Phantom knocked on the door, which slid open again, allowing Barrage and Volt to step in. Volt was immediately at his wife’s side. She smiled at him and threw her arms around his neck, elated. Such happiness did not bode well for the future of the Rangers of Justice.
“What’s going on?” Barrage asked, becoming impatient. “What have you learned?”
“In all likelihood, the girl won’t be missed for several hours. Morning, maybe,” Shade said. “But her brother knows of her meetings with Alex. Once they realize she’s gone, they’ll be looking for us and will expect that we’re planning to come after them.”
“The Rangers know we have a telepath,” Phantom said. “When they realize we have one of their own, they’ll restructure their security measures. All our work will have been for nothing.”
“Yes, but thanks to our young captive, I know how to disable their current secondary security system,” Shade said. “Barrage, what’s the status on Gage’s prototype for the weapon?”
“Complete,” the man said. His face was beginning to light up with pure delight. “It’s ready for a test run.”
“Go get it, and the device tuned to negate Lone Star’s energy,” Shade said. She turned to Volt. “Assemble the Beta Team. We’re taking Justice Tower tonight.”
“What about Alex?” Volt asked.
“Leave him,” Shade said, pushing him toward the door with her fingertips and staring through the one-way glass. “Let him think about what he’s done. I’ll deal with them when we return.”
And with that, they were gone, the door sealed shut once more.
Alex was speechless. All he could do was stare at Kirbie through the glass. At least she was alive, he thought. And even though he was horrified by the plans his mother had for them, for a moment he wondered if everything would work out in the end. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, the two of them allying together under Cloak. If neither of them had any memory of their history together, maybe it could be a sort of fresh start, all the anxiety of the past washed away. They could protect each other, learn to fight for the same goals—could rule alongside each other.
No. It wasn’t right, any of this. He had to find a way out. He had to save her.
“What are you thinking?” Gage asked from behind his friend’s chair, where he was inspecting the restraints.
“If I can get that door open, you can get us out of here, right?” Alex asked. “While everyone is gone?”
“Well, yes, but perhaps you were not listening earlier—”
“I have to do something. Even if we end up gassed and unconscious or whatever. I can’t just sit here.”
“Okay,” the young genius said after a moment. “But I want you to know now, in case something happens and we don’t remember any of this later, that I’m sorry for how this has turned out. You were right to question Cloak. We cannot stand in the shadows of our parents.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Alex said. “Now, cross your fingers. I’m going to see if I can feel out this lock.”
“Alex, you know me well enough to know that I am not a superstitious individual,” Gage said. He managed a small smile. “But I’m crossing my fingers as best I can within these metallic confines.”
Alex nodded to his friend and turned his head to the door. He was feeling more put together since his mother left, at least, but Gage had been right: The door was solid and sturdy. Alex could sense its density. There was no way he could pull it open using his powers. He closed his eyes and tried to feel out the inner workings of the lock, slipping his telekinetic energy around the mechanics. The pins and levers and rods were seemingly endless, and his thoughts were still somewhat blurry from his mother’s interference earlier. He was finding it difficult to concentrate. His controlled energy was becoming more and more erratic, bouncing around inside the mechanism recklessly. He tried to keep it together, to move the blue around with finesse, but he feared it was too late for that.
“Oh my,” Gage said. “It would appear that you have triggered the gaseous element.”
Alex opened his eyes and looked up, letting the energy within the door dissipate. A heavy black and red and purple cloud was drifting through one of the vents, hovering above them.
But the cloud didn’t disperse throughout the room, nor did it enter their lungs. Rather, it drifted slowly to the floor, where against all reason it began to form solid matter. First fuzzy purple slippers and black leggings, then a familiar plaid skirt. The black fabric and silver bars of a Beta Team mission top came next. And finally, green eyes, red hair, and the freckled face of a ten-year-old girl.
“Misty!” Alex said. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Misty stared at Gage and Alex, her mouth agape. It was apparent that she had been crying and was confused about why her two best friends were being treated like prisoners.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said, near hysterics. “Volt called the Beta Team. He said they were going on a mission. And Titan said that the two of you were locked up, but I didn’t believe him. And then they all just left me and I didn’t know what was going on, but I figured if it was true and you were locked up, then you might be in these rooms. I remembered them from when I first got my powers and got lost and spread out in the base before I figured out how to put myself back together. I had to come make sure you guys were all right.”
“Misty, it’s okay,” Alex said, trying to calm her down. “You did a great job finding us. Now, I need you to take Gage with you and go back to the hallway. He’s going to get me out of here.”
“What? I can’t do that. What’s going on?” she asked. She looked around, noticing Kirbie sleeping in the next room. “Wait, who’s she? Why is she here?”
“We can explain that later,” Alex said. “Right now I need you to take Gage and use your powers to get him to the other side of the door.”
Misty stared back at him, shaking her head.
“No. I don’t like taking other people with me. I’ve only done it in training. What if he gets hurt? I’m not good enough. I’ll figure out another way to get you guys out of here.”
