize for it.”
“I don’t want you to,” Lana replied. “I just want you to realize what you did.”
“I saved them; that’s what. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”
Lana shook her head. “I would have let Junkit go.”
“So that he could come back and attack me? That would have been smart.” James sneered. “You would be captured by the League right now. Or dead.”
“You’re so arrogant. Now Junkit’s going to be tortured and killed because you like having muscles.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” James said, raising his voice. He was losing his temper now. “I got asked to go on a mission, and I did. That’s it. If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself.”
The force of his anger surprised Lana, and she fell silent. James had been acting very cold toward her ever since she and Hayden had started spending more time together. Lana had in turn ignored him, feeling that he was being immature. He has no right to punish me for choosing Hayden, Lana thought. He didn’t even tell me he liked me, so how was I supposed to know?
Lana looked around, and saw that Sam was fidgeting uncomfortably with his hands in his lap. Hayden was just sitting there, and for once, he had nothing to say.
“Fine,” Lana whispered. “I will.”
She stormed off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Now it’s going to be even more awkward between us, she thought. But James was turning into something she didn’t like, and she had to at least point it out. If that’s how he was going to act, she didn’t want to be friends with him anyway.
Leni shifted impatiently, watching through the thick glass as Sliver probed Junkit’s mind.
The captured League member looked determined as he waged his mental war with Sliver, who was bent forward motionlessly in the chair across from him. This had already gone on for over twenty minutes.
Leni clenched his gloved fist at his side. He wanted answers from Junkit so that he could determine the time frame he had for enacting Nightfall.
If the League knew where the mansion was, they might launch an immediate assault, either to rescue Junkit or avenge his death, and Leni needed at least a few more days to complete the trap.
To make matters worse, Gali and Jada would have warned the League about the two kids that attacked them. He glanced at the Torturer. The fool had jeopardized everything by bringing James and Emily along. Now the League had confirmation that the Vindico was behind the teens’ disappearances, and the protégés’ skills proved that they weren’t just being held captive. They were learning to fight.
“Junkit seems to be resisting the probes,” Leni said, breaking the long silence. “Perhaps a different strategy would yield results.”
“League members are well trained,” the Baron reasoned. “Let’s give Sliver a little more time. I’m sure he’s making progress.”
“What did you have in mind?” the Torturer asked, turning to Leni.
It was just the three of them watching; Rono was still receiving treatment from the Baron’s nurse, while Avaria remained in the surveillance room, keeping an eye on the perimeter. The mansion was heavily fortified against an air assault, with five heavy plasma cannons situated around the property, but it was susceptible to a ground attack through the forest. Sensors and cameras could detect intrusion, but it was nearly impossible to build real defenses across such a wide area. Walls wouldn’t slow down the League.
“I don’t mean having Sliver stop,” Leni said, “but perhaps a distraction might speed up the process. Pain might weaken Junkit’s mental resolve.”
“It might also distract Sliver,” the Baron warned.
“I doubt it,” Leni replied. “Sliver can use the distraction to bypass Junkit’s walls. I’ll do it from here.”
Leni found Junkit’s legs with his mind and squeezed. Junkit’s eyes flew open. Leni squeezed harder until the captured League member reached out with shaking hands and clasped his legs, as if trying to pull them free of a vise. Leni gave one last vicious squeeze, and Junkit howled with pain. As he screamed, Sliver leaned toward him.
Suddenly, Junkit slumped over, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Leni stopped the pressure. “Much better,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Yes,” the Baron agreed quietly. “It seems you were right.”
Five minutes passed, and then Junkit spilled onto the ground in a heap. After a moment, Sliver stood up.
“Junkit revealed everything,” he said, looking concerned. “And it’s not good.”
The next morning, the protégés filed into Leni’s classroom and quickly found their seats.
“There will be no group session today,” Leni said, looking them over. “You will spend the rest of the day in preparation. Last night, we interrogated Jay Junkit, and he has revealed some disturbing information. The League knows that our base is in this area. Worse, they now know about you.”
Hayden heard the others shifting uncomfortably around him.
