The Rebellion (The Viral Superhero Series Book 6)

by Bryan Cohen

  The guard with the gruff voice who Dhiraj suspected would spit in his food was one of the speakers. "Treasure is a wasteland. I've seen the pictures. They demolished that place."

  Dhiraj chewed his cheek and wondered if his parents and friends had made it out alive.

  A squeaky voice Dhiraj didn't recognize replied. "It wasn't much of a victory. Everybody but the living soul and the protector were gone."

  Dhiraj breathed a sigh of relief.

  The gruff voice spoke up. "Did we at least catch them? The General seemed pretty pissed off ever since he put that dome up."

  "If we'd caught Ted Finley, don't you think he would have told all of us about it? He got out easy."

  Dhiraj looked up to the ceiling and thanked whatever gods he could think of. "They're alive. They're all still alive."

  Dhiraj wasn't sure how much hope he could muster, but hearing that his friends might still have a chance certainly helped. He opened up the start of a new book. This one was about real estate investing. Before he started on page one, Dhiraj flung the book into the wall across the room. It landed with a meaty thud and sat there unread.

  Through learning of the journeys of famous captives like Ernest Shackleton, Dhiraj knew that the only way to keep one's sanity in such a situation was to stay busy. He'd read over 50 books in the last month and he worked out for two hours every single morning. But his patience was beginning to wear as thin as the meager portions that barely sustained him.

  He stood and paced, trying to hold on to gratitude for something. "My parents are alive. Jennifer is alive. Ted is alive. But do they know that I'm alive?"

  Dhiraj noticed a momentary flicker of the lights. He knew that was his cue to get in position on the bed. Moments after he sat, the one dark soul guard he could trust walked in through the front door. Kristen's former inhabitant had been so dedicated to protecting the President that even after she was taken over, her loyalty to Earth remained. It seemed the one flaw in the dark soul's plan was trusting in the submissiveness of humanity. But some eggs just wouldn't crack.

  She was a decade Dhiraj's senior, at least in appearance, but she maintained a youthful vitality despite wearing the drab garb of a Secret Service agent.

  She cracked a smile. "We've got two minutes until—"

  "I know, two minutes until the camera is reset. By telling me that, we often lose about 10 seconds of conversation."

  She smirked. "What do you want to know?"

  Dhiraj sighed. "Is it true? The General wiped Treasure off the map but everyone survived?"

  Kristen's smile widened. "It is true."

  Dhiraj licked his dry lips. "Good. Did you get them my message beforehand?"

  Kristen's smile faded. "I didn't."

  Dhiraj felt the hope begin to seep out of him like a tea bag in boiling hot water.

  "But, I was able to let some of our fellow rebels know that you're still alive. They'll find a way to get the message to Ted."

  Dhiraj nodded. "I know. At least, I have a little hope."

  Kristen sat down on the bed beside the captive, glancing down at her watch to ensure they still had time undetected. "What are your friends going to do? They're not just going to abandon Earth are they?"

  Dhiraj felt his lips curl into the unfamiliar position of a grin. "My friends don't give up. They may not have been able to hold Treasure, but with the books, they have some major firepower behind them."

  Kristen looked down at her watch once more. "Thirty seconds. I have a question I've been meaning to ask you."

  "Shoot."

  She stood up and resumed her position where the looping video would place her. "Why do you think the General kept you alive?"

  Dhiraj had thought about the answer to this day in and day out for months. "It's the same reason you're willing to help me. When he took Ted's memories, it changed him. Not enough for him to stop the cause, but it gave him compassion he never knew he had."

  Kristen nodded. "I doubt that's why, but I trust you to do what's right. Let's hope he made a huge mistake."

  Dhiraj felt the second hand ticking down as he resumed his prisoner-like position.

  The guard changed her body to a more authoritative stance. The smiles were replaced with scowls. She pulled out an envelope. "Here's the revised script, Patel. No more changes. You stick to it, or we're going to kill you."