“Misty, I’ve seen you do this with things twice as big as Gage,” Alex said. “Just concentrate! All you have to do is—”
“No, Alex. She is correct,” Gage said, interrupting. “Misty can’t sublimate another person safely. It’s beyond her power.” He paused. “But the Mist can, right? The Mist can take me to the other side of that door.”
Misty’s eyes were wide. She looked back and forth between Alex and Gage before taking a deep breath.
“You’re right,” she said, putting up a strong front. “The Mist can do this. No sweat.”
Gage looked at Alex.
“We will see you momentarily,” he said. Then, turning to Misty, he added, “If you would, please leave these handcuffs behind.”
Misty nodded, her face already scrunched in concentration. Reaching out and placing a hand on Gage’s white sleeve, she closed her eyes. Slowly her body started to drift away, as if it were a sand sculpture caught in the breeze. Once she was nothing but multicolored dust, Gage began to disintegrate as well, starting where Misty’s hand had been on his arm, traveling rapidly over the rest of his body. The boy looked at Alex one more time, nodding as his face began to fall apart. The two joined clouds hovered in the air before shooting toward one of the vents at the top of the room. After a few seconds Alex was alone, his only company a pair of handcuffs sitting empty on the floor in front of him.
On the other side of the glass, Kirbie was waking. Alex watched her eyes flutter open, and saw her confusion in coming to consciousness locked up in an unfamiliar place.
“Hold on,” Alex murmured. “I’ll get you out of here.”
Mechanical parts moved somewhere in the seat below him; Gage had worked quickly. The metal bands of his chair all snapped open, and Alex was up in no time, standing in front of the door. It slid aside, revealing a familiar hallway. The cells were located on the bottom floor, tucked be
hind the War Room. Gage was standing beside the door, a wall panel opened up to reveal a mess of wires and circuits.
“Gage, get Kirbie’s cell open,” Alex said. “I need to think about what to do next.”
With his mother gone, the haze in his head had subsided. Before he could start to sketch out a plan, a fist rammed against his back.
“You were going to leave me, weren’t you?” Misty yelled. “That’s what all those animals were for. You were going to leave and never come back. Weren’t you?”
“Misty . . . it’s complicated,” he said.
Misty was starting to cry. Alex wrapped his arm around her neck and drew her in close. At first she resisted, but it didn’t take long for her to give in to the hug.
“Listen,” he said. “That girl in there is one of the Rangers of Justice. . . .”
Misty gasped, but said nothing.
“I know you think she’s our enemy,” Alex continued. “But she’s my friend. Right now, Cloak is on their way to her home to hurt her friends. They’re going to hurt her brother.”
“Are you going to try to stop them?” she asked, her face contorting in fear.
Alex exhaled slowly, nodding.
“Yeah,” he said. “I have to.”
Before Misty could protest, Gage cleared his throat. The door was opening.
A monstrous roar came from inside the cell. Before any of them could react, a blond-haired beast was in the hallway, growling like a cornered animal. With the back of her clawed hand, she swatted Gage out of the way and locked eyes with Alex, who had stepped in front of Misty. The little girl screamed, and Alex could feel her dissipate behind him.
“Kirbie!” Alex screamed. “It’s me. We’re here to save you.”
The she-wolf growled again, her eyes showing reluctance to believe Alex. After a few seconds she began to shrink down into her human form. She took a few steps forward but began to stumble, raising a hand to her head.
“It’s okay,” Alex said, catching her before she dropped face-first onto the concrete. “Take it slow. These are my friends. This is Gage,” he said, motioning to the boy on the floor. “And this is . . . Misty, get ahold of yourself.”
Misty was still a hovering mass of particles a few feet away. She pulled her body back together and sheepishly waved at the new girl.
“How were you able to escape from the chair in that room?” Gage asked curiously, picking himself up off the ground. “I hadn’t released the bonds yet.”
“I’m a teenage superhero,” Kirbie said, still clutching her head. “Escaping from restraints and the best way to be kidnapped were two of the first things I learned as a Ranger. Now, where are we?”
“We’re in Cloak’s base,” Alex said. “Underground. Outside the city. Kirbie—”
“What are they going to do?” she asked, cutting him off. “That woman . . . she was in my head. . . .”
“That was my mother,” he said, feeling somewhat ashamed. “There’s a weapon in Justice Tower that has the power to take down the Rangers. Cloak is going after it. That’s what I was trying to tell you in the park when they showed up.”
Kirbie’s eyes met Alex’s, a tempestuous mixture of fear and anger and disappointment that made him feel worse than he’d thought was possible.
“Kyle . . . ,” she said. She stood and began to take a few steps forward before turning back to Alex, realizing that she had no idea where she was. “We have to get over there. We have to warn them.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Gage said bleakly. “If we’re anywhere near there when that bomb goes off—”
“Bomb?” Kirbie interrupted.
Gage looked to Alex, as if he felt it best that his friend explain the situation.
“They’re going to set off a special bomb that will transport anything in the blast zone to another plane of existence,” he said. “A place called the Gloom. Just imagine hell and that’s it.”
“How big is the blast zone?” Kirbie shuddered to ask.
“Anything within three miles of Justice Tower,” Alex said softly.
