by Bryan Cohen
Winny returned the glance. "Let her have this."
The DHS detention center was only a few exits away from a small airfield. It turned out that Beth and Winny were able to get to Chicago so quickly because of Detrick's private jet. Dhiraj wondered how many millions the man had blown on such a thing of beauty. Within half an hour, the entire gang was airborne.
After a few minutes of conversation with the German billionaire, Dhiraj noticed Jennifer had gravitated toward the other side of the plane. He excused himself and walked across the aisle to sit beside her.
"You okay?"
She rubbed her nose. Her cheeks looked more pink than usual. "I shouldn't have riled him up."
Dhiraj linked his fingers with hers. "He's a psychopath. He knew what he was going to do when he walked in."
Jennifer's face showed concern. "Did you call home?"
Dhiraj chewed the inside of his cheek. "No answer."
He hoped beyond hope that his father had watched the news and gotten as far away from Treasure as possible.
Jennifer pursed her lips. "Do we know what we're going to do when we get there?"
Dhiraj shook his head. "No. But we'll figure something out."
Jennifer laid her head on his shoulder for the rest of the flight.
Detrick had another speed-demon of a vehicle waiting at the military airbase about 20 minutes from town; Detrick got to Treasure in eight. As they entered the city limits, Dhiraj could see the smoke floating up into the air. He barked out driving directions to Detrick. A few turns later and they saw the source of the smoke.
Every single house, from Ted's to Dhiraj's to Natalie's, was completely engulfed in flames. Treasure was burning.
It took a second for Ted's eyes to adjust to the light when his hood was finally removed. When he could make out more than vague shapes, he saw a holographic display before him. The image clearly showed Natalie and Erica surrounded by dozens of armed guards.
"It's a shame it has to end like this," a familiar voice said.
Ted didn't need to take his eyes off the screen to know the room's other occupant. The General sat in a chair beside him. "They're waiting on my order, you know. But I could just as well tell them to stand down." Ted wanted to tear the General's head from his body, in the same way he'd ripped the statue apart.
He shook his head. "I know what you want and you're not going to get it."
The General gasped. "What? You presume I want to trade off a planet for the lives of the women you hold most dear?" The General stood up and paced the length of the room. "It's a tempting offer to make, but I've decided compromise is the best way to proceed."
Ted smirked. "Do you just want Greenland then?"
The General chuckled, and Ted wanted nothing more than to stop the sound with his bare hands.
"Here's my proposition, Ted. I let your friends live. Yippie!" He crouched down in front of his doppelganger. "And I give you the end of the war. In return, you give me permission to inhabit one tenth of one percent of the Earth's dead. Point zero zero one."
Ted looked more closely at the screen. Erica and Natalie were dead for sure. Unless he agreed to the General's terms.
Ted sighed. "How many is that?"
The General's eyes brightened. "My dear boy. Does this mean you're actually considering it?"
Whoever was operating the camera zoomed in close on Erica and Natalie's faces. Ted didn't know how he could bear to lose either one of them.
He tried to steady his breathing, but he wasn't successful in the least. "Just tell me."
The General was having way too much fun with this. "About 150 people every day."
Ted's head began to ache. Would he be damning billions of people on Earth by saving the lives of just two?
"The villagers only. No troops."
The General nodded. "Of course. They're the ones in the most need. We'll start with the children and work our way up. It'll take years before we even get to our first troop."
Ted's heart pounded. "And they'd keep things secret? And they'd be forbidden from attacking humans or otherwise subverting the planet?"
The General's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "They wouldn't hurt a human or a fly so long as they live. As long as you agree that it continues indefinitely."
Ted's insides tore at him. Here was a chance to end a thousand-year conflict by what seemed like a peaceful solution. Erica and Natalie would live, and people like Razellia and Vella would have a second lease on life. On the other hand, the concept of humanity would change forever. It'd be impossible to tell humans and dark souls apart for the rest of time.