  Dhiraj accepted the envelope and gave the sort of acknowledgment you'd provide to someone who'd beaten you. "Thanks."

  Dhiraj opened the envelope and peaked inside. In the previous iteration, he'd done everything he could to revise out a full on retraction. But it was no use. The next time Dhiraj appeared on Rudy Bolger he'd have to walk back everything he'd said about the president's assassination and the General's takeover.

  Kristen turned on a dime and stomped out of the room, as if she had better things to do.

  Dhiraj continued to flip through the pages of the worst speech he'd ever have to give.

  He wiped some sweat from his forehead. "If I don't say this in front of tens of millions of people, they're going to make me a dark soul and force me."

  8

  It took Erica about a half hour to follow directions from guards and Treasure residents alike to find Natalie. The room assignments were still chaotic, after the realms of souls accepted over 10,000 refugees from Earth. The light souls' capital city had always been a place for disenfranchised peoples, but the city felt like it was about to burst with humans. Of course, she didn't mind, but there were those who'd rather do anything else than protect the less powerful. When she heard the sound of dribbling in the hallway, she knew she'd finally reached the right destination.

  She knocked twice before opening the door. Unsurprisingly, Natalie dribbled a basketball between her legs from the left to the right. From the right to the left. She never seemed to miss a beat.

  Erica watched the ball go back and forth. "Where did you find that thing? It's not exactly a popular sport on this planet."

  Natalie continued dribbling. "My parents brought it along. I thought it might calm me."

  "Fat chance of that. You're pretty impressive on the jet pack."

  Natalie put practice on hold and palmed the ball in one hand. "I have a feeling you didn't come here to praise my flying abilities."

  Erica sat down at a desk chair. "I wanted to explain the lip gloss."

  Natalie let out a scoff as she expertly tossed the ball into a wastebasket. "You two kissing needs no explanation."

  "It really does though, Nat. We were in the lair and his powers were completely shot. I took a chance that maybe kissing him would—"

  Natalie stood up. "I don't know why this is important. It seems like everybody and their mother, is trying to set me back up with Ted. But the universe is literally being torn apart. You'd think it would have to take priority."

  Erica studied Natalie. For her to have been through everything she'd experienced over the last two years and keep her sanity was something of a miracle. In all her years as the protector, she wondered if Natalie was the human she most respected.

  Erica looked into Natalie's eyes. "I understand. We don't need to talk about it."

  Natalie turned away and back toward her. "Of course we don't need to talk about it. There's nothing to talk about."

  "I got to tell you though, the jet pack thing wasn't just an idle compliment. You really ought to consider putting your skills to good use."

  Natalie seemed to soften a bit at that. "What do you mean by good use?"

  Erica smiled. She had her hooks in. "We're having a meeting in the mess hall. Everyone who's going to come with me and Ted to find us an army. We could use you on that mission."

  Natalie sighed and shook her head. "No thanks. I'd rather not have someone trying to kill me for five minutes. You know what I mean?"

  Erica stood up. "I know better than most. I think you'd be a real asset though. If you change your mind, we're meeting in two hours. It'd be a shame for you to just be holed up in here
."

  Natalie looked at the door to the room and back at Erica. Then back at the room door and back at Erica. She gestured for Erica to come closer. "I appreciate it."

  Erica put one arm around Natalie and gave her a quick hug.

  Natalie gave a slight growl. "Take down that bastard once and for all."

  "We will."

  Erica stood in front of a dozen people, including Ted and multiple light souls. This was the team that would either make or break humanity. This was the team that could just save the universe.

  She smiled. "Here's the plan, everybody. When Ted got the General's memories, he also saw all the worlds that were too resilient for the dark souls to fully conquer. These planets don't just have the ability to stop dark souls. They have an ax to grind with them."