“A blast like that will take out half the cultural district,” Kirbie said. “Not to mention the park, the apartment buildings . . . there are schools and hospitals in its range.”
She trembled with anger and fear. Her features grew more animal.
“Somebody get me to Justice Tower,” she growled.
“We’ll use the transporter to take us close to the park,” Alex said. “It’s not too far from there.”
“Great. Let’s go,” Misty said.
Everyone turned to stare at her. She stood with her fists clenched, as if ready for action.
“It’s too dangerous,” Alex said.
“No,” Gage said. “Misty’s right. We can’t leave her here with them. You heard what your mother had planned for us. Imagine what will happen to Misty once they find out she’s the one who helped us escape.”
“Yeah! Plus, I can help. Look what I did with Gage!” Misty said, her confidence apparently having grown tenfold in the past few minutes. Alex wanted to think about this more, but they were wasting time.
“Okay,” he said. “But you’re not going up in the tower. Let’s get out of here.”
“Give me ten seconds,” Kirbie said. “I’m right behind you.”
Alex nodded, and they jogged around the corner to the elevator.
“Can we do this?” he asked Gage, holding the door back and waiting for Kirbie.
“If we are lucky, and the Rangers have put up a fight, then we may have enough time to stop the bomb. There will be a short delay between the time it’s set and when it goes off. Cloak will need to get out of the area themselves.”
Kirbie followed the sound of their voices and ran into the elevator, now dressed in her Rangers uniform. She’d need to be able to transform quickly.
“Let’s do this,” she said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
Alex hit the button, sending them shooting up through the compound.
“The first floor will be full of Unibands—Cloak staff—but if we’re lucky, the council left in a hurry and didn’t alert anyone else of our . . . situation,” Gage said.
“And if they’re waiting for us?” Kirbie asked.
“Be prepared to transform and run,” Alex said.
There was a beep, and the door slid open. The area in front of the elevator was busier than normal, with a dozen Unibands milling about. Alex picked up the words “attack” and “Justice” out of the noise before everyone fell silent and looked at the people stepping out of the elevator: Alex, the battered inventor, the Ranger of Justice, and the little girl in slippers. Everyone stood quietly for a moment, none of them sure what to do. Finally Alex stepped forward.
“Well?” he hissed, his voice full of anger. “Don’t you all have jobs to be doing?”
There was a slight pause, and the Unibands scattered.
“Nicely done,” Gage whispered.
They ran down the hallway with haste, stopping only for a few seconds at Gage’s workshop so he could pick up a few weapons and whatever tools he might need to disarm the bomb.
“We’ll go in twos,” Alex said as they entered the transporter room. “Misty, take Gage. We’ll be right behind you.”
Misty nodded and grabbed Gage’s arm. The girl took a deep breath and shoved her right palm into the inset black box. Darkness seeped up over her shoulder.
“What’s happening?” Kirbie whispered as she looked on, more than a bit alarmed.
“I wish I could say it isn’t as bad as it looks,” Alex murmured. “Misty, make sure you keep your eyes closed the whole time, okay?”
Misty nodded as the shadows overcame her and flowed onto Gage. Within seconds, they were sucked inside the wall.
Alex reached out his left hand to Kirbie. She took it without hesitation, and they stepped forward to the black box.
“Don’t be afraid,” Alex said. “Try to relax and breathe. It’s going to be cold, but it will be over
before you know it. Just keep your eyes closed. And whatever you do, don’t let go.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Alex thrust his palm into the box. The icy darkness flowed up the arm of his trench coat, sliding across his chest. Kirbie took in a shocked breath when the freezing energy met her hand. Before she could say anything, the two of them were gone.
16
The Battle
for Justice Tower
On the other side of the transporter, Kirbie gasped for air, doubled over and shaking. Alex fumbled against the wall, trying to find the panel that would let them out of the dark room and into the safe-house closet.
“What was that?” Kirbie asked between gasps. “What just happened?”
“That’s where a chunk of the city is going if we don’t stop the bomb,” Alex said.
He pulled her out of the dark room and through the closet, into the sparsely decorated living room where Gage and Misty were waiting beside the open front door. They both looked shaken, but ready.
“Let’s go,” Alex said, heading out into the basement.
“Once we’re topside,” Gage said, following him, “find a vehicle. I can manually bypass the ignition interlock. It should take less than a minute.”
“Huh?” Misty asked.
“He’s going to hot-wire a car,” Alex clarified, climbing the steep steps that led to the street exit, leading the way. He poured thoughts into the lock on the wrought-iron gate at the top of the stairs, trying to jimmy it open. A few steps away, he gave a final push, intending to unlock the barricade but instead sending the entire door, hinges and all, flying out onto the sidewalk.
“Oops,” he muttered.
They poured out of the stairwell, and Kirbie ran immediately to the center of the street, orienting herself and looking for signs of chaos in the distance. Over the trees of Victory Park, she could see Justice Tower. It was still standing, but something was wrong. The twelfth floor—the observation deck—was flickering with colors and lights, as if some sort of spectacular show was being staged inside. The Rangers of Justice were locked in battle with the Cloak Society. But there was still time.
The Cloak Society Page 17
