by Dee Benson
"Katie…don't."
She fell silent.
Her body trembled, and Michael realized she was crying.
He continued to fly until they came to a secluded forest in a deserted part of town. He knew it well, because he'd spent many solitary hours there as a child.
He landed softly among the trees and set Katie down.
She covered her face with her hands.
Michael pulled her hands away gently, and kissed her wet cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
Katie laughed shortly. "I don't know."
Michael touched her hair.
She pulled him closer. "Just…kiss me."
Michael kissed her. He shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself.
"DO WE NEED A forcefield?" Katie asked Michael between kisses. The place seemed private enough, but it was best to err on the side of caution.
"I'll put one up just in case," he murmured against her lips.
Then he deepened the kiss.
Katie's head went light and her knees went weak.
This was Michael. The man she'd loved for so long. Kissing her with such hunger. Such need.
She'd said she didn't know why she was crying, but she did.
The king was nice enough, but he wasn't Michael.
She needed to speak to Aeric. Needed to find out why he wanted her to be with the king.
Wait a minute. She already knew. It was so that she would become a target for The Firemaster and he would come after her. Well, he was going to do that tomorrow. Since the purpose of being with the king was almost accomplished, maybe she could request her freedom.
The king would be disappointed, but she believed he would release her. After all, they hadn't married yet.
Michael's kiss was getting deeper. The things he made her feel.
The king's kiss hadn't done this to her. Turned her into this breathless, quivering mess.
She tugged at his combat suit, finding the zip, and slid it down. His skin was warm to her touch.
He let out a little sigh. "Katie."
He pushed her up against a tree, fumbling for the zipper of her dress.
Katie trailed her fingers over the ridged planes of his abs.
"I love you," he whispered. "I want you to be mine."
"I love you, too, Michael."
KATIE WASN'T SURE WHAT drew her from sleep.
She opened her eyes. Darkness.
Where was she? She sat up and looked around at the shadowy outline of the trees around her.
It all came flooding back. Michael.
She covered her face with her hands. They…went too far. She shouldn't have done that. The king had yet to test her virginity.
But, in the heat of the moment, she'd wanted it. No, needed it. Needed his arms around her, needed that connection.
It was either the stress of being Black Thunder, or plain stupid recklessness.
Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Michael lying behind her.
He was gone.
Katie's heart skipped a beat. What did that mean? Was he upset about what they'd done?
They shouldn't have done it.
How was Katie going to explain it to the king? Maybe she could find a way of making him forget about the virginity test.
She scrambled to her feet, aching in places she'd never ached before. Tears stung her eyes.
Michael left.
Not only had he left, but he'd abandoned her in the middle of a forest. What if there were wild animals around?
Okay, there probably were no wild animals here, but still.
She didn't even know how to get out of here.
A flash of light in the sky made her look up. Her heart shrank in anticipation of it being some kind of destruction or devastation.
The light was orange. Was it The Firemaster on the rampage again?
Katie sighed. She was tired, worn out, fatigued. Did she have to arise to challenge him every time he did something?
Then she realized it wasn't fire. It was just light. And it was spelling something.
She squinted up at the sky, waiting for the light to finish whatever it was writing.
I love you.
It was written in a pretty cursive script. Katie's heart warmed over. Michael. How had he done that? He must have paid a Super with light manipulation abilities. Although he'd left, he must be monitoring her somehow. How else would he know that she'd woken up?
Soon, the light faded, and the words disappeared from the sky.
Katie sighed. She'd better get herself back to the palace. She took a step forward and hit the force field. She smiled. Michael hadn't abandoned her as she'd thought. She stepped through the force field and used her Black Thunder abilities to scan the area and find her way to the palace.
Chapter 13
THE FIREMASTER STRUCK BRIGHT and early the next morning. Katie was still in bed, tired after her eventful night. The only reason she knew anything was going on was because a series of images suddenly crashed through her mind.
In the mental images, The Firemaster was snatching the king's crown from his head.
The king was about to be cast into a sea of fire by The Firemaster.
The Firemaster's men were hunting for Katie.
Katie leapt out of bed. Where were her Super suit and mask? No sooner had she had the thought than she felt a rush of air and the slap of firm but comfortable material against her skin. She looked down. She was wearing her Super suit. The pyjamas she'd just been wearing were on the bed. She was also wearing a mask.
Thank you, she said under her breath.
Make yourself invisible until you arrive.
Now she recognised that thought as from Aeric.
Katie stood before the mirror. I need to be invisible, she told herself. A moment, later her reflection vanished.
She hurried over to the window, opened it, and then flew out. I wonder where they are.
I will direct you.
Aeric again.
Katie flew by instinct, going as fast as she could. Less than a minute later, she was at an army barrack. A new one, established by the king, as he sought to build an army to challenge The Firemaster's army.
The place was up in flames.
Make yourself visible, came Aeric's soft whisper.