Sacrificing his own life was one thing. He'd be willing to do that in a heartbeat. But he couldn't let Erica and Natalie die.
Ted nodded. "Let them live. I agree to your terms."
The General started clapping. He hopped up and down like a boy who'd just gotten everything he wanted for his birthday. "Ted, this is going to be the best decision you've ever made. For all parties involved."
Ted's body shook with worry, but within moments he felt everything start to grow calm.
The General put his hand on Ted's shoulder. "By the way, there's just one more provision you have to agree to. At this point, it's just a formality."
Ted heard someone else enter the room. When he looked over, he saw a large, muscular man matching Natalie's description of Pluric. As soon as Ted had a grasp on that memory, it seemed to slip right out of his head. That's when his mind went completely blank.
45
Natalie was tired. She'd run from the dark soul rebels. She'd defended herself from dozens of attackers. The sweat from all the effort made her shirt stick to her skin, and the quickly filling room of soldiers turned her adrenaline into dread.
She looked to Erica for some sign of hope. The protector's posture reminded Natalie of the teams they'd trounced in the playoffs. Erica's body language said defeat, and Natalie's heart sunk.
In the midst of all the hubbub, Travis had snuck across the room and found them. There was a massive bruise on the side of his head, but he appeared to be lucid and concussion-free.
Travis didn't seem to notice Erica's stance. "What's Plan B?"
Natalie scrunched up her nose. "It sure as hell isn't going to be you taking a nap like Plan A."
Travis gave her a dirty look and tapped Erica on the shoulder. "Come on, LaPlante. You've gotta have something to get us outta this."
Natalie looked left and right. There were now over 100 guards. Some of them kept an eye on the trio. Others were milling about as if this were some kind of cocktail party. All of them seemed confident that any sort of uprising would result in their immediate deaths.
Erica let out a deep exhale. "The only thing I can think of is to offer my life for yours."
Travis grumbled. "Is that always your plan? Sacrifice yourself for us?"
Erica threw up her hands. "I get to come back! I get to do this all over again. You don't."
Travis raised his voice. "We're not letting you die."
Erica faced off against him. "You don't have much of a choice."
Natalie couldn't handle the idiocy of either side. She pulled them apart. "Why don't you two just shut up? We've got enough crap to deal with."
The squabblers took a step apart.
Travis crossed his arms. "All four of us go home, or none of us. That's why I came here."
Natalie patted his head. "You're honorable. Nobody could claim otherwise." She kissed his cheek. "They'd have a case for stupid, too."
As he smirked, a voice piped out from an unseen speaker. The cadence and intonation sounded oddly like Ted.
"Troops, this is your General speaking." The conversation in the room ground to a halt. "Please report to the West Hall for a very important announcement. Take all prisoners of war to holding cells along the way, with three exceptions. The humans are free to go."
Natalie was puzzled. Judging by the looks of the soldiers on hand, she wasn't the only one. The troops who'd ha
d their weapons trained on them lowered the guns. It took less than a minute for the soldiers who surrounded them to vacate the room.
Travis nodded and pointed at the last remaining troops, as if his team had mounted some kind of comeback victory.
Erica didn't look nearly as enthusiastic. "I don't like this."
Travis huffed. "You'd rather we faced a firing squad or something? Seriously, Ted's got his work cut out for him trying to make you happy."
"I like the challenge."
The three of them turned at once to see Ted standing there. Aside from a few bumps and bruises, he appeared to be safe and in good spirits. When Erica didn't run to him right away, Natalie decided to pick up the slack.
She hugged him hard. "We had no idea where you were."
He smelled cleaner than she expected, but it was probably better than the alternative. "It's okay. We can go home now."
Travis tapped Natalie on the back. "Give him some space."
When Natalie complied, Travis gave him a manly hug with a pat on the back. "Glad you're safe, man."