  One of the light souls raised his hand. She recognized him as Doren, the dark-skinned and deep-voiced fighter who'd been on the frontlines of the conflict for hundreds of years. "These species have never worked together before. How do we know they're even going to care about Earth?"

  A few other nods of agreement worried Erica as she cleared her throat. "We don't, but we don't really have any other choice. We end the war now or we lose Earth. If Earth is gone, the whole Realm of Souls won't be far behind."

  Doren crossed his arms. "So we're supposed to rely on the General's look-alike and the 12 of us to somehow convince these other worlds to get in a conflict they don't even want to be a part of?"

  Ted's voice cracked as he spoke. "That's the plan."

  Erica rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Ted. Doren, this war is bound to end someday. Do you want to be the one who secured a future for your people? Or would you rather be on the wrong side of history?"

  Doren didn't seem too convinced.

  Then a voice piped up from the doorway. "I'm a human refugee and I'm willing to put my life on the line."

  Erica's eyes shined as she turned toward Natalie.

  "I could just hide here. But I won't. There's got to be thousands of people like me on dozens of worlds who aren't willing to put up with the General's crap anymore."

  The room howled in assent.

  "We're going to take back Earth, we're going to stop the dark souls, and we're going to kill the bloody General. Now tell me, do you want to be a part of that?"

  The room chanted in the affirmative as Erica and Natalie shared a look.

  The protector pounded her fist onto a table to join in the chant. "Are you all with us?"

  The voices grew louder as Natalie fully entered the room and sat beside her teammates.

  Ted stood up. Erica could tell he was trying not to stare at the team's latest member. "So it's all settled. When do we start?'

  9

  Jennifer watched as her cousin Winny laughed uproariously as she sat across from her long-lost best friend, Beth. Long before Ted had superpowers and Erica had died and come back as something stronger, these were the moments Jennifer took pride in the most. She was the one who made sure nothing got in the way of her friends’ happiness. It wasn't really until she dated Dhiraj that she even considered her own joy.

  Van Housen walked up beside her after meeting with his squadron to get all the necessary materials ready for their departure.

  He witnessed the same scene Jennifer was smiling at. "There really is nothing like friendship, is there?"

  She nodded. "That is the truth."

  "You think about all the implications of the dark souls taking over. But you don't consider the human cost. Things like friendship get killed when one person is someone you don't even know anymore."

  Jennifer sighed. She thought back to the moments her relationship with Dhiraj began to falter. While he wasn't a dark soul, she should've known his actions and attitude weren't his own.

  "When the General started controlling Dhiraj, I didn't even notice. At least, I didn't think twice about it. I just assumed he was acting like a jerk."

  Van Housen put his arm around Jennifer's shoulder. "All of this is so strange and new for humanity to deal with. You can't blame yourself."

  "Then who am I supposed to blame?"

  Van Housen turned to face her. "You blame the person responsible. You blame this General. That's why your friends are going to hit them with an army the likes of which they've never seen. That's why we're going to get the man you love out of his clutches."

  Jennifer took a deep breath. "You're right. I just hope that we aren't too late."

  "Me too."

  Van Housen looked toward the two chattering friends and laughed. "I'm just so happy she's happy."

  Jennifer smirked. "I didn't even realize that she was hanging out with you when all this went down."

  He beamed. "Just like with you and your Dhiraj, it's impossible to stop true love."

  Jennifer suppressed a chuckle. "My apologies if I offend you, but isn't Beth completely after your money and fame?"

  Van Housen appeared to hem and haw about how he wanted to answer before nodding in the affirmative. "Of course she is. But it's kind of refreshing that she's so open about it."

  Jennifer made the decision not to bring up the fact that Beth had only turned 18 a few months prior. She clicked her tongue. "Whatever makes you happy. How is the mission coming along?"

  "Instead of telling you, why don't I show you?"

  Van Housen took Jennifer through a series of corridors before finally reaching the equipment room. Sheriff Norris was in there testing out some of the weapons and armor.