Katie obeyed. Immediately, at least a dozen Supers flew up into the air, and surrounded her.
"Where is the king?" Katie asked. Her voice still sounded like rolling thunder, but today it was female. She'd expected the same booming man's voice as yesterday. Maybe Aeric wanted her to keep them guessing.
A bunch of the Supers flew backwards, away from her, at the sound of her voice.
"I asked, 'Where is the king?'" she repeated.
One of the Supers threw a wave of electricity at her. She didn't feel it. Another blasted her with wind. She felt nothing. They all began to throw their powers at her. Katie looked down at the barracks. She could see through the roof, but there were too many people inside for her to locate the king.
Then she got a sense of him being flown away from here.
She felt a wave of heat engulf her, and realized she was on fire. But it only made her feel warm. She looks down at herself. Her Super suit was resisting the fire, as was she. Burning but not consumed. She spun around in the air to find The Firemaster behind her. He was gazing at her in awe.
"Hello Black Thunder," he said slowly.
Katie laughed. Her voice rolled around the sky like groaning thunder. His fire power was useless against her.
"The king is about to be dropped into Mount Cheviot," he said. "If you hurry, you might make it in time."
Mount Cheviot was a volcano just outside of town. Katie thought of the images that had crashed through her mind a few minutes ago when she'd been asleep. Aeric had been showing her what was about to happen.
She looked at The Firemaster. He was trying to set her up. She could tell. She flexed her body, and the fire around her went ou
t. Then, she began to fly towards Mount Cheviot.
She got there in less than a minute. Michael was hovering in the air above the volcano, holding the king.
Katie's heart sank. Why did it have to be Michael?
She flew towards him slowly. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice." Her voice rolled through the sky, frightening even to her.
The king's eyes were terrified. Katie wasn't sure whether he was more terrified of falling into the volcano, or of her.
Michael dropped the king. He began to fall towards the angry inferno of the lava below.
Katie swooped down to catch him. It was easily done. He clutched her tightly, hanging on for dear life.
Katie tried to fly back up, and found that she couldn't. Something was weighing down on her, some kind of powerful force. She looked up and saw that Michael wasn't the only Super up there hovering in the air anymore. The Firemaster and a host of others had arrived. They must have formed some kind of confederation with their powers, joining them together.
She looked at the king. Could she teleport him to the palace? No sooner had she had the thought, than he vanished.
Cool. She should be able to teleport herself too.
Suddenly, she felt something grip her. The Firemaster and his cronies must have realized that, after teleporting the king, she would try to teleport herself. She groaned. Why hadn't she teleported them both at the same time.
I need to get better at thinking on my feet.
Katie tried to break through the force of the confederation. She couldn't. Confederations were incredibly powerful. When she learned about them in high school, the teacher had used it as an analogy for the power of unity.
The only way she could get around this was to distract them somehow. She caused a loud bang to sound in the distance. Immediately, the force weighing her down vanished. Presumably, they'd all lost their concentration.
Katie flew up. But she wasn't quick enough. She slammed into an impenetrable force again.
Even worse, the force began to push down on her, pushing her towards the sea of lava below.
What should I do? she cried out internally to Aeric.
I've been waiting for you to ask.
Images filled her mind of herself using her own force to suck The Firemaster and his cronies into the volcano.
Katie decided to wait until she was almost in the lava. Let them think they were about to kill Black Thunder, the mysterious, powerful masked Super. Then they would get the surprise of their lives.
Soon, she could feel the heat of the lava on her back. She must be close.
She mustered up all her strength and reached out to The Firemaster and everyone with him. She tried to exclude Michael, but couldn't. They all came as a group.
The Firemaster managed to land on a ledge of volcanic rock on the side of the volcano.
Katie shot laser power from her eyes and destroyed the ledge.
The Firemaster was going to die today. No sooner had she had the thought than she noticed that The Firemaster wasn't the only person who'd landed on the ledge.
Michael!
She sent a rush of energy towards him to lift him up, but the energy also lifted The Firemaster.
Why?
She didn't get time to work it out because a wave of energy slammed into her. Burning heat seared her whole body as she shot to the bottom of the volcano.
THIS WAS THE SECOND time the masked woman had spared him. And this time, it had cost her her life.
Michael didn't understand it.
Since she'd spared him once, The Firemaster had decided to link his fate with Michael's, in case Black Thunder was inclined to spare Michael again. It had worked.
Why does she care about me?
He exhaled as he flew up out of the volcano. They'd lost thirteen men in the volcano, but The Firemaster and the rest of the survivors were whooping and celebrating because it seemed they'd also killed Black Thunder.
That was what they'd set out to do, but it gave Michael no joy. Black Thunder had been fighting for good. She'd been the only person with a real chance of overpowering The Firemaster and putting an end to this madness.
"Sadly," The Firemaster said, "we'll never get to know Black Thunder's true identity."