Ted returned the gesture with extra oomph. When they pulled away, Ted turned toward Erica, but her feet remained planted.
Her eyes seemed to probe his for information. "What did you do?"
Ted pursed his lips. "I bought us some time." His eyes darted nervously from left to right. "I'm not sure how much, though. We better get outta here."
Judging by the tension in her face, that was not the answer Erica wanted to hear. "They could've killed or captured us. They didn't. Tell me why."
It was a good question. Natalie knew that Ted had struggled with the power to end the war in one fell swoop. Had he actually pulled the trigger?
Ted looked frustrated with Erica's line of questioning. "We're safe. And if I recall correctly, every second we spend here puts Dhiraj and Jennifer at more risk."
Natalie knew that Ted was right. She took Erica's hand. "We've gotta get back, Erica."
Erica gripped Natalie's fingers hard. "Alright." She gave Ted a stern look. "You need to tell me every detail after we get back, though."
Ted smiled. "Of course."
Erica removed the book and the two pieces of staff from her pack. Natalie could feel the power of the objects even from a few feet away.
She touched Travis' shoulder. "Is this going to hurt?"
Travis touched her side. "Since when are you worried about pain?"
She flared her nostrils. "Ever since I got smacked around about a million times since I got here. Just wanted to know if I should brace myself."
He nodded. "Brace yourself."
They stood in a line. Natalie looked out into the world she was about to leave. She hoped that maybe if everything worked out, innocents like Razellia and Vella could leave in peace. Erica grabbed the book and the staff and took Ted's hand. He reached out for hers and she took it before linking with Travis. The energy that went through her was painful, but there was also a sort of serenity to it. Natalie didn't know if it was the joy of going home or the rush of endorphins from the pain, but she felt spectacular when the blue sparks crashed into one another and revealed the portal back to Earth. The four of them broke apart, except for her and Ted. He nodded to her, and she smiled back. She let go, and waved off a befuddled look from Travis.
Ted raised his eyebrows at Erica. "Think we should get a vacation home here?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm ready to joke with you yet."
With that, she jumped in.
Travis stepped up to the edge. "This time, she's breaking my fall." He leapt in next.
Natalie took a step forward, but Ted pulled her back.
He looked pained and happy all at once. "I wouldn't have made it through this without you, Nat." He leaned into her face and kissed her on the lips.
Natalie's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't sure whether to kiss him back or not, so she just let his lips press into hers. It was a mix of wrong and good all at the same time.
Ted pulled back. A slight smile graced his lips. "Thank you."
She could still taste his kiss. She shook it off.
"Yeah, yeah. Likewise and all that." She gripped his shirt. "And, Ted?"
A grin crept across his face. "Mmm hmm?"
"Don't ever put me through this crap again."
Before he had a chance to respond, Natalie tossed Ted into the portal. He gave a light, satisfying scream as he went through. Natalie rubbed her hands together and dove through.
Before she knew it, Natalie could feel her shoes grip against the blacktop. Her comrades all appeared to be safe, but something felt different. She could tell she was in Treasure by the familiar sight of manicured lawns, but there was something else to it. That's when she saw the smoke. Natalie's eyes followed the billowing black cloud to a burning house. It matched several of the other houses on the block. Her breath quickened. She put her hand on Travis' back as he stared in awe.
"What happened?!"
Erica had a rasp to her voice when she spoke. "Adam."
46
Dhiraj froze. He'd never seen so much fire and devastation in his life, and it was all happening in the place he called home. Van Housen split off with Beth and Winny to assess the damage of their houses. As soon as Jennifer shook him free of his daze, Dhiraj went running straight for his house. Seeing as it was the weekend, he knew exactly where his father would be: in the upstairs study. But there was no way to know how long the house had been aflame. Dhiraj pushed away all thoughts of fear and grief and put everything he had into action. When he turned the front doorknob with his sleeve, Jennifer stopped him momentarily.