  Her fake father's eyes lit up. "Hey, honey. We really could've used some of this stuff back in Treasure."

  Jennifer smiled. While she knew that her true father had died a hero's death, it wasn't bad to have a kind and thoughtful replacement. His superhuman abilities didn't hurt either.

  "Tell me what we've got."

  Van Housen seemed to take on the persona of a game show announcer revealing all the prizes a contestant had won. "To your left, you'll see the cloaking suit I have prepared for you and your father." He took a gun off of a rack on the wall. "This little piece of artillery will paralyze either a human or a dark soul. It's temporary, but effective." He riffled through a few more things. "We've got signal jammers, password decrypters, really everything you'll need to break into the White House and get your friend."

  Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "I feel like we could figure out the armor and the guns, but all this decrypting stuff. The programming. How are we supposed to figure that out on our own?"

  Van Housen beamed and took a suit of armor off another rack on the wall. "You won't have to figure it out alone. Because I'm coming with you."

  The sheriff put up a hand. "We really appreciate your generosity, Van Housen, but you're one of the only people who has technology like this. If you don't make it through this mission—"

  "I wouldn't have been in this mission if it weren't for Dhiraj. Besides, I'm a CEO, I know how to delegate. Everything here is going to be just fine with or without me."

  Jennifer grinded her teeth. "It could be a suicide mission. Are you sure you want to take that chance?"

  The German billionaire smiled as if death didn't stand a chance against him. "My dear civilians, you don't become a billionaire when you play things safe."

  10

  Natalie clutched the sides of a cardboard box as she waited for the door in front of her to open. She'd battled some incredible foes in her life, but standing in front of this room in particular scared her more than most of those encounters. She swallowed once more as she propped the box up with one hand and knocked with the other.

  A middle-aged woman with a sad resolve upon her face answered the knock. "Hello?"

  Natalie gripped the box tighter. "Hello, Mrs. Conner. I'm Natalie, I dated your son before he..."

  A hesitant smile formed on Mrs. Conner's lips. "Of course. Why don't you come in?"

  Natalie nodded and entered the room. The dimensions were almost identical to her own. There was just enough space to sleep and live, but not for much else. Sh
e placed her box down on the small bed.

  Mrs. Conner looked toward the meager cupboard. "Can I get you something, dear? I don't have much. I'm sure your unit is the same."

  Natalie put up her hand. "I'm only here for a minute. I just wanted to talk to you before I left on a mission."

  Mrs. Conner seemed disappointed, as if she'd hoped for a little more company. "Okay. Is there something I can do?"

  Natalie wasn't sure how to proceed, so she blurted out the rehearsed words. "Your son died a hero, Mrs. Conner. He was trying to stop the General when he died."

  Tears formed on the woman's face. "I had no idea. How did he die?"

  Natalie hadn't planned going off script, but she knew that if she were a parent, she'd want to know too.

  "He figured out that the General was pretending to be Ted before any of us. We didn't believe him, so he tried to stop him himself. The General was the one who killed him, but I think all of us could've done—"

  Mrs. Conner shushed Natalie. "Don't go making yourself crazy over this. A bad person killed my son. He didn't talk about his love life much, but I knew you were taking him in the right direction. I thank you for that."

  Natalie's throat tightened up. It was difficult to get the words out. "I brought you some things of his. Things I wasn't sure what to do with. I thought maybe you would—"

  "That's so kind of you. I'll treasure this. Are you sure you have to go?"

  Natalie rubbed her temple and nodded. "Unfortunately I do. But I asked the parents of everyone on the mission to come by and get some food with you. I hope that wasn't presumptuous."

  Mrs. Connor wiped away some tears. "I've felt a little bit lonely. So, it means a lot to me. Thank you for everything."

  When Travis's mom leaned in for a hug, Natalie didn't resist.

  As Natalie closed the door to Mrs. Conner's room, she jumped back at the sight of Ted.