"I think, whoever Black Thunder was, she was a woman," Serloyd said. "She spoke with a woman's voice today."
"So?" Desmond asked. "He spoke with a man's voice yesterday."
"Only a woman would speak with both a man's voice and a woman's voice," Serloyd said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A man would never speak with a woman's voice."
"I would," Desmond said. "Just to throw everyone off."
Serloyd rolled his eyes. "That's because you're a punk."
"One thing we do know," The Firemaster said, looking at Michael. "Black Thunder didn't want Michael to die."
Everyone looked at Michael, no doubt all wondering why.
Michael was wondering why, too.
If Black Thunder was dead, she'd pretty much sacrificed her life for him.
That was scary.
Chapter 14
THE HEAT WAS STIFLING. Katie couldn't breathe. She felt like she was being smothered. She needed to get out of here or she was going to die.
She tried to teleport, but couldn't. All her energy was completely drained.
There was a tickle across her forehead. The kind she felt whenever somebody with mental powers was trying to read her mind. The tickle was accompanied by an image of Regina at the Commission for Change.
Katie relaxed, granting her access.
Katie? came Regina's voice in Katie's mind. Are you okay?
Katie had never been able to communicate via the mind, but she knew that Regina would be able to see her thoughts. No, I'm not okay, she thought.
"She needs our help," she heard Regina tell somebody. "Let's give her a boost of energy."
Suddenly, Katie felt a sharp jolt of what felt like electricity run through her entire body. Immediately, she felt strong again. She pictured the secluded forest she'd spent the night in with Michael.
A moment later, she landed on the ground in the forest. In the same spot she and Michael had slept in.
It was a relief to be out of the volcano. The air was cool against her skin.
Oh, Regina said in her mind. I thought you would teleport yourself to us.
No. Katie needed to be alone right now.
Okay, that's fine, Regina said. But come over sometime and we'll work out why you failed.
Katie already knew why she'd failed. Michael. She might not have a traditional 'weakness' like kryptonite or an Achilles' heel. But she had Michael. And she'd just almost died because of him.
Tears filled her eyes.
At least you got the king to safety, Regina said. We'll talk about Michael when you come to see us. And I'll also show you how you can overcome a confederation next time. They shouldn't have been able to overpower you. The nation hasn't christened you Black Thunder for nothing. You're manifesting the typical strength of a traditional Thunder Master.
Katie was shocked. It was one thing to be a Thunder Manipulator—there were many of those—but a Thunder Master? That was crazy.
Yes, Regina replied. You must have some crazy powers that you haven't tapped into yet. We need to work out what they are.
Just thinking about that was exhausting. Katie couldn't consider it right now.
She wondered how Regina had known she was in trouble. If not for Regina, she would still be at the bottom of that volcano, dying.
We were watching you on the news, Regina said. When you fell into the volcano, we thought you'd be fine, and that you would have teleported yourself away. Aeric told us you were in trouble.
That was lucky.
Indeed it was, Regina said. Come and see us when you're feeling a bit better.
Katie felt Regina slip out of her mind.
Go home and take a shower.
Katie pushed the t
hought away. She could do that later.
She felt her Super suit and mask being replaced with the clothes she'd worn yesterday when she came here with Michael. She didn't know whether it was Regina changing her, or Aeric, but she was grateful. Although dressing her back in last night's gown was an odd choice.
Now that Regina was no longer giving her an energy boost, she felt weaker than she ever had in her life. Semi-dead. Of course, any normal person would have died instantly if they'd been tossed into a volcano.
She lay there on the ground, unable to stand, feeling completely defeated.
Michael is my weakness.
Tears filled her eyes.
She really needed to do something about that or she was going to get herself killed.
MICHAEL WAS SHOCKED AND delighted to see that Katie was still in the forest. He'd come for some quiet, and to think about what had just happened. Maybe this spot could become their special meeting place.
He'd kept it to himself for years, but it was nice to share it with Katie.
She was lying on the ground, completely oblivious to his presence. And a strange smell hung in the air.
He knew she'd woken up just before midnight and had gone home, because he'd been monitoring the forest and had paid a Super to write 'I love you' in lights in the sky. It was illegal for Supers to merchandize their power, but many did it anyway.
Katie was still wearing the sexy dress she'd worn yesterday. Maybe she hadn't gone home. Maybe she'd stayed.
Why?
Just then, Katie lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder at him.
He was shocked to see the look of utter defeat and pain in her eyes.
Was it because he'd left her in the middle of the night after they'd made love? He'd left because The Firemaster had summoned him to plan today's attack.
He hurried to her and lowered himself to the ground. "Are you okay?"
She nodded wordlessly.
The strange smell was strong around her.
"Sorry I had to leave in the night. I was called to the barracks."
Katie looked away from him. "It's fine. I saw your writing in the sky."
Michael sighed. "Have you been home?"