She was breathing heavily. "Are you sure we shouldn't wait for help?"
He shook his head. "Help isn't coming. It's us or nobody."
She nodded in agreement and held the neck of her shirt up over her nose and mouth. He did the same as they went inside.
"Dad?!"
"Mr. Patel?"
There was no answer. The smoke grew thick, and as much as he tried, Dhiraj couldn't suppress his coughing. The fire was just starting to spread inside the house, and he watched as the wallpaper his mother had applied went up in flames.
Jennifer spoke between coughs. "Maybe he got out already."
At once, both of them heard a coughing fit from upstairs. Dhiraj took the steps two at a time and tried to open the study door. It was locked. He tensed up his body hard and screamed as he lowered his shoulder. The door gave way. Mr. Patel was on the carpet inside, his coughing the only sign of consciousness.
"Dad!"
Dhiraj put his father's arm over one shoulder and Jennifer took the other half of his weight. As they traveled back toward the stairs, Dhiraj caught sight of his Wall of Fame, the list of all his greatest financial achievements. He knew all his computer files were backed up on the cloud, but this bulletin of achievement wouldn't last an hour.
Family beats fame.
It was tough going, but Dhiraj and Jennifer were able to get Mr. Patel down the steps, across the threshold and out of the house. Dhiraj's father wheezed for about a minute until the clean air refilled his lungs. The house, like many others beside it, started to show more smoke than siding.
Dhiraj touched his father's face. "You okay, dad?"
Mr. Patel gave a weak smile. "How could I not be? My son's a superhero."
Dhiraj and Jennifer shared a smile. Dhiraj felt a buzzing in his pocket and realized the disposable cell was ringing. There was only one other person who had that number.
He handed off his father to Jennifer, and took the call. "Erica?!"
She sounded pained on the other line. "We're back."
Dhiraj thanked everything that was holy, including the God from each religion. "Everybody accounted for?"
"All of us."
Dhiraj didn't have time to be happy, but he let a little bit slip through anyway. If there was any time for the gang to be back, it was right now.
Erica spoke into the phone, but the words rang hollow
. Sure, they were alive, but they were anything but safe. In their absence, Adam had destroyed everything she'd known for the past year. She couldn't imagine what Ted and the rest of the gang felt as they watched their town burn.
"Have you seen him?"
Erica's hatred for Adam coursed through her. This time, she wouldn't rest until he was six feet under. Even if it meant the end of her life as Erica.
Dhiraj coughed into the receiver. "Not since Chicago. I think he snapped, Erica. He doesn't care about the media anymore. He just wants to turn everything to ash."
Erica looked over at Ted, Natalie and Travis. They watched the flames dance on the neighborhood rooftops. She knew she needed to take action now.
"Dhiraj, I'll call you back." She hung up and passed the phone to Ted. "Everybody see where your families are. Once everybody's in the clear, we need to go after Kable."
Ted got through to his parents on the first ring. "Mom? It's me, are you safe?" Ted's smile brought Erica some relief. "Good. I am, too. I'll call you soon. I love you." He hung up and tossed the phone to Natalie. "They were at brunch, they're fine. Shouldn't we put out the fires first?"
Erica shook her head as Natalie got the all-clear from her folks. "Putting them out won't mean anything if we don't take down the source."
Travis nodded after his short phone call and gave the phone back to Erica.
She gathered them together. "Ted, I need you to do an aerial sweep around town."
Ted's face looked like it was asking for forgiveness. Erica's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"
Ted bit his lip. "I don't know if it was the book or the fight, but I'm totally wiped. I can't even read your minds right now."
Natalie mumbled something indecipherable. "Great. Could today get any better?"
Erica glared at Natalie. "Enough." She looked back at the group as a whole. "We need to meet up with the Sheriff's Department and see if we can't get a location on Adam."
Travis broke away from the group, as if he’d spotted something out in the distance. "I don't think we need to worry about that."