“Thunderbolt was scheduled to return to League headquarters in two days to discuss the situation, but Junkit managed to convince Gali and Jada to lure out the Torturer to weaken us and find out more on their own. They did not have Thunderbolt’s permission, and now their plan has backfired. But Junkit also revealed that the majority of the League wants to sweep this area now, and he believes that Thunderbolt will finally agree. He expects the League will find us within the next few days.”
Hayden sat back in his chair, alarmed. Fight the entire League? he thought. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.
“That’s not all,” Leni said quietly. “The League has found two new candidates. Junkit doesn’t know what they can do, but Thunderbolt has been training them for weeks at a League base in Canada. Apparently, Thunderbolt believes that with these new recruits, the League can destroy us.” He paused. “We cannot allow these candidates to join the attack. We must get to them first.”
James sat up a little in his chair. “We’re going to attack their base?”
“Yes. We’re going to kidnap those candidates before they can make it to League headquarters. We leave tonight, and all of you but Emily will be joining us. She will stay here with Rono and the Baron to build up the mansion’s defenses.”
“I want to help,” Emily protested.
“You would only be a liability with your injury,” Leni replied coolly. “Now, for those coming, spend the remainder of the day resting. It’s going to be a long night.”
With that, he stalked out of the classroom.
“That’s okay, we don’t have any questions,” Hayden muttered.
They all filed back to the common area, and James, Emily, and Sam went to their rooms to get some sleep. After they’d gone, Lana led Hayden to her room, and they lay down. She rested her head on his chest.
“I don’t think I’m ready for this,” she said.
Hayden ran his fingers through her hair, gazing up at the ceiling. “It’ll be fine,” he replied. “I’ll take care of you. I will be wearing a cape, after all.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” she said. “Why am I with you again?”
He looked at her. “Are you saying we’re official?”
“No,” she replied quickly. “This is only a supervillain-training fling.”
“Damn,” he said. “I hate those.”
“Sorry. You’re not my type.” She shrugged. “I never liked caped men.”
Hayden frowned. “Are you making me choose between you and my cape?”
“What if I am?”
“Then I need some time to think.”
Lana punched him on the arm.
&nbs
p; “Okay, ow,” Hayden said. “Remember how you can punch through walls?”
“Sorry,” she replied playfully. “I forgot how weak you were. Want me to kiss it better?”
“Well, I actually bit my lip when you hit me, so you better start there.”
Lana rolled her eyes, but then shifted up and kissed him.
“Still hurts,” Hayden whispered, his lips on hers.
She kissed him again, and Hayden forgot all about the mission.
27
SAM FELT A BEAD OF SWEAT SLOWLY CREEP BETWEEN HIS EYES. It ran down to the tip of his nose and then paused, as if building up the courage to jump. He quickly wiped it away. It wasn’t warm in the Shadow’s hold; in fact, the cold nighttime air was seeping in through the metal. Sam was just terrified: they were attacking a League base, and as if that weren’t bad enough, he absolutely hated flying.
He and James were sitting on one of the benches in the Shadow, while Lana and Hayden sat across from them on the other. Leni, Sliver, Avaria, and the Torturer were all gathered in the cockpit, where they’d been since takeoff about two hours ago.
They had all been given black jumpsuits to match the one James had worn on his first mission. At first, Hayden had complained that there was no cape, but after he slid his on, he made a point of showing everyone how good his butt looked in it.
We look like the black silhouettes over the fireplace, Sam thought miserably.
The cockpit door slid open, and Leni stepped out. “We have the base sighted on the scanners. There’s a forest that surrounds the entire property, so we can make our entry through the trees. We’ll land as soon as we find a big enough clearing. James and Sam, you’ll stay with the ship so Sliver can contact you if we need a quick escape. We land in a few minutes. Prepare yourselves.”
Leni returned to the cockpit, and Hayden stood up and started running on the spot.
“What?” he said when he saw the others staring at him. “Don’t want to pull a hamstring on the entry.”
“Idiot,” Lana muttered.
Sam was in no mood to laugh. He felt sick to his stomach. He kept thinking of his mom, and what she would say if she knew he was about to attack a League base. What if he never saw her again? What if he didn’t get to say good-bye?